Q +A with The Honors

The Honors, a fun-loving foursome currently stationed in Boston, will be performing on Thursday, December 16th at The Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge. In a light-hearted interview last week, WTBU intern Elizabeth Castillo spoke with drummer Jason Trikakis about The Honors’ latest album xoxo, record labels and performing in Boston.

WTBU: Your music is described as Melodramatic Popular Song. What does that entail?
JT: I see you looked at our Myspace. That was actually a joke; we went through the different genres and chose the most outlandish one. Seriously, we can be described as easy listening or the generic term of indie rock. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, we have fun making music and we like making music that’s enjoyable and high energy.

What is your favorite track on xoxo?
Would it be lame if I said I liked them all? My favorite song to play live is “Give It Up to Me”. Our other songs are very musically structured so it’s harder to add in extra notes but “Give it Up to Me” provides for the most improvising live. There might be an extra-long guitar solo added in and you can really just have more fun with it. But as far as the album goes, each song has a different sound and they all bring something to xoxo.

Love seems to be a pretty big theme throughout xoxo, does the band feel relationships provide the best lyrical inspiration? Are there other life experiences the band hopes to pull from?
This album does largely deal with relationships. Especially in “New Girls”, it really shows the tender side of a genuine relationship whereas “Give It Up to Me” is definitely more aggressive. Overall, different types of relationships were pulled from to create this album not just love. We pulled from our relationships we have between each other and from life in lower Allston and spending time at Great Scott.

How do you like being a part of Boston’s local music scene?
I’d say that we’re not. Really. We don’t have any of those big ties to Boston. We didn’t all go to school together, we don’t really identify with a local Boston social group and we don’t really have that local fan base like other bands. We’re more of Boston transplants. But we are dating—if you could use that term—The Wandas. A shout out to them. They’ve definitely helped us out as a band in Boston. They also helped us get the show at The Middle East. They’re really cool guys.

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?
We really love Motown. We always have some golden oldies blaring on the radio. We really like Raphael Saadiq. We definitely used him as inspiration for this album; xoxo may not sound very similar, but we paid homage to him and Motown and in this album.
How is it like working independently without a label attachment?
Great! No one tells us what to do, how to make our music or which demographic we should stick with. There’s lots of creative freedom but also a lot of extra work. We have to work harder at maintaining the band and getting a fan base but ultimately it’s fine because we’re allowed to just be ourselves as a band.

You recently were the opening act for Ok Go, how was that experience?
It was awesome! It was really fun but we weren’t really starstruck. We’ve played huge festivals before and we’re more of veterans at this. We can play huge venues but at the same time still have fun just playing in front of six people. But there definitely is a better vibe when the audience is bigger. It was cool to have an all ages audience and have 92.9 help spread the word. Ok Go were really sweet dudes but we couldn’t stay and watch them perform because we had another show right after. Overall it was a fun experience.

Are you guys planning a nationwide tour anytime soon?
We’d love too but they are very costly! Without a record label to help pay for expenses they are very difficult to do. We used to have a tour van but we ultimately had to sell it because of the expenses. Hopefully we can soon but as of now, very difficult to do.

******

Check out The Honors’ music at Facebook or Myspace. And don’t forget to check them out live on Thursday at The Middle East Downstairs!

-Elizabeth Castillo

Record Review: Sun Araw - Off Duty

Sun Araw is the electronic solo project of Cameron Stallones, guitarist of the Long Beach, California band Magic Lantern. His new release, Off Duty, is the follow up EP to Sun Araw’s 2010 full length album On Patrol. Off Duty is an EP by name only, stretching over 45 minutes throughout its epic 5 tracks.

The album opens with “Last Chants,” a psychedelic journey through Sun Araw’s strange soundscapes. The song is filled with tribal drumming, distant echo-affected vocals, and a plethora of ambient noise and laser sounding synthesizers. The next song, “Midnight Locker,” is a dark, tempoless meandering of noise. Bouncing keyboards and percussive pounding (you can’t quite call it drumming) guide the song while a background guitar reminiscent of early Pink Floyd floats over the top. “Deep Temple,” the next track, carries on with the tribal and spiritual theme, as tape-hiss filled guitars play over delayed synthesizers and tropical drums. Over its 11 minute span, the track is simultaneously reminiscent of Indian music, reggae, and dubstep, somehow.

The album takes a darker turn with the fourth track, “In the Trees.” The song is a 9 minute, horrifyingly strange psychedelic jam. Stallones trades his echo pedal he used so religiously on the earlier tracks for a distortion pedal; twisted guitars play over a repetitive bass line while distorted vocals shout out from the foreground. The closing track of the album, “Canopy,” picks up where “In the Trees” left off. With another looped bassline, the song meanders over a reggae like groove, conjuring images of a
fantasy beach from some psychedelic nightmare.

Off Duty is a highly enjoyable EP, filled with echo drenched guitars and ambient synthesizers recorded with intentionally lo-fi methods. The EP creates a soundscape of some strange primal meditation, a spiritual reflection of sorts. However, Sun Araw’s drone-influenced, noise tracks are certainly not for all listeners. But for fans of more experimental music, Sun Araw will be very enjoyable experience. And it certainly is an experience.

-Will McCall

If you like Sun Araw and other Woodsist Records projects, tune in to Left of the Dial on Monday-Friday from 4-6 p.m.

Things got a little 'Foxy' at the Paradise Rock Club on Commonwealth Ave on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving

The rock band Foxy Shazam shared the stage with opening act Hollerado and co-headliner Free Energy, but stole the show with their mix of stage antics, a huge sound, and an overall fun atmosphere that rocked the Paradise.

With chants of "Foxy! Foxy! Foxy!" overwhelming the small venue, the six man band took the stage, and created an incredible tone that made the crowd jump and scream back the lyrics to their songs.

Mainly consisting of songs from their first major label release and newest album Foxy Shazam released back in April, the band ran around the stage, and quickly took control of the venue from the first grand note that they played. Mustachioed lead singer Eric Sean Nally jumped on horn player Alex Nauth's shoulders, while keyboardist Sky jumped on top of his keyboard during songs, banged on the keys with his feet, and reached out to touch the heads of the front row of the audience. All of them genuinely looked like they were having just as much fun as the crowd was.

But the real entertainment was centered around singer Nally. Jumping around stage with an eye patch over the eye that he injured during a previous performance, he channeled the late James Brown. He did tricks with the microphone stand, and hit high notes that seem impossible to reach. But, the antics didn't end there. During the set, Nally grabbed one of the drummer's large crash cymbals, put it on his head, and had the drummer beat away on it, not missing one beat.

At one point during the middle of a song, Nally proceeded to light three cigarettes, smoke them simultaneously during the latter half of the song, and then, at the very end, proceeded to eat all three lit cigarettes. Commenting later on stage, the only thing he had to say was: "Yuck. Disgusting."

But all the fun just didn?t happen during the songs. Nally's off the wall non-sequitors and long stories while the crew was "fixing the rock and roll" that seemed to have no real ending, kept the crowd entertained. At the end of "Unstoppable," the flamboyant lead singer proceeded to tell a story about how each of the band members received $965,000 for signing on to a major label deal with Warner Media Group. "I spent it all on FIREWORKS!" the lead singer declared with enthusiasm, prompting applause from the mainly student-filled audience. Then immediately segueing into the next song ?Bye Bye Symphony,? Nally declared "This next song is about being broke!"

Before the show, I was able to sit down with bassist Daisy, and horn player Alex and discuss their band, as well as their sound on their newest album. The interview gave me insight into their influences, their favorite bands, life on the road, and the ?day the music cried.? Check it all out below, with a clip of the show from the Paradise as well).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OOsOPWXzt4 - Interview Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz2Ot1EpR9M&feature=related - Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=726_H-WEMyg - "Unstoppable" + Story

December 8th @ the Great Scott

WTBU's LEFT OF THE DIAL is hosting a fundraiser to benefit the Boston Counter Cultural Compass, a monthly newsletter that posts information about local, DIY, lo-fi, experimental and folk shows happening in and around the Boston area. For more information on the Counter Cultural Compass, please check out the website here.

