After years of separation, we're making it easier for you the reader to access all of your Ithaca Underground information in one place. This FREE! zine/blog continues to evolve and will now reside on the landing page of IthacaUnderground.com.

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In an effort to spark new bands and encourage new talent to emerge and mingle, Ithaca Underground is hosting their first ever Open Mic night on Friday, September 6th at Just Be Cause (1013 W. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850).

10 slots are available and sign up starts at 7:30PM at Just Be Cause. First band kicks off at 8PM sharp.

A few notes for attendees and would-be performers:
- No cover, but $2-$5 donations are encouraged.
- Performances will last a maximum of 10 minutes each.
- Local performers only: the majority of band members must reside in the Ithaca metropolitan area (not Syracuse, Binghamton, Cortland, etc).
- Any band signing up must not have already performed or be scheduled to perform at an Ithaca Underground event.
- The band/performer is looking to actively play out in Ithaca (no one-offs).

As Ithaca Underground exists to foster creative, unique, and boundary-pushing music, they are looking for acts to fall somewhere the spectrum of noise, hardcore, punk, grind, sludge, folk-punk, avant garde, solo experimental, math-rock, prog, drone, post-rock, live electronics, hip-hop, and other genre bending mutant forms of music.

At this time, applications from acts falling in the range of traditional singer-songwriter, traditional folk, jam band, blues, "rock", indie pop, funk, and other such genres will not be accepted.

For more information visit the Facebook event or IthacaUnderground.com.

Big thanks to Chris Knight for these three HD videos from our Just Be Cause not-for-profit center kick-off on July 18th with Listener, Fight A Scary Dog, and Sammus.

For those looking for more Sammus and other hip-hop in Ithaca, she preforms again at JBC with Milo and new Ithaca hip-hop artist, Sapience on Tues, August 27th. More info on Facebook and IU.com


Listener - full set


Fight A Scary Dog - full set


Sammus - full set

6/14 UPDATE: The ribbon cutting has been postponed. A new date will be announced soon.

Ithaca Underground is very pleased to share this press release on the new Just Be Cause Center for not-for-profit organizations as starting late summer 2013, we will be holding many of our shows at this new location. Details below!

Just Be Cause Center Ribbon-Cutting and Open House

 ITHACA, NY – The Just Be Cause Not for Profit Development Center (JBCC) will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on June 20 from 3 to 5 pm. The public is invited to the ceremony and to tour the new center.

The JBCC, located at 1013 W. State Street in the old Ithaca Paint Company building, will fulfill some of the functions lost when the Women’s Community Building closed. It has five office spaces, a conference room, and two multi-purpose activity rooms for use by local non-profits.

“The building is dedicated to Judy Dietz, to honor the spirit of how she lived her life: caring for other people and always working to make sure the community is a better place to be,” said Jerry Dietz of his late wife. JBCC will be owned by the newly formed Just Be Cause Foundation and will be managed by Dietz’s company, C.S.P. Management, LLC.

The extensive renovation of the approximately 5,100 square foot building included new bathrooms, air conditioning, heating, carpeting, kitchen, WIFI and  shared office equipment. “We wanted it to be a really nice space to work in” said Dietz.

The rental for the offices will be well below market rate, in order to allow non-profits previously unable to afford dedicated office space to do so. Other community organizations will also be able to book time in the conference and activity rooms.

The goal, says Dietz, “is for the Just Be Cause Center to allow organizations to come together and draw energy from each other and operate more effectively because of that synergy.”

Thanks to everyone who came out to make this the biggest BIG DAY IN yet!  14 bands, over ten hours of music and a fantastic display of DIY/DIT efforts and community. Here's some proof (more to come too).



Fire When Ready with Aaron Attica "They Call Her Echo"

Fantastic show! Vacation are exactly what pop punk should be in this day and age. Catchy, quick, and creative. They nailed out a great set and even hit us with a Shellshag cover.  Hunted down were a relentless onslaught of sludgy hardcore. Tasty indeed.

Additionally, we're happy to report we've got two solid new punk bands here in Ithaca, each with their own flair. BATISTA absolutely own with a melodic, feedback soaked, noisy punk with washed out vocals. We Are Whaleshark take apply driving, psych influence to their tunes. Check out footage from all of 'em below. More vids after the jump.

Catch BATISTA and the aforementioned Shellshag at BIG DAY IN this December 8th down at The Haunt...



Vacation - Crashing Rockets (Shellshag Cover)

If you'd like to see this clip from a different angle, click here. 


