Igor caught up with Villagers front man Conor O'brien before his solo set at DC9 to talk about being on tour and how he feels about the album Becoming a Jackal now that its getting a good deal of attention. Listen to the feature below!
Last Wednesday in Atlanta Caroline Klibanoff sat down with The Moondoggies before they headed to Bonnaroo and DC tonight. The interview is a bit noisy, but the friendly Seattle four-piece opened up about heir break from the local Seattle scene, the music they grew up on, improving their stage banter and of course the inevitable animal-fighting WGTB question of 2010.
When the formidable DJ duo The Hood Internet graced our campus on Friday, WGTB got a chance to do an exclusive on-air interview on Saxappeal, hosted by Mike Hayes and Thayer Frechette.
The Jamie McLean Band stopped by WGTB studios Friday afternoon to play some tunes and chat with DJ Caroline Klibanoff about their new album Completely, their show tonight at the Strathmore in Bethesda (check it out!), the benefits of touring (barbecue, ladies, Five Guys) and their beef with ridiculously-named bands (Alabama Thunderpussy, here's looking at you). Listen to the full interview below, and grab a copy of their record at their website.
Tune in at 3:15 pm EST this afternoon (click: Listen Live at www.georgetownradio.com) to catch a LIVE in-studio performance and interview with Jamie McLean, hosted by WGTB DJ Caroline Klibanoff.
Jamie McLean is the former guitarist for New Orleans' famous Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and has just released his solo album full of tunes this week, titled Completely. You can download his album here.
The Jamie McLean band is performing at the Strathmore in Bethesda Friday night at 8 p.m. Check it out!
There aren’t many activities in life for which you will be rewarded for not trying. Flying a plane is definitely a no, as are performing surgery and professional basketball. Music, however, is one thing where seemingly the less you care the better off you are. From diva-like storm outs to forgetting their own lyrics to passing out onstage, professional musicians have developed a sense of one-upmanship to see who can be the most indifferent. This unspoken competition certainly grates on concert goers and critics alike. However, every once in a while you find a band with the right proportion of nonchalance and talent and you remember how we all got into this crazy mess to begin with. I found this winning combination in the Strange Boys whose performance at the 9:30 club on March 22 was in a word, effortless. If you haven’t heard the Strange Boys I implore you to go out and buy their recently released album “Be Brave” and revel in their distinctively self-possessed sound. They’ve been described as “Beach Boys on mescaline” but I’m going to avoid sixties references as they’ve got a time machine sized chip on their collective shoulder (see below). In terms of contemporaries, they’re in great company with Black Lips, Harlem, and Thee Oh Sees. They’ve masterfully combined R&B, Garage Rock, Folk, and Punk and engulfed them all in a swaggering twang. Lead Singer Ryan Sambol’s voice has been described as everything from a strained squawk to a young Bob Dylan (though the two are usually synonymous) but again we’re edging pretty close to 60’s territory, but really no one wants to be compared to today’s creepy and depressing Christmas album Dylan. I don’t often implore you readers to do much of anything, so please, if you haven’t already been sold by the the infectiously uninhibited lo-fi bluesy jangle of Strange Boys take my advice and do yourself the favor of getting on this band wagon.
I had the chance to speak with bassist Phil Sambol after the show:
As our artist of the week, the Spring Standards have impressed us with their album and now grace us with their presence via the WGTB radiowaves. DJ Elena Solli hosts.
On the heels of their newly released EP, the Pennsylvania rockers sit in for a Saturday afternoon session before their show at The Electric Maid in DC. DJ Caroline Klibanoff hosts.
Sunday April 11
CRAIG from CRAIGSLIST
10 pm
The actual, revolutionary Craig of Craigslist fame stops by SAXAppeal to chat with DJ Mike Hayes. RSVP to the Facebook event here.
On a summery Spring day in Washington DC I entered the famous 9:30 Club, where I was led into a dark back room to talk to the electropop trio of Miike Snow. While lead singer, Andrew Wyatt, couldn’t be interviewed because he needed to rest his voice for the show I was able to talk to the likable and friendly remaining Swedish duo of Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg about their tour, music, and the future of the band. Miike Snow’s self-titled debut album is a catchy and melodic production that sounded even better live than I could have anticipated. Their debut album came together organically and easily in the studio, and their stunning international success has surprised even the group members themselves. With their D.C . stop at the 9:30 Club coming at the beginning of their U.S. tour Miike Snow is in position to make a splash across the country as fans get to experience “the other half of the Miike Snow experience” in concert halls across the nation…and as they said, “Buy the CD, buy the ticket….andwe will see you all in the back lounge.”
