Play the Video Game!

MP3: Grampall Jookabox - “The Girl Ain’t Preggers”

In anticipation of Grampall Jookabox’s sublime upcoming LP of whacked out, trashcan-banging, haunted blues, Asthmatic Kitty announces a slew of fun goodies to kill time during your workweek. The first of which is the way awesome “The Girl Ain’t Preggers” videogame. SPIN describes the tribal, raw first single as “Torn between penury and paternal urge, Indianapolis blues-psych recluse David Adamson stomps and wails through a post-pregancy-scare sing-along”

How to Play the Game:

Stage 1:
1) Avoid babies by leaping over them
2) Collect cash

Stage 2:
1. Buy milk
2 Drop milk bottles down to babies
3. Be glad that the babies are fed.

Bio:

Grampall Jookabox, which is the nickname of David “Moose” Adamson, sounds like a child slurring the words “Grandpa Jukebox,” implying filial connection with an archaic musical object. Either that or the intoxicated pronunciation of a strange blues artist’s nom de plume.

When David was in grade school, his uncle took note of his developing interest in hip-hop and loaned him a four-track. They mixed tracks together and the young Adamson would write rhymes to sing over them, including a double-boombox sequel to Fu-Schnicken’s “What’s Up Doc (Can We Rock?)” called “Suffering Succotash (I Got Whiplash).” At first the beats came from instrumental sides of cassingles, on to presets on his uncle’s drum machine, and then finally from his very own beat machine (a Christmas gift), the Yamaha DD-9.

But that was a long time ago.

Since then, through various incarnations and collaborations with groups such as Archer Avenue and BIGBIGcar, Adamson’s musical interests and excursions have crystallized into a startlingly singular and eclectic songwriting strategy. Jookabox’s debut record, Scientific Cricket, samples a kind of primordial blues sound, children’s sidewalk-chalk rhymes and Appalachian folk. But his latest effort finds him moving into new, unplumbed territories. Ropechain pinwheels kaleidoscopically through old-time spirituals, punk, chain-gang hymnal, deep house, and club music hip-hop, blending these disparate elements into a cohesive and unique synthesis.

***

More about Ropechain:

Recognizing the presence of a particularly assertive muse, David Adamson canceled a weekend of shows to sit at home in a dank basement, writing and recording a string of songs that seemed to arise spontaneously. Granting them his full attention, a week of intense composition and arrangement bore Grampall Jookabox’s second album: Ropechain.

After the ominous, trembling, synthetically angelic choral intro on the first track of Ropechain, Jookabox breaks in with a vision that sounds like a bizarre hybrid of a Diddy rap video and ancient cosmology; “Black girls walk on the tips of mountains/ Black girls jump into seas like they was fountains / Black girls build skyscrapers with their brains/ Black girls do shit that I can’t explain/ Black girl won’t you do it again? / Black girls are built to walk across the seas/ Black girls convince the icecaps to freeze/ A black girl was the mamamama of everyone you see.”

One of Ropechain’s themes is the paranormal. Says Adamson,”I was interested in paranormal experiences, because I guess I was having them or something? I don’t know. Definitely some weird shit was happening.” Listeners may be inclined to agree. On the album’s third cut, “Ghost,” dirge-like vocals evoke Casper keening through an old time radio about the simultaneous omniscience and heartbreaking tunnel-vision of the dead in soft, helium-pitched whispers. Jookabox sings: your limbs go sweeping through my room at night/ I can see your purple body swell and fall/swell and fall/swell and fall. “Ghost” is followed by a knee-slapping sing-along about a pregnancy scare turned lamentation (”The Girl Ain’t Preggers“). Despite the album’s dizzying musical and thematic eclecticism, there’s a mysterious logic to its arrangement (or perhaps it’s simply a paranoid interpretation of irrational datum).

Madness is another of the album’s unifying thematic threads; “Some of the samples on “I’m Absolutely Freaked Out’” were recorded in a vacant insane asylum,” Adamson explains. “I Will Save Young Michael,” Jookabox’s tragically affectionate love-letter to Michael Jackson, ponders the razor-fine boundary between aesthetic illumination and neurotic burnout. On “Let’s Go Mad Together” he sings: “Let’s accept madness together / I need a partner in crime / I am too weary to fight it, honey / And it could be a good time.”

