THE BATHYSPHERE

The Semester in Photos: Spring 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:00:00 +0000

elcome to the photo retrospective of the busiest semester in Bathysphere history. In the last four months we released a statewide compilation album, we exchanged heated words with local press, we put on a statewide music festival, we publicly lambasted said local press, we made new friends, we made new enemies, we laughed, we made other people cry, and in between we reviewed more than twenty shows and twice as many albums ("erratic" my consciously swear-aversive posterior). Here's one last look at the semester that was:

(click to enlarge)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Mojo's, 01/28/09 (Review)
Photo by Zach Noland

Darryl "DMC" McDaniels
Jesse Auditorium, 03/05/09 (Review)
Photo by Kiernan Maletsky

Cpt. Captain
Eastside Tavern, 03/13/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Pomegranates
Mojo's, 03/15/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Handsome Furs
Mojo's, 03/17/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Nonreturner
The Blue Note, 03/19/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Burger Kingdom
Mojo's, 04/01/09 (Review)
Photo by Zach Noland

The Tanks
Cafe Berlin, 04/14/09 (Review)
Photo by Zach Noland

Burger Kingdom
Cafe Berlin, 04/14/09 (Review)
Photo by Zach Noland

Bright Young Things
12:51, 04/16/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Dinosaur Jr
George's Majestic, 04/17/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Ptarmigan
The Blue Note, 05/02/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Ptarmigan
The Blue Note, 05/02/09 (Review)
Photo by Meghan Sundermeier

Ponytail
The Jackpot Saloon, 05/04/09 (Review)
Photo by Carrie Wade

The Dears
Mojo's, 05/14/09 (Review)
Photo by Zach Noland

Click the photo

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 15:30:00 +0000

The Dears/Eulogies @ Mojo's, 05/14/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Eulogies

(Via a slide projector positioned at the front of the stage)

The Dears

It's the setlist.

[photos by Zach Noland]

Vivian Girls/Ponytail @ The Jackpot Saloon, 05/04/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Wed, 06 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Vivian Girls

Ponytail

Stephen from Burger Kingdom begs Vivian Girls to take his band's demo. -Ed.

JK. Setlist + sweet autographs. -Ed.

[photos by Carrie Wade]

Dan Deacon @ The Pistol Social Club, 05/01/09

noreply@blogger.com (Kiernan) — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

I’m so cool I showed up at 9 o’clock pm for a show where the openers didn’t go on until 12:30am. Oh, I waited, and so did everyone else But once Dan Deacon finally stepped up to his magic table around 2:45am, he did not disappoint.

Like any good pagan ceremony, Dan Deacon’s show featured dancing of the most uninhibited forms, skulls, the consumption of special liquids (it was like an obscure beer party) and outlandish attire (spotted: an ewok, a catcher’s mask, 1980s prom dress and Technicolor kente cloth tights). Yes, the tragically hip of Kansas City and surrounding areas gathered for a night of vivid spectacle on this May Day.

An inescapable dance pit posed some dangers for anyone with glasses or anything in their pockets. One poor gal came away with a black eye, and I nearly lost my glasses in the tangle of flailing hands and bodies. The Spiderman of the Rings understands everyone’s need to breathe, and he frequently encouraged table crowders to back off. Also, I really hope the guys who have to hold the table are paid well; that looks like a rough job.

Dan Deacon is not just there to be seen. He wants to make sure everyone has a fantastic time, even if it's 3am and drunken bodies line the walls, slumped over and incapable of moving. At one point he instructed all to form a dance circle, which started with two people in the middle and accumulated into a mass. His next trick was to form a giant circle from which he selected a shirtless Russell Brand-ish fellow to run around giving high fives and selecting more to join until all ran around in a circle. There was stumbling, changes in direction, skipping, and it inevitably turned back into a dance pit. A few songs later, he instructed everyone to form a human tunnel leading out onto the street and when everyone cleared out of the room (which they didn’t do) to run back inside.

As for the setlist it’s hard to keep track when there’s a giant green skull flashing. I know he started with "Get Older," then played "Padding Ghost" after that. Somewhere in the mix came "Woof Woof," "Baltihorse," and "Snookered." I hoped for a shouting chorus of "Wham City," and perhaps "Ohio," but neither happened. However, the 26 cents I made in loose change compensated.

[photo and review by Carrie Wade]

Ptarmigan @ The Blue Note, 05/02/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:00:00 +0000

(click to enlarge)

[photos by Meghan Sundermeier]

Album Review: Crocodiles - Summer of Hate

noreply@blogger.com (Ziman) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:34:00 +0000

Crocodiles
Summer of Hate
Fat Possum, 2009

The name of this band and that grainy headshot on the cover make you think dirty, underground New York-style punk/somebody getting punched in the face. These artsy crocs are far from ornery, however, and it’s more No Age/Women noise-revival for the hipster set. Which isn’t to say it’s not listenable, but sometimes you want a band with this image to just go Full Retard. Crocodiles are delicate and precious through most of the first two-thirds until a jolt of industrial white noise gives way to “Sleeping With the Lord,” which if it isn’t a cover of Spiritualized’s dreamy “You Know It’s True,” it’s at least a very faithful retelling. The only track that demands repeat listens is the energetic title one, which finally takes the shackles off the cymbals and swells for a blissfully chaotic final minute. This band is named for a vicious predator and there’s a song called “I Wanna Kill,” so next time hows about we go ahead and do it.

[Michael Ziman]

TONIGHT: Boo and Boo Too/Burger Kingdom/Jerusalem and the Starbaskets @ Mojo's

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 16:00:00 +0000

Boo and Boo Too on MySpace >>
Burger Kingdom on MySpace >>
Jerusalem and the Starbaskets on MySpace >>

Album Review: Ptarmigan - Our Ancient Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Ziman) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Ptarmigan
Our Ancient Friends
Self-released, 2009

Ptarmigan concern themselves with epochs more than epics, but on this tightly-bound concept album there’s plenty of both. We’re talking geology here so let’s give it a shot: Our Ancient Friends is sedimentary but never sedentary. Igneous but also ingenious. Post-rock songs about pre-rocks. Somebody stop me. Songs churn and shake abruptly, as if laid out on some volatile fault line, but Ptarmigan handle their many transitions masterfully. “Valley of Some Sort” is aptly named and aptly placed on the album, as that song’s high-register bassline climbs to the plateau that is the album’s second half. The influences are there - “Thylacine” is pure G!YBE, the megaphone vocals on “Le ‘Ospital” point to Menomena - but it manages to sound modern without being trendy. The true standout is “Interloper,” a closer in the vein of Broken Social Scene’s more ambitious compositions, jazzy interludes to boot. When the next ice age hits, you’ve got your go-to soundtrack. Rock on.

[Michael Ziman]

Album Review: Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

noreply@blogger.com (Kiernan) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Camera Obscura
My Maudlin Career

4AD, 2009
It may be some matter of coincidence that I just purchased Ghost World: Special Edition on a whim in order to reward myself for the completion of a rather cumbersome thesis paper. Before I settled down to enjoy my acquisition I needed the perfect music to accompany my indulgence. The first thing that came to mind: Camera Obscura. And how delighted I am that they released a new album, My Maudlin Career!

Place all worries aside: One need not a $40 edition of a Daniel Clowes graphic novel to enjoy this album, though it does seem to enhance the experience. The combination of music sung by kooky bookish chicks, one bespectacled, one not and a graphic novel about kooky bookish chicks, one bespectacled, one not works so well, though. And both hold a great deal of resonance with me, a bespectacled kooky bookish chick.

Even without Enid and Rebecca as my listening buddies, this album stands up well. My Maudlin Career is full of songs with cynical views on romance without being angry or depressing. Lyricism strays away from cliché romantic regret with a title track that begins, “You kissed me on the forehead/now that kiss is giving me a concussion.” But even the cynicism remains subtle under charming musical arrangements and singing. I truly love how Camera Obscura borrows the musical stylings of sixties girl pop and turns the expected saccharine lyrics in the opposite direction. This album is smart, charming, and strong from start to finish.

You don’t have to be a kooky bookish chick - bespectacled or not - to enjoy My Maudlin Career (though it certainly doesn’t hurt).

[Carrie Wade]

French Kicks @ Mojo's, 4/20/09

noreply@blogger.com (Kiernan) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

What’s the matter – everyone too high to come see the New York Scenesters on the Emo label play some amiable post-punk?

The tallest band I have ever seen played a “let’s just do this” show for the twenty people left in the bar. They whipped out the Plan B set list, which, according to drummer Aaron Thurston, featured several songs being played for the first time on this tour. I have to think one of those was a cover of Linsdey Buckingham’s “Trouble,” since I doubt that goes over as a set closer during a more engaged performance. Lucky for us, I guess – with the exception of a song someone who actually listens to this band tells me is called “Atlanta,” Mr. Buckingham’s single was the highlight of the set.

What else? Almost no banter with the crowd, an ending no one saw coming (I don’t mean there was some big surprise. It just came without warning and happened very suddenly is all.) and no encore. Oh and locals Capybara, which features members of the defunct Dadbot and comes to you via New Mexico via Brooklyn/Portland via Columbia, also played. You can go ahead and download their album here if you're so inclined.

[photos and review by Kiernan Maletsky]

Ptarmigan @ The Blue Fugue, 4/18/09 (Album Release Show)

noreply@blogger.com (Ziman) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The fellas in Ptarmigan are just like me - they fret over tests, they study abroad in the UK, they tweet. We are, in theory, collegiate peers. Brotherhood. Except, as Saturday’s album release show reinforced, the fellas in Ptarmigan are really nothing like me. They are sincere in conversation, earnest and unironic in performance - they clearly love what they do and seem to love that Columbia is the place in which they’re doing it. That is why a throng of transcendently attractive women follow them around everywhere. Like I said, they are unlike me, the bastards.

I won’t discuss the imperfections of the Blue Fugue as a music venue (“We were born here,” thanked Peter). Just know that a lot of unusable photography went into the making of this review. In some ways the acoustics helped out, like making the verses of “Hydroelectic Power Commission: Fear Holds Us Back” extra crunchy, but a lot of guitar subtleties were washed out. But that’s nitpicky. This wasn’t a typical show so much as it was an exaltation, and the partygoers were happy to sing along and down their free shot with a purchase of Our Ancient Friends (review forthcoming).

Ptarmigan songs are about animals, landscapes, abstract minutia - but their stage mannerisms belie their post-rock leanings. They’ve got rock 'n' roll moves. Evan cuts loose as if the guitar is a toaster and the stage his shower, and Peter is apt to slip into a zone only a man with such prodigious facial hair can truly know. Ted, steady and precise, at one point had his ubiquitous Cardinals cap swiped and seemed truly embarrassed by the whole ordeal, an aw-shucks reminder that this is still a small community band.

You never know what’s going to become of bands like Ptarmigan, formed in college, hitting their stride shortly before they’re scheduled to get out. Closing the show with “Metronome” (“A song featured on our next album!” gushed Peter) made this feel like anything but a farewell event, and one can only hope that this town can actually propel a promising artist’s career forward. If not, where would all the good-looking women go? Certainly not my place.

[review by Michael Ziman; photos by Kiernan Maletsky]

Dinosaur Jr @ George's Majestic, 04/17/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Because we spent about twenty minutes waiting in line outside the venue as the door crew took urine samples or whatever, we didn't make it inside until halfway through opener Dead Confederate's set. We did make it in time to learn that they're from Athens, Georgia - which explains the completely riveting accents and the recurrent slide guitar - and to hear the pretty epic Sonic Youth cover with which they closed their set. Guess which one they played. You'll never guess: "Theresa's Sound World" from Dirty. It was note-for-note, but the moment was just right given the history between Sonic Youth and the Dinos.

Five roadies later, Murph, Lou Barlow, and J Mascis (in that order) plodded onto the extra-wide stage and started playing their instruments at extreme volumes.

Lou, who has apparently been delegated spokesman duties, manned the mic for stage banter. He spent most of the time between songs mumbling incoherently while J spaced out and jammed with Murph for a few bars. The vibe was "Let's just do this so they'll give us the bags with the dollar signs on them," but Lou was clearly looking to have some fun by perplexing and mildly patronizing the crowd at the Arkansas show (you know they chuckled when their agent emailed them the tour itinerary back in March).

