High Five! from Neil Nathan

My Santa Claus Is Coming to Town Charity Video, which I’m using to raise funds for the Fred Gabler Helping Hand Camp Fund, is based on a true story from my childhood where I got busted by my folks when I opened my presents early.

The following are my top five presents worth getting kidnapped by Evil Santa and his elves this year:

1. ThunderCats - Season 1. Give Me Sight Beyond Sight!

2. The Beatles - Mono Collection. This can’t come out on vinyl fast enough!

3. Vintage Tube Record Player to enjoy the aforementioned gift in its proper warmth.

4. Gibson ES 339 Hollow Body which will allow me to rip off John Lennon’s sound.

5. But all I really want for Christmas is a lifetime supply of Fluevog Shoes!

To celebrate the end of the nine to five, a Green Light Go staff member or artist will leave you with their short list of favorite things, better known as the High Five!

This week's High Five! is brought to you by: Neil Nathan

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John Shipe Brings a Villain or Two to Life February 1st

John Shipe’s latest album, Villain, should come with a dramatis personæ. Creating, inhabiting, and giving voice to characters is what Shipe does best. Villain is filled with them: an artist begging critics to go easy; a woman whose commitment to saving the world cripples her ability to love; and from the title track, a man who blames his bad luck on women who always go for the villain. Each of these people is rendered honestly, but with empathy, giving the album a fun, storytelling feel which fits the folk-pop feel of the music. It seems that Shipe’s philosophy on this, “If you fully embrace the character, it will flow out effortlessly; you won’t have to force or contrive it” is spot-on. Villain, Shipe’s 10th album, is due out February 1, 2011.

While John Shipe now resides in North Hollywood, it hasn’t always been bright lights, big city for him. Villain was born from a time in the wilderness. When Shipe returned from living in Yellowstone, he had songs, but was puzzled about how they fit together. A friend and collaborator, Ehren Ebbage (The Dimes), who produced the album, helped him find the links. The album celebrates the way people deal with disappointment; sometimes with sadness, sometimes victoriously. For Shipe it reinforced the fact that he should “trust my instincts and keep working; the meaning and usefulness of the work will show itself in due time.” And he knows a thing or two about work. His rigorous practice schedule and constant desire to learn new things is what keeps driving the music to new places. “I’m not complacent about my style or ability, and I still dream of pulling off the amazing stuff that I haven’t yet mastered,” says Shipe.

Love Belongs to Everyone by johnshipe


Yellow House, John Shipe’s last album, was recorded at his home studio West of Eden and received some significant attention, including charting on the Freeform American Roots charts and independent and commercial airplay. The success of Yellow House convinced Shipe that acoustic freeform Americana was the way to go. Villain is the next logical step, bass and drums recorded at state-of-the-art Crossroads Productions in Vancouver, WA, more instrumentation, and the help of Ehren Ebbage give the album a more polished sound without losing the focus on Shipe’s songwriting.

On Villain, audiences will find, along with vivid, cinematically-drawn characters, pop cadences in a folk package, with rural touches, but without country twang. His sophisticated composition draws comparisons to the Beatles, Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, and other songcraft-oriented pop acts.


Villain
Track Listing

1. Lion
2. Villain
3. Love Belongs to Everyone
4. Some Hidden Things
5. Hard to Believe (with Halie Loren)
6. What Right Do We Have to Fall in Love?
7. Little Boats
8. Another Disaster
9. No Use Crying Over a Spilt Life
10. Dead Kite
11. Feel Good Song Click Here to Read More..

Staff Infection: When I'm Sixty-Four

Our peers have a lot of influence on us when it comes to musical taste. Especially around that golden age of 12, when we first start really getting into music. When it seems to suddenly mean something. But a lucky few of us get influenced earlier by people with good taste. For me, my dad was the first person whose love of music made me want to hear everything he had to show me. He'd been in a band in the 60s (I'll spare him the embarrassment of the whole internet learning the name) and loved and loves music more than anyone I know. He's also democratic, giving Kid Rock equal standing with The Beatles, or the Coasters or Nine Inch Nails. My great dad turns sixty-four today, so I'm going to dedicate this list of his old favorites and my new ones to him: the man who first showed me how to really love music.

Old Favorites

"Gloria" - Them from The Angry Young Them
*This, if you asked me, would be the one song in the world that would ALWAYS make me think of my dad. He was known (and frankly still is) for singing this song.

