By: Shruti Chowdhary - Special correspondent to TheAdvocate.com December 18, 2012 (Meriwether plays Saturday, Dec. 22, at Hangar 13 in NO & Friday, Dec. 28, at The Varsity in BR) Being a rock band for almost a decade, Baton Rouge’s very own Meriwether has toured the country numerous times, been signed to a major record label and evolved through various genres of music. The original members of Meriwether formed the band in 2003, and quickly found success rocking out at home and nationwide. The group was purely rock-centric then and drew a vast variety of people to their sound. “Meriwether found a way to mesh and relate to everybody – people who like heavy music, singer/songwriter stuff, or softer catchier music,” Drew Reilley, creator and lead singer, said. “Everybody gets into different songs for different reasons. You might have this person singing every word of this song, and that person getting really into the next song.” Sounds like the typical scenario so many bands seem to fall into. However, Reilley is confident of the longevity of his musical project. Having taken a long sabbatical from the university, Reilley graduated from LSU this month, making room in his schedule for what he really wants to do. “I don’t see us quitting,” Reilley said “We play twice a month as opposed to 16 times a month, but I don’t see us ever stopping, no matter what. It’s too much fun. When the first two guys left the band, I didn’t play for three months. I went crazy.” Original members Stefon Bergeron and Joshua Barbier left Meriwether in 2010. Current members of the band are Drew Reilley (lead vocals, guitar), Skip Angelle (guitar, vocals), Josiah Menard (keys, guitar, vocals) Brent Armstrong of High Top Kicks (bass, vocals) and little brother Bob Reilley (drums). Bringing in new musicians has breathed new life into the band. Two years ago, Meriwether collaborated with local electronic duo High Top Kicks and formed a new group called Discovery Corps.
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By: John Wirt - Music writer The Advocate December 14, 2012 (Dash Rip Rock: 10 p.m. 12/15. Club Siberia, 2227 St. Claude Ave. NOLA) Novelty anthem “(Let’s Go) Smoke Some Pot,” by New Orleans’ purveyors of rock mischief and mirth, Dash Rip Rock, caught the attention of MTV News in 1995. A comic, punk-rock update of Danny & the Juniors’ 1957 doo-wop hit, “At the Hop,” the song became a national hit at college radio. Its notoriety endures to this day.Those who know Dash Rip Rock strictly through “(Let’s Go) Smoke Some Pot” may be surprised that the group released its 17th album last month. Davis sees dual audiences for Dash Rip Rock in Louisiana. One audience takes the band relatively seriously. The other sees it through “(Let’s Go) Smoke Some Pot”-clouded glasses. “They all show up and it’s a blast,” the grateful and quick-to-laugh Davis said. “But in other states and overseas, we’re taken a lot more seriously than we are around Baton Rouge and New Orleans. But my personality is one of humor and fun, so it’s a complicated relationship we have with Dash fans.” Ben Mumphrey, whose studio credits include the Pixies, Frank Black and the Breeders, produced and engineered Dash Rip Rock’s new album at the legendary Studio in the Country in Bogalusa. Mumphrey has been a Dash Rip Rock fan since his schoolboy days at Jesuit High School. The band’s ’80s performances for Tulane University’s outdoor concert series inspired him to write a fan letter to the group. He got a characteristically irreverent reply. “They were just crazy young guys, really funny and energetic,” Mumphrey said. By: Michael Farrar Special correspondent to theadvocate.com December 13, 2012 Liam Catchings believes in second chances. After he and his brother Ben lost $50,000 worth of stage equipment in the New Year’s Day fire at the Caterie bar in 2010 and their old band Barisal Guns broke up, the duo decided to rebound from their losses with a new endeavor, Liam Catchings and the Jolly Racket. “I think it’s absolutely great,” Liam Catchings said. “You spent time learning things and none of that goes away, so now you have a little bit more perspective. You have a better idea of how you’re going to market yourself. Everything is fresh. It’s like having a second lease on life.” During the Catchings brothers’ five-year run in the Barisal Guns, Ben (age 31) was the lead singer while Liam (age 27) played bass, but now it’s Ben who supports Liam as the new group’s front man. The current lineup of Liam Catchings and The Jolly Racket is Ben Catchings (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Brian Blanco (bass), Paul Emden (lead guitar) and Liam Catchings (guitar, lead vocals, keyboards). The band does not have a permanent drummer. Keeping things like the drumming spot flexible helps the Catchings brothers, who had to rebuild their previously uninsured music gear collection and find a new rehearsal space, which they customized for sound on a budget.
