28 posts from November 2009

Upcoming Live Performances on MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC with host JASON BENTLEY

Tuesday, November 24, We first met Lissie at KCRW in 2007, when she came in to sing backup for Jesca Hoop. Now, she's opening for Ray LaMontagne and has just released a terrific debut EP. Hear her new songs live on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Wednesday, November 25, Tune in for a special pre-Thanksgiving visit from UK production and remix team Simian Mobile Disco. They'll deliver fresh tracks from their sophomore release when they join Morning Becomes Eclectic live at 11:15am.

Wednesday, December 2, Australian singer Daniel Merriweather first came to our attention when he appeared on producer Mark Ronson's debut release. Morning Becomes Eclectic listeners will be treated to live exclusive tracks from his forthcoming album when he joins Jason Bentley at 11:15am.

Thursday, December 3, Fink started out as a techno trip-hop artist then peeled back the layers until he found his inner troubadour.  Armed with his guitar, he'll perform new songs for Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

KCRW.COM PRESENTS

Tues, November 24, ROYKSOPP at WEBSTER HALL in NEW YORK.
Fri, December 11, FIERY FURNACES at THE MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG in NEW YORK CITY.

KCRW PRESENTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Sat, November 21, FRIENDLY FIRES WITH THE XX AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.
Fri, November 20, FAT FREDDY’S DROP AT THE ROXY. Jeremy Sole will host and deejay the evening.
Sat, November 21, BEN GIBBARD & FRIENDS AT THE ACTOR’S GANG.
Sat, November 21, PETER BJORN AND JOHN with FOOL'S GOLD AND EL PERRO DEL MAR AT CLUB NOKIA.
Mon, November 23, EL PERRO DEL MAR  AT THE HOTEL CAFÉ.
Tues, November 24, LISSIE at THE BOOTLEG THEATRE.
Tues, November 24, CAFÉ TACUBA AT CLUB NOKIA.
Fri, November 27, JULIAN CASABLANCAS AT THE PALACE THEATRE.
Fri, December 4, FINK AT SPACELAND.
Sat, December 5, SARA WATKINS AND TOM BROSSEAU AT LARGO AT THE CORONET.
Fri, December 11, BAND OF SKULLS AT THE TROUBADOUR.
Sat, December 12, GRANT LEE PHILLIPS with SARA WATKINS AT THE HOTEL CAFÉ ON.
Sat, December 12, BRETT DENNEN AT THE WILTERN.
Sat, December 12, JOHN DOE with JILL SOBULE AT THE ACTOR’S GANG.
Mon, December 14, MEW AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.
Wed, December 16, ZERO 7 AT THE ORPHEUM.
Fri, December 18 and Sat, December 19, OZOMATLI AT CLUB NOKIA.
Thurs, December 31, POLLYN and DENGUE FEVER AT THE MINT.
Fri, January 8, SONIC YOUTH AT THE FOX THEATRE IN POMONA.
Sat, January 9, SONIC YOUTH AT THE WILTERN.
Fri, March 12, BRANDI CARLILE AT THE HOUSE OF BLUES, ANAHEIM.
Sat, March 13, LUDOVICO EINAUDI AT THE BROAD STAGE.

As a young woman, Rosanne Cash told her father Johnny she wanted to play country music. He put together a list of 100 essential songs for her to listen to an just recently she just released an album highlighting her favorites, many of which she performed live this morning. She was accompanied on guitar by John Leventhal, her husband and also the producer of “The List.” Narrowing down the 12 songs to feature – including classics written by Merle Haggard and Hank Williams – was a tough task but the pair enjoyed “reimagining” them and felt it was important that these songs are actually being performed and “not in a museum.” The record features guest vocalists like Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Rufus Wainwright, Elvis Costello, and Bruce Springsteen.

This morning, Rosanne handled all the vocal duties beautifully, including the track “Satisfied Mind” which she's never performed live before. The recorded version of the song features Neko Case and is only available on iTunes. Other highlights included “She’s Got You” and “Long Black Veil.” True classics sung by a legendary artist.

Check it out

RR

Turns out the director of the latest Twilight movie is a big KCRW fan! Chris Weitz was talking about the “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” soundtrack to The Oklahoman and said “my musical education is formed by my daily drive listening to KCRW’s ‘Morning Becomes Eclectic,’ so I am an indie guy, if anything.” We’re thrilled to hear it and not entirely surprised since the soundtrack, put together by expert music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, included KCRW favorites like Band of Skills, Bon Iver, Sea Wolf and many more. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.

Also, tune in when Elvis Mitchell talks to Chris on The Treatment on November 25.

RR

Michael Brand

Getty Museum Director Michael Brand admits that he sometimes has a stronger reaction to music than art. His music choices span many genres – from aboriginal music to Cambodian pop. He dedicates a song to his family, highlights a couple standout artists from his native Australia, and shares musings on the balance of art and commerce that exists in both fields, using an unlikely duet as an example.