The setlist was the typical mix of hits and new ones. Everyone knows they're going to hear "Freak Scene" by the end of the night, J's going to rock back and forth with his hair in his face and play some impressive but largely uninteresting solos, Lou's going to play some incredible bass and then say something lame that J will pretend not to hear, and Murph's going to be bald, self-serious, and possibly shirtless. So it seems that the real draw is the novelty of seeing the original lineup sharing the stage once again, defying the physics of antisocial behavior, incompatible personalities, and highly dysfunctional relationships for the sake of playing some really loud, really important music. And that's exactly what Fayetteville, Arkansas got.

During the final song of the main set, I finally decided to remove my 32-decible earplugs (the highest rating I could find) and experience the full brunt of Dinosaur's legendary noise. As soon as I so much as loosened the plugs it was clear that this was the loudest thing I had ever heard in my life. I endured the unbelievable assault for about five seconds before it was completely unbearable. In more flowery terms, it sounded like a symphony of a million buzz saws sawing through sheet metal inside my ear canal. It made A Place to Bury Strangers seem like a petty annoyance.

And in case there was still any tension between Lou and the rest of the band, I spent the last half of the show resisting the temptation to shout "Just gimme indie rock!" But when the band deferred to the crowd for the final song of the encore, I decided to give it a shot (props to the other guy yelling it a few rows back - great idea, right?). Lou sort of heard me since we were standing only a few feet apart, so they played "Just Like Heaven." So close.

Note: Not pictured below is J's special aging-rocker-setlist, which requires three sheets of contiguous paper to accommodate the massive type so that he doesn't have to squint or step outside of his two-foot-diameter circle of physical activity to see which song he's supposed to play next.

Dead Confederate

Slide git-tar.

Dinosaur Jr

J's nook.

One of at least two Wipers shirts J has been known to sport onstage.

You may notice that Lou's ears are covered in strips of lime green duct tape.

Murph's first act upon taking the stage was throwing the paper packaging from his drumsticks at the audience. He missed.

Setlist + one of Lou's picks. One of their roadies just handed it to Meghan.

Setlist
Tarpit
Been There
Back to Your Heart
I Don't Wanna Go There
Post
Little Fury Things
Out There
Feel the Pain
Crumble
The Wagon
Freak Scene
Forget the Swan
(encore)
???
Just Like Heaven (The Cure)

[photos by Meghan Sundermeier; review by Zach Noland]

Bright Young Things @ 12:51, 04/16/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:30:00 +0000

[photos by Meghan Sundermeier]

Album Review: Doves - Kingdom of Rust

noreply@blogger.com (Ziman) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Doves
Kingdom of Rust
EMI, 2009

First an aside: heck of a year for album covers, ain’t it? Between this, the new Gentleman Reg, Hazards of Love and Dark Was the Night, 2009 has had digital typesetters dingin’ their wings all over the joint. In any event, a new Doves album is out. Like the others, it absolutely aces atmosphere, deftly balances a foreboding sense of melancholy with euphoric payoffs - basically the whole musical plot of the title track - and produces memorable melodies in spite of Jimi Goodwin’s unflappably pedestrian note-hitting. If it’s an escalation of musical parody you want, then “Jetstream” is your Snow Patrol (repetitious build-ups, no a-ha moment), “10:03” is your “Violet Hill” (on account of the same melody) and “Compulsion” is your righteous Clash send-up. “Black and White Town” was a supernova of a track that pitied the rest of Some Cities, and while nothing here reaches that level, it’s a pretty great globular cluster overall. Reach for the stars, kids. You just might hit an amateurish astronomy metaphor.

[Michael Ziman]

The Hive Dwellers/Chain and the Gang @ The Black Sheep, 04/14/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Anyone who lives within 120 miles of Springfield, Illinois (this means you, St. Louis!) should be ashamed for not venturing there to pay homage to the co-founder of K records, father of all things wonderfully lo-fi and twee and all around good guy Calvin Johnson. He made stick figure cats punk rock for crying out loud!

