Monthly Archives: May 2009

Get Ready To Kick Off Summer With the Top 30

The WPRB Top 30 is psyched for the new season. Are you?

On Fridays you can always hear the best of the best during our Top Ten Show on at 5PM EDT! (Like the show? Become a fan on Facebook!)


1 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Eating Us (Graveface)
2 WOODEN SHJIPS Dos (Holy Mountain)
3 OBITS I Blame You (SUB POP)
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS Shiftless Decay: New Sounds Of Detroit (X!)
5 LIECHTENSTEIN Survival Strategies In A Modern World (Slumberland)
6 CROCODILES Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
7 SILVERSUN PICKUPS Swoon (Dangerbird)
8 FEVER RAY Fever Ray (Mute)
9 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (SUB POP)
10 BOB DYLAN Together Through Life (Columbia)
11 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By (Island)
12 METRIC Fantasies (Self-Released)
13 YEAH YEAH YEAHS It’s Blitz (Interscope)
14 EAT SKULL Wild And Inside (SILTBREEZE)
15 MY FIRST DAYS ON JUNK No Order (State Capital)
16 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS The Hunchback (richie)
17 POISON ARROWS First Class, And Forever (File 13)
18 THE WHIP X Marks Destination (Razor and Tie)
19 ST. VINCENT Actor (4AD)
20 JUKEBOX ZEROS Rock & Roll Ronin (Rankoutsider)
21 PREFUSE 73 Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (Warp)
22 THERMALS Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)
23 AKRON/FAMILY Set Em Wild, Set Em Free (Dead Oceans)
24 MIKA MIKO We Be Xuxa (Post Present Medium)
25 AMADOU AND MARIAM Welcome To Mali (Nonesuch)
26 MAGIK MARKERS Balf Quarry (Drag City)
27 ERICA POMERANCE You Used To Think (ESP-Disk)
28 IRON AND WINE Around The Well (SUB POP)
29 MSTRKRFT Fist Of God (Downtown)
30 WAVVES Wavvves (Fat Possum)

PLOrk + Matmos + So Percussion


WPRB DJs Alititude Sickness, Fat Astronaut and Michael Hammond invite you their performance as part of the Princeton Laptop Orchestra: 8pm tomorrow – Saturday May 16th in Richardson Auditorium at Princeton University.

The lineup will feature original pieces by PLOrk, So Percussion and Matmos (including a special PLOrk version of Supreme Balloon!)

More Below

The Lewis Center for the Arts and the Music Department at Princeton
University present:

The Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk), with special guests
Matmos, So Percussion, and Riley Lee: May 16, 2009

On Saturday, May 16, The Princeton Laptop Orchestra will present a
program of all new works, in collaboration with renowned sound art duo
Matmos, the Brooklyn based ensemble So Percussion, and shakuhachi
master Riley Lee. In addition to new arrangements of music from
Matmos’s Supreme Balloon and So Percussion’s Amid the Noise, the
program will feature works by Princeton University senior Michael
Hammond (his Senior Thesis project), Tom Lieber, Jascha Narveson,
Cameron Britt, Rebecca Fiebrink, Michael Early, and Sean Friar. The
performance will take place at 8:00pm at Richardson Auditorium on the
Princeton University campus. Tickets are $15 (Tiger Tickets accepted),
through Princeton University Ticketing ((609) 258-5000).

The Princeton Laptop Orchestra (PLOrk) is an ensemble of 30 laptopists—
the first of its size and kind. The internationally acclaimed ensemble
So Percussion is known for exploring the expressive possibilities of
percussion. The sound art duo Matmos (M.C. Schmidt and Drew Daniel)
makes live performances and recordings using the sounds of everything
from amplified crayfish nerve tissue, to the pages of bibles turning,
to a bowed five string banjo. Riley Lee has made over fifty
commercially released recordings since 1980, which are sold worldwide
on a number of labels.

For more information: http://plork.cs.princeton.edu/

Fri 5/15, 10PM: iNFiNieN live on Nocturnal Transmissions!

On Friday 5/8 at 10PM ET, Dr. Cosmo and “Nocturnal Transmissions” welcomes Philly pysch rockers Infinien!

“Atmospheric Philly cinema-rockers iNFiNieN — who blend piano, many-pedaled guitars, sitar, Arabic melodies, complex percussion, and cooing female vocals straight out of a Blonde Redhead album.” (Philadelphia Weekly)

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Wed 5/13, 11AM: Halim El-Dabh on "Classical Discoveries Goes Avant Garde"

Join Marvin Rosen and Classical Discoveries Goes Avant Garde welcome Egyptian-born American composer Halim El-Dabh this Wednesday 5/13 at 11 AM ET.

