Tag Archives: music

WPRB (Almost) All Night

The crowds at Art All Night initially look like your average summer festival-goers. Families took the tour of the beautiful industrial space of the Roebling Wire Works in Trenton aligned with local art, enjoying Kettle corn and Caribbean food. 20-something year olds hung around the outdoor stage, holding their $4 donation Blue Moons, head-bobbing and chit-chatting with friends who strolled by. Some 40-somethings chose wine instead of beer and watched the jazz and singer-songwriter performances on the indoor stages. It was the blur of typical summer festival-goers, some of whom had a keen interest in art while others wanted to enjoy the sunshine at a cultural event.

Don’t be fooled, though. When you are stationed alongside the outdoor stage for nine hours, as WPRB staffers were, you have the liberty to people watch without shame, and this crowd was anything but typical. Highlights included:

Ridiculous person number one: giraffe girl. Stood in front of the stage with her phone, recording the entire set by the band. Looked like a giraffe, and WPRB staffers were unable to tell who she was shooting the show for. Perhaps the lead singer? The guitarist? That guy with the tambourine? We (or just me) finally determined that she was the band groupie and in love with each and every member.

Ridiculous person number two: drunk cowboy. Denim, hat, boots, and extremely drunk, this guy danced like a piece of spaghetti and threw his beer. Not in an aggressive way but in that I-am-so-far-gone-that-flat-surfaces-are-hard-to-navigate way. We eventually had to call over some AAN staff members to take him away as his beverage tosses were uncomfortably close to our DJ equipment.

Ridiculous person number three: crackhead in pink. Fortunately, she signed up on our mailing list so we can always find her if need be. She wore a pink tank top and pink booty-shorts without shame, hooted and hollered, almost mimicked the cowboy’s spaghetti dance, and looked like her mind had departed this earth many moons ago.

Ridiculous person/people number four: 2-person moshpit that then dissolved into a 10-person moshpit and a dinosaur. I think this occurred when Honah Lee was on stage at around 11:30pm. At first, I was like, who are those fools doing that 2 person moshpit? Then I became the fool not in the moshpit. But then a dude dressed in a green dinosaur outfit appeared and moshed, and I felt okay about my life choices outside the moshers.

So, as you can see, Art All Night Trenton was not just the haven for art-enthusiasts and summer festival-goers but also a haven for the crazies, which I think was almost more of a cultural experience than the art inside the Wire Works.

Like the crowd at AAN, the art itself was quite varied. One piece by a WPRB alumna featured a crucified dead mouse. Another piece involved Legos on cardboard and said that adults are still kids or something like that. There were some nice scenic photographs of the Jersey countryside, an awesomely decorated deer head, and a William Wegman-esque (think animals dressed up as people) painting.

These works were all located in the center of the industrial space while the edges were divided into rooms. One featured AAN’s first film festival and included one film with sound done by a WPRB DJ. Another room was filled with glow-in-the-dark paintings and black lights, and the other room had tires and turf on the ground with black-and-white images projected on the walls.

Outside, there was food food food. WPRB staffers particularly enjoyed the falafel and Root Beer float stand. As night descended, the fire blazed up and blacksmiths did iron pours. It looked a little hot.

When talking to organizers throughout the evening, they all seemed to be quite pleased with the event this year. Last year, a couple catastrophes stuck, but this time, everything was going well. For the trajectory of AAN, it looks like it’s only going to get better and better.

WPRB had success as well. We DJed between all the sets outside, with TM5 taking over around 8:30, and had many AANers wandered up to our booth, buying some awesome WPRB swag (because do we make anything else besides awesome swag? Okay fine, mega-awesome swag, whatever…) and discussing their fondest WPRB memories. My favorite was a bro whose car radio was broken and WPRB is the only station he can technologically listen to while driving. Further, he said that whenever he listens, he has no idea what artist or song is playing and appreciates a station that can do this. Go us!

Art All Night + WPRB = success once again. Thanks to all who came out and said hi!

