Hey kids! It's that time of the month again (not THAT one, silly). Time for you to find out what you'll be doing all month. It's summertime, which means I have less free time and you (hopefully) have more. Go to these shows! Be happy! That's an order!
Monday 6/1
Sky Eats Airplane (show review here), In Fear and Faith, Eyes Set To Kill @ Croc Rock $15
OR
Hillsong United @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $25-30
Tuesday 6/2
Grizzly Bear, Here We Go Magic @ The Troc $20
Wednesday 6/3
Gregory Isaacs, Easy Star All-Stars (WVMM playlist), Lionize @ Ram's Head $25 (or @ 9:30 Club 6/4)
OR
Rock the Vote presents Wale @ 9:30 Club $25
OR
Get A Life (Homeboy Music), Protagonist, Landmines @ Champion Ship $7
Thursday 6/4 (My 20th Birthday!)
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Static Brigade, Clock Radio @ Ottobar $10
OR
Gogol Bordello, Man Man @ Ram's Head $25
Friday 6/5
Doves (WVMM playlist), Wild Light @ The Troc $25
OR
?uestlove presents Soulive @ TLA $28
OR
The Color Fred (show review here), The Walk of Fame, Your Sweet Uncertainty, Alert the Media, Ugly Girls Crying @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction @ Susquehanna Bank Center $99
OR
(21+) Blue Oyster Cult @ Chameleon $25
OR
Citizen Cope @ Croc Rock $25 (or 6/7 @ Ram's Head $35)
Saturday 6/6
(21+) Art Brut, Cymbals Eat Guitar @ Johnny Brenda's $15 (hipster heaven)
OR
Job For A Cowboy (video shoot), Mortal Decay @ First Unitarian $0.94 (yes, you read that right)
OR
The Scenic, The Goodnight Anthem, Lannen Fall, Hotspur, This Condition @ The Khyber $12
OR
The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Eye Sense Catastrophe, By Sundown, At Day Break, Commercial Criticism, Fell Through The Sky @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
The Decemberists @ Tower Theater $64
OR
The Roots' Picnic @ Penn's Landing Festival Pier $69-82 (The Roots, TV on the Radio, The Black Keys, Public Enemy performing It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back with the Roots and Antibalas, Antibalas, Santigold, Busdriver, Dirty Magazine, Asher Roth [show review here], Writtenhouse, Back to Basics (King Britt & Dozia), Dave P, Kid Cudi, etc.)
OR
New Kids on the Block, Jabbawockeez @ Susquehanna Bank Center $87.25
Sunday 6/7
(21+) Dark Meat, Popo (Mad Decent), Nymph @ Kungfu Necktie $10
OR
Phish @ Susquehanna Bank Center $51.50
OR
Ray J @ Croc Rock $30
OR
The Scenic, Hotspur, Lannen Fall @ Croc Rock $10
OR
The Hold Steady @ 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
Monday 6/8
Jenny Lewis (WVMM Playlist, singer from Rilo Kiley), Deer Tick @ The Troc $23
OR
TV on the Radio, Dirty Projectors @ 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
OR
The Decemberists (WVMM Playlist), Andrew Bird (WVMM Playlist), Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus Three @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $30-45
Tuesday 6/9
(21+) BLK JKS, So So Glos, more TBA @ Kungfu Necktie $10
OR
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Clockradio!, Tiger Hill, Stupid Hero @ Ottobar $10
OR
The Devil Makes Three, Young Sir Jim, Drunk Again @ Talking Head Club $10
OR
TV on the Radio, Dirty Projectors @ 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
OR
Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Street Sweeper Social Club (ex-Rage Against The Machine, ex-The Coup) @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $40-75
Wednesday 6/10
Dillinger Escape Plan, The Number Twelve Looks Like You, Knife the Glitter @ 1st Unitarian $15
OR
Santigold, Amanda Blank, Trouble Andrew @ 9:30 Club SOLD OUT
OR
Earth, Wind & Fire, Chicago @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $35-75
Thursday 6/11
Eddie Vedder (ex-Pearl Jam), Liam Finn @ Tower Theater $153-460 (or 6/12)
OR
No Doubt, Paramore @ Susquehanna Bank Center $12-82
Friday 6/12
Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood @ Wachovia Center $65-150
OR
Mika Miko, The Death Set, The Strange Boys, Coathangers, Dope Body, Death Domain, DJ King Gilber, DJ Tony Pence @ Sonar $10
OR
Band of Horses, Arbouretum @ Ram's Head Live $25
OR
Kyle Morgan (Homeboy Music) @ Cornerstone Coffee FREE
Saturday 6/13
Maps & Atlases, So Many Dynamos, Fang Island, Luminous, Troubador (Homeboy Music) @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
Taxlo Summer Party: Dan Deacon, Black Dice, Thieves Like Us, Dat Politics, Martyn, Get 'Em Mamis, DJ Booman, Scottie B, Awesome Color, Taxlo DJs @ Sonar $15
OR
Reunion Benefit Show: Huntingtons (reunion), Ghoti Hook (reunion), Tantrum of the Muse (reunion), Speedy Delivery (reunion), 274 (reunion), Fred and the Savages (reunion), Maine Line Riders, Adam & Dave's Bloodline @ City of Hope $10
Sunday 6/14
Peter, Paul & Mary @ Kimmel Center $294-410
OR
I Sea Monsters (Homeboy Music), A New Shade of This, Alyria, Stand Your Ground @ Champion Ship $8
Monday 6/15
Drop Dead Gorgeous, He Is Legend, Before Their Eyes, And Then There Were None @ Hangar 84 $14.75
Tuesday 6/16
Clues (ex-Arcade Fire, ex-Unicorns), Drink Up Buttercup, Conversations With Enemies @ The Barbary $10
OR
Portugal the Man (WVMM Playlist), The Painter and the Canvas, Rosiere, Carbon Kin @ Ottobar $12
OR
Plain White T's @ Ram's Head Live $18 (or 6/17 @ 9:30 w/ Company of Thieves, Days Difference)
Wednesday 6/17
For the Fallen Dreams, Abacabb, Stray From The Path, Heed the Warning, A Century Collapsed (Homeboy Music), Scattered Through The Woods @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
Calexico, Lo Moda @ Sonar $15
OR
Peaches, Drums of Death @ 9:30 Club $20
Thursday 6/18
Jimmy Buffet and the Coral Reefer Band @ Susquehanna Bank Center $36-136 (or 6/20)
OR
House Exit (Homeboy Music), Alex Brubaker (Homeboy Music), Fink's Constant, Hamilton and Gerst @ Trez Music Education Center FREE
Friday 6/19
(21+) Harlem Shakes (WVMM Playlist), Free Energy @ Kungfu Necktie $10
OR
(21+) Bacardi B-LIVE presents: Major Lazer (Diplo & Switch), A-Trak, Drop the Lime @ Electric Factory FREE (with RSVP here)
OR
Metric (WVMM Playlist), Sebastien Grainger (WVMM Playlist) @ The Troc $21 (or 6/18 @ 9:30 $22)
OR
Ace Enders and A Million Different People (ex-The Early November), Person L @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
Black Lips, Spank Rock, Ninjasonik, Popo (Mad Decent), DJ Jacob Safari @ Sonar $18
OR
Alex Brubaker (Homeboy Music) @ Legends Cafe FREE
OR
Aaron Charles (Homeboy Music), Purifiction, Regretting Redemption, No Remorse for the Fallen, ... and Then I Stabbed Him, Dishonor the Chapel @ The Silo (Reading, PA) $?
