To close off our 38th birthday month, WBRU could barely have asked for a better gift: Cake made a stop in Providence as part of their Unlimited Sunshine Tour and definitely warmed up the crowd on this chilly December night. Four jazzy and unique acts–Detroit Cobras, King City, Oakley Hall, and Agent Ribbons–opened up the show with informal and catchy sets. Then, the velvet curtains on the stage opened up to reveal, to loud claps and cheers, a giant Cake banner with the words “UNLIMITED SUNSHINE” and a picture of an elephant surrounded by trippy, light-like dots.Without missing a beat Cake started up their set with a great rendition of “Frank Sinatra”, followed by hit after hit from all of their albums–Motorcade of Generosity, Fashion Nugget, Prolonging the Magic, Comfort Eagle, Pressure Chief, and even their B-Sides and Rarities album. The crowd went absolutely wild when Cake did their own rendition of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”, which is arguably one of their best covers yet. The band also covered a Kenny Rogers song later on in the show, but mainly just rocked out to their own hits such as “Never There”, “Love You Madly”, and “Comfort Eagle”. Cake’s unique blend of rock, jazz, rap, ska, funk, and country produced one of the most unique and responsive crowds I’ve seen at Lupo’s yet, the fans singing along loudly and clapping in tune to show their appreciation for the performance. Read More

Between a poignantly awkward stage presence, a willingness to push a few songs to their sonic limits, and the hottest red shoes I’ve ever seen on a bassist, Silversun Pickups rocked Lupos on Wednesday (11/28). In fact, with the unlikely but awesome combo of Triangle Forest and Steel Train as the opening acts, this may go down as one of the best shows in Providence this year.

Taking it from the top, anyone who thinks they’re familiar with the Providence music scene and hasn’t experienced the mind-to-ass blowing beats of Triangle Forest should be pointed out and laughed at. Triangle Forest is a pretty good studio band that proves its pure sonic power time and time again when you see them live. It amazes me every time I see them that two guys and a girl, essentially working just with Casio Keyboards and an electronic drum kit, can produce such an amazing sound. My personal favorites from the night were Rockagon, Robot Sings for the Master, and their closing track, Ice Crystals. Before last night, I had never heard of Steel Train, the second opener. However, that being said, I was pleasantly surprised. In a style that lends itself to comparison with bands like Live, Collective Soul, and even an early U2, Steel Train definitely kept the crowd going after Triangle Forest. And who can argue with a band if Dj Travis feels the need to wear their pink band t-shirt… Read More

Triangle Forest will perform at the Silversun Pickups show this Wednesday night (11/28) at Lupos!!

Tickets are under $10 at etix.com. We’re celebrating our 38th birthday with a month of shows; consider Triangle Forest the spiked punch.

The dark-dance-rock powerhouse won our 2007 Rock Hunt with their awesome performances and catchy tunes. Triangle Forest’s myspace will give you a taste with songs like “Robot Sings for Master” and “Rockagon,” but you will only get the full picture of their awesomeness at their live shows.

WBRU’s third Birthday Month show with Against Me!, Sage Francis, World/Inferno Friendship Society, and the Cobra Skulls went down Thursday night, and I knew the moment I walked in it would be a little bit of a trip. I like nothing more than checking out the crowd and trying to get a feel for who is at shows I attend, and at first glance I saw a man in a penguin suit. I thought this was a pretty good indicator of what this show was for me: a hodgepodge of amazingly talented acts of different genres, all having a lot of respect for each other’s art. Just when you think someone might be taking themselves too seriously, Sage Francis strips down to his (all black) skivvies.

I got to see the tail end of a set from the wonderfully raucous World Inferno Friendship Society as well as a pretty amazing performance by Rhode Islander Sage Francis. From the first song in the set, heads were bopping along with the drum machine rhythms behind his sometimes bawdy, sometimes contemplative hip hop, and I was impressed by the span of genres and talent that this tour exhibits. In this first half hour I felt an urge to jitterbug, ska dance, and rockaway. And though you could certainly feel some home-town appreciation for Sage, when Against Me! took the stage, all bets were off. Read More

Last night was not the first time that Papa Roach celebrated WBRU’s birthday, and with good reason. For our 38th Birthday, Papa Roach did not disappoint. Lead vocalist Jacoby Shaddix opened the act in a solo version of “Roses On My Grave”, appropriately lit with ambient purple lights. Before we knew it, the band leapt into “…To Be Loved”, sizzling hot, and the audience felt it. The opening bands were strong (10 Years and Meriwether), but when Papa Roach came on, hands started waving, bodies surfed the crowd and fans proudly sang along. Shaddix owned the stage and raised energy levels all around by interacting with the audience, slapping hands and aiming the microphone in our direction.

It was impossible to get bored: songs just kept coming. Most came from their most recent album The Paramour Sessions, and three songs from each of their earlier albums: Getting Away with Murder, Lovehatetragedy and their debut album Infest. My favorites included “Forever,” to which lighters and cell phones were waved enthusiastically, and “Alive,” where the guitarist Jerry Horton stole the spotlight for a great solo and Shaddix took the lyrics literally by getting “out of control” and joining the crowd. Old school fans were rewarded with classics such as “Between Angels and Insects” and “She Loves Me Not,” as well as the explosive closing song, “Last Resort.” Read More

Avenged Sevenfold played a great show at Lupo’s yesterday to kickoff WBRU’s 38th Birthday Month. I could feel the excitement when I entered the building. While the opening acts (Black Tide, The Confession, Operator) all sounded good, everyone seemed a little impatient in anticipation of Avenged Sevenfold. The fans began chanting “Sevenfold, Sevenfold, Sevenfold…” as soon as the opening acts ended.

Avenged Sevenfold walked onto the stage and immediately jumped into “Critical Acclaim” off their new, self-titled album released a few weeks ago. M. Shadows, the lead singer, said to the crowd, regarding the new album, “I don’t give a f**k if you download it as long as you enjoy it.” The crowd certainly enjoyed the show, which featured songs from Waking the Fallen, City of Evil, and Avenged Sevenfold. Nearly everyone sang along to “The Beast and the Harlot,” “Burn It Down,” “Afterlife,” and “Bat Country.” The band seemed to be having a great time too. The guitarists and bassists were constantly moving around the stage, jumping up onto platforms, and acknowledging people in the crowd. Read More

This month, WBRU is celebrating its 38th birthday in a special way. Rather than one show, we’re having FIVE CONCERTS, all month long!

• Avenged Sevenfold at Lupo’s, November 12th (Review)
• Papa Roach at Lupo’s, November 13th (Review)
• Against Me! at Lupo’s, November 15th (Review)
• Silversun Pickups with Triangle Forest at Lupo’s, November 28th (Review)
• Cake at Lupo’s, December 6th (Review)

Brought to you by Dunkin Donuts… pick up two pounds of coffee for only $10.99 or a Dunkin gift card, BOTH perfect for the holidays!

Come celebrate our birthday with us!

Also, if you make a video in the spirit of our birthday, post it on YouTube, and send us the link (birthday@wbru.com), you can win tickets to see our birthday shows! We’ll even put them up here! Click here to see some videos!

WBRU DJ Donni Khan interviewed My Chemical Romance when they came in for the 37th Birthday Bash! Listen here.

Donni interviewed Say Anything when they came to celebrate our 37th Bday by playing with My Chemical Romance.