Mia Riddle and her band, No Pasaran, Panda Eyes @ The Tunnels, Thur9August - aberdeen-music

Andy Mulhern · 09-07-2007, 20:16

www.myspace.com/miariddle
www.myspace.com/nopasaran1
www.myspace.com/itsmoreofaflan

"A standout act with a bright future, Mia Riddle and Her Band are stars in the making." – LVHRD Magazine
"Both charming and remarkably intellectual...not a single track should be passed up...as good as it gets." – The Owl Mag
"a voice to die for."- Last Hours Magazine
"An understated gem full of dark beauty." Americana-uk.com

Bio:
It was a strange one, that first tour. A friend’s leaky hatchback carried Mia on a crisscrossing journey making stops in some of the more little-traveled destinations that the UK has to offer. "I remember the very first shows of the first tour, I was playing with hardcore and metal bands, and I was like ‘there's no way I'm getting up there, I'm going to be knifed,’” she told punknews.co.uk. Luckily, no violence befell her, and instead she found herself playing to living rooms and pubs packed with admirers.

Three UK tours, three albums, and one full band later, Mia Riddle and Her Band are continuing to gain momentum. Their 2006 full-length album Tigers has garnered universally glowing reviews: “If it is a brief trip to bliss you're looking for, Tigers is likely as good as it gets." said The Owl Mag. The band shares the spotlight in a refreshingly generous way; Dan’s admirable guitar hooks and David’s intuition as a drummer never overshadow and always enhance the material. The songs haunt and surprise, and intelligent arrangements help engender a timeless, original sound.

Word of mouth grabbed the attention of acclaimed Brooklyn producer Rod Sherwood (Au Revoir Simone, Pela, Jen Chapin), who’s now recording the band’s sophomore effort. Hatchet Lake will be an album evoking the porches and stoops of the band’s good mother, Brooklyn. Expect stomp-on-the-floor grooves and a new, lusher sound which remains fiercely organic. With the welcome addition of multiinstrumentalist Laurel, the band is pulling off more complex arrangements, more bittersweet harmonies, and evolving beyond the simplicity and delicacy of Tigers.

Mia Riddle and Her Band will be road-testing the new material on their summer tour of France and the UK. Look for the four-song EP advance version of Hatchet Lake at shows.

Jan Deal · 10-07-2007, 07:04

This will be a top drawer show, people should mark it in their calenders. Panda Eyes will be doing an acoustic show again, so obviously that will change the way people think about music. The couple of times I've seen No Pasaran they've been really good and of course Mia Riddle is bloody great too, she was excellent when she played last year. Good on Andy for getting her back.

Andy Mulhern · 07-08-2007, 13:25

A bump for thursday

A new member since last years lineup - some banjo and mandolin now!

Im looking forward to hearing No Parasan live also.

Jan Deal · 09-08-2007, 07:05

Tonight people, and only 3 pounds.

Jan Deal · 10-08-2007, 09:29

Wow, I'm surprised how many folk turned up last night, I'm well chuffed. I enjoyed No Pasaran (I don't think you see enough accordians at the Tunnels) and Mia Riddle's set an awful lot. Big thanks to Andy for getting her to come to Aberdeen again.

Shaki · 10-08-2007, 11:26

This was a good gig. I enjoyed Panda Eyes, the songs work well acoustically and it's great to see school kids getting involved in the local music scene...

No Pasaran's songs with no drums were absolutely excellent. Unfortunately the drums were far too loud for a set up of finger picking guitars and delicate vocals and ruined the sound completely. The beats didn't compliment the songs either - if there's going to be drums they should be a lot more stripped down and basic I think. I was really impressed with the rest of it though, maybe the drummer should just be a glockenspieler?

Mia Riddle and her band were great. Nice sounds and nice visuals!!!

Jan Deal · 10-08-2007, 11:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shaki

...it's great to see school kids getting involved in the local music scene...

You'd be surprised to know that Marie-Claire's banter is in fact not scripted by a team of writers, she comes up with this comedy gold all by herself.

MCJ · 10-08-2007, 12:45

Be quiet Jan. Shouldn't you be in PE or something?

Last night was ace. Have wanted to do a Vocoustics night for ages and it didn't disappoint. Good crowd, loads of glockenspiels and wee xylophones all round.
No Parasan were brilliant. Haunting. Atmospheric. Major presence.
And The Riddler was rockin.

all_his_engines · 19-08-2007, 15:16

[quote=Shaki;617093]
No Pasaran's songs with no drums were absolutely excellent. Unfortunately the drums were far too loud for a set up of finger picking guitars and delicate vocals and ruined the sound completely. The beats didn't compliment the songs either - if there's going to be drums they should be a lot more stripped down and basic I think. I was really impressed with the rest of it though, maybe the drummer should just be a glockenspieler?
[quote]

I (the bassist) didn't play at this gig because I was in France, but I've heard mostly very good reviews of the night, which is nice.

Personally, I find Neil's drumming very refreshing, as he always tries to play something unconventional and interesting that enhances the song, rather than just what "should" be played. We're not interested in sticking to the basic template.

However, you're right about the volume issue, since the drums can often overpower the guitar sound, but we're taking steps to resolve this.

Peace

MySpace.com - No Pasaran - Aberdeen, UK - Americana / Indie / Country - www.myspace.com/nopasaran1

Jess_Y · 20-08-2007, 15:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by all_his_engines

drums can often overpower the guitar sound, but we're taking steps to resolve this

Jim's right - we've taken Neil's sticks away and replaced them with Jess' head. The vacuousness of such a head will give our music a more pleasant, hollow sounding beat.
Boom boom