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Last Updated:
Mar 19th, 2008 - 07:43:02 |
subbacultcha
by Keith N. Dusenberry
I don’t know why local musicians are so agreeable around the holidays
(one guess: liquor) but we all seem to be open to holiday music
(performing at holiday-themed benefits, contributing songs to holiday
compilations, attending holiday-themed shows, etc.). This is local
label Suburban Sprawl’s fifth consecutive year releasing their
excellent holiday compilation; they received more submissions this time
'round than ever before (37 in all).
While putting together the sets over the years, they’ve noticed some
trends in the tracks. “I think it’s interesting how the majority of the
songs in recent years have been originals, and that the originals are
so well-received,” SS’s Adam Kempa said. “A weird trend that’s popped
out at me most are the songs about employment/workplace relations in
the context of Christmas. In some cases the themes are overt, but its
also been a subtle presence in several songs in years past.”
A few of Kempa’s choice tracks from this year’s comp include: Frontier
Ruckus — “Driving Home, Christmas Eve”; Lickety Splits — “You Set My
Christmas Tree On Fire” and The Next Door Neighbors — “How To Make Egg
Nog.” To download the whole set yourself, for free, go to
suburbansprawlmusic.com. | RDW
Is it the holidays or something? keith@realdetroitweekly.com.
kill your radio
by Aaron Rajala
On a delightfully miserable Devil’s Night at The Belmont in Detroit, I
was able to witness Today I Wait rock the fucking roof off. The
Detroit-based band has been around for awhile but is just now being
heard.
“Shit, we’ve been together for almost seven years now. It seems
ridiculous that we’ve been around that long but I guess time flies,
right?” frontman Jason Shrum said. “We have a lot of musical influences
and we get our sound from blending all of the extreme music styles that
we love so much: death metal, hardcore, noise, punk, thrash … you get
the idea. Our music is heavy, technical and relentless.”
TIW first kicked my ass on a demo given to me by some chick, but
nothing compared to the live show. Upcoming scream fests will occur at
GS 360 (14217 E. 9 Mile Road, Warren) on Dec. 9 and the Hayloft in
Mount Clemens on Jan. 6. “We play all over the country and play all
sorts of venues,” Shrum said. ”We’ve played at dingy punk bars,
anarchist squats, high schools, basements, 5,000-capacity theaters,
college campuses, skate parks … you name it. We even played at a
botanical garden once!” Another one to put in your planner or MySpace
calendar should be the release party of their full-length album,
Already Dead in Their Eyes, at the American Legion Hall in Traverse
City. You can check them out at myspace.com/todayiwait or
todayiwait.com. The auto industry may be going to shit, but thanks to
bands like TIW, we still have plenty of metal. | RDW
Send your radio slaying ideas to letters@realdetroitweekly.com.
the loop
by RDW Staff
Most music fans only see their favorite artists on stage and through
standard TV interviews. Backstage Ass (backstageass.com), a
“music/adult entertainment Web site” set to launch in February, will
change all that. Sure, they’ll ask stars like Kid Rock, Kottonmouth
Kings, Tha Dogg Pound, Poison and Mobb Deep about their next album or
upcoming tour, but Backstage Ass will also get the word on “wild
experiences artists and their roadies have seen groupies do to get the
‘backstage pass,’” Backstage Ass co-founder Mikey Eckstein said.
And that’s just the content that’s safe for viewing at work! There will
also be plenty of NSFW offerings. “The adult content will be some
recreated scenes, some actual footage filmed backstage, street stories,
etc.,” Eckstein said. Of course, you’re gonna have to pay for that kind
of heat. There will be a subscription fee for the site, which will
allow access to Backstage Ass and some 20 other adult sites, in the
$20-30/month range. If you don’t have the coin to join, there’ll still
some stuff for free. “There will be free trailers, interviews and
music, but you have to pay for the good stuff,” Eckstein said. “And
trust me, it will be worth it.”
To help get the site hyped, the first of many Backstage Ass showcases
goes down Dec. 17 at the Emerald Theatre. Ten bucks lets you see
performances from Obie Trice, Trick Trick and Paradime, with the
evening hosted by Rude Jude. | RDW
Know local hip-hop and how to write? Email keith@realdetroitweekly.com.
electrophile
by Amy Hubbarth
Adam Young and Joel Boychuk are the young duo of Tractile, a pair of
producers new to the M_nus family who say they find influence for their
minimal workings in the big silver screen, drawing inspiration from the
great (and sometimes odd) filmmakers George Lucas and Stanley Kubrick.
Combine that with a bug in their ear to take the minimal sound that
artists like Richie Hawtin made famous and a desire to “control the
uncontrollable,” the music they produce is a noteworthy and successful
attempt to perhaps re-create the sound of minimal techno altogether.
They gained their live stage debut in 2003 and have enjoyed time on the
road and acclaim from the old-timers ever since. You may recall an
appearance from the duo on the M_nus compilation min2MAX with their
track “Unquenchable.” Be on the lookout for the debut EP from the duo
on M_nus, “Silent Movie” with four fresh tracks hailed as a concept EP
with a lot of unbridled energy. Catch an exclusive live performance
from Tractile at the Buzz Bar downtown on Friday night. Eric Cloutier,
Greg Mudge and Keith Kemp join in on the minimal fiesta (that’s
anything but minimal). | RDW
Join in: letters@realdetroitweekly.com.
cover art culture
by Ann Gordon
Brand New - The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me
It’s not often that you see an actual contemporary work of art on a
current CD cover but I was suspicious that I had seen this photograph
before. The photographer is Nicholas Prior, represented by Yossi Milo
Gallery in New York. Most often, cover art is produced by illustrators
or graphic designers, so it is a little startling to come across the
same work of art you can see in a Chelsea gallery on a CD cover. Check
out more of Prior’s photographs at yossimilogallery.com. | RDW
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