Gem Trails
Sunday, October 7th 2012
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY
Doors: 8pm | Tickets $7 | All Ages
Showing posts with label big snow buffalo lodge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label big snow buffalo lodge. Show all posts
Last Nights Presents: Volunteers Park 7" Release Show w/ Blanko & Noiry and DJ Chris Freeman
Blanko & Noiry
Volunteers Park
(Former Silk Flowers, 7" Record Release)
DJ Chris Freeman (of Fusetron)
Saturday June 30th
Big Snow
Last Nights Presents: United Waters, yek koo. Prehistoric Blackout, LA Lakers
Last Nights Presents: March 1st + 2nd "Images Residency" w/ Psychic Ills, Sore Eros, Hume, Street Gnar, Alan Watts + DJ's Andreas Knutsen & Elliptic
March 1st
8pm | $7 | All Ages
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March 2nd
w/ DJ's Andreas Knutsen (Other Music) + Elliptic
8pm | $9 | All Ages
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at
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY 11206
Subway: Flushing Ave M/J + Montrose L
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Some words about the groups;
Psychic Ills; “Faced with a deluge of groove based psych, many listeners failed to notice Psychic Ills peculiar idiosyncrasy, and they got subsumed. Now that all is quiet, or quieter, on
the kaleidoscopic rock front, it's easier to hear the radical economy that sets them apart.
While most freaked-out churners give in to the temptation to throw everything into the
cauldron and boil, Psychic Ills cherry-pick their ingredients and slow roast till golden... a
mirror in a desert gently turning in the breeze” – The Wire Magazine
Images; "Images' album Know What I Mean is a loopy and lustrous treat, briefly glinting with an art-rock edge before it dives back under the woolen waves of psych-rock. Only seven tracks long, the whole album still comes across as a couple of guys genuinely doing something different." - Liz Pavlovic (Decoder)
Sore Eros; "Sore Eros make rich and subtle music that resists easy description or comprehension, but that seems to make perfect sense as soon as one stops trying to figure it out." - Michael Cramer (Dusted Magazine)
Hume; "Yeah, so the track is totally seeped in bong water, but it's also remarkably controlled despite what first feels like blissed out formlessness. On Bandcamp, the song is tagged as both "music concrete" and "pop." Might as well just call it pop concrete." - Jonathan L. Fischer (Washington City Paper)
Street Gnar; "There are combed-over waves of psychedelic fuzz, but underneath is a nasality that is almost Brit-pop, which is something I normally hate, but here it works." - Ari Spool (Impose Magazine)
Alan Watts; "The Group has begun to make the rounds with its industrial-driven pop.." - Shannon Hassett (RCRD LBL)
Street Gnar- Study Wall | ALBUM REVIEW
Over the past several years, bedroom-pop auteurs churning out hiss-y, homespun indie rock have been dime a dozen to say the least. It seems as if in this generation, one wakes up every morning to find their computer screen alit with another “of-the-moment” 18-25 year old kid with a sardonic attitude and a batch of tunes straight out of his momma's basement. Now, that is certainly a generalization; this I know. I know I am actively taking part in the Pitchfork-patented hyper-categorization and homogenization of modern music as we know it, pigeonholing artists into such small niches from which they can never escape.
This is not my intention with Street Gnar; the nom de plume of Case Mahan, a Brooklyn-via-Lexington, KY tunesmith whose newest collection, Study Wall, both conforms to and rejects many of the tent-poles which made many of his lo-fi pop cohorts successful in the first place. While many of his peers often value style over substance, Study Wall has killer slacker-pop tunes to back up his skater/stoner image.
The album begins with “Twenty-Two, Twenty-Two,” perhaps the album's finest song, and a perfect starting point for our discussion of the aesthetics of this release. Coming straight out of the gate with chiming guitars that wouldn't sound out of place on a Fifth Dimension-era Byrds tune (or one of R.E.M.'s charming, early recordings) and drums that sound like they were tracked in a tin can, we know we're in for an enjoyable ride that wont' rock the boat too much.
And rock it he doesn't: the following ten tracks are thoroughly enjoyable guitar pop tunes that are informed by the genre's multi-generational history. Pulling from the fertile musical soil of the past five decades, Mahan's studied approached to songwriting is perhaps his biggest asset. It's as if, holed away in his Kentucky basement, Mahan dutifully absorbed his parents' record collection while firmly keeping a finger on the pulse of the blogosphere, showing a particular affinity for the lo-fi guitar pop stylings of groups like Woods and The Fresh and Only's. Using the prerequisite pop auteur arsenal of guitars, bass, drum machines and synthesizers, Street Gnar has managed to craft an album that sounds decidedly of-the-moment while retaining essential elements of pop/rock classicism.
The production values are, predictably with this sort of release, where Study Wall ultimately falls short of greatness. The electronic drums throughout, especially on otherwise catchy as hell track “It Came In,” never quite mesh with the early GBV grit present in Mahan's songs, and simply come off as obligatory. Instead of using some of his recording limitations to his advantage, they ultimately reek of being just that, limitations. Generally, Mahan is at his best when the electronic textures are at their sparsest, such as on the aforementioned “Twenty Two, Twenty Two,” and the psych-rock rave-up “Let It Grow,” which sounds like King Tuff fronting the 13th Floor Elevators. The more textural side of Street Gnar is not always for naught though, as displayed on the lovely little ditty “Would You,” where Mahan makes use of a melodic synth flourish that truly makes the song. Well, that and the ripping guitar solo at the end.
