5/18- Kicking Daisies

Since the fall of last year, Caitlin and Carly Kalafus, Ben Spremulli, and Duran Visek have been showcasing their talent across Connecticut with their band, Kicking Daisies.

Before Kicking Daisies, the now sixteen-year-old Caitlin Kalafus was best known as Caitlin on Drums, boasting an impressive 799 beats per minute, holding the record for the world’s fastest female drummer.  Her sister Carly helps to hold down the rhythm section with back-up vocals and prominent bass riffs.

The band’s lead guitarist Ben has only been playing for two years and is already- at twelve years old, an accomplished rocker.  Both his stage presence and sheer talent make him perfect for the high-energy Kicking Daisies.  He also has a great metal haircut, perfect for head banging during solos. 

On stage, Kicking Daisies frontman Duran Visek is right up there with Spremulli looking equally as cool, rocking just as hard. I met with Visek last week for an interview, and what impressed me most was not his sense of style, or the power behind his surprisingly soulful voice, but his knowledge of music- past and present.  During our ten-minute interview, he named more artists and musicians than I could in an hour, most of them famous before either of us were born.

My opportunity to meet with Kicking Daisies was provided by their vocal coach Melissa Mulligan (a musician herself, check her out at www.melissamulligan.com ).  I sat in and watched as Melissa and the band prepared for their next recording session in the studio, and was very impressed to find that Kicking Daisies was equally amazing while stripped of Ben (he was upstairs practicing guitar), and Caitlin’s drum kit.  With just the bare essentials, Kicking Daisies was able to drill their three (and with Ben four) part harmonies into my head, so that I was singing them hours after I left.

The short video below summarizes my time with the band, with some clips of their rehearsal, and my interview with Duran Visek.  After meeting and listening to Kicking Daisies in person, I can say that I am excited to hear the results of their recording on their upcoming album.  Until then, you can listen to Kicking Daisies at www.myspace.com/kickingdaisies or add them on facebook. 

Video of Kicking Daisies playing, and interview with Duran Visek:

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers Armed Forces Entertainment Tour

                                  

            For almost 30 days, folk-rock band Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers toured overseas, performing for members of the U.S. armed forces in a total of nine countries. 

            Though the three-piece group from Massachusetts has spent the last five years playing to various audiences within the country’s borders, The Sixers felt that the tour of Europe and the Middle East was important regardless of their stance politically.  Commenting on the dates in Bahrain and Kuwait, the band’s front man, Stephen Kellogg said that, “It was particularly rewarding to be in a place of the world where there’s so much going on, and to play for people who really need it.”

            Later on in our conversation, Kellogg described some other charitable work that he’s done with the band.  In 2007, The Sixers performed at the first teen prom for patients at the St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Photos from the prom can be viewed here.  In addition to playing the prom, The Sixers sold handwritten song lyrics along with their regular merch and donated the proceeds to the St. Jude Research Hospital.  Kellogg described the donations as “Something we all [the band] agree is important.”

            The Sixers’ military tour was made possible by Armed Forces Entertainment, the official Department of Defense agency responsible for over 12,000 shows worldwide. Four episodes of The Sixers Armed Forces Tour video blog are available below:

Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Episodes of Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers' Armed Forces Entertainment Tour:

Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers on iLike - Get updates inside iTunes

Listen to Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers at www.myspace.com/sk6ers orwww.stephenkellogg.com

4/18 Hadoken @ Hampshire College

Hundreds of students from the five-college area gathered on the lawn at Hampshire College last Saturday to enjoy free food and live entertainment all day. Bands of all genres performed, including popular hip-hop artist KRS-One.

I arrived at Hampshire College around 5pm with the particular interest of seeing local band Hadoken, whose roots can be traced back to the Baker dormitory on the University of Massachusetts campus. Since then, the band has cycled through eleven different band members, including a viola player to form what is now Hadoken.

The name Hadoken is taken from a special attack in the Capcom game series Street Fighter, and is a Japanese neologism meaning “surge fist.” Hadoken’s guitarist Will Theis explained that similar to the attack from the game, Hadoken tries to “concentrate a force, and blast.” And that’s exactly what they did. Three guitars, an electric violin, bass, and drums carried the audience on a roller coaster of melodic build-ups, until they finally reached a peak of high energy.

In an interview with the band after the set, Hadoken assured me that their upcoming album will be based on the high energy, and technicality that I experienced during the set. As Theis put it, “The future has always been to diversify the instrumentation. We try new things all the time, because I feel like if we don’t, we will stop progressing.”

Hadoken is playing again on May 22 at The Elevens in Northampton with bands The Slowest Runner, and The Accident that Led Me to the World. Check Hadoken out at www.myspace.com/surgefist or www.last.fm

Some additional photos from the show below,

and at www.picasaweb.google.com/kellogg.josh

4/2 Team B @ The Iron Horse Music Hall

Popular indie-folk band Beirut’s Kelly Pratt performed with his new project Team B at the Iron Horse last Friday to a young crowd attracted by the supergroup nature of Team B’s new album.  The self-titled album was recorded on tour with Beirut and Arcade Fire, and features LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney on drums.

Live however, Team B plays with Kelly Pratt, Jon Natchez, and Jason Poranski of Beirut, and Ryan Smith of the rising inide band Twin Thousands.  The resulting performance was not the anticipated super band some had expected, but a more experimental folk band that could easily be traced back to its roots.

Similar in style to the ten-piece ensemble that is Beirut, Team B brings onstage a trumpet, bass clarinet, euphonium, flute, saxophone, bass guitar, drums, and two electric guitars.  The sound that emerges is reminiscent of Beirut’s Gulag Orkestar LP, complimented with heavy use of the trumpet- yet lacks the soothing mandolin, and ukulele played by Zack Condon of Beirut. 

When I spoke with Pratt about his influences, he informed me that he is new to the world of indie-rock, and comes from a background in the free jazz scene.  He also spent time working with famous jazz musician Anthony Braxton.  Pratt mentioned that while he is writing songs, he doesn’t think about who will be listening.  “Though it’s stupid and artsy to say, I don’t think about who it appeals to, I just listen for the overall sound.” Pratt said.  “For example, the bass clarinet is my favorite instrument in the world.  It almost has a human voice, it’s like it speaks to you.”

Team B’s new album is available for pre-order at www.myspace.com/teambnyc and on iTunes.   

Additional Photos:

        

Caspian 3/27

Many fans were not surprised to find that post-rock band Caspian drew an impressive crowd to the Iron Horse Music hall in Northampton last Friday night.  This is partially due to the fact that 2009 will mark Caspian’s 6^th year playing, and promises the release of their second full-length album.

The quintet from Beverly, Massachusetts has no lead singer, and no lyrics.  Instead, their three part guitar harmonies act both as a lullaby and a driving force that commands the attention of everyone within earshot.  What I found to be particularly surprising was the band’s ability to captivate their audience for songs lasting five or more minutes- over, and over again.    

Dana Booze, of Albany, New York drove almost 100 miles with his girlfriend to see as he puts it, “the most underrated band around.”  He went on to explain that listening to Caspian reminds him of the tranquil feeling he got while listening to Pink Floyd growing up.

When asked about the outcome of the show, Caspian’s drummer, Joe Vickers said he was “just happy to see so many cool people out to represent- whether it’s here, or in Bumble Tennessee.”  If you want to hear more Caspian, you can check them out at www.Myspace.com/caspiantheband or www.Lastfm.com. 

Some photos from the show: