W♥M (Archive)

Bievenido a Buenos Aires, North America

El Remolon - Estilo Acapulco El Remolon Tour Dates 07/31/10 Denver, CO - Biennial of the Amer 08/01/10 Salt Lake City – Urban Lounge 08/03/10 Seattle, WA – Crocodile 08/04/10 Portland, OR – Rotture 08/05/10 San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw 08/06/10 Echoplex Los Angeles, CA 08/11/10 Tijuana, Mexico 08/12/10 DF, DF, MEXICO 08/13/10 DF, DF, MEXICO 08/14/10 DF, DF, MEXICO 08/15/10 Beauty Bar Austin, TX Read More DJs http://weheartmus... Chris Joss is self-taught multi-instrumentalist/DJ, from France. Personally, I believe some of th...

Once on a cold winter night in Minneapolis, a friend of mine threw a small Christmas party. Beside some friends and his band mates, there were few randoms from off the street. By the end of the night it was a true fiesta; you were either playing the piano, sax, congas, maracas, or dancing in the crowded and toasty warm living room space. Either way, we were friends making music, and the Latin vibe was pulsating down the street, causing snow to melt.

All right, I’m sure you’re wondering where this is going. It’s July – so it’s definitely not Christmas and there’s no snow, and Buenos Aires is in Argentina. I promise I’ll get to that.

Fast forward to last Wednesday. Equip with little more than my small note pad and a pen, my friend and photographer, Dan and I headed out to the Turf Club in St. Paul to experience what we had heard was some of Buenos Aires’ finest upcoming talent. The crew from ZZK Records, which included El G, Chancha Via Circuito, Tremor, El Remolon, and crew, stopped to play the Twin Cities en route to the West Coast during their Northern Hemisphere Summer Tour.

♥ ZZK

Upon arrival, I found the group of guys chilling out, devouring a couple of hot pizzas, while they reenergized themselves for yet another highly energized performance on their nearly non-stop tour. Grant “El G” Dull, label manager and DJ, and Leonardo of the group Tremor, were kind enough to fill me in on some inside perspectives of their music.

Leonardo described their sound as being inspired by funk rhythms, mixed with electronic. He explained, “The idea behind our music is to combine it with South American folklore, which is part of our legacy. We’re interested in finding new perspective to incorporate new rhythms.”

Each unit of this label has a unique Argentinean sound. Chancha Via Circuito is one of the two producers on the tour. The other producer on tour is El Remolon. El G, as I mentioned before, is the DJ. Tremor is the live band made up of three guys. The tour brings you a showcase of the distinct styles ZZK Records has to offer. Each participant has an expert sense for blending and interpreting their native sounds with danceable, electric beats.

Overall, what I witnessed could be described as Cumbia, mixed with electronic beats, funk, tribal sounds, dancehall, tons of random neon objects, and hallucinogenic substances, boiled in a pot under extreme pressure, causing an awesome, danceable, music explosion known as ZZK.

Midway through the show, I quickly stepped outside for some fresh air, only to overhear my friend Dan telling the guys from Tremor, “Before I came tonight I was thinking, ‘What do Argentineans know about the funk?’ Really?! But then I saw you play, and um yeah, you get the funk! Clearly Argentineans know about the funk!” I was relieved to see in their faces that they seemed to take it as a great compliment.

The energy and vibe built up through the evening as the music continued. As the night came to an end, the whole ZZK party was on the dance floor playing music. There were drums, percussion galore, a melodica, Argentinean tarkas flute, just to name a few. A grand collaboration was taking place. A guy in the audience started pounding out beats with a barstool. Dan somehow found a cowbell and was going to town. Everybody in there joint was playing something, clapping, stomping, or moving and shaking.

Suddenly, I had a flashback to that Christmas party. These guys just passing through had created such an intimate performance that each person became a part of this fantastic experience. It was as if they invited us all into their home, as friends, to throw an exclusive, invitation only party. Then the music ended – it was time to go. Everyone froze in an awkward moment, because unlike the Christmas party, at 2:00 am you had to go. Chancha broke the silence with a cheer, and everyone laughed, as they knew the night was over and they made their way to the door. 