Saturday 6/20
(21+) Thunderheist, Rye Rye (M.I.A.'s label), Mad Decent DJs @ The Barbary $8
OR
Taking Back Sunday, Anberlin, Envy on the Coast @ Electric Factory $27.50 (SOLD OUT?)(or 6/21 @ Sonar $28)
OR
Boys Like Girls, Never Shout Never, The Ready Set @ Chameleon $20
Sunday 6/21
The Classic Crime, Salute the Dawn, In Plainview, You Save My Days, February Falls @ Hangar 84 $14.75
OR
Thunderheist, more TBA @ Ottobar $12
Monday 6/22
Jazmine Sullivan (51:51), Ryan Leslie (The Fader) @ Sonar $25-50
Tuesday 6/23
A Static Lullaby, Vanna, Motionless in White, Asking Alexandria @ The Barbary $12 (or 6/24 @ Ottobar $12 w/ Tides of Man or 6/25 @ Hangar 84 w/out 2 openers $14.75 or 6/26 @ Croc Rock $12 w/ openers & Tides of Man)
OR
Anthony Hamilton, Musiq Soulchild @ Tower Theater $94-441
OR
Def Leppard, Poison, Cheap Trick @ Susquehanna Bank Center $10.80-122.25
OR
REO Speedwagon, Styx, .38 Special @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $40-75
Wednesday 6/24
The Fray, Jack's Mannequin @ Susquehanna Bank Center $14.50-89.50 (or 6/16 w/ Richard Swift $25.50-45.50 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion)
Thursday 6/25
The Classic Crime, These Green Eyes, The Kiera Plan @ The Khyber $10
OR
Owl City, Holiday Parade, Swimming with Dolphins @ Sonar $12
OR
Red, Framing Hanley @ Recher Theatre $15
Friday 6/26
(21+) Telepathe, Lemondade, Jotto @ Johnny Brenda's $10
OR
Beyonce, Solange @ Wachovia Center $20.75-110.75
OR
Framing Hanley, Cavo @ Chameleon $12
Saturday 6/27
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force @ 9:30 Club 27.50
OR
Aaron Charles (Homeboy Music), Bataan Death March, Gloominous Doom, Oprinchiki, Kotetsu! @ Alexander's German Deli (Fleetwood, PA) $6
Sunday 6/28
Every Avenue, Cash Cash, Valencia, Morning Light, Sparks the Rescue @ Crock Rock $12
Tuesday 6/30
Scream the Prayer Tour 2: Haste the Day, The Chariot, Sleeping Giant, Project 86, Oh Sleeper, Gwen Stacy, AGraceful, Love Legacy, A Plea For Purging, Corpus Christi, I Am Alpha and Omega @ Croc Rock $20
LINKS (to myspaces, etc.) WILL BE COMING SOON!
5/29/09
5/27/09
Show Review: mewithoutYou Album Release Party
For the uninitiated, let me explain: Rock concerts have often been compared to religious services. mewithoutYou concerts take this vague analogy and add both overtly and subtly religious lyrics (including quotations from Song of Songs and Sufi poets, among other things), an often largely religious audience, the reverence that fans have for lyricists like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen (directed toward Aaron Weiss), and the physical impact of the dancier indie bands amplified by the post-hardcore backgrounds of most of the musicians involved. In other words, if this rock concert isn't a religious experience, there may not be a God after all.
That said, on to this particular show: I lined up outside the Trocadero, a former burlesque theater in Philadelphia's Chinatown district, with a pair of hardcore friends and their less-hardcore fiancee and girlfriend. Wandering up and down the line (which was down the block and around the corner well before doors opened at 7) I ran into about a dozen groups of friends I knew from various places: hippies, scenesters, nerds, indie kids, hipsters of various stripes, along with the occasional "normal" person. Once inside, we were greeted with the sounds of what appeared to be a Christian version of The Roots-Urban Sophisticates, a live hip-hop band with a small brass section (trombone and trumpet), guitar, bass, drums, an MC and a singer. Hailing from the South, they had evidently met the members of mewithoutYou at festivals around the country, their trumpeter even recording tracks for the new album. They ran through a half hour set of their material, pumping up the crowd and taking their own videos, before being replaced by Danielson (the MC and trumpeter would return for guest spots with the main act).
Here's one of their on-stage videos:
Danielson was... how shall I put this... interesting. A family band wearing nursing uniforms that reminded me of a cross between the Salvation Army and Awana, they were fronted by a vocalist who reminded me of the more grating moments of The Blood Brothers, Coheed & Cambria, and Modest Mouse (comparisons being shot around the crowd the entire time). After a few songs of their post-rock-ish indie jams (at least one of which involved the keyboard player simply mashing his hands rhythmically on the synthesizer in front of him), I elected to hit up the bar for a drink of water and check out the merch in the foyer, where I talked with the frontmen from Urban Sophisticates. After discovering that they were scheduled to play b-sides at Messiah in the fall, how they knew mewithoutYou, and the quality (or lack thereof) of the music being played in the other room, I let them leave for a quick Wawa run before they headed backstage for mewithoutYou's portion of the show. (Disclaimer: a few of my friends really liked Danielson).
