Wakey! Wakey!

"You should go home before your money's all gone"

Solid advice from a solid local band, Wakey! Wakey! who makes beautiful piano-powered, orchestral ballads

Twenty Two [mp3] - (iTunes)

The Radio Dept.

The Radio Dept have been generating some great buzz as of late, as their newest release Clinging To A Scheme is dropping soon on April 21st. The swedish band was formed in 1995 but didn't release a proper debut until 2003 and have been featured on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack with their care-free lo-fi licks and indie-pop tracks. Clinging To A Scheme will be the band's third full-length release, and we've got two tracks from it below. "David" was released earlier last year, but Heaven's On Fire is a new one, and they're both awesome, so check them out.

David [mp3] (iTunes)
Heaven's On Fire [mp3]

Hub Bub Show

So Friday night I got to go to Hub Bub in Spartanburg, SC for the 3rd time and I have to say I love this place. Hub Bub is a non profit venue which seeks to bring art and culture to a city that has been sorely lacking it. Check them out at Hub-Bub.com

I went to see Stephanie's id and Heypenny. Both bands have managed to generate a good bit of buzz, but based on the write ups and Myspace pages I was much more excited about Heypenny.

These guys did not disappoint. The started the set in bright raincoats and moved on to homemade robot costumes. The music was instantly catchy and I had to put my camera down for a bit and do some serious dancing. Sadly most of the crowd was too cool to dance but everyone still seemed to be having a good time. I'm hoping you readers are not too cool to dance and can enjoy these guys in your car or bopping along on the subway.

Like I said before I really was not too sure what to expect from Stephaniesid. They have been getting a lot of good press over the past year with an appearance on The World Cafe as well as playing to a big crowd at Bonnaroo. However, when I listed to a few songs on Myspace I wasn't really won over. Let me say right now they deserve every bit of praise that has come their way. Stephanie herself has one of the best stage presence that I have seen in a long time. Her and the band moved seamlessly from electronic pop to rock. Then she did a few solo numbers and a duet with her friend Jar-e from the Asheville music scene who I hope to check out soon. I definitely recommend giving the album a few listens to really fall in love and if you are anywhere near Asheville come check out the free show at UNCA on February 6th.

Cop Car [mp3] - Heypenny (iTunes)

Bullet Train [mp3] - Stephaniesid (iTunes)

Introducing our new writer, Jay!

I'd like to welcome my dear friend Jay to the contributing writers of Guilt Free Pleasures. Jay is originally from Georgia and really fell in love with live music during his college years in Athens, GA.  Athens is of course the home of REM and the B52's, but during his time there he enjoyed the likes of Cat Power and Neutral Milk Hotel as well as regional powerhouses such as Soul Miner's Daughter, Dayroom and Jump (formerly Jump Little Children). He is now based in upstate South Carolina, close to the music mecca of Asheville, North Carolina and will be featuring some of the best emerging regional powerhouses from that area.

Days Away

The amount of bands I've been finding out about lately who have already broken up is driving me crazy. Days Away was around for 10 years--they broke up in 2008--and I'm not sure how I missed hearing of them until now. Because they've been broken up for a few years now it's a little tough to find much about them on the interwebs, but I thought I'd bring them up anyway because they put out some solid music. Described as a progressive rock band, they're heavy on the guitar and Keith Goodwin's soft lead vocals are a great compliment to the music.

Like most breakups, this one spawned more music in the band Good Old War, so hope is not all lost.

God and Mars [mp3] - (iTunes)

T Klines Decline [mp3] - (iTunes)

Twin Sister @ Monkeytown

Yesterday was quite the day for me music-wise. I interviewed Marc of Nouvelle Vague, went to their awesome show at Webster Hall (more on that later this week when I have time to get all the pictures uploaded and the video interview together) and then headed out to Williamsburg to check out Twin Sister at Monkeytown.

Apparently, they all met at a house party in the early 2000's. Many of them were in different bands at the time, that all played at this house party. A friend of mine also happened to be at that party, and that's how I ended up in Williamsburg last night to check them out. This same friend told me - nay, promised me - that they would blow me away. Unfortunately, when people set things up like that, they rarely end up living up to expectations (also part of the reason I don't like Harry Potter or Star Wars).

While I was definitely not blown away, I did enjoy the show. They're the Michael Cera of bands - they're hip (but not too hip) and lovable but a little awkward in an endearing/adorable way. Also like Michael Cera, though, I think they may find themselves having trouble breaking out from their hipster niche audience. Then again, there are a lot of hipsters in the world (as evidenced in looking at the cramped audience / staff of Monkeytown) and their music is actually good. It's catchy, laid-back rock (fairly perfect for the space at Monkeytown if only there were a better sound system). I really like lead-singer Andrea Estella's voice - it is effortless and pleasant. In fact, I think that's a good way to describe most of their music - simple and enjoyable (again, kinda like Michael Cera). Definitely a band to watch. Oh and you can download their whole EP for free on their website.

