Posted by WBRU @ 6:20 pm on May 12, 2008
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!
Posted by WBRU @ 7:22 pm on May 10, 2008
WBRU kicked off its 2008 Summer Concert Series with headline act Death Cab For Cutie on May 9th. The concert was scheduled to be held at the Providence Piers, but due to inclement weather, it had to be moved to Brown University’s Meehan Auditorium.
Before Death Cab took the stage, Amanda Palmer, the better half of the Dresden Dolls, warmed up the crowd with her percussive piano and signature vocals. The highlight of the performance, however, consisted of Amanda busting out a Ukulele and playing an excellent acoustic version of Radiohead’s “Creep.”
After a quick set change, Ben Gibbard and his traveling troupe appeared on stage amidst rollicking cheers and began with a quiet but pulsating version of “Bixby Canyon Bridge,” followed by an unflagging performance of “New Year.” A uniform melancholy prevailed throughout the show, but the songs from the upcoming album Narrow Stairs lent a distinctly different flavor. Often starting with long instrumental introductions, the new songs had an unfamiliar sense of gravity. This new dark sound found its best expression in the band’s single release “I Will Possess Your Heart.” However, much of the creepiness of the new CD was overshadowed during the concert by Ben Gibbard’s energetic air and Chris Walla’s soaring solos.
The band played an eclectic set that included songs from every album they’ve released, but the pieces that pleased the crowd the most were all nearly off of Death Cab’s major label debut Plans. “Soul Meets Body” got the most cheers while the first notes of “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” induced many to pull out their cameras to record this memorable moment, making the crowd light up in a sea of camera displays. The inviting but all too satisfied crowd then went on to request an encore and got it: The band played 6 additional songs and finished their impressive set with “Transatlanticism.” Read More
Posted by Smiley @ 11:10 pm on May 5, 2008
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
Posted by Travis @ 12:10 am on April 28, 2008
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
Posted by Travis @ 7:50 pm on April 22, 2008
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
Posted by WBRU @ 7:03 pm on April 22, 2008
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.
Posted by WBRU @ 2:00 pm on April 19, 2008
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.
Brought to you by Narragansett Beer …have a ‘gansett!
Posted by Smiley @ 4:19 am on April 19, 2008
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
Posted by WBRU @ 9:18 pm on April 14, 2008
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!
Posted by Travis @ 2:30 am on April 8, 2008
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
Posted by WBRU @ 2:19 am on April 7, 2008
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!
Posted by WBRU @ 1:35 pm on April 1, 2008
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!
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