Check it out here

RR

KCRW hosted a rare live performance from Royksopp this morning. The Norwegian electronic music duo hasn’t played live in LA since KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood Bowl in 2005, with Basement Jaxx headlining. I have never seen the Bowl like I did that night – the dancing crowd was just going crazy. I even lost a pair of glasses in my dancing bliss. This morning, Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland created that exact same energy, even playing older songs, like the epic “Eple.” The guys played multiple keyboards and percussion instruments and were joined by a bassist and Anneli Drecker on vocals.

When Jason asked how the band collaborated with multiple singers for their new album – including Swedish singer Robyn – Svein said he sat the singer down on one knee,Trobjorn on the other and they created a pyramid and shared secrets. One of the funniest descriptions of “behind the scenes” imagery I’ve heard. It’s a fantastic set with a great interview.

Some of you tuning in live to the website perhaps noticed that there was no video for this session, which was at the request of the band, but the audio is available here.

RR

We have a big announcement from the basement today -- after 32 years as General Manager of KCRW Ruth Seymour has announced that she is retiring at the end of February.

“I am leaving a station that is strong in its identity, a station like no other in the country,” says Ms. Seymour. “It’s been an extraordinary privilege to serve as KCRW’s General Manager – a joy and source of great pride. That’s a pretty good note on which to say goodbye.”
 
She arrived at the station in September 1977 as a consultant and was formally appointed manager several months later.

Ms. Seymour is a familiar voice to KCRW’s listeners and credits our large and loyal subscriber base for enabling the station to engage in ambitious productions and important digital ventures. “We have forged a strong bond with our listeners, one of trust and affection. They have come through for us time and time again.”

Santa Monica College, the station’s licensee, will engage in the selection process to choose Ms. Seymour’s successor. The College expects that it will take several months to complete.
 

One of the best performances I ever witnessed at SXSW was Forro in the Dark – with special guest David Byrne – playing an intimate, outside show at the Hotel San Jose in Austin. Not only was it a welcome break from the madness of the music festival, but a pure celebration of the power of music as people were drawn to the dance floor one after another. The members of Forro in the Dark are all Brazilian but now based in New York, where they’ve held down a weekly residency in the East Village. Forró is a genre of hip swiveling, dancefloor-filling music from Brazil’s northeastern states – put simply, this is party music.  All of the players are top notch, including Mauro Refosco (zabumba drum and vocals) who recently joined Radiohead’s Thom Yorke for some shows he played in LA and has also collaborated with Vampire Weekend.

Check out this fantastic set, including tracks off their new album “Light a Candle.”

RR

KCRW TOP 50 FOR WEEK OF 11/16/2009

  1 BANHART, DEVENDRA == What Will We Be >> [Warner Bros.]
  2 ZERO 7 == Yeah Ghost >> [Atlantic]
  3 GRAY, DAVID == Draw The Line >> [Mercer Street]
  4 QUADRON == Quadron >> [A:larm/attack]
  5 ATLAS SOUND == Logos >> [Kranky/4ad]
  6 AIR == Love 2 >> [Astralwerks]
  7 BOMBA ESTEREO == Blow Up >> [Nacional]
  8 TWILIGHT - NEW MOON == Ost - Music By Thom Yorke, Grizzly Bear >> [Atlantic]
  9 KINGS OF CONVENIENCE == Declaration Of Dependence >> [Astralwerks]
10 FLORENCE & THE MACHINE == Lungs >> [Universal Island]
11 DAPTONE COMPILATION == Daptone Gold >> [Daptone]
12 PETERSON, GILLES == Havana Cultura - New Cuba Sound >> [Brownswood]
13 CASABLANCAS, JULIAN == Phrazes For The Young >> [Rca]
14 EDITORS == In This Light & On This Evening >> [Fader]
15 VALADEZ, ANTHONY == Audio Visual >> [Recordbreakin]
16 MASSIVE ATTACK == Splitting The Atom Ep >> [Virgin]
17 NDEGEOCELLO, MESHELL == Devil's Halo >> [Mercer Street]
18 MONSTERS OF FOLK == Monsters Of Folk >> [Shangri-la Music]
19 HEAVY == House That Dirt Built >> [Counter]
20 FITZ & THE TANTRUMS == Songs For A Break Up Vol 1 >> [Self Release]
21 BURAKA SOM SISTEMA == Black Diamond >> [Fabric]
22 ANNIE == Don't Stop >> [Smalltown Supersound]
23 NIRVANA == Bleach - Deluxe Edition >> [Sub Pop]
24 TRUS'ME == In The Red - Sampler >> [Prime Numbers]
25 BUILD AN ARK == Love Part 1 >> [Kindred Spirits]
26 DAVIES, RAY & THE CROUCH END == Kinks Choral Collection >> [Decca]
27 CLIENTELE == Bonfires On The Heath >> [Merge]
28 FORRO IN THE DARK == Light A Candle >> [Nublu Records]
29 BIG PINK == Brief History Of Love >> [4ad]
30 BLK JKS == After Robots >> [Secretly Canadian]
31 MIIKE SNOW == Miike Snow >> [Downtown]
32 JONES, NORAH == Fall >> [Blue Note]
33 RACE OF ANGELS == Lady Of The Sun Ep >> [Advance]
34 GEORGE, INARA == Accidental Experimental >> [Everloving]
35 TEGAN & SARA == Sainthood >> [Sire]
36 ASTATKE, MULATU == New York - Addis - London >> [Strut]
37 JOGGER == This Great Pressure >> [Magical Properties]
38 KELPE == Cambio Wechsel >> [Dc Recordings]
39 SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS == Prince Of Peace Ep >> [Vagrant]
40 ZOOT WOMAN == Things Are What They Used To Be >> [Self Release]
41 SHAFIQ == Shafiq En A-free-ka >> [Plug Research]
42 MUM == Sing Along To Songs You Don't Know >> [Euphono]
43 THAO WITH THE GET DOWN STAY DOWN == Know Better Learn Faster >> [Kill Rock Stars]
44 LUSINE == Certain Distance >> [Ghostly International]
45 MAAL, BAABA == Television >> [Palm Pictures]
46 ARCTIC MONKEYS == Humbug >> [Domino]
47 ZAZA == Cameo >> [Kanine]
48 SONOS == Sonosings >> [Verve Forecast]
49 YPPAH == They Know What Ghost Know >> [Ninja Tune]
50 BIBIO == Ambivalence Avenue >> [Warp Music]

