Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Roots - How I Got Over



Philadelphia, PA's finest The Roots are back with their brand new ninth studio album, How I Got Over. This new effort is no different from all the others that they have put out previously and finds the hip-hop group continuing to showcase their dynamic and eclectic playing style that has cemented The Roots as one of the premier hip-hop groups in music today.

The album kicks off with "Walk Alone", a chilled out, laid-back tune that features the impeccable vocal talents of MC Black Thought and is a great way to kick off the album in a low-key fashion. "Dear God 2.0" is another cool and collected track that continues to transplant the positive vibes that were found on the previous track and lets them shine here in sheer brilliance. "Now or Never" takes more of a groove laden approach that best showcases the brilliant drumwork of  Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. When coupled with Black Thought's advanced rapping skills, they make for an extremely potent musical combination and a force to be reckoned with. Questlove's talents continue to come out on the disc's title track,a  midtempo, groove infected number that features an incredible rhythm section and Black Thought's insightful rhymes providing listening focus for the audience.

As we venture into the disc's second half we hear "The Day", an insightful, thought provoking song that is extremely ambient and is the perfect track to help kick off your day. "Doin' It Again" is a soul inspired track that features a dynamic rhythm section with Black Thought's incredible MC skills coming center stage here. My favorite track off the album is "The Fire", an intense, melodic track that includes a guest vocal appearance by John Legend and has a thumping and prominent beat that hooks and reels you in immediately upon hearing it. The disc wraps u[p with "Web 20/20", an electronic sampled goodie that gives the listener a little variety with some indelible rhymes to keep you entertained until the very end. "Hustla" wraps up the disc with a pure hip-hop gem that features an assortment of beats and rhymes that is a quality listen and is a perfect way to round out the disc. The Roots have been together as a band since 1987 with Questlove and Black Thought the two members of the group who have been there from the very beginning, and these two have the formula down to a science where dynamic instrumentation and talented lyricism can coexist in a pure natural state without the aid of Auto Tune or other technological gadgets that would have otherwise severely undermined a great album.

Overall, a fantastic effort here from The Roots, who continue to expand their vast catalogue of songs with a clear cut, straight shot disc of hip-hop that aims straight for the heart and grabs at you with pulsing beats and inspiring lyricism that is sure to make a lasting impression on you and put you in a positive frame of mind as well after hearing it.

                                                                                                                                  Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:
  1. A PIece of Light
  2. Walk Alone
  3. Dear God 2.0
  4. Radio Daze
  5. Now or Never
  6. How I Got Over
  7. Dillatude: The Flight of Titus
  8. The Day
  9. Right On
  10. Doin' It Again
  11. The Fire (f/ John Legend)
  12. Tunnel Vision
  13. Web 20/20
  14. Hustla

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Weekender: Gogol Bordello

Hey everyone!

Are you looking for something to do this weekend? I'll be kicking off a recurring feature on the blog called The Weekender where I'll feature an upcoming concert to the Boston area that will give you something to do if you don't have anything planned for the weekend. This week's featured concert is Gogol Bordello. Gogol Bordello is a band from the Lower East Side section of New York City who formed in 1999 and have put up a consistent touring regimen since then, with their shows featuring theatrical elements in their stage shows which display their unique sound. The band's music is a mixture of Gypsy music and features elements of accordion and violin mixed in with some punk and dub influences that make them stand out from all the other artists in the pack.

The group is touring behind their brand new album, Trans-Continental Hustle which was released this past April. They will be performing at the WFNX Clambake taking place on Lansdowne Street in Boston on Sunday, June 27 right outside The House of Blues. Gogol Bordello will be playing on the Budweiser Street Stage along with Silversun Pickups, Matt & Kim, Against Me!, and Henry Clay People with Metric, Nada Surf, and Rogue Wave playing at the House of Blues. This is sure to be an entertaining afternoon so don't miss Gogol Bordello playing at the WFNX Clambake this Sunday! Check out the link below for more info!

http://www.gogolbordello.com/us/event/2010/06/27/special-acoustic-performance-wfnx-clam-bake-house-blues-boston-ma 

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Artist Spotlight: Person L

Hey everyone!

Back again this week with an Artist Spotlight feature for you guys! This week's Artist Spotlight feature focuses on Person L. For those of you who may not be familiar with the group, Person L is the side project of The Starting Line frontman Kenny Vasoli. The group formed in 2006 and consists of Brian Medlin on drums and percussion, Charles Schneider on bass, Nate Vaeth on keyboards and guitar, Ryan Zimmaro on drums and percussion, with Kenny in charge of lead vocals and guitar. The group released their debut album, Initial in August 2008. The album contained a mixture of Radiohead-esque tunes that was a huge departure from Kenny's work with The Starting Line. Some prominent tracks on that disc included "Storms", "Sunshine", and "Wooden Soldiers".

The group released their full length effort The Positives in November 2009. The album raised the bar both lyrically and sonically as the group tackled more complex rhythms that turned alot of heads this time around, even venturing into some R&B styled territory. Some highlights from the album included "The Positives", "Goodness Gracious", and "Untitled", which is the best track on the album. The group have kept a consistent touring regimen since releasing Initial, touring with such acts as Anthony Green, Good Old War, and Copeland. This summer, Person L will be opening for Taking Back Sunday on a small national tour that will be touring select stops such as New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Chicago, and Los Angeles. They will be playing at the House of Blues in Boston this Friday for what is sure to be a very memorable night. If you're going to the show, be sure to arrive early to catch Person L in action, trust me you do not want to miss them!

To get an idea of what their music is like, here is the video for "Goodness Gracious" which features the group performing and partying it up in a basement setting, check it out!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Interview w/ Travis Libman

Hey everyone!

Here is the second installment in a series of interviews that I'll be conducting over the summer with friends of mine that are involved in radio. Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend Travis Libman during his overnight shift at WZLX over the weekend. Here is the transcript from that interview:

Can you please give your name and what your current position is at WZLX?

Travis: Name Travis Libman, I just go by Travis on air here at WZLX, I didn't come up with any of the goofy radio names, that wasn't my shtick. My position here is on-air, it's also known as programming at the radio station, so anything that is heard on the airwaves and between songs, that's my job.

How did you get this position at the station?

As you know Pete, interning is everything, interning is where I started as a sophomore at Curry College and I developed a relationship with one of the on air DJ's who was also the music director and after my internship was up, they had me board op which is just pushing buttons and making sure music plays correctly. Once that internship was over and that led into the job of board-oping, I handed the music director Carter a demo tape, I don't know what he heard of me because it was a horrible demo tape after I went back and listened to it 3 or 4 years later, but he saw something in me and I've been on-air since I was in my early to mid 20's and not alot of people can say that, you know especially in a large market like Boston, very few people get to sit in this chair and I'm very privileged to work at the station. One of my proudest moments was when I was offered my first on-air shift at WZLX, it was since December of 2005 since I've been on-air at WZLX.

When did you first become interested in working in radio?

Well, I originally wanted to be a stand up comedian when I was really, really young and I just had this desire to entertain people, that was what I was put on this earth to do was to entertain crowds, whether it was 2 people or if it was 15,000 people, I am here to entertain and make people laugh. And I just enjoy the satisfaction of getting people to laugh, it's quite a thrill and that led into me coming up with my own radio broadcasts in my room, I used to sit in my bedroom, I'd make mixtapes and then in between the mixtapes I'd dub over my voice and I would pretend to be a DJ and there were alot of DJ's back then that had alot of liberty to do whatever they wanted on air, I listened to alot of WAAF back in its heyday, you know John Osterland was a big radio DJ at the time, Rocco he was famous for saying whatever he wanted to, I listened to alot of WBCN, I listened to Nik Carter, I listened to Mark Peranto, I listened to Charles Laquidara, I listened to alot of the big name DJ's and it's weird because Boston was the mecca of radio for a long, long time and this was the place to get a job, if you worked at the same station as Charles Laquidara, you were in, that was the place to do it and it was great when I finally got accepted at WZLX because alot of thew WZLX guys were just refugees of WBCN, they took off after WBCN kinda had a little bit of a format change, not a major one but they pushed out some of the older music, worked in some new music, alot of the older DJ's left, and that's how most of them ended up working here.

