Monthly Archives: May 2010
Nothing beats Hump Day like Marcus Foster
At the Prophet Bar, Dallas, Texas
Woke up thinking it was Friday, only to realize it was Wednesday. Hump Day. The one day that just seems to mock me….so close to Friday and yet so far. Normally I just lay low in the office, guzzle twice my body weight in coffee and search for pics of the guys just work.
But today was different. Today I woke up and logged on to my luvah, I mean laptop and saw a couple of tweets from one Marcus Foster alerting us that Q Magazine has picked “Shadows of the City” as their Track of The Day.
You bet yo’ sweet little bootie that I clicked that link like a mad woman. And there he was, along with the previous day’s picks, all courtesy of the peeps over at Communion.
Here’s what Communion had to say about Marcus:
“After initially getting him in the studio for a track on the Communion Compilation we decided to make an EP from which this song is taken. It’s got such a raw dirty energy to it and is about as brand new as it’s possible to be, as we finished mixing it yesterday! The song features a ghost choir consisting of Kev Jones, drummer Chris Maas, Marcus and Matt Hegarty from Matthew and the Atlas from yesterday’s track.”
Read it in full (and hear the track too) HERE.
Also, be sure to check out Monday and Tuesday’s picks, Pete Roe and Matthew and the Atlas, respectively. I am sorta, okay a lot in love with Pete Roe right now. Go and check them out and let us know what you think!
So, what did you think of the new track? Do you like the choir and drums and all that? Or do you prefer the “solo sound”. (Yes, solo sound. That is a technical term that I just made up.)
Bobby on Jersey Shore??
Okay. You got me. Not the show. I repeat, Bobby Long will NOT be appearing on Jersey Shore. Although, what I would give to see him hanging out with The Situation and making late night confessionals about Snookie and her crazy hair ways. But I digress….
What I am talking about is that according to this website, one Mr. Long will be partaking in the XPoNential Music Festival, in Camden, New Jersey, from July 16th-18th. While these dates have yet to be announced by Bobby or listed on his myspace, he is listed on the festival’s Official Site, along with his own artist page.
Of course, things change and this all has yet to be confirmed but for more info, including how to purchase tickets, you can visit XPoNential Musical Festival’s Official Site.
So New Jersey-ians. (Jersey-ites?) Wait…what do you call someone from New Jersey?? Anyhoo, all you that live in or near Camden, have you been to this festival before? Would you go if Bobby was to play there? Let us know– and also, what to call a New Jersey native too. Please and thank you! 
Bobby on Fearless! And further proof we are the worst #fangirls EVA!
As probably all of you know, Bobby was on Fearless Radio Monday doing a kick ace interview, playing some tunes and all around being his typical awesome self. Cause that is what he does. #duh
Unfortunately, real life has been kicking both me and LiLi’s behind lately, and, um, we haven’t gotten to listen yet. We are SO going to, as soon as either of us can stick our heads up out of the water for more then 3.25 seconds and breathe. So, in the mean time we decided you all should listen to it, write a brief summary (500 words or less) on what Bobby said and be sure to include at least 3 quotes that equate awesomeness from the Bobster.
Please and thank you!
Oh, can’t forget this! Best summary gets a superly awesome prize… this VIDEO of Bobby on Fearless!
Wait, I guess I shouldn’t have given you the prize before you did the homework. DAMN!
Mix Tape Monday: Frightened Rabbit
Featuring Frightened Rabbit
Source: http://wearefrightenedrabbit.com/
When I was living in Austin, my little group of friends and I used to get togther a couple of times a year for some rad mix tape parties. The rules were simple, bring your choice of adult beverage and at least 10 copies of whatever mix tape cd you created to share with everyone at the party. And then we listened. And drank. And discussed. By the end of the night there are always at least a dozen new itunes purchases or plans made to hit up Waterloo the next day to buy more from the artists we liked.
Sadly, I am back in the Big D and couldn’t make the last party earlier this year– but those awesome friends of mine went ahead and set me copies of their mixes anyways and that is how I discovered these guys– Frightened Rabbit.
From FatCat Records:
Though the past year has seen Frightened Rabbit finally step into public view, with more extensive touring and three full-length albums now publicly available, the past few years have largely been about the band quietly, committedly honing their sound, and cultivating their art. Now a five-piece comprising Scott, Billy, Andy, Gordon and Grant, the origins of the band are rooted in 2003, when Scott began playing solo shows under the name Frightened Rabbit, mostly in support of fellow art-schoolers Shitdisco. Recordings were made on a tascam 4-track recorder, with Scott playing all the instruments (some more proficiently than others). Though looser, sparser, and certainly more lo-fi in terms of production values, their early demos still attest to a burgeoning talent with a defined personality, and a now familiar penchant for being able to nail a near perfect pop song.
In 2004 Scott’s brother Grant moved to Glasgow, contributing drums to certain recorded tracks, and playing live. Frightened Rabbit became louder and better. They burnt 50 copies of their subsequent demo, and sent some out to labels, resulting in three tracks being hosted on the FatCat MP3/demo website, and marking the beginning of a wonderful relationship. In 2006, Billy joined the band playing primarily second guitar, making Frightened Rabbit in the band’s own words, a wee bit better and louder still. That February they went into The Diving Bell Lounge studio with Glasgow based producer Marcus Mackay to record some songs over the course of a week. The intention was to record a better quality demo, but the resultant recordings ended up as the bands debut LP ‘Sing The Greys’, of which 1000 copies were pressed and released that May on home grown label Hits The Fan.
