Author Archives: Rachel Hurley

There really is something about Memphis and Ardent Studios. Driving east on Madison from downtown, the same street Ardent Studios is located on, I pass some of my favorite places in the world: The P and H Café, Murphy’s, the old Antenna, Minglewood Hall, the BBQ Shop, Pho Hoa Bin, Zinny’s, The Lamplighter, Fino’s, Boscos (mmmmmm stock Ale…..), The Blue Monkey, and Kwik Check. I have been lucky enough, many times in fact, to enjoy my “Turk that was Greek” sandwich at Kwik Check, then walk across the street to the world famous Ardent Studios.

I have had the pleasure to work in Studios A, B and C with many different bands and with many amazing producers and engineers. Back in 2001, my band Snowglobe mastered our first full length record with Larry and Kevin Nix. Over the years I have recorded piano, guitar, vocals, and crazy noises both on my own and other folk’s records at Ardent. Back in 2007, Ardent started doing something known as the Ardent Sessions. My bands Oh No Oh My and Antenna Shoes have both been invited to record episodes.

The Ardent Sessions is awesome. It allows a band to play a show in front of their fans, and have that show be recorded with incredible microphones and the best new and old recording gear. With Alan Burcham behind the desk, placing guitars through the Neve preamps, and Fairchild compressors, sometimes I just want to cry. It’s so beautiful. As musicians you have pressure to perform the material live for the audience, with an extra pressure that the performance is being recorded. I think that with the right mix of pressure, magic is made. I am very happy to have been a part of the magic that has been made at Ardent Studios throughout the years. This episode was extra special because we shared the episode with our good friends from Knoxville, Royal Bangs. Nice.

BTW, our new 7 inch contains two songs off of our record ‘People Problems.’ The songs are “Brains” and “Walking Into Me:”. They were recorded at Jim Eno’s Studio Public HiFi in Austin Tx. We like them a lot. We hope you do too!
—Tim Regan

Pick up the new 7″ and other great merch from Oh No Oh My here.

Ardent Sessions: Oh No Oh My Vs. Royal Bangs
http://soundcloud.com/ardentstudios/ardent-sessions-oh-no-oh-my-vs

Jack Oblivian joins Star & Micey for a special live performance on Tuesday, May 3 at 1:00 p.m. on WEVL‘s Memphis Beat show. It’s the final installment of Season Two of their Sounds Like Memphis series, featuring live performances on air plus a video of each show on their YouTube channel.

“Contemporary indie folk with a gritty Southern groove” –Nashville Scene

Tune in at 89.9 FM in Memphis or http://wevl.org/webcast.php

This project is funded in part under an agreement with the Tennessee Arts Commission and ArtsMemphis.

Pat, John and Hags from the Autumn Defense stopped by to play us a few songs before Pat and John went down to The Beale Street Music Festival to play in their side project – a little band named Wilco.

http://soundcloud.com/tvd-memphis/the-warmup-with-the-autumn

Teh Autumn Defense with Jody Stephens and Jason Gillespie

http://soundcloud.com/tvd-memphis/the-warm-up-with-colour-revolt

Colour Revolt will be playing at The Hitone tonight AFTER Beale Street Music Fest! Go early to see the Grizzlies game!

Alright, this one’s easy for me. Tomorrow night the 29th, Oxford Mississippi’s Colour Revolt will tear the Hi-Tone apart.

This band has been one of my personal favorites since around 2005. Jesse Coppenbarger’s lyrics and melodies blow my mind and dynamically, the band is utterly incredible. Their new record The Cradle was produced by local Hank Sullivant (The Whigs, Kuroma) and came out this past August. Oh, and it’s badass.

Local math rock (and play shows-every-now-and-again) band Arma Secreta will open. I haven’t seen them in a few years, but I’m guessing their show is still pretty awesome.

This show will be an “after show” for the first night of MusicFest, so it won’t start til 11. $10/18+

Seriously, go to this show and take all the punches to the gut via soundwaves.

P.S. ~ Coppenbarger’s solo project El Obo will release it’s first debut record May 10th…..and it’s great, too.