If you’re on the West Coast, you must go see this for yourself. Mexico and Europe, I hear you’re next… same advice to you. Say you missed them – well, you lucked out, but you’re not too terribly unlucky; ZZK TV launched on zzkrecords.com Thursday. Check it out to see their crazy adventures of life on the road. Listen to more music on the website. Most importantly, catch them live, they will not disappoint.

 07/31/2010 09:20:16 ♥ nicole () ♥ zzkrecords.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ @zzkrecords 

Sondre Lerche, JBM at Mercury Lounge, New York City (7/27/10)

JBM - Cleo's Song JBM Tour Dates 08/10/10 Columbia, MO - Mojos* 08/11/10 Little Rock,AR - Sticky Fingers* 08/12/10 Dallas, TX - The Loft* 08/13/10 Austin, TX - ND* 08/14/10 Houston, TX - Mangos* 08/16/10 Memphis, TN - Hi Tone* 08/17/10 Nashville, TN - Mercy* 08/18/10 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle* 08/19/10 Washington - Rock N Roll café* 09/01/10 San Diego, CA - Casbah* 09/02/10 Santa Barbara, CA - Soho* 09/03/10 LA, CA - Hotel Café % 09/07/10 Oakland, CA - New Parish* 09/10/10 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern* 09/11/10 Vancouver, BC - Media Club* 09/13/10 Eugene, OR - Venue TBD* 09/14/10 Sacramento, CA - TBD* 09/15/10 Santa Cruz/ Big Sur...TBD* 09/16/10 Costa Mesa, CA -Detroit Bar* * w/ AA Bondy % solo show Read More Sondre Lerche http://weheartmus... Sondre Lerche was born in Bergen, Norway. Lerche was weaned on the 80s pop that emanated from his...

Sondre Lerche - Good Luck

Despite the thunderous applause that followed each of his songs, Sondre Lerche was still visibly nervous at Mercury Lounge last night. He fumbled along while tuning his guitar and awkwardly asked the soundguy for help. Though he’s been playing in front of crowds since the tender age of fourteen, Lerche was on edge that night since he was debuting a handful of new songs and opening for his close friend, JBM. His anxiousness, however, seemed uncalled for. He opened the set with the new track, “Red Flags,” and despite the somber melody, the audience ate it up. He looked quite relieved by the feedback, and this seemed to jolt him back into his more confident, upbeat stage persona. He then brought out a violinist named Kay for two songs: “Heartbeat Radio” and “Good Luck.” The strings added a strangely psychedelic feel to the former song, while it lent a playful orchestral edge to the latter. Since most of Lerche’s shows feature just him and his guitar, the violin provided a nice texture to his guitar-heavy music.

For the next new song (“Dear Laughing Doubters”), Lerche exerted much more confidence. He explained that he had been commissioned to write it for the upcoming Steve Carell comedy, Dinner for Schmucks, “in theaters this Friday!” he added in his best Moviefone voice. Again, it was sweet and somber, and the audience swooned in unison. He ended the night with another new song, “Domino,” and by then, he didn’t seem hesitant at all to showcase his talents. It acted as a nice segue into JBM’s set, which was fleshed out with a full band but still on the intimate side. Since his debut album, Not Even in July, was just released, he’s still working out the kinks with his touring band, but he has an undeniable confidence with his own work. As he effortlessly switched between a number of instruments, it was obvious how he could make a seasoned professional like Sondre Lerche a wee bit insecure.

Sondre Lerche

 07/30/2010 19:46:19 ♥ kate () ♥ jbm-music.com/myspace ♥ sondrelerche.com/myspace 

Bye Bye Brody

Local W♥M contributor Brody is moving to New Orleans. His last appearance will be on August 1^st at the Bedlam Theater, so come out to say hi & bye this Sunday. Looking at the poster, it STARTS at 10pm. On. A. Sunday.