"When I'm Sixty-Four" - The Beatles from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

"Immigrant Song" - Led Zeppelin from Led Zeppelin III
*This song is probably responsible for blowing out the speaker on not one, but two of my dad's cell phones.

"Poison Ivy" - The Coasters, single

New Contenders

"War Party" by My My My, single.

"Bang Bang Bang" (video) - Mark Ronson & The Business Intl from Record Collection


"Claire's Ninth" - Ben Folds and Nick Hornby from Lonely Avenue
*Can I just say that this is a match made in heaven? They're both so funny and yet always manage to cut you to the quick with revelations.

"Cleveland Heights" - Timothy Monger from Summer Cherry Ghosts

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: Kelly Bennett, Junior Publicist

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The Other Side with Windish Agency Booking Agent Sam Hunt

Having worked at a record store, a concert venue, and a record label before settling down as a booking agent at The Windish Agency in Chicago, it's safe to say that Sam Hunt is a man of many talents. As a high school student, he even picked up a bass guitar and toyed with the idea of becoming a musician, but after his band Think Tank fizzled out when the members left for college, Hunt quickly realized that he preferred to be behind the scenes rather than on center stage. He explains, “I wasn’t good at playing bass and I really didn’t enjoy doing it, so rather than playing music, I decided I was better off helping others [with their music careers].” These days, Sam Hunt “helps” a number of famous friends, including Best Coast, The xx, Chromeo, Girl Talk, King Kahn & the Shrines, Low, Ra Ra Riot, GZA, Unkle, and CMJ Music Marathon returnees, School of Seven Bells, by booking their U.S. and international tours.

In between checking e-mails around the clock, booking shows, and seeing The Windish Agency's artists in concert, Sam Hunt (pictured above, working hard as usual) managed to squeeze in a little time for Green Light Go, to tell us what it’s like to be on the other side:

Green Light Go: How long have been a booking agent and what inspired you to get into this field?

Sam Hunt: Music is something I have always loved. I worked at a record store, a label, and a venue, [before becoming] an agent. I’ve been working at The Windish Agency for about 6 years, where I started out as an assistant. I can’t really imagine working in any other field. I still get excited about going to concerts and I still can’t believe people let me backstage…working [in the music industry] rules.

GLG: What is the day-to-day like as a booker?

SH: I check my email from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to sleep. If someone gets an email from me at 8am, it’s likely that I just woke up and am laying in bed, going through the messages that I missed while I was asleep. I spend most of the day emailing and talking on the phone. When I leave the office, I go to the gym, eat dinner, and then get back to work (ideally while watching baseball). I also go to shows 1-3 times a week and I travel 2-4 times a month to attend bigger shows or festivals.

GLG: What are some of the most noteworthy artists you've worked with in the past or are currently working with?

SH: All of the artists [I work with] are noteworthy in their own right, including: Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, Best Coast, Black Kids, Chairlift, Chromeo, Dan Deacon, Death Vessel, Deerhunter, Dirty Projectors, F**k Buttons, Girl Talk, GZA, King Khan & the Shrines, Lightning Bolt, Major Lazer, Matt & Kim, Panda Bear, Rjd2, and Yeasayer.

I work with bands that I think are awesome; that comes first. If I really love an artist, there’s a good chance I’ll want to work with them. My clients come from all around the world and play different types of music, so I don’t really specialize in any one [genre].

GLG: As a booking agent, 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?

SH: I work hard and so do my bands. [The artists I work with] like to make music and play it live, so I aim to help them [be successful]. If a band has totally unrealistic expectations, I will probably not work with them, because I’d be setting myself up for failure. I find it appealing when a [band is made up of] good people with good intentions, because I work closely with all of my clients and have a good relationship with many of them. It’s a lot more fun to work with people who I like personally and consider friends, as well as clients.

GLG: What is the best piece of advice you’d give a band that thinks they are ready to head out on the road for a tour?

SH: Figure out a budget before saying “yes” [to a tour] and keep expectations reasonable.

GLG: What is your favorite thing about booking bands?

SH: Seeing how bands grow and develop. It’s amazing to watch a band play before a huge, enraptured audience and remember seeing them for the first time in a basement to 15 people. It’s a very satisfying, exciting feeling.

GLG: What’s your least favorite thing about your profession?

SH: [My job] is difficult to get away from. Time is always passing and emails are always flying in. I start to feel like I’m falling behind the moment I step away from my computer…as a result, I rarely do!

