I Can't Work Any Faster, My Arms Are Killing Me

I headed down to New London today to check out some of the bands playing at the I AM Festival (Independent Artists & Musicians), which is still going on as I'm writing this, though probably not by the time anyone reads this (because nobody reads this piece of shit blog and I'm just about done here anyway, so you can stop e-mailing me to write about your shitty band) (I hate you). There was a whole bunch of stuff going on today; some neat-o "Cassette Store Day"-related activity at Redscroll, including something involving Elm Recordings though I'm not sure what, and then Snotrocket played a show at Willimantic Records. I could've hit all three things in one swing and made a really full day of it, but instead I figured I'd keep it simple and just get lunch at Captain's Pizza, they're not very good but they're convenient.

Anyway, Bedroom Rehab went on in New London around 3:00 and they totally killed it, I know that's something people say about bands all the time -- "they totally killed it" -- but in this case it's fucking real, jack. I watched people walking into the place and then slowly inching forward, like "what the heck is this, this is amazing", including a group of metalheads who finally just said "fuckit" and went up front, howling and throwing devil-horns in the air and headbanging like maniacs. This is true, I'm not making this up. Adam and Meghan are both hugely charismatic performers, Meghan maybe even the most out of the two even though she's seated behind a drum kit the whole time, and this was another one of those Bedroom Rehab sets where the crowd starts off kinda medium-warm and then by the end everyone is going nuts. I just stayed towards the back most of the time and played with the soapy bubble-making stuff that Rich Martin was handing out, but I couldn't get it to work very well, even when I tried to blow bubbles towards the band while they were playing. I guess I just suck. Then at 4:00 I moved over to the stage next to the whale's butt (in front of the train station) and caught Fatal Film, who weren't quite as good as when I saw them at Cafe Nine a couple of weeks ago -- in fact, the first half of their set today kinda blew -- but by "Coolest Friend" they were kickin' it, and they finished off the second half like champs. All their new songs are great and top almost anything on "Thrill'r", except for the fake reggae one which I'm not even really sure is a new song (I get mixed up sometimes), but other than that. Of course, almost any song they play now could be considered a "new song" because "Thrill'r" came out, what, 5 years ago? Fatal Film also have the best jokes of any band from around here, I'm practically in stitches every time I see them. I mean, they might not look funny to you, but I'm here to insist otherwise.


Bedroom Rehab Corporation, "Basilosaurus"



Fatal Film, "Our Daily Meds"

Please Stop Touching Me

When I drove down to New London Saturday night it was mainly to see Wonderlust, only they ended up going on last, and then when they finally did play it was kinda rough... and not really in a charming car-wreck sort of way, either. Luckily, Fatal Film salvaged things somewhat, because their set was crankin'. Not that they were trying particularly hard, or anything -- no set list, just sorta winging it, because they're just that good. Most bands that try too hard suck, like writers, only different.


Fatal Film, "Remember When You Were Fun"

White People Sure Gotta Lotta Nerve These Days

One Of These Days I'll Find The Edge Of Town

Dunno if anyone remembers me talking about the playing card-like set of CosmoSingles that I bought at the Hygienic Arts festival in New London last year-- 16 bands, 16 two-song CDs-- but anyway, Cosmodemonic Telegraph is releasing another set again this year, to coincide with another Hygienic Arts festival at the end of this month. Like with the previous two sets, you'll also be able to buy the set as a single CD, except that this year it's a double CD, called "Powers", featuring 28 tracks in all. That's twenty-eight bands, nearly all of them from New London, with all of them almost completely different from each other. Really, there hasn't been a town with the ability to throw that kind of hand on the table since the heyday of the '90s Danbury scene, but that's what New London has been doing for a while now.

My favorite track on the compilation is definitely the one from Rich Martin's band, Brazen Hussy, whom I saw about 4 years ago (at the Manchester VFW with The Chuck Hestons, who were awesome that night) but haven't really stayed on top of since. "Broke Into Your Facebook" has a really cool Bratmobile/Slant 6 thing going on, so I guess that means there's some catching up I need to do.

I've picked out a few of my favorite tracks from the compilation to post here, although they'll be listen-only files; some of the other bands on the compilation include Brava Spectre, The Can Kickers, Low-Beam, Bedroom Rehab Corporation, and The Weird Beards, and you can stream all of the tracks individually at the "Powers" Bandcamp site, powers.bandcamp.com (where you can also buy the whole thing as a download now), or just buy the set when it comes out on Jan. 30th.


