BreakThru Radio Blog

Brand New Show on BTR: Geek Out

breakthruradio — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:08:41 +0000

Listen to this brand new show right here on BTR!!
With seven books and six films to draw inspiration from, the Wizard Rock movement is as strong as ever with hundreds of bands brandishing mics for the cause. Joining us today is Astoria Greengrass of Swish & Flick, and we’ll hear a couple of tracks from their party album, In The House Of Slytherin (which you can purchase here). Astoria will discuss how she joined the community, share her thoughts on the emerging Twi-rock scene, and give us details on the wizrock bonanza known as Wrockstock.

00:00 Wynn & Mimi (background track: Year of the Snake – Sufjan Stevens)
03:11 Swish and Flick – Swish and Flick
06:47 Mimi & Wynn (background track: Year of the Snake – Sufjan Stevens)
09:34 My Dad Is Rich On A Boat – Swish and Flick
12:25 Interview with Stacy (aka Swish aka Astoria Greengrass)
16:36 Astoria Greengrass and the Pure-Blood Prince – Swish and Flick
20:43 Chatting with Swish
24:05 S-L-Y in Slytherin – Swish and Flick
27:47 Conversing with Swish
33:08 Hogwarts House Party – Swish and Flick
35:29 Mimi & Wynn (Year of the Snake – Sufjan Stevens)
37:33 Cho Chang (Shake Your Thang) – Swish and Flick

Tour Dates
Dec 19 Evil Day 2 @ Elk’s Lodge (w/ Draco and the Malfoys) – Hoboken, NJ

Fear the Marcellus Shale

breakthruradio — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:06:20 +0000

The Marcellus Shale (Image from New York Times)

There’s an incredible video posted at the website of Toxic Targeting, an environmental watchdog group that maps toxic sites on a lot-by-lot basis. The video shows a man lighting his tap water on fire. The water, and the tap, belong to a disabled Vietnam veteran who has lived in his Candor, New York home since 1962.

Naturally, he called in a complaint to the Department of Environmental Conservation. Unfortunately, the DEC did nothing. They didn’t send anyone out to investigate the problem. All they told the veteran was, “don’t drink the water.” Yeah, thanks. Not an issue.

The veteran lives above something called the Marcellus Shale, a formation few people know about, but which has a huge impact on their water and gas supplies. It’s basically a giant rock formation that extends from New York all the way down to Tennessee. Industry first became interested in the Marcellus Shale when scientists realized there was gas inside the pores of the rock.

Walter Hang, President of Toxic Targeting, explains in an interview today with Democracy Now, that a new process called “slick water hydrofracking” was developed to extract the gas. However, the extraction involves tremendous amounts of water, and it’s incredibly polluting. The water that comes out of the ground has toxic chemicals, petroleum compounds, and it’s actually radioactive.

Huge corporations like Chesapeake, Fortuna, Talisman, and Hess benefit from slick water hydrofracking, but the process is potentially polluting the drinking water of 15 million people, including 9 million New Yorkers.

With further Marcellus drilling planned, the full range of environmental consequences from this breed of drilling has yet to be seen.

Link to this article:
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=article.php?id=1213

- Allison Kilkenny

Blogger of the Week: Pop Jew in Brooklyn

breakthruradio — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:40:31 +0000

Pop Jew in Brooklyn is kind of like the Teen Beat of music blogs, and we love it for its great taste in music and commentary on cute boys. Rachel aka Pop Jew talks to BTR about living at Silent Barn, booking the show that launched Surfer Blood into indie buzzdom, and her blog 15 minutes of fame when she broke the news about the fight between Nathan of Wavves and Jared of Black Lips. Listen to tracks from artists like Dream Diary, Fluffy Lumbers, Magic Kids, and Knight School. Check out Pop Jew in Brooklyn for more. Listen now!