Music Hours: New Adds and Rejects

I sat down with our summer music director and listened to some new music. Here’s what I got. (WARNING ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN, SO PERHAPS NOT VALID)

Metric—Synthetica, released on June 12, 2012

Whether we like this album or not, Metric decided to write everything backwards on their album cover (except their address). Why we ask? You can come to your own conclusion. We have yet to come to one.

Will we add it? Yes.

Xavier Rudd—Spirit Bird, will release on June 19^,2012

Says it all in the name: Rudd, multi-instrumentalist Austrailia, creates ambient, nature-y sounds. Is interesting if you are in a I-am-one-with-nature-and-like-drones-and-silly-lyrics mood.

Will we add it? Probably not.

The Corduroy Road—Two Step Silhouette, will release on June 18,2012

Up, excited music. I like them a lot, but again due to bluegrass/banjo bias. A bunch of young dudes doing rockish, folkish, bluegrassish stuff.

Add: Probably yes.

The Furious Seasons—My Analogue Face, will release June 19^th, 2012

They have a song called “Let’s sweep together.” Clearly romantic. Silly lyrics with drums and string quartet. Ehhhhh. Other songs include Bad-Bob-Dylan-y sounding tunes as well.

Add: Pass

Beck—some singles released on Third Man Records, released May 28^th, 2012

“We should probably add Beck”—direct quote from our music director. BUT they are really bizarre and country. Beck does country. Weird. Yes.

Add: Just two songs but we will still add it. Hopeful for a new album, yes?

Some other things we checked out:

Stepdad, Wildlife Pop, June 19^th

Everest, Odorless, June 19^th

Sandbox, Me ‘n Him and Horse, June?

Future of the Left, The Plot Against Common Sense, June 11^th

The Doc Marshalls, Look Out, Compadre, May 29^th

The Inner Banks, Wild, May 7^th

Candice Anitra, Big Tree, March 26^th

Album Review: Memory Tapes' Player Piano

Album Review by Jake Sanders

Player Piano, the second release from home-based electronic recording artist Memory Tapes, is a very welcome continuation of the gentle pop-electronica that the sole musician Dayve Hawk crafted in 2009’s Seek Magic. Like the last album, this one is rich with clear pop-melodies that jump playfully around, constructing a sound that’s both melancholy and charming, and both old and new. Hawk himself describes the music on the album as ‘keyboard-based psychedelic girl group songs, a sort of motown suicide note’. If that sort of description eludes you, I doubt you’re alone in that. There is something elusive about the sound on this album, partly because it does seem like a throwback, but one that still keeps the novelty of chill-wave. What eludes me on this album is the conflict beneath the surface, like with the pleasant synth sounds and high-pitched vocals that pull in a sunnier direction, but with lyrics that explore much more stressful that don’t seem to fit with the airiness of the music, including painful relationships and the inability to mend them. But I think its real success lies in Hawk’s ability to organize the different moods together flawlessly on each song, to make it all seem nonchalant and easy.

“Wait in the Dark” introduces the layers of synth-noise, clean bass and real percussion present on the rest of the album. It’s hard to deny the sadness of this one, though it still has an upbeat rhythm and a mobile instrumentation that implies cheeriness. “Today is Our Life” and “Yes I Know” sound like the music could delve into the sadness that‘s implied, but they end up sounding as pleasant and nonchalant as the others. Hawk has said himself about his recording style that “the music is my better nature, and the lyrics are me shouting myself down with self-loathing and cynicism. You end up somewhere between a genuine smile you’re trying to hold back, and a false smile you put on for a show.” That’s a really good description of the double-life of this record, or on a lot of chill-wave for that matter. The music is so well packaged and planned that it doesn’t cross the boundary that separates “chill” from anything else, but often it does imply something heavier, like in the lyrics. In a song like “Sun Hits,” there’s not even an attempt at getting at any other mood: it’s all candy. But with the last five tracks, Hawk does pull forward at the darker stuff in the music, with “Fell Thru Ice” and “Trance Sisters.” I was glad to hear the cataclysm and the desperation of the synths on these tracks, partly because it seemed like that’s what he was trying to get to the whole record, and partly because it shows that he’s capable of breaking those boundaries for himself.

