Peter Bjorn & John (Part 2!)

By Tina Corinteli

I went to the Peter Bjorn and John show at the 930 club a few weeks ago, and let me tell you, those boys know how to deliver. Everything was brilliant; from Peter’s adorable suspenders, to the surprise guest musicians on stage (their instruments consisted of cowbells, saxophones, & several other woodwind instruments). The bands set list was eclectic; ranging from relatively unknown songs off of their earlier albums to current hits, like It Don’t Move Me, which was one of the best received songs of the night. The energy throughout the venue was tremendous, the on-stage lighting was awesome, and, most importantly, the music was terrific.

Like John mentioned in the  first half of our interview, there are crazy surprises every night, so be sure to catch Peter Bjorn and John on their 10th Anniversary US Tour!  Meanwhile, here’s the second half of my wonderful conversation with John about whistling, crowd surfing, and Kanye West:

Your songs have a lot of experimental sounds; synths, unique percussions, whistling, distorted pianos, even a children choir. How are you able to transfer all those sounds and effects into a live show?

We’ve been using samples recently and I’ve been playing both the drums and the sample sounds. We mix that up with a lot of rock and power-pop; it’s almost like you can hear all the music history of western pop- you get a little bit of everything. We might do something different on this next tour. Maybe we’ll invite school children to come and sing with us- we might even have a whistler, I don’t know yet, we’ll see!

Speaking of whistling, your hit song “Young Folks” has an irresistible whistling melody that almost everyone is familiar with. Who would do the best job of whistling the melody during a live performance?

I think that it’s a close one between me and Peter. If I have a good microphone I might be able to do it, but we have a back-up of the whistling on one of my sample pads, but we have done the song without the backup. Actually, the first year we played that song Peter tried to do the whistling, but if you if you sing and whistle at the same time, your mouth gets so dry that it becomes impossible, it sounds like “hoo hooo” [wheezing sound of air passing between lips], like someone fainting or something. We have to have something to help, so both me & Peter whistle, and the sample triggers on at the same time.

Okay, well I have a very serious question for you: have you ever crowd surfed?

Oh no, not us. Well not me, because I’m stuck behind the drums most of the time. Although, actually, a couple of days ago we played in a small French city. There were these kids crowd surfing and going wild throughout the whole show; it was like a mosh pit. It was kind of weird since we were playing a ballad-type song, but it was a Friday night so I guess they were happy about something.

Would you ever crowd surf? Imagine you played an incredible set. Would you ever just get up and jump off of the stage?

Ha! I think I’m too careful for doing that. I don’t even ski because I’m so afraid of falling. It was different before, like 10 years ago. Now, the most dangerous thing I do is like…drink water on stage. Or drink beer on stage.

Kanye West is also a big fan of Peter Bjorn and John; he raved about your new album Living Thing on his website. You guys actually performed his rendition of Young Folks on stage. Tell us a little bit about that.

It was really fun. I think he like the drums a lot, that’s one of the things he said. When we met, we noticed that he had a lot of ginger in his dressing room. It’s a good thing though, it’s considered to be good for your throat, so now Peter has ginger in the dressing room as well. The festival was in Gothenburg, and strangely, the festival is called “Way Out West” http://www.wayoutwest.se/English  and Kanye West was headlining. I think it’s the best Swedish music festival.

Craving more PB&J? Track them at Bandsintown to find out when they’re coming to a town near you!

(Almost) 5 Questions for... Poor But Sexy!

By Emma Norman

D.C.-based band Poor But Sexy may not be rich and famous yet, but these five musicians (including former members of Travis Morrison Hellfighters and Dismemberment Plan) mix a promising recipe of upbeat rock, funk, and smooth soul grooves to serve up solid, catchy tunes. Their sound has been compared to a wide variety of bands from the edgy Dirty Projectors to the classic Elvis Costello. Intriguing, no? See for yourself— Poor But Sexy will open for The Wrens on the Black Cat main stage on November 20. I interviewed them (minus Jason Caddell, who was a busy at the mixing board) to find out their deal first-hand.

How did you meet and decide to play together?

