New Stuff from Dentist, Grace Vonderkuhn, Russian Baths. They All Play The Saint on 2/22.

Dentist recently released a new video for "The Latter."

You're So Lucky

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the amazing show that Good Eye Records and I will be throwing at The Saint on 2/22. It features the absolutely stacked line-up of Dentist, The Black Clouds, Russian Baths, Baked, and Grace Vonderkuhn. The show will serve as the release show for Russian Baths' upcoming Penance, which is due on 2/23 from Good Eye Records. Wouldn't you know it. Russian Baths and two of the other performers on the bill released some new stuff in the last week or two.

Dentist, "The Latter"

Our friends in Dentist have been hard at work recording the follow-up to their excellent sophomore album, Ceilings. Side note: They've been doing most of the recording like, seriously, five minutes from my house; and they never call me for a cup of coffee or anything. Anyway...

One of the new songs that's been a staple of their live set for a while now is "The Latter." A few months ago, Dentist worked with filmmaker Dana Yurcisin (who wrote, edited, and directed), producer Biff Swenson, and the folks at Hologram Visuals to produce a stunning video clip for the song.

In the video, Emily Bornemann confronts herself and her vices in a seriously mind-bending series of images. This one is up there with some of the best visual representations of a song I've seen.


Dentist // The Latter from Dana Yurcisin on Vimeo.

Grace Vonderkuhn, "Cellophane"

Grace Vonderkuhn's Reveries arrives via Egghunt Records on 2/23. Last week we got the album's second single, "Cellophane." The song is a five-minute slow build that showcases Grace Vonderkuhn's loud, noisy garage pop.

Sometimes, we put up invisible barriers between ourselves and the rest of the world -- "There is no pain when you're wrapped in cellophane." As the song progresses, you can feel the tension that comes with holding everything in reach an almost bursting point.



Russian Baths, "What's Your Basement"

We also recently got the second single from Russian Baths' upcoming Penance. "What's Your Basement" is a pummeling slice of noise rock from the Brooklyn quartet. It's dark and angular and discordant in all the ways that make sounds like this so cathartic.

Like I said above, Penance is due from Good Eye Records on 2/23. It's shaping up to be a great listen, and I'm looking forward to feeling these songs live.



So there you have it. Combine all that stuff with the fact that Asbury's The Black Clouds and Brooklyn's Baked are also on the bill at The Saint, and you really should be feeling lucky. Come hang with us on 2/22 at The Saint in Asbury Park and count your blessings.

Cool Show Announcement: Dentist, The Black Clouds, Baked, Russian Baths, Grace Vonderkuhn at The Saint, 2/22/18

Poster by Sarah Ver Hoeve

CoolDad Music & Good Eye Records Present...

A couple of weeks ago I shared the announcement that Brooklyn's Russian Baths had signed with our friends over at Good Eye Records for the February 23rd release of their EP, Penance. In that post, I also mentioned that Russian Baths would be holding a NJ release celebration at The Saint on Thursday, February 22nd. We now have all the details for that show, and it's going to be -- as the kids like to say -- a banger.

Joining Russian Baths on the bill will be Wilmington, Delaware's Grace Vonderkuhn,



Russian Baths' Brooklyn paisanos in Baked,



Asbury Park rock and roll heroes, The Black Clouds,



and Asbury's indiesurfpop sweethearts, Dentist.



Everything goes down at The Saint in Asbury Park on February 22nd. Doors open at 7pm, and $10 gets you inside.

You can RSVP to the event right here. See you there.

And here's another listen to "Ambulance" by Russian Baths just for good measure. Look for some sounds from the new EP as the release date gets closer.

Brooklyn's Russian Baths Sign with Good Eye Records. EP Is Due 2/23.

Penance

Our good friends over at Good Eye Records are kicking off 2018 by announcing today that Brooklyn four-piece, Russian Baths, are the latest addition to the label's growing stable of bands. Comprised of Luke Koz (guitar / vox), Jess Rees (guitar / keys / vox), Evan Gill Smith (bass), and Jeff Widner (drums), Russian Baths combine harmony and dissonance into a sound that, at different times, recalls post-punk, shoegaze, and psych / noise rock.

