[Disclaimer: Yup, this is a music blog. But, as some of you know, burritos are a passion of mine (second to music, of course). So please excuse the brief lapse from music coverage as I discuss a burrito joint in my search for the best burritos in the land. I know, I'm silly.] I ate at Baja Burrito about a week ago, and nothing sticks in my mind about my experience there. And that, my friends, is a problem. It wasn't that the burrito they made for me was bad, but it [...]
Fredrik. November 12th, 2008 at T.T. The Bear's in Cambridge, MA. Sweden's Fredrik are new to the states. In fact, when I caught them in Boston, it was part of their first ever U.S. tour, in support of their debut album, Na Na Ni . And even though the crowd was small, the band played their hearts out. Maybe it's due to the intimate nature of Fredrik's music, but I felt like I was hanging out with old friends all night, and they were just casually playing [...]
So, like I said two weeks ago , I haven't been on my music blogging game lately. There's been a lot going on around these parts, and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down anytime soon. Still, I should be back in business starting this Monday. I've got two great interviews to post, one with Apollo Sunshine and one with We Are Scientists. Good times. Stick around, relax, the state of Under The Rotunda will soon return to daily posts without fail. Thanks for reading.
Thanks to all who listened last night. Starting today, I will no longer be posting the playlists from shows here. Instead, you can snag them and see what I played at Under The Rotunda's page at thebirn.com . Yes yes, y'all.
With just four released songs under his belt, Mike Fish is making quite a splash (get it?) under the moniker Dakotafish. His debut EP was just released, and it's quite a captivating start. The first thing that you'll notice is the vocals. Powerful and full of character, they soar above the music in a Thom Yorke-like fashion. And this comes on top of his well-orchestrated folk tunes, which are full of creativity. Throw in some innovative guitar playing and off-kilter beats, and you've got one awesome folk EP. Dakotafish - Easy [...]
Via Audio. October 22nd, 2008 at Great Scott in Allston, MA. Photo credit here (not from this show). Boston favorites Via Audio (this is where they went to school and met, after all) played an energetic show to a small but enthusiastic crowd a few weeks ago at Great Scott. This band has personality, and it shines through in their live performances. Each member of Via Audio brings their own spark to the stage, and it certainly keeps things interesting. Whether they're throwing [...]
Deerhoof changed my life. I know that may seem like a pretty rash statement, but it's true. It was on a warm night in 2005 that I saw Deerhoof live for the first time, and it changed my perceptions of what music was exciting and interesting. They were the band that got me into indie and alternative music, and I've never looked back. With this in mind, it was with great excitement that I was able to sit down with a few members of the band a few weeks ago. This was just before they killed [...]
Mirah. October 21st, 2008 at the Museum Of Fine Arts in Boston, MA. Photo credit here (not from this show). On a cold Tuesday night, here in Boston, Mirah brought warmth and sincerity to polite crowd the Museum Of Fine Arts. Seeing Mirah live reminded me of the last solo artist performance I saw, which was Sondre Lerche. Seeing Sondre Lerche live and seeing Mirah live are two wholly different experiences. Lerche is an accomplished and well-learned guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Mirah, on the [...]
For the past two weeks now, I have been excited about the prospect of free Dr. Pepper, something about Guns and Roses, and music bringing democracy to China (the former outweighing the two latter). Well I'll be damned if people didn't catch on. Seems one of my heroes, Sir Paul McCartney (the "cute" Beatle) caught the "Chinese Democracy" fever and will soon release an album, bringing back The Firemen after a 10 year hiatus, with Martin Glover, aka'd Youth, one of the producers of the aforementioned impending Guns and Roses offering. When it [...]
Just in case you need another reason , here's a wonderful video of Andrew Bird and Yo-Yo Ma. As Stereogum said: Ma's eager to the point of being patronizing, sorta like a preschool TV show host in laying out the rules (I'll play something, you just jump in whenever) and congratulating Andrew on his performance as if this was Bird's first time in violin class. However Andrew probably doesn't mind, it's Yo-Yo after all (never said that before) and they really do make some nice contrapuntal music together, especially when AB gets into his [...]
