Oxygen Ashtray

Sorry Yall

2011-05-02T10:43:00.001-04:00

2 posts in a month? I know...pathetic. But I work all the fucking time now and when I'm not working I'm spending time with my lovely girlfriend. So ya know what you lazy fucks...go find your own music! I'm only kidding...I know that is impossible for you. Here is the BIG Update...it's just gonna be one huge post so I don't have to come around here for another month ;) Actually I'm going to try to post more this month, because as we know...summertime = outside time. I really should throw my xbox out too, but I <3 Netflix. Okay, music time.

We have officially ended the first quarter of 2011 and there are three albums I am obsessed with. Smith Westerns absolutely nailed it with their sophomore effort 'Dye It Blonde'. Cut Copy with 'Zonoscope' and the new Fleet Foxes album, 'Helplessness Blues' which has not been released yet sounds amazing. I really can't stop listening to it (just got BNM on pfork) and is already pre-ordered it on wax. If there is anything you HAVE to have so far this year, it's these three albums. I did just get the new Antlers album (winner of OA's first album of the year award) 'Burst Apart'. I am looking forward to diving head first into that album but I need to have a really bad day first.

Again, like most summers, this summer is jam packed with concerts. It already kicked off with seeing Tim Reynolds at Infinity Hall. That's right, my hero in my hometown. Here is a sick video I took of it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWUMizcU7b8 We are going to keep it going with what was the summer kick off last year, and the true summer kick off...Wesleyan's Spring Concert. This year we have the show STARTING with Wavves. Then...The Walkmen will jam out...this years headliner..mothafuckin Wu-Tang, well 2/9 of Wu-Tang. Red Dogz all around, we can only hope it will be as good as last year.

Amanda and I will be attending Childish Gambino in Boston halfway though May and then BOMB Fest at the end of the month. If you don't know about http://www.bombfest.com/ then you are dumb. This is going to be the sickest party EVERRRR. The line up is out of this world, it's just too bad they had to move venues. June is looking quiet as of now, but there will be tons of local shows going on at venues like Daniel St. The Space Toads Place BAR Cafe9 Bridge St. Hartford Party Starters and always be checking in with Manic Productions.

July starts out with http://www.superballix.com/ A 3 day festival all dedicated to Phish. It's being held in upstate New York at Watkins Glen and I honestly don't know what to expect, but I know I will not return home the same person. Either way, it's going to be an incredible way to spend the 4th this year. I'm pretty open from then until the end of August, so I'm looking forward to just doing whatever pops up. I'm sure there will be a lot of great shows that I will want to get to in Boston and NYC.

Then we end the summer the way that I usually start my summers, Dave Matthews Band. They typically tour the East Coast at the beginning of summer, they started their tour here in Hartford last summer, which was pretty epic. This year, they are bringing the Caravan to NYC, Governors Island. The lineup is only half out of the bag and it already blew my mind. Just look at it, it's amazing!! The perfect way to end summer before starting the longest fall of my life...seriously dreading it.

2011 is still just getting started, it's been a weird first quarter in my opinion. A lot going on in the world right now, I'm kind of nervous for what is going to happen soon... I just have a bad feeling about things and where human kind is going. But enough negativity...I can not wait for this summer, just look at that list..it could be the most epic summer yet....But it will be really hard (twss) to top last summer. Cheers!

New Washed Out

2011-05-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Washed Out has a sexy new track out. It sounds pretty much just like the rest of his music. Warm, hazy summer beats. He is keeping the chillwave movement alive. I really like the new song, it would be one of my favorites on Life of Leisure if it was included on that. Grab it below!

http://www.mediafire.com/?nq3so8cs4ai1c2g

Cults Announce Debut Album

2011-04-10T15:07:00.000-04:00

Cults have warmed our hearts ever since getting the little yellow 7'' with the most catchy song ever, 'Go Outside'. This band has the perfect message and really capture the nostalgic 1960's feel but not in a corny way. They are the real deal, a band with some depth..and from the preview of their debut album, they will not be falling off the map anytime soon. Here is the first song off the new album. It's called 'You Know What I Mean' Make sure to gran the album when it comes out June 7th.

http://www.mediafire.com/?68jnnrn3hd68cgc

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

RIP LCD

2011-04-04T13:35:00.000-04:00

LCD Soundsystem played their last show 'ever' at a instantly sold out MSG crowd. Tix were literally impossible to find, leaving LCD Soundsystem to schedule 5 shows leading up to the final one at MSG. They put on one hell of a show, and here it is in its 3.5 hour entirety.

Best Coast Visits Daytrotter

2011-04-04T13:30:00.000-04:00

YAY! The day has finally come for Best Coast to stop by the Daytrotter studios to give us a long session! You can hear the reverb has been dropped in half when Beth sings live, it's still there...but you can really hear her quite good singing voice shine through. This is a fun little session to listen to. They will be playing at BOMB Fest this year, so be sure to grab a ticket and get to that festival, its gonna be a lot of fun! You can download the daytrotter sesh for free of course, just sign up at their site! You won't regret it.

http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/best-coast-concert/20031236-3738209.html

2011-04-02T12:47:00.000-04:00

well this is what i missed last night...fuck.

The Strokes - Taken For a Fool

2011-03-24T10:02:00.000-04:00

The Strokes new album 'Angles' came out on Tuesday and it's nothing earth shattering good. I do enjoy the album and really enjoy 3-4 tracks on it. Here they are playing one of the better tunes off the album 'Taken For a Fool'

2011-03-21T11:30:00.001-04:00

Really loving the new Kurt Vile Record too.

Smith Westerns

2011-03-21T11:17:00.003-04:00

This is my favorite band right now.

DMB Caravan: Atlantic City Stop

2011-03-10T12:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I will not be attending the AC festival. But I do like the setup and style of the DMB Caravan festival. The price at $200 is a reasonable one, I was thinking it would be 250. I hope that will be the price for every festival. It seems like each fest will definitely have their own feel to it. It would be great to see Flaming Lips, Marley, Bassnectar, Dr. Dog, Grace Potter, Lotus...but other then that, MEH! OAR is a complete joke...I have no desire to see David Gray with 50,000 people...However I like the Dave and Tim set, I like TR3 playing and Carter with Stefan guesting on others acts. I assume that will happen at every fest. Here's hoping to the NYC show having a much better line up. Give me some Mumford and Sons, Robert Randolph, Umphrey's Mcgee...fuck I would rather watch the Mclovins play then OAR.

DOM in Northampton

2011-03-07T11:11:00.001-05:00

DOM kicked off their spring tour with a last minute hometown show at the Iron Horse on Saturday in Northampton. On a whim I decided to attend with a few friends. DOM started 10 mins early and played a very tight 45 minute set to friends and family in attendance. DOM shows are a lot of fun, everyone was dancing on the floor and really into all of the music. It was great being in their hometown amongst the people that knew the band the most. A chant for drummer Bobby K was started by the crowd at one point. I doubt that happens anywhere else.

Their new material sounds really polished and is catchy as fuck! I'm telling you, DOM is going to blow up in '11 even more so then they did last year...that is if they want to. Living in America is still their anthem and forever will be, it's such a feel good song and was one of the best songs from last year. These guys have perfected their live show while still maintaining their party image. Wavves sucks live compared to DOM. After they finished what seemed to be a new Happy Birthday anthem DOM yelled 'Alright! Lets get fucked up! Party at my house' I think he was serious...we would have checked it out if we didn't have to drive all the way back to Hartford. I am so glad we decided to make it out for the show, it was a blast and DOM are cool dudes. Hope to see yall soon. Have a great tour.

Here is a small clip I took during the show of Bochica

Childish Gambino Touring

2011-03-06T15:41:00.000-05:00

If you don't know about my man crush on Donald Glover then you have never read this blog. He is one of the most talented guys in a league of his own. He is taking his comedy/rap show on the road for his IAMDONALD tour. I was at the first ever Childish Gambino show in NYC this past summer. It was dope. I am looking forward to seeing how far Donald has come in a year. Tickets are now on sale for all of his shows. Be sure to check him out, you will not be disappointed.You can catch me at the Boston show with my girl. He has a new EP coming out in two days. Just do us all a favor and follow his blog over at IAMDONALD.com Thats where I get all my swag from.

Portlandia

2011-03-01T10:09:00.001-05:00

Email Update - Berman1125@gmail.com

2011-03-01T00:50:00.001-05:00

I would just like to let everyone know that I have fully switched over to g-mail instead of hotmail. I don't know what took so long, just to lazy to switch all my accounts over to my new email I suppose. So if you have me on an automated mailer, please change my email to the new one, Berman1125@gmail.com Thanks!

Mother Fucking B.O.M.B Fest

2011-02-28T16:11:00.000-05:00

Holy shit... I did not see this coming from BOMB fest. The line up is so dope! What an improvement over last year, and two days will make this an official festival. Kudos to everyone involved with making this happen in Connecticut. There will be a lot of people from NYC that will take the train up and that will help our local music get recognition by people that would otherwise not come to CT. I can not wait to see all of these bands! The festival will take place in Danbury this year, at Western's festival grounds. Early bird tickets are on sale now you can grab them for $89 RIGHT HERE. Check out more info about everything at their website. RSVP HERE.

2011-02-24T14:22:00.001-05:00

Tiny Desk Concert

2011-02-22T22:11:00.002-05:00

Local Natives blow my mind. If you don't know about them yet, you are a lost cause. Here they are playing for NPR offices.

2011 So Far

2011-02-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

I have been doing a lot of traveling this month so that has given me tons of time to listen to new material, but not a lot of time to blog about it. So far I have been listening to Cloud Nothings, Toro Y Moi, Cut Copy, Tennis, James Blake and Smith Westerns. Cut Copy's new album 'Zonoscope' has floored me. This could have staying power like Toro y Moi last year and Beach House. Zonoscope is dancy, catchy, retro, just perfect. I was blown away after my first listen and it has been getting constant play since. I just want to dance every time I put it on.

I also really like the new Smith Westerns LP 'Dye It Blonde'. They really nailed the right tone for that album. Whatever they are using for their electric sound works out perfect for them. They are going to blow up this year. I really enjoy the new Tennis album despite it getting some beatings on the internet. It's a minimalist album...it's just so soothing to me.

Cloud Nothings and Toro y Moi had two of my favorite albums from last year, but I fear they may have hit the sophomore slump. Cloud Nothings album is still good, overall their lyrics are too repetitive. Their new song Should Have does kick major ass though. Toro teased me with two amazing new tracks 'New Beat' and 'Still Sounds' the two videos I posted before this. They are instant pop gems that I can't stop listening to. The only problem is, they are the only two tracks on the album I am completely in love with.

People have some serious hard ons for the James Blake album, but I don't see it. Maybe I'm not deep enough or I need to listen to it a few more times, but I'm not sold on him. There is one song that I really like on it. 'Wilhelms Scream' is a great track. Well I am off to the Dirty D for the weekend, download this playlist! It's what im jammin to.

