Songkick

Chicago blogger: Live Music Blog

A man after our own heart! A blog entirely devoted to live music. While founder Justin Ward responded to these questions, he stressed that the blog is a group effort, with writers across the country writing great show/festival reviews and reporting on upcoming concerts.

1. Name? Justin Ward
2. Age? 26
3. Occupation? Sales Tech Support at Google.
4. How long have you lived in Chicago? Most of my life, until very recently.
5. Favorite Chicago venue and why? Metro. Super-diverse lineups, great neighborhood, and great balcony.
6. How long have you been blogging? Almost four years.
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? When I started, nobody had a dedicated blog about live music. It seemed fitting.
8. First concert? UB40 with Gin Blossoms.
9. Most recent concert? Tapes ‘n Tapes with White Denim, Fillmore SF
10. Most memorable concert? Why? My Morning Jacket at SXSW 2008. I was second row and surrounded by friends and pure excitement.
11. Most disappointing? Why? The Shins at Lollapalooza, then subsequently in Chicago. For the first, the sound was horrible enough that the crowd was chanting to “turn it up” to no avail. Then, in Chicago, they played an all-ages show where a lot of the crowd was younger, inexperienced, and overall just not into it. Bummer on both times.
12. Dream line-up? Phish, Tortoise, and The Mars Volta sharing one stage in one night, then coming together for a superjam at the end. I can picture the five or six drummers onstage right now…

London blogger: PopScene
This Dutch transplant goes out more than any Londoner I know! Perpetually on the hunt for the perfect party, follow her blog to watch her exploits and find great gigs in London.

Name: Nicole Blommers

Age: 29. A message for my dad: I will be 30 next year!!

Day job: Secretarial music writer and blogger, who sometimes takes photos at random gigs.

How long have you lived in London? Since 25th October 2005.

Favorite London venue? After giving my brain some exercise to think about what my fave venue is, I can only say that I don’t have one. I like going to as many different venues as possible to see bands. I do prefer the venues in East, North, and Central London.

How long have you been blogging?? August 2002.

How did you choose the name of your blog? PopScene is a blur song and a London indie club night that was hip and hot in 1999, around the time that I started my website.

First concert? Must have been Take That. Before you ask, Robbie was my favourite.

Most recent concert? Last night I went to see Untitled Musical Project at Buffalo Bar. It’s perfect music for anger management.

Most memorable concert? Too many to mention. As in this year, I enjoyed seeing Vampire Weekend @ Hoxton Bar, Holy Fuck @ 100 Club, Mystery Jets @ Durrr, and Gonzales @ ICA.

Most disappointing concert? I’d rather forget about the most disappointing concert.

Dream line-up? Lots of bands with men and beat machines (Holy Fuck, Zombie-Zombie, Slagsmalsklubben etc.) + The Faint + Yeah Yeah Yeahs + Sigur Ros, with Erol Alkan + Justice + Tiga doing the after-party. Preferably I want the DJs to do a le grande DJ battle. Exciting!

New York Blogger: The Culture of Me
His party photos make me miss New York desperately!

Name? Jeff Meltz

Age? 26 (ugh)

Job? Cultural hero/hack

How long have you lived in New York? All my life.

Favorite New York venue? Silent Barn, because the guys who do the shows are super-nice and the kids who show up always show up to have the best time ever.

How long have you been blogging? A little over 2 years.

How did you choose the name of your blog? “The culture of me” was actually the third title of the blog, but we like it the best. It’s a play on the ’80s theme of “me first” and how that pertains to everything these days. Plus, it lends itself nicely to a discourse of people’s preferences about anything.

First concert? We don’t remember exactly, but it was in a mall. That’s for sure.

Most recent concert? The Cool Kids

Most memorable concert? Bjork at Madison Square Garden for the Volta tour. We had been trying to see her for 10 years without succeeding. It was totally worth it.

