Bridges & Powerlines Bear It All at CMJ

Bridges & Powerlines are about to give a sneak peak of their upcoming album, Eve, when they hit the road this week. The album may not be out until January 18, 2011, but the guys proved last week they are here to "bear" it all in a special "Playtime!" performance during CMJ through the music blog Modern Mystery.





Bridges & Powerlines Tour Dates
11/12 Cal’s Liquors, Chicago, IL
11/13 Cicero’s, St. Louis, MO
11/14 Old Miami, Detroit, MI
11/15 Melody Inn, Indianapolis, IN
11/16 Al's Bar, Lexington, KY
11/17 Caledonia Lounge, Athens, GA
11/18 The 529, Atlanta, GA
11/19 Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
11/20 The Cave, Chapel Hill, NC
11/21 The Pourhouse, Raleigh, NC Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday-The Deli

1. How long has the Deli been operating?

Since 2004, our first print issue had Grizzly Bear on the cover.

2. What makes the Deli different from other websites?

We only cover artists locally, so if you are based in NYC you only get reveiwed/blogged about in the

NYC Deli. We are currently covering 2 scenes in print (NYC and LA) and 9 online, including Chicago,

Philly, San Francisco, Austin and New England.

3. Do you think the Deli has a specific musical niche?

Definitely: emerging indie artists and songwriters + their fans + music industry people interested in finding new

bands.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

Buke and Gass' debut full length CD.

5. How does the Deli support independent music and what is important about doing so?

Constant exposure through the local blogs, live showcases, artist of the month polls, our charts, opportunities to

play big fests like CMJ and SXSW... it's important because most bands express the best music

in their first few years of activity, and because the scenes we cover need this kind of service.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect

do you think that has on bands?
Probably, but I believe print is still loved by most people. But it will only survive if advertisers

believe in its effectiveness. The problem is that web advertising is way too cheap, and that's why

advertisers are cutting on the print side of things. This is great for exposure (there are so many new

blogs where a band can get a write up) but the quality of writing suffers quite a bit. So you get more

quantity and less quality.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

I read obsessively the Time Out NY Music Listings and occasionally any blog out there. I also often go

through the listings of some local venues in search of bands I'm not aware of. Our priority is to find

new bands nobody knows about, rather than writing again about the more established ones (something that

we still do anyway).

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started the Deli?

When Grizzly Bear played our first issue's launch party at Sin-e` - great feeling of accomplishment. Of course not that many people knew them at the time. Also seeing each issue finalized in print is always great.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

I'm really not that obsessed about interviewing people. I'm obsessed about finding great music. But

interviewing Syd Barret or Captain Beefheart would be an interesting experience.

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

I would love to be in The Pixies (favorite band ever) or in The Sugarcubes because I'm in love with

Bjork.
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

BLURT ON TWITTER
@BlurtMagazine

BLURT ON FACEBOOK
Click Here to Read More..

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.

Follow La Blogotheque on Twitter
Like La Blogotheque on Facebook

Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday: Aquarium Drunkard, A Taste of the Eclectic

Aquarium Drunkard features a barrage of eclectic sounds ranging from vintage garage, psych, folk, country, New Orleans funk, r&b, and soul. Based in Los Angeles, the man behind the scenes, Justin Gage, also runs the indie label, Autumn Tone Records and his eclectic tastes can be heard on the weekly, two hour, Aquarium Drunkard Show which air on Fridays from noon-2pm EST on SIRIUS/XM satellite radio’s XMU (channel 26) and XM radio (channel 43). And truth be told, this show has been known to scratch at my proverbial itch for French music a time or two.

Gage is also 1/4 of the Mondo Boys sound collage collective and authored the 2009 guide/travelogue Memphis And The Delta Blues Trail.

What can you find on Aquarium Drunkard? From vinyl giveaways like the one that occurred for Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin’s Je T’aime…Moi, Non Plus to interviews with The National (High Violet happens to be one of our favorites of the year), Arcade Fire and The Love Language, the blog runs the gamut from genre to content, all the while staying true to it's eclectic nature. Gage also goes straight to the source with members of bands such as Portugal the Man, Josh Rouse, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and Lucero who have acted as guest contributors to the column entitled "Diversions".

