Friday, September 26, 2014

Outer Space Heaters reach new heights with 'Transmissions'

     Outer Space Heaters are set two release their second full-length album, 'Transmissions,' at tonight's free, 21+ Brickhouse show alongside Psychadelic Indie Rock trio Astro Tan. Everyone who comes out to the show will gain exclusive access OSH's new release.

     Those familiar with their aptly-named debut album, 'Desolate Surf,' are in for some nice surprises in the band's latest effort. 'Transmissions' contains all the surfy, thematic guitar-led enthusiasm of their prior release, but adds some bold new influences and creative sonic experiments.

     The third track on the album, titled "Thruster" draws on 70's era psych-rock breakdowns while intermixing brass-laden decrescendos and samples of what sounds like the inside of NASA's training facility, punctuated by the band's signature surf-rock jive. Another gem in this ten track riff-fest is the title track of the album, which features a dynamic call-and-response between shotgun-blast snare hits and staccato, arpeggiated guitar bleeps and bloops that ends with the best use of a saxophone solo I've heard all year.

Follow Outer Space Heaters' upcoming shows and releases by Liking their Facebook page
Download their most recent recordings at http://outerspaceheaters.bandcamp.com/

Follow Astro Tan's upcoming shows and releases by Liking their Facebook page
Download their most recent recordings at http://www.astrotan.com/

Saturday, September 13, 2014

The Pearls shine locally, head East to make America their oyster

     If you’ve been lucky enough to stop by Loowit Brewing Company on a Tuesday this Summer, chances are Patrick Tetreault, Buck Ryan and Scott Stevens’ tightly-harmonized voices have inspired you to hoot and holler along to their stringy Americana jams. The trio has been working hard through July and August to make The Pearls a household name, playing CouvFest NW Labor Day weekend in addition to their many performances at the brewery.

    Among the local music community, Tetreault is already a familiar face as the owner of Vancouver’s legendary Ripcord Studios and a founding member of critically-acclaimed Portland band Five O’Clock People. With the recent sale of Ripcord to Warner Bros. recording artists Brandon Rush and Kyle Sears of the band Priory, his momentum locally has provided the opportunity to take his current musical project on the road, albeit for a few weeks, before his next business venture takes foot.
     
Tomorrow night their series of gigs begin at Grand River Marketplace in Jackson, Michigan, followed by eight more dates that will take them through Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina and finally Atlanta, Georgia at the end of this month. 


Follow their upcoming shows and releases by Liking their Facebook page or becoming a fan on ReverbNation.

Follow their tour updates on Instagram.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

How To Build a Fire adds folk elements to post-hardcore sound

     Jordan Dobbels forged his folk/post-hardcore quartet, How To Build a Fire in 2010 amidst the ashes of a once thriving Vancouver post-hardcore scene. Since it's inception, the band has sharpened its teeth locally winning the hearts of many local listeners and bookers alike. After a brief hiatus, the current lineup (frontman Jordan Dobbels, drummer Mitchell Jones, guitarist Mychael Jones, and bassist Erik Pippen) re-emerged this August, opening for Seattle-based The Classic Crime at Branx, and performing at CouvFest NW on Labor Day weekend.

     HTBAF’s sound evokes the guttural, guitar-driven energy of their 00’s post-hardcore origins (think Underoath, Emery, or Blindside) with distorted electric crunch overtaken by percussive acoustic guitar and clean, syncopated upstrums weaving through sudden rhythmic shifts. Dobbels’ layered, breathy vocals and folk storyteller phrasing, however, introduce elements of Modest Mouse, MeWithoutYou and Bright Eyes to produce a sonically unique presence. Additionally, the wide-open quality of Vancouver’s own RipCord Studios provides an expansive spacial context to these tracks through the sustain of crashing cymbals and dynamic breadth explored with each fill spilling onto the snare drum.

     At this year’s CouvFest, the group’s performance contained some pleasant surprises for the Indie Rock aficionado as well, including a fresh interpretation of Elliot Smith’s “Waltz #2 (XO)”, and several unreleased originals with a lighter demeanor than their earlier work. Despite many of their songs stretching well past the 6 or 7-minute mark, the nature of their sound provides room for plenty of interesting changes and densely-worded stanzas delivered in Dobbels’ signature emotive warble.

     In the coming months, be on the lookout for more HTBAF shows locally as they continue momentum into the Fall. You can hear their 2010 release and follow any updates at the links below.



Follow their upcoming shows and releases by Liking their Facebook page
Download their most recent recordings at: https://howtobuildafire.bandcamp.com/