David Brown (drums, guitar, vocals):  Jason and I started talking about doing a recording project together when we were both working as audio engineers on a long tour overseas. There wasn’t much actual work to do, and it was a record cold snap in Europe that year, so we spent a lot of time playing guitar in our hotel rooms and talking about music while schwitzing in the sauna. I met Durst and Bruce when we played in an Elvis Costello cover band for a benefit concert.  I had already played with Brandon in Travis Morrison’s band, and I decided pretty early on that he had to play bass in any band I was ever in.

There is a strong narrative quality in your lyrics. Do you think a song is better when it tells a story?

DB: I’m so psyched you noticed!  I have sort of been taking notes on commercial country music for a while now. You can understand every word, and the singer is usually telling a story or painting a scene in very literal language without hiding anything behind metaphors or other poetic tricks until the chorus. You can follow it in your mind with images as if you were reading a screenplay.  Take that song “Some Beach” [by Blake Shelton] where it’s just a litany of complaints about city life, and then the chorus is just a pun on “son of a bitch,” or that Randy Travis song about  looking at his dead wife’s negligee, and the chorus is about digging up bones.  Of course, R. Kelly is also a master of storytelling, but he substitutes raunchiness and self-parody for the corny sentimentality.

I want to tell stories with the same clarity and a touch of raunchiness and sentimentality.  I usually feel like it’s a good sign when I’m afraid to sing lyrics in front of people. It’s hard to get up there and actually say something, you know?

How has the local music industry changed since the 90’s, and how would you describe it now?

David Durst (keys): It seemed to go from a post-punk indie boom in the late 90’s/early 00’s to almost a vacuum a few years back when the bigger name bands shut down. Now I feel like it’s a time of rebirth for the local scene and it’s producing much more diverse music. And it’s great to hear.

Where has been your favorite place to perform and why?

Brandon Kalber (bass):  Black Cat is always a good time.  Fort Reno - It’s hard to beat a free outdoor show that promotes family and having an honestly good time. Iota is always a nice place to play and it has a great sounding room.

Who's in town!? Not to miss shows in... NYC!

by Willie Avendano and Alex Mason

November is here (and already 1/3 gone!) and even though it may be cool outside, the shows this month HOT! Here are our recommendations for must-see shows this month:

Prefuse 73 (Le Poisson Rouge, Nov. 10)

The Roots (Highline Ballroom, Nov. 10 & 17)

Blu (BB Kings, Nov. 11)

Bassnectar (The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, Nov. 13)

Jazzanova (Sullivan Room, Nov. 13)

Peaches & Amanda Blank (Terminal 5, Nov. 14)

Fool’s Good (w/ Edward Sharpe and the Local Natives) (Bowery Ballroom, Nov. 17)

Shonen Knife (Brooklyn Bowl, Nov. 17)

Hit The Lights (Highline Ballroom, Nov. 18)

Slightly Stoopid (Terminal 5, Nov. 19)

Less Than Jake (Nokia Theater, Nov. 19)

The Honorary Title (Music Hall of Williamsburg, Nov. 20)

Little Dragon (Le Poisson Rouge, Nov. 21)

***We have free tickets to give away! Follow @bandsinnyc and @lprnyc for more details***

Devendra Banhart (Town Hall, Nov. 22)

Royksopp (Webster Hall, Nov. 24)

Bebel Gilberto (Hiro Ballroom, Nov. 25)

Nightmare of You and The Static Jacks (The Studio at Webster Hall, Nov. 27)

Kid Sister (Webster Hall, Nov. 27)

Zero 7 (Terminal 5, Nov. 27)

Lotus & RJD2 (Terminal 5, Nov. 28)

Have other show suggestions? Hit up our twitter account and let us know!

(photo of Little Dragon via Danteross.com)

Who's in Town? Not to miss shows in... DC!

by Tina Corinteli

We may be 10 days into the month, but that leaves, oh, about 20 more to check out some awesome live music coming to DC.  These shows will not disappoint:

11/15 The XX @ DC9

If you’ve never heard of The XX, take a listen it’s likely that you’ll get addicted. The experience is relaxing yet captivating; like mellow indie-pop with a dash of electro. The band also happens to be ranked number 6 on NME’s Future 50 List, go check out what all the hype’s about!

