WGTB is co-sponsoring a SILENT DJ battle so lace up your dancing shoes and come on out to Bulldog Alley this Friday, February 24, from 10PM-1AM. There will be two DJs spinning mixes and, using your headset, you pick which one you want to listen to! You could be grooving to the Bee Gees (is that what the kids listen to these days?) while that cutie across the dance floor is jamming to Bieber. And you’ll never have to know. We’ll be bringing our best socially unaware flailing, so come put us to shame with your moves. Maybe we’ll even have a dance off. It’s a guaranteed good time for low low cost $free.99, so stop by and bring your friends. Let us know you’ll be attending on the facebook event and invite all your friends.

We know you’ll work up an appetite with all that dancing, so swing by a location TBA on Sunday, February 26th, at 11:30 for a listening party of Chiddybang’s new album Breakfast and also for breakfast. That’s right, his promoters are buying us breakfast in the morning. So come for the tunes and we will provide you with all of the bacon and eggs that we have.

The night began as Los Angeles’ Bleached opened the show with their angry-bored-punk-sisters thing and did I mention they’re from the valley? Bleached’s thumpy screeching girl rock was followed by Porcelain Raft’s wistful shoegaze aided by Mauro Remiddi’s smoldering intensity. Although the crowd seemed skeptical of Remiddi and his teutonic drummer initially, by the time the duo got around to the hypnotizing melody of “Tip of Your Tongue” they’d won us all over and probably broken the heart of at least one sound guy.

After the most comprehensive sound-check in music history Smith Westerns took the stage, frontman Cullen Omori wearing the red pants he announced he would be that afternoon via twitter, creating my new favorite hashtag #atleastnotyellow. The crowd of teenagers in flannel reeking of weed and just dying to spill beer all over me were barely able to contain their ecstasy as Omori sank in to their open arms like a king returning from decades in exile. I’m sorry to say the band’s entrance was the most exciting point of their set. After the initial rush Frontman Omori (as opposed to bassist Omori, Cullen’s younger brother Cameron) struggled against the crowd’s apathy, unsuccessfully requesting a moshpit and announcing the band’s ascendance to ”the big leagues.”

Before playing T .Rex-reminiscent “Be My Girl” frontman Omori announced the band was “Gonna play an old make out song,” continuing “so if you want to you can make out to it or you can also keep playing on your iPhones that’s just as much fun.” In that moment I felt bad for Omori and all other young bands playing to attention-deficient audiences and thinking to themselves “Marc Bolan never had to deal with this shit,” but as the underwhelming set dragged on it occurred to me that the audience wouldn’t be playing words with friends during the set if the band was giving them reason not to. Unfortunately frontman Omori seemed more concerned with keeping up his lip-bitingly adorable poses than with putting on an actual performance.

Even when the band played their last number, “Weekend,” their breakaway single which was undoubtedly a draw-factor for much of the audience, Omori rolled his eyes at the audience’s returning interest in the band’s set. After finishing up “Weekend” the Smith Westerns rushed offstage, no question as to whether or not there would be an encore. And to be perfectly honest I’m not sure who cared less, the band or the audience.

-Tiare Dunlap, host of Osmosis, Tuesdays from 8-9 PM EST on WGTB

Photos by Erika Charleston

Arguably the catchiest track is the second, entitled “Friends of Friends.” Full of jazzy riffs and rough guitar accents, it has a more distinctly forceful feel than the rest of the album. Some of the feathery quality of Papini’s voice is replaced by a throatier seductiveness, which makes it easier to get in to the beat and harder to space out (an ambiguous quality in music in general). This was one of six songs recorded in 2008 on a four track EP, all of which have a much grittier quality in their original version. Nearly four years later everything as been markedly polished, setting a smooth tone characteristic of the entire album.

Other notable tracks include the breezy “Liberal Arts,” which ironically and somewhat lackadaisically discusses the inherent problems of studying impractical things in college. The song itself is prettily orchestrated and amusingly whimsical; the only slight issue I take with it is the rather carefree tone with which it discusses an issue that has caused increasingly frequent and intense panic attacks amongst most of the Georgetown population (myself included).