The idiosyncratic lyricism of the album’s love songs is sure to warm the cockles of listener’s hearts. When echoing vocals ascend after the darkly, bass-heavy intro to “You Will Love My Boom” and Jookabox shouts,” I love you love you/ You know I love you I love you/ I took mushrooms and then proposed to you because I love you love you,” it’s a hard-hearted listener who won’t laugh with joy at the dissonance between the tender lyrics and the dread-heavy distortion of their accompaniment.

Ropechain braids holy fear, schizophrenic inspiration, baroque pop-references, and deep, mystical love into a formidable work likely to leave aficionados of avant-rock trapped in an obsessive cycle of listening and re-listening. Get your tickets here.

GRAMPALL JOOKABOX

Th Oct 30 Indianapolis, IN Radio Radio
Th Nov 6 Oklahoma City OK The Conservatory
Fr Nov 7 Dallas TX The Cavern
Sa Nov 8 Austin TX Fun Fun Fun Fest
Mo Nov 10 Pheonix AZ Trunk Space
Tu Nov 11 Los Angeles AZ Silverlake Lounge
We Nov 12 San Francisco CA Hemlock Tavern
Fr Nov 14 Seattle OR Vera Project
Sa Nov 15 Tacoma WA Helm Gallery
Mo Nov 17 Salt Lake City UT Kilby Ct.
Tu Nov 18 Denver CO Hi-Dive
We Nov 19 Lincoln NE Box Awesome
Fr Nov 21 Minneapolis MN Nomad World Pub
Sa Nov 22 Madison WI Café Montmarte
Su Nov 23 Chicago IL Empty Bottle

Grampall Jookabox
Ropechain
(Asthmatic Kitty / Joyful Noise)
Street Date: Nov. 4, 2008
1. Black Girls
2. Let’s Go Mad Together
3. Ghost
4. Old Earth, Wash My Beat
5. The Girl Ain’t Preggers
6. You Will Love My Boom
7. I Will Save Young Michael
8. The One Thing
9. We Know We Might Be Fucked
10. Strike Me Down
11. I’m Absolutely Freaked Out

GRAMPALL JOOKABOX LINKS:

MySpace: www.myspace.com/grampalljookabox

Press Materials: www.asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=102

Label page: www.asthmatickitty.com

Label page: www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com

MP3: Vivian Girls - “Blind Spot (Daisy Chain Cover)”

**PLEASE HIT US UP WITH ANY PROMO / INTERVIEW REQUESTS**

“The Vivian Girls drop sweet girl-group melodies into proto-shoegaze squalls the way the Jesus & Mary Chain used to and the way groups like the Aislers Set, C86s-ers the Shop Assistants, and the Manhattan Love Suicides have done with female vocalists. They keep the Shangri-Las’ melodrama to boot”.
-Pitchfork

VIVIAN GIRLS

Fri-Oct-17 Baltimore, MD Sonar $
Sat-Oct-18 Philadelphia, PA The Barbary $
Sun-Oct-19 Washington, DC Rock And Roll Hotel $
Tue-Oct-21 Brooklyn, NY CMJ Red Bull Space 11pm
Thu-Oct-23 New York, NY CMJ Don Pedro’s 10pm
Fri-Oct-24 New York, NY CMJ Cake Shop 12am
Sat-Oct-25 New York, NY CMJ Bowery Ballroom 1am
Sun-Oct-26 New York, NY Santo’s Party House !
Thu-Oct-30 Toronto, ONT FU Fest - Sneaky Dee’s $
Sat-Nov-08 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom &@
Mon-Nov-10 Boston, MA Paradise &@
Sun-Nov-16 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex / Part-Time Punks Fest #
Mon-Nov-17 San Diego, CA Casbah #
Tue-Nov-18 Los Angeles, CA The Smell #
Thu-Nov-20 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill #
Fri-Nov-21 Sacramento, CA Luigi’s Fun Garden #
Sat-Nov-22 Portland, OR Backspace #
Sun-Nov-23 Seattle, WA Nectar Lounge #
Fri-Nov-28 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s +
Sun-Nov-30 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom +
Wed-Dec-31 Montclair, NJ Wellmont Theatre *

