“It’s been a bit of a learning curve for us” said Ally, who plays keys and handles production with Frank, the drummer. “We’re an upcoming band, so to play South By is a huge deal, especially coming from London.”

The group, formerly known as Viva Brother, recently relocated from the UK to Brooklyn. The relocation, which lead vocalist Lee described as a “leap off the deep end,” has brought great success and happiness to the group. “We saved up all the money we had, which was none, and blagged our way into America.”

“- And here are we are in the shower, living the dream” lead guitarist Sam amicably joked.

Jokes aside, it is hard not to be impressed with what Lovelife has done in so short a time. Rising in the age of Electro-Pop bands like Passion Pit, Two Door Cinema Club, and MGMT, Lovelife has taken a fairly popular electronically influenced band sound, yet adapted it to make it their own. Cuts like “Your New Beloved” and “The Key” off their most recent EP borrow from an R&B/hip-hop foundation from the likes of The Weeknd or Miguel, yet take it to a whole new level that isn’t quite R&B, yet isn’t Rock. It’s this inability to classify them that makes them so intriguing, and when asked what genre they identified, they simply said: “Pop.”

“Pop isn’t a dirty word to us,” says Ally. “We all come from different musical backgrounds, but we’re all lovers of Pop.”

Individually the boys’ individual tastes range from acts like The Smiths to Kraftwerk, yet it’s their love of 80s, 90s, and even Top 40 Pop that unites the band. However, their aesthetic and performance style shies away from the Pop world, creating a show that is exceedingly complex, yet still remains accessible.

“People expect us to be just a singer and a laptop, yet when you come and see us and the full band it’s a really good show,” said Sam.

“We’ve always said from the start that we wanted our music to come across grander and slightly more organic live than on the record” added Frank. “It’s more of a show when you come to see it live.”

With the essentials of a definable sound and performance style, the guys were incredibly comfortable and optimistic about their music. Well-mannered and cheery, it was obvious they were grateful to have the opportunities they have had during our conversation, yet it’s the future that makes them all the more excited. With a new EP lined up for May, a full-length LP somewhere in the horizon, as well as two more US tours in the coming months, Lovelife is sure to keep busy in the near future and do all they can to keep the hustle going.

Both the Fourth Floor and El Regreso EPs are available for free download on the band’s website http://www.lvlf.info/

EPROM

Flume

Fun. played nearly every song off their “Some Nights” record; and by nearly I mean every. Everything about their performance was spot on. Nate Ruess’ vocals were everything promised on the album and more- despite the excessive bit of synthesizing during “Some Nights”. The energy of the band rolled off the stage in waves and everything from the leader guitarist’s (Jack Antonoff’s) skinny jeans to the slightly drunken swagger of the drummer made for great on-stage chemistry. They started with an infectious “Out on the Town” that forced people out of their seats and without missing a beat launched into “Some Nights”. During “All the Pretty Girls” a rad guitar solo popped out of nowhere when the guitarist faced away from the audience and on his knees practically smothered his speaker as he writhed-out a white-hot solo. After four more songs (“Why am I the One?”, “At Least I’m Not As Sad (as I Used to Be)”, “All Alone”, and a foot stopping “It Gets Better”) and, surprisingly, the first few notes of “Day-O”, another guitar solo appeared leading into “I Feel Alive”. The energy of the crowd, but not the band, dipped during a beautifully vocalized version of “The Gambler”, but picked up at the end of the set when flames licked the LCD screens around the stage during “We Are Young” and “All Alright”. An encore was necessary and Fun.- perhaps feeling the need to perfectly finish off their “Some Nights” record- came out to play “One Foot in Front of the Other” as well as “Stars”.
The band was practically flawless. There was nothing lacking in energy, vocal ability or guitar ingenuity. They are truly a talented group. Then what were my complaints? The crowd. It was an odd mix of slight-buzzed young professionals, older middle-aged couples taking their children to their first concert and screaming teenaged girls (imagine home-made fringed t-shirts reading “Mrs. Nate Ruess” that swung as they jumped up and down, breaking the sound barrier as they begged him to marry them). There’s nothing wrong with an eclectic crowd but the energy seemed to drag against the high-powered antics coming from the stage. In fact the people in around my sister and I remained seated throughout the entire concert- making us feel awkward as we shimmied our way through the approximately hour and a half set (not awkward enough to sit down however).
All in all, I think Fun. would be better suited to a better concert venue- perhaps the 9:30 club. Essentially, somewhere people can’t sit down. If the crowd had been able to match the energy coming from the band I do think the concert would have been one of the top concerts. As it is, it was still an excellent performance by an extremely talented band, one for which, I’m slightly ashamed to say, I briefly joined the ranks of the 16-year old girls to screech at them.

