The Key: How would you say songs, this one in particular, change between when you first write and when you have a finished / recorded project?

Frances Quinlan: This was really different from songs I’ve worked out in the past; it’s been a while since I’ve really felt like I had to beat the shit out of a song. I remember reading this interview with Tom Waits and he was talking about how some songs come to you in a dream and some songs are like a dance. And some songs you have to drag kicking and screaming and, like, fight with them. I really felt like this song was a fight. I remember we were jamming it a while back and everyone was like, “yeah, you know, this is cool.” But we really did not have strong feelings about it until we got in the studio and hashed it out. The structure was the same, but the feeling of it changed in the studio.

TK: So when you say, “when we got in the studio” do you mean you got to Miner Street and didn’t know that was song you were going to record?

FQ: No, we knew. We had no other song that I really felt confident enough to say, “oh sure we could make this work in a day”. This one started out as a very straight song. I thought it was mellow! To me it was like a uniform feeling all the way through, but it was steady and I was like, “that’s what we have, this is what we can work with, we can do something and it won’t be terrible”…you know? But no, we got in there and it was like 75 percent, 80 percent done. It needed some character to it. But that’s why you take that shit to a studio and figure it out! [laughs]

TK: Getting it to that 75 percent, is that just stuff you worked out with Mark [Quinlan, drummer], Tyler [Long, bassist] and Joe [Reinhart, guitarist]?

FQ: Yeah, basically by playing it again and again and again. And really, a major thing was just the way I’d been singing it for so long. When that changed, for me it was a pivotal change for the song. And also the parts that Joe wrote and Peter [Helmis, keyboard player] wrote. When we practice, it’s hard to hear everybody; it sounds a little bit chaotic.

TK: And then the extra character that the song picks up in the studio setting…does that just come from being that environment and knowing that you’re committing it to a recording?

FQ: I think it’s just having a good producer, and I think Brian and Jon did a great job. I was working with people I felt comfortable with, with whose opinions I felt comfortable hearing. I mean, I’m still difficult as ever…I still went downstairs and I was like, “I don’t know, I don’t know.” But I always do that! But Brian was really great, because Brian’s a vocal guy. He really cares. For a lot of people the most exciting part is the guitar or the drums or just the instruments rather than the lyrics or the vocal takes. And I think with Brian, he’s like me, he really cares. He was like “Alright that’s good. Let’s take another pass.” It’s like “thank you!”, because most people are like, “alright that’s good, let’s stop” when I don’t feel good about a take. In the studio, there needs to be a leader. I’m not a very good leader. I’m not good at saying, “Listen, let me tell you why this is the take we need to use of yours,” you know? But luckily, Mark and Tyler are confident enough to be like, “that was my best.” I feel like I need somebody to be there to be like, “Frances, they’re getting worse” or “Frances this is a really good one.” But even then I’m still like, “you don’t know, I know!” [laughs] But there’s times when I’m like “listen we haven’t gotten there yet, I can do it, just give me a few more tries.” It’s hard, because sometimes you don’t even realize when you’ve done your best take. You really don’t. And that happens even with great producers.

TK: What was it like being in this situation where you’re like, “we have a day to record a song.” Because, like, with Get Disowned…

