September 6, 2010 8pm
The Summit
2210 Summit St.
(614) 268-9377
The Summit
Ages 18+
$7 adv / $7 door
Rangda
http://www.myspace.com/calonarang
Rangda is named for the Javanese demon queen of the leyaks. This power trio is an instrumental psych rock and no wave-styled noise unit. Its members are guitarists Sir Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls) and Ben Chasny (Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire, Current 93) and drummer Chris Corsano (Björk, Dredd Foole, Jandek, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Six Organs of Admittance, Kim Gordon, Thurston Moore, Nels Cline, Jim O’Rourke). Its members live in three distinctly different parts of the United States, making rehearsals difficult. They came together over time first as an idea, since each man’s schedule was quite heavy. Assembling as a touring unit, they tried out their very original material before recording their debut False Flag full-length. It was released by Drag City in May of 2010. - ©2010 Rovi, All Music Guide
Brainbow
http://www.myspace.com/brainbowband
Stoner wit is a rare find, but you know it when you see it. The band name Brainbow sounds like it comes from a dorm-room listening of Dark Side of the Moon, or the conversation during a long, tripped-out hike. . . you know, “the whole universe … Full Descriptionis, like, an atom in a giant’s fingernail, man,” moment.All jibes aside, there is an amazingly talented local band called Brainbow that may or may not have lived any of those events (though surely they heard “Dark Side” in a dorm room sometime. Didn’t everyone?). But judging by the sound of the band’s self-titled debut disc, full of acid-damaged, desert sun-scorched, instrumental guitar psychedelia, they’ve at least read very good accounts of events like those.Instrumental rock, for all its charms, is rarely anyone’s first pick for a live show, but Brainbow has made a case for it over the past couple of years, even garnering a sizable fan club in the process. Especially with those who like a little experimentation with their wine and cheese.The album opens with the long, slow strains of “The Cast,” which splits the difference between Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and jazz guitar guru Bill Frisell at his most loose and free. Toward the end of its eight-minute lifespan, it takes on the warm, swirling guitar miasma used to such a wonderful degree in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when shoe-gazers walked the Earth. Those of you bemoaning the lack of a revived My Bloody Valentine show no closer than Chicago should take “The Cast” for a spin.Such an expansive piece is pretty de rigueur for Brainbow, and indicative of the otherworldly mindset their live show induces.Instead of relying on that formula, the band explores a lot of nooks and crannies, occasionally stepping outside the expected prog rock conventions.“Trance Figure,” which picks up where “The Cast” leaves off, is a lot more driving and kinetic, embracing a noise-rock framework akin to a much livelier Jesus and Mary Chain b-side.“Feather Mountain” carries a great deal of weighty darkness amid its seven and a half minutes, and “Hex Remover” manages to tear it up unlike any other track on the album.Keep in mind, this is measuring Brainbow against Brainbow, and if you aren’t up for long, slow-moving guitar jams, even really interesting long, slow-moving guitar jams, this may not be your bag. Which is fine. That means more psychedelic guitar rock for the rest of us. - Rick Allen, The Other Paper
Old Worlds
http://www.myspace.com/oldworlds
Aaron Sturgill invests much thought when considering the sound of Old Worlds. When asked a question about how the ambitious nature of post-rock - a genre that eschews verse-chorus-verse songwriting for overgrown instrumental scapes - affects his own writing process, he paused for a few moments. “It makes it more difficult,” said the guitarist/vocalist. He immediately corrected himself, “It’s easier because we are not focused on writing a hook. We’re not really concerned with a marketable success as much as we are with expressing something tangible that hopefully a lot of people can relate to. That may sound a little dubious but all I’m concerned with is getting a story across - an idea - through instrumental music. In that way, it’s easier because we write what we want.”
Old Worlds produces the complex, roaming kind of sound such an answer deserves. First using the Old Worlds name late last year as a solo project, Sturgill was approached by Mike Poston at a concert. After the pair jammed, Poston joined the project as a drummer and the duo kept the moniker Sturgill used. Then, Brian Maxwell - a friend of Poston’s - joined as a bassist in the same manner. The group is not entirely complete, notes Sturgill. “We’re talking to a couple of people about additional members,” he said. “We’re very excited about fleshing out the project into a real collaboration and not just a project of my basement songs plus a drummer and bass player.”
It was post-rock that originally brought Sturgill and Poston together as friends about five years ago. “We listened to the same bands and started going to some shows together, doing various things while listening to this music,” recalls the front man. “When he joined the band, it didn’t even need to be stated. He was so on board with late ’90s/early 2000s math rock and post-rock that I didn’t have to tell him.”
Sturgill said likes the group’s vast sound to the output crafted by the likes of Minus The Bear, repeating an observation made by someone else that is a particularly apt account of the Old Worlds’ dynamic, “We split the difference between Battles and Explosions in the Sky. Lots of rhythmic complexity, but at the same time we shoot for some wide-screen instrumental projects too.” He champions two elements that play a crucial part in the group’s music: “very close harmonies on the guitar” and “very tight rhythmic changes.” The guitarist noted, “I like big riffs, but I don’t like power chords.”
The reason Old Worlds crafts their work in this lesser-heard style is as much because of sonic preferences as it is something more innate. “I embrace that style because it takes the emotional distress of emo and puts it in an adult perspective where life goes on and you have to become a better person to deal with the issues of youth,” mentioned Sturgill. “The post-rock we do expresses the issues of youth, but also promotes a solution as far as growth and maturity. It doesn’t just dwell in the pain and distress of the issues.”
Currently, the group’s only release is a self-titled demo available from a few outlets. “We recorded a live demo at a place called The Barn with James Allison. He runs The Outer Sounds,” said Sturgill. “We cut four tracks in about an hour and a half. It’s pretty rough but it’s the only official release we have. You can download it for free. You can’t buy it in stores but we’re giving it away at shows.” There’s more material on the way/ “We’re hoping for a spring release of a new EP,” he said.
Aside from the songs, Sturgill and company plan to sink a significant chunk of time into live shows, to build a reputation for Old Worlds. “I’ve started looking at DIY tours,” he says. “We’re hoping to get out of the state in the spring and possibly out of the Midwest in the summer or fall of 2010. For a band that’s not gearing towards radio play, ambitious touring is the only thing that I could see gaining us any exposure. We’re saving money and talking to new people and trying to make as many contacts as we can all over the country.”
Old Worlds will perform at Bernie’s Distillery (1896 N. High St.) and the Ravari Room (2661 N. High St.) on Nov. 7, Ruby Tuesday (1978 Summit St.) on Nov. 13, and the Ravari Room on Nov. 28. For more information, visit myspace.com/oldworlds. - Reyan Ali, UWeekly