Come hang out on December 8th! The fee to get in is a $5-10 donation.

30 Days of Dead

The Grateful Dead’s “30 Day’s of Dead began this month, with a free downloadable Dead track every day throughout the month of November. Organized by Dead.net, the 30 days are great for avid Dead-heads, or for new fans curious why the group has received high accolades, including being listen on Rolling Stone’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004, and winning a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Check out the link below to get a free, never before released download each day in November. Then, get ready to partake in all things Deadhead. Suggestion number one: Ben and Jerry’s Cherry Garcia Ice Cream, and my personal favorite Dead song: Casey Jones.

http://www.dead.net/30days?cmpid=cr/dn/miller

NY metal band EXEMPTION on BU in the Morning today, 10 am

Hey, do you like metal? Exemption are a sweet metal band from New York. They are on tour celebrating the release of a new record, Public Cemetery. The NY Deli magazine said this about their new record:

The songs are a kaleidoscope of musical styles: thick stoner metal mudslides slam head on into psychedelic landscapes; antehemic pop hooks give way to fiery surf-rock riffs, and crusty blues jams become violent exercises in aggressive funk. The first track “Hyperspiral” is a perfect example of this, moving seamlessly from Mastodon & Torche-esque riffage to euphoric melodies and hooks reminiscent of Rubber Soul.

Following their show Monday night at the Midway in JP, Exemption will be on BU in the Morning today to discuss their new record. Stream it here on their Bandcamp and tune in at 10am!

Senses Fail interview

Whoa! Here's an interview "You Had Me at Nerd" did with Senses Fail. Cool!

Interview with Senses Fail by wtbusa

WTBU Weekly Charts

Last week's charts! Check em out:


1    MANNERS    Look Into Look Unto    Whitehaus Family Record
2    MICHAEL JORDYN AND GREG    Demos   
3    TOOTH ACHE    Skin [7-Inch]   
4    SMALL BLACK     New Chain    Jagjaguwar
5    SCREAMING FEMALES    Castle Talk    Self-Released
6    GLASSER    Ring    True Panther Sounds
7    DEFIANCE, OHIO    Midwestern Minutes    No Idea
8    MALE BONDING    Nothing Hurts    Sub Pop
9    NEEDY VISIONS    Needy Visions    Bodies Of Water
10    HERBCRAFT    Discovers The Bitter Water Of Agartha   
11    CHEEKY    What The Heck?    Freedom School
12    EARTHQUAKE PARTY    Dishes [EP]   
13    SHELLSHAG    Rumors In Disguise    Don Giovanni
14    WAVVES    King Of The Beach    Fat Possum
15    THERMALS    Personal Life    Kill Rock Stars
16    CLOUD NOTHINGS    Leave You Forever [EP]    True Panther Sounds
17    LIGHT POLLUTION    Apparitions    Car Park
18    PUJOL    Black Rabbit [7-Inch]    Third Man
19    BIG EYES    Big Eyes [EP]   
20    AVEY TARE    Down There    Paw Tracks
21    SWEET BULBS    Cybergaze    Self-Released
22    CHEAP TIME     Fantastic Explanations (And Similar Situations)    In The Red
23    WILD NOTHING    Gemini    Captured Tracks
24    DEERHUNTER    Halcyon Digest    4AD
25    DOM    Sun Bronzed Greek Gods    Burning Mill
26    MARNIE STERN    Marnie Stern (2010)    Kill Rock Stars
27    NO AGE    Everything In Between    Sub Pop
28    ZOLA JESUS    Stridulum    SACRED BONES
29    DEMON'S CLAWS    The Defrosting Of...    In The Red
30    FORGETTERS    Forgetters    Self-Released

Upcoming Ticket Giveaways

Hey hey, y'all. We at WTBU love music and concerts and fun, but we love it even more when our listeners get to have music and concerts and fun. Keep reading for some info about upcoming promotions, prizes, and giveaways on our shows later this week:

"The Weekly AA Meeting" will be doing two giveaways this Sunday (Noon to 2 PM):
1) A Fearless Friends Tour prize pack with a signed Breathe Carolina poster and signed CD's from Every Avenue, Go Radio and Artist Vs. Poet, courtesy of Fearless Records
2) A pair of tickets to see Say Anything, Motion City Soundtrack and Saves The Day at House of Bl
ues on Monday, Nov. 8

"The Girls At The Rock Show" will also be giving away a pair of tickets to see Say Anything, Motion City Soundtrack and Saves The Day at House of Blues on Monday, Nov. 8 on their show, which airs Saturday from 10AM to Noon.

Thanks for listening, and good luck winning those tickets!

So, "Schist that Rocks" has an interview with...

documentarian Robert Patton-Spruill! Tune in on Tuesday, the 16th, from 2-4PM!

From BU's Film & Television Department:

"Ex-BU film students, Patton-Spruill as director, Marino as producer, have made many features and documentaries, starting with the Sundance hit, Squeeze (1997), and including Welcome to the Terrordome, starring the rap group, Public Enemy. Their newest film, Do It Again, is also their funniest, a quixotic real-life quest of Geoff Edgers, Boston Globe columnist and amateur guitarist, to reunite (mostly against their will) the fractious, dysfunctional, but genius 1960s rock group, the Kinks. With Sting, Zooey Deschannel, and other surprise guests."

Beat's Antique concert review

A romantic, misty mood set the scene on October 22^nd when Beats Antique took the stage at our beloved Harpers Ferry. Beginning with hit “Beauty Beats,” off their album Collide, Beats Antique got the crowd sweating from the second they stepped on stage. While David Satori and Tommy Cappel jammed on the keyboards, drums, guitar, etc., Zoe Jakes set the pace of the show with her percussion skills and bellydancing routine. Although Zoe usually entertains the audience throughout the Beats Antique’s entire show, she danced during only a fraction of the songs.

While disappointing, it was understandable due to rumors that she was under the weather during the band’s Boston tour date. When Zoe did dance, she was exquisite—her movements put the audience in a trance, making them move along with her, not being able to stop until the song had ended.

Beat’s Antique played a two-hour set that seemed to capture the crowd’s attention. The dance floor was packed and audience members were seriously grooving to the electric beats. However, I did notice that people started leaving only an hour into the show—maybe due to the fact that Beats Antique did not begin playing until after midnight.

I would definitely recommend Beat’s Antique to anyone who craves spirituality in his or her music. A Beat’s Antique show will take you on a magical journey through an African desert, or a Middle Eastern wedding, and will end up wowing you with the incorporation of jazz and hip hop. The band release their third EP, Blind Threshold, in September. Check it out on their myspace: www.myspace.com/beatsantique

Whoa, check this out!

WTBU's own Music Director, Liz Pelly, is at CMJ this week. Also, she's totally on a panel! She's kind of a big deal. Lookit!

Whoa, check this out!

WTBU's own Music Director, Liz Pelly, is at CMJ this week. Also, she's totally on a panel! She's kind of a big deal. Lookit!

Tomorrow in-studio: SO COW (from Ireland)

Tomorrow So Cow, a band from Ireland, will be playing in-studio on Left of the Dial. Tune in at 4pm to listen!

So Cow will be playing tomorrow night at the Paradise with The Thermals and Cymbals Eat Guitars.

Also check out that video above which I shot at a So Cow show in Dublin this summer. It's their cover of "Runaway" by Del Shannon.

Guitar Wolf and Peelander Z Interview on Abuse Substance

Guitar Wolf and Peelander-Z, two of the most rockin’est bands to grace this Earth. Guitar Wolf, a band consistently filling arenas back at home in Japan, rarely tours the US. Their last tour had brought them to CBGB’s in September 2003 along with Peelander-Z. Unfortunately Bass Wolf died of an overdose, brining the tour to an abrupt end. But now they are back to play the show to end all shows at Andrew WK’s very own Santo’s in NYC. The tall gates of Midgard opened and I was carried by two cute asian scenester valkeries into the halls of roknroll Valhalla. If you don't know anything about Guitar Wolf, here are some hard facts:

They are the loudest band in the history of humankind. Check the Guinness book yourself.

