essential-ish

MORE NEW RIDDLE

2007-11-26T16:54:00.000-08:00

ok, so i just got the phone w/ my boy Andrew Of Steel & he's assured me i should have the mastered MP3s of Riddle's new long-player, 1985 (Ascetic Records), any minute now... which y'know, has me pretty fucking pumped. anyway - while anxiously waiting to get my grubby little hands on these babies, i've stumbled upon a half-dozen new tunes (plus a few ol' faves) performed LIVE!!! posted up on YouTube by user dfricano, from a venue called (the) Rosebud in Grand Haven, MI. one camera + surprisingly decent sound (at least for fans wanting to check out the new jams)... check 'em - in order:

"John Fromme (sp?)"

"...We Get Plenty Of Satisfaction / Baby Bird"

"Loose Talk"

"Who's The Fellow Owns This Shithole?"

"This Band Burns Love"

"Quiet Now"

"Ass Kicker #1"

"Our Guitars Are Haunted"

thanks a shit-ton to dfricano. hope you don't mind me sharing these clips w/ others!?! lemme know if you do!!!

oh yeah, for those who might be interested... RIDDLE will be be playing a CD release party for the aformentioned 1985... as part of Reax's 2nd Annual New Year's Bash @ Crowbar on 12.31.07 w/ very special guests ROMA 79 + our homeboys wIN wIN WINTER & TRèS BIEN! much more on the insanity that this night promises to be... real soon!!!

thanks as always / easy as that.

CARIBOU - TUE. 10/16/07 - CROWBAR

2007-10-15T22:07:00.000-07:00

holy last-minute batman (did i just write that?)... ok, so... NO BULLSH*T... tomorrow night's CARIBOU show just might be the show of the year! and we couldn't be more excited about it & we really hope all y'all show up!!!

that being said... we've only sold about a quarter of the advance tickets, so we're just a wee bit nervous that it might not be as hype as it needs to be... that y'all might be sleeping on it a smidge? ...which is just plain shocking!!! because...

to our ears, Andorra (Caribou's latest - released about a month ago) is easily one of the best records we've heard all year... if not several years. a timeless (or maybe it's transported from another time?) Psych- / Indie- Pop masterpiece. the full realization of everything Dan Snaith's work has hinted at up to this point. just straight Kick-Ass, anyway you wanna slice it.

in case you aren't already down, we've compiled a last minute podcast / jam so you can cram for the bizness here in the 11th hour. grab the M4A (the fanciness!!! - w/ chapters / pictures) here, or if u want... the (frills-free) MP3 here.

beyond that... don't worry if you didn't get an advance ticket, just show up!!! DUMBWAITERS (playing their first show in 10 months-ish??? playing their last show ever?!?!?!) get it started at about 930pm; please get their well early so you don't miss them!!!

ok, that's it for now. see ya tomorrow night! thanks as always / easy as that.

aestheticized presents >>>

CARIBOU
BORN RUFFIANS
& DUMBWAITERS

Tuesday October 16
9pm | $9 | All Ages!!!
@ Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street - Ybor City / Tampa - 813.241.8600

more info: www.aespresents.com
advance tix: in case you wanna be 100% sure... right here!!!

HISTORY, WIN WIN WINTER, TRèS BIEN! & CHRISTINA WAGNER - SATURDAY 10.13.07

2007-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

some of our absolute favorite Locals / Regionals playing tomorrow night... and we hope all y'all can make it out!!! for those that aren't already down... check 'em:

HISTORY (Orlando, FL) = definitely one of Central Fl's best bands - top-notch Math-/Indie-Rock co-eds - recommended for fans of JAWBOX, HANDSOME, SHINER, HUM, etc. - ex-/mbrs of MY HOTEL YEAR, SOUND THE ALARM, THE COUNTRY SLASHERS, etc. - fans will undoubtedly recognize this joint, from their self-released debut (i think?), Ghosts In The City:

HISTORY - "Horn Of The Unicorn" [MP3, 5.6MB, 192kbps]

WIN WIN WINTER = HOLY FREAKING CRAP!!! as we love our wwW boys and they love us right back (indiebears.com coming seen!)... they've graciously supplied us with yet another bang-up EXCLUSIVE mp3 (below)... from their upcoming full-length (which i think is coming out on Marshall Dickson's 24 Hour Service Station label!?!). these dudes (ex-DISCO NAP, MANTS, SKYLINE, etc.) are most certainly on the verge of doing BIG things & we're stoked for 'em... and if you haven't seen 'em yet, this is yr chance to get on board now kids. and umm, without further ado, here's the aforementioned exclusivity:

WIN WIN WINTER- "Exit Rows" [MP3, 9.5.MB, 160kbps] (ok, definitely not a simple little Pop nugget (8:16 LONG!), but i'm telling you... this baby has bonafide legs & just gets better and better and better upon repeat listenings. definitely my favorite song of the week!)

