adampowell's blog

Howling Storms Remixes

nobody@vox.com(adampowell) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:57:17 -0600

Swamps of Mud and Tar

Ka-Boom!Box

Inside The Frozen Maze

Ka-Boom!Box

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Ka-Boom!Box press release for POP!

nobody@vox.com(adampowell) — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 08:53:24 -0600

BOAT RECORDS POP!s WITH KA-BOOM!BOX
Madison Punk Veterans Deliver Crossover Dance/Pop Synthesis
Available From Boat Records October 31

MADISON, WI -- Ka-Boom!Box detonates their first EP POP! Recorded with Coney Island’s Wendy Schneider, POP! is an exuberant blend of reggae, electronica and Afro-Caribbean grooves that sets carefully crafted songs against a wall of percussion and a swirling palette of rich synth and guitar tones. Created by a seasoned contingent of noted Madison and Chicago-based musicians, POP! recalls Bow Wow Wow, Steel Pulse, Lene Lovitch and Blondie.

Robin Davies (bass) and Dan Bitney (drums and percussion) recap their roles as the powerful rhythm section of Madison’s mighty Tar Babies, a Midwest punk/funk success story who signed with SST Records and released the landmark Fried Milk in 1987. Dan Bitney now plays primarily with post-rock pioneers Tortoise, and Davies moonlights as the drummer for Madison rocker favorites The Motor Primitives. (The third member of the original Tar Babies, Bucky Pope, frequently guests live on the Ka-Boom!Box cover of Madonna’s “Lucky Star.”)

DJ Christopher Robin (keyboards, vocals, turntables), a veteran of Madison’s Cruel and several San Francisco salsa bands, connected Laura Miller (vocals and melodica) and Eastside J-Dub (turntables and electronic drums) to Davies and Bitney. The group has quickly established themselves as a unique and electrifying presence on the party and DJ circuit, winning fans and rapidly ascending the club scene.

Rodney Anderson, who worked with Davies and Bitney in Booty Froot, joined in as guitar craftsman. Laying funk grooves against blistering solos, Anderson creates a thrilling counterpoint to the vinyl samples and scratches. Miller adds her own lo-fi human element, infusing the crackling mix with simple, honeyed vocal lines.

The band holds a residency at Mickey’s Tavern as the Ka-Boom!Box DJ Explosion on the first Saturday of each month, where they come armed with vinyl to produce a highly danceable flip side to their live set.

POP! Track Listing
1. "Let It Drop"
2. "Show Me The Way"
3. "Strange Girl"
4. "Coming In Threes"
5. "The Night The Stars Threw Down Their Spears"

http://www.ka-boombox.com

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

More about the Tar Babies

nobody@vox.com(adampowell) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 14:29:21 -0500

One of the lesser-known bands on the legendary SST roster, the Tar Babies emerged from Madison, WI, with a distinctive brand of punk-funk that often drew comparisons to their labelmates the Minutemen, as well as the Texas-based Big Boys. Colored with bits of psychedelia, jazz, and avant-noise skronk, their music quickly progressed beyond their roots in hardcore and evolved into a scratchy but danceable, groove-centered hybrid complete with horns and George Clinton-style jamming. The Tar Babies were formed out of the ashes of Madison hardcore punkers Mecht Mensch, who disbanded in 1982. Guitarist/vocalist Bucky Pope, bassist Robin Davies, and drummer Dan Bitney debuted with the 1982 EP Face the Music, issued on local indie Bone Air. By the time of their second release, 1985's Respect Your Nightmares, their funk influence had begun to come into focus, which helped catch the attention of SST. The Tar Babies' first album for SST was 1987's Fried Milk, on which their punk-funk fusion truly crystallized. For the follow-up, 1988's No Contest, they played up that funk connection by adding horns -- most courtesy of woodwind player and multi-instrumentalist Tony Jarvis -- and even flirting with Washington, D.C.-style go-go. Their third SST album, 1989's Honey Bubble, also proved to be their last. After a brief hiatus, during which some of the band's personnel shifted, Pope reconvened the Tar Babies, now with second guitarist Bobby Vienneau and new horn player Andrew Lawton; this lineup cut one record, Death Trip, for the small Sonic Noise label in 1991. Following its release, the group disbanded permanently. Dan Bitney moved to Chicago and joined the seminal post-rock combo Tortoise as a percussionist and effects manipulator, also playing with Isotope 217 and several other local projects. Pope and Davies later reunited as the Bar Tabbies for local gigs, and Davies' son Jesse Collins-Davies was also a member of the preteen hardcore band Old Skull. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Another KB!B rough mix: Strange Girl

nobody@vox.com(adampowell) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:27:36 -0500

A story song. Our young heroine inflicts unspecified disaster upon a small town. Told from the point of view of a foolish young man.

04 Strange Girl (Brings It Down)

Ka-Boom! Box

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Rough Mix for new KB!B record

nobody@vox.com(adampowell) — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 16:33:13 -0500

Show Me The Way - Rough 7.22.06

Ka-Boom! Box

Rough mix for "Show Me The Way." I play keyboards and sing lead. This is an electro-gospel effort by my new band, Ka-Boom!Box.

KB!B lineup: Robin Davies, bass, and Dan Bitney, drums and percussion recap their roles as the powerful ryhthm section of Tar Babies, a Madison, WI punk success story who signed with ssT during their heyday in the 80s.

Bitney's main gig now is playing with Tortoise, the band credited with inventing post-rock. Pretty cool of him to hook up with us.

Rodney, of Booty Froot, cut a pretty shredding guitar lead in one take.

Miss LMNO'Pollyanna sings backups and plays melodica, and East Side J-Dub was feeling experimental when he tracked his turntables.

All the tracks are "on," so there's a certain "kitchen sink" feeling to this mix, but I don't think I'm going to radically alter anything for the final mix, just remove some of the clutter.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend