WTBU DAY 2009!

WTBU is pleased to announce the fall lineup for WTBU DAY at BU Central this fall on September 11th:

Magic Magic
Pretty & Nice
You Can Be A Wesley

All three bands have acquired national attention and include BU alums!
The show starts at 8 P.M. with live DJs. Admission is free for all BU students/$5 for non-BU students.

What's This I Hear About Another Tribute Show?

WTBU is teaming up with BU Central to bring Boston University its own Michael Jackson tribute concert! The show will be October 2 and will include acts from around the Boston area. If you or bands you know are interested in playing at the show, let us know! Contact us at music@wtburadio.org!

Lonesome Vince's Grand Ole Hoot

It seems these days that every local show under $10 follows the same format: You go to the venue of choice, you watch the 3-4 band lineup, you tap your foot, drink a beer, catch up with friends, perhaps meet someone new, and then the show ends and you leave. But how do you feel when you leave? Has your mood changed? Was the show worth its price? Were you entertained? People need to ask themselves such questions in order to assess the quality of the shows they attend. People should expect talented performers and an energized atmosphere that is unique to each show. Local shows sometimes lack such characteristics, and instead feature familiar bands and audiences on weekday nights when less is happening. The “wow” factor is lost and so are expectations.

Lonesome Vince and his folk friends will bring you something more.

On September 10, the Central Square YMCA Family Theater will house a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, mouth-humming, body-rocking, and entertaining event. Lonesome Vince, a Boston University grad known for the monthly clandestine hootenannies he hosts in his Allston attic, is grouping together an eclectic mix of folk artists from Boston to host a different kind of show. It will incorporate musicians from Mama Bird Recording Company, a record label Vince recently started with some of his favorite Boston folk acts including Vikesh Kapoor, Barna Howard, and Old Hannah. Spitzer Space Telescope, a current BU student, will also be performing.

The show is an attempt to revive the notion of an event as a spectacle, and the YMCA Family Theater is the perfect place to do so, as it boasts wooden chairs, chandeliers, and an old-fashioned box office. The tickets and fliers are handmade and silk screened in classic western font, adding to the show’s aesthetics. Vince will host the show while joining some of the musicians on stage between sets. He wants the event to evoke a feeling of “old-time radio,” reminiscent of Garrison Kiellor’s live broadcasts in the 1970s. He’s even including cornbread and lemonade to accompany the folk feeling.

“It’s about making an experience. It’s more than just watching people on stage—it’s participatory.”

Vince and his friends are moving to the west coast in the fall, so the Grand Ole Hoot will be one of the last opportunities Bostonians will have to "participate" in one of Vince's spectacles. Tickets are $5 in advance and 7 at the door. The doors are at 7 P.M. and seats are first-come, first-served.

24 HOUR WTBU & (RED)TM O.A.R. VIP Ticket Giveaway Closed

Thanks to everyone who entered! A winner has been chosen, but we'll be holding more VIP ticket giveaways with (RED)NIGHTS this semester, so stay tuned!

24 HOUR WTBU & (RED)TM O.A.R. VIP Ticket Giveaway!

WTBU & (RED)TM are giving away a pair of VIP tickets to O.A.R.'s (RED)NIGHTS show at Bank of America Pavilion on August 13th. As a VIP, you'll get to meet the band, score some (RED)NIGHTS goods and check out the concert.




The first WTBU fan who answers the following question correctly in an email sent to pr@wtburadio.org by tomorrow (Wednesday, 8/12) at 12:30 p.m. EST, along with your name, age, and contact number, will win! The question: AT WHAT UNIVERSITY DID THE 5 MEMBERS BECOME O.A.R.?

Good luck, WTBUers! The contest winner will be announced tomorrow, Wednesday, after 2 p.m.
(RED)NIGHTS is a concert series that saves lives. A portion of the proceeds from every (RED)NIGHTS show goes directly to Africa to help those affected by AIDS.

Must be 18 or older and a legal resident of Boston or the surrounding areas (within 75 miles) to win. Please click here to view official (RED)TM sweepstakes rules.

Off the Hook in '09 & Overlooked in '08

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca (2009)

"Isn't life under the sun just a crazy, crazy, crazy dream?" asks Amber Coffman of the Dirty Projectors in "Stillness Is the Move," the first single off Bitte Orca. If music can sound this crazy good all the time, then I think it must be.

The Dirty Projectors have finally cleared the hurdles of over ambition and lack of cohesion. Bitte Orca pulses with life, a full out celebration of everything under the sun. Mind blowing arrangements of vocals and all instruments take flight over grooves you'll swear were inspired by your heart and soul on your best day. If David Longstreth's impulsive YEAH!s won't get you, the African beats and queer harmonies will.

All female vocals, precise to the point of sounding alien-like at times, show auto-tuner what's up and then some on "Temecula Sunrise" and "Stillness Is the Move." A seamless transition into "Two Doves" follows, a love song with a gorgeous hook. Love seems to be the order of the day on Bitte Orca, and you will feel it all over; it's impossible to sit still when the electric finale of "Useful Chamber" hits and breaks you into a million happy pieces as Longstreth shouts, "Bitte orca, orca BITTE!" over raging guitars. Even darker lines such as, "... beckoning everyone in for the good news that / no one has any good reason to live!" heard on "The Bride" are delivered as a cause for rejoicing in a big way.

