Radio Free Tobias: October 2005

Monday, October 31, 2005

matt Pond PA MP3

Just an accompanying post to my review of matt pond PA's "Several Arrows Later":

For those who are interested, the opening track is actually listed for download at Indie Blog Heaven.

matt pond PA - Halloween.mp3

iPod & Music Videos: What's the Worst that Could Happen?

I found an interesting article, reposted from CNET, on Roger's Music blog. It concerns more troubles artists face if the whole video iPod thing takes off.

Here's an excerpt:

In a business as broken as the music business, the new music-video situation stands out as particularly worrisome for artists. If Apple Computer and every other Johnny-come-lately online record store starts selling the entire back catalog of videos at $1.99, artists won't see a dime of that money unless their contracts are reworked. In fact, they'll lose money on their own videos--even though they're being sold for twice as much as the music--because music videos are still considered promotion.


Here's the article.

RFT Podcast #2 : Cover Wars

Hot off the presses, the Radio Free Tobias Podcast #2 is now available for human consumption. I recorded it in an actual radio studio, so it probably won't sound like total crap (ie: recorded in the internal speakers of my Powerbook). You can subscribe at the top of your screen.

It is of an all-cover format. The playlist:

Nickel Creek - Spit on a Stranger (Pavement)
The Promise Ring - Gouge Away (The Pixies)
Thunder Road - Keith Fruend (Bruce Springsteen)
Here Comes My Baby - Yo La Tengo (Cat Stevens)
Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine (The Postal Service)
She's Always a Woman - Copeland (Billy Joel)
Wonderwall - Cat Power (Oasis)
All Mixed Up - Red House Painters (The Cars)

A quick note: I saw Chris DeVille of Fine Dining at Donkey's Coffeehouse in Athens this past weekend, and enjoyed his set. Fine Dining will be releasing their first album at Larry's on November 12th, a date which will surely be something to keep your eye on.

Godspeed.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

matt pond PA : Several Arrows Later


I was contemplating a review for this album... but since Rolling Stone has beat me to the punch (front page on their website) I simply must now. They have forced my hand.

matt pond PA didn't really make it on my radar until quite recently, and it seems that they've been busy trying to do so for awhile. Since they began their major-distribution onslaught in 1999 (CMJ making a note of the event), they have put out five albums in five years. The emotional "EMO" lyrical and musical material seems to be the kind of stuff that would be the result of living in a small town somewhere in my part of the country. No small feat when you're living in a van travelling the country.

Well, matt pond PA's quest for ironic indie-rock fame is complete as their latest release "Several Arrows Later" has graced the likes of Penthouse Magazine and now Radio Free Tobias.

Several Arrows Later is one of those records I wanted to like as soon as I heard it. The sheer amount of catchy melodies and precise, upbeat basslines really hit me in the face in an indie rock smile with a shrug kind-of-way. The jangle-pop guitar sound immediately struck me as being similar to acts I know such as Hey Mercedes, Pete Yorn, The Promise Ring, REM...this album is sure to be compared to The Shins, Coldplay, American Football, The Frames, Yo La Tengo, etc, etc, etc, etc. All of this blathering adult-contempoary comparison could be a kiss of death for this eight-piece band (at least, eight different people are credited as full-time musicians in the liner notes).

Oh yeah, about that. Several Arrows Later, while singer-songwriter material at heart, has heavy usage of pedal steel, violin, cello, vibraphones and wurlitzer. Wurlitzer. Eight people. Red flag?

So, all things considered, it seems like it could be really good or really bad.

Several Arrows later really is helped by some strong tracks which hold together what is a really cohesive album. I know there are some mixed opinions on lead singer Matt Pond's vocals, but I feel they really complement the music quite well and are never the focal point of the music. Pond keeps it low and dry.

The arrangement is done really well and shows a lot of musical competence. Much like the vocals, the 'extra' instruments really add texture to the music rather than drawing attention to themselves. Unlike other orchestrated pop, you almost don't notice that there is much more than some indie guys playing guitars and a drumset. Rarely are any of the strings featured alone.

