Taken By: Crystal Morris

After a few “practice” gigs in LA, the UK and an EP release,  Spinnerette’s album finally hit stores on Tues. June 23rd in the US on Canadian indie label Anthem Records. The new CD is the first long-awaited full-length album that we’ve heard from frontwoman Brody Dalle in about 6 years. You can see it on the “new release” shelves at HMV in Canada and the UK, and hopefully at Best Buy stores in the US. I say hopefully, because prior to Spinnerette’s first performance after the CD release at the Troubadour, it was difficult enough to find the CD in Best Buy stores surrounding LA and the Inland. Prior to playing at the Troubadour, Spinnerette played a few gigs in Ontario, including Call the Office in London and a nearly Sold Out gig at the Mod Club for NXNE.

The crowd at the Troubadour was an odd array of age ranges . I assume that it was possibly  due to Har Mar Superstar opening, whom Tony Bevilacqua, guitarist for Spinnerette, has played with for several years. At the past few Spinnerette shows I’ve seen people I haven’t in five years; it was surprising to me to have seen them at all in some cases. Lime green mohawks have been reduced to slightly tamer brown ones, homemade zebra print purses replaced by LAMB bags and I saw old Distillers fans who were visiting, and in some cases migrating to LA from UK, Canada and even Alaska.  Everyone is grown up, five years older, slightly wiser, but are still some of the baddest motherfuckers that I know. If you walk through the room of Spinnerette fans it encapsulate the feel on the album. Spinnerette is refined but will still kick you in the face. The album is mature but still has that same underlying feeling of Dalle’s killer song writing and lyricism.

Spinnerette isn’t that much of a massive departure from The Distillers, but more of a  natural progression. On songs like  “All Babes are Wolves”, “A Spectral Suspension” and “A Prescription for Mankind” it’s hard to decide what’s more explosive, the arena riffs or Dalle’s signature razor-like vocals. This shit rocks hard like the best out of the 90s, with an old psychedelic soul in the vein of The Pixies, Roky Erickson and The Coral. You’ll hear the remnants of Dalle’s signature punk 4 chord melodies in “Bury My Heart”  and “Cupid”, coupled with a haunting resonance.

The album is audibly interesting and you’re going to be surprised by a lot of the songs. Crowd favorite and one of the catchiest tracks is “Sex Bomb”, it’s pure sweet pop beats over filthy rough vocals. The song has been released three times, my favourite being the Adam Freeland remix. Each release is different and they are all worth a listen. “Geeking” and “Rebellious Palpitations” reveal a new, fun and playful side.

“Impaler” is the perfect song for a Canadian audience, it’s awesome juxtaposition of spectre-like melodies and roots acoustic folk courtesy of  producer Alain Johannes. If you’re sick of Puddle of NickleCreed, crave pop music that’ll get you fuck you up worse than Lady Gaga or miss what music was, you‘ll probably think that Spinnerette is a saving grace.

Written By: Cleopatra Calypso

If “Wavvves”, the speedily churned out follow-up disc to Wavves’ eponymous debut album (one more “v” equals sequel, get it?), was intended to compound the initial Nathan Williams hype into enough fire power to shoot the dude right into the center of today’s DYI punk statusphere, well, it did. And guess what? Today’s eclipse of no-fi obsession has got little to do with it.

Yeah, sure, all twelve tracks on Wavvves have got enough grime, fuzz, noise and chugged-out/choked-out drums recorded in a typical lo-fi garage tape production style to be rightly classed along the ranks of present fascinations like No Age and Times New Viking and Lovvers (damn those hip kids and their V’s). Yet the noise is not to be solely credited for the wavve of buzz. Of course, all that scathing feedback is undoubtedly a part of why Triple-V is so delectably action packed. But whereas No Age can’t help but to inoculate their punk with ethereal Zen meditative tendencies, and Times New Viking often don’t travel far from their reckless garage punk humor, Wavves is bringing in the punk that is SoCal youth: Harmony! Sun! Girls! Drum kits!