FQ: It’s like the antithesis of that? [laughs] Well, I think every record should be different, I think every recording experience should be different. I’m glad we didn’t do Get Disowned in a day, because we weren’t ready, we did not go in ready. But it’s not like we walked in and they said, “surprise you’ve got a day.” We knew the whole time, so we practiced the shit outta that song, and we still knew that there were pieces of it missing. But that’s what they want. They didn’t want us to come in with like an 100 percent “alright let’s lay it down” and that’s it. You know, we had a lot of room to do some cool experimental stuff, and try different methods and that’s what they wanted and that’s what I wanted to. And, God, if Joe told us, “alright, you have a day to record every song for Get Disowned” I’m sure we would’ve approached it a lot differently, but I’m glad we did that the way we did it, I mean, it was very honest to that time. And for the next record, I wanna approach that differently. I probably wouldn’t say, a song a day, cause there’s just so many…we had five players. I can’t believe we did it in a day. But it worked out, and, I love how it came out. I think Shaking Through is a really cool thing and I love seeing the process. You know, like I’m totally into process and stuff like that. And that was fun man, that was a fun two days. And they had good coffee; it was such a blast! But again, every time you record something, you’re in a different space you’re not the same person you were from the last record you made, right? So the experience should change, so I’m really grateful to know now that we can do it. We could, with the right people and resources, we could record a song in a day and be proud of it. That’s very exciting. I’m glad to know that we don’t have to spend two years on the next record. [laughs]

Shaking Through: Hop Along from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

TK: When you said that it was five players, you mean Joe and Peter were there too?

FQ: And the three of us? Yeah. And dude, everybody made it, everybody changed that song. The second I finished my vocal take, I did not feel strongly about it at the time and I was kinda like, “huh, I don’t know,” cause I had just changed it. The version that everyone is gonna hear is, I had changed how I’d been singing that song for months into that version and I had kinda just figured it out. And so we kept one of the early takes and I felt so unsure about it and then Joe went in a laid down his guitar and it was fucking phenomenal and it changed the whole song. And then Peter put his keyboard down and that changed the song even further. And I’m like, “thank God you guys are here” It’s awesome to know that we’re a five piece and that every piece is fundamental to that song, you know? Nothing is wasted. And when you have a day, you can’t waste time being like, “well what if we just, played flute backwards and see if…” I mean, we still did some stuff like that, but it’s easier to be like “look, we don’t have time, let’s keep it.” It’s cool to do a barebones song.

TK: Yeah, it’s like it focuses it a little bit.

FQ: Yeah, and it was exciting to like write a song and have it come out like…I feel like it’s a little Replacements-y. Like, just that great driving pop sound, you know? And I love that. I mean, I never do that. I always write, weirdly-patterned things, you know? And that song…I was really excited to write a straight song.
TK: So what’s in the future for new Hop Along material?

FQ: A lot more writing I need to do. I’ve kinda put a lot of songs at the wayside. And that was one of those things, it’s just the year where I have to beat the shit out of all of my songs.

In addition to sets by Shaking Through alums Ava Luna and Twin Sister, this week’s event will feature the premiere of Volume 4 Episode 1 with R&B singer Steven A. Clark and appearances by members of Dr. Dog, The War on Drugs, Man Man and Purling Hiss.  Tickets and information for the 21+ show can be found here.  Below, watch the Shaking Through episodes from Ava Luna and Twin Sister.

Shaking Through: Secret Mountains from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

The Left Banke has been called one of the originators of baroque pop music. They had their first major hit with “Walk Away Renee” in 1966, only a year after they had been playing together. Their vocal harmonies, classical arrangements, and use of various instruments account for their worthy performances. Check them out tonight at World Cafe Live downstairs at 8 p.m. Tickets are $28 plus processing fees.

Tommy Conwell, better known for his days as the frontman of the Philadelphia band, Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers, plays tonight at Haddon Lake Park. This concert is free for all ages and starts at 7:30 p.m. Get directions and more information here.

Finally, country rock legend and singer/songwriter Willie Nelson is playing at the TD Bank Arts Center in Sewell, New Jersey. He will be joined by his son Patrick and other members of the family. They played at our annual Non-Comm earlier this May, you can listen to that performance here. (via the XPN media player). Tickets to tonight’s performance range from $29-59; the show takes off at 7:30 p.m.

