William Orbit - Live on MBE

Apparently, William Orbit was so nervous about his first live performance in the U.S. on Morning Becomes Eclectic that he stayed up all night preparing for it. Even after pulling an all-nighter, he did not disappoint. As a producer, William has worked with everyone from Madonna to Beth Orton and someone in the studio today described him as a “classical music genius that got sidetracked by pop music.” He talked in depth with Jason about his creative process, inspirations and how he works with other people. Minimalism seems to be key. He also left us with some gifts – pedals that were used in the making of Blur’s album 13. Jason jokingly said we’d offer them up for a $20 donation to the station and the phones rang off the hook! Saturday night KCRW DJ Liza Richardson dropped by the studio as well and is responsible for William’s timid smiles mid-set. He’s got a lot of fans on staff here.

Check out his set

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

KCRW Music Director and MBE host Jason Bentley is spinning a (now) rare live DJ set. He’ll be at the Wet Pool Party at the Custom Hostel on July 4 from 7:30 to 9pm PST. He joins Colette, Franky Boissy, Eduardo Castillo, and more. The 21+ event starts at 1pm. Details can be found here. 

RR

July 4 flyer

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

KCRW hosts the return of Yusuf (better known as Cat Stevens) to the West Coast airwaves with a performance on Morning Becomes Eclectic. The session includes a full band performance of seven songs – including “Don’t Be Shy,” “Thinkin’ About You,” and “Maybe You’re Right” -- and an interview about his life and music with host Jason Bentley. His session will be available in the archives shortly after it airs live, with a transcript, here.

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Like many people, I grew up watching Molly Ringwald in a handful of movies that would define a particular time in my life. It’s hard not to reflect on her 80’s iconic status even as she continues to do great work (she’s currently starring in The Secret Life of the American Teenager, a hit show on the ABC Family network.)  Being a fan, I was so curious as to what her musical tastes would be and she did not disappoint – it turns out she is a romantic, which was the element of her movies that always swept me away. As she says in her set, “what else do you write about other than love?” And she has it all covered, with songs about falling in love, falling out of love and even patriotic love of a country. She opens up and shares a special set of songs with KCRW DJ Chris Douridas.  Check it out here.

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Amazing Baby performing "Headdress"

I discovered Amazing Baby last year because they did something very smart – they posted a handful of FREE songs on their MySpace page that I quickly downloaded and started listening to. I liked the T Rex stylings of “Pump Yr Brakes” (which sadly they didn’t play) and the epic energy of “Headress” (which luckily they did play!). The Brooklyn rockers have been opening for Phoenix and Jason talked to them about some of their less glamorous jobs before they were full time musicians – including working at Yankee Stadium and at a ringtone company (they even gave us a sample). The band is signed to Shangri-La and seems to be just getting started so keep an eye on them. This was a solid set -- "Bayonets" and "The Narwhal" were other highlights.