When mewithoutYou finally hit the stage, the hometown crowd erupted. The clapping throughout nearly every song failed to obscure the fact that nearly everyone was singing along-to every single word, even the new stuff. Cheers erupted at the opening notes of each song as devoted fans recognized their beloved favorites. Joined on stage at various points by the frontman from the Psalters (singing background vocals and playing some foreign type of stringed instrument), the trumpeter and MC from Urban Sophisticates, a second trumpeter, a chamber group including strings and more winds, and former band members, mewithoutYou regaled the crowd with an unforgettable set of both old and new material, peppered with comments such as "Mom, it's like this every night on tour". By the time they returned for the inevitable encore, ending with perennial favorite "In a Sweater Poorly Knit", the crowd was dominated by dancing, swaying, sweaty veterans, hugging each other like they'd been friends for years and screaming the lyrics back at the band like their lives depended on it. I ran into people I hadn't seen in years, saw grown men brought to tears, and experienced such poetry that I just accidentally rhymed in a blog. This was not another show, not another concert; this was an experience we will all treasure for a lifetime.
Here's an (admittedly shaky) black & white video of what that final anthem was like that night:
That said, on to this particular show: I lined up outside the Trocadero, a former burlesque theater in Philadelphia's Chinatown district, with a pair of hardcore friends and their less-hardcore fiancee and girlfriend. Wandering up and down the line (which was down the block and around the corner well before doors opened at 7) I ran into about a dozen groups of friends I knew from various places: hippies, scenesters, nerds, indie kids, hipsters of various stripes, along with the occasional "normal" person. Once inside, we were greeted with the sounds of what appeared to be a Christian version of The Roots-Urban Sophisticates, a live hip-hop band with a small brass section (trombone and trumpet), guitar, bass, drums, an MC and a singer. Hailing from the South, they had evidently met the members of mewithoutYou at festivals around the country, their trumpeter even recording tracks for the new album. They ran through a half hour set of their material, pumping up the crowd and taking their own videos, before being replaced by Danielson (the MC and trumpeter would return for guest spots with the main act).
Here's one of their on-stage videos:
Danielson was... how shall I put this... interesting. A family band wearing nursing uniforms that reminded me of a cross between the Salvation Army and Awana, they were fronted by a vocalist who reminded me of the more grating moments of The Blood Brothers, Coheed & Cambria, and Modest Mouse (comparisons being shot around the crowd the entire time). After a few songs of their post-rock-ish indie jams (at least one of which involved the keyboard player simply mashing his hands rhythmically on the synthesizer in front of him), I elected to hit up the bar for a drink of water and check out the merch in the foyer, where I talked with the frontmen from Urban Sophisticates. After discovering that they were scheduled to play b-sides at Messiah in the fall, how they knew mewithoutYou, and the quality (or lack thereof) of the music being played in the other room, I let them leave for a quick Wawa run before they headed backstage for mewithoutYou's portion of the show. (Disclaimer: a few of my friends really liked Danielson).
When mewithoutYou finally hit the stage, the hometown crowd erupted. The clapping throughout nearly every song failed to obscure the fact that nearly everyone was singing along-to every single word, even the new stuff. Cheers erupted at the opening notes of each song as devoted fans recognized their beloved favorites. Joined on stage at various points by the frontman from the Psalters (singing background vocals and playing some foreign type of stringed instrument), the trumpeter and MC from Urban Sophisticates, a second trumpeter, a chamber group including strings and more winds, and former band members, mewithoutYou regaled the crowd with an unforgettable set of both old and new material, peppered with comments such as "Mom, it's like this every night on tour". By the time they returned for the inevitable encore, ending with perennial favorite "In a Sweater Poorly Knit", the crowd was dominated by dancing, swaying, sweaty veterans, hugging each other like they'd been friends for years and screaming the lyrics back at the band like their lives depended on it. I ran into people I hadn't seen in years, saw grown men brought to tears, and experienced such poetry that I just accidentally rhymed in a blog. This was not another show, not another concert; this was an experience we will all treasure for a lifetime.
Here's an (admittedly shaky) black & white video of what that final anthem was like that night:
Summer Info
For my readers' information, I have a summer job as the assistant pool manager at Sandy Cove in North East, MD. This substantially affects
- the amount of time I have to devote to this blog
- the amount of shows I can go to
- the location of shows that I go to and that I'm interested in
- and my access to the internet (ordinarily I have it in my room, but right now it's down and I'm in the "business center")
I'll still be going to shows and reviewing them and posting other stuff as I'm able, but it may be a little erratic. For future reference, I'll be in Philly for the fall semester and hopefully at Oxford (yes, in England) for the spring but I'll try to keep up and increase guest blogger (contributor?) involvement so you are all provided with content (fairly) regularly.
