popwreckoning

The great thing about most debut albums? A band can go balls to the wall and give it everything they’ve got and want to give, because they have nothing to lose and everything to gain. This definitely describes the Static Jacks‘ first album length offering to the world, If You’re Young. Despite the fact that the band hails from New Jersey, they sound more like the Libertines than Bruce Springsteen. They mix anarchic punk, the angst of youth, and remarkably accomplished instrumentation to create a really engaging sound.

My first introduction to the quartet was their impressive opening set in support of one of my current English rock band favorites, the Futureheads, in June 2010. I remember hearing them let rip onstage at the Black Cat and thinking, yep, I know exactly why the Futureheads chose them for support. While they must certainly have had different musical upbringings (the Static Jacks are very young: when I saw them, they all had Xs on the backs of their hands), I imagine the two bands’ mindsets are pretty similar: make it loud, make it powerful, and make it fun.

If You’re Young is, from what I can tell, a pretty good distillation of the band’s frenetic energy in live performance. Some of the songs are as chaotic as beloved Ramones numbers from the ’70s that should appeal to people who think American guitar rock is dead. (It’s not. There are plenty of indie bands in America. They’re just not getting played on the radio. Thanks Kings of Leon.) Opening track “Defend Rosie” tells you straight out from the gate that you are not dealing with just any band. The Static Jacks are a force to be reckoned with. “Girl Parts,” another high octane track, features added vocals from Ceci Gomez from Brooklyn band Beast Make Bomb.

But there are more melodic numbers that show off the band’s songwriting and musical ability. “Into the Sun” is a great example of this, with great guitar work and lead singer Ian Devaney‘s powerful vocal delivery. Other contagious tunes include “My Parents Lied,” a song I immediately picked up on live because of the infectious handclapping and minor key melody, and “Mercy, Hallelujah” and “Relief,” which both remind me of, dare I say it, the Boss. (I know. To some of you out there, that’s flat-out heresy. But I’m saying it because I want you to give this album a chance.) “Blood Pressure,” with its great singalong of “I’m afraid of the future / I want to share it with you” is oddly touching: as Devaney said in a recent interview about the album, “It’s mostly saying ‘if you’re young – or if you ever were – you’ll know where we’re coming from with these songs.’ These are pretty universal experiences that most people experience from their late teens and early twenties. It’s such a transition period, figuring out what you want to do and where you want to go. Youthful anxiety, I suppose.”

There are some surprising moments on here as well. “Sonata (Maybe We Can Work It Out)” is the band’s attempt at a tender ballad, with Strokes-like guitars, but its “partner” song, “Walls (We Can’t Work It Out)”, brings things back up tempo with feverish intensity. Considering their relatively young age, the Static Jacks have managed to put together a nice collection of hard rocking, memorable songs that show off their talents, talents that are sure only to grow. Catch the band live this fall as alongside New Yorkers the Postelles, they open for English rockers the Wombats. Will I be there for the opening night of the tour? You bet.

The Static Jacks’ debut album, If You’re Young, will be released in North America on August 30 on Fenway Recordings.

Track Listing
01. Defend Rosie
02. Girl Parts
03. Into the Sun
04. My Parents Lied
05. Sonata (Maybe We Can Work Out)
06. Walls (We Can’t Work It Out)
07. Mercy, Hallelujah
08. Blood Pressure
09. This is Me Dancing
10. Relief
11. It’s Such a Shame
12. Drano-Ears

Tour Dates
Oct 21 – 9:30 Club / Washington, DC*
Oct 22 – Johnny Brenda’s / Philadelphia*
Oct 24 – Jefferson Theatre / Charlottesville, VA*
Oct 25 – Local 506 / Carrboro, NC*
Oct 26 – Loft / Atlanta*
Oct 29 – Fitzgeralds / Houston*
Oct 30 – Parish / Austin*
Nov 01 – Granada / Dallas*
Nov 02 – Record Bar / Kansas City*
Nov 04 – Outland / Columbus*
Nov 05 – Subterranean / Chicago*
Nov 07 – Varsity Theater / Minneapolis*
Nov 10 – Wonder Ballroom / Portland*
Nov 11 – Venue / Vancouver*
Nov 12 – Crocodile / Seattle*
*opening for the Wombats

The Static Jacks: website | myspace | @ Black Cat

When coming up with a theme for this brand new feature of mine, I couldn’t help but think about all the open mics I’ve attended in the last year in Seattle and the surrounding area. One of them being at the Conor Byrne pub. If you live anywhere near Seattle, you may have heard of it – but if you don’t, I’ll fill you in.

Conor Byrne open mics are every Sunday night, in the heart of the laid-back Seattle neighborhood of Ballard. One band you may have heard of – the Head and the Heart – got their start there just over a year ago, and look at where they are now! So clearly Conor Byrne brings out some amazing musicians – including Damian Jurado, Tony Kevin Jr., the Local Strangers, Johnny Unicorn, and many others I can spend hours talking about.

One band that recently started playing Conor Byrne in the last few months is Bainbridge Island’s St. Paul de Vence, compiled of Benjamin Doerr as lead songwriter, Mike Sievers, Alex Malloy, and Justin Froese. The band plays lovely folk songs lined with banjo, ukulele, and accordion. Like the band’s name, St. Paul de Vence’s music has a French feel – filled with beautiful melodies and lyrics filled with history and longing. Perfect for a lazy summer night, and I love it.

Doerr says his songwriting began as a way to tell his grandfather’s story, “in particular his war experience in the south of France, where he grew up under German occupation and fought with the Free French to liberate his country,” Doerr writes on the band’s Facebook page. 

The first night I met Doerr was the first time St. Paul de Vence had played at Conor Byrne, and one thing I can say about this particular open mic – everyone there is incredibly nice and supportive and it feels like a community, even after playing there just once. As my boyfriend and I were leaving the pub, we passed by Doerr to tell him how great they were – and they were great. Doerr thanked us graciously and handed us both a little band flyer for their Bandcamp page.

Since that night, I attended one of their first shows in the U-District in Seattle about a month ago, the band released several music videos made by local filmmakers, and they’ve recently released their second EP, also on their official Bandcamp.

So why am I writing this right now?

St. Paul de Vence’s new EP, For Hummingbird, Heron, and Honey Bee, is available for a ‘pay-what-you-want’ on their Bandcamp page – so you can donate however much money you want to help pay for the band’s full-length this fall, or stream it and download it for free! I suggest donating just a little bit, because this band needs to put out a full-length. I heard plenty of amazing songs at their headlining show in Seattle last month that deserve to be properly recorded.

And hopefully St. Paul de Vence can follow a similar road as Seattle’s newest sweethearts the Head and the Heart. They have all the grand songwriting and awesome talent to warrant it.

For the full set of photos I got from their show last month, go here.

And for now, here’s a video from the show at Q Cafe last month I took.

Upcoming shows for St Paul de Vence are as follows:

Sept. 1 – Tractor Tavern – w/ Tony Kevin, Jr. and Sean Flinn & The Royal We
5213 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107
$6 | 21+
9pm

Sept. 16 – Q Cafe – w/ Noah Gundersen and Zach Fleury
3223 15th Avenue West
Seattle, WA 98109
$TBD | all ages
8pm

For more information on this wonderful band, visit St. Paul de Vence’s website at http://www.stpaulband.com

Also, while you’re at it, check out St. Paul de Vence’s first EP, When Our Boys Have Been Buried, which is also awesome.

Keep your eyes open for more ‘Fantastically Local’ columns in the coming weeks!

Jim Ward, frontman of Sparta and Sleepercar and founding member of At The Drive-In, has released his debut solo album Quiet In The Valley, On The Shores The End Begins & The Electric Six via his own Tembloroso Recordings. The album is a compilation of his acoustic solo EP trilogy – 2007′s Quiet, 2009′s In The Valley, On The Shores, 2011′s The End Begins – paired with an additional disc of select tracks gone electric. In celebration of the release, Ward premiered the electric version of “Decades” on AltPress.com last week; the track is also now available as a free download here. The Zach Passero-directed video (http://youtu.be/M8kP54WS9qc) for the electric version of album track “Broken Songs” premiered on My Old Kentucky Blog last month; the acoustic version, which features Tegan Quin of Tegan and Sara, is available as a download today via Amazon’s Free Song of the Day (here).