Once one gets past the pop explosion, there is substance to be found. The songs have a very verse verse chorus kind of structure, but the ambient orchestration helps round it out, a good example of this being the opening track, "Halloween". From song to song, the flow is never really disrupted. This is a great example of an album. The track order is smartly and effectively done.

Several Arrows' greatest strength can also be a weakness. It suffers the curse of something you have to be "in the mood" for. The vocals are mixed pretty low, and this can cause it to seem like background music if you aren't actively listening. If nothing else, it's enjoyable background music.

"Several Arrows Later" really strikes a chord with me and captures the feeling of autumn in the northeastern US very well. The October 11th release date and the brown and leaf-filled artwork is no coincidence. Those who don't buy into the whole seasonal, regional thing will find music that draws from many familiar sources while maintaining a sound exclusive to this band. One track trickles into the next, like the weeks of this all-too short season in this part of the country. The emotional setting captured by this "Several Arrows Later" strikes me as being very poignant and genuine, something that is very rare in an album.

Monday, October 24, 2005

Interview with Eric from Tiara


It's no secret that RFT quoted Eric Rottmayer in my review of Tiara's new album.

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Eric in a Columbus Starbucks and asked him a few questions.

Also, the CD release party on Friday at Little Brother's was great. I made some humorous observations in the crowd, and enjoyed The Receiver's set a great deal.

I also was able to fufill a scene-kid cliche by sitting in the corner with my notebook for the majority of the show.

How I suffer for my blog. Hopefully some day I can graduate to a scene-man/hipster cliche.

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Tiara : Chained to the Crown Review


Tiara's new release "Chained to the Crown" blazes new trails for the iconic Columbus band.

The recording of CttC has a stark 'wide open spaces' quality, and this seems to say something about the current direction for the band.

"I think it's really hopeful, which, for me is kind of strange," said Tiara frontman Eric Rottmayer, defining the mood of the record. "It's definitely a contrast. A lot of the other (older) stuff is a little more emotional. I wouldn't say emo, but a lot of people put that tag on it."

CttC is of an inrospective tone, in lieu of the driven indie-pop that Tiara is more well-known for. A good example of this is "Expert Eyes", whose deliberateness is punctuated by a choral repetition of the phrase "expert eyes". The next track, "Green and Grey" has a defined country flavor, Rottmayer's soft croon complemented by new member Erik Kang's slide guitar.

If anything else, while representative of Tiara days of yore, introductory track "We Learned from the Best" and the next three tracks collectively detract from the overall meditative feel. These songs, particularly "No Better for It" are very good songs in their own right, but stick out when clumped together in an upbeat chunk in the beginning of the record.

Chained to the Crown when listened to as a whole, is an emotionally complex collection of songs which manage to be wistful about growing older while still looking to a future full of promise.

to think how long we've gone and how far/ from "we're the same" to "the next face"

With a strong promotional effort to follow the Chained to the Crown October 25th national release, thanks to label We Want Action, it seems like Tiara finally has a chance to be one of the next faces in the national arena of indie rock.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Some Q & A with Eric Rottmayer

RFT: What kind of reactions do you get to your band name? I know the first thing I think of is the tiara in the "Pretty Pretty Princess" game.

Eric: Trust me, I've gone through all forms of like, you know, are you guys an all-gay band? "Are you-", this happened on the phone, "is this an all-girl band? Are you the manager?" You know, stuff like that, you know. So, I've been through it all and I don't know what to say, I don't even know why we kept that name, but we did, and it's been ten years now. It actually started out as my solo recording project, I was doing like four-track recording. And it developed into the band.

RFT: You guys record a lot of your own stuff right? I read somewhere that you bought all your own equipment?

Eric: Yeah, I'm really interested in audio stuff and have been for ten years, and hadn't really invested too much money until just the past few years. And now I have a 24-track studio setup in my basement. And that's what we did half of the album, the new album on. We did the other half at Workbook, the new Workbook. Which was a return, because the album before that, we had recorded half of it ourselves and the other half at another studio in Columbus called The Diamond Mine.