1. How long has Aquarium Drunkard been operating?
Five & 1/2 years

2. What makes Aquarium Drunkard different from other websites?
The voice.

3. Do you think Aquarium Drunkard has a specific musical niche?
Anything with soul, anything you can feel.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
Light In The Attic Records reissue of Jim Sullivan’s 1969 album, U.F.O.

5. How does Aquarium Drunkard support independent music and what is important about doing so?
My label, Autumn Tone, has been in existence almost as long as AD. It's about as independent as it gets. We also put on shows, festivals, etc. in L.A. and across the U.S. While we have done (and still do) a number of Autumn Tone showcases the majority of what we do, event-wise, is through Aquarium Drunkard. The Mission of Burma and Thurston Moore shows were some early ones that were pretty special as I had been a fan of both for many years. As far as most memorable, I would say AD's WAVED OUT fest. We are gearing up for WAVED OUT II September 25th (with Dungen headlining) and I couldn't be more excited.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands.
For better or worse, yes. I still like a good rag, but it's becoming increasingly hard for them to keep up. The Internet loves its 'firsties.' Not saying that as a good thing either. It leaves less time for artists to work out the kinks before the spotlight finds them. Remember, the Beatles were around five or so years before any real success.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own? I really like Soul Sides, Cold Splinters, Raven Sings the Blues and Rising Storm.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started Aquarium Drunkard ?
Just interacting with the readers. They are really great/inspiring/interesting. The back and forth between the readers and myself has yielded some amazing discoveries --- old, unreleased demos, live recordings and videos have all landed in my email address via like-minded readers over the years. At best the blog's post inspire conversation, debate and more in the readers.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be? It would probably be someone like Sam Phillips of Sun Records or some of the old Delta blues guys. The real primordial shit.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
Something fun and way over the top. Led Zeppelin. Yeah, Zeppelin.

Follow Aquarium Drunkard on Twitter.

Every Monday we turn the tables and interview one of our favorite media outlets on how they contribute to the indie rock scene and what they see as the future of music journalism.
Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - Glide Magazine Talks Billy Bob Thorton, Fleet Foxes, and Elvis Costello

Glide Magazine is more than just a music website. The site has so much information, it actually has its own blog Hidden Track, which is filled to the brim; that's how much music they cover. From breaking music news, live show reviews, CD reviews, mp3s, and more, Glide is one of the few independent music sites that honestly evolved from jam bands into every genre. Literally in one day you could read about both Disco Biscuits and The Swell Season, or Umphrey's McGee and Chromeo or Norah Jones. Glide's Shane Handler gives us the scoop.

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Glide been operating?
Glide began in the fall of 2002, and we officially launched the site in early 2003. At that time we were a monthly online magazine, in that we posted news and reviews daily, but would publish a new batch of features and columns monthly, following the more traditional print-model. As we grew, we eventually moved to a daily updated site. In October of ‘06 we moved into the blogosphere with the launch of our popular blog, Hidden Track, which has a similar focus, but a voice and identity all its own.

2. What makes Glide different from other websites?
We’ve never shied away from bands or styles or genres, and always felt that if it was good, it was good...regardless of the pocket a band gets wedged into. Ironically, that wide range of coverage followed a parallel to the ever-changing music landscape that’s been morphing and growing since we launched seven years ago. When you look at the inaugural Bonnaroo from ‘02 and follow that up to the age of the festival and crossover genres and acts we’re currently in now – where any authentic act or genre is a plausible booking - we’ve kind of been living in that same vein since the beginning. So as our audience has grown, discovered new sounds, and moved into various musical territories, we’ve been growing and absorbing all of it right alongside them. Since that’s always been the mission so to speak, it’s given us a great sense of credibility to continue to expand our coverage and push boundaries without seemingly like we’re trying to hop on the next buzz band or genre and be something we’re not.

3. Do you think Glide has a specific musical niche?
Yeah, we cover it all, but our roots are in the jam scene...so at the end of the day, everything stems from that.

4. What albums are you looking forward to coming out?
Neil Young (TBA Daniel Lanois-produced album; Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan, Hawk; Black Mountain, Wilderness Heart; Fleet Foxes (TBA), Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Pt 1; Dr. Dre, Detox; Elvis Costello, National Ransom.

