Viernes debut album out Jun. 8!

See? Tolja local psych-pop abstractionists VIERNES had big promise.

 On June 8, their debut album will see national release on Kanine Records. That's right, the same hip lil Brooklyn label that's smart enough to lasso Florida talent (e.g. these local boys, Surfer Blood and Blind Man's Colour) to distinguish their skyrocketing roster.

Though I have a slightly different take on Winter Park myself, their press release seems to sum it all up pretty well so here it is.

Congratulations, boys...

KANINE RECORDS RELEASING DEBUT ALBUM FROM VIERNES

'SINISTER DEVICES' ON JUNE 8, 2010

 "A hypnotic slice of looping tropical rhythms and heavily echoed vocals, tribal drumming, and aquatic sounding production" Pitchfork

 "Think of Viernes as combining Grizzly Bear's attention to subtle chord changes and vocal harmonies with Geologist's rolodex of rainbow flavored samples and electronic quirks" I Guess I'm Floating

"Gorgeous sonic texturizing that you can really sink your teeth into" Orlando Weekly

On June 8, 2010, Viernes is set to release their debut album Sinister Devices on Kanine Records.

If you are not from there, then you probably don't know that Winter Park, FL is a hip little hub otherwise known as the "City of Culture and Heritage."  With its century old New England style houses that line winding brick-paved roads and its low hanging Spanish Moss that covers every old Oak and Camphor tree, Winter Park has drawn in a plethora of artists since it's establishment in 1882.

So it is no surprise that Alberto Hernandez and Sean Moore, like generations of artists before them, found themselves at peace to create their own art in this small, magical town.

What started as an afternoon recording project sparking from their mutual love of favorite records: My Bloody Valentine's Loveless, Liars' Drum's Not Dead, Basinski's The Disintegration Loops and Van Dyke Parks' Song Cycle to name a few, soon turned into a year long obsession. 

Each Friday, the two would spend their afternoons and late into the night secluding themselves in their homemade studio at Moore's mother's house.  Incorporating instruments passed down to them, Moore's old Wurlitzer piano inherited from his late father was used for every piano part, and Hernandez borrowed his father's Puerto Rican cuatro.  Within less than a year, the duo had put to tape their own dreamlike soundscapes and had created more than enough material for an album.

Once the duo worked out a live show – they started performing under the appropriately titled Viernes, grabbing the attention of several promoters.  Locally, they began to open for national touring acts.  And not long after, Viernes would garner attention from the likes of Pitchfork, I Guess I'm Floating, The World's Best Ever, Indie Rock Cafe and others.

Twelve songs have been chosen to make up their debut album Sinister Devices, a beautiful record that deals with dark themes common to most twenty-somethings:  Love, deception, money, politics, misconceptions, fear, and technological advances threatening the world we live in. Brooklyn based indie label Kanine Records is pleased to be releasing Viernes' debut album.

TRACK LIST:

1. Glass Windows


2. Sinister Love


3. Enhance Pendulum Channel


4. Entire Empire


5. Regressive Soul Pollution


6. Glacial Change of Pace


7. Honest Parade


8. Ancient Amazon/New Fashion

9. Liquid Tunnel


10. Faulty Investments


11. Swimmer's Ear


12. Sinister Devices

What You're Doing This Weekend

There's a ton of runoff from Harvest of Hope as well as some general, kismet-driven scheduling awesomeness this weekend, resulting in some truly amazing shows going down this weekend. Like indie rock? You're set. Like legendary guitar gods? You're set. Like metal? Twang? Punk? Set, set, set. Want to see a band that's actually worse than Owl City? Oh yes, Orlando, we've got that too!

Seriously, with the exception of that Swimming With Dolphins show, this is one of the best weekends for live music that we've had around here for a while. Plus, the weather's great!

Saturday, March 13

• Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bear In Heaven, Freelance Whales [Will's Pub]
• Rogue Wave, Avi Buffalo, JBM [The Social]
• Eric Clapton, Roger Daltrey [Amway Arena]
• Steve Morse Band [The Plaza Theatre]
• Weedeater, ASG, US Christmas, Junior Bruce [Back Booth]

• Air [Hard Rock Live and Park Ave CDs]
• Caspian, Arms and Sleepers [Will's Pub]
• The Mountain Goats [The Social]
• Wayne Hancock, the Anderson Gang [Back Booth]

• Leatherface, the Attack [Back Booth]
• Swimming With Dolphins [The Social]

Headbanging + scissors. Great idea!

Because we all know how important it is for EVERYTHING!, even mundane tasks, maintain a rock & roll spirit (you know, your energy drink, your rollercoaster, your Henderson Valley Eggs), Orlando's set to be home to "the first ever rock n' roll barbershop."

Fuck yeah!

At the beginning of the decade, college pitcher Kyle Sleeth was one of the top prospects in baseball, until the ligaments in his arm gave out. Now, years, later, Sleeth's set up shop at 3150 South Orange Avenue and is readying the opening of his Orlando branch of the chain Floyd's 99, what he's billing as "a rock n' roll retreat."

What's more rawk than getting your hair cut? Try fucking flatscreen TVs, a radio station (playing music! probably rock!), posters on the walls and free shoulder and neck massages with a hot towel treatment. Also metal as shit? The affordable prices, of course! Cuts start at $15. Bitch.

Kyle runs the place with his wife, Sarah, "who recently won Central Florida Bride magazine's 'Coordinator of the Year' award..." I've got blisters on me fingahs!!

S.K.I.P. unveils a new song

It's been too long – years, even – since we've heard from local multi-instrumentalist, rapid-fire shit-stirrer S.K.I.P., and it turns out he's been slaving over his magnum opus/feature film tie-in/Chinese Democracy Pt. 2 Until the Very End.

