Switchblade: Relative: The Panda Band @ Martyrs' March 18th

On Sunday, March 18th, The Panda Band will make their way from SXSW to Chicago to headline a show at Martyrs' curated by the Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co. This will be The Panda Band's first Chicago stop before heading to NY and then on to an Australian tour with Gomez. They have drawn comparisons to The Flaming Lips, Arcade Fire, The Beatles and their music is quite infectious. Also, playing will be Chicago's own Slings & Arrows, whose recent EP Animal Grammar includes some of best songs of the year. Solo artist, Dave Fischoff, the electronic cut and paste mastermind akin to The Postal Service will open up the night backed by a full band! All this for only $10! Show starts at 9PM and is a 21 and over event.
Mary-Arrchie Theatre Co is a non-profit theatre that has been a staple of the Chicago theater scene since 1986, best known for their gritty, stellar ensemble acting and daring staging. Each year they celebrate the spirit of Woodstock with their annual Abbie Hoffman Died For Our Sins festival, a three-day virtually non-stop marathon of theatre, music, performance art, and spontaneity.

THE PANDA BAND: "A surreal, swirling and eclectic mix of instrumentation and melodies. Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse eccentricity blended with the classic harmonies and quirk of Sgt Peppers-era Beatles". (Rolling Stone Magazine named as #1 in Top 10 Artists to Watch)
RFC Interview with The Panda Band!
Download: The Panda Band - "Eyelashes"

SLINGS & ARROWS: "Weaving sweeping dramatic gestures with quiet, delicately composed moments of tranquility, there's something stately and mannered about their precision. Warped, blurry guitars nestle in a dreamy, psychedelic haze, and the layered instruments swirl together with Henry Brown's low-slung drawl." (IE)
RFC Podcast with Slings & Arrows Here!
Download: Slings & Arrows - "My Amelia"

DAVE FISCHOFF: "Indie solo acts tossing around electronica samples can seem like a dime a dozen, but thankfully, Chicago's Dave Fischoff reels in a fresh catch on The Crawl. Fischoff fashions a hefty musical composite, drawing upon the likes of the Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach, whose bouncy '60s pop sounds fuel Fischoff's imagination into fluttering melodies. Add a splash of some of the Postal Service's chunkier electronica elements, and you've found yourself in Fischoff's whimsical world." - (Spin.com)