Monthly Archives: April 2011

Perhaps Bono has mastered/dominated the benefit concert scene in recent decades, but musically-devoted philanthropists need not join the mobs, hand holding, and heartfelt amplified speeches to take part in the movement. Recently Alela Diane played a benefit show in New York City on behalf of Housing Works, an organization “renowned for addressing the needs of people living with AIDS that other organizations deem ‘too challenging to serve’”. By offering a wide spectrum of services on wide-reaching fronts, Housing Works seeks to provide health care, legal services, housing, and AIDS prevention services to help those battling HIV/AIDS who are excluded from such help. Alela Diane, who recently released her third album on April 5, brought her warm folk to the challenge of fighting for the cause. Her increased activism comes with a stylistic shift, matching tender charity with a soulful croon rooted more deeply in dusty country tunes than anything else, and lyrics that empathize with pain and loneliness in brief timid bouts before scattering on. But where other benefit shows last a night, this takes an imaginative turn to increase participation.

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So you looked out your window this morning, a little disheartened to see sheets of water raining down from the heavens, and wondered how the show would go on? Listen, fun doesn’t do rain delays. And neither does WGTB. You can find Thayer and the rest of the festivities in Bulldog Alley, where we will cut the tile, feast on free pizza, collect rain water in the free WGTB cups and enjoy some great bands together. Be there at 2:30–because, really, look outside.. what else are you doing today?

Houseboat Babies by reptarathens

WGTB’S Block Party FEATURING: Reptar, RA the MC, Mercies and Get A Tan.

For more moves: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday

I’m sure you all woke up this morning ready to brush up on a few dance moves courtesy of Thayer and Sunshine, but due to technical difficulties, have been disappointed once again. We’re very sorry. Luckily, Thayer and Sunshine will be on Copley Lawn tomorrow from 2:30 to 6pm showing off their moves live at WGTB’s Block Party. Join them for free moves, free music, free burgers and free water raining down from the sky. While you wait in anticipation, check out our lineup and master the moves from earlier in the week — they’re so fresh, they’ll never get old.

WGTB’S Block Party FEATURING: Reptar, RA the MC, Mercies and Get A Tan.

For more moves: Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday

Let’s face it: Washington is better known for its monuments and political snafus than its happening music scene. Obama must have put something in the water, though, because recently D.C.-based music duo Bluebrain has lent the District some clout as a hub of aural innovation. This month, Bluebrain has not only announced the upcoming release of a site-specific album, they have also collaborated with Sockets Records to create something the likes of which not even the hippest city has seen: a vinyl with a “C side.”

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Joe Wright’s (Pride & Prejudice, Atonement) new action thriller Hanna proves that originality is once again the key to entertainment. Along with the director’s digression from splendid yet expected romantic dramas, The Chemical Brothers take on the role of film composer and charge their musical energy into the thrilling motion picture. The duo composes an interwoven texture between sight, mind, and sound, as they highlight the many layers of psychological conflict in the film. Hanna isn’t your typical mindless stream of electronic beats but a colorful mix of natural sounds metamorphosed into its heightened musical form.  The band takes score making into a new realm without barriers, creating a fusion of a variety of sounds and styles. From the steady march of a military operation to a music box’s dainty lullaby, the Chemical Brothers’ original motion picture score is dynamic track by track.

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This is a companion piece to the Wed. April 13th episode of Footnotes that streams on WGTB from 9-10pm.

In the last 50 years, the United States’ per capita real GDP has increased almost threefold. The largest factor contributing to this growth has been innovation – new technologies like cell phones and the internet, which have increased output and standards of living by essentially all quantifiable measures. Why then are there so many artistic efforts to depict modernity as a weight on humanity’s back? Read More »

On March 14 at the 9:30 Club, I covered my very first concert for WGTB. I was fortunate enough to get to review one of my favorite artists, Ben Kweller, alongside a possibly more famous co-headliner, Pete Yorn. The two share a grungy acoustic-semi-alternative kind of sound that I find infectious, but that made my dear father giggle with mirth when I played it for him: “I love the voice cracks!”

Before the concert began, I was lucky enough to sit down to talk with Mr. Pete Yorn. When I asked about themes that have appeared throughout his repertoire, he was quick to answer. “A lot of people miss where they’re at, ‘cause they’re just trying to get to the next place,” he told me. “That’s a theme that I’ve seen come up since my first record, since I’ve been writing songs… just being present—if you’re present, you can really get the most out of every moment.” Read More »