Folks, he's nearly ready to let it loose, and to prove it, he's released a preview song entitled "Red Vs. Blue," (check it out below) a samba-tinged sing-song rhetorical statement whose simple chorus – "What's wrong? What's right?" – will earworm its way into your head and not leave until the next Freecreditreport.com commercial.

In addition, S.K.I.P.'s bringing his "very different" stage act out for its debut on March 19 at Back Booth, opening for Sweden's Little Dragon (who feature prominently on the new Gorillaz album).


Red Vs. Blue | Upload Music

What You're Doing Tonight

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, Shotgun Party loves Orlando, and there's absolutely no reason why Orlando shouldn't love Shotgun Party.

These hardworking Texas kids manage to swing (haha) through the area twice in the past few months, for extended mini-tours, yet every time I see them, it's a revelation of smiles and awesomeness. Seriously, go see them tonight at Will's.


I don't know who at Orlando Weekly wrote this about Over The Rhine, but I definitely assure you it was not me. Because even thinking about OTR makes me want ... zzzzzzzzzzzzz. [Plaza Theatre]

Also tonight:

• Twiztid [Firestone Live]
• Henry Rollins [HOB]
• Bears of Blue River [Back Booth] UPDATE: This show has been moved to Will's Pub, making for a heckuva bill over on Mills.
  

Don't bring that Screechin' 'round here, see?

After years of legal wrangling and an ugly split with co-founder John Jughead, Screeching Weasel's Ben Weasel has "reformed" the Illinois punk band (Jughead-less) for a nostalgia tour.

But you won't see them around here, at least not at House of Blues.

Besides doing their best to keep OW staffers far away from their joint (more on that in next week's issue), As we've said before, HOB also screens prospective bands for proper content, which mostly just means no death metal or the hippity-hop.

Now add '90s East Coast punk to the banned list, as we learned from columnist-novelist-frontman Weasel's twitter status yesterday:

"House of Blues Orlando is on Disney property, so Disney has to approve all bands. SW = rejected. Reason: "content." Sorry, Floridians."

In the meantime, enjoy that Henry Rollins stand-up show at HOB tomorrow...

Kick Bright: the podcast

Local musicians and curators of Florida-minded 'zine Kick Bright Jeffrey Howard and Kristin Messina have a pretty sweet podcast featuring music of all stripes and generations called the Florida Show.

You should check out their latest edition – the fifth in an occasional series dating back to last Spring – which includes a 1975 soul track from Miami's George McCrae and a relatively new one from Austin-but-Orlando-connected group Woven Bones, among others.

What You're Doing This Weekend

Lots of great stuff. Straight to business.

Saturday, Feb. 27

• Cro-Mags, with the Attack [Back Booth]
• Hot Mouth, Magic Finger [Peacock Room]
• Title Tracks, Pretty & Nice [Will's Pub]
• funkUs [Tanqueray's]
• Black Dahlia Murder, Hatesphere [The Social]
• Indigo Girls [HOB]
• Paleface, Lauris Vidal, Dish [DaVinci]

• Blackberry Smoke, Thomas Wynn & the Beleivers [The Social]
• Yogurt Smoothness, Cutman, Vampire Woman, Watership Sound [Back Booth]
• They Might Be Giants (or they just might be fucking stupid) [Hard Rock Live]

What You're Doing Tonight

• The excellent local indie synth-pop of the Pauses returns to an Orlando stage tonight for what seems like the first show from these guys in a while. They're on a bill with Look Mexico! (who celebrate the release of their new CD; read more here), Only Thieves, and An Intro to Sunshine. [Back Booth]

• There's a Bon Jovi tribute band playing. So, well, there's that. [Plaza Theatre]

• Soulphonics, Ruby Velle, the Duppies [The Social]
• The Downgetters [Tanqueray's]
• Classic Albums Live: Who's Next [Hard Rock Live]
• The Angst, Scum Trash, and more [Cameo Theatre]
  

House in primetime.

Say, do you enjoy smooth vocal house tunes with touches of disco and broken-beat? What a crazy, random happenstance cause that's exactly, to the word, what Q-Burns Abstract Message is bringing (or claims to be, at least - smoothness is pretty subjective) every Thursday at Sky 60 starting tomorrow night.

It's Q's latest Thursday concoction: In his e-mail announcement, he reminds everyone of his Holy Frijoles Thursdays at Knock Knock "way back in the day."

This one's free, 21+ and "under the stars" above the Social. Check out the flyer here.

The end for Kingsbury?

Just a brief dispatch from the screechy (baby) and drooly (me) trenches of paternity leave:

We haven't heard from Orlando dream-rock act Kingsbury roundabouts since they released their last (and excellent) EP, 2008's Lie To Me. That's not unusual for the insular band with a reputation for long bouts of isolation, band-wise.

It's almost become an annual event, then, for Kingsbury to dispel rumors of their demise. This time they put on a brave face, but it's hard to come to any other conclusion after the break-up-y statement posted to their website yesterday. Here are excerpts:

The reality is Kingsbury is on an indefinite hiatus. It makes me sad to say that, but we all need some fresh scenery and perspective, and we may not all end up in the same place. I am moving to New York for a fantastic new job, TJ is busy with school here in Orlando, and Mark is seeking to relocate to Washington DC.

I refuse to say we are totally done with Kingsbury, because the people involved are so important to me. The point of Kingsbury from the start was to have an outlet for my songwriting, and have my best friends apart of the process.

We'll keep you updated as things progress, but expect the updates to be slow as we all find out where we land. Thanks.

Bruce