I must reiterate, therefore, that this album is thoroughly well thought out and well produced. The track list has a compelling narrative, and the group’s style is unique enough that you wouldn’t confuse them with every other small indiepop group trying to make their way in the world. But there is definitively a little something missing – perhaps a lack of annoyingness, nothing to make you really appreciate the buttery effortlessness of the rest of the album. Or perhaps it is just more fun to write a mean review. Regardless, Hospitality’s debut album is definitely worth a listen.

How do you pick a theme for your show every week?

Usually I choose a theme based on music, and then the jokes just follow. I’ve gone from “New Music Mart” to “Turkeys gone Wild?!?!” To “Oh Damn boi show m3 dat sw@g.”

What kind of jokes do you tell?

 My jokes vary, but the one that was praised most by my many thousands of listeners was this:

What did the lawyer say to the other lawyer?

- Hey…we’re both lawyers.

My humor is a little specific, though I also reached the millions of Lana Del Rey lovers and haters through my show that was based on LDR jokes.

If you could have any guest on your show, who would it be and why?

 Tim Curry. Like actually, what’s his deal? I don’t know if he’s still alive because he disappeared into the abyss after Home Alone New York…but I would want him to come on JAM and give an explanation. We all deserve to know.

Hit us with your best WGTB acronym.

 Wicked Golf Tank, Bro.

Jokes After Midnight with host Morgan Brown broadcasts live every Monday night at 12 AM (midnight) EST. Tune in any time you have a case of the Mondays (Mundays), or if you just want to hear a winning combination of humor and music, always concluded with the ever-uplifting Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”

Sample playlist:

New Music Mart (new music that has come out in the last two months)

One of the best tracks is “That Old Black Hole,” on which Scott McMicken sings, “I don’t rock the boat, but it’s always unsteady,” and that pretty accurately describes this album. The music has their signature 1960s influence, with the Dr. Dog spin that gives it a special touch. The opener, “Lonesome” is a standout, with its rowdy proclamation that it takes “Nothing at all” to be lonesome somehow turning loneliness into a good time. In this case, the repetition of the jangly riff and chorus is welcome. Unfortunately, some of the songs feel like an attempt to recreate the anthem-like material on We All Belong, but they just end up getting repetitive. “These Days” avoids this pitfall, and, as the third song, it rounds out the strongest part of the album, the opening. That said, the rest of the album is absolutely worth a listen (or two, or three).

As expected, this new batch of Dr. Dog tunes is upbeat and enjoyable, and will surely make for a fun live show, so I suggest you check them out if they perform near you on this tour. They will be at the 9:30 Club in DC on March 16^th, and hopefully I will too.

-Tess O’Connor, host of Tunes with Tess, Tuesdays 2-3pm on WGTB

What: Grasping At Straws competes at the DC Next Big Thing Tour
When: 11am-11pm on Sunday Feb. 19 (exact timeslot will be announced after reporting ticket sales on Thursday)
Where: To be determined by ticket sales (But we hope the 9:30 Club!)
Cost: $15 for the show + the possibility of a post-show party for everyone who comes out to watch

For tickets and more information, contact Anatole Doak at ajd76@georgetown.edu

Camera: Sydney Browning
Audio + Edits: Catherine DeGennaro

“Santo Domingo”, the album opener, starts off with the fast plucking and guitar percussion that define Rodrigo y Gabriela. Then the brass comes in, driving the piece along at a breakneck pace. It all comes together. The brightness of the horns matches well with the Santana-influenced guitar playing (the original song was part of an album where each track was dedicated to a particular influence on the band, in this case Santana).

Although this sound works well for much of the album, there are some moments where it feels overblown. For instance, the original cut of “Tamacun” from 2006’s Rodrigo y Gabriela has a power derived from the silence when the guitars stop to breathe. On Area 52, there are so many extra instruments playing little flourishes that the song sounds too busy, and the old magic is lost.

This is also a prime example of when Area 52 feels like a big band jam session. The actual melody is broken up by long stretches of horn, piano and guitar solos. When you expect the tightly crafted pieces for which Rodrigo y Gabriela are known, this can be frustrating.

Despite these problems, most of the tracks are welcome reimaginings of the originals. The beautiful violin solo in “Ixtapa” is gone, but Anoushka Shankar plays an equally impressive sitar solo to replace it. The bright, ever-present brass section actually complements the sitar’s sliding notes, as well as its sweet drone.

