[Record Store Day 2015] Fun Things To Talk About With Strangers While You're In Line Waiting to buy Records

Davie Grohl says buying records on Record Store Day is serious business. I guess it is these days, huh? 

I'm not sure what Record Store Day is like anywhere other than in NYC, but here it's nuts. My fondest RSD memory was back in 2011 when I rolled up to Sound Fix (RIP) at 8am and stood in line with Alex and Sami from CoS for 2 hours until the store opened. It was a brutal 2 hours because the night prior Sprout and I had gone out with Fitts from The Kickdrums and had more Jameson than people who needed to get up early (or be alive for that matter) should every drink. Even still, despite the worst hangovers of our lifetimes (it is now the one we have compared every other hangover to ever since) it's hard not to think fondly of the moments where we were gushing about the releases we were hoping to get, the Sound Fix folks bringing coffee and pastries for all of us waiting in line, and the overall sense of community that is felt on this and every Record Store Day since.

Record Store Day is a my favorite day to celebrate my favorite thing with my closest friends. Unfortunately, not everyone has a built in posse to roll up to those long RSD lines. You may heading out to RSD solo. Even if you're not, this is a rare opportunity that comes once a year to meet a chunk of people all at once that have presumably the same interests as you, so instead of burying your face in your phone, take advantage of the situation and strike up a conversation!

First impressions are important and we want everyone to know how you're some kind of awesome, so here are some fun things Sprout and I will hopefully be discussing with strangers outside of Rough Trade tomorrow:

• Phonograph records were originally pressed onto shellac! However during World War II the United States declared that shellac was a strategic material for the war and due to scarcity records started being pressed into vinyl, which is what is still used today. (Yale)
• Some folks in the universe claim that the best way to clean your records is by using wood glue and a credit card:

Warning: this guy does not feel the same about this method:  

• Trying to put a price tag on music is complicated as hell, honestly. The history of it is pretty fascinating though. (Pitchfork)
• The first thing ever recorded was Ben Franklin singing/shouting Mary Had A Little Lamb and it was recorded onto a tin cylinder. (LiveScience)

PS this is what it sounded like:

If that tickled your fancy, this guy shows how Edison did the recording on the cylinders that they recorded to at the time:

• The most expensive record player as far as I've been able to hunt down is a whopping $300,000. It's called the Goldmund Reference II and it's a high-precision turntable with level calibration to less than 1/100th of a millimeter and its stylus, pivot and counterweight perfectly aligned for optimal dynamic balance. There's also three teflon tubes that prevent vibration of the wires as they carry signal from the turntable, amongst various other ultra fancy features. There are currently only 25 of them in the world because they only make 5 of them a year, so this is as limited edition as one can get. (Most Expensive, Music Stack, DJOYBEAT)

• Are you for rocktism or are you more of a poptimist? Or are you just chill like us?  

• So, this is awkward, but is Record Store Day even good for the small independent stores that participate? (The Guardian)

• I mean, you could probably debate/diss on Tidal for at least 2 hours. There's so much to discuss! Like how exclusivity like that can be detrimental to charting positions on Billboard, pretty much every artist other than the #TIDAL16 are like, "uh lol this is so dumb", but maybe doing things like featuring indie artists is a saving grace? (Probably not considering their CEO just stepped down and there are already layoffs.)  Also WHAT ABOUT US FANS HUH #TIDAL16!?!? p.s. That "declaration" that Madonna mounted the table to sign is soo zzzzzz. 

• There's lots of legislation in the works at the moment to try to make the music industry a better place! They're considering amending the consent decrees for performance rights organizations ASCAP and BMI, some folks are hoping to overhaul the copyright law, there's a bill up for review right now that's trying to make sure mixers, producers, and engineers make money off via royalties, and there's a radio royalty bill up for debate that would make terrestrial radio finally pay for public performances (aka radio play) for music (this currently isn't the case, btw). 

• Uh, who among you are going to buy these limited edition releases and then NOT EVER LISTEN TO IT LIKE A CRAZY PERSON? A surprising 15%, apparently. (What HiFi?)

If you haven't made your list and checked it twice you need to do so because being unprepared can result in heartbreak so check out the Official List of Record Store Day Special Releases. There are lots of things going on tomorrow in celebration of the happiest day of the year so maybe see what your local store is doing. There's a TON of stuff going on in NYC that you should check out if you're in the area. 

