Blammos

Tonight I got to speak with a band called Blammos. They recently hosted a Music video showcase featuring some of the bands who entered videos in our music video contest at ATA.

Q: What do you sound like?

A: Well I always say it's a variety of song styles performed in the popular tradition. There's a hint vaudeville in there too.

Q: How did your band start?

A: The band started with me playing under the name Blammos. I performed by myself, and I gradually got other people to join the band. Since then we've gone through a number of lineups. But Blammos has always been the name I perform under. Sometimes it's been just me, other times it's been me and a friend, once I toured and I had different friends play with me in different cities, and now some of those friends have moved to San Francisco so the current band is like the All Star Blammos lineup.

Q: Do you have funny tour story?

A: There are some tour stories that I tell that are funny. But they are really long and kinda slanderous too , soooo.... um...I got pink eye in Pittsburgh and wrote a country song about it. That was pretty funny.

Q: Do you have an album out?

A: We have a few things out on CDbaby and iTunes and Snowcap, but we don't actually have any CDs left, we sold out. So we're waiting to re-press it , but you can buy it online, If you come to see a show, we won't have any copies. We are also releasing a new single tonight on our myspace page. We will be selling copies of the single at our shows. We're going into the studio this summer and we'll release something new in the fall.

Q: What is your impression of the local music scene?

A: I don't know. Ive been playing here since 2004, but I've only really recently felt like there was a music scene. I felt like there was a big pool where everyone was doing their own thing, but now, just through bands i know, or friends bands, it seems like there is a small scene building. We've actually played more shows outside of SF than we have in the city.

Q: Have any of your band members been hurt on your bike?

A: Yes, all three guys in the bands have. Tim, David and me have all gotten in bike accidents. I won a "Door Prize" one time , and i got hit by a taxi one other time. - www.pacificnoise.com

Last night on my radio show, I had the local SF indie pop band Blammos (myspace) on and they did a live acoustic set. Arthur, Joelle, David and Tim were all nice and I had a lot of fun with them on my show. We also had an on-air moment when David and I realized we were from rivaling towns outside of Pittsburgh and we’d seen each other perform before in the respective marching bands. (I also found out later that Joelle was cousins with an old friend’s first girlfriend.)

The set up was a bit odd: I was running the mix myself with a limited number of inputs, so we ended up having 3 room mics positioned in front of Arthur (vocals/ guitar), David (drums/ vocals), Joelle (vocals), respectively, a room mic farther away and then Tim’s bass on DI. I think the mix worked out decently. Check out this super exclusive only available here mp3!

Blammos - They Turn a Screw (live at KZSU) (mp3)

Blammos played the following:

Bashful
We’ll be Free; We are Free
Under It
They Turn a Screw
Girl of My Dreams (duo version)
How Do You Know? (world premier of this demo)[1]

Here’s the rest of the playlist. There was so much more I wanted to play. I probably could have done 3 more hours. If you want to hear the whole show, including the full Blammos set, listen in (mp3, only available for a limited time). - www.blog.ipickmynose.com

Former Burlingtonian Arthur Adams left the frozen confines of the Northeast for San Francisco several years ago. California's eternal summer is a perfect fit for the songwriter, whose tunes glow with pure pop warmth. Adams' latest project, Blammos, borrows from several pop-rock traditions. The Beach Boys, Elvis Costello, They Might Be Giants and Camper Van Beethoven are all touchstones. To his credit, however, Adams transcends his influences to create a sound all his own.

Blammos' full-length debut, It Can't Be True, serves up 13 tantalizing pop numbers. Stylistically, the album is all over the place, ranging from delicate bossa nova to spiky garage rock. Trumpet, piano, ukulele, Wurlitzer organ and lap steel guitar join more conventional rock instruments in a tart musical cocktail. Although Adams had help with the album's construction, the tunes are undeniably his.

Over the years, Adams has emerged as a superbly confident stylist whose rich baritone is matched by a yearning, Brian Wilson-inspired falsetto. It's a treat to hear him again.

Opener "I'm Going to Hell" toys with the concept of self-identity over chiming ukulele. "Nobody calls me Art anymore / That's not all, and that's not my problem," he intones. The charmingly archaic keyboard lines on "Living With Ronald Reagan" sound a bit like vintage Cars. If they were scruffy West Coast dudes, that is. Double-time snare blasts drive the song's chorus along like steam pistons, while elegant piano colors its outro.

"Big Surprise 4" has a buoyant quality reminiscent of Ben Folds' more upbeat work. The song tells the tale of infidelity and heartache over one of the jauntiest chord progressions I've ever heard. Here, Adams flits between several musical personalities: At one moment he's an introspective balladeer; the next, a scofflaw with an axe to grind.