They are the coolest band in the history of humankind. Undeniable proof:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSm_LW-jJI0&feature=related

These guys don't know how to not kick ass and rock n roll. If Seiji cuts his wrist punching your weak face (shouldn't have touched his sunglasses), he would bleed distortion and raw

power. Playing bad ass driving energetic rawk is all they know how to do and its been coming quite naturally to them for two decades. And what better band to open for them than the legendary self-proclaimed comic-action punk band than Peelander-Z?

These guys put on a brilliant show every time and that’s saying a lot seeing as they’ve been touring Black Flag style for almost a decade, playing upwards of a hundred shows a year. Their performance at Santo’s transcends any words but I’ll throw some shit on the wall to see if it sticks: Squid-guitar, human bowling, congo lines of death, steak anthems, and old school punk rock.

Try to comprehend their awesomeness. Try hard, there’s a lot of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT0ZhOV6Bl8

I caught up with singer and guitarist Peelander Yellow before they played:

Me: No, no espanol…Alright

Peelander Yellow: Okie, no espanol alright but uhh maybe engrish A little bit engrish.

Me: A little bit engrish?

Peelander Yellow: Is cool mike. I don’t know….Hey! This is Peelander Yellow from Peelander Planet to see your mom because I hung out with your mom a long time ago and uh I uh I MADE YOU with your mom you know what I’m saying…Your father is my enemy! No no no, I’m sorry, your mom and I…anyway anyway OK lets start.

Me: Ok. I came down from Boston from the radio sta-

Peelander Yellow: BOSTON! You from Boston?! You know Matazaka?

Me: Uh…nah

Peelander Yellow: Japanese pitcher?

Me: No. Anyways yeah…

Photographer Ian shows Peelander Yellow his Sonny Chiba tattoo…

Peelander Yellow: You know Nanasei? He sister, ex … *gibberish*

Photographer: Uh-huh, from Street Fighter. Yeah from Street Fighter.

Peelander Yellow: Yeah OK so five minutes five minutes!

Me: Like I said, from Boston, from the radio station Abuse Substance, any favorite comics?

Peelander Yellow: My favorite comic is Evangelion you know what I’m sayin. Neon Evangelion?

Me: The anime?

Peelander Yellow: Yeah anime.

Me: Yeah I watched it.

Peelander Yellow: Hokutonoken? Yeah right,

Me: Uhm.

Peelander Yellow: Dragonball Z?

Me: Oh Dragonball Z! Yeah watched that as a kid.

Peelander Yellow: You know Peelander Z, Peelander Z, that name is taken from Dragonball Z and another fast generation Maginga Z. You know Maginga Z?

Me: Yeah.

Peelander Yellow: Anyway that’s the kind of, uh, fast generation Obu, ah, transformer. I grew up with Maginga Z that’s why I use “Z”…They have a new song about Z.

Me: About Z?

Peelander Yellow: It’s cool.

Me: What’s it called?

Peelander Yellow: Uh, building, building Z, right?

[Laughter]

Me: Next question, what’s the worst band you’ve ever played with?

Peelander Yellow: Guitar Wolf!

[More laughter.]

Me: Alright. If you were in a radioactive apocalypse and could have any mutation, what would you want? What would your favorite mutation be?

Peelander Yellow: Nani nani? What do you mean?

Me: Mutation, from like the apocalypse radiation, you know, like extra arms…eye stalks.

Peelander Yellow: Ok, so I need like sorta…

[Gestures to his penis]

[Laugher]

Peelander Yellow: No no, don’t say anything! Your mom going to will kill me. So I either, no so I need more handsome face.

Me: More hands and faces?

Peelander Yellow: I’m already handsome, right? I’m already handsome.

Laughter as he rubs his bald head and pulls his yellow goatee.

Peelander Yellow: But I need more handsome face like you…Alright, he’s very handsome. Like you.

Me: Hah, alright cool, uhm oh! I was going to ask Peelander Green a question but whatever he’s not here.

Peelander Yellow: Peelander Green?

Me: You guys have a lot of sensitive vegetarians fans –

Peelander Yellow: Ok ok. Yeah we are thinking about the next album. We gonna be-

Me: Yeah yeah you guys going to have a veggie anthem?

Peelander Yellow: Yeah like the S.T.E.A.K. song. I’m sorry about this but we love steak. I wanna say how would you like cook you a steak medium rare. So for our next album we are going to make a veggie one, maybe tofu song, tofu.

Me: Or like carrots.

Peelander Yellow: Yeah tofu song, tofu.

Me: How old were you when you started doing peelander –

Peelander Yellow: Don’t ask I’m getting old.

Me: Ok how young were you?

Peelander Yellow: Ok how young were you. 17. I was 17

Me: 17?!

Peelander Yellow: 17.

Me: Dang! That’s cool.

Peelander Yellow: I’m jumping flying 17.

Me: 17 years old right now?

Peelander Yellow: Yeah, no I’m not only 17 years old right now, flying pretty 17. Yeah I’m actually 17 light years old. 17 light years old.

Me: Oh that’s old…that’s far!

Peelander Yellow: Ya! I’m no human being.

Me: Yeah.

Peelander Yellow: Yeah yeah yeah-

Me: That was actually the question I was going to ask Peelander Green…like a little bit of history behind him. I know he’s new, all the ladies are blogging about him-

Peelander Yellow: Yeah. Blue, he’s in the, he went back to Planet Peelander to be the king, yea. The king gave up so he’s ready to be the king, and Green, I grew up with him in the Z area of Peelander Z. He’s my friend of the, uh, we went to the same kindergarten. After that we split, OK? I never see. And after one day I found in Japan him, coincidence. And they come with us.

Me: That’s cool. Good timing.

Peelander Yellow: Ok time for two more.

Me: I don’t think I even have two more.

Ian the Photographer: How about Bruce Lee?

Me: Do you like Bruce Lee?

Peelander Yellow: Of course.

[Laughter]

Peelander Yellow: I like Bruce Lee. It’s not only physical it’s not only kung fu, I love him he’s mine.

Ian the Photographer: Who would win in a fight? Bruce Lee or Sonny Chiba?

Peelander Yellow: Woooaah?

Ian the Photographer: Who would win in a fight, Bruce Lee or Sonny Chiba?

Peelander Yellow: Uhhhh Sonny Chiba with Nancy.

Me: With Nancy. Alright that’s all the questions I have but can you say something for the radio?

Peelander Yellow: What should I say for the station?

Me: Always…remember to abuse substance.

Peelander Yellow: No non don’t abuse?

Me: Or could you say that tongue twister? Willy’s real rear wheel?

Peelander Yellow: Willy’s rear. Willilliy’s realialowill?

[Hilarious Engrish ensues.]

Peelander Yellow: November 21th in Boston, yeah we have a show in there. Thank you.

Me: No thank you.

Peelander Yellow: Arigato gozaimasu, uh, bay baaaai

[Laughter]

Peelander Yellow: Shh!

The show was great, Peelander-Z is coming to Boston to play at the Middle East in November, if you haven’t heard of them go see them. I can guarantee that it will change your perspective on shows. The next time you’re trapped in some Allston basemen/dungeon show surrounded by people who look like they need blood splashed on their faces to keep them from yawning while listening to emaciated angsty lumberjack types playing on keyboards, whining about responsibility and girls they stalk, you can look back on that one epically fun time you saw that crazy Japanese punk band you totally didn’t understand. Tilt your head back towards the ceiling and yell “HOW YOU LIKE ME COOK YOU A STEAK”. If anyone responds with an equally enthusiastic “MEDIUM RAAARE!”, you know you have found a life long friend and something to do besides punish your ears with mediocre music.

Listen to Abuse Substance, 10-12 PM. Punk and Hip Hop.

WTBU's "Undead End" Radio Play Feature!

Check this out! Undead End, WTBU's radio play about the imminent zombie apocalypse, got a feature in the blog College Media Matters. We're so stoked! The full link is here.

Upcoming Interview

On Saturday, October 9th, The Show About Nothing will be interviewing the band Semi Precious Weapons between 2-4 pm. Tune in to hear the band talk about their tour with Lady Gaga, their music, and their fabulous shoes!