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

SH: I’m listening to D-Lo (care of my little sister), La Roux, Soundgarden, Sharon Van Etten, Big Boi, Wavves, and Cartel Adams. As dorky as it sounds, I spend a lot of my time listening to the bands I work with. They make awesome music, I can’t help it!

GLG: What is one band that you’d love to work with and why?

SH: The Beatles. They were so good and seem like such nice dudes. [If I worked with The Beatles], I’d be the richest person alive…and I would have super powers.

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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The Other Side with Producer Roger Greenawalt

Hailing from the mean streets of Washington D.C., Roger Greenawalt migrated up to New York City before launching his career as a record producer and audio engineer in 1983. Over the past two decades, in between producing records for The Pierces, John Moran, and Radish, to name a few, Roger also managed to discover and record albums for indie darling Ben Kweller and the fiery-haired pop singer Colleen Fitzpatrick, better known as Vitamin C. Although the musician at heart plays over twelve instruments, including guitar (acoustic, electric, and pedal steel), drums, bass, banjo, mandolin, and keyboard, he is best known for recording the on-going project Beatles Complete On Ukulele, in which Roger is tackling the feat of re-recording all 185 original Beatles songs with 185 different artists. Every Tuesday for 185 consecutive weeks from January 20, 2009 until July 24, 2012, Roger releases one new Beatles cover accompanied with a personal essay on his website: Beatlescompleteonukulele.com.

We managed to track down Roger Greenawalt (who you can see pictured here with The Pierces and friends) in between recording sessions to find out what it’s like to be on the other side:

1. How would you describe your role as a producer?

To set the standard [for a] masterpiece and lend my utter confidence so [the artist and I] can create that masterpiece. I also want to make something as formally innovative as possible, while still being of service to the people. I still believe in grooves and hooks.

2. How long have you been producing?

My first production was in 1983. I’ve been a full-time producer since 1987.

3. What are some of the most noteworthy albums you've produced in the past?

The Pierces' Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge, John Moran's The Manson Family - An Opera, and Radish's Restraining Bolt. I also discovered Ben Kweller and Colleen Fitzpatrick (Vitamin C).

4. What projects/bands are you currently working with?

In July 2010 alone, I’ve worked with The Pierces, Alison Clancy, Lovely Liar, Julie Kathryn, Thinking In Pictures, Jonah Smith, Leah Siegel, Craig Greenberg, Cowboy And Indian, and Todd Carter.

5. Do you typically work out of one studio or do you go where a band needs you?

I work mainly out of my own [studio], but I will travel.

6.How do you know if you, as a producer, are a good match for a band?

I just need one crucial element: there must be a star in the band. Without a star, I don’t care.

7. What’s the best piece of advice you’d give a band that thinks they’re ready to record?

Build a business team. Art floats in an ocean of fame and money, so [an artist] needs to know and understand culture.

8. How does being a musician help with producing?

It is not possible to be a producer if you are not a musician, because only a musician can produce records. Anything else is executive production. If you don’t know music, the orchestra, or the history of jazz/pop/audio recording, you are throwing darts in the wind.

9. What’s your favorite thing about producing?

Listening to a brand new masterpiece over and over again with the people you just made it with.

10. What’s your least favorite thing about producing?

Philistines, amateurs, and cowards.

11. What instruments do you play?

Expert Level: Guitar, Ukulele, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin, Lap Steel

Proficient: Drums, Percussion, Keys, Pedal Steel, Programming

Best In The World: The Recording Studio, The Internet

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

I’m currently listening to Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti on vinyl, medieval chant, and female vocalists. I often listen to NPR and WFUV, especially The Trevor Wilkins’ “World’s Greatest Calypso Radio Show” on Friday and Saturday nights. I’m also into Woody Guthrie, because I just read the Joe Klein biography. I also like The National, I recently went to see them [live] and they were awesome.

The Other Side highlights the talented and very important folks behind the scenes of the music we listen to, featuring 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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Staff Infection: Sonic Shoulder Mixtape

It’s one of those weeks. You know, the kind where it seems like we’re all living Nintendo cheat sequences (up up, down down, left right, left right…). Even for a tragically optimistic, glass-half-full kind of girl like myself, the weight of the world feels just a little bit heavier at the moment. For those of you who are hitting a rough spot, are feeling the teeth of life sinking in, or as Jeff Tweedy of Wilco says, are in need a “sonic shoulder to cry on,” I’ve complied a few cheer-up songs that have been floating through my speakers, as a reminder that what goes down must come up. (This is a scientific fact according to Roberts’ Law of Emotional Physics). Until that happens, here’s a little audio bear hug courtesy of Green Light Go.

