Rehearsal Space: Stereolab

Mike Raffensperger — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 17:41:42 -0400

How does one describe Stereolab’s music? Alternative rock? Post-rock? Art rock? Experimental? Avant-garde? The fact that it can’t be easily categorized is both a testament to the band and an explanation to why their overwhelming critical and cult success never translated into mainstream popularity. Their disparate influences include krautrock, 1960s pop and lounge music while their socio-political lyrics are sung in both French and English. This unusual style is coupled with technical innovation and a fondness for vintage keyboards. After a career spanning 19 years, Stereolab just announced on their website they are taking an indeterminate hiatus to rest up and work on other projects. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, Tim Gain and Lætitia Sadier discuss the London music scene of the early nineties, the pros and cons of music's digital age and the one thing they wish they'd done differently.

Rehearsal Space: Black Kids

Mike Raffensperger — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:16:41 -0400

Most musicians will tell you there's no such thing as overnight success, but in 2007 indie pop band Black Kids experienced just about the nearest thing to it. After playing a set at the Athens Pop Fest, they handed out homemade CDs containing four of their songs. The bloggers in the crowd immediately spread those songs and word of the show all over the internet. Suddenly, Black Kids were tipped as one of the top new bands to watch. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, Reggie Youngblood and Owen Holmes tell us about their start in Christian Rock, what it was like to record Partie Traumatic with ex-Suede guitarist and producer Bernard Butler, and what has been their biggest surprise of the past two years.

Rehearsal Space: Kaki King

Mike Raffensperger — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 12:30:47 -0500

Kaki King is an instrumentalist known for her awe-inspiring guitar work. Using a variety of techniques, her ax handling has caught the eye of musicians and fans everywhere. Over the years her songwriting has matured, and while still characterized by florid guitar picking, it is now encapsulated in a larger melodic frame, making her songs more accessible and memorable. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, Kaki talks about her introduction to music, being pigeon-holed by the press and her desire to be a “musician’s musician." She goes on to discuss working under a 360 deal with her label, and offers advice on pursuing music-making as a career.

Rehearsal Space: OneRepublic

Mike Raffensperger — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:50:19 -0500

OneRepublic had the kind of year most musicians only dream of. Fronted by Timbaland protégée Ryan Tedder, the band enjoyed a meteoric rise to the mainstream in late 2007, early 2008. Their smash hit single “Apologize” ranks as the most legally downloaded song in history with over 4.3 million digital downloads in the US alone, and the group was recently nominated as Best Pop Performance With Vocals for the 2009 Grammy Awards. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, band members Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins discuss the bands origins, the difficulty of working with major labels and how they used MySpace to achieve widespread popularity. They go on to share how technology helps them stay creative both on the road and in the recording studio, and the unique role faith plays in their music.

FREE Download! Diplo Remix of Brazilian Girls Single "Good Time"

Katie Camosy — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:27:01 -0500

"Good Time" is one of the stand-out tracks from Brazilian Girls' most recent album, New York City. It was always a great party song, but now with this Diplo remix, it's sure to get even the shyer people on the dance floor.

Rehearsal Space: Brazilian Girls

Katie Camosy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 16:06:18 -0500

Brazilian Girls are comprised of Sabina Sciubba, Didi Gutman and Aaron Johnston. This summer they released their third album, named after the city where they met each other, New York City. The band is recognized for their ability to fuse different genres of music into danceable tunes, as well as for frontwoman Sabina Sciubba's style and penchant for finding unique ways to cover parts of her face. With the combination of musicality and showmanship, Brazilian Girls play to packed venues across the globe. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, a pregnant Sabina explains their diversity of influences, the benefits of working digitally, and the moment they knew that they were doing something special. Sabina also offers some advice to musicians who are just starting out.

New T-Pain Album Released Today

Katie Camosy — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:37:27 -0500

When T-Pain appeared on Rehearsal Space at the beginning of 2008, he was on the cusp of superstardom. The past year has brought him a #1 album that has sold well over a million copies. His style and use of technology was praised, mocked and imitated, sometimes all at once.

Rehearsal Space: Orba Squara

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 20:31:59 -0400

You probably already know the music of Orba Squara, even if you don't realize it. Mitch Davis is the man behind the music. He wrote, recorded, mixed, created the artwork, and now performs (with his live band) the Orba Squara debut album, Sunshyness. It is truly an independent album, but Mitch has garnered widespread attention thanks to high profile commercial licensing, like the Apple iPhone commercial. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, Mitch talks about how he went from working with other artists to creating his own music on a multitude of organic instruments, including the often broken toy pianos he collects. He explains the importance of creative control, how he ended up licensing out his music to so many places, and explains what we can expect from Orba Squara's second album he's releasing later this year.

Rehearsal Space: We Are Scientists

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:46:58 -0400

The infectious tunes and energetic live performances of the Brooklyn-based band We Are Scientists have launched them into the UK music mainstream. However, it's Chris Cain and Keith Murray's friendship, creativity, and sense of humor that have given them their rabid cult following. From onstage banter to inventive music videos to an advice column on the band's website, it's refreshing to discover talented people who can also laugh at themselves in the often ego-driven world of rock and roll. In this episode of Rehearsal Space, Keith and Chris discuss the advantages of being signed to a major label, their unique method of achieving popularity in the UK, why it's important to be hands-on when recording your music, and finally how one member's hobby either created or nearly destroyed the band, depending upon whom you ask.

Rehearsal Space: Ratatat

admin — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:55:56 -0400

Mike Stroud and Evan Mast are the men behind Ratatat , one of electronic music’s rising stars. The duo’s chest-pounding instrumentals and innovative hip-hop remixes have earned them serious credibility and fans in high places. Shortly after the group’s formation they were signed to XL records and have toured with the likes of Daft Punk, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand and Bjork. In this episode of Rehearsal Space Mike and Evan talk about the serendipity of their success and how their music always sounds like “a really bad idea” on paper. They delve into their creative process, sharing a few tips for innovative sounds and stress the importance of never losing your original musical intent.