I’m not one for sappy posts (who am I kidding? I’m the queen of nostalgia), but here are a few of my fondest memories over the past year that I’ve had the privilege to work at BU Central:
Meeting Cults
Working the Das Racist show (not necessarily the fondest, but it definitely the most exciting)
Having people compliment my chalkboarding skills
Making popcorn for dinner when I forgot to bring food
Making 10 batches of popcorn consecutively for the first 2012 presidential debate
Hearing that one guy play jazz/flapper music/IDK what the name of that genre is on the piano on Fridays (I don’t know your name, but please play piano here more often)
Feeling like a boss when I finally mastered the soundboard
Watching Dave Coulier (aka Uncle Joey) host The Dating Game Show
Seeing my favorite facilities worker every Sunday night
Last but not least, listening to the high school kids talk about their relationship issues (you are all comedians in the making)
Now I’m heading off into the real world as a Boston University graduate. I’ll miss you dearly, BU Central. Stay cool underground.
Probably my favorite part of working at BU Central is the LIVE: series that we host. We’ve brought in some incredible artists since we’ve opened back in 2006 (Tristan Prettyman, Ra Ra Riot, Young the Giant, Das Racist, Cults, and Oh Land, just to name a few). Even just thinking back on this year, we’ve been lucky enough to host Killer Mike, Widowspeak, Joey Bada$$, and We Are Scientists.
It’s always interesting to see how the shows turn out – sometimes we really know who our audience is within the BU community, and sometimes we really have to dig around to get an idea of how people found out about a show, and to see how big of a crowd we can draw. In order to better understand who BU students want to see perform, I thought that it would be a cool idea to let YOU tell us who some of your favorite artists are!
So let us know – what’s your favorite music, BU? Chime in by clicking here!
Unarguably, this has been a fantastic semester here at BU Central! We’ve had some pretty great acts grace our stage in the past (Cults, Chiddy Bang, Young the Giant, Four Year Strong, DJ Questlove, Bad Rabbits, Manchester Orchestra, Killer Mike, George Watsky, etc….just to name a few) but I’m pretty sure having two headliners with the same name was a first. Well, sort of. Dave Coulier, aka Uncle Joey from Full House hilariously hosted our Dating Game Show last month and Joey Bada$$ performed an incredible set last Friday. Both were amazing shows and completely sold out! If you’re sad you missed one of these, fret not. We have some more great performances up our sleeve!
On March 23rd, come check out our SPF ’13 concert headliner We Are Scientists! For more details, check out our Facebook event.
And as if that isn’t news wasn’t fabulous enough, our free popcorn has made a comeback! Stop by and have some freshly popped, salty goodness.
Follow us on Twitter and “like” us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on all of the fun events we have coming your way.
So here are a few of my current favorites to get you pumped which I’m pretty sure most of you already are (I know I am), whether you’re going to the Caribbean or just chillin’ at home. I like to think they’re a good warm up to go with the hopefully warm weather that’ll be coming our way soon. Cross your fingers!
It’s Real // Real Estate
Get Free // Major Lazer
In Ruins // Fol Chen
Oblivion // Grimes
Genesis // Grimes
Ungirthed // Purity Ring
Crawlersout // Purity Ring
Family (Blended Babies Remix) [feat. Vic Mensa] // Chance the Rapper
I noticed this kid carrying a guitar case into his room as he moved in to my left. Damn, I thought, there go my chances of being the single swoon-worthy serenader of sixteen-A, Warren Towers. His dad followed behind him, lugging an amp that pushed more watts than mine for sure. And once I heard him plug in and shred for the first time later that hot, stuffy week of late summer 2009, I knew this kid was a helluva player.
If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. And that’s exactly what I did.
first allston basement show, as a duo
It’s been a while since freshman year, and the band that Matt and I formed has taken off. We’ve played all around Boston at this point — made friends and fans and funds alike. And now that it’s time to graduate and take this ‘life’ thing seriously, what better thing to tell your grandparents than I’M GONNA BE A ROCKSTAR, GRANDMA, RELAX.
In all seriousness, the guys that make up the band are killer musicians and my best friends. Matt sings and guitars, Luke slaps bass, I drum and Sam plays with keys. We share a creative passion for entertaining. Our band practices are hangouts at which at least one of us is cooking up something fattening on the stove, and I’m always totally sober. Heck, it’s so easy to entertain each other that it doesn’t take much to move the whole operation on stage and get the crowd going.
Milk @ Middle East
That’s why it’s time to make something of Milk. We’ve been a band for around a year now, have one EP done and another in the works and boast three hit Youtube music videos under our belt. Mom, dad, grandpa, grandma, sister, fish — we wanna be rock stars. Actually.
Let’s get this show on the road.