Check it out

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

KCRW TOP 50 FOR WEEK OF 06/22/2009

  1 ZAP MAMA == Recreation >> [Heads Up]
  2 WILCO == Wilco >> [Nonesuch]
  3 LITTLE DRAGON == Machine Dreams >> [Peacefrog]
  4 QUANTIC & HIS COMBO BARBARO == Tradition In Transition >> [Tru Thoughts]
  5 MOS DEF == Ecstatic >> [Downtown]
  6 PHOENIX == Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix >> [Glassnote]
  7 MIIKE SNOW == Miike Snow >> [Downtown]
  8 GRIZZLY BEAR == Veckatimest >> [Warp Music]
  9 BAT FOR LASHES == Two Suns >> [Astralwerks]
10 CONTE, NICOLA == Rituals >> [Emarcy]
11 NOVALIMA == Coba Coba - Remixed >> [Cumbancha]
12 DANGER MOUSE & SPARKLEHORSE == Dark Night Of The Soul >> [Unreleased]
13 HORRORS == Primary Colours >> [Xl]
14 BIBIO == Ambivalence Avenue >> [Warp Music]
15 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW == Eating Us >> [Graveface]
16 SHARPE, EDWARD & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS == Up From Below >> [Vagrant]
17 SPIRITUAL JAZZ COMPILATION == Spiritual Jazz >> [Now Again]
18 DZIHAN KAMIEN == Music Matters >> [Couch]
19 MOBY == Wait For Me >> [Little Idiot]
20 KUTI, FEMI == Day By Day >> [Mercer Street]
21 DATAROCK == Red >> [Nettwerk]
22 CROOKED SPOKE == Crooked Spoke >> [Advance]
23 NOISETTES == Wild Young Hearts >> [Vertigo]
24 THA BOOGIE == Long Time Know See >> [Velma]
25 WAXPLOITATION COMPILATION == Causes 2 >> [Waxploitation]
26 SONIC YOUTH == Eternal >> [Matador]
27 MERRIWEATHER, DANIEL == Love & War >> [J]
28 SPEKTOR, REGINA == Far >> [Sire]
29 HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE == Hypnotic Brass Ensemble >> [Honest Jons]
30 OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS & ADRIAN QUESADA == Coconut Rock >> [Esl]
31 TRUE BLOOD == Ost - Music By Lucinda Williams, Dr John >> [Elektra]
32 NOSAJ THING == Drift >> [Alpha Pup]
33 OM COMPILATION == Om Lounge - 15 Year >> [Om]
34 K'NAAN == Troubadour >> [A&m/octone]
35 BURAKA SOM SISTEMA == Black Diamond >> [Fabric]
36 RED HOT COMPILATION == Dark Was The Night >> [4ad]
37 A CAMP == Colonia >> [Nettwerk]
38 ANIMAL COLLECTIVE == Merriweather Post Pavilion >> [Domino]
39 SANGARE, OUMOU == Seya >> [World Circuit]
40 HAWTHORNE, MAYER == Advance >> [Stones Throw]
41 HARRISON, GEORGE == Let It Roll - Best Of >> [Capitol]
42 DORFMEISTER, RICHARD == Cafe Caprice Vol Two >> [Advance]
43 MOSCHELLA, NINO == Boomshadow >> [Ubiquity]
44 LINDSTROM & PRINS THOMAS == Ii >> [Eskimo]
45 NICKODEMUS == Sun People >> [Esl]
46 ROSE, JESSE == What Do You Do If You Don't >> [Made To Play]
47 JUAN MACLEAN == Future Will Come >> [Dfa]
48 COCKER, JARVIS == Further Complications >> [Rough Trade]
49 KASABIAN == West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum >> [Rca]
50 DJ VADIM == U Can't Lurn Imaginashun >> [Bbe]

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Here are Jason’s favorite albums of the year so far, as spotlighted in our Summer Music Guide. See ALL our DJ’s picks and more.

Jason Bentley (host of Morning Becomes Eclectic and KCRW Music Director)

1) Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix  

2) The Horrors - Primary Colors

3) Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career   

4) Grizzly Bear - Veckatimist   

5) Jose James - The Dreamer  

6) Hockey - Mind Chaos  

7) Starsailor - All The Plans  

8) Amadou & Mariam - Welcome To Mali

9) Yeah Yeah Yeah's - It's Blitz   

10) Neko Case - Middle Cyclone   

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Upcoming Live Performances on MORNING BECOMES ECLECTIC with host JASON BENTLEY

Tuesday, June 30, Brooklyn rockers Amazing Baby perform their epic songs echoing a T. Rex  vibe on Morning Becomes Eclectic live at 11:15am.

Thursday, July 2, Innovative producer William Orbit, who’s worked with everyone from Madonna to Beth Orton, performs for the very 1st time in the United States on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Friday, July 3, Yusuf better known as Cat Stevens joins Jason Bentley to talk about his life and share insights into his music. Joined by his band, they’ll perform signature songs and along with new tracks on Morning Becomes Eclectic in the 11 o’clock hour.

Monday, July 6, Reared in a music-loving household in North London, sibling trio Kitty Daisy & Lewis create original rockabilly, R&B and vintage country songs which they’ll share with Morning Becomes Eclectic listeners at 11:15am.

Tuesday, July 7, An Australian living in Nashville, Butterfly Boucher spent the last three years fighting to release her sophomore CD and we’re glad she did! We’ll hear her catchy toe-tapping melodies and pristine vocals live on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Wednesday, July 8, Musical revolutionaries Tortoise turned American indie rock upside down in the 90’s and they haven’t stopped since. Be prepared for a sonic treat when they perform new compositions on Morning Becomes Eclectic at 11:15am.

Friday, July 10, American troubadour Ray LaMontagne creates modern folk songs that are lush and earthy. Joined by his band, he’ll perform live songs on Morning Becomes Eclectic before heading out to headline KCRW’s World Festival at the Hollywood  Bowl.