11/16 Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros w/ Fool’s Gold, Local Natives @ The Black  Cat

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros have a feature length movie musical in the works AND ten band members. The possibilities are simply endless. Be sure to get there early to see Local Natives! Their live show is insane.

11/18 Pretty Lights @ 930 Club

Pretty Light’s mixes are absolutely sick. So are his lights.

11/19 David Guetta @ Fur

The French house-electro mastermind is finally making his way back to the nation’s capital, and he’s bringing the party with him. Guetta is the man when it comes collaborations with other artists (ex: Sexy B*tch feat. Akon and Memories feat. Kid Cudi are two of my many favorite hits off of his new album One Love. This show will be ridiculous and wild, so grab your dancing shoes, and GO!

11/22 Little Dragon @ Liv Nightclub

I’m so proud of the Swedish. They never seem to disappoint, and Little Dragon is no exception. Their sound is fresh; a clash of soul and electro. Don’t let her size fool you; expect nothing but greatness from front woman Yukimi Nagano, who’s soft yet powerful vocal are sure to take you on a ride.

11/25 Devendra Banhart @ 930 Club

Yes, that is his real name. The bilingual Banhart was born in Texas, raised in Venezuela, and studied in San Francisco. His style of psychedelic folk music infuses both English and Spanish, which makes for a unique and interesting sound that will captivate anyone and everyone in the audience to sway and move in ways you wouldn’t initially expect. It’s the perfect way to spend a relaxing Wednesday evening.

11/27 Zero 7 @ 930 Club

We have tickets to give away to this show (details coming soon!), but if you don’t win, you should definitely check out this show. Its going to rock.

11/30 Imogen Heap @ 6th & I

Imogen Heap’s hair is majestic, as is her voice. The tone of Heap’s voice, combined with the melodies of her piano, ensure that this Monday night will be anything but ordinary. Here’s a little preview of the amazing performance you can expect from the Grammy-nominated performer.

(photo of the Local Natives via KEXP)

(the first) 5 Questions for... Peter Bjorn & John!

by Tina Corinteli

Sweden and music go hand in hand- example:  Peter Bjorn and John. The indie-pop trio, who released the album Living Thing earlier this year, is getting ready to embark on their 10th Anniversary US Tour Bash with fellow Swedes El Perro Del Mar.

I would tell you more about the band, but John (the drummer) manages to explain everything so much better than I ever could:

You guys have been together for about ten years now, but you didn’t really reach out to an international fan base until the success of your album Writer’s Block. What was it like to progress from playing local shows to larger and unfamiliar audiences?

Well, sometimes it’s a bit hard to play in front of your mom, brother, and friends because they know you so well; you want to deliver in front of them. In more ways, it’s more relaxing to play in front of strangers. I must say, we’re never as nervous as when we play in Stockholm because we know everyone there. But, as for the transition to go out and tour- the hardest part was to learn how to deal with staying together in a small van, because in the beginning it was a small van. I mean, if you spend 19 hours cramped up in small car for 2 weeks, you can go crazy! That was the first thing we had to learn. We learned, and now we have a much bigger bus.

Peter Bjorn and John has played big festivals like Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Virgin Fest, as well as smaller venues and clubs- even some bar shows. Do feel any notable differences between the two? Do you have a preference?

Everything is fun; it all depends on small parts of fate- like when the gig is perfect. I must say, we recently played some really, really small clubs in New York, like The Cake Shop, as well as some small venues in France. I think they were among the best gigs we’ve ever done. If I could choose, we would play smaller venues. On the other hand, if you do that, you may not make as much money as when you’re on tour. That being said, I think we’re open for everything. When we did the Depeche Mode tour over the summer, we realized that we could have a really, really good time performing in a big arena as well. It all depends on what you have for breakfast.

Speaking of Depeche Mode , you made a stop in DC during that tour. Actually, your upcoming tour will mark your third time in the US & DC over the past 6 months. How are you able to handle so much touring?

