PONYTAIL LIVE IN AUSTIN Wonderful week of live shows here at Cannibal Cheerleader with one of our personal favorites Ponytail from Baltimore absolutely wrecking shop at Red 7 last night. A completely amped up crowd mobbed the front of the stage from song one and given that the quartet never let the energy-level drop below ‘blazingly electric’ the enthusiasm ripped the night in half. Much is written about the vocal stylings of Molly, Ponytail’s lead vocalist, but it was her backing band that stole the show, with churning guitar lines seamlessly converging into dueling spidery solos, all backed by the furious assault of the drummer who left his seat on more than one occasion with reckless abandon, wailing on his drums like he was beating back hellfire. Playing through classics old and new, including personal CC favorite “Late For School” (yay!) the band cemented their reputation as not just another instrumental band but a indie-rock powerhouse with enough energy to power a small city into the new millennium and beyond. Fantastic set. . Ponytail – “Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From An Angel)” ******************************************************************** NEW AGENT RIBBONS 7″ Our friends in Agent Ribbons have been busy bees lately, what with opening up for Camera Obscura and picking up Naomi Cherie from the sorely departed Southern Drama all in the last few months. And now the California trio, on top of eberything, have sneaked in time to record a fantastic new 7″ entitled Your Love is the Smallest Doll, and it combines the lyrical whimsy and vaudevillian stylings of earlier recordings with a more fleshed-out sound care of Cherie’s string section. Featuring some of the group’s most infectious tunes, this EP comes highly recommended, if only for the title track’s vocal harmonies and liberal usage of toy piano. Agent Ribbons – “Your Love is the Smallest Doll” ******************************************************************** PULL IN EMERGENCY TO RECORD FULL-LENGTH Here’s the word from Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Pull In Emergency via the band’s Myspace:
” we’ve been a bit quite recently mainly because of the ol GCSEs/ A Levels so this is just an update.during the summer we’re going to be recording our debut album… and hopefully doing lots of gigs and stuff, underage is going to be sickkkkwe think the albums going to be out in February/ March of 2010, we’re going to New York in December for some gigs in Manhattan and Brookyln all in all, sorry for being quiet recently, but this summer is going to be intense…PIE.xxxxx“
New Pull In Emergency album? Sign us up immediately. If we hear anything we’ll be sure and alert the CC faithful first!
Pull In Emergency – “Planes” ******************************************************************** NEW ACTION DESIGN VIDEO Lots of news in the Action Design department, as the band is currently flying about the country on a new tour and will be touching down in Austin on May 25th. Not only that but the band has a new video forthcoming for standout single “Landmines” and we have the ‘pre-video video’ here to prove it. Check it out below!
The Action Design – “Move On” ******************************************************************** NEW HEARTSREVOLUTION VIDEO Been a while since we sat down with the Heartsrevolution crew but the duo of Lo and Ben have been getting a lot of press recently, what with their inclusion on Gossip Girl (quite a soundtrack that show) and being given the Kitsune Maison nod. Now the group has a new video for a song entitled “The Rose and Her Prince”. A much for downbeat tune for the group but a welcome experimentation for such an interesting band. Can’t for the life of me figure how to embed this but check it out here.
Heartsrevolution – “Ultraviolence” ******************************************************************** HAPPY BIRTHDAY May 22nd is JB’s birthday! If you see him celebrating with cheap beer and expensive cigars tomorrow night at his favorite Austin hangout (Crown & Anchor Bar) holler at him and he’ll give you a sticker or a zine!
okay. i’m kicking it in the ecstatic peace headquarters right now! northampton is covered in snow. gross! i really need some some boots….we’re living like vampires only recording at night and sleeping during the day. when we’re not recording we’re busy watching television practice tapes. when richard hell was still in the band! it’s so good!!!! and trying to go to as many thrift stores as possible. you can never give up on the hunt. we’ve got about ten songs recorded right now. john is a machine. i’ve been really sick the last two weeks, so hopefully my voice will hold up and we can get everything done. pizza party tonight at kesin’s house. i’m crossing my fingers lulu will perform some more righteous dance moves like she did last time i came over. punk till you puke. puke till you punk. later!
Ten songs already recorded for Jemina Pearl and the Somethings? That is fast work from this foursome.