KCRW PRESENTS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

Wednesday, July 1, EULOGIES AT THE ECHO.
Thurs, July 2, NICKODEMUS AT AFRO FUNKE’ AT ZANZIBAR.
Tues, July 7, VIEUX FARKA TOURE AT THE TROUBADOUR.Fri, July 10, ANDREW BIRD AT THE GREEK THEATRE.
Fri, July 10, SARA LOV AT THE MINT.
Fri, July 17, TORI AMOS AT THE GREEK THEATRE.
Wed, July 22, ELBOW AT THE WILTERN.
Fri, July 24, CURUMIN AT THE MERCURY LOUNGE IN GOLETA.
Sun, July 26, KCRW's WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL feat. GRACE JONES, OF MONTREAL, DENGUE FEVER at THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
Thurs, July 30, HONEYHONEY, LAL MERI AND JULIETTE COMMAGERE AT THE ROXY.
Mon, August 3, GOMEZ WITH BLIND PILOT AT THE WILTERN.
Sat, August 8, HARD FESTIVAL features UNDERWORLD plus TIGA, A-TRAK, CHROMEO, CRYSTAL CASTLES, STEVE AOKI, DESTRUCTO, AND MORE AT THE FORUM.
Sun, August 9, KCRW's WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL: REGGAE NIGHT VIII feat. TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS, MICHAEL ROSE, GREGORY ISAACS at THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
Wed, August 19, EMILIANA TORRINI AT THE EL REY THEATRE.
Sun, August 23, FRIENDLY FIRES AT THE GLASS HOUSE IN POMONA.
Mon, August 24, FRIENDLY FIRES AT THE EL REY THEATRE.
Thurs, August 27, CONOR OBERST AND THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND AT THE ECHOPLEX.
Thurs, August 27, PETE YORN WITH ZEE AVI AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.
Sat, August 29, BAND OF HORSES with WILLOUGHBY AT THE FOX THEATRE IN POMONA.  
Mon, August 31, BAT FOR LASHES AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.
Sat, September 5, SEA WOLF with SARA LOV AT SPACELAND.
Fri, September 11, MAXIMO PARK AT THE AVALON.
Sun, September 20, KCRW's WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL: INDIA CALLING! feat. MALKIT SINGH, KAILASH KHER at THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
Fri, September 25, BON IVER AT THE WILTERN.
Fri, September 25, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA AT THE ORPHEUM.
Tues, September 29, SONIC YOUTH AT THE WILTERN.
Thurs, October 1, THE HORRORS AT THE EL REY THEATRE.
Fri, October 2, THE HORRORS AT THE GLASS HOUSE IN POMONA .
Sat, October 3, THE SECOND ANNUAL MANIMAL FESTIVAL FEATURING: BAT FOR LASHES, OTHER LIVES, CHAIRLIFT, EDWARD SHARPE AND THE MAGNETIC ZEROS AND OTHERS AT PAPPY & HARRIETS IN PIONEERTOWN.
Tues, October 6, ROBYN HITCHCOCK AT SPACELAND.
Wed, October 7, FEVER RAY AT THE MUSIC BOX AT THE HENRY FONDA.

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Phoenix performing "Lisztomania"

Every single DJ here at the station is spinning tracks off Phoenix’s new album so there was a lot of anticipation about their performance here today. I was lucky enough to see them last night at the Wiltern, where I witnessed one of the most ecstatic music audiences I have ever seen in LA. LA music fans can be a quiet and still bunch, which isn’t exactly a thrill for a live rock show but the folks at last night’s gig couldn’t have been more animated and rowdy in the best way, with lots of hoots and hollers (the show was followed by a spontaneous dance party when Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You” started playing over the PA.)

It was a special night and they maintained that energy for their performance this morning, which included favorite “Too Young” among a slew of new songs which are easily among their best work yet. It’s fair to say their new album “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” is taking the band to the next level and we’re so excited to have been with them along the way.

Check it out here

And here’s one from the archives

RR

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

MJ Tribute J Logic

Garth Trinidad hosted a spectacular tribute to Michael Jackson with special guests including DJ Jedi, J Logic and Rome. They took over the turntables for an evening of memories and music by late Michael Jackson.

Garth also appeared on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer to discuss MJ's legacy on Friday.

*studio photos courtesy of Kajon Cernak

RR

Raul and DJ Jedi

Read and post comments | Send to a friend