Brooklyn Afro-Funk juggernaut Ikebe Shakedown unleashes a fiery mix of sweaty Afro rhythms, deep funk, and gritty disco. Featuring dynamic horns and a hard-hitting rhythm section, Ikebe (ee-KAY-bay) Shakedown will get you out of your seat and onto the dance floor!

In their short history, Ikebe Shakedown has played packed clubs and colleges from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, San Francisco to Vermont. Their debut 7” single and EP, Hard Steppin’, was recorded at Dunham Studios in Brooklyn and has received a great response from press and consistent radio play across the U.S. and Europe. Riding this momentum, Ikebe has already recorded their next full-length album at Killion Sound in Los Angeles with Sergio Rios (Orgone, The Lions, Breakestra), due to drop in Summer 2010.

_Ikebe Shakedown MySpace

Please note this performance is on Saturday, April 17th. Record Store Day!!! The band will be playing sets throughout the day, starting at 1pm!!

At a time when music descended from “punk” and “new wave” has been reduced to it’s most rudimentary and lo-fi elements, Mystery of Two continues to pursue the original artistic aspirations of the genre—-believing that art and music can be unfamiliar and challenging, without sacrificing accessibility. Much like their musical touchstones—The Feelies, The Voidoids, Talking Heads, and Pere Ubu— Mystery of Two follow the axiom that the unconventional can be created through paramount musicianship, attention to song-craft, and sonic structuring.

Their self – titled follow up to 2006’s Arrows Are All You Know, finds Mystery of Two further traversing the boundaries of experimental pop, and no where is this more evident than in the masterful guitar playing of singer / guitarist Ryan Weitzel. Channeling Robert Quine (Voidoids) and Richard Lloyd (Television), Weitzel and cohorts create songs that convey a sense of urgency and immediacy, which at times evolve into turbulences reminiscent of Dinosaur Jr.

Vocally, Weitzel has been described as a baritone fusion of David Byrne and Nick Cave, which masterfully accompanies the dark sound-scapes and lyrical content created by the band. Steadied by the pop-gun drumming of Nick Riley and stalwart bass playing of Jeff Deasy. the palpable energy of this trio is captured in these “live take” recordings, which were later augmented by unique instrumentation unfamiliar to their pedigree (violin, trumpet, slide guitar). As a result of their chemistry, energy, and effort, Mystery of Two succeeds in creating an updated aesthetic to the timeless work that emanated from the Bowery over three decades ago

Mystery of Two’s album was one of our favorites of 2009. We are SO excited to have them in the store for this performance, and can’t recommend enough that you mark your calendar and DON’T MISS THIS IN-STORE!!

_Mystery Of Two MySpace

Through original and unusual melodic arrangements, beautiful vocal harmonies, and attention to song craft Inoculist creates an uncompromising scape of eerie pop that unfolds further with each listen. Founded in 2005 by band-leader (and former Matty & Mossy member) John Hunter (guitar, vocals). The band currently operates as a four-piece with Ashlyn Davis (keys, vocals), Ethan Schmid (drums, banjo), and Marc Merza (bass).

Free Press Houston praised Inoculist’s performance at SXSW 2009 as “a treat….John Hunter’s baritone found its perfect compliment with Ashlyn Davis’ soft understated voice…”. The Village Voice plants Inoculist “somewhere between Low and the post-Vashti folkaverse-stark guitars abedded by syrupy swirls, glockenspiels, and perfect “off” guy-girl harmonies like Richard and Linda or John and Exene”.

Look for their upcoming full-length “Spells” to be released by Heart Break Beat (www.heartbreakbeatrecords.com) in the early spring of 2010.

_Inoculist MySpace