Illegal Pete's Presents
Milo Greene
River City Extension, Family of the Year
Fri, August 10, 2012
Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm
Hi-Dive$10.00 - $12.00
Off Sale
This event is 18 and over
http://www.hi-dive.com/event/126269/
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Milo Greene
Milo Greene are cinematic indie-popsters from Los Angeles, comprised of Robbie Arnett, Andrew Heringer, Marlana Sheetz, Graham Fink and Curtis Marrero. Arnett, Heringer, and Sheetz met in college, where they created a fictional character known as Milo Greene, sending out emails in his name to promote their creative endeavors. After college, and various musical projects of their own, Arnett, Heringer, and Sheetz reunited at their very own song-writing retreat at a cabin in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, directly overlooking a lake, completely secluded from the background disturbances of big city life. Here, removed from any day-to-day conveniences like television or the internet, they began writing and composing their music. As the songs came together, Fink and Marrero were enticed to join and the entity known as Milo Greene came to life. The four voices of Milo Greene's members weave and blend into one voice, creating songs that live and breathe with the range of an omniscient, collective consciousness. Their music functions like that of a symphony, with each voice and instrument standing strong on its own but coming together to create something beautiful, transcendent, and ethereal.
"The music of the new L.A. quintet blends two-, three-and four-part harmonies, serpentine folk-pop melodies and agitated beats into songs that rejoice a little, ache a little and leave sepia-toned images in your head when they're through," said Buzzbands.la, while NPR noted, "Milo Greene makes folk-tinged music with perfectly blended male-female harmonies, but they marry that sound with thunderous live drums and infectious sing along choruses."
Milo Greene have toured with the likes of The Civil Wars, Grouplove, and The Belle Brigade; are signed to Chop-Shop/Atlantic Records; and are in the process of finishing the recording of their debut album which was recorded at Bear Creek Studios outside of Seattle. The as-yet-untitled debut, which the members of Milo Greene co-produced with Ryan Hadlock (Ra Ra Riot, Stephen Malkmus, The Gossip), will be released in the summer of 2012, coinciding with the launch of an extensive U.S. tour.
"The music of the new L.A. quintet blends two-, three-and four-part harmonies, serpentine folk-pop melodies and agitated beats into songs that rejoice a little, ache a little and leave sepia-toned images in your head when they're through," said Buzzbands.la, while NPR noted, "Milo Greene makes folk-tinged music with perfectly blended male-female harmonies, but they marry that sound with thunderous live drums and infectious sing along choruses."
Milo Greene have toured with the likes of The Civil Wars, Grouplove, and The Belle Brigade; are signed to Chop-Shop/Atlantic Records; and are in the process of finishing the recording of their debut album which was recorded at Bear Creek Studios outside of Seattle. The as-yet-untitled debut, which the members of Milo Greene co-produced with Ryan Hadlock (Ra Ra Riot, Stephen Malkmus, The Gossip), will be released in the summer of 2012, coinciding with the launch of an extensive U.S. tour.
River City Extension
Something happens when these eight people come together. Put them on a stage, and something larger than even this relatively large band blossoms, ecstatic and cathartic and inspiring. And like the songs on River City Extension's second album, Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Your Anger, it may not hit you over the head from the first moment; rather, it's a journey. It sneaks up on you as these songs breathe and grow and change -- as apt a microcosm of life as any you'll find in music.
"Half of this record is love songs, and the other half is 'I'm sorry that I fucked up' songs," says singer/songwriter/guitarist Joe Michelini. Such compellingly forthright new tunes as "If You Need Me Back In Brooklyn," "Slander," "Down, Down, Down" and "Point of Surrender" confront thorny issues of personal and spiritual struggle in a manner that's both intimate and illuminating, while the band drives home Michelini's hard-won lyrical insights with evocative arrangements that make inventive use of a wide range of instruments and sonic textures.
Both musically and thematically, the 14-song set marks a startling leap forward from the rousing indie-folk-rock of River City Extension's 2010 debut album The Unmistakable Man. That disc helped the New Jersey ensemble to win reams of critical acclaim while substantially growing its audience. Those fans have enthusiastically embraced the band's joyous, uplifting live shows and the brooding, personally-charged songwriting of founder/frontman Michelini, as well as the group's expansive yet intimate sound, which utilizes such instruments as cello, trumpet, mandolin and banjo to bring Michelini's vision to vibrant, dynamic life.