In other JP news, check out Rare Form, a new band straight outta’ Brooklyn featuring Jemina Pearl on guitar and claiming a sound reminiscient of Austin heroines Finally Punk. Definitely worth checking out, if only for the fact that the band might be swinging through Austin for SXSW – one can only hope!
Stay tuned for further updates and send us any demoes if you got any Miss Pearl!
Glitter guns, heart-shaped vinyl, unicorn buttons, and pink balaclavas – that’s what you can expect from the wildly imaginative (not to mention intensely bizarre) webstore of the one and only Heartsrevolution. They’ve recently revamped the whole site so grab some goodies while you can. Personally, we’re thinking of nabbing that rare Switchblade EP 12”. Tasty stuff.
Late last week the latest round of South By Southwest lineup announcements inspired a lot of talk across the blogosphere. From world-renowned rockers like Primal Scream, to indie superstars like Ra Ra Riot, to little-known but still-fantastic bands like Fight Bite, the lineup is pretty stellar, albeit overwhelming. How is a SXSW attendee supposed to take in the 1000+ bands that will be descending on Austin in Mid-March? And how can we as a small Austin-based music blog hope to capture the fire and the fury that is this one week when our awesome little town becomes the center of the entire globe’s media frenzy? Some of the bigger music blogs will undoubtedly be sending droves of correspondents in order to cover every aspect of the proceedings, but we here at Cannibal Cheerleader have neither the desire nor the workforce to attempt such an undertaking. Instead, we feel its our responsibility as a small blog to talk about the acts that no one else will be talking about. That’s why we’ve chosen our top five, ‘must-see’, underground, and sinister acts for SXSW ‘09. We’ll add more as the big event approaches, but right now we feel that these are the bands not too many blogs will be talking about (but should be!) and that absolutely need to be seen. Without further ado…
1. ROLO TOMASSI
Ripping and snarling out of the UK with a hybrid shriek-meets-prog sound, Rolo Tomassi make their American debut this March in Austin when the quintet crash down in an explosion of Mars Volta-inspired riffs and Eva Spence’s signature howl. The band’s debut LP Hysterics deliver on the promise of some excellent LPs and their live show is much touted by UK rags like NME. If there’s one act we have to see at SXSW ‘09, it’s Rolo Tomassi, no question. Check out the video for their single “I Love Turbulence” below.
Rolo Tomassi – “I Love Turbulence”
Rolo Tomassi – “Fofteen” ******************************************************************** 2. THE GRATES
The closest thing the rest of the world has to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Australia’s the Grates pour on the same art-rock glaze as the New York spaz-masters with a little bit of their own unique pop flair to create a punky confection that’s as wild to watch as it is to listen to. With the release of their sophomore LP Teeth Lost, Hearts Won the Grates have ramped up their audio assault with an arsenal of rock-ready barn burners that swing between ultra-cutesy to fiery bloodshed, and with their much touted live show garnering praise worldwide, one can only imagine what they’re going to bring to the table for SXSW ‘09. Definitely a necessity to check this trio out.
******************************************************************** 3. TAT
After the quiet release of their debut album Soho Lights last year, which delivered on the promise of innumerable EPs, singles, and relentless touring, Tat have kept the volume knob firmly placed on ‘12′, continuing their takeover of the auditory sense with a slew of excellent tracks and a live show that’s as electric as it is engaging. Tat reel you in with Distillers comparisons and keep you interested with impressive hooks and stellar pop-punk leanings. Definitely one of the most underrated touring groups today, check out Tat if for nothing more than their excellent single “I Don’t Want To Love You” at SXSW ‘09.
******************************************************************** 4. KILLOLA We had our Killola cherry popped (more like ripped to shreds) when we saw these guys open for the Action Design back in September. Since then we’ve been racking our brains thinking of the right time to ‘New Band Cheer’ this excellent foursome, but now that they’ve been announced as a SXSW ‘09 showcase band, we can’t help but champion this fantastic act. With alt-rock licks and the most rabid frontwoman to ever rip off all her clothes onstage, Killola bring the goods live, pounding through dancey barn-burners and clearing the floor with dazzling pop heroics. Sounding like a cross between Paramore and Be Your Own Pet, Killola deserve to be filling stadiums so get a close look while you still can at SXSW.