Thanks to all who listened! Next week will be a great show featuring an interview with Apollo Sunshine, so stay tuned. Dakotafish - Easy (from Dakotafish EP ) Dakotafish - Teenage Years (from Dakotafish EP ) Spiritualized - Any Way That You Want Me (from Me And You And Everyone We Know ) Spiritualized - Soul On Fire (from Songs In A&E ) Verb The Adjective Noun - Hooker Song Verb The Adjective Noun - Liar's Song Deerhoof - Snoopy Waves (from Offend Maggie ) Deerhoof - Lightening Rod, Run (from [...]
Wayne came up with that witty title. Now, go get to the polls.
Indie-pop favorites The Decemberists have been pretty quiet for the past couple of years. Since they cancelled "The Long And Short Of It" tour that was scheduled for the fall of 2007, there hasn't been much news from them. Thankfully, they've been hard at work. And in preparation for a full-length LP to be released in 2009, they've decided to release a series of singles entitled Always The Bridesmaid , featuring music from the same sessions in which they recorded their forthcoming album. Going into a collection of outtakes, it's always hard to keep expectations high. After [...]
So, funny story. Things have been a little crazy for me in the last two weeks, and I didn't even get one post up this past week. Thank goodness for Aiden and Erik (although Erik's post on Jeremy Warmsley got deleted by Blogger -- I'll have it back soon), or else there wouldn't have been any updates. I just had too much going on, and I fell behind. With the exception of my cell phone breaking (and me having to bus out of the state to get it fixed -- absurd, right?) and midterms, the distractions [...]
This Tuesday, in a fit of cyclonic excitement, I championed the impending release of Guns n Roses upcoming 6th studio LP Chinese Democracy . This I did less for the music that will be contained somewhere in the plastic of the shiny disc. Instead, my giddy intoxication for GNR's newest release stems from the fact that it will net me free soda, which as we know is the sweetest of all soda. On November 23rd, to coincide with the release of Chinese Democracy , Dr. Pepper will give everyone in America a [...]
Members of the Doom Generation, the Cold Gen Y Kids with waking memories of the fall of the Soviet Union who cut their teeth in the immediate aftermath of September 11th, we remember MTV, the music channel. We loved MTV. We were heartbroken, or at least the slightest bit peeved, when the format of the channel changed to make way for reality-based celebu-sleeze fests lacking substance and heavy with forced faux drama relegating videos, that which made us loyal, to the early morning. Recently, MTV launched MTV Music , a soon to be ad supported streaming music video on-demand [...]
Words by Erik Lund. Englishman Jeremy Warmsley is a singer/songwriter who utilizes a quirky blend of folk and electronic music to create melodic pop songs. Recently Mr. Warmsley released his second album, How We Became, which showcases some of his most interesting electronic work and songwriting to date. This collection of songs is peppered with intricate drum machine grooves as well as clever synth manipulation -- see title track, "How We Became". Part of Warmsley's unique sound comes from his strange nasally boyish voice which provides a very personal quality [...]
[ED. NOTE: And, once again, Blogger deleted one of my posts. This is the fifth time in the last few months that a post has been deleted by Blogger without warning. Here it is again, without the MP3s. How obnoxious.] Words by Erik Lund. Englishman Jeremy Warmsley is a singer/songwriter who utilizes a quirky blend of folk and electronic music to create melodic pop songs. Recently Mr. Warmsley released his second album, How We Became, which showcases some of [...]
[Disclaimer: Yup, this is a music blog. But, as some of you know, burritos are a passion of mine (second to music, of course). So please excuse the brief lapse from music coverage as I discuss a burrito joint in my search for the best burritos in the land. I know, I'm silly.] My favorite burritos are San Francisco mission-style, served with rice, beans (choice of black or pinto) and all the rest of the good stuff. Often wrapped in tin foil, often ordered in an assembly line (like Chipotle or Anna's). [...]
File this story under BREAKING NEWS. In March, soft drink producer Dr. Pepper issued a challenge to Axle Rose; release your album by the end of the 2008 calendar year and we will give everyone in America (excluding Slash and Buckethead) free Dr. Pepper. Thank you for not blowing this one Axle Rose. Mark your calendars, for on [...]
Under The Rotunda
Monday Music – 28 May 2012
Bison - Quill