Now, you started out at WMLN before working at WZLX, can you run down real quick what programs you hosted while working there?

Oh sure, well I started at WMLN my first semester of freshman year at Curry College and I knew I wanted to get involved with the radio station because it was the coolest thing to do, that was what I went to college for was communication, I wanted to go for radio. One of the reasons I chose Curry was because of the radio station, it was one of the very few that was student run and allowing you to make it part of your major which is very rare, not alot of schools do that. Emerson they say is student run, not really, I mean that's influenced heavily by the staff and former alumni pumping money into the station, this is full completely student run which is great because it's 24 hours, it's a legitimate station, it's something that I feel is ingrained into the community too and it's a great station for what purpose it serves.

The first show I got there was an overnight show, so I got that, pumped, awesome to work there. So then I moved into various other shifts after that semester, I worked a couple of evenings, a couple of overnights, fill in stuff. During my sophomore year, I joined a team show with 3 or 4 other people and unfortunately when you have one creative idea meeting with another creative idea, it doesn't always work out so I eventually gave up on that and moved back into my own solo show. I took a brief semester off my junior year to focus on my courses, it was getting to be a heavy courseload but once I returned on-air it was when I really got creative with some of the shows. One of them was an evening show called Thirsty Thursday and that was a night show at WMLN, that was a great show, had alot of fun, alot of in studio guests, that was more of a musically heavy show, then we moved into the afternoon drive which was Wednesday and Thursday afternoons, that was an awesome show because I had all the guests coming in, wild games, we had The Dating Game in there at one point, I got the station suspended from the cafeteria because of that show and during my senior year I wrapped it up with two semesters doing Fridays 10-1 and it was probably one of my better shows because I got to play whatever music I wanted and interview whoever I wanted, I had free and complete total reign at that point to do what I had wanted without the guide of program director butting in or Professor Alan Frank butting in, telling me what to do, he kind of let me take over the show and that was one of the tapes I used to get on WZLX was during that show, it was just a great time to do that, it was The Wake and Bake Cafe, it was a really good time, it was alot of fun, the last show we had was alot of fun, alot of surprise guests and it was something that I'll never forget was working at WMLN, it was a great experience.

What radio personalities have most influenced your hosting style?

Oh well, numerous. Let's just start just even right here at WZLX, I think Carter Allan is one who the way he is just a walking encyclopedia and he just feels like one of the guys. Chuck Nolan who works here at WZLX, it's amazing how a guy can tell a story and get you to listen without changing the channel, Chuck does that so effectively. A guy who used to work in the Boston market Paul Marshall, he helped me alot in my career and pushed me in various forms and the way he approached his on air style is different than mine, but the way he set up his breaks was very similar to mine. DJ Adam 12 who is now at WFNX, he is one of the greatest people I have ever known in radio and he has helped me incredibly, I can't even tell you how many times he has sat down to listen to my airchecks just to give me pointers, he is an awesome dude. These are just four that I know personally that have helped shape me on air and besides those, the one person that really got me in was John Osterland at WAAF who works down at WRNO in New Orleans, the way he was just so off the wall and the way he approached his breaks, it was so cool because you could just be different. Alot of the early WBCN DJ's before they made the big format switch, Nik Carter was great to listen to because he was just so out there, Mark Hamilton, and of course Charles Laquidara who is just a radio god, the way he brought different characters and he made it a way that radio was something that you had to listen to, not that because it was on, it was a point at listening and Charles knew how to do that better than anyone I've ever seen. Him and maybe Matt Siegel are the two that do that the best and no surprise, Matt Siegel worked down with Charles, who do you think he learned it from?

What is your favorite thing about working in radio?

My favorite thing about working in radio is just the response, the audience response. I was told one time that people get into radio because they are searching for something from afar and I believe in that because you sit here in front of an empty microphone and you have to learn how to entertain 100,000 people without you ever knowing it, you got to make them listen and I think that's the best part about radio, that's my favorite thing about this job is that you can be entertaining and you can really make people want to listen to you and I kind of strive for attention and this is a great outlet for me to do that and I love that it's just one of the coolest jobs that you can do and how often can you say to people "Hey, I've worked on the radio!" It's just a cool thing to do.