All in all, this is a great second album in itself and for the interesting questions about recording that it inspires. One of the interesting things about the music is that Hawk records it all himself with live instruments, without a sequencer to help him. However, on this summer’s tour, he has been playing with two other musicians in a guitar-bass-drum set-up. This Wednesday, he’ll be playing at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it’ll translate live. I’ll be writing a review of the show later this week, so stay tuned!

Memory Tapes will be playing in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda’s. Doors open at 8PM.

Play Anything I DON'T Want:

I have a big birthday coming up in about six months, and it occurred to me that on my birthday week, I could celebrate by programming a special show of classical music. The first idea was to program “anything I want.” But that would be pointless. Every single week, I program whatever I want. What can I do that’s different?

Right now, I have a great idea: I will program music I WOULD NEVER normally program. If you look at my reasons, you’ll see that such a show could be a delight for everyone else, because my betes noirs run against common taste. Here’s my list so far, of classical music I would never program, and why:

Pachelbel’s canon. I’m sick of it, in all its forms, and I greatly prefer Pachelbel’s OTHER compositions, such as his fugue on a repeated note. (I hope I can find a good recording of the canon.)
Sibelius’s 2nd Symphony: This is a fine work. I’ve just heard it too many times. Well, I can enjoy it one more time, I suppose.
Beethoven’s Sixth symphony: I mean, really. Leave it to Disney.
Telemann, almost anything. I used to like Telemann until I studied some of his music. He wanders from key to key like Bach does, but while Bach seems to know where he’s going, Telemann seems not to care. Since I’m now aware of what he’s doing, I don’t respect him anymore, even when he sounds nice.
Chopin’s Revolutionary Etude: (Sorry, I just think it’s more boring than it is exciting.
Liszt’s Second Hungarian Rhapsody. (Victor Borge had a routine where he played the two opening phrases, and then stopped, saying “Too rough.”).
Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue. I apply Victor Borge’s “too rough” comment even more strongly to the Grosse Fugue. No! I don’t want to program it, not even on this “don’t want” program. Do you like it? It’s yours.
The Bach Chaconne from the second French Violin Suite, arranged by Busoni for piano. A retched, retched excess. And I mean retch, not wretch. Or a masterpiece, if you will, suitable for every ham-fisted piano virtuos.
Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasia. One of Schubert’s great classics, they say, although, for some reason, I find it to be a rare failure of Schubert’s extraordinary sense of taste.
Schoenberg’s Verklaerte Nacht, ruined when it is played by an entire string orchestra. It’s a superb piece of CHAMBER music, for gosh sakes. I hope I can find a good orchestral recording.
The first Brahms Piano Quartet, arranged by Schoenberg (aha!) for orchestra. Another superb piece of CHAMBER music, ruined by a great excess of brilliant orchestration.
Anything conducted by Seiji Ozawa.

If I have time left over, I might conclude with Mozart’s Eine Kleine NachtWhatever. You know what I mean.

If you’ve listened to my programs, you may have a sense of my taste in Classical Music. If you have suggestions for my special program, please email them to me at masterclassics@wprb.com. Thanks! — Tobias

WPRB at All Points West!

Have you been searching your entire life for a concert experience that is as awesome and diverse as WPRB? Well you need to look no further than our home state of New Jersey, as the All Points West festival in Jersey City has delivered again. In its second year, the festival boasted the headliners of Jay-Z, Tool, and Coldplay, with daily line-ups that made even our music senses tingle. Furthermore, it is the first festival of its size to have the entire show filmed in 3D, using brand new technology from Cinedigm. Although the weekend’s weather was unpredictably harsh, ushering in Woodstock-reminiscent ponchos and mudslides, the fun just could not be rained out. So grab a cup of coffee, lean back in your recliner, and read on as I tell you the tale of the second annual All Points West festival.

All Points West is the east coast’s largest festival, drawing almost 75,000 people over three days. Unlike some other festivals, it does not allow entrants to pitch tents or stay overnight, leaving the focus on the music. Not to leave out any details, there were a number of pieces of artwork adorning the park, including a fiber-optic mirror-crested fountain, a shaded misting oasis crafted from wooden crates, and an amorphous lavender-tinted “solar pavilion.” However, this festival was all about the performers.