Wilco, “Wilco (The Song)” from Wilco (The Album)
The Flaming Lips, “Do You Realize??” from Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
Electric Light Orchestra, “Mr. Blue Sky” from Out of the Blue
George Harrison, “Here Comes the Sun” from Let it Roll
Eels, “Beginner’s Luck” from Hombre Lobo
Modest Mouse, “Float On” from Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Nada Surf, “Always Love” from The Weight Is a Gift
Ryan Adams, “Chin Up, Cheer Up” from Demolition

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: Lauren Roberts, Green Light Go Talent Coordinator/Publicity Client Scout

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Staff Infection: Family Ties Mixtape

What is a mixtape?

To some people, a mixtape is simply a collection of songs. For others, mixes are used to prepare for a significant event, like a first date or a road trip. Since I spend part of my day teaching Literature to community college students who often look older than I do and the other part of my day scouting out new clients for Green Light Go, I’m always on the move.

My iPod (which I endearingly refer to as “Pod Stewart”) is my saving grace, because my music listening habits are about as fluid as my lifestyle. One thing I love about my iPod is that I can use the “On-the-Go” feature to make a mini mixtape at the click of a button, to kick start my day or create a short list of favorite songs to listen to at a moment’s notice.

In the wake of Father’s Day, I’ve decided to make a little mixtape that relates to one of the most important themes in my life: my family.

When I was around five years old, my father (a former rock drummer), took our family on a trip to Graceland so that I could visit the home of my idol at the time, Elvis Presley. Growing up, I inherited my knowledge of rock history from my Uncle Dave, the man who presented me with my first Sony Walkman and The Beatles’ Help! cassette tape on my sixth birthday. Last summer, Dave and I had the pleasure of seeing Ian McLagan perform (one of our favorite Faces), which will always be one of my fondest memories. Ultimately, my family has been instrumental in shaping my love and appreciation for music, so I made this Monday Mixtape with them in mind.

Moving forward, my future Staff Infection columns will feature the Monday Mixtapes I create, so you can plug in a set of ear buds and race across town with me.

Monday Mixtape – Family Ties

Sam Roberts, “Detroit ’67” from Love at the End of the World

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, “Home” from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

The Beatles, “Help!” from Help!

Coconut Records, “Drummer” from Davy

Faces, “Ooh La La” from Ooh La La

Wilco, “Hummingbird” from A Ghost is Born

Pete Yorn, “Suspicious Minds” (Elvis Presley Cover) from Live From New Jersey

Photo (Left to Right) - Janelle Rogers, Ian McLagan, Lauren Roberts, David McIntyre, Uncle Dave Roberts.

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: Lauren Roberts, Green Light Go Talent Coordinator/Publicity Client Scout.

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Beatles Vs. Rolling Stones w/ The True Jacqueline

It may not not Halloween, but on Thursday, May 27 at the Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA, The True Jacqueline will be emoting the essence of The Beatles. In an event aptly titled The Age Old Question: Beatles or Stones, almost a dozen bands will play 15 minute sets of songs by either The Beatles or The Rolling Stones in a battle for a winner. We don't think there will be a winner, but it sounds like a fun night.

The True Jacqueline will tackle iconic Beatles' songs "Golden Slumbers," "Carry that Weight," and "Don't Let Me Down."

"Last time, it was a David Bowie / Velvet Underground show, where we played "Changes" by Bowie and "Heroin" by the Velvet Underground," singer/guitarist Noah Stevralia shared with us. "This one is more of a friendly competition to decide who is the better band, the Beatles or the Stones. I'm firmly in the camp of the former."



P.S. This battle will never end. I mean, can you really choose one? I wonder if there will be trash talk?


Beatles vs. Rolling Stones Night @ The Sierra Grille
Thursday, May 27.
21+
Cover: $3
Door Time 8:00 PM
Show Time 10:00 PM Click Here to Read More..

Jack Rabid of The Big Takeover on Leopold and His Fiction

The Big Takeover's infamous scribe Jack Rabid gave us a sneak peak at his glowing review of Leopold and His Fiction's Golden Friends EP before the next issue of The Big Takeover hits stands.