-Samantha Lin, host of “Historical Hipsters“, Thursdays from 10-11 am

Her voice rings similar to Adele, and pierces through as both graceful and full. Her arrangements spread over various genres. “Lil Darlin (feat. The O’My’s)” offers a painfully soulful voice on top of soft piano and a strong hip-hop beat. In “Blues Eye Blind” Ward mixes an electronic hum with a hip hop bump. And “If I Could Be Her” combines a standard country blues guitar with a danceable pop beat. Regardless of which influence is stronger, each song is irresistible to move to.

With the blues-stricken vocals and the dangerously soulful beat, Till the Casket Drops is a genuine neo-soul album that sets fire the second it starts to play. Do not miss ZZ Ward this Saturday, November 10^th at Bulldog Alley, featuring Snuhgie and our very own Tate Tucker. Tickets only $3.00. Hold on to your Fedoras ladies and gents.

Alas, my chances for thoughtful conversation seemed to pass, leaving me giddily content with a blurry photo-op and the eager anticipation of my pre-ordered hard copy of Lonesome Dreams, out October 9 on Iamsound Records.

When I arrived at the venue, which was the backstage room of The Black Cat on 14^th Street, I could hardly contain my excitement in discovering that for ten dollars I would be seeing Lord Huron in an extremely intimate setting.  The room fit about two hundred people at maximum capacity, and after standing about six inches away from the speakers during the opening act, my friend and I managed to make our way to the front of the audience, ultimately ending up an arm’s length from Schneider’s vintagey painted acoustic guitar.  Night Moves, the engaging opening band, played for about forty minutes.  Their lead singer set a fun tone by sharing tour stories in between their awesome psychedelic folk, and their performance definitely convinced me to look up their full discography and add Night Moves to my playlists.

We made our move as the members of both bands swapped Night Moves’ electric guitars and keyboard for the worldly percussion and theramin of Lord Huron.  The set began the same way the album Lonesome Dreams does: with the sound of blowing wind and harmonized “oohs” of “Ends of the Earth.”  From there, Ben and the gang (Mark Barry on percussion and vocals, Miguel Briseno on bass and percussion, Brett Farkas and Tom Renaud both on guitar and vocals) played a satisfying mixture of Lonesome Dreams tracks and songs from their two 2010 EPs, Into the Sun and Mighty.  Highlights included moments of intensity, like the climactically furious percussion on old favorite “We Went Wild,” and moments of calm, like the haunting a-cappella-and-wind-chimes end to new song “The Ghost on the Shore.”  Along with a seemingly-out-of-place man in a baseball jersey, I couldn’t help mouthing most of the words to most of the songs, and the entire crowd sang along with the chorus “aahs” of “Time to Run,” the first single off Lonesome Dreams (which has a Western-style music video with Indonesian subtitles).  After a three-song ovation, including Into the Sun’s biggest hit “The Stranger” – the opening chords of which made the baseball-jersey man exchange a high five with me – Lord Huron graciously thanked their happy audience and invited everyone to stick around and chat.

I may not have successfully conveyed my appreciation for their music to them, but that doesn’t preclude me from here emphasizing the beauty of Lord Huron’s indie-folk/jungle-pop/world-beats sound, which I’ve seen described by various sources as “Mexicali,” “Caribbean,” “South Seas,” and even “Middle Eastern.”  Lonesome Dreams keeps up the magnificent dreamy momentum of the EPs while at the same time taking Lord Huron’s work to an even greater level of art and musicianship.  Each track is an exquisitely crafted story in itself that fits into a larger narrative, one of loyalty and love and longing influenced by Western tales of old.  I can honestly say that there is not a single song I don’t absolutely love.  Repeated listens bring out the subtle connections among the lyrics of all the songs, and the energy of the live performance is captured in sweeping rhythms and lovely harmonies.

The world needs to know about Lord Huron.  I have a feeling that Ben Schneider meant the words of “I Will Be Back One Day” when he sang them Sunday evening to his DC fans…and when Lord Huron returns, I’ll be the first to snatch up a ticket.  Just watch out: with the direction these guys are headed, those tickets won’t be ten dollars for long.

–Hopey Fink is the host of Who Gives a Folk, Fridays 11am-12pm Eastern on WGTB.

And it’s coming up in just a few days!

