Wed Jul 23 (Doors open at 10pm; free) SHORT ATTENTION SPAN THEATRE Chad will be showing various tour documentaries with music mixed in. Thu Jul 24 (Doors open at 9pm; $8) Forfeit Foundation Fri Jul 25 (Doors open at 9pm; free) RGRS in asssociation with Mike Seman's birthday party committee present: DEATH TO FALSE ROCK II: THE STEELY DAN YEARS In honor of Mr. Seman's Birthday, RGRS is Proud to Present: DEATH TO FALSE ROCK II: THE STEELY DAN YEARS -No Cover -Drink Specials -Soft Rock all night long $2 summer breeze/ white wine spritzers! Sat Jul 26 (Doors open at 9pm; free) Young Doc Gooden Empty Pockets Strawberry Fields Photobooth brought to you by Haley B. No Cover for 21 and up and $5 for under Sun Jul 27 (Doors open at 9pm; $5) Nouns Group The Frenz Fight Bite Mon Jul 28 (Doors open at 9pm; $8) The Coke Dares Tre Orsi Kaboom Department of Concern presents: The Coke Dares The three men of The Coke Dares like to play music. A lot. They have a lot of songs too. They aren't political, but they are egalitarian--so they all sing. They take turns and they sing at the same time. Jason, Mark, & Pete play twenty five songs in one set! But it doesn't take very long, because the songs are short--some are really short. Short but they're full songs--with lyrics--lots of lyrics. These guys will sing about anything from signing contracts to chasing rats. Variety. Spice of life. Freedom of choice. Optimism. Bad attitudes. American Midwest. Bloomington, IN, to be exact. The Coke Dares drive a Chevy and when they do they turn the radio to classic rock. Then they throw in a Wipers tape. And then maybe Alien Lanes. To sound like a well-oiled rock machine you gotta oil that sucker up and keep it firing. 10W-40 or whatever you got on the shelf. The fellas aren't exclusive, neither. They are also the big-block rhythm section of the Magnolia Electric Co. They also lend their skills to the Impossible Shapes and, previously, John Wilkes Booze, Panoply Academy, Scout Niblett, Jens Lekman, etc. The Coke Dares keep busy. The throttle sticks. No time for the shop. Record an album after work. This song hurts my leg. Feelin’ Up is the second full length by The Coke Dares. They won the studio time in a contest. The guys recorded it live to two-track tape. Analog. No Mixing. No time for mixing when you got 33 songs to record and you only won two days of studio time. Some of the songs have guitar solos. 82% of them are less than a minute long. Touring. Sweating. Eating. Sleeping on couches with names like “Old Stainy.” Buying Braille magazines at library sales. Diverter valves. Tell you what: Grab a shovel, bury Don Henley in a shallow grave, throw Feelin’ Up in the jambox in the backseat, and take Joe Walsh out for a short stack. Tue Jul 29 (Doors open at 10pm; free) Open Mic ( Big A$$ Beers) Wed Jul 30 (Doors open at 10pm; free) BS Art Fusion $5 dollars for under 21 The BS Art Fusion Show is a collaborative project bringing local area artists together to create spontaneous works of art. This is a multi-artist experience which showcases the abilities of the artists to react to changing surroundings. Art Fusion begins with multiple artists assigned to a respective station. The artists then work within a specified time creating spontaneous ideas on canvas. When the time is up, the artists will then rotate to the next canvas to pick up where the previous artist left off. The end result is a unique multi-dimensional piece of artwork that can never be reproduced. This is the essence of the BS Art Fusion Show. Thu Jul 31 (Doors open at 9pm; $5) Celebrate Brooks's Wedding with: Record Hop Shiny Around the Edges Bob White and the F-Electrics Record Hop Based in Denton, Texas, Record Hop is a band rooted in the underground rock/noise sounds of the 1980s and 1990s. They played their first show in the winter of 2002 and have released two albums and toured the midwest and Texas. Record Hop's most recent musical release is an eponymous 10 song document of their time spent recording at Chicago’s Electrical Audio with Steve Albini. This session marks the studio debut of long time friend Tony Wann on the drums. Fri Aug 1 (Doors open at 9pm; $7) Bitter End The Carrier I Rise Reign Supreme Kids Like Us The Mongoloids Sat Aug 2 (Doors open at 9pm; $5) Tha Nizzards Tha Nizzards Tha Nizzards