Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars will be joining Cursive on a Spring 2012 North American tour. The band’s album, Lenses Alien, is out now.

Tour Dates
3/22 – The Mill – Iowa City, IA *
3/23 – The 400 Bar – Minneapolis, MN *
3/24 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI *
3/25 – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL *
3/26 – High Dive – Champaign, IL *
3/27 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor, MI *
3/28 – Mr. Smalls Theatre – Pittsburgh, PA *
3/29 – Grog Shop – Cleveland Heights, OH *
3/30 – Mohawk Place – Buffalo, NY *
3/31 – The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto, ON *
4/02 – Middle East (Downstairs) – Cambridge, MA *
4/03 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY *
4/04 – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY *
4/05 – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA *
4/06 – Black Cat – Washington, DC *
4/07 – Kings Barcade – Raleigh, NC *
4/08 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA *
4/09 – Cafe Eleven – St. Augustine, FL *
4/10 – The Social – Orlando, FL *
4/11 – Club Downunder – Tallahassee, FL *
4/13 – Fitzgerald’s Upstairs – Houston, TX *
4/14 – The Mohawk – Austin, TX *
4/15 – Trees – Dallas, TX *
4/17 – Hi-Tone Cafe – Memphis, TN *
4/18 – Cosmic Charlies – Lexington, KY *
4/20 – Off Broadway Nightclub – St. Louis, MO *
4/21 – Mojo’s – Columbia, MO *

* w/ Cursive, Conduits

Cymbals Eat Guitars (Photo: Eric Wildes)

Live Review: Cymbals Eat Guitars, Hooray for Earth
September 27, 2011, The Earl, Atlanta
by Eric Wildes

I caught the Hooray for Earth, and Cymbals Eat Guitars show at the Earl on Tuesday, September 17, 2011. Of course, I was expecting there to be less people present at The Earl than if it had been, for example, a Saturday show, but it seemed shockingly desolate for two bands with immense “street cred” and a local group like Lyonnais that has pull within local East Atlantan beard population.

I suspect that the show’s numbers were merely suffering from this latest indie craze called “baseball”. Even I fell into the trap somewhat. I was offered mostly-free tickets to the Braves vs. Cardinals and couldn’t pass up a chance to see a game that would almost certainly become a part of Atlanta’s legendary 2011 march to World Series. Someone forgot to mention that to the teams on the field.

Yeah, well what better way to forget about humiliating, soul-crushing fall from grace in baseball than a great rock show immediately after the game? Sadly, the lumbering, disheartened Braves fans made it impossible to get to the EARl in time to see Lyonnais’ act. Since they play around town fairly often so that will hopefully be quickly rectified.

Hooray for Earth is a trio that does live performance well. The band was unconventional in most ways. From the diversity of instrumentation to little details like prominently placing the drummer on the front of the right side of the stage (with his back facing the audience) they don’t do it like most other bands.

Their sound is surprisingly eclectic as well. Featuring so many beeps and blips in their polyrhythmic sound, I was actually pleasantly surprised how thick and raucous the sound was live. Despite the dance hall beats, they are a rock band at heart. Every member seemed to be also frequently multi-tasking, and tweaking sound devices during each song to great effect. For example, the guitarist, Noel Heroux, deftly played some progression on his guitar (which, by the way, looked like a possible Basquiat exhibit) then moments later picked up what appeared to be a grapefruit shaker and hammered the strings of his guitar with it for a different textures.

Nothing pleased me more than seeing the keyboard player singing backup on the vocodor. Nothing revolutionary in that, but it was nonetheless oddly awesome within the context of their sound.Hooray for Earth blended sounds with conspicuous quirkiness. I suspect they’ll have some major success touring with this recent album, True Loves. They are extremely accomplished as a live act certainly the type of catchy songs that people are going to leave the show with an album under their arm.

Cymbals Eat Guitars’ show in support of their new album, Lenses Alien, was very good. It did include one of the strangest sound issues I seen at a live show though.

At the end of the first song, it sounded like someone briefly turned the radio on in the Earl’s PA. Huh? The band members seemed to be momentarily befuddled by this, but they shook it off and went into the next song.

Something that stood out instantly in this show was the level of musicianship across the board. Most bands striving for a sound similar to Cymbals Eat Guitars don’t have the luxury having every member being top-line musician on their respective instrument.

