Thursday 29 May 2014

Positive Force - FILM SCREENING


Upset The Rhythm presents…

MORE THAN A WITNESS: 30 Years of Punk Politics In Action (FILM SCREENING)
Q & A with Positive Force co-founder MARK ANDERSON
Tuesday 24 June
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, E2 6NB
8pm | FREE (donations welcomed)

You are cordially invited to our screening of 'More Than A Witness: 30 Years of Punk Politics In Action', a feature film about punk activist collective Positive Force DC, followed by a Q&A with PF co-founder Mark Andersen, co-author of Dance of Days.

Punk activist collective Positive Force DC emerged in 1985, rising from the creative, politically-charged ferment of DC punk’s Revolution Summer. Born in a dynamic local scene sparked by Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and Rites of Spring, a handful of young activists also drew inspiration from UK anarcho-punks Crass as well as the band Seven Seconds and the original Positive Force affinity groups in Nevada to become one of the most long-lasting and influential exponents of punk politics.

This feature-length film by Robin Bell skillfully mixes rare archival footage - including electrifying live performances from Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Rites Of Spring, Scream, Beefeater, Nation of Ulysses, Crispus Attucks, Anti-Flag, and The Evens- with new interviews with Mark Andersen, Ian MacKaye, Penny Rimbaud of Crass, Kathleen Hanna, Allison Wolfe, Kevin Seconds, Jenny Toomey, Ted Leo, Dave Grohl, Danbert Nobacon of Chumbawamba and many more.

Covering a span of 30 years, More Than A Witness documents PF’s Reagan-era origins, the creation of its communal house, FBI harassment, and the rise of a vibrant underground that burst into the mainstream amidst controversy over both the means and the ends of the movement.

Through it all, Positive Force has persisted, remaining deeply rooted in their hometown, reaching out to those in need and building bridges between diverse communities, while regularly bringing punk protest to the front doors of the powers-that-be. Encompassing an ever-evolving cast of characters, the all-volunteer group has helped to nurture several generations of activists. In the best punk fashion, PF has applied creative DIY tactics and radical critiques to issues of homelessness, hunger, racism, corporate globalization, sexism, homophobia, war, gentrification, and animal/earth liberation, while struggling to constructively address conflicting dynamics and visions within the group itself.

Run time: 70 minutes.

http://morethanawitness.com/
 

Tuesday 27 May 2014

Three shows on the horizon: Chain & The Gang, Shannon And The Clams and Daniel Bachman

Afternoon everyone!
We have three terrific shows on the horizon so wanted to share with all and sundry. This Friday we pitch up at Tufnell Park Dome for a fantastic night of austerity rock-n-roll courtesy of CHAIN & THE GANG, COMET GAIN and ACTUAL CRIMES. Then next week we have a back-to-back Lexington double with SHANNON AND THE CLAMS, JOEY FOURR and WITCHING WAVES on the Wednesday and DANIEL BACHMAN, RYLEY WALKER and WILLIAM REES on the Thursday. One show calling to mind the punk rock prom par excellence, the other a visionary dip into the acoustic dustbowl overflowing with psychedelic folk, bound only by the similarities of venue and level of awesomeness. All in all, three cracking events, here’s all you need to know and more…
\\\\\ FRIDAY /////

CHAIN & THE GANG
COMET GAIN
ACTUAL CRIMES
Friday 30 May
Tufnell Park Dome, 2 Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, NW5 1HL
8pm | £11 | TICKETS
CHAIN &THE GANG are led by the remarkable Ian Svenonius. Ian is a prime mover behind two of the most essential bands of our time, Nation Of Ulysses and The Make-Up, and author of two books, The Psychic Soviet and Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock 'n' Roll Group, not to mention online talk show host and auteur filmmaker. Chain And the Gang deal in a new genre called CRIME ROCK that updates rock n roll, blues, and gospel music or vocal quartets from the late 50s /early 60s for the discerning few. As Ian himself puts it: “If asked about it by a prospective fan, I would say "Watch out; it might hurt your feelings." Or "Be careful … there's no telling what might happen if you put it in your ear." Why? Because Chain & The Gang isn't for everyone. It's not designed for the victims of Ikea who rely on robots to choose their background muzak. But it can also prove to be addictive and has some disturbing side effects.“ A gang with a fluid and floating active core, new album 'Minimum Rock N Roll' was recorded in Portland Oregon with Ian and Katie Alice on vocals, Brett playing the electric guitar, Chris on electric bass guitar, and Fiona driving the drum kit and then mixed down in DC by Brendan Canty. More minimal and more ferocious, more lean and more mean, 'Minimum Rock N Roll' is Chain & the Gang looking for food, hungry and intent on devouring the known world, once they find its tender underbelly. 'Minimum Rock N Roll' is out now on Fortuna Pop. http://chainandthegang.bandcamp.com/

