Cure for the Mondays: American Authors - "Best Day of My Life"

American Authors - "Best Day of My Life"


When was the last time you played with your monsters.



It might not be too long before Brooklyn based American Authors could be a house hold name. Having been chosen as VH1's official "You Oughta Know" selection for February the band will have their music on TV, the web and incorporated into mobile and social platforms.If that wasn't enough, March should continue their momentum with the release of their debut album Oh, What A Life set for release on the 4th as well as appearances on some A-list talk shows. Not bad for a group of Music College dropouts.

Living Room Performance: Death - "Keep On Knocking"

Death - "Keep On Knocking"
 
Check Yo Ponytail 2

Echoplex

Los Angeles California.

October 28th, 2013



For the longest time the amazing music of Detroit band Death lingered lost in obscurity, but as time has proven good music will never die. Even if the name of your band is death. Years ahead of their time the proto-punk of this tiro of brothers, was the cultural significance of finding an M-16 in the battlefields of World War II. The story of the band and their long overdue rediscovery is recorded in the documentary A Band Called Death.
After hearing of this band they quickly gained a place on my rock 'n' roll bucket list to catch live. Though it's not the same, here's a chance to see the band at work. Hopefully it might just hold us over until they make it to our neck of the woods.  

"Cannibals Week" Wrap up

It's been an awesome week with the Summer Cannibals as they took BLS on the maiden voyage of band take over. Thanks goes out to the band for all their great additions.
Don't miss the chance to catch there amazing live show this Wednesday at Mississippi Studios for The Mercury's free Ear Candy show. Joining them is the spacey pop of fellow Portland band Grandhorse.

Here are the details:
Wednesday, February 5th
Mississippi Studios
3939 N. Mississippi
Doors: 8PM / Show: 9PM
Free Show
21 & Over

Here's another little taste of what you'll see.

"Cannibals Week" The List:Jessica Boudreaux’s Top 5 Influential albums

When your working with bands you never know what your going to get when you give them full freedom, but that's what The List is all about. The only thing I tell them is to keep it to 5 to 10 Items, that it has to have something to do with music (even if it's loosely), and to have fun with it.

So for this week with the Summer Cannibals, lead singer and founding member Jessica Boudreaux gave us a list of her Top 5 Influential Albums with corresponding links to hear them for yourselves.
"Cause it’s all bout me!" she says with a laugh and a smile.

1. Patti Smith – Horses

2. Iggy & The Stooges – Raw Power

3. Fugazi – Red Medicine

4. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs

5. The Fall – Grotesque

"Cannibals Week" From the Shelf: Summer Cannibals - Make You Better EP (2014)

Summer Cannibals
Make You Better EP
New Moss Records

With the powerful darkness of the opening track “Make You Better”, the Summer Cannibals’ have done it again. Ripe with raunchy guitars and a flesh pounding rhythmic beat their latest EP, Make You Better is, as I suspected, the first truly brilliant rock ‘n’ roll release of 2014.

Surrounded by the rich wail of breathless guitars and a groping rhythm that has all the needful aggression of teenagers in heat, the moody sensuality of Jessica Boudreaux’s vocals have all the power of a rock ‘n’ roll siren. A solid foursome, this band is just what’s needed to save rock music. Screw MTV and Rollingstone, we need the passion of “Sit Still” with its unbound desire and the pressing heat of it’s driving guitars rubbed raw against the thrusting beat an lusty bass groove. Jessica Boudreaux and Mark Swart might have started the Summer Cannibals but Lynnae Gryffin and Valerie Brogden have completed this band, cementing the bold sound with their flawless rhythmic frame work.

I have to admit, slipping the cassette copy of Make You Better into my Sony Sports Walkman, I haven’t been this excited since the great tape war of ’98.’ Short but sweet, this EP is a must have and a great way to start off a new year of music.

"Cannibals Week" 10 Questions: Summer Cannibals

Portland Oregon's the Summer Cannibals have made amazing head way in their short time on the scene. With the most recent release of their Make You Better EP, the band is quickly claiming 2014 as their own.  In addition their sweet fuzz-crunch rock 'n' roll the band has an awesome live show that should be not missed if possible. If that wasn't enough, the founding members are also the driving force behind the New Moss Records label.
Thankfully the band was able to find a little spare time to answer our questions and treat us to the other pleasures of "Cannibals Week."      

BLS: You’ve celebrating the release of your Make You Better EP. What do you enjoy the most about this new material?


SC: I love that this EP gets super heavy in parts. That's really fun for us, especially live. But the cool thing is that it comes and goes and “That Feeling” and “Make You Better” show a little softer side. I really think this EP serves as a good growth for us and is a good representation of where the next album hopes to go.