It’s not that hard! I mean, I think it’s much harder to work as a Kindergarten teacher, or at a bee farm, or as a ski jumper. We like to play in front of people who come to see us. During next tour, when we come to DC, we’re going to try to do something special. Maybe have some secret guests or some special light effects. I think we might even Twitter on stage- I don’t know, we’ll see!

Alright, let’s talk about your fans: have you ever had a weird or strange experience with a fan when you were on stage?

Well, not too many on stage, but off stage, we definitely have. In Germany, about 3 years ago, we came off stage and we were supposed to sign some autographs. A girl fainted when she saw us. We thought she was so happy to see us, for us, it like a “we are The Beatles” moment. A little bit later some people at the venue were able to wake her up and give her some water- it turned out that she had eaten some bad Indian food and had gotten food poisoning. We felt bad for her, but also for ourselves.

Through touring around the world, you’ve been exposed to dozens of cultures and customs. Do you feel that there are differences between the audiences depending on location?

Well, not particularly. You could say that in Amsterdam, there’s a different smell. In Holland you might smell something, maybe a smoke smell. In France, you might smell cheese. In the US you smell really good, actually the US is one of the best smelling audiences. I have to say that the audiences smell different.

This is the first part of our two part interview with Peter Bjorn and John.  Check back soon for the second half! In the mean time, check out some PB&J on the Hype Machine and track them on Bandsintown to find out when they’ll be in your town.

Live! The Used, The Almost Make Boston Quake W/ Rock

By Mattew DiGirolamo

The House of Blues in Boston is known to host a myriad of different artists of all styles and genres, and you can usually tell who’s playing by taking a quick look at the fans in line waiting eagerly to gain entrance to the venue and rush to the front of the mosh pit. However, The Used and The Almost show this past Friday was a noted exception; no rock stereotypes were seen in droves, and all different types of people came together to bang their hands and give the devil horns to their favorite tunes.

The first sound you heard when walking in to the show that night was the blaring, angry anarchist punk rock of opener Drive A, a four-piece from Los Angeles, CA that has songs related to telling people to… go away, in many not nice words. The enthusiasm of the band and their similarity to acts like Green Day made them a hit with many of those at the show who might not have heard them before. They were obviously gracious to be on the tour, and gave a hearty shout out to The Used’s Bert McCracken at the end of their set.

The Almost, headed up by Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, came on next to loud fans. They started up with the title song to their first album “Southern Weather,” which got the crowd excited for the rest of the set. Gillespie’s candor brought many non-fans into the world of the band, and many will certainly check out their new album that was under heavy promotion for the rest of the set. The album “Monster Monster” is due out on November 3^rd and the band played the title track, as well as a song titled “Monster.” Good thing those two similarly named songs sounded so different, otherwise you would have a hard time telling them apart.

When The Almost finished their set, it felt like an eternity before The Used took the stage. At 10pm, a projector began to display a montage of video clips from the history of the band, including everything from music videos, to home movies, to tour and performance footage. As the music in the background came to a head, the white sheet at the back of the stage fell to show the bands name a huge syringe pointing down to drummer Dan Whiteside’s head. Bert, Quinn and Jeph joined Dan on stage and began to bring the noise with “Blood On My Hands,” the first single from their newest album “Artwork.” The rest of their set included favorites from all of their albums, from oldies “I Caught Fire” and “Blue and Yellow” to newer jams including “Come Undone” and the smashing final song, “Pretty Handsome Awkward.” The Used has totally mastered their performance skills by masterfully integrating and mashing their songs together to give the audience a seamless transition from one hit to another. Another great aspect of the show came from Bert’s interaction with the audience; his crazy and energetic composure made the audience laugh and want to rock along with him. Maybe if you are lucky you’ll get asked to join Bert’s new gang, “The Usedsters,” whose secret handshake can only be learned if you go to one of the shows on the tour.

Additional Links: For more information on The Used, The Almost, and Drive A,  head to their respective Myspace pages. Also, start tracking The Used on Bandsintown to find out when they will be in your city!

Who's in Town? Not to Miss Shows in... Boston!

by Trish Fontanilla

While fall is my favorite season, (I could go Bubba on you and list my fave types of pumpkin goodies), it is indeed a sign that summer has left the building. From here on in, the sun will be more like the guest star instead of the lead actor. But fear not, Bostonians, there’s a solution to those seasonal blues! Music, besides being incredibly kick ass and awe inspiring, can improve mood. Seriously. Go look it up. So when the sun goes down a little earlier this November, there’s no need to hole up in your apartment and make a perma-tuckus-indentation in the couch. For a pick-me-up, get out and see some live music!

Like…

11/2 Girl Talk @ House of Blues

Because you have “jumping on stage” as one of your New Year’s resolutions.

11/4 Dragonette @ Great Scott

Because you’ve perfected a hair toss that doesn’t make you dizzy.

11/4 Ray LaMontagne @ Wang Center for the Performing Arts

Because he’s the vocal equivalent of a fleece blanket.

11/4 Harper Simon @ Café 939’s Red Room

Because this isn’t your parents music (or his) and you’re curious.

11/6 The Swell Season

Because even though they’re famous now, you’re still cheering them on.

11/6 Cassavettes @ Middle East Downstairs

Because it’s their CD release and they’ll be rockin’ alongside You Can Be a Wesley Oh yeah, we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away. Follow @BandsinBoston for details!

11/7 Wolfmother, Heartless Bastards @ House Of Blues

Because you want people at the office to think you’re a badass.

11/8 Eat Your Heart Out Boston featuring Deer Tick

Because you support nom-rock (concerts put on by music-loving foodies).

11/12 Blind Pilot @ Paradise Rock Club

Because you loved Annie’s blog review from last month.

11/12 Mute Math @ House of Blues

Because this is the kind of math that you can get down with.

11/16 Peaches @ Paradise Rock Club

Because you want to be them (or the subject of one of their songs).

11/17 Elan Trotman @ Scullers

Because you know that jazz should be heard live.

11/19 Evangelicals @ Great Scott

Because Jane suggested them and she’s boss.

11/21 The Local Natives (opening for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros) @ Pearl Street Downstairs

Because Alexis (Bandsintown’s Marketing Director) is obsessed.

11/25 F*ck Buttons @ Great Scott

Because you’re wondering if their outfits will be strictly zippers.

Now if only they’d start doing some live concerts on the T… that’d make the commute more enjoyable. Did I miss one of your favorite bands? Track them on our site or tweet us what concerts you plan to go to this month! Word.

(photo courtesy of Phunkster)

Bandsintown intern Alex Mason has been hard at work with his crew at WFIT (the radio broadcast organization at the Fashion Institute of Technology) creating the largest live music event at FIT to date: The Sound Off.

The event will be held on November 6th, and will feature talents of London based art rock band, CIAM, Action Item, Patent Pending, and Island Def Jam’s own Reckless Sons.

Live! Say Hi at the Black Cat, Washington DC

Review by Tina Corinteli

As I stood outside of the Black Cat on one of the coldest nights DC has had in months, I couldn’t help but wonder which version of Say Hi I would see perform: Eric Elbogen with his trusty “robots” or Eric Elbogen accompanied by living & breathing band mates. That question was answered thirty minutes later when a trio of musicians took the stage, followed by a quick introduction of “Hi, we’re Say Hi from Seattle, Washington.”

Within a few seconds, I found myself in the middle of a growing audience, just in time to hear the beginning chords of the band’s opening song “Pop Music of the Future.” A quick “Hi,” from Elbogen, and the band got straight into the second song of the night “These Fangs” off of the album Impeccable Blahs. I took a quick glance at the audience; it was obvious it didn’t take long for the mellow-intensity of Eric’s voice to captivate the crowd. By the next song, “Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh,” bodies were swaying in every direction.

There was some sort of adrenaline-like feel going through the crowd. The kid next to me whipped out a lighter and started swinging it over his head; people were shouting out requests. I was interested to see how Eric would react to this, since the only words out of his mouth up to that point had basically been “hi” and “thanks”. His response?  A witty “No requests; we will not be taking any requests at this time,” followed by a little grin, which led us into the next song (one of my favorites) off the new album Oohs & Aahs, “November Was White, December Was Grey”.

