Presents...Forest Fire at Union Hall

"With Gattling Gun Social Skills"
It is with extreme pleasure and honor that I would like to announce the first Chocolate Bobka Presents... show: Forest Fire's CD release party at Union Hall on Monday August 10th. The show, which will mark the re-release of Forest Fire's ramshackle wonder Survival, which LA BLOGOTHEQUE named "Best Album of 2008." (Not bad, eh?) It should also be noted that the records first "proper" release will come on the brand spanking new Infinite Best label, run by our good friend and former-Bobka contributor Hunter Giles. The show will mark Forest Fire's first time in New York since last winter, and will also feature Shilpa Ray, amongst a bevy of special guests.

More details in the near future, but for now, mark your calendars, as August 10th is going to be a really fun night.

PS- There will be cookies. (I am not joking.)


Forest Fire- Fortune Teller

"Fortune Teller" live at The Apartment

mix: White Rainbow

"SHUFBOOGISDARKFUNK"
Psychedelic axe murderer Adam Forkner, better known as Portland's White Rainbow, has seemingly escaped from the Prism of Eternal Now and resurfaced with this mix tape of "unfinished/weird/fucked/bad/boring/bangin'/terrible-use-of-MIDI-presets/cool-idea-that-goes-on-too-long tracks made between 2007-2008." Quotes Forkner, "this is definitely in a more upbeat/summer/pop/rave/hip hop/flange vibe than most of my more 'serious' musics. but sometimes i gotta get the led out!" Summer Boogie Breezers: Tha Mixtape 2008 was originally released in a limited batch of 20 CD-R and sold out of the back of Forkner's trunk at gigs last Summer.

The Summer Boogie Breezer: Tha Mixtape 2008
1. give it a whirl
2. celebration jazz
3. FUNNY DOOGIE BOWZER BUSY LUCKY FUNNY LUKEY HAIR BALL BOBBERS IN A RIPTOWN WAY (rough draft white rainbow remix of lucky dragons source)
4. BOBOJAMBu
5. shuckies rumble
6. robbinthehood
7. SHUFBOOGISDARKFUNK
8. DOIN THE DAMN THANG BASSED pt3
9. TODAYSFIRSTBEAT11/30/07
10. ABACBA DISCIPLINED Second, Final Remix Tussle remixed by white rainbow
11. HARD AND TUFF MEGAMIX WORKOUT TAPE
12. todaytodaytoday is the clear stream (dawn rave version) STARVING WEIRDOS REMIXed by WHITE RAINBOW
13. summerbreezer

White Rainbows- Summer Boogie Breezer Mix

morning music: Grouper

"I'd Rather Be Sleeping"

One could argue that Grouper doesn't make music, they (aka Liz Harris) make dreams, or vignettes of noir-consciousness. They are understated, foggy and often drift into your psyche like a lost breeze, until you find yourself cold and in need of a blanket (or seal pelt). However, these wafting bits of semi-consciousness tend to linger longer than a breeze, following you like a shadow until your alone in the dark with no choice but to drift off into a sea of dreams. With day light savings behind us, and a rainy morning upon us, there is no better time to explore the haunting beauty of Grouper than today. For fans of Kria Brekkan, Lau Nau, Islaja and Paavoharju.

Grouper- Heavy Water/ I'd Rather Be Sleeping

Grouper- Heavy Water/ I'd Rather Be Sleeping

in rotation: Forest Fire

"I Don't Like What I've Become"

I have no idea how I found out about Forest Fire, but two days ago their infectious "I Make Windows" came on shuffle. After a little sleuthing, I found out that Forest Fire are a, surprise surprise, Brooklyn band, by way of Portland, specializing in atmospheric, bourbon soaked, tin-shack country folk. Sure, they fall into the extremely broad "Indie" category, but the songs off their record Survival feel more like urban twang or industrial hymns written in an abandoned warehouse in Bushwick than freak folk or goth folk or whatever the sweet folk the kids are digging this week is. Survival, released this summer, is an understated, overlooked gem that feels more like a stepping stone to something bigger than a master statement. Their bio notes that "Survival was recorded over an eight month period in two locations - Brooklyn, New York and Portland, Oregon. “Not all the members of Forest Fire live on the same coastline,” Mark Thresher explains, “So when certain friends roll through town, things happen pretty quickly.” Many of the tracks were recorded live in less than five takes, then maniacally overdubbed by a variety of players. Sometimes there was only one microphone for the entire band. Sometimes they pulled out a few more." If that's not enticing enough, NYC Taper favorite Sharon Van Etten and Nick Deiffs of the Shaky Hands lend their vocals on a few tracks. Oh yeah, and the album is available for free on archive.org, so what are you waiting for? Snatch Survival here, then go buy Cotton Jones Basket Ride's The Archery EP and chew on the wonders of the new East Coast atmospheric folk scene.