By: John Wirt Music writer-The Advocate December 07, 2012 Baton Rouge progressive-rock band Twin Killers likes to perform in unconventional venues. In April, Twin Killers played a multimedia show at the Manship Theatre featuring dancers, classical string players, backing vocalists and backdrop projections. Twin Killers and another local band, The Lazarus Heart, will appear in another unusual space, the Irene W. Pennington Planetarium at the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, Friday, Dec. 7. Twin Killers will utilize the planetarium’s 15,000-watt Surround Sound system and the space-oriented imagery that’s typically shown in the domed theater. “I think the music calls for it,” singer Jessica Ramsey said of the band’s planetarium performance. “We’ve done plenty of smoky barrooms.” “Not that barrooms are bad,” guitarist Andrew Martin added. “There’s a time for that, but we’re trying to encourage our audience to live in the music.” Martin anticipates that the audience’s attention will be divided between music and the show’s visuals. “We’re going to be more of a soundtrack rather than have all of the energy focused on us,” he said. “We’re hoping that people can get in a trance-like mindset.” Twin Killers features Martin, Ramsey, drummer Jermaine Butler, bassist and keyboard player Jeffrey Livingston and, the group’s newest member, violist Ruth Navarre. Dave Hinson, a instrumentalist who arranges strings for the band’s recordings, also will perform.
The addition of Navarre’s viola to the group was a natural choice for the band’s atypical music. “We wanted strings because the music is so dreamy,” Ramsey explained. Psychedelic-era projections of the kind Twin Killers used at the band’s Manship Theatre show and use of the planetarium’s images are another enhancement that fits the music. “Not necessarily sound wise but idea wise,” Martin said, “that’s my favorite era of music, the late ’60s, early ’70s.” Creating complex music and performing multimedia shows in off-the-beaten-path places are ways for Twin Killers to distinguish itself within the local scene, Martin said. By: CRISTINA JALERU - Associated Press Alicia Keys doesn’t do half-measures. Her fifth studio album, “Girl on Fire,” comes on hard and fast, seemingly stripped but rich in sound, triumphant to the point of a cinematic epic scope. It’s her first release since marrying producer-rapper Swizz Beatz and the birth of their son, Egypt. Keys’ name pops up buoyantly on all writing and producing credits of this 13-track record, a perfect mirroring of its title. But that’s no surprise. She does, however, collaborate with some new folks — including Bruno Mars, Frank Ocean, Jamie xx and Emeli Sande — and that helps make the album eclectic, while maintaining Keys’ signature — and stunning — sound. The Grammy winner’s voice feels unstoppable and free, channeling the martial pop of Beyonce on “New Day,” the romantic flourishes of Toni Braxton on the Maxwell-assisted “Fire We Make” and the bewitching auditory imagery of Tori Amos on the album’s grand finale, “101.” Nicki Minaj adds her brand of edge to the title track and lead single, while Keys’ toddler, Egypt, pulls an adorable coda on the jazzy industrial “When It’s All Over.” “Girl on Fire” feels organically fed with inspiration, from the drops of light of “Listen to Your Heart” to the weird urban sounds of “Tears Always Win” to the funky reggae riffs of “Limitless.” Keys is on fire, and burning all the competition. Pun intended. By Keith Spera, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 11/29/12 at 7:07 AM Dr. Dre, the rap producer who largely defined the West Coast sound in its early ‘90s heyday, topped the list by earning an estimated $110 million between May 2011 and May 2012, the time period considered for the list. But the bulk of that cash wasn't from his producer's fees, songwriting royalties or performances. Dre made around $100 million, writes Forbes' Zack O’Malley Greenburg, when he sold a 51 percent stake in his Beats by Dre line of headphones to Taiwan-based mobile device maker HTC Corporation. Roger Waters, the former Pink Floyd bassist and lyricist, came in second on the overall musicians' list with $88 million. The concert industry magazine Pollstar reported that Waters grossed $158 million from 63 performances in 2012 of his The Wall Live tour, which launched in 2010. Elton John came in third with $80 million from 100 shows over the same time period. U2 is in fourth place, scraping by on $78 million split between the four musicians. British boy band Take That – which barely has any presence at all in the United States – rounded out the Top 5 thanks to $69 million grossed during the group’s reunion tour. That tour included an unprecedented eight shows at London’s massive Wembley Stadium. Elsewhere on the list, country star Toby Keith and teen heartthrob Justin Bieber tied for 10th place with $55 million. Keith, Forbes said, made much of his money from his longrunning Ford sponsorship and his I Love This Bar and Grill restaurant chain. Bieber, meanwhile, oversees a growing portfolio of investments as a budding venture capitalist; he earned his own Forbes cover story earlier this year. By: Paul Sexton, Billboard.com London "It took us 50 years to get from Dartford to Greenwich," said Mick Jagger to 20,000 close friends on Sunday night, at what you might call the lip of the 02 Arena stage. The Rolling Stones were in the process of laughing in the face of logic with an extraordinary, 150-minute celebration of their 50 peerless years. This was the first of two 02 dates, with a second on Thursday, that have been widely pilloried in the British press for their exorbitant ticket prices. Jagger would soon acknowledge that discussion by looking to the top tiers of the arena and asking "How you doing up in the cheap seats? They're not that cheap though are they, that's the trouble." For all the controversy, the fact is that you never hear anyone coming away from a Stones gig complaining that they didn't get value for