2013 March 23, Saturday – Kansas City, MO – Dark Satellites at the recordBar w/ Universe Contest (Lincoln), Katy Guillen Trio (KC). $7, 18+, doors at 9, DS plays first at 10.
Category: News
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Dark Satellites in KC Sat, March 23
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Breakfast Bars That Will Change Your Life
Update 2013 March 2: From 8-9 bananas to 10, from 7 cups oats to 6. I’ve been making these for almost a year, and still love them. Originally posted 2012 June 10.
- 10 medium-to-large bananas, peeled & mashed with the back of a fork in a big bowl (if your bananas are smallish at all, adjust the number of bananas upward accordingly & to taste)
- 6 cups of rolled oats (i.e. Quaker’s old fashioned)
- 2 cups of your favorite dried fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate or other chips, etc. (I use roasted almonds)
- Optional: any spices, honey, etc. that you like (I use a splash of vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey)
That’s it! Add the oats, extras, and spices to your bananas, and mix well. The mass should stick together pretty well. Spread it out on a cookie sheet – parchment paper optional – don’t press it down to much, just spoon it out over the whole sheet and shape it together (I also pre-cut it into 16 bars with a spatula, 2×8) – and bake at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, until the top is browning a little. Let it cool, then cut (if you didn’t already) or break the bars apart.
Hat tip to Katherine Eats Real Food. When I changed jobs, I found that my new grocery store doesn’t carry my typical breakfast foods, so I took the opportunity to get into the habit of making these bars. They’re delicious and super-healthy!
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Rekordings
Blogging has been light as we anticipate the digital release of the new Strawberry Burns album, but we’ve been pretty busy making music, too.
- Dark Satellites has one more show in this run, next Friday in Omaha, and then probably a break until late March. Drew is picking away at recording new stuff, song-by-song.
- Mars Lights – Drew’s main guitar tracks were finished in December, and now all of my bass and guitar is done, as of a couple nights ago. We’re moving on to vocals, and a few more guitar overdubs for Drew on my songs. Perhaps a fall release for the LP? Plus, he’ll get Side 3 mixed before then. I’ve written three or four new Mars Lights ideas lately, too.
SallyM/S Ride – Ventura is on pause while the mic I need for acoustic guitars is occupied by the Mars Lights sessions. I’ve written some more doom riffs for the doom experiment, and I’m tracking bass at home for an EP that will be sort of unofficial (but anyone who wants to will be able to hear it).- Cory’s done guitars for his next solo joint, and will be doing vocals soon. (He might be doing them right now. I forget when that was planned to happen.) Then he’ll send those to me to mix back into the main sessions, and I’ll record bass and background vocals.
That’s the bulk of it, though I’m sure I’m forgetting odds and ends. I’m rrrrrrrl excited for Mars Lights, especially. -h
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Ladyfinger (ne), Back When, Maps for Travelers, and Everyday/Everynight at the Riot Room, KC MO, 19 January
The reliable Riot Room hosted a good show last Saturday night, featuring a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time; Ladyfinger (ne), whose third record, Errant Forms, is coming out in a few weeks. The sound was outstanding (clear and loud, but not uncomfortable), the stage changes were fast, and I enjoyed a Firestone Wookie Jack black IPA and a Boulevard Rye on Rye from their excellent beer selection. It only occurs to me as I type this, but I think the Riot Room has become my favorite club in town.
Ladyfinger hit pretty hard, mostly with new jams from Errant Forms. Being a long-time fan seeing them for the first time, the two older songs (“Over and Over,” “Little Things,” from Dusk) were my highlights, but the new record should be another great one, and more consistent with their previous work than the leaked “Dark Horse” indicates.
Chris’ vocals are more raw and punk live than on the albums, which revealed the band’s sonic roots in DC hardcore, which I hadn’t noticed before but are clear in retrospect. Pat’s drumming, on the other hand, is exactly as precise and hard-hitting in person as it is on their studio work. I’d see Ladyfinger (ne) again, any time.
All the way back at the beginning of the night, Back When, also from Omaha, opened the proceedings with a lead-heavy vibe that allowed melodic fragments to cut through only periodically. They’re in their second incarnation (the first was as a crushingly loud, slightly blackened doom band), which operates with more conventional tempos and arrangements than before, but is still plenty weird. Bass chords all over, on a Rickenbacker; that’s a win. I haven’t found Champion Hologram, which most of the set was pulled from, to be necessary listening, but I’d be happy to see them on another bill.
The second act, locals Everyday/Everynight, are still working through their influences (The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Death Cab for Cutie). They had some nice vocal harmonies and played solid background-level indie music, but were a strange pick for a Ladyfinger show; lots of extended slow songs, and a overly long set for an opener.
