Tag Archive for 'Big Bang TV'

50 STATES IN 50 WEEKS…WEEK 16: NEW YORK

Published by BethanyLeavey on September 29, 2009 in Hip-Hop, Playlists and Rock. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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Home of: The Statue of Liberty, Lucille Ball, Beastie Boys, The Velvet Underground, Niagra Falls, Cyndi Lauper, George Gershwin, Gogol Bordello, The Fiery Furnaces, The Slackers, The Baseball Hall of Fame, Le Tigre, The Lovin’ Spoonful, The Ramones, Sonic Youth, TV on the Radio, Cannibal Corpse

Fun Facts: State flower; rose, state song; “I Love New York,” state animal; beaver

The Venues:

New York isn’t called “The City that Never Sleeps” for nothing. Sleeping would mean missing some of the best talent in the city (maybe even the world) at New York City’s seemingly endless list of live music venues. With a capacity of 20,000, Madison Square Garden has hosted performance from a slew of musical heavyweights over the past 50 years, including Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Bob Marley, Madonna, Phish, U2 and Jay-Z. Sly Stone even got married on stage at Madison Square Garden during a Sly & The Family Stone performance. It just might be the most most famous venue in the US.

New York City was home to legendary punk clubs CBGB and Max’s Kansas City, where acts like The Ramones, Blondie, Television, Patti Smith, The New York Dolls and The Velvet Underground got their start. Unfortunately, Max’s closed in 1981 and CBGB was forced to close in 2006 due to a dispute over rent. For fans of the singer-songwriter sound, The Bitter End in New York City’s West Village is the place to hear new talent. For the past 19 years, The Bitter End played host to the New York Songwriters Circle, which has helped launch the careers of Norah Jones, Vanessa Carlton and Gavin DeGraw.

Having traded in their three-floor location between The Bowery and Broadway for digs in Brooklyn, The Knitting Factory opened its new location earlier this month with a performance from Les Savy Fav. The club boasts a 250-capacity performance space and a smaller sound proof bar. OurStage Marketplace venues The Delancey and Ace of Clubs both offer diverse live music calenders filled with rock, folk, hip hop and more.

The CMJ Music Marathon will be taking over New York City from October 20th through the 24th. Days will be filled with seminars, panels, Q&As, mentoring sessions and networking events while nights will hold more live music than you could shake a stick at. Venues all over New York City will be hosting shows featuring the biggest names and the next big things. The lineup is still being finalized for this year, but as of now showcasing artists include Pitbull, Altas Sound, Japandroids and OurStage Artists April Smith and the Great Picture Show, Metermaids, Amy Kuney, Crystal Antlers, The Mieka Canon (Mieka Pauley’s new project), Modern Science and Shayna Zaid & The Catch.

The Music:

m_46adfedea18c49d2a234c6c8e22fce1cMetermaids – You might recognize hip hop upstarts Metermaids from Breakin’: An OurStage Breakdancing Playlist where Sam C. featured their song “A Breakdown In Chicago, Or How To Sabotage Your Own Happiness In Two Easy Steps” from their Sufjan Stevens mashup album Nightlife In Illinois. Their new song, the party starter “Turn The Lights Out” continues the Metermaids tradition of combining rock and hip hop. The “Turn The Lights Out” video, directed by Jon Yi (Mates of State, Twisted Sister) features the band  along with their friends and fans breaking out their best dance moves. They might look goofy, but once the music starts it’s impossible not to join in the fun. Catch Metermaids live at The Suffolk in NYC for their CMJ showcase October 24th.

QUXGHDKVJJMY-320x240Big Bang TV – Only in Brooklyn would a singer-songwriter, a DJ, a metal drummer and an accordionist decide to form a band. Big Bang TV’s sound is experimental while still being accessible: Boy/girl vocals float on top of post-punk guitars, synth, turntable breaks and laptop blips. “Marzipan” from Big Bang TV’s self-titled debut full length will have you singing along by the song’s end. Catch Big Bang TV live as they tour through the month of October in support of their new album. Click here for dates.

1139221110_lApril Smith and The Great Picture Show – While Perez Hilton is known for his no-holds-barred attitude towards celebrities, he has nothing but praise for New York City songstress April Smith and her band The Great Picture Show. Hilton featured Smith’s song “Colors” in the “Listen To This” section of his Web site last summer, describing the song as “…The kind of tune you’d hear on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy or in the next iPod commercial…sweet…quirky…and hooky.” Their retro pop sound earned April and the band a spot at this years Lollapalooza festival and song placement on MTV’s hit show The Hills. Love “Colors”? Want more? Check out “Terrible Things” in the playlist below! Catch April Smith and The Great Picture Show live at their CMJ showcases October 20th at The Canal Room and October 23rd at Arlene’s Grocery.

