Tonight I traveled to the Prospector, a small unassuming bar in Long Beach, CA on 7th St and Junipero Ave. I saw a few bands, but the one that jumped out and grabbed me and slapped me in the face was a group called Red Ink from Washington D.C.

I did not intend to do a show review. I simply wanted to head to a fun dive bar in Long Beach and have a few drinks. I did not expect a band like this to appear on stage in front of me.

I’m not sure how exactly you would classify Red Ink. According to their MySpace,  they’re an indie rock band. I suppose I could see how they might fit into the indie rock genre, but I almost feel like they’re more than that. Incorporating elements of funk, R+B, and even a little bit of reggae, these guys really create a style all their own.

I didn’t know any of the songs, however I was able to sing along with a few by the time the 2nd or 3rd chorus rolled around. Although the vocals were a little bit low, myself and my cohorts sitting about an inch away from the stage made it a point to alert the band that we needed more vocal action. The engineer promptly responded and by the third song there was a vast improvement in vocal clarity.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t a merch table in sight, otherwise I would have bought whatever music they had for sale without hesitation. By the time the show was over, I was already about four gin and tonics deep and only managed to pat Mike the drummer on the back and mumble out something about how “bad ass” I thought the set was.

However, what this band brought to the stage stayed with me. Enough so that I was laying in bed thinking about it and decided I should get my ass up and come here to tell you about them.

They’ve only got a few songs on their MySpace, but that’s enough to give you a feel for what this band is all about. Do yourself a favor and check out Red Ink. And if you have the opportunity, try to catch these guys in concert. This is one of those bands you need to see live to really get the full experience.

On Tuesday the legendary band The Pixies have announced a fourteen date tour in just nine cities in the United States. This isn’t too much of a surprise since the band had already confirmed a tour in celebration of the birthday of the album Doolittle which debuted on April 18th, 1989. Except that tour was expected to be limited to Europe and the U.K. They are going to perform all the songs in the album, great hits such as “Debaser,” “Gouge Away,” “This Monkeys Gone to Heaven,” and “Wave of Mutilation.”

The last reunion The Pixies had was in 2004. They started off their tour on April 13th at the Fine Line Music Cafe in Minneapolis, Minnesota, And then went on to play that years Coachella Festival. It was a great tour and this one should be nothing short of amazing.

November 4 - Los Angeles, CA at The Palladium (on sale date TBA)
November 8 - Oakland, CA at Fox Theater (on sale Aug 16)
November 9 - Oakland, CA at Fox Theater (on sale Aug 16)
November 12 - Seattle, WA at Paramount Theatre (on sale Aug 1)
November 13 - Seattle, WA at Paramount Theatre (on sale Aug 1)
November 14 - Eugene, OR at Hult Center (on sale Aug 14)
November 16 - Denver, CO at The Fillmore (on sale Sept. 12)
November 20 - Chicago, IL at Aragon Ballroom (on sale Sept. 12)
November 21 - Chicago, IL at Aragon Ballroom (on sale Sept. 12)
November 23 - New York, NY at Hammerstein Ballroom (on sale Aug 14)
November 24 - New York, NY at Hammerstein Ballroom (on sale Aug 14)
November 25 - New York, NY at Hammerstein Ballroom (on sale Aug 14)
November 27 - Boston, MA at Wang Center (on sale Sept. 12)
November 30 - Washington, D.C. at Constitution Hall (on sale Sept. 11)

Love it or hate it, you can’t deny the fact that Twitter is taking the social networking world by storm. If you’re an independent band trying to build your following and online presence, there is no excuse not to take advantage of this rapidly growing free resource.

Not too long ago I talked about how Mark Hoppus is using Twitter to stay directly connected to his fan base. Although it obviously won’t be as easy to gain thousands of followers as it would be if you were a member of Blink 182, you can still get a lot out of Twitter.

Also acknowledging the importance of Twitter for musicians is one of the Twitter co-founders himself, Biz Stone. Recently Biz was kind enough to elaborate on the ower of Twitter for independent artists in this article: 5 Twitter Tips for Bands.

Of course, Twitter is just a piece of the puzzle. In today’s indie music climate, there are tons of promotional vehicles like Twitter and also millions of other artists out there trying to utilize them. Being consistent and offering value to your fans (both new and old) will ensure your music gets the attention it deserves, both online and off.

Good luck!

Well it looks like the energetic dynamic duo Matt & Kim are up to their old tricks again, since there long awaited sophomore album, “Grand”, is due to be released on January 20th, which happens to be inauguration day! In fact, on January 22nd, the main record release show will be taking place at the Williamsburg Music Hall on 66 North 6th street in Brooklyn, New York. Although the address sounds unlucky there will be a number of mystery guests so if you can make it you should definitely do so! The reasonable price of ten dollars is indeed worth the fun and dancing that will surely ensue.  Here is the pre-sale ticket link.

If you don’t live in New York, you can catch Matt and Kim in several other cities around the country. Bay area (California) folks can catch them at Cafe Du Nord in San Francisco on Monday, February 2nd.  Los Angelinos can head on over to the Troubadour on Santa Monica Blvd on Wednesday, February 4th. Those of you dwelling deep in the heart of Texas can catch this duo on Saturday, March 7th at the Granada Theater.  There will also be a big show in Vegas at the House of Blues on Friday, March 13th. Plenty of other dates are scheduled, if you want to check out the complete listing, head on over to their official MySpace page.

I know I can hardly wait to see them again. Their shows seem to draw huge enthusiastic crowds every time. With catchy songs like “Silver Tiles”, or “No More Long Years”, you can expect jumping masses and crowd surfing from all directions. If you’ve never seen them before and aren’t quite sure what to expect you can check out their official website or their MySpace to get to know them better. Both are jam packed with pictures, videos, blog entries and everything else you can think of. So go for it!