I will be there, but I don't know if I'm staying for very long. I've already seen Koo Koo Kangaroo, Andy Ulseth, and 4onthefloor - but not familiar with the last two bands:  Fontanelles and Space Land & Time

The Cavaliers - Hold On To My Baby

Since I don't really have any songs from these bands, I'm just going to use a song I've been listening to a lot lately: The Cavaliers - Hold On To My Baby.

PS, although Brody's moving, it doesn't mean that he'll stop working with us.  Expect more podcasts soon.

 07/30/2010 08:26:52 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com 

International dance club edition

Read More Hot Chip http://weheartmus... "Hot chips" as recently explained to me, are what the Aussies calls French fries. So it's no surp...

Here are some dancey-type bands from around the globe.

CLUBFEET
myspace.com/clubfeetband

This is a trio out of Melbourne. As you know, we like bands from Australia, and what's surprising about Clubfeet's debut album, Gold on Gold, is that it's actually a very, very good album! For music fans that likes the idea of Empire of the Sun, but can't stand Luke Steele's vocals, this is the band for you.

Since their debut single, Teenage Suicide, magazines like Rolling Stone kept comparing them to Hot Chip and Cut Copy. Although that particular single is very catchy and easy to remember with their chorus "teenage suicide, don't do it! teenage suicide, don't do it!" repeated over and over, I wouldn't dismiss them as another Chip Copy band. These guys have some great lyrics and they know how to produce and layer their music.

To be fair, I think the comparison comes from the fact that some of Clubfeet's songs are very upbeat and happy ("D.I.E. Yuppie Scum", "BrightLightsBigCity", and "Pull It Together"). They have a serious side, although that usually results in slower and depressing songs like "Fall From Up Here".

Their cover of James' "Say Something" is also worth mentioning. Instead of trying to sound like Tim Booth, Clubfeet's singer Sebastian Cohen takes it easy and mellows out a little. It's only towards the end of the cover that the band feels more loosen up and carefree, especially with the whistling and xylophone as the tape kept rolling after the song: "haha a little bit at the end hahah.". Just that ditty makes me think that these guys are pretty down-to-earth guys. Hope they go on tour soon!

The Gold on Gold album's been out in Australia earlier this year, but in America, the album was just released yesterday via Plant Music. You can pick it up via itunes or amazon.com.

I like these guys so much, that they'll be mentioned with Sally on W♥M Radio this week.

 

Husky Rescue - They are Coming (Warrior One Remix)

Husky Rescue

HUSKY RESCUE
husky-rescue.com ♥ myspace.com

I have long love this Finnish band, although I'll have to admit finding their music at a used record store in the States is pretty tough. Having said that, they have a new single called They Are Coming out on last Monday on Catskill Records.

As usual, Reeta Vestman's voice is soothing, but the music is very... spacey. At least in the original mix.

The single comes with four other mixes of "They Are Coming" and one Lake Bodom Session for "Sound of Love" (a single off their third studio album, Ship of Light). "Sound of Love" sounds great, especially because this is basically a live track and you can hear empty echo, acoustics, and orchestra.

I'll say this again: I'm not a fan of remixes. Sometime a song is really good (like Gone Are The Days), it can survive any remix and variants. In the case of "They Are Coming", the original mix is fine, I don't see why it needs to be mixed any further. However both the Warrior One and Kinema (both based out of London) tries to make it more clubby feel to it while the Halogen Remix, made it more old timey (and creepy). The winner is clearly Kinema because of the emphasis on the pianos and big beats.

You can download the Warrior One Remix at rcrdlbl.com, get the single directly from Catskill Records.

 

Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin

CHROMEO
chromeo.net ♥ myspace.com

This Canadian electrofunk duo are currently on tour for their forthcoming album, Business Casual (out in September of 2010). I wanted to mention them because we're doing coverage on them for the Minneapolis show, thanks to Kate 1. Having talked to her before, she is a massive Chromeo fan, too bad I told her that it's mandatory that she has to pay attention to The Holy Ghost!

