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

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News Roundups from Blender, The Washington Post, Indie Rock Cafe and more

The Blender Blog's article on "The Ukulele's Unlikely Renaissance" is all in favor of Neutral Uke Hotel's mission to "to unite obsessed fans of Neutral Milk Hotel for a live performance of their critically acclaimed "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" album, played in its entirety on ukulele" and says, "The album's beloved songs have reached canon status, so why not interpret, and reinterpret, and why not on a ukulele?"

Jersey Beat raves about The True Jacqueline's Nice Bird, saying "Oh, yeah baby! Bring it on! You ever listen to an album that’s so delightfully bouncy, upbeat, and flat-out insanely appealing fun that it just makes you wanna say all sorts of wacky nice stuff. Well, man, this is exactly that kinda album."


Aol Music is currently featuring Avi Wisnia's Something New on Full CD Listening Party.

The Washington Post lists No Second Troy's Iota show on its Going Out Guide.

Magnet's MP3 At 3PM posts "California Run" and "Highways" from Neil Nathan's upcoming The Distance Calls. They say of "California Run," "The country-inflected single breezes by like a convertible cruising down the PCH, sounding like a long-lost Old 97’s track that was recently unearthed."

Tympanogram says of Neutral Uke Hotel's NXNE performance, "The group is obviously reverential, and they impart their love for an album that was formative for them, and one that they personally cherish in the way they know best. ...not everyone can express their appreciation for them in such a stirring manner."

The True Jacqueline's "Monde Green" (from their release Nice Bird) is posted on KEPX's Out This Week and on Indie Rock Cafe.

Listen Dammit posts "Song for Adam," a track from Sara Radle's upcoming full-length, Four.

Buzzgrinder and Electric Mustache list the release of The True Jacqueline's Nice Bird.
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Favorite Friday with No Second Troy

No Second Troy's
Favorite Albums of the Week

With the May release of No Second Troy's album Colors, positive reviews keep rolling in. Skope Magazine read into the title of the album, writing, "‘Colors’ is a great title for the experience, as the encouraged mood seems to be of vibrance and faith. Campus Circle is into the vibe as well. They might be the first ones to refer to NST as "indie-electro pop." We're cool with that.

No Second Troy front man Jeff Wharen (clearly the one "sipping" water in the pic) checked in with us and sent us a list of five albums that he's been listening to a lot lately. "I'm loving all these albums for different reasons," he said. "If it makes me feel good, inspires songwriting or the lyrics stir up emotion I'm digging it. I'm always listening to The Beatles in some way. It's like keeping a picture of your grandparents up on the wall they keep me grounded and remind where we came from."

5. The National High Violet
4. The Avett Brothers I and Love and You
3. Passenger Wide Eyes Blind Love
2. Spoon Transference
1. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band


No Second Troy Tour Dates

Saturday, Jun 5, Herndon Festival 2010

Downtown Herndon - 777 Lynn Street Herndon, VA
3:00 - 3:45pm at Depot Main Stage


Each Friday, hence the name Favorite Friday - one GLG band/artist will send us a list and comments about their "favorites" of the week. It could be a list of albums they are listening to in the van, books they are reading, guilty pleasure TV, and so on. We hope these various "favorites" will give you unique glimpse into the lives of our bands.
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The Shins, Rogue Wave Have Competition

The Naked Hearts and No Second Troy album reviews are still rolling in, making us glow with pride!

Medleyville had really seems to get what No Second Troy are creating with Colors; how their indie sensibilities can be related to radio-ready lush modern rock, but the album's hues are up for different interpretation by each listener.
"In his band's bio, No Second Troy keyboardist Mike Beach talks about trying to navigate the middle ground between today’s pop and indie music, and in doing so makes a reference to pre- and post-"Clocks"-era Coldplay. Beach's Washington, D.C.-based band really has a lot more in common with The Shins and Rogue Wave in terms of pop sensibilities, attention to detail and good indie instincts – in other words, having the nerve and the smarts to throw in just the right amount of twists and turns to keep things interesting and a little different. Colors (out now) has plenty of crafty gems, with "The Black and White Movie" and "This Is the End of Me" far and away the best of the album's 12 tracks."



It may be obscure, but website Aiding and Abetting are into the '90s swing of Naked Hearts' Mass Hysteria. Read on....

"Oh, goodness. It's been a while since I've heard some honest-to-God indie rock. The Naked Hearts are Amy Cooper and Noah Wheeler (Cooper handles the guitar, Wheeler the bass and drums; both sing). Grungy, bouncy, lo-fi, sparkly, you name it. The Naked Hearts do it all in a minor key, and they make it snarl. Pop songs for the truly disaffected, I suppose. These are brittle pieces of brilliance pasted to the ceiling of a disillusioned teenager. I think we've all been there. The Naked Hearts have moved on a bit, but not so much that they cannot tap that primal pit of pain."

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Coldplay, Snow Patrol, No Second Troy Stand Out with Colors

Our boys of No Second Troy are in the beginning stages of getting some great press for their new album Colors.

On Tap Magazine is on board. "A unique cross between indie and pop, this five-piece band’s latest CD, Colors, is a successful 13-track blend of melodic tunes and smooth, effortless sounds. Ironically titled “Grounded,” the second song was a personal favorite, with mature and instantly infectious lyrics like, “My feet don’t touch the ground, you feel like coming down.” The rest of the album follows suit combining their experienced sound into an authentic mix of five musicians at their best. You won’t be skipping songs on this album, since each and every one will be a favorite," writes Ashley Estill.

NST lead singer Jeff Wharen was interviewed for a Southern Gothic Productions podcast in which he talks about the new album and so much more. You can hear the entire podcast, which also includes some tracks from the album.



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Washington Post Kindred spirits: Kings of Leon, Coldplay

Upon the release of No Second Troy's new album Colors, celebrated reviews have been popping up everywhere, all in time before the band's CD release show, Saturday, May 1st at The Black Cat in Washington, DC. Yes! Finally the show is here!!! Woot!

Catherine Lewis of The Washington Post listened to Colors with feeling when she wrote, "The D.C.-based quintet effortlessly conveys the ennui of early adulthood without sounding mopey or solipsistic. These songs are, at their core, sweet pop-rock tunes; they're just infused with a sense of realism and truth." Lewis also noted, "The album standout is the thoughtful "Leap of Faith," in which lead singer Jeff Wharen's vulnerability sounds as if he's both pleading with someone specific and wondering whether that special someone will ever appear."

Delusions of Adequacy also posted an in-depth review of Colors, noting the album's audible sense of colors. "The album’s strategy can be simply detailed: everything, including the music, is made up of colors that attempting to deem something as right/wrong, bad/good, or even, black/white will never amount to anything because of all the grays involved. But upon further listening, one can easily notice that while topical in many forms, it’s a debate that has been raging for years. And through the album’s music, everything is brought forth by musicians that are all comfortable in their own skin, aware of their abilities as band mates. These assets provide an album that is not only aware of its challenging themes but at the same time, filled with an abundant amount of great music," wrote Bryan Sanchez. Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy's "Colors" Streams in Full on AOLToday!

Want a sneak peak of No Second Troy's upcoming album? Get one on AOL, TODAY, before the April 27 release of the band's much-anticipated new album Colors. The site will be streaming the entire album as part of their Listening Party feature.

Produced by Chad Clark, T.J. Lipple and No Second Troy, Colors spills over with lush atmospheric pop songs driven by subtly infectious hooks. Trickles of keyboards highlight the earnest warm vocals and melodic, hip-swaying choruses while the guitars chime without overbearing. It makes you feel good all over. Colors, is an apt name for the album; it provides songs for every color of mood you may be in.

No Second Troy are the kind of indie band you want to hear on the radio. Their shimmering songs have potential to cross over just as so many former indie bands have. The kind of alternative indie rock that, if The O.C. was still on television, there's no doubt that No Second Troy would play at the Bait Shop. Click Here to Read More..

Free MP3s for Music Monday from Large Hearted Boy

You say you want to listen to some free tracks from The White Ravens, The True Jacqueline and No Second Troy and Grand Atlantic?

