Upcoming Gigs

Tomorrow Jared and I start the monthly throwdown at Liberty Bar that I'm currently calling The Shindig. We'll be playing ridiculous party jams and helping people enjoy $3 Miller Lites, Yuenglings, and kamikaze shots, all for no cover as usual. The Fox and the Hound are back!

Eventually we will be getting DJ LOS involved. He started splitting Thirsty Thursdays with me last night, and hopefully we can build that weekly to even greater levels.

Tonight I'm playing solo for the African Student Union's Karibu Afterparty at SouthSide Cafe at Messiah. For those of you who have missed me in central PA, here's your chance to hear what I think are the most danceable sounds of the African diaspora.

Make sure to follow Flying Circus Entertainment on Facebook for more info about upcoming shindiggery in various locations!

The Fox and the Hound Show - Last Time on the V

Alas,all good things must come to an end, even The Fox and the Hound Show on WVMM. This was our final show, broadcast during senior week after pretty much everything at school had already been shut down. We will be looking for another station that will allow us at least a modicum of freedom in the future, but for the time being are on indefinite hiatus. Our live DJing, while substantially different, is still going on.

In more positive news, Mixcloud now has an iPhone app, so go download that to take The Fox and the Hound with you wherever you go.

Show Recap: Gradswag Shindig

A while back, some friends and I invented the word "gradswag" as a sort of positive spin on "senioritis". I combined this idea with the old plan The Hound and I had for a straight up graduation party somewhere off campus and my love of the word "shindig", and the Gradswag Shindig was born. Alex Brubaker and Mob Device (fka Kolstrom) had both played at a local BYO restaurant called The Whole Cannoli, so I figured they would be open to the sort of thing I was proposing. Nik Seitz, the proprietor, was not only open but cautiously optimistic about it, and so on the Wednesday between finals and graduation, it happened.We kicked things off with some tunes from singer-songwriter Anthony Francesco, who played so passionately that his set was cut short by his fingers bleeding all over his guitar. Next up was Darry Miller & the Veil, whose full band show fit better in this venue than they had in a loft bedroom at the last show I asked them to play. Their set, as usual, was very tight and professional, perfectly conveying Darry's songs directly into one's head, from which they are unlikely to leave.
From there, things got a bit more dance-centered. We (The Fox and the Hound) played a diverse set of hip-hop, Bmore club, electro, and the occasional dubstep track to warm the crowd up for the main event. Mob Device, formerly known as Kolstrom, threw down a ridiculous dubstep set. He rarely DJs, preferring to focus on school and his production, but this made it clear that it is well worth the trip if you can catch him live somewhere. By 1 AM, things were beginning to wind down, but DJ KiB kept the party alive with his own selection of dubstep chunes. It was a great party: the music was great, YESNOCO sold some sweet I heart Dubstep and Gradswag t-shirts, and feedback was all positive.
If you missed out, be sure to catch Darry & co. at North Star Bar on Tuesday and Mob Device at Club XS June 24th.

The Fox and the Hound Show - 4/26/11

The last time we had Bishop's Garden perform on the show, we crammed their full band into the green room of the WVMM studios. They rocked a bit too hard for such a small space and the microphones couldn't quite handle it, which left our listeners with an incorrect impression of the Annapolis outfit's sound. This time around, frontman Joe Memmel and guitarist/songwriter Paul Bowers gave us a stripped-down acoustic performance that left us even more impressed than we had been previously.

Catching Up with House Exit

My former roommate Matt Hannigan and his band House Exit finally got in a real studio and did some proper recording. I'm a bit behind on posting this (we premiered it on The Fox and the Hound back when it came out), but the resulting single "Focus on You" is available on iTunes and CDBaby. The upgrade in quality does a lot for House Exit's sound, demonstrating growth beyond the lo-fi faux-Blink-182 that has served as a muse for Hannigan's graphic design work for the past few years. Hopefully these improvements will continue and we'll have much more to look forward to from House Exit!

