Music Snitch

The Airborne Toxic Event (named after a section of the book White Noise by Don DeLillo) have not been a formal band for any great length of time but they certainly have aged chemistry amidst the five members. The Airborne Toxic Event was birthed as an idea in 2006 in the small sub-city of Los Feliz in Los Angeles, California with just one member, singer and guitarist, Mikel Jollett. The single man band soon became a due when drummer Daren Taylor was tapped for his talent …the pair grew a bit larger with the additions of guitarist Steven Chen, keyboardist/violinist Anna Bulbrook and bassist Noah Harmon. After seeing them live, it is obviously that each member plays an intricate role within the band and they are all extremely talented.

I had the pleasure to catch The Airborne Toxic Event last year in NYC and most recently at the Drunken Unicorn in Atlanta. Heading into the show I already knew that I was going to hear some amazing live music but when I walked into the venue, I thought the chances of actually seeing the band on stage would be a mission. It was a sold out show and the smoke filled Drunken Unicorn was packed like pickles in a pickle-jar.

As soon as The Airborne Toxic Event took the stage the crowd was thrilled and involved. The band has great stage presence and their music worked perfectly in the dark, dingy venue. Anna and Jollett balance each other out well and they are playful with one another on stage. Plus three members of the band took their turn on keyboard duties, which added a sense of movement and variation to the stage. (I am not really a fan of stationary bands…snooze)

Their set-list included songs such as Missy, Sometime Around Midnight, Gasoline and Papillion. Plus they did a cover of the creepy song from Silence of The Lambs, Goodbye Horses, and Jollet’s voice was seemingly built for this type of tune; I loved it. When they tried to depart the stage the crowd was not having it, so they sang a couple more songs, one being Does This Mean Your Moving On. It was a stellar show and even better than the first time I saw them…I recommend checking them out if they pass through your town.

Video: Gasoline from The Airborne Toxic Event

Here are some of my most memorable music related experiences from 2008…in no particular order.

Listening to and falling in love with, Frightened Rabbit. The Midnight Organ Fight is a truly amazing album from start to finish. (Sings The Greys is a pretty special album too)

Birdmonster! No Midnight has become one of my staples, I don’t feel right without a little Birdmonster in my day. “From the Mountain to The Sea” is a terrific album as well. Oh, and seeing them live at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC was unforgettable.

Locksley opening up for NeedToBreathe at The Mercury Lounge.

The Golden EP from Bear Hands.

The mass appeal of the Vocoder and/or Talk Box. It’s hysterical how many top ten songs and Hot Shot Debuts were spawned from a device that basically hides peoples’ lack of talent. I wonder what Peter Frampton and the Zapp Band think about this new craze? Just goes to show you how far the music industry and popular music has fallen.

Seeing the Von Bondies play a show in Seattle.

State Radio’s album Year Of The Crow playing in my iPod while snowboarding down a mountain.

Paper Rival’s song Alabama.

The Airborne Toxic Event at The Mercury Lounge in NYC.

The Fillmore and Terminal 5 in NYC…got to see some great shows at these venues like, Flogging Molly, Hotel Café Tour and Wolf Parade

Bon Iver, The Muslims, Division Day, Fleet Foxes, Dr. Dog, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Colour Revolt, Foals, The Deadly Syndrome, Passion Pit, South, Pela, MGMT, The Helio Sequence, Vampire Weekend, Cut Off Your Hands, Miniatures Tigers…(Just to name a few artists/bands I enjoyed this year)

Los Angeles’ Airborne Toxic Event added 6 US radio dates to its busy schedule following a grueling 30 straight shows in 30 days tour in the UK. The US shows begin December 6 a mere week after completing the UK run with a show at Boston’s Orpheum Theater.

While the band has wowed the UK press with the endurance it has taken to do the tour, ultimately it’s the music that has won them over, with the NME writing, “Firmly on the right side of dramatic, their engaging stage presence and mawkish violin justifies the Arcade Fire comparisons. There’s a beautiful yet deftly macabre spine to their songs, and “Sometime Around Midnight” is a stirring demonstration of their power. …if you haven’t seen TATE, you should.”

Speaking of endurance, the first single off the band’s eponymous debut album, “Sometime Around Midnight” has now spent 15 weeks on the Alternative Chart, and continues to rise moving up another 4 places on the chart from 35 to 31. It’s a very rare occurrence for a song. The songs continued strength was borne out in some radio station research which the song to be #1 among males 24-30 at the Alternative format.

On top of the great radio play and press reaction the band is currently one of 8 bands in Heavy Rotation at MTV2 for “Sometime Around Midnight.” As with radio the endurance and slow burn of the song is why it is in the top rotation, more than three months after the video had been added to the playlists of MTV2, VH-1 and MTVU. Also in the television media The Airborne Toxic Event are part of a 10 second NBC Promo which will start over Thanksgiving weekend and is expected to be seen by over 50 million viewers.

Below are the US dates with more to follow in the upcoming weeks:

December 6 – Boston – Orpheum Theater
December 8 – New York – Blender Gramercy Theatre
December 10 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland
December 11 – Austin, TX – Emos
December 13 – Tuscon, AZ – TCC Exhibition Hall
December 18 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

Sometime Around Midnight – Video