The Cropper!

New Digs

2009-03-23T12:28:00.001-04:00

This is the archives page for TheCropper. Click here to get to the current Cropper post or to visit Team Clermont click here

We Landed On The Moon!

2008-12-09T17:06:00.002-05:00

Download: We Landed On The Moon! -- "Re: Your Letter"

We Landed on the Moon! brings you their second LP, These Little Wars, an album featuring beautiful and intimate female vocals, whirling synthesizers stacked on interlocking guitars, and danceable rhythms. In the vein of Velocity Girl or The Lemonheads, These Little Wars is a fresh take on 90's influenced rock.

Tour Dates!

12.8.08 - Tin Roof - Charleston, SC
12.9.08 - Reservoir - Chapel Hill, NC
12.10.08 - Dahlak - Washington D.C.
12.11.08 - Kenny's Castaways - New York, NY
12.12.08 - The Radio Bean - Burlington, VT
12.13.08 - Billy Baloney's - Danbury, CT
12.14.08 - Southpaw - Brooklyn, NY
12.16.08 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, Ontario
12.17.08 - The Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA
12.18.08 - Hi-Fi - Cleveland, OH
12.19.08 - Cowboy Monkey - Champaign, IL
01.3.09 - Atmosphere - Lafayette, LA
01.23.09 - The Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA

The Theater Fire

2008-11-25T17:30:00.002-05:00

Download: The Theater Fire -- "Swashbuckler Blues"

Download: The Theater Fire -- "Uncle Wayne"

The Theater Fire, a seven-piece, roots-influenced, indie-pop band from Texas draws on influences ranging from Bob Willis and George Jones to Will Oldham and Lambchop. The two singer songwriters, Don Feagin and Curtis Heath, have a fondness for the old and the new. Their songs, combined with the creative talents of the rest of the band, are like a trip through the annals of music that is neither novelty nor derivative. Their most recent LP Matter and Light is fantastic and available for purchase from the store at the band's website.

Jacob Jiles

2008-11-24T16:05:00.005-05:00

Download: Jacob Giles -- "Fate"

Download: Jacob Giles -- "She's Okay "

If Bill Withers were to pick up and perform from the Iron and Wine song book, the results would tread remarkably close to Jacob Jiles debut, Goodbye Songs. Jiles' songs focus closely on the blink-and-you-miss-it intricacies of life that most of us can't ever clearly pinpoint, but also can never get out of our head. The record is out now on iTunes via Shark Meat Records.

Proud Simon

2008-11-21T13:18:00.003-05:00

Download: Proud Simon -- "Tar Washed Ashore"

Download: Proud Simon -- "Union Chains "

Proud Simon's newest record is an ambitious two-act whirlwind of cinematic Americana-tinged indie rock. The two sides of the record tell the story of a single summer's night, the first a testament to workaday hope, anticipation, and revelry, and the second a descent into the darkness, where good intentions find endless obsessions and temptations endure.

The Rockwells

2008-11-19T17:22:00.003-05:00

Download: The Rockwells -- "Microkorg"

Download: The Rockwells -- "The Quarterback"

Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, The Rockwells is made up of two sets of of brothers: Fred and Jonathan Kelly, and Tommy and Trace Bateman. Place & Time was recorded entirely by The Rockwells in both Knoxville and Memphis, Tennessee. More than half a dozen locations were used, including various houses, a cabin, and local rock club The Pilot Light. Place & Time is releasing on Migrate Records on December 2, 2008!

Arliss Parker

2008-11-17T14:02:00.004-05:00

Download: Arliss Parker -- "Taken To Antrim"

Arliss Parker evolved as the solo project of Chris Parker in 2006. Chris moved from Colorado to New York in the fall of '06 with an arsenal of musical ideas. He converted an abandoned dark room into a recording studio and started adding all kinds of sounds to his acoustic guitar compositions. Toy keyboards, glockenspiels, random percussive instruments and electronic tones found their way into the mix and Arliss Parker was born. Keep your eyes peeled for Handsome Like A Lion, which will be available via DAG! Records.