BLS: You just released your debut album No Makeup back in August. What made you decide to do such a quick turn around with this new EP?


SC: Making deadlines helps get things done that I might not do otherwise so a couple months ago we made the decision to just go for it and record an EP. The fourth song "Sit Still" wasn't even written at that point but I think the pressure of getting this done was good for us. I think as a band it's easy to slack a little since you're the one making the rules but being productive and continually writing and creating and releasing is a goal that I'm trying to maintain with this band. I also think we wanted to document where the band is right now after a ton of shows and really getting to know each other as musicians.

BLS: You’ve released both No Make Up and the new Make You Better EP on the Portland record label New Moss Records. Tell us about your relationship with the label? What’s the benefit in working with people from your hometown?

SC: It's actually our label! Marc and I (Jessica) started it last year to release Sun Angle's debut LP Diamond Junk. It's been a really fun project and it is really nice to have total control over the stuff your band is putting out. It can be a lot to juggle sometimes but I definitely feel like it's been worth it.

BLS: Make You Better is the second set of recordings that you’ve released on cassette tape. What makes cassettes so appealing to you?

SC: It's cheap and has a super quick turn around time. I also like the packaging and the way they look a lot better than CD's. We're aware that most people who buy them are buying it for the digital download -- at least they're getting to hold something in their hands that I see as an interesting physical representation of the music that's inside.

BLS: With only 100 hand numbered cassettes with packaging by the band, this EP is slated to be an exclusive commodity. What is it about the hands on process and limited numbers that interests you?

SC: With this EP we wanted to do it this way because we know we're going to use these songs on the next full length. We didn't want to do an extensive release and make it widely available because we still want these songs to be new for some people when the record comes out. The limited/handmade stuff is for the people who are real fans of the band and who enjoyed the last record...I think it's important to try and do things that feel unique and special for the people that are supporting you.


BLS: What is the most important thing you would like for readers to know about the band? Any rock ’n’ roll secrets we should know about?

SC: Ha ha! no secrets here really...we're all pretty weird though. I think the most important thing we'd like people to know about the band is that we're making something we're super proud of and having a lot of fun with it. I hope people feel stoked and have fun when they see us play or listen to our music.


BLS: Marc as the only guy in the band. How is it working with the ladies? How would you say the dynamics differ from other bands you’ve been involved with?

SC: Marc: Man, people ask me this all the time. I'm not going to lie, when I first realized that I was now in a band of all women I was kinda worried (why I have no idea) but its actually no different AT ALL than working with other bands I've been in with men... or mostly men. This band is rad and everyone is so fucking talented and super easy going and fun to be around.

BLS: As a staple of the Portland music scene, what are some of the best and least functional element of Portland’s musical environment?

SC: I love that there are so many people creating here, it's awesome to know that every night of the week there are bands out there playing shows. It's definitely an environment that is conducive to that sort of thing and there's always going to be a venue for your band to play at, no matter what level you're at. The one thing that I'd like to see more of is an atmosphere that promotes a sense of healthy competition. I like the feeling of bands really pushing each other to be better and I don't see a ton of that here. I want someone to be like "hey that was a great set now I'm gonna get up there and play way harder".

BLS: So with the new EP coming out this month, what else dose 2014 have in store for you?

SC: 2014 is off to a super rad start! We've got a few really cool Portland shows over the next few months and then head to Boise, ID for Treefort Music Fest at the end of March. In between the shows we'll be working on the new record and hopefully we'll be able to get that out sometime next summer. We're very stoked about what this year has in store!


BLS: Name 5 bands you love but who few people have heard of?

SC:
Hurry Up (PDX),
Charts (PDX),
Sun Angle (PDX), 
Grandparents (PDX),
Wimps (Seattle) and
Bloodbirds (KC)
I know that’s six but I couldn’t leave any of them out!!

"Cannibal Week" Tuesday Double Feature: Thee Oh Sees "Minotaur" & Mac Demarco "My Kind of Woman"

For "Cannibal Week" we gave over the reins of this week's Tuesday Double Feature to Jessica Boudreaux and Marc Swart of the Summer Cannibals. So check out their picks and enjoy.
 

Thee Oh Sees – Minotaur



Thee Oh Sees put on one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen last year at The Doug Fir and I’ve been obsessing over their records ever since. I picked this video because I love when bands aren’t afraid to be funny and don’t take themselves too seriously. I think that’s a really important part of making this kind of music. -Marc

Mac DeMarco – My Kind of Woman



I’m actually not a huge Mac DeMarco fan…not to say I don’t like his music, I just haven’t really dug into it that much. This video though. Man, I can’t get over it. I like one-shot music videos a lot, especially when the cinematography is rad like this. Plus he’s just great to watch, I love when he winks at the camera. -Jessica