Tickets / Colour Revolt Site / Arma Secreta

When the CM&WA album, Is a Beast, came to me for review, I wasn’t sure what to make of it at first glance. The artwork is compelling and thoughtful, all while keeping a minimalist approach to its delivery. What I would come to realize, after listening to the art on the inside, is that this message of a visual nature was a blatant reflection of the audio sound-scape embedded on the disc.

“Houdini” starts off the album with a very ambient and suspenseful build that drew me in and had me hooked from the first pounding of the toms. This gradual, purposeful crescendo helps give the vocal more weight and makes the explosion of sound (that comes later on) have even more impact. A stellar opening track, I had to listen to this one twice before moving on to the rest of the album.

As “Houdini” fades away, “I Don’t Believe In Magic (But All My Friends Just Disappeared)” comes in with a fantastic vocal and a strolling acoustic rhythm. The background vocals are rich and fun, and when the band comes in, the vibe reminds me of sunshine in a park somewhere. The horn solo (and subsequent breakdown) is a tasteful twist on the previous upbeat vibe.

“Dead Rose” follows up with a dirty bass line that is surrounded by guitar textures that dance with counter point. I constantly find my ear pulled towards various sounds and directions throughout the whole first section of the song. A well assembled thought, “Dead Rose” shows a depth of songwriting that is missing from most modern records.

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Happy New Release Day!!! List via Candice at TVD-Nashville!

ABOUT GROUP – START AND COMPLETE – DOMINO RECORDING CO. – Comprising Alexis Taylor (Hot Chip), Charles Hayward (This Heat), John Coxon (Spring Heel Jack, Spiritualized) and Pat Thomas, who has played with the likes of Derek Bailey, Tony Oxley and others, the band originally formed to make a record of improvised music for the Treader label in 2009, having never played together as a whole before the day it took them to make their first album. After a clutch of live performances (supporting Gang Gang Dance, playing Ornette Coleman’s Meltdown Festival and even Glastonbury, among others) they regrouped to record this album.

AN HORSE – WALLS – MOM & POP MUSIC – Walls has plenty of the whip-smart, energetic rock that propelled An Horse half-way across the world. The album’s opening track, “Dressed Sharply,” is as fizzy and explosive as a shook-up bottle of champagne, spraying the listener with showers of melody and noise. It’s no surprise that the tune is a fan favorite already, thanks to having been previewed in their recent shows. But on the song that follows it, “Not Mine,” the craft and care that went into Walls’ making becomes even clearer. Kate and Damon’s passionate vocals, weave into a pattern with Kate’s chiming guitar, building the intensity slowly and deliberately as Damon’s drums nudge the momentum along.

BAPTISTS – GOOD PARENTING – SOUTHERN LORD RECORDINGS – “Vancouver four-piece hardcore band Baptists just released their self-titled debut 7” for Southern Lord. Baptists is a fairly new band, having formed in 2010, but is comprised of long-time veterans of the Vancouver hardcore scene. Members have had stints in bands that include Ladyhawk, Sports and A Textbook Tragedy. This new four-track (12 min.) single is raw, aggressive hardcore played in the style of bands like Converge and the Cro-Mags.” –brooklynrocks

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A Japanese clothing line stumbled across Glorie’s music and put “Lazy Day” in their online ad. Check it out here!

Listen to and download the full album:

The official music video for “Pink Fever” by Chinamen. Download the album at http://chinamen.bandcamp.com.

I recently had the honor of being invited to participate in an afternoon of music at Ardent Studios for a production called “Ardent Presents”. It had been more than two years since my move to Memphis, and I had, for some time, intended to see the place that I had been hearing so much about. So, when I stepped through the gates on Madison Ave. I knew I was entering a world set apart. I was immediately struck by the warmth of the place – informed, no doubt, by both the people and the general aesthetic. I was soon directed to the studio control room where, when opening the door, the sound poured out into the hallway. Chris Milam was playing – then Anthony DeCosta and both sounded really good. Studios have the difficult job of creating an environment that is at the same time familiar and inspiring. Ardent does this masterfully – the people are friendly and professional, the space is inspiring and the gear second to none. All of this, I imagine, adds up to a future with as many wonderful records as it’s storied past.

My life, like some of yours I’m sure, is constantly doing battle with distraction. Ardent felt like a place efficient in it’s ability to foster and capture creativity. I hope that, in the future, the work I am doing will bring me through it’s gates again.

