Category Archives: Blog Archives
I Love Lightning Bugs talk about their new album, “Kensington”.
Every year I attend the Metrotimes Blowout in Hamtracmk, so to no ones surprise I was there this year doing some promotion for a few of the bands playing back in March. Upon wandering through the streets of Hamtramck and shuttling from bar to bar, I walked into Whiskey in the Jar to discover I Love Lightning Bugs. Packed to the brim this band sure knew how to please the crowd. I made sure to make friends and attend another show in the future after the band was named the best Blowout Band by CW50. This trio of powerful musicians has a ton of credit and experience that shines in every performance.
Now over 8 months later, I Love Lightning Bugs have released a fresh new album titled “Kensington”. Below I ask the bands bassist, Rob Shelby and also Reid Mclellan, singer/guitarist of I Love Lightning Bugs to discuss their songs, history, and production of their new album. You can catch their next show on December 9th at the Rustbelt Market in Ferndale and also you can get yourself a copy of the new album at the I Love Lightning Bugs official website.
How do the songs on Kensington differ from your older material? What is it that makes this new album different from previous material?
Reid: Kensington feels like a complete and intended work of art. The songs differ from our old material in that the song writing and production are on another level. The new songs are very emotionally charged and have a bigger sound.
Where was this album recorded, who worked with you to produce it?
Rob: We recorded it in my basement. Reid and I produced it all myself. Dave Feeny played a lot of slide guitar on it and mixed 1 song. We also had a ton of guest musicians! Like a few members of the Julliets, my buddy Dave from the Australian band Sounds Like Sunset. We also used home made pre-amps built by David Krofchok. They were, by far, the best pre-amps I’ve ever used!
How did the band form? Or can you give me a brief history of the band?
Rob: Reid and I had worked at the same place for many years. He was a fan of my band Stills of Japan (www.knerd.com/bands/stillsofjapan). We actually have completely different styles. But it seemed to really work, so I brought in Angie Kaiser on drums (also of Stills of Japan). We all are working towards the same goal. We just want to write songs that we actually like to listen to! We don’t want to tour aimlessly. It’s all about having a great time while writing music and hopefully getting a few people to our shows… The three of us have been in so many bands. Reid was the #1 electronic musician on MP3.COM for a while. I have tons of production and engineering credits. Angie was in bands all over michigan. We don’t care about “making it”. We don’t go out every night. We just kinda do what we do! Unfortunately, Angie had to move for work. But we picked up Ron Vensko.
Who can you compare yourself to, what are some of your inspirations or favorite bands?
Rob: We are always compared to 90’s bands like the Psychedelic Furs, Pixies, The Cure and Built To Spill. Some people keep saying we sound like U2. I really don’t think we do. Reid’s voice sometimes sounds a bit like Bono, I guess. I’m mostly inspired by bands like the earlier Modest Mouse, The Rentals, and Why? albums. We are very melody focused.
What are your songs about? Do you cover any specific themes in your music?
Reid: Each song on this album captures a brief moment in time that has had a profound effect on our memories.
Songs thematically range from overcoming hopelessness, loneliness and heartbreak to putting your life back together when it seems like it’s the end of the world.
Rob: Our instruments really take turns as the lead theme instrument.
Do you guys have any type of tour coming up?
We are planning to do a few tours this spring. We’ll probably stick the midwest…
Where can you most likely find I Love Lightning Bugs playing a show?
Reid: Well, we mostly play in and around Ferndale, Royal Oak and Detroit. We played a lot of festivals this year and we love playing at the Rustbelt Market and the Lager house. The Magic Bag and The Pike Room were great gigs. We also played in Brooklyn, NY but have yet to go on an extended tour.
Rob: Yeah but my favorite place to play is the Berkley Front. That place is really what you make of it. I like that freedom. Of course, the magic bag! I love that stage!
Can you mention some of your favorite places to see local bands play in the metro Detroit area?