Do you have any memorable experiences or have any on air slip ups happen to you while on air?

At WMLN, I've only let one swear go by, that was by accident, my mother happened to be listening, and another time the transmitter blew up when I was on air and that was bad, I thought I had done something bad, but it was just during a summer shift and the transmitter decided to crap out on us. The most memorable experience at WMLN show wise was when I was able to get the station kicked off the air in the cafeteria and I rallied back and got it back onto the cafeteria because I said "What's the point of having a local on campus radio station if we're not going to be supported by the local staff and the local facilities?" I think that was a very proud moment because that was me standing up for something that I believed in and I think everyone around me appreciated it too because even though I was kicked off, I think everyone appreciated it because it showed that the station could come together and fight towards something and people showed support, people showed alot of support towards it, that meant something and I think that was a very proud moment.

What technological advances have you noticed in radio from when you first started out to right about now?

Well, when I first started at WZLX, we were using carts, which looks alot like a 8-track and we were using CD's, we weren't using computers at that point, were were just using all analog devices and it was very interesting when you had to go to the bathroom, and you had a 3 minute Talking Heads song and you're like "Uh oh!" (Laughter) So, it was very interesting and it taught me how to approach this job rather than being thrown right into the digital age. I've seen very little technological advances that have helped the industry, I've seen alot that have hurt the industry, alot of automation has now hurt the industry because there's alot of voice tracking so you're losing alot of the on air personalities to just automation, it's just that I don't even  have to be here anymore, I'm just a warm body in the studio that talks for 2 minutes an hour. That's tough because you have to learn how to approach your audience different now and alot of technology is hurting radio and radio needs to figure out a way to become live, local, and dependable and right now they're in a really bad state and if they don't fix something soon, they're not going to fix it, it's going to end up hurting local radio in the long run.

 Where do you see radio headed in the next 5-10 years?

Great question, long term is a better outlook than short term. Short term  I still see alot of stations going to automation, I see alot of people losing their jobs, it's unfortunate because it's becoming homogeneous and there's very little difference between the station here as the station in Portland, OR as the station in Orlando, FL, there's very little identity. WZLX has been able to retain that identity because it was one of the first classic rock stations in the country and we're looked at as a leader. WBCN was like that, now that's gone, that was gone last August. That was a very big day in radio believe it or not because that was a station that was around for 40 years and that was a station that was looked at all across the country as a leader and people looked up to that station, now it's gone. We got KROQ that people look up to and why? You know, it's a bad station with jocks that talk for 45 seconds an hour about nothing and it's not a good short term outlook. Long term I see radio losing alot of its local jocks in the music sense, classic rock stations, rock stations, hip-hop stations, they're going to lose alot of the radio DJ's but alot of talk stations and sports stations are going to pick up local DJ's, I think it's going to become more of a talk oriented radio, the next wave is going to be talk radio, sports radio, news radio, that's all going to come back and we're going to lose alot of the music stations to Ipods and Internet radio, Internet radio is going to takeover, I can put money on it.

If you weren't working in radio, what do you think you would be doing careerwise?

Well, I'm figuring that out now. (Laughter) I have pretty much abandoned the thought of a full time job in radio, I'm actually enrolled right now in nursing, so you think it's a big difference but you got to communicate, you've got to talk to people, you've got to learn how to get the most response out of your patients, and radio helped me for that alot. I mean something that I never think would've helped and radio helped alot with that and it's unfortunate because I don't think anyone saw this coming that the communication world would literally collapse on itself, but it did and now there's alot of people with huge bills that they have to pay and no jobs to pay it with. So I'm back in school paying out of pocket to try to change my career around a little bit for the future.

Now if you could have the opportunity to have a full time job at any radio station in the country where would you work and why?

