Philadelphia experimental glam rock weirdos Cerulean Blue joined us at Shards in August 2017 to record this session. The band comes from the songwriting of Philly guitarist and singer Kevin Brusha, who, until recently, ran The Nest, one of Philly's most well-known DIY show spots in recent years.
Cerulean Blue was born out of the ashes of Kevin's previous band, Walking Distance. The band is made up of former Walking Distance bassist, Spyder, along with James on violin and Paul on drums. The four-piece don masks to perform and rarely talk to the audience. Their choice to pursue music in Cerulean Blue is marked by a feeling of contrast. The band has made it a point to diverge from prevailing trends in the Philly scene and, instead, embrace their own direction that we here at Tape Swap agree can best be described as crunchy and sad.
We also explore the Northwest Indiana DIY music scene by talking with Tim Bauer, owner of Quality Beet cafe in Michigan City, Indiana. Tim is a music promoter and show booker who books DIY shows at his cafe as well as in Michigan City in general, including, most recently, the Swale Music Festival. We talked with Tim and asked him to put together a short mixtape of his favorite area bands and artists.
---------PART ONE---------
Cerulean Blue - An Introduction (0:37)
Tim Bauer - Interview Part 1 (3:17)
----> Tim's job and connection to the music scene (3:48)
----> Where is Michigan City? (4:45)
----> Michigan City/Chicago relationship (5:32)
----> Discovering Evil Waves (6:52)
Evil Waves - Flying Machines (8:16)
Prince Woodie - Awakenings (11:24)
Tim Bauer - Interview Part 2 (13:27)
----> Meeting Prince Woodie (13:45)
----> Different music styles in the NW Indiana music scene (15:00)
----> Discovering The Curls (16:39)
The Curls - Do It Right (17:58)
Wood Chickens - Time Don't Stop for Nobody (21:41)
Tim Bauer - Interview Part 3 (23:45)
----> Discussing Wood Chickens (24:10)
----> Booking the Swale Music Festival (25:13)
----> Final thoughts (27:03)
---------PART TWO---------
Cerulean Blue - Rebirth (30:05)
Cerulean Blue - The Moon (32:42)
Cerulean Blue - Interview Part 1 (36:22)
----> The band introduces themselves (36:31)
----> Thoughts on beginning their tour (37:10)
----> How the band started (37:43)
----> The band's musical influences (39:23)
Cerulean Blue - Untitled (40:48)
Cerulean Blue - Pale Blue Light (43:30)
Cerulean Blue - Interview Part 2 (46:03)
----> Meaning behind "Rebirth" (46:21)
----> The Philadelphia music scene (46:44)
----> Discussing Sun Organ (48:13)
BAND PICK: Sun Organ - Holding Hands (49:44)
Thanks to the sponsors of this Shards Session:
Homebase 610
The Lehigh Valley's local skateshop
2nd Base Vintage
Sell, trade or consign vintage + designer clothing
Lehigh Valley Apparel Creations
Custom screen printing based in the Lehigh Valley