In 2016, Russian Baths self-released the "Ambulance" cassette single, which was mixed by former-The Men bassist, Ben Greenberg. They will follow that promising and explosive beginning with their debut EP, Penance, on February 23rd.

And, in a very cool development about which I'm extremely excited, CoolDad Music will team up with Good Eye Records to host the New Jersey release show for Penance on February 22nd at The Saint. Joining Russian Baths on an amazing bill will be Dentist, The Black Clouds, Baked, and Grace Vonderkuhn.

Stay tuned for more from Russian Baths as the release date approaches. In the meantime, you can have a listen to / buy "Ambulance" as you get ready to join us on February 22nd.

Show Preview: Baked, Lost Boy ?, UNI at The Saint TOMORROW, 5/2

Baked at Austin's Velveeta Room

Get to the Gig

One of the things I'm pretty bad at is using this site to tell you about shows that CoolDad Music is presenting. Sure, I will happily spam your Instagram and Facebook feeds in the days leading up to an event; but, for some reason, I tend not to devote much blog space to that over and above the weekly listings. Maybe I'm just lazy and it's quicker to share an event or a photo. Either way, sometimes there's a mid-week show that I just really want you all to check out. And that's the case with tomorrow night's show that Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music are bringing you at The Saint featuring Baked and Lost Boy ? -- both from Brooklyn -- along with Manhattan's UNI.

I joke that I'm "not a promoter," which is kind of silly given the number of shows that get the "CoolDad Music Presents" stamp; but I, honestly, am not into booking shows as any kind of business venture. I just want to introduce you to bands I like by having them play really close to my house. It's that simple.

So...

Baked are kicking off their very long North American tour in Asbury Park tomorrow night. They're going on the road in support of their sophomore LP, Farnham, which is an enthralling combination of shoegaze, country, and straight-ahead rock and roll. I'm pretty sure the last time that Baked played Asbury Park was when they opened for Titus Andronicus (for whom Baked's R.J. Gordon plays bass) back in 2014.

Here's an interview I did with the band down at SXSW in March.



And here's a video for their song, "Stay," which has been kind of an obsession of mine since before Farnham came out.



Our good friend, Davey Jones, has been a member of Baked in the past (along with many other of our favorite bands around here like Titus Andronicus, The So So Glos, and Bueno). His main gig, though, is Lost Boy ? Lost Boy ?'s Goose Wazoo came out on Little Dickman Records at the end of last summer; and it's a quirky, left-of-center, and masterful collection of garage pop songs loosely centered around the blob-faced detective of the title. Davey performs solo on Tuesday, and it's rumored we'll get to hear some new material.

Davey Jones of Lost Boy ? at The Carousel

Here's "Born 2 Lose" from Gooze Wazoo.



Finally, UNI is the latest project of Charlotte Kemp Muhl, one half of psych rock act The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger. Muhl's collaborator on GOASTT is her partner, Sean Lennon. UNI, though, is something totally new; and, based on what I've heard so far, I'm excited to see them in this very early performance. You'll be hearing more about them after this one, I'm sure.

Uni by Nathan West

So there's your little preview. This is a show that I'd love for you to catch. No excuses about its being a school night or anything. Come out. Grab a stool. Have a root beer, and enjoy some great and interesting bands that don't come through Asbury Park very often.

You can RSVP right here. Doors are at 7:30pm and a paltry $5 gets you inside.

Coupla New Videos from Coco Hames and Baked

Coco Hames and Baked's Isabella Mingione

"I Don't Wanna Go," "Stay"

A pair of acts that I enjoyed immensely down in Austin released videos at the end of last week, and I wanted to make sure they were on your radar.

Coco Hames, "I Don't Wanna Go"

Tennessee singer-songwriter, Coco Hames, released her self-titled debut this past Friday and accompanied it with a video for single "I Don't Wanna Go."

I saw Hames at the Merge Records day party on the inside stage at Barracuda in Austin. That was a stripped-down set during which Hames had to fight to be heard over the rock band playing on the patio. Even with that distraction, she was able to hold the attention of the entire room.

"I Don't Wanna Go" features a full band and Hames's sweet voice in a sunny, fast-paced rocker. The images, shot in Joshua Tree, CA, complement the song's retro country rock vibe perfectly.



Coco Hames is out now via Merge Records.