RFT: So how do you choose what to record where?

Eric: Well, the last album, we chose Diamond Mine because we went to the studio and it was really cool. It had a nice big room for drums. We wanted to have a big sound, for live recording. And that's what we did, we recorded all the tracks with all of us playing together at the same time, and then overdubbed with vocals guitars and keyboards. And we did that with this album as well, except for the home-recorded tracks. We did those sort of in layers, starting with drums, building up with bass, adding guitars, and then doing vocals. But with the Jon Chinn stuff, we did that live too. And I think that's one thing you can have in a studio, a big room and a nice sounding room. Because they record bands all the time and they know how to make it sound good. So that's, yeah, that’s why we chose there. And we wanted to record with Jon Chinn again, because we hadn't done it for awhile and we really like him. He's familiar with our sound and he knows, you don't really have to communicate a whole lot.

RFT: Do you still like your old music?

Eric: Yeah, I still like it. I barely ever listen to it. I listen to the Metronome stuff more because I like remixing it or something, you know. I mean, it's weird going back and listening to that stuff. I was just starting out and trying to write songs. The first record, me and Brian co-wrote some of the songs together, so that was kind of cool.

RFT: What do you think is Tiara's niche (as a pop band) in the Columbus scene?

Eric: It's hard. I mean, I think a lot of midwestern towns, there’s not a lot of pop music. Because they're either like, a rebellion going on, or whatever. There's a lot of punk rock, I think. There was a lot of punk rock. And now there's some hip-hop, which is getting really really popular. And then there's like, a couple of metal bands that are really doing it. But there's not a whole lot of like, straight pop-rock type stuff.

RFT: It seems to me like a lot of people listen to it, but there aren't a lot of people playing it.

Eric: Yeah, I know. I don’t really know the reason for that, but that’s how it’s always been. The Columbus scene has always been kind of strange, I think. For us, at least, we started playing in a totally straightedge, punk rock house, and that’s where we played our first show, it's called the Neil House. And that was strictly out of necessity, I mean, that was the place we could play. We made friends with some of those people because they accepted us into that scene. We weren't playing punk rock at all. But it helped us get out foot into the door, meeting a lot of people. We were sort of accepted even though we were playing a lot of pop things. We would have people boo us. I mean, we don’t really fit into a lot of these different things, so some night we would be booed, and some nights someone would come up, out of the blue, some crazy punk rock kid would come up on stage and be like "I really understand what you’re doing". And that was really cool. So, it's hard if you’re really trying to do something that’s not typical. It wasn’t that we were really trying to do something that wasn’t typical; we were just doing what we liked.

RFT: Is Austin as full of hipsters as I’ve heard?

Eric: Austin is a very hip city. It’s the only thing in Texas that we like besides just driving through it.

RFT: How did that happen?

Eric: I don’t know! It’s the college, it’s a college town. Four of five years ago, it was a lot like Columbus but even more advanced in the scene, a lot more happening musically with bands than Columbus.

RFT: What do you think the overall mood is of Chained to the Crown?

Eric: I think it's really hopeful, for me which is kind of strange. Because after Matt (Weaver) left, we weren’t really sure if we were going to want to continue as a band, because he was such an integral part of the band. I didn't know if I wanted to do it. A lot of the songs came out of that, they’re sort of hopeful in that we'll keep doing business.

RFT: How would you say that’s different from other albums?

Eric: It's definitely a contrast. A lot of the other stuff is a little more emotional. I wouldn't say emo, but a lot of people put that tag on it. It's just something I that’s from, like, when I write, I'm writing about things that happen to me. I mean, sometimes, I write about other people, but it's something that’s moving me to write about something. And a lot of the time it's not something pleasant. I think it’s really hard to write happy songs. I think it’s hard, for me at least. I have a lot of respect for people who write happy songs.


