American Authors - We Are a Band For The People

Ever wonder what it would sound like if you were to combine Imagine Dragons with the 2000's alternative sound and a hint Fun., and many other heavy hitters in today's indie-rock scene? Well, what you get is the unique sound that is American Authors.

The recently formed, Brooklyn based alternative indie-rock band is composed of Zachary Barnett, James Adam Shelley, Matt Sanchez, and Dave Rubin.  The group first met in 2006 at Berklee as students. They meshed well and went on to officially form American Authors a few years later.  They have enjoyed sudden success and attention in the industry and have recently toured with A Silent Film and Gold Fields. American Authors released their debut EP with Mercury Records and will be releasing their next album soon.

In an interview on Marley's Musicality, the band stated, "We are a band for the people.  We are yours to cling to when the going gets rough and band that will hopefully get you to chase your dreams like we always have."  American Authors is everything we believe in here at The Lesser Known. The band emphasizes what they believe in and that they "create the music that comes naturally" and they are "not afraid of change."

American Authors have many tour dates coming up this summer. One of which will be the Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati, OH. The festival is a three day long event featuring close to 100 bands from all over the U.S. and internationally. The festival takes place July 12-14 and we will be doing full coverage of the event again this year! American Authors is scheduled to play on the opening day of Bunbury and we will keep you updated on the live show.

Below are two new singles released as well as a couple of our personal favorites from the American Authors. You can find more of their music on their Facebook page!

"Believer"

"Best Day of My Life"

"True Colors"

"Lights" (Cover of Ellie Goulding's 'Lights')

Concert Report: Last Thursday

In the middle of the night, on the East side of Atlanta, under a bar, last Thursday one of the most energetic concerts I've ever been to went down at The Basement.  The Basement is an extremely small venue with amazing acoustics, and the crowd was absolutely tiny.  I'm talking maybe ten people there who weren't in one of the bands.  I fell in love with the place, which was nice enough to let me into an 18+ show even though I'm not 18+.  Seriously, people in the Atlanta area, go to The Basement.  They need your patronage.  Anyway, onward.

The four bands performing were Wolves, Nico's Gun, Yip Deceiver, and Chappo.

Wolves is an Atlanta based, self produced alt-pop band made up of Kyle Dreaden and Zak Ray.  Their debut album, "Youth" was released in April, and is available for free here.  It includes eight songs, one of them is called 'Twenty Something' and I have had it playing in my head since the show.   Wolves has a unique sound that I can only describe as something to the tune of dance-rock.

Nico's Gun played a set of mostly funk, but ended their time on stage with two very different songs that had an almost metal feel.  Talking to them after the show, I asked them about why that was, and they said that, had they had enough time, they would have played some of their punk stuff.  Nico's Gun is great to watch live, if not for the music then for their look. Barney, the singer and guitarist, wore glittery fake eyelashes, the keyboardist was in a blue fur jacket and had his hair in a topknot.  The bassist looked like he could have stepped right out of a hard rock band.  With their unique mix of people, massive amounts of talent, varied influences, and general want to have a lot of fun, it's hard to tell just what Nico's Gun will do from one song to the next.

Yip Deceiver was definitely a surprise for me.  I had listened to their music before the show, but that didn't prepare me for the fact that the two piece electronic dance group is made up of Davey Peirce and Nicolas Dubbratz from of Montreal.  Having missed seeing Of Montreal earlier this year, I was excited to see Davey and Nicolas's side project.  They did not disappoint and had the small crowd dancing from the first song.

"Get Strict" - Yip Deceiver

Chappo was amazing, as always. I had a chance to talk to keyboardist Chris before the show.  We didn't really talk about anything important or interview-ish.  It was actually a lot like old friends just chatting, which was a good change from the normal "I have a blog, let's talk business" type conversations I've had with bands.  By the time Chappo went on stage, I had talked to the whole band.  Living in New York, they were lucky to have sustained little damage from hurricane Sandy and managed to be one step ahead of the storm while on tour.  Their set went by entirely too fast, but was very theatrical and very intimate.  Frontman Alex Chappo requested tht everyone in the audience form a semicircle around him and made sure to touch everyone at least once.  In a later song, he opened a bottle of water, poured part of it over his head, part on the floor, and the rest on the audience.  I definitely enjoyed the close quarters of their show, and preferred seeing them in a small venue opposed to outdoors.

(CHAPPO on stage at The Basement)

News From CHAPPO

CHAPPO has recently released their music video for "5-0." The band says, "There are no singing nipples this time, but there ARE some teenagers getting it on in bathroom stalls, taking pills, and driving recklessly." You can find the "5-0" video posted below.

 

If you're interested in catching CHAPPO live soon, check out their upcoming tour dates for their Fall Soiree Tour:

 

OCT 21 – Brooklyn, NY: 151 Kent – Rooftop Party and "5–0" screening

OCT 22 – Long Branch, NJ: Brighton Bar

OCT 26 – Philadelphia, PA: The Fire

OCT 28 – Richmond, VA: House Party (RVA Magazine)

OCT 30 – Charlotte, NC: Evening Muse

OCT 31 – Athens, GA: FreakFest Party

NOV 01 – Atlanta, GA: The Basement

NOV 02 – Durham, NC: Motorco Music Hall

NOV 03 – Washington, DC: The Pinch with Nicos Gun

 

Band of the Week: Wise Children

After a long stretch of no posts (which we sincerely apologize for), we're finally getting back up and running. So, without further delay, this week's featured "Band of the Week" is Wise Children.

Wise Children is an alternative folk-pop band from the South Coast of England. The band was originally a three-piece band, but now primarily consists of just its founder, Robin Warren-Adamson. "I started the project at uni with a line-up of 3, and then over the years people have come and gone. Sometimes I perform by myself, sometimes with others. It's mainly based on where abouts I'm living at the time and who is around. At the moment there are three of us in London," says Robin.

The band has released three albums over the past four years. The first is a self tiled EP, released in 2008. Wise Children produced Absence & Reunion just 2 years later (2010), with their most recent, The Woods, to follow the year after (2011). Robin describes his music as "delicate, atmospheric pop songs." He pulls from a variety of different influences to achieve his incredibly unique sound. "I listen to a lot of electronic music and experimental classical music. This influences the kinds of atmospheres I try to create. On top of that, Sigur Ros, Frightened Rabbit, Nick Drake amongst many others." The combination of Robin's hauntingly beautiful vocals and lyrics often filled with heartache make Wise Children's music more than memorable.

After taking a break for the summer, Robin says that he's really excited to get back to writing a recording. Plans for the band are small for now. Ryan told us, "I don't have any grand dreams for it [Wise Children]. It's just on-going and adapts to particular times. I really like how it doesn't ask too much of me." Wise Children's next show will be October 7th at the Notting Hill Arts Club in London. They will be performing with six other London-local artists that night and the event is expected to be a sell-out. The band prefers smaller, informal venues (especially house parties), but they would love to play at Union Chapel in the near future.

 

Here are a few of our favorite Wise Children songs. Enjoy!

 

"Absence" - Absence & Reunion (2010)

 

"Compost" - The Woods (2011)



 

"A Heart You Can't Find" - The Woods (2011)

 

"You Were a Single Red Blood Cell But I Lost

You in This Knot of Capillaries" - Wise Childern EP (2008)

 

"Artichoke" - Absense & Reunion (2010)

 

If you would like to hear more music by Wise Children, look them up on Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube. Also, check out their website for a free download of their EP, The Woods.



 

Band of the Week: Ducky and the Vintage

This week's "Band of the Week" goes to Ducky and the Vintage. The alternative/rock group is based out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The band's lead singer, Matt "Ducky Duke" Ryan, made an appearance on Season 2 of the hit television show The Voice. This is where we first found out about his band. Although he didn't get any further than the "Blind Audition" of the show, we were immediately impressed by his talents. Ducky covered the song "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys for his audition, which we posted below.

 



Ducky and the Vintage's music is usually classified in the indie rock genre, but Ryan classifies it a little differently. "My music is basically a rock 'n roll, bluesy country, soulful vibe with some pop infused. I think the songs put across a vintage sound coupled with a more modern approach and they really sum up everything that I am as a person and a musician. It's just rock 'n roll in my own way."

Ryan's soulful voice is perfect for the dark but upbeat style of music the band plays. If you are a fan of bands like The Black Keys, Queens of the Stone Age, Foo Fighters, The Dead Weather, or the Doors, then you will probably enjoy Ducky and the Vintage. The band is signed with Decadent Suite Records and has recently released the EP Flowers on iTunes. You can also listen to the new EP on the player below! Enjoy!

 

A Few Words with Darling Norman

We saw Darling Norman at the Masquerade last week, and did a write up on what we thought of the night, which you can find here.  We decided to do a follow up interview with them, which went as follows.

Q. How long has Darling Norman been together?

A. We have been playing together for two years.

Q. How did you form?

A. We kept bumping in to each other musically and got together as a group one day and it totally clicked. The rest is history.

Q. What other music projects have your members been involved in?

A. David Drexler led the Atlanta band the Drexlers with his wife Annie. Daniel DeCriscio played in the bands June Fool and Zero Spanish (now Private Income) in Brooklyn. Derek Hensel and Dan played together in the band Son Aria in Atlanta. Dan Ra and Derek Hensel played together in 40 Watt Solar System.

Q. What and where is your favorite venue to perform?

A. We’ve enjoyed all the venues we’ve played at in Atlanta but we call Star Bar in Little Five Points home. It’s where we got our start, we love Luis, and their posh green room.

Q. Are there any bands or artists who influence your music?

A. Talking Heads, Television, the Pixies. That’s our comfort zone. But we all bring a lot of different tastes to the rock and roll buffet table. For example David grew up on REM and the Smiths while Dan the drummer secretly wishes he was Mike Bordin from Faith No More. Derek can play a mean 8 string bass while Dan Ra digs the Walkmen. Dan Ra managed to also get Dan D obsessed with GBV. It’s a tangled web we weave.