******************************************************************** 5. THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES Hardcore heavyweights from way back when, These Arms are Snakes have been touring relentlessly since before your average screamo kid was born, and they show no sign of slowing down now, as the release of their newest LP Tail, Swallower, and Dove revealed they have a few more tricks up their sleeve. With a live show that features maddening most pits and acrobatic stage-diving, a sound that pulls from equal parts rudimentary punk and mathcore metal, and a lead singer whose distinctive wail puts him at the top of the scene’s crooner list, TAAS have proven time and time again to be a live band worth reckoning with, and they definitely should be added to your SXSW ‘09 itinerary.
While not an official SXSW ‘09 showcased artist (or at least not announced as such!) Heartsrevolution will be bringing their Heartschallenger ice cream truck down to Austin anyway, delivering fresh electro-clash beats and tasty treats/funky toys to all the sweaty downtown Austinites all week. Be on the lookout for a pink truck racing up and down sixth street, because our friends Ben and Lo will undoubtedly be driving this bad boy all around the city. Be on the lookout friends!
One of our favorite folksy American bands The Whispertown 2000 have released a video for their song “Old Times” off their new album Swim. Check it below, sepia-tinged tones over a sepia-tinged youth football game! Fits the song perfectly.
Today’s announcement of the rush release of Fever Ray’s self-titled debut tomorrow comes hot on the heels of the album’s leak to multiple torrent sites, where the heated anticipation for Karen Dreijer’s (of the Knife) solo effort flooded clients all day. The hype is not without merit, as Fever Ray maintains the cold, eerie electronica and vibrant tribal instrumentation as promised by the first single “If I Had A Heart”. Underlying the creepiness however is an expansiveness heretofore undiscovered in the music of Dreijer’s other act, with cool swaths of electronics washing over the listener as the sharp bark of the Swedish songstresses voice propels each song along. With drumming like the yelping of wild dogs and wild experimentalist rhythms reminiscient of a High Places b-side, Fever Ray sounds surprisingly loose and firey under the crisp melodies. A highly recommended album, one of the best of 2009. First of the gang to make the team.
The tastemakers of at Kitsune have clearly been reading a lot of Cannibal Cheerleader, as they’ve come to discover how awesome Brooklyn thrash-electronica artists Heartsrevolution and are releasing “Ultraviolence” as a single on their label. Definitely pick up a copy if only for an awesome Spank Rock remix.
It’s finally here Cannibal Cheerleaders, the new SpinneretteGhetto Love EP has arrived and none too soon for our ears. It seems that ex-Distiller Brody Dalle has been reincarnated as a nightmarish punk burlesque dancer, wrapped in layers of electronic decadence while still maintaining the poignant and fierce lyricism on which she’s built a name. Dead romance, blood mixing with tears, makeup running down one’s face, all wrapped in pleather in a smoky, shady bar corner, that is Spinnerette (our kind of band!). Check the video for “Ghetto Love” below and head here to purchase the new EP (only five bucks people, quite the deal we’d say).
Today we begin our ‘end-of-year’ wrap-ups, mercifully soon so we can get back to the real business of music journalism! Seems like every blog does their “best of’s” around this time so we figured we’d hop onboard, with a few Cannibal Cheerleader touches of course. Our first category…
TOP FIVE LOCAL AUSTIN BANDS
SOUTHERN DRAMA
Whether you interpret this local all-female trio as a wildly imaginative Vaudevillian act or a indie-pop folk band wrapped in old-time mystique one thing’s for certain, Southern Drama is easily the most original and creative act currently playing in Austin and one of our favorites of the year.
With the release of their stellar sophormore LP Pardon Me, Are Those Your Claws in My Back, the Faceless Werewolves have cornered the Austin market on furious blues-rock and garage-punk, cementing themselves as one of the Capital City’s most treasured acts.
Soaring in on a wave of delicated strings and hushed arrangement, Balmorhea has made good use of one short year, finding themselves poised to be the next big thing in neo-classicist cum indie-rock and making it easily onto our 2008 best local band list.
With a fiery carnage matched only by the band’s steadfast determination, Prey For Sleep have brought the brutality back to the Austin metal scene, whipping the small but vengeful community into a fury behind their debut LP and carving a spot into our end of the year list.
Swirling down on a wave of guitar squalls, Ringo Deathstarr single-handedly have revitalized the flagging shoegaze scene in Austin with an MBV-referencing sound and a distinction for being lost in a vortex of white noise, though they managed to find their way onto our top local band list with ease.