5/18/09
Show Review: Giants Among Men
Saturday evening I headed to the Trocadero to catch my friend Tony DeFranco's band Giants Among Men playing the balcony stage at Exposure Festival. After opening with an instrumental introduction, their call-and-response vocal style made them stand out from the pack of bands performing that day, with all three members singing and guitarist Kieran Lisney and drummer Tony's screaming. Limited to a short set, a guitar amp malfunction during their second song forced them to cut the last one on their list, despite admirable riffing by bass player Alex Good and Tony's energetic drum solo while waiting for the amp situation to be resolved. The mishap, however, highlighted the group's remarkable cohesion, as they remained professional and even played a song finished the night before. Here's a video of them performing "Shotgun For Future References" at the show:
Other bands featured at the festival varied in both talent and interest, one standout I saw being all-girl hardcore band Tearher. I wasn't there for the entirety of the event, and did a lot of wandering around and talking during the shows, so I can't properly describe most of the other sets I heard, which included old-school metal and punk acts, pop-punk, hardcore, and screamo of various stripes. Winners of the battle of the bands (prize being 20 hours of studio time) run by concertsfirst.com were Axis (one of the aforementioned old-school metal bands, this one with a much older-looking singer/guitarist) and Bullets & Belvedere (one of the screamo bands that I didn't see, who have a cover of "I Like To Move It" on their myspace).
Show Review: Asher Roth
Here's something new: a review of an artist on Top 40 radio on my blog. How could this happen, you say?
Here's Ludacris's remix of "I Love College" to listen to while you read: http://www.zshare.net/audio/59875061fc88c26a/
Let me tell you the story of two young men who live in Bucks County, PA. One of them went to West Chester, the other to Messiah. One raps, the other (sorta) djs. Both of these young men ended up at the same club one night in Philadelphia-a club called Roxxy that the second man is forced by his age to frequent and the first man was hired to play at by a certain radio station that the second man despises.
Actually, the show was quite good for a 3-song set performed later than expected (this was the afterparty, after all, not the actual concert). DJ Wreckineyez opened up with a short set of older hip-hop jams like "The Humpty Dance", spinning behind his back, moving the slider with his nose, and other antics keeping the crowd entertained until he dropped Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Asher & his crew walked out. Opening with his megahit "I Love College", Roth then rattled off new single "Be By Myself" and ladies' record "She Don't Wanna Man", for which he had girls from the crowd join the club's go-go dancers onstage. The highlight of the night, this set put the normal Q102 djs to shame (not that that is extremely difficult). He is also quite adept at keeping the crowd hype in between songs, starting chants, chugging beers, shouting out marijuana, West Chester, and Bucks County (among other things), and joining his hype man (who had an unlit joint in his mouth the whole time) in dancing awkwardly around stage in typically sarcastic white-boy fashion. Here's a video of Asher Roth, Wreckineyez, and the Roots performing "Be By Myself" on Jimmy Fallon:
Here's Ludacris's remix of "I Love College" to listen to while you read: http://www.zshare.net/audio/59875061fc88c26a/
Let me tell you the story of two young men who live in Bucks County, PA. One of them went to West Chester, the other to Messiah. One raps, the other (sorta) djs. Both of these young men ended up at the same club one night in Philadelphia-a club called Roxxy that the second man is forced by his age to frequent and the first man was hired to play at by a certain radio station that the second man despises.
Actually, the show was quite good for a 3-song set performed later than expected (this was the afterparty, after all, not the actual concert). DJ Wreckineyez opened up with a short set of older hip-hop jams like "The Humpty Dance", spinning behind his back, moving the slider with his nose, and other antics keeping the crowd entertained until he dropped Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and Asher & his crew walked out. Opening with his megahit "I Love College", Roth then rattled off new single "Be By Myself" and ladies' record "She Don't Wanna Man", for which he had girls from the crowd join the club's go-go dancers onstage. The highlight of the night, this set put the normal Q102 djs to shame (not that that is extremely difficult). He is also quite adept at keeping the crowd hype in between songs, starting chants, chugging beers, shouting out marijuana, West Chester, and Bucks County (among other things), and joining his hype man (who had an unlit joint in his mouth the whole time) in dancing awkwardly around stage in typically sarcastic white-boy fashion. Here's a video of Asher Roth, Wreckineyez, and the Roots performing "Be By Myself" on Jimmy Fallon:
5/15/09
Show Review: Margot and the Nuclear So and So's (by Alex Brubaker)
Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s first appeared in at the V sometime in the spring of ’08. They were in with the new music and had some neat little description for themselves, so I gave them a try. Instantly I was blown away by a whimsical soundscape of awesome. They reminded me of a slightly less timid, more folksy Anathallo, whom I had seen around that time at a B-Sides.