5. How does Glide support independent music and what's important about doing so?
We’ve always sought to discover new music and find innovative artists, and the independent music community is obviously a great place for that. And as independent publishers, I would imagine most bloggers and site editors feel like they are a part of something larger - pouring hours of yourself into the site, devouring new music, tapping into an exciting band no one has stumbled onto yet, nudging their exposure a little and watching the buzz begin to build. It’s fun to be part of the process from the ground level.

Our Hidden Track installment, Blips, features bands under the radar and oftentimes focuses on independent artists. Fleet Foxes was actually a Blip spotlight at one time, so as I noted above, its great to discover these bands, help get the word out and watch the story unfold.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
Online is just such a dominant medium for music discovery – it’s immediate, it’s efficient, it’s innovative, it’s sharable, it’s adaptable and it’ll continue to be a focal point for social media. Print is a different beast...it’s a solitary relationship you have on a train or on the can, and it’s great for long-form content. They are equally as strong, with varying capabilities and potentials. We could really throw a third tier in here and talk about the social equity of a band as the distribution extension for print and online – not taking precedence, but an essential in the viral exposure and integration into a fan base’s extended community.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
There are so many great sites, but Hidden Track has a blogroll that’s pretty indicative of what we keep in the bookmark folder.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started Glide?
When we were granted a phoner with Billy Bob Thornton, I was both elated and justifiably, somewhat terrified. I prepared (and psyched myself out) more for that interview than any other I’ve ever done in my life. In the end, it ended up being one of the best times I’ve ever had speaking at long length with an artist. We covered a ton of ground, he opened up about a lot of different aspects of life and the conversation was genuine. Then a few months later he completely throttled that guy (Jian Ghomeshi) on Canadian public radio and I realized how bad that interview could have gone for me. I’d like to think that I had something to do with bringing out his good side, but I’ll never know.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
Any of these: John Lennon, David Bowie, Neil Young, James Brown, Ray Charles, Robert Johnson, Keith Richards, Bob Dylan, or George Harrison.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
I’ll say AC/DC. They were the first band that melted my face, sitting on the baseball field at recess in fourth grade. Twenty years later, in the middle of the night, on a highway in Tennessee, listening to "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll" and the rest of High Voltage with the faint lights of Bonnaroo coming up in the distance, it still resonates like no other.

Like Glide Magazine on Facebook
Follow Glide Magazine on Twitter
Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - PopWreckoning Talks The Books and Tchaikovsky

Up-to-date music news, live reviews, interviews and album reviews, PopWreckoning does it all and more. By the way, our own Shawn Fogel (Golden Bloom/Neutral Uke Hotel) is quoted on the site saying, "PopWreckoning is better than Pitchfork." Love it. Managing editor Bethany Smith took time out of her hectic schedule (just look at how much information is on PopWreckoning) to answer our MM questions.

Music Monday Q&A with PopWreckoning

1. How long has PopWreckoning been operating?
PopWreckoning began in 2007 as PopWreck: a creative outlet for founders Joshua Hammond and Jessica McGinley to discuss their views on pop culture.

2. What makes PopWreckoning different from other websites?
We're not gimmicky and we don't say things just to sound cool or elite. We are honest and earnest in our love of music and the arts.

3. Do you think PopWreckoning has a specific musical niche?
We cover a wide scope of artists, but we do lean toward the indie side. We really just want to help the little musicians succeed by helping spread the word about them. Mainstream pop artists don't really need our help in the same way, although we'll still give them love.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
I think everyone is pretty excited about the new Arcade Fire. I'm also pretty excited to finally have some more stuff from The Books. And though I really just want more Rilo Kiley music, I must admit I'm curious to hear the Jenny and Johnny album. Finally, we're psyched for the Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra collaboration: Bad Books. Those are some of our favorite bands and I'm surprised it has taken this long for them to work together on a project like this. We got to hear a few of the songs already and the world had better be ready to be blown away.