With girl-group vocals and shoe-gaze guitars all combined into a surf-rock playing style, the Vivian Girls have proven themselves as a formidable new act through relentless touring, capturing a sound long thought dead and revitalizing a genre with the ease of a reverb pedal.
With a level of delicate instrumentation and unique percussion almost unheard in indie rock, High Places have taken lilting pop ballads into the realm of wild experimentalism and are on the crest of a wave of musicians combining creativity with indelible songwriting abilities.
With a torrent of positive press flying their way after the release of their sophomore LP, the Gaslight Anthem have gone from celebrated underground Jersey punks to acclaimed rock and roll stars all in the course of one short year, due to their combination of lovelorn Springsteen-referencing lyrics and Social Distortion riffs.
Blazing onto the scene on the backs of several fiery singles and EPs, Heartsrevolution took punk-electro to new heights, combining dance-rhythms and electronic whirlings with shrieking vocals and violent imagery, making them one of the most original and exciting acts of the year.
Equal blues rock and female fronted indie-pop, Grand Ole Party deliver fiery vocals and spidery guitar lines in a fierce package of minimalistic garage punk that heralds this trio as an act to watch for years to come.
NEW BAND CHEER: THE ROPES Two-person electronic bands are a specialty of ours here at Cannibal Cheerleader. We frequently report on our friends Heartsrevolution, our favorites Crystal Castles, locals Ghostland Observatory, and others swimming through our playlists. Recently though, we came upon an electronic duo swinging less into the land of electro-thrash or dance rave, but new wave and even pop. The Ropes are a duo consisting of singer Sharon Shy and the enigmatic multi-instrumentalist Toppy who hail from NYC. With a sound that’s 100% indie-rock meets Garbage (yeah, remember them??), electronic layers and wailing riffs waft over disaffected, youthful, and sometimes endearingly clumsy lyrics. Seriously, check out the first line for “I Don’t Like to Get Dirty” below and you’ll admit it warrants a second listen. Interested to see where these two take their scatterbrain sound and pop sensibilities. We think they’re headed for the big time.
The Ropes – “I Don’t Like to Get Dirty” The Ropes – “Water and Headphones” ******************************************************************** THE ACTION DESIGN COVER BLONDIE The Action Design never seem to slow down, and this video of their cover of Blondie’s “Hanging on the Telephone” recorded live in the studio is testament to that. Check it out below and check the band’s Myspace for new tour dates (didn’t you guys just get off a nationwide tour? slow down killer!). We’ll definitely be at Emo’s in January checking these guys out yet again here in Austin!
HEARTSREVOLUTION IN AUSTIN Performing at the most hipster bar in Austin, Beauty Bar, and surrounded by obnoxiously dressed scenester kids, Brooklyn’s infamous Heartsrevolution nonetheless belted out an inspiring rage-filled set of electronic-tinged punk with enough energy to enthrall even the coolest of wallflowers. Starting off with crowd-pleaser “Choose Your Own Adventure” Lo and Ben stomped through their now famous SwitchbladeEP with reckless abandon, invoking a half dance party half most pit in the front row. For her part, Lo impressed the most as while Ben stoodand methodically pumped out beats on his keyboard, she crawled over the ground, bounced around constantly, and screamed even between songs, barking orders at the sound-guy in her own cutesy but fearsome way. All in all, that’s how I’d best describe the evening, a combination of cute, dancey tunes with fiery, explosive punk rock. It’s as if fire and snow or foxes and bunnies had met up together. Hmm……More pictures below. Heartsrevolution – “CYOA“ ******************************************************************** NEW CRYSTAL CASTLES VIDEO – KNIGHTS We were going the new Crystal Castles as reported by Pitchfork and Stereogum here, but apparently the video has been taken down, presumably because the video is actually a fan video. Sad because the video was strangely cool, featuring an MF Doom lookalike. Instead, check out this completely official video for “Courtship Dating” one of our favorite CC songs of all time. Enjoy!
Crystal Castles – “Knights” ******************************************************************** ARCTIC MONKEYS REVEAL NEW LIVE DVD According to Pitchfork we’ll soon be seeing an Arctic Monkeys live DVD, which is welcome news considering the dearth of new AM material as of late, besides the excellent Last Shadow Puppets LP from Alex Turner. Here’s hoping the group puts out more material or even their third LP soon!