Needless to say, when I heard that they were going to be playing B-Sides this spring, I was ecstatic. When the day finally arrived, I showed up early and further put off studying for a rather important final. They were a little slow to get to the stage, but it was well worth the wait once they walked on.
Not doing my research prior to seeing them, I was rather surprised to see that they were an 8 piece including a separate guy on percussion, a brass player, and a guy who played both lap steel guitar and violin. Many times you see these sorts of additions as gimmicks, but these were extremely talented musicians who tastefully added to the songs with every note both played and omitted. Despite having so many members, it’s not like there was so much going on in the music that it was hard to follow.
Afterwards I got the pleasure of talking to the brass player for a little bit. We discussed the band’s sound and imaginative writing as well as touching on a few of the oddities of the band’s sound. For instance, the suitcase used by the percussion guy. Inside the suitcase is a trigger. The trigger goes to the percussion guy’s drum pad. When triggered, the drum pad samples a recording of the suitcase… A rather round-about way of getting things done, but if it’s more reliable, why not?
This was an extremely strong ending to an excellent year of B-Sides provided by Margeaux. Ryan will definitely have a lot to live up to as next years B-Sides director, but I’ve got faith in him. Anyone who missed the B-Sides this year, especially Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, definitely missed out.
Here's a video of them performing on Conan:
Interesting Side Note: In their contract, the band states that they can be paid in alcohol if money is a problem. Messiah just opted for the cash…
-Alex Brubaker
Needless to say, when I heard that they were going to be playing B-Sides this spring, I was ecstatic. When the day finally arrived, I showed up early and further put off studying for a rather important final. They were a little slow to get to the stage, but it was well worth the wait once they walked on.
Not doing my research prior to seeing them, I was rather surprised to see that they were an 8 piece including a separate guy on percussion, a brass player, and a guy who played both lap steel guitar and violin. Many times you see these sorts of additions as gimmicks, but these were extremely talented musicians who tastefully added to the songs with every note both played and omitted. Despite having so many members, it’s not like there was so much going on in the music that it was hard to follow.
Afterwards I got the pleasure of talking to the brass player for a little bit. We discussed the band’s sound and imaginative writing as well as touching on a few of the oddities of the band’s sound. For instance, the suitcase used by the percussion guy. Inside the suitcase is a trigger. The trigger goes to the percussion guy’s drum pad. When triggered, the drum pad samples a recording of the suitcase… A rather round-about way of getting things done, but if it’s more reliable, why not?
This was an extremely strong ending to an excellent year of B-Sides provided by Margeaux. Ryan will definitely have a lot to live up to as next years B-Sides director, but I’ve got faith in him. Anyone who missed the B-Sides this year, especially Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, definitely missed out.
Here's a video of them performing on Conan:
Interesting Side Note: In their contract, the band states that they can be paid in alcohol if money is a problem. Messiah just opted for the cash…
-Alex Brubaker
5/13/09
TrueAnthem
A couple different bands myspaced me about free music on TrueAnthem, so I decided to check it out. They post mp3s for free streaming & download with little advertising tags at the beginning of them, like: "hey this is so-and-so from such-and-such and you're listening to this song courtesy of this product/company". They have music from Brokencyde, Breathe Carolina, A Skylit Drive, In Fear and Faith, A Static Lullaby, Making April, Watchout! There's Ghosts, Ace Enders, Trash Yourself, Forgive Durden, and Just Surrender, among others. Go check it out and download some tunes-legally!
5/4/09
Show Review: Alex Brubaker
Friday night I rode down to Coffee Co. in Lancaster for one of Alex's frequent coffeehouse gigs. He played a couple of his older songs, along with nearly all of the material from his album, which is currently being mixed'n'mastered. I've heard a pre-release version, and it's excellent. For those that don't know Alex Brubaker, or haven't read my previous Homeboy Music entry on him (here), he plays what is known as percussive fingerstyle guitar, as well as experimenting with looping, processing, and other technical aspects. Here's a video of him performing at Messiah's monthly Coffeehouse, which he has won 3 times:
Side note: apparently Coffee Co has live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 7-9, and they make delicious lattes-one of which is called a Michael Jackson-that look like this (highly recommended):
Side note: apparently Coffee Co has live music Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 7-9, and they make delicious lattes-one of which is called a Michael Jackson-that look like this (highly recommended):
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