The Appleseed Cast is out on the road, playing both LOW LEVEL OWL albums (photo by Forester Michael)
Gramercy Theatre
127 East 23rd St. at Lexington Ave.
Saturday, April 17, $15, 9:00
www.myspace.com/theappleseedcast
www.livenation.com
Formed in 1997 in Southern California and moving to North Carolina before setting up home base in Lawrence, Kansas, the Appleseed Cast plays languid soundscapes with poetic lyrics. They combine instrumentals with songs that feature such abstract verses as “Slow down a lighted road / a broken sign states the mile / a broken code / a simply rhyme / a smile / a fallen line / a simple song set the time” (“Mile Marker”) and “One last drop of pain / the fighting’s all in vain / one last antidote / forgotten ties on severed ropes / hanging them from poles” (the funereal “Convict”). Featuring Chris Crisci on guitar and vocals, Aaron Pillar on guitar, Nate Whitman on bass, John Momberg on drums, and Lucas Oswald on keyboards, the Appleseed Cast will be playing their ambitious, career-defining 2001 double shot, LOW LEVEL OWL 1 & 2, in their entirety on April 17 at the Gramercy in celebration of the album’s rerelease on Graveface Records. The albums roam into Pink Floyd territory on “Strings,” head into orbit with “Rooms and Gardens,” and get appropriately dramatic on “Sunset Drama King.” Momberg takes center stage on the percussion-heavy “On Reflection” and “Doors Lead to Questions,” while the band charges forward on the mini-epic “Blind Man’s Arrows” and fills “Bird of Paradise” with bursts of electronic noise. It all comes together on “Signal,” their indie pop gem. Opening the show will be Dreamend, fronted by Ryan Graveface, the owner of Graveface Records (and a part-time member of Black Moth Super Rainbow), highlighting songs from the recent release MAYBE WE’RE MAKING GOD SAD AND LONELY.