Talking Tunes: JUE Brings Gulou To Its Knees & Temple Gets A Much Needed Facelift

Kipp Whittaker | Mar 6, 2014 5:00 pm | Add a comment | 1433 reads

This week is really pounding it out with important music events that you absolutely can't miss, all courtesy of the JUE Festival. They run the gambit of styles and ethos, but they are all originals and capable of squeezing that delicious pulpy juice called "fun" out of your evenings throughout the next seven days.

Pictureplane will be kicking off the festival weekend on March 8 with an explosive gig at Dada. His constantly evolving and trendy steaze will bust open a can of extremely contagious jams, a skill that has helped him rise the ranks of new American EDM producers. He has been at it for a while, but still continues to stay fresh and on the fringe, collaborating with artists like Grimes and helping define genres like Witch House and the current new techno trend sweeping the planet.

On Sunday, March 9, Liu Yusi of Randy Able Stable will be giving a hybrid musical performance/lecture detailing his latest cycling adventure from Nanjing to Shanghai; Liu will be sharing how such experiences have influenced his life and approach to music. He is a very talented singer/songwriter with a very intense aptitude for whatever style of music he is currently conquering with his trusty acoustic guitar.

Also on March 9, Singapore pop giants Monster Cat will be sullying the ears off the capital kids at Zajia Lab. This group explores the myths of ages past through their progressive and psychedelic song craft.

Baths will perform on March 11 at MAO Livehouse. These LA fellows are kinda bleak in a hip-Debbie downer aesthetic, but the tunes are snappy, jagged and synthetic. I watched their NPR All Songs Considered performance and was impressed with their 80's Vangelis film score pads and pacific pop zeal. It sounds something like if a recent punk group like Japanther all of a sudden found the desire to incorporate the production techniques of Disintegration-era Cure or Richard X. At times their sound gets a little abstract, but in a constantly pop fashion.

Finally, on Wednesday, March 12, And So I Watch You From Afar, from Belfast, Northern Ireland conjure up tones that are equally beautiful and dissonant. If you were unable to catch them in 2013, this is your chance to experience an innovative group of youngsters taking the post-rock genre to new depths. Join them with special guest Young Dreams at MAO Livehouse

In other local music news, Temple Bar has closed its doors for a short time to revamp the fabled music space for another year of rock n' roll decadence. They will be bandaging up the facilities, replacing some of the furniture, and slapping down some black PVC to spruce the place up a bit for the next couple years of gigs. They won't be closed for very long, but we can all agree that it's worth it to get those couches out of there.

More musical events worth your time and money: