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.

Keep your mind-altering weekend going this Sunday as we a technically and creatively diverse line-up to The Haunt - 6PM | $7 | All Ages

Lazer/Wulf join us for the first time from Georgia - though their inner Zruda and ex-Gaylord bandmates are no new-commers to The Haunt stage. It's thrash, it's indie rock, it's jazz fusion, crust punk, and doom sludge and funk in 7/8... and just plain good music.



Georgia brethrens MANRAY also will hit Ithaca for this first time on Sunday. Imagine a beautiful exhale of math-rock, punk, hardcore, and metal into one seamless breath and you're getting there.
http://www.hellosirrecords.com/manray.html


Locals BRIAN! will kick things off at 6:30PM with their CD release of their first album as a trio. Tracks are streaming now:


Don't miss out... 3 touring bands and a local release show in one for just $7.

The Haunt, 702 Willow Ave, Ithaca, NY 14850 - Sunday, April 21st 6PM 

Vattnet Viskar bring their Ambient blackened doom to Ithaca on Friday. From the small town of Plaistow, NH to signing with Century Media, VV have quickly risen among the ranks of US black metal acts with their self-titled EP.

In tow, will be another heavy acts on the rise, Black Table, who's proggy, female fronted experimental metal is turning heads left and right.

Hiroshama Vacation and CHUD will kick things off. 8PM / $5 - contact Ithaca Underground for details.

Like it says!! Moar video for your eyes and ears. Hope you were here for this one.


Attic Abasement


Attic Abasement


killer BOB


killer BOB


LOFTS


Soft Healer

br /> Soft Healer

Thanks to everyone who came out to The Space last Wednesday. We've got footage of the brand new BRIAN! piece and a clip from the new improv electronics duo known as Problematic. Check 'em out!



BRIAN!


-Problematic-

Ithaca Underground is proud to present Diamond Terrifier and Patrick Higgins on July 18th at The Space (700 W Buffalo St, Ithaca, NY).

Diamond Terrifier is Sam Hillmer of ZS - his saxophone and electronics solo project, to be precise. Named after the English translation of the Indo-Tibetan god-name Vajrabairahva, Diamond Terrifier is concerned with the potential positive qualities of destruction as mediated by noise/drone sheets of sound music.  Check out some footage of this performance in Philly earlier this spring and last year in NYC:

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...

In case you missed our fundraiser show back in February, here's some fantastic, multi-angle footage courtesy of Lanny Huang (who also recently did the Ithaca Is Underground documentary). Footage from The Gunpoets set will be released soon!









 Footage by Lanny Huang and Chris Knight

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

Band Name: So is the Tongue

Location: Central New Jersey

Formed: Fall 2005

Current Members: Ron Varod - Guitar, Vocals (Kayo Dot), Greg Meisenberg - Bass, Vocals (A.F. Elephant), Dan Romans - Drums (the DRX)

Releases: "Torpid & Blight" (2009, Sound Devastation Records UK) "a Child of Divorce" (2012, Nefarious Industries)

Band History: We formed in the fall of 2005, played our first show with Kayo Dot, Behold...the Arctopus and Bloody Panda in January 2006 at the old Knitting Factory. Up until now we haven't done much touring yet alone playing outside the tri-state area.

Band Future: We just released our new record "a Child of Divorce" and are planing on more extensive touring in the US and hopefully Europe at some point. There's some song ideas brewing for the next release as well. We're stoked to finally play Ithaca!

Check out the video above from our album release show at the Lit Lounge in NYC in January, attended by Björk and Matthew Barney.  No really I'm not kidding...


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


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

That’s right! Ithaca, Syracuse, and Binghamton are combining forces for this righteous (wrongteous?) mini-tour.   Bubba from BRIAN!, Kevin from Dance-A-Tron, and Greg from Blunt Guts have been working to strengthen the ties between the CNY cities for some time now and what better way to take the next step than to do a big ol’ weekend together?



For the uninitiated, BRIAN! takes an their unconventional instrumentation of bassoon, guitar/bass, electronics, voice, drum kit, and metallic percussion, fuses with influences of prog, Rock-in-Opposition, math-rock, classical, and noise to spin dark, complex compositions.



Blut Guts from Syracuse take the fast and furious approach fusing white-hot grind, hardcore, and powerviolence into 50-60 second seconds of pure scathing intensity.



Dance-A-Tron are no stranger to Ithaca, having performed in our fair city with the likes of Fuck The Facts, Kylesa, Intronaut, the inaugural May BIG DAY IN, and more. Thunderous power-trio of hardcore from Binghamton.

Check below for dates, times, locations, and additional acts.

