Ad Astra Per Aspera was an obscure amalgamation of all musical avenues from Lawrence, Kansas. From noise rock to tropical to avant-garde to punk this band has it all. The project consists of Mike Tuley on guitar/vocals, Kurt Lane on drums, Brooke Hunt on guitar, Julie Lane on keyboards and Scott Edwards on bass. For me the main focus of the band is Tuley's idiomatic approach to singing. Whether it be with a barbaric yelp, a scream, or a slow sauntering whisper in your ear; he always has a peculiar way of keeping your attention. The bands premiere full length on Sonic Unyon Records, Catapult Calypso, garnered much acclaim in the underground music scene. This is the bands most mature and eclectic material to have been released. From the album opener "Voodoo Economics" we see that they have no problem switching genres within the same song several times. While this band does pull from the likes of Fugazi and Brainiac it's only in the way they approach their music, leaving plenty of room for originality. Highlights on the album are "Scatter Baby Spiders", "Globos Illuminados", and "Flannery's Home Coming." The vinyl edition of the album comes with different album art than the CD version and it comes with a full page lyric insert. The vinyl itself is colored with black, white, and yellow splatters!
Catapult Calypso:
Ad Astra Per Aspera Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/adastraperaspera
Blue Collar Distro (you can buy the vinyl here):
http://www.bluecollardistro.com/adastraperaspera/product_info.php?products_id=2853&cPath=12_264&store=#.TrhEHLKDmSo
-Jas
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