Archive for January, 2010
Concert Review: Passion Pit at Boston’s House of Blues
January 12th, 2010 • 3 comments Boston, Concert Review, Electronic
Tags: Dirty Dishes, House of Blues, Magic Magic, Passion Pit
Months ago, I was looking to see if there were any good shows during our winter break in Boston. Growing up outside of Boston gave me many opportunities throughout high school to catch great concerts in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville; so, any time that I’m home, I try to see a show or two if I can. By some miracle, Passion Pit, based in Boston, were playing a show the last week I was home and the tickets were only $25. I immediately bought them; after missing out on their last concert in Boston (with Phoenix and Spoon, reviewed HERE), which sold out the first day, I knew I had to act fast.
There was a lot of excitement leading up to the show—it was like the cherry on top of my winter vacation. I’ve been listening to Passion Pit for a few months now and recently they’ve become extremely popular, so I knew there would be a lot of interest and a lot of different people at the concert. Read more »
Become a Monkey Editor
January 11th, 2010 • Press Release
Tags: Application, Editorial Staff, The Monkey, WRBC
The Monkey Blog by WRBC (http://wrbcradio.wordpress.com) is the new Internet-basedmagazine published by Bates College Radio. We are currently accepting applications for our editorial staff. The application is attached as a PDF, and, as we are so new, many positions are open.If you do not wish to be an editor, remember that anyone is welcome to write,photograph or film for the Monkey and submissions are always accepted through wrbcmonkey@gmail.com.
When completed, this application should be returned to Doug Ray (dray@bates.edu or Box 660). If you feel like you need more room to answer a question, please staple anextra piece of paper to this one with the rest of your answer on it. Applications are due January 22, 2010. Late applications will be considered after all other applications have been considered.
Eclecticity
January 11th, 2010 • Commentary, Genres, Op-Ed
Tags: Bright Eyes, college radio, eclectic, last.fm, Lil Wayne
If there is one buzz word associated most with the world of college radio, it is the adjective eclectic. It is in some sense a self identifier; as college radio is normally free format in nature, the breadth of music played can cross a multitude of genres from Heavy Metal to Opera. Indeed, even on the most pretentious radio stations the label of “eclectic” is often applied to its greatest extent.
Take a look at the WRBC schedule and you will find more than a few programs that, lacking a thesaurus, described themselves as an eclectic mix or an eclectic blend of music. Today’s college students are not restricted to the confines of one genre and many shows broadcast on WRBC cross genres over the course of two short hours. Read more »
Upcoming Album Release Dates of Note
January 1st, 2010 • News, Release Calendar
Tags: album release, beach house, calendar, dr. dre, eels, erykah badu, field music, final fantasy, groove armada, hot chip, jonsi, Lil Wayne, lupe fiasco, ok go, seabear, Spoon, the whigs, the white stripes, three 6 mafia, vampire weekend, wyclef jean, xiu xiu, Yeasayer
It takes a few weeks following the holiday season for album releases to really pick up, but by the time we have all reconvened in Lewiston, Maine and throughout the up coming weeks and months there are a few releases to look out for. Here is a list of some that I am particularly excited about.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy) — Heartland
OK Go — Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky
Vampire Weekend — Contra
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Eels — End Times
Spoon — Transference
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Beach House — Teen Dream
Los Campesinos! — Romance is Boring
Three 6 Mafia — Laws of Power Read more »
Commentary: Musician for our Generation
January 1st, 2010 • Commentary, Folk, Hip Hop, Op-Ed, Rock
Tags: death cab for cutie, eminem, jay-z, kanye west, Lil Wayne, mgmt, Radiohead, red hot chili peppers
Looking back in time, every generation has a small handful of bands and singers with which they are culturally linked, such as the Beatles and Bob Dylan for my parents’ generation and Bruce Springsteen, who gave a voice to the subsequent generation. Up until the present because it was extremely expensive and difficult to record and distribute music, it took real talent just to get an LP pressed, but digital technology has really changed the playing field. Popular music now transcends the confines of a single genre.
So as I sit at home watching the various New Years countdown specials, I started to think about who is the musician or band that defines my generation in music as many of the performers put in front of me I had never even heard of. So I wondered, in 2050, when I will be 63, who will the kids talk about as being emblematic of music of the late 1990s and early 2000s? Read more »