The Bowery Presents

The Mercury Lounge upcoming shows

Big Business
10:00

Tweak Bird
9:00
Titan
8:00

Venue:
The Mercury Lounge
Date:
Sun 5/10
Notes:
21+
Doors: 7:30 PM / Show: 7:30 PM
$12
Tickets
Big Business
official website
myspace
Big Business is a hard rock band currently signed to Hydra Head Records. Originally from the Seattle area, the band relocated to Los Angeles in February, 2006.

Big Business is a three piece band composed of Jarred Warren of Karp, The Whip and Tight Bros From Way Back When, Coady Willis of The Murder City Devils and Dead Low Tide, and, as of early 2008, Toshi Kasai.

In 2006, Jarred and Coady were asked to join the Melvins who were once again without a bass player after Kevin Rutmanis had been added to the bassist morgue. They recorded A Senile Animal in July 2006, and started a U.S. tour in September with Big Business, among others, opening up. During these shows they were sometimes joined by Melvins drummer Dale Crover on guitar.

Early 2007 saw the release of Big Business’s second full length album Here Come The Waterworks, again on Hydra Head. The album was recorded in Seattle, shortly after they had finished the recordings for A Senile Animal with the Melvins. David Scott Stone - a musician who has often played and recorded with the Melvins - contributes guitar and moog synthesizer on the album.

In 2008 Melvins released a new album, Nude withBoots, which features Jarred and Coady as part of the band again. Melvins are currently on tour supporting the Nude with Boots, with Big Business opening for them.
Tweak Bird
official website
myspace
Tweak Bird is a brother duo consisting of Caleb and Ashton Bird. Produced under the helm of Deaf Nephews (Melvins’ Dale Crover and Altamont’s Toshi Kasai), the duo’s debut is a sweeping seven-song intro to a band exploring the depths of heavy experimental, progressive, and psych-infused rock. A sort of musical Armageddon that’s constantly on the horizon, looming. Tweak Bird has played shows with the Melvins, Ancestors, Earthless, and many others. Picked by the Melvins, they will also play at ATP’s The Nightmare Before X-Mas 2008 edition, curated by the Melvins and Mike Patton.
Titan
official website
myspace
Ok folks, we're barely into the new year and I've already got what will easily be one of the genuine monster releases of 2007. Titan are from Brooklyn, New York and this is the their second album, their first having been a limited edition release on the Paradigms label, as well as some improv based CDRs they released themselves. Come along and I'll step you through this gem…..

"Annals of the Former World" is first and starts off as a mellow acoustic guitar song. But barely a minute into it the band bust out into a crushing heavy prog blast with stoned power chords, and keyboards that will have fans of early 70's progressive rock drooling. A few more minutes go by and Titan really start to rock out with ripping heavy psych guitar solos, blazing fuzzed rhythm guitar, powerhouse drumming and STILL those awesome keyboards! A potent progressive rock foundation with lots of fuzzed, spaced out, wring-yer-neck and slap the shit outa ya psychedelic guitars. "Hashishin Ohel" is next and picks up right where Annals left off, just beautifully further developing the same theme and veering off into various directions, at all times maintaining the same mercury bursting energy level. Nothing stays the same for long, with the Titanauts rocking hard and tripping out, yet there's some serious compositional sophistication and kick ass playing from all. Tight as a knot and out to kill. There were parts of this that made me imagine Yes morphing into Acid Mothers Temple! But then there's a slowed stoned bluesy segment too, kind of like a spaced out Robin Trower.

Right off the bat the third track, "Obelisk Orbit Overdrive", goes deep into Acid Mothers Temple/Comets on Fire molten lava rocking freakout territory. Monster acid laced space rock that is utterly relentless. Eventually those good 'ol heavy prog keyboards join in and it's like Jon Lord or Thijs van Leer getting all punked out and sitting in with Acid Mothers Temple. Then in the last couple minutes it mellows out, coming in for a landing with a single pulsating drone, which segues into the quirky, motorik "Aufruf der Pilze". The rhythms are totally Neu!, but Titan take it into much heavier freight train realms than Neu! ever explored, making this an outstanding closing track that helps demonstrates the variety of Titan's influences and the nifty way they blend them all together.

Phewwwww…. the whole CD is just over 41 minutes but it'll wear you out, though in the most blissful way. I'm pretty sure I've seen Tee Pee Records releases in stores so this should be fairly easy to find (release date February 6, 2007). And after making contact with the band they were kind enough to send me their first album. According to the Paradigm Records web site the first album is still available, but I'd hurry up and grab it because it's a limited edition of 750 copies, which probably won't last long once word starts getting around about these guys. It's got three lengthy jams on it. The first is clearly a homage to Amon Düül II. Honestly, if you told me this was a track from the Yeti sessions that didn't make it on that album I'd have no reason not to believe you. The second one is a heavy progressive number with alien electronics and spaced out drones. And the third track is a 16 minute mind-bending piece that starts off simple and drone based, but soon evolves into beautiful floating space infused prog jam that's like Pink Floyd, Hawkwind and Goblin mixed together. A real potpourri of 70's progressive, space rock and krautrock influences. HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION for these guys. Waste NO time seeking out their music, especially the new album. - Aural Innovations
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