Raphel Cutrufello and the collection of Philadelphia folk musicians who go by the nom de plume Hezekiah Jones play tonight at World Cafe Live. The jammin’ crew was part of Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through series in March of last year, curated by WXPN’s Bruce Warren, when they recorded their song “Borrowed Heart”; check out the episode below. Griz (who just played at Haddon Lake Park on Wednesday with Mike Doughty) is performing a set, and Philly favorites Cheers Elephant round out the bill. This phenomenal line-up of bands starts this evening at 8 p.m. at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia. You can buy advance tickets to the show here.

Photo by Peter English | Weathervane Music

When Ava Luna was in town back in January, opening for Twin Sister at Johnny Brenda’s, they recorded one of the very first video sessions with Out of Town Films; check out that video here.

This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a song by Purling Hiss called “Lolita.” This month’s episode was recorded in early April at Miner Street Recordings, and guest curated by The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel.

From the folks at Shaking Through:

We’ve been hearing about Purling Hiss and its creator, Mike Polizze, for some time now, echoing within the inner circuit of Philadelphia’s most esteemed music elite: Kurt Vile, Richie Charles, The War on Drugs. Local promoters can’t seem to get enough of band as well — their enthusiasm fueled by The Hiss’ huge sound, out-sized energy and classic rock n’ roll vibes.

Adam Granduciel, frontman and guitarist for the Philadelphia-based band The War On Drugs, curated the episode. Of everyone he knew, Purling Hiss was the one he believed would seize the opportunity and create something remarkable, and so he and the band converged at Miner Street in Philadelphia to record “Lolita” over the course of a warm weekend in early April. The result: Polizze’s swirling guitar riffs, and the band’s rebellious rhythm (Mike Sneeringer on Drums and Kiel Everett on Bass), take the listener into a triumphant rock-n-roll landscape, one that can’t be passively pushed aside in today’s music.

You can listen to the track and watch the video below; visit Shaking Through’s website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

From the folks at Shaking Through:

Ever since meeting Cat Martino during our first Shaking Through session with Sharon Van Etten, we’ve known she’s a woman with a powerful voice. Since then, we’ve watched her collaborate with an incredible repertoire of artists (Sufjan Stevens, The Shins) as she’s developed her solo career. Now, two years later, we were thrilled to bring her back to Philadelphia for another go in the studio—this time, with her work as the focus.

While many wrapped up their SXSW trips, Martino visited us from Brooklyn for a weekend in the middle of March. Enlisting the help of frequent collaborator Sufjan Stevens and Philly drummer Chris Powell (Man Man), she set to work on “I Promise,” an electronic-influenced slow jam about letting go of past relationships.

You can listen to the track and watch the video below; visit Shaking Through’s website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

Shaking Through: Cat Martino from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

From the folks at Shaking Through:

Fiore’s first foray into music was as a teenager, playing guitar on porches in his hometown of Rochester, NY with neighborhood friends and their parents. A foundation in folk and traditional American standards laid the groundwork for his evolution as a songwriter, but realizing songwriting didn’t have to be about precise storytelling freed him to develop his music’s identity. “When you relieve yourself of the burden of telling a perfect story in an arch, you get a glimpse of the words and imagery and language that come naturally,” he says. “There’s a layer of reality that is stripped away and it’s as if a mechanism is exposed, and you can see into someone’s mind.”

That approach guided Faces on Film’s first two releases, The Troubles (2008) and Some Weather (2010), which earned Best of Boston acclaim and praise from outlets like NPR and PopMatters. Perhaps not surprisingly, the latter was inspired by a series of recurring dreams; like “Waiting for GA,” Some Weather captures more of an ethereal sense of existence without unnecessarily descriptive details. His reluctance to explicitly divulge the meaning behind his songs is central to his songwriting philosophy. “I have this weird superstition,” he explains. “If you can identify the source of something and too perfectly pinpoint it, it can go away. It loses something you had before you could describe it. There’s no more possibility as soon as you attach a description to it.”