07-29 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom 07-30 Boston, MA - House of Blues 07-31 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis 08-02 Ottawa, Ontario - Capital Music Hall 08-03 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix 08/04 New York, NY Central Park SummerStage 08-05 Detroit, MI - Majestic 08-07 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue 08/08: Nelson, BC @ Shambhala 08-10 Calgary, Alberta - Flames Central

08-11 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore 08-12 Seattle, WA - Showbox Market 08-13 Portland, OR - Roseland 08-16 San Diego, CA - House of Blues 08-20 Denver, CO - Ogden 08-24 Austin, TX - Stubb's 08-25 Dallas, TX - Palladium 08-26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom 08-27 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade 09-04 New York, NY

HERMANOS INGLESOS
hermanosinglesos.com ♥ myspace.com

I've never heard of this Belgium band before, but from what I've gathered, they seem to be real life brothers (Cedric and Didier Engels). What's kind of funny about their name, Hermanos Inglesos, is that it's Spanish for Brothers English, or something like that.

In many of these cases, these bands have a hard time marketing themselves to Americans. Obviously, the dominate form of music here seems to be hip-hop, while the rest of the world seems to really dig electronic/dance/club music.

Anyway, wish I could tell you more about these brothers or the singer Meme on this track, "Wanderland". The video is pretty amazing, and I'll confess that I've privately sent it to a dozen other people when I saw this video ... although perhaps I should have warned them about the Unicorn-horny bit.� Unsee! Unsee!

�07/29/2010 00:19:09�♥vu ()♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com

jaklumen wrote: Thu, Jul 29, 2010 at 12:04 PM

What's kind of funny about their name, Hermanos Inglesos, is that it's Spanish for Brothers English, or something like that.

Well, that's it, literally. I might juxtapose it to be "The English Brothers", but there's no loss of meaning in comparing the two.

In many of these cases, these bands have a hard time marketing themselves to Americans. Obviously, the dominate form of music here seems to be hip-hop, while the rest of the world seems to really dig electronic/dance/club music.

I'd say that's been fairly consistent for the past two decades or so, but I don't see why they couldn't overcome that problem. A lot of rappers have been doing more rapping about "in the club" than "down in the ghetto" over the last 5-10 years. Moreover, you know I've done a few reviews of U.S. artists recently that are mixing hip-hop and electronica together.

When I've done some random surfing, I've found plenty of fans outside the U.S. that seem to be fairly well informed on the roots of rap, and how it drew heavily from disco and funk beats in the early years. So the gap can't be that big.

About the only real thing I can think of is blaming the corporate music machine in the U.S., and that they figure hip-hop pays the bills around here... but that still seems weak. Granted, we haven't had a big U.K./Euro invasion since MTV started and didn't have other videos to fill the airtime, so maybe it could be that there's no real big megaconglomercorporate push to share music more widely across the globe. Almost everyone is connected to the Internet now, though... it's just a matter of "movers and shakers" generating the buzz, I suppose.

 

Double Rainbow, all the way

The Gregory Brothers - Double Rainbow Song

The Gregory Brothers

I was talking to someone the other day that's never heard of "Double Rainbow".  Come on, you know: "double rainbow, all the way!"

For those too embarrassed to admit not knowing, I suggest heading over to knowyourmeme.com, as they do a great job of classifying and analyzing why things becomes viral.

In the case of "Double Rainbow", I was kind of surprise how a grown man can be so amazed at the sight of a double rainbow.

What caught my eye about this particular meme was that The Gregory Brothers quickly jumped on and produced their "Double Rainbow Song" (the group is best known for their Auto-Tune the News).

While their single, which is available on iTunes, is brief, it's pretty catchy ... and the best part, all the memorable quotes from HungryBear9562.

Whoa, that's a full rainbow all the way
Double rainbow, oh my god, double rainbow
It's a double rainbow all the way ... damn
It's a double rainbow all the way ... damn, oh my god

What does this mean? It's so bright, so vivid
Double rainbow, double rainbow, it's so intense
What does this mean? It's starting to even look like a triple rainbow
That's a whole rainbow, man, ahhhh!