Following a sold-out hometown El Paso, TX, record release show at The Percolator, Ward is currently in Australia for three dates. He’ll return to the States on August 19^th to launch a four and a half week US headlining tour, which begins that night at Club Congress in Tucson, AZ. The tour will take him up the west coast, through the midwest and southwest before wrapping up on September 3^rd at The Mohawk in Austin, TX. Ward has also now announced an east coast headlining tour, beginning September 18^th at The Earl in Atlanta, GA, and wrapping up September 27^th at The Crofoot in Pontiac, MI. These dates include a September 22^nd show in Boston supporting Yuck at TT The Bear’s; a September 24^th solo show in New York City supporting Rhett Miller at the Highline Ballroom; and a September 25^th performance at the Pop Montreal festival. El Paso’s The Lusitania – whose album Rain and Rivers Ward and bandmate Gabriel González produced in their studio, Clap of Thunder – will support on most dates and play as his backing band.

In related touring news, Sparta has announced they will play their first show since 2008 this November in El Paso.  They’re confirmed to perform on November 17^th at Tricky Falls, the newly renovated venue co-owned by Ward. Sparta - Ward, drummer Tony Hajjar, bassist Matt Miller, and guitarist Keeley Davis – will also head into the studio this fall to begin work on their fourth LP, the follow-up to 2006′s Threes.

Jim Ward Tour Dates:

AUG. 10         SYDNEY, AUS                           ANNANDALE HOTEL

AUG. 12         MELBOURNE, AUS                    EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB

AUG. 13         BRISBANE, AUS                       ALHAMBRA LOUNGE

AUG. 19         TUCSON, AZ                            CLUB CONGRESS

AUG. 20         SAN DIEGO, CA                       SODA BAR

AUG. 21         LOS ANGELES, CA                    THE SATELLITE

AUG. 22         SANTA BARBARA, CA                MUDDY WATERS

AUG. 23         SAN FRANCISCO, CA                HOTEL UTAH

AUG. 25         SEATTLE, WA                           SUNSET TAVERN

AUG. 26         VANCOUVER, BC                      MEDIA CLUB

AUG. 27         PORTLAND, OR                         THE BUNK BAR

AUG. 30         MINNEAPOLIS, MN                   400 BAR

AUG. 31         CHICAGO, IL                           SCHUBAS

SEPT. 1          UNIVERSITY CITY, MO              CICERO’S

SEPT. 2          NORMAN, OK                           OPOLIS

SEPT. 3          AUSTIN, TX                             THE MOHAWK

SEPT. 18        ATLANTA, GA                           THE EARL

SEPT. 19        CHAPEL HILL, NC                     LOCAL 506

SEPT. 20        WASHINGTON, DC                   DC9

SEPT. 21        PHILADELPHIA, PA                   MILKBOY

SEPT. 22        BOSTON, MA                           TT THE BEAR’S#

SEPT. 24        NEW YORK, NY                        HIGHLINE BALLROOM%

SEPT. 25        MONTREAL, QC                       LE CAGIBI (POP MONTREAL)

SEPT. 26        TORONTO, ON                         HORSESHOE TAVERN

SEPT. 27        PONTIAC, MI                           THE CROFOOT

* The Lusitania support on 8/19-9/22, 9/25-27

# supporting Yuck

% solo show supporting Rhett Miller

Sparta Tour Dates:

NOV. 17         EL PASO, TX                           TRICKY FALLS

Partisan Records has announced the release of Deer Tick’s new record, Divine Providence. Set to be released on October 25, 2011, Divine Providence was produced by the band along with Adam Landry and Justin Collins, who were also at the helm for lead singer, main songwriter John McCauley’s highly acclaimed side project, Middle Brother. Deer Tick’s live shows and McCauley’s overall stage aesthetic fueled his desire to create the raw and spontaneous kerosene blaze that is Divine Providence. While the break-neck speed and damn-it-all fury could give one the sense that it all may fall apart in an instant, Deer Tick never loses sight of the song. It is insanity, but there’s obviously a plan in place.