TRèS BIEN! = as some of you might've read on aespresents.com, our boys are about to BLOW UP as they're set to appear all over the new "American Idol" for bands, Fox TV's "The Next Great American Band"... and if this tune we've got here is at all indicative of what they're up to / where they've progressed to, who knows... they just might win the damn thing! check it:

TRèS BIEN! - "The West" [MP3, 4.9MB, 160kbps]

CHRISTINA WAGNER (Jacksonville, FL) = powerful, heartfelt stuff!!! - from Orlando Weekly... "Pairing a whiskeyed sensibility with a smoky voice that echoes some of the female jazz greats, this songbird pushes her acoustic act far beyond coffeehouse banality and into Spanish and country music territory. Look for her to prove once again that she owns the singer/songwriter category." this CAT POWER, BILLIE HOLIDAY & Camel Lights- inspired singer / songwriter has captivated several Tampa Bay area audiences in the last coupla years & is primed to do it again on this special night. musica fantastica:

CHRISTINA WAGNER - "Ghosts" [MP3, 5MB, 160kbps]

PLEASE COME OUT & SUPPORT!!! like this:

aestheticized presents >>>

HISTORY
WIN WIN WINTER
TRèS BIEN!
& CHRISTINA WAGNER

Saturday October 13
9pm | $6 | 21&Up
@ New World Brewery
1313 E 8th Ave - Ybor City / Tampa - 813.248.4969

more info: www.aespresents.com

TODAY IS THE DAY: AN INTRODUCTION ('93-'07)

2007-10-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

ok, so we've sold exactly ZERO advance tickets for this Friday's TODAY IS THE DAY show & that really bums me out, but yknow... maybe that's because you lovely ladies & gentlemen ain't exactly on board with dudes just yet?

hopefully this baby will help change that... TODAY IS THE DAY: AN INTRODUCTION ('93-'07); an extremely un-official compilation thrown together by yr boy 2Critical in an effort to expose y'all to one of the most important Metal (and/or Brutal, Loud, Extreme, Heavy, etc.) bands of all time.

[real talk: Today Is The Day's second long-player Willpower remains one of my all-time favorites some 13+ years after it's release. a beautifully twisted piece of Art-/Prog- Metal/Damage that sounds just as wonderful & ground-breaking today as it did way back in 1994 (when it was released on the legendary Amphetamine Reptile). thank god Reverend Steve Austin (TITD's evil mastermind) is re-releasing this long OOP classic on his new Supernova imprint.]

so yeah - go here & grab this .zip file & cram & share & motivate & meet us out there on Friday night!!! (oh yeah - please forgive the discrepancies in volume throughout as some of the tracks are from old rips and/or leaks.)

aestheticized presents >>>

TODAY IS THE DAY
TAIPAN
DEFCON-4
CHRISTINE
& BLOOD BY DAWN (Just Added!!!)

Friday October 05
8pm | $10/12 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street - Ybor City / Tampa - 813.241.8600

more info: www.aespresents.com
advance tix: boom!

MORE NEW RIDDLE!!!

2007-09-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

ok, so i might've spoken too soon when i said that the new record is already done, but whatever... as i just got my mitts on a couple of the (unmixed? definitely unmastered) demo tunes (converted somewhat bootleg-stylee by me, from WMAs to MP3s - so please don't hold any inferior sound quality on these against our boys). most certainly the best thing that's happened to me all day!!!

and without further ado, here they is:

RIDDLE OF STEEL - "Turbo" [MP3, 4.5MB, 198kbps]
RIDDLE OF STEEL - "Quiet Now'" [MP3, 5.2MB, 189kbps]

anyway - please spread the word on these ASAP (please share them... NOW! as we might take 'em down in 24 hours or so!?!?), then come get down with us tomorrow night!!!

aestheticized presents >>>

RIDDLE OF STEEL
HEADCASES
LIFE OF PI
PALANTINE
& MILITARY JUNIOR
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 13
9pm | $8 | 18&Up
@ CROWBAR
1812 N 17th Street
Ybor City / Tampa
813.241.8600

please see www.aespresents.com for more info!!!