Misting Tents

Friday

New this year, each day was brought in by a string of comedic acts, with the first day featuring the comedians Bo Burnham, Eugene Mirman, and Arj Barker. Following months of doing almost nothing, I was able to walk shuffle between the enormous distances between stages to catch most of the musical acts. The music started almost immediately as the Heartless Bastards attracted an indie rock crowd on the Bullet Stage, while The Knux tore up the main stage, the Blue Comet Stage, bringing fans up on the stage to dance and “put it in the air.”

: Shearwater’s drummer picks up a mystical instrument of a name we will never know.

Shortly after, I was able to experience one of the most interesting acts of the day, Shearwater, who played an entrancing set with members trading and picking up different instruments between nearly every song while singer Jonathan Meiberg’s Celtic vocals led the pack – definitely an act not to miss. As they lured in fans, Seasick Steve played his 3-string guitar on the main stage, getting the audience dancing with the tap of his foot, and holding dearly his bottle of Jack Daniels in between songs. I was able to catch a bit of Telepathe, two energetic girls playing psychedelic electronic music, before hurrying over to see Fleet Foxes, definitely one of the highlights of the day.

: Fleet Foxes bring Heaven to Earth under ominous rainclouds.

Their chorus of voices and celestial sounds seemed to awaken the gods, as dark clouds set in and the rain started for the day. “I feel like we’re a guild of wizards here to deliver an ominous warning,” joked frontman Robin Pecknold. Although the drizzles set in, the fun continued with indie band Ra Ra Riot delivering a lively and overall fun set of songs, complimented by the sight of two female string players, and the National had me tapping my foot to their good old American music. For the remainder of the day, one of the two second stages was dominated by popular hip-hop acts Organized Konfusion, Pharcyde, and Q-Tip. Not exactly my style, but they seemed to keep the audience going for hours on end.

The other second stage, the Queen of the Valley stage, featured multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd, popular LA rock band Carolina Liar, and ended with a number of hip hop/electronic acts. The nonstop dance music turned All Points West into a rave, with Flying Lotus, Peanut Butter Wolf, and hit duo MSTRKRFT, who kept the audience alive into the night until the city curfew put an end to the fun. Meanwhile, on the main stage, the band Vampire Weekend gave the audience what they were looking for after almost two hours of non-stop rain, turning the park grounds into a giant pit of mud. However, Vampire Weekend, who I was seeing for the first time, lifted my spirits with their lively and popular rock music, ending their set with a rendition of “Walcott” as their very own ode to Jersey.

: Yeah Yeah Yeah’s vocalist Karen O tears up the stage.

After the rain stopped, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stole the show and had the audience screaming as vocalist Karen O tore up the stage with her piercing and smooth voice. My personal favorite from them was a beautiful acoustic performance of their hit song “Maps.” Finally came the headliner, Jay Z, an artist not usually played on WPRB. He was a last-minute performer, filling in for the Beastie Boys, who couldn’t make it due to MCA’s recent cancer diagnosis. However, I must say that I was surprised with the quality of Jay-Z’s performance, bringing a full band on stage and enough energy for everyone in the audience of however many 20,000 people. As I left on Friday, I may have brushed a little dirt off of my shoulders, but my feet were nonetheless covered in mud.

Jay-Z, larger than life.

Saturday

Good news came Friday night for concertgoers, as the All Points West management allowed Friday ticketholders to come back either Saturday or Sunday for free because of the weather, just out of the good of their hearts, so a round of applause to them for actually caring about the audience. Thankfully Saturday started out with the sun shining, and the beautiful weather kept the day enjoyable, although the muddy grounds were just as gross as the day before. The comedians of the day included Jim Jeffries, Judah Freelander, and TV Duo Tim & Eric. Meanwhile, I took the chance to checkout Brooklyn locals Black Gold, an up-and-coming band whom I really enjoyed and had the chance to meet later in the day. Their performance was highly entertaining, as several girls painted in gold threw beach balls into the growing audience, and they kept the energy all throughout the weekend by offering ever-popular free massages at their own air-conditioned tent, the only band to have their own tent. Following them was a very melodic performance by …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, sporting two drummers for that extra bit of LOUD. The main stage featured the local stylings of the White Rabbits and a very hardcore performance by Cage the Elephant, as the frontman showed off his screaming vocal abilities.

Crystal Castles singer Alice Glass gets the party started.

Following them, the Cool Kids kept it cool with the main stage’s hip hop for the day. Speaking of hip hop, Ice-T made a surprise appearance as a backup rapper for performer Kool Keith. Enjoying his time as a hypeman, Ice-T also performed some of his own songs a cappella, to a huge audience response. They were followed by St. Vincent’s airy vocals and glassy guitars, with female-fronted folk group Neko Case finishing the day’s set. On the Queen of the Valley Stage, I was able to check out Chairlift, with their angelic dual vocals and synth-filled soundspace, as they belted out slow-aced yet heart-pounding electro rock. Following them, popular young group Tokyo Police Club was a great indie break in the electronic music of the stage, keeping it lively and rocking. However, Crystal Castles stole the show with a barrage of bright strobe lights and their recognizable electronic music that had everybody dancing.

Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz keeps it real.

Over on the main stage, the Arctic Monkeys played a great set, which was to be expected, but Ukranian group Gogol Bordello took the cake for the night with possibly the most enjoyable performance of the festival. Their gypsy music consisting of accordions, violins, and folk guitar was transformed on stage by pounding drums and the insurmountable energy of singer Eugene Hutz, easily matched by the rest of the band. I must admit that his performance had my hands in the air and my old feet doing new tricks.

I was not able to catch the next show by My Bloody Valentine, but from what I heard they were unimpressive at best, although I’m sure fans enjoyed them all the same. The headliner for the day was the unclassifiable Tool whose performance was, in a word, metal. Their performance was loud and heart stopping, with frontman Maynard Keenan remaining in the back of the stage, while gruesome artistic videos covered the stage and screens. I left this overwhelming performance with only The Ting Tings ringing out on second stage to cheer me up.

Sunday

Sunday, the third and final day of the festival, started with a bang. Of thunder and lightning. As soon as I arrived at the festival, eager to head over to the press tent for an interview, the rain came pouring down and the gates remained closed. A few minutes later, the entire crowd was forced into the nearby ferry terminal as part of safety precautions due to the storms. But fans waited patiently for the comforting voice of the police megaphone, assuring us all that the show would go on. The gates finally opened about three hours later, a little after 4, and the crowd rushed in to the giant mudpit once more.

Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups gives an astounding performance, starting the festival's last day with a bang.

The day’s music was started by the Silversun Pickups, a personal favorite, who absolutely rocked the main stage and kept the crowd in high spirits for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this meant that a bunch of the bands scheduled to play earlier were canceled, including hometown favorites Steel Train and the Gaslight Anthem, both bands that I was looking forward to seeing. On the Bullet stage, We Are Scientists continued with a blast of upbeat music, not leaving out their humorous antics in between. They were followed by Swedish band Mogwai, who played a series of great instrumentals, and the Black Keys, keeping things alive with only a guitar and drums. The energy they gave off made it seem like much more than just the duo. The Queen of the Valley stage featured an impressive lineup of electronic-type bands, however, my poor little feet were too tired from three days of rocking to walk over.

We Are Scientists charm the audience with their humorous antics and stylish haircuts.

For all you electro-rock fans out there, you would surely have enjoyed the lineup of Hey Champ, La Roux, Lykke Li, Ghostland Observatory, and Etienne de Crecy. Back on the main stage was a series of English bands, started off by Elbow, who are quickly gaining popularity in the US and played a set that proved exactly why. Following them was Echo & the Bunnymen, who brought back the 80s UK punk era for just a little bit. A rare appearance in these parts, many fans came to see Echo alone.