"Half of this record is love songs, and the other half is 'I'm sorry that I fucked up' songs," says singer/songwriter/guitarist Joe Michelini. Such compellingly forthright new tunes as "If You Need Me Back In Brooklyn," "Slander," "Down, Down, Down" and "Point of Surrender" confront thorny issues of personal and spiritual struggle in a manner that's both intimate and illuminating, while the band drives home Michelini's hard-won lyrical insights with evocative arrangements that make inventive use of a wide range of instruments and sonic textures.
Both musically and thematically, the 14-song set marks a startling leap forward from the rousing indie-folk-rock of River City Extension's 2010 debut album The Unmistakable Man. That disc helped the New Jersey ensemble to win reams of critical acclaim while substantially growing its audience. Those fans have enthusiastically embraced the band's joyous, uplifting live shows and the brooding, personally-charged songwriting of founder/frontman Michelini, as well as the group's expansive yet intimate sound, which utilizes such instruments as cello, trumpet, mandolin and banjo to bring Michelini's vision to vibrant, dynamic life.
Family of the Year
Most bands function like a family, seeing how touring, writing, and studio time force them to share a lot of small spaces for extended periods of time. But Family of the Year has taken that familial feeling a step further, and not just with its moniker. The members of the Los Angeles outfit have formed unbreakable bonds amongst themselves that come from cohabitating in a run-down house and relying on each other for inspiration and support, which has led to the kind of camaraderie that allows members to finish each other’s sentences. It also doesn’t hurt that frontman Joe Keefe and drummer Sebastian Keefe are real-life siblings.
Not surprisingly, many of the group’s songs feature numerous voices, and more than a few include a chorus of joyous handclaps. Some even sound like they should be sung by the tight-knit group around the campfire while the s’mores are melting and the wine is flowing, especially the ones that name-drop members of the band. Guitarist Jamesy Buckey, in particular, has received the lion’s share of shout-outs in FOTY songs, to the point where it’s become a Family tradition.
Family of the Year’s story began in 2009, when Joe assembled a band around an album, Songbook, that he completed while decompressing from a five-year stint with Unbusted, the alt- rock trio he started in Boston with Sebastian that gained some notoriety for its inclusion on the soundtrack to the Farrelly brothers’ film Stuck On You. Instead of relying on the distortion of his past, suddenly pianos, horns, acoustic guitars, and other assorted instrumentation were being used to display a more sophisticated—yet equally as playful—indie-rock sound that brings to mind classic pop bands like The Smiths, The Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, and The Go-Betweens.
To say that Family of the Year has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time would be an understatement. In addition to Songbook, the band has issued a pair of EPs on its own Washashore
Records imprint - 2009’s Where’s The Sun, 2010’s Through The Trees – in addition to last year’s 2011’s St. Croix. Songs from all four discs have made their way onto various international releases. Media attention has come from various corners of the world, including heavy rotation on French radio as well as glowing reviews from NME, BBC, IFC, Rolling Stone and Spin.
Not surprisingly, many of the group’s songs feature numerous voices, and more than a few include a chorus of joyous handclaps. Some even sound like they should be sung by the tight-knit group around the campfire while the s’mores are melting and the wine is flowing, especially the ones that name-drop members of the band. Guitarist Jamesy Buckey, in particular, has received the lion’s share of shout-outs in FOTY songs, to the point where it’s become a Family tradition.
Family of the Year’s story began in 2009, when Joe assembled a band around an album, Songbook, that he completed while decompressing from a five-year stint with Unbusted, the alt- rock trio he started in Boston with Sebastian that gained some notoriety for its inclusion on the soundtrack to the Farrelly brothers’ film Stuck On You. Instead of relying on the distortion of his past, suddenly pianos, horns, acoustic guitars, and other assorted instrumentation were being used to display a more sophisticated—yet equally as playful—indie-rock sound that brings to mind classic pop bands like The Smiths, The Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, and The Go-Betweens.
To say that Family of the Year has accomplished a lot in a short amount of time would be an understatement. In addition to Songbook, the band has issued a pair of EPs on its own Washashore
Records imprint - 2009’s Where’s The Sun, 2010’s Through The Trees – in addition to last year’s 2011’s St. Croix. Songs from all four discs have made their way onto various international releases. Media attention has come from various corners of the world, including heavy rotation on French radio as well as glowing reviews from NME, BBC, IFC, Rolling Stone and Spin.