A few songs later, the music stopped and I came to the realization that Mr. Eric Elgoben & his band were funny guys- really funny guys. “Want to hear a joke?” he said, “Why can’t white people tell jokes timing?” (If the joke doesn’t make sense to you, try reading it aloud). Eric admitted to us that his guitar needed some tuning and turned things over to Alex, the bassist, whose hilarious and obscene jokes turned the audience’s chuckles into full-blown laughter. Tuned and ready, Eric proceeded to tell us that “this band gets progressively dirtier every night,” and introduced his song “Blah Blah Blah”, “a song about vampires which inspired Twilight.”

Say Hi finished off their set with the fan favorite “Northwestern Girls” while the audience crooned along during the chorus “It must be in the air, here.” A sincere “thank you” and the band made their way off stage while several members of the crowd chanted, “One more song! One more song!”. I must admit, I was surprised by the band’s choice not to include “Let’s Talk about Spaceships”, which is undoubtedly one of Say Hi’s most popular songs, on the set list. Encore or not, Say Hi ensured that it was a great night for music in DC.

Say Hi are currently touring with Dave Bazan, track them on Bandsintown for upcoming tour dates and similar show recommendations.

5 Questions For... The Grownup Noise!

By Trish Fontanilla

Once upon a time, if you asked me what The Grownup Noise was, I probably would have said, “You mean the sound the adults make on Charlie Brown?” Now enlightened and a better person for it, I now know that The Grownup Noise is a Boston based band that’s played with people like Kay Hanley from Letters to Cleo and whose music has appeared on MTV’s Real World (I was told, not as background music of a bar fight).

Paul Hansen (vocals/guitar), Adam Sankowski (bass), Katie Franich (cello), and Kyle Crane (drums) make what Paul describes as “off-kilter pop music; catchy but earthy and sincere.”  Having seen them more this year than some of my blood relatives, I can tell you that their chemistry on stage leaves you walking out of their concerts with a perma-smile.  Added bonus— not only are they a talented band, they’re eco-friendly too! For the past 2 summers they’ve toured around in a converted van that runs on veggie oil (which you can totally read about on The Organic Mechanic Blog).

I recently had a chance to ask Paul a few questions and he filled me in on how the group got their name and, oh yeah, why they were accidently hiding from the police this past summer (also has nothing to do with a bar fight).

I feel like I’ve searched high and low.. and by searched I mean on Google.. but I can’t figure it out. Where does your band name come from? And were there any other names you guys threw around before settling on The Grownup Noise?

Our name is the result of a free association game, with some alcohol involved. When I saw the three words scribbled on a piece of paper, it made sense. For me, it means all the things that bog you down as you grow up; bills, aging, death and taxes, random depression and useless competition. So it’s about fighting against ‘the grownup noise’.

Other people have a totally different interpretation, which is great. Before that, we were nameless for awhile, but not called ‘Nameless’.

Who writes the songs in the group?

Me (Paul) actually, the tall goofy guy. I give birth to our babies and then we all raise them up together, hopefully to be productive members of society. If they don’t, we lock them up in our basement and never speak of them again.

Following your Twitter account this summer, it seemed like your veggie van had some issues. Any crazy tour/van stories?

For an afternoon we were fugitives from the law! We weren’t aware that our tank had a crack in it and our van leaked used veggie oil all over a Taco Bell parking lot. And umm…we kinda fled the scene. But we made good and came back and cleaned it all up.

You toured all over the US this summer (20+ dates in just a little over a month), where were your favorite places to play?

Minneapolis, MN and Tucson, AZ were surprise hits. And of course L.A.’s ‘Spaceland’ was exciting to play.

Name three musicians that we should be listening to but probably aren’t. Guided by Voices, Brakes, Brakes, Brakes, and Boston’s own ‘Mission of Burma’

Diggin’ The Grownup Noise? They’ll be playing at TT the Bear’s this Saturday (10/24) as part of the RSL Music Blog’s 3rd Anniversary Party.  Not in Boston? They’ve got 3 new tunes (and some old ones too) on their MySpace and of course you can track them on our site to get info on their latest tour dates as soon as they’re announced.