Baked, "Stay"

After the Merge showcase, I walked a few blocks over to Austin's Velveeta Room to sit down for an interview with Brooklyn band Baked. We had a nice chat, and I stuck around for the band's set as part of Exploding In Sound's own showcase.

I've been spending a lot of time with the band's latest release, Farnham; and, even before the record came out, I was kind of obsessing on single "Stay." Written and sung by keyboardist Isabella Mingione, the song is a plea to hold onto those parts of life that can slip away from us. The Séamus McGuire-directed video comes at this by showing the band playing duck-duck-goose, red rover, and other games we all knew as kids. It also looks to be shot in the part of Brooklyn where I spent the first five years of my life playing games like this myself, so that's cool.

Baked are about to embark on a North American tour whose first stop will be brought to you by yours truly and Little Dickman Records at The Saint on May 2nd. Lost Boy ? join Baked on that one, and there are some other surprises in store.

Check out the video for "Stay" below.

Farnham is out now via Exploding In Sound Records.

Interview with Baked at SXSW 2017

The Velveeta Room, Austin

I was running around South By Southwest this past Thursday focusing on a few of my favorite record labels. Merge Records held their showcase during the early part of the day, and the evening featured shows hosted by Don Giovanni Records and Exploding In Sound Records. Just prior to the EIS showcase, I managed to catch up with Baked (R.J. Gordon, Isabella Mingione, A.J. Pantaleo, Steve Hartlett, Jeremy Aquilino) for a little sit down before their set at The Velveeta Room.

Baked released their second album, Farnham, last month. I've spent a good amount of time with the record since then; and its combinations and contrasts make for an intriguing listen. Songs like "Wolf" and "Stay" weave between folksiness and swirling shoegaze. "Them" and "Two-Thousandths" are closer to straight-ahead country, but the latter still manages to work in a few noisy swells. The album hangs together nicely with as many references to Wilco or late-period Lemonheads as My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr.

During our conversation, we talked a bit about how Baked arrive at their varied sound. The band members are also mainstays of the Brooklyn DIY community that centers around Shea Stadium; and we chatted about that venue's future, the general state of DIY in the USA, and my weird, personal connection to one of Shea's co-owners.

Check out my shaky, handheld, highly-professional interview with the band below.

Baked embark on a tour in support of Farnham in May. That one includes a stop at The Saint on May 2nd presented by yours truly and Little Dickman Records.

SXSW, Days 4 & 5: Labels, Beach Slang, Mastodon

Mastodon

Saturday Catch-Up

I'm going to try and cover the last two days here so that I can get back on track. Sunday is going to be a travel day, and I just don't know if my brain could take recapping Thursday on Monday.

Anyway.

My hotel is a relatively short walk from what's arguably known as the best barbecue in America, Franklin Barbecue. I walked over and stood on the then pretty short line for a few minutes until someone from inside came out and told us they were out of food. Huh. Oh, well.

I made my way down Red River St. and got a not-the-best-barbecue-in-America brisket sandwich from a food truck. From there, it was over to the Merge Records Showcase at Barracuda.

Sneaks (a.k.a Eva Moolchan) were just setting up, Moolchan on bass and her partner on beats. Spare, short, jagged, confrontational songs that Moolchan delivers while playing bass or dancing to the beat. It was a good pick-me-up for a set that was, as Moolchan repeatedly described it, "early as fuck."

Sneaks

Coco Hames followed, and so did one of the annoyances of Barracuda. Hames and another guitarist played through a set of her country-tinged pop while the Secretly Canadian party went on outside. Every time someone opened the doors separating the spaces, Hames was nearly drowned out by the drums and rock happening on the patio. Still, she persisted; and her set was pretty enthralling. Similarly, Mark Eitzel -- solo, with just acoustic guitar -- had to compete with the noise outside, but his fans up front didn't seem to mind.

The final two acts of the day were two that I'd specifically identified as ones I had to see while here. Allison Crutchfield and The Fizz were great during a set that featured many of the songs from Crutchfield's excellent Tourist in This Town. The day, though, and maybe the whole festival belonged to Austin's own A Giant Dog.

