Association of Music Podcasting

You know we like our genre-bleeders here at Insomnia Radio. Here’s one that just graced our inbox from Southern California:

Open Hand is your typical modern alt/rock band with stony guitars and a heavy beat. But you can expect to hear playful female vocals, pounding German melodies, and a dollop of rap for good measure in “Honey.” (Out April 2010, we’ll keep you posted.)

They produce progressive music with a wide range of talented artists, collaborating with Matt Talbot from the Illinois rock band Hum and Christopher “Kid” Reid of the hip-hop sensation Kid n’ Play.

This album opens up a market beyond the “rock” genre and promises to deliver an eclectic range of voices and structure. [From Official Bio]

UPCOMING LIVE DATES:

• Mar 11, 8:00 pm @ The Rainbow Los Angeles, CA
• Mar 18, 6:00 pm @ The Jackalope – SXSW Austin, TX
• Mar 20, 7:00 pm @ Canvas Bar & Gallery – SXSW Austin, TX

Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes Artist Links

• Open Hand @ MySpace

The title track from their recent album on reapandsow, Inc by Chester Bay from Minneapolis, MN

Chester Bay is a melting pot of rock n roll influences. They combine Blues roots with catchy hooks creating an appealing sound that does not disappoint!

Their influences range from Folk to Ska, Blues to Reggae: the end result being an eclectic brand of Rock. By merging an unbeatable sound with an energetic live show, Chester Bay has been captivating audiences since their inception in 2004.

Fueled by Folky twin vocalists, a Blues driven guitarist and a heavy hitting drummer born for Rock N Roll, Chester Bay will continue to entertain crowds Nation-wide!

This Album melds bits of Classic Rock, Reggae, Folk, And Blues into an energetic mix of hook laden tunes. Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/chesterbay

IODA Links

• Chester Bay
• “Get Free” (mp3)
• from “Get Free”
• (reapandsow, Inc.)

• More On This Album

Kids and Animals is a five-piece experimental indie rock band from Seattle, WA, with sounds hinting at the likes of the intricate epic rock of Explosions In The Sky, the edgy guitars and group vocals of Cymbals Eat Guitars, the energetic performance of the Pixies, the dynamics of Siberian, and more.

Kids and Animals’ debut full-length album is self-released and self-titled. The album was recorded at Two Sticks Audio during the months of August – November 2009, using the same recording vibes that Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan & Sara, and Grand Archives have all enjoyed in the past.  [bio]

• Kids and Animals @ MySpace
• K&A @ Facebook
• K&A @ Twitter
• K&A store | itunes | amazon

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From their just-released album Animals In Bloom on Reapandsow Inc

Big Light is a rock band from San Francisco. Formed in 2007 as a vehicle for singer/guitarist Fred Torphy to get his songs into the world, the band achieved instant recognition and legitimacy with the early addition of bass player Steve Adams. A fixture in the Bay Area music scene and founding member of pop/rock jam stars ALO, here Adams gets to flex his rock & roll muscles.

Part guitar-rock opus, part psychedelic swamp/noise experiment. Big Light’s first full length studio album, Animals in Bloom, was recorded at Coyote Hearing in Oakland, CA, and produced by Big Light and Jeremy Black.
Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/biglightband
• biglightband.com

IODA Links

• Big Light
• “Monster” (mp3)
• from “Animals In Bloom”
• (reapandsow, Inc.)

• Buy at Napster
• Buy at Amazon MP3
• More On This Album

Boston’s THE HUSH NOW just released their second album, “Constellations” mid-February. After a tour of the west coast, The Hush Now went back into the studio and put the finishing touches on this sophomore effort, which has landed squarely in the middle of the CMJ Top #100 this last week.

This single Hoping and Waiting really places me right back in my formative days of music discovery in high school and even college, such a great beat that crescendos with an a few unexpected vocal and instrumental suprises near the end. Also, as a sidenote, the band features Noel Kelley, the previous guitarist of LA band Cerulean. Another member, Rick Bolander even flew to Boston to contribute some guitar parts earlier last year, but no words as of yet if they made the final album.

For those in the New York area, The Hush Now will be having their NY area CD Release Party at Uncle Mike’s on March 12th, so if you are in the area, hightail it over there for what looks to be a well deserved celebratory evening. Don’t forget to grab your free download of the new album below!

