Summer Hiatus
WERW will be off the air for the summer.
If you're a student at Syracuse University/SUNY ESF and are interested in being part of the station, fill out an application above.
See you in the Fall!
WERW Fall Concert Survey
Hey all!
Please fill out this survey regarding our upcoming Fall concert. We’d love to hear your feedback on shows at Syracuse.
POLIÇA’s “Lay Your Cards Out”
Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon said POLIÇA is the best band he has ever heard. And on that note, many are saying that this band is the best of what’s next, and hopefully what’s here to say. Bringing something truly innovative and exciting to the table, this Minneapolis-based four piece has totally stolen our hearts.
Their debut album, Give You the Ghost, is out now. Check them out on Spotify!
There’s Something You Should Know…: Swear and Shake
Alright, one of my favorite albums of the year currently is Swear and Shake’s Maple Ridge. Released back in April, the group originally from SUNY Purchase managed to do something a lot of bands only wish to do and be successful at: record an album 100% their own way. Maple Ridge was recorded in a barn. Yes, a barn. To answer all your questions about why all of this happened, here’s a mini-documentary about the making of the album.
I had the chance to see them at B.O.M.B. Fest 2011, only briefly. They were playing “Johnnie” live, which is also the first song that vocalists Kari Spieler and Adam McHeffy ever wrote together. That brief experience was enough to get me interested. Their first EP, appropriately titled Extended Play, was (I guess still is) 5-songs of a great beginning of a band with a lot of promise (ha, there’s a song called “The Promise” on the EP. Oh man, Swear and Shake jokes). Vocals by both Kari and Adam add depth to all their music and make it hard to classify any of their songs. Is it folk, is it country, is it adult alternative, is it pop, is it blues? I DON’T FREAKING KNOW. What I do know, though, is that the word independent does sneak in to every description I’ve heard and every description I’ve formed. It’s that kind of “independent” when you and your friends or peers just want to write music. So you do, and no body stops you. From there, it snowballs into something great. In order to keep that greatness, you don’t break from the process, or only amend the process to further enjoy your songwriting and general music making. When people see this happening, this is clearly independent music, and people support it. Which is why Maple Ridge is completely Kickstarter funding, and we come full circle into what makes Swear and Shake a band you should know about.
Off of Maple Ridge, I highly recommend “Marbles,” “Moving Parts,” and “These White Walls,” which has a wonderful video, seen below. Their next video for “Marbles” will (hopefully) be coming out soon. They don’t have too many tour dates at the moment, but they will be playing Mountain Jam, which is a huge deal. Check ‘em out if you can.
-Kyle Kuchta
Joe Bonamassa at the Landmark Theatre
School may be out, the Class of 2012 may have graduated, but Syracuse DOES rock on. Joe Bonamassa, arguably one of the best guitarists around, is gracing the city of Syracuse with his presence THIS THURSDAY, May 17, at the Landmark Theatre. He’s currently touring the United States to promote his upcoming album Driving Towards The Daylight, due out May 22. Show starts at 8pm, and tickets are available HERE. Student discounts are available when you buy tickets IN PERSON at the box office with your student ID. You definitely don’t want to miss this show, or any of the others this summer at the Landmark Theatre.
Concerts This Weekend: Our Picks (4/19-4/22)
Thursday, April 19
Trampled By Turtles w/ These United States
The Westcott Theater, Doors at 7pm, $20-$25
Contemporary bluegrass group straight out of Duluth, MN, Trampled By Turtles, will be turning the Westcott Theater into a straight-up hoedown with their crisp, high energy live show. The group JUST dropped their new album Stars and Satellites on April 10th, and released the single “Alone.” Opening will be These United States, a Washington, D.C. based band that has extensively toured for years, even gracing Funk n Waffles with their presence a year or so back. Check out TBT’s video for “Alone” below, and grab tickets before they sell out!
Friday, April 20
Funk n Waffles, 8pm, $7-$10
A band that released one of our staff member’s favorite albums of 2011, Pearl and the Beard is a firecracker of a band. That’s a good thing, obviously, I’ve just never wrote it so I’m not sure how it comes across. But they are a wonderful band, straight out of Brooklyn, NY and in transition of tours with Ingrid Michaelson and Ani DiFranco. Stopping off between their tour stops from Albany to Toronto, Pearl and the Beard is a show not to be missed.
Saturday, April 21
State Theatre of Ithaca, Show at 8pm, SOLD OUT!
Yes, even though this show is sold out, Dan Smalls Presents still brings some of the best shows to the Ithaca area, and this is no exception. The Avett Brothers put on one hell of a show, and their frequent returns to Ithaca make it a pretty important place to check them out. If you can find tickets from a neighbor or friend, snatch ‘em quick.
Sunday, April 22
Steve Aoki w/ Chemicals of Creation and Mike Smiroldo
The Westcott Theater, Show at 9pm, SOLD OUT!