Best of 2011 Playlist http://www.megaupload.com/?d=LLCO0S6P

Still Sounds

2011-02-03T09:14:00.003-05:00

Our favorite musician from last year has a new album coming out in February. 'Underneath The Pine' is his new effort and instead of the sampling electro we loved in the first album, he keeps the chill factor around while getting a fuller sound with a complete band. Chaz is showing us that there is a hell of a lot more to him that turning some knobs and pressing buttons, this man is a class act musician. He also seems like the coolest fucker on the planet...I will be seeing them this spring, after two failed attempts last year. Here is the music video for Still Sound. Super retro, I love it. Oh ya, and if you are wondering...my dance skills are about as good as Chaz.

'New Beat' has been floating around the interwebs and now has a video as well. Enjoy these two and be sure to pick up the album.

Toro Y Moi "Still Sound" {Official Video} from stevedanielsfilms on Vimeo.

2011-02-01T10:39:00.000-05:00

Best Coast - Letterman

2011-02-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

Best Coast is doing the whole late night run, they stopped by David Letterman for a perfoance of Each and Everyday. Beth mentioned before going on that she was very nervious. The song seems kinda rushed...like the band wanted to play it in 30 seconds to avoid messing up. They still pulled it off though. Oh, plz marry me Beth. Thank you

PS22 Covers Ariel Pink

2011-01-30T11:40:00.000-05:00

Wow. These kids are amazing....I think this is my favorite cover they have done

NC Trip

2011-01-27T17:20:00.001-05:00

Sitting at my Dad's dealership on a computer screen that is bigger then my TV in my room. I'm talkin 32'' HDTV. Pretty dope. It's going to be a long drive but I have weed, movies, and Zonoscope.

Have a nice weekend, ill be at the NHL Allstar Game.

Matt & Kim - Cameras

2011-01-20T11:31:00.002-05:00

Matt and Kim - New Music - More Music Videos

This is my favorite Matt and Kim song. Funny video too.

DMB WILL Play in 2011

2011-01-19T14:59:00.001-05:00

It's official folks, DMB will be playing music for their fans in 2011. They will not be touring the country, but according to DMB's Website they will play shows this year. Here is what we know so far.

'2011 is our 20th anniversary as a band and we want to celebrate by playing music together. While we are still taking the year off from touring, we have decided to plan four multi-day, multi-artist music events that will take place this summer. We will be sending out save the date emails and announcing more information soon but we wanted to share the news with our fans first.'

HALLELUJAH! Looks like this could be a mini DMB festival. The rumored venues are SPAC, Alpine, WPB, and The Gorge...See you this summer yall!

Local Music Alert!!!!

2011-01-19T11:50:00.000-05:00

We are in for a treat tomorrow night. John McCauley and Ian Oneil of the great band Deer Tick will be performing at Daniel St at 8pm. The show only runs $10 but is 21+. If you don't know anything about them (shame on you). They have a very twangy, grungy-folk vibe. John's voice has some Bob Dylan qualities to it. Opening for them are The Shivers, from NYC. I really don't know too much about them, but from what I was listening to on their myspace...they sound really good!

The real reason for making it out to the show is for Heirlooms. They are a Hartford based band that looks to make some moves in 2011. Jesse Stanford started the group on his own. Friends were joining in, adding their input and small touches to the songs...now they have a 5-piece band and a four song EP. You can download the EP for free HERE. Written, recorded, and produced entirely by the band this EP is an impressive debut. They seem to be very subtle, placing just the right textures in the right spots. They kind of remind me of Fleet Foxes, which is one of my favorite bands. Really excited for this show! I hope to see yall there tomorrow, be there early Heirlooms is on first.

Coachella '11

2011-01-19T11:01:00.001-05:00

BE THERE

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

2011-01-16T09:41:00.001-05:00

Cloud Nothings are one of my favorite bands. They had a kick ass first album that made #5 on our albums of 2010 list, and have a self titled album coming out at the end of January that you can pre order here. These guys know how to rock. I saw them last year in New Haven, I was deaf for 3 days. 'Should Have' follows the same successful formula that you will find on their first record. I can't wait to get the new one, and hopefully see these guys again this year.

Cloud Nothings - Should Have (Live) from Nick Dierl on Vimeo.

Dave Matthews John Varvatos ad

2011-01-13T08:42:00.002-05:00

Donald Glover on Conan

2011-01-12T10:31:00.002-05:00

For those of you that don't know...Donald Glover is my idol. Just look at that pimpin suit.

Colleen Green

2011-01-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

Colleen Green has gotten a mention here once before. Her song 'Worship You' is reverb drenched bliss. Catchy tunes that sound very Dum Dum Girlsish, turns out they are friends via twitter. Colleen has gotten around to setting up a bandcamp page, you should check it out right HERE. Look to see her name popping up more frequently in 2011.

Colleen Green - Worship You by berman1125

Best Coast - Jimmy Fallon

2011-01-04T21:14:00.000-05:00

Best Coast stopped by NYC yesterday to pay a visit it Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. They performed Boyfriend. Beth you looking better then ever gurl!

Shell Games

2011-01-02T12:00:00.001-05:00

Bright Eyes is getting back together and there is a lot of hype surrounding their return. Their new album 'The People's Key' is said to leave the folk behind and be much more of a rock album. I'm looking forward to what Conor has in store for us, I hope it's a dark album. There is a lot more electric which you hear on our first look at the new album. 'Shell Games' is heavy with electric guitar riffs, not the fluffy acoustic we are used to hearing. There is a touch of synth in there too, just the right amount. I really like the sound of this track even though it is very different then anything from Conor. I am looking forward to this album coming out. Free Download http://www.mediafire.com/?swehx58i6se5eo0

It's On

2011-01-01T23:52:00.001-05:00

2011 is on bitches. I had this shit blastin when midnight hit. Donald Glover for life. My New Year resolution, back to hittin the blog. I can't leave you hangin on the first! Download this now. Happy New Year
http://www.mediafire.com/?ya3y2ms2u710yuu

Oxygen Ashtray's Albums Of The Year

2010-12-28T18:15:00.006-05:00

1. Toro Y Moi - Causers of This

2. Beach House - Teen Dream

3. Wild Nothing - Gemini

4. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

5. Cloud Nothings - Turning On

6. Beach Fossils - Beach Fossils

7. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening

8. The National - High Violet

9. The Arcade Fire - Suburbs

10. Magic Man - Real Life Color

11. Girls - Broken Dreams Club Ep

12. Morning Benders - Big Echo

13. Wavves - King of the Beach

14. Beast Coast - Crazy For You

15. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid

16. Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday

17. DOM - Sun Bronzed Greek Gods

18. Teen Daze - Four More Years/Everything

19. Childish Gambino - Culdesac

20. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

21. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
22. Twin Shadow - Forget
23. Tennis - All their music
24. The Drums - The Drums
25. Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz
26. Surfer Blood - Astro Cast
27. Sleigh Bells - Treats
28. Freelance Whales - Weathervanes
29. Vampire Weekend - Contra
30. Tallest Man on Earth - Wild Hunt
31. Gayngs - Relayted
32. MGMT - Congratulations
33. Avi Buffalo - Avi Buffalo
34. Ariel Pink - Before Today
35. Harlem - Hippies
36. The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack
37. Marcus Eaton - As If You Had Wings
38. Delorean - Subiza
39. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
40. Jonsi - Go
41. Matt and Kim - Sidewalks
42. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
43. Woods - At Echo Lake
44. Frightened Rabbit - Winter of Mixed Drinks
45. Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
46. Bonobo - Black Sands
47. Emanicpator - Safe in the Steep Cliffs
48. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More
49. Owen Pallett - Heartland
50. Yeasayer - Oddblood
51. Deer Hunter - Halcyon Digest
52. How to Dress Well - Both Albums
53. The Walkmen - Lisbon
54. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me
55. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
56. Free Energy- Stuck on Nothing
57. Salem - King Knight
58. Four Tet - Love in You.

Well there it is! My favorite albums from the year 2010! It has been a decent year, with the early stuff having some real staying power. Toro Y Moi takes the #1 spot. I love everything Chazz does and that album is literally perfect. Every song on the album has had its moment at the #1 spot. Beach House is #2. Victoria Legrand is a goddess with the most beautiful voice ever. Teen Dream is another perfect album from start to finish. I find their music to be so visual. Wild Nothing, they are real talent. I saw them live this year, great guys and amazing performers. Their album is 80's fuzzy guitar dream pop. My favorite! These songs are so catchy to me. These three albums were by far my favorite from this year.

I gave Local Natives #4 because I love that album so much and it was re-released this year. Cloud Nothings are one of my favorites. Super reverby, you can hardly hear any vocals or actual guitar chords, but it's so raw. This band knows how to rock the fuck out, cheers guys! Beach Fossils are Lofi indie gods that have catchy guitar riffs that I love to try and re-create, you guys are true inspiration. LCD Soundsystem put out one of their best efforts yet. This album is so much fun, love throwing this on at a party and just having fun to it. The National and The Arcade Fire put forth extremely solid albums this year. They are both well established and are continuing to grow in different directions with their music. Magic Man rounds out the top 10 with some local talent. These guys built an album with depth and textures I was really impressed with. This album was in my top ten the moment I heard it.

I would like to mention that all of the albums on this list were good. If you made the list, I enjoyed your album this year. Morning Benders has some of my favorite songs this year, Wavves and Best Coast ruled our summer, the perfect soundtrack. Happy Birthday, you guys rock...keep being weird. Teen Daze, I don't want to just include Four More Years...I love everything you have put out so far. Each track gets better and better. Donald Glover, thank you for being my role model, you are the fucking man.

PS. Kanye's album didnt make the list...it was good but he's just not going on my list

Black Swan

2010-12-28T12:21:00.000-05:00

Movie of the year! Black swan was so captivating...purely brilliant! This blows The Social Network and Inception out of the water. Get to the theaters for this one, preview below.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/fox_searchlight/blackswan/

DMB - The Last Stops - Cville

2010-12-27T18:16:00.001-05:00

FREE DVD DOWNLOAD OF N1---> http://www.sendspace.com/file/dplzkb

The trek down to Cville is a journey. 9 hours for me, but I was lucky enough to have Amanda with me for the ride. She decided last minute due to a free night one ticket that she could make the trip. We were staying with our good friends Jules and Jessie at a baller suite in Cville. Everything was lined up for a perfect trip for the last stop in the bands hometown. We got into town just in time to smoke up before heading downtown to Millers. Millers for those who don't know is where it all started. Tim and Leroi would play there all the time where Dave tended bar. It was cool to go back there, I made the trip in '09 too. There were tons of fans there pregaming to go see TR3 right across the street at the Jefferson Theater. Joe Lawlor was opening for TR3, and he later guested with Tim and Jeff Coffin even came out for a couple songs during Tim's set. We were two feet away from Jeff and Tim, two of the most talented men at their instruments and they were doing work! It was so cool to watch Jeff think of sax lines and then step up to the mic and just blow us all away. The show was a lot of fun, and I would have killed to see Dave and Tim play there back in the day. We headed back after to rest up for the real reason for going to Cville!

N1 started out with us going to the Cavalier Inn to hang out with the Ants Marching crew. We had to move to the main lots due to no tailgating at the Cav, but we had a great time with everyone and ate a ton of great food. We wanted to get in for the opener for the first night. The plans for N1 were to sneak onto the floor, which was no problem, per usual. We had a great spot about 15 rows back, right in front of Dave. The little red guitar was out again, Squirm opened. I was thinking it would be something much bigger. The show started off pretty slow and was I slightly sad that Bartender didn't follow BEF, I was really in the mood for it. Grey St. was great, but it was the only one that wowed me in the first few songs. Spaceman and Everyday followed, I was worried. Thankfully #41 was after and things were smooth sailing after that. The rest of the show was excellent! Joe Lawlor guested which was great. The entire band loved sharing the stage with him. When Joe went over to duel with Tim for the first #41 of the tour over 10 minutes long, it immediately made me forget the first portion of the set. Joe gave Tim props by basically bowing down to him before they both shredded at the same time. It was one of the many highlights from the weekend. The crowd was really buzzing after #41 and the band kept the high going with Shake Me. Then they busted out Spoon for the 3rd time since 2003. I have been trying to see Spoon for a long time, it is one of their most beautiful studio efforts and I was completely floored by the performance the band put on during this song. It will go down as one of the best best single song performances ever. Jeff and Carter and Tim all kill this song to the 10th degree. The video will be posted at the bottom along with a few others, just mind blowing.

The crowd was going insane. Then the band called out long time friend John D'Earth for Warehouse. There was a special quality to the way the band played these songs, they knew it was their last shows for a while and they played like it. Warehouse was intense, everyone was into it and the Sala Jam was great! Keep it going boys!...and they did! Trombone Shorty then joined for Jimi Thing. Quite possibly my favorite Jimi Thing ever. There were 5 horn players on stage, everyone soloed and Dave played the 'For What It's Worth' outro which is 10x better then Sexy Motherfucker. Blackjack is just a weird song, I don't like it very much and Amanda was super de-hydrated so we headed to our real seats. Dave played the Can't Buy Me Love outro to Christmas Song and then went right into Lie In Our Graves. Now that is a fucking good run of songs. Boyd went crazy during his solo on LIOG gettin' all up in Dave Stefan and even Carters face! I love this song more and more every time I listen to it. No reprise again, just like MSG, I was hoping for it to pop up the next night. I don't know why Dave likes to play Timebomb into You and Me, especially so late in the set...it's so lame! Stay also closed the main set, which it tends to do in Cville. Whateva! at least it wasn't the encore closer, and I was still riding the high of the last few songs.

The encore started out with Sister, which is given a pardon due to Jane actually being in attendance. Then Fonz started a nice 2 minute intro that led into All Along The Watchtower. Again I was hoping the encore would have one more song in it...I was praying for Halloween at this point. The band usually finishes AATW right after Dave says 'No reason to get excited'. But Carter kept jamming and Dave started playing the Halloween riff and the crowd started seriously freaking out. It was a really cool moment to see everyone in the pit flipping out, I even saw my friend Rachel jumping...she has been seeking out Halloween for years. It was a real treat for all the hardcore fans that made the trek down there for the last shows. I had zero expectations for seeing Halloween that weekend. Thank you to whoever brought the sign. Overall this show was a lot of fun, a few questionable songs but how can you bitch about a show with Spoon and Halloween!

Here it was, it all boiled down to this...the last show the Dave Matthews Band would play until further notice. The day started with beer and pizza downtown, then Ricky's tailgate. Again, we ate like kings. It was a lot of fun to hang out with the Ants crew before both shows, great to meet some of the faces behind the avatars. Being surrounded by real fans that I could have actual discussions with about the band was a real treat. The show started with You Might Die Trying. I was hoping for something older, but YMDT has been great this year and the crowd was loud! They played Proudest Monkey Satellite next which was classic DMB, but it was again a little too slow paced for this 'epic' last show. Say Goodbye changed my feelings. I finally got to see this song this year and it is such a beauty. I love Jeff on the flute and Carter on the drums. This version killed the MSG one, Dave finally had his voice back and hit all the high notes. Rhyme and Reason with Joe was a lot of fun. This time he headed over to the horns and challenged them. I think this is one of Joe's favorites. Eh hee Cant Stop and Cornbread is garbage...NO reason for them to play these songs at the last show. That's all I have to say about that. However once Digging a Ditch started, the rest of the show was smooth sailing and was very high energy. Lying in The Hands is a out of the world now. 17 minutes long and Jeff goes crazy with Carter, a super heavy groove. Fonz bounces all around on this one.

I gotta little sister named Jane... my third of the tour! Such an upbeat happy song, I love it. Write Song went into Why I am, the best version ever. Cville has the loudest cheers on the GrooGrux King line...I got shivers. Dancing Nancies featured Boyd Tinsley going Boyd on the violin. He was jumping and screeching like a mad man! This lead into Long Black Veil, easily the biggest surprise of the weekend. I wish there was more of a jam at the end of it, but I was just shocked that this one got busted out. I have a feeling it was one of Roi's favorites to play and that's why Dave decided to play it. What You Are had the sweet blues intro that they have been doing lately. I was hoping it wouldn't close the set, and then Boyd started strumming Two Step. What You Are -->Two Step was such a energetic way to close the main set. Carter handed out about 30 sticks, the crowd was erupting. It was the end of the main set to what would be their longest show ever and the fans were showing the love.

Dave came out for the encore and told us a little story about how he wasn't sure if he wanted to do this break and that he was crazy for doing it, but that it would be good and that we would see them all very soon. He played Some Devil, my favorite E1 song. I get the chills every time. Sure enough the band decided to play Granny for the second song in the encore. As I've said before...that's the perfect spot for Granny. The crowd shouting Love! Baby! One of my favorite old school jams. The 12 string came out and it was time for The Last Stop at the last stop. He teased #40 before which was a nice surprise because of the 12 string, and because of the 12 string it was just a short tease. Then the band played The Last Stop. If you caught a show this fall, you most likely saw it, and you know how special it is. This one was even more special, Carter and Tim's build up was perfect the outro with Dave saying goodbye to everyone... not a dry eye in the building. Even a Three Little Bird's interpolation by Dave at the end, it was the perfect touch. The song ended and Dave thanked us. The band was hugging and waving to us as they left the stage...Dave Stefan and Carter were left on stage talking.

The crowd was shouting for ONE MORE SONG! Carter tapped his cymbals and the band made its way back out for another tune. This was one of the most special moments in my DMB going career. The band started Too Much and then I think they were planning on going directly into Ants but Stefan busted right into Anyone Seen The Bridge. He was jumping all over stage for one last time. You could tell he was going to enjoy this moment to the fullest. The band went back into the Too Much intro that lead right into their anthem, Ants Marching. This song is epitomizes DMB and this version was epic. Boyd Tinsley tore the roof off, hopping and jumping around all over the stage...it was a super extended jam with the entire band circled around Carter. They lead into the outro, the best 45 seconds in the history of music. Everyone's hands in the air, it was one of those moments where you feel so connected with everyone around you. The crowd was soooo loud! Then that was it...Carter handed out a few more sticks, band members hugged, fans hugged...I couldn't believe it was over.

This month was the best month of my life in terms of going to DMB shows. 7 shows in less then 3 weeks. The time of my life. I saw some amazing performances, and met lots of great people. Thank you all for the memories...hope to see you for a few shows next year!

Beach House - Conan

2010-12-22T10:34:00.001-05:00

Beach House played Conan the other night and performed 10 Mile Stereo. Spoiler alert.... Teen Dream is super high on my album of the year list.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-17T12:42:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidaze yall, it's a busy time of year and I'm still working on my Cville write up...and my albums of the year list..plus trying to shop for everyone! But the write ups are almost done. Now you will have something to read once you're done reading everyone's best of list's that are already posted! However I have some music that I need to get in your hands NOW! Some holiday tunes for you...Kanye, Beach House, and Dent May all posted really great Christmas songs in the past few days. I also have the new Toro Y Moi and Beach Fossils tracks from their new albums coming out next year! So enjoy the your break and your Holiday...be sure to check back for my list soon!

FREE DOWNLOAD------->>>> Get Drunk on Christmas Playlist

MOM IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!

2010-12-12T17:37:00.003-05:00

Oxygen Ashtray is a year old today. WOooooooooooooooooo!!!! That's like 27 in blog years. Since I started the blog, I have met a lot of great people that work hard to bring quality music to CT. My initial goal was to get the music I enjoyed more available to my friends. So much more has come from starting the blog and it's really cool! I know that I have not been posting too much of late but I promise that is all changing. See...already 3 posts in the past couple of days. I've got my Cville write up being posted soon and my album of the year list will be up shortly. I wanted to have the album list ready for today because I had my best of '09 list ready for my first post. But alas I'm a lazy blogger. I blame work and my girlfriend. My new job doesn't allow me to get on the computer so there goes a good 4 hours a day of finding music. Plus I have a girlfriend now, which is way better then dating my blog. Here are some of my favorite songs from 2010, my favorite albums should be posted next week. Cheers!

DMB - The Last Stops - MSG

2010-12-11T10:42:00.000-05:00

MSG is a special place to see DMB. They play killer shows and the crowd is electric! Walking around the city before the show started really got me excited. I love being in NYC... I think I belong there. I saw the little red guitar which signals a Squirm opener which did happen. Whenever that song opens I find that things get off to a slow start and the crowd is not very into it. That's exactly what happened. The show picked up after they jammed the hell out of LITHOG, I don't think I've ever seen Jeff and Carter push that song like that, I needed to catch my breath during Eh Hee. Once that song ended and I heard the opening chords to LIOG I literally jumped out of my seat for joy. No reprise and it went right into YMDT which is at it's peak right now, I used to hate this song but currently am loving it. The next song totally shocked me. Lover Lay Down is the song that made me fall in love with this band. I bought RR95 because it was the only CD that had LLD on it. Finally after 25 shows I got to hear this song. I got a little emotional...in fact I could hardly sing the song. I'll never forget finally being able to hear it. I did ask Fonz in Boston for Lover Lay Down, and I told him that I would be at MSG and Cville in case they needed to practice it. He said I'll see what I can do...' Well thanks Fonz! even if I had nothing to do with it. The rest of the show was what I excpected from MSG! Warehouse followed and this song is always spot on. I love what the horns have added to this one and the salsa jam was out in full force. I felt like it was my first show again, I was enthralled by the band and how they were playing. The crowd was nice and loud on Jimi Thing which Dave let us sing the first two versus of. What you are was a treat to hear, it was the first time in a while for me, and it was the first time it closed a main set since 2005. It had a really slow bluesy intro that went into the normal start of the song. I loved how they did it. The encore was really nothing special, I guess Dive In solo is cool because it has never happened before, but i was expecting another full band song before they went into AATW, like sayyyy Granny! Granny is the perfect encore song. But little did we know what we had in store for us N2...

There was a really big buzz in the building as everyone got to their seats. At first we tried to fit five people in one seat because we all wanted to sit together but that didn't work out. We did get to chat with Danny before the show. Finally! We had been trying to meet up with him for a while now. After chatting for a few minutes our group had to split up. Jamie and Sally sat together and I sat with Amanda and Brittany. It was Brittany's first show! The show started with the band building up, I thought it would lead into DDTW for sure...it was something far better. The #41 opener is tooooo good! It's the perfect way to start a show. You could tell it was going to be a special night. Then it went right into Say Goodbye...ala the Crash album. I thought I was going to faint. It was the first time since '96 they opened a show that way. MSG was on fire after these two songs. Funny was a decent BW tune to follow, but Dave's voice was shot...he couldn't even finish the song, we had to. Pig was cut the night before, so there was a feeling from the fans it would show its head on N2. I'm glad it did so early in the set because it kept the crowd pumped. That's one thing I noticed from that night, the crowd was so passionate. It was the most connected and loud crowd I have ever been apart of. Even more then Cville N2. Nancies was the perfect song to play after Write A Song because it let Dave rest his voice. He asked us to yet again help him sing along. We sang most of Nancies ourselves. This show was a lot of fun but I was a little disappointed at this point that Dave's voice was shot. Then out of nowhere, his voice came to life during DDTW and was fine the rest of the night.

The next part of the set was hilarious. Dave messed the the lyrics to Christmas Song giving Jesus two mothers. He started laughing and stopped the song. Carter started a beat, Tim joined in and Dave scatted a little improv. I thought they were going into Cornbread with the way Carter was playing, but thankfully they went back into Christmas song after the jam and the crowd went crazy! The first midset Christmas Song since 1995! Check it out HERE. 'I gotta little sister named Jane'...those words are like gold, it's the best when Dave introduces the song that way. Classic DMB, Jane should be played all the time! Crush is another classic that tends to follow me around. It's one of my favorites though, and one that Amanda and I love to see together. Boyd and Jeff are so tight on this song! Everyone was feeling the groove on that one. Once BOWA started my night was made. Jeff Coffin makes the outro his bitch! What a killer set so far. Pig and BOWA sum up my philosophy on life, so thankful that I got them in the same night. During BOWA I mentioned how badly I wanted to hear Rhyme and Reason and Brittany said she did too, it was one of her favorites. Sure enough, next tune was Rhyme and Reason, it's first play in over a year. All we could do was laugh. Then the band brought out Vusi Mahlasela for Everyday. I am not a huge Everyday fan at all, in fact after the intro I ran to the bathroom. Good thing I was only gone for a minute because this jam was the highlight of the night. I never thought it could be, but Everyday was unreal at MSG. In fact it ruined all future performances of it because this was too perfect. I can't even describe the pure feeling of joy in the room. Vusi has the most positive presence and you can't help but smile. Watch it HERE, when the house lights go up on the crowd around 7min...goooooosebumps! What an unreal moment. Then they wasted two spots with Time Bomb and You and Me. Two Step was a great closer. It was the best one I have ever heard. Carter pushed his solo longer and further (TWSS) than I've ever seen! My mind was fully blown after this main set. I'm glad to see this version getting the respect it deserves because it should be released. This is what keeps me going to shows, this is DMB at it's best!

The encore was not as jam packed as I expected. I thought there was a shot of #40 or IBYU. Instead he played Sister for his sister Jane. I was thinking there would be one more song before the closer, maybe So Right, but I saw the 12-string coming out and everyone knew that Last Stop would close out MSG. The band explodes right into this song. The crowd goes crazy, Carter goes crazy. The build up right before the reprise is so intense between Carter and Tim. The slow outro to close the show out and Dave thanked us all and that was the end. It was a quiet ending to the show, I loved it. Its a tough call between this and SPAC N2 '09 for the best show of my life. I want to call it a tie, both shows were basically perfect. I'm really happy that I got a poster from because this show is one that I want to remember forever. Everyone there will agree that this was one of the best shows the band has ever played and by far the best of 2010. I wouldn't trade this one for anything.

Tis The Season

2010-12-10T23:09:00.000-05:00

My god, I love Zooey...

DMB - The Last Stops - Boston

2010-12-05T23:13:00.000-05:00

Phew, I have finally re-cooped from the most amazing November of my life. 7 DMB shows in a little over two weeks, including the final two shows until further notice. A dream come true! A lot of memorable moments happened during the fall tour and I want to thank everyone that I came in contact with on my trip. So, Thank You! Lets get right into it...in my previous post I summed up the Albany show in detail...I want to touch on the other six shows but I will not be talking about every song. I know some of you were not huge fans of me writing about every single song and how many times I've seen them...so I won't do that, as much.

The story of Boston starts the night before. I was working...my cell phone rings and its a random number, it's Cali from 104.1 Boston...he had some good new for me. I won the opportunity to meet Stefan Lessard and watch the Cali interview with Stefan, which you can listen to right here! This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't believe I was one of the few winners chosen. Pete and I got up to Boston nice and early hit the Volcano and then headed to Ben and Jerrys. The interview as you can hear, is very well done. Cali is a real DMB fan that asks questions that the true hardcore fans want to ask. Not to mention being 3 feet away from Stefan the entire time was unreal.

After the meeting Fonz and asking for Lover Lay Down there was about two hours before we wanted to head into the venue. We had floor seats and wanted to get close to Fonz and see if he would remember us. We settled at around 10th row. Great views of everyone all night long. The people around us were really cool too. There was this crazy bitch that made her way in and we all got her the boot and the whole crowd was singing good bye, it was priceless. The show started with Proudest Monkey into Satellite which is not the most energetic combo to open with...but they are two familiar songs that everyone in attendance knew and the crowd was into it right off the bat. After some Big Whiskey, they played DDTW, Last Stop, then Seek Up. That was one of my favorite runs of the tour. What a powerful three songs to play in a row. I was thinking Grey St. when I saw the 12-string, but a mid-set Last Stop is always a treat. Then I was floored after I heard the start to Seek Up. When Boyd is going crazy and Dave is wailing, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. The downfall in this part of the set was when two people right next to us passed out on the floor. It was way too hot and people were so dehydrated. Pete missed most of Gravedigger because he ran to get help for the people that fell.

The next four songs were a bit slow, I figured Big Whiskey was going to get played and here it was. I really do love Stay or Leave..it was just in the wrong spot. LITHOG is a real monster now...it's the best song from Big Whiskey by far. I really enjoyed the next four song run of #41, Grey St, Il Back You Up, and Crush. That's the kind of stuff I like to see. Crush was a good one! It was one of the highlights in the set in my opinion. However the ending run was just pathetic!!! Ants Marching was the only saving grace...but I was a little disapointed. It was just such a boring finnish. You and Me in the second to last slot is awful...and don't get me started on Can't Stop. The encore was okay. I love Some Devil, it's my favorite Dave E1 solo song. It's just so emotional. Everyday was meh, it did have a nice little #36 reprise which was a cool change of pace. PNP Rapunzel is a great closer. I prefer it to open but it works in the closing roll too. They always push it on that song every time. Too bad Boston was the only time they brought it out all tour. All in all it was a decent set and I had a great time on the floor. I was expecting a lot for N2.

Night two started off with meeting up with my friend Ryan and his friend Jessie who we got floor tickets with us for N2! We had drinks at Boston Beer Works, which was a stones throw away from the venue. It was great to catch up with Ants and chat before n2. We left early again to get in for decent floor spots. John Butler Trio were the openers again, they are very impressive. I enjoyed watching their set for all four opening acts they played. The show started out perfectly with The Stone. There is no better opener in my opinion...The Stone is my favorite song. However the crowd could not sing the outro to save their lives! Squirm works out much better in the two slot but imo doesn't translate well live. After a killer What Would You Say, I looked at Pete and said this was going to be a fun show. Sadly I was escorted out of the building during Crash because someone else handed me a J and a cop saw...I missed the rest of the show. Highlights were Cry Freedom into Granny and then Lie In Our Graves. I was really bummed to miss that run. But shake it off, still got 4 more shows to get to and they were killer! MSG review will be posted tomorrow!

Tennis Rulez

2010-12-03T16:53:00.000-05:00

This blog is on its way back! I am finishing up my fall tour write up for DMB and crafting my albums of the year list that I will have posted in time for the 1 yr anniversary of this here blog. In the meantime here is a video of Tennis playing their new song that I am obsessed with 'Pigeon'. Cheers! Talk soon.

Yours Truly Presents: Tennis "Pigeon" from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

DMB - The Last Stops - Albany

2010-11-07T17:12:00.005-05:00

Dave Matthews Band took their show to Albany on Friday night. The show was my 'golden show' as dmb fans call it. It's when your show number and age are the same. This was my 22nd show, and I'm still 22! I was hoping for a special set to call my 'golden' show, but we did not receive that. Sitting in the GA was tough. I love being so close to the band (we were about 5th row right in front of Boyd) but we were so crammed in there, it was hard to dance. I saw the little guitar on stage and that means it could be Shotgun, Sugarwill, Idea of You...but I knew it was going to be Squirm, its a popular opener, and it's a pretty bad one in my opinion. Shows that start with Squirm tend to start slow and this show did.
You Might Die Trying was the second song of the night, it's not my favorite either...this was also my 10th time seeing the song, so I'm tired of it. I will say this though....this was the best version of YMDT that I have ever seen....Dave's scat during the outro was fucking awesome...my favorite scat of the night, actually. Don't Drink The Water was 3rd up, my 9th time seeing the song. It's a song they have down perfect, it doesn't change much, but gets the job done. I would have rather heard something different, but this wasn't a bad choice. Lying In The Hands is the best live Big Whiskey song, they really jam it out now to almost 15 minutes. Jeff Coffin and Carter run this song, they are really unbelievable. The band kept it going with Crush, a song that seems to follow me around, this was 9th time seeing it, and I love it every single time. Then Dave decided to kill the mood by playing Seven and then So Damn Lucky which I am so damn sick of. They have been playing this same outro for 3 years now, and it's time for this song to take a rest. It was my 10th time seeing this song too, which is a bummer. Then, the highlight of the show for me was I'l Back You Up. It was the first song Dave ever wrote, and it was the first time I have ever seen it performed. A very touching moment for me. It was also the only song of the night that I got to see for the first time.
Great choice by the boys to keep the flow going with #41 next, it was also my 10th time seeing this song, something I will not complain about because this song is so good. It ran less then 10 minutes long with no real jamming except a little bit from Boyd. This song is top 5 for me, so I'm really glad that it is among my top songs heard. Shake Me was next, which is high energy and they seem to have finally figured out how to play it without rushing. It served as the perfect smoking song...turns out I should have waited for the next turd, Cornbread. Ive been to 22 shows and have now seen this song 15 times...PLEASE STOP PLAYING THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!! This version sucked too. The rest of the show, really picked up. Thank God.
The band brought out Sam Kininger for What Would You Say, which was very reminiscent of the way Roi played on this song. This version was pure fire and a top 3 moment of the night for me. It was only my 2nd time seeing the song. Screaming MOM ITS MY BIRTHDAY with everyone was really fun. I must say the crowd my section was pretty into it, going crazy when Boyd did anything. Jimi Thing people tend to hate on, but it always gets a nasty jam from everyone, and Sam stayed out to do some Sax dueling with Jeff. Ive seen this song 10 times now too, I am ready for a break from it honestly, but I will enjoy it every time they decide to play it.
Spaceman was a mood killer that should have been subbed out for another song. It could have been any song from the big 3 and I would have been happy. It was just the wrong song in the wrong spot. Next, however was the perfect placing for The Song That Jane Likes. My highschool art teacher was at the show tonight and she said before the show started she really wanted STJL and I was shocked/so happy they played it. It's really represents what early dmb is all about. Next, I saw the 12 string come out and I figured it would be the set closer and I was praying for Last Stop. They played Grey St (again for my 10th time) but I do love this song. The end is a frenzy and everyone jams hard on it. I thought it could close the set, they do that from time to time and in my opinion its not a song worth closing the set with. Instead they stayed out, and played Watchtower. This song first so perfectly in the set closer position more then the encore closer spot, its not even funny. I really enjoyed this version with a nice intro by Fonz and Dave's voice was on for the FIIIIRE outro.
The encore started with just Dave. He played Rye Whiskey, and when Dave hits those high notes, I get shivers! Love this song when he decides to play it. Next they played You and Me. What a bad choice for an encore song, almost any other song would have been better. It was so slow and the crowd was begging for something more! Throw Granny in there! Thank god after that disaster I saw the 12 string come out. I knew what was coming...The Last Stop. The scheduled closer was Tripping Billies, but there was a sign in the audience for Last Stop that Dave acknowledged a few times during the show saying 'just wait, just wait'. Me and about one other guy around me knew as soon as we saw the guitar come out what we were getting and then the band unleashed the beast. I havn't seen this song since Hartford 06 and that was the show, and it was that song that really made me become obsessed with this band. I was so happy to finally hear it after such a long wait. Everyone plays perfectly on this song, I only wish I could have heard more Boyd. Carter's build up right before going into the outro is so intense and then it goes into the most beautiful slow outro with Dave singing lightly over top of it. What a moment, one that I will never forget. The band dragged it out until there was nothing left, Dave thanked everyone and it was time to go home.
Overall this show was great to the average fan and it was a good time no doubt. However there were a lot of songs that I have seen too many times for my liking...5 or 6 songs that I have already seen 10+ times leads to a not so epic show for me. However seeing I'll Back You Up for the first time was a real treat. It was also only my second time seeing What Would You Say, (that's a shame, it should be played as much as cornbread) Song That Jane Likes, and The Last Stop. One of the best parts of last nights show was the lighting. This is by far my favorite lighting set up done by the band. I hate having huge TV screens behind the band. This tour, there are lights everywhere and the lighting rig overhead is always on the move, very very impressed sir Fenton. I am expecting much bigger and better things to come from the setlists in Boston, MSG, and Cville. Cheers everyone, talk to you after MSG! PS. Sorry I dont edit my posts, I dont care what you think.

Halloween

2010-10-31T23:58:00.001-04:00

Last minute Halloween post. Sorry this blog sucks right now...well no, its just lacking. The music that is being posted is still great, Im just not posting enough of it. And its not looking like Nov/Dec is going to be much better. Lots of concert going in November...7 DMB shows and Im really excited to see everyone. So the new year my resolotion will be to get back to the blogging world, full steam ahead. Until then enjoy the fall and the rest of the year...check back every now and then...there will still be some posting :) Happy Halloween!

Girls - Heatbreaker

2010-10-25T16:18:00.000-04:00

Girls have a new EP coming out in November called 'Broken Dreams Club'. The song 'Heartbreaker' is a live staple for Girls shows. The song is a sad sad number, like most of Girls music...but I love it so much. I guess I can just really relate with Chris. Grab the track for free below.

Free Download of Heartbreaker

Morning Benders Acoustic Performance

2010-10-18T17:31:00.001-04:00

Check out Morning Benders playing over a half hour live set! Really wish I could have made it out to NYC to see them...they have one of my favorite albums of this year.

Best Coast - Boyfriend

2010-10-18T16:38:00.001-04:00

TONIGHT!!! HPSU PRESENT: Beach Fossils & MT Bearington

2010-10-15T11:56:00.002-04:00

Tonight in Hartford at Arch St Tavern Hartford Party Starters are having Beach Fossils! They are a band fronted by Dustin Payseur who wrote the music for their first album and brought in a few friends to round out a live act. They remind me of Surfer Blood and The Drums, two of my favorite indie rock bands. Their debut album came out in February on Captured Tracks.

Opening for them is MT Bearington. They remind me of Beach Fossils in a way, they are lo-fi, a little bit more expiremental, but also have pop influences like Beach Fossils. I have yet to catch them live, I did get to see Titles (Same lead singer) at their CD Release Party a few months ago. I was very impressed.

Tonight's show is going to be a good time, the music fits the mood too...perfect fall time concert. More info at the Facebook Event Page. The show starts at 9 and its gonna run $8. See ya there!

Boast

2010-10-12T15:14:00.001-04:00

This shirts are classy. I want one.
http://www.boastusa.com/products/listing#

2010-10-09T12:45:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday, John....We miss you

Gayngs Sex Up Fallon

2010-10-05T12:09:00.000-04:00

These guys are classic. This is by far the sexiest album I have ever listened to. Seriously, just perfect sex music. Here they are last night on fallon. Justin Vernon be singing from Bon Iver

Keep

2010-10-05T11:46:00.001-04:00

Yes, this is my first post on fashion, but I got style yall. Buy these shoes, they are dope. Super creative, stylish, I love em. Check out the rest of their stuff too
http://www.keepcompany.com/category.aspx?id=16

2010-10-04T01:17:00.000-04:00

Dave and Tim Farmaid 2010

Gotta Have Daytrotters

2010-09-27T09:02:00.001-04:00

Daytrotter is killin it of late. Just recently they had Toro Y Moi and Tennis in studio to give the Daytrotter spin to their tunes. Both of these artists make enjoyable, relaxing summer music. They simplify their songs to the bare necessities for these sessions. Purely delectable. You can download them for free once you register for Daytrotter, which should have been done months ago.

http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/tennis-concert/20031378-51552.html - Download Tennis

http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/toro-y-moi-concert/20031389-51558.html - Download Toro Y Moi

“Infinity Guitars” - Sleigh Bells

2010-09-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

Sleigh Bells "Infinity Guitars" from Phil Pinto on Vimeo.

Wild Nothing In The Streets

2010-09-21T22:29:00.000-04:00

Check out Wild Nothing performing 'Gemini' and 'Your Rabbit Feet' from their 'They Shoot Music Session' These guys are really cool, they played at Daniel Street in Milford this summer and the entire band is chill. Enjoy these acoustic street versions :)

My Vampire Weekend

2010-09-15T12:28:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was bananas. I headed up to Boston to see Dum Dum Girls, Beach House, and Vampire Weekend. All three bands are amazing and I was very excited to see Vampire Weekend live for the first time. Boston is a beautiful city...it reminds me of our past, and it has a very vintage, colonial feel to it. Rachel and I made the trip up Saturday to enjoy an extra day in the city.

Sunday morning I awoke to the Dum Dum Girls tweeting for spirit lifters. Our party was more then happy to help them out and they said to meet up with them after their set! The Dum Dum Girls are badass live. Just four girls completely rocking out for 45 minutes and harmonizing beautifully together in hot outfits. Di Di sways back and fourth with a little shimmy and Bambi their bass player literally shows zero emotion on stage. Beach House sounds identical to their record, which is exactly what you want because their albums are perfect. Victoria has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. Their light show was really impressive too, it added a real dreamy feel to the show.

Vampire Weekend opened their set with 'Holiday' from Contra and continued to play for almost 80 minutes covering all the hits from both of their albums, and a Bruce Springsteen cover. During 'Bryn', The Dum Dum Girls were roaming around our section and were having trouble spotting Zack's Surfer Blood Tee that we told them to look for. Instead we went to them and they brought us backstage for a smoke during 'California English'. The DDG are really cool, it was great to talk with them for a little bit and recap their performance. They were heading out to their next show quickly, and we wanted to get back to Vampire Weekend. We said our good-byes and went back for the second half of VW. They are insanely tight live. Every note is played right and Ezra has a lot of interaction with the crowd. They ended the show like they end every show, with Walcott...one of my favorite tunes. What a special weekend in Boston.

Then I wake up Monday morning and see that their next show is in Holyoke Mass, only an hour away from me. I figured, why not email Dum Dum Girls and see if they could get me in and have the same situation set up as the night before. They were 100% down for that, so I got to go and see all 3 bands for free the next night! The shows were very similar but performances were different. Beach House was way more into their set in Holyoke, Victora was stomping the ground and doing all sorts of robotic dance moves. Vampire Weekend loved the feel of Holyoke, Ezra said 'I've got a real Halloween vibe goin on tonight, it's officially sweater weather...I love it'. It was cool in Holyoke because it was a much smaller show, only 1500 people max versus what I thought was around 5000 in Boston this weekend. Holyoke was also GA, and a much, much younger crowd. It made for a more rowdy show up front. Boston was much more reserved. I had a blast seeing all 3 bands twice in two days, thanks to The Dum Dum Girls for hooking everything up, love yall!

The sound on the Vampire Weekend vids aren't great...and here is my favorite Beach House song 'Norway' from the Boston show.

New Childish

2010-09-10T10:41:00.003-04:00

My boy Childish Gambino has a new track for you. I can really relate to his self confidence issues. You're the man Donald... I'll never forget that first show in NYC. Can't wait for Community to start back up either. This new song 'Untouchable' is true to the man spitting on it (he made the beat too). Donald Glover is truly untouchable right now. If you don't follow his blog http://www.iamdonald.com/ well then you don't know whats up. He is on top of his game in every aspect of his career. Killing it on TV, doing stand up, rapping in clubs, or writing scrips...whatever you have for him, he will succeed. Donald Glover for Spiderman? nahhh, Donald Glover for President! Listen and then download.
Now I'm gonna have myself a nice little weekend in Boston and see Dum Dum Girls, Beach House, and Vampire Weekend in one show. I know Donald can appreciate that!
Untouchable by Childish Gambino
UNTOUCHABLE

Must Have Daytrotter Sessions

2010-09-02T14:21:00.002-04:00

The last few days of August were ended on a good note thanks to http://www.daytrotter.com/. They put up sessions with Surfer Blood and The Beets. I was lucky enough to see both of them in concert this year, and both are really strong live. Daytrotter is the best and if you haven't been on their site before, download their app, sign up for their music, follow them on twitter...get involved with what they do because you get free music and its all amazing. You can download these two sessions if you click the bands names above. All of their sessions have free mp3 downloads with links for lossless. Check out their list of sessions.

Matt & Kim - Cameras

2010-08-31T11:16:00.001-04:00

Matt & Kim are releasing a new album titled 'Sidewalks' this fall. The song 'Cameras' is the first track from their new work. I love it. Definitely a little slower then what we are used to from them, but it still does have that Matt & Kim sound. 'Cameras' has a real bounce to it...it's also got a lot of synth and happiness. I think this song would work as a sick opener for them to start the show with. I can't wait to see them at Toads Place in November. These two are always happy and very appreciative of their fans...when I saw them last year, Kim talked to every single fan that wanted to get a pic with her.

True Panther Tracks

2010-08-26T15:10:00.001-04:00

I've got two new tracks from one of our favorite labels True Panther Sounds. Cloud Nothings who will be playing with Fucked Up at Toads on Sept 7th (Be There!) the song is 'Leave You Forever' another fuzzy, jangly, perfect song from this band. Every song they release ups the ante, these are true rockers from Ohio. Be sure to see them when they come to town.
Leave You Forever by truepanther

The other song is from Real Estate, who just recently played a show here in the Cut. This song is soooooooo Real Estate. Lofi beach haze and this band does it best. You can buy both of these tunes on upcoming 7'' releases. Stream them for now, grab them and throw them on your Autumn Playlist
Out Of Tune by truepanther

Washed Out - Hold Out

2010-08-26T10:40:00.001-04:00

Really cool tour video posted by Washed Out. Todays my day off! I be chillin

Beach House - White Moon

2010-08-24T11:04:00.002-04:00

Autumn is just around the corner and with these three rainy days in New England we are getting a sneak peak at what September is going to feel like. Fall is my favorite season for numerous reasons. Everything about it is perfect... from the cool brisk days, the leaves changing colors, halloween, and fall harvest... autumn really is just the best. The music has a certain feel to it during this time of year. A little bit slower, a lot more acoustic. I tend to get into more folk type acts during this time. This track is the perfect song to put in the #1 spot on your fall time playlist. It's a new song from Beach House. 'Teen Dream' is currently our second favorite album this year, and 'White Moon' sounds like it could be tacked right on to the end of that stunningly beautiful album. This song is as dreamy as you can get. I love how Victoria sings in a hush, it's never too much. Alex's tranquil guitar licks meld right into Victoria's shimmering piano. Download that shit, yo!
Beach House - White Moon (Itunes Session) by subpop

Local Music Alert!!!!! -Downright Music and Art: Community Unity Festival

2010-08-21T12:32:00.001-04:00

If you have no plans this afternoon/evening I would highly recommend heading over to Collinsville to Downright Music and Art. They are holding their Community Unity Day downtown and there is going to be great music, friendly people, and beautiful art. Music starts right at 1 with Vortex featuring Jeff of The Mclovins(one of the first bands blogged about here) and there will be a lot more music all day! Artists will have work up for show and The Flatbread Company will be providing yummy organic pizza! So do yourself a favor and get to Downright today, it's free so whaddya waitin for?!

2010-08-19T09:32:00.002-04:00

Rest easy, good friend

Colleen Green - Worship You

2010-08-16T14:21:00.000-04:00

Colleen Green, takes a page right out of the book of The Dum Dum Girls and a little Best Coast. Drenched in reverb, this is as fuzzy as you can get. With a catchy, Bethany like chorus and bad ass DD guitar riffs...it's another perfect lofi girl rock song. It really fits the mood for the weather outside in CT this afternoon...it's so fucking sticky and wet. Download this track in the soundcloud below.

Colleen Green - Worship You by berman1125

Summer Camp

2010-08-13T11:16:00.000-04:00

Summer Camp has a new EP, 'Young' coming out on moshi moshi on September 13th. It feels like it came straight out of the 80's and this video for it, soooooo nostalgic...its classic! I feel as if I am getting in the deloran, going back to 1985, and playing this song on my tape deck. Happy Friday the 13th!

SUMMER CAMP - Round the Moon from Paddy Power on Vimeo.
Single out 13th Sept on Moshi Moshi Records

Local Natives @ Governors Island NYC

2010-08-08T20:56:00.003-04:00

I had the pleasure of seeing Local Natives play on a beach in NYC last night. What a beautiful night it was...we had to take a ferry from Battery Park over to Governors Island where we chilled on the beach for 2 hours soaking up the sun and having a few beers. It was pretty surreal to be sitting on a beach with Manhattan as your backdrop. The first band was a Vampire Weekend wannabe, then We Are Barbarians took the stage, and thoroughly impressed me. They are from LA and have been friends with Local Natives from back in their home town. Local Natives played for over an hour, in front of their biggest crowd ever. For a ten dollar ticket (that included ferry ride), you can't ask for much more then that.

Local Natives are a band that I have wanted to see live for some time. They are all over the place on stage(a good thing)...everyone playing drums at some point, switching guitarists, switching lead singers...everyone in this band are class musicians and can hold their own on multiple instruments. The crowd was very laid back and also very into the show...I think the beach setting had everyone chillwaving to their fullest potential. The boys were on, hitting their four-part harmonies perfectly. Think bad-ass rock Fleet Foxes and then you've got Local Natives. They spastically jump around on stage, absolutely rocking out like tribal leaders would have around a campfire. 'Sun Hands', their encore song was by far the best of the night. Drums were smashed by everyone on stage, the crowd was going crazy...it was one of the most memorable moments of the summer for me. What a beautiful venue, and Local Natives played one hell of a set. So glad I decided to make that trip. I added a beautiful acoustic take of Airplanes from Pitchfork this year....breathtaking

Teen Daze - Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of)

2010-08-04T13:37:00.001-04:00

Teen Daze - Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of) from Dead As Digital on Vimeo.

Classsssic

2010-08-04T12:20:00.001-04:00

lolll Best Coast smokin with Freddy.

2010-07-31T12:40:00.000-04:00

Came across this cover of my favorite Dave Matthews Band song The Stone. This beautiful piano cover is by jcavazos09 and he has some other cool covers from the band too. Major props, dude.

(500) Days Of Weezy

2010-07-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

Free download of the Wayne/500 Days mashup. Awesome.
http://www.500daysofweezy.com/

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell

2010-07-29T12:53:00.003-04:00

No music to report today. I have been loving the Teen Daze album. I have also been enjoying the hell out of the Best Coast vinyl. Caught another DMB show in NYC and I quit my job at DD. I am now working at the Flatbread Company. Can't blog from there like I could my other job, but have no fear...there will be plenty of posts to come in the future. I hope yall are enjoying the summer as much as I am. Next show is Kings of Leon on Tues (free tix!) and then Local Natives on Sat at Gov Island!

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Steve Carell from Between Two Ferns

Teen Daze - 'Four More Years'

2010-07-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Vancoover's own Teen Daze has been leading the Summer of Summer playlists(what me and my friends jam to). We told you about their EP back in May. The album, 'Four More Years' is filled with dazzling hazy summer anthems that are perfect for riding beachy vibes while chillin out with your friends. The entire album has a very warm soothing presence to it. This is a summer collection of songs that you must have. Teen Daze's 'Four More Years' is coming out digitally this Tuesday and the vinyl will be out August 12 on Arcade Sound Ltd. I had a chance to ask Teen Daze a few questions about the mystery that is Teen Daze...people still don't seem to know who he is exactly. Read a little bit more a find out.

Teen Daze, why that name? Why is it so hard to find information about the man behind the music?
Well, "Teen Daze" comes from my friend Joel. He turned 20 this last April, and the day before, our friends took him out and celebrated his last day as a teen by having a "Teen Day". So they did all sorts of "teen" things, like loitering, trespassing, eating candy, riding bikes, etc. I guess the whole time they were doing this, they were shouting out "TEEN DAY!" I was working on some early tracks for what would become "Four More Years", and I wanted to do a track that was dedicated to Joel and his teen day. I called the track, "Teen Daze", and I liked it so much that I thought I'd adopt it as my name!

When I posted the first two tracks, I specifically didn't put my name, a bio, or any of the other traditional stuff that goes along with an online profile, strictly because I wanted the music to exist on its own. I've come to understand the power of branding in our culture, and especially in an internet culture. We brand ourselves through our Facebook profiles, creating a person that we want others to see us as. Anyways, I didn't want to be branded by who I was, or what I looked like, or whether I was cool or not. I wanted the music to speak for itself, and be branded for what it is. Plus, it's also fun to mess with the internet. I mean don't get me wrong, I understand that if it weren't for the internet, I wouldn't be doing this interview, and my friends would be the only ones who would have heard these songs. But it's fun to sit back and watch as people make stabs in the dark about who it is behind the music. I especially love posting pictures of my friends, and having people assume that that's who the band is. I've seen Teen Daze referred to as a "male/female duo" so many times, and I just sit back and laugh. Not in a mean way, just in the sense that I'm messing with people's perceptions. I guess it ties into the whole branding thing; you can't always take everything you find on the internet at face value.

What is the Vancouver music scene like?
So good! I live in a town that's about an hour outside of the city, so I go in a lot for shows, or for nights on the town. So I really only get to experience the scene on the nights I'm either playing, or attending a show. But I really love the amount of good music there is going on in Vancouver. My friends write a blog called Winnie Cooper (http://winniecooper.net/) and they also put on these great shows called "No More Strangers". If you just peruse through the blog, and look at the artists they're putting on shows for, you'll get an idea of the kind of scene that's happening right now. Tristan, from Winnie Cooper, and I had a great talk about the vibe in the city, musically, and how it feels like there isn't a definitive sound going on right now, and how cool that is. My second show was a No More Strangers show, and I played with Gobble Gobble, Braids and MT-40. If you look into those bands, you'll see we've all got a pretty distinct sound. But that being said, I think it's the diversity in the sound that's really showcasing what it's like in the city.

You have signed to Arcade Sound Ltd (congrats) how does it feel to be working with a label after just starting teen daze a few months ago?
Thanks! It feels pretty amazing actually. I've worked with labels in the past, and I have to say that this is one of the best "business" relationships I've had to date. Everyone at Arcade Sound is so passionate about music, and are so excited about the Teen Daze record. It's amazing to have such an amazing, supporting group of people around me. It's also sort of mind blowing knowing that I'm on the same label as so many incredibly artists. I pretty much fall asleep to Memoryhouse every night, and even as we speak I'm listening to Millionyoung at an exceptionally loud volume. The whole label is just ridiculously good, and it's so inspiring being amongst them all.