5. How does PopWreckoning support independent music and what is important about doing so?
All of our staff has deep ties to our own local music scenes. We do what we can in our communities to help those bands get national exposure and shows. Another one of the things we do to support independent music is sometimes we take a step back from the PR pitches being tossed at us and take the time to just browse MySpace or last.fm on our own until we discover something we like. It's important to support independent music because everyone deserves a chance to be heard and they need to be heard because they bring variety to music. Without variety, this isn't a culture as much as it is a machine. We need the independents, if that makes sense.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
Online is definitely important. I don't know if I'd say it takes precedence over print. Rolling Stone has such a rich heritage; I don't think you can discard something like that. But the print publications have all needed to add some sort of online component. Which I think is great. I think the effect that the Internet has had on the bands has been great. I mean, this is music we're talking about and now, at your finger tips you can just click a link to hear the song for yourself to see what a reviewer is talking about rather than set down your pages and just have to take a writer's word for it.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
As far as music blogs, BrooklynVegan has consistently been great in its coverage, especially photography-wise. We also like to venture outside of music.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started at PopWreckoning?
I think it would have to be the first festival we covered. You become so isolated sometimes working online, but at a festival you're surrounded by people who do the same thing that you do and love the same thing that you do. It’s a big awakening to realize you're shooting in a pit next to someone from one of your favorite publications and you can finally put a face to bloggers.

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
I'm not sure if this counts because he is a composer, but I'd love to talk to Tchaikovsky. I think people forget how much the classics influence the music we listen to now and Tchaikovsky is one of those composers who has had a song that has marked almost every significant event in my life.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
That's a hard question. You almost want to say something like the Beatles, but really I'd be content with just any band that's just happy to be performing - someone whose happiness is contagious like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros...

Like PopWreckoning on Facebook
Follow PopWreckoning on Twitter Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - Medleyville.us Talks Spoon, The Gaslight Anthem, Arcade Fire and More

With the endless amount of music websites and blogs popping up, it’s hard to keep on top of them all. Medleyville.us might not currently be on your radar, but we hope to change that. Chris M. Junior, founder and editor of Medleyville, is not just a blogger, critic and editor; he is a massive music fan. Yes, we all are, but after talking with Chris, it was nice to hear that while he’s up to date on indie and underground bands, he’s also got a firm familiarity in music from past eras. He can use those music roots to connect artists he loves like Tom Petty, Sam Cooke and Carole King to My Morning Jacket and Neko Case, etc. He gets extra points for pulling out Buck Owens and Sam Phillips. Chris not only has a lot to say about the state of music criticism, he has a lot to say in general. We dig that; we’re talkers.

Music Monday Q&A with Medleyville

1. How long has Medleyville been operating?
Medleyville.us was launched March 1, 2004. I came up with the idea for the site a few months prior and had a friend handle the technical side of things. I decided to launch my own site in order to keep myself busy between full-time journalism gigs. I also thought it would be a productive way to keep my name out there as I tried to hustle up some paying freelance writing opportunities.

From the start, I’ve had a handful of music-savvy friends with writing backgrounds contribute to the site as well. I never wanted Medleyville to be a one-man show, and it’s safe to say the site wouldn’t exist without their input.



2. What makes Medleyville different from other websites?
…It focuses on both emerging and established artists from various genres and eras. It’s more like an online version of a general-interest music magazine, hence the motto “music coverage for eclectic tastes.”

Another thing that’s a little different about my site is I prefer to run interviews and features. These days, anybody can write a CD review and post it online, but not everyone can conduct a good interview with an artist or write an interesting narrative feature.

Something else that’s a little unconventional about the site is the way we do CD reviews. There are three formats: a traditional review that’s a few hundred words, a collection of one-paragraph reviews known as Quick Spins and a multi-author, conversational-style review of a single release called Disc Discussion. No matter what, we try to be fair in our criticism and commentary and not resort to pontificating or taking cheap shots.

3. Do you think Medleyville has a specific musical niche?
Not really, and I think that’s what makes the site different from most others. Rock tends to dominate Medleyville, but I don’t discriminate against any style. My personal musical collection runs the gamut, and I see nothing wrong with a website covering a wide musical range. I know the tendency these days is to serve a niche audience, but writing about one musical style all the time would bore the crap out of me.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
A lot of the albums I was looking forward to this year have already been released. They include the new ones by Spoon, Vampire Weekend, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Gaslight Anthem and Justin Currie. As for what’s on the horizon, I’m looking forward to Tin Can Trust, the new Los Lobos. I’ve been a fan of the band for more than 25 years. I recently heard a cool new song by The Arcade Fire that now has me interested in the rest of The Suburbs.

