IHeartComix Pull Out All the Stops

When Franki and Travis of IHeartComix host Check Yo Ponytail, what would otherwise be a mere concert, becomes an all night event.

Instead of showing up to a club, watching the band you came to see and going home, IHeartComix creates an environment of ongoing activity. My trip to the ExPlx on Saturday night became an all night experience, absorbing multiple DJ sets and three amazing artists.

As you may know, there is something great happening right now in the Baltimore music scene, and after a session of dance music from DJ Franki Chan and DJ Paparazzi, the night was commenced by Wham City's own - Video Hippos. Earlier in the month RC brought you some new tracks from Video Hippos - here. Live, the duo didn't waste much time, cranking through their album UnBeast the Leash, while a series of home made films played on the foreground of the stage. Despite the band's somewhat primitive stage setup, they were able to conjure up enough sound to recreate the dense layering found on the LP.

Juiceboxxx is almost impossible to describe. While the mid-west, skinny, white rapper angle is somewhat played out these days, Juiceboxxx had some crazy heart. He didn't stop high jumping, fist waving or "Fuck" screaming until every person in the place was floored. If you ask me it was a great example of the 10% talent 90% heart rule for success. Do I love the raps - no, do I love Juiceboxxx - yes!

...and then it was time for the main event - Mr. Dan Deacon himself. With a quick count of twenty-five,"25's," the crazy, black bonfire of blips and beats began. RC is no stranger to Spiderman of the Rings, and couldn't wait to see the magic happen in real life.

The night included:

- a green skull strobe light, hoisted on a mic stand
-dance circle
-group sing-a-long with lyric sheets
-weird cult robes
-a creepy red light
-amazing music

Sound like a pretty rad night? It was - so don't miss Check Yo Ponytail every other Saturday at the ExPlx.

[mp3] Video Hippos - The List
[mp3] Dan Deacon - Trippy Green Skull

IHeartComix site | Video Hippos site | Juiceboxxx Myspace | Dan Deacon site

Video Hippos Unbeast the Leash

Predicting where the next influx of unique art will emerge is nothing more than a game of pin the tail on the donkey – the donkey in this case being a map of Earth. Like Omaha before it, Baltimore now finds itself struck by the blinding glow of the indie spotlight. In the spirit of past great artists, the collective Wham City formed to cultivate a fertile environment for music and art, and through it they have sown seeds embracing all things synthetic, peculiar and fun. Notable members of this musical community are Dan Deacon (read RC post), Ponytail, Ecstatic Sunshine and for our purposes today – Video Hippos.

Kevin and Jim are all that comprise Video Hippos, but after several times through Unbeast the Leash I’m convinced there is a genius, robot monster sitting in as the band’s third member. Unlike Dan Deacon’s quirky play of computer blips and swirled loops, Video Hippos execute a full fledged ground assault of sound, which varies from dense, distorted bass to subtle, echoed keyboard loops. "Toothsub" starts the album with a haunting drone reminiscent of William Basinski's Disintegration Loops; however, the fragile loop suddenly grows legs and sprints into a straight shot of percussion and buried vocals. Many of the album's tracks take off and never look back - at times stopping to rest or change pace, but never revisiting past themes. "Sick Dolphin" exemplifies this idea of immediacy and brings up thoughts of Lightning Bolt.

The duo will be releasing Unbeast the Leash on June 12th, and have a extensive and lovely tour coming up with Dan Deacon.

[mp3] Video Hippos - The List
[mp3] Video Hippos - Kool Shades

Dates w/ Dan Deacon (click for full list of dates)

06/16/07 - ExPlx
06/18/07 - Pehrspace

| Myspace | Official Site | Monitor Records | More Mp3s |

Spiderman of the Rings

Man Man in Candyland? Batshit bubblegum-pop? Children’s songs for the hyperactively overgrown? Dan Deacon’s Spiderman of the Rings is as loudly bizarre as all of the above-mentioned descriptions of what could be the most headache inducing music to come out this year for listeners over the age of 55. But inversely, Dan Deacon has also made a sporadic mind job of an album for any willing to let go of their preconceived notions of psyche pop and revert to the cartoon craziness and decadent debacles that we all went through between the years of 2 and 12. Somewhere within that timeframe Mr. Deacon slipped and knocked his head, probably under the influence of a Ritalin reduced dance-a-thon with Woody Woodpecker laughing away at his awful accident. That nightmare of an incident has probably allowed Dan Deacon to dream in colors and spell in numeric equations that would soon enable him to construct songs under the influence of rainbow.

Yet it is Deacon’s ability to build upon the innocent and meager melody or drum line that proves to be his specialty. Just as we all piled bright building blocks sky high when we were five, Deacon builds upon simple chords and melodic scales until it rattles and rolls in its own instability. But its just that instability of tune and rhythm that keeps us listening, hypnotized before the soon to be demolished Jenga tower.

Basically, this stuff kills in its overpowering goodness and its ability to throw smiles at our faces. It has proven to be enough to turn our frowns upside down.

[mp3] Dan Deacon – Trippy Green Skull

| Official Site | Myspace | More mp3s | Buy Spiderman of the Rings |