The Ruckus

The Ruckus Presents... Tonight!

2010-07-29T05:51:28-07:00

Just a quick reminder that we are running another night with our good friends at The Gallery cafe tonight, featuring The Telegrams and loads of other great bands. More details about the music can be found here but it is only £3 and it all kicks off at 7.30pm. Be there or miss out!

The Gallery Cafe Old Ford Road

Bethnal Green

London

£3 - 7.30pm start - great veggie and vegan food See you there!

Dancing Pigeons - Ritalin

2010-07-28T11:12:34-07:00

I love this flamethrower vs fire extinguisher battle royale, which comes our way via Laughing Squid (who note that the video "was shot almost entirely on a Phantom camera at 1000fps”). Super cool.

Big Tune: The Watson Twins: Human

2010-07-28T10:06:24-07:00

The Watson Twins are giving away the mellow, soulful b-side "Human" for free to celebrate their upcoming tour. Listen here then grab a copy for yourself in exchange for your e-mail address at TheWatsonTwins.com or in the widget below.

The Watson Twins - Human

The girls are also hand-painting a series of t-shirts available on tour, as seen in this video:

The Watson Twins : Merch Madness from LaundroMatinee on Vimeo.

Tour Dates

03 – San Francisco, CA – Café Du Nord – w/Ferraby Lionheart

05 – Portland, OR – Lola’s – w/Ferraby Lionheart

07 – Seattle, WA – The Triple Door – w/Ferraby Lionheart

08 – Spokane, WA -The Seaside – w/Ferraby Lionheart

10 – Salt Lake City, UT – State Room – w/Ferraby Lionheart

12 – Denver, CO – The Walnut Room – w/Ferraby Lionheart

13 – Colorado Springs, CO – The Loft – w/Ferraby Lionheart

14 – Fort Collins, CO – Everyday Joe’s Coffee House – w/Ferraby Lionheart

16 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room – w/Ferraby Lionheart

17 – Kansas City, MO – Crosstown Station – w/Ferraby Lionheart

19 – Evanston, IL – Space – w/Ferraby Lionheart

21 – Bayfield, WI – Big Top Chautauqua – w/Brandi Carlile

22 – Fish Creek, WI – Door Community Auditorium – w/Brandi Carlile

24 – Interlochen, MI – Interlochen Center For The Arts – w/Brandi Carlile

25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park – w/Brandi Carlile

27 – Ames, IA – Ames City Auditorium – w/Brandi Carlile

28 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Theater – w/Brandi Carlile

29 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair – w/Brandi Carlile

Watch this: Johnny Flynn - Barnacled Warship

2010-07-28T09:09:00-07:00

"Barnacled Warship" is the second single from Johnny Flynn's outstanding new album, Been Listening, and is one of my favourites. Directed by Christian DeVita, who has worked on the forthcoming Tim Burton movie Frankenweenie, this is one of the best videos I've seen in a long, long time. Go watch!

The single is released on 16 August via Transgressive Records. The vinyl edition comes with two poems specially recorded by Johnny for the release.

The UMS: Friday

2010-07-28T05:24:43-07:00

I'm so proud to live in a city with such an amazing, vibrant music scene. Denver doesn't exactly come to mind when people think of a booming music scene, but it absolutely is. Not only is the Mile High City a popular spot for national acts to hit, but there is a thriving community of local musicians that will blow your mind. I could easily fill my schedule with Colorado bands that I love alone. If you're not familiar with this, check out the Underground Music Showcase (UMS). Three hundred bands pack into twenty-five venues over four days to rock your world.

The UMS is a bit daunting, to me anyway. I spend more time than I probably should hopping from show to show without a festival environment. Thus is the blessing/curse of a "music journalist". I started out this year with a complex list, with highlighted acts, times, and locations that I had to see. The list of acts I missed is just as long, if not longer. Fitting in food, friends, shade, and even some sleep now and then narrows the list even more. Cameras and will-power in hand, I managed to see and hear quite a bit. Three days later (I only made a brief appearance on Thursday), I emerge bruised, battered, and exhausted but still very much in love with Denver and its sounds.

Speakeasy Tiger [full set]

I arrived around 6:00, just in time to catch a bit of Speakeasy Tiger's set. This band just got finished with a run on Warped Tour and I've been curious to see them for awhile now. They are very energetic and seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Le Divorce [full set]

I also popped into the Hi-Dive to catch a few songs of Le Divorce. This band had a Pixies-style indie-rock feel to them.

Danielle Ate the Sandwich [full set]

I had hoped to catch a bit of A Mouthful of Thunder at this point, but the stage was running behind, so I headed back up to see Danielle Ate the Sandwich. This was my first time seeing Danielle, despite being a fan of her music and her being a local musician. I always seem cursed to have a conflict with her shows. The set was marvelous- Danielle has a wicked sense of humor and the amazing musical skill to go with it.

Paper Bird [full set]

Across the lot, Paper Bird took over with their vintage, bandstand sound. This band is always a blast to see and manages to surprise me with the mix of players and styles.

Accordion Crimes [full set]

I also made it to a bit of the Accordion Crimes set down the block during this time block. This band is a bit harder than what I usually listen to, full of electricity and distortion.

John Common and The Blinding Flashes of Light [full set]

John Common and The Blinding Flashes of Light took the Goodwill parking lot stage next. The weather had finally cooled down to tolerable and this band was great.

Papa Bear [full set]

My next stop was for Papa Bear. I'd never even heard of this act before but loved, loved, loved it. The Irish Rover was packed with people (understandably) going crazy for the music. It was this passionate, folk-punk mix backed with horns from Paper Bird. I would've bought a CD if I could've found one. I'll be keeping watch for this band to play again.

Bad Weather California [full set]

I stayed at the Irish Rover for a few songs of Bad Weather California's set- another band that is always great then had to get in line at the Hi-Dive to make These United States.

These United States [full set]

It was a thousand degrees in the Hi-Dive, which was packed to capacity. I managed to get against the stage, all the while desperately hoping that I didn't faint. These United States rocked my world and woke me up. What an amazing band. I loved everything from the vocals to the incredible energy. Our own Amita just did a wonderful review of their new album that I hope you've seen.

Jessica Sonner [full set]

I had a nice walk to cool me down up to Sketch to close out my night with friend and favorite, Jessica Sonner. Jessica gave a darling performance that featured vocals from her friend Amy. It was great watching people filter into the bar, mesmerized by the set.

My Favorites: Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Papa Bear, These United States, Jessica Sonner.

Big Tune: Fake Problems: Soulless

2010-07-27T12:12:18-07:00

"Soulless" is full of energy and emotion; absolutely captivating and catching. This song is incredibly reafirming and sweet with lyrics like:

"I'll rearrange the room
the only thing I'll keep is you
I hope you'll realize
what you truly mean to me"

I'll be waiting eagerly to hear the entire album. Download the song for free in exchange for your e-mail address here or in the widget above.

Soulless

Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is out September 21st on SideOneDummy.

Big Tune: Arcade Fire - We Used To Wait

2010-07-27T07:29:10-07:00

I've been hearing this over and over on our beloved BBC 6 Music on a daily basis and I love it. How awesome do the keys sound? Pretty awesome. It's not hugely standout amongst music today but it's bloody Arcade Fire and this is incredibly polished Indie radio rock. How excited am I for the new album, The Suburbs released in the UK on August 2nd via Sonovox? I'd say fairly with a 'really really' thrown in for good measure.

Check it out below because I've not listened to a good piece of Indie music in a while.
Arcade Fire - We Used to Wait by the ruckus