Ball of Wax 46 Songs: The Foghorns – Get On With It

Posted on November 18, 2016 by Levi Fuller

Our old pals The Foghorns have allowed me to share a track from their next album for this volume of Ball of Wax. “Get On With It”* is a peppy little barn-burner of a tune injected with what seems to be a healthy dose of sexual frustration and infidelity (always a great combo). Unless I’m totally missing the point, which is entirely likely. Further evidence that the team of Bart Cameron, Peter Colclasure, Jason Kopec, Ken Nottingham, and Lauren Trew can do no musical wrong. All right, enough yapping from me. Hit play and get on with it!

The Foghorns are playing at our Ball of Wax 46 Release Show, December 2nd at Conor Byrne. See you there!

*I seriously am about to give myself an aneurysm figuring out how to capitalize this title, what with those two prepositions in the middle and all.

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Jean Jackets – Won’t Take You Back

Posted on November 17, 2016 by Matty P

Sexy catchy guitar lick reminiscent of the one in Bob Dylan’s “Obviously Five Believers.” Hot sweet make you wanna dance beat. Rusty wistful singing. A spot on organ solo. Killer execution. This band rocks! This song’s got it all too. In three minutes the Jean Jackets round the bases a number of times. With lyrics like “a need to holler, and a need to sing,” they show neither pretension nor an ounce of trying too hard to sound cool. Just simple and fun. And of course the song finishes well, with a killer build at the end. Awesome!

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Ball of Wax 46 Songs: Terwilliger Curves – First to Flow

Posted on November 16, 2016 by Matty P

Terwilliger Curves, that band from down south, delivers on the latest edition of Ball of Wax. After one hell of an intro, of very esoteric sounds, the song arrives in maddening fashion. Sex Pistols style lyrical delivery, loud distorted music, a catchy doo doo doo refrain. These guys rock, well, hard, and they are indeed super and terrific. The Terwilliger Curves cover a lot of ground with the wide range of experimental punk rock sounds they deliver, and their jam “First To Flow” is a fine example and fine listening.

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Ball of Wax 46: December 2, Conor Byrne Pub

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Levi Fuller

So, I guess we’re still doing this. Life goes on, healing power of music, all that? I don’t know, but I think it will feel good to stand in a room of good people and hear some good music. Join me.

Ball of Wax Volume 46 Release Show
The Foghorns / Robert Deeble / Amanda Winterhalter / Boring Ghost / Modern Relics / Moon Baillie (Pampa)
Friday, December 2nd, Conor Byrne Pub
8:00pm / $8 (Includes BoW 46 CD)

Can we hide in an underground house for the next four years?

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Album Review: Virgin of the Birds – Secret Kids (Ball of Wax Midwives a Lit-rock Masterpiece)

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Bart Cameron

Virgin of the Birds - Secret KidsVirgin of the Birds – Secret Kids
(2016, Abandoned Love/Song, by Toad)

I.

Virgin of the Birds is celebrating the release of a uniquely outstanding record October 22, 2016 at Substation. Secret Kids, the band’s sophomore LP (out today), is unabashedly tasteful, complex, and intelligent. The perfect pop album, an album so pure and expressive that a 40-year-old music fan can approach it without suspending disbelief, Secret Kids is that singular record that may, in a decade, be all that is remembered from the songwriter scene here in Seattle, and that would be okay.

Continue reading →

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Submit to Ball of Wax 46!

Posted on September 23, 2016 by Levi Fuller
Courtesy flick user maziar hooshmand

Courtesy flickr user
maziar hooshmand

Yet again we find ourselves putting together a collection of the finest and weirdest and least-heard sounds we can find to be lovingly compiled into a volume of Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly. As you probably know, sometimes there is a theme (like the brilliant One Minute Singles collection we just released); this time there is no theme. Just send in something cool and we’ll let the magic happen.

Unreleased or exclusive tracks not required (though certainly more than welcome), so if you have a new or forthcoming album you want to shed some light on, that is perfectly acceptable.

Deadline: Friday, October 14th (deadline flexible, early submissions always greatly appreciated)

General guidelines here.

Send questions here.

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Ball of Wax 45 Songs: Friendship Commanders/Levi Fuller and the Library/Terwilliger Curves

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Jon Rooney

“Fighting Shape” by Friendship Commanders is fast, furious punk with a touch of rock heroics that blasts through the wall like so much Kool Aid Man in the guise of a rock band.

Levi Fuller and the Library‘s “Unfuck the World” is noisy and rough around the edges, a brave, raucous invitation to “unfuck the world, you and I.”

Portland’s Terwilliger Curves unfurls the spaced-out freak-rock with “Ground the Lightning,” straddling a tasteful line between Mod and psych that’s sure to be a highlight at Friday’s Volume 45 Release show at the Sunset in Seattle.

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Ball of Wax 45 Songs: The Vardaman Ensemble/Baylies Band

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Levi Fuller

The Vardaman Ensemble does exactly as the song title “Kill the Jam. Kill It Like Custard.” promises, setting up a pleasingly skronky groove that you wouldn’t mind rocking out to for several minutes and then callously exploding it with no regard for your bobbing head.

The hardest, fastest section of Baylies Band‘s musical quintych “Let’s Get Stabbed” is a ferocious blast of nihilistic punk that wouldn’t be out of place on the Repo Man soundtrack.

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Ball of Wax 45 Songs: Colin Ernst/Country Legend Dick Freckles

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Bart Cameron

From Colin Ernst, “Just a Minute” is the hook of the collection—how does he squeeze so much sound into one minute, all leading to the refrain of “Hold on, wait just a minute” organized from the lead up 30 seconds—a Threepenny Opera of an arrangement; if anyone knows his Brecht, I can guarantee it’s this dude.

Following on Colin Ernst’s heels, we have newcomer Country Legend Dick Freckles, a songwriter that seems to be both trained and skilled, but this time, as the name suggests, amping up the humor; with the right gusto, you can make the star of Look Who’s Talking Too sound like the focus of midnight mass—Wes Anderson could probably make a video for this puppy.

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Ball of Wax 45 Songs: Seth Howard/Rowan Calder Adair

Posted on August 26, 2016 by Levi Fuller

rowanadair[There are two songs on Vol. 45 titled “Can I Have My Bullet Back?” We’re happy to welcome guest writer Rowan Adair to the Blog of Wax to explain what’s going on.]

One day I lost my Nerf bullet in my neighbors’ yard. Then I wrote them a note saying ‘Can I have my bullet back? – Rowan’. I told my mom. My dad told me that he recorded a ‘Can I Have My Bullet Back?’ song!

I told him the song was embarrassing and I was gonna write my own. It’s gonna go like this:

I wrote this song to rebel against dad to tell him I don’t think we should have homemade mac & cheese for dinner ever.

Dad’s song was NOT the best song. It was not the best song because the directions were done wrong. My song has special effects but no musical instruments. That’s how it’s great.

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