Ardent Studios is proud to announce the complete renovation of Studio C! In conjunction with the 45th anniversary of the studio, we’re in the process of upgrading just about everything in the control room – new console, new acoustics, new aesthetics, and much more.
You can keep up to date with the changes to Studio C by visiting TheNewStudioC.com.
Enter our video contest to win free studio time!
All work and mo’ play will get you more than what you bargained for.
On Sunday, September 4th, UHall will proudly be the homestead of the Fort Knox Five crew and all things audible.
Nappy Riddem, made up of Rex Riddem and Mustafa Akbar, weave dub, reggae and ’70s soul into their new outing, One World Sovereignty, a worldly mix of sounds derived from the liberation music you might be used to hearing, and there’s no better way to ease into Labor Day than at their album release party.
Nappy Riddem | Rastar (Ursula 1000 Remix)
The duo joins Asheru and Blue Black (Unspoken Heard) and the FK5 DJ Set in a show that adds new dimensions to DC’s thriving (and nurturing) music scene. The Unspoken Heard reunites to mark the 10 year anniversary of their Soon Come LP.
Also, making their first ever appearance here in DC is Vibesquad. The Colorado-bred music producer adds to this Sunday’s party that elevates the soul, heartbeat and hips into a crunk state of being.
As previously mentioned, this past weekend The Vinyl District got a chance to get down and dirty in Nashville, Tennessee for The Music City Festival & BBQ Championship. The festival was nothing but non-stop classic rock, BBQ, and beer brought about by some of Tennessee’s best musicians, vendors, and partygoers. Though Saturday’s BBQ contest and car show were pretty awesome, Friday night was definitely the highlight of the festival.
Around 5:00 Friday evening was when the festival started to kick off. All of 1st Avenue and Riverfront Park in downtown Nashville were closed off for the event. If you don’t live there, that’s kind of a big deal. The streets were lined with BBQ tents, dance stations, ice cream vendors, non-profit tents, and other related sponsors and VIP tents, but more on those later. I was headed straight for the source of entertainment for the festival, The Grand Ol’ Porker Stage.
First up was a delightful Beatles tribute band called The WannaBeatles. I’m not going to lie to you, normally cover bands just really aren’t my thing. The WannaBeatles, however, comprised a local four-piece ensemble with refreshing vocals, talented instrumentalists, and pretty damn good impressions.
TVD Contributor Ariane Trahan is the founder of Easy Apple, an artist development company that bridges the gap for musicians between New York City and New Orleans. She recently spoke with two members of Royal Teeth and discussed the band’s career arc and future plans.
What creates a good story? In my line of work I like to have my ears at attention when I am dealing with musicians. A lot of times they don’t even know they have a story to tell. Sometimes they’re convinced they do but prove weak at sharing it. Partly from Lafayette, partly from New Orleans, Royal Teeth is a band that is still writing the first chapter of their lighthearted fun-filled narrative. I stepped in last Saturday to talk with Gary Larsen (vox/guitar) and Josh Hefner (percussion) about how this impressive sextet has begun work on their version of Happily Ever After.
It’s 5pm on a Saturday afternoon and I am nursing an Abita Satsuma on Bayou Beer Garden’s back patio. I’m scribbling some last minute notes for my interview when I catch Larsen and Hefner timidly trotting up the wooden walkway that connects the bar to the garden. I wave them over, we do the standard salutations and handshakes, and after a few minutes of settling in and explaining my approach to the discussion, Larsen takes it from the top:
Night two at the legendary Fillmore here in San Francisco and the Minneapolis pop-rock quintet Motion City Soundtrack are playing the second half of their brief catalog. I’m not too familiar with the band’s earlier stuff, but they are finishing the night off with their major label power-pop/punk masterpiece My Dinosaur Life which is exactly why I am here.
The band is on tour gearing up for the release of their fifth full-length studio album arriving later this year with career spanning shows playing all four of their albums in their entirety; 2003’s I Am The Movie, 2005’s Commit This To Memory, 2007’s Even If It Kills Me, and 2010’s My Dinosaur Life. The tour is taking place over the course of two nights in seven cities across the U.S. as part of the LG Ones to Watch tour.
