Tic Tac Records

This morning I was trying to figure out the release date for a Lover! single I'm Not A Gnome I just picked up, and I stumbled upon Tic Tac Totally Records, which seems to specialize in the sloppy rock and roll I love. As a result, I've been listening to their player all morning and I thought I should share. For fans of Lover!, Wavves, Digital Leather, Lost Sounds, Thomas Function, and a whole lot of bands I am just discovering.

Note: I took the player down because I couldn't get the player to stop playing automatically, but the songs are still worth checking out. Go here to launch the player.

Garage Fest Recap

I couldn't make it the distance, dropping out at 11, after 8 hours of music, but I had already seen plenty of great bands. The highlights for me were the Dirtbombs, Davila 666, and Lover! My biggest disappointment was the consistently low attendance for bands playing at Satyricon for all but Davila 666. It was the farthest out and you couldn't drink. Oh well. In one of the other venues, Lover! could have brought the house down.

The Dirtbombs @ Berbati's Pan
Mick Collins is a fucking badass. A great start to the day.

Jack Of Heart @ Dante's
Ugh. Only band I didn't like.

The Almighty Defenders @ Dante's
Fun show, but it's obvious the band is just a lark.

Brimstone Howl @ Someday Lounge
I think they sound better on their album. They just aren't that dynamic performers.

Davila 666 @ Satyricon
The floor was packed and Davila 666 delivered plenty of rowdy punk-infused group sing-alongs. A must see if you can.

Cheap Time @ Someday Lounge
Glad to finally see their manic and nasal garage rock.

Mannequin Men @ Satyricon
Under attended. Solid set.

Lover! @ Satyricon
Criminally under-attended. Guitars up to 11. So good.

The Fresh & Onlys @ Someday Lounge
Too much shuffling and talking, but catchy when they actually played.

The Mojomatics @ Dante's
High energy blues rock duo. Great showman. Hard to believe it was just two guys.

Jack-O & The Tearjerkers @ Dante's
Solid. Professional. Good stuff.

Simply Saucer @ Someday Lounge
Low expectations. But really good.

Lover! - No Dreams Please EP (2009)

I'm kind of bummed that this is the first I've heard of Lover! At least I rectified that mistake before the Scion Garage Fest. Now I just have to figure how to work them into my schedule.

Although frontman Rich Crook was in the Reatards and Lost Sounds, Lover's music is more akin to 60's nuggets and power pop than the blistering punk and keyboard-driven new wave of those two bands. "Let's Play A Game" is snotty, "Goodbye" layers distortion over Plimsoul-style hooks, and "Fell In Love" snarls over crunchy riffs. The flute blowing over big muff fuzz on "Downstairs To Hell" sounds like a rare psychedelic pop classic. The EP whips by fast, but all seven songs are great. Looks like I'll have to catch the Mojomatics next time.

And if I miss them on the 17th, they'll be back in November at the East End.

Scion Garage Rock Festival

I just picked up my wristband for the Scion Garage Rock Festival and I am getting excited. The venues are all pretty close together so jumping from one to the other is going to depend more on how crowded it is and less on the time it takes to get there. As the day goes on I'll probably just ending up hanging out at Dantes's at the cost of missing some likely killer sets by bands I've been loving pretty hard lately. Then again, I just saw Jay Reatard and Jack-O will be back in Portland a month later with Lucero, so... Suffice to say it is going to be awesome endurance regardless of which bands I see.

Here's my optimal line up:
3:00 The Dirtbombs (Berbati's Pan)
3:45 Almighty Defenders (Dante's)
4:30 Brimstone Howl (Someday)
5:00 Intelligence (Berbati's Pan)
6:00 Thomas Function (Dante's)
6:45 Cheap Time (Someday)/Davila 666 (Sayricon)
7:30 Fresh & Onlys (Someday)/Mannequin Men (Satyricon)/Strange Boys (Dante's)
8:15 Mojomatics (Dantes)/Lover! (Satyricon)
9:15 Jay Reatard (Dante's)/Goodnight Loving (Satyricon)
10:15 Jack-O & The Tearjerkers (Dante's)/Demon Claws (Satyricon)
11:30 King Khan & BBQ (Dante's)