TWIMH: Who Dat? The Who.

Posted by on April 21st 2010 0

Blast from the Past: This Week in Music History
Brought to you by Alexa West, cohost of ROANOKE Mondays 12am-2am
Pinball Wizard, I’m Free, We’re Not Gonna Take It—just a few of the iconic songs from the Who’s legendary rock opera Tommy. Tommy (about a deaf-mute who starts a religious cult that eventually kills him when he is miraculously cured) was first performed live by the Who on April 19th 1969 in Dolton, England. Exactly five years later, Tommy was adapted as a film directed by Ken Russel. The cast included a plethora of stars: Ann-Margaret, Oliver Reed, Elton John, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton, and Jack Nicholson (to name a few!). The rock opera was not only a brilliant musical feat, but also was a thrilling and compelling story that inspired many rock artists to add a narrative quality to their lyrics. Georgetown wouldn’t be the same without “Tommy, can you hear me?” echoing in dormitory halls or the glam style introduced by the iconic movie. Read More »

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Native Noise: Buildings- and CD giveaway!

Posted by on April 21st 2010 0

NATIVE NOISE: BUILDINGS

Accessibility: 8
Originality: 9

Musical Prowess: 9
Recommended Listening: 8
Crush Factor: 9
Artistic Experience*: 10
Overall: 9.2+
*This new rating category was necessary. Throughout the Buildings show, a video of various scenes was playing on a screen in the background, and though I can’t really describe how perfect it was, it gets 10 extra points for how fascinated I was––not only was their music perfectly exhilarating and stimulating, they threw in some synesthesia. Read More »

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Artist of the Week: Avi Buffalo

Posted by on April 20th 2010 0

Avi Buffalo is a band that caught the Music Directors’ proverbial ear within the first couple minutes of the first track. Avi is short for Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, the bands lead singer and front man. Starting out as an amateur skateboarder in Long Beach and graduating to guitar virtuoso (taking the two coolest jobs- not fair), Avi built a band to compliment his taste. Citing Nels Cline as his inspiration, their sound is uncomfortable; they can be both timid and lucid. Effortlessly stretching simple pop constructions with innovative melodies, impressive guitaring, and obtuse lyrics, Avi Buffalo achieves something different. And when you get 30 albums a week, different is hugely important. Stay Tuned for Josh Smith’s full review, but for now, check out this track!
Avi Buffalo – Whats In It For? .mp3
Found at bee mp3 search engine

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Interveniew! Behind the Scenes at Rock & Roll Hotel

Posted by on April 20th 2010 0

Name: Steve Lambert
Official Position: Booking Manager
At Rock + Roll Hotel since: October 2006
Favorite Shows: “I saw Phoenix play about a year ago, when they were still kind of under the radar for some reason. They’re definitely one of the best live bands – incredibly accessible to their audience.”
Excited about: the new Liars record, the Crime in Stereo concert at DC9 in May, the fact that people like Mayer Hawthorne can produce throwback stuff that younger generations are getting into. Read More »

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Review: Automatic Children, New is Beautiful

Posted by on April 20th 2010 0

Automatic Children
New is Beautiful
14-year-old Fiona: A for sound, What Are Lyrics?
19-year-old Fiona: B- for sound, A for lyrics
Before handing me Automatic Children’s debut album New is Beautiful, WGTB Music Board Director Christian said this: “This record sounds pretty much just like everything coming out of Brooklyn right now. Except for the lyrics, their lyrics are actually pretty cool. There, I’ve essentially written your review for you.” Now you make the call, here’s what I’ve got on New is Beautiful:
Automatic Children sounded so familiar at first listen that I had to wonder if I’d heard them before––no, they are a little-known (at least outside of their borough) up-and-coming band out of NYC, so not that. Their music, however, plays straight up into the genre of poppy lo-fi post-punk––a genre that feels very much like home to me, after I dwelled there for much of my freshman and sophomore year of high school. If I had heard this album during that phase, it would have undoubtably, immediately become a close favorite. Read More »

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Concert Review: Owen Pallett at the Black Cat

Posted by on April 19th 2010 0

Owen Pallett
The Black Cat
April 15th, 2010
Owen Pallett had a cold during his show on Thursday night at the Black Cat’s mainstage. Nobody noticed until he said something—after his thirteenth song.
Nobody noticed he was onstage, either, at first. Though I’ll admit I was shamelessly scoping out the wiry, gangly must-be-a-roadie with asymmetrical hair and a black wife-beater, I couldn’t be sure that this man would start playing the violin after standing there, tuning said violin and staring unassumingly into the crowd for at least 10 minutes. But suddenly, we were off!
Pallett is one of those musicians an audience automatically takes to, based purely on the fact that he is having just as much fun performing as they are watching. And he’s quite impressive to watch—his songs use rapid-fire looping and layering (kind of like what my talentless self can do on this website, but unlike many other musicians who use a similar approach, 100% of the sound sound in many of his songs originate simply from him and a violin.
Read More »

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Take Cover: Phosphorescent takes on Willie Nelson

Posted by on April 19th 2010 0

This week’s cover is a little bit of a cop-out for anyone who knows me only because this was hands down my favorite album of 2009 and I talked about it non-stop then. Well, it’s still incredible, especially considering what it is– an tribute album. Phosphorescent, which is essentially Matthew Houck and friends, released To Willie modeled after Willie Nelson’s tribute to Lefty Frizell, To Lefty From Willie. And Willie has quite a few covers up his sleeve as well, from the subpar to the surprisingly nice. But not only is Phosphorescent’s rendition of “Can I Sleep In Your Arms” a lovely version of an already-tender song, it stands on its own two feet as one of the most beautiful, heartbreaking pieces of recorded music I’ve heard in a long time. The simple arrangement, gentle percussion and a capella intro manage to build a fullly-fleshed-out, all-encompassing sound. Listen below, and catch the original here:

– Caroline Klibanoff
“Melodious Intoxication,” Thursdays 12-2 pm on WGTB

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Review: Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt

Posted by on April 19th 2010 0

The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt
8.6 on a 10-Point Scale

I’m sorry for eavesdropping, but did you say you were looking for a Swedish folk artist that sounds sort of like Bob Dylan minus the harmonica, but with more guitar glissandos, and with a Scandanavian name that ends with –sson?  Oh… Sorry… I misheard you… Here’s the salt.  But in case you were wondering, The Tallest Man on Earth, the stage name for Kristian Matsson, is a great acoustic folk artist that you will be sure to enjoy.  He may not sound celestial, but his voice meets the genre perfectly.  Musically, his vocal lines are flowing, but at the same time are somewhat predictable. On the poetic end, his lyrics and mystifying and can keep a stoned-out coffee shop crowd scratching their heads (excluding his tracks that are narrative).  The guitar music?  Finger pickin’ good!  Read More »

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