Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Neil Nathan Plays CMJ Party; Releases New Animated Video For “Highways”

neil
A combination of great things is about to happen. On October 23rd, Maxwell’s of Hoboken will host HIP Video Promo’s 10th Anniversary CMJ Party which will feature not only a set by Neil Nathan, but the debut of his animated music video for “Highways” directed by Postage, Inc. The party will celebrate Hip Video Promo’s ten years of championing over 900 videos by the best independent artists and bands. They’ve worked with She And Him, Blitzen Trapper, Metric, Of Montreal and Pearl Jam just to name a few.

Neil Nathan is no stranger to making music videos. His most recent, “California Run” co-stars his former roommate, Rosario Dawson. His cover of ELO’s “Do Ya,” which was also featured on the Californication soundtrack, has been viewed 20,000 times on YouTube. “Highways,” along with “California Run” and “Do Ya” can be found on Nathan’s latest full-length, The Distance Calls which was released in August. The album was produced by The Go’s Bobby Harlow and combines the talents of Dean Fertita (The Dead Weather, QOTSA), Kenny Tudrick and Joey Mazzola (Detroit Cobras), John Krautner (The Go), and Ross Westerbur (Deadstring Brothers). The album effortlessly merges jangly pop rock with Nathan’s mellower singer/songwriter side. With a dash of NYC glitter and some good old Detroit fuzz and stomp, it showcases a musician clearly influenced by the ‘70s (without being cliché).

HIP Video Promo has worked with such talents as Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello, and "Weird Al" Yankovic, as well being on the ground floor with artists like Death Cab For Cutie, The Kooks, Bloc Party, The Shins, and Of Montreal. For more information about HIP Video Promo visit: http://www.hipvideopromo.com
Postage, Inc. is a Post Production Company specializing in Traditional Animation, 3D Animation, Motion Graphics and Advanced Compositing. The content they produce has been used in films, music videos, medical presentations, architectural virtualizations, and television commercials. For more information visit: http://www.postagevfx.com

HIP Video Promo’s 10th Anniversary CMJ Party
Saturday, October 23rd
Neil Nathan
Maxwell’s
1039 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ
(201)653-1703
Show Time: 11:00 PM Click Here to Read More..

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Brian Huber Helps Feed the “Hungry For Music” as Part of BMI’s Songwriters Showcase


“Hungry for Music,” a grassroots-driven charity dedicated to bringing music into the lives of underprivileged children, will benefit from BMI’s Songwriters’ Showcase at the Hard Rock Cafe in Washington DC on October 28th. Brian Huber, whose upbeat and heartfelt songs are a perfect match for this benefit, will perform along with No Second Troy, Shane Hines, and Holly Montgomery. “I'm really looking forward to being a part of this benefit,” says Huber, “Music and playing an instrument has really enriched my life and I hope I can help bring that to others”.

Brian Huber is the kind of songwriter that can take anything and make it into a compelling, funny, or heartfelt song. Take “Snuggies,” born of a Christmas gift, it’s now a synth-powered catchy ode to the “thermal revolution”. Huber’s first solo album, Imagination of Ourselves, out December 14th, is bubbling over with songs written from little sparks of inspiration: a one-liner at a poker game, a stray thought about being on a desert island, the beauty of Yellowstone. Similar to the poppy swirl of bands like Of Montreal, Huber's music is infectiously catchy without ever dragging, and the focus always remains on themes of liberation, imagination, and most importantly, past and present relationships. His voice and sensibility is reminiscent of Ben Folds, with both the tender and funny, rendered honestly.

Hungry for Music’s mission is to inspire underprivileged children (and others) by bringing positive musical and creative experiences into their lives. Since becoming a non-profit in 1994, Hungry for Music has brought the healing quality of music to thousands of people through its musical instrument donations, concerts, and workshops. They support their programs through memberships, benefit concerts and events, raffles, and the sale of Hungry for Music produced compact discs. For more information go to: www.hungryformusic.org.

Thursday, October 28th
BMI "Hungry for Music" showcase
Hard Rock Cafe - 999 E Street, N.W. Washington, DC
Phone: 202.737.7625
Door time: 7:30 PM
Show time: 8:00 PM
Cover: Donation to "Hungry for Music" Charity
All ages

Click Here to Read More..

Monday, September 27, 2010

Staff Infection: Warning Sign

“A warning sign, you came back to haunt me and I realized,” as I pulled off my covers, how cold it was, “so I crawl back into your open arms,” Mr. Bear.

Colder mornings, shorter days and wider waistlines: warning signs of winter. Which is why I found myself a sweet bear to cozy up with this winter. And that’s Bear, Mr. Bear.

This fall, I plan to make the most of everything, with Mr. Bear of course. Am I making you jealous yet? Don’t be. We’ve made a little playlist for you and
your Bear. Enjoy.



Coldplay, “Warning Sign” from Funeral

The Hundred In The Hands, “
Young Aren't Young” from The Hundred In The Hands

Swedish House Mafia, “
One (Your Name)” from One (Your Name) [Feat. Pharrell]

The xx, “
Crystalised” from XX

Nouvelle Vague, “
In A Manner Of Speaking” from Dance With Me


Every week a different Green Light Go staff member will write about what bands have infected their ears for the week and give you an opportunity to hear it for yourself.

This week:
Kristina Sinishtaj, Green Light Go Intern
Click Here to Read More..

Friday, September 24, 2010

David Gergen’s Fourth Album, The Nearer It Was...The Farther It Became Closes In On January 18th

David Gergen takes acoustic indie rock places it rarely goes, especially on one record. Bending ambiance on “Seven Miles to Sunset” and “Well Wisher, throbbing electronics on “Ore De Electro,” along with bluesy slide guitar on “The Streets I’m Walking,” there’s a taste of everything on Gergen’s latest solo release, The Nearer it Was...The Farther It Became, out January 18th. His voice, though consistently deep and resonant evokes the spirits of Nick Cave, Nick Drake and Leonard Cohen.

At the core of the various styles on The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became is the chugging heart of an endearingly earnest craftsman. Through his messages and overall portrayal, Gergen realizes that life is always filled with surprises and usually, the harder you seem to stare, the further it appears. “To me the title is a paradox, a way that life can be sometimes,” says Gergen. “The closer something is can make it even harder to obtain or see clearly.” The songs paint portraits of soul-searching individuals that travel through the misty field of electronics, folk-rock and pop sensibilities by way of a gripping story.