Last but not least, were headlining superstars Coldplay, who drew probably the largest crowd of the event and did nothing but deliver great performance after performance for the rest of the night. They played all of their hits, and had the audience singing and dancing along, even in the giant pockets of mud that had formed throughout the day. On the second stage at the [poorly planned] same time, were the young and great MGMT, who couldn’t help but have the audience going crazy throughout their set, even playing a brand new song. Even though the day started in disappointment, the show surely did go on, and many of the big name acts delivered harder than ever to call this last day of the festival a raging success.

Mud, Music, and People Having Fun = All Points West 2009.

Along the way, I was able to speak with Gregg Flotlin from Free Yr Radio, who informed me that a number of interviews and recorded content will be available to us in the near future, so stay tuned for all of that great stuff coming to you on WPRB. And for those fans who were unable to make it to the festival, but want to cherish the good times anyways, all of the main stage acts were filmed in 3-D, which should prove for an interesting, if not tantamount experience, when it hits the big screen this fall. All in all, although the weather tried to get us down, All Points West still turned out to be one of the best concert experiences I have had, so watch out as it comes back next year, and be sure not to miss a minute of it!

Pop Is Dead: The WPRB Top 30

It’s been a rough week for fans of pop and pin-ups, but we’re still handling it well enough to hook you up with the Top 30.

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 VARIOUS ARTISTS Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples (Numero)
2 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca (Domino)
3 DEERHUNTER Rainwater Cassette Exchange (Kranky)
4 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By (Island)
5 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (SUB POP)
6 DEBBIE LEGGO Debbs Leggs (Fire)
7 CAVE Psychic Psummer (Important)
8 THE BATS The Guilty Office (Hidden Agenda)
9 OBITS I Blame You (SUB POP)
10 EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL Forest Field (Self-Released)
11 DINOSAUR JR. Farm (Jagjaguwar)
12 AUDIBLE In Simple Intervals (Polyvinyl)
13 SONIC YOUTH The Eternal (Matador)
14 IT HUGS BACK Inside Your Guitar (4AD)
15 SPACEMEN 3 The Sound Of Confusion (Fire)
16 SNAKE FLOWER 2 Renegade Daydream (Tic Tac Totally)
17 LIECHTENSTEIN Survival Strategies In A Modern World (Slumberland)
18 TARA JANE ONEIL A Ways Away (K)
19 SCREAMING FEMALES Power Move (Don Giovanni)
20 CAUSE CO-MOTION! Because Because Because (Slumberland)
21 TYVEK Tyvek (SILTBREEZE)
22 WOODEN SHJIPS Dos (Holy Mountain)
23 CROCODILES Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
24 NOSAJ THING Drift (Alpha Pup)
25 POISON ARROWS First Class, And Forever (File 13)
26 THE FIELD Yesterday And Today (Anti-Kompakt)
27 BISHOP ALLEN Grrr (Dead Oceans)
28 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
29 YEAH YEAH YEAHS It’s Blitz (Interscope)
30 IRON AND WINE Around The Well (SUB POP)

Weekend Wax!

And what kind of sweet, action packed weekend would it be without the Top 30?