Last Tuesday, DJ Alexander Podkul (Host, "Nothin' But A G-O-D Thang," got a chance to chat with Christian rock band Eleventyseven on-air. Catch the full interview below!
DJ Alexander Podkul (Host, "Ain't Nothin' But A God Thang," 2-4 pm Tuesdays) will interview Christian rock band Eleventyseven at 3 p.m. EST on Tuesday, March 16. Make sure you tune into WGTB to catch it!
Last Monday, DJ Catherine Degennaro brought Bushwalla into the WGTB studios to play a few acoustic songs and discuss his latest work before taking the stage at the Jammin Java that night. Catch the in-studio set below along with the interview, and Catherine's concert review with more photos after the jump! Bushwalla Interview by wgtbmusic
DJ Andrew Rennie (Host, "Bangers and Mash," Sunday mornings 8-10 AM on WGTB) caught Big D's performance at the 9:30 Club on Feb. 26, and spoke to the band before they took the stage.
On Tuesday, DJs Kevin Lynch and Mark Stern (Host, "Don't You Wish We Were NPR") spoke with Miles Kurosky over the phone on-air about his past work in Beulah, the influence of Pitchfork Media, branching out solo and avoiding the hard stuff on the road. It's a lengthy interview, but insightful and well worth listening to... check it out below! Miles kurosky Interview by wgtbmusic
Tune into Georgetown Radio tomorrow at 11:30 AM for an interview with The Verve Pipe on-air, with DJ Britt Shaw. The band is performing at the Jammin' Java on Feb. 21 so be sure to check out the show!
Hosts, "The Cosmic American Music Radio Hour," Saturdays 2-4 pm on WGTB
At a mostly empty 9:30 Club—in stark contrast to the crowd that saw Galactic later—Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm took the stage for a short set of some hill country blues. Despite the sparse crowd, Burnside and Malcolm, known as the Juke Joint Duo and The Two Man Wrecking Crew, were not short on energy as they pounded out some edgy country blues.
With its’ gritty and unpretentious sound, the duo channels the great hill country and blues tradition of north Mississippi—launching into extensive trances without the smoother and predictable chord changes of standard blues. Although Cedric and Malcolm performed all original songs, their sound is unmistakably derived from hill country legends Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, Cedric’s grandfather.
“Me, when I was six, seven years old…and a bunch of other grandkids…we be out there kickin’ up dust, you know to that music. That was our music. And that’s how me myself—I feel like I am the blues ‘cause I just grew up with the blues and it’s always been in me,” Cedric said.
(Read more and hear the full interview after the jump!)
The Lafayette, Louisiana band Givers were in snowy DC last night, playing on the intimate Backstage at the Black Cat. The stage was barely big enough for all five members of the band and all of their equipment, yet they still managed to jump around with joyful energy throughout the show. They played all four songs from their debut EP, including a jammed-out version of Ceiling of Plankton as an encore. They also unveiled several new songs, which will be on their debut album due out sometime this summer. Highlights included a beautiful acoustic song featuring only female lead singer Teddy Lamson and her ukelele, and a Dirty Projectors sounding song called “Noche Nada.”
With influences ranging from the Dirty Projectors and Animal Collective, to jazz, to afro-beat, the Givers sound is a unique and dynamic amalgam of these styles that is catchy upon first listen and layered enough to remain interesting after many. Although the music itself is enough reason to love the Givers, they are also great people with a whole lot of love and joy to, well, give.
Before the show, the band stopped by WGTB studios to chat with DJ Jared Iversen of "Jive Talkin" about music, the Superbowl, and their tour with the Dirty Projectors. Check out the full interview and pics from the concert after the jump!
Tune in Tuesday from 1-2 p.m. to hear Jared Iversen (host of Jive Talkin') interview the band GIVERS before their show in D.C. at the Black Cat, where they'll be gracing the Backstage Tuesday night! Check out the show, it's only $10, and be sure to tune in for the interview at www.georgetownradio.com.
In case you missed WGTB's recent on-air conversation with Julian Dorio, drummer for The Whigs, you can now listen to it here. This interview aired Thursday, Dec. 10. WGTB: Interview with The Whigs by wgtbmusic
WGTB also enjoyed seeing The Whigs, The Features, and Mean Creek perform at The Black Cat Thursday night-- comments on the show and photos coming soon.