Hunted Down


BATISTA


We Are Whaleshark - Pig Pen

Ithaca Underground Fall Shows Preview:

Hey kids, it's fall preview time! That time where we let you in on all the secrets we've been working for the last several months - bands from across the country (Brooklyn to L.A. and Oakland), across the world (German, UK, Australia), and covering a broad spectrum of genres from punk to jazz, sludge metal to indie hip-hop, and everything in between. We have a hell of a season of diverse shows queued up, so let's start right in. (Lots more after the jump)

Tuesday, September 19th: 
Why?, doesone, Serengeti, DJ Thanksgiving Brown 
@ The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca - 6PM Doors $12 ADV (Tickets)

We couldn't really be more stoked to kick the fall season off in such glorious fashion. We're incredibly please to have partnered up with Dan Smalls Presents to bring you an indie hip-hop / Anticon. Records takeover featuring Why?, doseone, and Serengeti plus DJ Thanksgiving Brown spinning to kick things off.

This stacked bill features two of arguably the best lyracists/MC's in indie hip-hop - Jonathan "Yoni" Wolf of WHY? and Adam Drucker a.k.a. doseone. The two have been clollaborating for decades and co-founded the lauded Anticon. imprint.

Where "Yoni" paints pictures with words of the lush backdrops of indie-pop and folk licks and hip-hop beats, doseone has been delivering a high-pitched lyrical assault of rapid-fire and polyrhythmic tongues twisting tales of the future and tearing down the rules of hip-hop across a multitude of projects. His solo material continues to show his prowess as a musician, expanding his pallet ever more in the psych-pop direction.

Why? have built themselves a massive cult and indie following since their breakout "Alopecia" and doseone, in addition to his solo work, has been ever prolific with such projects as Subtle, cLOUDDEAD, Themselves, 13&God and many others.

Enough talk. Heads better be at this one. Check these:







Let's have a listen to one of my personal favorites from doseone's Themselves too..


Ah... still fresh. Moving on!
______________________________

Sunday, September 16th: 
Vacation, Hunted Down, Batista, We Are Whaleshark 
@ The Space at GreenStar, 700 W Buffalo St., Ithaca - 8PM $5
Nothing like a good ol' hardcore/punk show... with an IU twist of course. 


Headliners VACATION hail from Cincinnati and churn out a blasting wall of noisy, poppy punk. They have two new 7"s and a cassette on this tour in addition to the full length streaming above which hit just a year ago.

HUNTED DOWN rep the Syracuse hardcore scene, with a whirlwind of blown & fuzzed out jams. Completely furious and always on the brink of collapsing in on itself. They have a split with Herpes coming later this fall. In the meantime check out these tracks from their "Life's Womb" EP:


Rounding out the show are two new Ithaca bands with familiar faces. Phil Price (known for his killer DIY show booking a few years back in Binghamton & Ithaca), Derek Manoco (ex-A Satellite Crash), and John Barrington are kicking it in a new punk band called BATISTA and Mike Amadeo (Mike A!, Dweeb, etc) rounded up some local musicians, including his pal Tyler Rodkey, to push out some short & sweet, dissonant & trippy punk under the moniker of WE ARE WHALESHARK. Lucky for us, they just dropped a "shitty demo" for our waiting ears.



(more...)

Wow! Quite a successful weekend of shows if I do say so myself.  Friday, July 27th with Paper Mice, Our Daily Fix, Grady Stiles, King Sized Pegasus and Mouth To Mouth To Mouth was probably one of the most high-energy shows we've ever hosted at The Space.  Sunday brought us brand new material off of why+the+wires upcoming third LP "All These Dead Astronauts" and absolutely crushing noise-rock jams from The Catalyst, who performed new material by their pending "Voyager" release (hope you were at the show to grab advance copies of the LP).   Dionaea and Temuchin (congrats to Dan and Jackie on their new baby) were missed, but we were stoked on the last minute addition of Plasma 36.

Video from both Ithaca nights are below, plus clips from Living Room and Porches. are up from Mouth To Mouth To Mouth's trip to Suburbia in Brooklyn.  The best time and hospitality were had, so kudos to the whole Suburbia crew. As always, check out the IU YouTube channel for tons more video here.


why+the+wires "Hello Nurse (new song!!)

On Saturday, January 19th, McNeil Music of Ithaca and Angry Mom Records present the first Finger Lakes Girl Bands Battle of the Bands.

What's the scoop? They're looking to catalyze a network for female musicians - all ages, styles, and personalities welcomed. Want to learn more? Check out the about page: http://fingerlakesgirlbands.org/about/

Oh, I should probably mention that the grand prize is recording time and a 7" out on Angry Mom Records. Whoa!!


Where does Ithaca Underground come in?  We too wish to foster a diverse music scene and now call on all female musicians of Ithaca to form bands and support this event.

We would love nothing more to see a female majority Ithaca-based noiserock band going ape-shit on the stage at The Haunt, or some riot grrl spit and sneers, or female cult drone duo, or get heavy with black metal, sludge, or grind.  I know you're out there, so pick up the sticks, axes, electronics and mic and let's show Ithaca what the women of our city can really do.

Ithaca Underground has always supported bringing touring female musicians and bands who support empowered women (see Marnie Stern, Kylesa, Fuck The Facts, I Object, Tinsel Teeth, Bridge & Tunnel, Shellshag, and tons of others).  We would love to put some prime Ithaca-based female DIY acts on to support these lovely bands in the future, so get into it!!!



(Bubba)

Thanks to everyone who came out and made the first Ithaca Underground stage at McNeil Music as part of this year's Ithaca Festival. Special thanks to everyone at McNeil Music, Bruce from Lofts for running stage & sound, and to our Syracuse pal Matt Jaime for running sound on Day 2 on less than 24hrs notice. Glad to see the community come together and support unique DIY music. Footage below!


Fight A Scary Dog 'Werewolf' (Attic Abasement cover)


The Wallpaper


Kaboosh!


sswampzz


DAADs


why+the+wires


Doll Eyes


King Sized Pegasus

Hope you all enjoyed this latest BIG DAY IN! Here's the first crop of vids from the first half of the show. Lots more higher quality video coming your way soon...



Burn Everything


Don't Go Into The Woods


Graupel


Among Dead Men


Cheerleader Death Squad

We're a bit backed up with all the amazing live footage our pal Lanny has been taking, but here's the first three hot out of the oven!  Mylets doing a sick Battles cover, Bangladeafy! ripping it, and Math The Band going wild as always. Check it.



Mylets


Bangladeafy!


Math The Band

Lots more to come...

Big thanks to Lanny Huang for his this documentary short on Ithaca Underground!



Official info:


Filmed over the course of February 2012, 'Ithaca is Underground' covers the goals and ethics of Ithaca Underground, a DIY music promoter that focuses on bringing unique and independent acts to the stage. Run for several years by Bubba Crumrine, Ithaca Underground has recently applied to be come a 501c3 non-profit organization, giving it the opportunity to expand as an organization and be sustainable for the future.

Find out more at:
http://www.ithacaunderground.com/

Shot and Edited by Lanny Huang.
Thanks to all who participated
Thanks to all who mentored
Thanks to all who patiently watched as I forced them to give me feedback. This is my first movie and your input really helped guide me not just for this production, but for the ones that are soon to follow.

http://Lannyhuang.com

Band Name: Cloud Rat. Madison's father once told her that seagulls were rats in the clouds. So that's where that came from, not the actual cloud rat native to the Philippines.

Location: We are all natives from the Mount Pleasant area of Michigan, but Madison now lives in Detroit.

Formed: December 2009

Members: Adrian - Drums. Madison - Vocals. Rorik - Guitar

Releases: So far - Self Titled LP (June 2010), Split Cassette w/ Xtra Vomit (October 2010, soon to be on LP in April '12), 3-Way Split LP w/ The Oily Menace and Wolbachia (September 2011), Split 7" w/ Autarkeia (December 2011), as well as two digital/mp3 releases on Grindcore Karaoke (Self Titled LP and Fever Dreams, which collects all of the other currently released material).


Tell us about yourselves!
Cloud Rat formed in the cold winter of 2009. Adrian and I had been friends for a long time, and have played in bands together years before. Adrian and Madison have known each other for years as well, and were living together when we formed as a band. I went to a show at their house, and I could hear Madison screaming over the band! So that night we all talked about starting a band so that we could contribute a track to our friend Kevin's Michigan Grindcore compilation he was putting together (which never happened). After forming, we wrote and recorded our Self Titled LP within a month, and then it was put out 5 months later by our friends at IFB Records in Florida. We are forever grateful to them for everything they have done for us.

I would describe our sound as grindcore rooted in punk, with a lot of hardcore punk, black metal, screamo, and grunge influences creeping in. We do our best to promote veganism, radical feminism, anti racism/sexism/homophobia/classism/bullshit. The purpose of this band is a mixture of personal catharsis, promoting kindness and equality, and to have fun as well.

We have toured most of the USA and have plans to do a lot more within the next couple years. Currently we are recording for three different records and are looking to head overseas soon-ish.
We look forward to coming to Ithaca!!!!!!

-Rorik / Cloud Rat
cloudrat.blogspot.com

Don't miss Cloud Rat live, this Thursday at Silent City Distro - located on The Commons, above Autumn Leaves Books at 115 MLK Jr / State St, Ithaca, NY 14850.  8PM $5 ALL AGES with locals Hiroshima Vacation and King Sized Pegasus. 

Band Name: Bangladeafy! It's a portmanteau of the words Bangladeshi and Deaf. Atif Haq is of Bangladeshi descent and I (Jonny Germ) am hearing disabled (deaf is an exaggeration).

Location: We are located in the NYC/LI area and travel 50 miles to one another for rehearsal but, we make it work and send each other ideas through the internet to keep things fresh.

Formed: After numerous failed bands ranging from folk to klezmer to mathy nintendo influenced prog, Atif and I sticking together through them all, we started yet another band in hopes of acquiring a trumpet player and a keyboard player as we played out. Due to our ability to swallow up any remaining audio space for another musician, we decided to stay as a duo.

Members: Atif Haq - drums/handsome, Jonny Germ - bass/keys/vox

Releases: We have self-released one album titled "This Is Your Brain on Bugs" thus far, the theme of that one documents our start in Brooklyn which also spawned at the same time as the bedbug epidemic. We have been on numerous compilations on Riotous Outburst records. We are aiming our next release for the fall. The working theme at the moment is two allegorical cure-all medicine/elixir traveling salesmen obviously representing us and our current expansion and touring in North America. The fantastical idea is that we actually have a  working cure (awesome music) and the privatized pharmaceutical industry (modern music industry) is trying to stop us from being successful. It's playful but hopefully, thought provoking.


Lately we have appealed to the modern prog metal crowd (i stress the word "modern" because the 90's dream theater-esque sound is quite cheesy) and it's been working for us on account of our techniques and speed. I think it has something to do with inventive musicians such as Animals As Leaders and The Mars Volta currently dominating the demographic at the moment. Atif utilizes a variety of world rhythms (African and Latin beats) but, cranks up the tempo for them resulting in something we've agreed to be "world/thrash" music. I fill in most empty spaces with polyharmonic bass tapping so, until we get that trumpet or keyboard player we've dreamed of, I will be what most laid back hippies or cynics call an "overplayer". My vocal influences are jello Biafra, Refused, Beastie Boys, Trent Reznor and Mike Patton.

We come from different musical backgrounds but, agree on a lot of the same shit such as: Squarepusher, Zach Hill, Marnie Stern, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Meshuggah and so forth.

I am currently writing music with the drummer of A Fucking Elephant and one guitar player from East Of The Wall. The working title is Hush Money. It's yet another band that I have to travel miles by train to play with, but totally worth it. There are numerous projects and possible splits that I might appear on with reputed musicians in the near future....


Don't miss BANGLADEAFY! live with , So is the Tongue, BRIAN!, and Graupel 


The Space @ GreenStar, 700 W Buffalo St., Ithaca, NY 14850 | 8PM | $5 | ALL AGES

Official Press-Release:
McNeil Music will be opening its doors at a new location in Downtown Ithaca on March 1, 2012 at 110 W. Green Street. Eric Laine, proprietor and Ithaca resident, says that the decision to relocate to Downtown from the Triphammer Mall was to "go where the people are." A downtown resident himself, Laine says,"For me, Downtown is the center of life in Ithaca. Not only is it good for business, but it's good for Ithaca that we are coming back downtown." McNeil Music, founded in 1951 by the McNeil brothers, was located downtown on Tioga Street for many years before moving up the hill to Triphammer Mall. As a relatively new owner of the business--three years--Laine tells of his excitement to finally get the chance to put his influence on this sixty-year-old business, stating that "In many instances, decisions were made generations ago. Now it's my turn." The new location will allow the store to offer drum lessons for the first time with a large area devoted to a lesson room suite replete with a lounge area and two large lesson rooms.

With five local music stores in Ithaca, one may think that competition for customers would be difficult. On the contrary, Laine explains that each store focuses on their own particular niche and thrives because of the deep and rich tradition of local music in Ithaca. As for his particular niche, McNeil Music is the area's only drum shop, the only store in town that rents PA gear and the sole proprietor of upright pianos. They offer beginner to professional guitars, keyboards, instrument and electronics repairs, as well as lessons in guitar, bass and now drums. "Ours is a store for the working musician and the next generation of working musicians,” says Laine, "We are on the third, sometimes fourth generation of customers. We are so lucky to have a town that supports such a diverse and vibrant music scene and our goal is to support that scene."

Downtown Ithaca Alliance Executive Director, Gary Ferguson, welcomes the investment that this newest business is making in Downtown. Ferguson notes, “McNeil Music and Downtown are perfect matches for each other. This is precisely the type of regional specialty store that is so well suited to Downtown.”

A ribbon cutting with Mayor Svante Myrick will take place at the new McNeil Music store on March 1 at 3pm and a grand opening celebration is set for Saturday, March 3rd. Live performances will be part of the celebration with local high school rockers Starts on Friday at 1:00pm; Bob Keefe and the Surf Renegades, comprised of McNeil guitar teachers and friends, at 2:00pm, DJ Laika at 3:00pm, and The Sutras at 4:00pm.