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 V/A – Shiftless Decay: New Sounds of Detroit (X!)
2 SONIC YOUTH – The Eternal (Matador)
3 DEATH – For The Whole World To See (Drag City)
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS – The World Is Lousy With Ideas, Vol. 8 (Almost Ready)
5 SPACEMEN 3 – The Sound of Confusion (Fire)
6 IDA MARIA Fortress Round My Heart (Upper 11-RCA-Fontana)
7 ART BRUT – Art Brut Vs. Satan (Downtown)
8 CAUSE CO-MOTION! – Because Because Because (Slumberland)
9 DIRTY PROJECTORS – Bitte Orca (Domino)
10 CAVE – Psychic Psummer (Important)
11 POLLY SCATTERGOOD – Polly Scattergood (Mute)
12 PINK MOUNTAINTOPS – Outside Love (Jagjaguwar)
13 CROCODILES – Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
14 COMET GAIN – Broken Record Prayers (What’s Your Rupture?)
15 BOY LEAST LIKELY TO – Law of the Playground (+1)
16 SUPERCHUNK – Leaves In The Gutter [EP] (Merge)
17 DEAR NORA – Three States: Rarities ’97-’07 (Magic Marker)
18 WAU Y LOS ARRRGHS – Viven (Slovenly)
19 THE FIELD – Yesterday And Today (Anti-Kompakt)
20 MSTRKRFT – Fist Of God (Downtown)
21 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS – The Hunchback (richie)
22 NAOMI SHELTON AND THE GOSPEL QUEENS – What Have You Done, My Brother? (Daptone)
23 EAT SKULL – Wild And Inside (SILTBREEZE)
24 LEE FIELDS AND THE EXPRESSIONS – My World (Stones Throw-Truth And Soul)
25 OBITS – I Blame You (SUB POP)
26 HERMAS ZOPOULA – Espoir/Live In Ouagadougou (Asthmatic Kitty)
27 AXEMEN – Big Cheap Hotel
28 MAGIK MARKERS – Balf Quarry (Drag City)
29 DEBBIE LEGGO – Debbs Leggs (Fire)
30 PREFUSE 73 – Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (Warp)

Loud Lunch: Bonnaroo Chronicles Vol. 3

Well, well, well: Three days, four nights, and more burgers and dogs than I can count later, my adventures in the wonderland that is the American South have finally come to a close. Why don’t you read on for all the juicy details of Saturday and Sunday of Bonnaroo 2009?

Saturday got off to quite a slow start, as a pretty nasty cough made it’s rounds all around camp, confining everyone to their humid tents for a few extra hours before allowing them the strength to embrace the pollen soaked air awaiting them outside. I made it to the press tent just in time to catch Jimmy Buffet talk with Margret Cho for five minutes about how gosh-darn green the festival is this year (a very good point, off course, with a Green Squad roaming the whole compound round the clock) before I had to split to catch a bit of the Tony Rice unit over at The Other Tent.

Following over at This Tent, Of Montreal raised some psychedelic hell for a solid hour, definitely making a fan out of yours truly, but leaving me with so little energy that I slept through the bulk of David Grisman’s set. No bother, because I woke up watching the Decemberists, who rocked much harder and louder than I would have expected. You win this round, Colin Meloy!

Somewhere amidst the ruckus, I had a moment to meet one of my favorite performers of the year, Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, who said he remembers PRB for playing, “all that great punk rock back in the 80′s.” Boss.

The blunders of the afternoon were rendered insignificant, however, in the face of Saturday’s headliner, Bruce Springsteen. The Boss played for three whole hours without taking a break, and killin’ it the entire time no less. I’m not even a fan, but that man knows how to get a crowd riled up like it’s nobody’s business: while I could not comprehend exactly what he meant during the ten minutes he took to talk about building, “a house of love on rock ‘n roll and filling it with faith and then more love,” (or something along those lines), I jumped and screamed like I’d been down since day one, and enjoyed every moment of it.

Sunday most definitely took the cake as the most representative and enjoyable day of the festival. We packed up our camp, toured Shakedown Street for a while (picking up some amazing chicken on a stick, btw) and spent the rest of the day plopped on the lawn. Everything was down-tempo on Sunday, from the surprisingly dynamic psych-folk stylings of Andrew Bird, through the sweet and subdued Band of Horses on the same stage, right up to the OG himself, Snoop Dogg.

But once again, in the opinion of this DJ, the headline took the cake. I don’t really listen to Phish, and I’m not too huge on light shows either, but the vibe at their Sunday night performance, from the stage all the way to the back fence, was so unbelievably warm, welcome, and radiant that it was impossible not to just give up and get down. I’ve never seen so many glowing objects in the sum of my entire life, let along all in one place. And just when you thought you couldn’t chill harder, the Boss himself joined the band on the What stage to kick out a cover of Mack Rice’s Mustang Sally and the best version of Glory Days that most of us will ever hear. Needless to say, the crowd went wild.