Not Sure Where to Begin at CMJ? Check Out These Bands

by Willie Avendano

It’s late October in New York City, and that only means one thing, CMJ. Today marks the start the annual music manic marathon known to artists and fans alike as CMJ Music Marathon. From October 20 – 24, musicians come from everywhere to flood the Village, the Lower Eastside, and Brooklyn with amazing shows all times of day, and become almost holiday-weekend for ANY music lover, for little to no nominal fee. But with so much music, what to do?

Here are the bands I totally recommend you seeing this week.

• Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All Stars (At Blue Note, every night): Who doesn’t like jazz, especially from this cover band playing beautiful music as a break from intense shows
• The Antlers (Music Hall of Williamsburg, Oct 20, 10:45pm)
• Souls of Mischief + Tanya Morgan (Southpaw, Oct. 22, 9pm)
• X-Ecutioners + A-Trak + Sadat X (BB King’s, Oct. 22, 11pm)
• The Foreign Exchange (BB Kings, Oct 23, 11:30pm)
• Surf City (Cake Shop, Oct. 20, 11:10pm)
• Eric Roberson (S.O.B’s, Oct. 21, 7:00pm)
• Pac Div (DROM, Oct. 21, 8:35pm)
• The XX (Webster Hall, Oct. 23, 9:00pm)
• Fool’s Gold (Bowery Poetry Club, Oct. 22, 12:00am)
• Midnight Juggernauts (Bowery Ballroom, Oct. 22, 12:00am)
• Jokers of the Scene + LA Riots (N8, Oct. 22, 10pm)
• YACHT + Holy Ghost! (Brooklyn Bowl, Oct 22, 8pm)
• Camp Lo (S.O.B’s, Oct. 22, 9:20pm)
• The Dap Kings + Menahan Street Band (Knitting Factory BK, Oct. 23, 6pm)
• Cymbals Eat Guitars (Public Assembly, Oct. 22)
• Crystal Antlers (Cake Shop, Oct. 23, 11:30pm)
• OKAY AFRICA (Knitting Factory BK, Oct. 24, 11pm)

This is just a start! Check out the complete CMJ coverage of some of our favorite blogs, including Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, NYCTaper, BrooklynVegan and Stereogum.  If you have show recommendations, make sure to hit us up on twitter and we’ll send ‘em out far and wide.

Thrilled to be a sponsor of the Pop Tarts Suck Toasted CMJ Kick-off Party (FREE whether you have a badge or not!)

Huge thanks to Patrick for inviting us to join him, details on all of the awesome bands playing can be found here.

5 Questions for... Like the Stars

Interview by Alex Mason

Out of Point Pleasant NJ, an ambitious powerpop band was formed.  Like The Stars began in January 2008 when founding member, vocalist and lyricist AJ Hoenings called on friends to help create original material “from the heart”.  Bassist Nick VanderMaas and guitarist  Nick Kaelblein were the first to join the band.  Joey Trala on drums and Connor Appleton on guitar were the last members to help round out the aspiring 5 piece band.  With the exception of Nick V, all played in prior bands and knew what they were looking for musically.

While the band was hard at work playing shows locally & regionally, they had also been focused on writing and recording.  After a year and a half, their long awaited LP was released on May 22, 2009. “Don’t Tell Secrets, I Won’t Tell Lies” received high appraisal from both old and new fans alike.

Their influences vary greatly but bands such as All Time Low and Mayday Parade help bring forth their passion for music while creating a sound all their own.

Q: New Jersey is a haven for influential bands to sprout from. With more modern acts such as Thursday and Midtown to more classic acts such as Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, what has it been like trying to make a name for yourself in a music scene that has seen so much?

A: New Jersey is a great place to be a starting musician because of all the super influential artists and song writers that have come from here. It also gives you a lot to live up to. We really could not ask for a better place to be based out of.

Q: Pop Punk is becoming, if it already isn’t, one of the bigger genres out right now. With that comes the positives and negatives.  Many people complain of pop punk bands all being the same and being unoriginal. What are you guys doing to separate yourself from the pack? Why should people listen to Like The Stars over other similar artists?

A: Our biggest thing is trying to put on as much of an entertaining live show as possible. You see so many bands who walk on stage with a very apathetic attitude. We’re really against that, we all have an extreme passion for music in general and it shows in our live show.

