Showing posts with label WUML Radio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WUML Radio. Show all posts
Behind the Scenes at WUML is a new, ongoing column that you can expect to see frequenting the blog in the coming year. This is a chance for you as a reader to get to know us! WUML is a completely student-run radio station that features only underground music. There are no professionals handing us playlists or sending our charts to CMJ. There is no university-hired faculty cleaning up after us and making sure we do our job correctly. WUML is a special kind of radio station, with the most wonderful people behind the curtain, working the gears, and making sure everything goes over smoothly! Enjoy pictures of us at work and remember, you can always stream us here and check our playlists here.
Tom, the Live Sound Director, is busy booking live acts for WUML during his office hours on Monday.
Sean, Host/Engineer of Live From the Fallout Shelter is busy mixing sound for the live act, Debaser, on Monday night.
Tom running the board, spinning awesome tunes!
The Books
I've always thought of the music I listen to as my own personal soundtrack to the every day. Conjuring emotions when necessary and making the mundane beautiful, just like non-diegetic background music to a film.
Music For a Film
This is why the Books through me for a loop. I have always allowed my brain to connect the images around me with the music I listen to. However, this band gives you a little bit more to work with. I would like to think of each one of their songs as mini-film that my imagination fills in the gaps to. Samples selected from a hallway record collection give each song a story or at the very least a personality....you get to decide the rest.
Quirky
You could say that this band plays with the sounds of voices as much, if not more than they play with the actual music itself. They love play-on-words (just look at their album titles: "Thought for Food," and "Lost and Safe.") and sounds: the sounds of laughter, of rain, of exclamation, emotional dialog, of foreign language. They slice samples together in bizarre ways, sometimes creating conversations that sound flawless, but incoherent and absurd. Their latest release, "Music for a French Elevator," is 15 minutes long, the majority of it this sort of sound play.
Musicality
Yes its there, and this is why its all worth it. You don't know what to expect from track to track. Sometimes, the music enhances the samples, and sometimes the samples enhance the music. Original vocals are a rarity except on "Lost and Safe," where they are on a mainstay, and "The Lemon of Pink," where they are featured sparingly. Expect strange percussion and acoustic instruments, dramatic build-ups, and eerie low points.
Video
From the "Play All DVD"
Favorite Albums
The Lemon of Pink (2003)
Lost and Safe (2005)
Curious?
Click Here
Seth Bailin, a student at UMASS Lowell, and a station member of WUML, is one of the masterminds behind Lowell and Behold. He founded Nice Bass Productions, who partner with Audio Park Productions to make Lowell and Behold Possible. Following is an all-exclusive interview with him about the process, and creation of the upcoming release of Lowell and Behold Volume 2.
Explain Nice Bass Productions. How did it begin, and what are your goals for it?
I record a lot of music, and this is the easiest way to organize it. I first started recording camp songs on brother’s computer, then I borrowed a live PA and recorded my high school punk band’s demo with that. Now, anything that I hit the red record button on, from school projects to local band albums to video projects, it becomes a Nice Bass Production. Most of my media is on www.nicebassproductions.com, you can watch videos and stream entire albums!
In terms of goals, I want to keep recording good music, collaborate with friends, and keep my website up to date.
How was the idea of Lowell and Behold conceived?
I bought a pair of Vans shoes at Bob’s when I was in middle school, and right as I was leaving the store, the clerk said “oh yeah, I’m supposed to give you this... It comes with every pair of Vans.” It was an OFF THE WALL SAMPLER disc featuring a bunch of Warped Tour bands like Dropkick Murphy’s, Bouncing Souls, Refused, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. I fell in love with punk music and compilation CDs from then on out, buying every Punk-O-Rama, Fat Music, and Hopeless compilation i could find.
Fast forward to 2008, when Nick Congelosi and I lived together. I was playing in Trip Fisk and he was our manager, so we were talking a lot about local music. We noticed how many awesome bands there were, and how perfect it would be to make a compilation. I felt like we had to make one before someone else did. So we wrote up a mission statement and some invitations and sent them out to our friends, basically saying “give us your music and we’ll put you on a comp. If you don’t have recordings, we’ll record you.” So we got all the submissions, and I recorded Short Fuse Burning, Fantastic Planet, and Big Daddy in our living room. Then it came out, got great feedback, and we made another one! Volume 2 is twice as big: two CDs and 30 bands!
