5 Acts: April 2008

Wildbirds & Peacedrums

Sweden
Beautiful perfection. That's all I can say.

"The Battle In Water"
Wildbirds & Peacedrums on MySpace
Wildbirds & Peacedrums on The Hype Machine

South

London, England
Sappy as shit perhaps, but this is still just about my favorite song at the moment.

"Better Things"
South on MySpace
South on The Hype Machine

Immovable Objects

San Diego, CA
Immovable Objects is the solo project of Matt Gagin.

"Bad Judgement"
Immovable Objects on MySpace
Immovable Objects on The Hype Machine

The Diggs

Brooklyn, NY
Sounds like something I would have been rolling around in ten years ago... but I still dig it today!

"Recovery Forever"
The Diggs on MySpace
The Diggs on The Hype Machine

Make Believe

Chicago, IL
Going To The Bone Church from Make Believe is out now, making it the band's third full-length. For lead singer Tim Kinsella, it marks his 58th record. Wowza!

"For Lauri Bird"
Make Believe on MySpace
Make Believe on The Hype Machine

WOXY.com Lounge Act: Finest Dearest

Tune into WOXY.com today at 1:00 pm ET for Finest Dearest's second Lounge Act session. The San Francisco band is out tour right now in support of their long-overdue wonderful self-titled disc. Dates below.

04/28 - The Note - Chicago, IL
04/29 - Y-Not Y-Not-Y-Not - Milwaukee, WI
04/30 - Terminal Bar - Minneapolis, MN
05/01 - TBA - Omaha, NE
05/02 - Old Curtis St. Bar - Denver, CO
05/03 - House Show - Orem, UT
05/04 - TBA - Boise, ID
05/05 - Jules Maes Saloon - Seattle, WA
05/06 - KAOS live set at Evergreen College - Olympia, WA
05/06 - Valentine’s - Portland, OR
06/07 - TransAm at Club Eight - San Francisco, CA

Finest Dearest Lounge Act 02/06/2007
Finest Dearest on MySpace
Finest Dearest on The Hype Machine

Mates Of State - Get Better

Jonathan Visger - The Stupidest Things

Jade McNelis - Wins

The Bell - On And On

The Mae-Shi - Run To Your Grave

tonight: Hello Tokyo

Join Hello Tokyo tonight at Rock & Roll Hotel to help them celebrate their new CD, Sell The Stars. Openers are The Frustrations and Five Four. Doors 8:30, show 9:30.

Hello Tokyo on MySpace
Hello Tokyo on The Hype Machine

The Cameos

San Francisco, CA

"Dial Tone"

The Cameos on MySpace

The Cameos on The Hype Machine

Ghost Bees

Halifax, NS

"Sinai"

Ghost Bees on MySpace

Ghost Bees on The Hype Machine

The Oaks

Orlando, FL

"Masood"

The Oaks on MySpace

The Oaks on The Hype Machine

Bell X1

Celbridge, Ireland

"Rocky Took A Lover"

Bell X1 on MySpace

Bell X1 on The Hype Machine

Constantines

Toronto, ON

"Trans Canada"

Constantines on MySpace

Constantines on The Hype Machine

ticket giveaway: SSLYBY at Black Cat

If you wanna see Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Via Audio at Black Cat tomorrow night, email me (5actsblog at gmail dot com) and let me know. I'll pick a winner at random to receive a pair of tickets by 5pm today.

tonight: Foals at R&RH

Foals in DC tonight at Rock & Roll Hotel. Need I say more?

Opening bands are Roma Condor and Tereu Tereu. Doors open at 8:00, show begins at 8:30.

Foals on MySpace
Foals on The Hype Machine

The Heavenly States

Oakland, CA

"Sun Chase Moon"

The Heavenly States on MySpace

The Heavenly States on The Hype Machine

Clinic

Liverpool, England

"The Witch"

Clinic on MySpace

Clinic on The Hype Machine

The Kills

London, England

"Cheap And Cheerful"

The Kills on MySpace

The Kills on The Hype Machine

Hotpipes

Nashville, TN

"The Future Is Where We Belong"

Hotpipes on MySpace

Hotpipes on The Hype Machine

The Cansecos

Toronto, ON

"Rise Up"

The Cansecos on MySpace

The Cansecos on The Hype Machine

The Republic Tigers - Buildings & Mountains

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Think I Wanna Die

Lacrosse - You Can't Say No Forever

Architecture In Helsinki - Like It Or Not

Sia - The Girl You Lost To Cocaine

tonight: The Beanstalk Library,
The Forms, Exit Clov, Cloud Cult

Tonight Rock & Roll Hotel welcomes The Beanstalk Library, The Forms, Exit Clov, and Cloud Cult. Doors open at 8:30 and the show starts at 9:30. More dates for The Forms and Cloud Cult below.

04/21 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
04/22 - Smith’s Olde Bar - Atlanta, GA
04/24 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
04/25 - Schubas - Chicago, IL
04/26 - First Avenue - Minneapolis, MN

Trifonic

San Francisco, CA
Here's a sexy one from the duo Trifonic to kick off your Friday.

"Sooner Or Later"
Trifonic on MySpace
Trifonic on The Hype Machine

Telepathique

Sao Paulo, Brazil
"A melting pot of sounds and electronic grooves from the 21st century."

"Deja Vu"
Telepathique on MySpace
Telepathique on The Hype Machine

Mystery Palace

Minneapolis, MN
Mystery Palace is in the midst of a tour right now. Tonight they have off, but they'll be here in DC on Tuesday evening at The Red & The Black.

