Tag Archives: broad ripple music fest
Band Spotlight: Phoenix Bodies
This band spotlight is part of a special ZapTown series in correlation with the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/
Other BRMF interviews:
Heavy Hometown
Daniel Fahrner
Thunderhawk
Matt Mitchell Project
Deep Cricket Night
DJ Deanne
Stationary Odyssey
Elsinore
WHO: Phoenix Bodies
WHERE: Alley Cat Lounge
LINKS: Phoenix Bodies Home Page: http://phoenixbodies.com/
Phoenix Bodies on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/phoenixbodies
Alley Cat Lounge http://www.myspace.com/alleycatlounge
Sample mp3:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)
I hope that the implications of the interview aren’t true- that Phoenix Bodies are done touring. Phoenix Bodies will, however, bring the noise at the Alley Cat for the BRMF. The show should be noisy insane. Phoenix Bodies’ brand of noisy hardcore is one of few that sound best at ear-bleeding levels. They have a few releases out (including a calendar – no shit) and at least one more to come. They took time out of their day to answer some questions.
Other than the obvious mayhem, what are you hoping to have happen at your portion of the upcoming Broadripple Music Fest shows?
Now that Kevin lives in North Carolina, we’re really just excited to have an opportunity to play a show where people are going to pay to fly him up here. So, it would be really great, if no one came to the show, so we could all just hang out. It would be absolutely wonderful to roll up to an already burnt down Alley Cat Lounge and go get some falafel somewhere, and not have to play a show. That would be totally ideal. However, if that scenario does not present itself, having the Alley Cat burn down while, or shortly after we are done playing is also acceptable. Bros before shows.
It seems that everyone and their brother claims to be playing punk rock and hardcore/post hardcore/emo/screamo etc these days. How does your music stand out from the haze of shit rock that is being played?
When asked about what sort of music my band is, I usually just tell people that Phoenix Bodies is “a stupid loud band, you probably wouldn’t want to listen to”. I think the phrase, “haze of shit rock” sums up the Phoenix Bodies aesthetic to a T, and I would not have it any other way. I think we have very few pretensions about our music. We have no intentions of standing out, fitting in, dumbing-down, or reaching higher. So, saying how we may fit into some sort of taxonomy or hierarchy is not a concern of mine. Our music is here for people to love, hate, or be completely disinterested in. I have no desire to try to sell it or hype it to anyone ever.
You’ve done splits now with some of the “big boys” of hardcore- La Quiete and HeWhoCorrupts…. what was that like? Did you get the chance to work with them or was it all done separately?
The Hewhocorrupts split is probably one of my favorite records in my collection. For people not in the know, it comes packaged in a full size, 12″x12″ calendar, that has pin-up shots of all the members of both bands, as well as personal information from the band members, important dates, celebrity birthdays, and everything else you’d want in a good calendar. We did the photoshoot at my old house, and that was a great deal of fun. Lots of naked dudes, raw meat, and cheap business suits. The La Quiete split hasn’t really been released yet. It’s supposed to come out in Europe on Holiday Records, but artwork problems are holding that up. The US release was supposed to come out on Level-Plane. Test pressings of the record were made for out 2008 West Coast tour with La Quiete, but the full pressing has been delaying by existential crises faced by the owner of Level-Plane records.
What touring plans do you have up coming, as in where, when and with whom?
I really want to go on tour in Mexico, but Colin is afraid of going there. Why? I’m not really sure at all. We just went to Puerto Rico, and he was allright with that that. Maybe he is worried about the Peso collapsing while we are abroad and us coming home penniless. He’s obviously alright with traveling to places where Spanish is the first language. Kevin really wants to go to Japan. I would also like to do that, but it’s very expensive, and we don’t really play enough shows or sell enough records to float that bill, which means we’d also have to go to Australia while hemisphere hopping. Thomas is really afraid of backward rotation of toilet flushes, so we’ll probably have to rule all of that out. I think Brian said that he would love to go back to Europe someday. Maybe we would do that, but I don’t know if we will ever have the time to go over there again. Also, the last time we were in Europe, Colin was seriously injured at a show where some drunk guy got on stage and knocked him over. We tried to book a tour in August to go to the east coast in Canada, but Brian had to cancel that. So, we probably won’t go on tour ever again.
What music are you listening to currently?
