Alas, Alas’ debut self-titled LP is evocative and full of imagery, worth the listen
Alas, Alas’ debut self-titled LP is evocative and full of imagery, worth the listen
[UPDATE: Live audio of Alas, Alas' "Whiskey Town" by Jeremy Kleider]
by D. Sykes
Alas, Alas offers a kind of music now very familiar to Twin Cities audiences, a traditional Americana sound that embraces the ragged edges common to hardscrabble traveling musicians. Like many groups you can find at quieter basement shows and stages like the Acadia, they adopt a loose, living-room jam feel, like a bunch of hipster kids who got a hold of their granddad’s fiddle collection—however, Alas, Alas set themselves apart from the vast run of these groups through sheer songwriting quality and musical talent, as evidenced on their debut self-titled LP.
Alas, Alas forego the minimalism of much anti-folk for a ramshackle, wall-of-sound approach, reminiscent of a hung-over Beirut playing in a living room somewhere in Arkansas. At more intense tempos, as on “Whiskey Bound,” they remind one of the alt-bluegrass of Duluth’s Trampled by Turtles. At times the similarities border on appropriation, but there’s only so many chord progressions and picking patterns in the traditional Americana idiom.
Band on Band Action: Matt Homan of The Japhies talks about the genuine rock n’ roll of RapeDoor and The Goondas, the nihilistic ways of Brain Tumors, and his fatalistic visions of the Indie scene
In Minneapolis, music is an obsession. Yes, everyone is a music lover, it shouldn’t matter where you’re from, but Minneapolis is different. In short, we’re snobs about it. But it’s much more than that. Our city-life thrives on our music, embracing and nurturing it the way L.A. nurtures film, or the way Miami nurtures tourism, or the way Arizona nurtures intolerance.
It’s more than something that simply exists here, it’s a hub of creativity, a womb of support and love—it’s an integral part of our identity. Our city is rich with art, and we’re proud of it, however, if you’ve lived in Minneapolis, if you consider yourself a Minneapolitan, you know Music forever remains King.
In these series we interview different local bands and have them talk about the music scene that supports them. Specifically, we talk to them about other local bands for, hopefully, some wet, wild, steamy-hot Band on Band Action.
Episode #2: Matt Homan of The Japhies
by D. Sykes
With a rousing live show and a shiny new LP on the way, The Japhies have become a highly respected outlet for the pure rock and roll that many in the Twin Cities have abandoned. A band with much more depth than the average cock-rock outfit, they pursue their music with dedication, without taking themselves too seriously or falling into the quagmire of irony and pretentiousness so common in these trying times.
I met up with their bassist, Matt Homan, to go turn in a jar of change for rent money and play Vice City. We laughed, we cried, we discussed the resurrection of the local rock scene and talked shit about people from Arizona.
Wet Hot Minneapolis Summer
Wet Hot Minneapolis Summer
by D. Sykes
Minnesotans appreciate the summer more than most people on the planet. Each year we suffer through seven to nine months of horrid desolation, snow emergencies, and sliding on ice all the way to the liquor store every night. When the warm months finally roll around, we feel a primal and powerful urge to have as much fun as humanly possible. However, since we’re so adept at complaining, we’re pretty bad at actually enjoying ourselves.
So here’s a quick guide to making the most of your passive-aggressive Twin Cities’ summer, the way we know best: riddled with underlying and often hypocritical criticism.
5.) Build a bike, ride it everywhere, become a superhero and save the world
Scientific studies show that if only 3.3 million people were to completely forego the use of automobiles and ride bikes instead, unicorns would fly out of Mount Vesuvius and fart out ozone-layer-repairing nanobots so fast you won’t even be able to listen to an early Crass EP before trees start growing up through the abandoned streets.
Seen Your Video: Hardcore Crayons’ new music video “Sarcasmic” is a whimsical romp
Seen Your Video: “Sarcasmic” by Hardcore Crayon
by D. Sykes
With the recent proliferation of inexpensive video equipment and the shortening attention span of modern independent music lovers, the music video has become an increasingly viable method for local and regional bands to get their tunes heard. It is no longer purely the domain of corporate rock bands and auto-tuned pop sensations, but yet another route out of the basement and towards the cultural mainstream. This series aims to study and inform about these videos, and maybe someday answer the question: who the fuck wants to see a bunch of crusty musicians in HD? In our first Seen Your Video, we take a look at Hardcore Crayons’ new video from Northern Outpost Media.
Hardcore Crayons – “Sarcasmic” Music Video from Northern Outpost on Vimeo.
Really Hard and Incredibly Dangerous: A night with Dr. Farrago’s Burlesque
Really Hard and Incredibly Dangerous: A night with Dr. Farrago’s Burlesque
by D. Sykes
Photos by Mike Thue
Every day is a good day for partial nudity, erotic titillation, laughter, and spectacle; so when I was offered the opportunity to come review Dr. Farrago’s Burlesque Theater on the first of June, I jumped on it like a stripper leaping for her pole. I recruited the intrepid photographer Mike Thue with vague promises of T&A and we set off for Ground Zero to find out if we could stand up during set breaks without embarrassing ourselves with unsightly trouser bulges.
The show, founded and produced by dancer-cum-author-cum-magician Mia Malone, is a long-running affair with an obviously high standard of quality. It goes down every first Friday of the month, except for a hiatus in July. Our hosts for the evening were the hilarious Miss Colleen and David Walbridge, who was accosted with good-natured heckling the moment he took hold of the microphone. After a brief introduction, the performance proper began with a short magic show starring Malone and some highly confused doves, before guest artist Musette, head of the Midnight Muse Burlesque, took to the stage to get the juicy part rolling.