Today on Left of the Dial: HOMEGROWN FEST PREVIEW (local/underground/awesome DIY festival)

Hey y'all! Today our friend Sam Potrykus from The Needy Visions/ Whitehaus Family Record/Bodies of Water arts and crafts/Boston counter cultural compass/etc etc etc will be guest DJing, spinning tracks by bands appearing at HOMEGROWN II. Tune in to find out about this festival + hear relevant music.

http://www.homegrownfestboston.com/
http://www.homegrownfestboston.com/
http://www.homegrownfestboston.com/

A local/underground Boston show paper!

Hey, want to check out underground shows in Boston? Want to see local bands?

Check out the October issue of the Boston Counter Cultural Compass, a free show paper pointing you in the direction of lots of local DIY shows:

WEEKLY CHART 9/27 - 10/4

HEY FRIENDS! THESE WERE THE TOP 30 MOST-PLAYED RECORDS AT WTBU THIS WEEK. THEY RULE, LOOK EM UP!

ANY QUESTIONS? EMAIL MUSIC@WTBURADIO.ORG!!

<3

TOP 30:
1 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
2 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
3 MALE BONDING Nothing Hurts Sub Pop
4 THICK SHAKES Ooh Mommy
5 FORGETTERS Forgetters Self-Released
6 QUILT Agents Of Play [7-Inch] Breakfast Of Champs
7 BIG EYES Big Eyes [EP]
8 NO AGE Everything In Between Sub Pop
9 THERMALS Personal Life Kill Rock Stars
10 DEERHUNTER Halcyon Digest 4AD
11 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
12 GOLDEN GIRLS U L T I M A T E F R E E D O M Burning Mill
13 SHELLSHAG Rumors In Disguise Don Giovanni
14 BIG SODA Paper Route Evil Weevil
15 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
16 SWEET BULBS Cybergaze Self-Released
17 SQUAREHEAD Fake Blood [7-Inch] Any Other City
18 SCREAMING FEMALES Castle Talk Self-Released
19 LIGHT POLLUTION Apparitions Car Park
20 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
21 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
22 TNY MNTNS Barricade The Doors Grinding Tapes
23 MODERN HUT Demos Don Giovanni
24 NEEDY VISIONS Needy Visions Bodies Of Water
25 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
26 WILD NOTHING Gemini Captured Tracks
27 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca Domino
28 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
29 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Monitor XL
30 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat

WEEKLY CHART 9/21 - 9/28

HEY Y'ALL THESE WERE THE TOP 30 MOST-PLAYED RECORDS AT WTBU THIS WEEK. THEY RULE, LOOK EM UP:

1 MALE BONDING Nothing Hurts Sub Pop
2 QUILT Agents Of Play [7-Inch] Breakfast Of Champs
3 WAVVES King Of The Beach Fat Possum
4 THERMALS Personal Life Kill Rock Stars
5 BEST COAST Crazy For You Mexican Summer
6 GOLDEN GIRLS U L T I M A T E F R E E D O M Burning Mill
7 SHELLSHAG Rumors In Disguise Don Giovanni
8 ARCADE FIRE The Suburbs Merge
9 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
10 LOCAL NATIVES Gorilla Manor Frenchkiss
11 SWEET BULBS Cybergaze Self-Released
12 SQUAREHEAD Fake Blood [7-Inch] Any Other City
13 THICK SHAKES Ooh Mommy
14 SCREAMING FEMALES Castle Talk Self-Released
15 BEACH FOSSILS Beach Fossils Captured Tracks
16 PRINCE RAMA Shadow Temple Paw Tracks
17 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
18 TNY MNTNS Barricade The Doors Grinding Tapes
19 MODERN HUT Demos Don Giovanni
20 NEEDY VISIONS Needy Visions Bodies Of Water
21 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
22 WILD NOTHING Gemini Captured Tracks
23 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca Domino
24 FRIGHTENED RABBIT The Winter Of Mixed Drinks Fat Cat
25 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
26 EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS Up From Below Vagrant
27 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Monitor XL
28 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat
29 SOMEONE STILL LOVES YOU BORIS YELTSIN Let It Sway Polyvinyl
30 NANA GRIZOL Ruth Orange Twin

September's Boston Counter Cultural Compass (a newsletter of local showlistings!)

Below is a scan of the September 2010 Boston Counter Cultural Compass, a free newsletter of local/underground/DIY shows around Boston. This is an excellent resource for finding awesome/cheap/interesting things going on in Boston every weekend!

Front:


Back:


Also join the Boston Counter Cultural Compass facebook group for updates on local shows/events/happenings/etc.

WTBU Interviews Blue Scholars

WTBU's "Speak Easy, Girl," hosted by Lana Tkachenko and Mel Duzyj will interview rap duo Blue Scholars from 2-4PM. They have an upcoming show this Wednesday night at the Paradise Lounge near campus. Here's some more info about the band, and be sure to tune in.

BLUE SCHOLARS

Filmmakers create movies. Bloggers report the news and shape public opinion. Explorers travel the globe, seeking out new cultures and sharing experiences. DJs and producers craft beats and tracks using an alchemical mix of audio artifacts and imagination. Rappers fashion rhymes and navigate the cadences of vocal delivery characterized as “flow.”

Blue Scholars do all these things—and a hell of a lot more—every damn day. First and foremost, DJ/producer Sabzi and MC Geologic are a music group. They do the fundamental things bands have done for decades: Make records and play live shows. But those are just points on a plane, bright stars in Blue Scholars’ ever-expanding universe. “It all revolves around using everything at our disposal to be good storytellers,” says Sabzi. Chuck D famously likened hip-hop to CNN, but frankly, Blue Scholars make Anderson Cooper and company look lazy by comparison.

Blue Scholars informally call their music “cinema art rap,” yet most folks will probably just hear it as smart 21^st century pop. The duo is just as likely to take inspiration from the sugar rush of Empire of the Sun’s feel-good hit “Walking on a Dream” (check out the “Empire Remix” of “New People”) as from a classic Lalo Schifrin soundtrack. The roster of former Seattle Sonics or observations about Fox New commentators may provide the springboard for their next round of poetic musing.

There has always been a visual component to Blue Scholars’ music. Geologic (who also works under the alias Prometheus Brown) is only 15 credits away from completing a major in Film Studies. The lyricist admits he sees images in his head as his words take shape. That element of the Blue Scholars’ aesthetic has taken on greater significance in recent years. Right now, the duo is recording its third full-length, Cinemetropolis. Rather than wait until the album is completed to think about how imagery will complement the music, they are turning over embryonic musical ideas to colleagues in the film world and developing ideas in tandem.

That Blue Scholars are film buffs will come as no surprise to followers of their blog. A couple years ago, during extensive touring, their posts evolved from the usual blow-by-blow of where they played and what they ate into something richer. Informed by prodigious consumption of movies while stuck in the van or killing time after sound check, the entries came to incorporate how what they’d watched shaped the rest of their day. Was Geo’s voice a little hoarse last night? Perhaps viewing the documentary “Food, Inc.” in the dressing room left him unsure what to order from the bar while doing the least damage to the planet… so he wound up dehydrated. “Without intending to, our blog became almost a film blog,” admits the rapper. Movies provided more than just another lens through which to view Blue Scholars’ music; it also encouraged exchanging ideas with colleagues both new and old, which in turn fed into the creation of Cinemetropolis.

Meanwhile, Blue Scholars are constantly churning out new missives as quickly as the inspiration hits them, disseminated via the Internet. Whether provoked by current events like the passage of Arizona’s Immigration Law SB1070 (“Joe Arpaio,” credited to Geo’s alter-ego Prometheus Brown), or contemplating how the Future went from a sparkling wonderland of flying cars and personal jet packs to a post-apocalyptic wasteland shot in shades of ash and bone (“Paul Valéry”), Blue Scholars react to real events in real time—with music that sounds fresh because it is.

