Houndmouth. Night 1. Welcome Home. We Love You.

I have never seen a band have more genuine fun that what I saw onstage at Headliner's last night. I do not know if it was the fact that they were home or they were playing to a sold out crowd but there was magic in the air last night at the Houndmouth show. (Not to mention they covered "This Magic Moment.")

 

Almost every member played every instrument and all of them were all smiles and sometimes all dancing. From the crowd roaring "Krampus" to a the gang vocals of "Penitentiary" and a closing cover of "I Shall Be Released," Houndmouth was pumping out a wall of sound with every tune.

 

From the balcony at Headliner's I saw a sold out crowd so energetic, so entranced in what they will now claim as their own. Yeah sorry New Albany, Louisville is probably going to take it from here. Trade ya Jennifer Lawrence?

 

The stage was reminiscent of the original Thanksgiving concert feast a la The Last Waltz with a tapestry depicting their album cover and a chandelier hanging the middle of the stage, but by the end of the show everyone on stage had ripped it to shreds. They left everything out there and hey they will do it tonight too to another sold out crowd. Daniel Martin Moore and Howell Dawdy open tonight.

 

You're lucky if you got a ticket this weekend. Houndmouth isn't going anywhere. Anywhere but up that is. 

 

   
   
   
   
   

Video Premiere: The Debauchees "I've Got Energy"

Take a look at the first video from Louisville trio The Debauchees for "I've Got Energy" off their debut album Big Machines and Peculiar Beings. Powered by pumping bass lines and interesting vocals, The Debauchees are only 19 years old and you can't tell. "I've Got Energy" is an pronouncement of just that--a catchy, dance-y guitar riff and an energetic tempo.

The video is so them. Playing in front of the big screen at a drive in theater, the band is hammering away while lead singer Sydney Chadwick finds herself a star on screen. Together with some moments of them just being themselves, the video is simple and funky--a good reflection of the tune.

"I've Got Energy"

Imagine Dragons Steal The Spotlight at AMAs

Rock doesn't really get the best spotlights in major American awards show and but boy oh boy did Imagine Dragons steal it last night.

At the American Music Awards Sunday night, in a show sandwiched between the biggest and brightest like Justin Timberlake, Lady GaGa, and Katy Perry, Imagine Dragons made the absolute most of their performance with a medley of Demons/Radioactive.

Frontman Dan Reynolds's towering figure commanded the stage while the rest of the band's intensity was just as equal. Their performance was so powerful because it's wasn't flashy. No choreographed dance moves. No big drama. It was all intensity start to finish.

The best part about the song was that it wasn't a charade. They did not tailor the performance to the AMA stage as other artists do. I saw them in Indianapolis earlier this year and that's what they do. They didn't make anything up for your amusement on a grand stage. The gave the AMA's the show they give every single fan. They were true to themselves and true to the music. Maybe that's why rock can't seem to find its place on these stages....

At one point in the performance every member of the band was playing some sort of percussion, all of the giving all the energy into the drums. Their performance and their Favorite Alternative Rock Artists award will keep the buzz going on a well deserved band.

When the crowd gave Imagine Dragons a standing ovation, I could not help but remember Arcade Fire. They won Album of the Year in 2011 and Dr. Dre's face was priceless--like he didn't even know who they were. I love how these bands show that rock will never die. It may fade, but it will never die.

Americana Amped Up By A Brit

Jake Bugg was 17 when she stepped on stage at Glastonbury. He hasn't looked back since.

Last week, he released his second album Shangri La with the added help of Rick Rubin and Chad Smith (of RHCP). Bugg was pegged as a revitalization of early Bob Dylan because his first album sounded very Greenwich Village-esqe. Even the vocals were recorded soft and faded. But luckily with his second album, he didn't pigeon hole himself.

Speaking of vocals, Bugg's voice is very unique. It borders on screechy but its sincere and pronounced. After all, he is still young and that's what it sounds like. When you hear the mature music, you sometimes forget it.

Shangri La loses the old time production of Bugg's first album and ups the tempo. "What's Doesn't Kill You" sounds like Arctic Monkeys grungy pop (I would Alex Turner a bigger influence than Bob Dylan). "Me And You" sounds like California hippie folk. His songwriting melds ages and genres. 

Bugg disputes that Dylan was ever really an influence, but just like an earlier release from Gary Clark Jr. , you can pinpoint what Bugg is all about. His predecessors played a big role in his past but his present is very much Jake Bugg.

Bugg is playing naturally and enthusiastically. No image. No fluff. Listen to Shangri La for some genuine tunes. He can rock, he can roll, he can play 'em all.

What Doesn't Kill You

A Song About Love

Your New Favorite Band: St. Lucia

Folks, I've found it: your new favorite band. And its name is St. Lucia.

Actually it's Jean-Philip Grobler, a South African born (now based in Brooklyn) indie pop beat master. He will remind you of the '80s but not take you exactly there. Grobler brings in some acoustic guitars as well as a saxophone that is featured prominently in multiple songs on his debut album When The Night. St. Lucia is anthemic, dance tunes.

The synths are driving, the drums are pounding and every song is danceable in its own way. Grobler's vocal choices are essential to his songs. His voice (a young Sting if Sting danced a little more) is strong and layered, making a big wall of sound. He also brings a female vocal to compliment his voice well. It's breath of fresh air.

Guitars, synths, saxophone, vocals--all leading to a big, playful sound for all the freaks in the night. Let loose with St. Lucia.

I highly recommend St. Lucia for fans of M83, Passion Pit, and Ellie Goulding. In January, St. Lucia will begin a tour of major cities on the East and West Coast.

