5 Questions with Freelance Whales @Bonnaroo

06/22/2011 By

We don’t like to play favorites here at the Ardent Blog (well, maybe just a little) but Freelance Whales was definitely our favorite act at Bonnaroo! We were initially bummed when we rolled up on their first performance at That Tent because it was so jam packed it was impossible to get in close enough to actually see the band. Imagine our excitement when we caught their acoustic performance the next day at the much more intimate Sonic Stage. The band was even cool enough to do a meet & greet after their show and didn’t hesitate to jump in and do our interview backstage even though it was not scheduled through their management – they are a class act all the way! We love those guys!

Not missing the opportunity to lob a few questions their way, we asked them interesting inquiries from The Wuv Birds, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Buried Beds, and Parachute Musical.

Freelance Whales is an American indie rock band from Queens, New York, formed in 2008. Consisting of frontman Judah Dadone (lead vocals, banjo, acoustic and electric guitar, synthesizer, bass), and bandmates Doris Cellar (bass, harmonium, glockenspiel, synthesizer, vocals), Chuck Criss (banjo, bass, synthesizer, glockenspiel, harmonium, acoustic and electric guitar, vocals), Jacob Hyman (drums, percussion, vocals) and Kevin Read (acoustic and electric guitar, glockenspiel, mandolin, synthesizer, vocals).

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5 Questions with Jeff The Brotherhood @Bonnaroo

06/21/2011 By


Well, this is the shortest 5 Questions With segment we have done so far. Jeff the Brotherhood (of which no one in the band is actually named Jeff) are men of few words. We were bummed until we saw them play later that night and were blown away by their performance. Every bigwig blogger and scenester we had met at Bonnaroo was standing side stage to catch their performance, all looking at each other after each song and nodding knowingly, as if to say, “Yeah, these guys are going to be huge!”

We had the opportunity to talk to them so we gave them some interesting brain busters from the likes of Buried Beds, Colour Revolt, Little Tybee.

Their new album We are the Champions is out today. Get it here.

JEFF the Brotherhood is a two-piece rock band consisting of brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall, hailing form Nashville, Tennessee. Their style has been described by music writers as containing elements of psychedelic rock, garage rock, punk and pop.[1] They have released five original LPs on the label Infinity Cat Recordings, one live album on Third Man Records, and assorted singles and splits with noted artists such as Ty Segall, Best Coast, and Screaming Females. They tour extensively and have played shows across the United States and internationally.

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5 Questions with Kylesa @Bonnaroo

06/20/2011 By

Kylesa was definitely the hardest rocking band we saw at Bonnaroo. We were a little intimidated to sit down with them and do our silly little interview – and then we had to move them three times to find a quiet spot backstage! But Laura and Phillip were super cool about it! If you want to have your face blown off, we highly recommend checking out this band! Watch their video from their latest album Spiral Shadow to see what we mean!

We got to shoot them a few questions from Brass Bed, Parachute Musical, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, and Jamie Randolph and the Dark Horse.

Kylesa is a metal band that was formed in Savannah, Georgia. Their music incorporates experimentalism with sludgy riffs, drop-tuned guitars and elements of psychedelic rock. The group was established in 2001 by the former members of Damad, with the addition of guitar player Laura Pleasants who is from North Carolina. The band has since undergone line up changes; the remaining original members are Phillip Cope and Laura Pleasants. In 2006, the band added two drummers (Carl McGinley of Unpersons, from Savannah, and Jeff Porter). Eric Hernandez (of Capsule, from Miami) joined in 2008 to replace Porter and plays on Static Tensions. The dual drum tracks are often panned strongly to the right and left.

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5 Questions with River City Extension @Bonnaroo

06/17/2011 By

We were actually glad the entire line-up of River City Extension did not show up for our interview – we would have never been able to fit them all into frame! Joe and Mike were more than generous with their time and we had a lot fun chatting with them! We hope that some day soon they’ll visit our River City! We could not find a video that did their Bonnaroo performance justice (even from the very back of the audience we could feel their energy!) so we grabbed a vid from another show to share with you! Also, check out their Daytrotter Session!

We gained some interesting insight about their band with featured questions from The Gunslingers, The Constellations, The Memphis Dawls, and Colour Revolt.

River City Extension was born restless, curious, and conscious. It is a monster and a gentleman. Formed by singer-songwriter Joe Michelini in the fall of 2007, the band has proved to be an important addition to the development of independent folk music, and has earned the respect of everyone from seasoned punk rockers to Brit-pop legends.

After spending years building an invaluable local following as a solo artist, Joe’s moniker became a symbol of hope for musicians in his hometown of Toms River, NJ; like lost souls, the members of River City Extension were drawn to each other. Taking a year and a half to carefully finalize their line-up, the band went into the studio to record their DIY EP, Nautical Sabbatical. The record was self-released on January 1st of 2009, and they had no other option than to hit the road.

Be it Joe by himself, with one member, two members, or five, River City Extension toured diligently across the North-East and the Midwest, just hoping that someone would listen to the call of their wild, insatiable need to play, write, feel, and inspire. By the winter of 2010, their dream was beginning to come true.

