Pages tagged “apollo sunshine”

As most know, I'm a pure Masshole and thus take great pride in our homestate musical bretheren. Heck, my first concert was J. Geils Band at the Worcester Centrum. It does not get much more MA-centric than that does it? While "Whammer Jammer" always puts a smile on my face, it's another Boston band which always pulls me out of a truly sour mood, Apollo Sunshine. Their musical soma first hit me on a particularly decripd day a few years back. The song was "Today is the Day,"  major chord calamity with just enough Violent Femmes chutzpa to knead out any of the nasty. It's still atop my "F#$% Smile" playlist. Having survived another trainwreck of a day yesterday, I discovered, "Singing To the Earth (To Thank Her For You)." So this is me thanking Apollo Sunshine for thanking the Earth on my behalf, and this is me offering you a way out of a crappy day. Watch this:

The members of the Dead Confederate are definitely anything but deceased. The Athens, Ga. rockers have had a rollicking 2008, which has included putting out an album (Wrecking Ball) and EP, launching a huge tour and making their TV debut on Conan O'Brien (just last week). And, perhaps most importantly, the boys have recently launched an official "blahg." 

Boston band Apollo Sunshine first appeared on the radar in 2003, when it released promising debut Katonah. Two years later, in 2005, the band stepped it up with an impressive self-titled sophomore album that wound up at #13 on Paste’s Best Albums of the Year list. This summer, Apollo Sunshine released psychedelic opus Shall Noise Upon, and today the powerhouse live band kicks off its fall tour, with two solid months of shows scheduled for Europe and the U.S.

Eclectic rockers come into their own, construct beauteous art-rock nuggets

On third album Shall Noise Upon, Apollo Sunshine finally focuses its kaleidoscope long enough to savor the sights. Never troubled by the problem of finding a voice so much as slowing down the torrent of post-everything fuzz guitar, tempo shifts and schizoid stomps, the trio here finds a middle ground between melody and experimentation. Part is simply a matter of consolidating structures—verse/weirdness/verse—but there’s also a newfound grace and, in that, an even-keeled mission. The disc-opening “Breeze” fades into a shimmering exotica that melts into dripping sunshine folk, with harmonies tipping into layered harps. Everywhere, there’s gorgeous atmosphere, like the evocatively celestial instrumental “Green Lawns of Outer Space” and, later, Sam Cohen’s swelling pedal steel cutting through “Fog and Shadow.” Despite the detours (like Tropicália shimmy “Honestly”), the music frequently comes back to a strum. And then another totally unexpected interlude.

Above: The menschen of Apollo Sunshine

You don't need a Jew like this writer to tell you that Hanukkah gets thoroughly trampled upon when the holiday season rolls around. But could any competing holiday ever hope to survive the annual Christmas onslaught? From songs to light displays to department store tie-ins to television specials, the Christmas industry has mutated into some horrific juggernaut, from which there is no escape. You will be merry or you will be disposed with.

So maybe it's time for Hanukkah to make a small-scale comeback, as a less showy, more laidback indie holiday of sorts. Taglit-Birthright Israel and JDub Records seem to dig this mode of thinking, and will sponsor a series of concerts on Dec. 8 celebrating the famed Festival of Lights. It's called "The Eight," but strangely enough the series features six shows in the U.S. and four abroad. Something is not quite adding up there...

“This is the first worldwide event of its kind, with young Jews reclaiming old rituals like the menorah lighting and celebrating a Jewish holiday in their own way, in the places that they find community,” JDub founder Aaron Bisman said.

Hmm... maybe they could get Yo La Tengo on board for future concert series. They celebrate Hanukkah hardcore, you know.

Here are the six U.S. dates, with acts, time and place included. All shows go down Dec. 8, and tickets go on public sale Oct. 26 via GoEight.com, which also has more information on the artists involved.