Which is why it was so disheartening to see about 25 people at The Black Sheep (about 10 of whom were with the local opener, Seething Coast, and 3 of whom worked the venue). Perhaps we could blame the location of Springfield, Illinois. With a population of 111,000 it reminds me too much of my (slightly larger) hometown of Independence, MO where one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who does not think that the greatest musical acts of the 20th century include Boston, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lil Wayne, or Kenney Chesney.

Perhaps the fact that the show was on a Tuesday night affected the turnout. Voyagers from farther locations needed to be well rested for hump day, but the show ended around 10:30 pm, which granted enough time to return home and get to bed around midnight. I could even point a finger or two at the venue, the Black Sheep, which is the temperature of a meat locker and about three hardcore mosh pits away from crumbling. It’s also a straight edge joint: the only beverages available are bottled water and some canned fruit beverage, neither of which facilitate intoxication. Such places frequently struggle, but personally I don’t see any problem in this kind of place. Still, booking a show at one is no way to guarantee a turnout.

Despite the low turnout, the king of K put on an excellent show. With his latest backing band, The Hive Dwellers, he performed a set of entirely new material. The band works better with his bellowing baritone than the acoustic sets, from videos I've seen. At various points he put aside his powder pink guitar (with “you’re kind of amazing” written on the body) to play the melodica and jazz around with some maracas.

It was well worth the three-and a-half-hour drive (seven hours roundtrip) just to see this man dance. If YouTube videos are any indication of how he normally grooves, he nonchalantly noodled around the “stage” more than usual at the Black Sheep.

His merch table is like a K records mini-store, full of reasonably priced records and hand picked mix-tapes by Calvin. I purchased one of foreign-girl-pop from the 1960s, and while I paid he sang along to The Smiths ("Hand in Glove") playing over the PA between sets. It was an enchanting moment, one of many in the night that too many people missed out on.

[Ed: Come on, Bathysphere coverage area -- Let's support our aging legends. We need all the cool stuff we can get.]

Speculations on what Calvin Johnson may have been in a previous life based on how he dances:

- spaghetti noodle
- Morrissey
- Hula Hoop champion
- teeter-totter
- sex machine

Chain and the Gang

The Hive Dwellers

[photos and review by Carrie Wade]

Burger Kingdom/The Tanks @ Cafe Berlin, 04/14/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Battle of the covers: Iowa City opener The Tanks do Misfits ("Where Eagles Dare"), Burger Kingdom doubles up on Eno (help?) and another round of Cranberries - a climactic "Dreams" with a cappella refrain - after Saturday's brief masquerade.

BK's set was interrupted twice - first when guitarist Erik felt compelled to thank the crowd for coughing up donations and supporting "really cool stuff in this town," and second when he lost his glasses during a particularly frenetic "Belly of Stars." They wrapped with fan-fave "Ivory Pillows" and the aforementioned song from the You've Got Mail soundtrack before trashing the stage and passing the drums to willing audience members. If these dudes captured even half the energy and merry intensity of their live act on their forthcoming full-length Shugazi (June 1), we're all in for a treat.

It also bears mentioning that Burger Kingdom precursor Umbros was initially formed some six years ago for the express purpose of providing a local opener for The Tanks at since-defunct APOP Records in Columbia. Tanks for the memories...

The Tanks

Burger Kingdom

Bloody finger.

Bloody tambourine.

[photos and review by Zach Noland]

Album Review: Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Bill Callahan
Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle
Drag City, 2009

After the relative misstep of 2006's Woke on a Whaleheart, Bill Callahan has certainly found his footing. "Lush" is the word you should be seeing in every review. Nearly every song throws at least one good curveball though, whether it's a sniper-eyed swear or a heart-stopping turn of phrase. But Smog fans might remember that Bill used to throw entire songs low and outside rather than pinning the weight of each on a single heavy moment. Luckily these songs were crafted with such masterful hands that the subversive bits are just the wrinkles. His poetic touch is sharper and subtler than ever, for the first time seeming almost effortless rather than pored-over and dwelt-upon for countless nights. "All Thoughts Are Prey To Some Beast," an updated "Distance" (Dongs of Sevotion, 2001) with eagle metaphors, marks a staggering climax when Callahan's voice labors upward into a range not heard in thirteen years, and "Faith/Void," a clever nod to an old hardcore split LP and Callahan's best denouement since Sevotion's "Permanent Smile," closes the record with ten minutes of harrowing repetition broken by blindingly gorgeous crescendos. Mostly sustained brilliance and his best since side-A of A River Ain't Too Much to Love.