Don't forget to be VERY POLITE to the people working at your record store tomorrow because there is no doubt that they will be stressed out of their minds by the swarms of people coming out. Obviously be nice to your fellow shoppers, too. Some of us are short and can't reach the overhead shelves so offer to help out if you see someone struggling (Sprout was my savior last year with this). Who knows, maybe all these sweet tips will land you a record store bae (sorry, I had to).

And if you're going out for Record Store Day so you can buy a bunch of the ultra limited runs so you can put them up on eBay, please comment below so I can find you and slap you. 

 

[Night Out] Big Data @ Bowery Ballroom (3/24/2015)

The irony was not lost on me last Tuesday night as I stood inside the Bowery Ballroom grinning ear to ear as the sweet sounds of Big Data washed over me and cheered amongst enthusiastic newcomers to the brilliance that is the work of my "broadband bud" Alan Wilkis.

(As longtime readers know, when the SKOA family chooses to champion an artist, we are in it for the long haul with them. We shout your name from the rooftops to anyone who will hear us, we celebrate every success no matter the size, and we patiently wait for the day when everyone else finally sees what we see in them: that they are some kind of awesome. A reminder: as nice as it may seem to have the bragging rights of knowing them before anyone else did, at the end of the day their success is our greatest pleasure and the most important thing to us.)

A little back story here: In early 2010, Rocko discovered this really great remix of RJD2 - "The Shining Path" which was done by none other than Mr. Alan Wilkis. After some digging we learned that he had also been working with The Kickdrums, which essentially sealed the deal for us in terms of giving him our full support. Alan proved to be a really chill dude who was even up for grabbing drinks with strangers from the internet the first time Rocko ever came to hang in NYC with the family.

I call him my "broadband bud" because other than bumping into Alan a few times at shows or the occasional bar, the extent to our friendship has been strictly digital. This is not a complaint, it's just how life is now. These days you make a brief physical connection to someone once and thanks to the power of the internet it's possible to never really shake certain people. Mind you, this isn't all THAT uncommon in the music business, but it still doesn't make the concept any less silly. In addition to the ongoing support for his many remixes and projects on the site, myself and the rest of the SKOA family have mostly exchanged a few tweets, likes, and emails over the course of our 5 year friendship. That all said, as I stood in front of him last night snapping photos feeling prouder of him than I have of my own accomplishments in the past 5 years, I couldn't help but laugh at myself and what our society has become with help from our good ol' friend technology.

As you will soon learn from hearing his debut album, 2.0, or experiencing his thought provoking live show, my broadband bud Alan shares the same conflicted feelings that I do about where we are in this new age of technology. We all want to feel connected, but there are so many complicated icky things that come with being a citizen of the internet, especially now more than ever. The Siri-esque AI that MCs Big Data's show last night was certainly not one to shy away from bringing up topics such as the data mining that is used by websites to sell products to us, claiming that they "know us" as if they were our "friends". You're probably being delivered one of those fun ads on this very page that you're reading, in fact. (Sorry.)

After the band closed out the evening with their breakout hit, "Dangerous", I queued the coat check line, enduring the incessant gushing of a new fan with unfortunately bad breath. I pondered whether to seek out Alan and congratulate him based on the newfound invalidity my relationship suddenly felt that was brought on in part by the very experience that he had been responsible for delivering that evening. I was very uneasy because I have always taken the approach to celebrate and embrace the majority of what the internet has to offer, but I worried that maybe my approach was, if I may attempt to make a pun here, dangerous, because it has slowly made so many aspects of my life such enormous gray areas, relationships included. Then I considered that whatever way I have been internetting brought me to this moment of self-reflection by means of someone who I considered an albeit casual friend, so maybe the internet couldn't be all that bad.

I ushered some girls who had been attempting to talk to me throughout the opening bands back upstairs so they could meet Alan. One actually gushed to him that she thought he was going to be the next LCD Soundsystem. It was a pretty adorable moment. After I had a brief rock mama moment with Alan, my new friends wanted wanted to make sure they could tag me in their Instagram photos so presumably we would be tied together to this one moment indefinitely on the internet (btw - I'm the one snapping photos in that photo, obvi). 

It's weird how I never even thought twice about this kind of interaction until this show, but I guess that just means that 2.0 really does sink in when you're not caught up in all of the uncontrollable hip shaking that occurs when listening to it.

If it's not clear by now, you really need to give 2.0 a spin if you haven't already over on Spotify or via the Rdio player below. You can also be amazing and pick it up on iTunes. 

