Upcoming Events
Mannequin Men, Apache Dropout, Proto Idiot
Feb. 25, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10 PM, $6, 21+
Mannequin Men
"Lead vocalist/guitarist K. Richard, like his almost-namesake, has the rock star gene-- the cocksure swagger and radiant intensity that can command tens of thousands under the right circumstances. He somehow managed to cut his lip during the set; turned out blood pouring down his chin was a damn good look... rock-solid rock n roll, done with panache and hooks galore-- you'd do well to keep an eye on that Richard fellow." - Pitchfork
"Mannequin Men's loose-limbed pizzazz brings to mind frequent tour mates the Black Lips; both acts' wobbly rock'n'roll wavers between droopy-lid disinterest to all-hands-on-deck gang-vocal attack. But more often, frontman Kevin Richard's detached verve comes off as a tight-pants swagger...." - Spin
Apache Dropout
"... Southern fried dialects babbling out hazy proto-punk, utterly blazed boogie down romps and the kind of chugging good ol' blasted rock music that speaks the same tongue from Lou Reed ..."- Impose Magazine
Proto Idiot
"Andrew Anderson amidst the Jack Oblivianesque funked-out dirt-blues groove and bedroom punk spazz-outs we have tracks here with dreamy back up vocals and "Village Green" worthy melodies making for a brilliant onslaught of pop beauty, combined with all the expletive chaos you've grown accustomed to with the Hipshakes prolific discography. What we have here is a goddamn perfect 12 song LP of "fuck you you bloody cunt," but don't take it the wrong way... it's played in the nicest possible manner." - Slovenly Records
Christabel and the Jons, Hope Arthur
March 9, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne, IN
Show starts @ 10PM, $5, 21+
“[they] alternate between upbeat country shuffles, torchy, sophisticated, retro jazzy pop and occasional indie-folk with a playful yet terse backdrop of understated guitar lit up in places with accordion, trumpet and violin, propelled by a briskly tasteful rhythm section.” - Lucid Culture
“a colorful palette of old-time swing and honky-tonk inflections… leading lady Christa DeCicco casts a spell on her audience with her alluring, good-natured presence and lyrical wit while leading a procession of unplugged strings and percussion.” - Creative Loafing
The Spits, TV Ghost, The Hemingers, Flamingo Nosebleed
March 10, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10PM, $8 ADV / $10 DOS, 21+
The Spits
"My fact finding mission had begun, quite accidentally, months earlier at a Spits gig. For the uninitiated, The Spits are a punk band hailing from, well, all over the place, by way of Kalamazoo, and then Seattle. Dubbed by some as the “Kings of Moron rock” and “demented cavemen,” The Spits blend equal parts punk and “wave,” into an aurally addictive, synth-inflected, brew. When you listen to a Spits record you’ll fall helplessly, hopelessly, grinning all the while, down the twisted sonic rabbit hole their music provides. And when you meet a member of the band, you’ll be met with a jovial smile, a firm handshake, and an easy, genuine amity. Like the Black Panthers and biker gangs of the ‘60s, The Spits and their fans (read: friends) are a loosely gathered, yet tightly nit, band of brothers. In short: When you meet one of the Spits, you will find a comrade in arms." - Razorcake
TV Ghost
"TV Ghost's 2009 debut LP, Cold Fish, is a maelstrom-- 10 hectic songs ripped out in 25 minutes. Stuffed to the seams with wiry guitars, trembling keyboards, crashing beats, and Tim Gick's mad-man warble, it has the creepy tension of a post-punk haunted house where the Cramps, the Scientists, or Pere Ubu might leap out from the shadows at any moment. The band deftly balances precision and abandon-- every moment sounds lunatic and unhinged, yet no track collapses into complete anarchy." - Pitchfork
Night Beats, Hussy, Heaven's Gateway Drugs
March 26, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10PM, $5, 21+
Nightbeats
"Any number of bands cite 60’s Texas psych as an influence, but rarely does a group actually capture what made those bands special. Following their debut EP also on Trouble In Mind, The Night Beats have expanded on the bedroom immediacy of their first recordings to create an LP that perfectly captures and modernizes the hallucinogenic and exhilaratingly demonic aura of bands like The 13th Floor Elevators and Golden Dawn. With blazing guitar work and a razor sharp rhythm section Danny Lee Blackwell and company mutate conventional chords & progressions into a mind-blowing sonic sprawl. The record reels you in with 2-3 minute pop songs like ‘Ain’t Dumbo’ and ‘Dial 666', forging a landscape that then throws you into a chaotic journey of jams a’la ‘Dewayne’s Drone’ and ‘Little War in the Midwest’ that bend and meander but never overstay their welcome. Tune in, turn on, & drop that needle on this record!" - Trouble In Mind Records
Hussy
"This is super fun pop-punk that's lyrically clever and musically talented. The Hussy is total rock, complete with sleazy, distorted solo-ing and bizarre, chant-like lyrics that are almost provocative, but instead make no sense - which rules because it makes it super easy to bounce around to and not be bored." - Maximum Rock N Roll
Guitar Wolf (Japan), Flamingo Nosebleed, The Transistors
April 3, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10PM, $10, 21+
Guitar Wolf
Fact # 1 Guitar Wolf starred in the Zombie Horror Cult Classic movie, WILD ZERO.
