Mercury Lounge

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Please note: All events are 21+ unless otherwise noted.

+ / - {plus/minus} 11:30

Hymns 10:30
Bridges & Powerlines 9:30
Loud Est Boom Bah Yea 8:30

Fri 8/15

Tickets

$10 adv / $12 dos

plus/minus

http://www.myspace.com/plusminusband
http://plusmin.us
After spending a few years playing in his brother Ed Baluyut's band, Versus, James Baluyut opted to go solo in 2001. The project was called Plus/Minus (+/-), and after a whirlwind year of writing and recording material, Baluyut released his first album, Self-Titled Long-Playing Debut Album, on Teenbeat Records in 2002. Baluyut was joined by Margaret McCartney and former Versus member Patrick Ramos on the album, but by and large it was Baluyut's baby -- he sang the songs, he played the instruments, and he even produced the album. He recruited a couple old friends to fill out Plus/Minus shortly after the first album was released -- Ramos joined the group on guitar and vocals, and Chris Deaner joined on drums. They got to work on some new songs, cobbling together what would become the band's signature synthy, jumpy sound. The group released its first EP, Holding Patterns, in 2004, and followed it up a few months later with its second full-length album, You Are Here. The second full-length marked the crystallization of Plus/Minus's signature blend of dream pop and hyperactive drumming. They went on tour in Japan, necessitating a premature release of their third album, Let's Build a Fire, and they followed it up with performances at SXSW and the Noise Pop festival. Soon after that, they landed a deal with Absolutely Kosher Records, which allowed them to put the finishing touches on their third full-length effort, Let's Build a Fire. It was released in late 2006. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide

Hymns

http://www.myspace.com/hymnsband
http://www.hymnsband.com/withmusic.html
Somethin’ good was cooked up in Texas …and it ain’t barbeque. It’s Hymns. They use a type of rich and evocative story telling that could only come from the South. The songs have a rollicking, classic sound, rich with instrumentation and full of reflective lyrical vignettes. Lead singer and songwriter, Brian Harding is a singular voice. Hymns will release their 2nd album, Travel in Herds on March 11th, 2007, on Texas-based independent label, Blackland Records. Hymns’ story is rooted in childhood friendship and plays out like a scene from Stand By Me. Hymns are elementary school band mates, Brian Harding and Jason Roberts of Harrisburg, North Carolina and Tony Kent and Matt Shaw of Celeste, Texas, whom are now based in New York City. Brian and Jason continued playing together till the end of University; when Jason went on to join Ben Kweller’s band as lead guitarist, and Brian relocated to NY to continue to forge forward with the band the two had originated. During Roberts’ stint in Kweller’s band, he became close with band-member, John Kent, who went on to form Blackland Records. Jason loved to play John the old songs he had written with Brian while on tour, and before long, John was hooked on the sound.

In 2005, Brian’s band was signed to Blackland Records with Jason back at the guitar. Good hospitality in check, John Kent offered Hymns the chance to record in Celeste, TX, population 817, home to the most decorated WWII veteran, Audie L. Murphy, and most importantly, Kent’s studio, “The Vault”. Their first LP, Brother/Sister garnered them national attention, playing shows with artists like Beck, the Lemonheads, Hot Hot Heat, Ben Kweller, Sam Roberts Band, the Redwalls and Butch Walker, and Celeste, TX allowed them to meet current band members, Tony Kent (brother of John) and Matt Shaw.

Recording in Texas worked like a charm, and so did the new lineup. Travel In Herds was recorded in Palmer, TX at Palmyra Studios located in the middle of a 60-acre ranch. Sleeping on studio couches, entertaining themselves with Coen Brothers movie marathons, and eating every meal inside the studio, an album reminiscent of 70’s folk-rock tunes and toe-tapping rhythms was born.

A bevy of traditional and modern instruments are heard on Travel in Herds. Running the gamut from piano to pump organ, trumpet to saxophone, even the pedal steel and banjo to the electric bass and guitar, all give this record the homegrown authenticity which carries the performances from country bars to city stages providing a beautiful dichotomy between the old and new, which Hymns seem to have mastered. From the funky-horn beat of, “I Can’t Be What U Want”, to the Tom Petty-esque “Blame It On The Mountains”, to the modern day Stones’ “Rocks Off” entitled “St. Sebastian,” Hymns’ music falls in line with the songs of America’s greatest troubadours, whose lyrics and timeless tunes resonate with fans who crave something much more than the fare offered by flash-in-the-pan bands.

‘Travel In Herds’ was release in March and the band will be touring all throughout 2008 to support it…

Bridges & Powerlines

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=84847374
http://www.bridgesandpowerlines.com/
Brought together by love of the three minute pop song, bridges and powerlines formed in the summer of 2005. The band, composed of keyboardist and vocalist Andrew Wood, bassist Keith Sigel, guitarist Jon Crockett, and drummer Pete Mucek, arrived via diverse geographic and musical backgrounds to create a quirky yet melodic mix of guitars, synths, vocal harmonies, and carefully constructed exploratory pop songs. Since their inception, the four have written songs inferring the pop sensibility of Spoon, the rousing melodrama of Wolf Parade, and sharp, catchy guitar lines akin to Thunderbirds are Now!

Excited crowds have packed venues throughout the northeast to see their energetic shows. Demos recorded in fall and winter of 2005-2006 were lauded by several influential indie publications and blogs, describing their endeavor as "an exhilarating racket" (sixeyes) that "might be the next band everyone is talking about." (New York Press)

Loud Est Boom Bah Yea

http://www.myspace.com/loudestboombahyea
Originally called 'Loud Est. 1999 or Whatever', then 'Loud Est. 2000 or Whatever', then 'Loud Est. 2001 or Whatever', etc. they decided to change their name last year after realizing that Loudest Boom Bah Yea not only has more meaning, and is easier to say, but has MORE RHYTHM.

HOO!! HOO!! HOO!!

Loudest Boom Bah Yea has international acclaim, and because they won SXSW this year, they are one the verge of inking a deal with an enormous and very influential label. Look for the album soon.