Reid: The Loving Touch in Ferndale is fun and there is something about the Lager House that feels like rock and roll. The Crofoot and Pike Room in Pontiac are really nice.
Rob: Totally. The Loving Touch and Rust Belt Market!
Any shout outs to some local hard working bands that you know in the metro Detroit area?
Rob: Even though Adams Castle moved to Brooklyn, I always need to give them a shout out! Rogue Satellites & Zoos Of Berlin deserves a shout out too!
Dirt Fest 2011
The Birch Run Expo center has been home for the annual known Dirt Fest since the year 2006. Bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder, Everytime I die, and Silverstein have played alongside several local Michigan acts at Dirt Fest and it is continuously growing every year. On August 13th this year I was finally able to attend my first, and most definitely not my last Dirt Fest that had some big acts on mainstage including All That Remains, Pop Evil, Evans Blue, Alien Ant Farm, and many more.
The weather was perfect all day long which turned out to be a great day for good music, fun, and photos as well. I got to say hi to some good friends over at the Safe & Sound Apparel tent and snap a couple photos right before catching a great show from Wilson. I also got a chance to catch The Dirty Americans, Hey Bastard, Silverstein, and the one and only Hawthorne Heights rock the party armour stage. Many other good bands performed throughout the afternoon that guaranteed a mix of awesomeness for all sorts of people. 50 plus bands on 5 different outdoor stages proved Dirt Fest is summer music festival that you dont want to miss next year. Something new to the fest this year included over 10 dj sets that set an interesting pace for several dirtfesters.
Check out some photos I snapped throughout the day and make sure to give some props to Matt Dalton for making this an awesome day of opportunity and great experience for the Michigan music scene. Also stop over at http://record-bin.com to check out this broadband media collective website that allows artists, fans, promotional companies, and record labels to explore, express, and expand their vision for the future of the music industry. I got a chance to get to know the developers of the company over at their tent at Dirt Fest and they are really passionate about what they do. These guys from Bay City really have a great thing going for artists to sign up, be heard, and be discovered.
Fucking Awesome Fest
Wednesday August 10th was the launch of hopefully an annual music fest put on by Black Iris Booking in Detroit. Fucking Awesome Fest was a full line up of bands that stretched over 4 days at the Majestic Theater, Garden Bowl, and The Magic Stick. A wide variety of bands ranging from the likes of The Swellers and Wilson, and even to the level of LA’s hardcore band, TERROR took over the stage. The official launch party of the fest headlined FLASHCLASH for the night for their Intergalactic Interactive Vinyl Release show. The floors and stage were slapped with neon electric tape that set of their futuristic electric-rock band twist of a show. Their set was synchronized with a quirky and spacey video production that was out of this world. The crowd was filled with over a hundered plus of their fans and they really put on a good show for them. Check out some live video from the show and keep an eye out for a video collaboration with Joe Gall.
I also made it up stairs to the Magic Stick on Wednesday night to catch some the show put on by PASSALACQUA. Their hype astonishing show grabbed the crowds attention with their distinct rap styles and punk-rock, hip-hop sound. The energetic and skilled musicians got the crowd to have some fun with confetti guns and some beach balls and it was a riot! Defintley a show Im glad I got to see! Check out a few photos from the show and read a great review of them in Real Detroit Weekly.
SUMMER SLAUGHTER
A hot HOT day in Detroit at St. Andrews hall began at 3pm with, WITHIN THE RUINS. I made it there in time to see 2 songs of their set and they really started it off. Early comers also got to enjoy Flesh God Apocalypse, As Blood Runs Black, Oceano, and Six Feet Under with me. The outrageousness of all of the big smelly metal dudes forced me to commence to Delux Louge for a breather before The Black Dhalia Murder. So unfortunatley I missed Darkest Hour and White Chapel. After some much needed air and hydration I managed to snap some photos of the Black Dahlia. It was great. Take a few moments and check out some photos I got from the show!
Roshambo Promo 