Lots of Van Halen and George Michael. ”Panama” is such a kick-ass song. The performance of it on the 1984 album is one of my favorite examples of air-tight guitar playing. It’s hard to believe that a song like that and “Hot for Teacher” could be purchased together on one record for about $8 25 years ago. Now a days, $8 might get you some digital download of some shitty local band’s demo recordings. George Michael spent 2 years of his life creating the record, “Faith”. I mean, if you’re going to break up WHAM! to put out a solo album, you better not fuck around, and Mr. Michael did not. He wrote, recorded, produced, and played all the instruments on that record, and created one of the greatest pop records of his time. That’s quite the accomplishment for one mere man to achieve. The guitar playing on that record is great. However, sometimes in my brain, I give George Michael credit for my favorite INXS songs. This is not quite fair to the Fairriss brothers, but only goes to show how much I respect Mr. Michael as a musician.
Band Spotlight: Elsinore
This band spotlight is part of a special ZapTown series in correlation with the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/
Other BRMF interviews:
Heavy Hometown
Daniel Fahrner
Thunderhawk
Matt Mitchell Project
Deep Cricket Night
DJ Deanne
Stationary Odyssey
WHO: Elsinore
WHERE: Indy CD and Vinyl, and Birdy’s
LINKS: Elsinore on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/elsinoremusic
Indy CD and Vinyl: http://www.indycdandvinyl.com/
Birdy’s: http://www.birdyslive.com/
SAMPLE MP3:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB)
Elsinore hail from Champaign, Illinois. After spending a few years playing more sedated, folky music, they decided to change things up a bit. Drifting into indie rock and alternative rock areas, the band are set to release their upcoming LP, Yes Yes Yes in the very near future. They will be playing at the upcoming Broad Ripple Music Fest at Indy CD and Vinyl and also at Birdy’s. They took time out of their touring schedule to answer some questions with me.
Your show for the Broad Ripple Music Fest is at Indy CD and Vinyl on Saturday, then later again at Birdy’s. How does the prospect of playing two potentially crowded shows in one day seem?
We’ve been revisiting Indianapolis frequently enough over the past two years to have cultivated a decent following. So, BRMF will give us a chance to capitalize on all of that building and seed-sowing. We’re ready to begin a love affair with Indianapolis, and so far it looks like everyone’s a willing party.
The Broad Ripple shows are just part of your Midwestern tour continuing over the next few months. What cities are you most looking forward to playing and why?
The highlights of our fall touring will be CMJ in New York, a sweep up through Connecticut, a show in Cincinnati with The Generationals, and a solid pile of dates in Midwestern cities we haven’t played yet.
When your tour is over, what are your immediate plans afterwards?
We finished our new record, Yes Yes Yes, about 3 weeks ago, and are about to wrap on a video shoot for the first single, Chemicals. So, we’ll be spending a lot of time on the road getting ready to shop the record to labels and further plan its release, which will hopefully be early next year. Having an amazing new agent/manager like Dan Fahrner has really recharged our batteries after spending the last two years recording and touring as much as we could without a record to promote. We’re finally at the point where we only need down-time at home to sleep and be with our families. Everything is about this record right now.
You have a good sound brewing up, you have been playing together for a while and have a few releases. Have you gained any label attention yet? Are you looking for it?
We’ve stirred up some attention and will continue to pursue any and all opportunities. We have a lot of friends who “have friends in the business,” and they’re all making good on the promises they made over the past two years. We’re ready for this music to be out in the world, and whether it’s a solid independent or overzealous major label, or TV and movies, we just want it in people’s ears.
What music are you listening to currently?
We just opened for St. Vincent in St. Louis and have been listening to her new record non-stop. Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, The National, Radiohead, & Death Cab for Cutie are in constant rotation, too.
Band Spotlight: Stationary Odyssey
This artist spotlight is part of a special ZapTown series in correlation with the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/
Other BRMF interviews:
Heavy Hometown
Daniel Fahrner
Thunderhawk
Matt Mitchell Project
Deep Cricket Night
DJ Deanne
WHO: Stationary Odyssey
WHERE: Local’s Only, 1 p.m.; presented by Transpanther, Standard Recording, and Joyful Noise.
LINKS: http://www.stationaryodyssey.com/
SAMPLE MP3:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.4MB)
With a new release on the horizon — Sons Of Boy (Joyful Noise) is due out November 10 — Stationary Odyssey returns with their glitched out intergalactic rock and roll. Indianapolis should not be shy to the band as their new effort is one of several releases in their career. Whether it’s angular math rock or power blasts of sonic intensity, this band always keeps things fresh and moving.
Stationary Odyssey is revving up their rocket ships and heading out on the road later this fall. For now, we can smell the jet fumes at the BRMF. Aaron Tanner and Brett Siler ride in the cockpit.
