On Thursday August 5th, Boston band, Faces In The Floor came to The BIRN for a live broadcast performance and interview on DJ Lolo’s show, Current in the Waves.

They kicked off the set with ‘Reprieve’, a haunting track with powerful vocals from lead singer, Elijah. The four members of Faces In The Floor originate from all over the states, and their musical influences stretch even further. Students and alumni of Berklee College of Music, Elijah Kang, Eddie Konopasek (Guitar), Dan Roberts (Bass) and Jason Frantz (Drums) have come together with something of a unique sound. A mix of strong riffs, polyrhythmic lines and passionate vocals form the sound that, they proclaim, “can only be described as Faces In The Floor”.

They went on to play ‘Guilt’ and ‘Daydream’, the last of which featured the unmistakable sounds of the Udu, played by Frantz to glorious effect. This Boston hard rock band displayed their ability to pull back from ‘eleven’ for this unplugged live broadcast; little was lost as they traded effects pedals and 24” bass drums for acoustic guitars and shakers.

Faces In The Floor went full circle and ended their set with the first song they wrote, ‘Somehow this Memory’. Distinctly different in flavor from the previous tracks, this live rendition conjured tinges of flamenco, complete with a fast plucked guitar solo from Konopasek which drew the set to a close.

The interview began with Kang’s heart wrenching story of how he had to give up the Shaker, as he couldn’t sing and play at the same time. This was followed by the tale of obscenities that once uttered from the mouth of one members’ grandmother during a interview on another internet station. They discussed current listening habbits which included Battles, Peter Gabriel and Devin Townsend. T-shirt and ticket-giveaways scattered the evening’s discussions, sparking live call-ins from BIRN listeners.

Want to hear Faces In The Floor? Well their latest EP, ‘A Conflict of Time’, is available as a free download from their myspace, along with details of upcoming gigs and more.

Current in the Waves (Thursdays, 9-11pm) was hosted by DJ Lolo. Live production was by Joe Nowicki, engineering by Matt Carlson.

Review by Richard Gould on behalf of the Berklee Internet Radio Network. Read More >>

On Thursday July 29th, The BIRN played host to a live session and interview with Local Boston band, Koala.

Featured on DJ Lolo’s show, Current in the Waves, the band presented material off of their first full-length album, ‘Xibalba’. The hybrid band’s latest effort is hot off the press having been released on the July 13th 2010. It features the four-piece band with James Krivchenia on Drums, Mike Simonelli and Kenyon Kowal on Guitar, and Orion Boucher on Bass. Also featured on the album are a further thirteen musicians who the band collaborated with.

The boys played acoustic renditions, starting with 'Treefort', a track from Xibalba, before playing an untitled track that was dropped from the album. The two tracks aptly encapsulate Koala’s largely instrumental, layered cinematic soundscape. Interweaving acoustic guitar lines were backed by textured double bass creating rich harmonic textures that glided over the BIRN’s waves into our listener’s ears.

After the live set, the band had an informal interview with show host DJ Lolo. Recordings off the new album and their initial EP interspersed the band’s musings on topics that were as eclectic as their sound. They covered such topics as the title of the album (and the alternatives that found their way to the trash), the album’s striking artwork (created by James’ own grandfather), the creative process and the band’s influences.

Koala mentioned plans for future live dates, so stay tuned for the latest news on this Boston band at Koala's Myspace

Current in the Waves (Thursdays, 9-11pm) was hosted by DJ Lolo. Live production was by Will Wells.

Review by Richard Gould on behalf of the Berklee Internet Radio Network. Read More >>

This evening, The Red Room played host to a trio of acoustic acts. The audience was eased out of the blistering Boston summer heat, into a wistful soundscape that took us a world away to Australia, and then onto what was a surprisingly chipper reflection on past loves and heartbreak.

Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Berklee Alumni and faculty member Keppie Coutts kicked the evening off, accompanied by brothers Enrico and Giancarlo de Trizio. Her set of heartfelt songs (not without a sense of humor) encapsulated the intimate atmosphere in the Red Room, setting the mood for the evening. Enrico provided sensitive harmonic accompaniment on the piano, while Giancarlo laid a subtle groove on percussion over which Keppie’s vocals were on top form.

Lauren Zettler and Cameron Mizell were next to adorn the stage, picking up the pace with a blend of acoustic and electric guitars that never strayed from being both tasteful and sensitive. Lauren intermingled the performance with tales of her spirited break from the nine-to-five, and her touring relationship with Allison Weiss. A definite highlight of the evening was her unveiling the electric mandolin with which she played out her set. Picture a Strat intended for one of the seven dwarfs and you’re close.

Allison Weiss’ kooky yet stylish appearance, spontaneous stream of consciousness-esq speech, and her ineffable personality were instantly infectious. She’s like your favorite teddy bear. You feel like you’ve known each other for years, only you’ve never spoken, and you can’t help but want to give her a little cuddle. But there’s more then mere stuffing to this girl. Allison has been making a name for herself by doing the unthought-of. In an effort to raise money to go towards recording an EP, Allison went as far as offering to write her fans personalized songs written on subjects of their choosing. This sense of creativity burst through all aspects of her performance. She started by having the audience come and sit around the stage, as if it were story time (thankfully we all had our teddy with us.) Her amusing tale of how she took up the guitar to impress a boy, and the relationships that followed (on which many of her songs are based), provided comic interlude between the brutally honest songs that carried her message of ‘hopeless hope’.

Weiss is one of the few artists I’ve seen, able to evoke joyous laughter and tears out of her audience within seconds of each other. Her personality ends up being just as much part of the performance as her music. She should not be missed.

Allison Weiss myspace
Lauren Zettler myspace
Keppie Coutts myspace

Review by Richard Gould on behalf of the Berklee Internet Radio Network. Read More >>

Punch Brothers (led by Chris Thile of Nickel Creek fame) seems to be organized on the premise of taking bluegrass instrumentation to new and foreign environments. While I wouldn't call this music experimental, there is an exploratory feature to every song that I have to admire. Antifogmatic actually feels like a progressive pop/rock album in just about every way subtracting the fact that these tunes are being played on mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass. It doesn't take long to realize that each one of these players is of the highest technical caliber, but this is not revealed by straightforward blazing solos that you might hear on a traditional bluegrass record (though there are a few on this 10 song set). This largely feels like a collective effort, and the creative and fresh arrangements are what makes the Punch Brothers work. Consequently, this is also where they occasionally falter. Music dubbed as progressive comes with a certain expectation, which I think can be boiled down to the idea that nothing remains the same for very long. Cram as many ideas into one song as possible and see if it works. Almost inevitably, this doesn't always work, like on "Next to the Trash" where the song doesn't ever settle down long enough for a satisfying moment to be absorbed.

But while the poly-stylistic nature of Antifogmatic is occasionally taxing it usually feels organic, like Thile & co. are figuring out what strings to pull and when. I couldn't tell you why, but this is one of the better old-time/rock/bluegrass/progressive/pop albums I've heard in quite awhile. There is no denying that these five guys are doing something worth hearing, so go hear it yourself. Read More >>

REVIEW: 80/100

Joe Pug first came to my attention about a year ago. I remember hearing "Hymn 101" from his Nation of Heat EP somewhere on the internet and being blown away. As a casual tracker of the topical song movement, I was stunned to hear someone in the modern era singing songs akin to the honesty and passion of the best of the topical songs to emerge from our nation in the 1960's. Perhaps what was most striking was the matter of fact construction and delivery. The message was clear, but not dumbed down, and certainly not dressed up. That debut EP from this young Chicago singer-songwriter was one of my more exciting musical discoveries of the year, and his debut full length, Messenger expands on the territory he explored on the Nation of Heat EP (both social songs and love songs) with mostly excellent results.

The album kicks off with a full band, an immediate departure from the solo guitar accompaniment of it's predecessor. While Pug really has no need for a full band to make his statements clear, the additional instruments brought in on most of the album's ten tracks are generally not detrimental to the sound, and occasionally add welcome bits of texture. That said, the best songs here are the ones that Pug takes on all by his lonesome. He writes exceptional lyrics, has a compelling voice and delivers his words with purpose. With surefooted guitar picking underneath, what else do you really need? Songs like "Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)" demand the complete attention of the listener, asking "Won't you bury me far from my uniform so that God might remember my face?"