INTERVIEW WITH HEARTSREVOLUTION Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, sorry about not updating yesterday, I was busy putting the finishing touches on Issue #2 of the CC zine, the cover of which you can see below! However, on to today’s business, which is a double update to make up for yesterday beginning with an exclusive interview with Lo, Ben, and Kate of Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Heartsrevolution. Here’s a sample:
CC: Tell us about the Heartsrevolution universe. How did it come to be?What’s the Heartschallenger? Lo: heartschallenger is about taking on the things that challenge you. i hated my job..so, i decided to build an ice cream truck because i had dreamt of doing that since i was 15 but everyone told me it would never work.then i realized everyone i knew was stupid and decided to prove everyone wrong. it worked. so, fuck everyone if they are reading this!Ben: Lo made an ice cream truck and I made the music for the truck. We wanted to continue to work together and made music and called it Heartsrevolution. Heartschallenger is the name of our company. The company is a representation of a generation of kids who are creating their own path. There are ice cream trucks that are a part of this world, but they are not called “the heartschallenger”
The rest of the interview can be read below. Heartsrevolution will be playing this thursday at Beauty Bar so make sure you’re there – free copies of the new CC zine will be waiting for you!
Heartsrevolution – “Switchblade” ******************************************************************** M.I.A. SPEAKS ON TERRORIST ACCUSATIONS Having taken several courses on world terrorism in college (and being a music pirate myself, haha) I’m quite familiar with the LTTE, i.e., the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist organization calling for independence in Sri Lanka. While much could be argued to the validity of their claims, the group is most notorious for civilian kidnappings and burning down schools, etc. So what does this have to do with CC fave M.I.A.? Well the London-based Sri-Lankan raised rapper has roots in the LTTE movement, her father being a founder of an off-shoot student-led Tamil organization (his code name was Arular, thus the title of M.I.A.’s first album). Recently, our favorite rapper has come under harsh criticism for being a supporter of the Tamil Tiger a blog to her Myspace. Check it below:
I HAVE JUST ORERED IT SO I HAVENT SEEN IT YET , BUT WITH SO MANY ONE SIDED VIEWS IN THIS WORLD IT IS ONLY FAIR WE STAY EDUCATED AND EXPOSE OURSELVES TO ALL OPINIONS. I WANT TO SEE THIS MOVIE BECAUSE 1. NO ONE HAS EVER ACCESSED THE AREAS THIS FILM WAS MADE IN, AND I ACTUALLY DONT KNOW HOW THESE PEOPLE LIVE.
2. ANY EUROPEAN JOURNALISTS WHO HAVE ACCESSED THIS AREA , WHO INVESTIGATED THE TRUTH, HAVE BEEN SHOT DEAD BY THE GOVERNMENT, IN A BID TO KEEP THE PROPAGANDA MACHINE ONE SIDED .
3. I FOUND THIS STORY http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/12934…
READING THE COMMENTS MADE ME WANT TO SPEAK OUT. BUT I WAS DENIED ACESS TO MAKE COMMENTS, ONLY THE WELL CONNECTED INSIDERS ARE ALLOWED TO COMMENT AND THIS IS THE CASE WITH SO MANY OF THESE BLOGS TALKING SHIT ABOUT ME. NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO TELL THE TRUTH, AND SET THE FACTS STRAIGHT. SO HERE IS THE COMMENT I WANTED TO MAKE!
THE TRUTH TO WHY I LEFT TO SRILANKA WAS … A. I COULD , I WAS BORN IN LONDON.
B. EVERY TOWN AND VILLAGE MY MOTHER TOOK US TO WOULD GET BURNED DOWN BY THE ARMY. IN THE END EVEN THE TAMILS WOULDN’T LET US STAY THERE AND AFTER MY SCHOOL WAS SET ON FIRE BY THE ARMY, I HAD NOTHING TO DO THERE, AND WAS REALLY FUCKING BOARD.
C. FUCK YOU TO ALL THESE EVIL PEOPLE TWISTING THE TRUTH. YOU DONT SPEAK FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I CAN SPEAK FOR MY SELF.