I Want A House [mp3]

Best Coast - "When I'm With You"

I think I'm late to the party on this one -- I started reading about Los Angeles lo-fi duo Best Coast (Bethany Cosentino, formerly of Pocahaunted, and Bobb Bruno) at the end of 2009, when all the blogs were turning out their "artists to watch for" lists. Turns out the pair have written a tune that is the perfect embodiment of itself.

Singer Cosentino starts off "When I'm With You" as languidly as the words suggest: "the world is lazy/but you and me/we're just crazy/so when I'm with you, I have fun" -- turning the familiar image of lazy lovers in a crazy world right on its head -- before the starter pistol goes off and the song turns into glorious, raucous lo-fi pop with rumbling toms, fuzzy guitars and energy bleeding out the edges.

It's a day at the beach with some amazing new someone who makes you want to do things you've never done before. It's the final scene of a teen movie, it'll make you nostalgic for wherever you were in "the good old days," and it's my first obsession of 2010.

Go here to read Best Coast's M.O. in their own words - then let the songs be the final judge.

[mp3] - When I'm With You
[mp3] - Sun Was High (So Was I)

Emanuel and the Fear To Release Debut Full-Length!

I loved the debut EP last year, so it is with great joy that I announce that the 11-piece orchestral band Emanuel and the Fear is releasing their debut full-length Listen on March 9th, with spring and summer tours planned both domestic and abroad. The album will contain 18 tracks, with only one, the acoustic-guitar-superjam-electro-build-up "Jimme's Song," making its way over from the EP. If the full-length is anything like the EP I listened to a year ago, it's going to be a melange of song styles with something to offer to everyone. The first single from the album is "Dear Friend," an upbeat pop number comparable to the likes of Ben Folds with a spin or two for added intrigue.

Dear Friend [mp3]

Drink Up Buttercup - Born and Thrown on a Hook

Drink Up Buttercup is finally coming out with their first full-lenth album. Due to be released on March 23rd, the band is also releasing a live video of every song on the album on their website - one song each week (starting last week), culminating with the albums release.

The album is, well, exactly what I expected - noisey, catchy, full of mischief and ruckus - and all in all it embodied everything I love about them. Having seen Drink Up Buttercup perform on several occasions, I am familiar with most of the songs on the album by now. Plus it has most if not all of the songs from their early demo/EP (not sure it was ever officially released) on it, which makes me happy. I like to describe them as "Sargent Pepper at a creepy circus." I have written so much about them already, I'm not really sure what else to say except for BUY IT IN MARCH. Ok? Ok.

Seasickness Pills [mp3]

Minnesota Monday: We Are The Willows

Originally from Eau Claire, WI, Peter Miller moved to Minneapolis for college and then spent the next six years enveloping himself in the excellent music scene, performing and writing everywhere he went. As a result, he began We Are The Willows, a folk-pop exploration and one of Miller's two musical projects (the other being the indie-rock band Red Fox Grey Fox.) He released his debut EP Bravery, Bravery in 2007 and his debut album A Collection Of Songs And Something Like The Plague in 2009. The debut album consists of a collection of sounds recorded from various places across the state, from "kids having a wild rumpus," to the light rail, to folks chit-chatting in the May Day cafe, and feature Miller's fragile-yet-unwavering Sigur Ros-esque falsetto vocals. The songs seem to take on a life of their own, expanding and evolving with each listen, so give it a try.

A Funeral Dressed As A Birthday [mp3] (iTunes)

Fredrik - Trilogi

When Fredrik was still but a fledgling sextet, they recorded and self-released three very limited edition EPs. Now, after the success of their first full-length album, Na Na Ni, they are releasing the EPs as one full-length album, Trilogi. Trilogi is indeed a little darker than its predecessor, but the album is still quietly experimental and full of beautiful, understated drama, much like Na Na Ni. In fact, it's so understated that I think this album will take a little warming up to for many people. It definitely takes multiple listens to fully appreciate the intricate layers that Fredrik is so skilled at crafting.

Locked in the Basement [mp3] - (iTunes)

Awesome Brooklyn concert TOMORROW!

So unfortunately I'm not going to be in town for this but three of my favorite up-and-coming East Coast bands are playing all in one show tomorrow night (Friday) at Bell House, here in Brooklyn. We have Ravens & Chimes, Miracles of Modern Science AND Drink Up Buttercup (who has an album due out soon, so expect to hear more about that here at GFP within the next few days). Doors are at 7pm and tickets are just $7. I actually had thought about almost this exact line-up for a GFP Presents show myself, so I'm kinda sad someone beat me to it, but oh well. Also really sad I can't make the show, but YOU should go. I guarantee you'll LOVE it.