Explain the collaboration between Nice Bass Productions and Audio Park Productions
Audio Park Productions is the name Nick chose to represent his work with live production and other music business related things. So the Nice Bass/Audio Park collaboration really just means a Seth Bailin and Nick Congelosi collaboration. We both worked really hard to create these compilations, and got friends Jason Gibbs and Brett Fermeglia to hop on board and help us with the 2nd volume. I work a lot with the recording side and the musical direction, whereas Nick, Brett, and Jason work on obtaining sponsorships and organizing the live aspect of things. It works really well.
How do you believe that Lowell and Behold contributes to the betterment of Lowell as a community?
We really got to see how it all effects the community during the compilation release party in 2008. We had 12 bands perform in 2 nights, and not one band went over their time limit! There was so much respect for each other, between acoustic artists, metal bands, funk groups, and also the music fans. There was really no separation between genre, actually. Everyone was enjoying the bands for the music they made, not the style of music they made. Also, it got some unknown artists the recognition they deserve. Plus, the recipient of the scholarship award gets a check at the end of this semester for $1,750 to help him through college.
Has the idea been well received by the community?
Yeah! We’ve been selling hundreds of copies of the first volume for the past year. Plus, Lowell High School is really gracious that we’re helping their graduates succeed. But this idea of “Lowell & Behold” extends beyond a CD and beyond the scholarship. It’s about supporting our friends and the music they make. I think bands from Lowell have more soul than any other place in the world. So any well-attended show in Lowell shows that this idea is wide spread. And we’ve been seeing a lot more local shows pop up in the past year. Let’s keep it going.
Where do you foresee Lowell and Behold heading in the future?
Oh man, I don’t even know. I want it to live on, but it shouldn’t be forced. The worst thing that could happen would be to feel obligated to put out a compilation when the music isn’t abundant. The best thing that could happen would be to see this city overflow with music and have more people express interest in helping the cause. Then it will live on naturally. It would be great to see a Lowell & Behold vol. 3.
Lowell and Behold showcase 1: Gemstones, Lowell MA Friday 12/11
Lowell and Behold pre-show: Brew'd Awakening, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12
Lowell and Behold showcase 2: 119 Gallery, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12 (PM)
For exact times/bands playing please click here
Explain Nice Bass Productions. How did it begin, and what are your goals for it?
I record a lot of music, and this is the easiest way to organize it. I first started recording camp songs on brother’s computer, then I borrowed a live PA and recorded my high school punk band’s demo with that. Now, anything that I hit the red record button on, from school projects to local band albums to video projects, it becomes a Nice Bass Production. Most of my media is on www.nicebassproductions.com, you can watch videos and stream entire albums!
In terms of goals, I want to keep recording good music, collaborate with friends, and keep my website up to date.
How was the idea of Lowell and Behold conceived?
I bought a pair of Vans shoes at Bob’s when I was in middle school, and right as I was leaving the store, the clerk said “oh yeah, I’m supposed to give you this... It comes with every pair of Vans.” It was an OFF THE WALL SAMPLER disc featuring a bunch of Warped Tour bands like Dropkick Murphy’s, Bouncing Souls, Refused, and the Voodoo Glow Skulls. I fell in love with punk music and compilation CDs from then on out, buying every Punk-O-Rama, Fat Music, and Hopeless compilation i could find.
Fast forward to 2008, when Nick Congelosi and I lived together. I was playing in Trip Fisk and he was our manager, so we were talking a lot about local music. We noticed how many awesome bands there were, and how perfect it would be to make a compilation. I felt like we had to make one before someone else did. So we wrote up a mission statement and some invitations and sent them out to our friends, basically saying “give us your music and we’ll put you on a comp. If you don’t have recordings, we’ll record you.” So we got all the submissions, and I recorded Short Fuse Burning, Fantastic Planet, and Big Daddy in our living room. Then it came out, got great feedback, and we made another one! Volume 2 is twice as big: two CDs and 30 bands!
Explain the collaboration between Nice Bass Productions and Audio Park Productions
Audio Park Productions is the name Nick chose to represent his work with live production and other music business related things. So the Nice Bass/Audio Park collaboration really just means a Seth Bailin and Nick Congelosi collaboration. We both worked really hard to create these compilations, and got friends Jason Gibbs and Brett Fermeglia to hop on board and help us with the 2nd volume. I work a lot with the recording side and the musical direction, whereas Nick, Brett, and Jason work on obtaining sponsorships and organizing the live aspect of things. It works really well.
