The Bowery Presents

The Mercury Lounge upcoming shows

The Smith Westerns
10:00
Male Bonding
9:00

So Cow
8:00
The Gaming Commission
7:00

Venue:
The Mercury Lounge
Date:
Sun 4/04
Notes:
21+
Doors: 7:00 PM / Show: 7:00 PM
$10
Tickets
Smith Westerns
myspace
The Smith Westerns are from Chicago, and as far as we can tell are either named after a tourist trinket manufacturer in Tacoma or a chain of honkytonk restaurants in south England. Maybe both. Imagine being on family vacation somewhere kind of corny and sucky but running into a girl or boy who is also on family vacation in the same corny, sucky place. You guys buy each other pins from the gift shop at the foot of a rollercoaster, maybe they’re little cowboy hats. You throw some skeeball. Then you go back to your hometowns and write each other crazy letters for the rest of the summer while listening to Marc Bolan. That’s what this song sounds like. So maybe they know what they’re doing with the name.
- LAST FM
The Gaming Commission
myspace
Male Bonding
official website
myspace
Male Bonding a good-time concept held tightly by Robin Silas Christian (drums), John Arthur Webb (guitar & vocals) and Kevin Hendrick (bass and vocals), became a very real thing in May 2008. Their fate was sealed in a front room at their first show, an insane house party called ‘RAGE!’’ Male Bonding was born raging.

It’s been non-stop ever since. That party evolved in to a split 7” release with PENS on Male Bonding’s own label Paradise Vendors Inc. It sold out in one week. Paradise Vendors (PVI) itself became a very active concern, the band attempting to bridge the Atlantic releasing records by their contemporaries such as London’s Graffiti Island, Las Vegas’ ‘Old Blood’, and California’s ‘Rapid Youth’. To date every release on PVI has sold out and is testament to the band’s relentless work ethic: playing hot shows and releasing awesome records.

And hard work pays off as the NME, Vice magazine and countless blogs are running features on the subsequent “D.I.Y” scene flourishing around Male Bonding in their adopted home town of Dalston, London.

Male Bonding remain true to their grass roots, still releasing on whichever format they see fit and touring the UK with Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls and playing shows with Lovvers, HEALTH, Fucked Up, Graffiti Island, Mika Miko, These are Powers, NISENNENMONDAI , Magik Markers and Finally Punk among others.

And now new territories beckon.

Just over one year down the line Michael Jackson is dead and Male Bonding signs with Seattle’s finest: Sub Pop. A significant signing: the band being one of the only UK bands to sign a worldwide deal with the legendary label. At the time of signing the band will have have despatched seven releases including a Flipper tribute 7” (on Domino Records) alongside PPM Allstars, Lovvers and Ponytail.

Sure to be a busy year for Male Bonding with their debut album release for Sub Pop and a whole world to take it to.
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