00:00 DJ Mimi (Despicable Dogs – Small Black)
01:10 Girl In Love – The Smith Westerns
04:08 Pop Jew on Pop Jew
05:46 When U Love Somebody – Fruit Bats
10:11 Atlantis – Box Elders
12:14 Pop Jew on Silent Barn
15:06 Which Way Is Up? – Cause Co-Motion!
16:37 Teenage Girl – Darlings
19:10 Pop Jew on blog 15 minutes of fame
21:14 Is He Really Mine – Dream Diary
23:34 Patty Girl – German Measles
25:48 Pop Jew on Underwater Peoples, Fluffy Lumbers
27:31 Harry Dolland’s – Fluffy Lumbers
31:30 Don’t Ask Me To Explain – Of Montreal
34:13 Pop Jew on Big Troubles
35:18 Freudian Slips – Big Troubles
37:24 Pop Jew on Knight School
37:59 Pregnant Again – Knight School
39:57 Pop Jew on Magic Kids
40:52 Good To Be – Magic Kids
42:44 Pop Jew on future projects and aspirations
43:37 Young Adult Friction – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
47:40 Seeing Other People – Belle & Sebastian
51:22 Pop Jew on upcoming shows
51:46 Bird In My Garden – Dream Diary
55:00 DJ Mimi (Despicable Dogs – Small Black)
55:41 Tally Ho! – The Clean

-Mimi Kim

Artist of the Week: Music Go Music

breakthruradio — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:28:54 +0000

Music Go Music is a group that would prefer to remain a mystery, leaving their listeners to bask in a world of catchy pop and disco driven tunes, yet making them wonder, who are these people and where do they come from? How do these ‘musical characters’ formulate such deliciously addictive tunes that leave you singing the hooks in your head for days?

Music Go Music is a group of Los Angles-based musicians that go by the names Gala Bell, Kamer Maza and Torg. Gala Bell Sings, Torg plays the guitar and bass and Kamer Maza plays piano, synthesizer and writes lyrics. The group collectively writes the tunes. One might wonder, who are these characters that call themselves by such interesting names? Well, to spill the beans and take away a bit of the mystery, I would like to reveal their true identities. Gala Bell and Kamer Maza are the husband and wife duo of Meredith and David Metcalf. They are also in the group Bodies of Water. Torg is Adam Siegel, a guitarist and producer who was the founding member of Los Angeles thrash outfit, Excel. He was also the main guitar player for Infectious Grooves (the side project of Suicidal Tendencies) and he played bass with The Eels for two years. Siegel produced and recorded Expressions for MGM.

Expressions was first released as three separate 12 inch vinyls. The nine songs on the album channel a Studio 54-style acid trip, in which ABBA becomes as cool as Debbie Harry in a theatrical “Age Of Aquarius”-like dream. Gala Bell uses her beautiful soprano voice to spew new life into a style that has not been copied, but reinvented. While an old disco fan may listen to the tunes and feel nostalgic, Music Go Music have created tunes that make their fans believe they have been taken back in time. The opening track “I Walk Alone” opens with Bell using her voice to summon her inner demons in a Diamanda Galas-style shout. “Light of Love” is a particular standout, in which there are several Queen references in the piano and synthesizer style of playing. I can’t help but recall the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation theme song sung by Mavis Staples. It sounds very, very similar. “Reach Out” is a song that draw comparisons to ELO, and quite frankly, a trippier sounding Pink Floyd. The entire album is filled with a beautiful pop sensibility that Music Go Music can call their own. Funky bass lines and guitar riffs will get your toes tapping, and the extreme musicianship of the band is commendable.

And although they would like to remain a mystery, the band has no fear of creating their own style of 70’s charm that is perfect for 2009. After all, this music makes you want to dance and celebrate, something that all music should strive for. MGM is not currently on tour, but keep an eye out for them!

Link to this article:
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=artist.php?id=252

- Lottie Leymarie

Hello, My Name Is… This week featuring Free Energy, You Can Be A Wesley and Moodhosa!

breakthruradio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:49:38 +0000

Hello, My Name Is…

This week featuring Free Energy, You Can Be A Wesley and Moodhosa!