Since 2002, Blue Scholars have been based in the 98118, decreed the most ethnically diverse zip code in America by the 2010 Census. Like the greater Seattle region, that neighborhood embodies the multi-cultural miasma that spawned Blue Scholars, the joining of forces between an Iranian DJ/producer and a Filipino rapper. These are dudes who nourish their bodies with Vietnamese coffee, Ethiopian injera, and steaming bowls of phở. Thanks to music, they have mingled with guests at a party hosted by renown glass artist Dale Cihuly, and conducted workshops at a Colorado juvenile detention center.

“I feel very lucky,” admits Sabzi. “So many people are in their own fishbowl, thinking they know what the world is, but never get the opportunity to see anything beyond their immediate environment. We’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to establish real human connections with people we’ve discovered aren’t really any different from us, because music has broken down the superficial barriers that would otherwise keep us apart.”

Blue Scholars actively contribute to the global community of artists and freethinkers in myriad ways. Drawing on Jamaican dancehall culture and the increasingly popular medium of artist mix tapes, Sabzi makes the instrumental foundations of all their songs available as individual riddims, to be adopted and adapted by whomever cares to use his beats. Meanwhile, every time they hook up with another artist, be it Seattle rapper Macklemore (Sabzi’s reworking of his Emerald City celebration “The Town” extended the shelf life of an already hugely popular joint) or Los Angeles’ Bambu, their network expands. New fans find Blue Scholars via new points of entry, and in turn, Blue Scholars discover more fodder for their imaginations.

Towards that end, and meeting more kindred spirits in the real world, Sabzi currently divides his time between New York and Seattle. How has that impacted Blue Scholars’ creative process? Not at all. Even as students at the University of Washington, where they first met and began making music together, Sabzi and Geologic were using the Internet as an integral part of their routine. The former would make a beat, upload it to the server, his partner would download it and write rhymes… and then they’d record together. They do the same thing today, just across bigger geographical distances.

Since 2002, the duo has become renowned live show veterans, rocking over 400 shows with the likes of Kanye West, De La Soul, Immortal Technique, Q-Tip, and supporting such acts on tour Zion-I, Gym Class Heroes, and the Coup on tour. They’ve also played labor organizing conferences and youth-run community center shows, the main stage at Sasquatch! (2006 & ‘08) and Bumbershoot (2006), and in 2007 headlined their own Northwest Hip Hop festival, “The Program,” which sold out five nights in a row. Their discography includes the albums Blue Scholars (2004) and Biyani (2007), as well as the EPs The Long March (2005), Joe Metro (2007), Butter &… (2008), and OOF! (2009).

But enough about the past. What are Blue Scholars doing right now? Find out for yourself at www.bluescholars.com.

This semester's schedule!

Vids: Twin Sister @ Great Scott

Last semester, Twin Sister's Vampires With Dreaming Kids spent a few months in WTBU's rotation and on the top of our charts. On Monday night, the Long Island 5-piece played the Great Scott with Memoryhouse. Their set was excellent as always + WTBU was there to capture a few videos. Check out "Saturday Sunday" and "I Want a House" below:





Twin Sister and Memoryhouse are touring the US together throughout August. Full tour dates are posted here.

Listen to Vampires With Dreaming Kids here.

If you like Twin Sister, you might like other music played on Left of the Dial. Check out our blog here and/or tune in weekdays from 4-6pm starting September 2!

What do popular local singer-songwriters sound like anyway? Answer: Will Dailey.

It's summertime! Like many other BU students, I am back in my hometown hanging with my hometown crew and feeling a little too much like I'm back in high school again. Remember those days? After school sports times, wild Friday nights, and One Tree Hill? That's right — don't act like you could resist watching Chad Michael Murray play the high school hoops star underdog in that gripping WB drama. And who didn't love that feel-good theme song from Gavin Degraw? I don't wanna be anything other than ME!

Speaking of singer-songwriters who frequent popular TV dramas... yes, the singer-songwriter lives on; this species has found a way to survive in the digital age with old fashioned soul and sincerity. So when uber-popular BU alum and friend of mine Dan Chiz sought to highlight local singer-songwriter Will Dailey, I had a listen and ended up feeling so very end-of-a-particularly-sweet-Grey's Anatomy — in a good way.

Will Dailey reps Boston and has won awards here too. After years of all-or-nothing survival touring to stay afloat, he got the attention of record labels and has since been featured on CSI: Miami, CSI: New York and The Hills. It's no wonder, as Dailey's sound, reminiscent of Gavin Degraw and Sondre Lerche at times, works well on screen. It's simple, relatable and romantic.

Check out "Never Be Your Baby" for the catch appeal, or "Rise" if you're feeling more sentimental. Because not everybody likes indie music. And because those One Tree Hill days were golden ones.

- Jessy Bartlett

Review: Land of Talk @ TT the Bear's, 5/31

Montreal up-and-comers Land of Talk stole the show at TT the Bear's on Sunday night in front of a lucky summertime crowd. Lucky why, you ask? Because despite three excellent releases top to bottom, the band remains relatively unknown in the States — even in the indie rock scene despite ties to indie rock gods Broken Social Scene (lead singer Lizzie Powell is now an official member). Baffling as that is, it means you can still catch them at a small venue such as TT's for ten bucks opening for other bands. However, perhaps the secret is finally getting out as it seemed that most people came out to see LoT first and headliners the Besnard Lakes second.

Boston native Drew O'Doherty opened first with locally-flavored rock folk tales, complete with a Citgo sign shout out. Easy-going and cool, Drew and his band mates had the little room feeling homey. Headliners the Besnard Lakes played last, their set starting around midnight (complete with smoke machines!) after an extended set from LoT as requested by the crowd (more on that in a bit). The Besnard Lakes, also of Montreal, brought a mixed crowd of old school rock and rollers and young people. Their rock sound falls somewhere in between indie and psychedelic, an interesting blend that is all their own. Check out "Albatross" and my favorite, "Thomasina," to see what I mean.


After Drew and before the Besnard Lakes, Land of Talk played through a subdued but powerful set after lead singer Lizzie Powell announced she was feeling under the weather. It was no matter as the band rallied on through highlights from their library. Equal parts bang and quiet contemplation, the songs showcase Powell's distinctive voice and songwriting that just keeps getting better. They opened with fan favorite "Summer Special" and played songs from all three releases, including their latest, 2009's awesome Fun and Laughter EP.

The more upbeat "May You Never" and "Young Bridge" stood out, but it was the slower fare that really had sparks flying. I usually don't go to rock shows at TT's to cry, but I came damn close over gorgeous renditions of "Troubled," "It's Okay" and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen."


By the end of the set, we just couldn't let them leave the stage. After Besnard Lakes frontman Jace Lasek proudly announced that Land of Talk is his favorite band, we held out hope that we could get an encore — and did! Grateful for the love from the crowd, the band returned for the opening track off their debut LP Some Are Lakes, "Yuppy Flu." Almost giggling at the line "pissing on the Earth's face" and then ending on the big, dark note, "Stop seeing your own death / and selling it to me!," Powell charmed and killed it like only she can.

Watch out for the much anticipated sophomore album from Land of Talk later this summer. Cloak and Cipher is set to be released on August 24th on Saddle Creek Records and is said to feature contributions from members of Stars, the Besnard Lakes, Arcade Fire and more.