Allison Crutchfield & The Fizz

A Giant Dog

The band tore through their 30-minute set of glam punk with an abandon I haven't seen in a long time. Singer Sabrina Ellis -- despite saying, "I'm pretty docile today" -- was absolute manic energy. Guitarist Andrew Cashen may not be as front and center as Ellis, but a glance over in his direction reveals that he's almost as kinetic. Their set was relentless with Ellis declaring that she nearly dies every time during one song or saying, "Ooooh, you really don't like me today," when the band called out another. I got a little choked up by their passion.

Sweaty and pulse still racing, I headed a block over to Velveeta Room to meet Brooklyn's Baked for an interview (yet another thing I have to edit). A couple of slices of from Hoboken Pie (not bad -- for Texas) and it was back to Velveeta for the Exploding In Sound Records showcase. I finally got to check out some Brooklyn bands that my buddy Joe is always raving about (Jackal Onasis, Stove); and I caught the set from Baked, whose Farnham, I've been enjoying immensely over the last couple of weeks.

Baked

It was nearing midnight, so I bopped over to Valhalla for the set from Aye Nako. I caught the tail end of Sammus's set; and, with fans in the crowd rapping right along with her, Sammus rode a real wave for those  last few minutess.

Sammus

Valhalla was bathed in red like some pizza joint from the fifth circle of hell, but that didn't phase Aye Nako who played through a set of their angular indie-punk to close out my evening.

I decided to give Franklin another try on Friday, heading over well before anyone would consider eating lunch, only to find a line of people who'd obviously been camped out in lawn chairs for hours. Defeated, I headed towards downtown and happened upon free breakfast tacos and beer provided by Comedy Central. Score.

Then, it was over to the Midgetmen's annual showcase at Side Bar for Lee Bains III and The Glory Fires. I could have seen them the night before in Satan's Sbarro, but I knew this one was on the schedule. A combination of southern rock and punk politics, they're another band that put a lump in my throat; and you just have to check them out when you can.

Lee Bains III

I hung around for the set from Colleen Green, who's been one of my personal favorites for the last couple of years. She was playing to tracks on her iPad but had to cut her set short when the device overheated in the sun.

Done there, I met High Waisted for another interview I'm going to have to edit and then took a dinner / shower / nap break to refuel for the evening.

It was back to Barracuda for a set from Louisville's White Reaper whom I've been trying to see again since they blew me away at Asbury Lanes a couple of years ago. I caught a few minutes of one of their SXSW sets last year from behind a bunch of Joe Jonas fans, but this was my real second time seeing them. Just good stadium-sized rock from a band in a bar. Fun.

White Reaper

Finally, I crossed the street to the Mazda / SPIN / Stereogum / Whatever space to catch Potty Mouth, Beach Slang, and Chastity Belt. Mastodon were headlining the evening, and almost every band I'd seen that day had asked the audience, "Are you seeing Mastodon tonight?"

I hadn't planned on it because I thought the crush would be too huge, but... ...It turns out I had access to the photo pit. I was thrilled to be able to bypass the crowds -- for the first three songs each anyway -- and get shots of all the bands. As usual, for Beach Slang, I was screaming along behind my camera.

Beach Slang

The crowd went absolutely apeshit for Mastodon. I'm not a metal fan; but, damn, were they good.

Mastodon

Things cleared out a bit for Show Me The Body. I'd shot the Queens hardcore band once before when they opened for Single Mothers at Baby's All Right. There wasn't a Mastodon-level crowd there, but the SPIN stage in front of the couple hundred people who remained was still an impressive step up from two years ago.

Show Me The Body

I lumbered back to my hotel and absolutely crashed. This afternoon, I'll head over for some pancakes and rock at Little Dickman's Saturday showcase. Tomorrow, it's back to frozen Jersey.

Titus Andronicus Kicked off Their Tour w/ Spider Bags and Baked at First Unitarian Church, 9/11/15

I took a few pics of Baked before I decided that this wasn't the best venue for photos.

#TMLT Across America

Following a five-night residency at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium for the release of The Most Lamentable Tragedy and an in-store performance at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ, Titus Andronicus officially kicked off their 2015 fall tour in the basement of Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church on Friday, September 11th. Joining them for most of the U.S. leg of the tour are Merge labelmates Spider Bags and Shea Stadium paisanos Baked.

