What Does BU Listen To?

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!

Joey Squared, Bill Nye the Science Guys’ Favorite Band, and the Return of the Popcorn

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.

Have a great Spring Break!

GRANDMA, I’M GONNA BE A ROCKSTAR.

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.

Thanks a million, y’all.
- jg

Discover Your Three New Favorite Songs (LIVE EDITION)

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!

Josh

Don’t Worry, Be Happy: 15 Sunshine-filled, Feel-good Songs to Boost Your Pre-Finals Spirits

I know, I know; you’re stressed. You had four papers due this week and eleven midterms and sixty-two chemistry problem sets and then your car caught on fire and you broke your leg after you tripped over your shoelaces (even though you were wearing flip-flops), and life just sucks.

But given the option, which would you prefer: to wallow in pre-finals self pity, or to feel as happy, relaxed, and without-worry as a cat anesthetized with ketamine? I think the answer is pretty obvious.

With finals just around the corner, it can be extremely easy to get yourself caught up in the hype and forget that no matter what, you’re still going to be well and breathing in about two  weeks from now. Get those teeth away from the bloody little nubs that used to be your fingernails and just try to remember that everything will be alright!

In order to try to calm some of those poor suffering nerves of yours, here is a playlist of 15 songs meant to soothe the soul with sunshine. These tunes always boost my mood, and hopefully they can give you some relief, as well!

Spread happiness,

Allison

Don’t Worry, Be Happy: 15 Sunshine-filled, Feel-good Songs to Boost Your Pre-Finals Spirits (Opens in Spotify)

1. Givers // Noche Nada

2. Buck O Nine // My Town

3. The Beatles // Twist and Shout

4. The Clash // Revolution Rock

5. Corinne Bailey Rae // Put Your Records On

6. Givers // Up Up Up

7. Jackson 5 // I Want You Back

8. Noah And The Whale // 5 Years Time

9. Mungo Jerry // In The Summertime

10. Matt and Kim // Daylight

11. The Avett Brothers // Kick Drum Heart

12. Sugar Ray // Every Morning

13. Vampire Weekend // A-Punk

14. Talking Heads // This Must Be the Place

15. Zac Brown Band // Toes

Frank & Dependent: This Year’s Winner of Battle of the Bands

Last Saturday some of Boston’s finest local bands threw down in the final round of our Battle of the Bands series and out emerged Frank & Dependent as this year’s victor. The band has been steadily on the rise on the BU scene over the past few months, so it’s about time all y’all got acquainted with the folk-rock ensemble.

Frank & Dependent, with its fluctuating slate of 8-ish members who play a wide array of instruments, deservedly took the competition when the crowd deemed them the official winner of the night. Enjoy the video below of them performing a particular favorite of mine, “Kelly Combs”.

Be sure to like the band’s Facebook page by clicking here or downloading some of their awesome free music off their Bandcamp page by clicking here

Have a great week, y’all!

-Josh