Ultimately, Study Wall is an extremely enjoyable collection of pop tunes that just don't feel finished. The artificial elements present in the recordings never quite gel enough with the album's 60's/90's rock vibe, leaving the end product sounding more like a collection of demos than anything. Had Mahan taken a bit more time to hone the arrangements and put together a proper band, Study Wall could have had “classic” written all over it. Instead, the album feels like an underdeveloped first taste from an artist who will almost certainly grow into his own. I would keep an eye of this fella, y'all. Something tells me this won't be the last we hear of Street Gnar.
Study Wall was self-released by Mahan through Bandcamp on Feb. 1st. Check out the album player above to stream it in its entirety. You can catch Street Gnar live next Thursday, March 1st, at The Big Snow Buffalo Lodge in Bushwick, as part of Last Night's Two Night Images Residency. Other groups on the bill include Sore Eros & Hume. For more information check out the Facebook Event Page. Come on down, y'all.
Two Night Images Residency at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge March 1st & 2nd w/ Psychic Ills, Sore Eros, Hume, Street Gnar, & Alan Watts + DJ's
March 1st
Hume
Sore Eros
Images
Street Gnar
8pm | $7 | All Ages
March 2nd
Psychic Ills
Images
Alan Watts
w/ DJ's Andreas Knutsen (Other Music) + Elliptic
8pm | $9 | All Ages
Each Night at Big Snow Buffalo Lodge
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY 11206
Subway: Flushing Ave M/J + Montrose L
Last Nights Presents: Sore Eros, Hume, Images, Street Gnar
Thursday March 1st
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY 11206
8pm | $7 | All Ages
Last Nights Presents: Psychic Ills, Images, Alan Watts
Come join us for a very special show with Psychic Ills, Images, & Alan Watts. The Psychic Ills are NYC art-rock veterans who the Village Voice named the best psychedelic band in New York for 2006. This will be their tour kickoff show before they head west for SXSW. Big Snow will provide the most intimate show experience to see the band for quite some time to come so don't miss out. Joining the bill will be Images who have been roaming around the nyc experimental diy scene for a while now & have recently released their newest full-length Know What I Mean & are prepping an upcoming 7" due out shortly. If that is not enough Alan Watts will be getting the night started with their particular brand of space-rock as they begin to prep for the next album.
Friday March 2nd
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY 11206
Last Nights Presents: 2 shows this weekend w/ Blues Control, Jonas Reinhardt & more
Last Nights Presents: Blues Control, Jonas Reinhardt, Soft Circle, & more this week
Friday February 10th
285 Kent Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11211
8pm | $10 | All Ages
Saturday February 11th
89 Varet St. Brooklyn, NY 11206
9pm | $8 | All Ages
Last Nights Presents: Jonas Reinhardt, The Present, Driphouse
Images - "Where You Are Now"
We're happy to announce "Where You Are Now" the lead track from Images forthcoming album titled Know What I Mean. The group recorded/mixed the album late this past spring after a busy 2011 filled with shows that saw the duo share stages with MV & EE, Soft Circle, & Spectre Folk to name a few. "Where You Are Now" sees them operating at surprising levels of clarity and accessibility for the cloudy headed psychedelic concoctions offered up in the past. As this lead track demonstrates Images aren't afraid of stepping into the light, sounding almost indie-rock while they're at it. The cleanliness of the sound itself is attributed to the live nature of the recordings, in which few overdubs were undertaken in order leaving the raw live band sound in tact. The bounce of it all makes it perfect to add some energy in the bleak days of winter ahead.
"Where You Are Now" is available now straight from the band's bandcamp site as a free download. Be sure to look out for more info on Images and the upcoming full-length Know What I Mean this January here via the Last Nights Records imprint & AMDISCS.
Images will also playing Last Nights upcoming show this Friday Dec. 9th at Big Snow w/ Woodsman & Alan Watts.
Last Nights Presents: Woodsman / Images / Alan Watts
Woodsman
Images
Alan Watts
Friday December 9th
Big Snow
89 Varet St. Brooklyn NY
8pm | $7 | All Ages
RSVP on Facebook here
Big Snow Buffalo Lodge - New Brooklyn Venue Space
Wow maybe we're a little late on this one, maybe just in the nick of time, but tonight Oct. 27th Big Snow Buffalo Lodge will be opening their doors to public for the first time. It's name aside (I'm told it's a Harry Nilson reference), the space has some exciting plans for the future.
Located on the edge of the Williamsburg/Bushwick neighborhoods at 89 Varet St. the space serves dual function of live music venue & recording studio, a multi-utility use that similar spaces have used such as Shea Stadium (not surprising as Big Snow is run by members of the Shea team). Combining DIY aesthetics with a voracious attitude towards booking performances the space already has some quality upcoming shows shows in the near future. This includes tonight's show that will feature performances by Pigeons, Lost Boy, The So So Glos, & Dustin Wong which showcases a nice batch of eclectic performances to kickstart the venue & weekend.
A full list of Big Snow Buffalo Lodge's future shows is listed at the spaces' tumblr here http://bigsnowbk.tumblr.com/
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