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Monday, 26 October 2009

Port O'Brien * The Factory Party * While You Were Gone

Port O'Brien - (Cambria / San Francisco, CA) "...it's clear why Johnny Marr is touting the Californian throng as his new favourite band. We've developed a bit of a crush." -NME "...charmingly rendered and, as in the wigout "Pigeonhold," teeming with joyous abandon a la the Arcade Fire." 4/5 stars -Uncut "It not only captures the considerable force of their live shows, but shows how much this band has grown in a very short period of time." Pitchfork Media "Fisherman's Son captures the bleak beauty of the frozen wilderness. If it inspires music like this, they shouldn't give up their day jobs just yet." -Q Magazine ..."everything has come into focus for Port O'Brien, and they have retained their heavy swaying beauty even in this light. You know when you watch old TV shows on new "cleaned up" DVD editions, and you can start to see all the flaws really clearly, and you think "man, just put the 'syndicated re-run' filter on this."? Well, that's not happening with Port O'Brien, they clean up wonderfully. They've gone from curiosity to wonder." -Said the Gramophone "Port O'Brien crafts beautiful, melodic tunes that utilize string instruments to their fullest. And the group is not afraid to rock out: "Pigeonhold" has it grinding down on guitars and "I Woke Up Today" revels in an Arcade Fire-style energy." -Billboard Magazine "Think of the way a really good late-party singalong sounds in your drunken, echoing head: a little sleepy, loosey-goosey with the timing, but ecstatic, brilliant, meaningful, epic. Even sober and by the cruel light of day, that's the sound of Port O'Brien." -SF Weekly

The Factory Party (Houston, TX) - The Factory Party is a Houston based indie-rock band that started in August 2007. The band members include Charlie on guitar/lead vocals, Luis on drums, Chris on bass, and Lance on guitar. They released their first self titled EP in 2008 where nearly 300 people showed up to their cd release party. They perform at many local venues in Houston and throughout Texas. They have participated in a number of festivals some of which include The Westheimer Block Party and radio station KTSW radio festival. In just one year of being together, they already began opening for a couple of big acts such as The Cribs, Via Audio, Fluokids, Mixhell, and Little Joy. These young guys know how to give you a true rock and roll show from begining to end. -The Factory Party's new EP,"After Death There Is Nothing" is set to be released this October 2009-

While You Were Gone (Houston, TX) - This is a story, an attempt to shed some light on the reason behind While You Were Gone. We often need reasons as people to explain the existence of any one thing. These are our reasons for being. Thank you for reading this and wondering why. First, While You Were Gone is a family. Dysfunctional as most, we are constantly reminded of the effort it takes to keep a family together. There have been times over the past few years that interventions have been arranged in efforts to prevent a member from going astray. We lack much, we fight often, and we’re rarely satisfied with the work we produce as a band. And yet, we are compelled to exist in this world of music that we have come to love and desire and need. Ultimately, we have been led to this place of uncertainty. As we prepare for the release of our new EP, we again find ourselves filled with doubt and scared we will never make a difference. Is it ok if nobody likes our songs? Are we a failure if we never sell a single T-shirt? Likely. But we are no strangers to failure. And we’re not scared. Finally, we would like to make a promise. We promise to be passionate and true. We recognize an urgent need for realism in music today and will do our best to create that. This is the reason we continue to be a band. When this is all over, we would like to say we have done something real. Because who could ever be happy with anything else?

 

Last Update Wednesday 21 October, 2009