(Noise, Lo-Fi, Indie, Post Punk) International Karate - Panic United - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

International Karate is the moniker of Thomas Rehbein’s newest “solo” project (though the live show will be rounded out with a cast of close friends/established local musicians), which explores the marriage of complete white noise and surfy pop, also known as “shoegaze” by many. Lots of fuzzy guitars, analog synthesizers, and breathy vocals make up the soundscape of International Karate. Rehbein has been hard at work on the full-length album “Panic United” all summer with producer Knol Tate, which will be debuted at this event.
I Was Totally Destroying It
Fate has served I WAS TOTALLY DESTROYING IT well. The members of the 5-piece power-pop band from Chapel Hill, NC found each other searching for a new creative outlet as all their previous bands were imploding at precisely the same moment. Determined to try something different, these veterans of North Carolina indie rock acts like Sorry About Dresden and Strunken White embraced their love of 70′s
icons such as Tom Petty and Elvis Costello, 80′s new wave artists such as The Cure and Kate Bush, and 90′s stalwarts like Superchunk and That Dog – and founded the hook-heavy IWTDI Rock Machine. Dueling lead vocalists and songwriters Rachel Hirsh and John Booker harmonize lyrics that belie the sweet, sunny suggestions of their upbeat melodies, inviting you to listen in on their conversations about self-loathing, fear, and intimacy. Backed by a powerful rhythm section (drummer James Hepler and bassist Joe Mazzitelli), and the soaring lead guitars of Curtis Armstead, I Was Totally Destroying It have yet to slow down in the nearly 5 years since the band’s inception.
Prolific as they are driven, to date, IWTDI have released 3 full length albums (2007′s S/T, 2009′s Horror Vacui, 2011′s Preludes), 2 EP’s (2008′s Done Waiting, 2009′s The Beached Margin – collected on a limited edition 12″) and a 7″ single (2010′s Get Big), which includes a towering cover of their favorite song from the 1980′s: “In A Big Country” by Big Country. As if one full length in 2011 wasn’t enough, Vexations, 12 brooding yet beautiful compositions recorded with producers Joshua Cain (from Motion City Soundtrack. Credits include: Metro Station, Sing It Loud) & Ed Ackerson (from Polara. Credits include The Jayhawks, The Replacements) at the legendary Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, MN, is due before the end of the year. Vexations is new territory for the group- a pseudo-concept album loosely based around Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. The band is calling it their best work to date, with lyricists Booker and Hirsh tapping King’s epic adventure for inspiration and context and using it to convey stories and emotions relative to their own lives. The music twists and turns in new directions as well- the band fully harnessing their moodier, gothic tendencies and even winking at unexpected inspirations such as Cocteau Twins and Brian Eno -but never abandoning their previous pop sensibilities.
With a handful of national and regional tours under their belts, IWTDI show no signs of letting up anytime soon. Having shared the stage with Motion City Soundtrack on multiple occasions, as well as other highlights such as playing the grand opening of the Raleigh Amphitheater with The Connells in front of 4,000+ attendees, performing as the main support for Joan Jett in 2009 in front of 15,000+, and shows with some of their biggest influences- Superchunk, The Get Up Kids, Cursive, Thursday, Conor Oberst, Polvo, Billy Bragg – I Was Totally Destroying It have become a seasoned, pitch-perfect live act. They hope to see you in your town soon.
Other accolades include “Come Out, Come Out”, from the album Horror Vacui, being featured prominently in a massive television ad campaign by Vivo, Bazil’s largest cell phone service provider, in 2010; performing to a capacity crowd at the Team Clermont 2011 SXSW showcase; appearing on Guided By Voices tribute album, Sing For Your Meat, alongside The Flaming Lips, Thurston Moore, Crooked Fingers, Elf Power, Superdrag, and more; Being named one of News & Observer’s Great 8 of 2008; Onion AV Club’s list of “Memorable Band Names; The Independent Weekly’s “Best Songs Of The Year” 3 years in a row; Daily Tar Heel naming Horror Vacui the second best NC album of 2009 (behind The Love Language), and more