This spring, we’re going on tour. By the time the square hats hit the ground again, we’ll be halfway to Maine in Matt’s Nissan Pathfinder, hauling our amps in a rental trailer. After we play Portland (Maine, not Oregon, dude. We’re funding this thing ourselves), it’s on to Burlington, VT then south from there, all the way to Philadelphia. But we need your help.
To read more about the tour and kick in a few gas dollars for your favorite dairy farmers, if you’re so inclined, click THIS KICKSTARTER LINK and SEND MILK ON TOUR, for crying out loud!
ready to rumble
Be sure to listen to our music, watch our videos, and follow us on TUMBLR and TWITTER because we’ll be documenting our post-graduate shenanigans from now until forever to come.
I’ve always been proud to say that my music taste is extremely eclectic. I love everything from Frank Sinatra to Tupac to The Fray (my favorite band!–>check out my earlier post about them!) and back to The Temptations. Listening to music is one of my favorite past times so, naturally, I was really excited to start college because I knew that I would be exposed to new genres of music and falling in love with new music is one of my favorite things to do! But lately, I’ve really been trying to delve back into my hip hop roots. I guess I have my older sisters to thank for my love of hip hop. They were the ones that kept the 80s and 90s hip hop blasting from the stereo in my home when I was a little girl. Since I’ve been trying to reconnect with good, genuine, traditional hip hop (not that tired, played-out, trashy music that Lil’ Wayne calls “hip hop”), I find myself listening to Kendrick Lamar more these days.
If you call yourself well-educated on hip hop, then you should recall the “West Coat-East Coast” fad that began in the late 80s and has been revitalized due to Black Hippy. Black Hippy is a group of upcoming West Coast rappers from California. Their music is reminiscent of that old-school, laid-back, gritty yet honest sound that was so relevant to the 80s and 90s. The group consists of four rappers: Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, and Ab-Soul (pictured below from left to right).
Kendrick Lamar is my favorite, but I really feel like this group could revolutionize hip hop in a new way and take it back to where it used to be. You know what I’m talking about. That kind of music that required you to sit and just delve into its lyrics. Or you could just be riding in the car, chilling with your friends, listening to the beat as you drive down the street. You know what I mean? It’s…relatable, it’s real, it’s conscious, and it provides something that is lacking in today’s definition of hip hop: substance.
Kendrick Lamar, a rapper from Compton, California, is, as far as I’m concerned, the reason for why Black Hippy has gained recognition now, though Schoolboy Q is definitely up there, too. His musical style reminds me of a mix between Lupe Fiasco, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and 2Pac. The one thing that really did it for me was the fact that Kendrick and Ab Soul created this movement called “HiiiPoWeR (stylized by holding three fingers in the air – hence, the title of this post).” Originally a song from his independent digital album Section.80 (which is really awesome, by the way), “HiiiPoWeR” was intended to be released to further the HiiiPoWeR movement. A quote from Lamar in a HipHop DX interview gives a brief explanation of the movement:
“A lot of people don’t understand. They think it’s just a song. It’s really a big movement that we’ve got in L.A. that’s spreading like wildfire,” he said. “Hiiipower: the three i’s represent heart, honor and respect. That’s how we carry ourselves in the streets, and just in the world, period. Hiiipower, it basically is the simplest form of representing just being above all the madness, all the bullshit. No matter what the world is going through, you’re always going to keep your dignity and carry yourself with this manner that it don’t phase you. Whatever you think negative is in your life. Overcoming that and still having that self-respect.”
HiiiPoWeR has common roots with the movement, T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. (The Hate U Gave Little Infants Fucks Everyone) started by late West Coast rapper 2Pac. T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E. tells us that neglecting our young children can lead to future problems, not only for the child, but also for the community. HiiiPoWeR and T.H.U.G.L.I.F.E. both seek to uplift a nearly broken generation that is being destroyed by society. And I think that’s something really special and incredible. And way overdue.
Because I love Kendrick Lamar so much and want other people to know about him and love him too, I had the idea to dedicate a whole post to him. You’re very welcome.
No Make-Up (Her Vice) – Kendrick Lamar (from Section.80)
For you, ladies.
Keisha’s Song (Her Pain) – Kendrick Lamar (from Section.80)
This song does it. I still remember the first time I heard it. My sister and I were driving to Boston for the first time. It was August 13th, maybe three or four o’clock in the morning. Everything was quiet, including me. And I listened to the lyrics of this song while my eyes wandered through the darkness illuminated by the car’s headlights. And even after the song ended, the lyrics stayed with me, bouncing around in my head. The lyrical brilliance of this song is something special.
Bitch, Don’t Kill My Vibe – Kendrick Lamar (from good kid, m.A.A.d city)
“Threes in the air. I can see you are in sync.”
Sing About Me, I’m Dying of Thirst – Kendrick Lamar (from good kid, m.A.A.d. city)
The deepest, most poignant song on the entire album, Lamar wrote from the perspective of siblings of Kendrick’s friends that he had written songs about on Section.80 and good kid, m.A.A.d city. Hence, the title, “Sing About Me.”
