Thursday, April 29, 2004
For anyone wishing to listen to the manic Stayfun broadcast tonight, you can tune in directly here from 8pm CET. Further details are available in the Broadcast area.
:: Posted at 7:49 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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This "Queen's Night" things are going a bit wonky at Broadcast Stayfun. Due to the fact that most people will be out on the town, I am breaking all the rules and putting aside my mission to provide new music for a week. Instead, look out for two hours of guitar rock designed to make me wonderfully happy. From Teenage Fanclub to Nirvana, Pretty Girls Make Graves to Split Enz, or The Thermals to Helium. It's self-indulgent, but it sounds great. Tune in between 8 and 10pm (CET).
:: Posted at 2:18 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Sunday, April 25, 2004
The end of Guided by Voices has arrived. Or at least it's coming. There's a statement on their website detailing the breakup of the band later this year after the release of new album Half Smiles of the Decomposed and the following tour.
:: Posted at 11:24 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Thursday, April 22, 2004
Scanning the Paradiso schedule tonight, it became apparent that the line-up of May 13 has been slaughtered. Gone are Sin Ropas, Secret Machines, and TV on the Radio, but apparently the reshuffle now sees the inclusion of Iron Wine as support to Blonde Redhead. I haven't seen this listed anywhere else, and it's potentially a shame for Timesbold if it's true because they'd be up against it. Still, it's an impressive evening.
:: Posted at 11:29 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Stayfun will be broadcasting a bit later than usual tonight at 10PM. However, tune in for bands like Bauer, This Beautiful Mess, Sleater-Kinney, The Shins, Timesbold, Ghost Club, The Jessica Fletchers, and an exclusive from Aereogramme.
:: Posted at 5:02 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Tuesday, April 20, 2004
I am slowly compiling my experiences of Motel Mozaique, so you can see reviews appearing over in the live section. Aside from the music, there was some nice art, performances, and strange films. All in, a lovely cultural experience.
Actually, Motel Mozaique is one of the nicest festivals I've ever experienced. It compiles a diverse selection of interesting bands, contains a relaxed but organized atmosphere, and manages to present it all with ticket prices lower than what other venues are charging for one band. The Netherlands possibly does these multi-venue indoor festivals better than any other country, and of all, Motel Mozaique is one of the most impressive. Its only real negative point is having too much happening at once, so it's impossible to catch everything you want to.
And another major bonus is that most performances have already been archived by 3voor12 online, so it can all be relived. Who needs reviews anyway?
In other festival news, The Music In My Head in Den Haag may not be quite as grand as Motel Mozaique, but it too has quite an impressive lineup, which now features the new additions of The Stands, The Duke Spirit, Sarah Bettens, and the only Dutch performance scheduled for Sun Kil Moon.
:: Posted at 11:13 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Tortoise will be webcasting their Washington concert on Saturday 24 April. The event is being broadcast by their label Thrill Jockey.
The bands Dutch tour dates include:
July 1: Swinging Groningen, Groningen
July 2: New Forms Festival, Den Haag
July 8: Paradiso, Amsterdam
:: Posted at 1:03 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Sunday, April 18, 2004
This weekend sees the opening of the new Stayfun Shop.
Conceived as a place where independent Dutch bands can sell copies of their CDs and other merchandise, the aim is to provide low prices, fast service, and good music. You can read more about the ideas on the shop pages, and if you are in a band and possibly looking to sell a CD, please get in touch for more details.
The shop is launching with a one-off American special, however. 50 Foot Wave, the new project by Kristin Hersh, has their debut six song EP available throughout Europe in two or three weeks time. In what is a very limited offer, though, Stayfun has a handful of copies on sale for €6,50 including postage and packing in the Netherlands, which is even cheaper than the digital release currently available from 4AD. Preferred payments are by Paypal, however, it may also be acceptable to receive girorekening.
:: Posted at 12:00 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Thursday, April 15, 2004
Broadcast Stayfun shall return for another hour of music tonight at 8PM (CET).
:: Posted at 1:27 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Motel Mozaique is approaching rapidly, and really, the only way to be kept up to date with the festival is to check their website daily and join the mailing list to catch the last few news updates. It's a great thing to have a diverse festival like this in Rotterdam and if it continues to receive good support, then it's going to continue growing each year.
The schedule seems to still be going through little transformations every so often, but this current agenda should see people through the most important information.
:: Posted at 11:54 am by Steven McCarron ::
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Tacoma Radar release their debut album No One Waved Goodbye in the UK via Andmoresound Records this week. The label is actually more famous for its releases by Camera Obscura, however, Tacoma Radar have long been part of the scene too, so it's pleasing to say that the new album is lovely. The official release date for it was April 12, and with distribution from Shellshock, it should also be available in selected Dutch record shops. If not, you can always buy it online.
The Catherine O'Halloran Band are a newish entity in Scotland, taking traditional folk styles and running with it. It's interesting and pretty, plus they're virtually offering a free digital album as a sampler right now, so take it while you can.
Last week also brought a lovely Belle and Sebastian review from their Vredenburg show. As well as reading about it, though, you can also listen to audio streams of the concert over at 3voor12, if that's your thing.
:: Posted at 11:36 am by Steven McCarron ::
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Thursday, April 08, 2004
As stated a while ago on Stayfun, Scout Niblett will be releasing her cover version of 'Up Town Top Ranking' as a single on Too Pure, but only now is there confirmation of the release date - May 24.
Her tour dates for the US and UK are finalised but still no definite word on the Dutch part. It should happen around the end of May, though.
:: Posted at 9:18 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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For anyone wishing to listen to the Stayfun broadcast, you can tune in directly here from 8pm CET. Further details are available in the Broadcast section.
:: Posted at 7:54 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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There is some Stayfun pre-Easter experimentation going down tonight. For anyone around, there shall be an hour long broadcast of independent music at 8PM (CET). More details will be available later this evening, but if you have an mp3pro codec ready then you'll have a better listening experience.
:: Posted at 2:52 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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Friday, April 02, 2004
Quite a few pieces haven't been mentioned in the past week so here goes...
Album reviews. Ane Brun is touring through the Netherlands in April, and there is now a review of this Norwegian singer/songwriter's album Spending Time With Morgan available. Great music for an acoustic mood.
Maxton Grainger released their debut 7" on Kabukikore a while ago, but only now has a chance arose to write a full review. The songs are complex but it's high quality indie rock. If only the music industry would embrace music with brains like this.
Onelinedrawing have been part of my music world for quite a few years now, so it's always nice to see new releases under the name. The Volunteers is a pretty album and possibly contains some of the project's best songs to date as well. And if that wasn't enough, the album is packed with MP3 demos and extras.
There were also a few recommendations this week. Denmark's lampshade make a really nice form of fuzzy post-rock with lovely female vocals. They're also on tour in the Netherlands next week, and as well as playing a few dates in Amsterdam, they shall be appearing a few times across in the country in the coming few months. Well worth checking out.
Dutchies, Foam, are quite new to the world of Stayfun, but their demos have impressed me greatly. Nice website, nice music. Start with the recommended song and then download all that is available.
And finally, My Latest Novel, a newish band from Glasgow. New enough that I know very little about them, but they're currently recording a 3 song CD so that's something to look forward to. Their sound is laced with lovely harmonies and it's really the perfect type of indie pop for the current spring weather. Of all the recent songs I've come across on various band websites, this is one of the nicest so check it out.
:: Posted at 8:39 pm by Steven McCarron ::
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