Hearts of Palm [mp3] - Ravens & Chimes - (iTunes)

MR2 [mp3] - Miracles of Modern Science - (iTunes)

Gods & Gentlemen [mp3] - Drink Up Buttercup - (iTunes)

This Is Awesome, You Should Click On It

In B Flat.

Cosmo Jarvis

It's well established that I'm a sucker for ukuleles, so it should come as no surprise that I'm posting this spunky track from Cosmo Jarvis, a lad born in New Jersey in 1990 and raised in England. In the UK he hung out with the skater crowd, creating all sorts of ruckuses and probably driving his father nuts with his "Jackass"-type video stunts, until the day when future label boss Mark Jones threw a guitar into his hands in an effort to help him channel his energies elsewhere. Roughly 250 songs later, Cosmo finally released his self-titled debut in November. Full of crazy energy, Cosmo's songs are wonderfully waggish, with titles like "Jessica Alba's Number" and "Sonofabitch." That fact alone is worth at least a listen to the track below.

She's Got You [mp3]

Dawes

With a debut album North Hills released last year in September, this Los Angeles-based band oozes the type of old-time Americana music decked with sing-along choruses that urges the soul to resound along with the heartfelt lyrics. Dawes, the quartet that makes alternative rock with a soulful and folksy crust, reminds one of a softened version of Monsters of Folk with an added sunbeam of inspiration from the carefree Californian coast. Lead singer Taylor Goldsmith's vocals are backwoodsy and true and it's hard not to think of groups like The Band and a little Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young while listening to the group's toe-tapping numbers. If the rumors are true, the recordings don't do the band enough justice, so make sure to check out their myspace for tour information.

When My Time Comes [mp3] (iTunes)

Northern Room

It's always sad when you hear a great band for the first time only to find out that they have already broken up. Northern Room is one of those bands. Formed in Wisconsin, they were together long enough to release 2 EP's and one full-length album, Last Embrace.

Now, I haven't seen or read any of the Twilight books/movies, but I'm pretty sure their song "For All These Years" needs to be added to the soundtrack for the next one (there is a next one right?). In that song, they sing "Twilight, there's only seconds could you save my life/I've been running for a lifetime for all these years."

Northern Room is another great band whose days ended too soon. Give them a listen and keep hoping for a reunion tour.

For All These Years [mp3] - (iTunes)

We're On Fire (acoustic) [mp3] - (iTunes)

Cary Ann Hearst & Michael Trent

I spent the better part of the past week in Charleston, SC, and in between trips to Waffle House I managed to catch some live music and get recommendations on local artists. I left with a strong general appreciation for the city's music scene, but what really captured my heart was Shovels & Rope, the late-'08 record by husband-and-wife (then fiancé-et-fiancée) duo Cary Ann Hearst and Michael Trent.

In moving harmonies over stomping beats, Hearst and Trent tell classic country tales populated by priests, thieves and prostitutes. Their raucous ditties and solemn dirges are rooted in acoustic guitar but outfitted with banjo, harmonica, tambourine and the like, and the recording suits the nature of the songs and instrumentation perfectly. And it doesn't hurt that you can tell they had a damned good time making the whole thing.

"Boxcar" tells of an outlaw couple's life together on the lam coming to an end. "Build Around Your Heart a Wall" is a good old-fashioned murder ballad featuring Trent on lead vocals accompanied, as usual, by Hearst's harmonies, as well as some singing saw.

"1200 Miles" is my favorite track on the record. It's a playful, rollicking back-and-forth between exasperated lovers that originally appeared in a more polished and less effective version on Hearst's solo album. It benefits here from the added irony that it's now Hearst's fiancé to whom she proposes, "Well come on honey, let's stitch it up tight / Be my husband, let me be your wife / We'll be together every day and night / We'll have a miserable life."

Boxcar [mp3]
1200 Miles [mp3]
Build Around Your Heart a Wall [mp3]

Shovels & Rope is available at CDBaby.

FREE Broadway tickets to Fela! (NYC)

I am very pleased to offer our NY readers TWO FREE TICKETS to the Broadway hit Fela! here in NYC. The vouchers are good for a number of dates in January and February, so you can pick the date yourself once you receive the voucher. To enter, please email us at info(at)gfpmusic(dot)com by 1pm tomorrow (Friday) with Fela! in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body (so we can mail you the voucher). We will notify the winner by 5pm.

Last night, I had the privilege of seeing this show myself. It's a jubilant, vivacious, colorful musical that will literally get you up out of your seats, dancing to the afro-beats of Fela Kuti, singing and shouting "yeah yeah!" (yes, audience participation is part of the show, but don't worry, you don't have to get on stage or anything). First, I would like to give major props to the dancers who hardly ever stopped moving during the show - even when "Fela" was just talking, they would be dancing with really high energy in the background. Second, I want to give props to the costume people who designed costumes that made it impossible for you to tear your eyes away.