5. How does Medleyville support independent music and what is important about doing so?
The term “independent music” means different things to different people. To me, it has nothing to do with a specific sound. Indie music means any act – new or veteran, regardless of genre – that’s not with one of the remaining major record labels/music corporations and has a strong DIY ethic. That said Medleyville.us does support indie music. But one important qualifier for all artists looking for coverage on my site – and exceptions are very rare -- is that they must be touring acts. Anybody can sit at home, record a song, post it on MySpace or wherever and claim to be a musician or an artist, thinking an online presence is a way around playing gigs. I hear from people like that from time to time.

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
Yes, I think there are a few online publications that are very much on par with print magazines. Pitchfork, for one, is probably as important today as Rolling Stone or Spin in terms of having its finger on the pulse of what’s new, good, different and important. There’s no doubt that the impact of online publications on bands has been tremendous. On the positive side, bands have plenty of outlets they can pitch for coverage.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
I read the online and print versions of Billboard, Rolling Stone, Spin and Time Out New York on a regular basis. I’ll pick up Paste, Magnet and Alternative Press now and then.

As for blogs, I check out Pitchfork, BrooklynVegan and Time Out New York’s The Volume. Also, I often listen to the online streams of radio stations from around the country, such as Austin’s KGSR, San Francisco’s KFOG and Philadelphia’s WXPN, and their respective sites have good, useful news and information. I also read Jim DeRogatis’ Pop N’ Stuff blog. Jim is one of the best music writers today, and he also is a co-host of the radio show “Sound Opinions” with fellow Chicago music journalist Greg Kot.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started Medleyville?
There have been a few. Recently, John Mellencamp’s website posted my short review of his box set On the Rural Route 7609 on his news page. For a little site like mine to get a mention on a major artist’s site, that was a surprise and a thrill. Generally speaking, the past year or so has been important and satisfying for Medleyville. In that time, I’ve had more artists, publicists and labels contact me about being featured on the site. That tells me we must be doing something right. We’ve come a long way…

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
Of artists who are still alive, I’d have to say Keith Richards, Paul Westerberg, Tom Petty, Elton John and Elvis Costello. I’ve never read an interview where any one of them just phoned it in. After those guys, the list would include Carole King, Steve Cropper, Neko Case, My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Allen Toussaint, Steve Earle, Todd Rundgren, Stevie Wonder and George Jones.

As for deceased artists, at the top would be Buddy Holly, followed by Sam Cooke, Rick Nelson, Marvin Gaye, Buck Owens and producer Sam Phillips.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
I’d say Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Booker T. and the MG’s and The Byrds. Those three epitomize what I value most in bands: great chops, instincts, restraint and taste – and, of course, great songs. And in the end, it always comes down to great songs.

Like Medleyville on Facebook Click Here to Read More..

News Roundups from Brooklyn Vegan, Prefix, Jewcy and more...

Brooklyn Vegan announces Neutral Uke Hotel dates.

Prefix Magazine deems the Naked Hearts an Artist to Watch, stating "they make bare-bones indie rock more in the mold of the Breeders than the Vivian Girls."  StereoActive NYC reviewed their recent album, Mass Hysteria, saying it "left us with a full heart and a happy glint in our eyes."


Jewcy profiles Shawn Fogel of Golden Bloom, Neutral Uke Hotel, The Leevees, Macaroons, and The Zambonis in The Big Jewcy. (I'm telling you, this guy has E.N.E.R.G.Y). 

FernTV asks Shawn Fogel a few questions about Neutral Uke Hotel in anticipation of the NXNE shows.


Jersey Beat's Jim Testa plays The White Ravens' "Tick Tock" and Alan Cohen Experience's "Einstein" on his weekly radio station "Rock & Roll Gas Station." Listen on BlowupRadio.com - Thursday nights at 10 pm, Sundays at 7 pm, Mondays at 6 pm and ThePenguinRocks.com - Mondays at 1 pm and 8 pm, Tuesdays at 7 pm

Snob's Music announces the release of Neil Nathan's This Distance Calls due out August 24th. They say of the singer-songwriter, "Nathan is one of the most promising songwriters I've heard in years.  His lyrics are clever and he manages to pens hooks that are so sharp you could go fishing with them."

Record Dept reviews Naked Hearts album saying, "the entire album is incredibly strong. Alternating turns on vocals, Cooper and Wheeler complement the evocative, grungy guitar lines that sound both familiar and fresh."