• The Hush Now Website
• tHN @ MySpace
• tHN @ Facebook
• tHN @ Twitter
• tHN free album

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The title track from their just-released debut 5 track EP, on Buddyhead Records

Formed in Los Angeles in 2007, Seaspin was conceived of 3 years ago, while Seaspin guitarist/vocalist Ronnie Washburn and Seaspin vocalist/guitarist Jennifer Goodridge played together in the CMJ chart topping band Your Enemies’ Friends. Having shared stages with Blonde Redhead, TV on the Radio, Mars Volta, and Spiritualized among others, Washburn and Goodridge yearned to do something new, something lush, dynamic and layered — something Seaspin. [MySpace] Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/seaspin
• Artist Blog

IODA Links

• Seaspin
• “Reverser” (mp3)
• from “Reverser”
• (Buddyhead Records)

• More On This Album

TWIN SISTER have got a debut EP out, called “Vampires With Dreaming Kids”, another fine piece of audio out of the New York musical honeypot.   It happens to be free @ 320kps and comes in a  handy zip file.  Another EP, “Color My Life” is due in March, upping the ante to 6 songs – for a full 10 song official catalog to keep you satiated for the year.

This track was recommended to me off a pre-SXSW warm-up playlist, as they are playing four days at the upcoming ADD causing festival in Austin, TX.  My personal record stands at 50 live acts out of 50,000 or so in the area during the festival; such overkill but soo much fun.

• Twin Sister Website
• TS @ Facebook
• TS zip file | emusic | amazon | itunes

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From Bright Teeth, the debut double A-side digital single from Secret Cities, released on Western Vinyl

The band [formally known as White Foliage] began with 4-track cassette tapes flying through the mail back and forth between the Easternmost to the Westernmost borders of North Dakota. MJ Parker and Charlie Gokey were barely 15 when they met at band camp, but a shared love of psychedelia and scads of secret, unheard songs between them drew the pair together. Many years later, after the addition of drummer Alex Abnos Secret Cities has emerged with a cocktail of Spector-esque doe-eyed romanticism, electronic flourishes indebted to minimalist composers like Terry Riley, the noisy, art damaged sensibilities of late psych groups like The United States of America.

 

Coming soon is a full length release by the band – Pink Graffiti – June 2010 Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• SC @ Twitter
• SC @ WV
• SC @ Facebook
• SC @ Twitter
• SC @ iTunes

Modern Drift is the opening song on Efterklang third studio album, “Magic Chairs”. They are mainly a Danish four-piece at their core, who formed in Copenhagen. “Magic Chairs” was released on February 22nd 2010 on Efterklangs own Rumraket label in Scandinavia and on 4AD outside of Scandinavia.

For those wondering about the name, Efterklang comes from the Danish word for “remembrance” or “reverberation.

• Efterklang Website
• Efterklang @ MySpace
• Efterklang @ Facebook
• Efterklang @ Twitter
• Efterklang store | itunes | emusic | amazon

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From the album Reasons on Grainbelt Records

Ah, cacophony – the blissfully unhinged sound of garage-y, lo-fi fun, the sonic equivalent of Minneapolis’ PBR-sticky club floors, and Red Pens’ best friend! These Midwesterners mean it, speaking almost exclusively in reverbed squeals, slap/feedback and the language of broken distortion pedals. Of course, while the Replacements are certainly a reference point for these songs, the quirks come quicker and the sonic oddities more often on the band’s debut, Reasons. The album is available February 16th on Grain Belt Records. Howard Hamilton III, string-bender extraordinaire and mastermind behind Red Pens does the birthplace of skuzzy blue collar rock proud on the LP, recorded in his apartment with an invigorating disregard for fidelity. Bolstered by the maniacal skin-pounding of Laura Bennet, the racket drummed up on the duo’s debut needs to be heard to be believed. [The Musebox] Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/redpensband
• Purchase from Grainbelt Records
• Purchase from Amazon
• Purchase Reasons on iTunes

A man once said: “To say that you know what Francis is about without having experienced it face to face is like saying that you’ve had sexual intercourse when you actually only have seen porn”.

The area of Dalarna in Sweden have one of Europes least hours of sun and it is dark and cloudy most days of the year. That affects people in many ways. Ways that need an outlet. So a couple of childhood friends found an abandoned cellar which contained an old piano, some other instruments and that particular outlet. After having lent a broken recording equipment the song “Bad to the Bone” was born and recorded at the same time. The tasmanian devil of Francis was given birth. Later the song was released as a single by the Swedish label Gravitation.