COMET GAIN have released a string of critically acclaimed records on Kill Rock Stars, Track & Field and What’s Your Rupture? - albums such as 'Tigertown Pictures', 'RĂ©alistes', 'City Fallen Leaves' and 2008’s singles collection 'Broken Record Prayers' establishing the band as one of the most fearlessly passionate and fiercely intelligent British bands around. Unapologetically literate and emotional, Comet Gain seek out inspiration as much in the music of girl-group era pop, heartfelt Americana, British post-punk, and 60s psychedelia, as in the words and images of the beat poets and in the cinema of both the British and French new-wave of the late 50 and early 60s. From Goffin and King, The Modern Lovers, The Seeds, Dylan, The Impressions, Big Star, Julian Cope, and the Flying Nun and Creation labels, to Kerouac, Pynchon, Shelagh Delaney, and Godard, the band are influenced by an incessant drive to “distill the spirit and those moments of musical defiance… recalling old stories of friends, of being lonely and what kept you sane, watching old movies like the kitchen sink English films and early 70s American ones, re-reading the beat writers... finding a common ground, taking a deep breath and then picking up our guitars and singing these songs.Their latest album 'Howl Of The Lonely Crowd' was released through Fortuna Pop and recent single 'Avenue Girls' via WIAIWYA. http://wiaiwya.bandcamp.com/album/avenue-girls

ACTUAL CRIMES specialise in a waking up an working-class feminist racket with Kirsty on guitar, Lenny on bass and Aaron, drums. Vocals are shared between Kirsty and Aaron who dip and dive through the rugged clamour and clang, lettings the rhythms stab and collapse, regroup and race away. Check out their demos now through soundcloud. https://soundcloud.com/actual-crimes



\\\\\ WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE /////

SHANNON & THE CLAMS
JOEY FOURR
WITCHING WAVES
Wednesday 4 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £9 | TICKETS
SHANNON AND THE CLAMS are from Oakland, California and comprise of Shannon Shaw (vocals, bass), Cody Blanchard (vocals, guitar), and Ian Amberson (drums, vocals). Sounding like a prom band from 1964 getting dosed with acid and having the sweetest lovelorn freak out, Shannon And The Clams defy expectations. Imagine a brawling Etta James, backed up by the 13th Floor Elevators singing Shangri La's tunes. Shannon has a voice that can go from a sweet girl group croon to a bluesy ballsy growl before you realize you're headed for the (dance) floor. It's total punk rock bop, brimming with doo-wop glory delivered to your door by the Homecoming Queen and Kings of weirdo rock 'n' roll. What started as an open mic project for a shy, young Shannon to try out some tunes ended with the Clams meeting and forming a band. Many have said to have been possessed by thee (eerily similar at times) haunted howls and beautiful growls of their two lead vocalists, hypnotized by their heavy heartbeats, and mesmerized by their magical music. Your ears may become infested with a real Buddy Holly jolly kinda joy (oh boy) while you stutter along to a hiccupy song. Take a scratch and a sniff at these stickers and get bit by their bad-brained snarls. It's always Christmas (if you want it). It's your party time, and it's excellent. Cry-yi-yi if you want to, but be sure to surf a splish-splash with a laugh later. The band's first LP for Hardly Art, 'Dreams in the Rat House' was released last year! https://myspace.com/shannonandtheclams

JOEY FOURR has spent two prolific years patiently writing, recording and producing eleven EP's. Now, Joey has recruited members of Dog Legs (Moe Meade) and Halo Halo (Jack Barraclough) to transform his colourful, bewildering butterfly-filled cavern of hooks, underwater drums and shimmery vocals, into springing cartoon animated guitar licks and fuzzed out bass lines. The new band formation are helping to bring to life two years worth of hibernated, bedroom experimentation into a fully bloomed, multi-coloured visceral live experience. http://www.joeyfourr.co.uk/

WITCHING WAVES are a post-punk duo from London, reminiscent of beat happening/the au pairs. Emma Wigham and Mark Jasper started making music together last year and are currently preparing to unleash the fruits of their labour in the form of a new cassingle, via the ever-worthy Soft Power Records. Lead track ‘Concrete‘ is a brash and menacing three-and-a-half minutes where limbs flail, eyes glare and pulse rates rise and rise and rise until you’re either sprinting away from them as fast as possible, or following them down whichever alley they lead you. http://witchingwaves.tumblr.com/