For The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became, as with the previous three solo albums he’s created over the last fifteen years, Gergen, did all of the work himself. His home studio, once his living room, is where he brings all of the elements together. When you have complete artistic control, “You can take it as far as you want; it’s more about restraint and to keep some air in the recording so it breathes,” says Gergen. The album does breathe, with inspiration, carefully crafted atmosphere and the hard work of an artist who doesn’t compromise his vision.

The Nearer it Was...The Farther It Became
Track Listing

1. Seven Miles To Sunset
2. Well Wisher
3. The Streets I'm Walkin'
4. It's Down Here
5. Ore De Electro
6. Love Blues #11
7. Thru A Fairy's White Cloud
8. Blues For Sale
9. The Other Side of the Sea
10. Your Letter
Click Here to Read More..

My My My Celebrate the Release of New Single “War Party” on Friday, October 15th


A “symphony of synths” is how Russell Baylin, founder, singer and songwriter of Chicago’s beat-driven pop band My My My describes their new single “War Party,” and for good reason. The band overdubbed 123 tracks of keys upon keys to create a wall of danceable sound that is the next evolution of a power pop group that has been a North by Northeast Selected Artist for two years running. But “War Party” isn’t all synth. Baylin and Sarah Snow’s powerful vocal interplay bring the song’s themes of social alienation and belonging poignantly across. The single release show is set for Friday, October 15th at Subterranean in Chicago. Secondary Modern and The Hudson Landing will also play.

My My My, who have been favorably compared to The New Pornographers, released their latest full-length in May. Leather Silk poetically explores Sex, Love, The Apocalypse, Designer Clothes, and PMS. And along with shout-along choruses, listening to the album is like being at a self-help retreat in a sweaty hotel banquet hall, where you forget about your life while you jump up, sit down and sing out. Deli Magazine says their third album is “filled with finely tuned electronics, sweeping guitar riffs, and dueling vocals.”

Through the grace of Craigslist and sheer timing, My My My formed on the heels of a Chicago winter in 2007 when Baylin set out looking for artists to share his musical vision. He found singer Sarah Snow, and together, their shared vocals capture life’s playful frustrations and satisfactions. Johnny Szymanski adds sonic subtleties that highlight the sarcastic, yet good-natured undertones in the music. Guitarist Ante S. Gelo brings multifaceted rhythm, riffs, licks and nuances that accentuate the dynamics as drummer Bill Skafish and bassist Jake Bartolone drive the mood with forceful, yet vibrant beats that sound like flirtatious revenge. Together My My My creates a vivacious depth to refreshing songs that seduce with a sly, witty intensity.

Since their serendipitous inception, My My My has captivated audiences with their magnetic boy/girl vocal dichotomy, sonorous and buoyant melodies, and dynamic, resonating beats at the Sundance Film Festival, Milwaukee Summerfest, North By Northeast (NxNE), and clubs throughout the Midwest and as far as San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Friday, October 15th
Subterranean
2011 W. North Ave, Chicago, IL
(773) 278-6600
Single Release Party for “War Party”
With Secondary Modern and The Hudson Landing
Doors: 8:30 PM
Show: 9:00 PM
17+; $10
Purchase tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3205515&REFID=subtcal
Click Here to Read More..

GLG Fresh Mp3 Friday

Free mp3s from: Brian Huber, David Gergen, My My My, Alan Cohen Experience, Bridges and Powerlines, Echo Orbiter, Golden Bloom, Gwyneth and Monko, Leopold and His Fiction, Neil Nathan, Neutral Uke Hotel, Sara Radle and The Sleep-Ins.
Feel free to post any of the approved songs below on your blog or tweet to your friends. Not on our email list to receive these directly and want to be? Send an email over to info(at)glgpub.com

New This Week!
Brian Huber, From Imagination of Ourselves
Release Date: December 14, 2010

“Snuggies”
Genre: Power pop/Rock/Pop
For fans of: Ben Folds, Travis and Pete Yorn







David Gergen, From The Nearer it was…The Farther It Be Came
Release Date: January 18, 2011

“The Streets I’m Walkin’”
Genre: Electroacoustic/Alternative/Indie
For fans of: Nick Drake, Nick Cave and Leonard Cohen






My My MY, From War Party
Release Date: October 15, 2011

“War Party”
Genre: Rock/Acoustic/Soul
For fans of: Ra Ra Riot and The New Pornographers









Find more approved mp3s at our clients’ pages


GLG Clients by greenlightgo
Click Here to Read More..

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Other Side with Badman Recording Co. Founder Dylan Magierek

Originally a Chicago native, Dylan Magierek lived, rocked, and recorded in Albuquerque, Honolulu, and San Francisco, until the dust settled in his most recent home of Portland, Oregon. While traveling around the country, playing bass in a handful of “bands with terrible names,” including Trampled Under Foot, Travesty, Jet Pilots, and Cinderblock, Magierek was inspired to start his own independent record label and production company in 1997, coined Badman Recording Co. Over the years, Badman has released the records of a number of once-independent artists, including My Morning Jacket, Patrick Park, Red House PaintersMark Kozelek, The Mother Hips, and Starf*cker, as well as Magierek’s own project, Misc., which took him over a decade to record and produce. Aside from being the founder and head honcho over at Badman, Dylan Magierek is also involved as a partner with Portland’s Type Foundry Studio and Scenic Burrows, where he records, produces, and mixes music with several local engineers.

We managed to track down
Badman Recording Co.’s Dylan Magierek (who you can see pictured here in the studio) in between recording sessions to find out what it’s like to be on the other side:

Green Light Go: How long have been producing music and what inspired you to become a producer?

Dylan Magierek: In the past I was always kind of a backup guy and a co-songwriter. Then, I started getting excited to record other folks’ ideas and concepts. In 1997, I recorded a band called The Cherries in a Haight-Ashbury Flat (on ¼” 8 track) and it somehow came out better than the demo they were using to get gigs. That experience began to give me a good sense of what a pair of outside ears could contribute in the studio.

Some of my previous experience includes working in record stores, being a college radio DJ, and working for Universal Music Distribution. I think that background gave me a lot of insight to understand the music business and how to make music. I love recording and helping folks make albums they are excited about.

GLG: How would you describe your role as a producer?

