Sunday July 24, 2011 4:00 PM
Beekman Beach Beer Garden
South St & Beekman St, New York, 10038
Swirlies formed in 1990 in Boston/Cambridge, and quickly became notorious for their loud, wall-of-noise guitar music, as well as a twisted quiet side, which propelled them to the forefront of the city’s “chimp rock” scene, pitting dreamy, guitar-based pop against noisy, experimental tendencies. Often compared to My Bloody Valentine, the original band featured Damon Tutunjian (guitar/vox), Seana Carmody (guitar/vox), Andy Bernick (bass), and Ben Drucker (drums).
Swirlies released a series of EPs and four albums on the Taang! label before moving on to Bubblecore Records for 2003′s Cats of the Wild Volume 2. A handful of singles have also appeared through Slumberland, Pop Narcotic, Working Holiday and others. Plus, the band has released a number of cassettes, CDs, and downloadable albums on its Sneakyflute Empire label.
This summer, Swirlies are together once again performing a smattering of rare live shows on the east coast, with original band members Damon Tutunjian and Andy Bernick, joined by Rob ‘(The) Doctor Laasoko’ Laakso (Amazing Baby) and drummer Adam Pierce.
Psychedelic Horseshit
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Psychedelic Horseshit is rooted in lo-fi punk experimentation, and makes a dense, playful racket that veers between being challenging and genuinely catchy. Formed on a whim in 2005 after meeting at an “all night rave scene,” the band has kept a step ahead of the lo-fi noise pop scene they christened ‘shitgaze’ by drawing on a broad range of influences.
Currently consisting of Matt Whitehurst (vocals / guitars / drum programming / harmonica / keyboards) and Ryan Jewell (drums / percussion / keyboards), the duo released it’s second proper LP titled Lace (FatCat Records, 2011), marking a major shift that includes upgrading their sound and delivering a coherent set of bustling, uptempo, hook-laden, melted outsider pop songs. FatCat proclaims the signing of Psychedelic Horseshit as on par with the label’s landing of Animal Collective and Black Dice, 8-years ago, viewing the band as similarly vital artists.