D.WHAT PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO BE A TAMIL OR A LTTE SUPPORTER TO KNOW THAT BURNING DOWN A SCHOOL WITH 800 KIDS IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM IS NOT COOL. I AM NOT A LTTE SUPPORTER. I WAS JUST AN 8 YEAR OLD THAT DIDNT GET KILLED ON THAT DAY, THATS ALL. I’M A MUSICIAN WHO DOESNT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN, ESPECIALLY IN THE MUSIC PRESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR HEARING THIS
EVERYTHING IN ME WAS KILLED BUT MY ART IS NOT DEAD!
i love you xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx m.i.a”
Brush off them haters M.I.A.! Also, start making new material, please!
M.I.A. – “Paper Planes” ******************************************************************** TRYOUTS – TV ON THE RADIO’S DEAR SCIENCE If Brooklyn-based band TV on the Radio’s sophomore LP Return to Cookie Mountain was their experimental take on the modern rock album, Dear Science is their response to modern soul, which this album has in spades. Of course, being a TV on the Radio album one shouldn’t expect any straight-up funk jams or R&B hits, but beneath swirly whirlwinds of David Sitek’s studio trickery lies some of the most naked and heartfelt tunes of the band’s career. While RTCM was a firestorm of bombast and furty, DS is a delicate and hushed wind-swept evening, the perfect soundtrack to biking down a poorly-lit city street at night. Recalling the layered production work of Anywhere I Lay My Head, Sitek’s pet project released earlier this year with Scarlett Johansson, the album swims languidly through sensitive and careful tracks like “Crying” and album standout “Lovedog”. Still, TVOTR do occassionally bring the bounce, albeit with a tender touch, like on excellent opener “Halfway Home” and brilliant single “Golden Age”. The album flows seamlessly and despite early reviews that the record suffered from sameness compared to their older LPs Dear Science stands as a unique and rewarding experience. Definitely makes the team though it may be the nerdy kid who can’t execute a single move but does all the other cheerleaders homework for them.
TV on the Radio – “Halfway Home” TV on the Radio – “Love Dog” ******************************************************************** NEW BLOC PARTY TUNE – “TALONS” Straight off the release of their rushed-to-the-street third album , Bloc Party has released another one-off single from the Intimacy sessions, this one entitled “Talons” and it features all the makings of a great Bloc Party tune. Ingredients include, driving guitars, the requesite Kele Okereke whisper-verse, pummeling Matt Tong drums, and the new electronic soaked underworkings that have come to define the band as of late. Check the single out on their Myspace and buy Intimacy while you’re at it.
Bloc Party – “Halo” ******************************************************************** NEW VIVIAN GIRLS B-SIDE SURFACES
Over at Gorilla Vs. Bear we found a rare b-side for the Vivian Girls that needs to be checked out now. Download it below and make sure and buy these girls’ self-titled debut when it becomes available. More info at their website here.
The Vivian Girls – “My Baby Wants Me Dead” ******************************************************************** FREE RAVEONETTES EP Apparently if you head on over to the Vice Records site you can download a free three-song EP from the Raveonettes which remixes three songs (”Dead Sound”, “Aly, Walk With Me”, and “Lust”) and somehow manages to make these excellent tunes awesome in a different way. Head over there now!
From our office to your hands, from the computer screen to your subway car, the Cannibal Cheerleader zine Issue #2 is out, and it features complete interview with the Vivian Girls, Heartsrevolution, the Action Design, Ponytail, Treasure Mammal, Fight Bite, and more! Pick up yours today here in Austin at locations around town (Waterloo Records, Sound On Sound Records, MonkeyWrench Books to name a few) or just email me if you’d like a copy! We’ll of course have to do an exchange of some sort, so offer me something good, like a cool band recommendation or pictures from an upcoming show. You’ll get your hand on one of these bad boys if you do! Email me at cannibalcheerleader@gmail.com. ******************************************************************** HEARTSREVOLUTION INTERVIEW CONT’D Here’s the remainder of our exclusive Heartsrevolution interview. Bonus questions will only be available in the form of our Cannibal Cheerleader zine, so pick one up to get the whole interview!