DM: Well, I enjoy the process of preparing to make an album, so finding out what a band wants to achieve is my first question. We’ve all got to be on the same page, or at least writing the same book. I enjoy going to rehearsals and hearing what a band has put together before they come in to make the album. Pre-production is an important step to take care of before heading to the studio. During pre-production, I usually give an artist feedback on song structures, how to select songs with the most immediate impact, where extra instruments or dynamics could be added, you name it. If a band isn’t getting what they expected out of themselves while in the studio, then not enough work went into preparing.

Creating a positive vibe through encouragement and praise can add to a positive atmosphere in the studio. We all need to trust each other and feel comfortable to be able to make a powerful album.

I’m big on adding vocal and instrumental harmonies to songs, especially in choruses and bridges. Incorporating new instruments and sounds as a song develops can be exciting. Albums can be made deeper and more unique by switching around positions of instruments in the mix from song to song. For me, it is important to create an album that captures the dynamics and flow of the band's live set.

GLG: As a producer, do you also set goals for yourself while recording?

DM: My goal is to have a band or artist leave with an album that is beyond their expectations. Getting energy and the live, original feel of the songs onto tape is essential. I'm a big believer in spending time with the band before they get into the studio (if they are looking for that) and bouncing ideas around that may add a little something stronger to the songs. This can get everyone on the same wavelength, help shave time off the clock in the studio, and assist the band with going in with a roadmap of what they want to accomplish. In the end, it's all about artists feeling excited about their album.

GLG: How does being a musician yourself help to hone your production skills?

DM: Being a musician assists in the songwriting process with chord suggestions and how instruments can interact with each other. You can start with a single note and build on it, harmonize with it, repeat it, or modulate it. Suddenly, you have created a soundscape. If you are missing a certain audio frequency, then we’ll try an instrument that mainly plays in that area.

I occasionally play drums, guitar or percussion on some of the albums I am working on. I do wish I had a background in playing piano and could read and write music. That can be helpful aspect when bringing in outside players to sessions. However, humming a part or playing it on another instrument can work as well.

GLG: What are some of the most noteworthy artists you've produced in the past?

DM: Well, the album I am most proud of working on early in my recording days is Mark Kozelek’s What’s Next to the Moon. He and I both still feel that it is a magical album. We recorded that in my bedroom in that Haight-Ashbury flat. Mark would call me in the morning and say, “I got a new one figured out. Can I come over?” Of course, I said yes every time. He’d sit on the edge of my bed and I’d be in the same room with him just trying to be quiet and observe. It was pretty amazing.

I loved recording and producing
The Mother HipsKiss the Crystal Flake. They are great guys and this album was their comeback after having been broken up for a number of years. So, it took special care from the start to make sure the atmosphere was conducive to getting good sounds, as well as getting magic captured right from the start. We documented the studio sessions on DVD and it has some hilarious moments.

Douglas Jenkins from Portland Cello Project brought me in to work on recording and mixing their second CD. Those sessions allowed me to record Thao Nguyen, who is an incredible writer and performer.

I’m sure I could go on and on but I’ll end with having some other stand out artists from Portland:
Weinland and Starf*cker. I co-produced Weinland’s La Lamentor and Breaks in the Sun with my studio mate, Adam Selzer. Soon afterward, I co-produced Starf*cker’s self-titled album and their Jupiter EP. Weinland and Starf*cker are both superb Portland-based bands that gave me a lot of freedom to make suggestions and push them. We all were very open to throwing ideas around. Starf*cker’s albums were quite successful and they had a number of major commercial and TV placements, which will help keep them in music full time.

GLG: What bands are you currently working with?

DM: I recently recorded The Builders and the Butchers’ upcoming album with my studio mate, Adam Selzer. We did that at Type Foundry and got it down live to capture their big, dynamic sound. I was already a fan of the band and working with Adam was great.

Portland’s
Strangled Darlings are a two-piece (guitar and cello) with a sound that reminds me of something from New Orleans circa 1920. The album is an operetta and seemed like a challenge.

GLG: As a producer, how do you know that you are a good match for a band? What things do you have to keep in mind before agreeing to work with an artist?

DM: If I like a band’s songwriting and personalities, then I’m interested in working with them. I need to make sure I can assist with arrangements and instrumentation, emphasizing the strengths of the songs and getting powerful performances out of the artist(s).

GLG: What is the best piece of advice you’d give a band that thinks they are ready to record?

DM: Have your guitars intonated and make sure your amps and drums sound great before coming in. If you want to save some time and money, be well rehearsed.

GLG: What is your favorite thing about producing music?

DM: Having a band feel excited about the sessions. I love when a text or e-mail shows up during the process, or afterwards, about how happy a band is with what we’ve created. Mark Kozelek used to call me up and leave me a positive message after every recording day, that was a great feeling.

GLG: What’s your least favorite thing about being a producer?

DM: When there is tension in the studio. An individual can feel frustrated if they’ve had to play their part multiple times and we’re still not digging it. I try to get the best performance I think the artist is capable of at the time.

GLG: In addition to the music you are working on, what current albums have you been listening to lately?

DM: The National’s High Violet and Fake Drugs’ forthcoming debut.

GLG: What is one record you didn’t produce yourself that you consider to be a masterpiece? From your standpoint as a producer, what makes this album so special?

DM: Led Zeppelin’s IV. The songwriting, performances, and sounds they captured are powerful as hell. This record is a classic and it still stands strong today.

The Other Side highlights the talented folks behind the scenes of the music we listen to. The Other Side features producers, engineers, booking agents, photographers, radio DJs, management teams, and label representatives.

This week’s The Other Side is brought to you by: Lauren Roberts
Click Here to Read More..

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The Sleep-Ins Take Girls And Outer Space On The Road Fall Tour Starts October 22nd

Work visas be damned, The Sleep-Ins will bring their soaring indie rock to Southeastern audiences this fall. The band, which formed in Sydney and is now based in Asheville, NC, will begin a U.S. tour in October at the Poetic Shangri-La in Goldsboro, NC with two sit in members. AJ Donahue and Jeremy Dean will fill in for Josh Schuberth and Stefan Pope. The tour will be promoting The Sleep-In’s Songs About Girls and Outer Space which is due out October 19th.

While The Sleep-Ins probably won’t be lighting anything on fire on their 11-date tour of the US Southeast, they will be putting their all into every high-energy performance. They’ll also be bringing along some great pieces of musical machinery. Beautiful-sounding tube amps, a finicky MiniMoog, and “Hot Cake” guitar pedals give this quartet of audio engineering degree holders their roaring indie rock sound.