“After so many years of critics praising [and making fun of] us for our ‘folk’ and ‘country’ sounds, and hardly ever mentioning the fact that we’ve also recorded virtually dozens of other kinds of music, we wanted to make a record that was truer to our live set: raw, loud, heartfelt, and completely uninterested in whatever the hell the rest of the music industry is up to,” says McCauley. “The results are unlike anything you’ve heard on a Deer Tick album.”

Divine Providence is the Rhode Island quintet’s fourth album in just five years, and is the first one the band has recorded in their home state. It’s a follow-up to their fantastic Black Dirt Sessions, that New York magazine called “flat-out great,” and inspired the Late Show with David Letterman to give the band its network television debut. The new record features for the first time lead vocal turns on a couple of songs by guitarist Ian O’Neil and drummer Dennis Ryan.

The tracklisting for Divine Providence is:

The Bump
Funny Word
Let’s All Go to the Bar
Clownin’ Around
Main Street
Chevy Express
Something to Brag About
Walkin Out the Door
Make Believe
Now It’s Your Turn
Electric
Miss K.

www.deertickmusic.com

Apparently 2011 is the year the Muppets will rise again.

Smurfs? Meh. Alvin and the Chipmunks? Oh please. But the Muppets – whether or not you were born in their heyday, will always be cool.

And this year will be the year they make their comeback. Remember when Tim Curry was a swashbuckling pirate in “Muppet Treasure Island?” Well I do, and what I remember the most is the soundtrack, even if it was sung by a bunch of puppets and Dr. Frank-N-Furter himself.

But with a new film out in November written by the hilarious Jason Segel and songs by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie, and a new compilation of classic circa-1970s Muppets songs covered by some darn good artists, Fozzie Bear better dust off his bow tie.

The Muppets: The Green Album features the likes of My Morning Jacket, Andrew Bird, OK Go playing a groovy extended rendition of the Muppet Show theme song, and Weezer, who we all know has a history with the Muppets (see “Keep Fishin’” music video), along with Paramore’s Hayley Williams performing a charming version of “The Rainbow Connection.”

The Green Album, out August 23, doesn’t stray from any of the classic songs performed by the Muppets themselves, and manages to bring them all into 2011.

To listen to each song individually or to stream the whole album right now, head on over to NPR.org before you buy the album (because you really should).

Chicago, IL pop-punk thrash combo So Many Ways have just revealed the cover art, track listing and release date for their Mightier Than Sword Records label debut. The self-titled album will be out on September 13, 2011 and is now available for pre-order in a variety of bundles at: http://store.mtsrecords.com/products/11935.

Track Listing:

1. Take It To The Limit
2. I’ve Made A Huge Mistake
3. Sleep Mask
4. Murf’s Life Hints
5. 37 Chambers
6. Oak Island
7. Dirtfoot

Since their formation in January 2009, So Many Ways has had their fair share of lineup changes. After recording the Real Talk EP with Jay Maas (Defeater, Bane) at Getaway Group studios later that summer, the band played a few shows together before parting ways with their then-bassist, drummer, and keyboard player. Not soon after the departure of those members, guitarists Jason Milbank, Murphy Welch and vocalist Colin Corley found themselves with a brand new rhythm section. After traveling to Florida to play a short string of shows, the band recorded their Floridian EP with Chris Hiser (Away With You). Floridian hinted at SMW’s heavier influences, but only showed a glimpse into what the band would become. After saying goodbye to yet another rhythm section later that year, So Many Ways welcomed drummer Keith Dow into the mix. The band recently added bass player Chris Catterson (ex Nightlights and Away With You) to the lineup and is ready to hit the road this month in advance of the EP’s release.

