KRUI’s music director Max Johnson and website editor-in-chief Kendall McCabe recently visited New York City to attend the 2012 CMJ Music Marathon and participate in the CMJ College Radio Day. Read about all their adventures in the Big Apple right here!

Wednesday

Kendall: On Wednesday, one of my favorite panels was “Non-Traditional Catalysts of Breaking an Artist”. The panel discussed tools like college radio stations, SoundCloud, Twitter, Facebook, and how bands and management can use these to their advantage. The discussion definitely left me with a lot to ponder. Here at KRUI, we’re on the opposite end of things, booking in-studios and reviewing new albums. The panel reminded me of the hard work and planning that goes into promoting an artist before the CD ever comes in the mail here. Not only did the talk expand my view of the music industry as a whole, it reminded me how powerful college radio stations are all over the world in terms of breaking and promoting independent artists who might otherwise not receive much exposure.

Max: My favorite panel on Wednesday was “The Microphone and Pre-Amp”. I’m very interested in recording, and the panelists offered a lot of creative ideas. One idea I specifically liked that they discussed at length was using two different microphone sources. It was interesting to hear about using two microphones to record, while having one really compressed sound mixed with another mic with a clean sound.

Kendall: Wednesday night we visited Webster Hall to see Yukon Blonde, Hey Rosetta!, and The Jezabels. Hey Rosetta! kept my attention, though they did sound a little bit too inspired by the Arcade Fire, circa 2006. I liked that they had a violinist and cellist who added a really nice string texture to their otherwise standard indie-rock songs. The auxiliary percussion added a fun, jangly vibe which also aided the group’s compositions from slipping into monotony.

Australia’s The Jezabels played last and tore it up. As the band took to the stage, the crowd surged forward to better hear frontwoman Hayley Mary’s impressive vocal range in action. (My first thought? “Isn’t it dangerous for her to sing like this every night?”)

The band’s sound is a bit of a 90s goth throwback, but modernized to fit within today’s alternative music scene. The crowd was extremely entranced— if not simply by the music, then by the dazzling light show or perhaps even by Hayley’s subdued, Lady Gaga-style outfit.

The post 2012 CMJ Music Marathon Dispatch: Wednesday appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On Sunday, October 7th at 2 p.m. general manager of Reddit Erik Martin, Cheezburger CEO Ben Huh, and representatives from Local Motors and AgLocal visited the KRUI studios. The group discussed SOPA/PIPA and other laws that could curb the effectiveness of the Internet as we know it today.

Listen to the full interview here:
[audio:http://krui.fm/assets/music/reddit.mp3]

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No secrets between friends, ignorance is bliss. Brooks Strause is a singer, songwriter and musician from Iowa. Since first crawling out of incapacitating melancholy to begin playing music in the late nineteen-nineties when he was in high school, Brooks has written hundreds of songs, played numerous shows in and around Iowa, and toured in the United States and Canada.

Brooks contributed to the Englert Theatre’s Iowa City Song Project, and his song “Strange City” was chosen as the single. Strause will perform the work on Iowa Public Radio’s “Java Blend” on Friday, October 12, as well as at the Iowa City Song Project Record Release Show at the Englert Theatre on Friday, November 2.

Over the past year, The Englert Theatre commissioned 31 musicians and bands to write and record songs inspired by experiences or impressions of Iowa City. The songs — the bulk of them recorded locally — were collected into a compilation album called the Iowa City Song Project. The album features a diverse collection of artists tapping into sounds that range from roots-rock traditions to the experimental and avant-garde. It all makes sense: Iowa City is the home to folk-rock legends Greg Brown and Bo Ramsey, and it is also home to Night-People Records, the LP and cassette label that has released music from Dirty Beaches, Peaking Lights, and its flagship band Wet Hair.

Iowa City has always been a welcome stage for Americana of all types — the folk sounds heard at The Englert Theatre and the 50-year old Mill, the rock ‘n roll at Gabe’s, and the new sounds heard at basement and house shows. This collection of songs, which could never claim to be the final word on a continually growing music community, is nonetheless a colorful snapshot of the scene that has been inspired by this small but vibrant town. The Iowa City Song Project is The Englert Theatre’s first commissioned work.

The album will be available from Maximum Ames on 2xLP, CD, and digital formats starting November 6.

The post Track of the Week: “Strange City” by Brooks Strause appeared first on KRUI Radio.

With help from Iowa lady legend Leslie Hall, Pennyhawk shines in this beautifully Blues Clues-esque clip. Check out the video, and if you’re in Ames, IA for the Maximum Ames Music Festival, stop by her free show on Friday, September 21 at 7 PM at Stomping Grounds.

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On Saturday, September 1 the Heligoats squeezed in a visit to the KRUI studios after recording a Daytrotter session and before their show at Gabe’s. The Washington-based group has a forthcoming album, due out the end of October 2012.

Full interview audio:

Check out The Heligoats’ video for “Fishsticks”, a KRUI favorite:

The post In-Studio: The Heligoats — 9/1/12 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Early Friday morning, September 7th, Iowa City anticipated President Barack Obama’s arrival to the University. Flooded streets full of students and community members awaited their beloved president as around 8,000 gathered in between Macbride and Jessup hall to hear the President speak about the upcoming election.

Most of the afternoon consisted of crammed spaces and flooded sidewalks but as soon as Vice-President Joe Biden walked onto the stage, cheers began echoing through downtown. “He has courage in his soul, he has compassion in his heart and he has steel in his spine” Vice President Joe Biden exclaimed about Barack before introducing the President.

“Hello Hawkeyes!” the President greeted the anxious crowd. “It is good to be back at the University of Iowa!”. He began his speech reflecting on the previous nights events before beginning to explain his plans on moving forward and the choice that Iowa City will make in a short 18 days upon the election.