As we left my house, Gentleman Jim sent me back inside to change into shorts and suggested I bring a second shirt for the ride home. I, reluctantly, listened as far as exchanging my rock and roll jeans for my suburban dad cargo shorts; but I ignored his advice regarding a dry shirt. As soon as we walked into the dimly lit church basement, I knew I'd made a mistake.

I'd never seen a show at First Unitarian Church before, and I thought it would be some former house of worship converted to a rock venue. Instead, the building is a functioning Unitarian church with occasional shows in the basement. That basement looks exactly like you'd expect: small recessed light fixtures in the drop ceiling and wood paneling on the walls.

I'd seen Baked open for Titus Andronicus at Asbury Lanes last year. They play around with lots of sounds I love: some droning noise, guitars strummed with the tremolo bar, etc. I've been on kind of a Creation Records kick lately, and Baked play right into that with maybe an updated Brooklyn version of the sound. It became clear during their set that picture-taking would be futile for this show, so Gentleman Jim and I headed back to the car to stash my camera bag.

We stayed outside the building, breathing oxygen, for as long as we could but headed back inside when we heard the start of Spider Bags' set. I caught Spider Bags at The Saint a while back, and they pretty much blew me away. This time, I made the mistake of waiting too long to head inside. We got stuck way in the back of the room, and I felt a little detached from the whole thing as tall guys wearing backpacks continually had to walk or stand right where I was. From what I could see, the band looked as wild as ever; and I definitely perked up for songs like "Japanese Vacation" and "Eyes of Death."

I wasn't going to make the same mistake for Titus Andronicus; so, after filling my lungs up with air outside, I made my way back in just a few minutes before their set. A precariously perched set of monitors was right next to me as I stood safely outside the scrum at stage right.

Patrick Stickles took the stage with a few members of the band. He made his introductory speech, which I always appreciate, laying the ground rules for not letting your own good time infringe on anyone else's good time during the show. People mostly listen to that, but this audience would end up being a little drunker and more aggressive than the one I experienced at a packed-out Shea.

After a version of "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus" with just Stickles and keyboard player Elio DeLuca, the rest of the band climbed onstage for "The Magic Morning" section of The Most Lamentable Tragedy. From "Lookalike" to "Dimed Out," it appeared that most of the people up front knew the lyrics. Things, as expected, got particularly crazy during "Dimed Out;" and I kept one eye on the monitors rocking back and forth over my head. Later in the set, Stickles climbed the scaffolding for a moment that "rocked but wasn't safe," and I thought the whole thing was coming down.

Someone who obviously hadn't listened to Stickles's opening speech jumped up on the stage and tried to stage dive into the crowd at one point. Stickles restrained him and had security eject him. There were a few boos, and I wasn't sure if they were aimed at the offender or the band; but they quickly dissipated as the show progressed. I'll admit to having someone ejected myself who had managed to get so drunk at the BYO venue as to pose a danger to himself and a puke risk to those around him.

The rest of the show was a pretty rowdy but respectful affair, the crowd in front of the stage heaving forward and backwards at all the right times. There were a few more TMLT selections -- "Fatal Flaw," "C'mon Siobhán," "No Future Part V: In Endless Dreaming" -- as well as old favorites including "legendary hit song, A More Perfect Union." It got pretty steamy; and I was grateful to, for once, be unencumbered by my camera bag. I did ready my apology to Gentleman Jim for ever doubting his dry shirt advice.

Titus Andronicus usually throw a cover or two into their sets, and it's often a Bruce Springsteen song. On Friday, they did a version of "Born in the U.S.A." -- complete with iconic keyboard riff. The song's disaffected and bitter lyrics famously contrast with its anthemic and patriotic-sounding chorus; and, in my opinion, it was a good choice for the day. Things ended just before midnight with "Titus Andronicus" from The Airing of Grievances. The speakers never fell on me.

Heading up the stairs into the evening felt like emerging from underwater, and my lungs took in all the clean Philly air they could. My shirt stuck to me during the ride back home. I wondered what I'd do for a post without any pictures, but I figured I'd just have to write around a thousand words. Hopefully, I'll get a few pictures when I see Titus Andronicus at Warsaw in a few weeks. I remember the light there being pretty good.

