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THe WORLD of KlNDeRfQRe fQMeS TQ TDi The week-long "Kindercore Expo 2000” festival officially kicks off on Wednesday, August 9 at the 40 Watt Club and bounces along through Saturday, August 12. This week's "Expo" includes more than a few local Kindercore staples as well as an impressive list of progressive artists from the US and Europe. Check kindercore.com for updates and attendance information. EaSDEflBD^D, ^narisa 9 I AM THE WORLD TRADE CENTER This is the new laptop-pop experiment conducted by Kindercore execs Dan Geller (samples, guitar) and Amy Dykes (vocals). The label refers to this as a "uig beat, samplepop, dance machine." The project recorded its slow-moving mix of organic and digital sounds drawing equally from weird trends of the modern world and the elegant pop- lounge scenes of the '50s and '60s. Watch for on-stage accompaniment from mem bers of Kincaid and Masters Of The Hemisphere. VELMA Ambient "neo-prog-pop" from Switzerland. This band recently released a moody album titled Cyclique on Kindercore's cousin label Emperor Norton. Expect a trance-inducing soundscape cre ated from synthesizers, drums and old- school "rock" instruments hovering beneath a circus of projected film images. EASY A danceablc retrc-soul-pcp quartet out of New York City. This band's take on the "blue-eyed soul" associated with the Northeast has been compared to that of Delta 72. Expect some heavy-handed Hammond organ action. SLEEPING FLIES This group is part of the Electronic Watusi Boogaloo, an electronic collective from Sweden that teamed up with Kindercore "to expand our minds and record collection." The mysterious men behind this particular combo blend and sequence recorded "real" drum tracks with deep bass sounds, sitars, keyboards and vocalization to create a psychedelic, trancy pile of danceable pop noise. 8-TRACK GORILLA The Athens visionary in the monkey suit who croons over funky, obscure, dust-covered 8-track cas sette tapes. This swingin' hominid's tal ents have been tapped for Drivate parties, club gigs and festivals for several years. Little kids understand. Elderly wackos understand. You'll understand. JAPANCAKES An all-instrumental "orches tral" Athens pop ensemble that conducts long-winding explorations into tonal min imalism and structural repetition. Guitarist Eric Berg and keyboardist Todd Kelly formed this band in late-'97 with the idea of assembling a group of players, assigning them one tempo and one chord, and seeing what would happen. Early gigs were comedic, droning endurance tests that often cleared rooms. Recent efforts, however, have created highly-textured, beautifully spontaneous results. This Kindercore band's debut, 1999's If I Could See Dallos, lilted between lengthy Kraut- rock and hypnotic pedal steel-driven jams in the vein of Stereolab, Neu! and Tortoise. The latest album, Down The Elements, is a little more complicated and upbeat but aims in a similar direction. Expect a slew of new, more electronic- leaning stuff and look for a new album this winter. sfinsen^n, anariea 10 KINCAID This Athens guitar-pop band formed in 1996 as a quartet with Greg Harmelink and Dan Geller on guitar and vocals, Patrick "Pops" Valentine on bass and Ryan Lewis on drums (Geller and Lewis founded Kindercore Records at about the same time). The band released a self-produced album full of auirky, no-frills indie rock tunes in '98 titled Good Citizen Of The Month. The band released its second album, KwcaiJ Plays Super Hawaii, after Geller and Lewis relo cated the label headquarters to Brooklyn in early-'99. This is the first Athens show the band has played in over a year. Look for the classic Kincaid lineup plus a few guests. < BABALU Another team player from the Electnc Watusi i. This Sweden-based project— y London native and EWB execu- ael Eavill—takes elements from jazz, drum 'n' bass and pop to come up with a weird brand of "psychedelic electro." Eavili combines electronic beats with sampled sitar, vibraphone, guitar and horn sounds. After a doomed relationship with MCA records, Babalu signed on with Kindercore and is currently in the studio (housed deep within the walls of the K- core compound just outside of downtown Athens) recording with Bill Doss of The Olivia Tremor Control. TULLYCRAFT This Seattle-based ; ndie pop trio formed in 1994 when singer-bassist Sean Tollefson and drummer Jeff Fell (both formerly of Crayon) recruited ex- Wimp Factor 14 guitarist Gary Miklusek. The trio issued its first full-length effort, Old Traditions. New Standards, in 1996— followed