The concert, sponsored by the Georgetown Entertainment and Media Alliance, is not only a great representation of musical ability and a rocking good time, but is a great networking opportunity for any WGTB DJs (or fans!) interested in a career in media or entertainment.

The show will feature a variety of songs written by alums and students as well as covers, including a really fantastic cover of Bon Iver’s “Holocene”. WGTB’s own Tate Tucker will be performing as well.

Check out the list of performers and this year’s trailer below, and get your tickets before they sell out!

Buy tickets here (only $10 for students)

RSVP on Facebook

Join GEMA (a good idea if you haven’t yet – membership is free!)

GEMA Rocks 2012 will feature performances by:

Mike Zakarin (C ’05, MBA ’13) of the band The Bravery; Michael Pearsall (B ’06) and Evan Field (I ’98) of the band Honor by August; Marcel Arsenault (C ’07); Rochelle Ballard (B ’05); Rich Battista (B ’86); Emilie Bogrand (C ’07); Aaron Broadus (faculty); Greg Capone (B ’06); Bill Danoff (I ’68); Yean Do (student); Anatole Doak (student);Walter Egan (C ’70); Greta Gaines (C ’89); Kiran Gandhi (C ’11); David Hendrickson (B ’07); Gary Kearns (F ’79); Kimon Kirk (C ’00); Lance Langston (F ’82); Chris Murphy (F ’07); Eric Rigaud (C ’90); Brittany Sonnichsen (C ’08); Patrick Sullivan (B ’07); Teddy Svoronos (F ’08); Kirsten Thien (B ’93); Richard Trent (F ’10); Tate Tucker (student); John Zambetti (C ’70); Johnny Zambetti (B ’09); Teddy Zambetti (C ’80)

SPECIAL VIDEO APPEARANCES BY:

Stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia (C ’00)

Actor and comedian Nick Kroll (C ’01) of FX’s The League

SNL writer and stand-up comedian John Mulaney (C ’04)

Make sure to get your tickets today! We’ll see you there.

On Friday February 12^th, the Postelles arrived in Washington, DC to end their winding U.S. tour. Ready to dazzle the crowd at the Red Palace and conclude the tour with a bang before heading home to NYC, frontman Daniel Balk took some time with WGTB to reflect on the band’s building success and laugh at a few stories from the experience along the way.

Amongst subjects such as band tour traditions, feisty Southern women, and working with the Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr., Daniel opened up about the band’s early high school years growing up together in New York City. Three of the four members played in the Postelles’ forerunning band, the Blend. High school coffeehouse-style performances led to residencies at NYC venues and soon enough, the Blend became the Postelles. The would-be college seniors have grown up quickly as their precocious musical appreciation reaches towards the past. Citing early rock ‘n’ rollers Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry as influences, the Postelles’ performance at the Red Palace was at once nostalgic, fresh, and timeless.

As soon as the Postelles began their set with tracks like “Sleep on the Dance Floor,” “Looking Glass,” and “White Night,” any hope of keeping one’s cool was thrown to the wind. The crowd twisted and fell into swing while somehow managing to incorporate token Alternative music head bobbing. The dance moves may just be the epitome of the Postelles’ familiar yet refreshing music. A room full of people too young to have even heard of Buddy Holly, were guided into perfect 1950’s step. Balk’s full-bodied vocals lain over catchy guitar riffs created a unique synthesis of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s origins and Rock ‘n’ Roll’s future.

With their first full-length album set to release in May 2011, the Postelles have a lot ahead of them. The boys have many songs to record, summer festivals to book, and more fervent fans to meet. If their constant New York comparison to the Strokes is any indication, we can only expect the Postelles’ vintage sound to reverberate for as long as their hometown’s legacy, itself. Their fans may be about to try the Boogie-Woogie, but the Postelles just “Can’t Stand Still.”

- Charlotte Japp, host of Mind Travel, Wednesdays 1 – 2 am and Sunday Night Cram Jam, Sundays 11 pm – 1 am

Camera: Katherine Everitt, host of Marz Kat, Sundays 1 – 2 am

Free “White Night” download:

Standing on stage and ready to begin their set after the crowd’s inviting cheers, I was reminded of the shy and young looking lads I saw in 2008. They stood close together at Terminal 5 and gave a shout out to their many family members who came to see them perform that night. They truly gave the term “Fresh Face in Music” some genuine meaning, and it was no surprise that they were fresh out of sunny University of California, Berkley. Their pastel button down shirts were cleanly pressed and the music was tacitly anticipated to be equally without wrinkle; however, no one expected the Morning Bender’s record Talking Through Tin Cans to be so finely tailored. The melodies were sweet, yet substantially catchy and the performance was full of a foreshadowing confidence that the band was headed towards a prolific career.  They sure were.