RFT: How have positive reviews in various music media outlets, such as All Muisc, affected your songwriting?

Eric: It didn't pressure me or anything. Touring is really difficult for me, so I think if anything, that has a lot of influence on the songs. I mean, I think getting press is good and it has its place, but for me, it's not a huge influence or anything. It's not much of a boost. I mean, it's definitely cool, like when we got the CMJ thing. We were getting added and we were in the top five adds in the CMJ charts, and they sent out an article in the press version of CMJ that goes out to all the labels and distributions and things like that. And that only lasted for a while. We went back to square one.

RFT: What's in the future for Tiara in the next few days/months/years?

Eric: Well, I mean, weeks, we’ll be practicing, you know, playing that show at Used Kids will be really cool. Used Kids is a place I've gone to for 15 years. Some of my fondest memories getting music is at Used Kids. So that will be fun. And for months, we'll be working on some new songs. We pretty quickly go to the next batch of new songs. I'm constantly trying to move on. I get bored of something really quickly. And then years, I don't know about years, you know? We'll see. Three-fifths of the band are married now, and my wife has a ten-year-old daughter, so that's because a big part of my life. And it's great, and I love it, but it makes things difficult with touring for a long time. I don’t think that’s going to stop us from making the music, so I want to keep doing as long as it's fun, years from now.

RFT: How old are you anyways?

Eric: I'm 32. I'm going to be 33 in December.

RFT: I was going to guess about five years younger.

Eric: Yeah, a lot of people say that. My mom and dad both look young. My wife looks younger too, so people see us together and think "aww, a new couple." And we’ve been married for like three years. I mean, it doesn't matter. It's probably a plus for me, how I look younger. I can still get out there and trick people.

RFT: What would you be doing with yourself if you weren't in a band?

Eric: Well, we all have full-time jobs. We're not really living off our music at all. We're lucky if we break even. But still, if I wasn't doing music at all, I'd probably be doing something involved with art. I went to art school. Music started being a creative outlet for me after I got out of art school. I might be working in a art school. I mean, I like coffee a lot (points at coffeemaker).

Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Harvey Danger : Little by Little Review



Remember Harvey Danger? Their first major release "Where Have All the Merrymakers Gone" included the quintessential annoying hit single "Flagpole Sitta". Well it wasn't as much annoying as we were all oversaturated with it, as tends to happen every time the national music industry decides something is a good thing. In terms of my lifespan, to go back to this era is a significant journey, and my middle school years is a place I would rather not tread at this point in time.

Of course, the success of such a novelty song just screams "one-hit wonder"... or to clarify, one mainstream-commercial success wonder. They put out another release in 2000, King James Version, to a certain amount of critical, if not financial success. The band was dropped from Warner Brothers and promptly broke up. After working on side projects, the band reformed in 2004, and started working on what became their new album.

The band is releasing their new release "Little by Little" in its entirety on their website. In the band's own words, here's why they're doing it. People are encouraged to make monetary donations to their cause, or to simply buy the CD, with an extra 30 minutes of music.

To be honest, releasing a record for free on the internet is going to make more of a splash than putting out a new one on any sort of label would. So does the record itself deserve any attention?


Little by Little certainly has a different overall sound than the last two records. The song "Cream & Bastards Rise" sounds a little more akin to older material with a stark post-grunge, sarcastic edge. With the musical climate as it is, the distorted guitar and 60's keyboards almost seem derivative. Also, it's a huge pet peeve of mine when a song screams SINGLE!!!! and this song definately does. It disrupts the flow of the album. This song is a connection to previous records, but seems out of place on what is overall a more reflective piece. If anyone actually buys this album for the single, there's a chance they might be pissed. It doesn't fit the record.

Piano, played by guitarist Jeff J. Lin, has a very prominent role on much of the album, with four of the first five tracks starting with piano introduction. This will cause comparisons to Ben Folds, Keane, and even Elvis Costello, and all are not entirely off. Regardless, this makes this section sound a lot the same.