What are you going for on 'Four More Years'? What is the general tone of the EP?
This is definitely a summer record. I would say half of it hits harder than the other half; half the songs really touch on a more mellow, hazy vibe, and the other half is way more concerned with making you dance. A lot of it has a pretty serious summer vibe too; I really just wanted to make something that would be a positive, love-filled piece of art. There's a lot of cynicism and negativity that can come along with music, and I figured, why not just make something that will put a smile on people's faces.

It's safe to say, you are a fan of Toro y Moi and Washed out then? It shows in your music, while adding an original element of your own. What other influences do you have?
I'm a huge fan of French house music; I grew up on Daft Punk. I can remember listening to "Discovery" for the first time, and literally feeling like my life had changed. I love Fred Falke, Lifelike, Aeroplane, Louis La Roche and Alan Braxe. I really love to DJ, so I have a huge love for really melodic, Rhodes-driven music at around like 128 BPM. I also have a serious passion for any Icelandic music, which started with Sigur Ros, and grew to anything that has that positive, childlike feel to it.

Your new track 'Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of)...were you doing just that when the idea popped into your head?
I was actually! Well, technically I was in the backseat. But still. I used to go to the beach with my family, and it was always such a special sort of occasion. I've always loved being around water, and I only have positive memories from going to the beach with my family. So the other day, when we were driving home, I was taken back to this really nostalgic place, where I remember driving back with my parents, and always wanting to stop at the same place for ice cream. The combination of being so hazy from being in the sun, feeling careless, and going to get ice cream is a pretty good feeling, let me tell you. Anyways, I got home, sat down at my computer while my girlfriend napped, and put together the track. The vocal sample comes from a track by my friend Aidan Knight (http://www.aidanknight.com/), who everyone should be listening to.

What have you been working on since 'Four More Years' has been completed?
I've been doing A LOT of remix work; I've made a bunch of new Teen Daze tracks that aren't necessarily going towards a record or anything like that; I wrote an EP of fuzzed-out, 60s pop songs, that I'm hoping to release sometime this fall; I was asked to play a small backyard show at my friend's place this last week, and so I wrote an EP of hazy, ambient acoustic tracks, which is up as a stream on my other project's myspace: http://www.myspace.com/twobicycles. I've also been going to the beach and taking a lot of pictures, which I'm hoping will inspire another records worth of material. All in all, I've been working on quite a lot!

You have a few shows under your belt now, Are you finding the groove you want for your live shows?
Yes and no. I'm still trying to decide what sort of vibe I want the show to have: a dancey, fun-loving vibe, or a more chilled-out, relaxed, hazy vibe. Lately I've definitely been catering to the audience. For example, if I'm first on the bill, I'll normally play to more of the chilled out stuff, just because people aren't really ready to get dancing and freak out. But if I'm headlining, and people have already loosened up, then I'm all for throwing a huge party.

The album comes out next week. Are you excited to play Cali? What are you expecting from your trip there?
I'm incredibly excited to play those shows in Cali. Beside the fact that I'll get to see Gobble Gobble perform every night I'm there, it'll be a great chance to share my songs with a lot of new people. I'm really excited to see my friends that I have down there too. OH, and I really want to go visit "California City" (http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-city.html), just because it looks like it'd be a pretty intense experience.

What music is running your life right now?
Caribou - Swim
Baths - Crulean
Neon Canyon - EP
Memoryhouse - The Years
Blackbird Blackbird - Summer Heart
Delorean - Subiza

Basically anything with a summer vibe!

Summer Lovin

2010-07-21T22:47:00.005-04:00

Huge summer bash at my house tomorrow night. This tune has got me in the mood.

DOM Live @ Iron Horse

2010-07-20T10:58:00.002-04:00

This past Thursday I had the privilege of seeing DOM open for Suckers at The Iron Horse in Northampton Mass. My friends and I were excited for a good dance party...but the hipsters of Northampton would not allow it. There were only about 30 people inside around 10:30 when DOM was using up their drink tickets in the back bar. They took stage around 10:45. 'Lots of room up front here on the dance floor' Dom said. The only people standing near the front of the stage seemed like hometown friends. I wanted to stand, but didn't want to piss off everyone that was sitting...fuck 'em, we stood right in front. DOM is tight live, much more so then I thought they would be. They reminded me of The Strokes to be honest. They were not flashy at all, which is the polar opposite of the music they make. They stood in place, jammed hard and played all their hits off the 'Sun Bronded Greek Gods' EP, plus a rockin surf instrumental...then a Pete&Pete cover to end the set. I was very impressed. They also use a video projector for some really trippy added effects to their live show.

This EP is a vinyl I have been wanted to get my hands on for a while now. DOM didn't have a merch table but I did catch them outside having a cig, and they had some in their van. We chatted around the van for a bit about the show and lack of audience participation, then decided a blunt was in order. We burned one down, oddly right in front of the Northampton Police Dept. The entire band is chill, it seemed like they would have been down to hang out all night if we didn't have to get back to CT. I have read some mixed reviews about DOM and how they act, but these dudes are cool in my book. They even gave us two more free vinyls for coming out to see them. I would also like to add this is the best put together vinyl in my collection. Everything is so well done. From the vinyl itself which is a marble purple color, to the lyrics sheet and even the sleeve for the record is nice... plus it sounds fucking awesome. Can't wait to catch these guys again, if you guys don't get drink tickets, i'l buy ya one.

Urban Outfitters Streaming Best Coast - 'Crazy For You'

2010-07-12T11:11:00.003-04:00

The lame-ass store Urban Outfitters got a hold of the Best Coast album 'Crazy For You' early (who hasn't?) They will be streaming it at their store until the album comes out. You can read a cool little interview with Beth over at their website. 'Crazy For You' has album of the year potential. An instant classic, a must have for everyone. It's filled with 1950's pop songs about weed, love, and chillin. It pairs really well with another album, 'King of The Beach' by her partner in crime, Wavves...they put you in a summer mood and you never want to come back from it. 'Crazy For You' will be out on pretty blue vinyl July 26...of course I pre-ordered it the second it came out! You should buy it.

Altered Zones

2010-07-10T10:45:00.000-04:00

Hey yall, longest time in between blog posts here...like I said, I am outside enjoying the warmth of summer. Today the rain has finally arrived and hopefully we can break this heatwave that the east coast has been experiencing this week. I wanted to let you all know about a website, http://www.alteredzones.com/ It is a culmination of 14 music blogs that I read on the reg anyway, dedicated to exploring music involving psych and drone to electronic and underground pop. Their mission is to highlight the most notable and adventurous new artists, and to serve as a one stop shop to finding the best new music out there. They have already covered 'Teen Daze' and 'Memoryhouse'.

So when there may be a week in-between posts here at OA, you can check out Altered Zones because you know that's what I will be reading daily and downloading mp3's from. I am hoping to put together a playlist of all the great mp3s Ive been jamming to over the last two weeks so be ready for that :).

Childish Gambino - Culdesac

2010-07-04T10:34:00.004-04:00

We told you about Childish Gambino's first ever concert... so it's your own fault for not being one of the 150ish people squeezed into The Creek and The Cave the other night. I posted a video for those of you that couldn't make it. Childish Gambin's new album 'Culdesac' dropped yesterday, just in time for the 4th. It's free, so there is no reason you don't download it. It's an hour of fresh beats, honest lyrics, and an overall 'I don't give a fuck, I'm gonna do me' attitude.' If you heard the first two indie/rap mixtapes, then you will have an idea of what Donald likes to rap about. He really brings it for 'Culdesac', each track is so different then the other. He isn't afraid to go from hard hitting spitting over a punchy beat to slowing things down and actually using his talented singing voice.

'Culdesac' is about making connections. Donald is the coolest mother fucker around, but it wasn't always like that. He was a 'white' black kid, someone who didn't fit in with the others that he went to school with. Those kids didn't know who he was so they made fun of him to try and label Donald. This is something relate-able to a lot of people and it's a theme throughout the album. He also talks about making it big and how now allllll of his people want to be best buds with him, he even gives a shout out to his inspiration Tina Fey.

The track 'I Got This Money' is a summer anthem, it should be played at every party. The lyrics to 'So Fly' are catchy as fuck. And Donald says it best on 'You Know Me', 'You people just realizing that I'm awesome why'd it take so long...skip around the album it's not hard to find your favorite song.' Do yourself a favor go and download this album. It's for freeeeeeee, and you can get it at http://www.culdesac-album.com/ you will not be disappointed. You should also do yourself a favor and model yourself after Donald Glover...he is blowing up right now.

Over (Childish Gambino cover) from Donald Glover on Vimeo.

Phoenix: MTV Unplugged

2010-07-01T11:36:00.001-04:00

I <3 Phoenix. Watch the rest of their MTV Unplugged performance HERE

Phoenix - New Music - More Music Videos

Wild Nothing - Your Rabbit Feet

2010-06-29T14:18:00.001-04:00

Wild Nothing's album 'Gemini' has been on constant rotation since I got it. It's a top five album for this year, there's no doubt about it. Jack churns out perfect 80s British dream pop songs and “Your Rabbit Feet” is no different. Seeing them live at Daniel St. in Milford was a real treat. One of my favorites bands this year, and with only about 20 people in the audience, very intimate. 'You Rabbit Feet' comes from a new label called Warmest Chord, which was apparently started by some guys in London. Download it below and then go over to the Warmest Chord bandcamp page to stream Wild Nothing's other new track 'Golden Haze. You can buy that at the bandcamp.
Wild Nothing - Your Rabbit Feet by berman1125

Chill w/ Washed Out

2010-06-29T13:49:00.000-04:00

Washed Out recorded a track for Adult Swim, we posted about it here. Here is the video interview with Ernest Greene, he takes us for a tour around his house and studio in Georgia.

Best Coast - Boyfriend

2010-06-28T21:50:00.001-04:00

“Boyfriend” is the first song on Best Coast’s debut album, 'Crazy For You'. They gave it away as a free download earlier today, and you can grab it at the bottom of this post. “Boyfriend” has the same lo-fi feel that we saw on her early 7″ singles...just not as much reverb on the vocals, much like she actually sounds live. Beth played it on her stop in CT back in April. Can't wait for the album!!
Best Coast - Boyfriend by berman1125

FIREWORKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-06-28T13:25:00.003-04:00

The fourth of July is quickly approaching and that means one thing, tons of awesome firework displays all around CT. This time of summer has always been special to me, we used to have a huge neighborhood party at our house with illegal fireworks that we aquired from Myrtle Beach every year. The smells of bbq's, gettin some sun, playing pickle in the front yard with all the kids I grew up with....those were the times. Each year I feel like I get to relive those memories whenever I go with my friends to our local fireworks display. WSFB has compiled a great list, town by town of where you can catch the bombs bursting in air. There is no better way to spend a nice summer evening then sitting outside with some friends, rollin a couple spliffs, puttin on a killer playlist, drinkin a few brews... so basically any other night of the summer, but it ends with fire works. So it's a win win for everybody. I will be posting an independence day playlist in the near future so keep your eyes out for that. It will pair well with those spliffs/fireworks.

