The 12th annual Kalamashoegazer took place Saturday Nov. 10. The event hosted a variety of Shoegaze and Dream Pop bands from across the country including Ringo Deathstarr, Spring House, Tears Run Rings, Seashine, Brief Candles, Tambourina, Soft Science and Airiel. All of these acts showcased their deep and intricate soundscapes as they performed at Bell’s Eccentric Cafe. The entire event was organized by April Zimont, who doubles as the lead vocalist for Tambourina. “This was my 12th year of putting together the fest,” Zimont said. “When I started it in 2007, it was my dream to see Shoegaze and Dream Pop bands and fans of the genre all traveling from all over the United States to meet and pl

Bringers is a duo from Chicago Illinois who create experimental ambient pieces with singing and spoken word. The duo, comprised of Mary and Paul Cardona, played a captivating set at Satellite Records on October 13th. “We started playing together 5 years ago actually as a folk band. I was doing ukulele and Mary was playing melodica and bells,” said Paul. “We were writing folk rock songs. Then we got a keyboard and another keyboard and then we got a sampler and it just started evolving.” Mary, who is relatively new to the music world, finds inspiration in areas outside of traditional musical influences. “For me it’s doing more non-traditional things like working in poetry or spoken word. It’s

Brother Son is an alternative rock band hailing from Detroit that writes fun tunes with some jazzy chords and southern flare. Currently on the second leg of their tour, the band played a house show on Wednesday Sept. 19 in Kalamazoo. The quartet is comprised of bassist Jimmy Walkup, keyboardist Drew Gijsbers, drummer Chris Pecorelli, and guitarist/vocalist Frank Harrington. In an interview, Harrington,explained how the band was formed. “My first job was at Westborn Market and my first day was Chris’ first day,” Harrington said. “That’s how me and Chris met. Chris found out that I wrote a little music and he heard that I needed some drums. So Chris had a place to practice and played drums

Featuring an unorthodox instrumental setup of a drum and cello duo that takes influences from punk, grunge and other styles of rock music, Lung is challenging the definition of what a punk band can be. In an interview after a show at Satellite Records on Oct. 23, drummer Daisy Caplan talked about how the duo was formed out of the remnants of a former musical project. “We met because we were in another band together. That band broke up so we started doing this. Also we’re friends,” said Caplan. To cellist and vocalist Kate Wakefield, their unique style is born out of practice sessions and a passion for several different musical genres, leading them to incorporate many different sounds. “I’ve

Spirits Having Fun is an experimental music project that takes influences from progressive rock and post-punk and implements improvisational techniques found in genres like free jazz to create colorful performances with lots of personality. Based out of Chicago, the band is comprised of Drummer Phil Sudderberg, Guitarist Andrew Clinkman, Bassist Jesse Heasly and Guitarist and Vocalist Katie McShane. With two of the members living in New York, the band has learned to go months at a time without meeting up. But this doesn’t stop them from touring, writing and recording. In an interview after their performance at Satellite Records on September 21st, Andrew Clinkman described the improvisational