November 5, 2009

Free Energy

“It was actually a song first,” says Geoff Bucknum, of the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based band. “We were looking for a name, looking for something we felt that described us, and we tooled around with lots of names. Finally, we just settled on that.”

You Can Be A Wesley

“The name began freshman year in college, when we started playing together,” says frontwoman Saara Untracht-Oakner. “We were in search for a name, and we’d text each other names, and just get ‘no’ as a response, or ‘you’re just naming things that you’re seeing.’ So one day we’re all sitting around the dining hall table, eating with a bunch of friends, and one of our friends is like, ‘you look like a whatever – you look like a Jeff, and you look like a Tom.’ And our bassist Nick really likes the film The Princess Bride, so our friend Dan says ‘yeah, you can be a Wesley.’ So, that’s how that started.”

“It’s funny, we get all types of different assumptions that people make, like Wesley Willis, Wesley Snipes, Wesley from Star Trek, or something, and we’re like ‘no, no, it’s Princess Bride.’ There’s even a little forum going, saying we should change our name to You Can Has A Wesley.”

Moodhosa has been around for a good 5 years in Gainesville, Florida, and the story behind their name is rather well-known. Founding members Jose “Junior” Peruyero (singer/rhythm guitarist) and Jason “Mumbles” Moody (lead guitarist) decided to keep thing simple. They combined different parts of their own names (‘Moody’ and ‘Jose’) to form ‘Moodhosa.’

Unfortunately, turnover in the bass and drums department in Moodhosa has been a constant over the past 5 years, but the core duo of Peruyero and Moody has remained, and as long as that continues, Moodhosa they will be.

Link to this article:
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=article.php?id=1205

- Matt Lehtola

Blogger of the Week: Get Off The Coast

breakthruradio — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:06:59 +0000

Music blogs are truly tastemakers, and Get Off The Coast is one that has its eyes and ears open for the next hot sounds. Jheri talks about the founding of his blog, his thoughts on vinyl and cassettes, and some of the bands on a very special playlist he’s put together for BTR. Listen to tracks from artists that you should know about, including Frat Dad, Pill Wonder, and Pearl Harbor. Be sure to check out Get Off The Coast to stay a step ahead in indie underground. Listen now!

00:00 DJ Mimi (Take It Easy – Surfer Blood)
01:06 Voice Of An Old Friend – Active Child
05:52 Get Off The Coast intro
06:32 Weed Demon (DUSTLOOP Remix) – Wavves
09:06 Baby Come On – Dana Jewell
11:31 GOTC on M. Pyres
12:44 High on the Divide – M. Pyres
15:00 Coasts Pull – Castles
18:55 Bleep Sea – M. Pyres
20:29 GOTC on Underwater Peoples label
21:24 Pool Swimmers – Real Estate
24:15 Greg The Nerd – Frat Dad
27:05 Onward Flour – Julian Lynch
29:29 GOTC on Wonder Wheel
30:17 Shoot Me (w/ Gary War) – Wonder Wheel
33:59 Lost @ Sea – Pearl Harbor
37:36 Saturday Morning – Real Estate
40:26 GOTC on blog name
41:06 All Of Denver Is Wasted – Weed Diamond
45:04 Wishing Whale – Pill Wonder
47:06 48 Visions – Wolf Tapes
48:33 GOTC on vinyl and cassettes
49:56 Portsmouth Daydream Supper – Campfires
52:29 Old Folks – Real Estate
55:10 DJ Mimi (Take It Easy – Surfer Blood)
55:52 I Need Love – Waylon Thornton and the Heavy Hands

-Mimi Kim

Glenn Greenwald and Fisher Stevens on Citizen Radio!

breakthruradio — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:42:51 +0000

