Phantogram, Yellow Roman Candles visit Bates

June 21st, 2010 • Concert Calendar, Concert Review, Electronic, Events, Folk, Maine, News, Rock, Uncategorized

Electronic rock duo Phantogram and local folk group Yellow Roman Candles lit up the Bates campus on May 20th, with Bates DJ Jamie Cook closing out the show.  Yellow Roman Candles, based in Bath, Maine, journeyed up to share several original compositions with a growing crowd of Bates students in the Mays Center.  The mellow lights and reverberating acoustic instruments set the tone for the group’s stellar performance.  In the words of WRBC’s Doug Ray:

Yellow Roman Candles is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Aaron Morse, and based on their first release, If It’s Right, there is a sense that this band could really make a run at achieving a certain level of national notoriety. The album certainly has shades of LaMontagne’s earlier work. Its gritty and working-class sensibilities leave the listener transported to perhaps a greater understanding of the plight of much of middle America….. If It’s Right is a decidedly raw album, which, if given a few listens can really tear into one’s soul. It’s part Springsteen and part Dylan, but certainly all Maine. Not to say that I am surprised, but this simple little album proves that Yellow Roman Candles will one day be deserving of a place among the pantheon of great Maine folk musicians.”

Phantogram took the stage next, playing songs off of their recent full-length release, Eyelid Movies. The performance featured Josh Carter on guitar and keyboardist Sarah Barthel playing and singing over big-beat inspired drum machines.  The band’s simple setup echoed the style of Matt & Kim, who proved that complex is not always best at a Bates show last fall.  Barthel mixed the performance live onstage, layering different parts to create a sound that was both expressive and danceable.  It was easy to see why the duo are known for their energetic live performances.  The night was capped off with a DJ set from Bates’ Jamie Cook, a preeminent campus DJ.

http://www.myspace.com/phantogram
http://www.myspace.com/theyellowromancandles
http://www.myspace.com/jamiemcook

Photographs courtesy of Peter Senzamici

WRBC to present Seabear (IS) on March 29

March 10th, 2010 • 1 comment Folk, Maine, News, Press Release
Tags: Benjamin Mays Center, seabear, We Built a Fire

On March 29th at 8:30pm in the Benjamin Mays Center, WRBC will present a concert featuring Seabear.

Seabear is an Icelandic indie-folk band from Reykjavik, Iceland. Although hailing from Iceland, they sing primarily in English. They are signed to the Morr Music record label.

Seabear started as a one-man project of Sindri Már Sigfússon, but he eventually ended up taking in six other members.

In 2007/2008, the Seabear song ‘Cat Piano’ was featured in a BBC advert for Finding Neverland as well as in Season 2, Episode 2 of Gossip Girl (TV series). Seabear’s most renowned song is “I Sing I Swim” – the music video for the song was viewed more than 582.000 times on Youtube as of November 2009.

Seabear’s music has been described as “Sufjan Stevens meets an unplugged Arcade Fire” by Clash. Sindri Már Sigfússon has been called the “icelandic Beck” by Rolling Stone.

They have finished their new album “We Built A Fire” which will be released in March 2010. A song from this album has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy and been highlighted on NPR

This is the only college show of their first ever North American tour. It’s free, and it’s going to be stupendous.

Trivia Night XXXI – Friday, February 26, 2010

February 19th, 2010 • News
Tags: Trivia Night

Trivia Night is coming up. The game to end all games will be played on the night of February 26, 2010 beginning at 8 PM. Here is a video some of us made to get you into the spirit. For more information, click HERE

2009 – The Year in WRBC

December 18th, 2009 • 1 comment Commentary, Maine, News
Tags: 2009, Anamanaguchi, Art-In, Black Taxi, FM Belfast, Friends Academy, Glenn Jones, Matt and Kim, Retrospective, Trivia Night

2009 was the 51st year of WRBC on FM

2009 was an interesting year in the history of WRBC. The saw several key changes and its prominence on campus grow to a significant degree. It was a year marked by a variety of concerts, excellent programing, and a few bumps along the way. The WRBC board and the station at large has worked hard to make 2009 one of the best years in our over 50 year history on FM and hopes to build on that momentum in 2010.

Thus, here is a partial rundown of everything that was accomplished over the past year.

January 15: Winter Semester general meeting, we welcome new members onto the board and completely fill the schedule for the third semester in a row.

January 17: Concert by Black Taxi (With Class of 2010 Co-Presidents and Bates Musicians’ Union)

February 28: Concert by FM Belfast (With Bates Musicians’ Union) Read more »

WRBC in Icelandic Newspaper Fréttablaðið

March 12th, 2009 • Electronic, Iceland, News
Tags: FM Belfast, Fréttablaðið, Iceland, iceland airwaves, united states

WRBC in Icelandic News

Bates College is now a known entity in the country of Iceland. The local paper, Fréttablaðið, covered FM Belfast’s journey to Bates in a March 10th article. The article has been translated by Bates professor, Aslaug Asgeirsdottir.

“Discussed the Icelandic Recession”

The danceband FM Belfast recently returned from a two-week trip to the United States where they participated in a variety of things.

FM Blefast played a concert at Bates College in Maine where they also participated in a seminar on the collapse of the Icelandic economy. Áslaug Ásgeirsdóttir, a professor of politics at the college lead the seminar. Read more »