An incredibly accomplished live outfit (seemingly without any effort whatsoever), further live dates followed into 2007, including a brief but successful US jaunt, culminating in a sold-out show at The Mercury Lounge in NYC, before the album was even available in the US. After an intense spate of writing, rehearsing, recording, and remixing, and of course playing more live shows, ‘Sings The Greys’ was remastered by Alan Douches, and re-released in significantly revamped form by FatCat in Autumn 2007, along with debut single ‘Be Less Rude’. Rounding off the year with the incredible ‘It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop’ single, 2008 has been another busy one for Frightened Rabbit.
The band’s second album, ‘Midnight Organ Fight’, was released in April 2008, and is a progression in terms of songwriting, sonic depth, and as a fully realised entity. Recorded by Peter Katis (Mercury Rev, Interpol), ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ was conceived and realised in a much shorter time span than its predecessor, with the intention of creating a more coherent, ‘pop’ sounding album.
In July 2008, a live rendition of ‘Midnight Organ Fight’ was recorded in Glasgow, and mixed by Mice Parade’s Adam Pierce, entitled ‘Quietly Now ! – Midnight Organ Fight Live And Acoustic At The Captain’s Rest’. The stripped-down instrumentation brings singer Scott Hutchison’s vocal delivery – now wrenching, now soaring – to the fore, showcasing the emotive lyrics and memorable melodies that have earned the band their passionate following.
Live album ‘Quietly Now ! – Midnight Organ Fight Live And Acoustic At The Captain’s Rest’ was released in March 2009, the band’s first release with additional member Andy Monaghan on guitar and keyboards.
The band are currently working on a new full-length album, ‘The Winter of Mixed Drinks’. With a release date set for March 2010, excitement is already building up around it. Having recently returned from a US tour with labelmates Brakes, We Were Promised Jetpacks and The Twilight Sad, the remainder of the year is set aside for more studio work and UK/Ireland tours with Gomez and Modest Mouse, as well as recruiting fifth member Gordon Skene as another multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist.
The first song I heard from these guys was Fast Blood and I was hooked from the get go. I almost had to check the mix cd track listing as I could have sworn I was listening to some old Smiths song or even an Interpol song that I had somehow missed. Which makes sense now that I see that the album Fast Blood is on, Midnight Organ Fight, was recorded by the awesome Peter Katis.
Check it:
Source
And these other musical goodies:
Source
Source
Like what you hear?? You can check out more of Frightened Rabbit on their myspace, twitter, facebook and Official Site. You can also purchase their albums via iTunes or go and see them live.
What do you think of these guys? Isn’t it like going back in time and putting on your old Smiths albums while laying in bed dreaming of being a grown up one day? Or did I just reveal my true age? Whoops. Moving on here…..do you have any new artist that you would like to share with us? Let us know and they could be featured on Mix Tape Monday!
We’re taking this show on the road!
This past Wednesday, Sam announced, via his twitter account, that he will be preforming FOUR shows in LA this coming June and July. And guess who has two thumbs and will be there? THIS GIRL! And Amber. So, I guess that makes it four thumbs? Huh. Well, whatevs, point is….we’re taking this show on the road!
The four shows will all be at the Hotel Cafe on the following dates:
June 22nd buy tickets
June 29th buy tickets
July 6th buy tickets
July 13th buy tickets
We have plans to be at the June 29th show and we anticipate a supa good time (DUH), since we had a blast the last time we saw Sam (with The Men). I mean, check out the happiness:
How can we NOT replicate all this joy in LA? I don’t know whether The Men will be accompanying Mr. Bradley on this particular trip, BUT if they are, well, we have gone ahead and put together a little tour guide for them. I mean, we aren’t LA natives at all, so obviously we are qualified to point out the hot spots. And since we are super nice, we will even offer to personally escort them to our “Must See” sights.
First, Malibu.
You can’t go to LA and not go to the beach. So here we are, laughing it up in front of Amber and I’s rented beach house.
Next on our LA tour of fun:
In-n-Out Burger
All that frolicking in the sand will work up an appetite, so where else would we go but the ol’ In-n-Out?!
After we scarf down our Animal Style burgs we continue the festivities with a trip to:
The Santa Monica Pier
Where we will all try our hand at the Flying Trapeze classes they got going there. Of course, we will also ride the rides, play all the arcade games (6th grade Skee-ball champ, right here, yo!) and overload on some churros from the Churro Man.
After all of that, we will need a place to wind it all down. And what better place than:
The Waffle House!
I mean, if you want to get all technical and stuff, there actually isn’t a Waffle House in LA. Or all of California. But that is neither here nor there, yanno? We can make it happen.
Look how fun it would be to end the night, er, day there:
So there you have it! A spoiler alert glimpse into Amber and I’s LA Vacashe of Fun!
Will you be going to see any of Sam’s show’s in LA? Let us know! We would LOVE to meet some California peeps! And maybe actually go to an In-n-Out Burger after the show. I mean anything can happen people– anything.
Amber
Li Li