Double rainbow all the way across the sky
Yeah, yeeeeaaaaah, so intense!
Double rainbow all the way across the sky
Wow, wow, oh my god, look at that rainbow!

Oh my god!
Too much! (cries)

That's the baddest f*cking rainbow I've ever seen.

Know Your Meme: Double Rainbow

 07/27/2010 19:46:19 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com

It's a Trap!

Tiger Trap - Supreme Nothing

Yes, I know, I've been slacking. The summer, and bicycling, and just busy enjoying what little time I have. I'm reading Stephen King's Under the Dome at the moment, which I'll admit sounds like the premises to his other short story, Skeleton Crew. So far, Under the Dome, is definitely more fleshed out, but ultimately about people who are trapped under this mysterious dome.

Speaking of traps, here are some bands with the trap theme.

TIGER TRAP
myspace.com/rosemelberg

I've a long love affair with Tiger Trap. As I've previously mentioned, they are a very short-lived band from Sacramento. The main quality that I like about Tiger Trap is that they're an all-girls band with a punchy DIY-ness to them.

Luckily, Rose Melberg is still around, in fact, I got a chance to review her last album, Homemade Ship ... although she's been really somewhat of a softie (fans will get this joke) in her age.

Tender Trap - Girls With Guns

TENDER TRAP
myspace.com/tendertrap

Speaking of girls and indie, Tender Trap shares a lot of the same qualities as Tiger Trap.

This London-based band have been quite popular with indiepop fans (particularly fans of Fortuna Pop!). In America, they're signed to Slumberland Records, who just released their album Dansette Dansette on June 22nd.

Check out my favorite track off Dansette, "Girls With Guns". Simply a fun, fun, 60s girlpop harmony song. You can download some more songs off Slumberland's website... where you'll find that the LP is moderately priced cheaper than the CD ($8 vs $10), the pricing includes MP3 downloads, so you don't have to rip your vinyl!

The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

THE TEMPER TRAP
thetempertrap.com ♥ myspace.com

This Australian band is celebrating their APRA "Song of the Year" award (not to be mistaken with the other Aussie award ARIA, which they did not win - however off topic, Empire of the Sun wins honors for album AND single of the year. Didn't I warn you that they were really really good?).

Anyroad, back to The Temper Trap, they are going back on tour through the Americas with Delphic and The Hundred in The Hands. Having already seen the band live, I can tell you to expect two things: a very professional roadie and lots of falsetto. If you don't like hearing a man singing like a girl, don't bother. Everyone else, get your tickets soon:

8/4 San Diego, CA House of Blues 8/6 Cleveland, OH House of Blues 8/8 Chicago, IL Lollapalooza 8/10 Denver, CO Ogden Theater 8/11 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot 8/13 Seattle, WA Showbox 8/14 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 8/15 San Francisco, CA Outside Lands 9/26 Philadelphia, PA The Trocadero* 9/29 Boston, MA House of Blues* 9/30 Montclair, NJ The Wellmont* 10/1 New York, NY Terminal 5*

10/2 Montreal, QUE Le National* 10/3 Ottawa, ONT Capital Music Hall* 10/5 Toronto, ONT The Phoenix* 10/9 Austin, TX Austin City Limits 10/11 Detroit, MI St. Andrews* 10/13 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall* 10/14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue* 10/16 Mexico City, MEX Corona Capital Festival 10/22 Pomona, CA The Fox* 10/23 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia* *with The Hundered and The Hands

 07/24/2010 11:29:25 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥podcast.weheartmusic.com 

Hugo covers "99 Problems"

I have to admit; at first I was hesitant to listen to Hugo’s cover of “99 Problems.” I love Jay-Z‘s version, and I was worried that this was going to be another hip-hop cover. To my surprise, that was far from the truth.