$ = w/ F***ED UP
& = w/ Deerhunter
@ = w/ Times New Viking
! = w/ Jay Reatard
+ = w/ King Khan
* = w/ Yo La Tengo, The Feelies
# = w/ Love is All

Vivian Girls - S/T (In The Red)
Street Date: Oct. 7, 2008
01. All The Time
02. Such a Joke
03. Wild Eyes
04. Going Insane
05. Tell The World
06. Where Do You Run To
07. Damaged
08. No
09. Never See Me Again

Vivian Girls - I Can’t Stay single (In The Red)

01. I Can’t Stay
02. Blind Spot

VIVIAN GIRLS LINKS:

Band Page: www.viviangirls.net

Myspace: www.myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc

Label Page: www.intheredrecords.com

MP3: LAKE - “Blue Ocean Blue”

Daytrotter Session

Bio:

“Oh, the places we’ll go! Oh, we don’t actually know!” The title track lyrics, with a nod to Dr. Seuss, have a wide-eyed, wondrous feeling, (and a hint of agnosticism) which finds itself popping up throughout the record. On their first K release, LAKE crafts up-beat, dance-able, psychedelic, uniquely sincere and unaffected pop songs, ranging from the jubilant, echoey, post-soul groove of Heaven to the sweet, polyrhythmic Green Arrows-inspired Bad Dream. Recorded at home, largely on cassette 8-track, this album, actually LAKE’s third, has a slightly lo-fi, homemade feel as well showing evidence of their influence from prolific artists Karl Blau and R. Stevie Moore.

Oh, the Places We’ll Go represents a new direction for LAKE - more synthesizers, more up-beat, rhythmically-based songwriting - but it is also in keeping with their aesthetic, with contributing horn players and percussionists, male and female singers, group harmonies, sweet melodies and homespun production.

LAKE’s core membership is Ashley Eriksson, Eli Moore, Lindsay Schief, Andrew Dorsett, and Markly Morrison, a group of long-time friends based in Olympia, WA. The members of the band came from Washington, the Los Angeles area, and the Midwest but soon found themselves drawn together in the inspiring forests of the Pacific Northwest, and thus LAKE was born. Each is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in their own right, and contributing melodies and complementing one another’s strong points has become the process for LAKE’s intimately nurtured songwriting.

LAKE

Oct 17, 2008 - Whidbey Island, Washington Living Green*
Oct 18, 2008 - Tacoma, Washington Helms Gallery*
Oct 19, 2008 - Olympia, Washington The Finger Complex*
Oct 20, 2008 - Portland, Oregon Rererato*
Oct 22, 2008 - Arcata, California The Treehouse*
Oct 23, 2008 - Sacramento, California Luigi’s Funhouse*
Oct 24, 2008 - Oakland, California Rock Paper Scissors*
Oct 25, 2008 - Berkeley, California Amoeba In-Store 2pm
Oct 26, 2008 - Santa Barbara, California Biko Garage*
Oct 27, 2008 - Los Angeles, California The Smell*
Oct 28, 2008 - San Diego, California Che Cafe*
Oct 29, 2008 - Phoenix, Arizona Trunk Space*
Oct 30, 2008 - Tucson, Arizona Red Room*
Nov 01, 2008 - Dallas, Texas The Swiss House*
Nov 02, 2008 - Austin, Texas Church of the Friendly Ghost*
Nov 04, 2008 - Tallahassee, Florida The Engine Room*
Nov 05, 2008 - Athens, Georgia Flicker Theater*
Nov 06, 2008 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina The Night Light*
Nov 07, 2008 - Charlotte, North Carolina The Milestone*
Nov 08, 2008 - Knoxville, Tennessee The Pilot Light*
Nov 09, 2008 - Lexington, Kentucky Al’s Bar*
Nov 10, 2008 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Garfield Artworks*
Nov 11, 2008 - New York City, New York The Cake Shop*
Nov 13, 2008 - Rochester, New York The Bug Jar*
Nov 14, 2008 - Syracuse, New York Spark Contemporary Art Space*
Nov 15, 2008 - Oberlin, Ohio Oberlin College*
Nov 16, 2008 - Grand Rapids, Michigan The DAAC*
Nov 17, 2008 - Bloomington, Indiana The Cinemat*
Nov 18, 2008 - Chicago, Illinois Schuba’s Tavern*
Nov 19, 2008 - Des Moines, Iowa Vaudeville Mews*
Nov 21, 2008 - Denver, Colorado Rhinoceropolis*

