BY MEGAN NEFF
Black Moth Super Rainbow sounds like you would expect a band who crafts
their tunes in Pennsylvanian hinterland and goes by the pseudonyms of Tobacco, The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Power Pill Fist and Father Hummingbird to sound: a sundrenched brand of surreal electronic psychedelia that takes root as you listen and grows as easily as weeds in the summertime.
The BMSR show on May 19, 2009 at Red Mile follows a recent string of big names in independent music performing in Lexington, a result of street savvy and effective planning on the part of the University of Kentucky radio station,
WRFL 88.1 FM.
From Crystal Stilts in March to Ariel Pink in April, WRFL has been inciting locals and out-of-towners to frequent Al’s Bar much more often than usual in the past few months. WRFL promotions director, James Friley (vocalist and keyboardist for Bedtime, also appearing Tuesday) said several factors have
made the excess of shows possible. One of these is the sizeable budget given to the volunteerbased radio station by the university. Another is his familiarity with the music community and booking process. “My experience booking tours already for my band has helped out, just with the way you talk to people when you’re trying to book something and working on the business side of things,” said Friley. Lexington’s ability to lure in the big ones is nothing new,
according to Friley, but in the past they have been limited to experimental and noise groups.
Despite their prevalence in the underground of Lexington’s music scene, major
players in this genre are decidedly less likely to garner as much attention as acts gracing Pitchfork Media’s Best New Music page with each album drop. The location of Lexington as a playthrough on the way to bigger cities with
high-touring traffic is another factor that influences who plays in Lexington. Friley says, “You know, within an hour, there’s Louisville and Cincinnati. And if you keep going, there’s Columbus, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chicago, too. So we’re just kind of in the middle.”
A true product of their woodsy stomping grounds, BMSR cemented its indie-rock stardom with Dandelion Gum, their 2007 release on Graveface Records. The concept album turned heads with an unusual combination of bubblegum psych rock and warped pop, prompting comparisons to groups like the Flaming Lips and Boards of Canada.
And Tuesday, May 19, Black Moth Super Rainbow will bring their eccentric opus out of the undergrowth to Lexington at the Red Mile Round Barn. The tour supports Eating Us, their latest album set for release on May 26. And from the sound of things, the group is keeping the acid-weird, but removing the focus from the synthesizer And stepping up therecording quality.
Vocals siphoned through a vocoder to the point of near incoherence
are artfully layered upon vintage keyboards and warbling guitars in
Eating Us. Astop in Lexington begins BMSR’s spring Tour, which is set to run until July 24, crossing from coast to coast and ending at South Street Seaport in New York City. Co-headliners School of Seven Bells — tribal dream-pop trio
of Ghostly International label fame — will not be making the trip to horse country. That void will be filled by local talents Tiny Fights and Bedtime. Tiny Fights, formed in the fall of 2008 and over 9,000 Myspace hits strong, mixes their own brand of kraut-inspired rock with a modern aesthetic. If you thought lo-fi rock heavy with reverb and MacBooks were genetic dead ends, you should rethink what you know about evolution.
Bedtime, a four-piece with members in both Lexington and Ashland, offers a taste of the manic-depressive by way of infectious melodies set to minor keys and distorted guitars. Friley describes their sound as one that mixes rock and pop with “lots of noise.” Though the line-up is a diverse mix across genres, Friley sees more of a connection in sound between Tiny Fights and BMSR.
“Tiny Fights and Black Moth Super Rainbow are a little closer together,” said
Friley. “They both have that lo-fi, electronic sound that makes you move a little.”
The BMSR show on May 19 is only the beginning of a season filled with WRFL-sponsored gigs, from Bonnie Prince Billy in June to Deer Tick in July. “It’s just a really good scene here,” said Friley, “so people believe me.” ■
Doors open at 8:30pm and the show is all ages. Cost is $5. Go to wrfl.fm for more information on this and other upcoming shows. Lex in the Middllack Moth Super Rainbow sounds like you would expect a band who crafts
their tunes in Pennsylvanian hinterland
and goes by the pseudonyms of Tobacco,
The Seven Fields of Aphelion, Power Pill Fist
and Father Hummingbird to sound: a sundrenched
brand of surreal
electronic psychedelia that
takes root as you listen and
grows as easily as weeds in
the summertime.
The BMSR show on
May 19 at Red Mile follows
a recent string of big names
in independent music performing
in Lexington, a
result of street savvy and
effective planning on the
part of the University of
Kentucky radio station,
WRFL 88.1 FM.
From Crystal Stilts in March to Ariel Pink
in April, WRFL has been inciting locals and
out-of-towners to frequent Al’s Bar much
more often than usual in the past few months.
WRFL promotions director, James Friley
(vocalist and keyboardist for Bedtime, also
appearing Tuesday) said several factors have
made the excess of shows possible. One of these
is the sizeable budget given to the volunteerbased
radio station by the university. Another is
his familiarity with the music community and
booking process. “My experience booking
tours already for my band has helped out, just
with the way you talk to people when you’re
trying to book something and working on the
business side of things,” said Friley. Lexington’s
ability to lure in the big ones is nothing new,
according to Friley, but in the past they have
been limited to experimental and noise groups.
Despite their prevalence in the underground
of Lexington’s music scene, major
players in this genre are decidedly less likely
to garner as much attention as acts gracing
Pitchfork Media’s Best New Music page
with each album drop.
The location of Lexington as a playthrough
on the way to bigger cities with
high-touring traffic is another factor that
influences who plays in Lexington.
Friley says, “You know, within an hour,
there’s Louisville and Cincinnati. And if you
keep going, there’s Columbus, Nashville,
Knoxville, and Chicago, too. So we’re just
kind of in the middle.”
Atrue product of their woodsy
stomping grounds, BMSR cemented
its indie-rock stardom with
Dandelion Gum, their 2007 release on
Graveface Records. The concept album
turned heads with an unusual combination
of bubblegum psych rock and warped pop,
prompting comparisons to groups like the
Flaming Lips and Boards of Canada.
And Tuesday, May 19, Black Moth Super
Rainbow will bring their eccentric opus out
of the undergrowth to
Lexington at the Red Mile
Round Barn.
The tour supports
Eating Us, their latest album
set for release on May 26.
And from the sound of
things, the group is keeping
the acid-weird, but removing
the focus from the synthesizer
and stepping up the
recording quality.
Vocals siphoned
through a vocoder to the
point of near incoherence
are artfully layered upon
vintage keyboards and warbling guitars in
Eating Us.
Astop in Lexington begins BMSR’s spring
tour, which is set to run until July 24, crossing
from coast to coast and ending at South Street
Seaport in New York City. Co-headliners
School of Seven Bells — tribal dream-pop trio
of Ghostly International label fame — will not
be making the trip to horse country.
That void will be filled by local talents
Tiny Fights and Bedtime.
Tiny Fights, formed in the fall of 2008
and over 9,000 Myspace hits strong, mixes
their own brand of kraut-inspired rock with
a modern aesthetic. If you thought lo-fi rock
heavy with reverb and MacBooks were
genetic dead ends, you should rethink what
you know about evolution.
Bedtime, a four-piece with members in
both Lexington and Ashland, offers a taste of the
manic-depressive by way of infectious melodies
set to minor keys and distorted guitars.
Friley describes their sound as one that
mixes rock and pop with “lots of noise.”
Though the line-up is a diverse mix across
genres, Friley sees more of a connection in
sound between Tiny Fights and BMSR.
“Tiny Fights and Black Moth Super
Rainbow are a little closer together,” said
Friley. “They both have that lo-fi, electronic
sound that makes you move a little.”
The BMSR show on May 19 is only the
beginning of a season filled with WRFL-sponsored
gigs, from Bonnie Prince Billy in June to
Deer Tick in July. “It’s just a really good scene
here,” said Friley, “so people believe me.” ■
Doors open at 8:30pm and the show is all ages.
Cost is $5. Go to wrfl.fm for more information on
this and other upcoming shows.
Lex in the Middle
