Back when I was barely old enough to walk (you know, back in the time of cavemen and such), 14 Mile and Orchard Lake Road was home to one of the coolest malls- or at least for what a small [...]]]>

Somehow, I wouldnt want to be against the wall in this picture.

Back when I was barely old enough to walk (you know, back in the time of cavemen and such), 14 Mile and Orchard Lake Road was home to one of the coolest malls- or at least for what a small child thought was cool. Tally Hall was the place, but the mall was soon transformed into a run of the mill strip mall.

But in 2002, close to 20 years since the closing of Tally Hall, five guys from the area resurrected the name and started kicking out an entertaining brand of power pop and even named their debut full length after the only remnant of Tally Hall these days, “Marvelous Marvin’s Mechanical Museum”. With the album out in 2005 and major label support, the band looked on their way to stardom.

But with the total and utter collapse of the music industry, the guys went back to their indie roots and have just delivered their first album in 6 years, entitled “Good & Evil”. Originally recorded when on Atlantic Records, the band were delayed for a bit before being released on Quack!Media. Lead by infectious songs like “&” and “Cannibal”, the guys with all the colorful ties may have taken a while to get the album out, but the sounds make the wait well worth it.

With a tour planned through August, Tally Hall will spend the majority of the summer on the road behind the release of “Good & Evil”. But the tour will start right here in Michigan, as the band hits Ann Arbor as they hit the Blind Pig on Friday, July 22^nd as the band embarks on the road back to what they started all those years ago. So, get ready to dance, nod your head or whatever you do and see Tally Hall in Ann Arbor, and not in Farmington Hills.

Tally Hall plays at the Blind Pig on Friday, July 22^nd. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.blindpigmusic.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.tallyhall.com.

Most people know J Mascis from his days in Dinosaur Jr., fronting the alt-rock 90’s sensation Dinosaur Jr.. Most fans of that era know that the band had several stellar albums during that time, and dishing out two of the most unsung [...]]]>

J Mascis heads to downtown Ann Arbor on Thursday.

Most people know J Mascis from his days in Dinosaur Jr., fronting the alt-rock 90’s sensation Dinosaur Jr.. Most fans of that era know that the band had several stellar albums during that time, and dishing out two of the most unsung singles of that era, “Start Choppin’” and “Feel The Pain”. But as that decade ended and Dinosaur Jr. took a bit of a hiatus and Mascis dove head first into his solo career.

Mascis had been touring with his solo band, the Fog, for a little while now- but that was only one of his many musical projects he has worked on recently. In 2006, he formed a heavy metal band called Witch, which did a little touring. Along with a member of Witch, he formed the band Sweet Apple. With all of this, plus the touring with Dinosaur Jr.- it’s easy to say Mascis is a busy guy.

With the different projects off to the side now, Mascis has released his first proper solo album, “Several Shades of Why”, a few weeks back on Sub Pop Records. The album is a mostly acoustic venture, with songs like “Not Enough” and “Can I” showing a much more introspective and stripped down version of Mascis’ music.

One of Mascis’ collaborators on the album was musician Kurt Vile, who will be on tour with Mascis as he is now on a solo tour. The tour will last through April 28^th, before Mascis tours with the Black Heart Procession for a month leading up to the Sasquatch Festival in Washington State. But Mascis will head to Michigan for a date at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on Thursday, March 31^st.

You’ve heard his music with Dinosaur Jr. and other projects, now it’s time to hear the man behind that great band and what he can do on his own.

J Mascis plays at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on Thursday, March 31^st. Tickets are $18 and are available www.blindpigmusic.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.jmascis.com.

Growing up in Washington State, namesake of the band Oberhofer, Brad Oberhofer knew that Washington State was most likely not going to provide an outlet to let his music be heard, so Oberhofer was off to Brooklyn and would find [...]]]>

Oberhofer opens for Tapes n Tapes at the Blind Pig tomorrow night.

Growing up in Washington State, namesake of the band Oberhofer, Brad Oberhofer knew that Washington State was most likely not going to provide an outlet to let his music be heard, so Oberhofer was off to Brooklyn and would find the perfect place for his upbeat brand of indie rock.

With Oberhofer finding the rest of the band shortly upon arriving in Brooklyn, the quartet starting kicking out the melodies and are planning on releasing their debut album later this year. But the band has been putting out a string of EP’s over the past year, with songs like “Dead Girls Dance” and “ooOOOoOOOo” getting some notice from different music outlets and captures the band’s diverse instrumentation (think xylophones, among other things) and their catchy hooks .

There’s no word on if the debut album will feature some of the already released songs, or if it will be all new material from the band.

The guys in Oberhofer are gonna stay on the road through the end of February, before the band gets busy with South by Southwest dates in Austin in March. The band will be making a Michigan appearance when the band makes their way to Ann Arbor, where they open up for Tapes n Tapes at the Blind Pig. It’ll be a great chance to have some light indie rock in the dead of winter when Oberhofer comes to town.
Oberhofer opens for Tapes n Tapes at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, February 1^st. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.blindpigmusic.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/oberfofermusic.

The Local Natives are commonly compared to their contemporary indie peers—Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Yaesayer, etc.—the very convenient list goes on to capture just about every band that has [...]]]>

Local Natives' Taylor Rice & Baba Booey from "Howard Stern"- seperated at birth? Maybe. (Photo: Christian Spencer & Nicole Cummings)

The Local Natives are commonly compared to their contemporary indie peers—Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective, Yaesayer, etc.—the very convenient list goes on to capture just about every band that has a song playing on college radio.  It’s a lazy comparison—Local Natives, especially live, have a lot more working for them than much of today’s indie scene. Their melodic tunes have more depth and sense of history —glimpses of the Beach Boys intertwined with hints of earthier groups like The Samples or Rusted Root.  There is a maturity to the Local Native sound that is missing in many of the routine sounds of their contemporaries.

Live, they shine. At the formerly smoke filled 400 person Blind Pig in Ann Arbor they put on a positively exciting performance.  They deliver their sound with such an authoritative intensity that their recorded music sounds bland in comparison.  What’s also intensely engaging is how well the ‘Natives work together as a band, they are convincing in their collaboration and everything fits and feels necessary. Unlike many lopsided acts out there today, the Local Natives work to prove that every member plays an integral role in the music. We’re convinced.

(Photo and review courtesy of Christian Spencer & Nicole Cummings. If you want to check out more photos from this show and others, check out www.flickr.com/photos/christian_nicole).