and Special Guests: Tha Nizzards Mon Aug 4 (Doors open at 9pm; $8) Black Cobra Slough Feg Sourvein Broadcast Sea D.H.S Entertainment presents: Black Cobra Black Cobra is a doom and sludge metal band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2002 by Jason Landrian and Rafael Martinez (who is also the current bassist for Acid King). Sun Aug 10 (Doors open at 8pm; $7) Dead Child The Spectacle Magnum Octopus Dead Child Formed in 2005 by David Pajo of Slint, Louisville's Dead Child capture the sound and fury of classic metal. By fusing together the rumbling doom of Black Sabbath with the speed and vocal acrobatics of Judas Priest, Dead Child create music that captures the sound and feel of classic heavy metal without irony. Along with Pajo are guitarist Michael McMahan and bassist Todd Cook, both of whom played with Pajo during the 2005 Slint reunion, as well as drummer Tony Bailey and vocalist Dahm. Before the group was able to do any recording, Dead Child appeared in the Louisville, KY, installment of Brenda Canty's Burn to Shine film series, performing their first song, "Never Bet the Devil Your Head." In 2007 the group released a self-titled EP on Cold Sweat Records. Their first full-length album, Attack, arrived in April 2008 on Touch & Go Records imprint Quarterstick. Tue Aug 12 (Doors open at 10pm; free) Big A$$ Beer (open mic, no cover, cheap beer!) Sun Aug 17 (Doors open at 9pm; $7) Cex Best Fwends Stove Blow Cex Having no qualms about his desire to be a Rolex-wearing pop and rap star, Cex's music actually lies in the lines of intelligent dance music. At the age of 19, Rjyan Kidwell already had a catalog of releases and a record label behind him. His upbeat and over-the-top personality splattered a large dash of color across a subgenre of techno that is often bland and too mechanical. In 1998, Kidwell started Underscore Records and released a triplet of CD-Rs, one by him and two by friends. Only 600 of the CD-Rs were made and only given to a handful of friends and sold to a few distributors. With the label, he released two more singles, and eventually put it to rest to start another label, Tigerbeat 6, with San Francisco's Kid 606. Slowly the label moved to the forefront of the San Francisco IDM scene, as with Orthlorng Musork and L.A.'s Plug Research. Continuing his streak of obscure good luck, Cex released an applauded full-length, Roll Model, in August 2000. His pop culture goofiness is seen with such songs titles as "Academy Award (Cex's Radio Edit)" and "Wallstreet Kid." He has also been included on compilations such as Ricci's Pieces (on Mindfield) and Kid606 and Friends, Vol. 1 (on Tigerbeat). He has also recorded for Stewart Anderson's label, 555 Recordings of Leeds. In 2000, he toured with Kid 606, Gold Chains, and Blectdum from Blechdom, wowing audiences with his energetic, comical show. The constant touring also helped support his 2001 release, Starship Galactica. Cex only continued baffling expectations by following a 2001 electronic pop LP (Oops, I Did It Again!) with a record named Tall, Dark & Handcuffed, indebted to the golden age of hip-hop. Being Ridden appeared in 2003 (in both a regular and instrumental version) before Cex made his Jade Tree debut in the fall of that same year with Maryland Mansions. The Know Doubt EP followed in 2005 and the charmingly titled Actual Fucking was issued by Automation Records a year later. Tue Aug 19 (Doors open at 10pm; free) Big A$$ Beer (open mic, no cover, cheap beer!) Wed Aug 20 (Doors open at 10pm; free) DJ Holla (NYC) Flashlight Party (Austin) $5 for under 21 Tue Aug 26 (Doors open at 10pm; free) Big A$$ Beer (open mic, no cover, cheap beer!) Wed Aug 27 (Doors open at 10pm; free) BS Art Fusion The BS Art Fusion Show is a collaborative project bringing local area artists together to create spontaneous works of art. This is a multi-artist experience which showcases the abilities of the artists to react to changing surroundings. Art Fusion begins with multiple artists assigned to a respective station. The artists then work within a specified time creating spontaneous ideas on canvas. When the time is up, the artists will then rotate to the next canvas to pick up where the previous artist left off. The end result is a unique multi-dimensional piece of artwork that