Faronheit posts Alan Cohen Experience, Neutral Uke Hotel, and Neil Nathan mp3s.

Wildy's World reviews Gwyneth & Monko's upcoming EP Good Old Horse, saying "Gwyneth Moreland & Michael Monko carry with them old-time charm that's steeped in the Appalachian tradition. The comparison of Moreland to Lisa Loeb is apt if Loeb lived 100 years ago in the mountains of West Virginia. Don't be surprised if Gwyneth & Monko become darlings of the folk circuit over the next few years." 

Harris Radio features Avi Wisnia's "New Year"  on Podcast #12.

Women of Substance plays Gwyneth & Monko's "Lexington Ballad" on their Americana show. Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - The Devil Has the Best Tuna Talks My Bloody Valentine, MIA and More...

Music Monday with The Devil Has the Best Tuna

The Devil Has the Best Tuna is an odd name for a music blog, but we're fine with that because they have been staunch supporters of Green Light Go artists. Based in Liverpool, England, "The Devil is dedicated to unearthing known, unheard, unseen, unheralded, unfamiliar or down right unbelievable bands old or new that have not yet hit the radars of the British public." Main Devil, Paul Kerr has reached out to North America, picking up on the newest State-side bands as well. He does such a great job, we decided to let him keep his "European/Canadian" way of spelling things like "flavour."

Music Monday Q&A

1. How long has Devil been operating?
The Devil's first post was on Sunday August 6, 2006 ... titled "I've Started Something." I started it because of a band called the Monolators. I loved their sound and wanted to share their brilliance with the world. I can’t believe that it was nearly four years ago and the blog is still thriving.

2. What makes Devil different from other websites?
The Devil focuses on the unheard, the unknown, the unseen, the unheralded, and the unfamiliar. The type of band that lost a champion when the late great John Peel died. The Devil takes the road less travelled seeking out talent and originality in those dark corners that others pass by. You’re more likely to find an Indonesian Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound alike on The Devil Has The Best Tuna than the latest blogosphere flavour of the month.


3. Do you think Devil has a specific musical niche?
The Devil is too eclectic to be considered niche. I write about bands that excite me, that move me, that make me laugh, that make me cry, that make the world a better place. There’s something for everyone on the blog whether you’re into Americana, Brit-pop, alt-rock, shoegazing, punk, junk or avant-funk.

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?
I love the use of the word contemporary just in case I was looking forward to the Greatest Hits of Vera Lynn or Engelbert Humperdinck's latest oeuvre! I’d love to be able to say I was looking forward to the second La’s album and the new My Bloody Valentine album ...but I assume you mean albums that are likely to see the light of day!

Although they’ve already released albums this year I’m already looking forward to hearing more from Happy Birthday, First Aid Kit and Tiny Vipers. I’m hoping that the amazing Gaggle will be releasing an album sometime soon and I can’t wait to hear ‘Surfing The Void’ the much anticipated new Klaxons album. Other albums that I’m hoping will make my ears smile are M.I.A’s ‘/\/\/\Y/\’, The Coral’s ‘Butterfly House’, Bombay Bicycle Club’s ‘Flaws’ and School of Seven Bells’ ‘Disconnect To Desire.’

5. How does Devil support independent music and what is important about doing so?
The Devil’s mission is to bring independent music to a wider audience. I spend hours each week searching the Internet for the wired, the weird and the wonderful. As well as the blog, I tweet on independent bands and I wax lyrical about independent bands on Facebook. I like to think I do my bit!

It’s important to do so because if music was left to Simon Cowell, the suits, and the major labels we’d be served up nothing but over hyped, over processed homogenized common denominator, spreadsheet rock. Wallpaper music for lifts and shopping centres and what a dull, boring and excruciatingly irritating world that would be. So it’s important to support independent music if only to wipe the smile of Simon Cowell’s smug self satisfied face”!

6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazine? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?
It may be a generalisation, but where oldies like The Devil cling like limpets to the printed word, the younger the music fan the more likely they will get their information online rather than through print. The online world is more democratic and provides many more opportunities for bands to be heard and to reach beyond their hometown audience. However the sheer size of the Internet can make it difficult for bands to make themselves heard. The blogosphere can sometimes seem like the biggest closed shop in the world with the same bands appearing on multiple blogs. It’s often the bands with the best PR companies, not necessarily the best bands that get the most publicity. Plus ca change!

