Link: http://www.sonicbids.com/epk/epk.aspx?epk_id=223932

I have seen this band before. I have seen them in the back corner of The Bulldog back in the day when college rock bands were playing the Bulldog. I saw them in the smoke-filled Patio when that club was still alive. I have seen them in other bars and rock clubs across the city. Hell, exchange electric for acoustic, then I have probably seen them in a coffee shop or two.

I have not specifically seen Landing on the Moon per se, this is just an example of the countless bands who presented themselves on the fringe in the ‘90s and the college rock scene.

If this were 1995, they would be tossed into the pile, but we are well beyond that. In a world filled with jangly, multi-instrumental rock, does an album like We Are History Now stand out or will they be considered just another bar band attempt?

I think the answer is a little bit of both. They stand out because of the construction of the band itself: a set of siblings, a pair of spouses, and two friends complete the circle. And with that the bond is apparent in their music that ranges from a Husker Du progressivism to a whimsical Chapel Hill scene of yor.

But the band does not pull themselves beyond that. And as strong as their songs seem, they remain trapped in a style that remains in the back of the bar and not up front and knocking some clarity into  you.

At least the album has a firm foundation and tries hard to go beyond re-hashed rock to create something that they can call their own.

It’s that time a year again, when the summer heat gives way to longings of autumn. And as Bloomington, Indiana, begins its preparation for the peak seasonal foliage, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival is the perfect launching point.

If you have attended the yearly festival, then you know to expect the quality and selection of important and engaging music from around the world. If you have not experienced the festival, then plan to be immersed in something that is creatively unique and memorable.

Bajafondo at 2009 Lotus Festival (Photo by Kimberly Duncan)

Here is a quick guide. For detailed information, please visit their website: http://lotusfest.org/

The 17th Annual 2010 Festival begins September 16 through 19, throughout the college town with various street stages set up and venues opening their doors:

Arts Village (6th St., betw Walnut & Washington)
Bloomingfoods/Tree of Life Stage (Third St. Park, 331 S. Washington; Saturday afternoon only)
The Bluebird (216 N. Walnut; 21 & older ONLY; Showcase artists performing here also appear at all-ages venues)
Buskirk-Chumley Theater (114 E. Kirkwood)
Carey Worldwide Limousine Services Tent (6th St., betw Walnut & College)
First Presbyterian Church (221 E. 6th)
First United Methodist Church (4th & Washington)
Ivy Tech Community College Tent (4th St., betw Walnut & College)
Lifecycle Tent (4th & Grant)
Serendipity Martini Bar (201 S. College; 21 & older ONLY; Showcase artists performing here also appear at all-age venues)
Parade Route – Saturday NIGHT (Kirkwood Ave. and 4th St.)

For a printable PDF map, you can get one here: http://lotusfest.org/festival-main/festival-venues

List of artists performing:

• Abigail Washburn
• Barbara Furtuna
• Bernard Woma & the Saakumu Dance Troupe
• Chicha Libre
• Choro Livre
• Cimarrón
• Crooked Still
• Dragon Knights
• Emeline Michel
• Funkadesi
• Genticorum
• India Enterprise
• Jessica Fichot
• Khaïra Arby
• Kinobe & Soul Beat Africa
• Mariam Matossian
• Meklit Hadero
• Moscow Nights
• Nation Beat
• Ordo Sakhna
• Oreka TX
• Red Baraat
• Sierra Leone’s Refugee All-Stars
• The Dynamites, featuring Charles Walker
• Vishtèn

Ticket Info is here: http://lotusfest.org/ticket-info

Lastly, a printable schedule is available on the Lotus website: http://lotusfest.org/festival-main/printable-schedules

Link: http://www.factorytwentyfive.com/torben/

Don’t you hate it when you have an album you think you really like, but there are a few songs that really get under your skin, and taints your viewpoint because you know that from here on out, you will have to fast forward through those songs each and every time.

I think for the Brock Enright and Kirsten Deirup album Torben, it’s acting as a split album when not intentionally to be one. “Side A” — as this is to be released on vinyl — is Brock Enright doing his artistic thing. The man has had installation exhibits in places like MoMa, so you can imagine his eclecticism. However, you hear “maybe” and run wild,” and they both are not that far out there, and does not reach beyond the simplicities of indie pop. It’s the same things you hear in bands like Freelance Whales or Sleepy Sun.

But their are songs that make you have to check what you are listening to because it’s not the pseudo-impressive indie pop you just heard. “doowopcat” sounds like someone who desired to turn Dr. Seuss into an indie pop opus. “Readyforyou” makes it worse because it just sounds like a variation of “doowopcat.” And that really stinks because I had high hopes.

Not even “Side B” can save it because now it’s Kirsten Deirup doing lullabyes. So what if their son (named Torben) was the catalyst for this songs, you hear “ouijaboard,” and that song with her trying to vocally imitate a child makes you want to rip out your throat and beg her to use yours instead.

“Tryinghard” is okay, but for seven plus minutes, the weight of the song bears down on you. At least they get it right for the final song, “lullabye,” and ambient dream-like vocal piece that may mistify the album’s existence, but it won’t save the problems Torben creates.

Link: http://www.wildbirdsandpeacedrums.com/

The construct of Rivers boils down to a conjoining of two EPs, Retina and Iris, both previously released. The two are distinct in nature, while both contain a reoccurring theme of the dark and natural. Turn off the lights, light some candles, and let’s begin.

Recorded live in a church, you hear the haunting echoes of the building’s acoustics. That element of depth make the gorgeous chants lucid. You can imagine what it was like sitting in one of the old wooden pews, searching for sanctity within the floating melodies as a cross peers out. “Bleed Like There Was No Other Flood” is like being tossed into a dream as the effects are intoxicating. “Tiny Holes In The World” is more construed and abstract, but using the Schola Contorum Reykjavik Chamber Choir as their backing band really extend the band’s capabilities. You really hear it in “Fight For Me.” The intense three-day recording session, brought out the tightness of the songs and the inner turmoil, seeking perfection. With an imperfect structure, they got perfection.

Iris transforms the listener into another direction. Less daunting, vocalist Mariam Wallentin searches for simplicity within the dominance of a steel pan lighting the path. Songs like “The Drop” and “The Course,” it brings out the percussive value of the last half. “The Lake” is a chiming adventure in the abstract.

Iris’ musical motive is to represent water, reflection and surface light. Within that spectrum, the music and vocals are doing two separate things. What both really get at is the slower pace of serenity.

As different as the two EPs are, they conjoin very well. From chanting chorus to steel pans glistening, you feel its stark transition, but Wallentin and husband Andreas Werliin do an amazing job at keeping everything together while letting you experience their journey.

There are so many elements going on with the album and behind the scenes that the end result is a documentation of art from concept to finished product. In a word, gorgeous!

Link: http://www.hollygolightly.com/

Going from the London bustle to backwoods Georgia, Medicine County might not be what you are are expecting from Holly Golightly, but the album is fitting, and Medicine County is as much a part of them as the Deep South is now.

“Forget It” moves like the humidity in the summer bayou heat as Golightly’s vocals wrap around you like a python and echoes like an AM radio station emitting from a rusty Chevrolet.

But beside the brooding Texas rock of “Murder In My Mind,” that’s about the extent of that sound imagery. The title track and “I Can’t Lose” is Alabama-style bluegrass where Golightly forces too much twang and sticks out like a drunken night of karaoke.

“Blood On The Saddle” mimics an Old Country waltz where the strings seem about as drunk as the singers. They explore Delta Blues with “When He Comes” and they try their hand at the Lawrence Welk-like ballad “Dearly Departed.” This is where Golightly does her best to be as sincere as she can. It only makes the other songs stick out like a splinter and leaves you to choose wisely at what songs you do actually appreciate or get entranced by.

The TV Buddhas will be performing at The Melody Inn, Sunday, September 12. They will be teaming up with HotChaCha and The Kemps. $6 will get you in, 9 p.m. gets you the glorious sounds. For more information, visit the Melody Inn website: http://www.melodyindy.com/

All it took was an EP for Berlin’s TV Buddhas to come out swinging with a fury. This self-titled ode to rock and roll preserves the danger of Iggy and the Stooges with the charisma of Richard Hell and the Voidoids underneath that late night TV glow of California’s early ’80s punk scene.

Originally from Tel Aviv, Israel, the now trio (husband/wife Juval Harring and Mickey Triest and brother Uri Triest) has grabbed the essence of what rock and roll is all about and blown it into cosmic proportions of youth spirit. Taking to the streets of the U.S. with a six-week tour, they won’t save rock and roll, but they will be sure to give it a swift kick in the face.

Harring talked about their EP, due out in the U.S. on We Are Busy Bodies, why it was only recorded in the matter of an hour, and how they can keep the momentum of their massive live show schedule barreling through.

Link: http://www.myspace.com/tvbuddhas

What is it about the spontaneity of recording with the EP that the band was attracted to? What drew you to that element of sound within your band?

