We’ve just announced our second Summer Concert Series show! It will be a Local Music Festival with Badfish and Zox at Providence Piers on July 19th! Joining them will be past WBRU Rock Hunt Finalists Hello Mahalo and Someday Provience along with Scotty Don’t. Tickets will go on sale Friday at noon, and they’ll be available here and at etix.com. Check back here for more updates on our upcoming Local Music Festival!

Tommy Gardner, Eddy Maher, and Paul Giammarco of Rock Hunt Finalists Someday Providence dropped by the studio before the Rock Hunt finals two weeks ago and talked to Lyra. They discussed the abbreviation, SP, of their band name and being played on (and being on) MTV shows. They also talked about their MySpace page, on which they had been posting some rather interesting video diaries of themselves in their studio. The band even tried to do some shout-outs to local Rhode Island bands and then joked about being paid to do it. Their new 7-song album comes out May 24th.

Check out the full interview below!

Click here to listen

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!

Click here to listen

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

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!

Brought to you by Dunkin’ Donuts. Now through March 28th, after 2:00pm, hurry in to Dunkin’ Donuts and get yourself a small latte or espresso for just 99-cents. America Runs On Dunkin’.
Brought to you by JamStage, Rhode Island’s Premiere Music Complex. It’s where musicians play.
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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!

Click here to listen

Four more great bands made their way through Jerky’s this weekend for the second semifinals show of WBRU’s Rock Hunt 2008. Awesome Brothers, It was the Best of Times, Minky Starshine & the New Cardinals, and Senior Discount all played solid sets, but as the evening winded down, it was revealed that Awesome Brothers had won the night! And who else to announce it but Gregg from Girl Talk! Awesome Brothers will be continuing onto the finals this Friday at the Living Room, along with Someday Providence from last week and the wild card band, It was the Best of Times!

Be sure to stop by The Living Room this Friday (doors 8pm, show 9pm) to see who will be crowned the winner of Rock Hunt 2008!

Brought to you by Dunkin’ Donuts. Now through March 28th, after 2:00pm, hurry in to Dunkin’ Donuts and get yourself a small latte or espresso for just 99-cents. America Runs On Dunkin’.
Brought to you by JamStage, Rhode Island’s Premiere Music Complex. It’s where musicians play.
Brought to you by Narragansett Beer …have a ‘gansett!

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

If you didn’t make it down to Jerky’s this weekend, you missed out. We saw four spectacular acts that pushed judges to the closest decision they’ve ever had to make. Look forward to a review of the entire show; for now, know that Pleasure Pot opened with a bang, Someday Providence filled the room with energy and excitement, Das Vertebrats introduced some new, vibrant sound to the stage, and The Coming Weak finished with an incredible performance (and a clever and spirited Jimmy Eat World cover to boot). In the end, the judges selected Someday Providence to continue on to the finals on April 18th at the Living Room, but the decision was made by only one point! In other words, it was an incredibly close competition.

Now you have the second semifinals show to look forward to! It will be held at Jerky’s again, this Saturday, starting at 9pm. Look forward to seeing The Awesome Brothers, It Was the Best of Times, Minky Starshine & the New Cardinals, and Senior Discount.

Brought to you by Dunkin’ Donuts. Now through March 28th, after 2:00pm, hurry in to Dunkin’ Donuts and get yourself a small latte or espresso for just 99-cents. America Runs On Dunkin’.
Brought to you by JamStage, Rhode Island’s Premiere Music Complex. It’s where musicians play.
Brought to you by Narragansett Beer …have a ‘gansett!

After many late nights, lots of coffee, fatigued humor and listening to over 100 CDs, we are pleased to announce the Semifinalists for WBRU’s Rock Hunt 2008! Over the next few weeks, you’ll get to see these bands play several shows to compete to be declared the best Southern New England band of 2008.

Semifinalists:
Awesome Brothers
The Coming Weak
Das Vertebrats
It Was The Best Of Times
Pleasure Pot
Pointe Blank
Senior Discount
Someday Providence

Honorable Mentions:
Minky Starshine & the New Cardinals
The K-Rex Struts

Come to Jerky’s this Saturday for the first semifinals show! Doors open at 9pm, and the show begins at 10. Get your tickets at the door for only $5.

The second semifinals show will be at Club Hell on Saturday, April 12th. Doors at 6pm, show at 6:30. The finals will be at The Living Room on Friday, April 18th. Doors at 8pm, show at 9. So keep those days open and come and support Southern New England local music!

Brought to you by Dunkin’ Donuts. Now through March 28th, after 2:00pm, hurry in to Dunkin’ Donuts and get yourself a small latte or espresso for just 99-cents. America Runs On Dunkin’.
Brought to you by JamStage, Rhode Island’s Premiere Music Complex. It’s where musicians play.
Brought to you by Narragansett Beer …have a ‘gansett!

The deadline for the 2008 Rock Hunt is approaching! We’re starting our annual local music search, so if you have a band and are interested in fame, fortune and fabulous prizes, send us your music!

The grand prize includes: a $500 music gear gift certificate, band merch, recording time, and lots of exposure through WBRU!

We’re taking submissions through noon on Friday, March 28th. You can get your submission form here, and turn it in at Jam Stage (25 Esten Ave., Pawtucket) or WBRU (88 Benevolent St., Providence). We’ll choose eight semifinalists who will have the opportunity to perform live for judges (and a large audience!), and there will be one final concert where the winner will be chosen!

Past winners and finalists include:
Triangle Forest, Hello Mahalo, The Lingo, Zox and Monty Are I.

Submit your music now!
Click here for the submission form.

For legal information, please see the submission form.

Brought to you by Dunkin’ Donuts. Now through March 28th, after 2:00pm, hurry in to Dunkin’ Donuts and get yourself a small latte or espresso for just 99-cents. America Runs On Dunkin’.
Brought to you by JamStage, Rhode Island’s Premiere Music Complex. It’s where musicians play.
Brought to you by Narragansett Beer …have a ‘gansett!

WBRU’s Cheap Date concert series kicked off, in every sense of the word, with a great show by Monty Are I last Saturday (1/26). The cold could not keep the masses from lining up well before the show began, and there were even a few surprises for the BRU Crew as they were giving out prizes to the faithful fans. People were making impromptu games out Mike and Ikes and storage bins, and an artistically gifted fan even drew a Monty Are I banner before the doors opened. And Pancake, if you’re reading this, we would love to have footage of your sick freestyle.The opening bands all have strong local roots, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they are unfamiliar to anyone outside of Rhode Island. The first band, JumpJump Juliet, played their first show with their new, fourteen year old lead singer Viana Newton, and it was a little apparent that the band lacked the experience of the other acts. The lead vocalist, guitarist, and bassist moved liked sliders on a mixing board, but they made up for uninspired stage presence with some solid music. Even the crowd, which wasn’t as receptive to the band after the first few songs, was hooting and hollering by their last song, which was easily JumpJump Juliet’s best both instrumentally and vocally.

If Lupo’s wasn’t full before JumpJump Juliet started playing, it was packed by the time Leah Stargazing took stage. It was apparent that there were some people who came out just to see this band, as the band received several effusive call outs while they were changing sets. This is a band that knows how to put on a show. Leah Stargazing pulled no stops in their stage antics, headed by lead vocalist/guitarist Jordan Fielding and bassist Brandon Fielding. No stage box was safe as everyone not tied down by a drum kit leaped around without abandon, and the crowd loved it. There were many good songs in the six song set, but “Eulogy” and “Pretty Petty Baby” were standouts.

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