SXSW – Is it the best music festival?

March 15th, 2010 • Commentary, Op-Ed, Texas • No comments

There is certainly no music festival in the United States quite like the famed South by Southwest festival (SXSW) held annually in and around Austin, Texas. It is an absolute certainty to say that students of the University of Texas and workers in the Texas government are very lucky to have this one-of-a-kind event invade their city every year.

The truly special thing about SXSW when compared to other large-scale music festivals in the United States such as Bonaroo in Tennessee or Coachella in California is that SXSW is not really aspiring to be the next Woodstock. The concerts are deliberately small and held in venues across the city. Venues that might not normally host concerts are transformed into hip spots to see some of the world’s finest musical talent perform. Read more »

Album Review: While the Fire Dies (EP) by Seabear

March 15th, 2010 • Album Review, Folk, Iceland • No comments

Let’s make one thing clear here, Iceland’s Seabear is without a doubt one of my favorite bands of all time. Their succinct anti-folk sensibility is unique even within the confines of the seemingly overcrowded world of the folk revival that is currently still in its indie infancy.

From the time that I first played their 2007 debut, The Ghost that Carried Us Away, my love of Seabear, as my friends might tell you had bordered on insanity and irrationality, but its all in good fun.

Alongside their recent full-length release (a very good album, by the way), We Built a Fire, the band chose to also put together a brief EP called The Fire Dies Out. The two records seem similar at the core, obviously the instrumentation is basically the same, but the EP is, truthfully an experience unto itself. Read more »

Toro y Moi, Washed Out and Small Black Photoblog

March 12th, 2010 • Photo Gallery • No comments

Here are some pictures snapped by WRBC Events Coordinator Liana Blum during the concert featuring Toro y Moi, Washed Out and Small Black on March 5, 2010

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WRBC New Rock Charts and Adds, 3/9/10

March 10th, 2010 • Charts • 1 comment

Enter the Chillwave

March 5th, 2010 • Maine, News, Video • 2 comments

Tonight in the Benjamin Mays Center at Bates College will be a concert of seemingly epic proportions, especially if you are a fan of the increasingly popular “chillwave” genre. The concert begins at 9:30 PM and features the musical stylings of the following performers:

Small Black

Washed Out

Toro y Moi

Entry is just $1 and, without a doubt, if Pitchfork was there, they would be enjoying this show. Read more »

CHARTS and ADDS 3/2/10

March 3rd, 2010 • Charts • 1 comment

Finding WRBC

March 2nd, 2010 • California, Maine, Video • No comments

While the Super Bowl is certainly first and foremost a football game, the advertising is also a big reason why people tune into the program. Google, who normally doesn’t waste their time or energy on television marketing put in a really cute advert called “Parisian Love” to this years program, and I have simply been in love with it.

As advertising it sends an interesting and clear message on a pretty low budget and with limited audio, no celebrity faces and little gimmicks. My kudos to the ad people over at Google for creating such a piece.

In a moment of intrigue, I wondered if I could create a similar piece for our humble little radio station. While being a little different, this keeps in the tradition of the Google advertisement. Nevertheless the sentiment is more in line with our little operation here in Maine.

Listen On.

Read more »

Concert Review: Snoop Dogg in Lewiston, Maine

February 28th, 2010 • Concert Review, Hip Hop, Maine • 1 comment

There are few things that I can imagine more ridiculous than me meeting the rapper Snoop Dogg, the mastermind behind such classics as Gin & Juice, Drop it Like it’s Hot, and Beautiful.

Now, if you told me when I was a young naive first year student that not only would I, within the next four years, not only see Snoop Dogg live in concert but also that I would meet him, I would not have believed you in the slightest. Furthermore, if this was all to happen at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, I would have categorized this among the mythological, something only possible in the world of Harry Potter.

However, this actually did happen. I did see Snoop Dogg perform. I did meet Snoop Dogg. This did happen at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Read more »

Week in Review (2/28/10)

February 28th, 2010 • Maine, News • No comments

Thom Yorke’s new band is now called Atoms for Peace. He announced a tour and played some new songs.

“World Sick”, a new Broken Social Scene song, hit the internets.

Vampire Weekend made a pretty good video.

People are liking Joanna Newsom.

Ditto Hot Chip.

Of course, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out and Small Black are this upcoming Friday.

Pretty sure Snoop Dogg was here. Read more »

Concert Review: Le Loup in Paris (with Video)

February 26th, 2010 • Concert Review, Folk, Rock, Video • 1 comment

Le Loup, The Wolf in English, is Jim Thomson, Sam Simkoff, Robby Sahm, Michael Ferguson and Christian Ervin. Their most recent album, Family, was released on Hardly Art in September of 2007, a record label started by the founder of Sub-Pop, Jonathan Ponerman. Read more »