XPN Welcomes
The Front Bottoms
Mansions
The Danger O's
Wed, January 25, 2012
Doors: 7:00 pm / Show: 8:00 pm
The Note$8.00 - $10.00
Tickets
This event is all ages
http://www.thenotewc.com/event/76349/
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The Front Bottoms
What can we say about The Front Bottoms? We know we love them: a punk band that uses acoustic guitar, indie-rock dance grooves, Springsteen-y keyboard lines (this they might deny). It’s hook-filled… it’s anthemic… it’s confessional. Maybe Joni Mitchell by way of Green Day? They must have heard some Replacements along the way, and it seems like what Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers did for the Boston suburbs these guys are doing for Bergen County, NJ. But they still leave us scratching our heads. Just what the hell have the Front Bottoms alchemized?
With the wonders of the internet and their obsessive gigging, they are now known from New Jersey to…Spain (?) where director Pablo Nieto found them online and asked to create a video for “Maps.” The video features Williamsburg, a farm (where Mathew sometimes works), and that aforementioned Econoline as well as some “loveable” hand puppets. Word of mouth and great reviews has them fielding calls from promoters all over the tri-state area.
New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger called them “one of the leading lights of the New Jersey pop underground. The group’s amalgam of punk, guitar-folk, lo-fi experimentalism, imagist-inspired poetry (drawing heavily on Sella’s upbringing in the Jersey suburbs) and playful humor (that betrays the singer’s youth) has caught discriminating ears on both sides of the Hudson.”
With the wonders of the internet and their obsessive gigging, they are now known from New Jersey to…Spain (?) where director Pablo Nieto found them online and asked to create a video for “Maps.” The video features Williamsburg, a farm (where Mathew sometimes works), and that aforementioned Econoline as well as some “loveable” hand puppets. Word of mouth and great reviews has them fielding calls from promoters all over the tri-state area.
New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger called them “one of the leading lights of the New Jersey pop underground. The group’s amalgam of punk, guitar-folk, lo-fi experimentalism, imagist-inspired poetry (drawing heavily on Sella’s upbringing in the Jersey suburbs) and playful humor (that betrays the singer’s youth) has caught discriminating ears on both sides of the Hudson.”
Mansions
Christopher Browder knows he isn’t perfect. He knows he has flaws, similar to those most adolescents secretly carry in their pocket, and the way he reviews his bottled emotions is what drives the American songwriter’s second album. He isn’t the type to croon or break out into a guitar solo that etches out his blues with every pick. He’s a lyricist, one that uses the frailty in his voice to connect with a listener’s youthful character. On a level or two, Dig Up The Dead is a reflection of Brand New’s The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me and Taking Back Sunday’s Tell All Your Friends, where well-crafted rants have you relating every line to your own life story before cascading into an assault of bold alternative riffs (“Blackest Sky”, “Dig Up The Dead”).
What differentiates Browder from the grandiose is his taste. Whereas Dig Up The Dead has a seamless flow and pushes to be empowering, it strips down to reveal a mix of dark, broody fuzz rock jams.”Close That Door” is cathartic with it’s honesty, while “Seven Years” is a raw piece of work displaying the creative backbone that binds the record. “If I find that wormhole then I’ll take it back,” Browder laments at the halfway point, before a build-up channels inner angst and the worst kind of heartbreak that’s hard to unshake after a few listens.
What differentiates Browder from the grandiose is his taste. Whereas Dig Up The Dead has a seamless flow and pushes to be empowering, it strips down to reveal a mix of dark, broody fuzz rock jams.”Close That Door” is cathartic with it’s honesty, while “Seven Years” is a raw piece of work displaying the creative backbone that binds the record. “If I find that wormhole then I’ll take it back,” Browder laments at the halfway point, before a build-up channels inner angst and the worst kind of heartbreak that’s hard to unshake after a few listens.
The Danger O's
The Danger O’s almost died. In the fall of 2010, after releasing two EPs and a full length on Creep Records, the Danger O’s (Justin Johnson - bass and vocals, Abe Koffenberger - guitar, Nick Palmer - drums), frustrated with stagnation, decided to take an indefinite break from being a band. Almost immediately, fate stepped in and the band was offered to play at SXSW in Austin, Texas in 2011. The flame was rekindled and the band entered its most fruitful and most collaborative songwriting period ever, resulting in the new full length, The Danger O’s Play Their Hits. At 18 songs, and clocking in at 34 minutes, the record genre-bounces between 60’s pop and psychedelia, 70’s punk, shoegaze, lo-fi, and classic alternative rock. The band is more comfortable than ever worshiping their rock heroes, and you can hear the influence of the Pixies, Elvis Costello, Guided by Voices, the Velvet Underground, the Ramones and many more throughout “Play Their Hits.” For the first time, the Danger O’s recorded, produced, and mixed the entire record, and their inexperience and limited resources give the record a lo-fi charm.
In near death, comes rebirth. With new life blood coursing through their veins, and fresh ambition, the Danger O’s plan to “Play Their Hits” to any and all who wish to hear. Along with a whole new attitude and new songs, the addition of new live performers promises to add a powerful layer to an already booming three piece. The future cannot be foretold, but the Danger O’s are ready for whatever it holds.
In near death, comes rebirth. With new life blood coursing through their veins, and fresh ambition, the Danger O’s plan to “Play Their Hits” to any and all who wish to hear. Along with a whole new attitude and new songs, the addition of new live performers promises to add a powerful layer to an already booming three piece. The future cannot be foretold, but the Danger O’s are ready for whatever it holds.
Sponsored by: XPN Welcomes