Halim El-Dabh is University Professor Emeritus of African Ethnomusicology at Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. He continues to teach African Cultural Expressions. He has conducted ethnomusicological research in the Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, and Zaire. Within the African Diaspora, his research includes Brazil, Jamaica, and the United States.

Born in Cairo, Egypt on March 4, 1921, El-Dabh came to the United States in 1950, acquiring U.S. citizenship in 1961. After studies of Native American music in the American Southwest, he began studies with Aaron Copland and Irving Fine at the Berkshire Music Center in Massachusetts. Later, in New York’s vibrant musical scene, he developed close associations with such composers as Otto Luening, Vladimir Ussachevsky, Henry Cowell, John Cage, Alan Hovhaness, and Leonard Bernstein.

Among his compositions are eleven operas, four symphonies, numerous ballets and orchestral pieces, chamber and electronic works, and works for various combinations of African, Asian, and Western instruments. His ethnomusicological researches, conducted on several continents, have led to unique creative syntheses in his works, which, while utilizing contemporary compositional techniques and new systems of notation, are frequently imbued with Near Eastern, African, or even Ancient Egyptian aesthetics.

Paul Walsh 1921-2009.

Paul Walsh ’42, one of the founders of 103.3 fm WPRB, passed away on April 17th, 2009 in Princeton at the age of 88.

According to an obituary in this week’s Town Topics, Walsh was also “a close friend of Huddie ‘Leadbelly’ Ledbetter, the folk and blues singer and guitarist. [Walsh] later became executor of Leadbelly’s estate. He also spent many happy weekends in Fishkill, N.Y. as part of a crew of friends who helped Pete Seeger build his house.”

WPRB sends our condolences to Walsh’s family and mourn his passing.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Seva Foundation, 1786 5th Street, Berkeley, CA. 94710.

A service in celebration of Walsh’s life will be held on Saturday, June 6th at 10:00 am ET at the Princeton University Chapel.

Condolences may be sent online at thekimblefuneralhome.com.

The Pains of Being Pure At Heart & WPRB, Sittin' In A Tree

Earlier tonight, WPRB sponsored the The Pains of Being Pure At Heart and Zaza at The Barbary in Philadelphia, and we just got back from the long train ride back from Philly.

What a wonderful show! Before the show, we got to meet the band, who are so awesome and sweet (just like their music). WPRB bonded with Kip and Peggy of TPBPH over college radio. In fact, Kip grew up in Philly listening to WPRB, so he told us stories of how he loved listening to Shellac on WPRB. Peggy, who grew up in uptown New Orleans, talked about how she loved being DJ and music director at Tulane’s station. Just as much as we loved meeting the band we love to listen to, TPBPH was excited to meet the college radio kids they once were. We had a wonderful time talking with the band; the interview with the band will air in the very near future, so stay tuned for details.

The opening band, Zaza definitely mastered the art of using loop machines. While the band only consists of a guitarist, a bassist, and drummer with a cymbal, floor tom, and a snare, the band used loop machines to create a full and dreamy sound.

After Zaza, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart played a set of mostly songs from their self-titled album. The band was so adorable! They also played their latest single, “103,” which they dedicated to WPRB. Kip, before playing the song, mentioned to the audience how much he loved WPRB and that their latest single was for WPRB, which shares its frequency with the song title.

Overall, it was a very fun show, filled with awesome shoegaze and dream pop! What did you think?

Stay tuned for more fun this summer — we’ve got a bunch of great shows lined up!

Friday 5/8, 10PM: Deena Live on "Nocturnal Transmissions"!

On Friday 5/8 at 10PM ET, Dr. Cosmo and “Nocturnal Transmissions” welcome New Jersey’s own Deena!

Deena is Deena Shoshkes, the singer-songwriter who fronts the veteran Jersey power-pop group the Cucumbers. The sounds on Somewhere in Blue are a unique blend of new wave rockabilly, country and folk rock, filtered through Deena’s long-time indie pop sensibilities. Songs written with Tennessee-based lyricist David Graham (four of which appear on the CD) led Deena into country music, old and new, and southern rock, and inspired a new voice and direction in Deena’s solo songwriting as well. Recorded in Nashville, with producer Roger Moutenot (Yo La Tengo, Josh Rouse) and New Jersey, with The Laughing Boys, Tom Lucas and Ed Iglewski, the recordings bridge the distance between Deena’s roots in New Jersey music (from Hoboken indie pop to the Jersey shore) and alt country Americana. (via NotLame.com)

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WPRB presents The Pains of Being Pure At Heart on 5/6!

