mission freak!

The Heavenly States are kicking out the jams at the Yacht Club this Sunday night. It should be a riot. Once a bit more spacey and psychedelic, these Oakland, California rockers have taken a turn for the Hold Steady on their latest album, Delayer (Rebel Group; 2008). Well yeah, we can still expect vicious violin solos during the breaks and John Cale / Velvet Underground drones during the verses, but as a whole, this band has stepped up its drink and dance quotient. These guys and one girl got their start back in 2002 when singer / guitarist Ted Nesseth ditched his old punk-inflected band, Fluke Starbucker, to try on some new styles. Turning a bit closer to pop, he picked up a bassist, a drummer, and then the band’ s most distinctive sound-maker Genevieve Gagon who plays violin and keyboards. The Heavenly States have released EPs and LPs as much as they have repeatedly hit the road. They’ve criss-crossed the USA several times and even trekked out to Egypt (a la Grateful Dead) and Lybia to drop some indie rock nuggets on North Africa. So we should feel a bit honored to have these tried and true rockers sneaking into Iowa City on a Sunday night. Usually Sundays might be sleepy but heck it’s summertime and anytime is a good time to get down. Check ‘em out at the Yacht Club Sunday at 5PM. They will be joined by The Poison Control Center and Head of Femur.