Grouper (US) with Pumice and Glass Vaults September 28

Another show we are very excited about:

The VBC88.3FM, The High Seas and Room 40 present:
GROUPER (US) with PUMICE and GLASS VAULTS

PRESALES $15 from UTR.CO.NZ


Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Liz Harris' GROUPER evokes the ghosts of songs, using minor-key, folk-derived melodies swathed in sheets of delay to carry her fragile vocals. Over albums such as Wide (2006) and Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill (2008), Harris has expanded upon her deceptively simple form, moving from all encompassing ambiance, cocooned in oceans of reverb, to a more stark, yet no less absorbing form, vulnerable imagery emerging from the music like half-remembered dreams. Harris has collaborated with Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, Ben Chasny of Six Organs Of Admittance and released a split LP with NZ guitar luminary Roy Montgomery. Having already brought her arresting and beautiful show to NZ in 2009, Grouper's return is a welcome chance for those who missed out first time around to see Harris' aching and moving music in the flesh.

Auckland's Stefan Neville a.k.a. PUMICE is in no need of an introduction for discerning NZ listeners. A ramshackle one-man band, playing guitar, vocals, tape loops and drums simultaneously, he bridges the void between all-out improvisation and tightly executed song craft. It's noise, it's lo-fi, it's drone, it's pop - often all at once - Pumice defies all expectations with his live show. Neville's discography is beyond extensive, having been consistently pumping out releases since 1994, on all formats across a myriad of labels, as well as performing with bands like the Coolies, Sunken and Wendyhouse. To put it bluntly: Pumice is not to be missed!

Wellington's GLASS VAULTS is the project of Richard Larsen and Rowan Pierce. Taking their cues from good old fashioned pop song writing via ambient experimentation, the duo have already chalked up support slots with the likes of Xiu Xiu, and have released a debut EP that has attracted praise from all across the blogosphere. Pegged as "ones to watch", Glass Vaults' atmospheric and entrancing music is no doubt headed for bigger spaces, so make sure you see them in the intimate surrounds of Happy before it's too late!

SUN ARAW October 14th at HAPPY

We're awfully excited about this show...

"I think those that are staying alert, making sure to crest the wave, are already ecstatic in the ways they have found to re-order those energies for their benefit and the furthering of psychedelic and tuned-in living." - SUN ARAW interviewed on Tiny Mix Tapes

The High Seas, Under The Radar and VBC Present:
SUN ARAW (US) + Orchestra of Spheres
Thursday 14th of October at HAPPY
...
Presales $20 from http://www.undertheradar.co.nz/

SUN ARAW is the sound of the late-night party deepening to cosmic levels as you turn up the bass and fog up the place. Mantras emerge from voluminous reverb. Old-school Jamaican grooves roll deep with Afro-funk guitar. Shuddering percussive delays stretch out to the event horizon. It's like taking a journey from Kingston via Nigeria en route to the heart of the sun.

Hailing from Long Beach, LA, Cameron Stallones is the man behind this musical solar storm. A member of heavy rockin' psych-revivalists MAGIC LANTERN as well as recording with the likes of POCAHAUNTED and VIBES, Stallones infuses his lysergic blues with a hefty dose of tropical sunshine in some places, and deep-as-space Kraut-drone elsewhere. Moments on his latest double LP ON PATROL (Not Not Fun Records) sound a little like Lee Perry going crazy in the Black Ark Studio with members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, with an appropriately cinematic feel as the different sonic dimensions shift in and out of focus.

The SUN ARAW live experience sees Stallones taking the recorded material even further into realms of dubbed-out bliss, utilising guitar, Farfisa organ, vocals and a whole lot of delay to entrance the crowd in his colossal hypno-grooves. If astral projection had a soundtrack, this would be it. You can either get lost in this music and watch a universe being created or just dance like a stoned jellyfish. Whichever path you choose, make sure it leads to HAPPY, Wellington on Thursday 14th October.

WITH SUPPORT FROM ORCHESTRA OF SPHERES

Orchestra of Spheres take you to higher dimensions through mathematical ratios of rhythm and chaos patters of sound. Born from the Frederick Street Sound and Light Exploration Society in 2009, the Spheres have developed a cult-like following in their brief existence. Like celestial sponges, they draw on influences far and wide: the hypnotic beats of Kuduro; repetitive minimalist Bornean sape music; celestial chimes of gamelan. DIY instrument makers, the Spheres use the biscuit tin guitar, electric bass carillon and sexomouse marimba to create their cosmic dancing sound!