l_e31062430d5742f7d7bd280c5e9c0bffDujeous – Not many bands can garner praise from The Source, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan and Nah Right, but New York City’s Dujeous (pronounced doo-jee-us) has done just that. Friends since elementary school, Dujeous is a live hip hop band, a la The Roots. Songs from their debut album, 2004’s City Limits have been featured in movies and television, and producer Mark Ronson called Dujeous “New York’s only hip hop band worth talking about.” After two successful mixtapes, Dujeous is getting ready to release their second full length record Day In Day Out. This album has the band exploring new lyrical topics, adding instruments like mellotron, koto and accordion to the mix and work with collaborators like John Legend and Sharon Jones. “Break Bread,” the album’s first single has the MCs talking about family troubles over backing vocals from John Legend.

Check out these acts and other great New York artists in the playlist below!

Who are your favorite OurStage New Yorkers? Where do you like to see live music in New York? Let us know in the comments!

ARTISTS ASK: JOHN JACKSON (LEGACY RECORDINGS)

Published by KB@OS on July 30, 2009 in Artist News. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

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Big Bang TV's Matt Brehony calls..

Big Bang TV's Matt Brehony calls...

Often these days it seems that the amount of buzz a band has about them and amount of fans they pull out to shows aren’t always related. I’ve seen much blogged about bands play to 15 people in their hometown while bands that are consistently bringing out good crowds can be completely neglected by the press. In all honesty, which is more likely to catch your interest and why—the band with the buzz or the band with the bigger draw? -Matt, Big Bang TV

...John Jackson responds

... John Jackson responds

As both a working musician and an industry professional, I’d have to say that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Obviously as an artist you want your music to be accepted (and enjoyed!) by critics, but there is no substitute for direct fan interaction. You can have all of the buzz you want, but without actual human beings absorbing your music, it’s tough to really get a gauge on how it effects people. That said, regional live shows are incredibly difficult to put on if you’re doing it all yourself. Booking and promotion are generally the bane of any artist’s existence, so there is no substitute for positive reviews or buzz that get generated online —particularly considering how immediate the transaction can be to actually acquire the music and how easy it is to have that transaction flow back to the artist themselves.

What I would have to say is both in abundance. Also missing from the process for most independent musicians is that key connective step between the buzz and the live shows. The plethora of Web sites for which artists need to maintain profiles and actively network are great, but also incredibly ubiquitous. What we’ve ended up with are the digital equivilant of the “demo pile” in the A&R man’s office of old. There are so many artists that have fantastic looking profiles and music for sale at iTunes that they all effectively have their own record deal, which in effect means that none of us do. It’s the promotion aspect of the equation that was what record labels were so good at—and that artists weren’t expected to deal with—that’s now missing.

-John Jackson, Guitarist The Mercury Seed, Senior Director of Content Development Legacy Recordings


If you would like to ask an insider an music industry question, ask it HERE.

DOWNLOAD OF THE WEEK + BONUS Q&A: BIG BANG TV

Published by Sam C. on June 15, 2009 in Artist Feature, Artist News and Download of the Week. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .
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Most casual music listeners head for the hills when they hear the words “experimental” and “cross-genre.” But hold your horses, Batman, Big Bang TV is here to save the day! With swirling synthesizers, sentimental vocals, spooky electro loops and post punk guitar, this band has it all. After debuting their groundbreaking, four-song EP SEND/RECEIVE in 2007, the band is getting ready to drop their first full length release in September. They plan to set out on a 17-20 city US tour in October to promote the new record, whose name is currently classified information. If you can’t wait until then, you can get your dose of Big Bang TV at their upcoming show on June 20th at New York City’s Mercury Lounge opening for Crocodiles and ArpLine. Be sure to grab this week’s download of “Hollywood” off SEND/RECEIVE. You can listen to it while you read my Q&A session with Big Bang TV’s guitarist/singer Matt Brehony and turntable master Scott Neagle. Also chiming in are keyboardist Andrea Hendrickson and drummer Joe Sinopoli:


The last time I got the chance to sit down and talk with you guys was last year before a show in Boston with Bearstronaut and Meowskers at the Hard Rock that was part of an East Coast tour. If I remember correctly you won over a few “younger fans” who were lunching it up on a field trip during your soundcheck. Would you guys ever consider doing a BBTV kids album and if so what would you call it?

ANDREA: “Kids for Breakfast”

SCOTT: Haha, that would be dope! I would call it “Little Bang.”

MATT: Yeah, that was wild. I had an eleven-year-old tell me that I had beautiful eyes. That was the closest thing I had to a “groupie” experience all tour.

How did the rest of that tour pan out?

SCOTT: That tour was a blast, and we sold a lot of T-shirts, and I think we made a bunch of new fans.