[Zach Noland]

Photos: The Bathtime Festival, 04/11/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:30:00 +0000

Thanks to the bands, the fans, Slackers, Eastside, the photographess, the Easter Bunny, Bruce Springsteen, Jesus. We won't be around to do this next year. Your move, Columbia.

Nonreturner

Bright Young Things

Prize Wolf

The Make Outs

Tops

Covering Bright Young Things, sort of formerly known as Pillow Talk.

Stephen plays tambourine for "Ivory Pillows," which is a Burger Kingdom song. Coincidentally, Stephen is in Burger Kingdom. Stephen is also about nine feet tall.

Sometimes you just gotta play "Born in the U.S.A." Only nine people on the stage at this point.

Carp hits the spot.

Ptarmigan

Cpt. Captain

Neil Diamond cover? Check.

Burger Kingdom

Cranberries cover? Check x3.

Falsetto harmony on "Dreams"? Check.

Chick from Lawrence does "Zombie" and owns the entire festival.

About half of the setlist.

He broke a drumstick five songs in and it stuck in the Pabst sign behind him.

Coward

[photos by Meghan Sundermeier]

Today (Saturday): The Bathtime Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 22:00:00 +0000

It's finally here. In only a few hours, we - The Bathysphere, nine local bands, and you - will make history at Slackers and Eastside Tavern with the first ever (and probably only) Bathtime Festival. We've distributed approximately 1000 fliers and posters, publicly debased ourselves in front of thousands of our classmates and neighbors, been mildly (mildly) harassed by police and religious fanatics, and endured the scorn and rejection of several local press outlets (here's looking at you, MANEATER, MOVE, VOX, and KCOU). But here we are with our very own music festival, featuring a lineup of nine hand-picked bands from the state of Missouri and the promise of mass attendance and possible fire code violations.

Let's get it right this time Columbia. Let's all get together and watch a massive amount of fantastic local music. Nothing like this will ever happen again if we don't.

The Bathtime Festival is today at 2:00pm at Slackers and Eastside and it's 100% FREE. RSVP on Facebook!

The Bathtime Festival Official Schedule of Bathtime Festivities
2:00 - Nonreturner
2:45 - Bright Young Things
3:30 - Prize Wolf
4:15 - The Make Outs
5:00 - Tops
5:45 - Ptarmigan
6:30 - Cpt. Captain
7:15 - Burger Kingdom
8:00 - Coward

Friday (Tomorrow): Bathtime at Speakers Circle

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

The Bathysphere is coming to your campus! If you go to the University of Missouri! And this of course excludes the many hours that we spend on "your" campus every day anyway! Just work with me here!

On Friday (tomorrow), assuming we get up earlier than your average fundamentalist sociopath, we'll be setting up an unwieldy tent (not pictured) right in the middle of Speakers Circle and handing out fliers for Saturday's Bathtime Festival. You know, that massive show we're putting on with nine bands and two venues and zero dollars admission that starts at 2:00pm at Slackers in downtown Columbia. That one.

We'll also be cranking Bathtime on repeat inside the tent. Sources say the tent will be "huge," so feel free to step inside and dry that ~~60%~~ 70% chance of rain off your Mizzou hoodie and flip-flops. Let's call it a listening party! Maybe we'll have hot chocolate! Who knows?

So come pick up a flier and marvel at the hours of delicate craft we poured into the posters we made for this thing. Each flier includes a free ticket to the Bathtime Festival! Yes, it is free anyway! They don't have to know that!

The Bathtime Festival Official Schedule of Bathtime Festivities
2:00 - Nonreturner
2:45 - Bright Young Things
3:30 - Prize Wolf
4:15 - The Make Outs
5:00 - Tops
5:45 - Ptarmigan
6:30 - Cpt. Captain
7:15 - Burger Kingdom
8:00 - Coward

The Bathtime Festival is on Saturday, April 11th at Slackers and Eastside and it's 100% free. RSVP on Facebook!