money, and so it was again here. Eventually, that is. Despite some engaging guest performances including the much-reported reunions with former bandmates Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor, the core quartet didn't hit top speed until the show's second half. When they did, they were untouchable. They were introduced by an irreverent film tribute featuring both "punters" and famous fans like Johnny Depp, Iggy Pop and Elton John, then by two files of black-clad drummers marching through the aisles. Augmented initially only by stalwart companions Chuck Leavell (keyboards) and Darryl Jones (bass), it was a delight to hear the Stones travelling back to their first first year of recording, 1963, to revive their second-ever single, "I Wanna Be Your Man." Dartford rhythm and blues was alive and well again. Performing under a giant red lip, with a giant video screen behind them and a semi-circular walkway out front to stretch out on, they continued in '60s vein with "Get Off Of My Cloud," "It's All Over Now" and "Paint It Black." By: MTV News/Rob Markman & Sway Calloway Lil Wayne has had a phenomenal run, but after 19 years in the game, the manic rap machine is looking to pull the plug — and it doesn't seem like he's looking back. Don't be too alarmed: Weezy still has his 10th solo LP, I Am Not a Human Being II, on deck, and on Wednesday, he premiered his brand-new "No Worries" video on MTV alongside correspondent Sway Calloway. When Sway asked about the sonic makeup of Human Being II, Tunechi compared the work to what should be the next chapter in his most famous musical franchise. "It's like a Carter V," he said. So why not just retitle Human Being II to fit the mood? "Because I know y'all want me around for a little bit, and Carter V is my last album," Weezy revealed. "Man, I've been rappin' since I was 8 years old. I'm 30 now, man. That's a long time, man." Weezy's next LP will hit shelves February 19, and after that, who knows when Tha Carter V will come or if there will be another album between the two? What's clear is that Wayne has other interests outside the studio, most notably his love for skateboarding and then, of course, there is his TrukFit clothing line. "When I love to do something, I'm fully focused on it and it only. And music sometimes is not that 'it,' " he said. Weezy put out his first solo album, Tha Block Is Hot, in 1999, but before that, he was cutting his teeth on Cash Money Records as part of the groups Hot Boys and the B.G.'z. If you go on to count his nine solo LPs, four Hot Boys albums, 2006 tag-team album with Birdman (Like Father, Like Son), his 2009 YMCMB compilation (We Are Young Money) and the dizzying number of mixtapes he has dropped, it becomes easier to understand how Wayne may be all rapped out. "I signed my contract at 11, I went platinum at 14. I'm 30 now. Thank God I haven't put out an album that hasn't went platinum," he said. "To just keep it goin' like that, I think not only am I being greedy, I'm fooling myself to think that it will continue to be that great." By: Michael Farrar- Special Correspondent to theadvocate.com When Thomas Johnson was a boy growing up in Baton Rouge, his mother taught him to play the piano. However, it wasn’t until his father picked up a guitar to play a blues song that the young Johnson was really hooked on music. “Honestly, I probably got into playing guitar because I saw him play “Stormy Monday” one time when I was a kid and I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Johnson said. Thomas Johnson and the People will be playing Chelsea’s Cafe on Friday, Nov. 23, but don’t expect a social media campaign about the event. Johnson said he prefers to focus more on the actual show. “I’m totally addicted to playing live music, but I don’t like spending the time pushing it,” Johnson explained. “I’m not even on twitter. It probably hurts me in some degrees, but you can get consumed trying to put your music in people’s faces all the time.” With that said, Johnson has posted quite a few live performance videos on his website, http://thomasjohnsonmusic.com. The site also has a trio of releases by Thomas Johnson & the People, which include the 2010 “Living Room” EP, the 2011 “Beneath the Trees” album and their most recent effort, the 2012 “It’s Okay, I’ll Die Too” album. Throughout those albums, Johnson’s music has grown from a polished studio sound to a low-fidelity approach with mostly acoustic arrangements recorded in a home studio. “When I go back to hear my recorded music, I enjoy the recordings made in the house in Lacombe more than the ones that were in the studio. I guess I can get more personal in my own space,” Johnson said. Another space that Johnson appreciates is the great outdoors, which feeds into his music. “I enjoy writing songs in a quiet outdoor environment,” Johnson said. “I like to go on long trail runs and I can usually clear my mind when I’m in nature.” Following his love of nature, Johnson took a demanding job on the sunny west coast after studying history at LSU. The explosive duo who comprises Crushed Out will bring their early American rock and roll sound to Baton Rouge and New Orleans next weekend. The band, formerly known as Boom Chick, will make stops at the Hartley/Veh Theatre in Baton Rouge, and at both Tulane University and The Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans. Crushed Out is the musical brainchild of vocalist and guitarist Frank Hoier and drummer Moselle Spiller, but don't let the short roster fool you — this band brings the noise. Much like the wall of sound created by Ohio's blues-rock duo The Black Keys, Hoier and Spiller know just what buttons to push to amplify their signature surfer rock and roll. "We really try to whip ourselves up to maximum energy. We're trying to put out ridiculous, joyous noise to get people moving and dancing," Hoier told NOLA.com during a stop in Phoenix on Nov. 19. Hoier said his 1960s-era guitar amps offer up a big, bass-filled sound he hopes keeps listeners from missing a bass player. |