The music of We Are Hex recalls classic Joy Division, the Cure, Gang of Four, PJ Harvey and the Jesus and Mary Chain, but combines those sounds with the modern ferocity of Nashville Pussy or Ponytail, and yet accomplishes all of that without losing the pop sensibilities of the 50s and 60s, or the urgency of classic punk. read more

Chicago's Light Pollution released their debut album, Apparitions, through Carpark Records a couple months ago and have also played through Indianapolis twice already this year. We got hooked early and have been keeping a close eye on the band over at MyOldKentuckyBlog.com. From hard-driving, lo-fi, distorted psych-rock to melodic, heavily-layered pop, the band displays a wide range of sounds and feels on both the album and in the live setting. You get contemporary comparisons across the spectrum - Grizzly Bear, Polyphonic Spree, Castanets, to even Sufjan Stevens. This chameleon-like vibe has served them well as they've paired up with everyone from Cults, Phantogram, Small Black, Glasser, Delorean, A Place To Bury Strangers, Memoryhouse, Deerhunter, Best Coast, and Miike Snow on the live stage. read more

Alex Brown Church made his second visit to Laundromatinee last year. This time we were able to host Brown and his Sea Wolf gang at our fantastic studio partner, The Pop Machine. Church and crew spun a few lush tales of angst, romance, longing, and desire for us.
Throughout September and part of October, Church will embark on a solo acoustic tour in the US. Available on the tour, Church and Dangerbird Records will be releasing a 7" vinyl-and-digital-only single for "Turn the Dirt Over," from his 2009 LP White Water, White Bloom. The 7" single will include a remix by Broken Social Scene's Brendan Canning, and the digital version will also contain an unreleased Sea Wolf track called "Where the Wind Blows." read more

A few months back I headed over to First Avenue to see the [Current] Best Band in America, The Avett Brothers. I hadn't yet heard The Low Anthem, and really didn't know much about them beyond the buzz they were getting in certain dusty corners of the Internet. The audience was motley crew, at least 40% of whom were employees of a certain ubiquitous retail chain who were just there to get “crazy” and sing loudly and badly at each other about their January weddings. As the curtain lifted, the Rhode Island quartet slowly ambled on stage, looking more than a little like the waitstaff at an organic restaurant, and leaned into a gentle and layered rendition of To The Ghosts Who Write History Books.

That’s right. Rather than come out and vainly try to knock the audience back on their heels, The Low Anthem stuck to their gameplan and doled out one the most seductive, slow-burn sets I have heard in years. The audience thawed from indifferent, to confused (“Is that a saw?”) to accepting, and by the time the band kicked into stomping The Horizon Is A Beltway, well, even the broad in front me stopped spilling her drink long enough to pay attention.

The next day I tracked down Oh My God Charlie Darwin, and I’ve gotta say, as much as I enjoyed these guys (and gal) live, that’s a record best experienced alone. Deceptively simple songs skillfully draped in unorthodox instrumentation. However, these numbers recorded at Laundromatinee benefit from the best of both worlds: the dynamic interplay of the live setting under controlled conditions. read more

Slothpop are an exciting breath of fresh air in the Indianapolis music scene. Vocally, the band is led by Kristin Newborn and Lauren Eison. With beautifully harmonizing voices and a concentration on projection rather than lyrics, the pair compliments each other better than pearls and lace. Newborn, a multi-instrumentalist and leader of the pack, backs her striking voice with equal parts guitar and piano while Eison draws a bow over her violin and finger plucks the strings. The unique Slothpop sound is rounded out by Dan Zender on lead guitar, Matt Martin on drums, and Jeffrey Vyain on cello.

Imagine the scene from The Little Mermaid during which Ursula steals Ariel's voice. Then chop it up a little, drop in a driving beat, add some strings, and ice your Slothpop cake with tribal-like vocal interjections. It's hard to fathom a sound so stunningly elegant yet quirky and unconventional, but the band gets it right with their not-so-slothy and not-so-poppy assortment of endearing songs.