can never be reproduced. This is the essence of the BS Art Fusion Show. Thu Aug 28 (Doors open at 10pm; $6) Parachutes Starhead Parachutes Parachutes (based in Reykjavik, Iceland) is the music of Alex Somers and Scott Alario,taking their name from the seeds of a dandelion flower. They began in 2003 with homemade bedroom recordings. Today they record their songs in the kitchen. Alex and Scott play lots of different toys and instruments and often sample objects from around the house. Their music develops organically, with layers of acoustic instruments, old marching drums and gentle, hushed vocals. The pair have finished two albums to date, both self-released, in handmade packaging. They are currently in Reykjavik making a new album and plan to release it (through Moss Stories) in 2008. The two featured Parachutes tracks were mixed by Jon por Birgisson (Sigur Ros) and feature the strings of Amiina. Fri Aug 29 (Doors open at 9pm; $5) Stay Cool Guys Thu Sep 4 (Doors open at 9pm; $8) Weedeater D.H.S Entertainment presents: Weedeater In the mid-1990's, Weedeater arose from the ashes of the southern-drug-lord-band Buzzov-en, who had disbanded along the swampy shores of the Cape Fear river in North Carolina not too long before. Fronted by famed madman and bass virtuoso "Dixie" Dave Collins, this three piece doom juggernaut has been eating audiences alive for more than 10 years now. After two critically acclaimed full length releases under their belts recorded by Billy Anderson (Neurosis, Melvins, High On Fire, etc.) and released respectively on Berserker and Crucial Blast Records, the latest and highly anticipated album, entitled "God Luck And Good Speed" is due out in July of 2007 on LA's Southern Lord Recordings. All but one of the songs on the album were recorded and produced by the legendary Steve Albini (Neurosis, High On Fire, Nirvana, etc.) at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. The sound is gigantic and both the production and recording skillfully capture the intense experience of a Weedeater show while achieving tones that will swallow you whole. The remaining track, "Alone", was recorded by Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity) and simply consists of an acoustic bass track, a banjo track, and vocally some of Dixie's best somber and sub-baritone rasping. The mastering was executed by John Golden (Neurosis, Melvins, Pelican, etc.) and the finished product is nothing short of amazing. If you want to see Weedeater in print, you can catch the boys in Thrasher Magazine's Skater Of The Year Issue in an interview done in the van after a packed show in Portland OR, and you can read the "Stoner Rock vs. Weed Metal" debate between Dixie Dave and stoner-guru Bobby Black in the High Times Magazine harvest issue. Aside from the national publications, the boys have also been in the weekly mags gaining national attention for being one of the most moving live bands in recent history, with the proof lying in each of the hundreds of blazing shows they play every year. At first, fans might not know whether to be afraid of them or worship them, but like with anything held sacred, it always ends up being a combination of both. Weedeater has recently toured the US with COC, Crowbar, and Alabama Thunderpussy, as well as sharing the stage with a host of other great bands like Clutch, The Sword, Kylesa, 400 Blows, and label mates The Hidden Hand. In Spring 2007 they headlined tours with such bands as Stinking Lizaveta and Rwake in sold-out clubs from NYC to Austin. In 2006 they destroyed SXSW at Room 710, and then they did it again this year by blowing the roof off of Emo's at the Tone Deaf Touring showcase. The front rows were crammed with rock illuminati including members of Mastodon and even Jello Biafra himself, but the club was over capacity so unfortunately many rabid fans were not granted their Weedmetal fix at SXSW this year. Needless to say, the future is looking bright for Weedeater, and the boys are fondly looking forward to the summer west coast tour with label mates Sunn 0))), Earth, and Wolves In The Throneroom, then following with tours of the remaining US and Europe later in the year. These will be legendary shows and a great opportunity to pick up your newest hymnal from the reverends of WEEDMETAL. Thu Sep 