This was especially true of Joseph D’Agostino’s performance on guitar- the type of rapacious grace I rarely see in modern indie shows. I found the guitar levels to be unfortunately too low in the mix, but D’Agostino’s arsenal of guitar tricks was impressive to say the least. The band blends well considering the tremendously busy parts being played on every instrument.

I found some of the songs to have a spot or two of cluttered confusion where I wasn’t sure which instrument was supposed to be holding my attention (or if it was all supposed be seamlessly blended) but they always effectively resolved to some kind of spiking dynamics change.

By the end of the set that familiar structure bordered on too formulaic, but the sheer power of the high points greatly outweighed what I consider to be a minor blemish. D’Agostino’s is the Mike Tyson of indie singers. He isn’t the best singer the world, but the raw power of his voice is devastating at times. It is a rare gift.

However, some of my favorite parts were when all four members were working to swell the intensity without the vocals (frequently at the end of songs). They repeatedly nailed this aspect as the band treated each of those moments as if it was the final song of the set.

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars have announced a Fall 2011 with Hooray For Earth. The tour – which is in support of the band’s upcoming album, Lenses Alien – begins on September 20, 2011 in Boston.

Tour Dates
09/20/11 Tue Boston, MA Brighton Music Hall*#
09/21/11 Wed Brooklyn, NY Music Hall of Williamsburg#
09/22/11 Thu Hamden, CT The Space*#
09/24/11 Sat Washington, DC Black Cat*#
09/26/11 Mon Chapel Hill, NC Local 506*
09/27/11 Tue Atlanta, GA The Earl *
09/29/11 Thu New Orleans LA One Eyed Jacks *
09/30/11 Fri Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s (Upstairs)*
10/01/11 Sat Austin, TX Emos*
10/02/11 Sun Denton, TX Dan’s Silverleaf *
10/04/11 Tue Tucson, AZ Hotel Congress *
10/05/11 Wed San Diego, CA Casbah *
10/06/11 Thu Long Beach, CA Alex’s Bar *
10/07/11 Fri Los Angeles, CA The Echo *
10/08/11 Sat San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill*
10/10/11 Mon Portland, OR Mississippi Studios*
10/11/11 Tue Seattle, WA Crocodile *
10/13/11 Thu Boise, ID Neurolux *
10/14/11 Fri Salt Lake City, UT Kilby *
10/15/11 Sat Denver, CO Hi Dive *
10/17/11 Mon Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr*
10/19/11 Wed Minneapolis, MN 7th Street *
10/20/11 Thu Madison, WI High Noon *
10/21/11 Fri Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall*
10/23/11 Sun Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern*
10/27/11 Thu New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*#
*With Hooray For Earth
#With Biege

Cymbals Eat Guitars - Lenses Alien

Cymbals Eat Guitars have announced the release of, Lenses Alien, on September 14, 2011. The album is the follow-up to their acclaimed 2009 album, Why There Are Mountains.

Lenses Alien was recording early in 2011 and was produced by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Murder City Devils, Breeders). Track list below.

Track List
1. Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)
2. Shore Points
3. Keep Me Waiting
4. Plainclothes
5. Definite Darkness
6. Another Tunguska
7. The Current
8. Wavelengths
9. Secret Family
10. Gary Condit

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars and The Thermals have announced a Fall 2010 tour. Cymbals Eat Guitars will also be performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago on August 6 – 8, 2010. (To read our June 2009 interview with Cymbals Eat Guitars, click here.)

Tour Dates
Sep 30 – Triple Rock Social Club – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 1 – The Mill – Iowa City, IA
Oct 2 – Annex – Madison, WI
Oct 3 – Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago IL
Oct 4 – Rhino’s – Bloomington, IN
Oct 6 – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI
Oct 7 – Northside Tavern – Cincinnati, OH
Oct 8 – Beachland Ballroom – Cleveland, OH
Oct 9 – Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON
Oct 10 – Castaways – Ithaca, NY
Oct 12 – First Unitarian Church – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 13 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
Oct 14 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA
Oct 15 – Black Cat – Washington, DC
Oct 17 – Village Tavern – Mt. Pleasant, SC
Oct 18 – 40 Watt – Athens, GA
Oct 20 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
Oct 21 – Bottle Tree – Birmingham, AL
Oct 22 – One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA
Oct 23 – Red 7 – Austin, TX
Oct 24 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX*
* – Cymbals Eat Guitars only

Tour Dates
4.20 – Phoenix Theatre – Toronto, ON
4.22 – The Fillmore at Irving Plaza – NYC
4.24 – Paradise – Boston, MA
4.30 – Metro – Chicago, IL
5.1 – First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN

Freelance Whales

Freelance Whales
First off, I am disappointed to admit that I missed the first half of Freelance Whales’ set because for the first time in all the years I’ve been seeing shows at The Earl, a band actually started on time.