So, I have to give a little history on this song to start off. Sorry, I’m old school. I say another hip-hop cover because “99 Problems” was originally done by Ice-T, and of course, Ice-T’s original version is truly gangsterfied. About two years before Jay-Z released his chart-topping version produced by Rick Rubin, another hip-hop artist, Trick Daddy, recorded his cover of “99 Problems,” which was featured as a track on his 2001 “Thugs Are Us” album. 

Needless to say, I’m glad I gave Hugo’s version a listen. I found his cover to be refreshingly unique. To be honest, I didn’t know that he wasn’t a rapper until I watched the video. Kudos to him for giving new life to this song.

Yesterday I found myself randomly listening to some down south, delta blues. To my complete surprise, Hugo hydrated my thirst for more of this music. The video for “99 Problems” is pure bluesy grit and grime, banjo and all. Part of it being filmed in the studio where some of “Fight Club” was shot, it’s no surprise that the video has such a sweaty, Brad Pitt appeal to it.

The red-hot iguana was what grabbed my interest in the first few seconds of the video. From my experience living in Central America, these creatures are more than intriguing to me – I am familiar with them. They creep around, watching you with their snaky eyes, but always keeping their distance. The iguana seems to play the adversary throughout the music video; always cast in a red glow.

I also love the lyrical reference to the crossroads and the devil. If you know anything about the tale of Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil for the ability to play the meanest guitar you’ll ever hear, you will appreciate this song even more. (Tons of artists have made reference, or covered Johnson’s song, and my favorite reference to this tale is in the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”).

This is beyond a cover; this is Hugo’s ingenious ability to bridge a gap between mainstream and art. Not to mention, after one of his song’s landed on Beyoncé’s album, he has since been signed to Jay-Z’s label, and may now have the ultimate platform to cross that road.

I’m anticipating the album release. Not sure when that will be. It looks like he’s only gigging in New York at this time.

 07/23/2010 23:24:57 ♥ nicole () ♥ hugoofficial.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ @hugoofficial 

Q & A with Andy Noble from Kings Go Forth

Kings Go Forth - Don't Take My Shadow Kings Go Forth Tour Dates 07/31/10 Cedar Cultural Center Minneapolis, MN Read More David Byrne http://weheartmus... Reading David Byrne’s latest release, I have to ask, “What hasn’t this man done?” Currently, the...

Kings Go Forth are a 70s soul band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Signed to David Byrne's record label Luaka Bop, the ten-piece band are currently on tour to promote their debut record, The Outsiders Are Back. Band leader, Andy Noble was nice enough to answer some of Nicole's questions:

As many people get into careers and grow older, they put dreams behind them. It's impressive that so many of you banded together to commit to pursuing them. What is your motivation to "go forth?"
Wow, I feel like people must think we are retired with grandchildren the way that question sounds! I am 34 and have been involved in music: playing/writing/recording/DJing/running my record shop label/etc for my whole life. We aren't like factory workers or something. I don't know who's been spreading those rumors around! I still get carded every time I buy beer.. Blackwolf, the oldest member of the group, has also been singing and writing consistently throughout his life. Yes, many of the members of the group have other things they do for money, but at the level we are at, I think that's normal. Everywhere you go in Milwaukee, the bartender is the guy from Decibully or the waitress is the singer in some band. I don't think that's odd at all, is it?

As far as our motivation, I can only speak for myself, but I think it's quite simply to make good music. My life was just fine, in fact much simpler and enjoyable, before this group experienced success. The only reason for me to stay involved at this point is the chance to create some amazing music. It is virtually impossible to make any money w/ a 10-piece group, so the motivations become more pure I guess.

I've read that you all have other careers. How do you balance the two careers and how supportive have your employers been?
Well, first off, KGF isn't anything even remotely resembling a 'career' for any of us yet. At least financially. Most peoples' jobs have been pretty cool so far, although we haven't pushed it too much yet. We really should have been touring full-time since spring to support the LP, and instead we've been doing 2/3 shows here and there. Europe this fall will be the first significant trip and we'll see how that fairs.

