The Official Blog of WKDU Philadelphia 91.7 FM
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Here it is! Matt Scottoline’s (of The New Matt Show) excellent interview with Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo. Hear Ira talk about sports talk, the Sun Ra Arkestra, the late Maxwell’s, and their relationship with the unknown.
Stream the interview above.
By Kirsten Becker
I caught up with Cullen Omori, the singer from Smith Westerns before their 7/26 show at
Union Transfer to talk about their latest release, 90’s music, and what’s coming next for the band.
Kirsten Becker: What was the recording process for this record? What comes first, music or lyrics?
Cullen Omori: It kind of happens together. The way that we write our songs varies, [guitarist] Max [Kakacek] will write some parts and I’ll write a full song, or Max write a full song and I’ll write some parts. So, when I go about writing music I try to go about with the chords with the lyrics because I feel like when you have words down, you come up with the melody or the chords a lot quicker. For me, lyrics come with the music. That’s kind of how I write.
Continue reading “Interview with Smith Westerns (July 26, 2013)”
1 KING TUFF Was Dead (Burger)
2 LEMURIA The Distance Is So Big (Bridge Nine)
3 OWEN L’Ami Du Peuple (Polyvinyl)
4 SMITH WESTERNS Soft Will (Mom And Pop)
5 HUNX AND HIS PUNX Street Punk (Hardly Art)
6 SHANNON AND THE CLAMS Dreams In The Rat House (Hardly Art)
7 GRANDCHILDREN Golden Age (Earnest Jenning)
8 COKE WEED Back To Soft (Self-Released)
9 SPEEDY ORTIZ Major Arcana (Carpark)
10 SALVIA PLATH The Bardo Story (Weird World)
11 CAMERA OBSCURA Desire Lines (4AD)
12 PSYCHIC TEENS Come (SRA Records)
13 HOT CHIP Dark And Stormy [EP] (Domino)
14 NIGHT BIRDS Born To Die In Suburbia (Grave Mistake Records)
15 SURFER BLOOD Pythons (Warner Brothers)
16 BASS DRUM OF DEATH Bass Drum Of Death (Innovative Leisure)
17 FRONT BOTTOMS Talon Of The Hawk (Bar/None)
18 WILD NOTHING Empty Estate (Captured Tracks)
19 ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Personal Record (Merge)
20 BEAR MOUNTAIN XO (Last Gang)
21 PITY SEX Feast Of Love (Run For Cover)
22 GAUNTLET HAIR Stills (Dead Oceans)
23 IRON AND WINE Ghost On Ghost (Nonesuch)
24 HALF MOON RUN Dark Eyes (Glassnote)
25 A GREAT BIG PILE OF LEAVES You’re Always On My Mind (Topshelf)
26 EBONY BONES Behold, A Pale Horse (1984)
27 AUSTRA Olympia (Domino)
28 LOVE LANGUAGE Ruby Red (Merge)
29 FAMILY CREST The Headwinds [EP] (Tender Loving Empire)
30 LA MACHINE Phases And Repetition (Castleface)
By Nick Stropko
As I sat beneath the shade of a tent in Saunder’s Park last Saturday, slowly wilting from the midday heat, I couldn’t help but wonder one thing: why aren’t there more festivals in April? Despite the oppressive temperature (mid-90s and humid for much of the day), people were beginning to trickle in for the 7th Annual Lancaster Avenue Jazz & Arts Festival, a free concert that seeks to coax jazz out from its ivory tower and allow it to mingle with the community for an afternoon.
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In the final months of 2010, Midwestern Emo group Joie De Vivre stopped in to perform a few tracks for us. The music is an excellent showcase for the genre–the songs are lush, featuring trumpet and glockenspiel, and come replete with the emotive singing the genre is named for.
By Carolyn Haynes
A night of surf, sweat, and musical theatrics best describes the Man or Astro-man? show that took place on June 22 at Underground Arts. Fire-lit theremins, spacesuits, and background projections are what you’d expect from the 20(ish) years of experience of the headliners, but the use of fog machines and extreme beachwear weren’t lost on the openers.
Philadelphia Beach locals, Dry Feet, started the evening with a set of crunchy, reverb dusted surf rock. Tales of skateboards, eating too much, sleeping too little, and respect to the ladies of the world (including their mothers) filled the ears of many a head-bobbing beach bum. Perry Cola, Jay K. Shin, and Frizz B led the way to a surf paradise in their tie dye shirts, jumpsuits, and scuba masks.
Up next were Jacuzzi Boys, on a 10 day tour with Man or Astro-Man? who brought the Miami (…cough…Beach… cough) Heat. With a new self titled record on the way, the three piece played a set of fan favorites (“Glazin’,” “Crush,” “Koo Koo with You,” as well as some new singles “Double Vision” and “Domino Moon.”
Finally, the Man or Astro-Man? crew started the projections set up. The lights dimmed, the screens lit up, and the crowd cheered as the band walked to their places. Bassist/Theremin/electronics player Coco the Electronic Monkey Wizard was in full form; space suit, helmet, and space-ified bass were set to go. The full house at Underground Arts cheered and danced as the veterans of surf rock performed an amazing set reflective of their decades of experience.