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?
As you would expect I read a lot of different music publications and blogs to both keep up with what’s happening in the world of music and to find new bands that I’ve not yet stumbled across to feature on the blog. There isn’t enough room to list all the various blogs/publications that I read but those I find myself returning to time and time again are MP3Hugger, Song By Toad, Artrocker, NME, Mojo and Uncut.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started your blog?
The most definitive moment was when I got my first reader on the day I posted my first blog. It was that one reader who made me think it was worth continuing. I wish I knew who he or she is so I could thank them for making an old Devil very happy. Without their curiosity the blog may never have gotten past the first post!

9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?
Alive would have to be Morrissey, but I’d probably be struck dumb and end up asking him something really stupid. Dead would be John Lennon and I’d ask him was the Walrus really Paul.

10. If you could be in any band (of all time), who would you rock with?
At the risk of being boring it’d have to be The Smiths, although given my lack of musical talent and being tone deaf I’d probably end up on flower duty.

Follow The Devil Has The Best Tuna Blog
Follow The Devil Has The Best on Twitter Click Here to Read More..

Music Monday - FensePost

Welcome the first edition of Music Monday. Each Monday we will feature a Q&A with the bloggers, critics, writers and taste-makers behind music websites, blogs, magazines and other publications that keep us all in touch with the latest in new music. First up...

Music Monday with FensePost - The Indie Music Blog

"Based in the fertile lands between Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC," FensePost.com is truly about supporting independent music. With live concert reviews, music news, CD reviews, videos and so much more, FensePost is more of a fan blog that has turned into a site worth checking out daily to learn about new bands. We were fortunate to get FensePost's very busy Andrew Fenstermaker to take a second from checking his other 982 unread messages in his inbox to tell us about how it his love of undiscovered music and fondness of Swedish bands that keeps him going every day. The staff may be small at FensePost, but they are mighty and mighty busy. Fenstermaker is the main writer for the site, but is a champion of new music writers, giving unknown critics a chance to be published. He also makes a point on how being a blogger can be a daily stress, trying to fit enough into the blog while maintaining a life outside of the Internet.

Music Monday Q&A


1. How long has FensePost been operating?

FensePost launched in June of 2006 after I finished my MBA. I started it to keep up with my passion in music as I left my college radio station, KZUU. We started with two to three posts per week and have grown to two posts per weekday on average. It's primarily just me, but I have a few loyal writers to toss stuff my way on a fairly frequent basis. I probably write about 2/3 of the posts under the guise "Fense" which was my DJ name in college (a rendition of my last name, Fenstermaker).

2. What makes FensePost different from other websites?

We don't really follow the trends or hype. Sure, we'll cover the hot bands on occasion, but we like to place a great emphasis on covering truly unknown bands that we think are great. Of course, I recently posted a live review of a James Taylor / Carole King concert I went to with my parents, but that's a rarity. Most music is independent. I also write about a lot of Swedish bands.

Another thing that's different about FensePost is that anyone can write for the site. Part of the reason I started it was to give young music fans an outlet from which to write if they so desired without the need to create an entire site on their own.



3. Do you feel FensePost has a specific musical niche?

Not really, outside of independent music. As writers, we each have our preferences. I love indie pop and have had a huge thing for garage since The Legends' Up Against The Legends (Labrador Records, 2004). Ron, who is my most consistent contributor likes pop, rock, folk and even covers an occasional hip hop artist. Cyndi, a new contributor from Oregon, has passed along a lot of great folk. I even cover jazz on occasion (I have a fairly extensive classic jazz LP collection).

4. What contemporary albums are you looking forward to coming out?

I wrote a piece recently listing a few reasons why Sub Pop could very well dominate my 2010 best of list. They've passed along some really great albums this year so far, and I think they've got some amazing stuff lined up. I'm SUPER excited that Hardly Art will be reissuing the old Carissa's Wierd [sic] albums, although that's not really contemporary. I'm also looking forward to seeing what Slumberland (Records) has in store for us in the second half of 2010. And I'm pretty excited to hear new stuff on Woodsist (Records), which dominated my "10 Bands I Should Have Checked Out in 2009" list from a month or two ago.

5. How does FensePost support independent music and what is important about doing so?

I think it's important as a blogger to not only support bands that you (the writer) feel are good and worthy of promoting, but that you also do your part to support the artists you love. I receive a lot of albums in the mail and digitally for free by bands and labels and promotion companies that want me to write about their band. If the group has a single or released an album on vinyl and I really like it, I'll do my part and pick it up on vinyl. It supports the band, and I have the means to do so (from time to time). In today's digital world, I don't think a lot of young people who grew up with readily available free music (albeit not necessarily legal) understand the importance of what that type of support means.

I try my best to only post songs that have been cleared by a band to be posted, and I do my best to link to labels and band websites where readers can order an album directly from the artist or label. I think both of those elements are an important part of supporting independent music.


6. Do you think online publications are taking precedence over print magazines? What kind of effect do you think that has on bands?

I'm kind of immersed in the social media world, so I would have to say yes. But I don't think print magazines will go away. They just need to change in a way that makes sense. People will always buy magazines, but these publications will need to find new ways to reach their audience. I think there's a great opportunity for them using devices like the Kindle and iPad.

As for the second half of the question, there's a big shift that's occurring. It doesn't matter if you're in a band, own a small business, or are part of a large organization, you have to think of this stuff differently these days. What's put out there today is public in a way that's completely different than yesterday. If I told my friends of a great band in the 90s, it only went so far. It mattered, but it was different. That type of "word of mouth" still exists, but due to the dominance of blogs and social networking, it's now global.

7. What blogs/publications do you read other than your own?

As much as people hate Pitchfork, I like to visit the site once every few weeks and check out their Forkcast. I think it's really relevant and they cover some really great bands. I'm also a huge fan of Daytrotter and have been since their seventh session (Drakkarsauna). Locally in the Pacific Northwest, we have a few really great blogs. There's IndiePages, which is occasionally updated with some very super underground pop from around the world (Chris Mac recently opened a record shop and mail order in Seattle; you all should go buy stuff from jigsaw-records.com). My favorite these days is Finest Kiss.

8. What has been your most definitive moment since you started FensePost?

I think a good definitive moment came about two months ago. I was getting a bit overwhelmed with everything... work, personal life, home ownership, turning 30 (soon), and I had an epiphany: the world won't end if FensePost isn't updated. As a blogger, we set strict regimens for ourselves that are sometimes unrealistic. I would love to post three times a day, but I also want to keep my house clean, have a nice looking yard, and watch Arrested Development for the 67th time. You can't do everything. You can't listen to every band that sends something your way. It sucks, but that's just a part of life. What you can do is this: do what you can, and have fun doing it. It's kind of a recurring definitive moment... I have the same epiphany about once every six to nine months.


9. If there is any musician/band you could interview (dead or alive) who would it be?

I'm not much of an interviewer, but I'm trying to get into it a bit more. I'm pretty stoked -- I'm just about to send off a few questions to the band that released my favorite album of 2009, Venice is Sinking. I think it would be great to pick the brain of a master like (Brian) Eno or (David) Bowie or even Tom Verlaine (guitarist for Television). Maybe even Morrissey, although he'd probably just get pissed at me 'cause I'm a huge Smiths fan and I'd want to know all about what his beef is with his former band mates and why they won't get back together.


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

The Smiths or Television. Maybe Sweden's best pop band, Acid House Kings. I have a huge thing for Swedish pop. Click Here to Read More..

Why You Shouldn't Release Your Record Now

I admit this headline is a bit misleading, because we would never discourage a band from releasing a record. We would however discourage you from releasing an album right away. We often have bands approach us as they are finishing their record with an agenda of releasing the record the following week. There are always a few pieces of advice we give bands to ensure a strong publicity campaign for their release, the first one being to wait to release the album.

These are a few reasons why you should wait:

• Print publications like Under the Radar and Paste Magazine operate on deadlines, often times anywhere from three-six months in advance and they will only cover bands who release a record in that time frame.
• Even though blogs such as Pitchfork and Stereogum have shorter timelines, they still need time to get to know who you are and allow time for the buzz to build so they have a reason to cover you.

This is why we operate three months in advance of the release, so we can both build a buzz in advance of the release and work within the deadlines of the magazines we are working with.

If you are an unsigned band releasing an album, you can always release it locally with a shorter timeline (we recommend six weeks if you are running a publicity campaign). Click Here to Read More..