Wow Ok, you know it's funny you ask me this question 3 years ago, my answer would be alot different than it is today. Different markets mean different things in radio you know just because you're in L.A. doesn't mean that it's the greatest market in the world. One of the best markets around is Pittsburgh, that's a great place to listen to radio, I'm telling you a couple of great stations out there that you can listen to great rock stations, great sports stations, it's an awesome city. Pittsburgh believe it or not even though it's a #25 market is one of the best markets to work in. Austin, TX would probably be one of my ideal places to work, I think Seattle has a cool scene. Boston's kind of lost its way a little bit, they're very confused right now into which direction they're going in terms of the market. Larger markets are nice because you get bigger paychecks, but you always don't get the best feedback either, you can make a decent living working in the Top 50 market, but you're not always going to be happy too.

If you could describe your radio voice in one word, what word would you choose?

Natural. I don't put on a show for radio, I really don't. Early in my career, I tried to be radio man, I can't do that anymore. Adam 12 taught me this and it's the best advice I've ever received, he said "When you're doing an on air break, put up a picture of your friends, you feel like you're talking to your friends." And that makes a world of difference and you know once in awhile I'll use different collections of stuff that I don't use in normal conversations, but everything that I say on air is pretty much the same as what I would do off air, you know if I was talking to you about The Steve Miller Band, it would probably be the same thing.

What advice would you to give to an up and coming radio disc jockey in the business?

Be prepared to not work. Some people are going to make it, other people are not. One thing that they don't teach you in school is how to market yourself correctly and I don't think that they push enough on internships, internships are everything in this business and so are connections, but what business aren't connections useful in, but it's a business that's very tough right now, it's going through an identity crisis, you have to find a way to stand out among everyone that's in radio right now, there's not alot of jobs and there's alot of people applying for them and alot of really good talent and just because you have Emerson on your resume doesn't mean you're getting a job, it's what you can do for this station, How many hats can you wear? Can you do production? Can you do promotions? Can you do on air work? Are you willing to work overnights 3 nights a week and come back the next day and do a station event? You have to expand what you can do, if you can't do that then you're not going to get a job and don't expect to make alot of money in the beginning. Some guys end up making alot of money in this job, but in the early goings you're not going to make alot of money and you understand that going in, but you don't really get it until you look at it.You might get a part time gig making $12.00 an hour with no health benefits, are you prepared to do that for 3 or 4 years before maybe getting a shot at a full time gig? And also think that just because you have a job, doesn't mean it's safe, there are people getting fired left and right and for no reason other than budgets, you know why do I need 4 on air jocks on the station when I could really get away with 3 or 2? Morning drive and an afternoon drive, the rest we'll just plug music all day, we'll just be a jukebox. Is that something people are prepared to get into? That's something that I think they need to teach in the college courses is the realities of the job market and I think sometimes schools like the Connecticut School of Broadcasting are selling broken dreams.

Thanks once again to my friend Travis Libman for taking some time to do this interview! Keep an eye out for more interviews to follow all summer long!

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Black Keys - Brothers



Hailing from Akron, OH The Black Keys are back with their latest studio effort, Brothers. The follow up to 2008's Attack and Release finds the duo continuing to expand their musical horizons with a blues rock infused effort that hits you immediately when you hit play on your CD player, and is by far one of the best discs of the year.

The disc kicks off with "Everlasting Light" a melodic, blues inspired effort that shows off lead vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach's smooth and prominent vocals which guide the song to heights never thought possible with drummer/producer Pat Carney making sure the song arrives at its final destination. "Next Girl" is a ethereal, sonic delight dripping with enriched melodies and abundant instrumentation all throughout that is a solid track all around. The disc's first single, "Tighten Up" is a catchy, laid back tune that is the perfect track to familiarize yourself with The Black Keys if you haven't been acquainted with their music previously. "Howlin' For You" is my favorite song off the album and contains a catchy "da-da-da-da-da" chorus that will have you humming the song for hours on end after hearing it.

As we head into the core of the disc, we hear "Black Mud", a short and sweet 2 minute instrumental jam that provides for a nice interlude and easy transition into the album's later tracks. "The Only One" is a beautiful, serene track that best highlights Dan's soulful and passionate voice which coupled with the awesome instrumentation throughout, provides for an enjoyable listen. "Too Afraid To Love You" is a haunting and powerful track that features some exquisite keyboard work that contributes to the dark and raw nature of the song. "Sinister Kid" is a fine, aesthetically pleasing track that features 60's inspired guitar riffs and Pat's finely tuned skills on the drums.