Glenn Greenwald and Fisher Stevens

Glenn Greenwald and Fisher Stevens On this week’s Citizen Radio: Special guests Glenn Greenwald and Fisher Stevens! Allison and Jamie also discuss awful Joe Lieberman and J-Street. Glenn Greenwald is an American lawyer, columnist, blogger at Salon.com, and author. Greenwald worked as a constitutional and civil rights litigator prior to becoming a blogger. He has also contributed to other newspapers and political news magazines, including The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. Greenwald is the author of three books, How Would a Patriot Act?, A Tragic Legacy, both New York Times bestsellers; and Great American Hypocrites. He was selected, along with Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman, as the recipient of the first annual Izzy Award by the Park Center for Independent Media, an award named after famed independent journalist I.F. “Izzy” Stone and devoted to rewarding excellence in independent journalism. Topics of discussion include: – Drug decriminalization – Liberals’ refusal to criticize President Obama – Mainstream media – Blogs – FOX News, and – Chickenhawks (including our favorite armchair warrior, Joe Lieberman) Next, Fisher Stevens is the award-winning director of The War Against War, a film tribute to UN Peacekeepers. Stevens is best known as a character actor, who played the doomed George Minkowski in ABC’s LOST. Stevens joins Citizens Radio to talk about the successes and failures of the “Blue Hats,” the UN Peacekeepers and his near-death experience while filming The War Against War. Upcoming guests include historian Howard Zinn and author, lecturer and activist for Palestinian rights, Anna Baltzer!

Citizen Radio: http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=8381

BTR Live Studio with Deleted Scenes

breakthruradio — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:03:58 +0000

Deleted Scenes live on BTR Live Studio!!!

DELETED SCENES
11/17 @ PIANOS – NEW YORK, NY

00:00 Deleted Scenes
00:43 Interview and Stories behind A Litany for Mrs. T and Ithaca.
03:27 Ithaca
07:15 A Litany for Mrs T
08:18 Interview
10:59 The City That Never Wakes Up
17:11 Interview
22:11 Burglarizing the Death
25:56 Fake IDs
29:26 Interview
31:59 Demon The Hurricane
36:10 Deleted Scenes

BTR Live Studio: http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=8369

New Roadside Assistance: Tailgating

breakthruradio — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:15:53 +0000

It’s time to post up and Tailgate on BTR’s Roadside Assistance, presented by Continental Airlines! Park your car, rig the satellite, fire up the grill and join 8 different BTR DJs, for 8 different interpretations, on what kind of soundtrack makes for the best tailgate. Take it with ye wherever ye are bound! Listen here on BTR!

00:00 DJ Latola (Intro)

01:25 DJ Wynn

02:23 Family – Clinic
05:15 Noise – Rafter
06:43 Engwish Bwudd – Man Man

10:17 DJ Madalyn

10:47 Brothersport – Animal Collective
16:13 Six Pack – Dirty Projectors
19:17 Burgers – Excepter

23:10 DJ Drew

23:57 Day Too Soon – Sia
28:19 Early Morning Risers – Dinosaur Feathers
31:41 Before It’s True – Fitz of Depression

33:43 DJ RePete

34:05 Blood and Peanut Butter – B.C. Camplight
37:52 Thanks Anyway – The Workouts
41:37 Turkey Sandwich – Mika Miko

43:20 DJ Lottie

43:51 Shake Your Party Dress – Boca Chica
47:23 Punks In the Beerlight – Silver Jews
50:49 Alcohol (Turn And Fall) -The Baptist Generals

53:54 DJ Patrick

54:45 Let’s Drive – The Cave Weddings
57:01 Joyride – Built to Spill
60:30 Shake Real Low – The King Khan and BBQ Show

64:56 DJ Emily

65:44 Seasons – The Ettes
69:12 Halftime Show – Blitz The Ambassador
71:13 Only For A While – Bobby Birdman

74:55 DJ Latola

77:09 My Body’s A Zombie For You – Dead Man’s Bones
81:37 Harmonia – Cass McCombs
87:42 Something In Common – Free Energy