MATT: For a first tour, with no industry or financial backing…and really no idea what we were doing, it was a huge success. We had a lot of fun, played some really good shows and didn’t kill each other. Plus I think, when all was said and done, we actually made like $70.

A little birdie told me that you guys have a new recording in the pipeline. How did the process of recording this new record compare to recording your first EP, SEND/RECEIVE?

MATT: Well that birdie is a deadman for revealing our secrets but, since it’s already out there…yes we are recording an album and it’s going to be great (I think). As far as how the process for this one is comparing to that of SEND/RECEIVE, it’s like comparing apples to oranges (specifically, oranges that cost a lot of money and take several months to produce). We recorded SEND/RECEIVE in our practice space over the course of a weekend. Our friend [Mark Lewis] engineered it and the entire cost came from the one day we bought him a coffee and a sandwich. For this new album, we’re working with a producer [Paolo deGregorio] and taking our sweet time. Instead of revealing what this record is costing us to make, I’ll just say “Thanks dad!” and “I and/or my unborn children will pay you back as soon as humanly possible.”

SCOTT: The new album has to date taken 5 months of work in actual studios and cost more money than I personally want to know about. That’s why we hired our accountant, Matt Brehony, have you heard of him? We’ve also worked with some people who do this stuff full-time and are amazingly talented when it comes to making us sound how we want to sound. Also, SEND/RECEIVE was good but the new album is going to be the best rock album ever. Move over Heaven Tonight!

One thing that I’ve always admired about BBTV was that while you guys all come from four distinct musical backgrounds, that the over all sound of the group comes off as a natural fusion of your different styles instead of uncomfortably forced. Was it difficult in the beginning trying to figure out a way how you would all fit together?

MATT: Absolutely! It still is a challenge…though much less so. Every once in a while a song will just magically come together. But most of the time there’s always at least one point where it’s like we’re speaking four different languages. So far, it’s a challenge that’s entirely worth it though. In the end, we’re creating something that none of us could produce on our own.

SCOTT: I feel like if anything the writing process has gotten more difficult over the years. The more we pursue the “Big Bang TV sound,” the more our individual musical inclinations are challenged. These challenges are the enjoyable part though.

Since you guys are based out of NYC —which seems to have been churning out awesome new bands every five seconds since the 70’s—what venues around the city do you recommend checking out to catch new acts?

SCOTT: I’m a big fan of Goodbye Blue Monday. Also, Union Pool is probably the best place in the city to see live music —the stage is ringed with light bulbs!

In the indie music scene, there’s a lot of debate about bands selling sync rights of their songs to companies for use as background music in commercials. We all know that you’ve got to eat, but if a marketing person from Depends approached you guys to change the lyrics to one of your songs for a jingle would you do it?

JOE: Depends no, Russ Pizza yes.

SCOTT: I don’t know about changing the lyrics… although I do kind of want a song on a commercial. A cool commercial, though, like one for a local seafood restaurant with a guy dressed like a lobster.

MATT: In all seriousness, this is something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately (well, not so much the Depends aspect). When I first started playing in bands I thought it was the worst possible sin to license your music for ANYTHING. However, with the industry the way it is nowadays, it seems more and more like a necessary revenue stream for keeping a band alive and free to make the music they want. Depends though, huh? That’s a tough call. What’s their carbon footprint like as a company? Do they operate sweatshops in Southeast Asia? I’ll have to do a little research and get back to you.

Have you guys ever given thought to doing shows in matching outfits like The Hives; what would you wear?

MATT AND SCOTT: BUCKET HATS!!!

And finally, the most personal question you could ever ask another human being: Corey Haim or Corey Feldman. And why?

JOE: Easy, Haim. Anyone willing to sell their teeth on Ebay to score wins a special place in my heart.

MATT: We all have a little bit of both of them inside us. The lovable loser and the ego-driven opportunist both contribute a necessary aspect of the actualized self. It’s called the law of Coreys and IT’S REAL!

SCOTT: Bill “Spaceman” Lee

HOW TO PUT TOGETHER A KNOCKOUT EPK

Published by Kate B on June 3, 2009 in Artist News, Editorial and How To. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

os_howto_060309_cIn the music industry, artists don’t usually get a second chance to make a first impressions. Record labels, talent buyers, publicists and critics are inundated with inquiries from bands every day so you better bring your A-game if you want to stand out. This is where the EPK (Electronic Press Kit) comes in to play.

What is an electronic press kit? Think of it as your sales presentation, your two-minute elevator speech. Basically, the kit should introduce yourself and your music in an engaging, concise way while also piquing the intended audience’s interest so they want to learn more about you as an artist. By combining video, audio and photography, you can create a high-impact impression of who you are and what your music is all about.  Click through to see what Big Bang TV, Breaking Laces and Kate Tucker & The Sons of Sweden all have in common and get expert advice on everything you need to build your own knockout EPK:

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