Many have compared Wavves to Sonic Youth, but it’s simpler than that… dude. The noise ain’t to be dissected, ain’t to be carried too far. It isn’t meant to throw you off… just to get you off. Brian Wilson meets Black Flag? Now that’s more of an accurate comparison. Because at the end of the day, I’m not so sure lyrics like “I am a perfect, I am a catch” and “I’m so bored” and “I got nothing, nothing, nothing” and imagery like weed demons, Goths, guns at the beach, and vintage surf photography attempts to win ironic endearment. Instead, the record feels quite clear and genuine on at least these three counts: Nathan Williams is young, he thinks punk is fun, and he’s got very very catchy hooks for miles and miles and miles. Miles!

So it’s not a surprise that Williams, with a drummer in tow, didn’t trick out the Echo stage with tons of gear or any of those neat little distortion mics (in fact, Williams didn’t have tech help setting up the gig; he and his drummer set up sans crew. That’s DYI fer ya). What was surprising, however, was how cleanly Wavves translated into what could be described as an open mic night situation. Gone were the heavy fuzz drag inundating “So Bored”. Gone were the chant-like distortions on the vocals of “Wavves”. Gone was pretty much everything on “Sun Opens My Eyes”. One would have a difficult time imagining Times New Viking ever performing so naked, or No Age putting less effort into seducing their crowd with some jangle tricks up their sleeves. But Wavves never tried to match the fullness of their recorded works. Instead, we heard the songs.

And there it was: garage punk singer songwriter? Oh the delicious soda-pop core of all Wavves ditties. When they started “Summer Goth” with a quiet mouse-like anticipation, only to follow it by a bouncy explosion, they transformed the antsy, almost angst-hued song into a small private bedroom dance party. When they belted out their hit “So Bored” without its signature clang, they didn’t lose a single ounce of its anthemic kick while still highlighting its innocent surf charm. And when Williams’ 22 year old voice crackedwhilst crooning the lyrics to the balladic “Weed Demon” with only the accompaniment of a cymbal clank here and there, we got a pleasant glimpse into a softer side of Wavves that’s been there all along.

And really what is the harm in losing some edge? Because the brave risk bore some astonishing result. Not to amplify its weight, but the show was a bit of a welcome refresher on what it means to be a punk in America: hopeful, celebrational, and simple. And killer. Take that Wipers.

http://www.myspace.com/wavves

By: Brett Millius

These days there’s a real lack of great record labels that you can really rely on. The days of Stax and Motown, Chrysalis and Island feel long gone. Even labels like Arts & Crafts who at one point seemed to be on the right path to such reliability have fizzled into a safety zone for their friend’s bands and side projects; hardly a holy temple for the newest and most exciting talent. However, there is one label out there that does manage to come closest to maintaining a consistent reputation for having a killer roster of bands. That label is Merge Records. One only has to hear the names of The Arcade Fire, M. Ward, Spoon, and Neutral Milk Hotel to get an idea of the critically acclaimed bands and songwriters they release. That’s why when I heard about Merge’s latest new band Telekinesis I was really excited to hear the record. The band is singer/songwriter/guitarist/pianist/drummer Michael Lerner who wrote all the songs and plays almost every instrument on the album. It’s a solid listen that flows perfectly through the eleven tracks about the fragile heart of the indie rock dreamer kid. Lerner’s songs about escape (Tokyo, Imaginary Friends) and his cold, yearning heart (Rust, Calling all Doctors) will have fans of all of Merge’s songwriter based bands lining up at the door. His well written songs have catchy vocal melodies, chopping drum beats and sweeping keys arrangements. If I could give it a tag line I’d probably write something like: “Catchy As Hell” or “Joyous Melancholy”. This is a band I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on and looking forward to catching them live whenever they roll into town. In an era where everything is changing and you need something to trust in, I’m thankful my most recent leap for a Merge artist really paid off. Tune in to Telekinesis; it’s worth it.

Photo by Mike Whitman www.whitman-photography.net

The Joys have recently embarked on a tour to promote their new CD “Unfold”, which started in late February, consisting of an appearance on A Channel morning show in London,  hitting SXSW among Canadian heavy-hitters, a gig at the legendary Cat Club in Los Angeles and forward on to the Midwest. Do they ever take time to breathe? Clearly not, the band has recently signed with Koch Entertainment to help promote the new album, a whole new facet to their team. What does the album sound like? The Joys signature classic rock sound, full of great classic riffs and the occasional ballad with vocals that will kick you in the teeth. A lot of the songs have that catchy, timeless structure that The Joys are so well known for. The difference between The Joys and most other bands out there? Their live show is absolutely phenomenal and I mean it is truly a rock ‘n’ roll performance that can rival some of the legendary bands in their genre. Lead singer Sara Smith is indefinitely dynamic, vocally and emotionally; with the ability to connect with everyone from your mom, the big dudes at the biker bar and the tween music lover.