We started out as a duo, and added Uri this year. We were into writing new songs and recording hastingly cause we had a big tour coming up. Our friend Nico Poisson came from France to Berlin and recorded us on his tape machine. It just felt right to dive into something unknown. None of us knew how it would come out.

The EP is a lo-fi recording without the lo-fi feel. It’s a more powerful testament to the fury of rock than most modern rock bands who spend weeks and bleed over thousands of dollars in studio equipment. How did the band blow up the sound with the resources you constructed (a microphone and a field recording tape)?

Nico made the mono recording stereo, and we added vocals very quickly later. Nothing much was added. It was recorded in a rehearsal room in Berlin. We had just one track
so there was really nothing to work with. Were used to recording live anyway. The amps were actully kinda wimpy. But Nico did a good job. French people know how to make rock and roll.

TV Buddhas harks back to time in the early ‘80s where the punks would spend their nights under a TV glow and listen to crazed punk rock like The Weirdos, Avengers, etc. That was our weekend nights and to sit around playing something like Risk instead of go to a party and get drunk with the jocks and preps was our middle finger. I also remember watching an episode of House M.D. (a show I never thought I would reference in an interview like this) where he was interviewing this kid for an intern position. He was trying to be all cool, and Dr. House said that “if you want to be cool and go against the grain, go home and read a book. Now that is punk rock.” It’s this type of anti- attitude that makes your music stand out. What is your perception of that? Is this an intentional statement in your music or just something unconscious?

This feeling is imprinted in our personalities, all three of us. Mickey dropped out of college cause she has A.D.D and was intimidated by the concept of studying. Were all like that in way. And our reaction has always been to go home, close the door, and turn on the TV. When we started the band the idea was to make rock and roll, that incorporates our fears, tells stories about them, and deals with them. We wanted to make something that is real in our world.

You have racked up an amazing amount of shows as a band? What has playing hundreds of shows taught you? How do you keep the momentum alive and thriving? Do you have any favorite moments from it all? If so, what are they?

Doing long tours was the financial thing to do, coming from Israel. Longer tours meant more shows, that covered flights, van, gear etc. But then we just didnt stop, and touring became
our life. Now were based in Berlin, but we still tour that way. I think we were actualy IN our apartment for less than 3 months last year. Touring brings alot of anxieties out of you, but also teaches you to overcome them. Alot of bands seem to be these packs of wild boys in dirty vans partying all the time, but we just try to survive, shower as much as we can, treat ourselves to “normal” human being stuff like a nice dinner , or walking around a super market, prentending like we are shopping. If anything unusual happens on tour, we just do what we always do, and run away.

How has your relationships as family (and husband and wife for Juval and Mickey) contributed and affected this band?

We could tour endlessly being married. Actually this whole marriage thing is to keep the band together, and we added Uri cause he’s Mickeys brother
and he couldnt escape the band so easily too.

How important is “place” to you? The band started in Tel Aviv and then relocated to Berlin? How did Tel Aviv play in to the formation of the band and what was it like playing music of your caliber in a country like Israel? Is it different? Similarities? Why did the band choose Berlin as your current home?

Berlin is cheap. Its hyped up, but we really dont care about that, its just cheap like you wouldnt believe. We live near a park, with a pond and ducks. I mean, in Israel i lived in Holon. Tel Aviv is great but the rest of Israel is not very musically happening. There wasnt much touring to do there, and we couldnt really live off our music staying there.

I do not see Tel Aviv as a stop on your continuous tour schedule. Any plans to go back and play?

Playing there is really good. But when your a domestic band, promoters tend to get petty with you, and we do so many shows outside of Israel that going back there makes more sense as a holiday, than a tour.
What do you feel are the most important elements of the band? What does it all mean to you?

We want to be appreciated in the way we appreciate bands like The Replacements or The Ramones. They were innovative and real, and their songs make us feel like being us is OK. We want to make someone else feel like that too. we want to write songs about life.

What is the future of the TV Buddhas?

Get a house, get a dog, do less touring, eat healthier food and work out. We also want to work on the show Entourage.

Links: http://www.bearinheaven.com/

Taking me by surprise, I cannot believe how good this album is. Beast Rest Forth Mouth hits all of the right spots. You wouldn’t know it from a quick listen as it sneaks up on you like a … well … bear.

I didn’t really want to believe it as I started up with “Beast In Peace.” The tribal pounding that coincides with the constant chugging of guitar chords make the repetitiveness a convoluted mess in your mind. The transcendental vocals will surely perk up the the ears of any shoegaze lover.