And of course, despite how joyful and frenetic most of the show is, it has some very serious moments too and I think the overall message is very relevant today in many countries. It's relevant in part here in the US because we have an African American president in office so, on the one hand, there have been great strides taken toward equality in this country. On the other hand, we still have a long way to go before we actually reach real equality in terms of race, gender, religion and sexual identity. Also, a key theme of the political and corporate corruption is laced throughout the show (sometimes more blatantly than others, as dancers cross the stage with signs reading the names of companies like AIG, Enron, the WTO, and many more). This anti-corporation feeling is something many of us can probably relate to right now, as the corporations who quite literally screwed up much of the world's economy get huge government bailouts while the citizens continue to get their homes foreclosed on, lose their jobs, etc.

All in all, Fela! is a great show and I definitely would recommend it. I think it has a wider appeal than some Broadway shows because in some ways it is set up to be more like a show at Fela's club, the Shrine, than a Broadway show and music is incredibly central to the story and is played almost throughout the entire show. I very much enjoyed myself.

Zombie [mp3]

You Say Party! We Say Die!

Just in time for the Olympics, You Say Party! We Say Die! is a five-piece British Columbian (that means Canadian) dance-punk band that brings the noise like their Yankee neighbors to the immediate south - Seattle's Pretty Girls Make Graves - once did. And it's nearly the same setup bringing the hooks you can lean and rock with: two women (one vocals, one keys), three men (everything else).

While both are equally danceable - i.e., provide formidable acronyms - YSP!WSD! is more catchy/synthy while PGMG brought more direct rock - i.e., less exclamation points. (How I miss your Good Health riffs, Jay Clark.) But adding to YSP!WSD!'s intrigue is the fact they've been barred from performing in the U.S. since 2006, as their bassist Stephen O'Shea was served with a five year ban from entering for not presenting the proper visas at border control. But this isn't stopping them from embarking on an American swing in March, punctuated by their SXSW debut. Will O'Shea be McCallistered? Can this lead to potential New York Post-esque headlines like "Cops Stop Pop?" It's an indie-mystery that can only be solved by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Their third album, XXXX, has had Canucks swooning since late September, and will finally get its U.S. release on February 9th. Another important date: January 22nd, which finds a homecoming show in Vancouver with Phoenix as part of some Winter Games commencement cultural ceremony that - along with assuming another world hockey championship in the sport's frenzied motherland is a birthright - promises to be the first of several gold medal-winning performances from Team Canada. (But at least we won the World Jr. tournament, right? Right?!)

Laura Palmer's Prom [mp3] - (iTunes)
Downtown Mayors Goodnight, Alley Kids Rule! [mp3] - (iTunes)

March 2010 U.S. Tour:
March 9 Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
March 10 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
March 12 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
March 13 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
March 15 Phoenix, AZ @ The Rhythm Room
March 17-19 Austin, TX @ South By Southwest Music Festival
March 21 Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
March 22 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
March 23 Charlotte, NC @ Snug Harbor
March 24 Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
March 26 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
March 27 Cambridge, MA @ T.T. The Bear's Place
March 29 New York, NY @ Pianos NYC
March 30 Pontiac, MI @ The Pike Room
March 31 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle

Tony Lucca

Tony Lucca is another gifted singer/songwriter (and former Mouseketeer) who has begun to break through by getting his music on TV shows. So far he has been on such shows as Felicity, Brothers & Sisters, and, my personal favorite, Friday Night Lights (covering Daniel Johnston's Devil Town).

He has collaborated with Sara Bareilles, and you can hear him singing with her on the single I'm On Fire, which you can download for free as part of a free live EP on her website. You can also hear him on the TDFI EP along with Jay Nash and Matt Duke.

Darlin' I [mp3] - (iTunes)

Jeff Martin and Steven Padin

This the second project to form after the breakup of This Day & Age. According to Jeff Martin and Steven Padin, they are releasing their upcoming album with one goal in mind: to present honest and thoughtful music with hopes of reaching those who are willing to actually listen.

The First Joke & Other Matters will be released independently on January 19th of this year. I've been fortunate to have heard it and I must say I'm very excited to buy it in a few weeks.

myspace.com/thefirstjoke

twitter.com/thefirstjoke

King Charles

King Charles is an English musician with the male equivalent of Shingai Shoniwa's hair, whose personality is laden with oddities and music rich in pop-folk with a tinge of psychedelic sass. The literature is light about when the US can expect a release of his debut, but tracks have been floating about the blogosphere for a few months now. "Time of Eternity" contains some fantastic lyrics about apocalypse and death, but the track below was truly my "gateway track," so take a listen and enjoy.

Love Lust [mp3]