Coming to SPACE next month: Matt and Kim

I heard about these guys last year when they released their music video for "Yea Yeah". It's a catchy power-pop song and a great video. Expect a high energy party of sorts when they come to SPACE Gallery with Japanther on Saturday, October 4th. For more information, go to the SPACE Gallery website. As for now, enjoy the video!

Icelandic music tonight at SPACE

Icelandic band Parachutes will be playing tonight at SPACE Gallery with Providence-based Vio/Miré and Cerf-Volantes.

From SPACE538.org:
Parachutes (based in Reykjavik, Iceland) is the music of Alex Somers and Scott Alario, taking their name from the seeds of a dandelion flower. They play lots of different toys and instruments and often sample objects from around the house. Their music develops organically, with layers of acoustic instruments, old marching drums and gentle, hushed vocals. Their most recent release was mixed by fellow Icelander Jón Birgisson (Sigur Rós) and feature the strings of Amiina. With Providence's Vio/Miré opening along with local pop-ambient purveyor Andrew Frederick, aka Cerf-Volantes for his first show at SPACE in way too long.

Sounds like a cool way to decompress for the night. I'm sold. See you guys at the show!

Doors open at 9. Show starts at 9:30. 18+ with a $6 cover charge.

Review: The Informati, The Cambiata, and The Baltic Sea at SPACE

Saturday night brought in SPACE's first show of August. It was a night of the progressive; it was a night of the experimental; it was a night of music whose genres aren't so clearly defined; something to make you think outside of the boxset.

The Informati

Boston-based The Informati took the stage first with an ambient-dub session of songs. The setup consisted of guitar, bass, keyboards, turntables and electronic drumkit. The first song they played was the most appealing. The guitarist slid his guitar with a bow to make a hauntingly celestial hum while the ghastly echoes of a new age singer was spun on the DJ's turntables. My brain fluttered with green, luminescent moths as if I was overtaken by this force of music. The way the bowed guitar and the new age singing came together was very beautiful and ethereal. The songs following didn't grab me as much. A lot of them seemed too repetitive and didn't have enough changes to hold my interest for the duration. I'm keeping my mind open, though; a second listening could change my mind about the rest. For comparison's sake, The Informati is like Sigur Rós without all the vocal ee-Yoooing.

Read about my impressions on Cambiata and The Baltic Sea after the cut...

Brenda for free at Noon Today and The Baltic Sea Tomorrow

From SPACE538.org:

From the ashes of Cult Maze comes Brenda! This indie rock trio is cut from the classic mold, tipping its hat with equal reverence to Pavement and the Beach Boys, Elvis and the Walkmen. The Portland Phoenix calls them an "ideal no-frills, no-pretension band to have around this summer".

Brenda performs at noon on Congress Square (corner of Congress and High st.) for free today. Check out their music here on Myspace. Sounds like a good way to spend a lunch break!

Learn about The Baltic Sea show after the cut...

Tonight @ SPACE: The Impossible Shapes

From SPACE Gallery: Indiana's The Impossible Shapes are on tour supporting their recently released self-titled album recorded on "extra sticky analog tape." Having grown up only a few short hours from Dayton, Ohio, Guided By Voices, the Breeders and Swearing at Motorists are obvious influences. A true ensemble band with revolving instrumental duties, the band features members of John Wilkes Booze and Songs: Ohia. Portland native Robert Stillman returns from his studies in London and Pepi Ginsberg makes the trek from Brooklyn to make this lineup one to remember.

If you would like to listen to The Impossible Shapes before checking out tonight's show, go to their media page and download all their free MP3s. There's quite a few of them and all of them are really good.

After giving a week's worth of listening to these guys, I'm becoming a fan. The Impossible Shapes play well-crafted psych folk-pop, if that means anything to you. People in the past have compared them to Elephant Six bands and I think rightfully so.

The Impossible Shapes play at SPACE Gallery at 9PM. Hope to see you there!

Harry and the Potters in Portland this THURSDAY!

The premiere Wizard Rock band makes its great return back to Portland for a show full of unlimited enthusiasm!

If you love Harry Potter and modern eclectic performances, then this show at SPACE Gallery is the show for you! Harry and the Potters pioneered the genre of Wizard Rock in 2002 and now hundreds and hundreds of Wizard Rock bands exist across the nation and the world because of them.

Harry and the Potters will be joined by friends MATH the Band and Uncle Monsterface for the national Unlimited Enthusiasm Tour.

Free Full-Length Album from Uncle Monsterface (sock-puppet rock band)

Sock-puppet rockers Uncle Monsterface have released their second full-length titled This is an Adventure! as a free download and it is full of wonderful surprises including mashed potatoes battling vampires, a tribute to the creator of Dungeons and Dragons, and robots saving the world from a giant zombie attack.

The band departs from their new wave sound of letter green (i love you) and heads into a more rock/estranged power-pop direction all while keeping their original sound intact. Uncle Monsterface could be described as playful, rebellious, nostalgic, and dare I say it, downright geeky. If you are a fan of bands such as They Might Be Giants, Oingo Boingo, The Aquabats, and other bands that challenged audiences by making music about unusual, humorous and strange subjects, you'll love these guys.

This month @ SPACE

We have some fine musical events coming to SPACE Gallery this month. Here's a quick rundown:

On Tuesday, June 10th Blake/e/e/e (pronounced Blake-ey I believe) will be playing a set of psychedelic, trippy folk and other estranged forms of music to stretch your imagination. The band has been described as “The Beach Boys going to church if the church was a mutant disco." In that way, I can see how these guys might share some musical similarities with Animal Collective: Beach Boys meet super-trip deluxe with a nice hint of folk. New Portland project Yeti and Estrella Norte will be opening.

On Friday, June 13th, Damon and Naomi of Galaxie 500 fame will be playing along with supporting duo Helena Espvall (of Espers) and Masaki Batoh (of Ghost).

Friday, June 20th brings a very important and rare music event into town. Brothers Unconnected is a tribute to the late Charles Gocher of the Sun City Girls, an eclectic folk band formed in '81. The two other members of Sun City Girls will be playing a guitar duet accompanied by a video experiment made by Gocher. South Portland's very own Fire on Fire will be opening up.

I have an internship at Space Gallery!

Yes, you heard right! I am now an events programming/promotion intern at Space Gallery. My first day of work is this Friday and I will be helping set up for the Mission For Burma: Cyclone Nargis Benefit Concert. It is a free event with a suggested donation of $5 to $20 and the doors open at 7:30PM. There will be performances by a multitude of musicians including Chriss Sutherland (Fire On Fire), Christopher Teret, Colin Gulley (Toughcats), Dave Noyes (Rustic Overtones, Seekonk), Doug Cowan (Bullyclub), Hanifa Washington, Jeremy Alexander (An Evening With), Josh Loring (Cult Maze, Brenda), Micah Blue Smaldone, Okbari, Phantom Buffalo, and Samuel James.

If you haven't checked out Space yet, this would be a great opportunity to explore the depths within and hear some of the musicians that have played there in the past. There's going to be a lot of great music for a great cause. Hope to see you there!

Don't know where Space is? It's right next to the L.L. Bean outlet store on Congress Street!