11 (Doors open at 9pm; $10) Death Vessel Micah Blue Smaldone The Heartstring Stranglers SPUNE Productions Presents: Death Vessel Death Vessel is Joel Thibodeau's work as both a solo artist and band leader. His music, captured on the resplendent record "Stay Close", is an eloquent distillation of a life's tales. Born in Berlin, Germany before The Wall fell... raised in Kennebunkport, Maine before the senior Bush's presidency... this musician lived a childhood where the ghosts of Cold War casualties and seaport tragedies haunted the alleyways and beaches. Leaving Maine as a teenager, Thibodeau moved to Boston, Providence and New York. In Providence he was a founding member, songwriter and performer of the group String Builder. Now as then, Thibodeau captures the surreal and the sublime in wondrous song. BUY TICKETS HERE!! Sat Sep 13 (Doors open at 9pm; $8) Jana Hunter Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez Department of Concern presents: Jana Hunter In 1994, Jana Hunter was a 16 and a violinist in the Greater Youth Orchestra of Fort Worth (Texas.) This quickly and naturally led to smoking cigarettes, hanging out in a VW Van and joining local hippie band McGillicutty. Hilariously, this group soon disbanded due to creative differences, and Hunter began in earnest the pursuit of solo writing, performing at local open mics and house parties. Arlington, TX (Jana's hometown) is a depressing place, and Hunter took that sentiment to New York (1996) and eventually Houston (1998), writing dark, severe and beautiful songs that more and more reflected a paranoiac view of the world. These were shared for the most part with a few friends, occasionally in the guise of rock songs in her now-defunct band, Matty & Mossy, and eventually, at a few shows in Houston, opening up for touring bands. A show in 2003 with Devendra Banhart, led a year later to Hunter's inclusion on his Golden Apples of the Sun compilation (Bastet). In 2005, Devendra and Jana released a split vinyl album on Troubleman Records, followed quickly by the release of Hunter's debut solo album, Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom, in October of that year on Gnomonsong. Since her initial release, Hunter has repeatedly toured North America and Europe, joined forces with Castanets as their sometimes touring bass player and vocalist, guested on albums by CocoRosie and Metallic Falcons, played at the Banhart-curated All Tomorrow's Parties, recorded a soon-to-be-released album with a new band, Jracula, and prepared a split release with her fellow Houstonians, Indian Jewelry. Hunter has also appeared on the following compilations: The Enlightened Family (Voodoo-Eros), The Black and White Skins (Les Disque Du Crespuscule), Furniture Record's Sheets of Easter Everywhere singles series, and the online lullaby collection from Blogupmusique.com. ...Heirs of Doom was re-issued in a very limited run as a double cassette on Fuck-It Tapes in June, 2006. Sun Sep 28 (Doors open at 8pm; $10) DSB World Burns to Death Unit 21 Tickets are $10 over 21 / $12 under 21 Thu Oct 2 (Doors open at 8pm; $12) Jonathan Richman Department of Concern presents: Jonathan Richman Jonathan Richman was one of rock's most eccentric and unpredictable cult figures, a performer whose eternally childlike public persona and seeming naiveté -- typified by songs like "Ice Cream Man," "Hey There Little Insect" and "I'm a Little Aeroplane" -- tended to obscure the dexterity and craft of his music, which skirted from garage rock to country to Latin stylings and back. Born May 15, 1951 in Boston, Massachusetts, Richman began playing guitar at the age of 15, and within a year was making his first public appearances. In 1969 he relocated to New York, the home of the Velvet Underground (his central musical influence), and spent his first two weeks in the city sleeping on the Velvets' manager's couch. While working a series of odd jobs, including a tenure as a foot messenger for Esquire magazine, Richman attempted to find a venue to perform his music, but his simple songs and adenoidal voice were roundly rejected; he ultimately moved back to Boston in 1970, where he formed the first incarnation of the influential proto-punk band the Modern Lovers with guitarist John Felice, drummer David Robinson and bassist