Until then,

Peace.

~ Eliot Morris

“Jookabox is a bit paranoid”, they say it makes…others paranoid (look behind you). They seem to dance around a fire pit, maybe there’s something on a stick being worshiped or sacrificed. You peek at jumping shadows and hope no one picks you out. Jookabox spreads melodic dissidents through synthesized sawtooth waves usually over dribbling toms, percussive and sometimes tribal.

But 16 bars later they set you in a rich synth patch with delayed guitars and a rock back beat. These are spaced out recordings that speak to you like a jump rope rhyme. Layer after layer of vocals and harmony sound soooo serious while clapping their hands. Seems to be a lot of ironic contrast.

“Man-tra” – Starts off spooky, but then over this dance beat comes taunting and sarcastic vocals and chants. Oh, and a very creepy pitched shift pitched section. They manage to throw a little surf rock in the mix.

“Drops” – Less spastic than “Man-tra.” Lots of great drums over reverbed out guitars. Nice and full of space. “I can’t concentrate to save my life!”

“The Eyes Of The Fly” – Is this about complex presumptions of the world? One person seeing a million different views? …either way “I took in too much of the sacred drink.”

“Nice Boy – This short one Builds steady to a tribal toms over a rock beat and back. “Deleyed…Delayed….delayed

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http://soundcloud.com/tvd-memphis/the-warm-up-with-william

William Fitzsimmons is playing tonight at the Hi-Tone. It should be an amazing show – don’t miss it!

Take a listen to The Ardent Sessions with Rainy Day Manual.

Take a deep breath… I know you all have a back log of records to listen to right now. There were literally HUNDREDS of new vinyl goodness released between last Tuesday and Record Store Day. Did you get everything you wanted? If you didn’t, no worries because there is always another Tuesday and more new stuff to peruse. List via Candice at TVD-Nashville!

And so, the countdown begins for Record Store Day 2012!

NEW VINYL RELEASES 4.19.2011

The B-52s – s/t – Mobile Fidelity – The B-52s were about a decade ahead of the alt-rock revolution when they recorded this delightfully campy, intentionally goofy, lyrically tawdry, and undeniably harmonic 1979 new-wave set that comes off as the best dance party you might ever hear. This is 40 minutes of nothing but a good time. Mastered on Mobile Fidelity’s world-renowned mastering system and pressed at RTI (America’s best record plant), Silver Label numbered limited edition LP presents the B-52’s brilliant debut in a fidelity it’s never previously enjoyed. So detailed and realistic are the timbres, accents, and harmonies, you’ll think the band’s bright outfits are appearing right in front of you. Plus, the LP is worth the cost alone for the iconic album cover, which spotlights those bouffant ‘dos.

Alela Diane & Wild Divine – s/t – Rough Trade – “Following up the mesmerizing, occasionally grave psych-folk of 2009′s To Be Still, Diane seems to be craving a wider audience. Alela Diane & Wild Divine — referencing the backing band that includes both her husband and father — sports brighter, sunnier textures, thanks to producer Scott Litt (R.E.M., Nirvana), who keeps the quaint splotches of mandolin and steel guitar to a minimum. It’s not pop, but it’s getting closer.” –SPIN

The DiSCiPLiNES – ViRGiNS OF MENACE – Spark and Shine Records – THE DiSCiPLiNES’ sophomore full-length, ViRGiNS OF MENACE, features Ken Stringfellow (The Posies/Big Star), Bjorn Bergene, Baarde Helgeland and Ralla. The Norway-based garage rock quartet scored a massive Scandinavian hit with “Oslo,” the first single off their debut album SMOKiNG KiLLS,in 2008. The band went on to play festivals in the UK, France, USA, Canada and South America. ViRGiNS OF MENACE was recorded in the arctic fishing port of Tromso and is a staggering masterpiece of venomous, broiling, face-melting rock infused with the hooky melodies that Posies fans will instantly recognize. “FATE’S A STRONG BITCH” features a rant by punk legend Lydia Lunch.

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http://soundcloud.com/tvd-memphis/the-warm-up

Langhorne Slim plays TONIGHT at The Hitone Cafe – come one out and show him some love!! He’s such a nice guy!