Category Archive for ‘RainyDawg Radio’ at Love is Elusive.

Archive for the 'RainyDawg Radio' Category

Born Ruffians (Luke LaLonde) In-Studio Performance October 13, 2008

Published on December 16, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio, Seattle and in-studio. 2 Comments

Releasing without a doubt one of the best Indie Pop records of the year, The Born Ruffians have had a wonderous year in music. Red, Yellow, and Blue is a very enjoyable and fun album to listen to. Although it did not make my year end list (Which I could be posting in the near future) there was a prolonged period where I was convinced it would.

Luke LaLonde, the lead vocalist of the Toronto outfit, The Born Ruffians, was gracious enough to stop by our studio and perform a unique and original set. When LaLonde set up, he said how he wanted to perform some of his lesser known material in addition to some of the Ruffians’ stuff. This lesser known material can be found under the moniker Skeleton Me.

The end result is LaLonde playing the Ruffians’ song, I Need a Life, off of Red Yellow & Blue, and merging it seamlessly into a Skeleton Me track. This is a unique listen unlike anything expected by a member of the Born Ruffians. Utilizing loops and heavy reverb, LaLonde branches out of his designated Indie Pop categorization into something yet to be explored by the Ruffians. Hopefully a future release by the band will be somewhat influenced by this.

Born Ruffians (Luke LaLonde) Performance on Rainydawg Radio — I Need a Life & Skeleton Me

Nurses In-Studio Performance (October 13, 2008)

Published on December 16, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio, Seattle and in-studio. 3 Comments

Thank goodness the autumn quarter has come to a close. I finally have a good amount of time to make up for all the overdue material I have yet to post. I’m sorry reading this blog can be frustrating at times, due to the sporadic updates, but I’m so very glad to have your continued support.

Back in Mid-October we had a full tour’s worth of bands stop by the studio. On October 12, 2008, Rainydawg Radio was fortunate enough to host Warren and Nic of Plants and Animals for an interview over the airwaves. The next day, we hosted Young Rival, Nurses, and the Born Ruffians. Young Rival’s session can be found here.

Onto Nurses. Nurses are a group out of Portland, OR who utilize vocal harmonies which have come to be expected with bands in the “Indie” scene today (see: Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, etc.) However, Nurses use of blending aged classic instruments such as a Fender Rhodes with a Roland SP-505 give them a sound that few bands in music today can achieve. A sound which is both contradictorily familiar yet refreshing.

Yet, for the in-studio session they chose to do a stripped down set. It’s interesting to see the difference in their full fledged produced music (which you can find over at ye olde myspace) versus this in-studio. Be sure to grab the full version, with the interview, to hear an intriguing conversation about the Mayan calender, post-apocolyptica, and the most effective way to kill zombies.

Nurses — Full Interview and Session on Rainydawg Radio
Nurses — Lita Live on Rainydawg Radio
Nurses — Technicolor Live on Rainydawg Radio
Nurses — Unititled Live on Rainydawg Radio

Bronze Fawn In-Studio Performance (October, 11, 2008)

Published on December 16, 2008 in Music, Post-Rock, RainyDawg Radio, Seattle and in-studio. 2 Comments

Way back at the beginning of Autumn Quarter at Rainydawg Radio, one of Seattle’s very own Post-Rock trio, Bronze Fawn, were kind enough to join me for an in-studio in the wee hours of the morning. Given that this was the first in-studio of the year, there were a number of expected technical difficulties along the way. I hesitated to post these MP3s for a while, as they do not reflect the quality of this Seattle band; however, I figure any exposure is better than no exposure. Please, blame me for the shitty mix and audio levels.

Bronze Fawn are a quality act and group of really great guys. They headline the Cumulus Festival Day Three at the Vera Project on January 25, 2009. You.May.Die.In.The.Desert as well as The Friendly Skies will also be playing that show. If you don’t go, and you’re in the Seattle area, I can say without a doubt that you hate music. Without further ado, here are the In-Studio mp3s.

Bronze Fawn — Megalodon

Bronze Fawn — Not Too Tropical

Live Sets from Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase (November 20, 2008)

Published on December 3, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 1 Comment

I really suck at this whole “blogging” thing. I’ve been back and forth between the coasts, traveling backwards and forwards in time. I just got back to Seattle last night. Expect an influx of posts after I survive my college finals. For now, here’s live rips from Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase. The audio quality is pretty much impeccable, despite a few peaks in some sets. Props to Benny for setting this all up.

Alaskas

Alaskas’ Live Set at Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase

Big Spider’s Back

Big Spider’s Back’s Live Set at Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase

PWRFL Power

PWRFL Power’s Live Set at Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase

White Rainbow

White Rainbow’s Live Set at Rainydawg Radio’s Local Showcase

For more photos from the show click here.

Also, as a bonus, here’s Kaz of PWRFL Power’s live in-studio on Rainydawg Radio from last year:

Alma Song
Peach Song
Jacket Song

If You Are In Seattle This Thursday, November 20, 2008

Published on November 14, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 3 Comments

I expect to see you here:

OMGZZZZZZZ HIPSTER EYESORE111111111111111111111 FLASHING LIGHTS KANYE AHHHHH DO THE DANCE MSTRKRFTKJKASLDFJKLASJDFLJASLDFJALSKJDF BANGER BANGER BANGER *HEAD EXPLODES*

Young Rival In-Studio on Rainydawg Radio (October 13, 2008).

Published on November 5, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and in-studio. 1 Comment

Another long over-due session.

The day after they played the Chop Suey, Young Rival was kind enough to join us at Rainydawg for some in-studio sessions. Their sound has often been compared to that of the Zombies on the musical carousel blogosphere. While that comparison is very understandable, I like to simply describe their music as familiar in the best way possible. Their guitar riffs are at times raw and rough around the edges, but not at all unpleasing or unfitting. In fact, it is this raw sound that makes listening to Young Rival such an enjoyable experience. Whenever I turn on their music, nostalgia hits me square in the face. When I listen to the breakout track “Your Island” it’s as if I’m listening to a perfectly aged song from years past. It’s the same feeling I get when I blow the dust off a classic vinyl record from decades passed and place that needle to the groove. Don’t take my word for it, take a listen.

In case you missed it, here are the individual songs, as well as the full session with an interview by Liz Pfriem.

Young Rival — Live In-Studio and Interview on Rainydawg Radio

Young Rival — Your Island (Live on Rainydawg Radio)

Young Rival — Knowing What You Know (Live on Rainydawg Radio)

For more information on Young Rival, visit their myspace.

And to close this post off, here’s Young Rival doing a cover of Master of None, originally by hometown favorite, Beach House. It’s amazing to hear how they take their raw style and apply it to this cover, making it their own song.

Plants and Animals Interview on Rainydawg Radio (October 12, 2008).

Published on November 5, 2008 in Interviews, Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 1 Comment

First off, I’m alive. I’ve been super-busy lately with school work and getting adjusted back here in Seattle. I’m living in a studio apartment in the U-District, it has treated my nicely thus far. I’ll be uploading way overdue content in the next few days.

Starting off, we have an interview conducted on Sunday October 12, 2008 by my good friend Kyle Hargus. He sat down with Warren and Nic of Plants and Animals and discussed topics ranging from the Montreal music scene, starting off their musical careers there, and working on their great debut album Parc Avenue (which you can purchase here). Be sure to give it a listen.

Plants and Animals Interview on Rainydawg Radio

Plants and Animals — Faerie Dance (Parc Avenue, 2008)

Get Dressed Release First and Last Album for Free!

Published on July 23, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 2 Comments

A few months ago, I was mesmerized by the melodic harmonies of Get Dressed, what was a four-piece Indie-Popish band out of Seattle. They did an in-studio at Rainydawg Radio which can be found here. Ever since that in-studio, they won over my heart and ears. I have listened to those live MP3s countless times, despite the poor mastering job (stupid idea running one of the mics through the soundboard). The night of the in-studio, I was so captivated by their sound, I turned up for their last Seattle show at the Vera Project.

Well, the time has come. Get Dressed Got Dressed, as they say. Their last show was this passed weekend at the Old Firehouse in Redmond Seattle, where they recorded their album entitled, Different Continents. One of my main worries this summer, would be the fact that I wouldn’t be able to get my hands on their CD until I came back to Seattle in September. Amazingly, they put it up on the internets and are allowing anyone and everyone to download it for free. If there is one band that deserves your attention this year, it’s this one. Sadly, their time has come and gone, but luckily we have this amazing work of art to remember them by. Long Live Get Dressed! This album has been in my ears all day and will certainly be in my top 10 come the year’s end. Please, give it a listen:

Get Dressed — Mezzo Sestina (Different Continents, 2008)

Get Dressed — Surgery (Different Continents, 2008)

Download Different Continents for free here. Please do it. You really should do it.

