Pretty & Nice/Minutes/Kuan/Hills @ Blind Bob's 4.13.09

...with the skies above Dayton filled with rainclouds on a rather dreary Monday evening, from the streetview it would have been easy to mistake the crowd in Blind Bob's for a Friday night. With the trifecta of instrumental bands filing up most of the evening, Hills, Minutes, and Kuan all brought a distinctly different blend to the table. Opening things up, the duo Hills dabbled heavily in spacey atmospherics that may have been better suited to an art gallery or lightshow than a Midwestern bar. Next up were Minutes, who seem to be gaining a full head of steam as of late with their slightly jazzier instrumental compositions. Still extremely muscular, the band's expansive melodies and driving-yet-disciplined rhythm section hold attention even without uttering a word. Closing out the non-vocal section of the evening, Kuan took the instrumental track in a decidedly more classic rock direction, hinting at the Allman's harmony guitar leads and Zep-like throttle. Kuan seems to just be hit a stride as of late, so keep an eye on them in the Dayton scene. Although original headliner Unwed Sailor canceled at the last minute, a rather serendipitous turn of events brought about a surprise visit from our old friends, Pretty & Nice. With this their seventh visit to the Gem City in the last 2 years, P&N served up one their best sets yet. We're looking for yet another visit this summer, so tune in...






For more photos from the evening, go here. If you live outside of Dayton, we highly recommend you make a point to check out Pretty & Nice somewhere along this tour they're on. Maybe you could even help them fill in some of those TBAs...

04.14.09 - Detroit, MI - Trowbridge House of Coffee
04.15.09 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
04.16.09 - Springfield, MO - Nathan P. Murphy's
04.17.09 - St. Louis, MO - The Firebird #
04.18.09 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Saloon #
04.19.09 - Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
04.20.09 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
04.23.09 - Seattle, WA - Holy Mountain
04.24.09 - Sacramento, CA - Blue Lamp
04.25.09 - Santa Cruz, CA - Zami Co-op !
04.26.09 - Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
04.28.09 - Phoenix, AZ - Modified
04.30.09 - Austin, TX - Emo's
05.01.09 - Houston, TX - Super Happy Fun Land
05.02.09 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
05.04.09 - Birmingham, AL - TBA
05.05.09 - Florida TBA
05.06.09 - Florida TBA
05.07.09 - Florida TBA
05.08.09 - Florida TBA
05.09.09 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
05.10.09 - Charlotte, NC - Milestone
05.11.09 - Columbia, SC - New Brookland
05.12.09 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
05.13.09 - Wilmington, NC - Soapbox Laundro Lounge
05.14.09 - Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
05.15.09 - Philadelphia, PA - TBA
05.16.09 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel
06.05.09 - Boston, MA - TT the Bears $

# - w/ Radical Sons
! - w/ Color of Love, Tempo No Tempo, James Rabbit / Antarctica Takes it! (split set)
* - w/ Wye Oak, The Pomegranites
$ - w/ Middle Distance Runner, Reports, Big Big Bucks

Pretty & Nice/Minutes/Kuan/Hills-Tonight @ Blind Bob's

...we're taking it as a good sign that a bill as good as the one at Blind Bob's can happen on a Monday in Dayton. Headlining tonight you've got Unwed Sailor [pictured] who are currently out on a US tour. In for local support will be Minutes, Kuan, and Hills. We've had both Minutes and Kuan in for The Buddha Den NTRO/XPO over the past few months and we highly recommend you check them out. We'll see you there...

MP3: Unwed Sailor "Aurora"

UPDATE: We just received word that Unwed Sailor has canceled their appearance tonight due to an injury. The remaining locals will still be on, so head on down...

UPDATE: We just got notice from one of our favorite bands, Pretty & Nice had their show in Columbus for tonight canceled, so we've arranged to bring them down tonight to play at Blind Bob's. We know it's very last minute, but trust us, the rest of yr week will thank you. See you there...

Backward Goatherd

...for those of you in some kind of heavy-duty relationship, odds are you've got some big plans for Valentine's Day. For everyone else, yr probably looking for anything to possible distract you from the fact that you don't have those big plans. Well, you've got a pair of great options tonight no matter on which side of the l'amour line you find yourself...


...over at Blind Bob's, Brandon Hawk has assembled a trio of duos for his Valentine's Day Show. In from Columbus, The Receiver blew us away when we caught them last year. Dayton noise duos Hills and Goatherd round out the lineup...


...over at Oregon Express, you've got the Anti-Valentine's Day show, featuring the debut of Dark Backward (ex-Luxury Pushers/Mondolux/The Bang Tale/etc.), the politically-charged sonic assault of My Latex Brain (who made our Top 5 Albums of 08), and female punk quartet, Jasper the Colossal...

Romance of the Young Tigers/CJ Boyd Sexxxtet/Yakuza Heart Attack/Hills-Tonight @ Dayton Dirt Collective

...tonight is a perfect opportunity to explore some of the more esoteric aspects of the Dayton music scene. Head over to Dayton Dirt Collective tonight to catch the ethereal sonic wave that is Romance of the Young Tigers, the jazzy explorations of the CJ Boyd Sexxxtet (Chicago), the prog onslaught of Yakuza Heart Attack, and Hills....

...also, remember that LadyFest Dayton continues tonight. In from the Pacific Northwest, be sure to check out the dirgey blues duo The Pack A.D. who will be performing later tonight...

Pretty Punches & Young Tigers...

...as with a typical Friday night in D-town, you got some quality options based on your various wants and needs. As always, we'll break it down for you....

...over at the Nite Owl, you've got the more folk/acoustic end of the spectrum, featuring Umbrella Men, Andrew & the Pretty Punchers, and Ruckus and the Trousers. Keep in mind, these bands may favor acoustic guitars, but this is not a light event. Should be a really good time...



...if you're inclined to trudge into the underground, head over to Acid Fever House and dig the wall of white noise. For you tonight: Antilles, Romance of the Young Tigers, Concrete Artery, Lungs, and Hills. Truly for the initiated, but they will be rewarded...