What has been the most challenging part of making this all possible?
The fact that everyone in this huge group is so totally different culturally from each other. It is also one of the coolest parts of the group, but communication is sometimes really difficult. Also, the stress of making enough money to break even. It's so easy for us to go play a couple of shows, then come back to find we have lost $5,000 somehow. The expenses are just silly.

Much of your audience is younger and possible didn't get to grow up listening to much of the music that influences you. What message do you hope to pass onto them?
The sounds that we are tapping into have never really gone away. I was raised in the 80s, it's not like I was hearing tons of 60s soul at the school dance or anything. But it was still getting to me and my peers via rap music. Rob Base 'It Takes Two' was like the biggest song in 7th grade for all of us, and that is basically just 'Think' by Lyn Collins (a James Brown production). That rough and real soul sound has been a constant in American culture since it's inception, whether people realize it or not. We are simply one presence in a larger continuum that is soul music, or really American music.

Milwaukee is a great Midwestern city that often gets overshadowed by (the also great) Chicago. If you could say anything about where you are from and how it has shaped you, what would that be?
I feel like Milwaukee is all-American in most of the good ways, without all the Jesus-freak/guns+ammo trappings that accompany that in many other 'all-american' towns. Not that we don't have that, it's just not the prevailing culture here. We are really a good-times city , people love their music and their beer - that's for sure! Also, the lower cost of living fosters a fairly big arts/music scene - much larger, hipper, and prolific that out-of-towners expect.

On a more specific to KGF topic, I would say that the R&B music written and recorded here since the 50s would rival that, in quality if not quantity, of any of the other soul meccas. And that has been a huge influence on Blackwolf and I.

Any crazy road stories that you haven't told yet?
I wish! After we're done playing it's always about trying to get all 10 of the guys back in the van. I always hear about some cool after-spot or something but there's 10 of us and usually 1/2 cars so... Talk to us after we're back from Europe, if we don't have something good for you by then there's no hope for us!

 07/22/2010 21:12:06 ♥ nicole () ♥ kingsgoforth.com ♥ myspace.com 

Lachi

Lachi - We Can Fly Lachi Tour Dates 07/22/10 Joe’s Pub - New York 07/24/10 Lucky Dog Music Hall Boston, MA 07/27/10 Fire Philadelphia, PA 08/05/10 CW 11 - NY Morning News 08/07/10 Visions VCB  Valley, NY 08/12/10 Musikfest Bethlehem, PA 08/14/10 Arts - East N.Y. Festival 08/25/10 Best Buy - Union Square NY 08/26/10 Visions New York, NY

    Lachi is a singer-songwriter I hadn’t heard of until recently. When reading another review for the new album, which is self-titled and due for release July 27, I was drawn to read more when I saw that she was born blind and is playing with an all-blind band.

    Not too long ago I was thinking about the fact that in recent times there really haven’t been any emerging musicians that are blind. The most current artists I can think of are Andrea Bocelli, and of course, Stevie Wonder and the late Ray Charles.

    I always have great admiration for people who are labeled with a so-called “handicap” and go on to do greater things than most will ever do. There is something mystifying about those who can’t see the world through their eyes. Their other senses over-compensate, and magnificent super human senses develop. I can’t imagine how different that world is.

    Lachi reflects her confidence and inner beauty through the song “Ugly Beautiful,” on this album as she repeats the lyrics, “Tell me, why should I change?” She seems reassuringly secure with who she is today.

    She pours out lyrics, revealing her vulnerability and struggles. Telling stories of love, friendship, and perspective. I felt that a lot of the album was very reminiscent of the 90s ballads that were full of female angst, such as Meredith Brook’s “Bitch” and Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.”

    Her uncomfortably bittersweet vocals will definitely cause you to stop what you’re doing and listen. There’s nothing common in the soulful, folky melody she resounds. Her voice plays on your sensory receptors as you’re left deciding if you like what you’re hearing.