- Jessy Bartlett

Weekly chart 4/19-4/26

Top 30 Most-Played:

1 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
2 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday Sub Pop
3 GREG MULLEN The Hungry Ocean Self-Released
4 SHELLSHAG Rumors In Disguise Don Giovanni
5 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
6 FANG ISLAND Fang Island Sargent House
7 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
8 MGMT Congratulations Columbia
9 ADAM GREEN Minor Love Fat Possum
10 GOLDEN GIRLS U L T I M A T E F R E E D O M Burning Mill
11 AWESOME COLOR Massa Hypnos Ecstatic Peace
12 PAVEMENT Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Matador
13 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Monitor XL
14 GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer Warp
15 VARIOUS ARTISTS Whitehaus Family Record Family Record Whitehaus Family Record
16 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Genuine Negro Jig Nonesuch
17 HUMBLE TRIPE Counting Stars Knox
18 LAURA MARLING I Speak Because I Can Astralwerks
19 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
20 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
21 TORO Y MOI Causers Of This Carpark
22 SPOON Transference Merge
23 SLOTHBEAR Qids
24 LOS CAMPESINOS! Romance Is Boring Arts And Crafts
25 YAWN Yawn [EP] Self-Released
26 MANY MANSIONS/TRUMAN PEYOTE Peaced Together whitehaus family
27 WILD ASSUMPTIONS Wild Assumptions
28 SHOUT OUT LOUDS Work Merge
29 VARIOUS ARTISTS Mozart Park All-Stars Breakfast Of Champs
30 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]

New in Rotation:

1 DOOMSTAR! Rainbow Bloodsucker Self-released
2 BIG BIG BUCKS Crucial Schmooze Self-Released
3 QUILT March Appropriation
4 BLUNT MECHANIC World Record Barsuk

Attention Fans of Every Avenue (and WTBU)

Saturday Morning (April 24) from 2 to 4 AM, during The Girls At The Rock Show, WTBU will be giving away an Every Avenue prize pack! When you hear an Every Avenue song, call in at (617) 353-6400.

Prize pack includes:
-An Every Avenue T-Shirt
-A Signed Poster From The Band
-An Every Avenue Sticker
-A Copy of their latest release, Picture Perfect

First person to call in wins the prize pack. Prize pack courtesy of Fearless Records. For more information, visit: http://thegirlsattherockshow.tumblr.com

Don't forget to catch Every Avenue as they stop by Boston on the AP Tour, next Thursday, April 29 at Boston House of Blues, doors open at 6:00 PM. Other acts include The Summer Set, The Cab, Hey Monday and Never Shout Never.

Weekly Chart

Most played records from 4/12 to 4/19:

1 AWESOME COLOR Massa Hypnos Ecstatic Peace
2 SHELLSHAG Rumors In Disguise Don Giovanni
3 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
4 FANG ISLAND Fang Island Sargent House
5 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
6 SLOTHBEAR Qids
7 HARLEM Hippies Matador
8 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday Sub Pop
9 MARK SULTAN $ Last Gang
10 PAVEMENT Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Matador
11 WILD ASSUMPTIONS Wild Assumptions
12 GREG MULLEN The Hungry Ocean Self-Released
13 XIU XIU Dear God, I Hate Myself Kill Rock Stars
14 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
15 DUM DUM GIRLS I Will Be Sub Pop
16 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
17 BLACK TAMBOURINE Black Tambourine Slumberland
18 SHAI ERLICHMAN Home Recordings 2007 whitehaus family
19 SPOON Transference Merge
20 JONSI Go XL
21 DOM Sun Bronzed Greek Gods Burning Mill
22 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
23 GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer Warp
24 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Genuine Negro Jig Nonesuch
25 VARIOUS ARTISTS Whitehaus Family Record Family Record Whitehaus Family Record
26 RUBY SUNS Fight Softly SUB POP
27 SLOW CLUB Yeah, So MOSHI MOSHI
28 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
29 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
30 BEST COAST "When I'm With You" [Single] Black Iris

TONIGHT is our fundraiser at the Great Scott

Tonight is our fundraiser at the Great Scott in Allston!

More info about the show here on the Facebook event.

Here is a free mix of songs by the bands playing:

tracklist
Dom - Living in America
Quilt - False Eto
Golden Girls - Newports
Turtle Ambulance - Bueno Pues
The Lord Jeff - I Dont Wan't to Live 2X
Quilt - Disco Music For Trees
Dom - Jesus
The Lord Jeff - Cheer Up Charlie
Golden Girls - Dreams
Turtle Ambulance - Child
Dom - Burn Bridges
Turtle Ambulance - Cubierta
Dom - Rude As Jude

DOWNLOAD HERE. More info here.

WTBU's Redefined Interviews Australia's Hillsong United

Tune in to Redefined this Friday night (4/16) at 10PM.
DJ Jacqueline Lacy interviewed Hillsong United backstage after their sold-out show in downtown Boston last night. Check out the full interview on Jacqueline's show Redefined.

wtbu fundraiser show

sunday april 18 @ great scott in allston
golden girls

quilt

dom

the lord jeff

turtle ambulance

9pm
18+
$5

there are no classes at BU the next day!

there's a facebook event for the show here.

weekly chart for march 29 --> april 5

top 30 most played records from march 29th --> april 5th

1 DUM DUM GIRLS I Will Be Sub Pop
2 BUNDLES The Bundles K
3 RUBY SUNS Fight Softly SUB POP
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS Whitehaus Family Record Family Record Whitehaus Family Record
5 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
6 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Monitor XL
7 MANY MANSIONS/TRUMAN PEYOTE Peaced Together whitehaus family
8 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
9 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
10 WILD ASSUMPTIONS Wild Assumptions
11 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday Sub Pop
12 SPLINTERS Kick Double Negative
13 BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream SUB POP
14 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
15 BLACK TAMBOURINE Black Tambourine Slumberland
16 PAVEMENT Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Matador
17 SLOW CLUB Yeah, So MOSHI MOSHI
18 EVELYN EVELYN Evelyn Evelyn Eleven
19 VARIOUS ARTISTS Future Magic Vol. 1 Mushpot
20 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
21 FANG ISLAND Fang Island Sargent House
22 JOSIAH WOLF Jet Lag Anticon
23 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
24 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
25 GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer Warp
26 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
27 QUASI American Gong Kill Rock Stars
28 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat
29 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
30 TORO Y MOI Causers Of This Carpark



new in rotation this week

1 HARLEM Hippies Matador
2 AWESOME COLOR Massa Hypnos Ecstatic Peace
3 SHELLSHAG Rumors In Disguise Don Giovanni
4 MARK SULTAN $ Last Gang
5 LAURA MARLING I Speak Because I Can Astralwerks

SaintSeneca In-Studio Performance

On Thursday, March 25th, the Ohio based folk band Saintseneca performed on The Show About Nothing. Zac Little, Grace Chang, Luke Smith and Steve Jacobs comprise this incredibly talented group. These Ohio State students spent their spring break touring, and stopped by the studio in between performances in Allston and Cambridge.

Although there are only four members, Saintseneca filled the studio with the melodies of guitars, banjos, violins, dulcimers, trash-can-percussion, stomps, claps and voices; it sounded as if there were ten people crammed into Studio B. Saintseneca put tambourines and maracas in the plastic trash can to produce different sounds for different songs, creating the illusion that they were using an actual drum set. The band performed all four songs off of their 7”EP, as well as eight others. They played for about a half hour total, and talked for the rest.

Saintseneca spoke about their tour, which consisted of three stops in Boston and three others along the east coast; about how they got started after they all met at school; and about their lack of future plans (they hope that they keep playing together, as they have a great thing going, but don’t want to over-plan it too much). Saintseneca hopes to tour this summer, but does not have any dates set yet. They are, however, playing the Weapons of Mass Creation Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 22nd and 23rd. If you’ll be in the area, go check them out!

For videos of the in-studio performance, as well as other musicians that have come into the station, check out The Show About Nothing’s facebook group or youtube channel.



-Brittney, Kristin, and Deb; The Show About Nothing

Tune in Friday at 4pm ++ hear Manners

Look Into Look Unto is the most recent record by Manners. It was released earlier this year by Sun of Bees and the Whitehaus Family Record and the Grinding Tapes Recording Company. It has also been one of WTBU's most-played local albums this semester! Tune in to Left of the Dial on Friday at 4pm to hear some of these songs performed live in-studio. More info here and here and here and here.