Another week, another post from me spotlighting my three current favorite songs. Let’s make this a LIVE EDITION just for the hell of it, yeah?
First up is Haim, recent winners of the BBC’s Sound of 2013 music industry poll . Performing new track “Falling,” the band is a joy to watch as they let loose with their throaty vocals and R&B-tinged grooves. I saw them play at Mumford & Sons‘ mini-festival in Portland last summer and they’re all kinds of awesome.
English rock band Foals just released their third album a week or two back and I’ve essentially had it on repeat ever since. “Last Night” is a particular highlight that builds into an epic climax and is totes worth the listen. Tickets for their show at House of Blues in May just went on sale and it’s performances like this one that have me already counting down the days for it.
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper sure sounds like a bizarre name for a single singer-songwriter to go by, but please don’t let it distract you from her brilliance. Her soon-to-be-released album is ridiculously emotional and it’s performances like the one above of my personal favorite, “Bird Balloons,” that make it clear she’s going to be having an enormously successful 2013.
That’s it for this week. Enjoy the rest of the day off and keep on jamming!
February may have just dumped two feet of snow on Boston, but that’s not all the month has to offer. It’s barely a week in and already there’s tons of great new music to jam to.
James Blake’s haunting trance music makes a return to our ears with “Retrograde,” which was accompanied by this delightfully bizarre video featuring an asteroid attack on Earth. The synth in the background quietly builds to several points in which it truly lets loose, demanding my entire body to spasm with glee.
Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES burst onto the scene last year with the attention-grabbing “The Mother We Share,” but it was follow-up single “Recover” that really won me over to the band’s fandom. Lead vocalist Laura Mayberry stole my heart with the first time I heard the chorus and there’s no sign that she’s ever letting go (especially if I keep leaving the song on repeat).
“Before I Ever Met You” from LA-based artist Banks is emotional and honest and totally jam-worthy. I stumbled onto it on a blog early last week and I’ve been rocking out to it ever since.
That’s it for this week. Good luck getting to class on time with all the snow!
When you’re not enjoying one of our amazingly free LIVE events, you should be hitting up the legendary venues within your reach right off of the Charles River Campus. Here are some of the shows I’m looking forward to this semester with a few tracks by some of the artists below. There are tons of venues in the Boston area (BU Central included), so check ‘em out and explore the local scene.
Solange Knowles at Paradise Rock Club – February 19th
Passion Pit at Agganis Arena – February 9th
Alt-J at Paradise Rock Club – March 2nd & 3rd (*both shows are sold out #sadface)
The Rocket Summer at Brighton Music Hall – March 27th
Local Natives at House of Blues – March 30th
Andrew McMahon (from Jack’s Mannequin) at Paradise Rock Club – April 8th
Wavves & FIDLAR at Brighton Music Hall – April 8th
Cold War Kids at Paradise Rick Club – April 10th
Alicia Keys & Miguel at Agganis Arena – April 10th
If you’ve read a few of my other posts, you may have noticed that I really like old music. I love swing and jazz and the type of music they played on American Bandstand; songs like the ones on the Grease soundtrack. As I’ve said before, I attribute this to my mom. She grew up in the 50′s and went to Woodstock and was a screaming Beatles fangirl–so basically my mom is one of the coolest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. Of course, this means that she raised me listening to the music she loved, as most parents raise their children, so I grew up listening to the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Shirelles, Sha-Na-Na, James Taylor, and the like.
Now, I’m not the type of person who believes that my music taste is somehow more sophisticated or mature or whatever just because I like older music while more people my age seem to like the more mainstream stuff. I really dislike those people. I will say though, that one of my pet peeves is modern-day artists who sample older music and completely butcher the original song. I’ve definitely heard some hip hop/rap that has successfully sampled music from the 60′s and 70′s, but the bad outweighs the good.
Recently, and I’m not about to bash my roommate’s taste in music, don’t worry, said roommate was listening to a song by the rapper G-Eazy. I’d never heard of him or the song she was playing, but something about the underlying track caught my attention and I felt like I’d heard the song that had been sampled. When I looked up G-Eazy’s song, I found that the sample was titled Runaround Sue by Dion and so I found that song and listened to it. While I’m still not sure whether or not I’ve actually heard it before, I did fall head over heels in love with the song, so obviously I looked up the rest of Dion’s music and found a whole bunch of tracks that I put in my current playlist. Basically, despite our slightly different tastes in music, my roommate is the reason I discovered Dion and his fantastic, swoon-causing music. A few of the songs are by Dion & the Belmonts, the Belmonts being the group he was a part of before he decided to continue as a solo artist. Anyways, here are my favorites by Dion (& the Belmonts) and I hope you enjoy!