The band had started to record their full-length album The Unmistakable Man, with no budget, no plan, and a lot of faith. As word began to spread, they found themselves supporting bands like Cake, Robert Randolph, and The Avett Brothers, in and out of their home state. Near the end of production, the band signed a deal with XOXO Records (The Gaslight Anthem, Let Me Run), and shortly there after blasted the press with what would be the new flagship of this venerable Asbury Park punk label. The Unmistakable Man was released on May 11th, 2010 with national distribution and international promise. RCE quickly garnered the attention of important music outlets such as Paste, Spin, and NPR, as well as being validated by timeless international performers such as Glenn Tilbrook of the band Squeeze, who would later make a cameo on the vinyl release of the bands first LP.

Now, River City Extension is growing up. With one national tour under their belt, countless regional tours, and a slew of new material, the fabric of these eight east-coast pioneers has been sewn to the highways of America in a way that cannot be torn, seen, stepped on, or fully understood. It is growing, it is evolving, and it is seeking the best and the worst in all of us, in hopes that we will find a common ground on which to stand with our fellow man; in hopes of writing an anthem that we can strap across our hearts and sing together with pride and understanding.

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5 Questions With Band of Heathens @Bonnaroo

06/16/2011 By

So, we met up with Austin’s Band of Heathens in the mid-afternoon and found a shady place backstage to cozy up with them. They seemed to finally loosen up right at the end of the segment, so we look forward to our next meeting when we are certain they will be buying us a drink and offering us a ride home. After you check out our interview watch their backstage acoustic performance for Lightening 100!

We had the opportunity to chat with the guys and ask interesting questions from the minds of Dignan, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Star and Micey, and Buried Beds.

The Band of Heathens are an American Rock and Roll band from Austin, Texas.

 

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5 Questions With Beats Antique @Bonnaroo

06/14/2011 By

We ran into Beats Antique backstage at Bonnaroo and they graciously agreed to sit down and do our 5 Questions With segment. The guys were super cool and we were really excited to see their performance later that night. We were blown away at the amount of people that showed up to see them play later and could not get anywhere near the stage – like seriously, no. where. near. So, after you check out the interview – take a look at a video from their New Year’s Eve performance in San Francisco. Is this what their Bonnaroo performance looked like?

We couldn’t tell you.

Check out our convo with these guys featuring questions from Brass Bed, Death on Two Wheels, Dignan, and The Poison Control Center.

Beats Antique is an experimental world fusion and electronic music group. Formed in 2007 in conjunction with producer Miles Copeland, the group has become noted for their mix of different genres as well as their live shows which mix samples and heavy percussives with Tribal Fusion dance and performance art.

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5 Questions with Rainy Day Manual

04/19/2011 By

Check out Rainy Day Manual’s interview with highlighted questions from Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s, Death on Two Wheels, Glorie, Buried Beds.

Forged in the fires of quixotic ambition; tempered in the ruthless grind of urban chagrin. The seed of Rainy Day Manual is germinated by one thought, “To make others happy, you must first make yourself happy.”

In 2005, two songwriters in Memphis, TN took the hope of creating a unique, authentic sound and began to recruit kindred spirits. Rainy Day Manual frontmen, Chris Faulkner and Seth Hendricks, knew that if they were to form a true band capable of developing this thought that they would have a long journey ahead. The journey always continues…. but the path became much clearer in 2007 when, after rounds of collaborative misfires, the two finally merged with a dynamic rhythm section consisting of Keith Pounds and Preston Ross. The foursome took a cerebral approach to combining fiercely melodic music with expressive rhythms that harkened to the hip-hop and blues roots of Memphis music. Then, after years of exploration the quartet began sculpting a relationship with two sound engineers, Jason Gillespie and Mike Wilson, that would route the artisitic endeavor through to fruition. The beautiful part is that multitudes of Memphians have inspired the result that you are able to now enjoy and without that support Rainy Day Manual would not exist as it does today. They hope to tell the story of a city. A city that needs love and has love to offer. They want to show you that vibrant roots surely grow in dark places.

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Ardent Sessions: What Made Milwaukee Famous

09/03/2009 By

Few have been disappointed with the sophomore effort from Austin-based band What Made Milwaukee Famous, What Doesn’t Kill Us .  The band has gone through a few changes since recording their Ardent Session, including losing keyboardist and all-around stellar dude Drew Patrizi to NYC and marriage. However, this set stands as a testament to just how good this band is live. The music sounds amazing even if you can hear the exhaustion in the voices of the band in the banter between tracks who landed in Memphis the day after a long weekend at Bonnaroo.

What Made Milwaukee Famous play the Ardent Sessions

What Made Milwaukee Famous play the Ardent Sessions

Ardent Sessions: What Made Milwaukee Famous [ 56:24 | 103.28 MB ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Setlist:

01:16 Blood, Sweat & Fears
06:16 Mercy Me
09:22 Almost Always Never
14:04 Cheap Wine
18:17 Sultan
22:05 The Jeopardy of Contentment
27:37 Self-Destruct
31:10 Curtains!
36:53 Sweet Lady
40:11 Hellodrama
43:05 To Each His Own
46:26 Right Place
49:01 For the Birds
52:49 Resistance Street

Wailing

Wailing

What Made Milwaukee Famous “Sultan”

For more What Made Milwaukee Famous videos, click here

For more What Made Milwaukee Famous photos, click here

Recorded and Mixed by Alan Burcham

Assisted by Lucas Peterson

Mastered by Kevin Nix

This free music podcast was recorded live at Ardent Recording Studios in Memphis, TN.

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