With over 1,000 shows under their belt, White Mystery has been around the globe with the likes of Iggy Pop, The Stooges, and Garbage. Miss White could only describe it as a miracle.

“Playing with your heroes is a miraculous thing where if you told a younger version of yourself that one day you are going to open up for Iggy Pop. I would consider that to be a miracle,” Miss White said.

She also talks about the greatness of collaborating through live music and the connection the band had after playing and DJing alongside Anthony Worden at Gabe’s last year.

“We share the love of performing live, but also our vinyl collections. We teamed up to DJ the after party which is a lot of soul, funk, and rock and roll. That is one of the amazing things about touring, meeting other people from around the country in different cities that are kindred spirits and we definitely feel that way with Anthony,” Miss White said.

You won’t want to miss another night of “soul, funk, and rock and roll” when White Mystery collaborates with Worden once again on the 8th.

As a brother and sister duo, Alex and Francis White have grown up discovering music together. That doesn’t stop the great blend of music tastes they both bring to the table.

“My brother Francis and I have pretty different musical tastes, so there’s a lot of crossover for sure,” said Miss White. “I love the Rolling Stones. I love the bubblegum music from the sixties, and so does Francis, but he also loves a lot of heavy metal.”

Miss White follows through describing the crossover as a good example of their mashup of taste.

“One time Francis and I went to go see Iron Maiden and Alice Cooper together. He definitely went to see Maiden and I definitely went to go see Alice Cooper. We share a lot but there is still some distinction to our musical taste.”

I was curious to know how Miss White described White Mystery’s sound herself. I think a lot of people have different takes on sound and genre, so I was excited to hear from the musician herself what she saw her musicianship as.

“It’s independent rock and roll, it’s genuine rock and roll,” Miss White said. “We were born and raised in the city of Chicago. You hear the city come out in our music with the speed and intensity. At the same time we are very influenced by literature, poetry, books, fantasy novels.”

Miss White carries on expanding on the sentiment of White Mystery’s music.

“Being brother and sister, very few of our songs are love. Most of them are about adventures and more stories we’d liked to share with people. So, yeah genuine rock and roll… with a sense of humor,” Miss White said.

Now, with their latest album Hellion Blender out, the band will be showcasing some new songs with a blend of the classics off of their 10 year, 100-song-strong setlist.

This show is going to be one for the books as White Mystery comes back to Iowa City for another amazing performance. White Mystery can’t wait to see all of their Iowa City fans, old and new. Make sure you’re at Gabe’s, March 8th at 9pm. Buy a ticket here for $9. There will also be a merch booth, where you can purchase Hellion Blender on a cool tri-color vinyl for $20.

The post White Mystery @ Gabe’s March 8th appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Before listening to their most recent album, I listened to the previous two. “Sunken,” released in 2013, definitely held more surf rock than 60’s garage rock, but was I incredibly satisfied. All of the songs melted together in the best way possible but were still different, exemplifying the various talents of the band members. I was reminded of an odd combination of bands, from The Human League to Novo Amor to (very briefly) Ozzy Osbourne in this album.

In the second of Twin Peaks’ studio albums, “Wild Onion,” I began to see the band sink into the rock vibe, but kept the surf rock as an essential element. I felt more like I was listening to a friend’s album than a stranger’s. It felt a lot more like I had a reason to listen to it, and that came with the rock. The new vocal variety was a good way to keep the songs separate yet together. “Making Breakfast” earned a special gold star from me.

Listening to these first two albums gave me some hope for what I would get from “Down in Heaven.” I wasn’t noticing too much lyrical genius, so I was hoping to get more of that. I also hoped that I would still feel like I was listening to a group of friends doing what they loved to do. I hoped to feel engaged, yet comfortable. Having these hopes in mind, I clicked play.

“Walk to the One You Love” sounded like a driving song, but wasn’t at all what I was planning on hearing. The lyrics were repetitive, which kind of made it drag on a bit. I don’t really know what to think of it, but I’m not sure that it was for me.

For some reason, “Wanted You” just made me think of Mike Posner’s “Bow Chicka Wow Wow” as soon as it hit a break from the vocals. I think that it was in the guitar because there is no similarity between the two artists or songs. I did enjoy the subtle harmonies that were joined by two voices near the last third of the song because they gave the song depth that it hadn’t had up until that point. There were layers to the tune, which, in my opinion, is vital.

