Last week, Rock Hunt 2008 winners It Was the Best of Times stopped by the studio and took over the airwaves for Home BRU’d. DJ Shepherd interviewed them about how they felt about winning the Rock Hunt, how the band wrote their three singles, and what they thought of the other Rock Hunt bands. They shared the love and played songs by Rock Hunt semifinalists The Coming Weak and finalists Someday Providence, and played songs off of their new EP “Hot Blood,” which is due out in the next month or two. They also very articulately responded to questions about how people might associate them with Paramore. Aside from superficial similarities - having a female singer and fitting into the broad genre of alt-rock - they explained that their music was very different, in writing style, dynamics, and complexity. Check out the interview below, and listen to a few of their songs at myspace.com/itwasthebestoftimes. Click here to see more pictures!

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WBRU’s Rock Hunt at The Living Room on Friday night was quite an experience. DJ Shepherd and I started the night with a long and ill-advised walk all the way from the station in East Providence to The Living Room. Having never traveled there on foot before, we became a bit confused as to which direction was which, and found ourselves off-track on numerous occasions, often discovering that we were amid abandon buildings where the sketchy factor was exponential.

After this adventure of sorts, we found ourselves at the Living Room right in time to greet the bands and watch Awesome Brothers take the stage. They had already set up a screen onstage, and as we wondered what it was for, a video began depicting band members Luke and Ashleigh dressed in lab coats and goggles. Ashleigh talked incessantly, and Luke “vomited” spaghetti into her ear. The video was an appropriate precursor to what would prove to be a strange, yet strangely appealing, set that was very reminiscent of an Of Montreal concert. Videos flew by on the screen in time to the beat, all with a quirky-retro emphasis. Luke and Ashleigh put on an increasingly entertaining performance, complete with skilled used of a synthesizer, drum machine and keyboard. Their singing fit the music perfectly and sounded great, and Luke’s guitar complemented the sound well. The result was a show that was fun to watch and music that was more than appropriate for dancing. Read More

Be sure to tune into WBRU starting at 6:25 on Wednesday night and Saturday night for special broadcasts of Boston Red Sox Baseball.

We’re helping out Red Sox Nation and our friends over at Sports Radio 103.7 WEEI-FM by airing Wednesday’s Red Sox-Angels game and Saturday’s Red Sox-Rays game.

WEEI-FM will be airing Celtics playoff games…so BRU will be airing Sox games for the first time ever so you don’t miss a pitch of Red Sox baseball!

Note: Due to MLB restrictions, we are not allowed to stream Red Sox broadcasts online.

It was an exciting night at the Living Room last night! Three amazing local bands faced off in front of a large crowd for their chance to be the winner of WBRU’s Rock Hunt 2008. Awesome Brothers opened the night with a quirky-but-altogether-awesome performance involving crazy synth sounds, driving dance beats and music, and a series of strange but incredibly entertaining videos playing on a screen behind them as they performed. It Was the Best of Times came on second and blew us away with an incredible performance. They produced a complex, talented sound that was a perfect combination of standard, fun rock music and innovative new sound. Someday Providence finished off the night with an energetic performance that got the crowd excited and kept us all dancing. With a pop-rock style and skilled musicians, they put on a really fun set.

However, in the closing words of DJ Shepherd, “there can only be one winner on Rock Hunt 2008.” And the winner was It Was the Best of Times! Look forward to hearing more from all of these bands in the future, and listen to Home BRU’d at midnight on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning when DJ Shepherd will be interviewing It Was the Best of Times!

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Rock Hunt finalists the Awesome Brothers - Luke B. and Ashleigh C. - dropped by the studio this week. They talked to Lyra about their complicated stage set-up and the fact that they do not have a drummer. They discussed the origins of their band name and their album name, 300%. The Awesome Brothers also told Lyra about a rather interesting routine that they used to do at their shows, involving fur suits, stripping and outfits with self-portraits. The Awesome Brothers played at the WBRU Rock Hunt finals on Friday.

Check out WBRU’s podcast for the full exclusive interview!

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Vampire Weekend drummer Chris Tomson took over the station last week during Lyra’s show. Listen to the podcast to hear his explanations of all his song selections and his discussion with Lyra on a variety of topics. He talks about his working for college radio while he was in school and the musical interests and influences of the band. Chris Tomson shares everything from his memories of grade school to his experience touring in both England and the US to his excitement over their self-titled first album coming out. He even discusses tape decks, record players, eighth grade, and Seattle.

Check out the podcast for the takeover and interview!

Click here to listen

Eric Avery, the co-founder and formerly the bassist of Jane’s Addiction, came in and took over the station. He talks about his new album Help Wanted, the cover art, the songs, and politics. Avery discusses the changes in his work since Jane’s Addiction, other people’s comparisons of him to Joy Division, his decision to release his album under his own name, and his experience working his album. He spoke about his surprise over Jane’s Addiction’s success and the possibility of touring to support his new album. Eric Avery’s new solo album, Help Wanted, was released on April 8th.

Check out WBRU’s podcast to hear Eric Avery’s takeover in its entirety!

Click here to listen

Check out Death Cab for Cutie’s brand new music video, I Will Possess Your Heart! Also, be sure to pick up your tickets for Death Cab at WBRU’s first concert series show on May 9th at Providence Piers!

If you made it down to Jerky’s this past Friday, you had the opportunity to see four impressive bands from southern New England. For nearly three hours we were blown away by the talents of home-brewed musicians.

First up was Pleasure Pot, hailing from right here in Providence. I was told by a fan that the singer/guitarist Dave Ladin was formerly of Badfish, the Sublime tribute band, and I was pleased to see that his talent and musical style aptly led the rest of the band through a catchy set. Frankly, though, I enjoyed drummer Dan St. Amour’s singing the most, as a welcome surprise midway through the set. In the end, many of their songs sounded similar, but every song added something to the performance as a whole. I was left humming the tunes long after Pleasure Pot had left the stage. Read More

One of the biggest annual music festivals is on it’s way to the Tweeter Center! Pick up your tickets for the July 23rd show starting at noon on Saturday, April 5th! You can get tickets at the Tweeter Center Box Office on at ticketmaster.com. They’re only $26! Click here to see the press release.