Maps for Travelers played to the biggest crowd of the night. They’re fantastic at what they do, which is a strain of early-aughts emo-core. Enviously tight, great guitar tone (cleaner than you’d imagine, but it summed to a beautiful roar), big energy; the downside, for me, was that only one riff really transcended genre. Your mileage may vary.
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Dark Satellites Jan/Feb Shows
2013 January 12, Saturday – Lincoln, NE – Dark Satellites at The Bourbon Theatre w/ Demos, Yuppies, Touch People, DJ Spence. $5 advance, $7 day of show. Dark Satellites plays at 10.
2013 February 8, Friday – Lawrence, KS – Dark Satellites at The Replay Lounge w/ Soft Reeds and Josh Berwanger (from The Anniversary)
2013 February 15, Friday – Omaha, NE – Dark Satellites at The Sweatshop w/ The Fucking Party, Baby Tears
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Tim and Cory on The 42
Tim interviewed Cory recently about work, music, and getting things done.
I’m learning all the time how to use words with utility and to be as brief as possible. I think that carries over into storytelling when you’re writing lyrics.
-Cory
Also, Tim was the subject of a related video and interview. (I’m a little late in posting this, but it’s still good.) He’s leaving Dark Satellites for a great job in Portland, and we’re going to miss him.
This is Where I Rock from Forty Two on Vimeo.
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The Best Records We Heard In 2012
In random order, here are the best records we listened to in the past twelve months. The usual caveats and quirks apply; no one, not even professional writers (never mind us music fans), hear everything in a given year, and most of these records were released in 2012, but a few weren’t (we just heard them for the first time this year).
Most of these albums are available to stream, in full, from grooveshark.com.
Liars, “WIXIW” – The band dress up their minimal, brutal art-rock in synth-pop clothes, yielding a casually enjoyable (?!?) Liars record with plenty to dig into on closer listens. It’s probably not the Liars album anyone expected or knew we’d want, but my guess is that after hearing whatever they do next, it will turn out to be one we needed. -h 
Com Truise, “In Decay” – In keeping up with my trend of getting into genres of music two years after they’ve peaked, I love this chill-wave record (thanks, Jesse Hodges!). Picture a mustachioed man windsurfing in SoCal. The year is 1984. He’s got short-shorts and a neon windbreaker on; he is confident. The sunset behind him is a dark orange and pink. This record is that in music-form. -C 
Best Coast, “The Only Place” – Sounds similar to their debut (“Crazy For You”) in tones and themes, but with better production (that’s good or bad, depending on what you’re after). Also, Beth’s voice sounds better, like she’s got more confidence or talent and she wants to really belt it out. Maybe it’s just higher up in the mix. This could be the album that segues Best Coast into pop radio. -C 
Beastie Boys, “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication” – Fifteen years too late, I’m into the Beastie Boys; san kofa, I suppose. If you don’t love them yet, pick up one of these, and start, like I did. I still haven’t found a physical environment or emotional state in which these records don’t sound great and speak to me, picking me up no matter where I start from. -h 
Torche, “Harmonicraft” – In a nearby branch universe, these are rock radio hits. Torche are the Rex Burkhead of music; tough, nimble, flashy, straightforward, angry, and generous, each in turn, as-needed, sometimes one after the other or even, paradoxically, simultaneously. -h 
Mobb Deep, “The Infamous” – A stone classic that escaped me until 2012, this is dark New York boom-bap at its enveloping, monolithic finest. While its reputation is impeccable, it may not get the exposure it deserves; it’s the kind of record that, when I heard it, made me wonder why older heads had never sat me down and said “You *have* to listen to this right now!” like might happen with “Illmatic” or “Enter the Wu-Tang.” -h 
Pallbearer, “Sorrow and Extinction” – The darkness found itself in me, and somehow with its deadly tone, paradoxically soaring/crushing riffs, and brief moments of vulnerability, made me feel accepted. -h 
Nada Surf, “The Stars Are Indifferent to Astronomy” – While my favorite Nada Surf records are from around 10 years ago, they are incapable of putting out a bad (or even iffy) album. As always, it’s great power-pop, but is almost a punk record, especially compared to their last two. “Clear Eye Clouded Mind” is my favorite; they always seem to put their best tracks first. -C 
Dark Satellites, “2012 Are Here” – This is a one-man amalgamation of all of Drew’s influences (I’m thinking Sabbath, No Age, MC5) made into a pizza with Drew’s unique interpretations and solos as the toppings. It’s fuzzy, it’s catchy, it’s repeatable, and… heart-warming? Also, he’s a really good drummer/singer. Unfair! -C 