04/19 - Luna Lounge - Brooklyn, NY
04/20 - TBA - Philadelphia, PA
04/21 - Lo Fi Social Club - Baltimore, MD
04/22 - The Red & The Black - Washington, DC
04/23 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
04/29 - The Earl - Atlanta, GA
05/01 - Gypsy Hut - Cincinnati, OH
05/02 - The Hideout - Chicago, IL
05/03 - The Art Bar - Milwaukee, WI

"Every Hour"
Mystery Palace on MySpace
Mystery Palace on The Hype Machine

No Kids

Vancouver, BC
I've been listening to No Kids a lot here lately. Highly recommended if you like bands like Architecture In Helsinki.

"The Beaches All Closed"
No Kids on MySpace
No Kids on The Hype Machine

The Sound Of Arrows

Stockholm, Sweden
Labrador impresses me yet again with The Sound Of Arrows, whose Danger! EP has a few fancy remixes to balance out this more somber tune. A very sad song but a very good song.

"A Very Sad Song"
The Sound Of Arrows on MySpace
The Sound Of Arrows on The Hype Machine

The Republic Tigers

Kansas City, MO

Join me tonight at DC9 for The Republic Tigers and Tally Hall. Doors open at 8:30 and the show starts at 9:20. I've been wanting to catch both bands for a long time, so I couldn't be more excited. The debut album from The Republic Tigers, Keep Color, will be in stores on May 6. It also marks the first full-length for the band's label, Chop Shop Records.

I just noticed The Republic Tigers are going to be on David Letterman on May 22. Very cool! Check out more live dates for the band below.

04/17 - DC9 - Washington DC
04/19 - Gloria Logan Auditorium @ Salem High School - Canton, MI
05/02 - Tribeca Film Festival (Webster Hall) - New York, NY
05/12 - KCRW "Morning Becomes Eclectic" - Los Angeles, CA
05/13 - Spaceland - Los Angeles, CA
05/22 - The Late Show with David Letterman - New York, NY
05/30 - Center Stage Theatre - Atlanta, GA
05/31 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
06/01 - The Social - Orlando, FL
06/02 - Studio A - Miami, FL
06/03 - State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
06/05 - Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
06/06 - TBA - Memphis, TN
06/07 - Bluebird - St. Louis, MO
06/09 - The Music Mill - Indianapolis, IN
06/10 - The Basement - Columbus, OH
06/11 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH

"Buildings & Mountains"

The Republic Tigers on MySpace
The Republic Tigers on The Hype Machine

Zykos

Austin, TX
An upbeat confidence like bands such as Bishop Allen.

"Race Rabbit"
Zykos on MySpace
Zykos on The Hype Machine

Empty Rooms

San Francisco, CA
I really adore so many San Francisco bands, and Empty Rooms is right up there with the best of them. Their latest EP, Lacuna, is out now and will satisfy anyone whose brain wants to rock.

"We've Been Waiting For You"
Empty Rooms on MySpace
Empty Rooms on The Hype Machine

13ghosts

Birmingham, AL
The Strangest Colored Lights is available now. This track is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs this year.

"Riverside"
13ghosts on MySpace
13ghosts on The Hype Machine

A Weather

Portland, OR
Don't you just love pictures of band members sleeping together?

"Spiders, Snakes"
A Weather on MySpace
A Weather on The Hype Machine

The Strugglers

Durham, NC
Randy Bickford makes wonderful music under the name The Strugglers. If you're around Randy's hometown area, please go out for his CD release parties on Friday and Saturday.

04/18 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC
04/19 - Green Bean - Greensboro, NC

"Morningside Heights"
The Strugglers on MySpace
The Strugglers on The Hype Machine

Boy Genius

Brooklyn, NY
With an initial listen to this Brookyln quartet, you may think Boy Genius is a UK band. Simplistic and melodic with a great blend of male/female vocals.

"Radio Silence"
Boy Genius on MySpace
Boy Genius on The Hype Machine

Plants And Animals

Montreal, QC
I know a lot of you may be hopeful that this song is a cover of *NSYNC. Unfortunately, it isn't... but it's still enjoyable!

"Bye Bye Bye"
Plants And Animals on MySpace
Plants And Animals on The Hype Machine

American Princes

Little Rock, AR
American Princes are touring right now in support of their new album, Other People.

04/16 - Mad Hatter (w/ Lucero) - Covington, KY
04/17 - Mr. Small’s (w/ Lucero) - Pittsburgh, PA
04/18 - Mohawk Place (w/ Lucero) - Buffalo, NY
04/19 - Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ
04/20 - SoundFix Records (Free In-Store) - Brooklyn, NY
04/21 - The Middle East - Cambridge, MA
04/22 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
04/23 - Test Pattern Art Gallery (w/ The Swims) - Scranton, PA
04/24 - Small’s - Detroit, MI
04/25 - The Intersection (w/ Lucero) - Grand Rapids, MI
04/26 - The Hexagon Bar (w/ Askeleton) - Minneapolis, MN
04/27 - Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA
04/28 - The Slowdown - Omaha, NE
04/30 - Mojo’s - Columbia, MO
05/01 - Davey’s Uptown - Kansas City, MO
05/02 - Kirby’s Beer Store - Wichita, KS
05/10 - Rock n Roar - Little Rock, AR
05/14 - Stubb’s (w/ Northern State) - Austin, TX
05/15 - The Prophet Bar (w/ Northern State) - Dallas, TX
05/16 - Warehouse Live (w/Northern State) - Houston, TX
05/17 - Spanish Moon (w/ Northern State) - Baton Rouge, LA
05/20 - The Nick (w/ Northern State) - Birmingham, AL
05/21 - The Earl (w/ Northern State) - Atlanta, GA
05/22 - Local 506 (w/ Northern State) - Chapel Hill, NC
05/23 - Ottobar (w/ Northern State) - Baltimore, MD

"Don't Ever Promise"
American Princes on MySpace
American Princes on The Hype Machine