Since then, the Morning Benders debut album was deemed iTunes’s best indie/alternative album of 2008. They have produced several more bodies of work such as the EP’s The Bedroom Cover and Grain of Salt, and their latest full-length record, Big Echo. Their recent show at the Black Cat was no exception to this consistent delivery of quality music. Having honed their skills over the couple years of prolific writing, recording, and touring, the Morning Benders seemed to take their talent of covering songs (e.g. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”) and applied it to their own work. Each song was slightly refreshed with an edgier veil of grit. Chris Chu’s sweet vocals were slightly more aggressive as each song was given the passion that only a live show can give. Harmonies were emphasized with stronger guitar riffs than on the recording, and the crowd ate it all up.

Before the implored encore ensued, the Morning Benders gave a live rendition of Chris Chu’s self-proclaimed “wall of sound” experience that can be seen in the Pitchfork TV exclusive video of “Excuses.” The crowd was beckoned to join in song and happily obliged with neither hesitation nor weariness of knowing the lyrics. Twin Sister and Oberhofer were not excluded from the fun as they joined the Morning Benders on stage.

As one of WGTB’s Music Board directors, Tiare Dunlap, is a cool cat, it is only appropriate that she has friends who are other cool cats and play at venues like the Black Cat. After the show, Tiare introduced me to Jon Chu, the newest member of the Morning Benders and younger brother of frontman Chris Chu. Jon proved to be admirably down to earth and even felt “awkward” when a devoted fan approached him and gifted a CD of her original music. If not just their musical prowess, the Morning Benders demonstrated that rockstars can blush! Well, some.–Charlotte Japp, “Sunday Night Cram Jam” Sundays at 11 pm – 1 am on WGTB

If you dig the Morning Benders, I recommend downloading a brand spankin’ new (and complimentary) The Golden Filter’s cover of their single, “Excuses” here:

Fro-hawk coiffed to perfection, Twin Shadow—a.k.a. George Lewis Jr. and his three-piece touring band—kicked off the night, delighting the crowd with tracks from his highly touted debut album, Forget. The 40-minute set included “Shooting Holes,” “When We’re Dancing,” and “Castles in the Snow,” all dripping with retro-bent inspiration. Twin Shadow’s fresh, contemporary indie-pop sound incorporated a heavy 80s synth and disco-esque baselines (that wouldn’t have sounded out of place at the Pretty in Pink prom scene) which enthralled the room and set the bar high for Glasser.

Headline band, Glasser, gave more than a mere musical performance. The seemingly bare stage was set with a few bulky gadgets  (which later turned out to be instruments) adorned with gilded streamers. The three male members of the band set up their equipment and returned moments later from backstage in green Ghostbusters-style jumpsuits complete with Franciscan-monk, triple-knotted ropes. Just as the audience began to question if the drummer’s (Rockband?) electronic drum kit had transported us all to a cyber-reality, a gamine female clad in red seemed to hover onto the stage and confirm our suspicions.

The UK’s Guardian describes the Glasser’s music as: “exist[ing] in a fluid space between prog, krautrock, systems music and electronica, all percussive loops, synth washes, bursts of instrumental improvisation, and meandering melodies sung with folkish wonder.” This is certainly no map to understanding Glasser’s method or to locate a niche within the “Alternative” genre for their unique style. This is alien territory.

Lead singer, Cameron Mesirow, appears as a genetically manipulated combination of Enya and Mary-Kate Olsen. Her vocals become a part of the percussive loops that connect one tropical hemisphere to another that is ancient and tribal–and lucky for us, Glasser brings us along for the ride. Performing a powerful duet with Glasser’s guitarist, Mesirow proved the multi-dimensional aspect of sound, as silent pauses played the song’s key component.

While Glasser seemed at first to be from a foreign corner of the Milky Way, the rhythmic beats and entrancing synths became a comfort. Mesirow’s ethereal dance and sway caught on to members of the audience and the combination of monastery garb and resounding organ effects may have missionary’d itself some new converts. If the Glasser alien starship is just taking off, allow me to get my passport.

After the show, WGTB caught up with George Lewis Jr. to discuss his influences, the tour with Glasser, and Twin Shadow’s future.

Listen to the interview here!
Twin Shadow Interview by Ecforster