$10
Sat., July 11, 2009 / 7:00 PM
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Audio / Video

About This Event

Minimum Age:

18+

Doors Open:

7:00 PM

Show Time:

7:30 PM

Artists

Jigsaw Soul "Bound to Collide"
Eclectic in every way, Brooklyn's Jigsaw Soul make music that draws on a wide array of influences, yet avoids the pitfall of sounding like an imitation act. Perhaps owing to the fact that the group is comprised of five songwriters who have long standing friendships and a commitment to the crafting of a good song, they are able to piece together seemingly disparate elements, delivering fascinating juxtapositions that maintain a respect for traditional song structure but are not held slave to it.

Just as likely to reference modern composers like Phillip Glass and Ennio Morricone as jazz chanteuse Nina Simone or the psychedelic rock of Pink Floyd's "Ummagumma," the band also dabble with an assortment of ethnic folk music. Combining traditional rock instrumentation with other less explored sounds, theirs is a vividly imaginative world where tribal vocal chants dance with the propulsive squeals of a Theremin, Japanese Taiko drums are sampled and paired with vocal harmonies reminiscent of a medieval minstrel and ringing bells punctuate soaring guitar melodies. The music's feel is most often meditative but several songs increase in force, slowly adding layer upon layer of atmosphere that ultimately envelops and haunts the listener.

The lyrical themes in Jigsaw's songs explore from several writer's perspectives the roller-coaster ride that life in our modern world can often be, running the gamut from a lust for life and the joy of new experiences, to feelings of exhaustion and intense alienation. Never veering too far in either direction, balancing optimism with keen observation, these songs weave their stories of life's ebb and flow. Clever enough to realize that the music can be just as effective in the telling of the story as the words, Jigsaw Soul uses both elements to full effect and in a manner that is both organic and spiritual.

Jigsaw's eclecticism is intriguingly perpetuated in their live show, where modern dance and live video editing collide with the music to create an otherworldly spectacle of sound and vision. As one fluid unit, all of the art forms play off of each other’s dynamics, the performers use a hybrid of choreography and improvisation to deliver an allegorical compliment to the words and music. Alternately bombastic and enchanting, Jigsaw Soul is a live experience you will never forget.
Monkey Pod
Brooklyn, New York’s Mon.Key.Pod are a rare commodity: a commercial powerhouse with artistic and street credibility to spare. Formed in 2005, drummer Christian Reinhardsen and bassist Justin Miller started with nothing more than stacks of analog equipment and an improvised ambience that developed into a sample heavy library of compositions. Inspired by Chicago’s TRS-80 and post-rockers Trans-Am, Mon.Key.Pod was attracted to the spontaneous creation of electronic music and the piercing pulse of bass and drums.

In 2008, producer and beatmaker Ryan Casey joined the band, and Mon.Key.Pod solidified a mixture of psychedelic dance music, 8-bit crunk, and dirty south heavy metal. Using VHS motion picture as a backdrop, Mon.Key.Pod mashes analogue synth, heavy bass, and dirty drums into a dark mass. Be sure to visit monkeypodmusic.com for more about the band, tour dates, exclusive audio, video clips and info on the band’s new side project, Intercom.

Listen here and here.