* = w/ Desolation Wilderness

LAKE
Oh, the Places We’ll Go
(K)
Street Date: Oct. 21, 2008

1.Oh, The Places We’ll Go
2.Blue Ocean Blue
3.Counting
4.Bad Dream
5.Minor Trip
6.Dead Beat
7.Heaven
8.On The Swing
9.Oh, The Places Two

LAKE LINKS:

Myspace: www.myspace.com/lakemusicmusic

Press Materials: www.krecs.com/html/artists/artistbio.php?interest=107

Artist Page: www.LAKEtheband.com

MP3: Moon & Moon - “Act II: Hands of a Man”

**PLEASE HIT US UP WITH ANY PROMO / INTERVIEW REQUESTS**

Reflections of timeless struggle, self-fulfilling prophecy, and age-old triumph, with flashes of modern affectation. A fluid and evolving seven-act performance; an epic tale of angst, hunger, tragedy, failure, and ultimately, hope. The dramatic opening of this musical / avant-theatre piece begins with the young voice of our seven year old narrator. She describes in 2 short lines what we are about to witness: seven perspectives of one king’s war with himself. Moon & Moon provides the framework of a journey through an eternal human battle, borrowing from religious heritage and a colorful quilt of belief that draws upon the root myth of our collective humanity. Our story re-creates an archetypal battle that is not only historical fiction, but our own contemporary fact which exemplifies our self-destructive nature. Through the journey of witnessing a different character’s perspective in each act, our king comes to the realisation that he is not only the walls which he has built, but the walls that have been destroyed by his own hand and command.

Contributions by members of An Albatross, Lewis & Clarke, Barkus Born and Stephonik Youth with guest appearances by Devendra Banhart, Gibby Haynes, and Bat For Lashes.

Points of Interest:

*William Lemon presented 7 original blockprints along with the 7 corresponding audio tracks for each Act of Seven Acts of the Iron King. This special installation was part of the And Who Are You? Saatchi group show in NYC, and invited the viewer/listener to preview a track of the album while taking in the imagery of the corresponding print.

*Inserted into each album is one of Lemon’s original block prints on scented card stock. We hand-brushed the oil from the Indian Jasmine flower to create an olfactory association with the album, live show, and the nature of the scent. Jasmine traditionally helps reduce anxiety and apathy, and is uplifting and stimulating in times of hopelessness and nervous exhaustion.

*Each Act has a different character perspective:

Act I: King’s perspective, Act II: Foot Soldier’s perspective, Act III: Victims’ perspective (ghosts singing to the soldiers), Act IV: Magician’s perspective, Act V: Priest’s perspective, Act VI: King’s perspective (having accomplished mission, but still empty), Act VII: King’s perspective (realising he manifested an illusion)

Moon & Moon
VII Acts of an Iron King
(La Société Expéditionnaire)
Street Date: Nov. 11, 2008
Act I: Into The Dust
Act II:Hands Of A Man
Act III: We Are The Lights
Act IV: Come Down Like A Man
Act V: There Can Be Only One
Act VI: This Is Our Celebration
Act VII: Together Alone, We Jump We Rise

MOON & MOON LINKS:

Myspace: www.myspace.com/moonandmoon

Label Page: www.la-soc.com/sevenactspreview.html