Need to hear songs: Closer Than This, The Night Comes Again, Elevate

St. Lucia live on Jimmy Kimmel performing Elevate

 

 

 



Music video for September

Lily Allen "Hard Out Here"

Lily Allen is no stranger to the modern day behavior and view of women in the spotlight. The paparazzi and tabloids in England followed her around everywhere making her a constantly subject of the pictures and articles. She hardly stood for it though.

Before she took a break from music to focus on her family and to get away, she was never shy with what was on her mind. "The Fear" describes women being forced to take off the clothes to get famous and "22" explains that life is over for women after 22.

Recently, we found out that Allen is back after a four year break when she released "Hard Out Here," a direct cheeky poke at the twerkers of the world.

"Don't need to shake my ass for you 'cause I got a brain."

Taking the title from Three 6 Mafia's "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp," she says it's hard out here for a bitch. The video is especially direct. She starts by laying on a surgical table as doctors try to perfect it to beauty's standards while her manager says the Letterman and Kimmel have passed her over. From there, many music videos with scandalous female dancing and flashy everything.

Glad to see Lily Allen is back. Exactly what we were looking for.

KROQ Announces Huge Almost Acoustic Christmas Show

There are thousands of people in Los Angeles who had their prayers answered with the best KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas this year. KROQ has brought together the best of the alternative/indie rock world for two nights of fantastic music.

Night 1: Kings of Leon, Queens of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend, Foals, Cage the Elephant, Grouplove, AFI, New Politics

Night 2: Arcade Fire, Lorde, Phoenix, Portugal. the Man, Fitz and the Tantrums, Atlas Genius, The Neighbourhood, Bastille, Capital Cities

Tickets run from $96-$177 and night 1 is already sold out. The show is held at Shrine Auditorium.

The jam packed lineup will absolutely deliver and you have KROQ to think for that.  

Cover of the Week

 

"The Suburbs" by Mr Little Jeans

Mr Little Jeans is Norwegian born Monica Birkenes and she transforms Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" into a darker tune filled with swerving overdubs and layered vocals. Her take on the song sounds more like the minute and a half part of "The Suburbs" that Arcade Fire included at the end of their album.

Her vocals reflect the almost whispering and nonchalant voice of Win Butler, but instead of a quiet drum beat, Mr Little Jeans emphasizes the orchestration and adds her eerie synths with a haunting wail in the background.

Still, her voice and transformation shows her ability to know the music in its essence. Watch out for Mr Little Jeans debut full length album and catch her single "Oh Sailor."

For reference, I have included the Arcade Fire original version of The Suburbs.

Check This Guy Out Too

While you are here...

You need to check out The Weekly Feed. This is just a quick shout out to a WFPK DJ in Louisville doing it his own way and killing it. Good tunes and a stellar interview every episode. Kyle has recently sat down with Queen of the Stone Age, Arctic Monkeys, and Matt & Kim.

"It's a one hour specialty show hosted by Kyle Meredith from the WFPK studios in Louisville, KY. We find the newest, best, and most discussed tracks making waves across the net and compile them all into a mixtape bent on keeping you up-to-date."
  http://www.theweeklyfeed.org/

This guy is my favorite.

Review: Wet "You're the Best"

Wet (Neon Gold Records) new song "You're The Best" is catchy beyond belief. It begins with vocals through a vocoder and a simple beat. When they take that as far as it can go, a great strong guitar chord comes in a la Phoenix and turns the song into a fantastic tune. The vocals are so fitting for the music and the atmospheric emptiness in parts of the song makes the sounds the listener does get that much more valuable.

This one will stay in your head all day. So good.

Gotta Have Good Tourmates

I'm a fan of music first and foremost. That's the way I look at music initially. Anything that makes me happy as a fan will make me happy as a critic. As a fan, something that really makes me appreciate what a band does for a fan is filling the bill. Picking cohesive tour mates can really set the tour on fire.

Filling the bill can get the headliner's fans amped before they get on stage. Having fans in the palm of a band's hand from start to finish is hard to do so with the right opening band, they are already locked and loaded for the headliner. Sometimes a great bill has three or four bands as opposed to the normal two, but I say the more the merrier. 

Another benefit for a good opening act is it will bring fans of the opening act to the headliner's show. More bands equals more fan bases for the headliner's music because if fans were wise they would stay till the end. They already paid for the ticket. 

Doing this can also benefit the fan and opening band in a more inclusive way. A fan might show up at the headliner's show, a band they already like, and totally get blown away by the opening act, a band they had never heard of. This has happened to me many times--so much so that I buy their album. 

The best example of this for me was when I saw Passion Pit in Convington, Kentucky just outside of Cincinnati. When I bought the tickets, they had not even announced the openers yet. They ended up being Youngblood Hawke and Hollerado. I bought the Hollerado disc at the show and later got Youngblood Hawke's EP in Indianapolis when they opened for GROUPLOVE. I play those bands all the time now and had not even heard of them before the Passion Pit show. 

A full bill is underestimated and can benefit all parties involved. Headliners needs to put thought into who opens for them because it can bring more fans and hype to the show. They also must make sure the opening band can apply to their bands too. Gotta work together to help yourself. 

Recent and upcoming loaded tours to note:

Walk the Moon w/ The Mowgli's and smallpools

New Politics w/ Sleeper Agent and Magic Man

Fitz & the Tantrums & Capital Cities w/ The Beat Band

Atlas Genius w/ Family of the Year and The Colourist

The Orwells & Fidlar w The Kingston Springs

Local Louisville spotlight:

Iron Bells w/ Buffalo Rodeo, Vice Tricks, and Smoke Shop Kids