As we get ready to close out the album we hear "I'm Not The One", a blues inspired rocker that dims the lights low a bit and brings down the energy to a romantic tempo. "Never Gonna Give You Up" is a Motown inspired jam that continues to bring out the low key energy found on the previous track and transfers it over to this track. "These Days" closes out the album in grand style with a mellow, blues infused ditty that wonderfully encapsulates the blues inspired feel of the whole album that is wonderful from start to finish. Pretty much everything is perfect on the album, right down to the cover art on the album which just features a block of text saying "This is an album by The Black Keys, The name of this album is Brothers." with "These are the names of the songs on the album." printed above the track listing and "These are the guys in the band." printed above a picture of the duo. An absolutely brilliant cover art design which articulates the message of the album so clearly and beautifully.

All in all, a marvelous and splendid effort here from The Black Keys who have crafted the best album of their career and the best album of the year so far. If you weren't in the know about The Black Keys before hearing this album, you definitely will after hearing this album. Highly recommended! Buy this album now!

                                                                                                                            Album Score: 4.5/5

Track Listing:
  1. Everlasting Light
  2. Next Girl
  3. Tighten Up
  4. Howlin' For You
  5. She's Long Gone
  6. Black Mud
  7. The Only One
  8. Too Afraid To Love You
  9. Ten Cent Pistol
  10. Sinister Kid
  11. The Go Getter
  12. I'm Not the One
  13. Unknown Brother
  14. Never Gonna Give You Up
  15. These Days   

Monday, June 14, 2010

Scu-Scu-Scutaro Music Video!!

Hey everyone!

Last night after the Red Sox-Phillies game, NESN world premiered the Marco Scutaro music video! This video was made by a Red Sox fan set to the beat of Phil Collins "Sussudio". It's a pretty catchy video and is starting to take Red Sox Nation by storm! Check it out and leave your comments below!


Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Rooney - Eureka



Los Angeles, CA's own Rooney are back with their brand new third studio album, Eureka. The follow up to 2007's Calling the World finds the group still adhering to the same musical formula that made their last two albums very warmly received by the general public. This album is definitely one of those discs that will help you get primed and in the mood to kick off the summer.

The disc starts off with "Holdin' On" a catchy, breezy track that features the prominent vocal work of frontman Robert Schwartzman and a flurry of guitars, keyboards, and drums to add to a very comforting track. The disc's first single and my favorite track off the album, "I Can't Get Enough" is a melodic, bombastic blast with groovy guitars and features fantastic keyboard work from Louie Stephens. "Only Friend" is a mystical, keyboard infused track that continues on the same musical path that the previous songs have taken with upbeat melodies and finely laid out guitar work. "All or Nothing" has a retro 80's style sound to it that is reminiscent of The Cars, who Rooney have stated in interviews is a strong musical influence of theirs, and that influence shows very prominently on this particular track. "The Hunch" is a bit of a hokey track that sounds like something you would probably hear in a 50's diner car and doesn't fit into place on the album here, which causes the disc to temporarily venture off course here.

The disc's second half comprises of "I Don't Wanna Lose You", a melodic, fun filled blast that has terrific vocal work from Robert and intricate guitar patterns spread throughout the song. "Go On" is a mellow, laid back rocker that is primed and ready for a ride to the beach with the sunroof open and the stereo cranked up really loud to this song. "Not In My House" is a thumping, pumped up party tune that shows the free wheeling, positive vibes that are found in plentiful amounts on the album. "Don't Look At Me" closes out the album with a great piece that brings together all the musical elements heard so far including guitars, drums, and keyboards all in one cohesive package. Rooney have succeeded once again in showing off their musicality to their adoring audience and blending together old sounds from the 60's and 70's and finding a way to make them sound current today.

In retrospect, a solid and well conducted effort here from Rooney, who have churned out another quality effort yet again with an assortment of power-pop tunes that is sure to get you geared up and ready for the summer. Having the right tunes at your disposal will make the summer experience that much enjoyable, so don't forget to take this disc along with you on your summer travels!

