Shifting Sands blow into Inch Bar

Shifting Sands are inching towards the US with a Dunedin fundraiser. Photo: supplied.

West Harbour psych-pop outfit Shifting Sands is heading to the northern hemisphere for a series of performances in the United States, but is first stopping by Dunedin’s Inch Bar for an intimate home farewell.

The band’s US tour will take them across both coasts, with shows in Los Angeles, Bishop, New Haven, Brooklyn, NYC, Burlington, Philadelphia, Raleigh, and Nashville, with dates in Boston and Baltimore possibly to be added.

They’ll also be touring with a new line-up as drummer Jake Langley is unable to make the trip.

Instead they’ll by joined by Nakey’s Jonty O’Connor behind the kit alongside the relatively recent addition of Doprah’s Steven Marr on second guitar.

The show is free, but the band say they’ll be throwing around the hat in the hope that people donate to help them live their dreams of touring the US in a rock ’n’ roll band.

IT CAME FROM BANDCAMP

There’s three more great additions to Dunedin’s Bandcamp tag this week.

Former Dunedin pop songwriting luminary Paul Cathro has released a collection of demos and out-takes.

The collection spans Cathro’s already storied career to date, from late teenage home recordings inspired by ’60s psychedelic rock through out-takes from Cathro’s first studio EP Human Error to recent demos for songs yet to be completed or released.

Cathro plays the majority of the instruments himself but also featured at various points is a roundtable of great Dunedin musical talent and Cathro associates, including Louis Smith, Oli Bridgman, Kate Brown, Alex Vaatstra and unmusic.

There is a bunch of tracks already shared in different bands — Alizarin Lizard’s Grey Skies sounding grand in a more conversational, laidback solo out-take — but my personal favourite is High Rollers.

This demo version has had a long journey to the internet, first appearing on a CDR which Cathro sold wrapped in plain lined paper at a series of low-key solo shows in George St six years ago.

It was then re-imaged in band format for Alizarin Lizard’s Do You Just Want Me To Watch You? in 2013, before finally finding its way online.

It opens with a beautifully toned simple key pattern before dropping into a layered Bowie-style verse.

It’s great pop with buzzy Syd Barrett weirdo touches.

Cathro only recently released Solid Ground, a plaintive, mellow single from his forthcoming solo album Head First Into Solid Ground.

Jagged melodic lo-fi rockers Agent Ewok also has a release out this week.

Called Good Morning Medusa, it’s a band practice tracked straight to two room mikes that has a nice casual feel.

The vocals are sung off into the distance, while the songs twist and wind their way around the depressive melodies, taking their time to settle into expansive Modest Mouse grooves at their leisure.

Album closer Amiltryptaline, with its guitar-bending glory, could’ve come straight off This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About.

I’d love to see some of these tracks turned into studio works.

Fingers crossed.

And finally, something for the more heavily inclined.

Dunedin modern death metal group Abstract Survival has a raw three-song taster EP out before its forthcoming album to be released in October.

It’s fast-paced, with an annihilating guitar assault and unrelenting, primordial drumming.

All in all, it’s pretty fun.