Unwed Sailor In-Studio, Kind Of.

Published on June 13, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 1 Comment

Let me preface this by apologizing to the masses. The server which held the Unwed Sailor In-Studio on it crashed, and I’m unable to retrieve those files. I feel awful. Not only do I feel I have done a disservice to the band, but also to you readers who wanted to hear the performance. I was able to recover a snippit of the band doing a live performance of The Garden off of their latest album, Little Wars (which you can purchase here). Anyways, hopefully this post will make up for that fault.

Few bands make music that can be applicable to any moment in one’s lifetime. Whether it be happiness or grief, people often switch between a multitude of artists to match their current state of being. So all people, subconsciously, create a soundtrack to their lives. Unwed Sailor has seamlessly made the soundtrack to my life. There is no need to turn to another artist to match my current mood. Any state I’m in, whether it be the pinnacle or nadir of my life, can go hand in hand with a track that Unwed Sailor has created. And the most amazing fact: Unwed Sailor rarely ever uses lyrics.

Unwed Sailor is a post-rock band led by bassist Johnathan Ford; “Born in Seattle in 1998 at the tender age of intent.” The most amazing thing about their music is its’ versatility. Johnathan told me that the best praise he can recieve about the band’s music is “I often fall asleep to The Marionette and The Music Box”, or “Your music is a great soundtrack for a roadtrip”.

Unwed Sailor’s music is just that, applicable. Not only is it applicable, but it is visual. Johnathan talked about how, for him, the cover art, packaging, and delivery of the music are just as important as the music itself. This audio/visual combination that Unwed Sailor delivers is something that is a rarity in a music industry that is cluttered with new acts springing about every day.

My excessive gratitude goes out to Unwed Sailor, Johnathan, and the gang for coming to our studio. Thank You so much for your cooperation, generosity, and hospitality. You guys are welcome back any time, consider it your home.

You can catch Unwed Sailor on tour with Sybris now. Be sure to check out Little Wars as well as their many other releases. I leave you with photos of the In-Studio, as well as the original versions of songs they performed live, and an audio clip of the band performing The Garden live during the In-Studio (What I could retrieve of it).

Last Goodbyes
Ruby’s Wishes
Firecracker
The Garden

The Garden (Live Clip)

Finally, I conclude with my favorite track by Unwed Sailor,
Numbers.

Spotlight On: Local Artist Get Dressed.

Published on May 28, 2008 in Music, RainyDawg Radio and Seattle. 1 Comment

If there was one local band I wish I had known about sooner, it would be Get Dressed. I first heard the band’s material the morning of their final Seattle show. To say that timing was not on my side would be a bit of an understatement. Yet, that is the bittersweet truth.

Get Dressed is a four piece band based out of Seattle, Washington. I can honestly say that no local band has impressed me more in my first year out here than this one. When they performed the first song in their live set at Rainydawg Radio, nostalgia hit me square in the face. The years upon years that I’ve spent listening to American Football came back to me. The sweet guitar melodies of Dutch and Stephen, who have been playing together since childhood, seem like they could easily be substituted in for Mike Kinsella’s calculated riffs in American Footballs Self Titled LP. The guitars can be described as a hybrid between American Football and Minus the Bear. If that’s not an appealing description, I do not know what is. During the entire set, I stood wide eyed and beyond impressed, witnessing such a fresh and rejuvinating sound in the Seattle music scene. Then came the kicker.

Get Dressed will play their final show in July at the Fire House in Redmond, Washington. And if you are in the area, you owe it to yourself to check out this amazing local talent. Hell, I’m contemplating flying back across the country around this time to check it out. By then, they’ll have their CD ready to go. To tide you all over until then, here’s the live recording of their set at Rainydawg Radio. Simply blissful.

Get Dressed — Flintstones

Get Dressed — Untitled (Song 2)

Get Dressed — See the Cake

Get Dressed — Untitled (Song 4)

Get Dressed — Oh No