Q: I was fortunate enough to see a few songs from your set at The Bamboozle festival this past May. What was it like being able to play such a big event like Bamboozle? Were there any opportunities you were able to gain through playing Bamboozle?

A: Bamboozle was a dream come true for us. It was really an experience likeno other.  We were able to be a part of something that all of our biggest influences were a part of as well. So that was really cool. As far as opportunities go we’ve been offered a bunch of shows due to Bamboozle, which has been really awesome as well.

Q: Was there a point during your band’s life that made you just go, “Wow, this is why I make music” ? If not, or even if so, what is something you think you can change or aspire for to get to that point?

A: I think we all agree that being on stage for Bamboozle was huge for us, either then or going on our first tour. We really took a step back and said, “Wow”.

Q: Recording could be a tedious yet fun process that may cause some of the members to become delusional, are there any fun stories you have from the studio? What about past tours?

A: There’s a lot of stories! We were on our first tour with our friends in Arizona Lives! (check them out, awesome dudes!) But they managed to break into our van, un-hinge all of our seats, put them on top of the van, and then proceeded to cover our van in a bunch of stuff. Anything from flour to mayo to duct tape.  All kinds of stuff.  It was really bad.

New Feature: Add a show!

As many of you know we are pretty much obsessed with having the biggest, baddest, most comprehensive, and complete database of concert tickets and information in the world so that fans of live music can find tickets to shows no matter how small the venue or obscure the artist.

To create our database, we aggregate tickets and information from over 60 ticketing companies in 140 countries, and that number is growing all the time.  While incredibly effective, we recognize this method is not 100% complete because not all shows are ticketed.

We hear from artists all the time about shows at warehouses, coffee shops, house parties, and even churches.  Some of the best performances we’ve ever seen have been at these non-traditional venues— most of which may have a cover at the door, but are not not formally ticketed.

Coinciding with our participation in the “New Musicians Toolbox” panel at the Future of Music Policy summit this week, we launched the newest feature to our site: an add a show page that enables artists, managers, labels, and venue owners to submit shows to Bandsintown, thus ensuring that artist pages reflect all shows, regardless of size, location, or ticketing status.

This is just one of several tools and capabilities we are working on to make it even easier for artists to keep fans in the know about upcoming tour info, stay tuned for more announcements in the near future.

Future Of Music Policy Summit

We are honored to be panelists at the Future of Music Policy Summit taking place through October 6th in Washington DC.

The summit is intended to examine the impact of policy and technological innovation on everyone in the music ecosystem, through panels, discussions, events, workshops and keynotes.  The speakers so far have included Senator Al Franken, FCC Chairman (and LaunchBox Digital founder) Julius Genachowski, Mike Mills of REM, Ariel Hyatt of Cyber PR and so many others! Tomorrow’s line up includes Daniel Ek of Spotify, Seth Hurowitz of IMP, Ian McKaye of Fugazi, Eliot Van Buskirk of Wired, and many others.

We will be presenting as part of the “New Musicians Toolbox” panel at 2pm, which FMC describes as:

Despite the obvious disruptions, the digital revolution has been empowering for many musicians. Yet navigating this rapidly evolving landscape can be daunting. Representatives from some of the coolest new ideas in funding, promotion, asset management and data tracking will join us to demo their wares and talk about how musicians can effectively use new tools.

Duncan Freeman Founder, Band Metrics
George Howard Manager, Carly Simon (moderator)
Charlie McEnerney Host + Producer, Well-Rounded Radio; Instigator, Musicians for Music 2.0

We are particularly excited about being on this panel because connecting bands and fans is a HUGE motivating factor for us (we literally wake up every morning thinking about how we can do it even more effectively). We’ve been working on a great set of tools for artists to use our API to their full advantage, and we are looking very forward to talking about some of them tomorrow, and unveiling them over the coming weeks and months.

There are several ways to check out the summit, even if you can’t attend in person:

• • Watch live streaming of the event
  • Check out FMC’s live blog
  • Search #fmc09 on twitter (great quality and insight so far!)

If you are attending in person, please come say hi!