Author Archives: Jon Solomon

Wed 4/6, 8PM: Che Arthur live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, April 6th at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes Past/Futures recording artist Che Arthur down to the station for a live performance.

A former member of Universal Life & Accident and Atombombpocketknife, Arthur has three solo records out, the latest of which is the quite fine “Like Revenge.”

Website : Facebook : MySpace

You want a video tease? Our pleasure.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXpiMiZTVgc&w=425&h=349]

Jon Solomon’s 24-Hour Holiday Radio Returns To WPRB On 12/24!

Mark your calendars, set the clocks: Jon Solomon’s 23rd Annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show is coming soon! The marathon begins on Friday, December 24 at 6:00 PM ET and ends Saturday, December 25 at 6:00 PM ET.

It’s not Christmas without Jon’s annual holiday marathon. Seriously! From the absurd and bizarre to the beautiful and almost-kinda-holy, Jon’s show traverses the terrain of holiday music. No two marathons are alike, and perhaps that’s why listeners both near and far flock to the radio and/or webstream. So says Inside Jersey:

Forget the Bing Crosby-Nat King Cole-Mariah Carey loop that seems to air on every station in every mall – Solomon mixes covers of traditional hits with songs by bands from the region, recordings lost to attics and basements, and esoteric picks like “Mr. Russian, Please Don’t Shoot Down Santa’s Sleigh,” a Cold War-era number.

Which is not to be confused with “Can Santa Miss Those Missiles,” Solomon says.

You can RSVP for this show on Facebook.

Jon wants you to know that if you would like to make some requests, by all means get in touch.

The 2010 Xmas Playlist will be updated in real time.

Watch a live stream of everything happening in Studio A (goes live on December 24th):

Wed 11/3, 8PM: Amy Bezunartea live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, November 3rd at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes Kiam recording artist Amy Bezunartea down to the station.

Half of the stellar duo Clint Michigan, Amy is stepping out on her own with the release of “Restaurants & Bars,” which happens to hit stores the day before she makes her WPRB solo debut.

Listen to an mp3 of the song “Doubles” here.

You want a video from Joe’s Pub? Ok. Here ya go.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4Q26DxL3NU&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Wed 9/22, 8PM: Pink Skull live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, September 22nd at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes one of Philadelphia’s finest, Pink Skull, into the studios for a live set.

For years I’ve done my best to dance along as fast as I can to the duo’s fascinating mixture of blips, bleeps, bumps and bloops. Over two albums, endless digital files and countless remixes I’ve always wanted to know how a pair this layered and dense in its sound could possibly pull off what they do on record live as a quintet.

Now I have seen for myself in the WPRB studios…and it is crazy.

As someone once wrote somewhere sometime:

The result of this balance parallels along the various lines of PIL’s Metal Box, The Orb’s Pomme Fritz EP, the tropicalia Dada-ism of Tom Ze, and Eno & Cluster. Living / breathing electronic music made beyond the computer screen for bigger screens, [Pink Skull] could easily soundtrack a remake of Videodrome as well as it could a Kubrickian classic.

Here’s video of the band silkscreening 1,000 copies of their most recent record “Endless Bummer”:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YgfVoxrIlo&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Wed 9/15, 8PM: Tre Orsi live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, September 15th at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes Texan trio Tre Orsi into the studios for a live set.

The band will be playing songs from debut full-length album for Works Progress called “Devices + Emblems,” of which The Unblinking Ear said:

“That they could reclaim the soft/loud dynamic from nearly 20 years of terrible post-grunge and spin it into something distinctly their own on a song like “Best Kind of Failure” is nothing short of remarkable. I could cite other tracks as fine examples of their craft but, frankly, it seems a little redundant. There’s simply not a bad one in the bunch…

…”Devices + Emblems” is one of the year’s best albums.”

A free mp3 off said record, “The Engineer,” can be found here.

Want a live video? Eyes down.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmOVutMM6Es&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Wed 9/1, 8PM: The Poison Arrows live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, September 1st at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes Chicago rock trio The Poison Arrows into the studios for an exclusive live session.

The band, made up of former members of Don Caballero, Atombombpocketknife and 41 Rivers, will be playing songs from their dense and outstanding new album for File-13 called “Newfound Resolutions.”

A free mp3 off said record, “Interpretive Hunter,” can be found here.

Watch Poison Arrows cream their song “Total Beverage” during the group’s recent appearance in Atlanta:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CapQn7KvgvQ&fs=1&hl=en_US]

Wed 6/2, 8PM: Tender Trap live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, June 2nd at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes British twee sensations Tender Trap live in-studio.

With a pedigree that includes members of Heavenly, Marine Research, Allo Darlin’ and Police Cat, Tender Trap are making a rare trip to the United States in support of their third album “Dansette, Dansette,” which shall be released stateside on Slumberland in June 2010.

A video for the infectious song “Girls With Guns” is below:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_GnEXrEXoY&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Wed 4/28, 8PM: Detention live on WPRB

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, April 28th at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes legendary New Jersey jokecore band Detention to his show.

Back together for the first time in two decades, Detention’s appearance on WPRB is just their second show since their heyday. The band can be seen live one more time, at The Record Collector in Bordentown, NJ on Saturday, May 1st.

Listen to the band’s bile-coated 1983 single “Dead Rock N Rollers”:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZomxbC4T0kw&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Here’s a brief video preview of Wednesday night’s session:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmrABNWYWnk&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Jon Solomon’s 24-Hour Holiday Radio Returns To WPRB On 12/24!

Mark your calendars, set the clocks: Jon Solomon’s 22nd Annual 24-Hour Holiday Radio Show is almost here! The marathon begins on Wednesday, December 24 at 6:00 PM ET and ends Thursday, December 25 at 6:00 PM ET.

It’s not Christmas without Jon’s annual holiday marathon. Seriously! From the absurd and bizarre to the beautiful and almost-kinda-holy, Jon’s show traverses the terrain of holiday music. No two marathons are alike, and perhaps that’s why listeners both near and far flock to the radio and/or webstream. So says Inside Jersey:

Forget the Bing Crosby-Nat King Cole-Mariah Carey loop that seems to air on every station in every mall – Solomon mixes covers of traditional hits with songs by bands from the region, recordings lost to attics and basements, and esoteric picks like “Mr. Russian, Please Don’t Shoot Down Santa’s Sleigh,” a Cold War-era number.

Which is not to be confused with “Can Santa Miss Those Missiles,” Solomon says.

Jon wants you to know that if you would like to make some requests, by all means get in touch.

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

» RSVP for this event on Facebook

Wed 11/4, 8PM: Andy Kindler interviewed on WPRB

kindler

Listen to 103.3 fm WPRB on Wednesday, November 4th at 8:00 pm ET as Jon Solomon welcomes comedian Andy Kindler to his show.

Kindler, who is a regular correspondent on the Late Show with David Letterman, has recently released a DVD of a 2003 performance called “I Wish I Was Bitter (sic).”

» Web Site

Here’s video of Kindler on Letterman from 2008, trying to find a life coach:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSOwsRuYi54&hl=en&fs=1&]