CLOSED: Giveaway: Ponderosa, Blue Blood, Party Dolls @ Caledonia 2/14

Want to spend your Valentines Day with Ponderosa? We're giving away a pair of tickets so you can take your Valentine or Galentine to the show and use the money you saved to tip your bartender.

Tonight: Grass Widow at Caledonia

San Francisco trio Grass Widow are playing at Caledonia tonight with Shade and Glasscrafts, an  offshoot of Glass Giraffes. Fans of Vivian Girls, Brilliant Colors, Dum Dum Girls, and The Raincoats won't want to miss their fuzzed out harmonies and riffs reminiscent of the first wave of British D.I.Y. Their third album, Internal Logic (perhaps an homage to UK post-punk band Essential Logic?) is out now on the bands own HLR Records.

CLOSED: Ticket Giveaway: The Soft Moon w/ Majical Cloudz, Twin Tigers

One of my favorite albums of 2012 was Zeros from Bay-area artist The Soft Moon. After one show that fell through due to severe weather, he'll be back January 16, 2013 at the Caledonia Lounge with Majical Cloudz and locals Twin Tigers.

If you have any inclination toward New Wave, Krautrock or Industrial tinged dark fuzzed out atmospheric compositions, you'll want to be at this show. 

To enter: 

Share this contest on Facebook, then leave a comment on this blog post (below) with your email address so I can reach you if you win.

Bonus entry: Like Arrowhead Vintage on Facebook.  Leave another comment for your bonus entry.

A winner will be drawn from the comments on this blog post using Random.org. If you don't leave a comment on this blog post in the comments section below, I have no way of seeing your entry.   

Spread the word, then leave a comment. I'll contact the winner the day before the show.  

Congrats, Colby!

Hear: Shana Falana

Tonight at Caledonia, Brooklyn experimental dream-pop duo Shana Falana is performing. If you're not sitting at your computer right now saying that name out loud over and over, you should try it. It's fun, and feels a little bit like a theater vocal warm up.

Shana Falana has a bunch of tracks up on bandcamp for your perusal. I suggest starting below, with "Where R U" off Velvet Pop. It feels a little bit like The Mo-Dettes, Teen, and Dum Dum Girls.

Also on the bill tonight:

Cottonmouth
k i d s
Young Benjamin

Caledonia Lounge
Doors at 9:30 P.M.
$5 (21+) $7 (18-20)

The Zoltars - "Lost From Long Ago" 4/16 at Caledonia - Tiny Hat Presents

The Zoltars have a new record out on Sundae Records and Burger Records, and are playing next Monday at Caledonia. Once described as "Jonathan Richman singing murder ballads to a Mo Tucker backbeat," they remind me a bit of Yellow Fever and Twerps. Their bass player made videos for each song on the album from Super 8 footage shot a few years ago in Chicago.

The Zoltars: "Lost From Long Ago"

Local Music: Vincas Album Release Show Tonight at Caledonia Lounge

Blood Bleeds is streaming below. Album art by Matt Cherry (Maserati, Wizard Smoke.)

Vincas' debut LP Blood Bleeds is a highly recommended listen, consistent start to finish.

While Blood Bleeds is a debut release for the trio, each member is a veteran of Athens music scene. Chris McNeal provides strong vocals, sometimes brooding, sometimes growling, with a few hints of psychobilly ala The Cramps. On Blood Bleeds, McNeal is able to flex the vocal chords that rest during his instrumental performances with Maserati, as well as bass, with Scott Kviklys on guitar and vocals, and Joe McMullen on drums.

Evident on the record, but especially noticeable live, is the way these guys can balance full-speed power and intensity with restraint; working around each other instead of each member overpowering the other, and going off on a brief psych tangent, but bringing it back in tightly before becoming self-indulgent. 

They'll be celebrating with an album release show tonight at Caledonia Lounge with The Darnell Boys and Atlanta's Gentleman Jesse & His Men (who also have a new record out March 20.) Vincas are a band that don't over do it when it comes to playing out, so this might be your last chance to see them for at least a month or two.

For fans of: The Scientists, Gun Club, Early 80s Australian Rock like Radio Birdman,  The Birthday Party, No-Wave, The Stooges, The Cramps, Suicide

Colossus - 2/17 Caledonia Lounge

Is a crappy iPhone picture better than no picture at all? Discuss.

If there was a throwback video game in which the underdog bests the giant in a Roman gladiator match where wit, speed, and courage conquer all, Colossus would supply the soundtrack. While their stage banter and occasionally sci-fi inspired lyrical content might be humorous, their technical skill is dead-serious and awe-inspiring, particularly the dueling shredders on either side of the singer.

Every member of this band PERFORMS. Theatrical triumph, contorting shred-faces,  and metal band bravado come across as victorious and never pompous or cliche.

Colossus is everything I've ever wanted to watch in a metal band (okay, some pyrotechnics might be fun, but The Caledonia staff appreciates when bands leave those at home.) Their t-shirts aptly reflect their charm: a black cotton tee with classic metal imagery: pentagrams, skulls, goats, and cryptic symbols, balanced by two strategically placed circular designs in the chest area, and Lorem Ipsum text (standard place holder text used by graphic designers) in a medieval font, hinting at a Satanic ritual book; the attitude and style you expect from a metal band, with subtle jokes mixed in for those quick enough to catch them.

These guys don't take themselves too seriously, though based on their talents, I wouldn't fault them if they did.

Headliner Savagist sounded amazing, but that was expected.