Chop Chop

2008-11-11T17:30:00.002-05:00

Download: Chop Chop -- "C Train David"

Download: Chop Chop -- "Northern Armies"

Los Angeles group Chop Chop release their latest album, Screens, today via Archenemy Records. These songs combine pop, rock, and electronica, with influences ranging from the 1930s to the Bee Gees to Run DMC. Quaintly analog instruments like the French horn, keymonica, and toy Zylophone have been tossed into the mix alongside cranky, craggy digital synthesizers and electric guitars, comparing the unintentional quirks of live sound and the consciously manipulated quirks of digital midi sound.

Tour Dates:
11.12.08 - Eugene, OR - Sam Bond's
11.13.08 - Seattle, WA - High Dive
11.14.08 - Olympia, WA - Le Voyeur
11.15.08 - Portland, OR - Tonic
11.17.08 - Oakland, CA - Mama Buzz

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo

2008-11-07T14:59:00.003-05:00

Download: Brent Amaker and the Rodeo -- "When Love Gets To A Man"

Download: Brent Amaker and the Rodeo -- "Girls Are Good For Lots Of Things"
The intercontinental cowboys in Brent Amaker and the Rodeo are on a
mission to spread their brand of country music to the world, and
they're getting around. Dressed in black from hat to boots, the men
of the Rodeo have been racking up the miles in 2007 and 2008, playing
club and festival dates, and making radio appearances across the US
and Canada, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Great Britain. The Rodeo's
latest record, Howdy Do!, is hitting the streets on November 18th!

Live Rodeo Action:
11.07.08 - Portland, OR @ Slabtown
11.08.08 - Boise, ID @ Neurolux
11.11.08 - Long Beach, CA @ Pike Restaurant & Bar
11.12.08 - Las Vegas, NV @ DIVE BAR
11.13.08 - Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina
11.14.08 - Wichita Falls, Texas @ The Iron Horse Pub
11.15.08 - KAOS Radio appearance in Austin, TX / Smooth & Demented
11.15.08 - Austin, TX @ Headhunters Club
11.16.08 - San Antonio - "Sunday Sounds" backyard BBQ show
11.17.08 - Fayetteville, AR @ May Apple
11.18.08 - Oklahoma City, OK Radio 100.5FM Ferris O’Brien.
11.18.08 - Oklahoma City, OK @ hi-Lo Club
11.20.08 - Denver, CO @ Benders Tavern
11.21.08 - Durango, CO @ The Summit
11.22.08 - Flagstaff, AZ @ Monte Vista Hotel
11.24.08 - Santa Cruz @ The Crepe Place
11.25.08 - Bend, OR @ the Annex (above Midtown Music Hall)
12.13.08 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset TavernBrent Amaker and the Rodeo Christmas Party
01.09.09 - Snoqualmie, WA @ The Summit Ski Area

Dancer Vs. Politician

2008-11-04T16:59:00.005-05:00

Download: Dancer Vs. Politician -- "Mach Dich Los"

Download: Dancer Vs. Politician -- "Justin Fairborn"

Dancer Vs. Politician is the musical project of German native Sanni Baumgaertner. She moved to Athens, Georgia in the late 90s, where she started performing in different bands around the Southeast. She plays accordion, guitar, and musical saw. Her lyrics are in German and English. Idolator says, "A City Half-Lost is airy and delicate—a chiming glockenspiel here, a gentle push from an accordion there—-and Baumgaertner's half-English, half-German vocals transform words from both languages into giant, down-filled pillows, even when they're filled with the harshest consonants and glottals. Besides, the tagline on the band's MySpace page is "We love violas," and how can you disagree with that sentiment?"