                                                                                                                              Album Score: 3.5/5

Track Listing:
  1. Holding On
  2. I Can't Get Enough
  3. Only Friend
  4. Into the Blue
  5. All Or Nothing
  6. The Hunch
  7. I Don't Wanna Lose You
  8. Stars and Stripes
  9. Go On
  10. You're What I'm Looking For
  11. Not In My House
  12. Don't Look At Me

Sunday, June 6, 2010

Artist Spotlight: The Hookups

Hey everyone!

I'm kicking off a new feature of the blog where I'll be featuring a new up and coming artist every now and then that you guys may not be familiar with now, but will be sure to become a welcome feature in your iTunes music library. For this weeks artist feature, I proudly present The Hookups!

The Hookups are a four piece group from Medford, MA. The band consists of: Kevin Braxton on Guitars and Lead Vocals, Ryan Ward on Lead Guitar, James Griffin on Guitars and Keys, Charlie Falco on Bass, and Dave Chardo on Drums. The band's sound is very diverse and features elements of artists such as 311 and Incubus. They recently played a show this past Friday at McGann's in Boston which featured an assortment of jams that strongly reflected their musical influences and incited a positive reaction from the crowd. To check out some of their songs, head on over to their MySpace page at: http://www.myspace.com/thehookups1

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Jack Johnson - To the Sea



Straight out of Oahu, HI Jack Johnson is back with his much anticipated fifth studio album, To the Sea. Much like his previous effort, 2008's Sleep Through the Static, Jack finds a way to infuse his music with sun drenched melodies that evoke feelings of being at the beach, enjoying the weather and the companionship of those around you. This album is a surefire way to transition into the summer on a positive note.

The album starts off with the breezy first single, "You and Your Heart" an acoustic, melodic gem that finds Jack sticking to his guns and not getting too fancy with a simple, beachgoing jam that sets thing in motion here. The disc's title track is a great example of Jack's easy-going, melodic vocal abilities that permeate through the entire song and carry it along to the very end. "At Or With Me" is a bombastic, fun party jam that features lively acoustic guitars and a wide variety of instrumentation that does a great job of capturing the overall spirit on the album. "From the Clouds" features more of the same beachgoing jams found on the subsequent tracks, albeit at a slower tempo.

The disc's second half begins to take shape with "My Little Girl", a beautiful acoustic driven tune that lets Jack's voice do all the talking as his voice echoes and coos through the entire life of the song without the need for any additional instrumentation. "The Upsetter" is a melodic, fun jam that continues to entertain the listening audience with some tunes that would go along great at a campfire sing along. My favorite song off the album is "Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology", a melodic, vocally impressive tune that will be lodged inside your head for awhile after hearing it.

As we begin to close out the album, we hear "Pictures of People Taking Pictures", a catchy, beach going jam that coasts along beautifully with Jack's strumming acoustic guitar and finely tuned vocal chops. "Anything But the Truth" is a toned down affair with Jack's vocals brought down a notch to accommodate some peaceful and serene melodies to match the emotional intensity of the song. "Only the Ocean" closes out the album on an appropriate note with the feeling that you're looking out at the sun setting over the ocean with absolutely no one around, and allowing you to be one with the ocean. There aren't many albums out there that can articulate so well the feeling of being on the beach and enjoying the kinship of those around you, this album manages to do just that to a T with finely tuned acoustic guitars and Jack's laid-back, easy going vocal style to guide the song along smoothly.

Overall, another successful album from Jack Johnson, who does a masterful job of evoking the energy and spirit of the summertime in his music and uses his home grown talents to send the album into a world all its own.

                                                                                                                                  Album Score: 4/5

Track Listing:
  1. You and Your Heart
  2. To the Sea
  3. No Good With Faces
  4. At Or With Me
  5. When I Look Up
  6. From the Clouds
  7. My Little Girl
  8. Turn Your Love
  9. The Upsetter
  10. Red Wine, Mistakes, Mythology
  11. Pictures of People Taking Pictures
  12. Anything But the Truth
  13. Only the Ocean
As an added bonus, here is the music video for "You and Your Heart". The video features Jack surfing and swimming off the shores of Hawaii. It's a very cool video, check it out!