Generally speaking, the record all meshes pretty well, with the exception of Cream & Bastards. The piano introduction section is limited to the first half of the record, with the more diverse stuff being in the latter half. Piano remains quite prominent thoughout, and is very well complimented by the excellent vocals of Sean Nelson. The whole of Little by Little is quite poppy, and bears comparison to the mood of Transatlanticism. Jangly, Chris Walla-esque guitars keeps pace.

Lyrical content remains mischievous, but turns introspective at times and even dabbles politically on "Diminshing Returns". A reoccurring theme seems to be focused on disappointment and seems to allude to the bands meteoric major-label experiences.

All this aside, the knock on the album is that it is not special in any way, besides the vocals. Musically speaking, while interesting at times, overall it does little more than announce the return of the once-successful band. This record doesn't do much to set itself apart and sounds quite a bit like a lot of music out there.

After a five year break, it seems that Harvey Danger is ready to make a splash on the music industry, but not entirely by the quality of the release. Little by Little is a solid, if unremarkable, album. It holds its ground in some respects but will ultimately be overshadowed by its unconventional marking strategy.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

John Lennon & Dirty Mac


I'm not even a huge classic rock fan, but this is amazing.

John Lennon performing Yer Blues with his backing band, comprised of Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and Mitch Mitchel drumming.

Definately a gold nugget I found on the Done Waiting forums.

John Lennon & Dirty Mac

Friday, October 14, 2005

A new iPod


Now this is by no means NEW news. If it is, which would suggest that this is your primary source for music information, then bless you. That's cute.

Apple recently released a new version of the iPod which now has VIDEO playback functionality. Wow!

When the iPod Photo was debuted, people were all left wondering the same thing: OK, so our iPods can display pictures now. So what?

Apple has worked out a deal with ABC to begin selling episodes of television shows for $1.99 a pop. Very similar to how iTunes allowed the music industry to make money off of a system of what amounted to piracy, this video downloading will allow the television industry to get in on the gold rush. People have been snapping up DVD's of TV shows ever since they appeared on the shelves a couple years ago.

Of course, selling episodes of TV shows is lucrative beyond belief and is creating revenue where there was none in the past. This new feature is the real news. Yet another way to make money where before there was no money.

Which leads me to my final question: will the iPod Video work out?

I have a hard time believing people are going to want to sit in a public library and watch Desparate Housewives, or see the sweetest new Jack Johnson Video while working out. Part of the appeal fo the iPod was the ability to listen to music while focusing on something else.

At least nerds will have yet another way to carry their huge porn files around.

Lisencing Stuff

Well.

In regards to podcasting, I always kind of assumed that if everyone was doing it, it must be perfectly legal. However, given that radio stations need broadcasting lisences, I guess it would stand to reason that podcasts would need podcasting lisences in order to be a 'legimate' podcast. So, it would appear that I have been podcasting a pirate signal. Which is completely fine for the time being.

If you are an artist or label, if you request that I remove something from a podcast, then I will happily comply. I will not be posting any more material without explicit knowlege of the lisencing situation for each specific instance.

This type of thing is quite hairy and there is little legal precedent for podcasting-related copyright issues. I will attempt to procure artist/label cooperation with all things I post and promise to play nicely in the future.

Monday, October 10, 2005

Hibernation

So it's been awhile. It seems RFT has fallen somewhat dormant... or in fact hasn't really ever taken off at all. Consider this as a stage in its lifecycle. I still haven't made this public in any way, except through people I really know personally.

My goal is originally to have this blog integrate into the network of music blogs and have mine be a somewhat more accessible version of DW sites and related subsidaries. Consider this to be a true representation of college rock. I AM NOT A HIPSTER, I am a college student. Therefore making my existence somewhat less ridiculous.

Anyways, I have a podcast up now and should have a new template in the near future. I hope to have accompanying pictures relatively soon also.

I picked up a ton of CD's at Used Kids. I think I will review one soon. I shall be seeking out a concert soon, also.

RFT-faithful, have temperance! The day of reckoning is nigh!