WPRB & R5 Productions are proud to present everyone’s favorite twee act THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART on Wednesday, May 6th at the Barbary (951 N Frankford Ave) in Philadelphia! This show is ALL-AGES and starts at 6:30PM!

It should come as no shock that we love The Pains… noisy brand of rock — and they love us too, it seems! Their self-titled debut for the Slumberland label has taken the country by storm:

If dreamy, ’80s-sounding indie pop is your thing, the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have your number in a big way. Close your eyes and this local quartet will whisk you away to a magical land of Smiths posters and John Hughes montages. Like riding your bicycle to your friends house after you’ve finished your homework.

Stay tuned to WPRB — you can win tickets to this show!

Also on the bill are Brooklyn’s Za Za. What we’ve heard sounds good, so come early to check them out!

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Happy Birthday, Pete Seeger!


Photo by Anthony Pepitone (via Wikipedia)

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that today is the 90th birthday of pioneering folk musician PETE SEEGER. His contributions to folk music (and popular music) are numerous, so here’s to taking a moment out of our day to wish him a Happy Birthday!

Allmusic’s Zac Johnson put it best: “Perhaps no single person in the 20th century has done more to preserve, broadcast, and re-distribute folk music than Pete Seeger, whose passion for politics, the environment, and humanity have earned him both ardent fans and vocal enemies since he first began performing in the late ’30s. His never-ending battle against injustice led to his being blacklisted during the McCarthy era, celebrated during the turbulent ’60s, and welcomed at union rallies throughout his life. His tireless efforts regarding global concerns such as environmentalism, population growth, and racial equality have earned him the respect and friendship of such political heroes as Martin Luther King, Jr., Woody Guthrie, and Cesar Chavez, and the generations of children who first learned to sing and clap to Seeger’s Folkways recordings must number in the millions. Rising above all of Seeger’s political ideals and his passion for authentic folk music is his clear voice and chiming banjo which both sing out with a clarity that rings true.”

Don’t forget – you can hear Pete Seeger and many others on New Jersey’s longest running folk music program, WPRB’s Music You Can’t Hear On The Radio tonight at 7PM ET!

Below, enjoy a clip from “To Hear Your Banjo Play” (1947):

WPRB's Top 30 Is Ready For May Flowers

WPRB’s Top 30, the endless cavalcade of hits heard on our airwaves, does not have seasonal allergies. Lucky bastard!

On Fridays you can always hear the best of the best during our Top Ten Show on at 5PM EDT! (Like the show? Become a fan on Facebook!)

WPRB 103.3 FM TOP 30 FOR THE WEEK ENDING MAY 1, 2009

1 KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES What Is?! Vice
2 METRIC Fantasies Self-Released
3 DAN DEACON Brömst Carpark
4 SUPERCHUNK Leaves In The Gutter Merge
5 FEVER RAY Fever Ray Mute
6 JUNIOR BOYS Begone Dull Care Domino
7 ACEYALONE Aceyalone And The Lonely Ones Decon
8 MAN IS DOOMED Escape To Europa Skeptic
9 BLACK JOE LEWIS AND THE HONEYBEARS Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is Lost Highway
10 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS The Hunchback Richie Records
11 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By Island
12 RTFO BANDWAGON Dums Will Survive Dull Knife
13 THE WHIP X Marks Destination Razor & Tie
14 VARIOUS ARTISTS SCORE! 20 Years Of Merge Records: The Covers Merge
15 WAVVES Wavves Fat Possum
16 MICACHU AND THE SHAPES Jewellery Rough Trade
17 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines SUB POP
18 BALKAN BEAT BOX Nu Made Remixes JDub
19 COMET GAIN Broken Record Prayers What’s Your Rupture?
20 SILVERSUN PICKUPS Swoon Dangerbird
21 POMEGRANATES Everybody Come Outside Lujo
22 EMERALDS What Happened No Fun Productions
23 SWAN LAKE Enemy Mine Jagjaguwar
24 AXEMEN Big Cheap Hotel Self-released
25 THERMALS Now We Can See Kill Rock Stars
26 IT HUGS BACK Inside Your Guitar Self-released
27 DENGUE FEVER Sleepwalking Through The Mekong M80
28 JEFF JOHNSON Tall Stranger Origin
29 THUNDERHEIST Thunderheist Big Dada
30 STILL FLYIN’ Never Gonna Touch The Ground Ernest Jenning