Tila-tap-tap! Tilly and the Wall interview!!! YEAH!

So, Tilly and the Wall @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC on June 14th. Please listen to our interview: http://streams.unibuzz.net:8000/content/Interviews/TILLY06.pls

Straight outta Omaha, Tilly is a great mix of tap dancing, harmonies and all around good times. C'mon, a tap dancer re-placing drums? That's cool. Check out their latest album "Bottoms of Barrels".

Peaceout.

Liars "Drums Not Dead" Universal Buzz Giveaway

2006 has been a big year for the Liars. Back in March, they released their third album "Drums Not Dead" to rave reviews. Its one of the most challenging, yet rewarding albums to come out in a very long time. If you haven't heard the album yet, you should head over to our homebase and registar for your chance to win a copy of this groundbreaking album.

Interview with Boy Least Likely To

On June 13th Olga and I made it out to the Knitting Factory, NYC to catch an interview with Jof of The Boy Least Likely To.

The band is made up of Jof and Peter out of Buckinghamshire Village of Wendover. (Thats a mouth full..) Their Myspace page classifies them as "Alternative/Pop/Country". I'd like to classify them as one damn happy band. I really dont think I have ever seen better interaction between band members. It was like they had a sketch that they worked on every night. Brilliant. They even handed a trophy to the "best audience member". Keyboards, hand claps, lyrics that say "I 'm glad I hitched my apple wagon to your star", and witty banter make for a great show.



The interview had to be done in the upstairs bathroom off of the 'band room'. Which broke the ice and gave us all a laugh.
Please listen here.

The The Bicycles were playing on stage downstairs. We were not able to hear most of their set but were given their CD and its awesome. Do listen. (They do a cover of the Monkees song Cuddly Toy) <3

Exclusive interview with The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser

Seems like things are really heating up for the Walkmen right now. They just released their third studio album, "A Hundred Miles Off" and are selling out clubs and theatres on thier biggiest tour to date. We were really lucky that Walkmen lead singer/guitarist Hamilton Leithauser took time out of his busy schedule to answer some questions from Universal Buzz.

1) In a Popmatters article, interviewer Andre Perry wrote "...the band's modern day New York attitude seems to wrestle with the photographs of their preppy DC youth.." A lot of times, critics and fans have a tendency to read into bands' appearances or on-stage antics and dub them "gimics". Granted you all are quite impressive dressers, do you think there's truth to Perry's claim? Or is it simply that you like dressing nicely?

Well, thanks. I think my mother would be happy to hear you say that I dress nicely. She'd be shocked, but pleasantly shocked. I don't think my clothes are a gimic...I mean they are just my clothes.
2) Do you think bloggers and social networks like MySpace have helped your band? If so, how? Some blogs actually post entire albums on their sites, for free. Are you opposed to this?

I don't know too much about that stuff. I do know that stealing music is remarkably easy, and that there really isn't anything cool about a cd, so I don't see why anyone would ever buy the cd again. Vinyl is a different story, because it's a cool, tangible thing...but I really don't see why anyone would want a cd...they get scratched and they're irritating to deal with.

3) Which bands of our generation do you think are the most influential? Do you think it really matters this day and age if you're signed to a major label or not in order to make an impact?

I have no idea if your record sales it matter if you're on a major label or not. I guess the major label has a lot of money so they can shove your songs down people's throats, so I guess that'll help sell records.

4) You're dream is to sell a million records and make tons and tons of money? And you say that you're well aware of the scams labels pull with royalities...so, do you still want to sign to a major label? Or do you believe you can have 'mainstream success' without the help of a major.

We're happy with our record label. They're called Record Collection and they're in LA and they are small but they do everything I think a label needs to do. Actually, I don't really know what record labels do that much, so maybe I'm not the one to ask, but they're all great for us.

5) Did you come up with the Dylan-esque categorization for your new album? One blogger described "Brandy Alexander" as sounding like The Strokes on LSD...thoughts?

I think we said that and people really jumped on that idea. I don't know about the LSD thing...that's weird.

6) You guys all live (and work) in difference locations- you write all your songs and then piece them together. Do you think you can keep that up for records to come?

Definitely. It's the only way we work successfully. We've gotta keep it small and keep or distance. That's just how we work.

7) You're on the road a lot. You once said that you "..have never been productive as a 5 piece group..." Would you say that you're together more than you are apart? Does it ever pose any problems that you're spread across cities?

Not for writing. It's great for writing. Matt and Paul are a productive group down in Philly and Walt, Pete and I are great together in NY. we get together every once in a while and put parts
together. we see a hell of a lot of each other on the road, so when we get home we're not exactly inviting each other over for dinner.