Catch Dancer Vs Politician on tour:

11-06-08 - Greenville, SC @ The Bohemian
11-07-08 - Charlotte, NC @ The Evening Muse
11-08-08 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
11-09-08 - Philadelphia, PA @ The M Room
11-10-08 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Pool
11-12-08 - New York, NY @ Piano's
11-13-08 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
11-14-08 - Washington DC @ Electric Maid

Beaten By Them

2008-10-30T12:58:00.002-04:00

Download: Beaten By Them -- "The Asiatic Capital Vista"

Multinational band, Beaten By Them will release their latest album, Signs Of Life, this November 11th on Logic Pole via Thrill Jockey. When Andrew Harris and Max McCormick decided to move from San Francisco back to their home country of Australia at the end of 2006, it seemed they were sounding the death knell for Beaten by Them, the fledgling band they had spawned just a year earlier. But before long the two guitarists were hatching plans to perform with their old band mates: cellist Boima Tucker, drummer Ulf Bjorkbom and bassist Lee Matheson. By mid-2007 Beaten by Them were on the road, making their first tour of the US West Coast. The dynamic, cinematic songs of, Signs of Life, represent the fruits of the band's labors.

Stream Signs of Life at Thrill Jockey

Absentee

2008-10-28T17:26:00.005-04:00

Download: Absentee -- "Bitchstealer"

Download: Absentee -- "They Do It These Days"

London-based Absentee returns with its new album, Victory Shorts, available in the United States of America on ol' election day, November 4th, 2008. The record sees release on Memphis Industries (current or former home to The Go! Team, The Pipettes, The Ruby Suns, and more). Tackling themes of premature marriage proposals, adultery, lost property, love, and broken crockery:

"Victory Shorts is an assured, confident, and quite often brilliant album by a band that is clearly influenced by the past but never falls prey to easy nostalgia." Tim Sendra - All Music Guide

Also, check out Blurt's debut of the video for "Boy, Did She Teach You Nothing" here.

Matthew and the Arrogant Sea

2008-10-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

Download: Matthew and the Arrogant Sea -- "Pretty Purple Top Hat"

Download: Matthew and the Arrogant Sea -- "Mock Origami"

Nova Posta Vinyl, the new record label formed by Bella Union recording artists Eric Pulido (of Midlake) and Robert Gomez, is pleased to announce its first release, Matthew and the Arrogant Sea, Family Family Family Meets The Magic Christian, available October 28th, 2008. This 14-song odyssey is filled with melodious gems that evoke the experimental natures of The Flaming Lips and Animal Collective perched upon harmonies reminiscent of The Beach Boys and Fleet Foxes. Matthew and the Arrogant Sea's Family Family Family Meets The Magic Christian is sure to make great waves this year and for many to come. Check them out live at the following:

Oct 25, 2008 - 3:00PM In Store @ Good Records - Dallas, Texas
Oct 25, 2008 - Dan’s Silverleaf - Denton, Texas
Oct 26, 2008 - Emos - Austin, Texas
Oct 30, 2008 - Fort Worth, Texas
Nov 02, 2008 - Spaceland - Los Angeles, California
Nov 04, 2008 - Kimo’s - San Fransisco, California
Nov 06, 2008 - The Empyrean - Spokane, Washington
Nov 07, 2008 - Chop Suey - Seattle, Washington
Nov 09, 2008 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, Utah
Nov 10, 2008 - Meadowlark - Denver, Colorado
Dec 20, 2008 - Dans Silverleaf - Denton, Texas

Ruby Isle on HaveYouHeard.net

2008-10-21T14:04:00.002-04:00

Check out the Ruby Isle... performance on HaveYouHeard.

Have You Heard Session (kind of): Ruby Isle from HaveYouHeard on Vimeo.

Simon Bookish

2008-10-20T13:50:00.000-04:00

Download: Simon Bookish -- "Dumb Terminal"

Download: Simon Bookish -- "Synchrotron"

An unpredictable and dramatic “big band song cycle about science and information”, Everything/ Everything, the 3rd album from Simon Bookish and his first worldwide release on Tomlab, represents a new departure for London-based composer Leo Chadburn. Though previous Simon Bookish releases have been informed by the sounds of digital synthesizers, Everything/Everything does away with them entirely to focus on live instruments.

Listing Ship

2008-10-14T14:54:00.000-04:00

Download: Listing Ship -- "Depression"

Download: Listing Ship -- "Voice of the Future"

Listing Ship invites you to explore A Hull Full Of Oil and Bone, their self-released, nautically-inspired, fourth full length album. This reinterpretation of the classic country song and folk ballad adds violins, violas, 10 string guitars, banjos, the vibraphone, and 3 part harmonies to craft songs of war, government corruption and love so moving even whale hunting seems relevant.

