At this point if you cannot acknowledge Brooklyn as a hot bed of creativity then you've been sleeping on Mars. What is so amazing about the borough across the bridge is that all forms of artistic expression are fostered and embraced. Everyone loves DJ's but what happened to good old fashion instruments? Well if you're like us then you look to Brooklyn as the beacon of hope. Isle of Rhodes is one such band that engages with the quirky but cool side of Brooklyn. They have a fun up beat sound that will make any grumpy old man tap his feet. Though it may be apparent from their title, Isle of Rhodes is centered around a rhodes, which is an old electro/mechanical keyboard. The bands lead performer Rob Farren is an extremely passionate musician, whose musical influences ranging from Mozart to Radiohead add to the group's killer sound. Their music is familiar but keeps you wanting more. We were lucky enough to sit down with the band and have a chat about their roots, what inspires them each day, working with Grammy winning producer Jason Corsaro and their latest album "All Rivers and Oceans."
HELLO PHILADELPHIA! With the warm weather looming and festivals impending, we know you're in the mood for some musical love in the coming weeks. Youll be glad to hear you have a seemingly endless list of musical options happening soon, including Steve Aoki, The Weeknd, Bassnectar, John Legend, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Death Cab for Cutie, Acid Mothers Temple (which is obligatory), Andrew Bird, Spriritualized, M83, and tons more. Also, the Spring Edition of the Punk Rock Flea Market is coming up on May 13, which is always a great time, so don't miss it! As always, if we forgot a show or you want something listed, comment below.
Feeling musically starved? Need a concert fix? We've got you covered. Here are some incredible shows coming up in the next few weeks.
(p.s. If you got Kraftwerk Tickets, you suck.) (p.p.s. If there are any shows/artists you want us to add, comment below!)
3/28
Cloud Nothings/A Classic Education/Crinkles (Glasslands)
3/29
Last night’s Andrew Bird show at the Guggenheim was like an art buffet, just so much creativity in a culture overload. The landmark museum was a remarkable setting for the one-man expert at sound. The building was art, the art was art, the gaggle of attractive fedora wearing ladies was art and even the speakers were art.
Playing in a spiral silo, although epic in presentation, can create some acoustic challenges. Andrew Bird took the museum with plenty of firepower in the form of a Sonic Arboretum put together by Ian Schneller of Specimen Guitars. “The room is difficult with all the smooth surfaces. It is very resonant. It’s like a big horn… So working with that resonance is very challenging. But Andrew know how to work a room like this” said Nadine Schneller wife and owner of Specimen Guitars. The Sonic Arboretum included 53 beautifully crafted hornlings and hornlets that were placed around and around the cyclical Guggenheim. The infamous spinning Janus Horn that blasts sound as it rotates at high speeds had a unique effect on the room.
I sincerely hope I am not alone in my excitement of news regarding a new album featuring songs made popular by those always entertaining, fur-laden icons of positive entertainment, the Muppets. The Disney Corporation announced at this year’s 23rd annual company expo, D23, that they will be releasing an entire album of classic tunes covered by some of the most prominent artists in the music industry. The new album, Muppets Revisited, will feature Andrew Bird performing “It’s not Easy Being Green,” The Fray with their version of “Mahna Mahna,” Amy Lee singing on “Halfway Down the Stairs,” My Morning Jacket on “Our World,” and Weezer playing a much anticipated version of “Rainbow Connection.” No official release date has been revealed as of yet, but sources hint that the album will become available sometime in February of 2010.
Andrew Bird, the multi-instrumentalist from Chicago whose "Noble Beast" debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 in January, has added new dates to his continuous touring schedule.
Bird will make his appearance at Radio City Music Hall on June 17. His early summer tour also includes appearances at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston and the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta. Tickets for all the shows go on sale today, March 6, through Ticketmaster.
Since the release of "Noble Beast," his eight studio album and second on Fat Possum, Bird has expanded his live touring band from a trio to include Mike Lewis on bass, clarinet, and vocals. Lewis joins fellow Minneapolis natives Martin Dosh (drums, keyboards) and Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar, vocals) in the group.
Andrew Bird, the multi-instrumentalist from Chicago whose "Noble Beast" debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 in January, has added new dates to his continuous touring schedule.
Bird will make his appearance at Radio City Music Hall on June 17. His early summer tour also includes appearances at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston and the Cobb Energy Center in Atlanta. Tickets for all the shows go on sale today, March 6, through Ticketmaster.
Since the release of "Noble Beast," his eight studio album and second on Fat Possum, Bird has expanded his live touring band from a trio to include Mike Lewis on bass, clarinet, and vocals. Lewis joins fellow Minneapolis natives Martin Dosh (drums, keyboards) and Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar, vocals) in the group.
Not to be outdone by the announcement of the Coachella lineups last week, the lineup for 2009’s edition of Bonnaroo has leaked to the internet today. Bonnaroo is one of the other most heralded outdoor music festivals in the country, and last year Rolling Stone magazine named it the “Best Festival” of 2008. It takes place annually every summer on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee.
Bonnaroo primarily first focused on jam bands, but has since branched out to include artists from a wide array of genres. However, this year the concert is getting back to its roots by featuring perhaps the most prominent of the jam bands, Phish, as its headliners. The Vermont-based band has been on hiatus since 2004, but Phish heads will be thrilled that they are playing three reunion shows in Virginia in April, and than performing two sets at Bonnaroo.
Noble Beast is the fourth and latest solo studio album from indie rocker and violin virtuoso Andrew Bird. In some ways, the album, which came out on January 20th on Fat Possum Records, sounds like what one would expect from an artist who lives on their own in an old farm in western Illinois; it’s a rustic sounding, sometimes introspective and sometimes carefree collection of indie-folk and bucolic sounding pop songs. But there is much more to Noble Beast than expertly-played violin and folk guitar strumming. The follow up album to Bird’s critically acclaimed 2007 album Armchair Apocrypha is lavishly textured and has a rich attention to detail.
Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavilion
Antony And The Johnsons The Crying Light
Andrew Bird Noble Beast
Bon Iver Blood Bank
Combichrist Today We Are All Demons
John Frusciante The Empyrean
Lisa Hannigan Sea Sew
Carl Newman Get Guilty
Or, The Whale Light Poles And Pines
Reel Big Fish Fame, Fortune and Fornication
Umphrey's McGee Mantis
Matt York Mine Digital release Nov 4th