Aloe Blacc - Billy Jean Cover

2010-06-28T09:51:00.001-04:00

We told you about Aloe Blacc when we posted about how dope 'How To Make It In America' was. His song 'I Need A Dollar' is the theme song. Aloe has his third solo album 'Good Things' coming out in September. Here is a really good, slowed down cover of MJ's classic, Billie Jean.

Cloud Nothings - Didn't You 7''

2010-06-26T09:55:00.003-04:00

Garage rock wonders Cloud Nothings blew me away with their Record Store Day Performance. They are true rock n rollers. Their album 'Turning On' has been in OA's Albums Always Spinning column almost since this blog came out. It's irresistibly catchy and innocent. They are putting out a new 7'' on Old Flame Records. 'Didn't You' and 'Even If It Worked Out' is the groups best work to date (except for Cant Stay Awake). They use the same successful formula of hooking you in with catchy as fuck riffs and lyrics, jangly guitars, reverb soaked vocals, and killer drums. Their drummer is a bad ass mother who don't give an F about nothin. And wouldn't you know it, you can download the entire thing once your done reading this sentence....butttttt you should own the vinyl.
Cloud Nothings - Didn't You by berman1125
Cloud Nothings - Even If It Worked Out by berman1125

Girls - Lysandre

2010-06-25T10:42:00.000-04:00

Girls are still riding the wave of one of 2009's best albums. 'Album' was the first record I ever bought on vinyl. Here they are with the debut of a new song in Vancoover at the tail end of May. Looks like Chris chopped off his long hair!

HPSU Presents: Hartford's 375th: Still Wavy After All These Years

2010-06-23T16:20:00.004-04:00

This is the party of the summer guys...you HAVE to be at this event. In honor of Hartford's 375th Aniversary, The Wadsworth Atheneum & Hartford Party Starters are throwing a free, all ages show at The Bushnell Park Performance Pavilion in downtown Hartford on Friday, July 23rd. The show will be starting at 5...so sneak outta work early and bring your drinkin shoes. There will be a beer garden on site for those 21+(beer provided by Black Bear Saloon) and there will also be food vendors on Trinity St. DJ Rizzla will be spinning all night. Here is the Facebook Group for more info and check them out on their Twitter. This event is going to be so big, it even has its own website. Check out http://www.stillwavy375.com/

Now, on to the goods. Janelle Monae will be headling. I told you about her in May, her album 'The Archandroid' has so much funk and soul. Their live act is going to be so much fun, this girl has it all. Check out the video I posted of her on Late Night w. David Letterman, it was a flat out bad ass performance. You know she is the shit when theee Puff Daddy comes out bowing down to you. Her song Tightrope is one of my favorites this year. James Brown + Outkast= Janelle Monae

Holy Ghost! hail from Brooklyn. Nick Millhise and Alex Frankel are known for their 2008 hit “Hold On” and Moby, MGMT and Cut Copy remixes. Holy Ghost! bring their melodic, throwback style and love for old-school synthesizers to their infectious new single, “I Will Come Back,” out on Green Label Sound.

Tobacco is part of Black Moth Super Rainbow, this is his solo project. Tobacco distinguishes himself as a master of jagged beats, glowing melodies, and pronounced tension. The new album Manic Meat is available now. I am most excited to see them live at the event, should be a killer set.

Maluca is a Dominican artist signed to Mad Decent, the record label started by Diplo. She released an EP for her single, El Tigeraso, in August 2009 consisting of the single and remixes by Feadz, Giant Man, Sticky K, and Nguzu Nguzu.

Cubic Zirconia has played for HPSU once before. They also killed it this year at SXSW. CZ have a very energetic upbeat tempo and they get the crowd movin. Their stage presence is not one to be beat out.

Toyz Noize

2010-06-23T16:10:00.000-04:00

Toy Story 3 was perfect.

Depreciation Guild, Wild Nothing - Tomorrow Daniel St.

2010-06-22T18:40:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night, Manic Productions Presents: Wild Nothing and The Depreciation Guild at Daniel St. in Milford. Tickets will cost you $8 and doors open at 8. Gotta be 21+ to party. Buy tickets at Red Scroll or at the door. Opening for both bands will be Eula, I saw them open for Titles. They are a really cool new wave punkish group out of New Haven, get in early and check em out.

Wild Nothing, 'Gemini' is one of my favorite albums of the year. It's a one man project from Jack Tatum who added band members to form a live act. I love the use of the drum machine, drenched guitar riffs, and a touch of synth. It is a great summer album. Honestly, they are the reason I am going to the show....you should too, because when you realize you want to see them, then they will be opening for much bigger bands at much bigger venues. I want to pick up a vinyl and see how this amazing album translates in a live setting.

Depreciation Guild, I admit, I know not much about this group. This is what I found about them... Backed solely by a Nintendo Entertainment System, the band blankets their sound with the crushing blows of its 8-Bit 2A03 sound chip. Drawing inspiration from classic dream-pop bands such as Pale Saints, and Cocteau Twins, as well as 80’s synth-pop masters such as Bill Nelson, Gangway, Scritti Politti and YMO, The Depreciation Guild have artfully cultivated a unique sound that strikes a balance between progressive and retro-chic.

Wild Nothing - "Board Games" from Ian Perlman on Vimeo.

DMB To Perform Charity Event In Greenwich

2010-06-22T09:15:00.002-04:00

According to Greenwich Time The Dave Matthews Band will be performing for the China Care Cure Foundation at the very elite Belle Haven Country Club this Saturday, June 26. Tickets are running $1000 a seat. I don't even know where to find them right now. According to Ants Marching, it will be Dave solo. My sources (friend taping the show) tell me it will be full band. I am efforting to be at this show. How can you not want to see DMB with only 400 people. Thats not even half the size of the pit at Hartford this year. If yall could help point me in the right direction of where to find tickets are that would be helpful. All the info I have about the event are in the links I have provided here. Hope to see some of you there!

Childish Gambino First Concert Ever 6/30

2010-06-21T14:27:00.003-04:00

Mr. Donald Glover himself told us via his twitter that he, aka Childish Gambino will be having his first ever concert on June 30th at The Creek and The Cave in Queens. 8pm and tickets are $5 at the door. I am really excited to see what Donald has in store for us, it would be really great to meet him too. What a cool dude, so it seems. Check out his blog/website http://www.iamdonald.com/ He is always posting about what it is you need in order to live the good life. You can still download his two free rap/indie mixtapes at the link I posted two lines below. His new album 'Culdesac' is out July 4th weekend, it will be free. You can download that, when it comes out at http://www.childishgambino.com/ See you at the show!
I Be On That (ROUGH) - Childish Gambino by berman1125

Jeremiah Weed Interviews Cool Dudes @ Bonnaroo

2010-06-21T10:33:00.000-04:00

Here is Jeremiah Weed interviewing Phoenix, Local Natives, and Mumford & Sons from this years Bonnaroo music fest.

Teen Daze - Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of)

2010-06-21T10:02:00.003-04:00

We were one of the first to cover Teen Daze in May when 'Shine on' hit the internet. This new song, 'Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of)' is exactly what the title suggests. He told me 'I was driving home from the lake the other day and was feeling super nostalgic about it' This song captures those moments when you are daydreaming about the good things in life. The stuff that you don't take for granted. You could even be daydreaming about the amazing day you just finished with your friends at the beach. I think this song is about appreciating the finer things.... No, I'm not talking about your Ipad, I'm talking about being outside, in touch with everything around you...and fully taking advantage of a nice day. My friends and I have been making weekly trips to the beach, Teen Daze already gets a lot of play on the Ihome. This is yet another instant classic to throw on the Get Beached, Get Stoned playlist. Download it below, mannn.
Driving Home From The Beach (The Feeling Of) by berman1125

Titles Album Release Show

2010-06-20T22:51:00.002-04:00

Titles had their album release party last Saturday night at Cafe 9 in New Haven. It was a fun time had by all in attendance. This is all I have been listening to since. I truly love this album. 'Dirt Bell' will be digitally available 'soon'. Check out more about them HERE. Here is a video of them performing 'Pillowcase' off their new album.

Titles - Pillowcase from Titles on Vimeo.

Matt & Kim Tour America

2010-06-17T16:05:00.000-04:00

Matt & Kim are two of the coolest hipsters on the planet. I saw their live show in October at Higher Grounds in Vermont. They played the fastest 1 hour set of my life. Time flew bye, and everyone in the building was having the time of their lives. I'm looking forward to what they have in store for this next tour. I'm sure they will be changing things up a little bit and adding some more flavor to their act. Can't wait to see them this fall. They will be stopping by Toads Place in New Haven on November 5th. Tickets go on sale for that June 23rd. Buy them HERE.
09-15 Syracuse, NY - Westcott Theater
09-16 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
09-17 Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall
09-18 Detroit, MI - Majestic Theater
09-19 Chicago, IL - Metro
09-21 Madison, WI - Majestic Theater
09-22 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-23 Lawrence, KS - Granada
09-24 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
09-27 Vancouver, British Columbia - The Rickshaw Theater
09-28 Seattle, WA - Showbox
09-29 Portland, OR - Roseland Theater
09-30 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
10-01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10-02 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda Theater
10-06 Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
10-08 Dallas, TX - House of Blues
10-09 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits
10-12 New Orleans, LA - House of Blues
10-13 Tallahassee, FL - Club Downunder
10-14 Fort Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
10-15 St. Petersburg, FL - State Theater
10-16 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10-17 Nashville, TN - Exit In
10-19 Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
10-20 Carrboro, NC - Cats Cradle
10-21 Richmond, VA - The Canal Club
10-24 Philadelphia, PA - Starlite Ballroom
10-28 Rochester, NY - Water St. Music Hall
10-29 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Theater
10-30 Montreal, Quebec - Le National
10-31 Clifton, NY - Northern Lights
11-02 Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
11-03 Portland, ME - Port City Music Hall
11-04 Boston, MA - House of Blues
11-05 New Haven, CT - Toad's Place
11-06 Northampton, MA - Pearl Street

Deertick on Letterman

2010-06-17T15:56:00.000-04:00

Massachusetts folkies Deertick made their National television debut on Late Night w/ David Letterman. The band performed 'Blatimore Blues #1' a track off their album 'Ware Elephant'. Their new album 'The Black Dirt Sessions' is now on sale. Check out their twitter for more info.

Steve Miller Band - MGM Grand @ Foxwoods

2010-06-13T09:43:00.000-04:00

Going to see Stever Miller Band today at MGM Foxwoods. I have seen his live show three times now. They don't change it up all that much, but you don't need to when you have 15 classics. I am looking forward to hearing allllll the hits, Jet Airliner, Take the Money and Run, Fly Like an Eagle...the list goes on. This is the music that I grew up listening to, classic rock is my foundation for music. So yall have a nice Sunday now, I know I will (we have a comped sweet upstairs, hit me on the txt if you want to party)