Events . Little Beards (TX), Morpheus Laughing, Middle Children

Little Beards (TX), Morpheus Laughing, Middle Children

Tue Sep 12 9 pm $5 at the door 21+ show
Howlers, 4509 Liberty Ave, Bloomfield

synthpop duo from Dallas TX
LITTLE BEARDS
https://pourlecorpsrecords.bandcamp.com/album/midnight-in-the-garden-of-chaotic-neutral
https://www.facebook.com/littlebeardsband/

with special guests
Morpheus Laughing https://morpheuslaughing.bandcamp.com
and Middle Children https://midchild.bandcamp.com

From the Dallas Observer 2015:

It doesn't take anything more than a few people, a couple of instruments, and a little inspiration to put a band together. Usually, though, there is some vision, some guiding force like a genre or message that compels musicians to get together and start making music. In the case of Little Beards, though, something much more pure was at play: a desire to experiment and "just see what happens."

Sean Kirkpatrick and Nan Little Kirkpatrick have a lot in common. They're both musicians, they both play in other bands, and they both have a deep reverence for 80s synth music. Oh, and they're also totally in love. You might recognize Sean from his other project, the much-beloved Nervous Curtains, and Nan from playing with Frauen. Sean and Nan met in 2008, married in 2011, and decided to make music together as Little Beards in 2014.

As a band, Little Beards' sound is a little tough to nail down, even for Nan and Sean. Sean's a synth player, Nan plays bass, but neither are willing to squeeze themselves into a specific genre-shaped box. There is a heavy dance-pop influence, but Little Beards have a raw, almost grungy overtone that makes what they're doing uniquely interesting.

.The sound that has resulted from the partnership is really uncharted territory for both Kirkpatricks. Sean plays synth and Nan's on the bass, just like in their other projects, but this is the first for both without a drummer. "The process is so different than with my other band. We don't have a drummer, and neither of us have really worked with a drum machine," says Sean. "We're both sort of novices at it, so we take turns programming the drum beats and tweak it until we like it."

Thematically, Little Beards songs tend to be profiles and stories centered around a specific character. The source of these characters is, as Sean calls it, a "secret ingredient," something that he won't reveal. Many times, these tracks focus on the interplay of gender in relationships, giving them room to experiment with bending gender roles and exploring the dynamic of male and female voices.

The initial response to their music has been overwhelmingly positive. "I'm astounded by the feedback we get from people," says Sean. After uploading a few songs to SoundCloud a few months ago, Little Beards was already being passed around by fans in Europe without any promotion. "It's been easier than my other bands that I've worked really hard to promote and put everything into," says Sean. "I don't know why that is, but I'm cool with whatever happens."

Related Entities: Morpheus Laughing
Tags: Ethereal Idm Industrial Synth-pop