Founders Lyman Chaffee and Heather Lockie (known a decade ago as Leather Hyman) recruited Shawn Lockie, Julie Carpenter, Laura Steenberge, Michael Whitmore, and Kyle C. Kyle to collectively share the stage and tour Italy earlier this year. They have played with Low, Pedro the Lion, Lou Barlow, Imaad Wasif, DOS (Mike Watt, Kira Roessler) and Carla Bozulich (Geraldine Fibbers), and cite influences as diverse as Johnny Cash, the “presence of sun” and Abba for this record.

Ruby Isle

2008-10-09T14:42:00.004-04:00

Download: Ruby Isle -- "Hey Hey Hey (That Kids Okay)"

Exhibit #1: Ruby Dan Geller, Kindercore Records' CEO and founder of electro tag team, I am the World Trade Center, is one of America's few breakdancing DJs with a masters degree in Biological Engineering.

Exhibit #2: Ruby Aaron Lemay's spy themed punk outfit, "International Espionage" has been busted up by the cops at house shows and basement concerts from Redding, CA to Brooklyn, NYC.

Exhibit #3: Ruby Mark Mallman's 70s and 80s arena rock post-mortemism has earned him a silver star on the side of the biggest nightclub in Minneapolis, a world record, over 20 US tours, and a permanent hangover.

Ruby Isle stole their name from a 79 cent movie theater Mark and Dan used to frequent in their childhood home of Waukesha, Wisconsin. It was here where the two played a game of Chess, once a day for 90 days, and Mallman lost every time. After High school, they moved 1200 miles apart from each other.

Recorded in the basement of a church, then emailed to Geller's studio in Athens, GA for bass, beats and synths, Night Shot is a classic rock record dipped head first in a digital stew. The title track features guest vocals by internet "Chocolate Rain" pioneer, Tay Zonday. The LP also features a duet version of Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" with IATWTC's Amy Dykes.

Liz Durrett

2008-10-09T14:37:00.002-04:00

Download: Liz Durrett -- "Wild As Them"

Outside Our Gates represents a sonic leap forward for Liz Durrett. With Eric Bachmann on board, Durrett’s once spare, acoustic downbeats have been supplanted by a more textured and diverse orchestra of sounds. A virtual cornucopia of instruments are here, including (but not limited to) tiny nylon-string guitars, backwards electric feedback loops, pizzicato violins, plucky cellos, upright bass, wurlitzers, accordions, grand space pianos and marching drums. Bachmann’s score harmonizes these elements seamlessly to provide the perfect setting for Durrett’s near dream-state writings and softly unsettling voice. Additional performances by Vic Chesnutt, Brian Causey (Man or Astro-man?), Amanda Kapousouz (Tin Cup Phrophette) and members of Ham1.

New release date for Michael Zapruder + Tour dates

2008-10-03T11:07:00.004-04:00

San Francisco-based Michael Zapruder will return with his new album, Dragon Chinese Cocktail Horoscope, on its new release date of November 18th, 2008. The record will see release on Zapruder's new label home, Sidecho Records (home to Via Audio). Recorded with Scott Solter in two weeks of marathon day-and-night sessions, it's another beautiful record of sinuous melodies that straddles the line between classic songwriting and experimentalism.

Download: Michael Zapruder--"Ads for Feelings"

Tour Dates

10.02.08 - Montreal, Quebec - Pop Montreal - Balattou
10.14.08 - Bakersfield, CA - Sandrini's Bar
10.15.08 - St. George, UT - Electric Theater
10.16.08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
10.17.08 - Lawrence, KS - 8th Street Taproom
10.19.08 - Chicago, IL - Double Door
10.20.08 - Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
10.21.08 - New York, NY - CMJ, SideCho Showcase - Crash Mansion *
10.24.08 - New York, NY - CMJ, Ace of Clubs
10.25.08 - Washington DC - Dahlak
10.26.08 - Pittsburgh, PA - The Coyote
10.28.08 - Peoria, IL - Gorman's Pub
10.29.08 - St. Louis, MO - Cicero's
10.30.08 - Omaha, NE - Waiting Room ^
10.31.08 - Greeley, CO - Atlas Theater ^
11.01.08 - Colorado Springs, CO - Rocket Room ^
11.02.08 - Santa Fe, NM - Meow Wolf ^
11.03.08 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts ^
11.04.08 - Upland, CA - The Wire ^
11.05.08 - San Francisco, CA - CD RELEASE SHOW, Bottom Of The Hill ^
11.07.08 - Portland, OR - Roturre
11.09.08 - Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern ^