Get Haunted -

"Cedar Grove"

Brazen Hussy -

"Broke Into Your Facebook"

Fatal Film -

"Remember When You Were Fun"

The Suicide Dolls -

"Senses"

Total Phone -

"Alone"

(these files are all listen-only)

All Our Friends Are Hipster Fags

If I thought the Oasis Pub stage was problematic, then seeing bands set up on the lip of a half pipe at the Academy Skate Park last night was definitely an odd proposition, though the bands on the bill seemed to thrive on the challenge. Not that the occasional flying missle-like skateboard was the main issue-- more like equipment accidently falling downwards, though when Josh from Brava Spectre threw his bass over the edge in the middle of a song and then slid down after it, I'm pretty sure it was intentional. The mic stand that fell during Fatal Film's set was more of an accident, though who knows; it actually sounded kinda decent, the way it dragged itself back and forth a few times across the hardwood.




The stage set-up limited the physicality of Brava Spectre's set somewhat, as well as the sound bouncing off the metal walls from the corner they were pressed into, but when I walked outside the building for a bit and heard them from a distance, they sounded pretty damn good. Not that Brava Spectre didn't rock, anyway, as did Fatal Film, who I actually think pulled off the better set. Matt Potter's usual constant bobbing up and down during their set left him pretty close to hitting the speaker/heating duct-type thing that hung within inches of his head, but other than that (and the mic mishap), things went pretty smooth. Fatal Film's set last night was definitely one of my favorite sets that I've seen all year, and I can say that they were really crankin' it, even if they thought that no one was really paying attention.

There were skaters on the half pipe the whole time all three bands were playing, which made the whole show a real blast, plus a few band members even brought their skateboards with them for the little mini-quarter pipe that was behind the main half pipe. I'm not saying they were experts, but Dave from Fatal Film and Josh from Brava Spectre actually know enough to pull off tail drops and kick flips, which impressed me at least. Others weren't so lucky, but cheap beer was definitely a factor so I'll leave it at that.

The Weird Beards also played, and I'll admit that kept my interest even though I had to skip out after the first couple songs of their set. They reminded me somewhat of the Chuck Hestons minus the noisier parts, and I think I'll be checking them out with a bit more dilligence if I get the chance to see them again.

Fatal Film -

"Sick as a Dog"

Brava Spectre -

"Octobird, The Winged Mistress"

(these files are now listen-only)






















Potter for the win

I Have Teeth Instead Of Eyes

As far as nightlife goes, New London is a Triple-A town in a decidedly A-level part of the universe. Much like Danbury and New Haven, you can walk across town at night and hear the sounds of multiple indie/punk shows from competing venues echoing between the buildings, and there's different bar, club, or restaurant to be found seemingly every 20 or 30 feet as you hoof your way around (don't bother driving; the one-way streets are all closed for construction, and the two-way streets haven't been built yet). On Friday night, along with everything else, I could even hear a band practicing in one of the upstairs apartments across the way on Bank Street, and through the windows they almost sounded better than anything that was going on at the El N Gee or Oasis at that exact moment. Just don't try to find a Dunkin' Donuts that's open or a place to get a coffee after 9pm, because you'll be shit out of luck.

The Oasis Pub is about the size of Cafe Nine, maybe a bit larger, and definitely seems like a great place to see bands regularly, even if the oddly-shaped stage (consider it "Fenway-esque") presents some problems if you're taking photos. Bedroom Rehab Corporation brought their freshly-made CD with them, and ripped through a six-song set (all five songs on the CD, plus one) that was pretty darn tight once they got everything dialed-in properly. Every Bedroom Rehab song is like the best Kiss/Blue Öyster Cult riff you've ever heard, only on a thunderously distorted bass this time, with lyrics that would be spooky-dumb if they weren't so friggin' funny. You should really try to grab their CD, though I have no idea how you'd go about getting a copy; try messaging them through their MySpace, I guess.




If you miss the 90's and bands like Dirt Merchants and Ditch Croaker, well, I don't either, but in any case, Fatal Film's got you covered. Fatal Film are a band that I've slept on for a while; I'd seen them a couple of times before, though I didn't write anything, and I only just listened to their "Thrill'r" CD (which has been out for about half a year now) for the first time on the drive to New London on Friday night. It didn't take long to find something I liked, because "First Step", the opening track, is a cracking good song. They've got some great song titles, too, like "Put On Your Goddamned Jetpack", and funny song titles are what it's all about, just ask the Bunnybrains.


Bedroom Rehab Corporation -

"The Corinthian"

Fatal Film -

"First Step"

(both of these files are now listen-only)