Ra Ra Riot | WOXY Lounge Act

Are you going to see Ra Ra Riot headline Bowery on March 7? I am so excited to see this band rule the stage, in what is bound to be a fantastic show debuting a number of new tunes off of their upcoming full-length. It may be sold out already, but I bet if you get there that night, you could get in. But don't quote me on that.

The band took over the wonderful WOXY a couple weeks ago, and their blog, The Futurist, has just posted a number of tracks, and another very cool video. Definitely worth checking out.

woxy.com presents Ra Ra Riot from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.

Jukebox The Ghost | Lounge Act, WOXY

Definitely one of the best I've heard (and I basically listen to them all). Fantastic job boys, and the wonderful WOXY. Watch the really frickin' cool video, and download the whole thing while you are at it! Catch Jukebox The Ghost at Union Hall February 9 with Mason Proper. I'll be djing! (And not smoking).

woxy.com presents Jukebox the Ghost from Soft City Lights on Vimeo.

DOWNLOAD: Jukebox The Ghost Lounge Act

Find single tracks over at WOXY's blog, The Futurist.

Upcoming WOXY Lounge Acts

I just squealed in glee.

This Thursday, January 10th - Jukebox The Ghost 2:00
This Friday, January 11th - The Muggabears 1:00
Wednesday January 16th - Mason Proper 3:00
Wednesday January 30th - Ra Ra Riot (special evening session) 7:30

www.woxy.com

CMJ '07: A Quick Recap

Well, it's over. And I'm still exhausted, but satisfied. I had a great week working and hanging out at Indaba and meeting tons of people along the way. First of all, a HUGE thanks goes out to the wonderful folks at Indaba Music for letting Seth and I take over their work and home space for an amazing lineup of bands. Every person that climbed those stairs was happy they did in the end, and we couldn't have had such a great time without them. All of the bands that played were simply wonderful. I'll have all my pics and a couple videos up in a bit, but for now..let's look at what went on this week.

Best Show (Other Than Indaba): We Are Wolves @ Annex. Wasn't expecting these guys to do much for me live, but I was totally blown away. Talk about a nice way to rock out on a Thursday night. Couldn't have asked for a better experience.

Worst Show: Black Kids @ Annex. Perhaps due to the technical difficulties, but it was an uncomfortable show going experience. Took the band too long to get on stage, and when they finally did, after one song their guitar amp blew out. I still like the band, from the four songs I've heard, but would have passed on this had I known it would have ended this way.

Overrated Act: Cut Off Your Hands. One big "eh".

Underrated Act: Tim Williams. Saw him twice and was completely blown away both times. His album is quickly rising to the top of my favorites this year, and his live show has been brought to new levels with his band. Totally amazing. Followed, of course by Wakey!Wakey!, Mason Proper and...

Best crowd: Jukebox The Ghost @ Indaba. Holy Crap! Packed to capacity and all singing along. I found myself front and center of a sweaty sweaty room and the boys just nailed each number to their adoring fans. The "yeah's yeahs" during "Good Day" was classic. Close second? The intense fans at the Jesse Lacey and Vince Accardi show at Mercury. Pretty cool to see first hand.

Best meet up: Shiv from WOXY! I heard his voice across the way at San Loco and couldn't have mistaken it for anything. Was so nice to finally meet the guy, albeit short. Followed by West Coast favorites, Princeton and Let's Go Sailing.

Best panel: The Almighty Blog. Was horribly disappointed the day before sitting through "PR On A Shoestring" (where they blatantly bashed blogs and gave no help for bands trying to get their names out on a small budget) but was brought back to sanity by the amazing panel for "The Almighty Blog." It was nice to see a very diverse panel with a unique conversation about where we are going in this crazy world of musical journalism.

I didn't see a whole lot outside of Indaba, but must say I had a great week seeing some of my favorite people and bands. Can't say I'm not ready to get back into a regular schedule though. My TV is calling me...

Friday: Knockout @ Matchless

I almost forgot that I had told Chris I would dj his next Knockout show, but I sure am glad I did. The lineup is pretty superb that I may have to leave more of the dj duties to Pat, who will be manning the decks alongside me. Aw, shucks.

See you there, or you will be totally and utterly square.

Where will you be when the music dies?

Sean asked me last night if I only blog now when I'm angry about something. It almost seems to be the case, but I swear it's not done on purpose. But this, in fact, a great place to rant and rave, so if you get the impression that I'm some nutcase who is constantly angry at the world, know that it's only one part of me. The other part likes puppies. And flowers.