[SKOA Mixtape] "Love to Love U" - Sexy Songs for Valentine's Day Mix from SproutDr

With Valentine's Day approaching the sexy beasts here at SKoA want to spread some love to our fellow freaks in the sheets.

We are creatures. Sensual, enigmatic, primal creatures who are happily motivated and aroused by textures, sound patterns, and colors. "Sexy times" with oneself, a partner, or perhaps even an orgy (oh behave! ....or don't) may summon your inner mixtape making master to create the ultimate come-hither soundtrack. Here's an inviting peek into some salacious tracks that may stir your wanton soul.

So don't make me beg (or do if that's your thing) you to listen to my list of eargasms. Go ahead get turned on and be my Valentine.

XoXo Sproutdr XoXo

[Review] Father John Misty - 'I Love You, Honeybear'

Father John Misty is in love, or out of love, or in love with love.  I Love You, Honeybear scrutinizes the roller coaster of an enigma we call love from both an observer’s and a participant’s point of view.

The ethereal Josh Tillman a.k.a. Father John Misty released his second studio album on Tuesday charmingly titled I Love You, Honey Bear. His pragmatic lyrics roll out playfully like a familiar nostalgia of a hippie’s fringe dragging across your goose bumped skin. Each song’s progressive melody takes you on a serendipitous ride. You can’t help but instinctively sway back and forth feeling your knees turn to syrup.

I sat with glorious anticipation as the opening track "I Love You, Honeybear" played. Just as I expected, I could feel the silly, sloppy look on my face better known as “the love grin” taking up residence on my lips.  Let’s just say it’s not difficult to fall in love with Josh. Songs like “When You're Smiling And Astride Me”, and “The Ideal Husband“ are where he honestly expresses the realness of loving someone despite faults, fear, and idiosyncrasies.  The old cliché “The moment you came to, I swore I would change” hits home in "Strange Encounter" with its guitar riffs and percussion making your soul a tad more aware.

A welcomed lyricist for our time, Father John Misty sings without blinders all the while with a candid accuracy. In “Bored in the USA”, Josh mellifluously serenades us (piano in stride) with the words, “Is this the part where I get all I ever wanted…Who said that? Can I get my money back?” A song wrapped in the theme of complacency, and disillusionment comes complete with audience laughter and applause.  The album’s ending track, “I Went to the Store One Day" shuffles in a light of hope for the love naysayers. This song in particular stirred part of me that secretly hides due to relationships lost, disappointments in love, and missed opportunities. Easily relating to the words, “And now in just one year’s time I've become jealous, rail thin and prone to paranoia when I'm stoned-this isn't true love someone ought to put me in a home…. Say do you wanna get married...?" was a gentle reminder of just how tumultuous and delightful love can actually be.  Perhaps I do long for someone who can make me feel the way this album makes me feel.  I Love You, Honeybear is the perfect remedy for all the cynical and disconnected hearts who long for someone to make them believe in these lyrics: “Don’t let me die in a hospital; I’ll save the big one for the last time we make love…all because I went to the store one day…”

Father John Misty is playing at Rough Trade in BK on Feb 12 and The Bowery Ballroom on Feb 14th. 

Have a listen to I Love You, Honeybear below. If you love it as much as we did, make sure to

[Download] Ain't No Love - "Cry in the Rain"

Ain't No Love source: Facebook 

Thoroughly enjoying all of this great new music coming from our norther neighbors lately! Canadian electro-hop trio Ain't No Love are the latest and greatest of the maple-leaf musicians that I have been fortunate to find gracing my eardrums this week. The trio, which is comprised of Roland ‘1990’ Broere and Elias ‘Beanz’ McBean, alongside singer Saidah Conrad, are prepping for a March release of their latest EP, Plummet. This newest track, "Cry In The Rain", is the 3rd that they've blessed the internet with so far. The track was produced by Avenue, who has been on his a-game recently with his remixes for Tobtok, Miami Horrow, Lemaitre, and Penguin Prison.  

SPOILER ALERT: I've listened to Plummet like 8 times already and I can't get enough of it, so you are going to want to keep your eyes and ears here for more info on these guys. 

In the meantime, enjoy "Cry In The Rain" below and feel free to grab it for the actual retail price of $FREE.99. 