Bloody Knives, “Disappear,” “Burn It All Down,” and “EP” – Mars Lights played with the Knives, and their destructively moody set (two of the three members broke gear on stage) sent me straight to their Bandcamp page for everything they’d done. I’m still getting into this year’s “blood,” but 2011’s “Disappear” and the rest of their releases have been spinning steadily in my house. -h 
Japandroids, “Celebration Rock” – Two dudes, guitars and drums, still sounding fresh and up for banging out punk-meets-classic-rock sing-a-longs in some stupid club in some stupid place on a weeknight. -h 
Real Estate, “Days” – I hadn’t heard the buzz about their debut, so the hype around “Days” was new for me. This album is catchy, gentle, reverby, jangly, and very cohesive. It’s hard not to feel at least a little blissful when listening to this record. When I press “play,” my ears feel floaty content like they just got their wisdom teeth out and they’re taking hydrocodone. Like the first Fleet Foxes record, it takes multiple listens to be able to tell the songs apart, but it’s well worth it. -C 
Purity Ring, “Shrines” – It exhibits the EDM-influenced production of 2012, but like Peter Gabriel’s “So,” I expect that in 20 years it will be one of the records from this era that still sounds incredible, due to the strength of its songs. It didn’t grab me at first listen, but it haunted me for months, becoming one of my favorites of the year. -h 
Deftones, “Koi No Yokan” – When “Be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)” broke in 1998, what were the odds that Deftones would release a near-perfect record in 2012? Heavily against, I’m sure, but the band crushed them. The album is an organic synthesis of all of the disparate envelopes they’ve pushed over the years, and it finds a few new edges, too. -h 
Flobots, “The Circle in the Square” – Every record of theirs is undeniably Flobots, but they’re all wildly different. Their last LP, “Survival Story,” was almost like an avant-garde art project based loosely around hip-hop. “The Circle…” is more reigned in and has some of the greatest hooks they’ve written to date (“The Rose and the Thistle,” “Wrestling Israel”). -C 
Aesop Rock, “Skelethon” – I’ve seen too many year-end lists that included El-P’s and P.O.S.’ (very fine) albums, without naming “Skelethon.” It is the boldest musical statement I heard in 2012, and it absolutely bangs, to boot. -h 
The Mynabirds, “Generals” – “What We Lose…” was a retro soul-love record, and “Generals” is a feminist humanitarian dance-banger. “Body of Work” will simultaneously make you want to write your senator a letter and grind all up on your shorty. Plus, it was on Grey’s Anatomy. Not that I watch that show or anything. -C 
Killer Mike, “R.A.P. Music” – Mike and El-P are untouchably at the top of the game – not their game, The Game – on this record. Mike follows the template of a hip-hop classic with a mix of bangers, storytelling, boasting, and sheer verbal density, but also brings a righteous fury and a brave vulnerability to his on-mic presence that transcend genre; 100% street, 100% art. -h 
Divine Fits, “A Thing Called Divine Fits” – Better than the last Spoon record, Britt’s influence makes the Wolf Parade guy’s voice tolerable, and in fact, even enjoyable. It sounds like both bands at once, weirdly enough, but it remains totally cohesive. I love “Would That Not Be Nice” and “My Love Is Real,” two very different songs that mesh well. -C Honorable mention:
Esperanza Spalding, Radio Music Society
Beach House, Bloom
Frankie Rose, Interstellar
Dirty Projectors, Swing Low Magellan
Craig Finn, Clear Heart Full Eyes
Big K.R.I.T., 4Eva N A Day and Live From The Underground
Indian Handcrafts, Civil Disobedience For LosersStill excited to check out:
Bat For Lashes, The Haunted Man
Jessie Ware, Devotion
Tame Impala, Lonerism
Pilgrim, Misery Wizard
The xx, CoexistLooking forward to in 2013:
Jim James, Regions of Light and Sound of God
UUVVWWZ, The Trusted Language
Ladyfinger, Errant Forms -
Mars Lights Tracking Photos
I’m a bit late clearing the vault of stuff to blog, here, but these are some photos of the Mars Lights tracking sessions from July and August. The drums were done on Drew’s kit at my old house, and the guitars are being done in the practice space at Drew’s.
Drummer’s view showing overhead ribbon mic, snare mic, and room mics (aimed at walls, away from the kit) 
Snare mic (Sennheiser e609 on top, Shure SM 57 on bottom) close-up 
Kick mic (EV RE 320, aimed straight at the beater) close-up 
Stage right view w/ kick (EV RE 320), snare top (Sennheiser e609) and tom mics. Toms are mic’d on the bottom head 
The Wall of Amps 
Stage left view. Overhead & kick mics -
Too Cool Things
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Are You Visceral or Mysterious?