The album wraps up with the sprightly swing number "Farewell Q.C." Might that be the Queen City he's referring to? "Every time I fall in love it ends too soon / I'm sorry, but I really can't stay / I left you in a lurch perched in the branches of an apple tree . . . You certainly can't blame me," Adams sings, as muted trumpet conjures image of coattails and cufflinks.

Burlington lost a true talent when Adams split for the Golden State. Luckily, he swings through our neck of the woods every so often. You can catch him twice this week : with Blammos on Friday February 17, at 135 Pearl, and under his retired Lazy Songwriter moniker at Radio Bean on Sunday.

CASEY RAE-HUNTER, The Contrarian - http://thecontrarianmedia.com

http://www.sfist.com/archives/2007/03/13/noise_pop_video_winner.php

Hey, remember a few weeks ago when we mentioned that Noise Pop was sponsoring a one-day make a music video contest a la Iron Chef? Well, here's the winning video!

The video's by the local band Blammos, for the song "Girl Of My Dreams," where the singer walks around the Mission, singing to as many different girls his team could find that were willing to be on film. It's kind of cute! And, as required, it features the three required elements: lipstick, a flame, and "a constriction." We're not entirely sure what a constriction is, but we're sure it's in the video.

Blammos plays the Hotel Utah birthday party on St. Patrick's Day, and you can see the other SF Noise Pop video entries at Cinemasports.com.

Also mentioned on:
The Bay Bridged - http://www.thebaybridged.com/?p=112
and other San Francisco music blogs! - SFist, et al.

9: Poptometry

Opening with BLAMMOS’ recent single “How Do You Know?” We’re doing pop music this week, sort of, and BLAMMOS are definitely a pop band. Click through to their main website from the MySpace link below and you’ll find more free music, videos and other stuff.

“Between Sky And Sea” is from Dive Index’s current album, which in addition to this song features collaborations with the likes of Ian Masters (from Pale Saints). When, on “Between Sky And Sea,” vocalist Natalie Walker reaches the chorus, it’s like warm honey.

Onlooker’s “Cavalier” is the first track off their self-published collection, “Today I’m a Gunmaker,” which is due to hit the online record stores sometime this month. Brandon Whitesell of Onlooker says: “I imagine that this song is about chemical dependence, destroyed eco-systems and biological chaos… and an army of stuffed bears wearing gas-masks and marching through the rainy streets of downtown…” And he’s not wrong. If possibly a bit mad.

“Song In D” has one of those guitar sounds I just love, and Mock Orange are clearly moving towards reaching some Epic Pop Moment one day. Revel in hearing them a couple of years before their inexorable descent towards their Champagne Cheeseburger Cocaine Moment.

I am closing with a Cornish drunk’s idea of pop: Kemper Norton’s back. A statement on “Winterval”: “a slightly-too-late seasonal track about a moment of desperate realisation that those around you are having too much fun and that you will die alone one day.” Which, miserable as it is, is entirely more useful a description than my own “fucking brilliant, mate.”

See you next week, where I shall attempt to return to the disorienting noises and distant clanking sounds you’ve come to expect from The 4am. - warrenellis.com

Blammos first caught our attention by winning the Noise Pop Cinemasports video contest with this video, but don’t let their skill with funny videos distract from the great pop music. In this episode, we’ve included the band’s new single “How Do You Know?” off of their upcoming full length album. See them Wednesday, October 3rd at the Elbo Room with French Miami, Paper Tiger (CD Release), Dangermaker and DJ Baeau. MySpace page. The band was also featured on the most recent episode of Pacific Noise. - thebaybridged.com

You gotta give some extra props to a local band that not only brings the music, but also puts on choice events for their fellow artists.

Today's example: BLAMMOS, a band that happens to be putting on their 2nd annual Music Video Festival in addition to playing pop music. If you make music, art, film, or just want to know more about what a Music Video Festival entails, you best read on, and get your piece together by July 16th. The festival itself will take place July 19th at Artists' Television Access. Here is the official announcement regarding this year's event:

"San Francisco pop band BLAMMOS looks to bring the local independent music community together by exploring and showcasing music videos by other bands, artists and filmmakers. Once again they have teamed up with the Mission Creek Music & Arts Festival to present the 2nd Annual Bay Area Indie Music Video Festival. The event -- Saturday July 19th at Artist’s Television Access -- will be hosted by BLAMMOS, and will feature the works of unsigned artists from the greater Bay Area.

To submit, your video must be independently produced, under 5 minutes, and sent to blammostheband@yahoo.com via web link no later than July 16th. All genres are welcome and greatly encouraged!" - http://thedelimagazine.com/sf