Bathtime Festival: The Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:01:00 +0000

You asked for it (some of you even Twittered for it), so here it is at last: The Bathtime Festival Official Schedule of Bathtime Festivities.

The Fest will commence at 2:00pm with Nonreturner on the Slackers stage and continue unabated exactly 45 minutes later on the Eastside stage with Bright Young Things. Six bands later, we'll wrap things up on the Slackers stage with local favorites and unofficial "best Columbia band" Coward at 8:00pm. The jury's still out on that one, but what better way to decide than by catching nine of 'em at one incredible festival in one day for zero dollars?

The Bathtime Festival Official Schedule of Bathtime Festivities
2:00 - Nonreturner
2:45 - Bright Young Things
3:30 - Prize Wolf
4:15 - The Make Outs
5:00 - Tops
5:45 - Ptarmigan
6:30 - Cpt. Captain
7:15 - Burger Kingdom
8:00 - Coward

Or if you prefer your schedules by venue:

Slackers
2:00 - Nonreturner
3:30 - Prize Wolf
5:00 - Tops
6:30 - Cpt. Captain
8:00 - Coward

Eastside
2:45 - Bright Young Things
4:15 - The Make Outs
5:45 - Ptarmigan
7:15 - Burger Kingdom

All times PM and subject to disaster. Bring a friend!

Cpt. Captain Song-Blogs (Slogs?) the Bathtime Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Columbia band and featured Bathtime contributors Cpt. Captain have vaulted into Web 2.0 history with the second installment in their ongoing "song blog" campaign with "Cpt. Captain @ Slackers on 11th the Song." As you might imagine, the song represents a musical announcement of the band's intention to play our much-hyped Bathtime Festival. Clocking in at a respectable 1:34, the tune covers all the relevant info - a show, Slackers, April, the 11th, free - all delivered in sing-song and pitch-shifted Elmo voice.

And that is how we get things done around here people. Why blog it when you can slog it?

Listen at Cpt. Captain on MySpace >>

Spidermums - "Over and Over, the Same Things"

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 12:00:00 +0000

In conjunction with the release of BATHTIME, our essential compilation of Missouri's most exciting young bands, we asked each of the featured bands to fill out a short profile to introduce themselves to the esteemed Bathysphere reader and BATHTIME listener. Today it's Kansas City's Spidermums, who were recently featured in Pitchfork's Forkcast but would probably rather you check out High Diving Ponies, their latest incarnation:

Hometown: Kansas City
Formed: January 2008
Broke-up: August 2008
Members: Justin Piatt (drums), Trevis Stewart (bass), James Capps (guitars, vocals), Josh Thomas (guitars, vocals, recording), Gaurav Bashyakarla (drums on Racket EP)
Label: Circleview, Chomp Womp
Beards: 1 beard, 1 fu manchu, 1 molester stache, 1 baby face
RIYL: Boo and Boo Too, Spoon, My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, Beatles
Pitchfork effect: 5.4355; Haven't played any shows since then, but there have been two articles written about the Pitchfork article, so it's a piece of press that is getting its own press; that's kind of a new thing.
Favorite Missouri band: Tough question. I'm going to have to go with The Pooches. They don't exist anymore, but they were awesome. RIYL Ween, for real.
Why you should support local music: I don't know that it matters whether a band is local or national. My answer is the same either way. If you like someone's music, you can make it easier on them to make more music by going to shows and buying merch. We, and most of our friends, record and release our own material, so the cost is low. But some things still cost money - your money can help us make more music.
Side projects/related bands: High Diving Ponies, The Girl is a Ghost, Bodisartha, Boo and Boo Too, Moonwatcherrr
Releases: Spidermums EP (March 2008), Straight-On Gaze EP (June 2008), Racket EP (January 2009)

Spidermums on MySpace >>
High Diving Ponies on MySpace >>

The Foundry Field Recordings/Jerusalem and the Starbaskets/Tops @ Mojo's, 04/04/09

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Tops

Jerusalem and the Starbaskets

It's the setlist.

The Foundry Field Recordings

[photos by Meghan Sundermeier and Zach Noland]