You can listen to the track and watch the video below; visit Shaking Through’s website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

Shaking Through: Faces on Film from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

Dusdin Condren/Courtesy of the artist

Sharon Van Etten will perform a Free At Noon Concert at World Cafe on Friday, February 10th. (Van Etten will be at Johnny Brenda’s later that night for a sold-out XPN Welcomes show with Shearwater.) The Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter (and WXPN favorite) will be touring in support of her upcoming album, Tramp, which will be released on February 7th on Jagjaguwar Records. You can listen to the album via streaming audio (courtesy of NPR Music) here. Some of the sessions for Tramp were mixed by Brian McTear at Miner Street, the recording studio that is home to Shaking Through, the online video and audio collaboration between WXPN and Weathervane Music. Sharon was the inaugural Shaking Through artist in January 2010; you can watch her Shaking Through video and listen to the track “Love More” below.

Tickets become available to the general public tomorrow afternoon following the Free At Noon performance by Pete Donnelly; for earlier access to Free At Noon tickets, sign up for WXPN’s weekly email newsletter—you’ll be able to RSVP on Thursday mornings, immediately after the performing act has been announced.

As always, check back with The Key on Friday afternoon after the show for photos, a review, and a recording of the full performance.

Shaking Through: Sharon Van Etten from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a song by Filthybird called “I’d Like To Know.” The Hillsborough, NC-based indie-folk quartet released its debut LP, Songs For Other People, in October 2010, and, most recently, a split single with Small Ponds in November 2011 (both of which you can listen to and download via Bandcamp). This month’s episode was recorded at Miner Street Recordings in November 2011, produced by Brian McTear, engineered and mixed by Jonathan Low, and guest curated by Grayson Currin of Independent Weekly.

From the folks at Shaking Through:

There is a charming set of influences at Filthybird’s core. The magic of these North Carolina natives starts with Renee Mendoza’s voice, at once scratchy and heartfelt, it swoops and swerves through her graceful songs. Next, add Husband and Luthier Brian Haran, who’s thoughtful, textured guitars and arrangements are played through guitars and amps he’s built himself. Fill it out with engaging rhythm players and you’ll find a band that knows how to play to its strengths in engaging and unexpected ways.

You can listen to the track and watch the video below; visit Shaking Through’s newly redesigned website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

Shaking Through: Filthybird from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a song by Snowmine titled “Curfews.” The Brooklyn-based indie-pop quintet released its debut LP Laminate Pet Animal (which you can listen to and download via Bandcamp) earlier this year; the episode was curated by Mark Schoneveld of YVYNYL.

More from the folks at Shaking Through:

A highlight of the Snowmine session was watching them incorporate found-sounds into their song, “Curfews.” After alluding to “immersive” artists that the band admires, Grayson Sanders spoke about finding the balance between produced and found-sounds. “When you can marry the two, it’s great. But it’s even better when you can take two, three, or four found-sounds from the world and stack them with a note,” Sanders remarked. True to this sentiment, “Curfews” utilizes dish brushes, Chinese lanterns, and brooms, all of which play a part in building the song’s atmosphere.

You can watch the finished video and listen to the track below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session. Individual raw tracks are available for independent mixing/remixing here.

Shaking Through: SNOWMINE from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

September’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a song by Philadelphia’s own Creepoid, “Old Tree.” Earlier this year, the rock quartet released its debut LP, Horse Heaven; around the same time we interviewed drummer Pat Troxell and recorded the band for a Key Studio Session. This month’s session was Curated by Sean Agnew of R5 Productions and featured guest producer Kyle “Slick” Johnson.

More from the folks at Shaking Through:

Creepoid combines an eclectic set of influences including folk, hardcore, and psychedelia to create a unique and meaningful sound that is all their own. The band consists of longtime friends Sean Miller on guitar and vocals, guitarist Pete Joe Urban, and husband-and-wife Pat and Anna Troxell on drums and bass respectively.