Look no further than the wonderful world of Largehearted Boy where mp3s by all four bands are available for your listening pleasure. Week after week LHB offers the best in mp3s by both upcoming young bands and hot tracks from your favorite indie bands. They even keep in check on what's happening over at Spinner and point us to their free Full CD Listening Parties, like they did last week for Grand Atlantic's State-side release of We Survive. You can still go and listen to the album before you head to Amazon.com to purchase your own hard copy of the superb record.

Listen here at LHB for The White Raven's tracks "Sparks" and "Tick Tock" and No Second Troy's "This is the End of Me," "The Black and White Movie," and "Leap of Faith." There's also some cool tracks by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Shout Out Louds for your listening pleasure.

Less we forget to listen here for Largehearted Boy's pick of mp3s by The True Jacqueline (pictured to the right). Bop to their peppy tracks "Monde Green" and "It's the Water." Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy Go for the Big Win!

Music website Fame Games is an online radio show that is inventive, on top of new music and like independent music's own little American Idol (and yes, there are British accents and smart comebacks by members of the Fame Game Team).

Fame Games is, "the only daily radio show searching for the next big radio hit! New songs are submitted directly from the artist or band and on-line reviewers & fans decide the song’s hit potential. Then the song airs on Fame Games & faces the best musical team on radio. Some will win, some will lose but who will ultimately breakthrough?"

That would be No Second Troy! Their track "Burned" has taken home the winning prize of Track of the Week for three weeks in a row! Hat Trick! Now, lets see if they can take home the honor of Track of the Month.

Take a listen to their broadcasts and watch out for DJ Crier (Laura Krier) and songwriter/producer Paul Sedkowski, British radio personality Sid Olivera (who always has something sassy to say) and more to reign in the top "underground" new musical talent.
Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday's Melange of Mp3s

Alex Young of the website Consequence of Sound knows a good tune when he hears it. Each Friday the website makes these amazing mp3 Mixtapes. How cool is that?

Included on Friday Mixtape XCVIII (that's a lot of mixtapes!!) are free tracks by our own Alan Cohen Experience, Fan-Tan, Grand Atlantic, Naked Hearts and No Second Troy.

Our lovely artists share the "tape" with a really diverse mix of artists including The Futureheads, Owen Pallett, Elk City and Priestess.

CoS has a great thing going here. Just go to the page each Friday and listen to dozens of new songs instantly.

Click Here to Read More..

D.I.Y. Music Support, No Second Troy Raise Funds for Recording

No Second Troy has been hard at work finishing up a new album. As an independent band, like so many others out there, the group has to dip into their own funds to record and release their music.

It's become common place these days for bands to record albums at their "home studio" instead of the more expensive option of an outside recording studio. With home computers' constantly evolving and innovative music programs like Pro Tools and GarageBand are available to bands at a reasonable cost, groups are able to save some money by recording albums themselves. On their own time, but on their own dime. This however has shown a decline in revenue for independent recording studios. It's a good/bad situation to have, depending on who you are....

However, No Second Troy are one of those bands that is really in between. Both musically and financially. Their pop music is lovely indie pop that teeters on what could be close to mainstream. To make their music more accessible and cleaner, the band chose to record in an outside studio, so they laid down tracks at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington, VA with producer Chad Clark.

While the studio's equipment adds to the sound of a band like No Second Troy, which could help to get to them to a more mainstream audience, it doesn't mean they can afford the same kind of studio time as The Fray. So in a growing new field, NST are using the Internet to raise money from fans and supporters in order to pay for the studio time. If you go to their website you can donate specific amounts of money, and in return, not only are you helping the band get their music out, but you could also score the following with your donation :

$50 signed album w/ personal note from band
$100 -- Signed album + Signed & framed poster
$250 -- Signed album + Signed & framed live photo
$500 -- Signed album + Private NST performance

Finding a niche for this type of fundraising, the website Kickstarter.com is becoming all the rage for raising money for artists, musicians, journalists, filmmakers, etc.. If you're looking to raise money to fund your band's tour or recording, or your small company, etc., this is the website to use.