[Listen] ANAMAI - "Lucia"

Anna Mayberry of ANAMAI (also of HSY)

After falling in love with HSY during CMJ last year I wanted to dig deep to make sure I was a well informed fan of the Canadian noisy-punk outfit. In my researching I learned that singer/guitarist Anna Mayberry is a multi-talented badass. In addition to giving the guys in her band a run for their money with the fire she throws down, she's also a dancer/choreographer who is working on/possibly may have completed her BFA in Contemporary Dance at Concordia AND has an experimental folk side project of her own called ANAMAI with fellow Canadian David Pstuka of Egyptrixx/Hiawatha fame. After a dropping a self-titled EP in 2013, the duo will be releasing their debut full length, Sallows, which is slated for a March 10th 2015 release on Buzz Records. 

The first sampling from Sallows is the delightfully dreary lead track, "Lucia". The song exudes a heaviness that forces you to stop dead in your tracks to give it your undivided attention. The music is equally simplistic as it is heavy, showcasing a dichotomy between Mayberry's elegant and borderline breathy vocals over delicately sludgy strumming. 

Have a listen to "Lucia" below. 

[Better Late Than Never] Honne - "Warm On A Cold Night"

Better late than never is a series where we openly admit that we weren't first to find it but man are we happy that we did!

Better late than never to this warm and sexy blanket of sound from Honne...

NYC winter continues to point that chilly blustery finger at us, making all New Yorkers run for their pillow forts. Tis the season of grizzly bear instincts that safely guides me back to the girl cave. After a long day at work, my soul was seeking solace from this winter of our discontent. This is where it gets good kiddies (and yes, I'm quite adorable and productive in blanket burrito position). Happily curled up on my island, aka "the sofa", goblet of wine, iPad perched; I peeped a tweet from @nowness. Featured on Nowness was a video for the tune "All in the Value", the second single from London synth duo Honne.  Beautifully directed visuals by Geej Ower seasoned with dreamy R&B vocals, relatable, catchy lyrics like "I need you to really need me too 'cause it's all in the value" left me swooning and wanting more from this duo. The video documents the journey of emotions at the end of a relationship (let's face it, who is going to look away from that topic, we've all been there).

Another sip of red, along with my swaying sofa hips, I eagerly jumped right into their first single "Warm on a Cold Night" which definitely sealed the deal. Could I have wished for a more appropriate piece of new found sound to bless my ears in this 22 degree temperature? Doubt it. 

Super excited to hear more from them and will keep you posted on this delicious duo of eargasm. In the meantime, I'm sending a personal thank you to Honne for keeping me warm on a cold NYC night.

[Night Out] VOWS at AVIV (1/24/2015)

For a better view of the gallery above, click here.

2015: The year of awesome. Sprout and I have been waiting patiently for the perfect show to kick off a year that we plan to jam full of music, laughter, hugs, friends, and adventures. This somewhat last minute show by longtime SKOA favorites VOWS (formerly WAZU) could not have been a better way to set the tone for the year ahead of us. This was our first encounter at DIY venue, AVIV, which is tucked away in an industrial part of Greenpoint, complete with absolutely no signage whatsoever and a bathroom that is working hard to be as notoriously nighmarish as the ones at CBGBs (RIP). One foot in the door and Sprout and I were in love with the place instantly. After grabbing drinks from an adorable bartender who was equally as anxious to see VOWS as we were, we proceeded to take our respective places and proceed to drink in the sounds of the evening along with our bubbles.

When last we laid eyes on the dark duo, they were out on the road with Soko. It had been even longer than that since we actually got to see them perform, so we were both pretty anxious to see if their big move out of Brooklyn to Los Angeles was worth us being short a few SKOA family members in New York. As they were setting up I was reflecting on how far their sound had already come along in just 3 years, especially since the first time I heard their debut EP as WAZU, which I had played earlier in the evening while getting ready. 

Then they started soundchecking. I only heard a few notes but I knew instantly that LA had been the right move. Like, so much so that if LA did that to them, maybe we should all consider getting Hollyweird, like, immediately. 

No. Seriously.

Songs that I was already more than familiar with had this aggressiveness and newfound energy to them that I hadn't realized was missing before. Multiple times Sprout and I exchanged awestruck glances from across the room. I could not have been a prouder rock mama than I was last night. 

I am beside myself in excitement to report that the band was in town after a day of recording in upstate New York, which means soon you'll be able to hear what I'm talking about. For now, feast your ears and eyes on "Symbol System" from their self-titled EP, which you would be foolish not to PURCHASE because it is worthy of more than streaming.