With an endless list of accolades, among them a TIMA 2007 nomination for “Best Female-Fronted” , and extensive press coverage,  it was inevitable that The Joys were to hit Gold record status with their single “Storm”. The experience has boosted them into the spot light and have made them push even harder to gain cross-national appeal.

On a stop in Los Angeles at Cat Club in West Hollywood,  guitarist  Mike McKyes took some time to answer a quick Q & A with us:

Q. The Joys were recently picked up by Koch Entertainment, how has the label helped? Has it become easier to manage the various components, Booking, Touring, Writing, Publishing, Management, etc?

A. Koch has a been a great door opener for us, and a great addition to our growing team. They have definitely made it easier by helping us with their expertise, efforts and contacts and put our album in stores nationwide.

Q. You were selected among some great company to represent Canada at SXSW, Bedouin Soundclash, Magneta Lane, Arkells etc. What was your experience like?

A. Aside from the fact that we were surrounded by thousands of people in downtown Austin and all the streets were closed off, I really felt like we treated it as another show… I mean, we were accepted to participate because of who we are just like all the other great acts that performed with us. I’m honoured that we got to experience SXSW, thank you!

Q. You released a brand new video for “Storm” off your latest album nationally in February, what have the responses been like?

A. Our fans love it, and it’s funny how perceptions change when it was released. I still wake up in the morning and brush my teeth the same way and people think that we’re famous now! I like it, because it makes me smile.

Q. The Joys have been touring since February, do you have any funny stories from the road?

A. Yes, Kevin made a homeless guy a peanut butter sandwich at a rest stop somewhere between El Paso and Hollywood yesterday. I don’t know why that’s funny… it just is to me.

Q.It doesn’t look like you guys are stopping anytime soon, especially with the release of your recent CD, what’s next? Will you be coming back to California anytime soon?

A.  It’s a never ending process of playing live and promoting our music, and trying to balance that with writing new material, recording it and introducing it into our live musical repertoire. Oh ya, and finding some time to sleep in there.

Want to see how their tour is going? Check out their tour blog on http://www.thejoys.ca and keep up with the latest videos, reviews and pics from along the way!

Check out their new music video for their single, “Storm”:

Y’know what happens to me a lot? Every now and then I sit back and reflect on the music I was listening to a few years back and a certain band will pop into my head and I’ll think, “whatever happened to them? Where have they been?” Then, as if on cue, that band will release a record and answer all my questions. In 2004, Detroit’s The Von Bondies released Pawn Shop Heart and I briefly relished in their thrashing drums, full-speed-ahead guitar riffs and a hungry sound that wasn’t quite present on their bluesy debut. After a long stretch The Von Bondies are back and continuing right where they left off. After splitting with major label Sire (which seems to be happening quite a lot lately), signing with indie label Majordomo Records and shuffling a couple members around, they’ve released “Love, Hate and Then There’s You”. It’s an upbeat garage-pop record full of 60’s back-up vocals and early 90’s rock-esque choruses (see The Chancer, Accidents Will Happen). This time around singer Jason Stollsteimer adds a lot of needed hooks to his songs about broken relationships, regret and moving on that weren’t as present on the previous records. Songs like “I Don’t Wanna” and “21^st Birthday” feel like a step in the right direction for a band that has never really been able to maintain a buzz long enough to take flight. However, the same problem still exists on this record as the last; it doesn’t draw me back for repeated listens. Although, “Love, Hate and Then There’s You” has some really catchy tunes on it, the record as a whole seems to dip and trail off towards the end. Songs like “Earthquake” and “Modern Saints” sound unfocused. I’m still waiting for a killer record from this band as they struggle to find their own voice. In the meantime, I’ll take the 6 great songs they churn out and give them another shot the next time I think, “whatever happened to them?”