the critique of pure reason presents:
~9:30 PM doors
set times:
the caribbean ~10:15
xiu xiu ~11:15
All ages
$9
Taking their name from the 1998 Chinese film “Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl,”
post-punk throwbacks Xiu Xiu were formed in San Jose, CA, by Cory
McCullough, Yvonne Chen (publisher of the indie zine Zum), Lauren Andrews,
and Jamie Stewart. Prior to the 2002 release of their first full-length
album, “Knife Play” (released on vinyl through Absolutely Kosher and on
disc through 5RC/Kill Rock Stars), the band made appearances on numerous
compilations. Shortly after “Knife Play“‘s release, Springman released a
10” collaboration between Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof. Vocalist Stewart has earned
comparisons to the Cure’s Robert Smith, while the band itself has been
likened to just about any angular guitar band from the late ’70s and early
’80s without any blindingly obvious sources of inspiration. In 2002, the
band issued the “Chapel of the Chimes” EP, in 2003, the full-length “A
Promise.” (allmusic guide) Xiu Xiu has a new record “Fabulous Muscles” due
out in the second half of February. In the North America the cd will be on
5RC and the LP will be on Free Porcupine Society. In Europe and Asia the CD
and LP will be on Tomlab or Acaruela depending on where you live.
The Caribbean operate primarily out of Washington, DC, but also maintain
satellite stations in Baltimore, Maryland and the Gulf Coast of Florida.
The group came to exist when Tony Dennison, who was playing drums for Smart
Went Crazy (Dischord Records’ quietest band), went to see the Townies play
at DC’s 930 Club with Low and Pell Mell in 1995 on a hunch. The hunch paid
off. Mutual admirations were formed and the two groups toured together
through the Southern US in 1996. By 1999, both groups had split, but
friendships forged on tour remained. Matthew Byars and Michael Kentoff,
fresh from the dissolution of Townies, contacted Dennison to gauge his
interest in assembling a recording-only group. Dennison was way into it.
This new assemblage, the Caribbean, eschewed normal recording studios with
expensive hourly rates, pesky clocks, and “qualified” engineers and quietly
recorded a debut EP on its own called The Caribbean, which came out in 2000
and contained music by the trio and several friends.
The group signed to Canadian pop label Endearing, and released their first
full-length, “Verse By Verse.” Realizing that they missed performing live,
the trio added Don Campbell as a do-everything type to play mostly
keyboards and bass in the touring quartet. Campbell would not be shaken and
soon joined the Caribbean on a full-time basis. The group completed
recording “History’s First Know-It-All” in the fall of 2002 and the new
record came out in spring 2003 on Endearing in the US and Tomlab in Europe
and Japan.
Production: Stacie Slotnick for the critique of pure reason [stacie (at)
thecritique (dot) org]
http://www.thecritique.org