Rolfe Anderson. Within a few months, Anderson had been replaced by Ernie Brooks, and keyboardist Jerry Harrison stepped in for Felice. After recording some demos with Kim Fowley in the spring of 1971 (unissued until 1981), in 1973, the Modern Lovers (with producer John Cale) recorded the demos which comprised their seminal self-titled debut, featuring long-standing Richman favorites like "Roadrunner," "Pablo Picasso" and "Hospital." Problems with their label, however, blocked the songs' release until 1976; at the same time, Richman wanted to quiet the group's minimalist, garagey sound, leading to their breakup in 1973. Eventually, Richman formed a new, acoustic Modern Lovers with guitarist Leroy Radcliffe, Rubinoos bassist Greg "Curly" Keranen and drummer Robinson. In 1977, they debuted with Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers, which emphasized the doo-wop flavor and wry pop melodies that remained hallmarks of Richman's career. That same year, the group issued Rock 'N' Roll With the Modern Lovers (with D. Sharpe on drums) and scored a major European hit with the instrumental "Egyptian Reggae." A year later, Richman went solo, and in 1979 issued Back in Your Life. After a period of self-imposed exile, he resurfaced in 1983 with Jonathan Sings A series of strong pop records followed, including 1985's Rockin' & Romance, 1986's It's Time for Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers (recorded with Andy Paley), and Modern Lovers 88. In 1990, he released the self-explanatory Jonathan Goes Country; later, he made another left turn with 1993's Jonathan, Te Vas a Emocionar!, a collection of Latin-influenced songs performed entirely in Spanish. No matter what path his music took, however, Richman's cult following remained fiercely loyal, and saw its ranks expand courtesy of his frequent appearances on the NBC program Late Night With Conan O'Brien; in 1998, he was also prominently featured in the hit film comedy There's Something About Mary. I'm So Confused appeared later that year. Richman began dipping his toes into slightly more sophisticated musical forms with 2001's Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Eye Shadow, which also documented his continuing interest in the Spanish language, as did 2004's Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love. This is a semi-early show! Doors @ 8pm, Jonathan plays at 9pm Mon Oct 27 (Doors open at 9pm; $10) Magnolia Electric Co. Everest Tre Orsi Department of Concern presents: Magnolia Electric Co. After retiring Songs: Ohia, Jason Molina started up Magnolia Electric Co., a new avenue to explore his country-rock. The name of the new group was taken from the title of the last Songs: Ohia record and proved to be the appropriate connection from the past to the next phase of Molina's projects. The early makeup of the four-piece band in 2003 consisted of Pete Schreiner (Panoply Academy, Coke Dares) on drums, Mike Kapinus (Okkervil River) on bass and trumpet, Jason Groth (Impossible Shapes, John Wilkes Booze, Coke Dares) on guitar, and Jason Molina providing the other guitar and vocals. Magnolia Electric Co. recorded Trials & Errors live in Brussels in 2003, which Secretly Canadian released in January 2005. With later tours, Magnolia Electric Co. shifted the lineup of the band, adding Mark Rice (Impossible Shapes, John Wilkes Booze) on drums and moving Schreiner to bass and Kapinus to trumpet and keyboards, while Groth and Molina remained on guitar. Magnolia Electric Co.'s full-length studio debut appeared to glowing reviews in spring 2005 via Secretly Canadian. The band didn't slow down, touring for most of the summer and issuing the five-song EP Hard to Love a Man in October. The band released Fading Trails in September 2006, and then followed it up in August 2007 with Sojourner, a limited-edition four-CD set for the fans.	Thu Jul 24 Forfeit Foundation Fri Jul 25 RGRS in asssociation with Mike Seman's birthday party committee present: DEATH TO FALSE ROCK II: THE STEELY DAN YEARS Sat Jul 26 Young Doc Gooden Empty Pockets Strawberry Fields Photobooth brought to you by Haley B. Sun Jul 27 Nouns Group The Frenz Fight Bite Mon Jul 28 The Coke Dares Tre Orsi Kaboom Tue Jul 29 Open Mic ( Big A$$ Beers) Preview upcoming shows on our cool little MP3 playing jukebox.