Slothpop seem to perfectly fill the wide Indianapolis music scene/orchestral pop/folk void left by Margot and The Nuclear So & Sos' departure. Expect their debut full-length to release this Fall. read more

Indianapolis "echo-sleaze" three-piece, Burnt Ones are the first signees to MyOldKentuckyBlog.com's new record label, Roaring Colonel Records. The band blends glam, psych, garage, surf and 50's/60's girl pop into a lo-fi wash of rock. NUVO says, "Burnt Ones sound like the band at a 1960's zombie prom." In that same article, lead singer, Mark Tester explains the goal behind the new project, "Once you strip it down to the basics of what's good about rock and roll or pop music...that's what I'm interested in." says Tester. "I just want it to be simple.... that's when it's better." Under the fuzz and the the falsetto, that's what you'll find...simple, enjoyable, face-melting, pop/rock without pretension. read more

Is it possible for a city like Indianapolis to handle the creative charm of Beta Male? In 2009, we read about the then one-man concept-band turned new wave sex-rock hula-hoop band of gender progressives being harassed and physically assaulted in Broad Ripple (Indianapolis, Indiana) by skinheads for obvious reasons – Indianapolis as a society is not as progressive as once thought. Resisting hollow threats from Hitler Youths, Beta Male persevered and presently serves Indy's indies by challenging gender role expectations in the music industry with debauched, charismatic, irresistible, confident, new/third wave music that is both authentic AND wildly infectious. At the moment, Beta Male consists of P. David Hazel, Jess Hack, TJ Briggs, Allison Hazel. Over the years, different talents such as Tyler Bowman (Pravada), Vess Ruhtenburg (the Zero Boys) and more have supplemented with Beta Male, but the current 4-piece is more stable and consistent with their sound than ever. In 2010, Beat Male, now more of a music machine, is finishing one record, with another one on the way. In their sonic future, expect for these four would be deviants to further refine their sound, please audiences with their audio/visual expertise, and continue to demonstrate that it is possible for a post-pubescent Le Tigre to emerge from the Ranch in Indianapolis. read more

Hi everyone! Well, we had a good run on Blogger, but they finally decided to give MyOldKyHome.Blogspot.com the ol' kabosh! today. We've been prepping for this, and the new MOKB will be up very shortly. Be patient and keep checking http://myoldkentuckyblog.com. If you'd be so kind to change any links from the blogspot address to http://myoldkentuckyblog.com, we'd really appreciate it! - Dodge and the gang read more

Since forming in early 2008, Heavy Hometown has made a serious impression on the Indianapolis music scene. These (mostly) local dudes manage to put together some incredible songs that combine a polished, composed sound with an intimate, bedroom-recorded feel. Divided between Indy and Louisville, the trio is made up of guitarist John Wood and drummer Corey Barnes (who also split up the singing duties) and keyboardist Eric Park. Their synth-laden garage pop brings to mind lo-fi legends like the American Analog Set, Galaxie 500 and at times Sonic Youth. The songs are thoughtful set pieces that sway from sad to hopeful and back again that grab onto you quickly and lure you down into their rabbit-hole. They self-released their debut album "Action Figures" last year. read more

If vikings time-travelled to the 80s, took semen samples from Grandmaster Flash, Beastie Boys, Michael Jackson, Prince and Poison, came back to the present, inseminated Peaches, and then brought her to the future to have the baby and have it raised by breakdancing robots, you might end up with Andy D. Andy D is a hurricane of sex, sweat, and day-glo. He burst onto the Indianapolis scene about a year ago, after moving down to Bloomington via Brooklyn. His live shows immediately became the stuff of legend. Combining rap, rock, and comedy, Andy D is best experienced in flesh rather than talked about. read more

The pride of Murfreesboro, TN, Those Darlins are equal parts sequins, sweat, Patsy Cline, pop and punk rock. The holy trinity of Nikki, Jessi and Kelley Darlin, backed up by drummer “Sherriff” Linwood Regensberg, are old-school road dogs that travel across the country spreading a new-school revival sound. Their near-legendary live shows have attracted the attention of modern heavies such as Elvis Perkins and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, who the band recently supported on a recent national tour. The influences are diverse but work well together, as if the Carter Family started covering The Ronettes in a garage with the Allman Brothers. It’s whisky-soaked roots rock, served up southern-style. read more