dea Lesson No.1: February 2007

Friday, February 23

WINE COUNTRY CRACKER BLUES



The rock, it's been noted, rarely stops chez Lesson No.1. Shout outs to everyone who was involved with and came to the Manatees and Silent Front shows. Great times. The next tasty dish is looming already though - Wednesday 7 March to be precise.

The USA Is A Monster return for their third Lesson No.1 extravaganza. They're a mega-righteous Brooklyn guitar/drums/keys duo. And we love ‘em. Classic progged-out rock meets Lightning Bolt-style complex freakery meets corn-eating country atmos meets a DIY spirit and anti-establishment outlook. Five full-length releases to date (plus a bunch of EPs and side projects), three of them on the ever-killer Load Records. Hear ‘Too Many Moves’.

Wolves Of St August are a pretty darn new band from the Cardiff area who take in classic US indie-rock, gently psychedelic country and the big moves of the Smashing Pumpkins when they fancied kicking out some (decent) quiet songs. The multi-talented Ross from this band also did the flyer above. Pretty. Tunage here.

Le B is the solo alter-ego of Laura from local indie-punky types King Alexander (and also satellite Lesson No.1 collective member), cranking out sweeeeet music with nowt but an acoustic guitar and a voice. To mention Cat Power would in no way disgrace either party. Do the MySpace thing for a song.

The nuts and bolts: get yourself down to Dempseys, Castle Street, Cardiff from 8pm. And it's a thoroughly reasonable £5 on the door. MORE ROCK SOON.

posted by The Lesson at 6:36 pm 0 comments

Thursday, February 22

ONE OFF THE LIST OF A THOUSAND



So, since this lovingly (read: sporadically) updated blog was last lent a new post, it kind of broke temporarily. The bad news is that means we barely have time to tell you about the combined joys of Silent Front, The Death Of Her Money and Serena Joy at Buffalo in Cardiff later today (Thursday 22 February) helping out the good combined folk of We Heart Records. The good news? We discovered that people actually DO post comments here, and we had a year's worth to approve upon switching over to some new-fangled blog version. WOW. No excuses now...

Silent Front steam in from London town, propelled by what we might call post-hardcore if it hadn't become a term rather intertwined with early 30s men desperately attempting to relive their youth, snare some teenaged girls and play emo. Instead, Hero Of A Hundred Fights, Shellac and Fugazi are to blame, at least in part, for the noise they actually emit. For evidence in the highly inventive form of music, take an Interweb-style left turn here or download 'One Off The List Of A Thousand', which the sharp among you will see we've borrowed as a title above.

Proving the world isn't, in fact, a fair and just place, South Wales's own The Death Of Her Money somehow continue not to be world-beatingly massive despite wiping the floor with nigh on every outfit operating in the same vague Neurosis/Isis/Pelican field. There's more than generic post-metal to TDOHM, though, and anybody from within about 100 miles who hasn't already witnessed so should really be a touch ashamed. Kill that sinking feeling with a preview tune or three right here or download 'Scandinavian Accent'.

Last but not least, the chief architects of this night, Serena Joy are half-Cardiff, half-Weymouth soundscapists with enough members to go somewhere toward approaching Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Why the locational split? Well, for this tour at least their ranks are bolstered by a couple of former members of sadly departed Wales-based screaming fret-manglers ...andtheywillriot!, who previously made Lesson No.1-facilitated noises supporting Some Girls and Hella before splitting late last year. There's the usual MySpace efforts or else add another mp3 to your virtual collection with 'Movement'.

Couldn't be assed to read all that? Fine: Silent Front/The Death Of Her Money/Serena Joy; Thursday 22 February; Buffalo Bar, Cardiff; 8pm until late with added DJ action; £4. Any questions? See you in about half a day then...

posted by The Lesson at 4:09 am 0 comments