    Although her voice stands out as being unique, I found most the production on the album to be redundant and unoriginal. Songs like “Ugly Beautiful” and “Slow Down” stood out while others didn’t. I think she has potential and hopefully we will see this followed up with a more mature sophomore album.

 07/21/2010 22:14:10 ♥ nicole () ♥ ulachi.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ @ulachi 

We Are Scientists at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn (7/17/10)

We Are Scientists - The Great Escape We Are Scientists Tour Dates 07/21/10 Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL 07/23/10 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO 07/26/10 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR 07/27/10 media club Vancouver, Can 07/28/10 Neumo's Seattle, WA 08/01/10 Splendour In The Grass 08/03/10 Metro Sydney, Aus* 08/04/10 Princes Of Wales Melbourne, Aus* 08/06/10 Troubadour Los Angeles, ca 08/07/10 Slim's San Francisco, CA 08/08/10 Cellar Door Visalia, CA 08/10/10 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT 08/12/10 Record Bar Kansas City, MO 08/13/10 Old Rock House St. Louis, MO 08/14/10 Basement Columbus, OH 08/15/10 Brillobox Pittsburgh, PA 08/19/10 Pukkelpop Festival Kiewit, Belgium 08/21/10 Gampel Open Air , Switzerland 08/23/10 59:1 Munich, Germany 08/24/10 Lido Berlin, Berlin 08/25/10 Knust Hamburg 08/26/10 Luxor Köln, Nordrhein 08/28/10 Leeds Festival Leeds 08/28/10 Reading Festival Reading 08/29/10 Leeds Festival Leeds 09/03/10 Fountain Square Cincinnati, OH * with Ash Discography [2002] Safety, Fun, and Learning (In That Order) [2005] With Love and Squalor [2006] Crap Attack [2008] Brain Thrust Mastery [2010] Barbara

After two and a half grueling days of unsuccessful apartment hunting in Brooklyn, my attitude towards the borough wasn’t particularly fond. So by the time I reached Williamsburg to see We Are Scientists, I was feeling hostile towards anyone who seemed to look as if though lived comfortably in an apartment – whether it be a sprawling brownstone or a shared loft. The audience that night seemed to all have their housing situations in order, as many of them seemed to have come directly from the Siren Music Festival on Coney Island. The concert, which was the festival’s official “afterparty,” was full of sweaty, heat stroke victims, but despite this, they seemed quite forgiving towards the second opening act, Lightspeed Champion, whose act consisted of him pressing buttons on a boombox and belting out soft-rock songs. He oozed with schmaltz, right down to his never nude cut offs, but he seemed to fit in quite nicely in this particular Brooklyn neighborhood.

We Are Scientists took the stage quite late into the night, and Chris Cain and Keith Murray chatted with the audience frequently between songs. They had a booming rapport that reminded me of AM radio talk show hosts, but the audience seemed eager to laugh at all their jokes. Right from the start, they got on the audience’s good side by playing a number of their fan favorites, such as “This Scene is Dead” and “Nobody Move, Nobody Gets Hurt.” The familiar opening bars of the songs were usually met with a deafening scream, and the audience’s vocals usually overpowered that of the band.

Songs off their newest release, Barbara, were greeted with equal enthusiasm. “Nice Guys” was the first song on the setlist, and its repetitive rhythms gave the audience plenty to bounce to. Songs like “Pittsburgh” and “I Don’t Bite” were also seamlessly slipped in with older tracks, and unlike, say at a Weezer show, there was no clear preference for older material over newer material. Their drummer, Andy Burrows, (formerly of Razorlight) was a quiet but steady presence in the background and got quite a few whistles from the tipsy girls in the front. As a fitting way to kick off the encore, the band chose “After Hours,” their ode to endless nights of gallivanting and mild debauchery. However, the prospect of staying out all night is only appealing if you have a place to eventually go home to. Since I was currently homeless, I cut out early, after briefly considering sleeping in the sound guy’s booth.

♥ We Are Scientists

 07/20/2010 20:19:16 ♥ kate () ♥ wearescientists.com ♥ myspace.com ♥ @scientistbros