Since then, the circus of Francis has taken place in everything from churches, living rooms and festivals to illegal clubs and amusement parks. A self-titled EP has been recorded and will now be followed by the bands debut album, early 2010. [via Musebox]

• Francis’ Website
• Francis @ MySpace
• Francis @ Facebook

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You know what’s awesome? When an old Insomnia Radio host (Tim Poggioli of IR Baltimore) connects with an old high school buddy (Dan Luperini) to discover he’s fronting a pretty sweet indie rock band – Madras (“Mad-riss”) – and forwards some tracks to us on a whim. There’s no better pleasure than discovering and passing on music from personal connections like that. And the fact that Madras sounds like Brit-pop, crossed with a bit of Incubus (you can totally hear it in Great Wide Spinout) and radio-friendly but intelligent songwriting, doesn’t hurt the cause.

The group began in Baltimore, MD as “Big Fly,” played many shows, and at some point changed their name to “Seven Planet Sun”.

After a few years, and 4 EP’s under the previous names, Dan picked up and left for the west coast. He arrived in Los Angeles in the winter of 2001, and re-branded the band “Madras”, though still wholly embracing the effort as a single continuous project.

The band has retained that moniker ever since, playing shows not only in the greater L.A./Hollywood area, but venturing out nationally, from Nashville, to Austin; Indianapolis to San Francisco; New York to Long Beach.

Currently, Madras is celebrating their most recent release “Up From the Ground” which you can snag at CDBaby.

Keep it locked here as I’l bel featuring an alternate track on Insomnia Radio #171.

Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Artist Links

• www.madrasband.com
• myspace.com/madras
• iTunes
• CD Baby

Last time LFA were on the Daily Dose I got some of the details wrong, so this time I’ve asked them to write their own introduction:

Being old guys, the Lizards From Afar still think in terms of albums, and they intended Block Party as the conclusion to their 2008 reunion effort “Bloomington Democracy.” Written by LFA lyricist and one-time bass player, Gator (all Lizards From Afar have Lizard stage names), Block Party is one of our favorite compositions as a band.

Unsigned and unfettered to the corporate music industry, Lizards From Afar continue to record music on their own at glacial speed, all for a new collection entitled “Copyright Is For Losers” (named from graffito LFA guitarist, the Gecko, found near his Brooklyn apartment in 2009).

 

Look for new tunes, posted for free mp3 download at: reverbnation.com/lizardsfromafar

 

Also visit our blog: lizardsfromafar.com Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• Reverb Nation (free downloads)
• lizardsfromafar.com
• myspace.com/lizardsfromafar

Tonight I’ve been feeling like a fat kid in a candy store, drooling against the display case perusing so many stand-out tracks on the new release by Oakland, CA based SENTINEL. Their new EP “For Days Deep” was released on February 1st, and I’m proud to be able to showcase ‘Whaley’, which starts off with a galloping beat ala Centro-matic, and comes together in so many ways; perfect guitar riffs, swelling bridges and that gallivanting beat creating a hallucinatory dream-pop fueled vision that is hard to shake.

While Tarabud’s vocals take you to an ethereal and carefree place, the instrumentals are intense, at times reminding me of Maserati, and even The Hectors on the track “Finale”, while our Executive Insomniac mentioned they reminded him of The Edge ala U2 on the standout closer, “Sunset”. Make sure you have some patience listening as it starts to continuously fire off around the one minute mark.

Sentinel should be proud as they continue to build upon each release and progress in a variety of very positive directions. We hope they continue to release these EPs well into the future to keep this audial pop-candy addiction satiated.

• Sentinel’s Website
• Sentinel @ MySpace
• Sentinel @ Facebook
• Sentinel @ Twitter
• Sentinel @ itunes | cdbaby | free singles

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From the Album Resonant String Theory

We have played ANTIQCOOL several times before on Insomnia Radio on the UK Show.

 

Pete Smith from the band has a campaign going to spread their Creative Commons Licenced music as widely as possible. Have a listen to him explaining his plans on The ANTIQCOOL Podcast. Also, if you like this track, be sure to check out the next Insomnia Radio: UK which is a special feature dedicated to ANTIQCOOL. And spread the word by using the handy Widget below.

 

All their music is available for free download from The Sixtyone, Last.fm or Soundcloud, or to purchase from Amazon, so check all the links below. Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/artist
• antiqcool.co.uk
• Last.fm
• The Sixtyone
• Soundcloud
• The ANTIQCOOL Podcast
• Amazon

Los Angeles based group The Antiques’ newest album, Cicadas, was released this last year and thankfully it didn’t totally fall off my limited radar. It was produced by Scott Solter (Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, Two Gallants) this past June at Solter’s home studio in rural North Carolina.