RIDDLE OF STEEL & CO. - NEXT THURSDAY, 09.13.07 - @ CROWBAR

2007-09-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

been sitting on these MP3s for a hot minute now... waiting to lay them on y'all when the time seemed perfect or appropriate or whatever and... well, at this point, the -ish seems aligned / apropos / et cetera... so we're doing it. droppin' them on you lovelies - NOW!

our boys RIDDLE OF STEEL are headed back to Tampa for their 5th (!) aes >>> show here since the release of 2005's near-perfect Got This Feelin'. and while we hear that the new record is (pretty much) totally done / recorded / mixed / mastered / in-the-can / etc., we thought it'd be best to share these 4 bad-boys with you now, so you can rock out accordingly when you hear them live next Thursday!!!

THE HOT JAMS: recorded LIVE!!! (pretty crunchy - right?) @ Crowbar on April 7th, 2007... (THANKS to our man Patrick Shatzer [aka Pat Shat - of OWL MOVEMENT fame] for recording + sharing them with us!)

RIDDLE OF STEEL - "I'm Not Sure What Your Problem Is..." [MP3, 3.9MB, 128kbps]
RIDDLE OF STEEL - "Loose Talk" [MP3, 4.3MB, 128kbps]
RIDDLE OF STEEL - "This Song Is For Satan" [MP3, 4MB, 128kbps]
RIDDLE OF STEEL - "Got That Feelin'" [MP3, 4.9MB, 128kbps]

(PLEASE SHARE THESE JAMS!!! w/ anyone & everyone you know who digs our boys from The Loo + PLEASE DON'T QUOTE ME on these song titles as they're just guesses or whatever... y'dig?)

oh yeah... do the dang thang! GET YOUR TICKETS NOW... RIGHT HERE!!!

see ya next Thursday! thanks as always / easy as that.

PRE-LABOR DAY SHENANIGANS!

2007-08-31T16:18:00.000-07:00

it's going down... Sunday night. hope to see a bunch of y'all out at New World for what promises to be a darn good time. check out some MP3 action below... under the poster / info / spiel.

aestheticized presents >>>
MORNINGBELL
GIDDY-UP, HELICOPTER!
WIN WIN WINTER
& BRER
+ PROLLY SOME aes >>> DJ ACTION
Thursday August 30
9pm Doors | 10pm Live Music
$7 | 21&Up Welcome!
@ New World Brewery
1313 8th Ave E
Ybor City
813.248.4969

THE HOT JAMS:

MORNINGBELL - "Faster Than Eagles... Stronger Than Lions" [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]

WIN WIN WINTER - "Baker Ave." [MP3, 3.2MB, 160kbps]

(not sure if these mp3s are exclusives or not and/or if they're totally mastered tracks or whatever - but they're both ass-kickin' & relatively indicative of what both these fine bands sounds like. actually - to my ears, WWW's "Baker Ave."'s sound represents but one of the styles this young band has already mastered. can't wait to hear these dudes' upcoming full length!)

anyway... see ya Sunday!!! thanks as always / easy as that.

PAPERCRANES (ft. RAIN PHOENIX), TEXTUAL (ft. Dave Lebleu of THE MERCURY PROGRAM), SUMMERBIRDS & MORE!

2007-08-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

WOW! what a freakin' insanely nice line-up we've got sorted for this Thursday evening's show @ Crowbar! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do us & yrselves a favor!!! ...read over this entire post, listen to the tunes, round up yr friends & meet us out there! should be a fantastic night of some of the finest music Central Florida has to offer.

check it:

PAPERCRANES is a Gainesville, FL-based quintet that features actress/singer Rain Phoenix (yes... River [RIP] & Joaquin's sister). they play what probably could best be described as subdued / delicate / (almost) Adult-Oriented Indie-Pop / Rock. Really nice stuff, which will definitely appeal to fans of LOW, COWBOY JUNKIES, YO LA TENGO, MAZZY STAR, ALEKA'S ATTIC, etc. seems as if this band is ready to pick up speed & might be spenidng more time in NYC than FL real soon, so it'd definitely behoove you to come out & see them now!

TEXTUAL is the long-running solo- / side-project of one Mr. Dave Lebleu, whom most of us know much better as the drummer / percussionist for THE MERCURY PROGRAM. not exactly sure what his newest stuff sounds like, but i do know... it's always high-end. whether it's the Ambient- / IDM-leaning Electronica of his earliest work or the groovier / more fleshed-out sounds he presented when TEXTUAL last played Tampa (@ New World - in support of the PROGRAM)... just know we're talking decidely compelling & sophisticated jams. highly recommended for fans of THE MERCURY PROGRAM, TELEFON TEL AVIV, THE ALBUM LEAF, etc.