Our regular Wednesday ‘First Date’ feature? It’s now on Tuesdays. (You’ll get used to it.) And there’s no better way to get used to the change than with one of the best new artists of this year—or any year. —Ed.
“The very first memory I have of vinyl is when I was about 4 or 5 and became obsessed with Peter And The Wolf narrated by Peter Ustinov. We didn’t listen to much popular music as my parents were into Classical/Opera and yes . . . Enya.
I used to demand that be played almost on a daily basis.
We had a small number of records that consisted of the above mentioned, as well as Fleetwood Mac, Genesis, and let’s not forget—Wham.
I was always fascinated with the needle delicately scratching the records. I used to think it was a lazer that shot out songs onto the black thingy. (That’s what I called a record.)
Yeah, sure – we had cassettes, but they were mainly confined to the cars. We listened to a lot of Beatles in the car and mix tapes.
Johanna & The Dusty Floor – Witch Shoes
Then, my father came home with a CD player. He was so proud because he was one of the first in our neighborhood to have one. (Those things were HUGE back in the day.) I was shocked and speechless when our record player was thrown out. It was the end of the world for me. I hated CD’s. I had no real reason to hate them . . . they just weren’t my record player and I couldn’t listen to Peter And The Wolf.
I am battered, hungover, and tired, feeling almost as if Hurricane Irene had brandished me between tree branches or bashed me through a windshield like a brick. What I’m talking about, three days later (yes, it gets harder in your 30s to bounce back, kids), is the prideful pain of being ravaged by a great show. I have just seen Warchildwith Sistered and Nunchucks at the Rock and Roll Hotel.
As Warchild were about to take to the stage, there was already a cloud of sweat and beer floating above the pit, which had pre-formed in anticipation of their arrival. That cloud could strike a lightening bolt of rage on any one of the aggro dudes ready to shove their bodies together like enraged wrestlers. Instead, Jason, Devin, and Allan appear like charging bulls, but one thing has gone terribly wrong. Bassist Jason Dangle still has his shirt on. The ladies are pissed and chant “shirt off, shirt off” as the first song begins.
Rory, with hands in the air conducting the crowd as if he’s Satan’s televangelist, enters the stage and the show begins. He headbangs, screams around the stage, and the first song is finished. Jason, in response to the continuous chant of “shirt off,” has obliged, and the pit is, like the depth of a volcano, on fire and pulsating. Allan Chappelear is a selt-taught thrash savant, and his solos are electrifying. “Now you Die” is streaked with the influence of Rory Sheridan’s love of DC Hardcore.
Since the early days of recorded music there have been many incentives to record multiple versions of the same song. In the U.S. publishers, not artists, are paid royalties from broadcasters, so multiple versions of the same song meant more opportunity to cash in on a hit.
But over the years as artists gained more control in the industry, the practice fell out of vogue. Since the record companies would often put out multiple versions of the same song in different genres at the same time, artists felt like these various recordings were confusing to the public and took the spotlight off of the performer. While performing other people’s music was standard for old school crooners in the 50s and 60s, by the 70s it began to be frowned upon if you were not performing original material.
Check out a stream of some of my personal favorites. Full track listing with commentary after the jump…
I’m usually very frugal with my money. I try to live a modest life and avoid purchasing extravagant things (though I’m a sucker for purchasing many cheap things at once – i.e. cd’s from resale shops). Once in a great while though, I binge. I binge hard. This time around it was on tickets, and I was fortunate enough to secure some Peter Bjorn and John tickets for their “All You Can Eat” tour at Lincoln Hall before they sold out.
Life was good. Life, actually, remains good, since the show was fantastic.
In honor of their headlining show at DC9 tonight, we are giving away an autographed copy of Jeff the Brotherhood’s latest LP, We Are the Champions.
Recorded by Roger Moutenot, who has also worked with Yo La Tengo, Sleater Kinney, and Velvet Underground, the album has a classic rock and fuzzy psychedelic sound. When performing live, the band takes that fuzziness and adds a heaviness to it that has allowed them to tour with the likes of hardcore bands such as Fucked Up and metal legends Pentagram.
To win this record, leave in our comments section a classic rock song (i.e., something from a rock band originally released in the ’60s or ’70s) that still gets you groovin’ today. One that will always remain excellent in my mind is “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath. Rock on, readers!