“My Boys,” however, did not hold the same amount of depth. The message of the song is essentially “I’m in a car with my friends, and we’re all blazed.” I may or may not let this slide if the artists had found some way to convey the message that wasn’t with the lyrics “90 miles down the f*ckin road and I’m stoned, my boys.” At this point, I’m counting on sticking with their first two albums.

“Butterfly” is a song about loneliness. The song touches on loneliness based on being left by people that were supposed to love/care, such as friends, parents, and possibly a significant other. The singer also talks about how, despite the pain of being left, he is leaving others as well. These things can be relatable to me and to others. I also really liked the music itself, especially the guitar.

Ah, yes, the signature “I couldn’t care less” song that comes with any alt-rock/indie album. “You Don’t” features the lyrics “I wanna be bored of you if you’re bored of me,” which is I suppose kind of cute (if it wasn’t for the fact that being with someone who is bored while also simultaneously being bored is incredibly boring–and probably not very healthy). He also sings, “if you don’t care about a goddamn thing, then I don’t,” which contradicts the entire point of this love song. He does care, despite his love interest’s disinterest. I don’t know what to think, but I really didn’t find my hope of lyrical genius in this song.

“Cold Lips” is a reality check via a string of sick burns. If you read the lyrics, some of the things that he’s saying to this person are pretty intense. I wish that I had more to say about how I feel about the song, but mostly I just want more back story about who the singer is trying to send a message to.

I am relieved to hear the intro to “Heavenly Showers” because I can tell that the song is going to be different from anything I’d heard yet on the album. The other songs are exhaustively similar, but this song sticks out a bit more to me. There are two voices that work together. One of the voices is calm and steady, while the other is raspier and almost angry. This could be symbolic of an internal struggle. The voices sing, “Now I don’t feel too sad, you know, but I could.” This makes me think that perhaps the song is about denial of one’s feelings. I feel like I can finally listen to what the band members are actually thinking without the show of it all, which is good to hear sometimes.

“Keep It Together” made me think for a while. The lyrics refer to a “her,” and I was curious to figure out who she was; she didn’t seem to be a person, necessarily. The singer seemed to be fascinated with her. It took a couple of listens, but I came to the conclusion that this is a love song between a drug and its user. If this is the case and the song isn’t just about a girl, I really enjoyed it.

And then suddenly, the members of Twin Peaks turn into mentors within a short, sweet song. “Getting Better” is, as you might expect, a song about recovery and urging someone to recover. The band gives this musical advice in exactly the way that I like my advice: more of an understanding rather than an order. This shows me that the band cares enough about their fans to give them a genuine, encouraging song.

The title of “Holding Roses” immediately made me think “cheesy love/breakup song,” and I was only partially correct. I was confused by the happy music when I was expecting a more somber sound. The mood made more sense with the first lyric we hear: “save me from a sad, sad song.” The lyrics from then on made sense. This guy is heartbroken that he lost his love, but it deciding to be okay with it. It was unique in that contradiction, and I find it interesting. Way to go, dude.

“Lolisa” is basically a song that Pudge may have written for Alaska. The entire thing revolves around how special and unique this one girl is. She is grungy and sad and wears different clothes, but she is so, so beautiful anyways. I would ordinarily love this song, but I can’t help feeling that writing/singing about this type of girl is overdone.

“Stain” sounds to me like a song about a broken childhood and trying to grow up in spite of it. The singer finds stains from his childhood in places he finds in his adult life: airplanes, polyester coats, and in his mind. This song speaks volumes to me, and I’m sure that it speaks volumes to many others that have heard it.

Finally, at the end of the album, we reach “Have You Ever?” I wish that this had been a better send-off, but I mostly notice how repetitive the song is. One of my pet peeves when regarding music is too much repetition within a short amount of time. That being said, this song didn’t really sit too well with me. It did, however, fit in with the rest of the album since the music was pretty much the same/very similar.

After this album was released, the band did a live Spotify Session that just happens to have some pretty cool album art (see above). Only two of the fourteen songs released were from this album: “Walk to the One You Love” and “Butterfly.” I personally thought that they were both more impressive live because it was easier to tell that the band members were doing what they loved. My favorite song by the band, “Making Breakfast,” was also on the live release, and they made it sound even better than they already had. I like the raw sound they have when they perform live.

Listen to “Down In Heaven” below.