Most disappointing? The Stooges at United Palace Theater. Thirty years after their prime, the danger is gone. Plus, seats? Wtf? Even after everyone got on stage with them at the end of the show, it still was less than impressive.

Dream line-up? Death from Above 1979 opens, followed by Pretty Girls Make Graves, followed by At the Drive-In(!), all headlined by Lou Reed, Sterling Morrisson, Mo Tucker and John Cale playing pretty much anything together.

LA blogger: Hate Something Beautiful

This blog makes me want to go to LA… and I don’t even like LA. They have great show reviews and stunning concert photos. I just discovered Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson on Hate Something Beautiful… heartbreaking. He’s on tour with White Rabbits! (His MySpace page says he’s from “Brooklyn, Oregon.” Somehow that is so right.)

Name? Paul Tao
Age? 22
Occupation? Co-run an indie record label (IAMSOUND Records) and also do A&R for a producer management company.
How long have you lived in LA? 5 years
Favorite LA venue and why? The Echo. It’s a tiny little venue, but still manages to get some of the coolest acts to stop by on tours. They always have fun secret shows.
How long have you been blogging? 3 1/2 years
How did you choose the name of your blog? I actually didn’t start the blog myself. A friend of mine started it up, and I helped him out with it for a few months. He got tired of it, so he passed it onto me and, by then, the blog was starting to get popular so I stuck with the name.
First concert? Warped Tour, way back when.
Most recent concert? Erol Alkan and Dan Deacon last night
Most memorable concert? Why? Even though by now it’s a bit passe to say so, Daft Punk last year at LA Sports Arena. Mindblowing performance. It wasn’t just the music; it was also the experience of seeing so many people moving to the same beat at the same time. It was kind of like an intergalactic space rave.
Most disappointing? Why? Wolf Parade, I think the show was a year ago. It was my first time seeing them. I loved their first album, but they seemed so nervous and rushed. The entire first half of the performance was a huge disappointment. Every song seemed to be hurried and a little off, although they finally hit their groove by the end the set.
Dream line-up? Some kind of Elephant 6 music festival would be amazing: Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Of Montreal, Essex Green, etc. Basically everyone involved in that collective.

The return of our very popular interview with bloggers! Check out Brad’s Boston concert recommendations on Songkick.

Boston blogger: Bradley’s Almanac
Brad’s one of the original music bloggers, and we’re really honored to have him pick shows for us for May and June. He puts on his own concerts in Boston, featuring indie faves like Film School. Plus he does ticket giveaways and posts awesome live recordings. What more could you ask for from your local blogger?

1. Name, age, and occupation: Brad Searles, age twenty-eighteen, dad, blogger, drummer, computer software tester.

1. How long have you lived in Boston? Next month will make it a decade since I moved here from my hometown of Burlington, Vermont.

1. Favorite Boston venue and why? I like several different ones for different reasons (and for different bands), but I’ll pick two for faves: TT the Bears in Cambridge and Great Scott in Allston. I frequent them most often. Both have friendly staff, generally good sound, and are small enough to really connect with the bands. Great Scott has the location (just a few blocks from my house), but TTs has the pool tables. Too close to call.

1. How long have you been blogging? In general, about 8 years. About music specifically, maybe 5 years.

1. How did you choose the name of your blog? In the mid-90s, some friends in a band called the Madelines wrote a song called “Bradley’s Almanac” that supposedly used some things I said for lyrics. Lucky for me, it turned out to be a personal fave, and a ready-made theme song for the ‘Nac years in advance.
2. First concert? That my parents took me to: The Charlie Daniels Band at the Champlain Valley Fair in, um, 1981? (Hey, I grew up in Vermont).
   That I asked my parents take me to: Foreigner and Loverboy, Saratoga, NY in 1984.

1. Most recent concert? Film School, the Douglas Fir, and the Broken River Prophet at TT the Bears on April 28th (a show I was very proud to present).

