Frightened Rabbit

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 29th  ²⁰⁰⁹

Playing clever but purposefully naïve pop in the manner of the Vaselines,the Twilight Sad, and the Clean, Frightened Rabbit sound a good bit bolder than their moniker would suggest, though it suits their lively but nervous musical personality. Frightened Rabbit was founded in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2004, when guitarist Scott Hutchison and his brother Grant, a percussionist who -- like his sibling -- prefers to keep his last name a secret, began recording demos of songs they had written. Encouraged by friends and family, the brothers added a second guitarist, their friend Billy, and the trio began making the rounds of Glasgow's pubs and music venues. Slowly but surely gaining a reputation for their work, Frightened Rabbit began work on their first album, initially planning to record at the home studio where they'd done their original demos but eventually opting to record at Glasgow's Diving Bell Studio with Marcus Mackay instead. 

Frightened Rabbit released Sing The Greys through their own label, Hits the Fan Records, in mid-2006. Reviews were enthusiastic, and Universal picked up the disc for distribution in the U.K. and the U.S. The group's reputation enjoyed a considerable boost in America after they played a well-received showcase at the 2007 South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, and the U.S. release of Sings only increased Frightened Rabbit's popularity. The band's sophomore release, Midnight Organ Flight, arrived in April 2008.

 

Recommended If You Like:

The Vaselines, The Long Winters, The Clean

Record Label: Fat Cat

Listen at: www.myspace.com/frightenedrabbit

 

Appearing at The Social with The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks

8pm doors $12.00 18+ Welcome

Fountain of Wayne

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 19th  ²⁰⁰⁹

Although Fountains of Wayne didn't enjoy mainstream attention until the release of "Stacy's Mom" in 2003, the band had already established itself as one of America's strongest power pop acts. Based in New Jersey, the group first appeared in 1996 with a mix of British-influenced songcraft, lo-fi production, and wry lyrics about dead-end jobs and biker boyfriends. Fountains of Wayne expanded their lineup and embraced a more polished sound during the following years, eventually hitting gold with 2003's Welcome Interstate Managers. While the album proved to be something of a fluke success, the band continued releasing well-crafted records throughout the subsequent years. Meanwhile, co-founder Adam Schlesinger enjoyed a separate career as a producer and ghostwriter for other artists. 

Schlesinger first crossed paths with songwriter Chris Collingwood in 1986, while both were studying at Massachusetts' Williams College. Sharing a mutual affection for melodic British pop, the two formed a series of short-lived bands before recording an LP under the name Pinwheel. The duo split up after legal hassles blocked the album's release, with Schlesinger resurfacing as part of the indie pop band Ivy and Collingwood joining a Boston-based country group named the Mercy Buckets. The two musicians eventually reunited in 1996 as Fountains of Wayne, christening their band after a lawn ornament store in Wayne, NJ. Atlantic Records issued the duo's acclaimed self-titled LP that same year, and Schlesinger helped expand the band's profile by authoring the title song to the movie That Thing You Do! 

 

Recommended If You Like:

Weezer, They Might Be Giants, The Lemonheads

Record Label: Virgin Records

Listen at: www.myspace.com/fountainsofwayne

 

Appearing at The Social on September 19th 2009

9pm doors $17.00ADV $20.00DOS 18+ Welcome

Lee "Scratch" Perry

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 04th  ²⁰⁰⁹

Some call him a genius, others claim he's certifiably insane, a madman. Truth is, he's both, but more importantly, Lee Perry is a towering figure in reggae -- a producer, mixer, and songwriter who, along with King Tubby, helped shape the sound of dub and made reggae music such a powerful part of the pop music world. Along with producing some of the most influential acts (Bob Marley and The Wailers and the Congos to name but two) in reggae history, Perry's approach to production and dub mixing was breathtakingly innovative and audacious -- no one else sounds like him -- and while many claim that King Tubby invented dub, there are just as many who would argue that no one experimented with it or took it further than did Lee Perry.

 

Recommended If You Like:

Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, The Upsetters

Record Label: Upsetter

Listen at: www.myspace.com/leescratchperry

 

Appearing at The Social on September 4th 2009

9pm doors $20.00ADV $25.00DOS 18+ Welcome