New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall, 7 p.m.
Hadag Nachash
Budos Band
Soulico

Los Angeles, Calif. @ Echoplex, 8 p.m.
Balkan Beat Box
Dengue Fever

San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent, 8:30 p.m.
Apollo Sunshine

Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe, 8 p.m.
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players
Golem

Boston, Mass. @ T.T. The Bears, 8:30 p.m.
Simple People
Mocean Worker
Wailing Wall

Washington, D.C. @ Sixth & I, 8 p.m.
The Leevees
Deleon
Local contest will determine opening band (ed: catchy name!)

Related links:
ApolloSunshine.com
SlideShowPlayers.com
BalkanBeatBox.com
YouTube: Hanukkah Swings! (aka why this holiday needs to get hipper)

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

This morning, the Weather Channel reported rainstorms and snowfall sweeping across the nation. With all that dreary wetness, surely some of us could use some brightness, maybe even some (wait for it...) Apollo Sunshine.

The band may not be that big star in the sky, but its psychedelic rock might be able to brighten up your day when it comes to a city near you. With their third album pretty much complete, the Boston boys are ready to hit the road and start spreading some good vibes with their new material. Dr. Dog will also be accompanying Apollo Sunshine on the journey.

Great Mysteries of the Old Soul, which received a final mixing by Dave Fridmann of the Flaming Lips fame, features collaborations with bands such as Drug Rug, White Flight and The Self Righteous Brothers. No news on when the album is slated to come out yet, so be sure to check out the live show to get a taste of the new tunes.

Apollo Sunshine tour dates:

October
5 - Montreal, Quebec @ Petit Campus
6 - Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club
7 - Ft Wayne, Ind. @ Sunset Hall
10 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ 400 Bar
11 - Omaha, Nev. @ The Waiting Room
12 - Denver, Colo. @ Larimer Lounge
13 - Salt Lake City, Utah @ In the Venue
15 - Seattle, Wash. @ Crocodile Cafe
16 - Vancouver, British Columbia @ Media Club
18 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Independent
19 - Visalia, Calif. @ Howie & Son's Pizza Parlor
20 - West Hollywood, Calif. @ Troubadour
26 - Houston, Texas @ Walters On Washington
27 - Hattiesburg, Miss. @ Thirsty Hippo

Related links:
ApolloSunshine.com
Paste review of Apollo Sunshine
Apollo Sunshine on MySpace

Got news tips for Paste? Email news@pastemagazine.com.

Boston band comes into its own on impressive sophomore release

Apollo Sunshine’s latest takes the wild, psychedelic instrumentation of the Elephant Six Collective, reigns it in, adds a hint of roots-rock accessibility to the Brit-pop bliss and cranks the amps to eleven for a complex record that’s still 100-percent rock ’n’ roll. The lyrics don’t offer much to dig into, but Jesse Gallagher’s vocals and his bandmates’ Beach Boys-tight harmonies are so ingratiating you won’t mind. And the music—from the emotion-dripping, David Gilmour-meets-Jonny Greenwood guitar solos, wall-of-sound organ and tiny keyboard bleeps to the tasteful bells, tambourine and handclaps—is beautifully recorded, perfectly mixed and filled with nuance. All this makes for a complete album that runs the gamut of moods and sounds; a sonic vehicle that’s allowed the band’s creative identity to solidify.

Boston band comes into its own on impressive sophomore release

Apollo Sunshine’s latest takes the wild, psychedelic instrumentation of the Elephant Six Collective, reigns it in, adds a hint of roots-rock accessibility to the Brit-pop bliss and cranks the amps to eleven for a complex record that’s still 100-percent rock ’n’ roll. The lyrics don’t offer much to dig into, but Jesse Gallagher’s vocals and his bandmates’ Beach Boys-tight harmonies are so ingratiating you won’t mind. And the music—from the emotion-dripping, David Gilmour-meets-Jonny Greenwood guitar solos, wall-of-sound organ and tiny keyboard bleeps to the tasteful bells, tambourine and handclaps—is beautifully recorded, perfectly mixed and filled with nuance. All this makes for a complete album that runs the gamut of moods and sounds; a sonic vehicle that’s allowed the band’s creative identity to solidify.