Poetic Memory: The Old In Out (List)
San Diego’s music scene offers plenty of options. Want gorgeous jazz vocals shimmering with old-timey charm? We’ve got Erika Davies. Need a mainlined dose of fast, endlessly catchy powerpop? We’ve got The Powerchords. Have a hankering for exquisitely depressing tales of heartache, complete with eerie saw-playing? We’ve got Black Heart Procession. But if you’re looking for a band that rocks so hard they’ll shatter your pint glass, you need look no further than The Old In Out.
Blending the raunchiest elements of blues, garage rock, and psychedelia, The Old In Out are a hailstorm of loud guitar, sledgehammered beats, and sneering swagger. We recently had the opportunity to pick drummer Christopher James Carrol’s brain about what inspires him:
“I’ve found that inspiration comes from within and without. Everything and anything from a cool movie to seeing a great art show to watching the sun set, or reading a good book on a rainy day afternoon. The things that truly influence me are the things that create whole new worlds to peer into: worlds of mood, color, and shape that challenge and unlock new doors of understanding.”
We’ve been fortunate enough to obtain Poetic Memory lists from lots of musicians in the past, but his is definitely one of the more eclectic ones we’ve seen. Carrol’s multifaceted nature is also apparent in his music; in addition to his work with The Old In Out, he also drums for up-and-coming prog monster Shapes Of Future Frames. Carrol’s Poetic Memory can be found below. (more…)
The Builders and the Butchers Return to San Diego
When The Builders And The Butchers come to San Diego, they show up to play. The band’s Casbah performance last February was a fever dream of apocalyptic backwoods folk voodoo that had even the most uptight hipsters in the crowd unfolding their arms and busting a move. As if to prove that lightning can indeed strike the same place twice, the group will be returning to the Casbah on Saturday, January 16th. (more…)
Owl and Bear’s Best Albums of 2009
Owl and Bear writers’ favorite albums of 2009. (more…)
The Mumlers – Coffin Factory (Video)
The Mumlers are a multi instrumentalist indie/folk/soul band who come to us from San Jose, CA. Their second album “Don’t Throw Me Away” was released on September 8th and is filled with musical nostalgia. They are just finishing up a tour with The Black Heart Procession and we look forward to more soul soaked blues inspired tunes from these guys in the future. Meanwhile check out their zombie laden video for “Coffin Factory”.
Black Heart Prog Session?
Hey, San Diegans, let’s level with one another. We all know that, on February 17th, indie prog-rockers …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead are coming out with a new album, titled The Century of Self.
Some people (mostly their publicists) are saying it will send the band into the stratosphere, a place Trail of Dead is not unfamiliar with, thanks to 2002’s Source Tags & Codes. Others (perhaps privacists) think that it’ll keep them terrestrial and do little more than confirm that the band has indeed made a new record.
While those two sides wrangle, you can feast your greedy little ears on tracks 10 and 13, respectively, ”Insatiable One” and “Insatiable Two”—as well as the rest of the album—right here.
Comprising equal parts goodness and brevity, the songs evoke the musical stylings of black-hearted San Diego son Pall Jenkins and, moreover, are evidence that Trail of Dead’s new release will not be a complete waste of time, wherever it may put them.
Review: The Black Heart Procession; September 26, 2008 at The Casbah; San Diego
For a band that has spent the last ten years plumbing the depths of human misery, The Black Heart Procession sure do put on a fun live show. Playing to an eager crowd last Friday, the San Diego natives drew from various eras in their impressive catalog to assemble a set that was both a great introduction for newcomers and a satisfying playlist for the devoted.
The Black Heart Procession – The Spell
2006, Touch & Go
The name Black Heart Procession does not give you the warm, fuzzy feeling that this is going to be the feelgood album of the year.
