Category: Music
The Best of Summer Festivals
WRITTEN BY Emily Meadows
Sitting on the brink of March, students are ready to thaw out, liven up and start making those anticipated (and well-deserved) summer plans. But for many music fanatics, summer translates to only one thing: festival season.
Governors Ball Music Festival 2012 / Photo via governorsballmusicfestival.com
The days of coast-to-coast travel to secure your camping spot are long gone, and the mass concert craze has sprouted in nearly every region of the country.
Maybe you want to save some cash on gas, or Bonnaroo just isn’t for you. Whatever the case, you’re no longer bound to Manchester or Chicago for a live, musically packed outdoor experience.
Here’s a list of some of this summer’s best northeastern festivals that may be better suited for you, or maybe just a little closer to home:
Underground Sound / 2.21.13
Underground Sound is a weekly series reviewing the latest releases in alternative and indie music. Every week, we will discuss some of the best new albums in college rock, indie-pop, hip-hop and everything in-between that falls outside of the mainstream music realm. Here are this week’s features:
Underground Sound / 2.15.13
Underground Sound is a weekly series reviewing the latest releases in alternative and indie music. Every week, we will discuss some of the best new albums in college rock, indie-pop, hip-hop and everything in-between that falls outside of the mainstream music realm. Here are this week’s features:
Unknown Mortal Orchestra, “II” / 2013
Donora & TeamMate return to 123
WRITTEN BY Emily Meadows PHOTOS BY Emily Meadows & Cori Lucotch
Best Friends at 123 Pleasant Street / 1.12.2013 / Photo by Emily Meadows
Indie pop vivacity took the stage in a familiar form at 123 Pleasant Street Tuesday night. Pittsburgh-based Donora and WVU alumni duo TeamMate returned to the venue’s stage together for a second time, with the addition of local Morgantown-based opener, Best Friends.
While the mid-week show didn’t attract the largest crowd, it did appeal to a vibrant variety of fan loyalists.
Best Friends brought fresh performances from their newest release, keeping their set exuberant as always. Jordan Pack and John Casey swapped divergent vocals for a favorable variety, and Jami Calandros provided the first dose of strong female drumming of the night. The quartet upheld their unique and diverse approach to electronic and pop genres while keeping classic rock and roll vibes in tact. Currently the number one charted album on U92 FM, Best Friends is bringing their talents to the forefront of the current local music scene.
Donora at 123 Pleasant Street / 1.12.2013 / Photo by Emily Meadows
No strangers to Morgantown, Donora returned for another well-received backyard performance following Best Friends. The former mayday! dance party regulars still foster a dedicated following in the area, bringing their soft and sweet danceable pop-rock hooks. Recently featured in a Nationwide Insurance commercial, the trio has gained more expansive recognition within the last year, but proved they haven’t strayed away from their steadfast fun loving roots.
TeamMate kept the party rolling with their effervescent persona, complimented with a second sighting of female drumming from Dani Buncher, a former snare drum player for the WVU marching band. The duo, which just so happens to be a creative collaboration between exes, unites their talents in electronics, keyboarding and percussion to formulate an easy-going yet animated sound. The duo also premiered their newest single, and made sure to give a formal shout out to their Alma matter. Wrapping up just before midnight, the twosome kept fans on their feet until the final minute.
U92 to host Non-American Marathon
Written by Emily Meadows
U92 FM will host the annual 33-hour Non-American Music Marathon, beginning tomorrow at noon.
Each hour will be dedicated to a different artist originating outside of the United States, accenting some of the most prolific and influential bands in alternative today. The Cure, Joy Division, The Smiths and David Bowie are scheduled features, and newer acts, such as M83 and Grimes, will be showcased as well.
DJ’s formulate their own playlists, highlighting the hits, deep cuts and rarities from their respective artists that can’t be heard frequently on the airwaves.
The marathon will kick off with an hour from the Scottish outfit, The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Tune into 91.7 FM Morgantown or stream live beginning Feb. 6 at noon.
My Bloody Valentine releases ‘m b v’
WRITTEN BY Emily Meadows
SHOEGAZE FANATICS REJOICE: The two-decade anticipation is finally over. My Bloody Valentine released the long-awaited follow up to 1991’s Loveless late Saturday night, proving their melodic reverb still has a pulse.
Fans of the iconic Irish four-piece flooded the Internet after an announcement was posted to the band’s official Facebook page stating, “We are preparing to go live with the new album/website this evening. We will make an announcement as soon as its up.”
The eventual launch of the new album, m b v, crashed mybloodyvalentine.org almost immediately, leaving anxious fans battling with server errors and queued, or impossible, downloads early Sunday Morning.
Since guitarist/vocalist Kevin Shields revealed plans of a new album in a November interview with NME, the anticipation of the outfit’s first release since the 1991 critically acclaimed success had only grown.
After a near 21-year hiatus, Shields assured fans that they would not be disappointed.
Needless to say, it was well worth the wait. Picking up as close as possible to where they left off, the quartet produced an album that aligns impeccably with its predecessor. An unarguably nostalgic early 90s reincarnation, m b v remains as bass driven and dreamy as ever.
It’s hard to believe this is only the third release from the monumentally influential alternative band, but the impressive catalog and innovative quality of nearly every track from the shoegaze pioneers continues to speak volumes.
My Bloody Valentine will be headed to the UK in March after a six-gig tour in Japan and Australia.
m b v is currently available exclusively through their website, in three formats:
180-gram vinyl, CD and digital download.
The full package includes all three formats, and choice of digital download quality:
– 16bit 44.1 K WAV
– 320kbps MP3
– 24bit 96 K WAV
You can stream the entire album now on their respective YouTube site.
Listen to ‘She Found Now’ and other tracks from the new album:
Underground Sound / 1.31.13
Underground Sound is a weekly series reviewing the latest releases in alternative and indie music. Every Thursday, we will discuss some of the best new albums in college rock, punk, indie-pop, hip-hop and everything in-between that falls outside of the mainstream music realm. Here are this week’s features:
Maps and Atlases perform at 123
Maps and Atlases at 123 Pleasant Street / 1.24.2013 / Photo by Cori Lucotch
WRITTEN BY Emily Meadows
PHOTOS BY Cori Lucotch
Uniting technical and free flowing instrumentation, indie-rock quartet Maps and Atlases took the stage at Morgantown’s123 Pleasant Street Thursday night.
The Chicago-based outfit brought together the atypical rhythmic chords, electronic notes and percussion that define their signature sound. Frontman/guitarist Dave Davison accentuated his stunningly clear, inimitable vocals, epitomizing their harmonious and enduring folk influence.
After opening with an interactive and well-received performance of the 2010 Perch Patchwork track, “Pigeon,” the set quickly shifted its focus to the band’s latest full-length album, Beware and Be Grateful, released on Barsuk Records last April.
While hitting key tracks “Winter” and “Remote & Dark Years,” the foursome incorporated popular archives from previous EP’s You and Me and the Mountains and Trees, Swallows, Houses.
Morgantown-based trio, The Cassingles, kicked off the evening with new tracks nearly a month after their debut performance at the venue.
Maps and Atlases had music featured on NBC’s “Parenthood,” a 2010 Nintendo DS and Pabst Blue Ribbon commercial. Their next performance will be in Berlin, Germany on February 13 to kick off their UK/European tour.
For more on The Cassingles, visit their Facebook page here.
For more on Maps and Atlases, visit their website here.
Watch the latest video for “Remote and Dark Years”
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