Titus Andronicus Played Asbury Lanes w/ Baked, 5/24/14

"24th of May, Asbury Lanes"

I've seen Titus Andronicus a few times over the last couple of years. I think I saw the band twice at Maxwell's, twice at The Stone Pony, and once at Brooklyn Bowl. Saturday night marked the first time that Titus Andronicus played at Asbury Lanes, and it was almost like I had never experienced them before.

On their most recent trip to Asbury Park, Titus Andronicus opened for The Bouncing Souls during one of the Home for the Holidays shows at The Stone Pony. There was a barricade / photo pit / crowd surfer removal chute at the front of the stage. CoolMom and I got to the venue early and positioned ourselves right up front against the barrier. Titus Andronicus had a cadre of devoted fans at the show, but those fans were vastly outnumbered by people there to see The Bouncing Souls.

Titus Andronicus played a great -- if abbreviated -- set. Their fans, right behind CoolMom and me, tried to get a bit of a pit / BroZone thing going; but not one of them ever managed to make it over the barrier. That was fine by me. I loved the Titus Andronicus set, but it did feel a little odd being situated among people mostly there to stake out their spots for The Bouncing Souls.

When I saw the announcement that Titus Andronicus would be headlining Asbury Lanes, I pounced on tickets immediately. Pretty much my favorite band playing at pretty much my favorite venue was something I wasn't going to miss, and the evening didn't disappoint. CoolMom was with me again; and, almost as if she understood the sea separating The Stone Pony from Asbury Lanes, told me to have fun up front while she sat toward the rear with friends.

Titus Andronicus are currently touring with Brooklyn's Baked. It's an interesting pairing. Baked's psychedelic shoegaze-influenced sound seems like an odd match with the pop-punk / garage rock of Titus Andronicus; but I, personally, really like the sonic area where Baked plays around -- lots of strumming with the trem bar and lots of delay. I recommend picking up their self-titled cassette / digital EP.

Patrick Stickles took the stage alone at around 10:30 and laid some ground rules for how the evening should go. "Don't impose your will on anybody else," he said. The bump on my forehead says that some people didn't take that direction to heart, but it wasn't Stickles's fault. He even stopped the set a few times to tell people to take it easy.

To start things off, Stickles strummed and sang a verse of Bruce Springsteen's "4th of July, Asbury Park" and then moved into the quiet first half of "Four Score and Seven." One by one, the rest of the band joined Stickles on stage as that song neared its more aggressive second half. As that kicked in, so did the pandemonium up front. The needle stayed in the red as the band moved into "A More Perfect Union." At this point, I leveraged my Asbury Lanes connections to move to the side of the stage, outside the action.

I remained there as Titus Andronicus ran through "My Time Outside the Womb" from The Airing of Grievances and Local Business tracks "In a Big City" and "Still Life with Hot Deuce and Silver Platter." The pit roiled. Crowd surfers surfed.

The show's middle third focused on pieces from the promised, upcoming Titus Andronicus rock opera. I know that Titus Andronicus have been playing some of these songs live at a few shows, and I'm pretty sure I saw a few fans singing along in spots. At one point, Stickles stopped to point out the obvious inappropriateness of crowd-surfing barefoot.

I was feeling a little detached from things at my spot to stage left, so I pushed my way back around to the front for the final third of the show. My neighbors at the front of the stage and I braced ourselves for the onslaught to come just as Stickles and the band shouted "Fuck You!" during "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ." I continued snapping pictures from my spot up front and paid for it when someone nailed me from behind, sending my forehead and my camera on a collision course. The stars disappeared in time for me to sing along, full-throated, with another Springsteen cover, "Dancing in the Dark." The band closed with the epic "The Battle of Hampton Roads," Stickles fiddling with his pedalboard at the end in order to get his guitar to wail like a set of bagpipes.

I'm always torn. I don't go in for the moshing, stage diving, crowd surfing, or other stuff; but I love being right up front. The experience just isn't the same at the back. I'm a big enough guy to take care of myself, and there were a few moments on Saturday when I closed my eyes and just let myself be tossed on the waves. My forehead just above my left eye is still a little tender, but it was worth it. I'll be right back in the same spot the next time Patrick and the band come to Asbury Lanes. I hope it's soon.

Here are some highlights. Full set up in the Flickr galleries.