Denver Trappings

I'm gearing up for this evening's Sonic Masala Presents End Of Financial Year Party - and for whatever reason I'm sitting on my balcony drinking Western Australian beer and listening to country. Not the gee-up most people want and need - and I will be putting on Tiny Spiders and the excellent Lantern record (through Bathetic) in a mo - but there is something about the single 'The Way It Is' by "ramshackle all-star country band" Denver that has me in a warmy, gauzy glow. Based in Portland, Denver features members of Blitzen Trapper and Alela Diane’s Wild Divine, has three chief songwriters (Birger Olsen, Mike Elias, Tom Bevitori) exchanging lead vocals, all adding up to an air of drunken wistfulness leading itself to drunken camaraderie and back-slapping at the bar. It is incredibly hard to bottle something as universal and communal as that - yet this track does that for me. I could even see myself donning a Stetson and heading to the local saloon - well, I do have the checked shirts for it...



Denver - The Way It Is

Tiny Spiders Deliver Killer Bite

Brisbane's very own grunge pop duo Tiny Spiders are the little band that could, and with their debut record on the cusp of breaching, they are ready to shove it down your throats. With love and smiles, of course. We've already heard 'Shadows' and 'Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out.' They are two great indicators of what Tiny Spiders offers. But there is so much that Cam and Innez want to give. Only three tracks breach the three minute mark, yet with they slink ('Midnight Movie') or roar ('Blurst') it's all done with verve and bluster, and more than a whiff of genius. As Cam once stated, "the shorter the better, that way people can't get bored." No chance of that, you modest arachnid!


It all goes digital this Saturday, (go bookmark this page and head back in a few days!) when the duo will blast a hole through Tym's Guitars' wall with a in-store that kicks off at 3pm. You can get your physical vinyl copies then - otherwise it's waiting idly til July. So you have been warned.

UPDATE - you can now buy the album digitally - click on the Bandcamp guff below. You can try before you buy, but you know that ain't necessary, sucka! Plus, you can now pre-order the vinyl along with a T-shirt for an extra fiver - what could go wrong? Nothing, that's what.

Sonic Masala Presents It's A Knockout - Round 1!

It's a busy week on Planet Masala. On Sunday we helped send off Auckland noisemakers God Bows To Math (alongside Tiny Spiders and Quiet Steps, both playing their last shows for a while), and whilst it was a disappointing turnout, it was a lively and excellent show. I'm not resting on my or anyone else's laurels however, as this Friday sees the sixth instalment of our monthly showcases down at the Waiting Room. This one promises to be something markedly different than previous shows in that whilst it has always been eclectic, the lineup takes on two sides of the same tawdry coin that is our local music scene.


Today we are focusing on the first two acts playing the bill, squaring off in what I like to call "It's A Knockout!" Kicking us off is an unknown quantity in White Squall, a three-piece of laptop junkies who like mucking around in the bedroom before being coaxed out into the night to play. They have a couple "jams" that they've slammed down on Bandcamp here - below is one of them. Their ambient sample-heavy miasmas are quite impressive - the love of Boards Of Canada/Four Tet/The Weeknd and their ilk stands tall here. They may be a timid bunch, but expect an intense punch on the night.

White Squall - Pushed Pulled Mix


In the opposite corner, with fists cocked and rucksacks packed, are Brisbane's own adventure rockers The Quest For Glory. Embracing GIFs, zaniness, explosions and corny non-sequiters, the quartet don't get out much as a collective - if they did Brisbane would sink into a hole of preposterousness the likes that hasn't been seen since Test Icicles was deemed a good name for a band - so expect them to unleash the woody goodness with both barrels. Grab their "album" Derek Gene and the Gene Scream here - it's free.

The Quest For Glory - Politics
The Quest For Glory - Choose Your Own Adventure

Who will win out? And how will they tap into the ring to aid them in that final sonic piledriver to claim the ultimate accolades? Check back in tomorrow to find out!

No Anchor Will Give You Enough Rope...

Brisbane's local proponents of black sonic sludge gunk No Anchor had a 7" to throw your way. Titled Rope/Pussyfootin', it features four tracks including an ace cover of Big Black's 'Jordan, Minnesota'. Coming in at under ten minutes, the 7"s offerings of short and concise songs are a testament to their ever-evolving songwriting (despite apparently doing the recording in 4 hours - that's sixty minutes a song), and the power that these songs exude (especially 'Rope') is jaw-dropping. Metal for the indie crowd? Well, it certainly is more accessible to an extent, but still as loud and abrasive as fuck.



Recorded by No Anchor's own Donovan Miller and Innez Tulloch on new(ish) Nowhere Records, Rope/Pussyfootin' will be available on March 17 in both limited Blue (100) and Black (150) vinyl. Digitally though, you can pay what you want - get it here - but be warned, there will be no Big Black cover on the digital release.

To coincide with the launch, No Anchor hace a party for you! They will be playing at Woodland, ably supported by Whitehorse(Melbourne), Quiet Steps, Tiny Spiders and DJ Swedetooth. Its all for a paltry $12, and doors at 8:30pm. More about this when it comes down the rabbithole...

