Mistletone

Artwork by Alex Fregon

Hey. Mistletone is throwing another one of our perennial parties! We’ve called it Mistletone Fright Night, ‘cos it’s on Friday 13th January (at The Corner in Melbourne), and also as a nod to Mistletone’s first artist and spiritual leader Ariel Pink.

The super spooky lineup features the mega awesome Dan Deacon Ensemble; John Maus, the musical thrills junkie with charisma & mystery to burn; everyone’s fav kaleidoscopic noise-pop warriors Rat vs Possum, the return of technicolour inventor-producer-wunderkind
Jonti, back from 6 months soaking up & becoming part of the fertile LA beats scene; soft-rock easy rider SUPRÉ-group Montero and their seductive man-core anthems for tomorrow; and the ever-effervescent Parking Lot Experiments with their playful mix of pop and cheese.

Throw in the mad skillz of DJ Adam Christou between bands, a whole lotta audience participation, a synchronised interpretative dance session, and door prizes for the most frightful costumes bestowed by our discerning judges, and you’ve got yourself a big one!

Mistletone Fright Night: Friday 13th January at The Corner Hotel. Tickets on sale now from The Corner Box Office and Polyester Records for $35 + booking fee (or $40 at the door if still available).

Fright Night is proudly brought to you by Mistletone and Triple R.

PLAYING TIMES……….
7:30pm Doors open
8:00pm Parking Lot Experiments
8:40 Montero
9:25 Jonti
10:10 Rat vs Possum
10:55 John Maus
11:30 Dan Deacon Ensemble
+ DJ Adam Christou between bands!

Read on for band blurb teasers…

DAN, DAN DEACON is the man we’ve all been waiting for, our hero and yours, with his mega awesome ensemble in tow! This maniacal, loveable alchemist from the Baltimore DIY party scene is renowned as one of the world’s funnest and most epic live performers. Equal parts crazy and inspirational, participatory and energetic, Dan Deacon has built his reputation on his live shows, wild messes of frenetic dancing, comedic theatrics, and audience participation, all powered by his ecstatic electro-pop. Dan has had an amazing 2011; he signed with Domino Records, has been making amazing collaborations with Francis Ford Coppola, and now he’s back in Australia with his ensemble, whom Dan aptly describes as “champions” of the Baltimore scene: namely, Denny Bowen (from the now sadly defunct Double Dagger) on drums, Dave Jacober (Dope Body) on drums ‘n’ mallets, Chester Gwazda (Nuclear Power Pants, producer of Bromst (Mistletone, 2009) and Dan’s forthcoming album – mixed at Mistletone Studios!) on synths/computers and Jordan Casey (Zomes) on synths. As Dan so eloquently puts it: “It’s the first tour of this new ensemble lineup of two drummers, two synth players and one me. There will be four more humans, and most likely the energy will be a zillion times more.” Be prepared for Dan to transform The Corner into a complete circus, transforming us all into willing participants in his own twisted, joy-inducing fantasy.

The excellent times don’t end there, for our other international Fright Night guest of honour is one of this year’s most lauded and uncompromising artists: PhD candidate, one time Professor of Political Philosophy & Theory at the University Of Hawaii, reverb addict and self-confessed “musical thrills junkie”, JOHN MAUS. Revered for his maximalist/ baroque/ bombastic take on pop music, John’s groundbreaking album We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves (released on one of our fave labels ever, Upset The Rhythm and distributed locally through Inertia) was one of the iconic records of 2011. The confrontation of punk, the fleeting poignancy of 80s movie soundtracks, the insistent pulse of Moroder and the spirituality of medieval and baroque music all find salvation in John Maus. Hypnagogic, hypnotic, mind and life altering, John Maus makes music that affirms that we are all truly alive. His live show is incredible — believe it!

Fright Night is a special show for RAT VS POSSUM: it’s their drummer Baby Andrew’s final show, and thus your last chance to witness the raw, throbbing power of this lean, mean, web designing, drumming machine before Rat vs Possum turn another page in their increasingly riveting history as a band who have made many a quantum leap, evolving into a fully formed, well-oiled musical Terminator, hell-bent on destroying the Death Star and the Temple Of Doom. This five-piece posse comes equipped with serious dancefloor chops, equally influenced by psychedelic pop, disco, rave culture, Krautrock and early ’70s German electronica. The new Rat vs Possum LP Let Music & Bodies Unite (Sensory Projects) is an accelerated burst of pop music more akin to a vivacious, brightly coloured firework than just another catchy tune on the radio; and their always-intoxicating live performances create a bespoke type of pop music you can truly dance to, mung out to, lose yourself in and freak out to.

Mistletone’s first ever Sydney signing JONTI described 2011 as a dream come true, and this recent glowing review from Mess + Noise says it best: “With Twirligig, Jonti Danilewitz has a delivered an album with nary a dull moment. Seriously, not one dull moment. He also establishes, without a shadow of a doubt, that he is the best hip-hop producer to have come out of Australia in recent memory – and yes, he was born and raised in South Africa, but let’s just let that rest for the time being. Like The Avalanches before him, Jonti has a knack for compositions that strike a balance between innovative and classic, between headphones and the dancefloor; it’s smart music that’s effortlessly enjoyable. In short, he’s vindicated those that have been singing his praises through two name changes, and he’s lived up to the hype that comes with signing to iconic US label Stones Throw.”

MONTERO is a smooth sailing slow-wave group who like to rock, softly. Described as lounging somewhere between Ariel Pink and 10CC, Montero walks a soft-rock/ romantic-prog path that few dare follow. With high-pitched male harmonies and new-age synths, they construct vibrational treatises for the cosmic and sensitive 21st century man. The debut Montero seven-inch Mumbai b/w Rainman (Mistletone, 2011) unveiled a gift for instantly memorable melodies. From post-nervous breakdown ballads and tender affirmations of masculine existence, to tracks that parachute into prog via some pre-yoga crystal-gazing, Montero takes an imaginative approach to classic love songs for audiences tired of the bullshit screamo. While happily liking whatever the punks hate, Montero is more about personal inclination than any polarised musical protest. Ben Montero (Mistletone’s artist in residence) just simply happens to find schmaltzy music VERY psychedelic.

PARKING LOT EXPERIMENTS are four guys of varying attractiveness who will play for you an immersive set of unhinged, ecstatic, melodic pop songs. They’ve been described as unconventional yet totally unpretentious, fluctuating between fiercely danceable loops, folky interludes and playful banter. Currently in the middle part of recording their second, most-awesome album, PLE 2: The Squeakquel, PLE make songs with a free-spirited ethos — roaring colourbursts for last-level triumphs, enthusiasm measured in buckets of sweat. Their particular brand of manic and joyous synth-pop has seen them support such luminaries as Dan Deacon, Yeasayer and WHY?, and has had them play the legendary Campus A Low Hum music festival in New Zealand in back-to-back years – an honour rarely bestowed.