The Hundred in the Hands sign with Warp for debut EP, This Desert
By Erika H on Apr 28 2010
Warp Records have been the purveyors of plenty of great dance music through the years, and now they’ve got another offering. Brooklyn-based The Hundred in the Hands (otherwise a pair: Jason Friedman and Eleanore Everdell) recently signed to Warp for their debut EP, This Desert, out May 18. Only a few weeks ago (April 6), the duo released their first 12-inch single, “Dressed in Dresden” (also on Warp), accompanied by remixes from Kyle Hall, Various, and Maxime. The EP will admittedly display a moodier side to the dance pop exhibited on “Dressed in Dresden.” The latter was a “fast, heavy, raw stomper,” they say (decide for yourself: you can listen on their MySpace), whereas This Desert is “the more ethereal, gauzy side of our tastes; the Summertime-Gothic and dreamy tracks we made thinking they’d go well with open hydrants and looks that kill.”
THITH may seem death-obsessed for what is essentially a fun dance band – after all, their name was taken from the Battle of the Hundred in the Hands (as the Lakota called it – to Jason and Eleanore’s likely ancestors and most American history books, the Fetterman Battle/Massacre; see Frederick E. Hoxie’s Encyclopedia of North American Indians for more history). Yet there’s something more to them than destruction and fire-bombing. This Desert EP may, as they say, show another “side” to their sound, but the polyhedral duo hope to show even more with a full-length by the end of the year.
• The Hundred in the Hands: http://thehundredinthehands.com
• Warp: http://warp.net
[Photo: Sarah Wilmer]
Arrington de Dionyso takes Malaikat dan Singa out on the ethnopoetic road
By Jon Lorenz on Apr 28 2010
With a name like Arrington de Dionyso, it’s pretty obvious that this guy might be a little on the exotic side of things. No doubt: with his new band, Malaikat dan Singa, he one-ups his previous work in Old Time Relijun by singing in Indonesian atop his usual hodgepodge of throat-singing, bass clarinet-blasting, and ultra funky punk rhythming. Malaikat dan Singa saw their very first, self-titled release last year on K Records (TMT Eureka!) and is now ready to do a full-on US tour to show the states what they’re all about (full disclosure: TMT’s own Santo Peligro will be touring in the band; though, he did not know anyone from the band when he wrote his review of the group’s latest album). “Some artists push the envelope, de Dionyso eats the envelope and spits out an origami of sound.” Check out the dates below:
04.28.10 - Portland, OR - East End
04.29.10 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
05.02.10 - Kansas City, MO - Record Bar
05.03.10 - Norman, OK - Opolis
05.04.10 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
05.05.10 - San Antonio, TX - El Ten Eleven
05.06.10 - Austin, TX - Mohawk Inside
05.07.10 - Houston, TX - Super Happy Fun Land
05.10.10 - Athens, GA - Secret Squirrel
05.11.10 - Charlotte, NC - Snug Harbor
05.12.10 - Chapel Hill, NC - LocaL 506
05.13.10 - Charlottesville, VA - Random Row Books
05.14.10 - Washington, DC - Comet Pizza
05.21.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Death By Audio
05.22.10 - New York, NT - Cake Shop
05.23.10 - Lowell, MA - 119 Gallery
05.24.10 - Providence, RI - AS 220 Art Space
05.25.10 - Portland, MA - Space Gallery
05.26.10 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore
05.29.10 - Buffalo, NY - Sound Lab
05.31.10 - Cleveland, OH - Now That’s Class
06.02.10 - Cincinnati, OH - Art Damage Lodge
06.03.10 - Columbus, OH - Cafe Bourbon Street
06.04.10 - Chicago, IL - Schuba’s
06.05.10 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagle’s Nest
06.06.10 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
06.08.10 - Missoula, MT - The Badlander
06.09.10 - Spokane, WA - Empyrean
06.10.10 - Seattle, WA - Comet Tavern
06.13.10 - Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
• Arrington de Dionyso: http://myspace.com/arringtondedionyso
• K: http://krecs.com
Can’t get enough of that Ted! Screaming Females extend tour with Ted Leo
By E. Nagurney on Apr 28 2010
I’m a big fan of Ted Leo. But even if I wasn’t, would I be able to hate him? Probably not. Something about the guy, from his music to his interviews to his Twitter, just radiates niceness. Apparently, if Screaming Females are to be believed, Leo’s niceness isn’t just a front; the group, who just finished a tour with Leo (TMT report), have scheduled a string of shows with him for the summer. Before that, though, Screaming Females will play about a month of shows by themselves.