While the album is not without a few missteps, Pug has quickly placed himself among the upper echelon of current songwriters in the past year, and given that he is only in his early 20's, he's got a lot of time to keep climbing higher. Read More >>

RATING: 83/100

Many of us familiar with the great Jack Rose looked at him as something of a modern leader of the "American Primitive Guitar" movement (started by John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Leo Kottke, etc in the 1960's). So the news of Rose's death this past December hit the underground music world pretty hard, a heart attack at the age of 38. The album that he was set to release at the time came out in February 2010 on Thrill Jockey Records, the biggest label to host his music yet. That piece of work, Luck In The Valley may not be Rose's crowning achievement, but it is surely up there with his best (I'm not sure what isn't).

While no material on Luck In The Valley enters new realms for Rose, it is a continuation towards the perfection of his craft, and an immensely collaborative effort, perhaps his most successful album in that regard. Ragtime piano, banjo, jaw harp, harmonica, and fiddle resound throughout eight of the album's ten tracks, and while never devoid of his own flair, they prove Rose to be an adept team player and an expert interpreter. While most of Rose's repertoire takes a great deal of direction from pre-war blues and country, he goes right to the source on here with three rollicking renditions of classic tunes: W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues", "Everybody Ought To Pray Sometime" by Crumpton/Summers, and Blind Blake's "West Coast Blues".

With a prolific output in the last decade that has rarely been off target, it is difficult to think of what Rose could have accomplished were he given a life of rightful length. But for those looking to explore his catalogue, Luck In The Valley may be one of his most accessible points to jump in. The warmth that these songs possess is contagious, and with Rose at the helm he makes every note count. Read More >>

With their new album “Perch Patchwork” coming out in a few months, indie pop/math rockers Maps & Atlases are currently in “Tour forever” mode. I caught them on the Boston leg of their east coast tour with Drink Up Buttercup, and ended up discovering several other great bands as the night unfolded.

 

The first band to play was the Boston based ambient/glitch electronic project Coralcola. I’ve never seen any music like this performed live before, and it was surprisingly cool thanks to an intensely trippy video that was being manipulated live by one of the two band members. The music itself was well produced droning soundscapes with some eventual drums and melody seeping into the mix. These guys were great, definitely catch them live sometime if you’re into this sort of music.

 

Second on the bill were Boston noise-rockers Datus. Their set didn’t start off too strongly, with the band being a bit awkward and disconnected at first. They came together nicely towards the end of the set, though, and the last few songs were an awesomely demented blend of odd time signatures, distorted vocals, and noisy electronic jamming in spite of the drummer’s bass drum slowly falling apart.

 

The third act, Magic Man, might have had the largest draw of the night. They blended a strong electronic dance beat and synth lines with a full live band, resulting in a sound akin to a poppier Animal Collective. The energy on stage was great, with the singer in particular constantly dancing and moving throughout the band’s set. They only got to play five songs before they were told their time was up, which seemed odd after Datus’s eight song set considering that Magic Man had the whole crowd singing along. Regardless, they put on a great performance.

 

Drink Up Buttercup, the first of the two touring bands at the show, finally started their set at 11:02. I’d never heard of them before, but I was blown away by their set. They played incredibly energetic and noisy folk rock with lots of vocal harmonies and at times circus-like keyboard parts. There was auxiliary percussion everywhere, between shakers, an extra low tom for the singer, and trash cans (!) that were thrown about by the whole band throughout the set. The energy was incredible, with the bassist literally sprinting back and forth on the stage during some of the songs. After finishing their set, the most vocal (and drunk) portion of the crowd immediately chanted for an encore, and the band obliged – after saying that “you guys are f---ing awesome” and definitely being a bit surprised at the enthusiasm.

 

Maps & Atlases finally hit the stage at 12:06. Their act lacked some of the unbridled energy and enthusiasm of the Drink Up Buttercup set, but made up for it with their music – Dave Davidson’s simultaneous technical guitar tapping and singing will never cease to be impressive. The band played some older songs, such as Everyplace is a House and Artichokes, but at least half of the set was dedicated to songs from their upcoming album, Perch Patchwork. Dave was humble throughout the set, not saying much more than “Thanks a lot!” and thanking the other bands who’d played, but if the live versions of the new songs are any indication, Perch Patchwork will be one hell of an album. Sadly, there was no encore – but considering that the concert had already been running for 5 hours, it wasn’t too surprising.

 

Maps & Atlases will be in back in Boston in two weeks on tour again, this time opening for indie rockers Frightened Rabbit at the Paradise. If you missed this show, go out and see them there - it’ll be their third Boston date in five months, so we may not see them for a while after that!