Fact #2 Guitar Wolf owns a guitar signed by Ms Joan Jett.
Fact #3 The Guitar Wolf tribute album “I Love Guitar Wolf Very Much” features Jon Spencer, J Mascis, Jim O’Rourke (Sonic Youth) all doing GW songs.
Fact #4 Guitar Wolf are Jet Rock.
The band that lives or dies by its live show reputation, Guitar Wolf, are finally returning to Australia to pick up where they left off in 2007 – playing sell out gigs and giving punters THE best rock show. Period.
“the majority of new rock and roll actually worth a damn is being produced overseas(not the U.S), Japan exports greasy, ass-kicking rockers like Guitar Wolf. Their "jet rock and roll" sound resembles Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry – if they were both rubbed raw by a belt sander. Why is it that a band from Japan can understand and embrace something as culturally important to America as rock and roll, and execute it better than this country's own inhabitants? We'll take our cues from Guitar Wolf”. - Portland Mercury
”The lead singer crawled off the stage after his set, puked for a couple minutes, and then came back for an encore." - The Dallas Observer
“Stronger than ever, loud as fuck, Guitar Wolf just wanna rock.” - PunkNews.org
The Two Man Gentlemen Band with The End Times Spasm Band
April 12, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne, IN
Show starts @ 10 PM, $7, 21+
The Two Man Gentlemen Band’s brand of hot, raucous, retro swing is fast becoming an underground sensation. Just a few years ago, The Gentlemen were busking in New York City’s parks and subways. These days, they traverse the country incessantly, playing hundreds of shows per year for ever-expanding crowds of dedicated fans.
The Two Man Gentlemen Band sound is a high-energy blend of the vintage and the modern. Their style – musically & visually – incorporates elements of hot jazz, rhythm & blues, tin-pan alley, and western swing. And their “keen vocal harmonies” (The New Yorker) recall 20s and 30s groups like the Mills Brothers. But their pithy, irreverent original tunes are full of lyrics “so off the beaten path as to be virtually cliche free.” (Bluegrass Journal).
www.thetwogentlemen.com
Acid Baby Jesus (Greece)
April 16, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10 PM, $5, 21+
Acid Baby Jesus
"A Mediterranean concoction of two of our favorite "Black" bands (Sabbath/ Lips), ABJ represents the future of heavy psych'n'roll from an isolated, ancient civilization. Combining the ruthless elements of American outlaw roots music and celestial glam rock, like fellow deconstructionists Demon's Claws, "LP" suggests the Rolling Stones at their wearied best, with the electrifying hi-jinks of Brian Eno bulldozing the swagger into the darkest corners of the cosmos."
White Mystery and Punk Talk
May 3, 2012 @ The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne
Show starts @ 10 PM, $5, 21+
"White Mystery is a hard rocking sibling two-piece (where have you heard that before) from Chicago consisting of Miss Alex White and Francis Scott Key White, but this time it’s inverted from the preceding parentheses, White Stripes, as brother beats the drums and sis shouts and shreds. The drums are big and the licks are simple, but catchy and the first track of their 2011 album Blood and Venom will have you shouting their band name continuously, Blues Explosion style. White Mystery with their stripped down approach and their red rocker American way makes you think if they are trying to resurrect the turn of the century garage movement or trying to pay respect to the glorious two piece? Either way White Mystery is a band you need to turn up no matter where you’re at." - Outside The Dial