Who would’ve thought, right?

That being said, when I arrived the first thing I noticed was just how young this band is; it was like walking into the coolest high school talent show ever.

I had my doubts about how their album would transfer live, because it’s easy to play your banjo live if your band plays bluegrass, but mixing it with synth-pop show, even when it worked extremely well on the album, could easily comes across as a ridiculous gimmick.

Freelance Whales, however, really gambled and won, bringing almost every element full-circle into the live set. The band is obviously talented, but talent alone does not a good concert make. They seemed so excited to be playing that the crowd couldn’t help but join in the fun.

By the time they finished with “Generator – Second Floor” there were a few people who had even broken a sweat dancing. If you haven’t heard their debut album, Weathervanes, you need to do so now (http://www.lala.com/#album/504684635190114283/Freelance_Whales/Weathervanes), and if you haven’t seen them live I would suggest not missing them again.

Bear in Heaven
The second act up was Bear in Heaven. This former Atlanta-based band made the most of their homecoming and really delivered what I had hoped to hear. Even while missing a member, and performing as a three piece, their spacey sounds were full and thick (even if they had to turn their amps to 11 to overcome the reverb that the small back room has).

They created a rich sonic landscape but it took some getting due to the raucous finish that Freelance Whales provided. However, Bear in Heaven definitely brought me to their world before they were done.

Something that surprised me, though, was how much the band had in common with a lot of heavy metal acts that I wouldn’t have noticed if not for their live show. Songs like “You do You” seem like heavy shoegaze on the album, but watching the band live, with Joe Stickney (and his beard) pounding the drums and guitars joining synths in arpeggios, the band seemed like they had grown up on Slayer and just finished listening to M83.

While their recent album Beast Rest Fourth Mouth caught critics off-guard, I’m very excited to see what the now-Brooklyn based group does next.

Cymbals Eat Guitars
I would like to preface this review by saying two things:

1. I like to write about what I like, not complain about what I don’t like (except for TV on the Radio live, a discussion which breaks my own rule); and

2. Everyone has off days, and I don’t think a band should be held accountable for just one show.

That being said I was disappointed with Cymbals Eat Guitars live. Their debut album Why There Are Mountains was a record I really enjoyed, with a certain accessibility and quirk that showed some originality, which is pretty tough to find these days.

The only problem was that last Thursday at the Earl they seemed to become Cymbals Eat Get Up Kids. Don’t get me wrong, I will unabashedly admit my nostalgic love for emo music, but this was not at all what I was expecting or wanting, so I left before their set was over.

I will more than likely give the band another chance in the future, but for now I can’t fully endorse the band live.

Freelance Whales

Freelance Whales have been added to one of the strongest touring line-ups this Spring – joining Cymbals Eats Guitars and Bear In Heaven on their 24 city tour.

Tour Dates
3/5 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
3/6 – Rock N Roll Hotel – Washington, D.C
3/7 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
3/9 – The End – Nashville, TN
3/10 – Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN
3/11 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
3/12 – Harvest Of Hope Festival – St. Augustine, FL
3/13 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
3/14 – The Engine Room – Tallahassee, FL
3/16 – Mango’s – Houston, TX
3/22 – The Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
3/23 – The Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/24 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/25 – Bottom Of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
3/28 – Crocodile Café – Seattle, WA *
3/29 – The Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
3/31 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
4/1 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO
4/2 – Replay Lounge – Lawrence, KS
4/3 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
4/4 – Schuba’s – Chicago, IL
4/6 – El Mocambo Club – Toronto, ON
4/7 – Il Motore – Montreal, QB
4/8 – The Middle East – Boston, MA
* – Cymbals Eat Guitars not playing

Cymbals Eat Guitars

Cymbals Eat Guitars have announced a Spring 2010 tour with Bear In Heaven.