On KickStarter, you set a financial goal, get backers and have a designated date to reach that goal. It's amazing how many people will offer to help out others' creative endeavors. The creators keep 100% ownership of their funded work and Kickstarter only asks for 5% from the project creator if a project is successfully funded.

Their website states: "Kickstarter is a new form of commerce and patronage, not a place for investment or lending. Project creators inspire people to open their wallets by offering products, benefits and fun experiences."

In July Polyvinyl Records set up a Kickstarter account to raise money to "Save 10,000 Records From Destruction." They set a goal of $1,000 and actually raised $15,626!

They asked for support to indie music fans. " Polyvinyl needs your help! Some of our distributor's warehouses around the world are being downsides or consolidated and we either need to destroy over $10,000 records or face some high storage costs. Destroying the records is not an option (it’s too wasteful and besides, these are great records, they’re just overstocked)! Storing the records at our warehouse is not an option (we cannot afford the storage costs). So to keep them from destruction, we’re hoping to have all the records shipped back to our office."

It worked out better then expected for Polyvinyl and is helping out dozens upon dozens of musicians and artists.

So get out there and support your fellow artists, your favorite band, or maybe this will finally give you the "kick start" you need to start your own project. Pun intended.

Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy Announces Northeast Tour in May

Washington, DC’s own, No Second Troy, announces a northeast tour in May in support of the release of their album, Colors, on April 27, 2010. Following up their praised 2007 release Narcotic, Colors combines contemporary indie rock and the precise amount of infectious pop to be lively and bright, without being saccharine or lackluster.

No Second Troy garnered praise from SPIN while charting on the CMJ Top 200 on their last record, Narcotic. On the upcoming release, Colors, the band was led to Inner Ear Studios where they worked with Chad Clark of Silver Sonya Studios (Fugazi, Q & Not U, Georgie James), TJ Lipple and Nick Anderson to produce and engineer the record. Lead singer Jeff Wharen notes, "We really liked Chad and TJ's vision of capturing the band's sound at its most authentic - moving away from digital editing and auto-tuning, while recording drums and bass on tape, and encouraging the band to just sound like itself, rather than trying to sound like something we think might be a critical success. We also liked Chad's commitment to mixing the songs based on what they were about, pairing the aesthetics of the musical and the lyrical."

Northeast Tour Dates
Sat May 1, 2010: Black Cat (Record Release Party) - Washington, DC
Sat May 8, 2010: Arlene's Grocery - 95 Stanton Street New York, NY
Fri May 14, 2010: Slim's Downtown - 227 S. Wilmington St. Raleigh, NC
Fri May 21, 2010: Evening Muse - 3227 N. Davidson Street Charlotte, NC
Sat Jun 5, 2010:Herndon Festival 2010 Herndon, VA Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy Record Release Party at the Black Cat on May 1st

It may be DC, but you don't have to be a Washington insider to help No Second Troy's record release party become a success. Help the band celebrate the release of their album, Colors,  at the Black Cat on Saturday, May 1st. And to insure it's a rousing good time join Team NST to promote the show in advance, so you can be surrounded by all your favorite people and a fine band indeed. 


You may be asking, but what does this fine band sound like? Well let me tell you. In a nutshell, No Second Troy combines contemporary indie rock and the precise amount of infectious pop to be lively and bright, without being saccharine or lackluster. As if that isn't enough, joining the pop stalwarts will be The Reserves and Soft Complex.

Don't have time to lend a hand? Simply show up, the more the merrier as they say. Get your tickets directly from No Second Troy to get the special deals!


Black Cat
1811 14th St NW, Washington, DC
Show at 9:00pm
$12 Cover Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy talk to Absolute Punk about Led Zeppelin, Kings of Leon and being a giant rabbit

Absolute Punk puts No Second Troy through the musical ringer with their usual bevy of questions, always entertaining and informative.

Among 20 questions AP asks, "Why should people listen to your band?"