“I chose Creepoid because I’m a big fan of their music,” states Sean Agnew, guest curator. “They are also one of the harder working local bands. As someone who sets up shows and concerts, I appreciate the effort that’s put into it. They email record labels, get their own shows and don’t just sit down and complain about how no one’s doing anything for them.”

You can watch the finished video and listen to the track below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and more (including individual raw tracks for independent mixing/remixing) from the session.

Shaking Through: Creepoid from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

Photo by Michael James Murray

The folks over at Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—have announced that this month’s artist will be Philadelphia’s own Creepoid. Earlier this year, the rock quartet released its debut LP, Horse Heaven; around the same time we interviewed drummer Pat Troxell and recorded the band for a Key Studio Session. From the Weathervane Music blog:

It’s a new month, and it’s time to introduce a new Shaking Through artist! For October, we’re psyched to present a session with Creepoid, a band that finds the unlikely nexus of folk, hardcore and grunge music. Creepoid is singer and guitarist Sean Miller, guitarist Pete Joe Urban, and a husband-and-wife rhythm section made up of bassist Anna and drummer Pat Troxell. Together, the four-piece band creates psych-pop music with occasional recollections of the horror film genre (check out the video below). This session is curated by Sean Agnew, whose who D.I.Y. promotional business R5 Productions has brought thousands of bands to multiple venues in Philadelphia since 1996.

The Shaking Through episode with Creepoid will be posted on Tuesday, October 18th.

Photo courtesy of the Philly F/M Festival

As part of the Philly F/M Festival, Shaking Through artists Sharon Van Etten and Hezekiah Jones will perform alongside Marissa Nadler at 7 p.m. Friday, September 23rd, at World Cafe Live. Tickets for the show cost $15 and available here; a portion of the proceeds will benefit Weathervane Music. You can also sign up for the Weathervane Music newsletter for a chance to win backstage passes, which include a meet-and-greet with the artists. You can revisit Sharon Van Etten’s full Shaking Through session here; Hezekiah Jones’ session can be found here. Below, you can listen to the final versions of each artist’s Shaking Through song.

More from the folks at Shaking Through:

With one EP and one full length under their belts, Family Band has traditionally recorded within the confines of their hand-built cabin in the Catskill Mountains of New York. “I totally respect making records on your own,” says Rossen. “That’s how we’ve always done everything. But I just thought it was a great opportunity for them to get in with somebody outside of their inner circle, to work with somebody else to finish something. And I’m not really used to working with other bands, so it was a fun way for me to get outside of my own circle too, to try something with somebody else.”

He continues, “Showing the process shows the effort that went into what [Family Band] made. So you appreciate what it means to listen to the music they make; you understand the effort and the heart that goes into it. That’s great.”

You can watch the finished video and listen to the track below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

Shaking Through Vol2 Ep8: Family Band from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between  Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a new song by Philadelphia’s own Sweet Lights, “You Let Me Down.” Sweet Lights is the moniker of Shai Halperin’s current solo project, under which he released a self-titled digital album and a series of music videos in early 2011; the session was curated by Weathervane Music co-founder Brian McTear. You can listen to the track below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

Shaking Through Vol 2 Ep 7: Sweet Lights from Weathervane Music on Vimeo.

We have a great little sneak peak into our next Shaking Through session, Coming Tuesday August 16. Sweet Lights is the work of long time Philadelphia indie musician, Shai Halperin, formerly of an amazing band, The Capital Years – go, look ‘em up. Shai also played in early formations of War on Drugs (Secretly Canadian). He’s a brilliant songwriter with a voice entirely his own, and “You Let Me Down” is epicly reminiscent of ELO, Tom Petty, and other distant, familiar greatness. The episode is curated by Weathervane Founder, Brian McTear. Says McTear, “Shai’s one of the best artists in Philadelphia. He always has been, and will be as long as he’s making music here. That’s how I feel, at least.”