“There are two categories of great rock’n’roll performers: visceral and mysterious. Visceral musicians let it all hang out—their performances are cathartic, unwieldy, and intensely personal. Bob Seger is a visceral guy; when Eddie Vedder climbs the balcony during ‘Even Flow’, he is displaying his visceral tendencies. Mysterious musicians refuse access to their inner lives. They shield their work from direct interpretation, shy away from on-stage histrionics, and swap out identities as quickly as some people change outfits. Bob Dylan is mysterious.”
– Aaron Leitko, from “No Tomorrow,” his recent Pitchfork piece on Ty Segall
When I think of great performers, they are mostly the visceral type in Aaron’s schema: Elvis, James Brown, Zach de la Rocha. I wish I could be, but I know I’m not. I’m mysterious (in this, limited, sense). Do you know which you are? Do you wish you were the other?
Visceral or mysterious maps pretty straightforwardly onto extroverted/introverted, I think. Do you find yourself with the crowd, or do you become vulnerable to the crowd?
Drew, while he can swing his guitar around and dance, is still mysterious. He’s always inward-facing, toward the band, when he rocks out. Tim, on the other hand, is completely visceral, of course! Scottie’s mysterious. Cory is visceral.
Being mysterious can work, though. It can draw people in. In Five Star Crush, I set my keyboard up far stage right, facing the rest of the band, turned ninety degrees away from the audience (i.e., my side was to the crowd). It helped me lose myself in the set, it helped me communicate with the rhythm section, and it focused attention on Joel. I’d play, stomp, jump, sometimes pound my chest, and sort of do this two-step rocking motion that felt pretty good. Regularly, after the show, someone would come up and say something like “You looked like you were really into the music, and it got me into it, too!”
Theatricality is as important to effective mystery as it is to being visceral effectively.
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Dark Satellites – Tons of upcoming Lincoln shows
2012 December 2, Sunday – Lincoln, NE – Dark Satellites at The Bourbon Theatre (in the big room) as part of The Show Is The Rainbow’s farewell performance w/ The Show Is The Rainbow, Discoball, and Powerful Science. $5 adv, $8 day of, doors 8pm, 18+.
2012 December 22, Saturday – Lincoln, NE – Dark Satellites at The Bourbon Theatre (in the Rye Room) w/ Her Flyaway Manner, Dirty Talker, and a super-awesome top-secret band. $5 ($7 for 18-21 year-olds), doors 9 pm, bands at 10, we think Dark Satellites plays first.
2013 January 12, Saturday – Lincoln, NE – Dark Satellites at The Bourbon Theatre, details TBD.
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MR|Review – The Killers, “Battle Born”
What if this was a debut record?
I’d say the band has good arena pop chops, and maybe a touch too much love for some kind of indefinite ’70s FM sound, but at least a sense of humor and panache enough to pull it off.
In 2012, though, this is a Killers record and unfortunately, it’s the Diet Coke of Sam’s Age. The individual tracks are pleasant reminders of what the Killers, and Big Rock Music, used to be, but the sum is less than its parts. Some good (!) lyrics (“Don’t break character … ,” “Hey, from here on out, friends are going to be hard to come by … “) notwithstanding, I can only admit – as a person who tends to give bands’ late-period albums the benefit of the doubt! (see U2 since Achtung Baby, Foo Fighters between The Colour and The Shape and Wasting Light, and Chicago after III) – that Battle Born is a disappointment.
What can the firm of Flowers, Keuning, Vannucci, Flowers, Stoermer, and Flowers do? Something fresh (“Daddy’s Eyes,” “Move Away,” and “Sweet Talk” from Sawdust hinted at possible directions), or at least go back to “Human,” their last forward-looking single, and pick up from there. Shake it up: write and record an album quick, on the road, head to Berlin, bring in a collaborator (Jacques Lu Cont, who remixed “Flesh and Bone,” might be a place to start), make up a rule (no sounds that could be described in reference to Springsteen, for example). Change. References get stale. I still believe in the old magic, and that the Killers can conjure it again, maybe in time for the 10th anniversary of Hot Fuss …
… or, maybe on Letterman, a few days after I drafted this review. Battle Born earned another spin that night. This record’s going to sound great on tour (“Deadlines and Commitments” has a huge, Gabriel-sounding vibe), but stick to “Runaways,” “Miss Atomic Bomb,” and “A Matter of Time” for your library. I’m skipping this one, but I’ll give it two stars instead of one because I know I’m probably crankier than the average Victim.
MR|Review directs readers’ limited attention among works via ratings, and within works via prose, focusing on works where our opinion diverges from critical or popular consensus, or we have significant insight that compliments or challenges readers’ aesthetic experience. MR|Review totals to date: Must-hear! 2 Recommended 8 Good 7 Fans only 7 Skip this 1 Owww! My ears! 0