Q. What genre do you consider Darling Norman to be?

A. 70’s New Wave, Post Punk maybe? Wave Punk? When it comes down to it we just want to and want people that come to our show to have fun. No agenda. You’re free to throw stuff at us or throw your lingerie at the man playing the claves.  

Q. What upcoming tour dates do you have?

A. No formal tour. We’re playing our second year at NoPhest on Aug 23^rd at the Earl. Come one, come all!

Q. What is the name of your new EP and when does it release? Where will it be available?

A. Our EP should be done in early Sept 2012. On it will be three songs that will likely be on our forthcoming album which may be called “St. Peter and the Vacuum Cleaners,” “Gnarling Doorman,” “ROCK MUSIC,” or any other name that someone suggests that is significantly less lame than those, which should be easy. It’s being mixed in Athens, GA by Patrick Ferguson of FIVE EIGHT and is predicted to whoop a llama’s ass with a belt.  We’ll definitely get it up on CD Baby, iTunes, etc. Or just come to our shows!

A Night At The Masquerade

The Masquerade. It is located in downtown Atlanta. The building is a mill from the mid to late 1800s, and looks like it could be the setting for an incredible haunted house. This was the first  concert I had been to here, and the venue was very different than what I was expecting. From the outside, it looked like a run down, abandoned warehouse with an old neon sign barely clinging to the side. Despite the look from the outside, the venue was nice on the inside: old stone walls, wooden floors, and three themed rooms - The Purgatory, Heaven, and Hell. The Purgatory was where the Bad Veins show was. It had a small, quaint stage in the back of the room and a bar off to the right of the room. (Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to see "Heaven" or "Hell," so they will have to wait until another time...)

(Outside)

(The Purgatory stage)

First to take the stage was the local, Atlanta based band, Darling Norman. The four-man band is high energy with a unique vocalist and interesting lyrics. They were a really fun band to watch. (We will be posting an exclusive interview with Darling Norman in a few days.) The post-punk, power-pop band played about a 30-minute set before Stagnant Pools took the stage.

(Darling Norman)

Stagnant Pools took the stage around 9:00. They are a two-piece alternative/punk rock band from Indianapolis, Indiana. I will be honest, I didn't think that their stage show was as good as it could have been. They come off well in their studio work, so I hope their live show improves with more experience and touring.

(Stagnant Pools)

By 9:45 it was Bad Veins's turn. The Cincinnati duo was wonderful, just as expected. The indie/alternative rock band has an excellent stage show - interactive, great presence, and good energy. They played about a 45-minute set and did a meet-and-greet and merch signing afterwards. I stuck around and had the chance to talk to them about doing an interview with us, which they agreed to. (We will be posting that interview soon.) Bad Veins was very excited about getting to meet with fans and were very appreciative of them for attending and supporting the band.

(Bad Veins)

All in all, my night at The Masquerade was well worth the $12 I paid to get in. I will probably be going back at sometime this September or October, so be on the lookout for another post about The Masquerade and its other rooms!

Band of the Week: Bad Veins

Bad Veins is an indie/alternative-rock duo out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Benjamin Davis and Sebastien Shultz create very distinct sound through their use of less than traditional instruments, including telephones, megaphones, and various other gadgets. Their overall style is very similar to The Killers and Davis's voice is much like that of The Killers' lead singer,  Brandon Flowers.

In 2009, Bad Veins released their self-titled debut album on Dangerbird Records. The album was well received, being named #7 on ABC Amplified's Best Albums of 2009 list, the album's final track "Go Home" was listed on the USA Today's  Top 20 Songs of 2009, and the single "Gold and Warm" was featured on the blockbuster movie, Chronicle. The EP, Outliers, was released in 2010. In April of this year, they released their second full-length album, The Mess We've Made. Both Bad Veins albums are meant to tell a story of perspective and self-acceptance. "The first album feels a little bit like I'm dwelling on my own instability, whereas in the second record I'm confronting the instability and the issues. There's been a total evolution of Bad Veins since it started. If you listen to the first EP, and then the first album, and then the second album, they seem somewhat linear, [like] chapters in a story," says Davis.

The band has recently been listed on Paste Magazine's 50 States Project: 500 Bands+ on the Rise, along with their fellow Cincinnati local band, Pomegranates. Bad Veins has had a fairly extensive US tour this year and just got back from their first UK tour with We Are Scientists.

I had the chance to see Bad Veins live about a month ago at Bunbury. I had not heard of them before this and I imediately fell in love with their music. It was a wonderful concert. Fun, but simplistic. What amazed me most was variety and amount of sound this two man band produced. Incredible, to say the least. I will be seeing them again this Sunday in Atlanta at The Masquerade. I am expecting another fantastic show from Bad Veins!

(Bad Veins live at Bunbury)

Below are some tracks off of Bad Veins' full-length albums. Go on, give them a listen. They will make your ears happy! You can find out more about Bad Veins on their band page or on their Facebook page.

"If Then" - The Mess We've Made

 

"Afraid" - Bad Veins

 

"Don't Run" - Mess We've Made



"Falling Tide" - Bad Veins

"Go Home" - Bad Veins

"Dancing On TV" - Mess We've Made