* with Via Audio and 1090 Club
^ with 1090 Club

Team Clermont Artists of the Week: Michael Knight & Soda Fountain Rag of Yesboyicecream Records

2008-09-16T17:35:00.008-04:00

Michael Knight is the musical universe of Irish pop contrarian Richard Murphy. I’m Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This is the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed but commercially ignored 2006 limited release debut Youth Is Wasted On The Young and continues his ongoing musical argument that Bach and Bacharach can make compelling bedfellows. A wryly-observed musical curio for the 21st Century, his latest LP, I’m Not Entirely Clear How I Ended Up Like This, is the only record you will hear this year that considers the 18th and 19th Centuries as valid as the 80s and 90s as sources for musical inspiration, with Mussorgsky & Beethoven alongside Magnetic Fields & The Monochrome Set.

Download: Michael Knight -- "Coronation Street"
Download: Michael Knight -- "When Will You Collect Your Boxes?"

Don't think 'twee', don't think 'emo' and never ever think 'tweemo'. Soda Fountain Rag is the true spirit of indiepop - uplifting, joyous music and sublimely subversive lyrics.

Soda Fountain Rag is 25 year-old subversive genius Ragnhild Hogstad Jordahl, a one-woman indie-pop phenomenon from Bergen in Norway. In 2007, Soda Fountain Rag released a number of sold-out DIY EPs in the US (Cloudberry Records) and Europe, introducing her unique take on 21st century pop. An anti-folk Nico fronting a garage Belle and Sebastian / YMCK hybrid, she established herself as the most compelling indie-pop heroine out there. As anyone who knows anything will know, this is the girl considered the most likely to get revenge in 2008. Her latest LP, It’s Rag Time, is releasing this Fall!

Download: Soda Fountain Rag -- "Angry Girl"
Download: Soda Fountain Rag -- " Don't Kill The Clowns"

Yesboyicecream Records

Don Chambers

2008-09-10T15:14:00.005-04:00

DOWNLOAD: Don Chambers + Goat -- "Highwater" (Feat. Patterson Hood)

Athens has a lot to brag about this fall, what with new releases by Dead Confederate, Liz Durrett, Ruby Isle, Dancer Vs. Politician and more. But the one that I would like to brag about today is the new Don Chambers + Goat album, Zebulon, out on WARM Electronic Recordings as of yesterday.

The actual recording process started in Berlin and then moved to Athens, where Patterson Hood of The Drive-By Truckers took the production over, and that kinship will continue as Don Chambers + Goat will head out on the road with The Drive-By Truckers, playing their first show together on 9/15 in Tuscaloosa. The tour will kick off this Friday at the Georgia Theater, right here in Athens.

Sep 12 - Georgia Theatre - Athens, GA
Sep 13 - Sky City - Augusta, GA
Sep 15 - BAMA Theatre - w/Drive-By Truckers - Tuscaloosa, AL
Sep 16 - The Bohemian - Greenville, SC
Sep 17 - Headliners - w/Drive-By Truckers - Columbia, SC
Sep 18 - Amos South - w/Drive-By Truckers - Charlotte, NC
Sep 19 - Norva - w/Drive-By Truckers - Norfolk, VA
Sep 27 - The Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA
Sep 29 - Varsity - w/Drive-By Truckers - Baton Rouge, LA
Sep 30 - Bottling Co. - w/Drive-By Truckers - Hattiesburg, MS
Oct 01 - The Lyric - w/Drive-By Truckers - Oxford, MS
Oct 02 - Mellow Mushroom - Tuscaloosa, AL
Oct 04 - The Rocket - Asheville, NC
Nov 15 - Zydeco - w/The Dexateens - Birmingham, AL

I am no real music critic, but the fine folks at Americana UK posted this lovely review Zebulon:

"If I asked you to name the most intense Americana acts, I’m fairly sure I’d hear mention of Johnny Dowd and 16 Horsepower - there’s usually an element of the Gothic about these performers, Southern Gothic that is, not kohl-eyed town centre mis-fits. Now add Don Chambers and Goat (a band rather than the close relative of the sheep) to the list. This is most definitely a Southern sound."