From the Shaking Through folks:

We asked guest curator, Secretly Canadian co-founder Ben Swanson, to select an artist for Shaking Through — with one catch: they couldn’t be on his label. He insisted on Dreamers of the Ghetto, whom he originally discovered at a basement show in his hometown. “They’re something special and unique that I hadn’t seen,” says Ben. “It’s got this sweetness that’s also got a ton of soul.”

Dreamers of the Ghetto hail from Bloomington, IN and are a “family band” comprised of Luke Jones on bass and vocals, his wife Lauren on keys and vocals, brother Jonathan on guitar and vocals, and close friend Marty Sprowles on drums.

“This is our first time as a band to actually travel and do a legitimate recording project,” states Luke. “There’s some intimidation that comes with the recording process but when you’re working with good people you have nothing to be afraid of. It brought out the best in us.”

A while back, I read a little tweet that introduced the idea of something bigger than what I’d heard from Ridgewood, NJ’s Big Troubles. It said, “Damnnnn this band has huge guitars. You might confuse it for 1994…in the best way. The tweet came from someone inside Miner Street Recordings on the first day the band practiced at the Fishtown studio. The quartet was there to record the song “Phantom” for the latest episode of Shaking Through, the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN; the session was curated by The Pelly Twins, Jenn and Liz Pelly.

Driving to the studio, I was imagining layers and layers of distorted guitars rumbling under piercing riffs. And I wondered how that could possibly come from a band that wrote the dream-pop gem, “Bite Yr Tongue.” (Perhaps it was in Big Troubles’ reach, but it wasn’t something the band had tried on its previous LP, Worry.) I arrived with the Pelly twins as the band was laboring over the guitar part that carries the song’s bridge; lead singer Alex Craig was trying what seemed like the fifth different way to finish it off. The final take took strummed guitar bends into overdrive while multiple sustain tracks derailed underneath. After enough takes, Alex came in the control room so we could all listen to the complete mix of bass, drums, and guitar.

“I was expecting the general sound quality to be better than on the demo, but I wasn’t expecting anything that huge,” said co-curator Liz Pelly. “In comparison to Worry, it almost sounded like a totally different band.”

It was one of those moments where—as it played back—everyone quietly smiled and nodded heads. The sound was massive. The bass guitar punched back into the verse section before the song stopped altogether. The band hadn’t finished yet—but it was a sample of what could be done in this caliber of studio. Producer (and Weathervane co-founder) Brian McTear oversaw everything that went on in Miner Street. While Big Troubles grew enamored with the possibility of tones and effects, McTear stressed for them to trust the quality of the song. After all, they had access to gear they’d never touched, only listened to, and certainly couldn’t replicate.

“I remember (engineer) Jon Low and Brian doing take after take after take of this maybe 30-second snippet of the song, doing it over and again until the blend was just right,” said Y Rock’s John Vettese (who was photographing the session). “The attention to detail is what makes the song. When you hear it mixed together, it’s this towering, dense, epic thing—and the reason it is that way is because the Weathervane team spent so much time working though it.”

Admittedly, most of the recording sessions I’ve had the privilege of sitting in on grow tedious. But there was a different energy about my experience at Weathervane. So much effort and documentation was going into creating a single mp3. Who has time for something like that anymore? —Chris Zakorchemny

This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a new song by Big Troubles, “Phantom.” The Ridgewood, NJ-based dream-pop quartet was selected by guest curators Jenn and Liz Pelly (of pellytwins.blogspot.com); the song—which is Big Troubles’ first full recording since last year’s Worry—will appear as the B-side on the band’s next single. You can listen to the track below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and more from the session.

From the Shaking Through folks:

Alex, Ian, Sam and Luca arrived the night of March 4. The next two days would prove to be an amazing first recording experience in a high-end studio. Their song, “Phantom,” was the first full band recording since the album, Worry.