The Fox and the Hound Show - 4/19/11

The April 19th edition of our radio show featured a guest appearance by The Hound's dad, Duane High, who did college radio back in the day as "The Rough Surf Show", as well as a phone interview with bassist Mike Elliott of Darry Miller & the Veil.

The Fox and the Hound Show - 4/12/11

Our second show in April featured the premier of Mob Device's new track "Muscovite". We also encouraged unsigned artists listening to submit a song for the soundtrack to the upcoming To Write Love On Her Arms film, Renee. Don't forget to become a fan!

The Fox and the Hound Show - 4/5/11

Our first show in April included the world premiers of The New Division's "Walk in the Dark" and Taylor Smith's "Beautiful Eyes", among other goodies. Probably too many jokes on this one, but that's why you love us!

The Fox and the Hound Show - 3/29/11

This week's show was supposed to include guest DJing by Jared "The Hound" High's parents, who were kept away by weather, and a live performance by Natalie Ness, who was under it. It did not, but it did include the usual inane joking and bizarre 3-song genre explorations. Listen & enjoy (?)

Be sure to catch Natalie, Jeff Waters & Matt Wagner at First Fridays [RSVP here] and Iron & Wine coming through this area later this month (Philly, Bmore, etc.) If you want to hear more dance music from us, Matt Pfeiffer and myself will be 'spinning' for Relay for Life here at Messiah next weekend.

Show Recap: Sycamore House on the Hill Benefit

This past weekend I dropped some jams on some cool kids at the Sycamore House on Allison Hill for their fundraiser benefiting the community garden they are starting. Before that happened, Matt Wagner, Craig Kile & co. played a set, ending with this hilarious acoustic rendition of Das Racist's "Combination Pizza Hut & Taco Bell":

You can catch Matt later tonight at First Fridays in the Fishbowl, along with Jeff Waters and Natalie Ness (who bailed on The Fox and the Hound Show this week due to illness). The residents from the house played a short set of covers as well before we all adjourned upstairs for a great performance by Darry Miller & the Veil. As many people as possible packed into the loft, overflowing down the hall and stairs to see/hear what was universally described as an incredibly tight performance. Since the last time I saw them at my birthday show, the band has picked up a new drummer and added Derek Jenkins on keys and background vocals, filling out their sound with both a blues feel and pop sheen I never knew they lacked. Despite my jury-rigged microphone stands and the small space, the guys played a great show. Definitely catch them live at Drexel on the 7th if you can!My set to close the show included this song, among other goodies:

The Fox and the Hound Show with Bishop's Garden

This week's show featured a live performance by Maryland pop-rockers Bishop's Garden. Pick up their EP at CD Baby here. If you aren't already at their show tonight at the Recher, catch them at the Manhattan Beach Club April 22.

Getting Some Artist Love

Every once in a while an artist is impressed enough by what I've said about them here to link to it or quote it in one of their media outlets. While many might post a link on Facebook or Twitter, a few have paid me the respect of doing so in a more permanent way:

• Will Gray posted my review of his show at b-sides on his blog. [this review]

• Alex Brubaker has a link to one of my show reviews up on his Myspace. [this review]

• MC Psalmist quotes me in his SonicBids EPK under "Press". [this review]

• Kyle Rictor includes me on his website under "Fan Testimonials". [this review]

Photo of Kyle & Kelsey Rictor courtesy of Megan Kelley

• For those interested, you should come see Kyle Rictor at B-sides on Wednesday.

• MC Psalmist recently put out the Friends'n'Family mixtape with some of the artists who also played the show I reviewed at MCPC.

• Alex Brubaker will be playing with Suzi Brown, who has been on The Fox and the Hound, at The Whole Cannoli on Saturday the 26th (I'm missing it for my sentencing in Wilmington, DE).

• Will Gray has a great documentary out about the music business called *Broke. It features interviews with everyone from John Legend to vice presidents of labels like Sony and Columbia.

The Fox and the Hound Show - Mardi Gras & The Deacon Cross

This week's radio show was jam-packed with visitors; people literally stood outside the studio in the hall hanging out with the door open. We had the author of The Deacon Cross, the editor of The Swinging Bridge, the former president of Alpha Gamma Rho at Penn State, and Emilio Estevez, among others.

Be sure to become a fan of The Deacon Cross to receive a free copy of the first chapter!

The Fox and the Hound Show - 3/1

This week's radio show features tracks by Chicken Little, mewithoutYou, Letters from the Prom, The New Division remix of "Lisztomania, and many other Flying Circus favorites. Don't forget to become a fan and tune in each week from 9-11 PM Eastern. Next week we'll have J.M. Ruth, author of The Deacon Cross, who has been posting a soundtrack for the book called "Pudge's iPod".

Show Review: Nathan Leigh

On Tuesday, Phil Wilmot booked Nathan Leigh to play at The Sycamore House's community dinner. The intimate living room environment and the shared meal helped give even more of a communal feeling than the last time at the SALT House [review here]. I only caught the first few songs because I had to go set up for The Fox and the Hound Show, but both the old and new tunes sounded great. Nathan played a 3-song set (two originals and a cover) in the second hour of the show, as did Alex Brubaker in the first hour, but we were unable to record properly due to technical difficulties-I assure you both performances were phenomenal. "Family of Ghosts" was my favorite of the new tunes Leigh played, yet another example of his great writing. His live show has improved over the past few months, though perhaps this owes more to increased confidence in a more traditional house-show setting as opposed to sitting on top of a dresser in a dorm room. Either way, he puts on a good show, and I look forward to his next tour. In the meantime, check out his hilarious tour blog, "The Adventures of Pen Pen".

The Fox and the Hound Show with Will Millar

This Tuesday Will Millar stopped by for a live performance on our show to promote his entry in the Blue Microphone Songwriting Competition with guitarist Phil Smith (ex-Troubador). You can vote for "Iridescence" here: http://www.indabamusic.com/#!/submissions/show/43775, although doing so will no longer win you a copy of The Decemberists' latest effort The King is Dead, as it did for Valerie Nogueras.

The Fox and the Hound Show - 2/8/11

This week's radio show was a blast, minus some technical difficulties. Remember to become a fan of The Fox and the Hound on Facebook!

The Fox And The Hound Show - 2/8/11 by The_Fox_And_The_Hound on Mixcloud

The Fox and the Hound: Mixcloud

The Fox and the Hound Show is now on Mixcloud! We will be posting our 2 hour show each week (9-11 PM Tuesdays) there for your listening pleasure. Here is our first show back from our Christmas/J-term hiatus:

The Fox And The Hound Show - 2/1/11 by The_Fox_And_The_Hound on Mixcloud

10 Artists I Got Into in 2010

I know I'm a bit late with this, but if you actually read this blog you've put up with far worse.

1. Wavves
I know I should've already loved the music of Nathan Williams based on The Fader's recommendation, but it was a bit too experimental for me until he hooked up with members of Jay Reatard's band (may Jay rest in peace) and dropped King of the Beach, which I put on the playlist at WVMM and rocked regularly on The Fox and the Hound Show. Psychedelic surf punk never sounded so good.

2. Chiddy Bang
Another artist I probably should have been up on, considering their origins in Philly's college party scene and flair for indie-dance samples, Chiddy came into my life when I helped some friends push for his inclusion in this year's SAB concert schedule. Since then, I've seen him put on a great live show [review here], spun the crap out of The Preview EP on The Fox and the Hound, and been mildly obsessed with the way Air Swell helps recontextualize music I loved in England for American hip-hop heads.

3. Nicki Minaj
I am a converted hater. I used to think Nicki was just playing Kim to Wayne's Biggie, ghostwriting and all, and then I heard "Monster". One of two songs that redeemed the over-appreciated My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, it did so almost solely on the wings of a verse twice the length and twice the quality of any guest verse done all year. Fortunately, this conversion experience opened me up to exploring the depth of Nicki's schizophrenic output, a journey I have enjoyed immensely. Download Kingdom's "Nicki-centric" edit here.