\\\\\ THURSDAY 5 JUNE /////

DANIEL BACHMAN
RYLEY WALKER
WILLIAM REES
Thursday 5 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £7 | TICKETS
DANIEL BACHMAN is a 6-string and lap guitar player from Fredericksburg, Virginia currently living in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. From 2008 to present he’s been releasing material of almost exclusively an instrumental nature while touring everywhere from Istanbul to Los Angeles. He has been playing what he describes as “psychedelic appalachia” since he was a teenager, releasing small run editions of tapes, CDs and LPs for the past three years, with a sound that evolved from drones and banjos to a now guitar centered focus. Touring off and on since the age of 17, Bachman has managed to cover thorough ground across the US, sharing stages with like minded folk such as fellow Fredericksburg native Jack Rose, for whom he fashioned the artwork for the posthumous release of ‘Luck In The Valley’. His newest effort is the full length LP ‘Jesus I'm a Sinner’, recorded at Forrest Marquisee's studio inside his father's woodshop in May of 2013 after spending 8 months on the road. The sound results in a combination of homesick worried blues and the ecstatic buzz of fresh experience and a new life in unknown territory. Familiar and known, but also seeking to access memories from lives past, dead and gone. 'Honeysuckle Reel' is a springtime tune, for that first day when the heat and humidity sets in and the smell of the honeysuckle bloom creeps in your open windows driving. 'Happy One Step' is a guitar/fiddle duet with Sally Morgan of the Black Twig Pickers/The Freight Hoppers. It's a brilliant album, evocative of the spell Bachman casts with his stunning live performances. http://danielbachman.com/

RYLEY WALKER has a powerful voice that spans ranges and eras, and an effortless approach to a fine melody on the guitar, setting the bar higher for the modern folk artist. The 24 year-old recently turned to his folk-rock sound, inspired by some of his heroes Bert Jansch, Tim Buckley, and Tim Hardin. After kicking around Chicago’s experimental free/noise music scene and touring extensively with an array of artists, he grew into his current laid-back and folk-driven approach to tunes, resulting in several cassettes, singles, and a highly acclaimed EP 'The West Wind'. His poised and accomplished debut LP 'All Kinds Of You' was just released on the seminal Tompkins Square label. With acoustic guitar in hand and a voice like browned butter, Walker swings and sways, before swirling into a gallop without bucking the rhythm. https://soundcloud.com/walker-ryley

WILLIAM REES is a composer and multi-instrumentalist currently based in London. Having spent six years studying Hindustani classical music in India, as well as being classically trained on the viola, Rees has a keen understanding of both Eastern and Western classical music. Rees’ music is an esoteric blend of his disparate influences, ranging from Indian and Persian classical music, to modern composition and free improvisation. He released a cassette of solo viola compositions on Night Ritual Recordings in 2013, entitled A Burial Shroud. He also released a CD of solo guitar, "Transcendental Night" on FSOM Records in 2012. This performance will feature 12-string and Weissenborn slide guitar. https://www.facebook.com/pages/William-Rees/119359664834525
Thanks for reading and to everyone who bought new records from us last week by No Babies and Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, our webshop now has two reissued Future Islands 7”s available too, along with much back catalogue goodness, et voila! See you on Friday and/ or next week!

UPSET THE RHYTHM

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\\\\\  UPSET THE RHYTHM   /////
/////  UPCOMING    SHOWS   \\\\\
CHAIN & THE GANG
COMET GAIN
ACTUAL CRIMES
Friday 30 May
Tufnell Park Dome, 2 Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, NW5 1HL
8pm | £11 | TICKETS
SHANNON AND THE CLAMS
JOEY FOURR
WITCHING WAVES
Wednesday 4 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £9 | TICKETS
DANIEL BACHMAN
RYLEY WALKER
WILLIAM REES
Thursday 5 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £7 | TICKETS
POW!
GARY WAR
SOFT DRINKS
Monday 9 June
Dalston Victoria, 451 Queensbridge Road, Dalston, London, E8 3AS
8pm | £6 | TICKETS