This morning we taped a Guest DJ Project set with UK author Nick Hornby, who’s written a number of books involving music, including the classic “High Fidelity.” While the Guest DJ set won’t be released for a month or so, we couldn’t hold back on sharing some exciting news we learned – Nick is in the process of making an album with Ben Folds! Apparently they are “2/3” through with the album. The two previously collaborated when Ben asked Nick to write a song for William Shatner’s “Has Been” album. Nick co-wrote “That’s Me Trying” and is apparently ready to put his talents as a wordsmith to more music. We’re very excited to hear what he comes up with.

Oh, and he also revealed a couple of his favorite album’s this year – Maxwell’s comeback CD and UK folk band The Unthanks.

RR

Shepard Fairey filled in for Henry Rollins over the weekend and connected each song in his two-hour set to the next with a series of musical trivia that kept listeners guessing. He certainly surprised me with a tidbit about The Go Go’s! Here's the full track listing so you can guess the musical connections and listen for yourself here in the archives.

RR

7:53 pm Public Enemy Public Enemy No.1 Yo! Bum Rush The Show Def Jam
7:50 pm Beck Devil's Haircut Odelay Geffen
7:46 pm The Velvet Underground Sweet Jane Loaded Warner Bros.
7:35 pm MC5 I Can Only Give You Everything Anthology 1965 - 1971 Cleopatra
7:34 pm Iggy Pop I Wanna Be Your Dog A Million In Prizes: The Anthology Virgin
7:31 pm The Doors Peace Frog Morrison Hotel Elektra
7:26 pm X Pump It Up Los Angeles Rhino
7:19 pm The Go Go's Our Lips Are Sealed Beauty And The Beat IRS
7:16 pm Elvis Costello & The Attractions Pump It Up This Year's Model Radar
7:12 pm Ramones And The Specials Do You Remember Rock 'n' Roll Radio? Vs. Concrete Jungle (Shapard Fairey) Unreleased Unreleased
7:09 pm Richard Hell & The Voidoids Blank Generation Blank Generation Warner Bros.
7:05 pm Blondie One Way Or Another Parallel Lines Capitol
7:01 pm The Sweet Ballroom Blitz The Best Of Sweet Capitol
6:54 pm The Knack My Sharona Best Of The Knack EMI
6:49 pm Run DMC It's Tricky The Best Of Run DMC Arista
6:46 pm The Monkees Mary Mary More Of The Monkees (Deluxe Edition) Rhino
6:44 pm Minor Threat Steppin' Stone Complete Discography Dischord
6:40 pm Bad Brains Big Take Over Bad Brains Roir
6:35 pm Beastie Boys Pass The Mic Check Your Head Grand Royal
6:29 pm Motorhead Loui Loui Overkill Bronze
6:26 pm Motorhead And Girlschool Please Don't Touch St. Valentine's Day Massacre Sanctuary Records
6:23 pm T. Rex 20th Century Boy 20th Century Boy: The Ultimate Collection Hip-O Records
6:16 pm David Bowie Prettiest Star Aladdin Sane Virgin
6:11 pm Iggy Pop China Girl Million in Prizes: The Anthology EMI Europe Generic
6:08 pm Lou Reed Perfect Day Perfect Night: Live in London Warner Bros.
6:00 pm John Coltrane Greensleeves The Complete Brass Sessions MCAMCA