The rock n roll gods brought this band together, in, of all places, a guitar shop in Sydney, Australia, where Chad Corley was looking for a job shortly after relocating from Indiana. He and Stefan Pope discovered they were on the same musical wavelength - a sound that would define the Sleep-ins — is a soaring, melodic and often thundering indie rock with a cerebral nod to the Pixies, Polvo, Shellac and The Shins.


The Sleep-Ins Tour Dates
10/22/10 The Poetic Shangri-La, Goldsboro, NC
10/23/10 Champions @ Mission Valley, Raleigh, NC
10/28/10 The Boiler Room, Asheville, NC
10/29/10 Rye Bar, Athens, GA
11/11/10 The Downtown, Morristown, TN
11/12/10 The Emerald Lounge, Asheville, NC
11/13/10 The Emerald Lounge, Asheville, NC
11/18/10 The Green Lantern, Lexington, KY
11/19/10 The Monkey Wrench Louisville, KY
1/7/11 The Basement, Nashville, TN
Click Here to Read More..

Brian Huber “Snuggies” Up With Release Of Imagination Of Ourselves Nationally On December 14th

WASHINGTON, DC (September 20, 2010) — Brian Huber is the kind of songwriter that can take anything and make it into a compelling, funny, or heartfelt song. Take “Snuggies,” born of a Christmas gift, it’s now a synth-powered catchy ode to the “thermal revolution”. Huber’s first solo album, Imagination of Ourselves, is bubbling over with songs written from little sparks of inspiration: a one-liner at a poker game, a stray thought about being on a desert island, the beauty of Yellowstone. He didn’t twiddle his thumbs or let these ideas go. “I didn’t rely on some muse to ‘hope’ I write a song. I worked hard to write, rewrite and finalize these songs,” says Huber, who’s no stranger to hard work; he wrote, recorded, produced and arranged the album on his laptop. Imagination of Ourselves is due out December 14th.


For Brian Huber, this first album has been hard-won. He spent years in other people’s bands, gaining the confidence he had lacked when he first started his musical career as well as musical and songwriting skills and that ever-elusive ability to live in the now. He liberated ten-year-old songs and himself by taking complete ownership of the production of Imagination of Ourselves. Now he’s always on the lookout for new inspiration, "It's a matter of having your 'antenna' out and if something catches your ear, that you make a note of it,” says Huber, “I have a habit of singing melodies and song ideas into my work voicemail, which tends to be filled most of the time.”

Similar to the poppy swirl of bands like Of Montreal, Huber's music is infectiously catchy without ever dragging, and the focus always remains on themes of liberation, imagination, and most importantly, past and present relationships. His voice and sensibility is reminiscent of Ben Folds, with both the tender and funny, rendered honestly.

Imagination of Ourselves
Track Listing
1. Reverie
2. Talk Without a Word
3. Life Is a Song
4. My Cure
5. Shipwrecked Part 1
6. Shipwrecked Part 2
7. Snuggies
8. Semaphore
9. Don't Go Down to the River
10. Time Will Only Know
11. Yellowstone Lake
Click Here to Read More..

Monday, September 20, 2010

Staff Infection: Under the Tuscan Sun

I'm one week away from a dream trip to Italy with my gal pal Sabrina. Have I watched Under the Tuscan Sun and dreamed of owning a villa of my own? Guilty. In order to take a dream trip though, a little sacrifice comes into play with the pre-vacation week schedule. These are just a few songs that have helped get me through the long days that often go into the night.

Of Montreal, “Coquet Coquette” from False Priest
Ra Ra Riot, “Too Dramatic” from The Orchard
Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs “Beg Steal and Borrow” from God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise
Sufjan Stevens, All Delighted People EP (courtesy of Gorilla vs Bear)

Each Monday a different Green Light Go staff member will let you in on what songs have infected their ears for the week, while giving you the opportunity to share in the experience yourself.

This week: Janelle Rogers, Green Light Go Owner and Publicist Extraordinaire
Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday-Blurt Magazine Shows Print Media Isn't Dead

Blurt Magazine proves that a wealth of experience in music and journalism can direct a solid vision to the future, even when the industries themselves say otherwise. Blurt Editor, Fred Mills, says it best in this week's Music Monday when he shares how Blurt has been able to succeed while still fostering developing talent.



GLG: How long has Blurt been operating?

BLURT: 2 years, 4 mos: May 2008 to the present is the tenure thus far of Blurt-online. We have concurrently published 9 issues of Blurt magazine (5 digital format, + 4 print ; the 4th print edition hits newsstands mid-September 2010).

GLG: What makes Blurt different from other websites?

BLURT: By way of background, we are a companion website and magazine. Our intention all along has been not to abandon the magazine format – hence creating a companion digital, downloading magazine back in 2008 to accompany the launch of Blurt-online, which in turn led to the realization that our audience still craved something physical they could hold, cuddle, or otherwise use to sop up grease spills with. As a result, in the spring of 2009, after 5 digital issues of Blurt, we picked up where we had left off in our previous incarnation (Harp magazine, which folded in March 2008) and went the print route again while maintaining the twinned digital presence (as the downloadable mag + website).
Our editorial brain trust has, collectively, decades of experience in the music industry and in music journalism. I (Fred Mills, the editor) have been writing about music since the late ‘70s; founder and creative director Scott Crawford started and successfully operated Harp magazine prior to starting Blurt; publisher Stephen Judge runs Second Motion Records and was a key member of the Yep Roc team; and senior Editor Randy Harward, associate editor Andy Tennille and contributing editor A.D. Amorosi all are veteran journalists. (Each one of us lives in different cities, by the way.) And we’ve got a rotating staff of contributors currently numbering around 40 different individuals located all over North America and in England. As a result, I think we’ve got a perspective that a more centralized operation comprising younger/less experienced writers and editors can’t possibly muster.
Content-wise, I think we distinguish ourselves with, well, our content. Each day we publish a minimum of one new, in-depth top-of-page feature and four album reviews – 5 features and 20 reviews a week, plus (typically) several book, DVD and concert reviews and new entries from our bloggers (the latter range from established artists like Otep, James McMurtry, Martin Bisi, Coco Hames of The Ettes and Greg Laswell to industry insiders like Kate Bradley, John Moore, Scott Dudelson and Carl Hanni to our video game maven Aaron Burgess). Combine that with a daily newscrawl of anywhere from 6-15 fresh clips (and an accompanying Twitter feed) each 24 hour period and it’s a pretty unique mix of traditional music coverage and in-the-moment Web 2.0 coverage. Here are some random stats: since starting up, Blurt has published 700 full-length features, 2400 CD reviews, 270 concert reviews, 114 DVD reviews and 116 book reviews. Not to toot our horn too loudly, but that’s a lot of editorial content. And our focus is solidly on good, thoughtful, well-written pieces — as opposed to joining the race to post poorly-sourced, so-called “breaking news” in an ever-tightening noose of hyperlinks and links-back-to-hyperlinks, like most websites tend to do.
All that said, it’s worth nothing that Blurt is currently in the process of a website redesign that most likely will take place in stages. In 2010 it is, admittedly, difficult to come up with new twists, digitally speaking, so while in going forward we’ll have a far more robust approach to multimedia, blogs and social networking elements than we have thus far, by focusing on our core strength – interesting content – we hope to distinguish ourselves from all the other bells-and-whistles destinations. Per above comments about what the audience craves, we still think that folks enjoy settling in and reading something that has substance and heft, and in fact just the other day I got an email from a reader thanking us for frequently printing reviews that ran 1000 words or more rather than the 125-word McNugget reviews that seem to have become the norm. (Hey USA Today, thanks a lot.) Factor in our willingness to dig really deep into the musical spectrum and not discriminate against this or that artist purely on the basis of whether they have been awarded a badge of cool among the hipster elite, and you can see how Blurt does stand out in the crowd. For proof, check our recent coverage, which has included Teenage Fanclub, Alejandro Escovedo, The Melvins, The Wedding Present, Arthur Lee/Love, These United States, the Argentinian Cumbia Scene, Elvis Presley and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Pretty diverse shit.

GLG: Do you think Blurt has a specific musical niche?

BLURT: Increasingly, we are wary of niches as they can be terminally limiting. We’d rather be known for being open to most styles and willing to embrace new ones. Our focus to date has frequently been indie rock and Americana, with a smattering of other genres thrown in; and both comedy and politics has been part of our mix from day one. Yet during any given week at the website, or across any given issue of the print edition, we can be flummoxed by the reader response to specific stories: an indie-rock buzzband that is tearing up the blogs might generate zero traffic even while an artist outside our typical purview (recent stories on Alice In Chains and Warren Cuccurullo come to mind) does gangbusters for us. And our most heavily trafficked section of Blurt-online is, hands down, metal goddess Otep’s “Battle Ready” blog – the stats just go through the roof when she posts a new entry (http://blurt-online.com/blogs/author/70 ). Go figure. This may all be apropos of nothing, but the suggestion is that readers are looking for something, anything, that is not only outside the mainstream, but outside the alternative-to-the-mainstream, given the glut of the latter’s coverage across the web by every blogger with a laptop. This doesn’t mean we aspire to be so broad-based in our coverage that we dive into every genre imaginable purely to ensure that every possible demographic is served, from mainstream to underground, without any sense of discrimination; Blender magazine tried that, and look where Blender is now (gone). My gut feeling — considering that our writing staff ranges in age from 22 to 68 — is that indie rock, punk, psychedelia and Americana will remain among our core strengths, but that you’ll also see ramped-up coverage of prog, experimental and electronic, underground hip-hop and world music artists, plus even more politics and comedy, at Blurt.

GLG: What albums are you looking forward to coming out?

BLURT: Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Crocodiles – Sleep Forever (Fat Possum)
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness box (Columbia/Legacy)
Underworld – Barking (Cooking Vinyl)
Justin Townes Earle – Harlem River Blues (Bloodshot)
Posies – Blood Candy (Ryko)
Tricky – Mixed Race (Domino)
Syl Johnson – Complete Mythology box (Numero Group)
Toubab Krewe – TK2 (NatGeo Music)
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding (Merge)

GLG: How does Blurt support independent music and what’s important about doing so?

BLURT: Most likely 90% of our coverage falls under the general term “independent”; yet given that how nowadays an indie label is just as likely to become ossified and release drek as is a major label, we pretty much make our selections on the basis of the individual merits of the music and the artists who make it. We encourage artists not affiliated with large labels or publicity firms to send us their music and press releases directly as we still take pride in discovering and exposing deserving unknowns to feature at Blurt alongside buzz-worthy up-and-comers and established entities. We also have a program, now nearing the two-year mark, with Sonicbids called “Blurt’s Best Kept Secret” in which approximately every six weeks we select an under-the-radar independent band or solo performer from among our Sonicbids submissions to be featured extensively at Blurt-online – in our News section, in our biweekly newsletter, and as part of a full feature/interview. (We just featured our 12th Best Kept Secret, Boston rocker Alice Austin, and prior to that it was Phoenix garage-punks The Rebel Set, both self-releasing and –promoting grassroots artists.)
All of this is done within certain parameters, of course. With promotional receipts sometimes numbering monthly in the 800-1000 range, even after factoring in the quarterly print magazine Blurt can only reasonably cover about 150 - 175 artists or releases per month. And we also have to be mindful about selecting artists that will drive web traffic and/or generate newsstand sales, so those with proven track records and are affiliated with labels or p.r. firms whose operating styles are simpatico with ours are an essential part of our game plan.
It’s important to support independent music for one simple reason: the indie sector is where the best and the brightest and the most motivated reside, and they deserve to have a shot at making an honest living as artists. Amanda Palmer recently told Blurt that with the blockbuster system finally crumbling, it’s all turning into a working class music economy. So we need to nurture and encourage these individuals so they’ll continue to create music – of all genres and disciplines. They are the ones, after all, who inspire and thrill the rest of us.

