Not Blood Paint - BTR Live Studio [ep222]
Not Blood Paint are quite possibly robots, or maybe aliens, or, at the very least, four musicians with a serious penchant for completely over-the-top theatrics. Musically, the quartet treads heavily in pop of the bizarre, glammy art-rock territory (strains of Bowie, Of Montreal, Dirty Projectors, etc), pumping out tightly constructed gems solid enough to blast past all the makeup and costumery. Every show is a different experience — “experience” being the key here — and their reputation absolutely precedes them. Take a trip with the band for some extreme eye contact, guitar-shredding silver humanoids, and an introduction to the New Suit Methodology.
Featured Song: “Don’t Wanna Talk About It”
No Blood Paint’s Calm Down is available now.
Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/10El6la
Official website for Not Blood Paint: http://notbloodpaint.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/notbloodpaint
Twitter: @notbloodpaint
Pop Zeus - Serious Business on BTR [ep119]
Pop Zeus is the project of Brooklyn’s Mikey Hodges. As the story goes, it was impressed upon his young music-loving self that idols Prince, Stevie Wonder, and Todd Rundgren all played every instrument on their records. When Mikey was ready to start making his own music — less than two years ago — this idea stuck, and he banged out 10 power pop jams using borrowed gear. Here, he performs with his band and talks with Travis about their shared connections with Guided By Voices, among other thing.
Featured Song: “Hold You Tight”
Pop Zeus, the self-titled album, is available now from Burger Records.
Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/14hFcEV
Pop Zeus on Bandcamp: http://popzeus.bandcamp.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/popzeusmusic
Twitter: @pop_zeus
The Blank Tapes - BTR Live Studio [ep220]
Shades of classic rock and 50’s/60’s pop permeate The Blank Tapes’ stoner/pych-rock vibes. Hailing from San Francisco, Matt Adams is a prolific songwriter — not to mention a talented visual artist — with a timeless approach to music. Now in perhaps its leanest and strongest form yet, The Blank Tapes are a trio these days, featuring Adams along with girlfriend/resident-Moe Tucker-style-drummer Pearl Charles, and D.A. Humphrey on bass, and they’re ready to spread their songs across the land, taking us all on Vacation.
Featured Song: “Don’t Ever Get Old”
The Blank Tapes’ new album, Vacation, is available today from Antenna Farm Records.
Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/12Lh8rt
Official Website for The Blank Tapes: http://theblanktapes.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/blanktapes
Twitter: @theblanktapes
Eternal Summers - Serious Business on BTR [ep118]
Eternal Summers — previously a duo of Nicole Yun and Daniel Cundiff, more recently fleshed out with the addition of bassist Jonathan Woods — are a band coming into their own. While previous releases explored post punk and lo-fi rock territory, their current power trio format pushes things solidly into its own territory, crafting a unique pop sound that’s entirely their own. The band is currently running a Pledge Music campaign, offering everything from vinyl pre-orders to sweaty shirts and house shows in order to facilitate the production of their new album.
Featured Song: “Gouge”
Eternal Summers’ Correct Behavior is out on Kanine Records and their follow-up is expected later this year.
Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/13nb7UH
Eternal Summers on Bandcamp: http://eternalsummers.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/eternalsummers
Twitter: @EternalSummers
Villagers - BTR Live Studio [ep219]
Conor J. O’Brien — whose Dublin-based band, Villagers, has been nominated for a Mercury Prize, won an Ivor Novello Award, and shared stages with some of the biggest names in music — delivers an intimate, solo performance of his songs here on BTR Live Studio. In a departure from his previous effort, O’Brien embraces collaboration, instrumental music, and a whole lot of symbolism and poetic storytelling to achieve something that he feels is secular yet spiritual, and which sings the things that he can not say.