Weekly charts/adds

Top 30 most played records this week:

1 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
2 SPLINTERS Kick Double Negative
3 GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer Warp
4 SPOON Transference Merge
5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday Sub Pop
6 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
7 RUBY SUNS Fight Softly SUB POP
8 BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream SUB POP
9 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
10 TWIN SISTER Vampires With Dreaming Kids
11 GORILLAZ Plastic Beach Virgin
12 TED LEO AND THE PHARMACISTS The Brutalist Bricks Matador
13 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
14 AVIATOR Thank You, Come Again Base Trip
15 DUM DUM GIRLS I Will Be Sub Pop
16 TITUS ANDRONICUS The Monitor XL
17 SHOUT OUT LOUDS Work Merge
18 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
19 FANG ISLAND Fang Island Sargent House
20 TORO Y MOI Causers Of This Carpark
21 GIGI Maintenant Tomlab
22 REAL ESTATE Real Estate Woodsist
23 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
24 PAVEMENT Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement Matador
25 VARIOUS ARTISTS Mozart Park All-Stars Breakfast Of Champs
26 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
27 BEST COAST "When I'm With You" [Single] Black Iris
28 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
29 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Genuine Negro Jig Nonesuch
30 EELS End Times Vagrant

New in rotation this week:

VARIOUS ARTISTS MtyMx: A Pitchfork Mix For DIY Mexico (Compilation)
VARIOUS ARTIST Don Giovanni Records Sampler (Don Giovanni)
WILD ASSUMPTIONS Wild Assumptions (Self release)
EVELYN EVELYN Evelyn Evelyn (Eleven)
JOSIAH WOLF Jet Lag (Anticon)
SLOW CLUB Yeah, So (MOSHI MOSHI)

Bad Kids From Georgia: The Black Lips

It’s rad to be able to listen to real rock and roll music again; thank God for The Black Lips. The Georgia-based revivalists have been making a dirty, lo-fi mix of rock and roll and blues for about 10 years now. They tour extensively, including places Western rock bands don’t frequent including India and Israel. The four garage-rockers have also become famous for their wild live shows.

I caught up with Black Lips bassist Jared Swiley on the phone. We talked about everything from boiled peanuts to his grandmother.

So How’s it going?

Jared: Good, I’m building a fence in front of my house.

That’s pretty awesome, do you still live in Georgia?

Yeah, I live in Atlanta.

You and Cole [the rhythm guitarist] started The Black Lips right?

Me and Cole started a band in high school called The Renegades before that and we just morphed in to the Black Lips. And then Joe [the drummer] joined. And then Ian [the lead guitarist] came a few years after. He’s our fourth guitar player.

I read somewhere you and Cole used to bully Ryan Seascrest in high school, is there any truth to that?

Uh, [laughing] he went to our high school but I think he graduated before I did, he’s a lot older than us. I think Cole was joking around in an interview, saying that. He used to do the morning announcements before I got there. I wish it was true.

So what of you think of being signed to Vice? They are your third record label.

It’s been great for us, cause we did seven years kind of touring, just as much as we do now, but no one knew who we were. It’s hard to survive off nothing, when you’re in that much poverty. So, Vice gave us a lot of exposure we wouldn’t have gotten before so, it made it easier for us to do this full time.

They also filmed you guys in India right? You guys got in some trouble right? You’re pretty well known for your stage antics.

[Laughing] Yeah. It was so silly because I worked on booking that tour with them for a year and they knew everything about us. We were the ones being up tight when we got there because we thought it was so strict; we were on our best behavior. Then the guys doing the tour were like, “You don’t have to hold back, you can do whatever you want, just be yourselves.” And right when we did that the promoters kicked us off the tour and we didn’t get to finish it. It was kind of a bummer, but we didn’t let it get us down.

Last Summer I saw you guys in Chicago. A guitar was broken and thrown in to the crowd on the very first song, there was fire extinguishers shot at everything, and you asked the crowd to rush the stage. The security guards were pissed. They wanted to get you in trouble.

We usually don’t ask people to [rush the stage]. I think we did it then because we had just gotten back from doing a bunch of festivals in England. English kids would break down the barriers and run on stage. We thought it was really funny because they would freak out on us, and yell at us, but we didn’t do anything. Actually we shoulda yelled at them for letting the crowd get through security.

But, usually security guards hate anyone that’s doing anything awesome. Which I can understand but, I think it’s fun for everyone. I got beat up by security after a show in London we did last year ‘cause kids invaded the stage. And it was an all ages show, so it was like really young kids, like girls jumping on stage and getting thrown off. They were really man-handling people so I was trying to get them away. Afterwards I was running my mouth at them, and they ‘bounced’ me.

We haven’t gotten in to much trouble lately. It was mostly in the early days, in the smaller clubs. Cause we wouldn’t bring anyone in, so we’d do stuff like that and they’d freak out. But, if people come to see you, you get a little more leeway.

What’s the most fucked up thing you’ve done on-stage?

We’ve never really done anything too bad, never intentionally hurt anyone, or intentionally break anything unless it’s our stuff. Nothing too fucked up. Nothing I’d want my grandmother to see, but stuff my Mom wouldn’t be too offended at. I mean there has been some gross stuff.

How and why do you do your stuff lo-fi?

We just record everything analog. That’s already gonna give it an older, warmer feel. We try not to overdo it on microphones. Even when The Beatles were recording, they were one of the top-selling bands ever. They didn’t use very many microphones. It’s about placing everything right. We’re more into minimalism than lo-fi. There’s a lot of stuff that’s too lo-fi where you can’t hear anything. We just use old equipment, we only use tape and a lot of tube microphones.

Anything new coming up?

We pretty much have the new album written. And we’ve done a couple of sessions; over the spring we’ll have the album done. So hopefully it’ll be done this year.

Top three bands you’ve been listening to right now. Go.

Hmmm. I just got this French girl group compilation. I’ve been listening to that a lot. French sixties girl groups. I’ve been listening to Reckless Eric a lot. And Alex Chilton a lot.

What do the Black Lips eat for snacks on the road?

Boiled peanuts are our favorite, but you can’t really get those outside of the South. And beef jerky. I usually eat a lot of that.

Very cool. I will see you when you’re in Boston.

Take it easy.

You can check out the Black Lips this Thursday at Middle East Downstairs in Cambridge at 8:00 p.m.

Lady Gaga Bake Sale Slideshow

Some of you may remember several weeks ago when a couple E-Board members and hardcore WTBUers/bitchin' friends took over some spots on campus to peddle baked goods. What the WTBU devotees will remember is that these were no ordinary cookies--they were themed around Lady Gaga, everyone's favorite pop star, fashion icon, Illuminati conspirator, and Twitter-er.

In case you aren't up on the baking world, WTBU's own Renee made a slideshow featuring fantastic photos and baking pointers, all set to the Lady's music. Check it out here:

Lady Gaga Cookie Slideshow

SPRING BREAK

WTBU programming will resume on Monday, March 15th.

Thanks!

WEEKLY CHART FEB 22 --> MAR 1

TOP 30 MOST-PLAYED

1 RUBY SUNS Fight Softly SUB POP
2 SHOUT OUT LOUDS Work Merge
3 BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream SUB POP
4 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
5 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
6 SPOON Transference Merge
7 MANY MANSIONS/TRUMAN PEYOTE Peaced Together whitehaus family
8 TWIN SISTER Vampires With Dreaming Kids
9 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Genuine Negro Jig Nonesuch
10 GIGI Maintenant Tomlab
11 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
12 XIU XIU Dear God, I Hate Myself Kill Rock Stars
13 THICK SHAKES Ooh Mommy
14 QUASI American Gong Kill Rock Stars
15 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
16 VARIOUS ARTISTS A Grinding Tapes Promo Disc Grinding Tapes
17 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
18 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
19 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat
20 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
21 FUCKED UP Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 Matador
22 BYNARS Party All Nite
23 MIDNIGHT MASSES Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body
24 MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism Nonesuch
25 NANA GRIZOL Ruth Orange Twin
26 LOS CAMPESINOS! Romance Is Boring Arts And Crafts
27 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
28 KAL MARKS Recovering After The Storm Self-Released
29 EELS End Times Vagrant
30 OUTERNATIONAL Eyes On Fire [EP] Self-Released


NEW IN ROTATION THIS WEEK

1 GONJASUFI A Sufi And A Killer Warp
2 SPLINTERS Kick Double Negative
3 FANG ISLAND Fang Island Sargent House
4 LIARS Sisterworld Mute
5 HAPPY BIRTHDAY Happy Birthday Sub Pop

Jason Boesel plays at WTBU

This past Saturday night Jason Boesel (of Rilo Kiley and the Elected) came in studio to perform and promote his new solo album Hustler's Son.