"Because we honestly think you'll like it. Not that we're aiming for it, but with three songwriters in the band we think there's something for everyone. also because this new record is not an effort to sound like anyone but ourselves, you're not going to hear a bunch of autotuning, and we hope the songwriting and the lyrics go hand-in-hand in a way fans of both pop and indie rock will relate to." Click Here to Read More..

The Localist Wants You to See No Second Troy on May 1st

Washington DC's The Localist is a fan of No Second Troy's accessible pop music and selected the band's May 1st show to highlight on their valued website.

"In their four short years together, No Second Troy has carved a determined and inspiring path through the world of indie rock. Their first album, Narcotic, garnered them critical praise and a place in the national spotlight. Expect that to continue with the release of their second LP Colors. If you haven't checked them out already, there's no better time."

While No Second Troy's album Colors is due out this Saturday, you can pre-order their album and get immediate mp3s before April 27 by going to their colorful website. You can also get a sneak peak listen by downloading their head-bopping track for "Black and White Movie." Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy Shares Tone with Kings of Leon's Caleb Followill

Bill's Music Forum reviews No Second Troy's upcoming release, Colors saying, "No Second Troy is out to blur the line between indie rock and pop.Surrounding classic introspective indie rock lyrics with melodic sensibility, No Second Troy is in position to make this a successful merger."

He goes on to say, "Another plus for the band is vocalist Jeff Wharen, who has that perfect tone for a rock singer - reminds me somewhat of Anthony Caleb Followill (Kings of Leon). The rest of the band is tight, effortlessly threading elements from across multiple musical genres into a fresh new tapestry."

Bill goes into detail about on of his favorite songs on the record: "'The Black and White Movie', both musically and lyrically. Keyboardist Mike Beach explains, ''The Black and White Movie' is an acknowledgment that we overanalyze our relationships and foolishly seek the perfection we see in Hollywood movies, thereby having our relationships fall into one of two categories - bliss or something inadequate, in other words, viewing the world as a black and white movie and failing to see all the colors and nuances.'"

He thinks you'll like them if you like Coldplay and U2. We'd like to hear what you think. Listen to streamed audio of "The Black and White Movie" here. Click Here to Read More..

No Second Troy Release Colors on April 27th

Washington DC's No Second Troy teeters on the edge of anthemic-influenced indie rock, rich in explosive vocal melodies, driven by railing guitars, and balanced by subtle layers of piano and Hammond organ, when they release Colors on April 27th.

While many of the band’s songs touch on relationships, past and present, related and romantic, No Second Troy originated as the title of a William Butler Yeats poem. The song "The Black and White Movie" references parts of the poem and reveals a thematic overlap in its lyrics. Like the poem, the band's lyrics at times seek a release from past relationships, even to the extent of apologizing on behalf of the person who caused the emotional injury. Mike Beach explains, "'The Black and White Movie' is an acknowledgment that we overanalyze our relationships and foolishly seek the perfection we see in Hollywood movies, thereby having our relationships fall into one of two categories - bliss or something inadequate – in other words, viewing the world as a black and white movie and failing to see all the colors and nuances."
No Second Troy garnered praise from SPIN while charting on the CMJ Top 200 on their last record, Narcotic. On the upcoming release, Colors, the band was led to Inner Ear Studios where they worked with Chad Clark of Silver Sonya Studios (Fugazi, Q & Not U, Georgie James), TJ Lipple and Nick Anderson to produce and engineer the record. Lead singer Jeff Wharen notes, "We really liked Chad and TJ"s vision of capturing the band’s sound at its most authentic – moving away from digital editing and auto-tuning, while recording drums and bass on tape, and encouraging the band to just sound like itself, rather than trying to sound like something we think might be a critical success. We also liked Chad's commitment to mixing the songs based on what they were about – pairing the aesthetics of the musical and the lyrical."

Colors Track Listing
1) Colors
2) Grounded
3) The Black and White Movie
4) Leap of Faith
5) Casting Agent
6) Wake Up
7) This is the End of Me
8) Let it Go
9) Surfacing
10) The Argonaut
11) Golden Age
12) The Fountain

Download or post the free mp3 of "This is the End of Me" Click Here to Read More..