Tour Dates (with Major League and Carousel Kings):

Aug 8 Parkersburg, WV @ Radar’s Music Venue
Aug 9 Winston, NC @ Eliot’s Revue
Aug 11 Marietta, GA @ Swayze’s
Aug 12 Melbourne, FL @ Little Reggie’s
Aug 13 Orlando, FL @ Hoop’s Taven
Aug 14 Arad, Alabama @The Arabian Theater
Aug 18 Cookeville, TN @ Amps And Ramps
Aug 20 Chicago, IL @ Pancho’s  (also w/ Stay Golden and Late In The Playoffs)

http://twitter.com/smwftw
http://mtsrecords.com

Jack’s Mannequin is gearing up for the release of People and Things on October 4th, and the new album is now available for pre-order.  There are three pre-order bundles available- all include 4 bonus tracks that will be delivered digitally on release day along with the full album and an instant download of the first single “My Racing Thoughts ” (currently streaming on jacksmannequin.com  and available for purchase on iTunes.) The deluxe pre-order bundle also includes a limited edition autographed artbook and a postcard set featuring photos taken by Andrew McMahon on the road.

People and Things is Andrew McMahon’s third studio release as Jack’s Mannequin, following 2005′s Everything in Transit and 2008′s The Glass Passenger.  Jack’s Mannequin will be previewing a few new songs from People and Things on a couple of dates on this year’s Vans Warped Tour followed by a month-long co-headlining tour with Guster starting August 7th in Baltimore. Additionally, Jack’s Mannequin just announced their fall headlining tour with Motion City Soundtrack, and a full list of dates can be found below.

1. My Racing Thoughts
2. Release Me
3. Television
4. Amy, I
5. Hey Hey Hey (We’re All Gonna Die)
6. People, Running
7. Amelia Jean
8. Platform Fire
9. Hostage
10. Restless Dream
11. Casting Lines

Tour Dates:

Exclusively from Buzznet:

We know you’re excited about Blink-182′s album coming out on September 27th, and today we’re unveiling the first glimpse of a piece of the album cover art exclusively on Buzznet!  You can see another piece of the album cover tomorrow via Idolator and Absolutepunk will have the final masterpiece up on Thursday, along with other exciting news!

You can view the album cover teaser exclusively on Buzznet today at http://buzznet.com/~5cdb087

Acclaimed singer-songwriter, Rachael Yamagata, will release Chesapeake, her first studio album in three years on October 11, 2011. The album, produced by John Alagia, producer of Yamagata’s Happenstance album as well as albums from Liz Phair, Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz, will be self-released on her very own Frankenfish Records. Twelve days following the release of Chesapeake, Yamagata will hit the road on an extensive tour of the United States starting on October 24th in Portland, Maine at the Port City Music Hall and wind down on December 22nd in New York City at City Winery.

For Chesapeake, Yamagata recruited her “dream team” consisting of Victor Indrizzo (Sheryl Crow) on drums, guitarists Mike Viola (Candy Butchers), Michael Chaves (John Mayer), and Kevin Salem, (Dump Truck, Yo La Tengo), cellist Oli Kraus (Sia, Duffy) and Tom Freund on the upright bass. The result is an eclectic collection of songs projecting Yamagata’s new-found optimism and hopefulness, showcasing her sultry and smoky voice, rich, layered harmonies, striking ballads and soulful grooves.

Listeners can get a taste of what’s to come by downloading the song “Starlight” by visiting http://snd.sc/n6ajQf.

Praised by critics for her intimately confessional songwriting and arrangements, Rachael released her last album, Elephants…Teeth Sinking Into Heart on Warner Bros. Records in October of 2008.   Entertainment Weekly called her delivery “gorgeous” and Rolling Stone said her “soulful, cigarette-scratched voice and melancholy lyrics recall Fiona Apple and PJ Harvey.” She toured extensively in support of the album playing to crowds throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. The New York Times hailed “With a deep, melancholy, breathy alto and a fondness for slow, sparsely chorded songs, Ms. Yamagata has a lot in common with Fiona Apple, Norah Jones and Sarah McLachlan. And in her upbeat moments she can sound like a fuller-voiced Liz Phair or a less volatile Chrissie Hynde.” Songs from the album appeared in various television programs and films including Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Brothers and Sisters and more. She also made an appearance in the season finale of 30 Rock in 2009.

