A couple of pretty cool psych rock bands are going to be playing Johnny Brenda's tomorrow night. We're talking about Thrill Jockey label mates Arbouretum and Pontiak. Pontiak is made up of three brothers from the Blue Ridge farm country of Virginia. Pontiak's latest and second full length release, Sun on Sun, was literally recorded in a log cabin, and alternates between eerie, groovy, guitar-driven rock and atmospheric instrumentals. Also, there's an organ! Arbouretum is headed up by songwriter, guitarist, and singer Dave Heumann, who lives and works in Baltimore. According to Thrill Jockey, "Heumann’s idea for the band was one whose songs would evoke natural forms and movements as opposed to architectural constructions with rigid forms and linear progressions." Pontiak and Arbouretum worked together on a split LP called Kale, featuring many John Cale covers. It's a collection of slower, but still guitar-driven, tracks, that have a sad, thoughtful, Warren Zevon-type feel to them.

The point is, we've really been enjoying the work of both bands, especially tracks like "Shell Skull" (off Sun on Sun) and "Dome Under the Sky" (off Kale). They're opening for The Psychic Paramount, who are described as "the ultimate in ultra-heavy, This Heat/krautrock-inspired, interestingly rhythmic, instrumental post-rock," which, if nothing else, sounds really unique.

R5 Presents
The Psychic Paramount w/Arbouretum and Pontiak
Johnny Brenda's (1201 N. Frankford Ave.)
Sat, 9/6/08, 9:30PM
$10

Image via SEN