And with that we were off, for another fifteen fun-filled hours on the road, basking in the shadow of one helluva festival. Mad respect to Music Allies for putting together a sweet press tent as well as a great radio program to listen to on the way down, Crazy Pete for having my back the whole time, and all the artists and attendees that made this one for the books.

See y’all next year!

Loud Lunch: Bonnaroo Chronicles Vol. 2

Good afternoon Radioland! Lance Loud here, comin’ at’cha will a whole new Bonna-recap for the second day of tunes. Running on four hours of “sleep,” a few cases of water, and a half a bottle of ibuprofen, we braved the heat (what’s up with this weather?) for the first full day of the Roo.

New York City was holding court all day with killer performances from seasoned veterans and the new school alike. TV On the Radio and the Yeahs Yeah Yeahs threw down some serious rock in the mid afternoon, but the highlights of the day did not rear their heads until after dark. While the headliner of the night was Phish, an experience that I’m saving till their second performance on Sunday night, the Beastie Boys brought all the serious noise.

Rockin’ everything from their hardcore to lounge tunes live, the B-Boys were only half the fun of the set, as the stage was bulging with celebrity from Mix Master Mike on the turntables, Mr. Money Mark on the keyboards, and a mind-blowingly awesome cameo by NYC hip-hop legend, Nas.

After a short rest back at camp, we made it back out the stages for one hell of a party, rolling from the tale end of Phoenix’s set back into some more bangin’ NY tunes a few yards over with Public Enemy. I don’t remember Flava Flav rapping too much, but I do remember that he mentioned yet another VH1 reality-series that he’ll be ringleading this summer, so tune in.

The night rounded itself out with ninety minutes of bounce from bastard-pop wizard, Girl Talk, and a set from trance master Paul Oakenfold that stretched three hours overtime, past the sunrise. Good thing there’s only two days left here, or else I think my feet would never forgive me for what I’m putting them through at this festival.

Stay tuned for more…

From Tennessee With Love… The Top 30!

I may not be in the office today, but it’s going to take a lot more than a thousand miles and a few torrential downpours to stop me from doing my WPRB duty: bringing you the Top 30 charts for the week ending on Friday, June 12th.

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 SONIC YOUTH - The Eternal (Matador)
2 ART BRUT - Art Brut Vs. Satan (Downtown)
3 TELEKINESIS - Telekinesis (Merge)
4 V/A - Eccentric Soul: Smart’s Place (Numero Group)
5 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS - Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
6 VARIOUS ARTISTS - SCORE! 20 Years Of Merge Records: The Covers (Merge)
7 BAT FOR LASHES – Two Suns (Astralwerks)
8 DIRTY PROJECTORS - Bitte Orca (Domino)
9 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS - The Hunchback (Richie)
10 SWAN LAKE - Enemy Mine (Jagjaguwar)
11 KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES - What Is?! (Vice)
12 DECEMBERISTS - Hazards Of Love (Capitol)
13 IDA MARIA – Fortress Round My Heart (Upper 11-RCA-Fontana)
14 DOUBLE DAGGER - More (Thrill Jockey)
15 THERMALS - Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)
16 DEATH – For The Whole World To See (Drag City)
17 BOY LEAST LIKELY TO - The Law Of The Playground (+1)
18 DREAMDATE - Patience (Skywriting)
19 COLD CAVE - The Trees Grew Emotions And Died (Hospital Productions)
20 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW - Eating Us (Graveface)
21 POLLY SCATTERGOOD - Polly Scattergood (Mute)
22 V/A – The World Is Lousy With Ideas Vol. 8 (Almost Ready)
23 V/A - Why Should I Care About You? (Slovenly)
24 ARBOURETUM Song Of The Pearl (Thrill Jockey)
25 BEIRUT - March Of The Zapotec/Holland (Pompeii)
26 VASELINES - Enter The Vaselines (SUB POP)
27 SUPERCHUNK - Leaves In The Gutter [EP] (Merge)
28 APOSTLE OF HUSTLE - Eats Darkness (Arts And Crafts)
29 BISHOP ALLEN – Grrr (Dead Oceans)
30 LADY SOVEREIGN - Jigsaw (Midget)