ok, I already knew several of my friends' bands were playing CMJ.
I hadn't realized how many amazing bands from the UK were actually coming.
it's insane. most of these are from the UK.
Alessi's Ark - UK
Appomattox - friends of mine - US
Bikini - US?
Blood Red Shoes - UK
Brodinski - UK
Dan Black - I've missed him three times now (Dot to Dot last year, Ultra this year, 9:30 Club this year), this will be the fourth. talk about comedy of errors. - UK
The Drums - US
Everything Everything - friends of friends of mine - UK
Fenech-Soler - UK
Ferraby Lionheart - UK
Frankie and the Heartstrings - friends of mine - UK
The Good Natured - UK
Philadelphia Grand Jury - AUS
Phoenix - I have no idea why they need to play CMJ. they've been selling out venues everywhere. weird. - FR
The Postelles - friggin' amazing, I saw them / interviewed them last weekend. Postellementalism. (sorry this embed isn't great live quality, EMI won't let me embed their official video for 'White Night' - go here to watch it). opened for the Futureheads in the spring, then headlined at Koko. amazing. - US
Sky Larkin - UK
The Static Jacks - they opened for Biffy Clyro here last week, and the Futureheads in the summer. 'nuff said. - US
Two Door Cinema Club - friends of mine, they put out my fave album of 2010. if there was one band to see, this is them. - technically UK b/c they're from N. Ireland, but they probably want to be known as IE.
if you have the opportunity to go to CMJ this year - GO. you have been briefed. go forth and prosper!
24 September 2010
22 September 2010
is British indie is better than American indie?
interesting article from NME tonight. British indie bands have difficulty making it big in America and have had this issue for years. for a while I thought it was b/c of sheer size - I mean, even if you've had a great show in New York City, people in Tulsa have never heard of you.
but now I think it actually has more to do with the commercialisation of radio in America and the lack of real proponents of the American independent music scene. or independent music in general for that matter.
the best recent example I have of the music appreciation divide - not just indie, b/c I don't consider Biffy Clyro indie in the UK, surely! - was their inability to sell out the 200-capacity DC9 venue last Wednesday. they sell out Wembley regularly, for god sakes.
gig reviews from the night:
my Click review
my TGTF review
oh, here's the link to the NME article, before I forget...
Why British Indie Bands Still Can't Break America
and here was my response, let's see if it actually posts.
"American indie types who display a similarly encyclopaedic knowledge of UK indie tend to get dismissed as weirdo anglophiles."
yep, that's me - I couldn't have said it better myself. a lot of this ignorance has to do with the radio stations in America, 99% of which are commercial.
thanks to the internet, the world is a lot smaller and should Americans want to know about British indie or any country's indie, they can read all about it online. but they're not going to get any on local radio stations and certainly not on MTV. we don't have a Lammo, a Huw Stephens, or even a Zane Lowe to champion the little guys of the independent music scene. unless you're actively looking for something non-mainstream and willing to go that extra mile to do the research, you're not going to find it.
Editor, http://www.theregoesthefear.com
but now I think it actually has more to do with the commercialisation of radio in America and the lack of real proponents of the American independent music scene. or independent music in general for that matter.
the best recent example I have of the music appreciation divide - not just indie, b/c I don't consider Biffy Clyro indie in the UK, surely! - was their inability to sell out the 200-capacity DC9 venue last Wednesday. they sell out Wembley regularly, for god sakes.
gig reviews from the night:
my Click review
my TGTF review
oh, here's the link to the NME article, before I forget...
Why British Indie Bands Still Can't Break America
and here was my response, let's see if it actually posts.
"American indie types who display a similarly encyclopaedic knowledge of UK indie tend to get dismissed as weirdo anglophiles."
yep, that's me - I couldn't have said it better myself. a lot of this ignorance has to do with the radio stations in America, 99% of which are commercial.
thanks to the internet, the world is a lot smaller and should Americans want to know about British indie or any country's indie, they can read all about it online. but they're not going to get any on local radio stations and certainly not on MTV. we don't have a Lammo, a Huw Stephens, or even a Zane Lowe to champion the little guys of the independent music scene. unless you're actively looking for something non-mainstream and willing to go that extra mile to do the research, you're not going to find it.
Editor, http://www.theregoesthefear.com
16 September 2010
this week's Roundtable (16/09)
Lammo is joined by Jeremy Hardy, Matthew Wright and Damon Gough (aka Badly Drawn Boy).
1. Chapel Club - 'All the Eastern Girls' - filling the doom rock void left by White Lies. where ARE White Lies, anyway?
2. Mt. Desolation - 'Desperation' - what is this, ugh. country rock, Eagles redux. this is what Ron Vannucci left the Killers for?
3. the Jolly Boys - 'The Passenger' - el.oh.el. not as bad as I feared.
4. Freebass - 'The God Machine' - umm....
5. Warpaint - 'Undertow' - the winner - I don't get why everyone is loving this sort of music. I'm gonna see what all the fuss is about when I catch Best Coast in 2 weeks.
6. the Joy Formidable - 'I Don't Want to See You Like This' - good stuff. I may see them in November, we'll see.
7. Manic Street Preachers new album - I can't really comment b/c I like the new singles but I'm not a MSP fan from way back, so I can't tell if this is MSP by numbers.
1. Chapel Club - 'All the Eastern Girls' - filling the doom rock void left by White Lies. where ARE White Lies, anyway?
2. Mt. Desolation - 'Desperation' - what is this, ugh. country rock, Eagles redux. this is what Ron Vannucci left the Killers for?
3. the Jolly Boys - 'The Passenger' - el.oh.el. not as bad as I feared.
4. Freebass - 'The God Machine' - umm....
5. Warpaint - 'Undertow' - the winner - I don't get why everyone is loving this sort of music. I'm gonna see what all the fuss is about when I catch Best Coast in 2 weeks.
6. the Joy Formidable - 'I Don't Want to See You Like This' - good stuff. I may see them in November, we'll see.
7. Manic Street Preachers new album - I can't really comment b/c I like the new singles but I'm not a MSP fan from way back, so I can't tell if this is MSP by numbers.
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