GLG: Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

BLURT: If you’d asked that a year and a half ago I might have answered the first part firmly in the affirmative. Now, I’m not so sure. Blurt started as an all-digital undertaking, as noted above, combining the in-the-moment and interactive features of a website with the old-school aesthetic of a downloadable magazine. Yet for all the noise at the time about how print was going the way of the dinosaurs and that digital was the wave of the future, there still seemed to be an odd degree of resistance towards applying a traditional music journalism approach to the digital milieu, and literally within a few months we had tons of people asking us when, if ever, we might publish a print edition of Blurt. (Point of fact, there were several labels and p.r. firms who very clearly regarded Blurt-online as a lesser, second-tier undertaking and it wasn’t until we finally did move into print, with issue #6, that they began to take us seriously. We have long memories, and we appreciate those folks who have consistently helped us get the Blurt name out there; it’s unfortunate but true that there will always be labels and publicists who want media outlets to provide coverage and help THEM out but aren’t willing to reciprocate in kind.)
So it’s a tough call. I think the best way to look at it is that the two beasts can coexist peacefully and even feed off one another given some sensible decision making and realistic strategies. Music lovers appear to want the best of both worlds, so there’s no reason why they can’t get the immediacy and the bells and whistles of online alongside the traditional journalistic and aesthetic (both visual and tactile) values of print. And for bands, this simply means that the savvy ones will learn how to synch with both; there shouldn’t be any cognitive dissonance, in other words, in tapping the resources of an online publication (say, using as entry points the publication’s social networking platforms) while also aspiring towards a full-color two-page feature spread in a print magazine. And if the website and magazine happen to be created and maintained by the same people, as Blurt is, then you’ve got even greater potential there to tap.

GLG: What blogs/magazines do you read other than your own?

BLURT: Magazines: Wired, Wax Poetics, Mojo, Uncut, Big Takeover, PC World, Vanity Fair, Stomp & Stammer, LEGO Brickmaster

Blogs: Perfect Sound Forever, Blues.About.com, Stereogum, Huffington Post, The Onion, NME.com, The Big O, Daily Swarm, Pitchfork, Pop Matters

GLG: What has been your most definitive moment since you started (or started at) Blurt?

BLURT: (1) At the very dawn of Blurt, Alejandro Escovedo videotaped a series of short interview clips for our website (they are still viewable at our video kiosk), and in one of them he talked about how much he had loved our predecessor Harp and how he was rooting for us. You could say that “defined” us — confirmed in our minds that we were doing something worthwhile, and that we had a sense of who the important artists were. Ever since, Alejandro has been the unofficial Patron Saint of Blurt.
(2) Publishing our annual April Fools Day selection of bogus news items and being dumbfounded at how many otherwise sane, thinking people actually swallow the bait. This year our “Early Kurt Cobain Demos Unearthed At Yard Sale” hoax even got picked up, unchallenged, and republished by such mainstream media as Spin online and L.A.’s KROQ-FM. That was pretty awesome, to realize that a small, extremely silly newsclip posted on our site could take on a massively larger life of its own: to this day, the Cobain item still gets tons of hits. (Check out the original clip and then the subsequent story: and prepare to be, uh, nonplused: http://blurt-online.com/news/view/3565/ ; http://blurt-online.com/features/view/599/ )

GLG: If you could interview any musician/band (dead or alive) who would it be?

BLURT: Keith Moon (late drummer for The Who)

GLG: If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

BLURT: The Butthole Surfers

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Friday, September 17, 2010

Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart, Kaisercartel And Golden Bloom Play Middle East On September 29th


Sharing the stage once with one of Hüsker Dü’s founding members is something to be proud of, but twice in the same week, well that’s just plain awesome. Such is the life of multi-instrumentalist Shawn Fogel, the front-man and mastermind of Golden Bloom, who will be playing two shows with ex- Hüsker Dü member, Grant Hart: September 26th at Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live and September 29th at Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, MA. Brooklyn’s KaiserCartel will be joining Golden Bloom and Hart for the Middle East show.

Golden Bloom is Shawn Fogel’s soaring vocals, shimmering guitar hooks; whizzing keyboards and twinkling sounds. In fact, Golden Bloom is all Shawn Fogel, at least for the purposes of recording. The Middle East show will give audiences a chance to see him solo, too. He has been rapidly adding to his impressive list of bands he’s played with recently to include Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Hey Marseilles, Telekinesis and Sea Wolf.

Fogel is back in the studio with Peter Katis (Frightened Rabbit, The National, Interpol and Tokyo Police Club), to produce some tracks on the follow up to Fan the Flames, which was compared favorably to Summerteeth-era Wilco, The New Pornographers, and Big Star and loved by critics and fans alike. He’s has also been busy with Neutral Uke Hotel, a side project that has been taking the world by storm with live performances of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over The Sea which is played entirely on ukulele.
Grant Hart is best known as being a founding member of Hüsker Dü. His latest album Hot Wax is his first solo studio album in 10 years. KaiserCartel is made up of Courtney Kaiser and Benjamin Cartel. Their latest album Secret Transit is full of delicate and sensual but nonetheless punchy folk-pop.


Wednesday, September 29th
Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge, MA
Golden Bloom (solo), KaiserCartel, and Grant Hart (of Husker Du)
Doors: 8:00 PM
Show: 9:00 PM
$10 in advance
$12 at the door
18+
Advance tickets: http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3149945&pl=mideastclub
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Michael J Epstein Memorial Library Rocks Out at Church in Boston



Michael Epstein certainly knows how to defy trends. There are boy/girl bands aplenty these days and there have been tons of female-fronted bands. But when was the last time you heard of a male-fronted band of nine women? Epstein’s latest project, The Michael J Epstein Memorial Library, which plays downtempo, indie folk/pop with alt-country and anti/counterfolk tinges, will bring their unique lineup and librarian fashion-sense to Boston’s Church on October 1st.

The Michael J. Epstein Memorial Library was formed when Epstein began recruiting band members on Facebook and Craigslist “Most are intentionally people that I didn’t previously know very well. I wanted people with fresh perspectives and few prior expectations about the operation of a band and about how the music scene and music industry works.” This unusual ensemble plays not only your standard acoustic guitar, drums and bass; but also ukulele, flute, trumpet, glockenspiel, melodica, viola, violin and more. The project was designed to be flexible, with any number of participants making up the line-up on any given occasion. “We’re just going to play some songs and have fun. The project is … flexible enough for me to play solo or small shows and also diverse enough to do bigger shows,” says Epstein.

