Mistletone

ROOM40, Mistletone and Feel Presents proudly present a dream lineup this Friday night, March 5th at the Hi Fi (125 Boundary Street, West End), featuring four of the most mind blowing bands of the times – DEERHOOF (USA), WOODEN SHJIPS (USA), TENNISCOATS (JAPAN), and JEFFREY LEWIS & THE JUNKYARD (USA).

Doors open 7pm. Tickets $40+ BF on sale now from the venue.

With San Francisco fourpiece DEERHOOF, every song is an adventure. Classic rock, J-Pop, classical and noise become inseparable, as if no stylistic barriers ever truly existed. Melodic beauty is set against flashes of brilliant innovation, almost as much of a surprise to the band as to the listener. In the mid 90s they were branded ”too noise for pop” and ”too pop for noise,” but this combination soon proved basic to the sound of modern indie rock. From the cartoon surrealism of Milk Man (2004) or Friend Opportunity (2007) to the gritty realism of Apple O’ (2003) and Offend Maggie (2008), Deerhoof have invented their own instantly recognizable way of writing, playing and recording music.

Also from San Francisco, WOODEN SHJIPS play rock n roll in a style heavily influenced by the experimentalism of psychedelia, classical minimalism and garage rock excess. Started as an experiment in rhythmic primitivism and group improvisation, the current lineup brings a more structured rock approach to its performances. Their songs sound something akin to the icy garage rock of early Echo & The Bunnymen crossed with the sun-bleached tremolo-punk of the Scientists. There are hints of krautrock, the trance-inducing organ haze of Suicide, Deerhunter style dance-drone, classic desert-fried garage psych and the mysterious, obscure Japanese lysergic-rock band Les Rallizes Denudes all mixed into one explosive whole.

Japan’s TENNISCOATS are a gloriously rare find. Working in the spaces between eccentric pop, shimmery folk and the avant-garde, Saya Onodera and Ueno Takashi seamlessly meld together these disparate interests into one of the most compelling visions of music presently surfacing in Japan. Since forming in the late 90s, Tenniscoats have released an impressive array of albums including Totemo Aimasho (2007), Tan Tan Therapy (2007), Live Wanderus (2005) and the recent collaboration Two Sunsets with Scottish shambling legends the Pastels. In the words of Robert Wyatt, Tenniscoats are ”just enchanting”.

Jeffrey Lewis was raised in New York City and is a maker of comic books, tragi-comic folk narratives, and head-smashing garage rock – all of which meld together into JEFFREY LEWIS & THE JUNKYARD. With brother Jack on bass and David Beauchamp on drums, Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard incorparate a disparate blend of influences from 60s acoustic psychedelia like Pearls Before Swine to the experimental art-punk of the Fall and the urban lyricism of Lou Reed, sounding a bit like if Woody Guthrie fronted Sonic Youth. Live shows also incorporate ”low budget videos”, Jeff’s large illustrations displayed to accompany certain songs, such as Jeff’s educational multi-part History of Communism, or the fan-favorite chills of ”The Creeping Brain”.