This week, a show a bit off the cuff. It's the newest dubstep from the renowned blog DSML (DubstepSaved My Life) and other sources, as well as Creative Commons Dubstep. Listen in for a great time.
Midnight Request Line - Skream
Raise Your Weapon - Deadmau5 remixed by Nosia
Ownage - iNexus
King Kong - Bare & Datsik
Let It Go ft. KATFYR by Klaypex
Deviance by Excision & Datsik
King Prawn by Opiuo
Blue Jeans - Lana Del Rey
Choose Me II by Xilent
Sail - AWOLNATION by Unlimited Gravity
Crush On You - Nero feat. Subfocus by Knife Party
Thriller by Wick-it the Instigator
This Friday the 27th at 8pm, The Black
Keys and Arctic Monkeys will play a sold out show at the Chaifetz
Arena. The two bands will be traveling from Austin, Texas to our
historically blues friendly town of St. Louis on the day before the
show. They are currently in a US tour together that will end in the
middle of May. The Black Keys will then hop the pond to start a
European tour as the Arctic Monkeys continue in a US based direction.
It's strange to note that both bands will travel from packed stadium
to packed stadium charging between forty and fifty dollars and call
themselves indie rock. It's a sign that the term alternative rock
has been replaced by the term indie rock. Once more, the terms are
becoming about equally vague.
The Black Keys are currently riding
high on their El Camino album which made it to second highest spot on
Billboard's top 200 list. El Camino was produced by the Danger
Mouse, Grammy producer of the year in 2011. He also produced The
Grey Album: a mash-up album that combines The Beatles' White Album
with Jay Z's Black Album. The Grey Album gained notoriety when EMI
attempted to halt distribution while Jay-Z and Paul McCartney had no
problem with the project. The Grey Album was then released to
protest the practices of major labels for free on a day dubbed Grey
Tuesday. Ironically, The Black Keys are under a label called V2
which is owned by EMI.
The Arctic Monkeys released a purple
7" on Record Store Day last Saturday the 21st. Their newest
full album release, Suck It and See, made it to number one on British
charts and 14 on Billboard's top 200. The Arctic Monkey's sound has
changed a great deal in their last two albums. Whatever People Say I
Am, That's What I'm Not and Favourite Worst Nightmare are both witty
and edgy with a dancable beat. There most recent, Humbug and Suck It
and See, are atmospheric, mellow, deadened when compared the the
first two. Early Arctic Monkeys music is characterized by an almost
constant use of British slang, their new albums are strikingly
without that slang. The Arctic Monkeys have moved from energy packed
beginnings and perhaps found a larger audience for their music.
The Black Keys are seven albums into a
ten year career. Their early albums are filled with raw blues rock
sound and covers of their favorite blues songs. Around the time of
their fifth album, Attack & Release, they started to come into a
sound that was more their own. Their sound moves freely from
blues-y, folksy, and psychedelic tones. Brothers and El Camino show
a really solid and unique sound starting to emerge.
If this week's show is anything like
other shows this year, the Arctic Monkeys are great openers and will
play songs that were well received in the US and then get into there
newer catalog. The Black Keys will rock through their catalog
emphasizing their more recent hits. There stage effects will be
awesome, but I won't ruin them here.
It's an unwritten rule of concerts
that you don't listen to the music of a band you're driving to see.
However, this concert is at the Chaifetz Arena, so you will probably
be walking. Nevertheless, don't listen to these songs on your phone
on the way to the concert. Listen to From the Ritz to the Rubble
from Arctic Monkeys early stuff and Don't Sit Down Because I've Moved
Your Chair from their most recent album. Listen to Busted from The
Black Keys first album to experience their early grit and grime.
Watch the music video to Lonely Boy from El Camino to get some
dancing tips from some old guy.
On the 21st of April, several KSLU members and friends went to the Mountain Goats show for KWUR's Awareness Week on the Washington University campus at the Gargoyle. This is a short audio review of that concert.
Combining Jazz, Funk, Hip hop, and Electronica: Acid Jazz brings new
life to a tried and true genre. So, crank up your stereo and drop into a
strange technicolor dream world.