Michael J Epstein Memorial Library

Friday, October 1st
Church
69 Kilmarnock St, Boston, MA
Also on the bill: Highly Personal Trash, The Cinnamon Fuzz, What Time Is It, Mr. Fox?
Doors: 8:00 PM
Show: 8:30 PM
Tickets: $10
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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

The Other Side with Chemical Sound Producers Dean Marino and Jason Sadlowski


Dean Marino and Jason Sadlowski (aka Jay Sad) first met as high school students growing up in the Toronto suburb of Oakville, Ontario. After graduation, Dean continued to play music and record bands on the analog reel-to-reel 8-track in his parents’ basement, while pursuing a degree in Psychology at the University of Waterloo. During this time, Jay was busy studying film at Ryerson University, where he began working with art house directors Isabella Pruska-Oldenhof and Kara Blake to write and record movie soundtracks. Dean explains, “It took a while to realize that recording would be a lifelong obsession,” but the dream finally became a reality in 2005, when he teamed up with his old friend Jason. The pair took over as the owners and lead producers of Toronto’s legendary Chemical Sound Recording Studio, best known for producing Sloan’s Navy Blues, The Weakerthans Reconstruction Site, Godspeed You! Black Emperor's Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven, Tokyo Police Club’s Elephant Shell, and Death from Above 1979’s You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine. Somehow, Dean and Jason also manage to find time to play in bands themselves. When Dean isn’t in the studio, he’s out playing guitar for the Tin Star Orphans, a band fronted by Zachary Bennett, or with his own project, EX~PO. Jason often plays under the moniker, "Jay Sad," which is a solo project that includes classical musicians Rob MacDonald and Dean Pomeroy for live shows.

We managed to track down Chemical Sound’s Dean Marino and Jason Sadlowski (who you can see pictured here in the studio) in between recording sessions to find out what it’s like to be on the other side:

Green Light Go: How long have been producing music and what inspired you to become a producer?

Jason Sadlowski: I've been producing professionally for about 4 years now. It all happened when Dean suggested I quit my day job and take over Chemical Sound studio with him.

Dean Marino: I’ve been a producer at heart since my high school days, overseeing the recording process of my own bands as well as other local bands, but [my career as a producer] became “official” quite recently. I started interning at Chemical Sound in 2002 and by 2004, I was getting paid to engineer. In 2005, the original building that housed Chemical Sound was slated for demolition. Rather than see a great studio go down, I decided to partner up with Jay, buy all the gear and re-locate. The previous owners felt it was a good time to retire from the “studio business” anyway…studio ownership tends to be a temporary endeavor these days.

GLG: How would you describe your role as a producer?

DM: These days the term “producer” seems to be loaded with preconceived notions, because the role [of a producer] has altered quite a bit over the last 50 years. It used to be that a producer worked for, or was hired by a record company, to discover and develop new talent. This person would “sign” the artist and oversee their recorded output as a micromanager, much like George Martin’s relationship with The Beatles. Over the years, the role of a producer began to focus specifically on the recording process. Now, we have people who set up mics, hit the record button, and want to be credited as “the producer.” There’s much more to the job than that. Now, roles tend to get blurred during the creative process. An album is usually a collaborative process between the artists and facilitators. A producer is merely another facilitator, as is the engineer, the assistant engineer, and even the lowly studio intern. Sometimes, the producer also functions as an engineer, arranger, psychological coach, or even a session musician. Today, I think, the term “producer” is more about responsibility than anything. The producer is the person who’s responsible for the completion of the record to someone’s satisfaction (either the artist and/or record label). He/she makes sure the record gets done on time, within the budget, and that the album ultimately works as a piece of art. The quickest way to figure out who the producer is on a project is to ask, “Whose ass is on the line here?”

JS: I agree with Dean. The official role is there to determine responsibility. I do whatever I can and whatever it takes, to help people make records. What this means depends on the project and artist.

Green Light Go: How does being a musician yourself help to hone your production skills?

JS: I think it's good to understand what the people you are working with are going through.


DM: Ditto…not to mention, I can also help an artist articulate their ideas, because I can sing and I can play. I can show someone how to write a killer harmony, help a drummer tune his or her parts, or arrange a song so it has a greater impact on the listener. Being a musician is a big plus in this business.

JS: Plus, [a producer who is also a musician] can give specific advice about the instrument. You can say, " Try playing that part closer to the bridge," and stuff like that.

GLG: What are some of the most noteworthy artists or albums you've produced in the past?

DM: The work I’m most proud of is the stuff where I took on the responsibility of seeing a whole project through, from beginning to the end. As of late, these would include: Automatic Movements by Everything is Made in China, The Days of Blinding Fear by Tin Star Orphans and Gospel by the Schomberg Fair.

JS: I'm proud of all the records I've produced with Dean and the few I've produced alone.

GLG: What bands are you currently working with?

DM: Currently I’m producing a 3 song 7” record
for La Casa Muerte and eventually I hope to produce their first LP. I’m also collaborating with Nathan Vanderwielen (of Ruby Coast) on a film soundtrack that we intend to perform live.

JS: I just finished 2 songs on the new Wallscenery Demos album, in which I produce and perform. The Wallscenery Demos is an indie-rock project by James Hicken, who currently lives in New York. He sends me his vocal and guitar tracks and I add all sorts of stuff on top, and mix it. It's cool and messy!

GLG: As a producer, how do you know that you are a good match for a band? What things do you have to keep in mind before agreeing to work with an artist?

JS: As long as I can understand what they are trying to do and they accept what I do, we can work together.

DM: Typically, genre is not an issue for me. It’s more about a band’s willingness to accept input and constructive criticism. I’ve been labeled as both invasive and passive – in truth, the role and disposition I take depends on the project. Also, I have a “sonic fingerprint” that you can hear on most records I have worked on, so a band should be willing to accept that.

GLG: What is the best piece of advice you’d give a band that thinks they are ready to record?

JS: Be honest and understand where the band is and where the producer is. A good producer should be able to take the band up one level, not more. I'm always able to improve some aspect(s) of the bands’ sound, but the producer cannot take the band anywhere that they aren't already poised to go.

DM: I totally agree with Jay, but I would add, be prepared. The band should know their material, but shouldn’t become too emotionally attached to small details. You have to be ready to give 100% and be open to new ideas and new directions. Most of all, be ready to be revealed. It’s not my job to make anyone a better player or singer, but rather to hone in on what makes an artist uniquely intriguing.

GLG: What is your favorite thing about producing music?

JS: I'm proud of the work I do. I love records and appreciate all aspects of them. I've been lucky to work with so many super talented people.

DM: There’s this moment, usually a few months after working on a record, where I revisit [the record] and listen to it like it was the first time. I think, “This sounds really great and really well thought out.” I love that.

