Broken Records – An Upcoming EP Release

     With a single email, a band (Broken Records) simultaneously (1) disrupted plans that we were excited to follow and (2) made the day much better than expected. The plan for the day was to research what happened at SXSW yesterday (besides the sad event). Each year, we look forward the NPR podcasts (“All Things Considered”) that originate from Austin. And there are other reports that help those of us who do not attend. But the Broken Records email changed the day’s timeline of activity.

     The email announced availability of a second song from the soon-to-be-released EP entitled “Toska.” The EP from Broken Record is scheduled to drop on March 24, with their third album (“Weights and Pulleys”) arriving about two months later. Broken Records are Jamie Sutherland (vocals, piano), Rory Sutherland (violin, guitar, accordion), Ian Turnbull (guitar, piano, accordion), Dave Smith (piano, trumpet), Craig Ross (guitar, bass) and Andrew Keeney (drums). So, the cello left with member Arne Kolb at about the time we’re hitting our stride in appreciating the instrument. ON THE OTHER HAND, if the rest of the songs they throw at listeners in 2014 are launched with the same accuracy as these two, Broken Records is going to do some damage.

     Broken Records is a band with more than the usual number of instrument options. It’s a six member band, but the six members contribute a horn (Smith’s trumpet, our favorite horn), a violin (brother Rory’s), an accordion (Rory again and Turnbull), and a piano (Smith and brother Jamie), as well as percussion (Keeney) and guitars (Ross et al.). And Broken Records isn’t shying away from using the options in order to create changes of pace that maintain the interest of listeners. This is more evident in the song “Revival,” as best evidenced by paying attention to the energy shifts occurring at 1:42 (down tempo) and 1:53 (up tempo). Nevertheless, “Toska” is our preferred song, of the two. We particularly enjoy the final 60 seconds of “Toska,” as first the piano and then the violin takes center stage.  

     “Toska” by Broken Records 

     “Revival” by Broken Records

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brokenrecords

Website: http://www.brokenrecordsband.com/

Lightning in a Bottle - Part II

  

   In this post about the upcoming Lightning in a Bottle Festival, we will be feeding off yesterday's post but digging a little deeper into some of the groups that excite us most. As we mentioned, Phantogram will be headlining (so others are probably just as excited)!  They are an American electronic rock band consisting of two incredibly talented musicians, Josh Carter (vocals and guitar) and Sarah Barthel (vocals and keyboard).  They’re originally from New York and have been featured twice on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and last month performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live (reference the column to the left of this post for future Late Night Television Opportunities). This is one of our favorite songs, "Fall in Love," released just this year.

     Gramatik is also noteworthy and will be performing at Lightening in a Bottle.  He is a single dude, Denis Jasarevic, producing electronic music with a very funky and soulful feel. He started performing as Gramatik in 2008 and has hit #1 on Top 100 charts since.  He jokes that he is a "part-time musician and a full-time comedian so never take my music seriously, it's just one of my many elaborate jokes".  A cross between his music skills, he is quirky and sarcastic, which makes for a great live performance!  One of our favorite songs by Gramatik (also in the lines of love, but quite the opposite of Phantogram's "Fall in Love") is "So Much for Love." It's a real, feel-good song that's a great listen any day!

     We're also really excited for Baauer, who is best known for the famous "Harlem Shake" song. Baauer is Harry Bauer Rodrigues, a 24 year old guy producing electronic house music with some hip-hop influence, labeling the genre "trap". Below are the hit songs "Harlem Shake" and "Higher."

     And only because we love No Doubt, here is an awesome remix Baauer did of No Doubt's "Settle Down!"

Website: www.lightninginabottle.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1404485619804960/

Lightning in a Bottle – A Festival Opportunity

Click on the poster to enlarge.

     We’re giving serious thought to catching Lightning in a Bottle. The last two years, our travel festivals were Coachella and Austin City Limits. It’s time to expand the horizons, so Bonnarro 2014 (Manchester, Tennessee) here we come. In researching other festival options, we noticed that Lightning in Bottle has moved closer to our home base (San Francisco) and has selected a very accommodating weekend (Memorial Day weekend).

     In order to fit an expanding interest in the festival, the organizers of Lightning in a Bottle have moved its location over the years. The 2014 venue is the San Antonio Recreation Area in Bradley, California, which has a convenience for festival-goers in both Northern and Southern California. According to Google Maps, Bradley is 185 miles from San Francisco and 226 miles from Los Angeles.

     The musical focus of Lightning in a Bottle is on electronic performers. The 2014 lineup is shown in the poster at the top of this post. Clicking on the poster will expand it to a more readable size. However, the festival is more than just the music. According to the organizers, “Lightning in a Bottle is a fusion of electronic music and introspective qualities of installation art, live performance, spiritual workshops, and an overarching embodiment of cultural and environmental consciousness.”

Website: www.lightninginabottle.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1404485619804960/

     One of the headliners is Phantogram, which is currently receiving a lot of “love” in the blogosphere. Another headliner is Little Dragon. Two songs from Little Dragon are embedded below.