Featured Song:“Nothing Arrived”
Villagers’ {Awayland} is available now
Complete radio playlist and broadcast:http://b-t-r.co/10o5hxP
Official websitefor Villagers: http://wearevillagers.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/Villagers
Twitter: @wearevillagers
Ideas City - BTR Pulse [ep124]
On Saturday, May 4th, artists, architects, poets, technologists, entrepreneurs, and inventors shared their ideas and invited participants to actively shape their city and involve themselves in its urban improvement. StreetFest served as the grand finale of the New Museum’s Ideas City festival, a four-day conference featuring workshops and more than one hundred independent and public events for proposing solutions and accelerating creativity. BTR Pulse’s Lauren Hawker was there.
Featured Song: “Go Outside (Menahan Street Band Remix)” by Cults
Official website for Ideas City: http://ideas-city.org/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/newmuseum
Twitter: @IDEASCITY
Prince Rama - BTR Live Studio [ep218]
While Prince Rama is a band in the sense that it contains people making music, recording albums, and going on tour, there’s a whole world of other activity going on with this Brooklyn-based group. Taraka and Nimai Larson have been experimenting with their music in different forms over the years in vastly different environs: living in ashrams, working for utopian architects, writing manifestos, and delivering lectures from pools of fake blood. They’ve used a clever blend of mysticism, technology, aerobics, and props, to build a constantly evolving world filled with inspiration and music.
Featured Song: “XO”
Prince Rama’s Top Ten Hits of the End of the World is now available
Complete radio playlist and broadcast: http://b-t-r.co/11RaYsn
Official website for Prince Rama: http://princerama.net/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/princeramaofayodhya
Twitter: @princerama2012
Clouder - Serious Business on BTR [ep117]
Formed in Brooklyn in 2011, Clouder made a big splash with their roaring, guitar-driven 60’s-inspired rock ‘n roll. After a brief hiatus as singer Eric Gilstrap moved south, the guys are back in action, playing shows up and down the East Coast and working on new music, pushing their psychedelic wall of sound into new realms, spilling beers, whipping hair, and breaking hearts — we welcome these men back to Serious Business On BTR with open arms.
Featured Song: “Phantom Girl”
Clouder’s Freakin’ Out The Squares is available now.
Complete radio playlist and broadcast: http://b-t-r.co/ZRX3Sx
Clouder on Bandcamp: http://clouder.bandcamp.com
Facebook: http://facebook.com/ClouderNY
Twitter: @Clouderband
Openly Gay In The NBA - BTR Pulse [ep123]
The landscape of professional sports changed on Monday, April 29th, when NBA center Jason Collins revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he is gay. Collins is the first active player in the history of major U.S. team sports to come out as openly gay. As opinions from notable NBA stars, as well as other well-known personalities, began rolling in, BTR Pulse’s Lauren Hawker asked people about the historical timing of this announcement and what the future may hold for sports and sexual orientation equality.
Featured Song: “Closet Astrologer” by The Ruby Suns
Photo by Joshua S. Kelly
Jason Collins on Twitter: @jasoncollins34
Month In Reivew: April 2013 - Chaz Mannenheim!
Chaz Mannenheim is once again seeking out the news and peoples’ opinions about said news. And boy, does he get what he’s looking for! Laugh and try to stop laughing as Chaz talks to people about the seemingly unfunny material associated with the Boston Marathon Bombing, California’s Attractive Attorney General, and the deaths of Margaret Thatcher and Roger Ebert!! All of it’s here with your favorite news
reporter, Chaz Mannenheim! It’s Month In Review, APRIL 2013!!!!
Chaz on Facebook: http://facebook.com/chazmannenheim
Twitter: @chazmannenheim
Photo credits: RoninKengo, roberthuffstutter
Matt Bauer - BTR Live Studio [ep216]
Songwriter Matt Bauer was born in Kentucky — though he recently lived in Brooklyn and currently calls Austin home — and the music of the region makes itself apparent in his work. Drawing on traditional mountain music, bluegrass, and folk, his songs tell carefully crafted tales with heavy tones and fantastically crafted orchestration.
Featured song: “Andaman Sea”
Matt Bauer’s No Shape Can Hold Me Now is available now on Crossbill Records.
Complete radio playlist and broadcast: http://b-t-r.co/10urCRD
Official website for Matt Bauer: http://mattbauermusic.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/pages/Matt-Bauer/97593575243
Twitter: @mattbauermusic
