Welcome to the first Weekend Playlist of 2011! Review some of the musical events from the week with these 10 fresh tracks…

“Dumb (Live at the WOW Hall)” – Medium Troy

Monica Christoffels began 2011 at the WOW Hall with Medium Troy.

Monica wrote, “The aptly-dubbed ‘Kings of the WOW Hall’ certainly lived up to their title – not only did they reign over the crowd with reggae-infused dub, but they took care of their loyal subjects as well. Jojo and Jesse [Ferreira] mingled with concertgoers while guitarist Corey Hatcher passed out bottled water inside the dancehall. Reeble Jar saxophonist James added extra flavor to MT’s set, his sultry notes mixing with [Connor] Jay’s mixing and Hatcher’s groovy guitar riffs. Medium Troy’s live performances almost put their recorded tracks to shame – the band’s ability to freestyle and jam on the spot is unbeatable, and a talent cherished by fans.”

Read the rest of Monica’s review here.

“Strata Red” – ACIDIC

On Sunday, Daniel Kohn featured this indie LA band.

Daniel wrote, “[ACIDIC] sounds like cagey veterans who have been making music for years rather than relative newcomers. Their recent release, Getting Lucky, is one of the better albums to come out in 2010. Featuring a nice blend of alt-rock and indie-pop, ACIDIC had several radio hits including ‘Maybe,’ ‘Move On’ and ‘Strata Red.’ Gossard’s vocals are very distinguishable and between Thompson’s slick licks and the foundation layered by Dubrawski’s bass and Whitaker’s unmistakable drumming, the band has a lot going for it sonically and with some more experience, you can anticipate their songwriting to mature and potentially take the band to the next level.”

Read the rest of Daniel’s post here.

“Oh Darlin’, What Have I Done?” – The White Buffalo

Tuesday’s BackStory feature highlighted The White Buffalo. Here’s what the band had to say about their song:

“‘Oh Darlin’’ is a character driven, twisted tale of unrequited love. Based on an imagined, very confused man, who has recently lost his lover. He becomes more distanced and reclusive. Within his disillusionment, loneliness, and loss of faith in God, he begins to kill. He thinks that he is giving his estranged love the ultimate prize, human life. Some how thinking that these one of a kind gifts will once again regain her affection. It all end in a hanging.”

View the rest of The White Buffalo’s BackStory post here.

“Master” – The Press

On Wednesday, Jesse Diener-Bennett posted his review, along with some great photos, of The Press at The Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn.

Jesse wrote, “The Press play tight, guitar-based indie pop with a hard edge. They remind me of a fleshed-out Modest Mouse or an updated Posies. Brooklynites by way of Atlanta, they’ve been playing together since 2005, and that experience shows. Their top-heavy sound struck just the right balance between refined grace and coarse noise. Guitarists David Schneider and Michael Henry like to thrash their strings with the high-end turned all the way up while Alex Picca wails expertly on his drums and Bassist John Walsh forms the floor with simple yet effective bass lines.”

Read the rest of Jesse’s review here.

“Stay With Me” – Madeira

Kristina Villarini recently interviewed Madeira after band practice. Here’s part of their conversation:

Kristina Villarini: First things first, how did you come up with the name for the band?

Tyler Duncan: We juggled a bunch of names around for a long time. We wanted something cool, but we wanted it to have a storyline. It is the road that we live on.

Andrew Mack: Coincidentally, it’s also the first place that we all got together and played.

KV: How do you guys create music?

AM: With each song, it kind of happens differently. “Stay With Me” was the first song where we all shared an equal amount of the input, and our newer song “Good Evening, London” was equal. Going forward, we’re going to use that process: Everyone sitting in a room contributing, rather than anyone writing a song or having something already done in their head.

Read the rest of Kristina’s interview here.

“So Glad” and “A Toast to Bad Taste” – Far-Less

On Thursday, Lauren Novik shared her interview with Far-Less, which is currently promoting A Toast to Bad Taste on 12” vinyl. Here’s an excerpt of Lauren’s interview with guitarist/vocalist Jordan Powers:

LN:  You guys had a bit of a band member switch-up last tour – what’s the deal?

JP:  Before the last tour a couple of the members left the band.  We sort of had to scramble to find replacements, some of whom didn’t really work out or want to be touring so they left as well in the middle of the tour leaving us without bass and keys.  Fortunately Mike Schey from the Honorary Title and the Format and Robert from MAE were happy to help us on bass and keys and later in the tour our friend Josh King from House of Fools joined us to finish on bass.  It was a pretty big mess, but ended up working out

LN:  Christmas just passed – did you plan on giving out snuggies, shamwows, or shakeweights to your loved ones?

JP:  Well, my mom and dad already have shakeweights and my grandparents have snuggies, so I just ended up buying everyone used books and vinyl records.  I could use a snuggie though if anyone feels so inclined  I have a shakeweight attached to my body somewhere I think.

Read the rest of Lauren’s interview here.

“Under the Gun” – Apex Manor

Daniel Kohn just reviewed Apex Manor’s debut album, The Year of Magical Drinking, which will be released on Jan. 25, 2011.

Daniel wrote, “Recorded in multiple studios in Los Angeles in 2010, the outfit’s debut record, The Year of Magical Drinking, is an ode to the songwriter in the sense of it’s lyrics buoyant melodies. ‘Once the basics had been recorded, Brian and I set about discussing, deliberating, drinking, discussing some more, arranging and finally overdubbing,’ Flourney says of the process. ‘As the songs began to take shape, an arc, a narrative of sorts, started to make itself clear.’”

Read the rest of Daniel’s review here.

“Jellyfish” and “Little Bridges” – Sunshine Factory

Laurel Kathleen caught Sunshine Factory at the Silverlake Lounge recently, and wrote up a review and brief interview with vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Corey Judge.

Laurel wrote, “It was the rowdiest crowd I have ever had the priviledge to be a part of at the small bar in Silverlake, and I can certainly see why. The band absolutely killed it: it was like watching a band forged with elements of Pink Floyd, Steve Miller Band, and The Beach Boys but with a distinctly modern veneer. Peppering in a ample doses of funk and jam similar to a band like Chicago put the audience over the top, and my jaw almost dropped to see the usually unmovable hipster crowd jumping and dancing like crazy along with the band. It was immediately obvious that each member of Sunshine Factory was not just well versed in guitar, bass, or keys, but they were able to play creative solos on top of what was originally intended.”

Read the rest of Laurel’s review (and download “Jellyfish” and “Little Bridges” for FREE) here.