When approaching this album, Rodrigo y Gabriel fans should be careful about what they expect. The guitarists are not the focus of this album. They instead frame the album, occasionally dipping back into the spotlight for a brief solo section. If you come in expecting this to be another classical guitar thrash fest, you will be disappointed. That said, the difference should be a draw for fans who want to hear new life pumped into the songs that work. As for newcomers, if you like fast-paced, metal-influenced big bands, this is a great album to pick up.

The songs succeed either when they create a lazy, atmospheric backdrop to lead singer, Scott Stapleton’s simple, but emotionally charged lyrics like in “Don’t be Afraid”, or when they fully invest in an almost pop-folk sound: a little more upbeat and exalting while lamenting the freedom following the loss of love, as seen in the song “I Might Get High.”

The major problem with Virgin Forest is not that they have failed in any respect, but that they lack a clear voice or, in a word, “soul.” Many of the songs are somewhat lifeless and stale, sounding almost like filler. Such a song would be “Lifted,” which from the onset seems somewhat hackneyed; the repetition of the lyric “Rats in a cage” only seems to emphasis this triteness. Sometimes on this album, it seems that they are still playing back-up.

That being said there are undoubtedly points where the lyrics tap into the basic, but nonetheless potent feelings that most if not all people feel, complimenting and augmenting the classic guitar riffs. “Song for Nino” is one of these moments. Stripped to the barest elements of their style (which isn’t exactly lush to begin with), it capitalizes on a feeling of longing and melancholy, unrequited, and somewhat fucked up love. Here, they artfully combine the most powerful elements of their music and triumph. Similarly “Home Alone” accesses the same simple emotion, this time paired with a folky swing. Easy Way Out has its hiccups and its victories. When all is said and done, it deserves a listen even if only to check out and keep an eye on Virgin Forest.

Unlike The Band’s 1968 debut studio album, the sophomore album belonging to its electric-rock duo namesake, The Big Pink, will most likely not snag a spot on Rolling Stone’s 500 greatest albums of all time. Future This is teeming with corny feel-good lyrics. Not that there is anything wrong with optimism, but it is an awkward departure from The Big Pink’s first album Brief History of Love, which felt lonely and a little depressing, but in an offbeat, cool way.

Missing most is the titanically rendered ennui present in earlier tracks like “Dominos.”  The industrial sonic drone of lyrics like “As soon as I love her it’s been too long, I really love breaking your heart” following the powerful hook were more than enough to merit repeat listens. On their track “Stay Gold” however, Brits Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell are suddenly calling for some kind of morality when they sing, “Forgive your lovers, but don’t forget their names.” What happened to the everyone-wants-to-get-with-me-but-I’m-still-a-cynical-loner attitude that worked so well on Brief History of Love? Perhaps age does make wiser, but it sure does not make for a particularly interesting second album.

Although tracks like “Hit the Ground (Superman)” and “1313,” with lyrics like, “I will be loved or die trying,” just sound interchangeable and cheesy, “Rubbernecking” was surprisingly fun. Heavy with synthesizers and drum beats, this is probably the catchiest song on the whole album. Ending with “77,” an honest portrayal of friendship lost, Future This is not all bad. Who knows, maybe next time they’ll realize for them, nice guys really do finish last.

Re:Generation

Each track has a distinct identity. DJ Premier collaborates with rapper Nas and The Berklee Symphony on “Re-Generation,” artfully combining classical music with NAS’s lyrical expertise- sort of Tschaikovsky meets rap. It works surprisingly well.
Crystal Method combines electronic sound with Motown R&B on “I’m Not Leaving.” “Wayfaring Stranger” by Pretty Lights featuring Leann Rimes & Dr. Ralph Stanley is the most interesting and mellow track on the album, fusing light drums with country.
“Breakin’ A Sweat” by Skrillex featuring Members of the Doors is the most modern track on Re:Generation, blending rock and step with Skrillex’s signature complextro. “Breakin’ A Sweat” sums up a lot of what our parents don’t understand about this generation’s music- in a good way.
Each song on the album is uniquely progressive. Re:Generation is a big step in overcoming music snobbery across different genres and shows us how well different types of music (and subsequently the people that create that sound) can produce and create together. Highly, highly recommended.
The documentary will be out in select theatres on Feb. 16 and Feb. 23 ONLY. Check out the trailer here: