Pittsburgh native Greg Gillis (better known as Girl Talk) was the first to give a show at brand new Stage AE next to Heinz Field. I love everything about Girl Talk and with this being my third show, I was excited to see how all would fare in the new venue.
Click here to read the rest at Pop Damage.
Filed under Events, Holy Freaking Crap!, Reviews, Shows
Mike Grubbs and I
There are quite a few different reasons you might have heard of Wakey! Wakey! If you are from New York, particularly the Brooklyn area, not only are you familiar with the band, but you’ve likely seen them perform. Other reasons might be because you are an avid reader of Spin, NME, Pitchfork and the like. But, the biggest reason you might have heard Wakey! Wakey! is from a show called One Tree Hill. The main man of the band is Mike Grubbs, who debuted as a character on the show last November.
Post classic rock is the descriptive term the members of Plants and Animals sometimes use when categorizing their band. Some might refer to it as plain and general indie rock (but really, what can’t be called that?) or a jam band. They can be called all of these genres; what matters is that this 3-piece band ROCKS.
Click here to read more over at Pop Damage
Filed under Reviews
Last year I heard “Lovesick Teenagers” and was immediately in awe with Brooklyn’s Bear in Heaven. They were mysterious to me. Then, I started to see their name everywhere. Here’s my “I’m gonna open your brain and look inside (sort of)” interview with one of the first members of Bear in Heaven, Adam Wills.
Heather Frazier: I see you’re touring Australia next February? How cool!
Adam Wills: I know.
HF: Any cities or venues in particular that you’re most excited about?
AW: All of them. It’s the other side of the world, and it’s cool that we get to go play music there. I’ve never been, I remember my mom went for like a month when I was a little kid, and so she brought me back a picture and a boomerang. (laughs) But YEAH, I’m meeting up with a handful of friends from Australia that are here in NY that are nuts. They’re kind of notorious partiers, the Australians. We are also going in the middle of their summer, so it’s gonna be great to leave frigid NY.
Click here to read the rest of the interview at Pop Damage.
Filed under Uncategorized
Dragonslayer is Sunset Rubdown’s (technically) fourth album, but I’d consider it their third because their first LP was more of a solo project by lead singer Spencer Krug released in 2005. Their second album is when the project became more of an actual band, with their album Shut Up I Am Dreaming. Despite their status as comparatively venerable on tributes to the indie scene, Sunset Rubdown doesn’t get very much attention.
I wasn’t sure what I thought about the album when I first listened to it. Actually, I’m still not sure. I enjoy it, and there’s no doubt that it’s good, but it isn’t likely to fall into my music rotation this summer.
The first song, “Silver Moons”, features a piano and is a good starting point. “Idiot Heart” is quickly becoming one of the most listened to tracks on Dragonslayer. It’s one of the better songs on the album, and some parts even remind me of The Cars. Tracks three and four both sound the same to me and I can skip over them without hesitation. “
“You Go on Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)” is another very likeable song that’s worth mentioning, but my favorite is “Nightingale/December Song.” It begins with drums and sounds just like Mahjongg.
Then, we get a few electro-pop sounds before Krug’s voice bursts onto the scene. You’d never expected this sound to emerge when the song began. At the end of the second verse, Krug croons, “You need the one who slowly burns/and burns to stay alive/In this way you will come find me in December.” Then, we have an instrumental intermission before the third verse that is so riveting you’ll want to play it over and over.
Another point to mention that may (or may not) draw you to have a listen, is that Spencer Krug is also the lead singer in the more widely-known band, Wolf Parade. If you’re a fan of Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective, you especially should give Sunset Rubdown a chance.
Filed under new albums, Pop Damage
Click here to check out my interview on Pop Damage with Utrillo Kushner from Colossal Yes.
Filed under Interviews, Pop Damage
Ha! Well, silly you…if you don’t — it’s right underneath of this one!
Anyways, I wrote a bit more about Empire of the Sun on Pop Damage’s website. You can check it out here!
Filed under Uncategorized
Musically Amusing 