"This six-song EP is really a two-song teaser for a forthcoming third LP, with two songs each from last year’s Ain’t No Surprise and 2006’s self-titled debut added. Having reviewed Ain’t in issue 63, the new approach foreshadowed by “Golden Friends” and “Throne” is interesting torment. It’s hard to tell from such limited sample if the San Francisco trio are fully modifying their dirty-roots rock, gut-bucket shake ‘n’ shimmy that had me reaching for Gun Club, Tex & the Horseheads, Flesheaters, and Pontiac Brothers references. But with Thom Monahan (Pernice Brothers) producing, the lighter swamp blues soul of “Golden” is something I could hear Tom Waits howling in a graveyard—although Daniel James’ molasses voice is plenty sexy. “Throne” is just his voice and mostly just a quiet electric guitar playing a line like The Beatles’ “Something.” Bring on the LP." Click Here to Read More..

Neutral Milk Hotel Gets Uked

Always better than getting nuked, Neutral Milk Hotel will get uked when  Golden Bloom’s Shawn Fogel takes his show on the road with his latest project, Neutral Uke Hotel. It’s exactly what you think it is, Neutral Milk Hotel music played entirely on the ukulele. To be more precise, Fogel has arranged Neutral Milk Hotel’s 1998 iconic indie album In The Aeroplane Over the Sea into a collection of classic contemporary indie pop songs that he plays on ukulele.
This interesting idea came after Fogel worked with producer Roger Greenawalt's "Beatles Complete on Ukulele" project. Fogel explains, “After recording a version of the Beatles’ B-side ‘I'll Get You’ with Roger at his Shabby Road Studios, I performed with Golden Bloom, Guster's Ryan Miller, The Zambonis and Leah Siegel at the 2nd Annual Beatles Complete on Ukulele Festival held at Brooklyn Bowl this past December,” says Fogel. In March Fogel went to SXSW in Austin to play The Beatles Complete on Ukulele Festival alongside other artists including Ben Kweller.

“Inspired by Greenawalt's successful merging of one of the biggest bands in the world with one of the smallest instruments in the world, I decided to use the uke to tackle another major influence of indie musicians across the world: Neutral Milk Hotel.”

While additional shows are being confirmed for this summer, Boston fans can get a sneak peak when Fogel plays these nuggets on Friday, May 7 at the Arts at the Armory in Somerville. Click Here to Read More..

The Beatles Ukulele Style at SXSW

The Beatles are a bit of an inspiration for us--or at least the bands we choose to work with. Truth be told, I'm a sucker for a great pop melody. That said, it seems inevitable that Golden Bloom's Shawn Fogel would participate in the Beatles on Ukulele Party at SXSW this year. And with his good-natured soul being what it is, the multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire stepped in to help the Beatles cover band, The Eggmen, on drums--that is when he wasn't playing the front man for one of The Beatles 180 songs in the catalog. Austin's KXAN offers just a sneak peak of what you could expect from this super pop melody fest. Click Here to Read More..

Spinner Asks Grand Atlantic: The Beatles or the Rolling Stones?

AOL Spinner asked Brisbane, Australia's Grand Atlantic a few questions in anticipation of their showcase at SXSW 10.  The most pressing:

Beatles or Stones? "Now that is a tough one. I think as a whole, we probably lean towards the Beatles, but with a few beers we're almost as likely to choose the Stones. Probably the Beatles, overall."

Read the full interview at AOL Spinner to find out their craziest experience on tour. Heading to SXSW? Make time to catch the power-pop prowess of Grand Atlantic while you're there. Click Here to Read More..

Golden Bloom Plays Beatles on Ukulele Party at SXSW

Golden Bloom will play The Beatles on Ukulele Party at SXSW. The Austin event’s financial beneficiary will be EMI (the past two recipients were Warren Buffett and Yoko Ono). “We just wanted to express our eternal gratitude to EMI for bringing us treasures like The Beatles. Our goal is to help celebrate, not mourn the passing of EMI in these, its final days,” says Beatles on Ukulele co-founder, Roger Greenawalt of the struggling record company. occurring on March 17th and 18th at

The brainchild of producer Roger Greenawalt (Ben Kweller, Nils Lofgren, The Pierces) and David Barratt (Jimmy Page, David Bowie), they set to re-record every Beatles song with a release every week alongside an essay.

Beatles on Ukulele Party

The Patio at Jaime’s

802 Red River Street, Austin, TX 78701-3313

512.476.5149‎

Wednesday March 17 and Thursday March 18

11 AM - 6 PM

Check out Golden Bloom’s cover of The Beatles’ “I’ll Get You” .

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