When it was announced that indie darlings Clay Your Hands Say Yeah would be going on hiatus, fans clasped their hands and screamed no. Such breaks rarely bode well for a band’s future, and assurances from the group that the split would only be temporary did little to assuage concerns. Though the Brooklyn-based band’s future remains uncertain, fans can at least take comfort in following frontman Alec Ounsworth‘s new solo career. Continue reading
When The Paddle Boat first began to play shows in San Diego, no one knew quite what to make of them. Their hushed aesthetic tended to be too quiet for bars and their century-spanning influences too diverse for easy categorization, but the band nevertheless built a reputation as one of the city’s finest live acts. Seasoned performers though they might be, the band’s recorded output has until now been sparse, consisting of only the four songs from the self-titled EP they released earlier this year.
In its eleven brief minutes, the EP demonstrated that The Paddle Boat were able to flourish within the recorded idiom, utilizing savvy production to add dimension to their already rich sound. But it remained to be seen how the band would fare over the course of an entire album. Now, the group has released I Wonder if the Water Ever Tires of the Sea?, their full-length debut and the true test of whether The Paddle Boat can be as enthralling a recorded band as they are a live one. Continue reading
Jackson Milgaten gets a lot of press. Whether it be as co-founder of red-hot San Diego label Single Screen Records, his work promoting and booking shows under the Action Jackson Promotions moniker, or for his omnipresence in a slew of “side projects†that include Cuckoo Chaos, The Paddle Boat, and Maren Parusel’s backing band, a lot of metaphorical ink is spilled on Milgaten’s behalf. So much so, in fact, that it can be hard to remember that his main band, The Vision of a Dying World, is still around and kicking.
In case you do need a reminder, the band will be releasing a new EP, titled I Will Not Fear What I Don’t Understand, this Saturday at the Soda Bar. The songs were recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jackson’s equally busy brother/Vision guitarist Keith Milgaten (also of Black Mamba and Jamuel Saxon fame) and marks the band’s first release since 2007’s Skelephone Call From The Eastern Side. Here’s a little background on the EP from Jackson himself: Continue reading
San Diego’s Single Screen Records has just added German export Maren Parusel to its rapidly growing roster.
The former front-woman of Wild Weekend—which started as a The Zeros cover band but whose local prestige eventually grew to rival that of its muse—and the also-defunct Squiddo, Parusel has decided to fly solo. Her debut 7-inch is currently being pressed and will be released sometime this summer.
Single Screen has been melting a lot of wax lately. In addition to signing Parusel, the label has 7-inch releases planned for The Powerchords, Beaters, The Atoms, The Illuminauts, and Charles Musket, as well as the debut full-length from The Paddle Boat.
You can catch Parusel’s wistful pop melodies live at the Beauty Bar on May 23rd, where she’ll be playing with The Dabbers and Red Pony Clock. We’ve also got a video of her performing the captivatingly carnivalesque “Ordinary Day” after the jump. Continue reading
Sure, almost a year has passed since The Powerchords released their infectious full-length album, …Think I’m Gonna, but it’s never too late to make a music video, especially when that video contains vibrant colors, wacky effects, and zany Japanese subtitles.
The power-pop quartet have been mysteriously absent from the live scene for a while, which is a shame since their performances are not to be trifled with. They do have one date lined up, though; they’ll be playing with Beaters, Reverse Cowboys, and Platanos on May 24th at the Che Cafe.