No Anchor - Rope

The Masala Before Time - The 4th Sonic Masala Presents... Show TONIGHT!!!

The Sonic Masala shows roll on, and tonight we delve into slightly more familiar territory. It's funny that I haven't put on a truly psych-entrenched band on until now, but Dreamtime are certainly the best band to open the account with. I was a big fan of their debut self-titled 12" last year, plus their slot in a Gin Club show around May last year was pretty special, so this will be a good show to catch. What's more, they are playing first due to work commitments (damn you Black Bear Lodge! Actually, don't - I like to blow money on White Rabbits when Im feeling like a Waylon Jennings vinyl fix...)!



Next up is The Maryettas, an outlet for Ryan Potter to present some of his sunnier tracks that don't fit the doom-laden goth noir stomp of Nikko or the elegaic instrumentals of The Scrapes. Normally in solo form, Potter tonight is joined by fello Nikko member Jackson Briggs and Brock (all the way from Goondiwindi no less! We drag in the big guns!) in what will be the world first electric performance! Special times indeed!



Then we have special guests Dingo's Baby (what a name), the "new" project from Dreamtime's Zac Anderson. Backing up from the earlier slot, Anderson and his cronies promise psych-punk-vomit-enlightenment (my words...). I have no real idea, other than to expect something special, regardless of what quarter of shambolism this one stumbles into. Could be the show of the night.

Closing us out is Ghost Notes, the eloquent instrumentalists that wowed all and sundry with last year's By Cover Of Night. They are playing witha truncated lineup, therefore offering yet another unique set. One of the members is The Waiting Room's very own Cam Smith, who knows this enue inside out, so expect the sound to be silky to the point of being invasive. Golden.




So come down. Once again it's at The Waiting Room, it's $10 and it's BYO. And hopefully it will be brilliant as the above artwork, done once more by the delectable Joanne Thies. This will be a great night!

PS The next night on March 23rd is yet another show on a very crowded Friday night, so we are going to strive for some special inclusions to drag you away from the other shows. Expect prizes, giveaways, maybe even a karaoke machine. Ill do what it takes to make you love me...

Video Vacuum - Tiny Spiders, Tiny Migrants, Velociraptor, The Fighting League

I thought that it had been a while since we had some videos to break up the tedium of real life, and what better way to do that than with three Brisbane garage snotrag bands and one from Canberra? Aussies unite!

First we have Tiny Spiders. I posted about this track earlier, but here is their video shot at the Waiting Room with various drunks playing indie gym junkies (ahem). Its a great tune, and some people actually look like they are exercising. What though is anyone's guess...



I'm pretty sure Tiny Migrants are from outer space, and whilst still ambiguous, 'Fishpond Goldmine' is the proof. Embracing their inner Ed Wood Jr, the sassy, sexy, sleazy and all other adjectives beginning with S quintet really rock it, although this is only scraping the surface of what these guys are capable of. I am pretty sure Julien can shoot laser beams out his eyes, when he can keep em open that is... Tiny Migrants' EP is imminent, so get excited!



The largest, most ramshackle garage monster ever created, Velociraptor eat stage space and preconceptions for breakfast. And with 'Cynthia', they have crafted one of the best videos of the year. There's pieces of Hey Dad! in there (Simon Ridley is a brilliant Nudge if there was to be a Hollywood remake - and there should be, minus the paedophilic dad), Benny Hill, YTT and Brisbane suburbia. It's bloody funny too. Well done guys!



And finally we have The Fighting League, who apparently killed when they visited Brisbane earlier this month (and as an aside, I couldn't make the show, but it was my birthday and Tiny Migrants sung Happy Birthday in my absence - so they say, anyway...). Their LP Tropical Paradise is an underappreciated gem, and this video is a perfect lark with slightly more strenuous workout techniques to accentuate the laconic fun of 'Calypso'. Even if they ARE from Canberra...(please don't hurt me).



NOW GET BACK TO WORK!

These Tiny Spiders Have Bite

Tying off the first day back in the saddle we have Brisbane sludge pop duo Tiny Spiders. Consisting of Cam Smith (Ghost Notes, Mount/St Augustus, runs Incremental Records and West End venue The Waiting Room) and Innez Tulloch (Feathers, Pastel Blaze, co-runs Nowhere Records and West End venue The Waiting Room), Tiny Spiders are simple, yet complex. Simple, because they play scuzzy as fuck guitar and rickety drums. Complex, because they are inherently pop. Result? Some of the rustiest, dirtiest pop sounds you are ever likely to hear. Which is something I inherently love.


Tiny Spiders have just released new single 'Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out' which is their tastiest slice yet, and have put it on record with three live cuts in what then becomes the Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out EP. The three tracks were recorded when they supported other local behemoths No Anchor during their 7-day squat at The Waiting Room, and the recordings are as close you will get to being at that performance without a revamped Delorean. Its great stuff. Get the EP here.

The terrible twosome are also launching said EP at the Alhambra Lounge in the Valley tonight for a tenner, and have roped in some stellar names for support, including Happy New Year (also spreading the love for her recent split with Nite Fields, that you can read about and hear in the previous post!!), Go Violets and Tangle.

Tiny Spiders - Shoot The Rainbow Rays Out