But the point at where it really got me was “You Do You.” It’s that point where you realize the word “Yes!” just left your mouth and the undertaker grin slowly evolves. It’s a dance floor in slow motion. It’s the careful thought of the band to throw all of their emotions into the mix without forcefully doing so. I can see them enjoying their music as much as we do.

“Lovesick Teenagers,” the skewed sound of “Dust Cloud,” and the “Fake Out,” what poetic gestures these songs portray. If I could personally convince each and every one of you to listen to this album I would, but the proof lies in the music and that along is more power than these words can convey.

Somehow Bear In Heaven has taken everything I have loved from late ‘80s and early ‘90s alternative music and made me glad to look into the future. This is shangri la.

Link: http://www.myspace.com/leeallatson

Lee Allatson is one of the more seasoned musicians in the indie rock scene that you may have never heard of. And his solo venture Misterlee maybe equally as baffling to you. But if you have not listened to The Disquiet Dog, then you should because this album is one of the more disconcerted messes out there. And for that, I love it.

It ranks up there (not in style but context) with Elvis Hitler, Big Black, and Mojo Nixon. Allatson may be the closest we will get to William S. Burroughs in the modern age (I am thinking of the Material album that features Burroughs poetical musings).

Performance art with spoken word, Allatson cuts to the chase with the opener, “Adolf Hitler.” Like Frank Zappa mimicking the guitar structure with his word enunciation, Allatson spurts out, “He’s not a manic and he’s not depressive. He’s not a manic depressive, or schizophrenic. Just thinks he was Adolf Hitler in a past life.” And then Allatson goes into Steve Albini postering, and you cannot help but gyrate to the crunched-out groove.

Exploring into a strange Hip Hop lyricism, indie rock pondering, and stream of consciousness meandering in Ginsburg fashion. I think Gibby Haynes would feel somewhat defeated if he heard “The Easy Apple.”

If you want a bizarre mind trip that is an inspired piece of random outbursts and powerful freak outs, then you have arrived at your destination.

Link:
Quitzow: http://www.myspace.com/quitzow
Young Love Records: http://www.youngloverecords.com/home.htm

Juice Water goes to extremes. One one side there are songs that are catchy, cool and fun times to be had. On the other side, there are songs that make gouging your eyeball out of its socket more pleasurable.

Let’s look a little deeper.

“Let Out All The Crazy”’s awesomeness comes from the pscyho-candy drum beat that will make you pull a “running man” in no time. The chorus is constructed of a catchy hook and fun pinball bouncing bass. It’s classic electronic-pop that works. Even the bridge is bouncing with summer sun flaunting. It’s really a formula that is successful every time.

The vocal processing on “Cherry Blossom” with the infectiously danceable New Wave posturing is enough to give this album five stars.

“Race Car 2” is not a great song, but it fits in the context of the album and despite images of Guns ‘N’ Roses’ “Don’t Cry” it’s not a bad bit of balladry.

But then you get to “Talk To Me,” and it sounds like Disney’s wet dream. What happened to the crazies that you wanted to let out? Oh yeah, that’s where “Whatever” comes in, a hyper ballad whose purpose is nonsensical. “Whatever, I do what I want. I dress up like your New Age mom.” Huh? This song has about as much finesse as Aqua’s “Barbie Girl.” I have heard some idiotic lines in my life, but this one takes the cake.

Link: http://www.myspace.com/viernesviernes

There are things I really want to like about this album. “Honest Parade,” for example, caters to the late ‘80s dreamer in me. The bottomed-out bass in this song contrasts with fluttering guitar notes. The vocals sound like a couple hippies hearing Velvet Underground for the very first time. The atmosphere of this song works because you can easily get lost in the confines of this song.

But the story does not always go this way.

Sinister Devices has several downfalls to the album making it impossible to pick itself up from the floor. Even on “Honest Parade,” there are elements to this song that should be left out because sometimes a vocal howl drowned in effects work and sometimes it does not.

And sometime it does not even work at all. “Ancient Amazon_New Fashion” is as droll to listen to.

It seems the band loves to use their guitars as ambient fodder. So while “Enhanced Pendulum Channel” sounds like the intro to a Santana concert (spiritual guitar meditation with a New Age approach to everything else), “Liquid Tunnel” sounds like a guitar was put down in front of an amp and someone went to go drink a beer or two.

“Swimmer’s Ear” is just plain annoying indie babble while “Faulty Investments” is trying for that big break on Broadway with the song’s musical elements. It is really not all that pleasing even if the band can whip out some nice Beach Boys-style harmonies.

This album has one too many things wrong with it to be determined as anything musically valuable.