[SHAMELESS PLUGS: here are my Instagram and Twitter, do with them what you will]

The post Album Review: “Down In Heaven” by Twin Peaks appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The show began around 10pm with local band Burning Hands. The three piece group, featuring Dustin Kelly, Laura Kelly, and Joe Derderian, slow-burned through a set of rough and droning jams. Heavily effect guitar chords were complemented with slow and steady bass lines, and the harsh psychedelic sounds at times bordered on noise. A few technical difficulties aside, Burning Hands were a great opening act for the rest of the night.

The next group to take the stage was Chris Forsyth and the Solar Motel Band. Hailing from Philadelphia, the quartet’s classic rock sound was not something I was expecting. The band played the type of music that my dad would love, and I mean that in the best way possible. The group blazed through a set of mostly instrumental jams, with just enough of a twang and bend to the sound to give it a southern touch. With a few short vocal samples to tie together the songs, the Solar Motel Band launched into a stream of raw rock n’ roll consciousness, and as far as I’m concerned they blew the doors off the place.

I felt bad for the next act setting up, as I’m sure that was a difficult act to follow. And when I realized that the band only featured a guitarist and a drummer, my hopes weren’t particularly high. Whenever I see a two piece rock group, I can’t help but think that it always comes across as some kind of gimmick. And when lead singer/guitarist Alex White asked for her vocals to be turned up “until the monitors whistle”, I thought I was in for a long night.

However, the Chicago natives White Mystery totally changed my mind with their frenetic and chaotic style. A blur of head-banging red ‘fros filled the stage, and the energetic punk sound filled The Mill. Their infectious energy affected the crowd, and soon a large group of people were dancing the night away with the sibling of White Mystery. At one point, drummer Francis White brought his crash symbol into the audience, and began to full-body smash it. It was quite the performance, and a great way to end an evening of awesome music.

Check out the rest of the Mission Creek Festival’s calendar here

The post Mission Creek: White Mystery @ The Mill 4/2/15 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

After their first few songs, a small crowd gathered in front of the stage to take in the music up close.  Their style shifted markedly from song to song, at times embodying a pure reverb-infused punk and at others moving closer to a blues-y, almost classic rock sound.  They closed with “Get Protection,” a solo-heavy throwback to Ramones-era punk that got the crowd moving.  As they left the stage, anticipation built for White Mystery.

Chicago sister/brother duo White Mystery is known as much for their corybantic style as they are for their matching heads of untamed red hair.  They’ve been playing together and touring tirelessly since 2008, and know just how to get a crowd into their music. They showcased this well-developed stage presence at the Mill by deciding to abandon the stage altogether, opting instead to play on the floor just in front of it.

As Miss Alex White and her brother Francis Scott Key White began setting up their equipment, a tight ring of audience members formed around them.  Soon all the seats in the house were empty and the crowd was ready for the show.  After an extremely brief sound-check, White Mystery launched into their set.  With drinks in hand, audience members who were now just inches away from the band began to sway rhythmically to the fuzzy sounds of Miss Alex’s distorted guitar and howling vocals.  At this point it felt like the show was taking place at your friend’s house party instead of an actual concert venue.  In a word, it felt personal.  White Mystery’s songs are generally around two minutes in length and their live show strings them together largely without breaks.  One song bled into the next, which imbued the show with a very garage-punk quality.  That feeling was driven home by Francis’ frenetic percussion skills and the duo’s near-constant head banging.

About halfway through the show they took a quick break to address the crowd.  After a few kind words about Iowa City and a shot of whiskey from an audience member, Miss Alex shouted, “This Song’s for you guys!” and they played their famed “Birthday Song.”  After several more of their signature fast-paced tracks, they brought things down a notch or two with the slightly more subdued “Kickin’ My Ball.”

Throughout the show, audience members shifted in and out from the front of the stage, some finding seats around the bar.  When Alex announced their last song though, the seats once again quickly emptied.  The crowd swelled and by the end of the song there was a full-fledged mosh pit forming, a sight somewhat unfamiliar at the generally hip, laid-back Mill.  As reverb filled the air at the end of an extended guitar solo, Francis stood up and punctuated the end of the show by smacking his cymbal down onto the stage behind him.  As the sounds of the guitar and cymbal crash faded out, the band thanked the crowd for coming and the show ended with the same high-energy feeling it had begun with.

The post Show Review: White Mystery @ The Mill – 2/28/13 appeared first on KRUI Radio.