by 1998's City Of Subarus—and eventually expanded the lineup to include keyboards. The band is currently demoing for a new Kindercore release. Y KINGS OF CONVENIENCE A duo from the city of Bergen, Norway consisting of singer-guitarists Eirik Glambek Boe and Erlend Oye. The band's new self-titled album is a study in low, slow, simple songcraft... with the occasional drum loop underneath. Kindercore released Kings Of Convenience this year. The band is only in the States long enough to per form at Mol : jin Stage in West Virginia and play a few shows with English band Birdie and tonight's Expo gig. MASTERS OF THE HEMISPHERE Athens quartet Masters Of The Hemisphere's sound has been compared to The Hang Ups, The Aluminum Group, Sebadoh and The Beatles. Since releasing a self-titled debut on Kindercore in '99, the smartly- dressed and coifed band has established itself among Bacharachsters and rockers alike as a strong live act. The long awaited follow-up album, I Am Not A Freemdoom is supposedly the soundtrack to a comic book The Masters are currently readying themselves for a session in the new K-core recording studio. THE ESSEX GREEN Psychedelic, clean sounding folk-pop band The Essex Green formed in Vermont in 1997, soon relo cated to Brooklyn and commenced to create a style of pop music drawn heavily from folk and the sounds of the ‘60s and '70s. The band's sprawling, delicate debut, Everything Is Green came out on Kindercore in '99. The band hit Athens over the last two years alongside Aden and Saturnine, recently toured with Of Montreal and Marshmallow Coast, and is currently promoting a self-titled EP, which suggests more the Mamas and the Papas, Kinks and Jefferson Airplane than Beatles and Beach Boys. Featuring members of Ladybug Transistor and The Sixth Great Lake. OF MONTREAL One of the sev eral Athens bands to emerge from the vital Elephant 6 Collective, Of Montreal is fronted by singer-guitarist Kevin Barnes. Barnes is a multi instrumentalist with a certain knack for writing songs packed with meandering vocal melodies and harmonies, imagi native psychedelia, and a slew of twisty chord changes. The band's more straighta head, oOs-styie pop is brushed with a glaze of cautiously giddy self-confidence. The band s songs shift and lilt in odd directions w-ith amu r ing results. The latest album. Horse And Elephant Eatery: No Elephants Allowed, is a collection of singles and outtakes released on Kindercore that followed last year’s acclaimed The Gay Parade (Bar None). Other cherished releases include *he con ceptual The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy. The Bird Who Continues To Eat The Rabbit's Flower, and numerous 7" records and compilations. Barnes and his bandmates just returned from a brief tour of Japan. liBID ra n, ra ri3n@» n "THE MYSTERY BAND" A mysterious band composed of notable local players. THE FOUR CORNERS A newly-formed, jangly, gangly, garage-pop group headed by Kindercore's own Ryan Lewis and Tracy Hatch. This band kicks it '60s-style, replete with Farfisa organs, limited chord usage, simplistic guitar work and "hey hey" vocals. Featuring members of The Essex Green. GREAT LAKES Athens orch-pop band Great Lakes—whose core consists of local players Jamey Huggins, Dan Donahue, and Ben Crum—celebrated the release of a self-titled new album on Kindercore this year. The band's bouncy, 12-song collection was recorded at Apples' Robert Schneider's Pet Sounds studio in Denver. It has a trace of Big Star and Badfinger tossed into the indie-rockish fray. K-core execs call the album a "magnificent panoramic pop rec -d." RICHARD DAVIES Australian-born singer- songwriter-poet Richard Davies formed the "chamber pop" unit The Moles in Sydney in the late 1980s after growing disenchanted with law school. After the demise of The Moles, he relocated to London and formed the jazzy-pop outfit Cardinal and dabbled with touring and recording through the mid-'90s. Davies gained attention for his ability to tread the inlet between the Nick Drake and Brian Wilson schools of songwriting. His forthcoming release, Richard Davies' Barbarians—recorded over four days in September 1999—was dJbbed by K-core execs as "the most hi-fi record Kindercore has ever had the honor of releasing." This is one of only two live shows Davies has booked in the states (he's back in law school in Boston!) VHS OR BETA This underground dance- pop quintet hails from the fertile scene in Louisville, Kentucky (where it surely hob nobs at the race tracks with those slackers from Pavement's rhythm section). The band utilizes '80s-era