To Jenn and Liz Pelly, the twin sister co-authors of PellyTwins.blogspot.com, Big Troubles seemed the perfect band for this opportunity. “When they sent us the demo, we loved the song but it was almost like listening to it through a tube or behind a wall,” says Jenn. “It was awesome yesterday to be in the studio and finally hear that wall knocked down.”

“Having a team like this to help out bands who maybe don’t have some label to throw money at them is awesome” says Alex Craig, the songwriter and frontman for the song. And for Big Troubles, it was a perfect rehearsal for the making of their next record, which began days later in South Carolina.

The final Shaking Through version of the song is slightly shorter, with some of opening and ending cut out for brevity. However, Weathervane Music has also posted the full version (with the accompanying footage from the film that inspired the song) on YouTube, which you can watch below.

Later this week, Weathervane will be bringing Port St. Willow back to the studio for a private benefit concert. From the website:

Set at Miner Street Recordings, where Shaking Through is produced, Private Studio Concerts bring music makers and music lovers together in the same room for an unforgettable concert experience. The event helps raise money for Weathervane Music whose work strengthens the independent music community.

$100 gets you in the door for an “intimate, one-of-a-kind performance by a Shaking Through artist,” “exclusive meet and greet with the artist + Weathervane staff/board,” and “food and drink provided by Johnny Brenda’s.” If you’re feeling lucky, you can click here to enter Weathervane’s free ticket contest; you can also purchase tickets here.

]]> http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/04/13/win-a-pair-of-tickets-to-see-port-st-willows-private-concert-at-miner-street-recordings-on-april-15th/feed/ 0 http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/03/15/this-months-shaking-through-episode-la-big-vics-epic-musica/ http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/03/15/this-months-shaking-through-episode-la-big-vics-epic-musica/#comments Tue, 15 Mar 2011 15:35:36 +0000 The Key http://thekey.xpn.org/?p=9113 This month’s episode of Shaking Through—the online audio and video collaboration between Weathervane Music and WXPN—features a new song by La Big Vic, “Musica.” The Brooklyn-based electro-drone trio was selected by guest curator Elise O. (of Pixelhorse); the song will appear on the band’s upcoming album, Actually, which will be released by Underwater Peoples.

From the Shaking Through folks:

LA BIG VIC is violinist and music blogger, Emilie Friedlander, analog synth guru, Peter Pearson and Japanese synthesist and guitar player, Toshio Masuda. Their massive soundscapes recall the late 90s electro drone of Eltro, PanSonic and Bowry Electric …. all, of course, tipping their hats to Krautrock luminaries such as Can, Faust, and Kraftwerk.

You can listen to “Musica” below; visit the Shaking Through website to see photos, interviews, and and more from the session.

]]> http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/03/15/this-months-shaking-through-episode-la-big-vics-epic-musica/feed/ 0 http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/01/18/this-months-shaking-through-night-owl-by-bologna-italys-a-classic-education/ http://thekey.xpn.org/2011/01/18/this-months-shaking-through-night-owl-by-bologna-italys-a-classic-education/#comments Tue, 18 Jan 2011 17:49:51 +0000 The Key http://thekey.xpn.org/?p=6966

This month’s edition of Weathervane Music‘s and WXPN‘s Shaking Through series features Italian indie-pop sextet A Classic Eduction. The folks over at Shaking Through describe the track, “Night Owl,” as “a dreamy love story between a boy and an owl,” and “a band favorite for its unconventional song structure: three parts that fail to repeat, all jammed into three minutes.”

This is the first episode of Shaking Through’s second season; the band was selected by Guest Curator Elise Oleksiak (of the Brooklyn-based blog Pixelhorse). Of her choice, Oleksiak says, “I love pop music. I love music that is well written, well composed, well executed…People need to know [A Classic Education's] music. People need to hear them and see them.”

You can listen to “Night Owl” below; visit the website to see video interviews, photos, and extended/deleted scenes shot during the session (as well as a video from a stripped-down live performance at Bookspace in Philadelphia).

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