Check out this video of him performing the song "Burned Out and Busted" in WTBU's studio:




For more information check out SHUT UP ZINE online.

TOP 30 MOST PLAYED 2/15 -- 2/22

1 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
2 BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream SUB POP
3 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
4 SHOUT OUT LOUDS Work Merge
5 ADAM GREEN Minor Love Fat Possum
6 SPOON Transference Merge
7 NANA GRIZOL Ruth Orange Twin
8 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
9 TWIN SISTER Vampires With Dreaming Kids
10 YAWN Yawn [EP] Self-Released
11 LOS CAMPESINOS! Romance Is Boring Arts And Crafts
12 BYNARS Back From Outer Space [EP] Self-Released
13 XIU XIU Dear God, I Hate Myself Kill Rock Stars
14 PAST LIVES Tapestry Of Webs Suicide Squeeze
15 MANY MANSIONS/TRUMAN PEYOTE Peaced Together whitehaus family
16 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
17 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
18 REAL ESTATE Real Estate Woodsist
19 GROOMS Rejoicer death by audio
20 GIGI Maintenant Tomlab
21 MIDNIGHT MASSES Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body
22 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat
23 TORO Y MOI Causers Of This Carpark
24 JAKE JENKINS No Folk Luck Swallows Everything Get Young
25 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
26 THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
27 KAL MARKS Recovering After The Storm Self-Released
28 EELS End Times Vagrant
29 MAGIC MAN Real Life Color Self-Released
30 BIG TROUBLES Freudian Slips Blackburn


NEW IN ROTATION THIS WEEK

VARIOUS ARTISTS A Grinding Tapes Promo Disc Grinding Tapes
QUASI American Gong Kill Rock Stars
THIN HEIR Thin Heir [EP]
CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS Genuine Negro Jig Nonesuch
RUBY SUNS Fight Softly SUB POP
THICK SHAKES Ooh Mommy Snugglehound

WTBU Interview w/ All Ages Movement Project

Today WTBU interviewed All Ages Movement Project coordinator Kevin Erickson. AMP is a national nonprofit that connects all-ages venues and youth music organizations around the country, so that people who run all ages spaces/organizations can learn from one another, become stronger, and grow.

We talked about the history and goals of AMP, their tactics for connecting organizations, and the importance of all ages venues/organizations. Download an mp3 of the entire interview here.

AMP is currently in the running to win $50,000 from Pepsi's "Refresh Everything" contest! If AMP wins, they plan to put some of the money towards publishing a book on organizing all-ages venues, and funding a national book tour. Check out the contest here, vote for AMP, and help make all-ages music happen in every town!

AMP: The What What from Shannon Stewart on Vimeo.

Redefined interviews Glenridge

Tune into Re: Defined this Friday from 10PM to Midnight to hear a live interview with New Hampshire band Glenridge!

Charts and Adds! (week of 2/16/10)

top 30 most-played this week, feb 8--> feb 16

1 BEACH HOUSE Teen Dream SUB POP
2 VAMPIRE WEEKEND Contra XL
3 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Heavy Days Infinity Cat
4 MANNERS Look Into Look Unto Whitehaus Family Record
5 QUILT Quilt Self-Released
6 MANY MANSIONS/TRUMAN PEYOTE Peaced Together whitehaus family
7 REAL ESTATE Real Estate Woodsist
8 GIRLFRIENDS Girlfriends Self-Released
9 SPOON Transference Merge
10 MAGNETIC FIELDS Realism Nonesuch
11 TWIN SISTER Vampires With Dreaming Kids
12 MIDNIGHT MASSES Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body
13 BEST COAST "When I'm With You" [Single] Black Iris
14 GOLDEN GIRLS "Amateur Teen Sex Attics" [Single]
15 NANA GRIZOL Ruth Orange Twin
16 SURFER BLOOD Astro Coast Kanine
17 GROOMS Rejoicer death by audio
18 TORO Y MOI Causers Of This Carpark
19 VARIOUS ARTISTS Underwater Peoples Winter Review Underwater Peoples
20 BYNARS Back From Outer Space [EP] Self-Released
21 FUCKED UP Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 Matador
22 BONUS EVENTUS Canaceros Dinosaurs In Vietnam
23 BEN SOLLEE AND DANIEL MARTIN MOORE Dear Companion Sub Pop
24 LOS CAMPESINOS! Romance Is Boring Arts And Crafts
25 VARIOUS ARTISTS Whitehaus Family Record Family Record Whitehaus Family Record
26 YAWN Yawn [EP] Self-Released
27 KAL MARKS Recovering After The Storm Self-Released
28 VARIOUS ARTISTS Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 Matador
29 VARIOUS ARTISTS Mozart Park All-Stars Breakfast Of Champs
30 TUNE-YARDS BiRd-BrAiNs 4AD

new in rotation this week:

1 XIU XIU Dear God, I Hate Myself Kill Rock Stars
2 PAST LIVES Tapestry Of Webs Suicide Squeeze
3 ADAM GREEN Minor Love Fat Possum
4 SHOUT OUT LOUDS Work Merge

Give-Aways and Interview on Schist that Rocks!

Schist That Rocks, Fridays 2-4AM, is giving away a 3 day pass to the New England Americana Festival on the show and having The Autumn Hollow Band, festival organizers and headliners, on the show for a performance and interview.

Switchfoot interview on "Redefined," Friday at 10PM

Tune into Redefined this Friday night, 10pm-Midnight to listen to a special Boston interview with Switchfoot's Tim Foreman, the bassist for the band. Listen to him answer questions about Switchfoot from BU students and from those around the Boston area and hear about his history, back when he was a Boston boy.



Tea Leaf Green concert review, Paradise Rock Club, 2/6/10

Tea Leaf Green can play many different ways – well-written songs, powerful rock and roll, dirty funk, loose jams, and sometimes all these at once – making its live show a potentially different experience every time. The band’s last two albums, 2005’s Taught To Be Proud and their 2008 effort Raise Up The Tent has seen a trend away from the earlier, longer jams of its first three records and towards a more concise, well-developed songwriting style. Saturday night at the Paradise Rock Club reflected this evolution.

That being said, Tea Leaf hasn’t dropped the early songs from its set lists and an early “Freedom” showcased guitarist Josh Clark at his apex. Equally at home digging into heavy metal or bouncing around a bluegrass tune, Clark’s versatility is a big part of what makes this band tick. With “Freedom,” Clark was able to take over the jam and build it to a high-intensity climax before the band switched gears into the earnest ballad “Faced With Love.”


“Faced With Love” echoes another aspect of the band, in that the song doesn’t appear on any of their studio albums. While most bands use studio albums to showcase and fine-tune its best songs, they are used as mainly just benchmarks for Tea Leaf Green, and its catalog of songs is so extensive that “Freedom” was the only song in the first set that has ever been recorded in the studio and released.


Midway through the first set the band took the show into uncharted territory with a cache of new songs. “Without A Broom,” “Oklahoma Home” and “Cottonwood Tree” were all part of the trend toward shorter and more focused songs that Tea Leaf seems to be embracing. The buoyant, energetic “Cops Took My Weed” was a fun romp through some lighthearted storytelling by keyboardist and singer Trevor Garrod.

The second set followed a similar trend to the first, with an absolute blow out of a jam in “Wet Spot” > “Invasion” > “Wet Spot” before settling back into more of a stop-start, song after song approach. “Jackson Hole,” another new song, preceded the feel-good “Papa’s In The Backroom” before crowd favorite “The Garden (Pt. III)” brought the show back to the level of intensity achieved during “Wet Spot.” “Incandescent Devil” showcased Garrod’s impressive harmonica skills as he stood on his keyboard stool to deliver his solo.


The encore of “Morning Sun” with guitarist Rusty Kelly from opening band Elmwood was another high-energy romp and served to underline the theme of the show. While some of the experimental and exploratory jams were missing from the set list, Tea Leaf Green’s multiple personalities and wide-ranging abilities assure that no show is ever a bad one.


- Dan Rys