Alright, alright, I know that’s two sold out shows this weekend. But hopefully this is an eye opener about how early you gotta grab tickets/how awesome it is if you already have tickets to these shows. Also, Steve Aoki is two for two on sold out Syracuse shows. Also, his live shows are nuts. Also, two awesome Syracuse based DJs are opening. Also, I’m gonna stop saying also. Try to get tickets, try to party hard Sunday night.
Check out UpstateShows.com for all upcoming shows in Upstate, NY!
Laidback Luke at the Westcott Theater (4/15/12)
Having seen Laidback Luke a dozen times already- and at huge massives, mind you- I wasn’t expecting the show to be anything spectacular; minus the fact that I knew Laidback Luke would put on a great set. But upon walking into the sold out show, I was surprised to find myself in an atmosphere that looked like so many of the raves I am accustomed to going to in LA. People were dressed up in neon colors and wacky rave-related accessories (like fluffies, fishnets, and kandi), people had LED gloves, and I was even shocked to find a girl dancing with a LED hula hoop despite the sweaty crowd.
The crowd only got thicker as time elapsed, but people still remained friendly with space, and I didn’t encounter much shoving despite being towards the front for most of the show. The atmosphere must have been a reflection of the fans Laidback Luke has and their understanding of the nature of rave culture. I met many friendly people- but had trouble engaging in conversations as the music was pervading my thoughts and hard to displace and ignore while being so close to the stage.
Laidback Luke came on around 11:45, with a flawless transition between his fourth opener (GTA) and played until approximately 2am. Though the lights were somewhat disappointing- simply being a repeating projection from a Macbook- the charisma Laidback Luke had on stage and his set made up for it. He had a smile plastered on his face the whole time and threw up his L’s frequently, getting a positive reaction from the screaming, dancing crowd as they threw up the L’s back at him. I noticed that although he didn’t play many of his own original songs and mixes, the crowd was just as pleased by his set as he played to his fans tastes. In his two hour set he remixed popular songs like: “Maximal Crazy,” “Internet Friends,” “Somebody I Used to Know,” “Cinema,” and “Warp 1.9″- making the crowd go crazy as he used favorites while still DJing at the same time. He played with his audience using just beats to encourage them to sing along with recognizable songs- and then kicking up the bass when he got the reaction he wanted.
His last song was “Turbulence” as he made the crowd go crazy dancing, prolonging one of his more popular songs, and then abruptly stopping all music. He threw up his L’s one last time, as the crowd followed, and was beaming at his audience in the Westcott’s small venue, just as proud as if he were staring at the crowd he faced at Ultra’s main stage. The crowd was quiet (as a result of the abruptly stopped music), disappointed, and pleased all at the same time, as the show was a phenomenal success that much of his audience wasn’t ready to stop dancing to.
-Charlotte Horton
Some of my personal Instagram photos of the show:
http://instagr.am/p/JdwDl8wTak/
The Answer is: Pulp
“The Beatles or The Rolling Stones?” Is one of the most oft asked questions posed to both music connoisseurs and the general observers, alike. However, I am beginning to hear a new dichotomy being presented to music listeners: Oasis or Blur? With the Gallagher brothers continuing to badmouth and bicker like GOP presidential candidates through press venues like NME, there is little hope of an Oasis reunion in the next millennium. Blur has recently reunited for the purpose of the Closing Ceremonies at the London Summer Olympic Games and a few British gigs. However, Blur’s Damon Albarn has promised that the reunion will be short-lived with no new creative output. Seeing that we can only honor these bands through their back catalogues and our own nostalgia, I put forth an alternative to this false dichotomy: Pulp.
Although several years after the “1992 Singles War” between Oasis and Blur, Pulp strongly reaffirmed the Brit-pop genre with their albums like Different Class and This is Hardcore. Songs like “Pencil Skirt” and “Common People” reflected themes of misguided love affairs, social stratification, and taking refuge in less than legal activities. Pulp’s writing applies as much today as it did in 1994.
Just as significant as the timelessness of Pulp’s music, the band is now touring under a reunited Different Class line-up. Earlier this week, the band performed two shows at Radio City Musical Hall in New York City and will be performing later this week at Coachella Festival in Indio, California. They will also be playing a string of shows in Mexico and Europe.
If Pulp’s recent performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is any indication, Pulp is set for a big year. Lead-singer Jarvis Cocker has held up remarkably well and remains perfectly lanky and awkward. His trademark thick frame glasses and salt and pepper beard only help to highlight his experience as a compelling front man. Cocker has indicated a more substantial reunion tour will take place later in the year. He has also hinted that he has been writing new material for the group.
While people lament the dissolution of Oasis and the fleeting Blur reunion, I look forward to a reunion tour and new creative output of a band whose music has remained just as relevant to contemporary Western society.
-Julie Merryman