Tour Dates
3/5/10 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
3/6/10 – Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
3/7/10 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
3/9/10 – The End – Nashville, TN
3/10/10 – Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN
3/11/10 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
3/13/10 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
3/16/10 – Mango’s – Houston, TX
3/17/10 – Hailey’s – Denton, TXd
3/18/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/19/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/20/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/22/10 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
3/23/10 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/24/10 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/27/10 – Berbati’s Pan – Portland, OR
3/25/10 – Bottom of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
3/29/10 – The Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
3/31/10 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
4/1/10 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO
4/2/10 – Replay Lounge – Lawrence, KS
4/3/10 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
4/4/10 – Schubes – Chicago, IL
4/6/10 – El Mocambo – Toronto, ON
4/7/10 – Il Motore – Montreal, QC
4/8/10 – Middle East Downstairs – Boston, MA
4/9/10 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY

Cymbals Eat Gutars

One of the break-through bands of 2009 and one of the up-and-coming bands for 2010 (although they are on their third album) will be touring together beginning in March 2010.

Cymbals Eat Guitars (a 2009 DJdc Interview alum) and Bear in Heaven have announced a Spring 2010 tour, including three performances at SXSW and a March 10 show at The Earl in Atlanta.

Tour Dates
3/5/10 – Johnny Brenda’s – Philadelphia, PA
3/6/10 – Rock and Roll Hotel – Washington, DC
3/7/10 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill, NC
3/9/10 – The End – Nashville, TN
3/10/10 – Pilot Light – Knoxville, TN
3/11/10 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
3/13/10 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
3/16/10 – Mango’s – Houston, TX
3/18/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/19/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/20/10 – SXSW – Austin, TX
3/22/10 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
3/23/10 – Casbah – San Diego, CA
3/24/10 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA
3/27/10 – Berbati’s Pan – Portland, OR
3/25/10 – Bottom of The Hill – San Francisco, CA
3/29/10 – The Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
3/31/10 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
4/1/10 – Hi Dive – Denver, CO
4/2/10 – Replay Lounge – Lawrence, KS
4/3/10 – Turf Club – St. Paul, MN
4/4/10 – Schubes – Chicago, IL
4/6/10 – El Mocambo – Toronto, ON
4/7/10 – Il Motore – Montreal, QC
4/8/10 – Middle East Downstairs – Boston, MA
4/9/10 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY

From Yo La Tengo's Web site: "Atlanta's Masquerade was always just like a home away from home to us, if the people in your family always spelled your name wrong and built the stage right above the pumping techno soundsystem. (June 10, 1995, Atlanta, GA)"

As we wind down this holiday weekend and make our way back to reality, here’s this week’s DeadJournalist.com Sunday Night Videos.

This week’s Video of the Week is from Lo La Tengo from 1997 because “Sugarcube” is one of the best indie videos of the decade. And I had to add Atari Teenage Riot as a nice little tie-in to round out the set.

Other videos this week include: Kurt Vile, Jemina Pearl, Atlas Sound, The xx and The Sounds as well as Thoa with the Get Down Stay Down, Midlake, Crystal Castles, Broken Social Scene and The Unicorns, among others.

Video of the Week

Yo La Tengo – “Sugarcube”

Sunday Sixteen

Atlas Sound (featuring Laetita Sadier of Stereolab) – “Quick Canal”

Kurt Vile – “Freak Train”

Jemina Pearl (featuring Iggy Pop) – “I Hate People”

The Sounds – “Beatbox”

The Unicorns – “Tuff Ghost”

Crystal Castles – “Untrust Us”

The xx – “Crystalised”

LCD Soundsystem – “New York, I Love You”

Cymbals Eat Guitars – Wind Phoenix (Live on KEXP)

Midlake – “Roscoe”

Broken Social Scene – “Cause = Time”

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – “Bag of Hammers”

Port O’Brien – “I Woke Up Today”

The Antlers – “Two”

Skunk Anansie – “Secretly”

Atari Teenage Riot – “Atari Teenage Riot”

Quoting InSound.com, “Cymbals Eat Guitars are very possibly your new favorite band. Prepare yourself to love again.”

Here’s the link to the full interview: http://www.deadjournalist.com/interviews/20090623cymbalseatguitars.htm