Category: videos

Tour: The Dollyrots / Suffrajett

Kelly of The Dollyrots hinted at this tour pairing in December when her band played a radio-station sponsored gig in Columbus. I’ve been a fan of Suffrajett since they were named Simi (after their lead singer) and even caught a CMJ gig when they were going by the name Cherry (thanks to Wes Kidd for introducing me to their music). They’ve been using the name Suffrajett for a few years now, ever since their move from New York to Chicago and have been wowing audiences coast to coast both as headliners and as support for acts ranging from Local H to MC5 to Juliette & the Licks.

If ever there has been a 100% Atomic Ned approved double bill, this is it (The Dollyrots ‘Because I’m Awesome’ landed at #2 on my “Favorites of 2007” list). Because both bands have toured pretty heavily in Columbus, I kind of thought the tour wouldn’t land in Ohio’s capital city, but thanks to Chris Wood and the Ravari Room, this bill is not only playing in Columbus, but on a Friday night! Check back for more coverage – definitely a concert review and maybe an interview or two.

MySpace: Suffrajett
MySpace: The Dollyrots

Jan 22 Launchpad – Alburquerque, New Mexico
Jan 24 The Unity Center – Roswell, New Mexico
Jan 25 Bennigan’s – El Paso, Texas
Jan 26 Rock Bottom – San Antonio, Texas
Jan 27 Venue TBA – Houston, Texas
Jan 28 Grant Street Dance Hall – Lafayette, Louisiana
Jan 29 Keystones Lounge – Metairie, Louisiana
Feb 1 Jack Rabbits – Jacksonville, Florida
Feb 2 The Social – Orlando, Florida
Feb 3 1982 – Gainsville, Florida
Feb 4 Beta Bar – Tallahassee, Florida
Feb 8 The Nick – Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 12 IOTA Cafe – Arlington, Virginia
Feb 14 Asbury Lanes – Asbury Park, New Jersey
Feb 18 ITAM Lodge – Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Feb 19 TT The Bear’s – Cambridge, Massachusetts
Feb 20 Diesel NightClub – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 22 Ravari Room – Columbus, Ohio
Feb 23 Peabody’s – Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 25 Frankie’s Innercity – Toledo, Ohio
Feb 28 The Note – Chicago, Illinois
Mar 3 Triple Rock – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Mar 4 The Reverb – Cedar Falls, Iowa

Videos by both bands after the jump.

Continue reading “Tour: The Dollyrots / Suffrajett”

The Little Ones (ex-Sunday’s Best)


(an early photo of Sunday’s Best)

One of the first shows I ever booked (and there weren’t really all that many afterwards) was a triple bill of Sunday’s Best, Onelinedrawing, and Juno at some basement punk rock club called Bernie’s in Columbus, Ohio. Juno backed out at the last minute (to this day, I think their excuse for backing out was a load of crap) but the show went on with a local band taking Juno’s place. I think we did something like 80 paid which, for being a show in the summer (when a lot of students at OSU aren’t taking classes), turned out really nicely and the guys in Sunday’s Best were super appreciative of everything.

Sunday’s Best – “Don’t Let it Fade”

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=RJPhxyceMt0[/youtube]

Tonight I was looking up the band Pond to see whatever became of them when I saw them somehow linked to a band called Skiploader. Skiploader’s lead singer, Tom Ackerman, went on to play drums with Sunday’s Best after his band broke up and it got me to wondering whatever happened to the Sunday’s Best guys. Turns out Ed Reyes and Ian Moreno of Sunday’s Best are now performing indie pop tunes (ala The Shins) as members of the much blogged/buzzed about band, The Little Ones who are just getting ready to hit the road with Nada Surf. Just amazing the stuff you can find out on the web with just a little searching.

The Little Ones – “Lovers Who Uncover”

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=NVwr5Ff6hAU[/youtube]

New from The Damnwells

After wrapping up a tour earlier this year with Ari Hest, The Damnwells have been uncharacteristically quiet. I’m feeling a bit like a nervous nellie and letting thoughts of a band breakup enter my head even though there hasn’t been any real word from the band’s camp, only a cryptic MySpace blog (dated Sept.9) by lead singer Alex Dezen that said, “The band isn’t breaking up, but we’re going through real profound changes—changes that are permanent and pervasive.  This is something anyone who cares should know.  The Damnwells aren’t Wal-Mart, were not trying to sell you something you don’t want.  We are a band in the truest sense of the word, and we are struggling to stay alive.  There is nothing you can do about it.  This is something all unions face at some point in their innate, tenuous existence.”

Just this week, Alex started posting homemade videos on YouTube. I take it as a good sign that these videos are listed as “The Damnwells” rather than “Alex Dezen of The Damnwells” because it gives me hope that maybe Alex just needed some time off from writing, recording and touring but is now ready to jump back into it.

Here are the 3 videos that have been posted so far, the first featuring Alex’s relatively new bride, Angela, on backing vocals.

“It’s Okay (Hey Now)” 

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZPZsGP6elh0[/youtube]

“Closer Than We Are”

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=506iWeq3F4o[/youtube]

“Come to Me”

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=CoDFzOGyPlI[/youtube]

Heavy Metal Parking Lot: Van Halen

Michael Butler hosts a great (and regularly updated) metal podcast called the Rock and Roll Geek Show (you can subscribe via iTunes). In addition to being a podcasting nut, Butler just recently got off the road, touring as the bassist for the recently reunited Jetboy. Butler got the gig because he also plays in American Heartbreak with Jetboy guitarist Billy Rowe. I also just learned recently that Butler played with the thrash band Exodus from 1990-1992.

Butler and his Rock and Roll Geek Show co-host Casey Crenshaw (who also is in American Heartbreak) took their video camera down to a Van Halen reunion show and conducted some parking lot interviews. The results are pretty hilarious, especially the part where Crenshaw thinks he’s going to get hit (fast forward to the 4:58 mark).

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=gdG0awa6ELo[/youtube]

For the metal fan on your Christmas list: Kayser

Somehow I stumbled upon Spice and the RJ Band’s MySpace profile the other night and while digging the streaming stoner-metal tracks I clicked on the link to one of the band’s top friends, Kayser after reading the band bio which stated that singer Spice fronted both bands (he also sang on the first 3 Spiritual Beggars CDs).

While Spice’s stoner-metal stuff was really good, the Kayser stuff knocked it up a notch. There is no mystery why Kayser constantly gets compared to Slayer as evidenced by tracks like “Evolution,” “Lost in the Mind” and “Lost Cause”. I haven’t been this excited about a metal band since hearing In Flame’s ‘Come Clarity’ CD in early 2006.

While much of the band’s material on ‘Kaiserhof’ (2005) and ‘Frame the World … Put it on the Wall’ (2006) is HEAVY old school metal (ala Slayer, Pantera, Megadeth), there are some newer (melodic) elements to the sound. Check out “Good Citizen” on Kayser’s MySpace page (or download it below).

If you go through Amazon, you’ll have to pay import prices but Circuit City is selling both ‘Kaiserhof’ and ‘Frame the World … Put it on the Wall’ for $12.99. Unless you find a used copy somewhere, this is the best deal out there (and both are well worth it).

“Cheap Glue” performed live earlier this year in Austria.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=S7ZvU2hW2ZE[/youtube]

The “Good Citizen” video

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=tNZKmz4_kW8[/youtube]

Download: “Evolution” (MP3)
Download: “Good Citizen” (MP3)