92:07 Finish

Free Energy

Live:

Nov 11 2009 at Great Scott w/ The Rakes in Boston, MA
Nov 19 2009 at The Cavern in Dallas, TX
Nov 20 2009 at The Mohawk in Austin, TX
Nov 21 2009 at Spanish Moon in Baton Rouge, LA
Nov 22 2009 at The Earl in Atlanta, GA
Nov 23 2009 at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC
Nov 24 2009 at Ottobar in Baltimore, MD
Nov 25 2009 at DC9 in Washington DC
Nov 27 2009 at Kung Fu Knecktie in Philadelphia, PA
Nov 28 2009 at Santos Party House in New York, NY

Animal Collective

Live:

Dec 8 2009 at Powerstation w/ Bachelorette in Auckland, New Zealand
Dec 10 2009 at Tivoli Theatre w/ Bachelorette in Brisbane, Australia
Dec 11 2009 at Enmore Theatre w/ Bachelorette in Sydney, Australia
Dec 12 2009 at Meredith Music Festival w/ Bachelorette in Melbourne, Australia
Dec 14 2009 at Forum Theatre w/ Bachelorette in Melbourne, Australia
Dec 15 2009 at Prince Bandroom w/ Bachelorette in Melbourne, Australia
Dec 17 2009 at Capitol w/ Bachelorette in Perth, Australia

Boca Chica

Live:

Nov 5 2009 at Thunderbird w/The Central Plains in Pittsburgh, PA
Nov 14 2009 at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia, PA
Dec 9 2009 at Modern Formations w/Cuddle Magic in Pittsburgh, PA

Dinosaur Feathers

Live:

Nov 4 2009 at TT the Bear’s in Boston, MA
Nov 13 2009 at Coco 66 w/ Pearl and the Beard in Greenpoint, NY
Nov 15 2009 at Kidrockers @ Rockwood Music Hall in New York, NY
Nov 23 2009 at CAMEO RESIDENCY in Brooklyn, NY
Dec 7 2009 at CAMEO RESIDENCY in Brooklyn, NY
Dec 17 2009 sy CAMEO RESIDENCY in Brooklyn, NY

Artist of the Week: Via Tania

breakthruradio — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:11:56 +0000

You could say the whole “female singer-songwriter” thing is making a comeback, but did it ever really go anywhere? We’ve come a long way from the coffeehouse Girl-With-A-Guitar stereotype; hell, even the Girl-On-A-Piano thing seems a bit outdated (oh Regina Spektor, we love you anyway). Now we’ve got artists like St. Vincent, who seem to fit best under the category of Girl-With-An-Entire-Recording-Studio-At-Her-Disposal. Let’s face it: solo instruments are so twentieth century.

Into this awesome fray steps Tania Bowers, a.k.a. Via Tania, an Australian with roots in early 90s noise-pop outfit SPDFGH. From the first moments of her new album, Moon Sweet Moon, it’s pretty clear Bowers is working with an inventive musical palette. Opening track “The Beginning” is shaped around piano, vibraphone, and a muffled drum loop, punctuated with a brief splash of distorted guitar and fleshed out with carefully layered vocal harmonies. Elsewhere, “Our Wild Flight” floats on a bed of spaced-out synths, while “Lost In It” spins a beautifully sinister atmosphere out of tightly wound dub-funk and distant guitars.

But don’t despair, all you anachronistic fans of acoustic guitar; Bowers still rocks the six-string on tracks like the poignant ballad “How Come.” Yet even here, the soundscape is accentuated by subtle washes of electric sound. Tania describes her overall aesthetic as “moon pop,” a fitting term for the graceful weightlessness of her music (also, someone needs to get her Lusine’s phone number, stat). Why bother going to the planetarium when you can just catch her live? Dates below:

Nov. 10th – Bordello Bar LA – Los Angeles, CA
Nov. 11th – Bootleg LA – Los Angeles, CA

Link to this article:
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?b=artist.php?id=251