Rockness Recommends
Party with Oh My Rockness at The Bell House!
March 9, 2009
We rock the party that rocks the body! Not really sure what that means, but Oh My Rockness is throwing our annual pre-SXSW party on Monday, March 16th, this time at The Bell House (probably our favorite venue) in Brooklyn, and that means insane musical merriment. Once again, we're partnering with the guys from the Oya Festival in Oslo, so it'll be two Norwegian bands (Casiokids, The New Wine) v.s. two NYC bands (Anamanaguchi, Kittens Ablaze).
It will be one fierce rhythmic rumble. Well, about as fierce of a rumble as four happy electro-dance-pop bands will allow. Maybe it'll just be a crazy smile-off. So allow us a few of your scrolls to tell you about these four bands we like a lot. And we hope you'll come out and rock with us on Monday, March 16th (18+ a-ok!). Have you ever seen a show list website do the crazy half-chicken/half-lizard dance? You will.
The Oh My Rockness Party Line-Up!
Casiokids - I'm not sure how many of the hot electro-dance-poppers out there have the guts to tour... kindergartens. Yet, the Casiokids collective did just that in tweener schools all over Norway. Talk about pressure. Like kindergarteners, this is a crew that likes to have a good time when they play. They bounce around the stage with the best of them, promoting catchy riffs and happy faces.
Using a ton of surreal projected imagery (mostly involving shadow puppets... seriously) and an array of toys-turned-instruments, these guys and girls put on an all-senses show that has been likened to a circus experience. Thankfully, no elephants are mistreated when Casiokids play. Synths and drum machines, on the other hand, they get whacked like crazy. Influenced by afro-beat, techno and (of course) pop, the band creates catchy little songs that make good accompaniment for your morning trampoline time.
Anamanaguchi - This is an insanely fun NYC band that rocks out using two guitars, one bass, one drum kit and... hey drummer, give me a roll please... an old manipulated Nintendo. Guitarist/Programmer Peter Berkman hacks into an original Nintendo and manipulates its sound chip to create, along with Ary Warnaar and James DeVito, some of the catchiest and most delightful rock-outs you'll hear.
The music Anamanaguchi creates is not really meant to be a whimsical nod to our video game playing youth. First and foremost, they're about rocking you out, but they're also part of a larger experiment to make a big sound that rises above the limitations of the out-dated and limiting hardware the band uses. You should really see this band live. They can do some crazy things.
The New Wine - The New Wine are a young foursome from Bergen, Norway, which somehow has become the new musical hot spot in all of Europe. The band plays easy-going electro-pop that will most likely get you to do your best shimmy. I'm always up for a good shimmy. The band's synth-y grooves and sweet guitar licks sometimes veer towards, dare I say, "funk" territory. And though any band or any thing having to do with funk often gives me the irresistible urge to head towards the nearest hills and seek out a desolate log cabin where I can gouge out my eardrums in peace, these guys aren't like that.
The New Wine often gets compared to The Whitest Boy Alive (Erlend Oye's current electro project after he did his Kings of Convenience thing), and that's a fair comparison considering Oye is a pal and frequent collaborator with these talented lads. Also, I just can't stop thinking about Hall and Oates when I listen to this band. And that's great because I, for one, happen to like Hall and Oates. I bet Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords would totally dig these guys too!
Kittens Ablaze - This Brooklyn band (forget about the name for a second) write choruses that one can aptly describe as "rousing." When I listen to these successful six (and specifically the song "This Machine is Dying"), I definitely feel the desire to buy a bunch of whiskey shots for my friends, heartily intertwine arms, and sway the night away while lifting our glasses to the heavens, all for one and one for all. Now that's what I call rousing, especially since I never buy rounds.
So yeah, Kittens Ablaze are a really catchy band featuring the basic rock band set-up (guitars/bass/drums/synths), but they also rock lots of melodic merriment using a cello and a violin. And because of the string section and very sing-able songs, these four dudes and two ladies have often been compared to Ra Ra Riot (Cursive also seems to be mentioned a lot). But I bet Ra Ra Riot doesn't also rock a harmonica, now do they? Bust!
We hope to see you at this show! It's only $8 and it's 18+!
BUY TICKETS TO THE OH MY ROCKNESS SHOW AT THE BELL HOUSE!
Casiokids, Anamanaguchi, The New Wine, and Kittens Ablaze play the Oh My Rockness party at The Bell House, on Monday, March 16th.
It will be one fierce rhythmic rumble. Well, about as fierce of a rumble as four happy electro-dance-pop bands will allow. Maybe it'll just be a crazy smile-off. So allow us a few of your scrolls to tell you about these four bands we like a lot. And we hope you'll come out and rock with us on Monday, March 16th (18+ a-ok!). Have you ever seen a show list website do the crazy half-chicken/half-lizard dance? You will.
The Oh My Rockness Party Line-Up!
Casiokids - I'm not sure how many of the hot electro-dance-poppers out there have the guts to tour... kindergartens. Yet, the Casiokids collective did just that in tweener schools all over Norway. Talk about pressure. Like kindergarteners, this is a crew that likes to have a good time when they play. They bounce around the stage with the best of them, promoting catchy riffs and happy faces.
Using a ton of surreal projected imagery (mostly involving shadow puppets... seriously) and an array of toys-turned-instruments, these guys and girls put on an all-senses show that has been likened to a circus experience. Thankfully, no elephants are mistreated when Casiokids play. Synths and drum machines, on the other hand, they get whacked like crazy. Influenced by afro-beat, techno and (of course) pop, the band creates catchy little songs that make good accompaniment for your morning trampoline time.
Anamanaguchi - This is an insanely fun NYC band that rocks out using two guitars, one bass, one drum kit and... hey drummer, give me a roll please... an old manipulated Nintendo. Guitarist/Programmer Peter Berkman hacks into an original Nintendo and manipulates its sound chip to create, along with Ary Warnaar and James DeVito, some of the catchiest and most delightful rock-outs you'll hear.
The music Anamanaguchi creates is not really meant to be a whimsical nod to our video game playing youth. First and foremost, they're about rocking you out, but they're also part of a larger experiment to make a big sound that rises above the limitations of the out-dated and limiting hardware the band uses. You should really see this band live. They can do some crazy things.
The New Wine - The New Wine are a young foursome from Bergen, Norway, which somehow has become the new musical hot spot in all of Europe. The band plays easy-going electro-pop that will most likely get you to do your best shimmy. I'm always up for a good shimmy. The band's synth-y grooves and sweet guitar licks sometimes veer towards, dare I say, "funk" territory. And though any band or any thing having to do with funk often gives me the irresistible urge to head towards the nearest hills and seek out a desolate log cabin where I can gouge out my eardrums in peace, these guys aren't like that.
The New Wine often gets compared to The Whitest Boy Alive (Erlend Oye's current electro project after he did his Kings of Convenience thing), and that's a fair comparison considering Oye is a pal and frequent collaborator with these talented lads. Also, I just can't stop thinking about Hall and Oates when I listen to this band. And that's great because I, for one, happen to like Hall and Oates. I bet Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords would totally dig these guys too!
Kittens Ablaze - This Brooklyn band (forget about the name for a second) write choruses that one can aptly describe as "rousing." When I listen to these successful six (and specifically the song "This Machine is Dying"), I definitely feel the desire to buy a bunch of whiskey shots for my friends, heartily intertwine arms, and sway the night away while lifting our glasses to the heavens, all for one and one for all. Now that's what I call rousing, especially since I never buy rounds.
So yeah, Kittens Ablaze are a really catchy band featuring the basic rock band set-up (guitars/bass/drums/synths), but they also rock lots of melodic merriment using a cello and a violin. And because of the string section and very sing-able songs, these four dudes and two ladies have often been compared to Ra Ra Riot (Cursive also seems to be mentioned a lot). But I bet Ra Ra Riot doesn't also rock a harmonica, now do they? Bust!
We hope to see you at this show! It's only $8 and it's 18+!
Casiokids, Anamanaguchi, The New Wine, and Kittens Ablaze play the Oh My Rockness party at The Bell House, on Monday, March 16th.
