2 posts tagged “mgmt”

As Ben Lee sang this morning, “What’s So Bad About Feelin’ Good”?  Ben is a pop maestro that has been making records since he was 14 years old. He’s unapologetic about his love of pop and the power of a good chorus – in fact he even convinced a couple folks from his record label, New West, to sing back up during the set AND had his tourmates from local band Low vs. Diamond playing alongside him in the studio.

Ben talked to Jason about how the models of success in music have changed and he’s now trying to quantify things through feeling. Ben says his new album, which has a clear feminine influence, is a defense of everything he’s ever done and that to make a living doing art is a victory of the modern world. It’s so refreshing to watch someone that is content with their place in life and willing to share that enthusiasm with their fans. He also shared an incredible cover of MGMT’s “Kids.”
On a side note, apparently Ben and KCRW DJ Gary Calamar are neighbors – he said they bonded when Gary almost ran him over while he was out walking his dog. :)

Check it out

RR
 

MGMT

MGMT is one of the those bands that have catapulted to indie rock stardom in a rather short period of time thanks to “Time To Pretend,” a fantastic rock anthem, and “Electric Feel,” which could easily be a Prince song. The electro-rock band made their MBE debut today after months of touring and with many month more (alongside Beck) to go.

The day was pretty chaotic when it started – to sum up, the band’s equipment was delivered to the wrong place. Oops. But they didn’t sound rushed or off their game at all.

One of the highlights was a cover of the track “Roger” by an 80’s Danish synth band called Laid Back (most famous for their track “White Horse” – trust me, you know it. Look it up on You Tube). MGMT has played the cover a couple times live but this is the first time it’s been recorded. We love when bands do something special for us, so it was a treat.  

Speaking of trick or treats – Elvira was here! Cassandra Peterson (better known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) dropped into the studio last week to record a set for the Halloween edition of KCRW’s Guest DJ Project and MGMT was one of her picks. I mentioned the show today, which happens to be her birthday. So she was rocking out in the studio with her daughter Sadie (a budding musician) and the rest of the KCRW crew.

Fun fun. Check out the set here.

RR