NEWS/NOISE NOISE
EL TEN ELEVEN Dedicated Servers is dedicated to its craft.
GET IN TO IT, BOISE Look, on the net! It’s a concert listing! No, it’s a band bio and series of articles! No, it’s a bunch of streaming audio and video! Actually, it’s all of these things. Boise Weekly has launched the musical motherload, GetN2it, which supercharges our concert listings pages with content from YouTube, ReverbNation, iTunes and more, putting damn near everything there is about a band online into each of our concert listings. This is not just great for readers browsing through the music listings for something to do, it’s fantastic for bands, as well, because it creates a promo hub of content about them, pretty much automatically. You aren’t going to find a better tool for navigating local music offerings anywhere. Check it out at Boise Weekly’s music page online and prepare to be dazzled. In offline news, Boise author Alan Heathcock has been raking in the accolades for his short-story collection, Volt, earning everything from big cash-money lit prizes to a bevy of film adaptations. And this month, the stories in his book will get a musical treatment, as well, courtesy of Boise songwriter Chad Summervill. Summervill adapted four stories from the collection—“Freight,” “Fort Apache,” “Smoke” and “Lazarus”—into Americana ballads rich with Heathcock’s imagery. All four will be released as digital downloads at an event later this month. Another local digital album comes courtesy of Boise hip-hop duo Dedicated Servers, which apparently isn’t that interested in sleeping. The album’s title, While You Were Sleeping, speaks mostly to the group’s work ethic. This is the duo’s third release in a year, and another is on the way. Dedicated, indeed. The 13-track album marks a return to the more electronic sound of the group’s earlier work and is available as a free download via Bandcamp or streaming on Boise Weekly’s blog. Another album getting set to launch comes from fretless semi-local wonder Ned Evett, who will be dropping his new album, Treehouse, at The Linen Building Friday, Nov. 16. Treehouse was recorded during the last two years in Nashville, Tenn., and produced by Adrian Belew, who has worked with everyone from David Bowie to Nine Inch Nails to Paul Simon. That show starts at 8:30 p.m. and costs $10 in advance or $15 at the door.
Post rock instrumental duo goes through Transitions on new album JOSH GROSS It was the second day of El Ten Eleven’s 31city tour when Boise Weekly spoke to Kristian Dunn, bassist and guitar player for the Los Angeles band. He was already exhausted. “It’s like we’ve been on tour for a month, but it’s only been two days,” he said. Dunn had stayed up the night before the band left home, finalizing the details for its new stage show—a series of colored panels that backlight the band in time with its songs, something Boise will get to see Monday, Nov. 12, at Neurolux. El Ten Eleven will bring its instrumental wizardry to Boise on eleven twelve twelve. “It’s really cool,” said Dunn. “It’s this huge thing we’ve never done before. You complex sound than 2010’s It’s Still Like a signing Portland Ore.’s, Girlfriends. Dunn and kind of have to see it to understand but it Secret, and a wider melodic scope than the Fogarty were turned on to the band during an will be worth your money.” band’s earlier material. online interview session. The self-described power-duo consists “All of our other records, usually you “Everything is really coming together, reof Dunn performing and looping complex ally starting to work,” said Dunn. “So to just can hear really definable verse-chorus-versefinger-tapping melodies on a double-neck chorus,” said Dunn. “They’re really kind take all this and say now is the time [to sign bass-and-guitar mutilated by effects pedals, of pop songs, even though most people with a label] just didn’t make sense.” while drummer Tim Fogarty keeps time on wouldn’t define them that way. But with And thanks to the band’s strong fan base, an acoustic drum kit with live loops. He this record, we wanted it to be like one El Ten Eleven didn’t have to. It set out to also uses tuned electronic drums to play subtle underlying melodies. The full sound is raise $2,000 for the new album on Kickstart- song, like a piece of classical music.” One of the things that drove the shifting a wildly catchy combination of indie, electro er with perks ranging from downloads and vinyl to private music lessons, and got nearly approach was the band’s recording techand rock that routinely leaves jaws on the nique. On previous albums, El Ten Eleven six times that amount, meaning the band floor in a live setting. While most bands would outsource stage didn’t have to pay for anything out of pocket. had taken care to record things as they The album was funded would be performed live. The band abanshow prep before a doned that philosophy on Transitions. entirely by fans. tour, El Ten Eleven is “We decided to have three guitars and And for the next short on a big road El Ten Eleven with Michna, and Yourself and two basses come in at once and there’s no several weeks, El Ten crew. Unlike most The Air, Monday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., $8 adv., way I can do that,” said Dunn. “I’d have to Eleven is working bands touring a long $10 door. grow some more arms.” to not let those fans circuit with a big live NEUROLUX But that strategy backfired slightly. down, by pushing show, the duo is do111 N. 11th St., 208-343-0886 “There’s a song called ‘No One Died Transitions nationwide. ing it all on its own. neurolux.com This Time!’ and it was one where we Dunn said TransiAnd unlike thought let’s not worry about how to play tions was written many bands whose this one live,” said Dunn. “But it’s one that about dark times the independent status is getting a lot of attention and now we band was going through, including both stems from a lack of label or management interest, El Ten Eleven goes rogue by choice. members getting divorced and Dunn moving have to figure it out.” To do so, Dunn said the band may to another city. But since El Ten Eleven is an Dunn personally has been signed to seven have to rearrange the song to adhere to its instrumental band, those things were chanrecord labels, including Atlantic Records, rejection of pre-recorded loops or laptopneled into arrangements instead of lyrics. and the band was courted repeatedly by “There’s a lot of crazy changes,” he said. triggered samples, which Dunn and Fogarty labels that wanted to release its new album, consider cheating. “Out of the blue, there’s a tempo change Transitions. But El Ten Eleven respectfully “A lot of bands do it and a lot of bands and time signature changes, and that’s what showed them the door. it was like. There’s this thing that seems jar- aren’t doing that well,” he said. “People “It’s kind of tempting because there’s aren’t going to shows as much anymore. some labels where just the name would open ring, but then you start to settle into it.” And I think that’s why. Why would you Dunn said most people probably some doors for us,” said Dunn. “But we want to pay good money to see someone don’t want to give up control, especially at a wouldn’t get that with just a cursory listen press the space bar and lipsynch? It’s not time when we’re developing our own label.” but he said that doing the research and exciting. Whereas, what we do, there’s that The band’s imprint, Fake Record Label, has knowing the backstory can bring a deeper tightrope walker aspect of it. We can screw recently come together as a business, taking on appreciation of the new album. up. And we do.” Transitions brings a smoother, more a marketing agency and a publicist, and even
—Josh Gross
28 | NOVEMBER 7–13, 2012 | BOISEweekly
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