But here we go with a little bit of a rant, that hopefully (*crossing fingers*) will work out for the best.

If you've been keeping up with some news, you are aware that the Copyright Royalty Board has implemented a royalty rate increase to all internet radio stations, nearly double what they are paying right now. What does this mean? Your favorite radio stations may not survive. And for someone who is head over hells in love with WOXY, among others, this makes me very concerned.

You see, it's kind of ridiculous. First of all, internet radio stations are the only ones who are playing a diverse range of music and aren't controlled by Clear Channel. They are the ones supporting the artists that need it the most. And they are happy, yes thrilled, to pay the artists their royalties, but there is no need for this absurd increase. Streaming online content is not the same thing as downloading an MP3. Ask the artists. They'll say the same frickin thing.

Okay, enough with the ranting -- let's look to what can be done. The Copyright Royalty Board is done with the case. They can't change their ruling now, but Congress can. And thanks to organizations like the newly formed SaveNetRadio, you can do your part by writing to your Congressman. Within its first three days of existence, the campaign has sent more than 250,000 messages asking them to set a reasonable rate that will save internet stations from going under. Check out their website for more information, and cool nifty little banners you can put on your blogs, myspaces, etc.

I interviewed spokesperson Jake Ward for a CMJ News Article. Here's what he said about the future, if nothing is done:

"Very few [Internet radio stations], if any, will survive," says Jake Ward, a spokesperson for the SaveNetRadio coalition. "And those that do survive will be challenged to provide the service we enjoy today, because Internet radio's greatness is driven by its diversity, which is a result of technology, no limitation of 'space' for the stations, and creative competition and energy."

Don't let this happen. Please, please, do what you can to make this known. And if you are in a band, you could follow the Truckee Brother's actions: they won't release their next single to anyone but the internet radio stations, and for free.

Can you imagine what would happen to indie music if there are no longer internet radio stations? My goodness, I don't even want to think about it.

Birdmonster vs. Mason Proper

In case you didn't know, two of my favorite bands are currently on tour right now. They will both be in New York this Saturday at Gramercy Theater, so you are a fool if you don't buy your tickets asap. Oh, and did I mention Miss Jena Malone and her Bloodstains will be opening? Oh yes. This will be interesting.

Anyways, I came across this hilarious myspace bulletin that Mason Proper posted that gives you a little insight into their tour thus far. Here is an excerpt.

detroit
was the jam
it was a small crowd
because it was tuesday
and mew was playing a mile away
and it was pouring rain
and many other excuses that i make to sluff off responsibility
but the people that WERE there
were the greatest persons in the history of persons
and those that came to love on birdmonster
loved on mason proper
and those that came to love on mason proper
loved on birdmonster
and mason proper and birdmonster loved on each other
and i guess that means it was kind a big gross love orgy
but you should've been there
because there was an epic ping pong battle between
zac mason proper
and
justin birdmonster
and when the smoke cleared
justin stood,
paddle smoking,
over zac's ping pong ball-addled corpse
and so we had to have zach birdmonster be our zac for the night

Genius.

Mason Proper recently did a lounge session for WOXY. You can download that here.

Birdmonster debuted some brand spanking new songs on MPR which turned out to be an amazing acoustic set. I can't wait to here these new songs again, and until Saturday, you can stream the performance here.

The boys also stopped by Sirius' Blog Radio and Dodge has some mp3s. Sah-weet.

See you Saturday.

Please Visit Your National Parks | Oxford Collapse

Like I said, I'm pretty ecstatic it's Friday. The parental unit is in from the land of London for a couple more days, so I get a nice yummy dinner, all expenses paid, this evening from some guy at the Food Network. I think its Bobbly Flay. I can never keep track of those guys. Then it's time to reorganize my life this weekend, which will include (in no particular order): laundry, cleaning, cd-listening, book shelf organizing, alphabetizing, hair product purchasing, hydrating, and....oh yes, oogling over The French Kicks. That will be recapped for you on Sunday, don't you worry.

I hear "Please Visit Your National Parks" by Oxford Collapse on WOXY at least once daily. Every time, I like it a little bit more. Today, I decided, I am a fan.

Take a listen. Enjoy your weekends. Be nice to each other. And buy me a puppy.

Oxford Collapse - Please Visit Your National Parks