The winner will be chosen Friday (9/2), and must have a mailing address in the continental US or Canada.
It’s our weekly Twitter #MusicMonday recap of the tracks from last week that the folks in the press offices and PR agencies want you to be hearing. We post you decide.
Spirit Animal – I’m Around
Howard Hughes & David Tattersall – He Can See Her
Gem Club – Twins
Ange Boxall – Fool For Now
Lisa Hannigan – A Sail
Freedom Fry – Tallest Dreams
Chateau Marmont – Solar Apex
Luke Temple – How Could I Lie
Young Circles – Asthmatic
Miguel Migs – Everybody feat. Evelyn Champagne King (Kid Who Italo Dub)
TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
Twin Falls – Janie I Will Only Let You Down
Speculator – Blue Rose
St. Lucia – All Eyes On You
Body Language – Falling Out
Boots Electric – Boots Electric Theme
BuzzUniverse – Rock
Cheap Time – I’d Rather Be Alone
Courtship – Housed (Papercutz Remix)
Huoratron – CRYPTOCRACY
Dearling Physique – Up All Night
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Definite Darkness
35 more FREE TRACKS after the jump!
Atlas Sound returns with a formal release on 4AD this November. ‘Terra Incognita’ is the first cut to be released from the record and it leaves me lost for words… A beautifully underplayed and sensitive song that never wears thin. Gentle strings cushion the delicate stylings of Bradford Cox’s acoustic guitar and at 3:48, when the song takes a wonderful pop turn, Bradford does what he does best and the track builds and lifts to heavenly levels.
‘Dreamboat Annie’, is the magical title track from Heart’s 1976 debut and is a perfect example of Heart’s wonderful awareness of melody and instrumentation. The dreamy vocals coat a jangly banjo and typically soulful acoustic arrangement. This is a work of perfection.
TVD and the Idelic Hour, our own Friday podcast, are thrilled to be hosting the record release party for our friend, the multi-talented Luther Russell tomorrow night (8/27) at the Three of Clubs.
Luther Russell’s The Invisible Audience is a wildly ambitious record which he calls “a glimpse into the jukebox of my psyche.” The twenty-five tracks on this epic record were culled from months and months of recording “whenever I could get into my eight-track studio or on a four-track cassette to get an idea down.”
The album’s narrative flow seems to run the gamut of emotions from regret, betrayal and loss to humor, nostalgia and hope.
Greetings from Laurel Canyon!
“In the company of players” is an expression I learned from watching the 1998 flick, Shakespeare in Love. The expression refers to being part of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, a company of actors who performed at The Globe theatre at the turn of the 16th Century. In the flick Gwyneth Paltrow plays a dreamy Viola De Lesseps who longs to be part of the “band.”
Truth is I always related to the De Lesseps character. From the moment I knew what a rock band was, I only longed to be in that family. This very column I’m writing now, my weekly Idelic Hour, my profession, and my business all stem from one dream—the desire to rock n roll with some cool dudes.
Indeed, over the years I’ve figured out how to do exactly that. The friends and colleagues who I have worked, played, and rocked with over the years are my extended family. Over the next couple of weeks a good number of my “Idelic” friends are rolling through town gigging.
To celebrate, I am “outing” my old bands. As most of my friends know, I fronted a band for many years. Honestly, although cool and interesting, we were less than fair. The point is and was, that we were a family that rocked. After all as William Shakespeare knew, a bunch of dudes rocking together is a noble thing!
So with that Idelic family vibe, I bring you this week’s Idelic Hour…
The Idelic Hit of the Week: Luther Russell – Long Lost Friend
When I caught a glimpse of my friend Rebecca Loebe on a preview of NBC’s The Voice earlier this year, I thought that surely I had been mistaken. The Loebe I knew was a folk singer that played at The Folk Alliance International Showcase every year in Memphis – not a pop-star-wannabe.
But a quick tweet reply from her confirmed that she was indeed a contestant on the Peacock Channel’s answer to the success of American Idol. I watched the first few shows until Rebecca got the boot, and I have been dying to find out how she ended up on national television singing a Nirvana cover – check out my interview with her as we chat about it.
She also plays a few songs for us and tells us how you can download her shows and help her make a new record!