JS: Yes! I love going back to a record I've worked on to enjoy how good it sounds.

GLG: What’s your least favorite thing about being a producer?

DM: The long hours. I need to take breaks and press the reset button now and then.

JS: Dean's right. [Another downside is] running out of time and not being able to explore all of the possibilities.

GLG: In addition to the music you are working on, what current albums have you been listening to lately?

JS: I've been listening to the Daytrotter sessions a lot. Daytrotter is kind of an internet version of The Peel Sessions. They've made great recordings of Born Ruffians, Nurses, The Walkmen, Holiday Shores, Daniel Johnson, Cursive, Vampire Weekend…the list goes on.

DM: The pile of LPs near my turntable right now include Dog Day’s Concentration, Bill Callahan’s Rough Travel For a Rare Thing, Neil Young’s Live Rust, Caribou’s Swim, The National’s Alligator, Tom Verlaine’s Dreamtime, St. Vincent’s Actor, Talking HeadsRemain in the Light, and Spoon’s Kill the Moonlight. All [of the music I listen to] will radically change by next week. That’s just from my vinyl collection, I won’t even get into my iPod playlists.

GLG: What is one record you didn’t produce yourself that you consider to be a masterpiece? From your standpoint as a producer, what makes this album so special?

JS: The first thing that comes to mind is Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. It's amazing that producer Martin Hannett did so much, and yet, the record is still very Joy Division. If you compare this record to live Joy Division stuff, it seems to embody and even heighten the raw essence of that band. Even though we know [Hannett] changed so many aspects of those songs, we never feel encroached by some outside influence.

DM: Wow ONE record? Today, I’d have to say, Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space by Spiritualized. The amount of work that went into that record is just phenomenal and you can feel the emotional and intellectual investment. The fact that Jason Pierce assembled all those world-class musicians and developed such a rich sonic landscape in order to express some very personal and intimate ideas was a huge risk, but it worked out splendidly. The bombastic nature of the album made his lyrics all the more believable and universal, even when the opposite could have easily happened.

GLG: Anything else we didn’t cover that you’d like us to know?
DM: I love cats.

The Other Side highlights the talented folks behind the scenes of the music we listen to. The Other Side features producers, engineers, booking agents, photographers, radio DJs, management teams, and label representatives.

This week’s The Other Side is brought to you by: Lauren Roberts


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Monday, September 13, 2010

Music Monday-La Blogotheque Loves Bon Iver

Recently we got to see how La Blogotheque operated first hand. In fact, I almost got ran over by a bicyclist (believe me they are aggressive) in Toronto while they filmed Neutral Uke Hotel at NXNE for one of their Take Away Shows. Based in Montreal and Paris, La Blogotheque is almost entirely in French, but that doesn't stop a solid English speaking base from following the blog. Because as La Blogotheque demonstrates by featuring bands like Land of Talk, Josh Ritter and Beach House, good music is good music no matter what side of the pond or border you are on.

I know this, je t'aime La Blogotheque. And I'm fairly certain I'll be listening to Bon Iver today.

La Blogotheque's own, Nora Bouazzouni, took some time out to answer a few questions for us.

GLG:
How long has La Blogotheque been operating?

LB:
It’s existed as an MP3 blog since 2002, and the Take Away Shows started in 2006.

GLG: What makes La Blogotheque different from other websites?

LB: We're not obsessed with talking about the latest hip bands, posting tracklists and gossips, reviewing every new record possible; we don't care much about that. We're not a news website. There are more or less a dozen people writing on La Blogothèque, and though we're all different and we don't necessarily like the same music, we all agree on one thing: we want to talk about music in a completely different way than other music blogs, we want it to be more personal, more about our feelings, about what it brings up. It's not about grading an album, track by track, it will never be. If one of us writes about a musician, or a song, whether it's something old or something new, it's because it means something to him or her.

GLG: Do you think la blogotheque has a specific musical niche?

LB: People would say we're more into folk and bearded guys playing guitar while singing sad songs, but it's only because of the Take Away Shows that we aquired this reputation! If you read the blog -it's in French- you'll see that we're quite eclectic. Right now, on La Blogo's home you can read about The Libertines, Haïtian music, listen to a Ninja Tune mixtape... I guess that tells it!

GLG:. What albums are you looking forward to coming out?

LB: Bon Iver's second album. He just announced it'll be released next year, I can't wait! Also, I'm a big Dodos' fan, and they just started recording the follow-up to Time To Die (which I didn't like ), and I really, really hope it's gonna be something as awesomely mind-blowing as Visiter. I hope there'll be a new Department of Eagles record soon.
And I was excited about Spoon's new album. It leaked so I listened to it, but I'm disappointed.

GLG: How does la blogotheque support independent music and what’s important about doing so?

LB: We support indie music with our Take Away Shows and Pocket Parties, and sometimes we even provide bands a place to stay when they're playing in Paris, but don't have enough money to book a hotel ;)

GLG: Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

LB: I don't think online publications are killing print magazines, I think they complete each other. Speaking for me, I never ever read music magazines. I don't know why, but it never attracted me. Maybe it has to do with my age. I'm 24, and I got my first computer with the Internet in 1999. That's when I started looking for new stuff to listen to. I don't like the way magazines talk about music, it's too distant, too « professional ». And now, if you read a magazine and want to listen to that new band they talk about, you have to drop the magazine, go to your computer, type the Myspace URL, and click on a song. With a music blog, you just click on Play and you're done. Digital natives are much more into the « instantaneous ». I think people will go to blogs to discover stuff, and then buy a magazine to read about that stuff they just listened to.

GLG: What blogs/magazines do you read other than your own?

LB: The only music blog I read is Said The Gramophone. All the others I just skim through and download the MP3s (and I don't like revealing my sources, sorry!). For acoustic sessions, KEXP and Daytrotter. For news, Pitchfork and Stereogum (how original).

GLG: What has been your most definitive moment since you started la blogotheque?

LB: Bon Iver's Pocket Party. Just watch it, you'll understand.

GLG: If you could interview any musician/band (dead or alive) who would it be?

LB: I don't do interviews, it's not my thing. And I don't have idols. But I would love to spend some time with Kurt Cobain, or Thom Yorke. Or Bertrand Cantat (singer of French rock band Noir Désir).

GLG: If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?

LB: Girls bands: Le Tigre, Hole, The Runaways. Other: The Beatles, Queen, Nirvana.

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