1. Most memorable concert? Why? Off the top of my head, Ride and Slowdive at Rockcandy in Seattle, 1992. Perfect pairing: both bands at their peak, a great venue and sound, and in the company of good friends. Bonus points: kicking around a soccer ball with the Ride boys in the parking lot. Runner Up: Arcwelder, Six Finger Satellite, and Jesus Lizard in Burlington, VT, also in 1992. Three amazing bands who pummeled me in their own special ways. So much pure power on stage. Mind = blown.

1. Most disappointing? Why? Probably Explosions in the Sky at the Middle East Downstairs last year. An obnoxious, crammed-in crowd, bad sound, and high expectations from previous EitS shows caused me to bail after just a few songs. Unthinkably, I was much happier being at home.

1. Dream line-up? An 8-band bill, the Saturday schedule for my impossible dream festival: Elliott Smith, Bedhead, Silkworm, the Housemartins, Unwound, Pond, Ride, and Joy Division.

LA blogger: The Rawking Refuses to Stop!
(He swears he takes his crisp and striking concert photos with a measly point and shoot. Basically he wants to put my pathetic attempts to shame.)

1. Name? David Greenwald
2. Age? 22
3. Occupation? Journalist
4. How long have you lived in Los Angeles? Five years, but in Southern California my whole life.
5. Favorite Los Angeles venue? The Troubadour
6. How long have you been blogging? Almost three years.
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? It was supposed to be a bad joke. Then people started reading it.
8. First concert? Willie Nelson and Ray Charles
9. Most recent concert? Au Revoir Simone
10. Most memorable concert? Elliott Smith at the Henry Fonda Theatre in 2003. Elliott’s my favorite musician ever and this, unfortunately, was one of his last shows. He played “Antonio Carlos Jobim,” an old Heatmiser classic I never expected to hear live.
11. Most disappointing? The Walkmen at All Tomorrow’s Parties 2004, if only because I skipped out on Wolf Parade to see ‘em. I love Bows + Arrows but they were trying way too hard.
12. Dream line-up? Ryan Adams opening for Wilco, with Jim O’Rourke and Jon Brion sitting in on both sets.

New York blogger: The Catbirdseat
(His April podcast brought me right back to the nineties.)

1. Name? Ryan Catbird
2. Age? 33
3. Occupation? Web/interaction designer.
4. How long have you lived in NYC? I moved to NYC in December of ‘06, but had been coming here regularly for some time before that.
5. Favorite NYC venue? Mercury Lounge.
6. How long have you been blogging? Six years.
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? I honestly have no idea.
8. First concert? Anthrax, Megadeth, and Slayer–The Clash of the Titans Tour, 1991.
9. Most recent concert? Fulton Lights at Union Hall, Brooklyn.
10. Most memorable concert? Destroyer backed by Frog Eyes, SXSW, 2004. It was the first time I finally, actually got Destroyer, and have never been the same since.
11. Most disappointing concert? It’s hard to remember because I have absolutely no qualms about walking out the moment I stop enjoying something. And I’ve done that quite a few times.
12. Dream line-up? Destroyer touring to support his Streethawk album, 2001.

Chicago blogger: Songs:Illinois and Swedesplease
(If you’re like me and obsessed with Swedish music, you’ll love Swedesplease.)

1. Name? Craig Bonnell
2. Age? Older
3. Occupation? Music writing, film and ad music placement, some promo work.
4. How long have you lived in Chicago? A decade or so.
5. Favorite Chicago venue? Schubas
6. How long have you been blogging? Four or five years.
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? I’ve got two blogs. Swedesplease is all Swedish indie pop. The name just popped into my head. Thankfully, several years later, I still love it. The name for Songs:Illinois is taken from Jason Molina’s band, Songs:Ohia.
8. First concert? Probably the Throwing Muses at The Rat in Boston in ‘84.
9. Most recent concert? Chris Bathgate in my living room (part of the Songs:Illinois Presents House Concert series).
10. Most memorable concert? Probably one of the early ones. All of them were all-ages in Boston, underneath a German bar called The Rathskellar. The venue was know as The Rat (a real dump). [The venue is now closed.] Highlights would have been Gang Green, The Pixies, Til’ Tuesday, and, as I said, The Throwing Muses.
11. Most disappointing concert? I was really looking forward to seeing Martin Sexton a few years back. I was into his record that was out at the time and dragged people out to see him. Turns out he was pretentious, arrogant, drunk (?), and annoying.
12. Dream line-up? Galaxie 500, The Feelies, and Yo La Tengo, circa 1987.

Edinburgh blogger: Song, by Toad
(With fantastic toady illustrations and amusing chat.)

1. Name? Matthew Young
2. Age? 32
3. Occupation? Industrial designer
4. How long have you lived in Edinburgh? Nearly three years now.
5. Favorite Edinburgh venue? They are pretty much all terrible as buildings. A lot of promoters and booking agents are making a real effort to put good lineups together these days, but the venues themselves are awful. The ones that are nice spaces have abysmal acoustics, and the decent performance spaces tend to be grotty little shitholes.
6. How long have you been blogging? Unofficially on my static site since mid-2004. Actually on a proper blog since November 2006.
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? From The Wind in the Willows. We always used to listen to it on cassette in the car, and my Mum used to call me a “little toad” because she couldn’t bring herself to swear at her darling child, no matter what an insufferable little bastard I was. So when I was naming the blog, the valedictory banquet [in the story] came to mind: “Speech, by Toad. There will be further speeches, by Toad during the evening. Song, by Toad (Composed by himself.) Other compositions, by Toad, will be sung in the course of the evening by the composer.”
8. First concert? Probably Tina Turner. Blame my bloody mother. Under my own steam, probably The Pogues in Manchester in ‘93.
9. Most recent concert? Broken Records at The Caves. They’re going to be famous, these lads, I think. And I can claim to be the first person to ever write anything about them, ever. Given the Edinburgh music scene, this might be the only time I am able to say this!
10. Most memorable concert? Why?
    Tom Waits at the Orpheum in Boston. Why? Because he’s Tom fucking Waits, that’s why!
11. Most disappointing? Why? Michael Jackson in Vienna in 1991. Because he turned up. And, shamefully, so did I.
12. Dream line-up? I really don’t care. Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. My favourite gigs are the ones where you take a chance on someone you barely know and they turn out to be brilliant. It’s rare, but it’s worth the wait.

First in a series of interviews with bloggers contributing recommendations to Songkick!

London blogger: Slutty Fringe
(One of my favorite blog titles of all time.)

1. Name? Tony Poland
2. Age? The wrong side of 20.
3. Occupation? Definitely not what I wanted to be when I was five.
4. How long have you lived in London? Long enough to have lived through electroclash.
5. Favorite London venue? Plastic People
6. How long have you been blogging? Since July 2006
7. How did you choose the name of your blog? Girls with fringes is a good look, and I couldn’t think of a music-shaped name that didn’t sound proper wack. (Ed., a fringe is the same as bangs in Americuh.)
8. First concert? Cypress Hill at Brixton Academy in 1994.
9. Most recent concert? Poney Poney at 93 Feet East
10. Most memorable concert? Santogold at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen cos I kept trying to steal Mapei’s hat
11. Most disappointing? I don’t think I’ve ever been to a gig where I’ve left less than impressed by the music. Actually… scratch that. A girl somehow convinced me to go Reverend & The Makers last year–truly awful stuff
12. Dream line-up? A reformed Gang of Four and LCD Soundsystem to open, then Funkadelic space jamming with Daft Punk with mic support from A Tribe Called Quest with dance routines from Gwen Stefani’s Japanese muses. The after party has Maurice Fulton, Carl Craig and Boys Noize playing records.