If you’re itching to know more about Screaming Females’ tour (and really want to see a picture of Shredder from Ninja Turtles), then wonderful news: they’ve started a tour blog. There’s also a good few video updates on the blog, making it not just a blog, but a… vlog. Welcome to the future.
Screaming Females tour:
04.29.10 - Kearny, NJ - Kearny Irish American Club
04.30.10 - New York, NY - NYU Strawberry Fest %
05.07.10 - Bennington, VT - Bennington College #
05.18.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Modern Formations Gallery
05.19.10 - Columbus, OH - The Summit
05.20.10 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Cafe
05.21.10 - Bloomington, IN - Greek’s Pizza
05.22.10 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
05.24.10 - Rock Island, IL - Huckleberry’s Pizza Parlor
05.25.10 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St. Entry
05.26.10 - Iowa City, IA - Gabe’s Oasis
05.27.10 - Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
05.29.10 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
06.02.10 - Portland, OR - Backspace
06.10.10 - Austin, TX - Emo’s (Indoors)
06.18.10 - Milford, CT - Daniel Street Club *
06.19.10 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery *
06.20.10 - South Burlington, VT - Higher Ground *
06.21.10 - Quebec City, QC - Le Cercle *
06.22.10 - Montreal, QC - Il Motore *
06.24.10 - Ottawa, ON - Zaphod Beeblebrox *
06.26.10 - Toronto, ON - Lee’s Palace *
06.27.10 - Buffalo, NY - Mohawk Place *
* Ted Leo & the Pharmacists
# Jeff the Brotherhood
% Japanther
• Screaming Females: http://www.screamingfemales.com
• Ted Leo + Rx: http://www.tedleo.com
Mirah and Thao form superband, go on supertour
By E. Nagurney on Apr 28 2010
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn (better known as simply Mirah) makes very likable indie rock on respected Pacific Northwest label K Records. Thao Nguyen (better known as the Thao part of Thao and the Get Down Stay Down) makes very likable indie rock on respected Pacific Northwest label Kill Rock Stars. A collaborative tour between the two would make a lot of sense, so a collaborative tour between the two is exactly what’s happening. The two will spend June (and a little bit of July) playing shows in which they draw from each other’s respective catalogs, mix their voices into each song, and invite friends for what the tour’s press release describes as a “superband collaboration.”
Thao + Mirah superband supertour:
06.08.10 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
06.09.10 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
06.11.10 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
06.12.10 - Houston, TX - Orange Show Center for Visionary
06.13.10 - Dallas, TX - The Loft
06.15.10 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
06.16.10 - Tallahassee, FL - The Engine Room
06.18.10 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
06.20.10 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
06.21.10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
06.23.10 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East Downstairs
06.24.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
06.25.10 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
06.26.10 - Toronto, ON - The Horseshoe
06.27.10 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
06.28.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
07.01.10 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center
07.05.10 - Denver, CO - Hi Dive
07.07.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
• Mirah: http://www.myspace.com/cmonmirah
• Thao: http://www.thaomusic.com
• K: http://krecs.com
• Kill Rock Stars: http://killrockstars.com
[Photo: Sarah Cass]
Oh Montana! Matmos and So Percussion collaborate on new LP, Treasure State
By E. Nagurney on Apr 27 2010
I have never been to Montana, but if I went, I feel I would liken the state to a collaboration between a classical percussion quartet and an experimental electronic duo. The entirety of evidence that led me to this conclusion? Baltimore electro-duo Matmos and Brooklyn percussionists So Percussion have collaborated on a new record called Treasure State, which is what those totally “in the know” call Montana. The new, Montana-riffic LP will be out via Cantaloupe Music on July 8 for fancy futuristic digital download and July 13 for dusty ol’ fashioned physical media.
Now, if Matmos is from Baltimore (which is really not in Montana) and So Percussion is from Brooklyn (which is also really not in Montana), why’d they name this new record after Montana? Because that’s where they recorded it, you big dummy! The two groups met up at SnowGhost Studios in Whitefish, Montana to write and record the bulk of the album. These collaborations included a series of studies of music created through the use of elemental materials like ceramic planters, cactus needles, water pails, and beer cans. Basically, if you harbored any worry that this was in some way not going to be a Matmos record, that last sentence should have nipped that thought in the bud.
Treasure State tracklist:
01. Treasure
02. Water
03. Needles
04. Cross
05. Shard
06. Swamp
07. Aluminum
08. Flame
• Matmos: http://www.myspace.com/matmos1
• So Percussion: http://www.sopercussion.com
• Cantaloupe: http://www.cantaloupemusic.com