This newer record also brought about some changes for the band themselves as they parted ways with long-time drummer Chris Good and added lead guitarist Ryan Crego, whose Isaac Brock-esque flair along with Solter’s exotic instrument collection and encouragement of experimentation led to a modern classic rock album which sees The Antiques shed their skin and emerge as a truly great rock and roll band for the ages.

Links follow:

• The Antiques Website
• tA @ MySpace
• tA @ Facebook
• tA store | emusic | amazon | itunes

Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All

The Title Track from their new EP on Deep Elm Records

Originally from Fort Collins Colorado and now based in Santa Monica California, RIDE YOUR BIKE is Mike Getches (vocals, guitar), Ryan Hassell (guitar, vocals), and Fred Esquivel (drums), Adam Burnett (bass, vocals).

 

The new Ride Your Bike EP is now streaming on their Reverb Nation profile Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/rideyourbike
• reverbnation.com/rideyourbike

IODA Links

• Ride Your Bike
• “The Connection” (mp3)
• from “The Connection”
• (Deep Elm)

• Buy at iTunes Music Store
• Buy at Amazon MP3
• More On This Album

Based out of San Diego, MOD AMISH are using the southwest corner of the map as a launching point for their aural vinegar & pop tart assaults.

After the release of their second album, “No Use For Sunshine” in September of 2008, with their first single “September” leading the charge and without label support, they spent three weeks on the CMJ Top 200 charts with airplay on over 100 stations in the US and Canada. Further accolades were thrown their way when they were named 1 of 10 winners out of over 5000 entries in the first ever Converse Shoes/Downtown Records “Get Out of the Garage” music contest.

Presently, the band is harvesting their collective soul and writing material for the next album to be recorded this fall… tentatively titled “My God, Its Full of Stars.”

Don’t just sit there reading about it though. Pour yourself a glass of something refreshing, slap on a good pair of headphones and dig into the sounds. When you’re walking down the street later today playing air guitar to that awesome tune in your head… you’ll be thanking Mod Amish. [bio]

• Mod Amish @ MySpace
• MA @ Facebook
• MA @ Twitter
• MA @ emusic | itunes | amazon | cdbaby

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We recently heard about fledgling band Dark Room Notes by our friends at BBE Music, and their smooth electro-rock sunk its hooks into us after repeated listening. Their debut album “We Love Your Dark Matter” was recorded in London in a mere 14 days, and should be dropping very soon. This single, Love Like Nicotine, even got the attention of the legendary Flood (U2, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins) who remixed a B-Side of the single, available right here. If you dig this track, consider picking up the 3-pack single. Here’s some detailed info about the group from their official bio:

Dark Room Notes began life as a group of guitar-obsessed teenage boys in the west of Ireland, bashing out cover versions of their heroes’ hits in their parents’ dusty basements, while trying to find their own niche in the world of music. Gradually tastes changed, the musical outlets offered by a small town on the edge of Europe began to feel stale, and members left to pursue other lives and dreams. Eschewing the company of other humans, founding members Ruairi Ferrie and Ronan Gaughan found comfort in machines, first replacing a newly familial bassist with a synthesiser, and eventually finding a drum machine a worthy substitute for an academically-minded drummer. Hanging on to their guitars, the two found a Battles-like level of musicianship ever so slightly beyond them, and it became clear that a further pair of hands would be needed in order to help man the growing number of machines. keyboard player Arran Murphy was brought in, closely followed by drummer Darragh Shanahan! , and Dark Room Notes’ lineup was complete.

After a summer spent recording their debut album,as well as time spent working with Flood (Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins) and supporting Kraftwerk, Ladytron, Calvin Harris, Soulwax & Carl Craig, The Dublin quartet are ready for the international stage. Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• Buy the single pack in WAV audio
• DRN Homepage
• DRN @ Facebook
• DRN @ Twitter

The title track from the new release by French band Fresh Body Shop, available for free, or donation, from Jamendo.

There is very little information to be found about this band, apart from that they are from Nantes in France. On Jamendo they have several albums available for free download. Of course if you like the music you can make a donation too. Download | Subscribe | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe to All Links

• myspace.com/133439871
• Last.fm
• Jamendo