Read the rest of the review here.

PacificUV Tour Dates

2008-09-09T10:50:00.004-04:00

Portland, Oregon band PacificUV are heading out on a West coast tour this October in support of their latest release longplay 2, out on WARM Electronic Recordings.

10.11.08 - San Francisco, CA - Hotel Utah *^
10.13.08 - Sacramento, CA - Old Ironsides
10.14.08 - Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland =
10.16.08 - San Diego, CA - Beauty Bar *
10.17.08 - Tucson, AZ - Plush +
10.18.08 - Tempe, AZ - Phase 54 *#
10.19.08 - Albuquerque, NM - Atomic Cantina &
10.20.08 - Oklahoma City, OK - The Conservatory
10.21.08 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall @
10.23.08 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge $
10.24.08 - Salt Lake City, UT - Slowtrain Record Store (In-store)
10.25.08 - Missoula, MT - Badlander

* with Dream Tiger
^ with The Junior Panthers
# with The Myrrors
$ with Good Housekeeping and Sonnenblume
@ with Ample Branches and Actors and Actresses
& with Oktober People
+ with Von Iva
= with Melodyguild, Languis and Peter Piek

Dead Confederate!

2008-09-08T18:20:00.003-04:00

I first saw Dead Confederate in early 2007, and I remember it being a blur of smoke and guitars. If you were to ask me to point out on of the members in public, I wouldn't have been able to. Since that point I've seen them play countless times, and they keep getting more and more amazing. In the past year they've played pretty much every festival in the northern hemisphere, opened for R.E.M. at SXSW, and recorded an new album with Spoon producer Mike McCarthy in Austin. On October 10th, they'll be playing on Conan O'Brien, at which point everyone in the country will have a chance to see their entirely unique Southern-fried combination of Sonic Youth, Band of Horses and Nirvana. The new album, Wrecking Ball, is due out on September 16th from The Artists Organization.

Check out the video for "The Rat", recorded during Dead Confederate's live performance at KEXP:

Goldcure's "Portuguese Prince" Streets Today!

2008-08-26T13:18:00.010-04:00

Goldcure, a rising band in the Austin music scene, known for their polished, soaring anthems and captivating emotional rock, release its debut LP, Portuguese Prince, today on Sorin Records! Comprised of members Adam Buhrman, Craig Haskell, Gavin Inverso and John Allison, the band delivers a unique and original sound, while displaying a reverence for inspirations ranging from Wilco, Travis, and the Verve, and at times tapping into the earnestness of bands like U2 and the Beach Boys, however different those two might be.

Download: Goldcure -- "Make It Stop"
Download: Goldcure -- "Too Long"

"Guitars with the beatific shimmer of newer Echo & the Bunnymen, but dusted with a slight twang, mixed with jerky vocals reminiscent of a medicated David Byrne (or a less-husky Britt Daniel)." -- Riverfront Times

"...uplifting brand of alternative pop/rock takes influence from the Verve, U2, and the accessible side of Radiohead." -- All Music Guide

Read their exclusive interview with Scatter O 'Light here!

PS - The Jonas Brothers suck a fat one. I would rather slide down a banister of razor blades into a pool of alcohol than listen to those talentless pansies. That is all.

Loxsly

2008-08-11T17:40:00.002-04:00

Download: Loxsly -- "Lamprey Eels"

Austin band Loxsly's self-assured EP reminds us of power pop stalwarts like Spoon and Beulah, particularly the latter. It's clean, shiny pop gems with great hooks and a been-doing-this-forever kind of confidence. And it sure is catchy.