How do you believe that Lowell and Behold contributes to the betterment of Lowell as a community?
We really got to see how it all effects the community during the compilation release party in 2008. We had 12 bands perform in 2 nights, and not one band went over their time limit! There was so much respect for each other, between acoustic artists, metal bands, funk groups, and also the music fans. There was really no separation between genre, actually. Everyone was enjoying the bands for the music they made, not the style of music they made. Also, it got some unknown artists the recognition they deserve. Plus, the recipient of the scholarship award gets a check at the end of this semester for $1,750 to help him through college.
Has the idea been well received by the community?
Yeah! We’ve been selling hundreds of copies of the first volume for the past year. Plus, Lowell High School is really gracious that we’re helping their graduates succeed. But this idea of “Lowell & Behold” extends beyond a CD and beyond the scholarship. It’s about supporting our friends and the music they make. I think bands from Lowell have more soul than any other place in the world. So any well-attended show in Lowell shows that this idea is wide spread. And we’ve been seeing a lot more local shows pop up in the past year. Let’s keep it going.
Where do you foresee Lowell and Behold heading in the future?
Oh man, I don’t even know. I want it to live on, but it shouldn’t be forced. The worst thing that could happen would be to feel obligated to put out a compilation when the music isn’t abundant. The best thing that could happen would be to see this city overflow with music and have more people express interest in helping the cause. Then it will live on naturally. It would be great to see a Lowell & Behold vol. 3.
Lowell and Behold showcase 1: Gemstones, Lowell MA Friday 12/11
Lowell and Behold pre-show: Brew'd Awakening, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12
Lowell and Behold showcase 2: 119 Gallery, Lowell MA Saturday 12/12 (PM)
For exact times/bands playing please click here
The Best Solo/Side Projects
2000-2010
10. Matty Pop Chart- Plan-it-X Records
This is Matt Tobey from Abe Froman
Think cute vocals, fun, optimistic folk punk.
Check out: Everyone does Everything (2007)
9. Bobby Burg- Record Label Records (Chicago)
Bobby Burg is from Joan of Arc. I like two of his side projects: The Love of Everything
and Vacations.
The Love of Everything is his mellow, twinkly, solo project.
Click HERE for my review of Vacations, I was Bikini/Rain Afraid (2008)and Vacations.
The Love of Everything is his mellow, twinkly, solo project.
Check out: Superior Mold and Die (2006)
8. The City on Film - Grand Theft Auto Records
Bob Nanna of Braid and Hey Mercedes
Think of a mellower version of Hey Mercedes
Check out: In Formal Introduction (2005)
7. Sundowner- Red Scare
Chris McCaughan of the Lawrence Arms.
The Lawrence Arms with acoustic guitars? Maybe more. Sad, nostalgic, uplifting, gorgeous.
Check out: Four One Five Two (2007)
6. Panda Bear - Paw Tracks
Noah Lennox of Animal Collective
Electronic elements, reverberant vocals, happy, and melodic. For all Animal Collective lovers
Check out: Person Pitch (2007)
#1-5 In Random Order:
The Postal Service- Sub Pop
Project of Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel).
Also features Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) on many tracks.
Undeniably an important album, Give Up, was chock-full of catchy, environmentally-
conscience songs that became immediate classics.
Owen- Polyvinyl Records
Mike Kinsella of Joan of Arc, American Football, and Cap'n Jazz
Twinkly, orchestrated, acoustic tunes.
Check out: Everything he has ever done
Bomb the Music Industry!- Quote UnQuote Records, Asian Man Records
Former members of Arrogant Sons of Bitches
This group has gained a lot of fame for themselves in the past few years. They are known for
their musical style which is all over the map, falling into genres such as ska, hardcore,
synthpop and more. Overall attitude? Music is something we should share!
Download all their music for free HERE
Broken Social Scene- Arts and Crafts
A collective of Toronto-based indie-rock artists started by Kevin Drew (K.C. Accidental) and
Brendan Canning (By Divine Right, Blurtonia, Valley of the Giants, Len, and hHead).
They are unique in the way that all the members draw influences from their own projects,
making Broken Social Scene, in many ways, the melding of many different parts.
Check out: Bee hives (2003), You Forgot it in People (2002), and S/T (2005)
The Happiness Project- Arts and Crafts
A recent project of Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think, Broken Social Scene)
Spearin went to all of his neighbors and interviewed them about their definition of happiness.