President Barack Obama began listing the four important aspects of his political agenda only to be interrupted with chants of “Four more years” in between his words. Exporting more products with help from local Shipping Container Hire services and outsourcing fewer jobs around the world was just part of his first plan on moving forward. His second plan; controlling more of our own energy. “Ya know, this is great but you haven’t even heard the third thing yet” Obama exclaimed upon the excited chants that interrupted his list. Training new workers and creating new jobs right here in the United States of America was just part of the plan to offer the nation a better path forward. Giving Americans the chance to gain the skills they need to learn to compete was the third aspect on the agenda and the crowd once again broke into applaud after the President’s remarks of the plan cutting deficits by 4 trillion dollars.

President Obama reflected on affordability of education for the middle class, ensuring the importance of financial aid and offering accessible and affordable education. “Education was the gateway for opportunity for me…all of you students understand, this is the ticket for a middle class life.” Obama said. “Now you’ve got a choice, you can go with the other folks plan and gut education, or we can decide that here in the United States of America, no body should have their dreams set aside because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school”. Barack reflected on the amounts of scholarships and Pell grants that have doubled since he first came into office four years ago before the eager crowd once again began rejoicing.

“You see that sign that says forward? We don’t go forward without you” Obama exclaimed. The President stressed the importance of not only registering to vote, but also ensuring that the community is registered to vote. “The election four years ago wasn’t about me, it was you” Barack said. “If you stop, change won’t happen”. “I promised we’d end the war in Iraq- we did. I said we’d wind down the war in Afghanistan- we are. And as a new tower arises above the New York skyline, Al-Qadi is on the batch of defeat and Bin Laden is dead.” He exclaimed over the crowd of attentive and enthusiastic supporters

“If you use the power, that you have we will create more good jobs in America. We will generate more homegrown energy in America, We’ll hire more teachers in America and we will send more young people to college right here in America. We’ll bring our troops home and we’ll take care of our veterans and we’ll open up more doors of opportunity to every American who’s willing to work hard. We will win Johnson County. We will win Iowa… We will finish what we started and we’ll remind the world why the United States of America is the greatest nation on earth.”

To register, go to www.Gottaregister.com and www.Gottavote.com. Stay connected to the campaign by texting OBAMA (62262).

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SNL head writer and cast member Seth Meyers graced the stage of the IMU Main Lounge for the fall’s first installment of the UI Lecture Series on Wednesday August 22, 2012. After about an hour long stand-up set that covered everything from college futons (a true crime against humanity) to economic unrest in Europe, Meyers stopped by the KRUI Studios for an exclusive interview with staff from KRUI and the Daily Iowan. Throughout the course of the interview, he also took questions submitted by KRUI listeners.

Seth Meyers will return to New York this fall to begin his eleventh season as an SNL cast member and his sixth season as both head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor.

A graduate of Northwestern University, he got his start at the ImprovOlympic before moving on to the Boom Chicago Theater in Amsterdam, Holland. His acclaimed show “Pick-ups and Hiccups” with partner Jill Benjamin toured Europe and eventually caught the eye of “SNL.”

Most recently, Meyers returned to host the 2011 ESPY Awards on ESPN and headlined the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner to rave reviews.

Listen to the full interview here:

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Somewhere on the spectrum between Bjork and Braids lies Purity Ring, whose debut album Shrines was released on July 24.

“Fineshrine” may be the Montreal-based duo’s most easily accessible song; the gossamer modern beats and synths simply aren’t enough to hide the intrinsic pop sensibility lying beneath. Yet, lurking in the lyrics is a deeply tormented quality that sets this track apart. The repeated line “Cut open my sternum and pull my little ribs around you”—which, at first, seems to veer dangerously close to cutesy, Ingrid Michaelson-esque territory— is raw and daring.

Stream “Shrines” in its entirety at NPR before it is released on 4AD.

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In honor of Ramona & The Swimsuits‘ show this Thursday, May 24 at The Mill (and also Ramona’s recent birthday), KRUI has selected “Grown Ups” as the first summer track of the week!

If Leslie Hall was making top-secret cutesy recordings in her bedroom, or if Kimya Dawson sang a little more about various pastas, the result would be the sugary batch of songs that Ramona & The Swimsuits have crafted together. With sweet choruses and over-the-top DIY outfits, Ramona & The Swimsuits fit right in as openers for Leslie Hall on her most recent national tour. Avid Leslie fans will recognize two of the Ly’s in band members Ramona and Kate.

The group’s show at The Mill on Thursday begins at 9 PM and costs $7. Pennyhawk, led by Kate Kennedy, will open. She will also perform with Leslie Hall as the duo Neon & Nude.

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Folk chanteur Joe Pug has become an Iowa City favorite over the years. Once upon a time, he channeled his creative efforts into playwrighting. Nowadays, he uses his dusty, whiskey-tinged vocals and strums his guitar to tell his stories. Pug’s latest album, The Great Despiser, was released on April 24, 2012.

The title track from the new album shows a more upbeat, pop-oriented side of the musician. While, in the past, Pug favored solo acoustic guitar and minimalistic arrangements, this track is a welcome change, as it includes some harmony vocals, springy drumming, and a killer electric guitar part.

Listen to “The Great Despiser” by Joe Pug:

Want more?

• Joe Pug will play at The Mill on May 15, 2012 in support of The Great Despiser.

• KRUI caught Joe Pug performing at the Englert Theatre in October 2010 and churning out songs like the gorgeous “Hymn #101” and the protest song “I Do My Father’s Drugs”.

• Joe Pug also visited KRUI and performed live on February 23, 2010.

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