Bitte Orca makes me want to run out into the streets, conjure up an impromptu cultural festival in a major metropolitan area, and then embrace all parties involved under a blazing setting sun. Take that as you wish, but if you give any album a chance this summer, please let it be this one.

Other Top Contenders:

St. Vincent - Actor : Annie Clark is back for another round of weird fantasy meets tragedy storytelling on her sophomore effort, and she's now even harder to pin down. Rock "Marrow" at your house dance party or bring on nightmares with "The Neighbors."

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest : Another harmony and unorthodox instrument party. See review.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Ra Ra Riot - The Rhumb Line (2008)

I'm not sure why I slept on Ra Ra Riot's debut full-length release, but after seeing them live, it's sure got my attention (and love) now. Wes Miles' vocals are disarming, sad but sweet, while violin and cello accompaniments class things up with a gravitas you don't often find in young bands. Their wise-beyond-their-years vibe may very well be rooted in the tragic death of band member John Pike back in 2007. Standout tracks such as "Winter '05" and "Dying is Fine" are given new weight as a result: "If you were here / Winter wouldn't pass quite so slow...."

Still, with the heavy-heartedness comes a bright and steady light of optimism that permeates the album. "Oh, la! / We've got a lot to learn from each other, we have got to stick together," pleads Miles on "Oh, La." The sunny "Each Year," inspired by literary children's classic To Kill a Mockingbird, can sum up the spirit of Ra Ra Riot: innocent but mature, hopeful, and well-meaning. The infectious "St. Peter's Day Festival" is instant favorite material while album closer "Run My Mouth" sports a bridge that will earn repeat listens for days.

The Rhumb Line succeeds because it works on so many levels. It can be poignant and emotional or uplifting, heels-a-clicking fun. It can keep you company in the dead of lonely winter or spring you back to life for summer. Either way, there is not one throwaway track on here.

Also worth checking out:

The Kills - Midnight Boom: Lead singer Alison Mosshart is dangerous (irresistibly so), and she will take you for a ride on her crazy train. "Tape Song" and "Cheap and Cheerful" showcase the album's gritty, sexy and so very rock & roll attitude.

- Jessy Bartlett

The Return of Pretty & Nice

Holden Lewis, a 24-year-old musician and alumnus of Boston University, has a band. The band’s name is Pretty & Nice and they’ve been upping the Boston music scene’s ante for a few years now. Since the 7th grade, Lewis has been cultivating his talents for his Boston-based group, a four-piece peppy pop band with true instrumental talent.

The makings of Pretty & Nice began when Lewis wanted to pursue a music group at the end of high school. At the time, the band was composed of four different members, all friends of Lewis’ from the northeast. Musicians shifted in and out of the band until Lewis found the perfect asset during his sophomore year in college, Jeremy Mendicino. Lewis describes Mendicino as “being born to do music.” It was that year that Lewis knew he was going to make music his priority in life.

His decision to do so was a wise one, considering the success Pretty & Nice has seen since then. The buzz started when they played their first shows in Boston and developed a strong fan base. They then organized their own tours; national music blogs like Pitchfork and Paper Thin Walls heard about them and latched on to their sound. The word continued to spread when a year ago, Sub Pop’s sister label, Hardly Art, asked them to sign.

The band has also been invited to perform at music festivals like South By Southwest, and has received acclaim from popular music publications (including a recent spotlight in SPIN). They have released two albums and an EP since 2006 and have toured just about everywhere in the U.S.

“If you have the drive to get on the road, you can get help by asking friends or other touring bands. The key is being able to communicate with people. You have to keep in touch with a lot of folks to book your own tours and figure out what the scenes are like in each town…you also need to be in a band worth booking,” explains Lewis.

Despite its aquired notoriety, Pretty & Nice keeps close to its Boston roots. Locally, the band has played shows in many established venues around town; Boston is indeed the city to hear them and they’re usually on the bill with other dance bands that promote a similar “fun” atmosphere.

The band’s “fun” atmosphere stems from the influences and creativity of Mendicino and Lewis. The two mix jagged guitar parts with synthesizers, drums, and teaming vocals. The lyrics are crafty and imaginative; they evoke a carefree feeling of youthful escapism from the audience—perhaps that’s why their latest album is titled Get Young.

Not only do they provide fans a fun night at a venue like a lot of other local gems, but they’re good, too. They pay attention to detail, and it’s clear within their perfect-pitched harmonies and elaborate guitar riffs.

“They add electronic sounds and record in analog, which most artists don’t bother with now. It makes them stand out—makes you remember them,” states Will Orman, a friend and fan of the band for two years.

They take their music seriously. Look into the animated eyes of Mendicino while he’s performing on stage and you’ll know what I’m talking about. The band makes a non-verbal promise to entertain you.

Catch them LIVE at Great Scott in Allston on Wednesday, July 29 at 9 PM with So Many Dynamos! The show is 18+ and $9 in advance/$10 at the door.

Listen to their single “Tora Tora Tora!” on their website.

-Jen Brown, Music Director