The Stills "Without Feathers" Contest Giveaway from Universal Buzz

Less then 3 years, Montreal's The Stills exploded on the scene with their debut album "Logic Will Break Your Heart". Thanks to critical acclaim and touring with the likes of Ryan Adams, Interpol, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Stills garned a large cult following for their emotionally charged, confessional rock tunes. And now, the boys are back!

The Stills just released their sophomore album "Without Feathers" on Vice Records and are out on tour with Rogue Wave to support the record. We want to offer you a chance to win their new record. Just head on over to Universal Buzz and register to win your copy of The Stills "Without Feathers"

Koufax Interview!

Check out this interview (or as Katharine put it, "exquisite piece of DIY guerilla journalism") with Rob Suchan, mastermind of Koufax.

LISTEN!


Its really good.

Interview w/ Michael Nau of Page France

On the rainy evening of May 26th, Katharine and myself headed down to Mercury Lounge, NYC to catch a performance by Page France. There werent many people around, which was a shame. Seeing this band makes for a lovely evening. Their lyrics are poetic and each song is delivered so sweetly by singers Michael and Whitney.

The bands latest album is Hello, Dear Wind. Check it out.

Michael Nau of Page France was nice enough to answer a few questions via email. Here is how it goes:


1) You've just signed with Suicide Squeeze. What do you hope to accomplish with this label?

- I just hope to be able to continue releasing new music, and enjoying doing so.


2) A lot of the reviews I have read for Hello, Dear Wind have said that all 14 tracks are equally great. In a time of albums with 1 or 2 'hit singles' and a bunch of filler tracks, that is welcome relief. Where does inspiration for such fine songs come from? Who/what are you influenced by?

- My head is like a strobe light. I'm influenced by a fear of too much influence. I believe that everything I see, hear, smell, and touch influences me. It's just a matter of trying to sift through things and come up with something real. Hello, Dear Wind just came in one big gust of inspiration, and I can't really remember writing or recording that record. I just remember that it felt good. I haven't had that feeling since.


3) I am excited to hear the songs on the soon to be released Pear and Sister Pinecone EPs. Do these songs have a different feel then what we have heard from Page France before?

- Yes, these songs are very different. Both EPs are different in and of themselves, as well. Pear was just a record that I had to get out of my system. I have a manic infatuation with late 60's/early 70's soul records. I think a lot of that came through in Pear. There are a lot of keyboards, and a bit more drums. There's still the thread of camaraderie, with the sing-a-longs, etc., but it feels different. We tracked that record on and old 4track. It was a lot of fun. People will either like it or they won't. It's just another piece to the story. Sister Pinecone is a collection of songs from a few years back. A lot of them were already recorded, but we touched a few things up. Pinecone is probably, of the two, most reminiscent of previously released Page France material.

4) What is going on with the Apple Union these days?

- I've been mixing friends' records here. It's just my home studio.

5) Tell us a bit about the formation of your side project The Broadway Hush.

- I wrote a batch of songs for Whitney to sing. They turned out good, so we've continued to casually do it. I think that it's very healthy for me to be able to write songs for somebody else to sing, and have the opportunity to view from an new angle.

6) There are plans to re-release Hello, Dear Wind on Suicide Squeeze. Can we all look forward to you coming through our towns again in support of this?

- Sure can.

7) Currently, what are your favorite bands and why?

- Thunderclap Newman - I love their 'Hollywood Dream' record. It's quite raw and strange. I'm also into Dylan's 'New Morning' at the moment.

The Slip : the Universal Buzz featured show of the week

On March 1st, 2006, The Slip made their way to Castaways in Ithaca, NY. Universal Buzz was there to capture the performance from one of the tightest and most versitile bands in music today. Take a listen here.

Band of Horses Contest Giveaway from Universal Buzz

As many of you have noticed, Subpop duo Band of Horses have been making quite a name for themselves. Their debut album "Everything All The Time" has been getting rave reviews all over the place, and rightfully so. The group's combination of bombastic rock with these melodic pop hooks is quite unlike anything else in music right now. They are currently on tour, selling out some of the biggiest clubs in US. They will be performing at several festivals this summer, including a featured spot on the Pitchfork Music festival at the end of July. Those who have heard the album know what the fuse is all about. For those of you who haven't heard the album, you are in luck.

We at Universal Buzz are giving away two free copies of "Everything All the Time". And that's not all! We are also giving away Band of Horses t-shirts and posters. And there is no cost to sign up! Just head on over to our official website and click on Album spotlight and register to win this exclusive package only available from Universal Buzz. It's just that simple!

Koufax (et al.) @ The Knitting Factory, May 20th 2006 AD

Who: Koufax
What: a live musical performance
Where: The Knitting Factory
When: May 20th 2006
Why: the F not?

After making what should be a 5 minute walk from the Ubuzz office to The Knitting Factory (the one in NYC…duh), a 15 minute adventure one fine Saturday late afternoon, Nadine and I arrived with bells and whistles to the multi-floored venue. Why did we unnecessarily triple our travel time? Because I think Tribeca streets are confusing, and I have yet to get the neighborhood down. Also, there was a bit of nervousness in the air seeing as this was our first official band interview. And be it known, there was absolutely nothing ‘official’ about it. All I’m gonna say is this: a side-window-less circa 1990 Dodge Ram mini-van (what I like to call a rape van), a laptop with a battery that dies after 10 minutes, and a microphone the size of a Jenga tower. Stay tuned for this exquisite piece of DIY guerilla journalism- it shall be streaming here soon.

I’m not used to arriving at shows while the sun is still out. (Unless I’m at a festival of course, and then I usually want the sun to go away). So, Nadine and I had some time to kill. And (un)luckily for us, there was a Morrissey/The Smiths cover band playing upstairs. It was awful and I don’t want to waste my time or yours writing about it.

In the hour before Koufax, I gave Nadine some insight about good beer- and I’m not talking about Becks or Heineken here. I’m talkin’ bout beers like Stella, Heffenwiesen, Blue Moon and other wonderful often-overlooked beers. As one would rightly assume, this edification and field research produced conclusive results. So, ask Nadine about her favorite pale ales or lagers.



KOUFAX

And finally Koufax plays. Before this night, I had only probably heard 1 or 2 of their songs from their new record “Hard Times Are In Fashion”. Nadine, being a veteran Koufax listener had high hopes for their performance. For the most part, it was an entertaining show. One thing in particular that sticks out in my mind is the lead singers habit of snapping his fingers next to head whilst stomping his foot. It was endearing and clearly caught my attention. So as one would assume, there was little attention given to the guitar he had strapped to his chest. He mentioned in the interview that he definitely has a love/hate relationship with the instrument, so I guess they got in a fight that evening. Not to worry, I’m sure everything worked out. Despite this tiff, the music was fun and I was not disappointed. Some bands are better on record and some bands are better live. I believe Koufax may teeter on the cusp of these categorizations, which I suppose is a good thing…? A mentionable highlight of the performance was the band’s cover of Joe Jackson’s “Stepping Out”. It took me a second to realize what I was hearing, and once that light bulb was illuminated I had a little chuckle and thought to myself, “Ok, these guys have a sense of humor. Well played my friends, well played!” I can’t imagine ever seeing these guys playing a sold out show at Webster Hall or Bowery Ballroom, regardless it was a good time and I recommend checking them out the next time they’re “stepping out” in your town.

Now I know this is supposed to be KOUFAX review, but I have to say the band that played after them was more up my alley. Hailing from Ft. Collins, Drag the River is a toe-tappin’ alt-country rock band that would be nestled between your Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt/Uncle Tupelo, and My Morning Jacket (pre “Z”) records in your genre-organized CD collection. I had never heard of these guys before, so it’s always exciting when you discover new music ‘by accident’. I bought their latest record, “It’s Crazy.’” after the show. However, I think these guys are at their best seen live. Be it known, this assessment comes from an individual who for the most part prefers all music live….duh…

DRAG THE RIVER

Greetings!

For those of you unframiliar with Universal Buzz, allow us a second to explain our history and what we do:

In 1995, Universal Buzz started an independant radio show produced in Rochester, NY. Broadcasting on college and non-commercial stations all across America, the show features previously recorded live concerts from some of the most respected and groundbreaking artists in the musical landscape. Past artists include The White Stripes, Built to Spill, Animal Collective, My Morning Jacket, Of Montreal, and Ween (just to name a few). As music trends come and go, Universal Buzz Radio has been there to record it; serving as a connection between the artists and the radio listening world.

Over the past few years, Universal Buzz has grown by leaps and bounds. Our official website features a great deal of our shows available for online streaming, as well as music news, discussions, album spotlights, and contest giveaways. And now, we are looking to add internet blog to the Universal Buzz world.

This blog will be used for new features, such as text and streaming interviews, music news, and contest giveways that will only be avialable from Universal Buzz Online. So we hope you enjoy what you see and keep checking back on us.