Everyone Loves the Sunshine - Roy Ayers
(Fallin´ Like) Dominoes - Donald Byrd
Sookie Sookie - Grant Green
Runaway - Jamiroquai
Totally Together - Galliano
Blanket - Urban Species
Stay This Way - The Brand New Heavies
Can't Get you out of my Head - Incognito
Message in a Dream - Norman Jay
Reality and Fantasy - Gilles Peterson
RETRO-ACIVE - Chris Bangs
People Tree - Mother Earth
Ocean Floor - Groove Collective
The Creator Has a Master Plan - Brooklyn Funk Collective
Life - Mondo Grosso
Every little girl and boy born in the 90's knows that ska is dead and has been for almost 12 years. During the second week of April some necromancer must have raised Ska from it's shallow grave to inspire the kids to skank about to the sounding of horns once more. On the 11th, Mustard Plug and Left Alone started their 12 stop Midwestern tour at the Firebird with local openers Snooty and The Ratfinks, The Basement, and All Things Aquatic. This particular ska concert was opened by high school bands. Many high school students are attracted to Ska because it's one of the few genres of popular music that involves marching band instruments like the trombone, trumpet, and saxophone. After the local openers, a band known as Left Alone took the stage. Elvis Cortez, easily identified by his big red mohawk, addressed the Midwest crowd with the proper disdain, being from California himself. Elivs' stage presence was impeccable as was Jimmy Jam's strumming of his "big violin" upright bass and Jimmy James' fingers on his keyboard set to organ. Their medley of old punk, third wave ska, and psychobilly was something I've never heard before. After a grand entrance onto a small stage, Mustard Plug ripped through classic tunes like Skank by Numbers, Mr. Smiley, and Thigh High Nylons. The energy was high and the mood was positive and inclusive. This inclusive scene has been almost unconsciously created by third wave ska bands like Mustard Plug who draw their roots from second wave ska bands like The Selecter. Mustard Plug even participated in a tour called Ska Against Racism in '98. Dave Kirchgessner, lead singer of Mustard Plug, had this to say about Ska Against Racism "The whole 2 tone ska music movement in the UK was really prominent with a...anti-racist stance and at the time in England there was a lot of really acute racism...The whole American third wave ska scene was hugely influenced by the two tone, late 70s English era....from what I gather [Ska Against Racism] was a way of reinforcing...ideas of being anti-racist to the...crowd that was discovering 3rd wave ska at the time." With a last blast of a horn and strum of a guitar, Mustard Plug left the stage.
Ska's corpus appeared again at Webster University's Grant Gymnasium with local opener Samariot and international touring machine Reel Big Fish on the 14th. Reel Big Fish has an international tour scheduled for the summer and fall of this year that will make it to exotic locals like Russia and England. Have no fear Fish fans, they intend to make it to St. Louis in either the Summer or Fall leg of the tour according to Ryland Steen: drummer of the band. Reel Big Fish's last album release was Fame, Fortune and Fornication in 2009. But have no fear, they are not stagnating, they are gearing up for a new album release this summer to promote with their tour. The album will be "a little more aggressive" than their past albums and you will "feel like the ejector seat will pop open any second" yet it will still be "happy, fun ska music" as described by Steen.
After moving through Websters power-tripping Campus Activity staff, I saw the familiar faces of Samariot, who open for almost every big ska band that comes to town. Their habit of throwing Little Debbie cakes into the crowd hasn't wavered even a bit. The hilarity of seeing cake after cake hit fans in the face was almost too much to take. An active crowd danced about reeking of ska's stench of teenage angst and chocolaty cakes. After a brief intermission of a faceless DJ playing Streetlight Manifesto songs, Reel Big Fish took the stage. It's clear to me now what Steen meant by "The band built it's reputation on it's live show." Their stage presence is beyond comprehension as every member rocks with a vicious energy with hardly a note out of place. This is my third Reel Big Fish show yet I know people that have seen them eight times, and come back for more. Sweaty and satisfied, Webster students and the public leave the gymnasium like so many high school students after prom.
Recording of Skank into Spring PPR Show
Interview with Dave Kirchgessner: Lead Singer of Mustard Plug
Interview with Ryland Steen: Drummer of Reel Big Fish
Pictures of the two concerts
Playlist
Guns of Navarone - The Skatalites
Ghost Town - The Specials On My Radio - The Selector
Interview with Dave Kirchgessner
Silverlake - All Things Aquatic Sad Story - Left Alone Mr. Smiley - Mustard Plug
Raw Revolution - Big D and the Kids Table All My Best Friends are Metal Heads - Less Than Jake Talk of Revolution - Car Full of Midgets
They Provide The Paint For The Picture-Perfect Masterpiece That You Will Paint On The Insides Of Your Eyelids - Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution
Come on Eileen - Save Ferris Night Train to Moscow - The Toasters
Russian Roulette - Do It With Malace
24 Hour Roadside Resistance - Against All Authority
"A guy will promise you the world and give you nothin', and that's the blues" - Otis Rush
Well, then we will listen to the sweet songs of injustice and hardship coming from the city of St. Louis. Listen up and get your culture on fools St. Louis Blues - W.C. Handy Ragtime Piano - Scott Joplin Frankie and Johnny - Frank Crumit
Smokestack Lighting by Howlin Wolf Big George Brock - Cat Head Mini Festival Henry Brown Blues - Henry Brown
Walk on Boy - Jim Byrnes Bone me like you own me - Barbara Carr Pinetop Buggie - James Crutchfield
Rudy Silvercloud Coleman - BLuesweek 2011 Stony Poney Blues - James Deshay Back Scratcher - Frank Frost
Real Good Woman - Johnnie Johnson These Tears - Mary Johnson To Late to Cry - Lonnie Johnson
