August 30, 2006

Kiss Me Goodbye!

It’s my penultimate day here at Much and The NewMusic and I wanted to drop a line today in case I forget tomorrow amidst the cake, balloons, clown, hugs and tears.

Oh who am I kidding – there won’t be a clown.

I’ve had an amazing time here at Much and I’m so proud to have been a part of The NewMusic. It’s the best show on music on television – period! Such an illustrious history – such a bright future! And the best team of kookoo music nerds I’ve ever met.

And it all wouldn’t exist without the dedicated peeps who watch our show! So THANK YOU. By watching, you're a part of something really good. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rent a clown.

Big hug,
Hannah

Posted by Hannah Sung at 04:26 PM | Comments (2)

August 10, 2006

10 things i learned on my mid-summer vacation

as all of you well know by now, lollapalooza 2006 took place last weekend in the “destination city” of chicago, USA. what a hook i thought and a great reason to hop in the car and visit one of america’s largest and greatest urban centres. so rather than recap my fabulous vacation and give you a straight-up review of the festival, i thought it best to keep it simple with a list of 10 things i learned on my mid-summer vacation.



10. The Hold Steady totally kick ass.
Legions of you may know this already and while it took me some time to come around to Separation Sunday, it was absolutely worth it. This band is dripping with bar-room authenticity and melodies to die for. I thought I was watching a more efficient E Street Band circa 1978. Plus all of the new songs they debuted from their upcoming album Boys and Girls In America were fantastic.



9. Pop music can give you whiplash.
Alright, so I didn’t really suffer any whiplash. And my neck actually feels pretty good considering I spent 10 hours in a car on Monday trying to sleep. But listeners beware, Phoenix and Mates of State have it in for you. The head-bopping catchiness of their new records soars to maximum heights at their live shows. I caught both bands in small clubs during the trip and was mesmerized by how well they brought those records to life on stage. How Phoenix went from being a studio band to the live powerhouse they are today, I have no idea, but who’s to complain.



8. The Comfort Inn in Wickliffe, Ohio has a pool.
How wicked it was to find a surprise pool at the Comfort Inn in Wickliffe, Ohio, where we were staying the night of the Phoenix/French Kicks show. Not only did the pool provide a refreshing dip after 5 hours on the road, but for some reason the staff doesn’t lock the door after hours – leaving it open for late night swims. Oh yea – and though I don’t necessarily recommend it, swimming is so fun when you’re into the beers.



7. DCFC is officially huge.
This too may be an obvious fact. Since the dawn of the O.C. Death Cab’s star has been steadily and rapidly on the rise – and what greater culmination can a band get than a headlining spot at one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Yea, their set was a little lack-lustre and I never really feel like listening to Plans, but I do admit that its cool to see these guys playing for so many people.



6. Cold War Kids will drop a bomb this fall.
One of the best surprises of the festival for me – California bred Cold War Kids. I caught the tail end of the set opening for Mates of State on the eve of the fest and the bulk of their show on Saturday. Having heard nothing going in, I was massively impressed. Look out for their debut Robbers and Cowards this October.



5. The Shins will change your life in 2007.
So maybe you’ve read that the new Shins album isn’t coming out till 2007. While it’s totally unfortunate that we have to wait longer for the new record, I have the utmost faith that its going to be brilliant. The band debuted three new songs at Lolla, all of which were fantastic. The smart money says these dudes are sitting on one hell of a record. For what its worth, the band themselves have also hailed the album their best work to date.



4. Don’t f**k with Hot Chip.
Seriously. The Warning is unquestionably one of my most-listened to records this year - and Hot Chip’s live interpretation leaves nothing out. Sounding so big and organic, they were easily a festival highlight. Their underappreciated debut album is also totally worth checking out.



3. The Flaming Lips might step on you.
Well, just Wayne Coyne that is. And in a big clear plastic bubble. But don’t fear the bubble, or the balloons or guns with streamers. Fear their full-on psych-rock assault. The Lips are by far the most entertaining band on the planet today.



2. Chicago is my kind of town.
What a city! I now fully understand why the promoters kept referring to it as a “destination city” – there’s so much sh*t to do there. Typically, my favorite thing to do when I go to a new city is just sort of wander around and get a feel for the neighborhoods, but I barely got to do that because I was so up to my ears in regular touristy stuff that you just can’t afford to ignore. Despite hitting up a Cubs double-header, the Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium and an Architectural Boat Cruise (OMG it was so cool!) I feel like I still JUST got a taste of what the city has to offer. I already can’t wait to go back to Chicago.



1. Broken Social Scene is the best band in the world today.
I’ve seen these guys a good number of times and pretty well every-time I see them it’s the best show I’ve ever seen. Their sunset shining performance on Sunday was no different. Serving up a note perfect set with the entire band in attendance, Broken Social Scene did what I always knew they could – rock the sh*t out of a massive festival crowd. I remember walking away from one of their shows in Toronto this January thinking that there’s no reason why this band couldn’t or shouldn’t be headlining one of those massive British festivals. And so it was Chicago instead, and they were second to last to go on. To cap it off, I’ve never before witnessed a crowd so desperate for a band to continue at the end of their set. Never.

Most photos courtesy of Lollapalooza (Cambria Harkey, Dave Mead, and Scott Newton), IGN.com

Posted by Geoff M at 04:58 PM | Comments (1)

August 08, 2006

I interview far too few Kim Gordons. And by that, I mean that I often find myself interviewing the equivalent of your friend's little sister. I'm not knocking Hilary Duff. Last time I interviewed the Duff, I had an epiphanic understanding of her popularity. She's just sweet and teenage - what's to hate about that kind of adolescent eagerness to please?

But I rarely, if ever, interview grown-up women that I admire. First of all, I am always interviewing dudes. Lilith Fair, Women In Music, blah blah blah - it's 2006 and there are very few women out there making music, and if you take away the puppets, even fewer.

Today was all different! I had a chat in the park with Sonic Youth! Kim Gordon is soooo cool! It is just so refreshing to hang out with a woman that I can have a real conversation with. And I totally dig her style. I'll leave the conversation to our future episode of The NewMusic, but here's the outfit check: Kim was wearing beautiful designer clothes with her trademark unstyled hair and ratty flipflops. I love it!

Posted by Hannah Sung at 04:23 PM | Comments (0)

August 01, 2006

Stones Throw

Stones Throw is making some noise again, not only is the label celebrating their 10 year anniversary with a bunch of shows in a neighbourhood near you. They collaborated with Adult Swim once again for a CD/DVD package that's dropping on OCT 3rd.

Cop PB's Chrome Mix for a bit of a teaser and some unreleased shit and check out the tracklisting for the official release- New Jaylib and Madvillain for that ass!!!!

Posted by Manny at 04:55 PM | Comments (0)