 

Thanks to Ben Walding for the show photo. Read More >>

Tuesday March 30th, 2010 in Boston circa 7pm was seemingly unremarkable; rainy, as per usual during that month, with an unsurprisingly crowded subway car on the B line. However, one foot into The Paradise Rock Club and any trace of daily drudgery evaporated spontaneously. The fantastic line-up showcasing O’Brother, Biffy Clyro, The Features, and Manchester Orchestra sparked crowd enthusiasm from start to finish. If you are looking for a new favorite Indie-Rock band to fall in love with, any of these bands will do the trick! The boys in O’Brother hailing from Georgia laid down melodies, harmonies, ostinatos, and lyrics that were almost too easy to listen to! The amped up Scottish rockers in Biffy Clyro reeled in the crowd with solid hooks and super tidy playing. If that wasn’t enough to catch the general attention, their tattooed bare torsos and ultra tight pants were! When The Features hit up the stage with their Nashville twang, there was no controlling the tapping and bobbing in the surrounding area. These boys had some truly catchy country-esque rock. My personal favorite that I’d be so bold as to insist you give a listen to is a song called “Lions” off their recent album "Some Kind of Salvation". And of course the headlining Manchester Orchestra based out of Georgia completely rocked the house. After such incredible, energy-powered opening performances, the crowd was warmed up, hyped, and receptive to the gripping progressions, killer rhythms, and raw vocals flooding the room. Through songs like “Shake It Out” off their album "Mean Everything To Nothing" there was not a single stationary body in the sold out space. This was a show not to be missed, so if you are aching for a taste, take a good long bite on these band sites until you are full and satisfied! (And trust me, you will be.)

http://www.myspace.com/obrothermusic
http://www.myspace.com/biffyclyro
http://thefeatures.ning.com/
http://www.myspace.com/manchesterorchestra Read More >>

RATING: 76/100

 

Bygones are an experimental rock supergroup of sorts, featuring Nick Reinhart on guitar and vocals while Zach Hill plays the drums. Nick is best known for his work with math rock band Tera Melos, while Zach Hill has played with just about every weird rock band under the sun: Hella, Marnie Stern, No Age, El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez, and plenty of others. Their debut LP came out in the fall of 2009, and featured a technical and complex odd-time style. This EP comes out just six months later - impressive, for two musicians who are already involved in so much, though it does clock in at just over ten minutes of playtime.

 

Then again, that may owe itself more to the stylistic shift of the group. While their debut had a technical math rock sound, this EP takes the shape of hardcore punk. The debut's vocal harmonies are gone, with both Nick and Zach now yelling in unison throughout all five of the songs. The lyrics are decidedly more vulgar, with song titles like "When a Vegan Eats a Vegan" and "Dirt Weed". The songs feature brutal downstrummed power chords replacing the tapped melodies of the last LP, and heavy lo-fi production replaces the previously ethereal style.

 

It's an interesting choice for the duo - to release an acclaimed debut and then immediately shift style may not help them get onto the charts anytime soon, but neither member has ever made a point out of trying to be popular. Instead, they're doing what they do best - being completely unpredictable. They've already shaken things up again following this release - the band is touring, not under the name of Bygones, but as Zach Hill's solo project (with Nick Reinhart supporting on guitar), for a series of seven shows around Illinois and New York during which Zach Hill says "We will be improvising".

 

Fans who wanted to hear another release in the style of Bygones' debut album may find themselves disappointed with this EP. But for the many people who just love to hear the myriad musical works of Zach Hill and friends, Spiritual Bankruptcy will not disappoint.

Read More >>

Here are my picks for the best new releases and upcoming shows for the month of April.

SELECT NEW RELEASES:

4-06
Dr. Dog: Shame, Shame [ANTI-]
David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Here Lies Love [Nonesuch]

4-13
Kaki King: Junior [Rounder]

4-20
Horse Feathers: Thistled Spring [Kill Rock Stars]
Rufus Wainwright: All Days Are Nights: Songs For Lulu [Decca]
Willie Nelson: Country Music [Rounder]
John Zorn/Fred Frith: Late Works [Tzadik]

BEST BOSTON SHOWS:

4/6
Wilco @ The Orpheum Theatre

4/20
Owen Pallett @ Institute of Contemporary Art

4/21
The Tallest Man on Earth @ The Middle East Downstairs

4/29
Frightened Rabbit @ Paradise Read More >>