Curtiss A & Dark Click Hit The Nostalgia Vein Hard on Studio 5's Last Official Airing

In a similar style to the launch of the show in the days of 2010, Live from Studio 5’s final official airing hosted Curtiss A as their musical guest (who also happened to be their very first one, as implied a half a sentence back). Curtiss, known across the wintery Twin Cities as a “local enigma”, is nothing short of a legend of the area. Besides being an expert musician with a signature guitar snap, an unmistakable vocal gravel, and an intensely impressive musical track record, he hosts an annual John Lennon tribute at First Avenue each December 8th (the night in 1980 when Lennon was tragically shot in New York).

    As if Curtiss’ hip-trippy look wasn’t signature enough, the man can truly deliver vocally - there’s something radiant about his sheer classic rock-itude, bluesy sincerity, and a hint of hollow darkness. His band Dark Click (the name is an anagram of “Dick Clark”) provide a more than fitting rhythm section to bear all underneath this voice, which includes Sprague Hollander and Dave Boquist on guitars, John Sandbo on the kit, Bill Granke on bass.  Belting out a barrage of tunes for two hours, including originals and covers of The Stones, Muddy Waters, Wilson Pickett, etc., Curtiss A and Dark Click delivered a powerful performance packed with nostalgia, mad groove, classic tunes, and raw emotion. Their sound ranged from stumpy, low-down blues to crunchy psychedelic rock and then some. Together, these bad dudes present a sound both reminiscent and modern, recollecting and avant-garde, remembered and ever-present. If you get the opportunity to see them perform, take it, my friend.
***Tune in this Wednesday, December 30th, for “Live From Studio 5’s” final airing under the guise of their annual holiday spectacular.

Links are provided below to Curtiss A’s website and Wikipedia page:

Website: http://curtissa.com/home.html

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtiss_A

Be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come!

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online!

Online donation: http://kfai.org/node/46434

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here: https://archive.org/details/287CurtissADarkClick_201512

(Archive also contains interview with Live From Studio 5!’s blogger, Seth Hynes-Marquette)

Check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/pho…/kfai-fm/albums/72157662581629272


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette
   

"The Loudest Show Ever" On Studio 5

So, the name of the band is “The Outstanding Achievements In The Field Of Excellence”. For real, though. And that’s pretty f**kin’ epic. It might take you a while to memorize the entire thing (this writer suggests forming a study group of sorts), but either way, one cannot deny the severe awesomeness of a band that dubs themselves so intricately. Thankfully, these guys back up the epicness of this dub with an authoritatively powerful metal / alternative rock sound. Their explosive and grinding riffs are forcible, moving mountains while melting faces in a successful attempt at splitting the concrete ground beneath them. Thunder-heavy drums kick out primal blasts that take no prisoners behind the mutated muscular system of the bass hum. Basically, this is the band to play through your car speakers when you desire long-haired ruffian’s head banging within a 2-mile radius.

    The band consists of Brian Herb on lead vocals and guitar, Benji on the grinding bass, and Christopher on the kit. Their album The Cobbler’s Kids Wear No Shoes, is available for purchase on the band’s Bandcamp (link posted below). I highly suggest you check it out.

    The second band of the evening, Little Man, consisted of string-slicer and siren singer Chris Perricelli, kit hitter Sean Gilchrist, and bassist Brian Herb (also of The Outstanding Achievements In The Field of Excellence fame). Little Man kicked out their own barrage of crunchy rock tunes, laying down dirty n’ sweet Southern vibes mixed in with a Brit-rock tongue-in-cheek charm, Floyd-esque six-string wales, and a Johnny Rotten rebellion vibe. Their ethereal scratchy guitar solos and wall sounds create a sound-aura that’s sure to flip out even the most well-seasoned stoner. And the rowdiest rocker of them all, the beautiful, sexy, talented Nicole Jean Rowdy stepped in to belt out a couple of numbers in her very own ass-kicking style.  Check out the band’s latest album, Original Face.

Links are provided below to Little Man’s Facebook page and Outstanding Achievement’s Bandcamp:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LittleManMusic/timeline

Bandcamp: http://outstandingachievements.bandcamp.com/

Be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come!

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online!

Online donation: http://kfai.org/node/46434

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here: https://archive.org/details/286LittleMan

(Archive also contains interview with Live From Studio 5!’s blogger, Seth Hynes-Marquette)

Soon you can check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/albums/72157662416782722


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette
   

Platypus Packs Powerfully Prominent Punky Punches

    A friendly warning: this sentence you’re currently reading may be the last in which you are able to associate the word “platypus” with the Australian marsupial bearing a deadly stinger and a hilarious bill. Local power trio Platypus blasted onto the Studio 5 scene this week with a fistful of youthful vengeance. Consisting of Ben Parr on bass guitar, Donovan Eidem on kit, and Thomas Walsh on lead strings and vocals, this is perhaps one of the youngest rocker clans Studio 5 has seen to date. It was revealed by Mr. Thug that these guys were still in Junior High during Live’s radio debut back in 2010.