4. The Dirty Heads
One of the first artists Jared introduced me to when we kicked off The Fox and the Hound Show this fall, The Dirty Heads became one of the most frequently played, both on the show and in our apartment. This is the sound of Sublime for a new generation, stamped with approval by an opening slot on the Sublime with Rome tour.

5. Paper Route
I've been hearing good things about Paper Route for a while, and finally caught them live at Purple Door, where they got the folk crowd at the Gallery Stage dancing to a compelling concoction of propulsive electronic beats, organic instrumentation, and dueling vocals. Hopefully the unfortunate departure of founding member Andy Smith will not hinder their Universal Motown follow-up too much.

6. The Wiyos
When I pulled the Wiyos' Broken Land Bell off the shelf in the studio at the V, Jared had no idea one of he and his dad's favorite bands was playing B-sides the next day. His enthusiasm was infectious, and for once a live act not only lived up to, but exceeded the hype. Their vaudevillian antics had me convinced I was hearing the best bits of my grandparents' record collection performed live [show review here].

7. Aaron Lee Martin
The soulful folk this singer-songwriter plays proved both a complement and a contrast to the mournful message that brought him to Messiah-mountaintop removal coal mining awareness. He was our first live performance on The Fox and the Hound [review here], and has been performing on record ever since.

8. Jamie Kent & the Options
A cheery blend of blues and pop that overcame circumstances and drew a decent crowd on a Tuesday night at Messiah [review here], Jamie Kent & the Options bring infectious hooks that match their infectious good humor. I'm trying to talk B-sides into bringing them back for a more official show next semester.

9. The New Division
Wearing their influences proudly on their sleeves, The New Division's nostalgic electronica has even been recognized by the snobs at Pitchfork. I will be seeing them live for the first time in the near future, and I'm pretty psyched about it. Look forward to the release of their EP The Rookie on the 11th. [edit: went to the release show, review here]

10. The Drastics
There is nothing like reggae to blast away the cold of winter with recorded summer warmth, and The Drastics play every variety of reggae very, very well. Since their phenomenal show at Messiah [review here], their endless free mixtapes and the inclusion of "Good Time Tonight" in DJ sets both on-air and at parties with The Fox and the Hound has not failed to warm my heart and loosen my limbs.

Show Review: SALT House #2/Fox and the Hound Live

My second time providing audio for a SALT House Concert was actually at the Reconciliation House. Phil had booked Jamie Kent & the Options and Chicken Little to play on a Tuesday night, and then found out he had to go on a required field trip to NYC for a class that day. Resulting lack of publicity and coordination led to Jared and I hanging out with Jamie Kent and his band at the Recon House until more people got there. When "more people" meant one girl, one guy who lived there, and Chicken Little, we decided it would be better to kick this punk rock style and have them play an unauthorized show onstage at the Union.

Jamie Kent & the Options captured the attention of those eating and studying around the room quickly with their breezy, upbeat blues-folk, good humor, and a singalong Beatles cover. Their set ran into the time for our radio show, so Jared went and kicked things off on-air while I watched their merch. Just after Chicken Little took the stage to play what I can only describe as polka punk, I took Jamie's trio into the V to set them up for a live performance. The duo had the Union clapping and stomping along in no time; I only wish I had gotten to see more of their set.

Having two bands on air was complicated by the fact that we already had two artists scheduled to come on the show to interview/perform to advertise an upcoming show at The Station: Stacey Dee and Suzi Brown. Somehow we managed to squeeze in a few songs from each artist, DJing occasionally in between. Stacey and Suzi collaborated on each other's singer-songwriter material and Suzi played some intense fingerstyle guitar (a la Kaki King), and we ended the night by recording all of them doing a liner for The Fox and the Hound Show that you should be hearing on air next semester.