THE PHEROMOANS
\\\ Hearts Of Gold /// Album Launch
KEEL HER
SAUNA YOUTH
TOM JAMES SCOTT
EMOTIONAL
HALO HALO DJs
Friday 13 June
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, E2 6NB
8pm | £5 | TICKETS
BRENDAN FOWLER (BARR)
ASHLEY PAUL
Sunday 15 June
Power Lunches, 446 Kingsland road, Dalston, E8 4AE
6pm | £6 | TICKETS
NATURAL SNOW BUILDINGS
BEN NASH
STEREOCILIA
Monday 23 June
Café OTO, 22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, E8 3DL
8pm | £8 | TICKETS
GUARDIAN ALIEN
(Thrill Jockey)
Tuesday 8 July
Power Lunches, 446 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4AE
8pm | £6 | TICKETS
SLEAFORD MODS
THE LOWEST FORM
MARK WYNN
Friday 18 July
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £6 | SOLD OUT
 
PROTOMARTYR
Tuesday 19 August
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £6 | TICKETS
JACK OBLIVIAN
STRAIGHT ARROWS
THE SHEIKS
Sunday 31 August
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, E2 6NB
7.30pm | £8 | TICKETS

FUTURE ISLANDS
Thursday 6 November
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TT
7pm | £15 | WEGOTTICKETS


Thursday 22 May 2014

New releases by NO BABIES and ED SCHRADER'S MUSIC BEAT out this week!

Hello there!
Thank you to everyone for coming out recently to our sold out shows for R Stevie Moore, Future Islands and The Space Lady. What a trip this last month’s worth of shows have been! Our next concert falls a week tomorrow for the effortlessly awesome CHAIN AND THE GANG, supported by COMET GAIN and ACTUAL CRIMES at Tufnell Park Dome. I’ll send you a reminder about that next week, but right now I wanted to draw your attention to our two new Upset The Rhythm releases that came out this week. Fans of no wave clatter and minimal punk swoon will find much cheer with our two new releases by NO BABIES and ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT hitting the shops and our webstore!

Below we have some info on each release and the option to stream them too! There’s also new additions to our upcoming shows list for BRENDAN FOWLER (BARR), ASHLEY PAUL, ALEX CAMERON, JACK OBLIVIAN, STRAIGHT ARROWS and an album release party for THE PHEROMOANS, joined with loads of great bands in June!
OK, onto the new records...

 

\\\\\ ED SCHRADER’S MUSIC BEAT /////
\\\\\ Party Jail (CD/LP/Download) /////
 
 
Ed Schrader's Music Beat are Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice, a minimalist punk duo from the fair city of Baltimore, Maryland. In the beginning there was only Ed: a man unhinged, channelling to the world a sacred message in the form of song. His only divining instruments: a single floor tom, one light, and a commanding baritone. “He’s a master songsmith who has reduced pop and punk to their most basic building blocks,” said Christopher Weingarten of the Village Voice. Ed was soon joined by Devlin on bass, who proved to be an acute match for encapsulating the space-time from whence they came. 
‘Party Jail’ picks up where previous album ‘Jazz Mind’ left off, adding a thoughtfully crafted, minimal pop vibe to their already terse punk sound. The follow-up features songs that are equally loud and destructive, pensive and strangely haunting. An early version of "Radio Eyes" was chosen for the "Sub Pop 1000" Record Store Day 2013 compilation. A new version of this song appears on ‘Party Jail’, as well as the upcoming single "Pantomime Jack" which, among other subjects, ponders existing in a universe that culturally charts music that began and ended with the “Live Aid” generation through its self important pontifications and documentaries. “Music begins now!” says Ed. The album also features additional drums by Jeremy Hyman of Ponytail, Dan Deacon, and Boredoms. ESMB are currently on tour in Europe with Future Islands.
 
 
 
 
\\\\\ NO BABIES /////
\\\\\ Yo No Soy Como TĂş  (7” EP/Download) /////
 
 
No Babies are a free-punk five piece from Oakland, California. Since forming in 2008, they've worked tirelessly to develop a unique 'new punk' sound influenced by jazz, art music and hardcore, not unlike Old Skull playing Schoenberg, while Magma heckles from the audience. In 2011, Upset The Rhythm released their debut self-titled album to rabid acclaim, they have since followed that up with a number of tours and singles released through Isolated Now Waves, Gilgongo and Folktale.
 
Now the band return with their "Yo No Soy Como TĂş" EP, featuring new members and new instrumentation, but with the same joyous and chaotic intensity that has long been the band's signature. This new five song record for Upset The Rhythm (and Gilgongo in the US) rapidly shifts between catchy melodies and jarring atonality, creating a sound that is simultaneously chaotic and controlled. Happy and angry, beautiful and abrasive. 
 

 
 
Thanks for reading and as always listening! We’d also like to take this opportunity to wish Kathleen Hanna a swift recovery, more news on The Julie Ruin’s postponed show soon I hope.
Have a brilliant weekend!
UPSET THE RHYTHM

 
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\\\\\  UPSET THE RHYTHM   /////
/////  UPCOMING    SHOWS   \\\\\

THE JULIE RUIN
Thursday 22 May
Tufnell Park Dome, 2 Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, NW5 1HL
* POSTPONED DUE TO ILLNESS *
 
CHAIN & THE GANG
COMET GAIN
ACTUAL CRIMES
Friday 30 May
Tufnell Park Dome, 2 Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, NW5 1HL
8pm | £11 | TICKETS
 
SHANNON & THE CLAMS
JOEY FOURR
WITCHING WAVES
Wednesday 4 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £9 | TICKETS
 
DANIEL BACHMAN
RYLEY WALKER
WILLIAM REES
Thursday 5 June
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £7 | TICKETS
 
POW!
GARY WAR
SOFT DRINKS
Monday 9 June
Dalston Victoria, 451 Queensbridge Road, Dalston, London, E8 3AS
8pm | £6 | TICKETS

THE PHEROMOANS
\\\ Hearts Of Gold /// Album Launch
KEEL HER
SAUNA YOUTH
TOM JAMES SCOTT
EMOTIONAL
HALO HALO DJs
Friday 13 June
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, E2 6NB
8pm | £5 | TICKETS
 
BRENDAN FOWLER (BARR)
ASHLEY PAUL
ALEX CAMERON
Sunday 15 June
Power Lunches, 446 Kingsland road, Dalston, E8 4AE
6pm | £6 | TICKETS
 
NATURAL SNOW BUILDINGS
BEN NASH
STEREOCILIA
Monday 23 June
Café OTO, 22 Ashwin Street, Dalston, E8 3DL
8pm | £8 | TICKETS
 
GUARDIAN ALIEN
(Thrill Jockey)
Tuesday 8 July
Power Lunches, 446 Kingsland Road, Dalston, E8 4AE
8pm | £6 | TICKETS
 
SLEAFORD MODS
THE LOWEST FORM
MARK WYNN
Friday 18 July
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £6 | SOLD OUT
 
PROTOMARTYR
Tuesday 19 August
The Lexington, 96-98 Pentonville Rd, Angel, N1 9JB
8pm | £6 | TICKETS
 
JACK OBLIVIAN
STRAIGHT ARROWS
THE SHEIKS
Sunday 31 August
Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club, 44 Pollard Row, Bethnal Green, E2 6NB
7.30pm | £8 | TICKETS

FUTURE ISLANDS
Thursday 6 November
O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Shepherd’s Bush Green, W12 8TT
7pm | £15 | WEGOTTICKETS

Wednesday 21 May 2014

NEW VIDEO - Ed Schrader's Music Beat - 'Laughing'

Ed Schrader's Music Beat - "Laughing" Video from stereogum on Vimeo.

The perils of online dating when you habitually wearing a bondage mask!
'Laughing' was directed by Dylan Going and taken from Ed Schrader's Music Beat's new album 'Party Jail' out now through Upset The Rhythm. ESMB are currently touring Europe with Future Islands too, here's the remaining dates.



EUROPEAN TOUR DATES!

May 21 - St. Gallen, SUI @ Palace
May 22 - Luzern, SUI @ Sudpol
May 23 - Offenbach, DE @ Hafen 2
May 25 - Koln, DE @ Gebaude 9
May 26 - Munchen, DE @ Feierwerk
May 28 - Wien, AUT @ Flex
May 29 - Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
May 30 - Mannheim, DE @ Maifeld Derby Festival
May 31 - Neustrelitz, DE @ Immergut Festival
June 3 - Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
June 4 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
June 5 - Liverpool, UK @ The Kazimier
June 7 - Brighton, UK @ Concorde 2

Tuesday 20 May 2014

'Hearts Of Gold' record launches!

There's going to be two record launches for The Pheromoans' new LP 'Hearts Of Gold' next month!!!
LONDON and BRIGHTON
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Friday 9 May 2014

Ed Schrader's Music Beat - "Pink Moons"




Here's a new track from Ed Schrader's Music Beat called 'Pink Moons', taken from their forthcoming album 'Party Jail' out on Upset The Rhythm on May 19th! Thanks to The Quietus for premiering it!


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