Forest Fire doesn't have any dates scheduled, but you can catch The Shaky Hands at the Mercury Lounge Saturday and Sharon Van Etten at Zebulon on Sunday. Both are Bobk-approved and highly recommended.

Glass Candy

Watch Out for Arpegiatting Synths

Glass Candy has been releasing Italo-Disco instant classics via MySpace all year and I'm not sure why we haven't been posting about them. The Portland night people make scary good sex'd up disco and I haven't heard a soul complain about them yet (Not even at CMJ!). If you haven't yet checked out the Italians Do It Better After Dark compilation, I highly recommend doing so. "Rolling Down the Hills" is down below for download, as is the sex'd up night stalker-esque video for "Digital Versicolor." You can download "Digital Versicolor" and others for free HERE.

Glass Candy- Rolling Down the Hills

Glass Candy - Digital Versicolor
Uploaded by epb21

CMJ recap: The Shaky Hands

"Maker, Make a Light to Shine on Those Who Need Light"

One of the most pleasant surprises of CMJ came on the first night. After checking out the Indaba lounge located in a third story walk up loft on the Bowery, I headed to the Bowery Ballroom for the Brooklyn Vegan showcase. I knew next to nothing about Bon Iver nor The Shaky Hands, but had a least listened to a few tracks from Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago. Bon Iver dosed the crowd at the Bowery Ballroom in haunting falsetto and lonesome atmospherics that set a luscious mood for the evening. Needless to say I bought a handmade copy of For Emma, Forever Ago after the set. More on him later, this post is about The Shaky Hands.

They came on after Bon Iver and raged the Ballroom for 45 minutes. Two Les Pauls, steady-as-she-goes bass, rhythmically entrancing hand percusion and some big hair thrown in for good measure. The Portland band blazed through selections from their self-titeld debut. A heavy dose of jangly heartfelt American rock and roll. A week later I still can't quite put my finger on what I really like about this band, mainly because I think it's all right where it should be. I bought the record from bassist Mayhaw Hoons after the show who told me they were on their last week of a three week tour cross country. If they were tired from driving from Cleveland the day before it sure didn't show, as their performance was as genuine as a pair of Levi's Original 501's. Their record hasn't left my CD player yet.


The Shaky Hands- The Sleepless

best beieve da hype: Blitzen trapper

"Join that Wild Mountain Nation/ You Can, You Can"

Psychadelic angels Blitzen Trapper have been receiving alot of praise for their new record Wild Mountain Nation. And while hype can prove both positive and negative for a young band, these scruffy gypsy bums from Portland are living up to it, and I mean L-I-V-I-N. No need to dismiss Blitzen Trapper as a Pitchfork branded flava of the week (8.5). Wild Mountain Nation is a platform for the 24-track loving, caravaning, jingle janglers to show off their righteous melodies, broken-jawed arrangements and kick-ass chops, proven on gems like "Wild Mountain Nation", "Future & Folly" and "Summer Town". The twangy pop of "Country Caravan" opens with a woozy pedal steel guitar riff reminiscent of the Shins "Gone for Good," and reveals why the Portland sextet has garnered comparisons to the Grateful Dead's country exploits (think "Dire Wolf"). "Sci-Fi Kid" invokes Bowie, Mellow Gold-era Beck and retro synths in a rapturous cornucopia of new-wavey rock. Always one to keep it interesting, the boys Blitzen follow "Sci- Fi Kid" with a hushed, lo-fi harmonica fueled bluegrass stomper ("Wild Mtn. Jam). These guys have a knack for rockin, whacked out alt-country, albeit an obscured, oddball's interpretation of Nashville's claim to fame. Like a cake with early-
Wilco frosting, Neutral Milk Hotel sprinkles and Gram Parsons-era Flying Burrito Brothers gumdrops. They can rock all bluesy like Exile/Sticky Fingers-era Stones and harmonize like the stoned Beach Boys. A unique, musical representation of dirty cowboy boots, paisley handkerchief neckties, day-glo face paint and the summer sun setting on the forest.

Blitzen Trapper- Sci-Fi Kid
Blitzen Trapper- Country Caravan