Before headin' south to warmer climates we were lucky enough to play a show at the heavy-hyped SECRET PROJECT ROBOT... gallery, venue, a place for practicum, pinball and general good vibes.Hidden on an unassuming street in Bushwick, there's some stellar stuff behind the venue's doors. A true pirate ship // club house rising from the ashes of Williamsburg relocation (we can only assume due to raised rent and noise complaints from jerks who live in high-rises).
When we played, the mega-immersive exhibit WEIRD COMBOS surrounded us. A collaborative playscape of murals and drawings by artists ROB CORRADETTI, ERIK Z. (Rainbow Cloud City), and CHRIS UPHEUS, the installation was chock full o happy hearts and flowers, deranged Mayan monsters, pizza slices, mushrooms, sunbeams, bunnies, elephants...all tied together in a contiguous landscape that felt marvelously fked up.
In the middle of the room is a happy hut, a store the artists created to sell their works during shows and other happenings... GRIP GEAR.
The rest of the Robot is a joyful jumble. Teddy bear covered doors, a cassette tape vending machine, Medusa pinball game, a wall of oversized GodzEyes, an enormous backyard of precious junk big enough to serve as a possible outdoor venue as the weather permits. And wandering around, calling all of it home is a nameless, female-identifying, black cat...
The ROBOT is home to the practice spaces of many rad bands. Oneida, Guardian Alien, K-Holes, Grand Voyager, Poison Darts, and our dear friend Dave Kadden (INVISIBLE CIRCLE). We met Dave in early 2012 during our stay in Portland, Oregon while he was on an epic tour with our pal Frank Hurricayne (Hurricanes of Love//Invisible Circle TOUR). We played a house show with the two of them and instantly were smitten with Dave's far-out oboe grooves. His smiling face greeted us a the door of the Robot and, luckily enough, we were able to catch up over a couple of brews before he took the stage... and killed it. This set of his was more of the noise-jazz variety, sorta like listening to a beautiful whale song from inside of the beasts' belly.
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DAVID KADDEN// INVISIBLE CIRCLE VIDEO EXCERPT
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GREEN GROCER was the other star in the sky that night. Michael Hurder is young, fresh, and wide-eyed with a crap-load of talent. His sound is sharp very similar to a young Smog, while bluesy and spacious like Spiritualized. The references are palpable in his performance but not unwelcome. Green Grocer's sound is like old friends resurrected.. ones you think of often but never thought you'd see face-to-face again.
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