Tour Dates:

OCTOBER

24th - Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall

25th - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground Lodge

27th - Ithaca, NY - Deliah’s

28th -  Northampton, MA - Iron Horse

30th - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall

31st - Philadelphia, PA - World Café Live

NOVEMBER

1st - Washington, DC - Birchmere

2nd - Baltimore, MD - Sound Stage

4th - Brooklyn, NY - Knitting Factory

5th -  Pittsburgh, PA - Club Café

6th - Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom (Small Room)

7th - Detroit, MI - St Andrews Hall

8th - Chicago, IL - Logan Square

10th - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Ballroom

11th - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line

12th - Davenport, IA - Redstone Room

14th - Kansas City, KS - Record Bar

16th - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge

18th - Salt Lake City, UT - State Room

20th - Spokane, WA - A Club

21st - Vancouver, BC - Media Club

22nd - Seattle, WA - Crocodile

23rd - Portland, OR - Doug Fir

25th - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s

27th - San Diego, CA - Casbah

29th - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

30th - Tuscon, AZ - Crescent Ballroom

DECEMBER

2nd - Austin, TX - Parish

3rd - Houston, TX - Fitzgerald’s Upstairs

4th - Dallas, TX - The Loft

5th - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom – 2nd Stage

7th - St. Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill

8th - Nashville, TN - 12th and Porter

9th - Birmingham, AL - Work Play

10th - Atlanta, GA - Vinyl

12th - Charleston, SC - New Brookland Tavern

13th - Charlotte, NC - Visulite Theatre

15th - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506

16th - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern

17th - Louisville, KY - Headliners

18th - Columbus, OH - The Basement

20th - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s

21st - New York, NY - City Winery

22nd - New York, NY - City Winery

www.rachaelyamagata.com

The Drums announce the release of their second album, Portamento out September 13th through Frenchkiss Records.
In support of their US release, The Drums have also announced fall tour dates including a summer performance at this year’s sold out Lollapalooza. Their shows kick off on September 28th in Hoboken, NJ at Maxwell’s and continue through November 6th in Washington DC at The Black Cat. Exclusive fan pre-sale starts Wednesday, July 27th followed by a public on-sale this weekend.

To accommodate the record’s sonic expansiveness, the band has expanded to a quintet live, adding two auxiliary members including good friend Myles Matheny on guitar and bass. The additional touring musicians lend their live performances a more spontaneous feel, in line with the aesthetic of the new album, getting rid of the need for backing tracks.

Tour dates:

August 6th             Chicago, IL                         Lollapalooza
Sept. 28th             Hoboken, NJ                         Maxwell’s
Sept. 29th             Boston, MA                         Brighton Music Hall
Sept. 30th             Montreal, QC                         Evenko
Oct. 1st                 Toronto, ON                         The Mod Club
Oct. 3rd               Cleveland Heights, OH             Grog Shop
Oct. 4th               Chicago, IL                         Subterranean
Oct. 5th               Minneapolis, MN             7th Street Entry
Oct. 6th            Des Moines, IA                         Vaudville Mews
Oct. 10th             Portland, OR                        Doug Fir Lounge
Oct. 11th             Vancouver, BC                         Venue
Oct. 12th             Seattle, WA                        Crocodile Café
Oct. 14th             San Francisco, CA             The Independent – Treasure Island Night Show
Oct. 15th             San Diego, CA                         The Casbah
Oct. 18th             Los Angeles, CA             Echoplex
Oct. 20th             Tempe, AZ                        Sail Inn
Oct. 22nd             Dallas, TX                         The Loft
Oct. 23rd             Austin, TX                         The Parish
Oct. 24th             Houston, TX                         Fitzgerald’s
Oct. 26th             Tallahassee, FL             Club Downunder
Oct. 27th             Orlando, FL                         The Social
Oct. 28th             Miami, FL                         Grand Central
Oct. 31st             Atlanta, GA                         The Drunken Unicorn
Nov. 3rd             Brooklyn, NY                         Music Hall of Williamsburg
Nov. 5th             Philadelphia, PA             Making Time at Voyeur Night Club
Nov. 6th             Washington, DC             The Black Cat

To purchase tickets: http://thedrums.com/shows