CC:How would you describe your music? An amalgamation of electro and rock? Techno? Undefined?Ben:We have a bunch of songs that I think sound pretty different, but they are electronic, pop, punk.Lo: i hate the word electro..and i am pretty sure i don’t like electro music.i hate the word techno..it makes me think of kids who are sucking on pacifiers w/ those weird kanye west shadesCC: How important is the visual aspect to the Heartsrevolution world? Should fans consider their experience incomplete unless they see you live? Ben: It’s super important. The visual aspect of heartschallenger plays a big role here and this actually preceded the music. Sometimes it’s frustrating to not have the means to make the visual aspect known. We have so many specific ideas whether it’s videos, live show, etc. Like, we don’t know how to use photoshop. Luckily we have some close friends that are involved though and help us get things done. Lo: god is in the details.it is important to me to create things that are a reflection of the things that make me want to wake up in the morning.. CC: What’s your live show like for the uninitiated?Ben: A technicolor light up disco floor w/ mosh pit. Or at least it will be!Kate: The live show is where I come into the band, I joined after working with the band on the first record. It seemed right, I wanted to start working in moving image and to push the idea of a visual representation for the music to another level completely. I think a fully considered performance is what the viewers and listeners deserve. People don’t just come to hear the music, they want to see and absorb everything, and we strive to improve and make that the most exciting experience possible.CC: You recently had a split EP with Crystal Castles and it would seem that your two groups are at the forefront of a new musical movement. Do you feel your music is innovative in this way? Lo: cc make great music which is why i wanted to do something with them in the first place.. a friend that worked at vice magazine in the uk told me about them and suggested we do a split. but they are liars and i would love to have it out with them..i am sure that day isn’t far away. our paths will cross and it will come down to a blind folded knife fight…because i am an unforgiving scorpio. other than the fact that “alice” and i both have vaginas…and ben and “ethan” both have penises there isn’t really much else we have in common.CC: Do you identify with Crystal Castles and how has their success affected you?Lo: i love and believe in a lot of what “alice” says. she is a great writer. most people that ask me about them don’t even understand what she is saying..i think that is funny. and their most popular song bugs the fuck out of me…i don’t like crimewave at all. i can still remember 2 years ago “ethan” singing it at cmj /fort fader party…i guess it’s much better having her lip sing it.CC: What bands most influence you? Lo: sonic youth, nirvana…a bunch of the riot grrrl bands i listened to growing up..like bikini kill, comet gain, huggy bear.i used to work at an all age club called jabberjaw when i was 14 and would put on shows..that place was magical and i got to experience this tiny glitch in time that i probably wouldn’t have if i was still in school and going to bed by 9pm.Ben: Everything that I’ve listened to does. It could be bowie or the strokes or daft punk or the beatles or young mc or so many others.CC: What acts are you listening to right now? Lo: i don’t really like most music.one of our songs…called teenage teardrops, we are doing the vocals this week and i have had it on repeat.when i need a break i listen to the sads. they are brilliant and are a good place to go to clear my head.CC: Favorite songs (both ones you listen to and ones you’ve done)?Lo: smells like teen spirit.Ben: Stop in the name of love, the sound of silence, today was a good day, private eyes, she said she said, let the good times roll, young americans, liquid swordsCC: What does the future hold for Heartsrevolution?Lo: collaborations and touring the world in the ice cream trucks so that kids everywhere experience this thing we have built.CC: Can we expect a full-length soon? More EPs?Lo: Yes, both! Full length early 2009.. Switchblade Ep out on iheartcomix Oct 21st. Switchblade remix single on iheartcomix…release date: TBA but i think in Nov.http://www.myspace.com/iheartcomixWe have one of our tracks. “ultraviolence” out on the next Kitsune comp in Oct.http://www.myspace.com/maisonkitsune, split 7″ symbolonehttp://www.myspace.com/symbolonethe split w/ symbolone is going to be limited edition and self released but it is top secret!you will have to check our myspace for detailshttp://www.myspace.com/heartsrevolutionKate: Much more to come, total world domination!!!
CRYSTAL CASTLES LIVE FROM GLASTONBURY We’ve got some awesome new footage straight from Andy of Lies Records of Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Crystal Castles performing at Glastonbury (finally, a festival that knows how to film shows right). They perform a killer version of non-album track “Baptism”, “Black Panther”, and a scorching rendition of “Yes/No” (Andy says to watch this last one at 3:43 to see the security guard try to shut off the band, awesome). It’s a shame CC doesn’t get the credit in the States that it does across the pond, because here’s one band that’s actually deserving of the hype. Come back to Texas you two for some Austin hospitality!