He then sat down and wrote music to the exact inflection of their voices. The product? This is
incredible. You get to hear these uplifting tales and explanations of happiness over the
gorgeous innovation of Spearin's music.
Read More and Listen
Or just watch this:
Charles Spearin - The Happiness Project
The Happiness Project | MySpace Music Videos
Picture this: you're driving along with some friends listening to your Ipod when a song comes up on shuffle. Something classic, that you haven't
listened to in what feels like years. You turn up the volume, everyone is singing, you feel 16 again.
The following list is just that: a compilation
of albums that I couldn't stop listening to for days and embody everything I love about music. Read them, research them, listen to them, discuss them.
10. Defiance, Ohio- The Great Depression
Defiance, Ohio is a six piece folk-punk group from the midwest, showcasing banjo, fiddle, cello, double bass, and more. The Great Depression, their sophomore album released on No Idea records, is a real classic. Its political undertones are carried over catchy melodies mixed with nostalgia and optimism.
9. World/Inferno Friendship Society- Red-Eyed Soul
W/IFS is the culmination of a bunch of punk-rock musicians that have turned to world music. Red-Eyed Soul is a masterpiece album: catchy songs, masterful production and re-recordings of older songs. Not to mention that anarcho-camaraderie that gets everyone singing along and picking up their feet.
8. The Bouncing Souls- How I Spent my Summer Vacation
This album is the punk-rock anthem of our generation. Hands down. Every song is pure gold: simple, catchy nostalgic, and embodying the freedom of a summer vacation with no responsibilities.
7. Endless Mike and the Beagle Club- The Husky Tenor
Discovering this band was like finding a 20 dollar bill in an old pair of jeans. Hailing from Johnstown, PA, Endless Mike grabbed my attention immediately with a song off of a split 7" they released with Mischief Brew, Wingnut Dishwashers Union, and Guitar Bomb. "The Husky Tenor," was released in 2006 and features a whole boatload of instruments. Its politically charged lyrics satirize everyone's personal complacency. In other words: I care, just not enough. Prepare to laugh, cry, and be inspired.
6. The Promise Ring- Nothing Feels Good
Simple, and perfect. Two lines of lyrics per song. Heart-wrenching guitar riffs.
(this is how all reviews for this album should look)
5. Guided By Voices- Bee Thousand
Guided by Voices was a band from Dayton, Ohio, and fronted by the infamous Robert Pollard. Pollard has written at least a zillion songs, some of them great, some of them not-so great. "Bee Thousand," recorded on a four-track in 1994, contains 20 of these "great" tracks. No song exceeds 3 minutes, and the transitions are choppy, but with all this aside, there are some real beautiful and uplifting songs with strange and eerie lyrics.
4. The Get Up Kids-Something to Write Home About
This one brings you right back to middle school. It is perfect melodic punk rock with exactly the right formula. It is emotional, fast, and uplifting.
3. Jawbreaker- Dear You
The final Jawbreaker album ends up number 3 on my list. No, it is not like other Jawbreaker albums, but man does it hit you where it hurts. There's nothing like listening to "Dear You," when your down, and who isn't down once in a while? Its melodic, and slow but still retains the grungy early emo sound that Jawbreaker is known for.
2. Brand New- The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me
Brand New had to make this list. This band can do anything, and they certainly did it again with TDAGARIOFM. It is a dramatic maturation from Deja Entendu, their sophomore full-length: heavy where it needs to be, slow and heart-wrenching where it isn't. The lyrics are less angsty, and more tortured, dealing with issues that where way above the heads of the little pop-rock band that Brand New used to be. This album will tear you apart.
1. Owen- At Home With...
Putting "At Home With Owen" first on my list was not hard to do. No longer a guilty pleasure, or a bedtime musician, this was THE album anyone could put on the drive home. Owen is the solo project of Mike Kinsella, the renowned Chicago emo-music pioneer, and "At Home With..."is certainly his masterpiece album. It is twinkly, beautifully orchestrated, and features lyrics that will break your heart. If you haven't heard it, you are missing out.
"Radio is far and away the most dangerous of the media. It wields a unique and terrifying power, once the state or its institutional apparatus collapses. It casts off everything that might attenuate or sidetrack the force of words. In a chaotic situation, radio can prove to be the most efficient tool of democracy as well as of revolution or fascism, because it penetrates unhindered to the individual's deepest core, anywhere and at any moment, immediately, without the necessary and critical distance inherent in the reading of a text or image." This message has been brought to you by your friends here at WUML Lowell.
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