Kris N. Release Party for "Lo-Fi Movement" w/Wil Cope/The 1984 NFL Draft-Tonight @ Canal Street Tavern

...we've been talking about this one for a while now, but tonight is finally the night that Kris N. gets to celebrate the release of his new album, Lo-Fi Movement. We'd highly recommend heading out to Canal Street Tavern to catch Kris live, as he will be joined by Poptek Records mainman, Andy Ingram, on drums. We had them at the NTRO/XPO back in February and it still ranks as one of our favorite sets that we've seen. Also on the bill tonight are a pair of our favorite Dayton songwriters: swinging back through town from his new base in Austin, we've got Wil Cope, who is soon to release his new album, 1977 Again, and The 1984 NFL Draft (aka Joe Anderl). We'll see you there....

MP3: Kris N. "Pollard's Old Drunk Drivers"
MP3: Wil Cope "Easy as Sleep" from Dead Moon Motel
MP3: Joe Anderl "Dayton, Ohio" from Joe Anderl and the Imaginary Friendship Choir

My Girls R Lo-Fi

...with a flurry of activity as of late, Poptek Records is becoming quite the source of lo-fi pop in the Gem City. One of its most prodigious sources of lo-fi goodness, Kris N., picked up one of our favorite tracks of 09 so far, Animal Collective's "My Girls", from the highly-touted Merriweather Post Pavillion album and stripped it down from its dancefloor incarnation back to the AC we remember from the Sung Tongs days. The track is being offered as part of the Kris N. Song of the Month initiative and you can grab the track and lots more from Kris N. for FREE HERE. Kris N. is keeping busy these days as next week he'll be celebrating the release of his new album, Lo-Fi Movement, with a show at Canal Street Tavern on April 23. See you there...

MP3: Kris N. "My Girls" (Animal Collective cover)

Holy!Holy!Holy!/Akillis Green/State School/Kris N.-Tonight @ Dayton Dirt Collective

...as we mentioned earlier this week the anarchist-folkies of Holy!Holy!Holy! will be rolling into the Dayton Dirt Collective tonight. Along for the ride are locals Akillis Green, State School and Kris N. Although seemingly subdued for a Friday night, we're thinking this could be one of the best shows this season. See you there...

Lo-Fi Movement

...with his movement of the moment "recession pop" sound, Kris N. continues to wave the banner for the lo-fi basement hero. His new album, Lo-Fi Movement, will be out on Dayton label Poptek Records on April 23. The release will coincide with a show at Canal Street Tavern with Dayton ex-pat, Wil Cope, who is currently living it up in Austin. Although reveling in the murky lo-fi realm, Kris's melodies possess the ability to weave through the mire and lodge themselves firmly in the listener's psyche...

MP3: Kris N. "Pollard's Old Drunk Drivers"
MP3: Kris N. "Mustache Jesus"

...if you wanna dig into more Kris N., you can head over here to grab exclusive tracks courtesy of Poptek Records...

Poptek Records Announces 2009 Releases

...local purveyors of indie pop, Poptek Records have announced a slew of upcoming releases for the upcoming calendar year. Needless to say, we're pretty excited....

One of Dayton's most prolific songwriters, Kris N. has two albums slated for 2009 release: Lo-Fi Movement will see an April release and Supine Sailor will follow that. Poptek is also generous enough to post a new song by Kris N. every Tuesday as a FREE DOWNLOAD.

...Even though still in high school, John Callon, aka Wake Up, Mordecai, will release his second album, Too Young for the Disco, in May.

...Additionally, Reutschle is heading back into the studio to finish their Color Theory album, slated for a fall release.

...On the strength of their stellar debut, Yesterdays Forever, XL427 plan to take the goods to the people in live performance over the coming months. We highly recommend you check them out...

...what's more, you can grab full album downloads from Wake Up, Mordecai, Reutschle, and XL427 for free HERE...

...we highly recommend you head over to Poptek Records and grab these goodies up. You can thank us later...

REVIEW: XL427 "Yesterdays Forever" EP

...as founder of upstart Dayton label Poptek Records, Andy Ingram seems acutely aware that his passion for pop music is not always in vogue. Although primarily serving as drummer for perennial indie pop faves Reutschle, the elusive pop talent Kris N., or the teenage Wake Up, Mordecai, Ingram has finally stepped out to front his own outfit, XL427, on the Yesterdays Forever EP...

...throughout the disc, XL427 revels in a wide rang of unapologetic pop flavors. On opener "Killers No More", the stark shoegaze and barely-there vocal delivery ebb and flow around the elegant fizz of a loping guitar. It's Ingram's economical application of sumptuous pop hooks that propel Yesterdays Forever. From the haunting, reverb-drenched piano line on "Lover's Leap" to the Anglophilic melodic descent on "The Privileged", XL427 display an amazing command over the pop textbook. With an acoustic windmill call-to-arms, the bedroom anthem "It's Not Just Pink, It's New Wave Pink" finds Ingram at his most infectious. Blending bubblegum and Britpop into a potent pastiche, the track serves as an unabashed pop manifesto with the lyrical payoff: "These are the best days of all time". On "I Like the Quiet in You", the band cash in some of their goodwill for introspective drone. As the longest track on the album, it's bulk sags the disc near the end. Fortunately, the bounce of "The Privileged" rebounds and exits before wearing out its sunny charms. With it's chorus of "On our most perfect days/All your ways are pure", XL427 strike a perfect assessment of what is best in perfect pop music...

Queen City Invasion

...that's right kids! You've got two great Cincinnati bands in town tonight with some of our great local flavor, so head on out...


...over at Blind Bob's, you've got a few great local talents that don't make too many appearances: XL427 and Kris N. are both getting ready to release new albums on local label Poptek Records and are hitting the stage tonight. Also along for the ride are Towhee and The Lions Rampant (from Cincy)...


...over at the Oregon Express there's a great bill of rock n' roll tonight. Hosting this evening is one of our faves, The Northwest Ordinance. These guys are bringing in some great out of town talent in White Girls (Cincinnati) and Hans Condor (Nashville). Wanna see something different? Here's yr chance...

Poptek Announces Kris N. Song of the Week

...it seems as if those who enjoy working the lo-fi realm tend to favor quantity in place of quality. Luckily, fans of lo-fi appreciate that. Poptek Records has announced that Kris N. has amassed quite the stockpile of material that has never seen the light of day. Seems that much of it won't even make the two album Poptek has slated for release from Kris N. As a result, the label has announced a new feature on their website: Kris N. Song of the Week. You can head over now and pick up the new track "Turning 31", which is bouncy acoustic number with ruminations on the inevitable aging process. Be sure to check back weekly for more from Kris N. You can also head out to Blind Bob's this weekend to catch an uber-rare performance from Kris and let him know in person what you think of his new tracks...

Kris N./XL427-Tonight on WYSO's "Around the Fringe" show

...as the longest running local radio program, Rev. Cool Jim Carter's Around the Fringe has always been a stable outlet for local musicians to get on air. Well, tonight two of Dayton's most underrated songwriters, Kris N. and Andy Ingram of XL427, will be performing on air in promotion of their show tomorrow night in Springfield. If you're staying in this evening tune in at 91.3 FM or online to catch a sublime wave of indie songwriting...