Two Door Cinema Club from Northern Ireland [SHOW/MUSIC]

The summer drag in the music industry is coming to an end and the touring season begins!  Things are about to get a little nutty in the music industry.  Bands will be starting their fall tours, students will be back at college, and I will be officially moved into my new house in Nashville.  Fortunately, there won’t be any mid-terms, lectures, or group meetings because I finished up with school in May!  As I look back on a solid year of changes, music, and transitions, I can’t help but think about my favorite bands and concerts that I experienced last year.  One of those bands is Two Door Cinema Club.  From only being active for four years, this indie rock group from Northern Ireland claimed my attention from first listen of their debut album Tourist History.

This spring marked the year anniversary of this historic album released by their Europe-based label called Kitsuné, and let me tell you, it’s still just as good as it was a year ago.  Two Door Cinema Club filled my summer of 2010 with pumping grooves and fresh original music.  Well, enough of me trying to describe their music, give yourself a listen!

For me, last fall was my first time in Nashville, and I wanted to experience Music City in all of its glory.  If it meant eating less so that I could afford to go to more concerts, that’s what I did.  I never regretted that decision, especially after seeing Two Door Cinema Club at Mercy Lounge.  The place was packed with your typical indie-rock crowd, but the show was anything but typical.  Alex Trimble (lead vocals, guitar, synths), Sam Halliday (guitar, vocals), Kevin Baird (bass, vocals), and Benjamin Thompson (drums) put on a killer show with high energy from start to finish.  They truly own their sound, which can be easily recognized over their contemporaries.  Songs like “I Can Talk” have been featured in video game soundtracks and TV, while other songs have appeared in dozens of other promos around the world.  Want to hear more music?  Check out their newest music video for “What You Know.”

Two Door Cinema Club has gained a lot of attention in a short amount of time since they started in 2007.  With previous interest and support from fans online, the band released their first recording on an EP “Four Words To Stand” in January 2009.  After quickly increasing in popularity in only six months, they decided to begin recording their debut album in July.  Tourist History was released in the spring of 2010 in Ireland, the UK, and the USA.  This strong dedication to producing music didn’t go without reward.  The last year for Two Door Cinema Club has featured countless advances in all aspects of their music.  From new remixes to appearances, they have been hard at work and their music has been well-received.  The band has played a number of festivals this year including Orange Evolution, Glastonbury, Coachella, and Lollapalooza, and has toured with bands such as Phoenix, Metronomy, and Tokyo Police Club.

Two Door Cinema Club will be touring the US in September 2011 with special guests Bombay Bicycle Club and The Lonely Forest.  Unfortunately, Nashville will not be one of their stops next month, but be sure to check out if they are coming to a city near you.  This is going to be a tour that you don’t want to miss!

By Steve Harpine | Nashville Ambassador | @Steve_MWL | Beat-Play & Music Without Labels, LLC

Double Adapter – “Adapt or Die” [MUSIC NEWS] [DOCUMENTARY]

From their beginnings in 2009, Double-Adapter have been blurring the line between DJs and ‘live acts’ with their high-energy audiovisual performances. Signing with Griet Artists in 2010, they’ve surpassed the confines of the Joburg/Pretoria nexus with regular forays into Cape Town.  On April 14^th 2011, they embarked on their first European tour playing in Holland, Austria, The Czech Republic, Italy and Germany, while filming a documentary that follows the chaotic steps of the brothers.  It will show African and world audiences that South African artists are here to stay. The documentary takes the shape of six 1-minute video inserts that sum up the experience of each gig, and two 24 minute specials that together create one 48 minute show. It’s raw but cinematic. It’s rock and roll.  Double-Adapter will be launching the first episode of the documentary at the Assembly tonight.   Adapt Or Die episode one premieres tonight at 21h00 and episode two on June 3rd 21h00 – only on MK. You can also watch the performance inserts on YouTube. See you tonight!

By: Elizabeth Stene | Beat-Play Ambassador South Africa | @LizMWL | Music Without Labels & Beat-Play, LLC

The Flatliners – Calvacade [New Album] – Punk to the fullest

Punk rock used to be about haggard road warriors. Before all the breakdowns and flat irons, there were busted transmissions and collect calls home. The Flatliners grew up believing in the later and rejecting the former, and after seven years playing together, they’re unleashing Cavalcade, their third full-length record and an epic sonic testament to the life they’ve chosen.

Over the last four years, the Flatliners have spent almost thirty months in vans, dive bars, and concert halls across North America, Europe, and Japan, building up a dedicated following with a sound that mixes the endless fury of ‘90s skate punk with the nuanced, intelligent songwriting of classic post-punks like the Replacements and Hot Water Music. After releasing the ska-punk tinged Destroy to Create (Union Label Group) in 2005, the band evolved into a harsh melodic machine with 2007’s The Great Awake (Fat Wreck Chords), completing their transition into a vital modern punk unit with the Cynics 7” (Fat Wreck Chords) in late 2009.

For Cavalcade, the Flatliners once again teamed up with long-time producer and friend Steve Rizun, recording sporadically between tours in their hometown of Toronto over the course of 2009. Seeking to immortalize the last year of their lives on the road, the end result is easily the band’s finest hour; from the thrashy immediacy of “The Calming Collection” to the dub-influenced “He Was A Jazzman”, it’s the sound of a band hitting their stride musically and finding their voice lyrically, exploring the idea of unity through disconnectedness, of positivity in uncertain times. Driving home the theme are the numerous guest appearances on the record: members of Cancer Bats, A Wilhelm Scream, Dillinger Four, The Snips, Junior Battles, Permanent Bastards, and the Expos all contributed to Cavalcade. Add to that the presence of veteran punk Fat Mike, who flew up to jam with the band in November of 2009, earning an additional production credit and making one of the band’s childhood dreams come true.

View Slideshow Here

They’ve grown up on record and in front of a crowd of like-minded punks. They’ve made sacrifices to keep the wheels of their van on the road, and Cavalcade is the reward. It really is, as the band says, “a call to arms to all who travel throughout the world on the wings of their creativity.”

The Flatliners show their true colours as dirty hobos in their video for “Carry the Banner”

These guys kick ass! I highly recommend copping their new album!

Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen goes on the road in a vegetable oil powered airport van – finds new artists to jam with as he travels

Todd Day Wait’s approach to music is exciting and refreshing. Traveling all over the country performing with different musicians ensures his music will always bring something new and unexpected. One of my favorite tracks is “Nowhere To Be” because it truly embodies the spirit of Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen. This is truly music without labels. Todd Day Wait takes his musical agenda, his group called Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen, on the road across the country in what was once a 1997 airport shuttle van. The vehicle runs on half vegetable oil and half diesel. By Connor Elfrink September 9, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST Todd is really a very talented musician. Check out this solo performance of his song “I Sure Love You.” Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen has been rolling around the country and squeaking out filthy R&B, reggae and soul grooves since 2009. Some musicians take time to craft an eccentric name for their bands, but for Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen, a simple name and a constant rotation of musicians do just fine. Todd Day Wait’s Pigpen is an environmentally focused band that finds new musicians on the road to jam with each show. Frontman Todd Day Wait is a former member of Columbia’s East Ash Street Band and makes his way around the country in a 1997 airport shuttle van that has been converted to run half on vegetable oil and half on diesel. Wait’s van represents his musical drive to create a gypsy caravan of sounds, as well as his ability to achieve collaborative musical excellence. The band once made it almost 400 miles from Chicago to Columbia on only $40. Wait panhandles at various mom-and-pop restaurants and McDonald’s for used grease to convert into fuel. He says people support his mode of travel. “There is a pretty strong underground network,” he says. Wait doesn’t encourage people to eat fried food, but he says Americans seem unwilling to stop, so he would rather put the habit toward something less wasteful. He hopes to encourage others to look into alternative forms of transportation and fuel. “The best part is not giving money to BP,” Wait says.

DJ Cut Chemist – The Hard Sell – DJing with 45’s

The Hard Sell Into – From the Cut Chemist & DJ Shadow Tour

Cut Chemist “Spat”