Crystal Castles – Alice Practice (Futurecop! Remix) ******************************************************************** ACTION DESIGN EXTENDS TOUR TO AUSTIN According to the Action Design Myspace the former Tsunami-Bombers are swinging through Austin Sept. 10 at Red 7 after their jaunt on the much maligned (by this blog anyway) Warped Tour. Since we unfortunately missed the band their last time through, you know we’ll be hitting up this one.
“WE NEED A DRUMMER… We are looking for a drummer living in the New York area with a flexible schedule. Simply submit a photo of yourself along with your astrological sign to heartsrevolution@gmail.com and leave a one word description of yourself as the subject.
Thank you”
There you have it – if you’re interested in participating in one of the most exciting electro-clash acts out there and have a penchant for banging on things, hit these guys up immediately! Who knows, you might be cruising in the Heartschallenger van.
Heartsrevolution – “Switchblade” ******************************************************************** NEW BAND CHEER: SOUTHERN DRAMA A combination of baroque-pop sound and rock aesthetics, with a peppering of jazzy experimentalism and Gothic undertones, along with a great number of other literate descriptors, Southern Drama, an all-girl trio from Austin, are clearly hard to pin down. Violin solos float by the listeners’ ears as easily as lead singer Clarissa Ysel Sugarcube-vocals. It’s either a nightmarish, 50s style vaudeville act or one of the best indie bands in Austin, Southern Drama is not so much a band but a complete art project package and definitely deserving of all the attention we here at Cannibal Cheerleader can muster for them. Check these ladies out immediately at their Myspace and see if you can’t write a better description of them than I can.
Hey Cannibal Cheerleader faithful, we’re halfway through the year so I figured it was about time to announce the albums, acts, songs, and shows that I feel are the best of the year SO FAR. Below are some tentative lists with the entries in no particular order and I’m not going to comment on these choices because frankly, they could change tomorrow! But I think what follows will be a good template of where we stand here in the middle of June and I believe a good deal of these may join us again in December. So, without further ado, the Halfway There Cannibal Cheerleader lists:
Wonderful week of live shows here at Cannibal Cheerleader with one of our personal favorites Ponytail from Baltimore absolutely wrecking shop at Red 7 last night. A completely amped up crowd mobbed the front of the stage from song one and given that the quartet never let the energy-level drop below ‘blazingly electric’ the enthusiasm ripped the night in half. Much is written about the vocal stylings of Molly, Ponytail’s lead vocalist, but it was her backing band that stole the show, with churning guitar lines seamlessly converging into dueling spidery solos, all backed by the furious assault of the drummer who left his seat on more than one occasion with reckless abandon, wailing on his drums like he was beating back hellfire.
Playing through classics old and new, including personal CC favorite “Late For School” (yay!) the band cemented their reputation as not just another instrumental band but a indie-rock powerhouse with enough energy to power a small city into the new millennium and beyond. Fantastic set.
Our friends in Agent Ribbons have been busy bees lately, what with opening up for Camera Obscura and picking up Naomi Cherie from the sorely departed Southern Drama all in the last few months. And now the California trio, on top of eberything, have sneaked in time to record a fantastic new 7″ entitled Your Love is the Smallest Doll, and it combines the lyrical whimsy and vaudevillian stylings of earlier recordings with a more fleshed-out sound care of Cherie’s string section. Featuring some of the group’s most infectious tunes, this EP comes highly recommended, if only for the title track’s vocal harmonies and liberal usage of toy piano.
Agent Ribbons – “Your Love is the Smallest Doll”
Here’s the word from Cannibal Cheerleader favorite Pull In Emergency via the band’s Myspace:
Lots of news in the Action Design department, as the band is currently flying about the country on a new tour and will be touching down in Austin on May 25th. Not only that but the band has a new video forthcoming for standout single “Landmines” and we have the ‘pre-video video’ here to prove it. Check it out below!
Been a while since we sat down with the Heartsrevolution crew but the duo of Lo and Ben have been getting a lot of press recently, what with their inclusion on Gossip Girl (quite a soundtrack that show) and being given the Kitsune Maison nod. Now the group has a new video for a song entitled “The Rose and Her Prince”. A much for downbeat tune for the group but a welcome experimentation for such an interesting band. Can’t for the life of me figure how to embed this but check it out here.