It’s been three years since “Head!” What took so long in between releases?
Aaron: Good question! I guess time does really start to get away from you the older you get. I mean, we all had a lot of personal stuff going on… played some shows here and there. I bought a house and fixed it up. Brett built a recording studio. Plus, once we decided to get moving on the album, it was literally one thing after another. Like it says in the press release, a lot of bad stuff happened to the both us. We’d go to record, something terrible would happen, we’d get discouraged and then take a few weeks (or more) off to refocus and then repeat the cycle.
Brett: Well, we put out a split EP with Child Bite in ’07, and “Sons of Boy” was supposed to be done in ’08. We had a lot of crazy stuff happen to us; some good and some bad. Aaron got a house, I built a studio, my house flooded, one of us got drugged and jumped, jailed twice, relatives in the hospital, women trouble. The list goes on. So, it didn’t get done until 2009.
What has changed for the band in that timeframe and what is the focus with “Sons Of Boy?”
Aaron: With “Sons of Boy,” we tried to make it sound more like our live show. In the past, we could really only pull off about half of the material from each album as a 3-piece. But now, I think there’s only one track off of the new album that isn’t doable. We’ve always referred to this one as the “rock album.”
Brett: Basically, I started writing more music we could play live. A lot of it was written with a 3-piece rock band in mind.
You have a pretty impressive tour lined up. What are you doing to gear up for that and what do you have planned this time around? According to the website, why two CD release shows (one in Indianapolis and one in Evansville)?
Aaron: We haven’t done a proper tour in a while and really felt that we should push this record hard. We’re doing one week in the Midwest, breaking for Thanksgiving, a week and a half on the East Coast, breaking for xmas and then touring the West Coast and parts of the South. The reason we opted for two CD release shows is because we felt that we should do one in our hometown and then another where Joyful Noise is based. Completely different cities and crowds, but we’re strongly tied to each.
Brett: To get ready for the tour, I’m just practicing a lot and trying to save up or sell things so I have money. Also trying to shrink my stomach so I will be used to going on little food.
The band has utilized a varied amount of talent within the recordings, as “Sons Of Boy” is no different? What is the philosophy behind that and how does that transform to how the band currently plays live?
Aaron: Stationary Odyssey started out as just a recording project with little desire to play live… much less tour. I just wanted to record songs with friends and then burn CD-Rs to give away. But then Shawn Knight from Boyarm asked to put out our first EP, Komondor. And ever since, I’ve taken it more seriously. The process went something like this: record/write the album with a number of people, find musicians willing to learn the material and then tour with it. It wasn’t until Brett Siler was added as a permanent recording and performing band member that the group has seemed more “band-like.”‘
Brett: On the new album, it was written to where it could be performed by a 3 piece… but there are some songs that friends added little bit of instrumentation to spice the song up a bit. However, what they added wasn’t enough to totally change the song. It would just be a keyboard part in section of a song or slide guitar or something. The main meat of the songs, though, are me, Aaron and our drummer (who is currently my brother, Scott Siler). Generally, in the past, we looked at the album and live as two different ways of approaching our songs. It’s still kinda like that, but the new songs translate a little easier.
How many times have you played the BRMF? What are your views for a festival like this and how it benefits a band like yours? What this means to the culture of the city as well as music community?
Aaron: This is the first time we’ve played the Broad Ripple Music Fest so we don’t really know what to expect. Regardless, I do think community-based festivals are extremely important to both the music goer and to the bands they’re seeing. Anything with a sense of community is… record labels, festivals, whatever. Pairing yourself with likeminded individuals only strengthens your cause. Whatever that cause may be.
Brett: I only like the Fall Festival in Evansville, IN. You can get a meal called a chunky diaper.
Band Spotlight: Deep Cricket Night
This band spotlight is part of a special ZapTown series in correlation with the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/
Other BRMF interviews:
Heavy Hometown
Daniel Fahrner
Thunderhawk
Matt Mitchell Project
WHO: Deep Cricket Night
WHERE: La Jolla’s Wasted Space, Indianapolis Songwriter’s Cafe
LINKS: http://www.myspace.com/deepcricketnight
Sample MP3:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.5MB)
Deep Cricket Night sounds like they belong more on the outskirts of a dust-filled country road, not Chicago. But the Windy City is where they maintain a balance of roots rock, Americana and folk intricacies. Listening to the band’s music gave me that same feeling when I first heard R.E.M.’s Murmer or Dead Letter Office.