What's the good news?  The good news is... the return of BRIAN!

Ithaca-based duo BRIAN!, who have been captivating and confusing audiences around Central New York for the last two and a half years with their experimental compositions,  have expanded to a trio which now includes the one and only, Willie B!

The line-up now consists of Ithaca Underground captain, Bubba Crumrine on guitar, bass, vocals, and electronics; David Resig on amplified bassoon, and the aforementioned Willie B. (a.k.a. Brian Wilson) on drums and percussion.

Willie B. has performed and recorded with many great artists such as Sally Timms (The Mekons), Warren Zanes (Del Fuegos), NYC punk legend Jayne County, and Neko Case. He has toured Europe and the U.S. extensively with Johnny Dowd and surf rockers the Mofos. From punk to jazz to country, Willie's versatility is his strength – which made him a “must-have” for the experimental duo BRIAN! whose compositions draw from avant-garde, prog, and math-rock while incorporating elements of noise and dark ambient music.  Expect Willie to fit in just fine behind the kit, armed with orchestral, experimental, and traditional percussion.


BRIAN! made its live debut in the fall of 2009.  Shortly thereafter, the duo recorded with Michael Stark in the winter of 2009 and subsequently released their first EP in the spring of 2010 aptly entitled “EEEEP” to underground acclaim. Their unconventional set-up, complex music, and unique structure drew subtle attention from rock, experimental, and classical communities. 2011 saw David and Bubba take their composition to new directions and volumes with modification of Dave’s bassoon to full amplification-ready.  Soon after, the material in the works began to hint that the addition of a percussionist could help take the bands’ ideas to the next level.  A search ensued throughout the fall and through a bit of “right place at the right time,” the duo caught wind that Willie was available and interested in the venture.  Two solid sessions later, it was clear that BRIAN! could not do without this one man behind the beat.

In their duo incarnation, BRIAN! has performed with the likes of Marnie Stern, Cheer Accident, Faun Fables, Giraffes? Girrafes!, Sleep for the Nightlife, All of Them Witches, Make-A-Rising, and many more.

The trio will make their debut later this spring and from February 24th-26th they'll a quick tour of Ithaca, Binghamton, Syracuse with hardcore acts Dance-A-Tron and Blunt Guts - from Binghamton and Syracuse respectively.

Dates, times, photos, and new music to come so, stay tuned to their Facebook page for all of what's next.

For questions or booking, contact Bubba at contact@ithacaunderground.com

More vids up now from the Ithaca Underground YouTube page! We have over 230 uploads now so come visit. Footage from Pygmy Lush, Des Ark, Zevious, The Invisible Hand, Makeshift, Plasma 36, Rye n' Clover, and Kaboosh! below:


Pygmy Lush live at The Space @ GreenStar


Pygmy Lush live at The Space @ GreenStar


DES ARK live at The Space @ GreenStar


Zevious live at CSMA


Zevious live at CSMA


The Invisible Hand live at CSMA

Band Name: The Invisible Hand

Location: Ithaca, NY

Formed: 2010

Members: Mark Pearson (bass, guitar), Devin Conathan (drums, keys)

Releases: The Invisible Hand (2010) available HERE.

Tell us about yourselves!
Forcibly ejecting itself from your speakers like some mutant hellspawn, The Invisible Hand creeps up behind you in the darkness to tear you limb from limb. Dense swirling subsurface waves of bitcrushed deconstructed noise assault your senses as a pounding pulse keeps you barely grounded in temporal existence. Amid the undercurrents of this sea of loud, melodies struggle to the surface, gasping for breath, and quickly succumb to the undertow, plunging into oblivion like some rollercoaster designed by a genocidal maniac. Lightspeed four-four hardcore punk riffs unexpectedly pivot into odd-meter atonality and back with reckless abandon; walls of noise build and build and build, challenging the listener to back down first. Amid the chaos, a continuous ever-evolving groove embeds itself in your subdermal areas. Make no mistake about it, this is a dance band in wolves' clothing. (We did, after all, start out as a funk band oh so many years ago.) Amalgamating everything you've ever heard, The Invisible Hand puts the blender on liquefy, retiring to their dank, dusty, sometimes-flooded basement, reemerging weeks later with a primordial soup of whatever
mediated by one cardinal rule: no shit.

Our music is a pure representation of our life and times, offered as a testimonial to the transformative power of music, as demonstrated by all of our favorite bands. Free your mind and your ass will follow. The kingdom of heaven is within.

Hey all! Here's a small sample of what you can now find on the Ithaca Underground YouTube channel.  Thanks to Christian deBrigard for the tons of vids from the last few months shows right here: http://www.youtube.com/user/IthacaUnderground