SUMMERBIRDS IN THE CELLAR kick ass in a way that's uniquely their own, but complement these other 2 acts very nicely. just got word from my man Curtis that they've actually moved back to Orlando full-time, putting their involvement w/ NOW IT'S OVERHEAD on the shelf ...fully focused on making their next record pop. it's called "Druids" and it's freaking fantastic & we've got our favorite tune, "The Hero Boys / The Folding Men", posted up below! available to download for the first time ever... anywhere! an aestheticized >>> / essential-ish exclusive baby... whatchu know about that!??!?

so yeah, check out that beast & more MP3 action below (under the poster / info).

aestheticized presents >>>
PAPERCRANES
TEXTUAL
SUMMERBIRDS IN THE CELLAR
THE VERA VIOLETS (ex-DRONE DIMENSION)
& I LOVE U (ex-DOVE)
Thursday August 30
9pm | $7 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street
Ybor City - Tampa - 813.241.8600

THE HOT JAMS:

PAPERCRANES - "Posion Arrown (Recall)" [MP3, 3.7MB, 160kbps]

TEXTUAL - "A Path To Lead Me To You" [MP3, 3.2MB, 160kbps]

SUMMERBIRDS IN THE CELLAR - "The Hero Boys / The Folding Men" [MP3, 8.3MB, 160kbps]

see ya thursday!!! thanks as always / easy as that.

JASON ISBELL (ex-DRIVE BY TRUCKERS) and THE 400 UNIT, CENTRO-MATIC & POETRY 'n LOTION: THIS SATURDAY - 08.18.07 @ CROWBAR

2007-08-14T15:25:00.000-07:00

that's right folks, another straight up ESSENTIAL event for all y'all that like it ROOTS-Y, RAW & ROCKIN'... the very kick-ass JASON ISBELL (ex-DRIVE BY TRUCKERS) AND THE 400 UNIT and aestheticized >>> faves CENTRO-MATIC (feat. one of the world's absolute best dudes, WILL JOHNSON) plus local looks from our homies POETRY 'n LOTION... this Saturday night: August 18th, 2007.

(check out some MP3 action below... under the poster / info.)

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW... RIGHT HERE!!!

Reax Music & aes >>> present:
JASON ISBELL (ex-DRIVE BY TRUCKERS)
CENTRO-MATIC
& POETRY 'n LOTION
Saturday August 18
9pm | $10 Advance / 12 Day Of Show | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street
Ybor City - Tampa, FL
813.241.8600

SOME JAMS:
JASON ISBELL - "Dress Blues" [MP3, 4.9MB, 160kbps]
JASON ISBELL - "In A Razor Town" [MP3, 3.9MB, 160kbps]
JASON ISBELL - "Shotgun Wedding" [MP3, 4.4MB, 160kbps]
(taken from Jason Isbell - "Sirens Of The Ditch" [New West; 2007])

CENTRO-MATIC - "Daggers Sharp Enough" [MP3, 6MB, 160kbps]
CENTRO-MATIC - "Circuits To Circuses" [MP3, 3.9MB, 160kbps]
CENTRO-MATIC - "74 Cuts, 74 Scars" [MP3, 6MB, 160kbps]
(taken from Centro-Matic - "Operation Motorcide" [Houston Party; 2007])

please visit aespresents.com for more info.

one more thing, if you haven't already heard of daytrotter.com... please do yrself a favor and check it out at yr earliest convenience. their recent session with Centro-Matic's Will Johnson is (pretty much like everything Will does) GOLD & seemingly still available, so yeah... go grab them tunes now!

see ya saturday!!!

DR. DOG SET TO ROCK YBOR CITY on FRIDAY JUNE 8th!!!

2007-06-07T09:08:00.000-07:00

DR. DOG = undoubtedly one of my favorite new bands, and we've got them playing tomorrow night (!!!!!!!!!) & well... i just wanted to quickly share some of their tunes with y'all.

Reax Music & aes >>> present:
DR. DOG
ROPPONGI'S ACE
& HEADSET
Friday June 08
9pm | $9 | 18&Up
@ Crowbar
1812 N 17th Street
Ybor City - Tampa, FL
813.241.8600

THE JAMS:
DR. DOG - "Ain't It Strange" [MP3, 5.3MB, 160kbps]
DR. DOG - "Keep A Friend" [MP3, 4.1MB, 160kbps]
DR. DOG - "I've Just Got To Tell You" [MP3, 3.3MB, 160kbps]
DR. DOG - "Die Die Die" [MP3, 3.6MB, 160kbps]

please visit aespresents.com for more info.