The Whigs are an indie rock band from Athens, GA, on tour right now with openers Mean Creek. With two albums under their belt and a third one on the way in early 2010, the Whigs have made a name for themselves through their upbeat, fun, hard-rocking sounds and southern-rock influences. You can score a free download of a new Whigs song, "Hundred/Million," on their website: http://www.thewhigs.com/news.
Julie Peel is a charming up-and-coming singer-songwriter hailing from France and Canada. She recently released her first full-length record on American Laundromat, Near the Sun, and has been on tour with Joe Purdy throughout the U.S. this fall, stopping by The Jammin' Java in nearby Vienna on Nov. 19. Near the Sun features acoustic, sunshiny pop enhanced by Peel's pleasant no-frills vocals, and sweet lyrics about life and love. The first track, "Living in a Movie," calls on Kimya Dawson-type up-front delivery and beachy rhythms, while "Innocence" takes minor chords to a new level with a raw-sounding violin. The album's best folksy anthem, "Once More With Feeling," was a hit live with its uplifting chorus. Peel took the stage at 8 p.m. and delivered a quiet but enjoyable set, offering slightly nervous stage banter between songs. But the audience took to her unassuming approach and appealing accent, and though most were there for the main act, Arkansas singer-songwriter Joe Purdy, many walked away Julie Peel fans.
WGTB got a chance to sit down with Peel before the show and talk to her about her love for the Pixies, her fall tour, and her upcoming punk-rock side project.
WGTB: How did you get started playing music? That’s a big question… Julie: (laughs) Like the worst [question]! When I was 14, I guess, I started playing the drums for a band, a punk band, and then I was like, the drums are not creative enough, not good enough to compose songs. And I had wanted to write songs and stuff so I decided to start with the guitar, and I listened to the Pixies and bands like this, and all these bands influenced me a lot and so I started to learn the guitar. WGTB: What are the biggest things that inspire your writing right now, on this album? Julie: On this album…I guess everything, like relationships of course, but everything like growing up. I think these are the main themes, growing up and relationships, these two things. WGTB: So how did you get into touring with Joe Purdy, how did that happen? Julie: Last month I played Hotel Café in Los Angeles, and they really liked me over there apparently, that’s what I heard. And so Joe asked them, do you know anybody that is good and could support me? And apparently they said Julie Peel. WGTB: Cool. Julie: Yeah, I feel really flattered. It’s really nice. WGTB: So how has the tour been going so far? Julie: Oh, its great, its awesome, really. Joe is amazing and is a brilliant artist as you know, but is also so sweet and everything, its been like a blast to be with him. WGTB: That’s awesome. So what’s next, are you going to record another album do you think? Julie: Yes, definitely, its in the process. I’m writing songs right now and its gonna be—do you know The Paper Raincoat or Vienna Teng? Well there’s a girl actually, Amber Rubarth, she’s playing here on the first of December, and she’s in the Paper Raincoat, you should check her out. And this guy Alex Wong was in the Paper Raincoat, he is gonna produce the album, he produced Vienna Teng's last album. WGTB: That’s exciting! Julie: Yeah! It’s really exciting. I can’t wait. WGTB: Is there anything else that you want your fans to know? About your music? Julie: Do I have fans? (Julie’s manager interjects: She doesn’t even know she has fans!) Julie: (laughs) I don’t know, I’m just so happy to be touring, it’s been so good and we’re selling a lot of CDs and I didn’t expect that. I'm collaborating with people, I have another side project, a rock project. WGTB: Oh really? What's that like? Julie: I don't have a name yet, but its going to be kind of like a Nada Surf...it's in process, in Brooklyn with people from Brooklyn. WGTB: So that will be a different sound? Julie: Yeah, very different. Like big guitars, and stuff like that. It's pretty exciting, I can't wait.
Listen to "Once More with Feeling" from Near the Sun:
Last Wednesday in Atlanta Caroline Klibanoff sat down with The Moondoggies before they headed to Bonnaroo and DC tonight. The interview is a bit noisy, but the friendly Seattle four-piece opened up about heir break from the local Seattle scene, the music they grew up on, improving their stage banter and of course the inevitable animal-fighting WGTB question of 2010.
-- Caroline Klibanoff
Julie Peel is a charming up-and-coming singer-songwriter hailing from France and Canada. She recently released her first full-length record on American Laundromat, Near the Sun, and has been on tour with Joe Purdy throughout the U.S. this fall, stopping by The Jammin' Java in nearby Vienna on Nov. 19.