    Regardless, age seemed to be no hindrance for the killer punk attack of Platypus. Blending elements of geek rock, power pop and pop punk, the group whipped out a torrent of pump-up-able tunes that were as crunchy as they were catchy. Slick harmonies caressed dirty-fast riff work, layered by the happy-go-lucky punch of the rhythm section. It’d be easy to forget that you hadn’t been listening to these guys on your iPod mini while you were warming up for middle school track practice in ’03. If you feel like getting caught up in a modest mosh and leaving the pit with a hundred separate melodic hooks stuck in your head, it’s about time you caught these three dudes live.

Links are provided below to Platypus’ Facebook page:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PlatypusMn/timeline

Be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come!

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online!

Online donation: http://kfai.org/node/46434\

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here: http://uno.kfai.org/LiveFromStudio5/LiveFromStudio5_2015-12-09.mp3

(Archive also contains interview with Live From Studio 5!’s blogger, Seth Hynes-Marquette)

Soon there will be a video posted on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157662121141381


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette
   

Sounds of the Eccentric Enigma: Paul Fonfara & The Ipsifendus Orchestra

Of the many unsettling and dark aspects of the world of Edward Gorey, one more curiously ominous example inspired the name of last week’s Studio 5 guests. In this particular piece of Gorey literature, devils would emerge from the sky and proclaim the word “Ipsifendus”. Thus, the name for Paul Fonfara’s newest orchestral project was birthed - The Ipsifendus Orchestra.

    Fonfara, who appeared on Studio 5 back in 2012 with his group the Painted Saints, mentioned that the new eight-piece orchestra was formed after the same members had joined together previously to create music for film scores, the Minnesota Book Awards, and more. The lineup consists of Paul Fonfara on clarinet, Tim Kirchoff on guitar, Philip Potyondy on coronet, Chris Hepola on drum kit and keys, Krista Schneider on the cello, Andy McCormick on keyboard (a non-digital antique from decades in the past, might I add) and musical saw, Karen Majewitcz on accordion, and finally Eric Struve played a 115 year old stand-up bass.

    The music this orchestra creates is that of a blissful otherworldliness, the audible incarnation of some massive sauntering being moving cautiously yet gracefully through an unknown world. There are definite hints of darkness and unsettling imagery in their sounds, but these are contrasted with upbeat time signature shifts, dainty marching feels, and an instrumental structure that allows for both brash brightness and sinking morose. Consequently, this orchestra is an amalgamation of emotional expression, so don’t plan on getting too comfortable in any one definable mood.

Be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come!

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online!

Online donation: http://kfai.org/node/46434

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here: http://kfai.org/live-from-studio-5/playlists/20151202

(Archive also contains interview with Live From Studio 5!’s blogger, Seth Hynes-Marquette)

Check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/pho…/kfai-fm/albums/72157661310225549


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette
   

Lavender Daughter Rides The Radio Wave

  

Heavy as a mid-season Carolina hurricane yet sweet as the nectar from some mightily divine flower, Lavender Daughter kicked out the jams this Wednesday in Studio 5, bearing with them a sharp aesthetic, three-part harmony, and a sound that might be simply summarized as “plethora”. This foursome identifies as “surf-grunge”, finding influences in greats like Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Fleet Foxes, Sloth Rust, Dick Dale, Lana del Ray, Man or Astroman?, and a hell of a lot more.

    Beginning in early 2013, vocalist / guitarist Kalee Guenther birthed the idea of the band, and what followed initially was a five-piece acoustic / folk group with an accordionist / pianist, a second female vocalist, and a mountain dulcimer player. However, after a lineup change and stylistic shift, Lavender Daughter currently has a much more distorted and back-beat oriented foundation, as well as a new instrumental lineup (the only original members currently are Guenther and drummer Seth Hynes-Marquette). Teygaen Hartman slays the bass guitar with a relentlessly cool wit, providing the muscular system to the dope syncopation of the group’s sound while promoting her secret mastery at just the right times. Seth Hynes-Marquette’s juggernaut of a drum ensemble shakes, rattles, and rolls underneath the strings and harmonies like the shoulders of Atlas bearing the world itself, utilizing literally every f**king inch of his drum kit for a seriously diverse array of sounds and rhythms. Singer Lucas Beach’s voice saunters over the melodic collective like a blessed apparition amidst some holy congregation, telling tales of heartbreak and anger while simultaneously venturing into a future of promise. Kalee Guenther’s six-string emits tone that brings to mind a majestic surf goddess caressing the battered waves of a stormy Seattle shoreline, heavy and distorted with uniquely unpredictable rhythm. All of this percolates amongst her voice, a thing bearing ferocity and comfort, angst and pleasure, righteous rage and modest admiration. Together, Lavender Daughter weaves a sound that is intensely dynamic, storytelling, and innovative in its own sense.

    The band is currently in the process of recording their first full-length eponymous release, Lavender Daughter, due for a spring 2016 release. This record will include band originals such as “Piece of Love”, “Too Soon Too Tell”, “Prom King”, “Run”, and “Sweetest Sound”. Their next performance is at Hexagon Bar in Minneapolis, Saturday, December 12th at 10 PM. I suggest that you check it out. Like, real fast.

A link has been provided below to Lavender Daughter’s Facebook page:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lavenderdaughter/?fref=ts

Be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come!

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online!

Online donation: http://kfai.org/node/46434

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here: https://archive.org/details/278LavenderDaughter_201511

(Archive also contains interview with Live From Studio 5!’s blogger, Seth Hynes-Marquette)

Check out the videos on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157659992512610


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette