Start your weekend off right with music from artists featured this week on BestNewBands.com!
“Nanana” – The Californian
Laurel Kathleen interviewed four of the five members of this band – check out the video to see what they talked about!
Check out the rest of Laurel’s post here.
“Drug” – White Denim
Claire Gallagher interviewed James Petralli of White Denim – here’s some of their conversation:
CG: Where did you meet, and how did the band come together?
JP: The short story is Josh and I met in [Dallas Fort Worth Airport] and got along famously, we parted ways for a few years and met in Austin in 2005 or so, formed a band with our close friend Lucas Anderson called Parque Touch that was nasty and confrontational. We saw [bassist] Steve playing in a nasty and confrontational band called Peach Train, and we asked him to join us. Parque Touch became a quartet until Lucas moved to Russia, [and] the remaining trio then changed its name to White Denim, toured the world for some years, released two albums and two EPs, found Austin Jenkins after tracking the majority of D, did a few overdubbing sessions and tours, made Last Day of Summer together as a quartet, released it on our website, more touring now, released D…etc.
CG: Your music manages to remain multi-layered, dynamic, and interesting while still being catchy and memorable. How did you guys achieve this sound?
JP: I write as much as I can and I generally do this alone on my porch in Bawstin,Texas [cute]. I believe that the other musicians in this band are absolutely world class. It never takes them long to dramatically elevate the quality of the work. This is a very easy group to be a part of. In the rehearsal room and in the tracking room nothing is ever forced or too laborious. Josh has become an incredible audio engineer and producer over the years, which makes it very easy for us to move through material. Together we are completely self contained. This allows our creative collaborations to be very fluid. After five years of constant work our process has become very intuitive.
Read the rest of Claire’s interview here.
“Ghosts ‘N Stuff (feat. Rob Wire)” – Deadmau5
Lauren Novik caught Deadmau5 in London earlier this week (lucky lady!).
Lauren wrote, “Normally in L.A. the indicative sign that a show will be amazing- and PACKED- is the lack of parking available. Apparently in London, it’s lack of available subway space and underground canals that in one feel swoop becomes akin to cattle farms with people trying to navigate their way out but our unbearably kept in. In case I had any doubt the headlining Deadmau5 show at Victoria Park would be killer- it was now a sure thing. …
“Standing for 12 hours straight didn’t exactly serve to hinder mine (or anyone elses) dancing capabilities and the dance-tastic wayward carnival was in full effect under the small tented stage, successfully getting everyone even more hyped for that night’s coming attraction! Literally- you know it’s going to be a good day when even the relentless London weather cooperates. Note to self- buy umbrella.”
Read the rest of Lauren’s review here.
“Goodbye Horses” – The Airborne Toxic Event
Claire Gallagher recenly caught TATE in her hometown of Las Vegas.
Claire wrote, “[A]t this concert, I found myself watching the crowd and watching the band watch the crowd. I was wrapped up in the unity of the house while exploring the individual reaction. People bobbed and whooped, yes, but they also squeezed the hands of their boyfriends or girlfriends at somber moments—Mikel Jollet’s sad, rich voice over Anna Bullbrook’s trembling violin—and they shut their eyes tight and held their breath at the reeling instrumentals and the hungry anticipation they bring. They danced and yelled and looked onstage longingly, looked around longingly. If you were alone, you wished you had someone by your side; if you were with someone, you appreciated every moment; if you were drunk and yelling at Mikel that you wanted to have his babies, well, that’s embarrassing.”
Read the rest of Claire’s review here.
“Bedbedbedbedbed” – Deleted Scenes
Kelly Knapp alerted us to a fresh track from this D.C. quartet.
Kelly wrote, “‘Bedbedbedbedbed,’ the first single off Deleted Scenes’ forthcoming full-length Young People’s Church of the Air, which comes out in September. It’s an infectious broken love song, communicated through frontman Dan Scheuerman’s staccato lyrics, and driven by a double-kick drum groove with fuzzy guitar lines and echoing Wurlitzer that spirals out at the end. It’s about a relationship that made it through ‘difficult times,’ and the girl Scheuerman is singing to is the miraculous song in his head.”
Check out the rest of Kelly’s post here.
“Game of Pricks (Live)” – Guided by Voices
“Penny Licks” – Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
“Bad Street” – Twin Sister
Kelly Knapp previewed Brooklyn’s Northside Festival, happening now until June 19.
Kelly wrote, “This festival is one of the reasons that I’m proud to live in this city, as it’s jam-packed with everything that represents the thriving creative culture that is so concentrated here. Not the least of which is the music aspect. Playing shows are dozens of bands we’ve already covered on BestNewBands.com, such as Asobi Seksu, Air Waves, Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Slowdance, Sharon Van Etten, Twin Sister, Thee Oh Sees…really, I could go on. And on and on. Not to mention the more seasoned acts like Beirut and Guided by Voices. Oh yes. There are more than 250 bands across 25 different venues to choose from, so really the only drawback is deciding what to check out when. View the complete schedule here, and try to pace yourself.”
Read the rest of Kelly’s preview here.
“All Packed Up” – Idiot Glee
Kelly Knapp caught the band’s album release party at Glasslands this week.
Kelly wrote, “Finally, the man of the night, James Friley of Idiot Glee took the stage. He regaled the crowd with his deep voice over vintage samples and vocal loops, all the while adding original synth sounds for shimmery pop embellishments. Friley is in his early twenties, but he has a knack for combining classic pop songs with his own compositions. In doing so, he breathes new life into the old sounds and transforms them into fresh, ear-catching creations. If you really listen to the songs carefully, there’s a lot of great stuff going on.”
Read the rest of Kelly’s review here.
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