electronic drum pads, vocoder effects, analog loops and keyboards to create a stylish, "disco beat" wall of sound. FROM US 2 U This self-described "pre-fab superstar debut" is something of a Kindercore staff megagroup. Heaven only knows what's in store! "LATE NIGHT DANCE PARTY" This late night dance party k : cks off down the block from the 40 Watt at the Quality Warehouse on Washington Street. Featuring the North American debut of the Electronic Watusi Boogaloo DJs from Sweden. DJ Daniel Collas (of NY band Easy) will also be spinning sounds culled from the '60s. B n «n0O n D, ^nan@« i* SUMMER HYMNS This Athens band is skilled at blending gnarled elements of early-era indie rock (before tne term meant any harm) with spaev, psychedelic pop and oddball instrumentation (banjo, analog samplers, etc.). These pop archi tects might promise to be even more understated than usual. One expert once dubbed the band a "kind of Southern Spacemen 3." Featuring former members of Joe Christmas and current members of Of MontreaL C.A.R. Also known as "Call-And- Response," this is a new Kindercore band based out of the Santa Barbara/San Francisco area specializing in a typically Californian pop sound. The four-piece group (three guys and a girl) mixes a '60s-era "Cali" sound with classic French/Euro pop to create a sound almost comparable to that of early Stereolab. Expect some action on dusty old key boards. C.A.R. will be recording its K-core debut with Bill Doss at the label's studio this fall. THE MARSHMALLOW COAST Marshmallow Coast is largely the work of Andy Gonzales, a Denver native who relocated to Athens at the urging of his pal Julian Koster (of Elephant-6 bands Neutral Milk Hotel and Music Tapes). Gonzales also plays in Of Montreal, but do^s not con sider Marshmallow Coast a "side project." He released the full-length debut Seniors And Juniors—a quiet collection of piano and guitar arrangements with dual vocals by him and Of Mont sal's Kevin Barnes— on Kindercore last year. A follow-up titled Marshmallow Coasting is due out in October. JUNIOR VARSITY This Houston-b’sed trie cranks out the party rock. Reaching way back to the early days of pop, the band combines elements of three-chord "30s frat rock, sock-hop pop, and campus oep- rally chants into an enthusiastic sound. Junior Varsity's first full-length. Bam Bam Bam came out recently on NGOO Records. Watch out for the band/team mascot on stage. DRESSY BESSY This Denver-based indie pop band formed in 1996 and easily slipped into the hip local scene led by Apples In Stereo and The Minders. After playing together for some months, the band recorded it first 7" EP, Dressy Bessy (Little Dipper), followed by 1998's You Stand Here EP and '99’s stylish full-length Kindercore debut Pink Hearts. Yellow Moons. The combo delivers decidedly upbeat, slightly garage-y power-pop. A new disc titled The California EP is duo out on Kindercore this fall. The band just returned from a brief tour of Japan along side Of Montreal. Look for Dressy Bessy tunes on the new soundtrack for the motion picture But I'm A Cheerleader and the recent Power Puff Girls compilation. < BIRDIE London-based "easy listening" pop duo Birdie was formed in 1995 by singer-bassist Debsie Wykes and guitarist- graphic artist Paul Kelty. The duo released its first single, "Spiral Staircase," on the Summershine label in 1997, followed by a critically-acclaimed single. "Folk Singer," on UK label It Records in '98. The debut album, Some Dusty, is slated for re- release on Kindercore in October. Expect some smooth, Wurlitzer-driven popfoolery. A THE SUNSHINE FIX Guitarist Bill Doss—this town's Roger McGuinn—-has been a very busy man of late. After recording and touring heavily for five years with his influential Elephant 6 band, The Olivia Tremor Control, Doss has ventured out on his own with this new project. He recently finished recording his debut, A Future History Of A Sunshine Fix , at Chase Park Transduction studios. The EP is reportedly a wild mix of psyche, soul, '70's funk, and country styles. Tonight's set will feature appearances from members of such bands as Regia, Hayride, Summer Hymns and Great Laxes. Ballard Lesemann "Kinaercore Expo 2000" takes over the 40 Watt Club Wednesday, August 9 through Saturday, August 12. Tickets are $30 for the entire festival and $8 nightly. Advance tickets are available on-line at kindercore.com and at Wuxtry Records. debut album. Out Of The Loop, and a 12" Boogalor single called "auroraborealis" entirely on fronted t a single laptop computer. The result is a * “ :L m FLAGPOLE AUGUST 9, 2000