Their back country songs will be sure to peak your fascination. If you dig the song sample above, then you can listen to the full release here: http://musicalfamilytree.com/band/deep_cricket_night. They visit the Broad Ripple Music Fest for the first time this year at La Jolla’s Wasted Space in part of the Indianapolis Songwriter’s Cafe. Lance Drake indulges in the bands current happenings, his influence of growing up in Indiana, and the excitement to be a part of the festival.
One thing that is great about your band is how you all fill out the space and create a thick, gorgeous sound. What can you say about your music and what people might want to get out of it?
The fun and really creative thing about Deep Cricket Night is that we are able to record & perform either stripped down w/ the more folk-alt country vibe (like we’ll be doing at Wasted Space) or amped up as a full band, a more indie rock sound if you will. From the beginning, we always wanted to make eclectic music and to be able to present that music to whatever the bill, room, or club calls for. I think it’s a somewhat rare quality that we posses to be able to do both sounds live.
You are currently recording or getting ready to record, how is that going and what can you tell us in regards to how things are shaping up versus past recordings and what the band’s plan is?
This fall and winter, I’m recording a soundtrack to a movie I’m shooting (all on a circuit bent PXL 2000 Fisher Price b/w camera) and a new DCN EP in my home studio, Ravenswood Loon. In spring 2010, we plan to record 3-4 songs at Engine Studios here in Chicago, hopefully with Brian Deck at the producer/ engineer helm. He and that studio is pretty much a sonic Mecca for all of us- a personal, creative goal we want to experience as a band.
What drew the musicians to focus on an American roots style and what the band has become over the years, especially in the Chicago scene?
I think the music has a certain indie twang to it that I personally credit to my experience growing up in Indiana and the amazing Bloomington music scene of the 90′s. Translating that into the Chicago scene has been both rewarding and challenging at times (ha). At the end of the day, you expel the voices and inspirations that reside in your head, come hell or high water.
Is this your first Broad Ripple Music Fest experience? What are your thoughts on a festival like this?
First time playing. We passed Indy and attended BRMF ’08 touring to Austin last October. In terms of music meeting charity and doing viable good for people & communities, I think it’s a fantastic, innovative festival to be a part of and we’re proud to play it.
Band Spotlight: Thunderhawk
(Photo by Joel Faurote)
This band spotlight is part of a special ZapTown series in correlation with the 2009 Broad Ripple Music Fest: http://www.broadripplemusicfest.com/
Other BRMF interviews:
Daniel Fahrner
WHO: Thunderhawk
WHERE: Locals Only, sponsored by Transpanther/Standard Recording/Joyful Noise
LINKS: http://www.myspace.com/thunderhawkband
SAMPLE MP3:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.5MB)
Josh Hall has been playing music as Thunderhawk long enough to turn ’90s indie rock upside down. With various line up changes throughout the years, Hall and the band remain a constant within the Muncie, Indiana, music scene.
With Thunderhawk VI to be released soon, the band is ripping its way into Indianapolis. Hall discusses the latest album and their first time at the Broad Ripple Music Fest.
How long have you been around as a band, specifically? How do you think you have progressed together?
Doug Market (drummer) and I started playing as Thunderhawk in 1998 and have used several line ups over the years. I don’t think we’ve progressed at all over the years. We still sound like a 90′s indie rock band because we are a 90s indie rock band. We’ve been playing all the same local venues since as far back as I can remember to mixed or no reactions.
Tell me about your latest release and about the garage pop elements you bring into it?
Well, I did an album called Gravity Wins! and I sort of “lost it” and couldn’t play music for a while. But last year I wrote and recorded 5 albums and was planning on self releasing all of them. But Standard Recording Company down in Indy showed interest in putting out an album, so we are releasing an album called Thunderhawk VI on Standard Recording as a vinyl only release. It has a bunch of country songs on it and some punk rock and classic indie rock for good measure.
Indianapolis Versus Muncie? We are seeing an increased relationship between the two and the music that affects us daily. How do you see that relationship and do we need the two geographic locations to exist?
Muncie is a weird place, a lot of good bands came out of there, Margot and the somethings, Arrah and the Ferns, Everything Now! and The Dead Beats just to name a few. But there’s really no where to play in Muncie so all those bands out of necessity have gravitated to Indy. So I would say that Muncie bands need Indianapolis but I don’t know how much Indianapolis needs Muncie.
How important do you feel the Broad Ripple Music Fest is to you and what will you be bringing in regards to your performance?
This is the first time we’ve played BRMF and I’m pretty excited, but I’m not really sure what to expect. We’re just gonna play our asses off and then get loaded after the show.
