Filed under: Features | Tags: The Hold Steady, playlist, americana, The Rural Alberta Advantage, positive jam, ithaca, the felice brothers, deer tick, central new york, Stewart Park, photos, podcast
Filed under: Features | Tags: central new york, deer tick, ithaca, podcast, positive jam, Stewart Park, the felice brothers, The Hold Steady, The Rural Alberta Advantage
The 20 Watts Positive Jam Podcast features onsite coverage of the bands present
DOWNLOAD: The 20 Watts Positive Jam Podcast
STREAM IT at 20 WATTS’ TUMBLR
20 Watts brings you yet another of our awesome podcasts — this one straight from the Positive Jam! Showcasing commentary from Irina Dvalidze and clips from the acts at the festival, the PositiveCast brings you as close to the show as you could get without actually being there. So lay on the grass, put a shirt over your head and let 20 Watts take you to Stewart Park. We gotta stay positive!
– Irina Dvalidze and Eric Vilas-Boas
Filed under: Positive Jam Reviews | Tags: The Hold Steady, americana, The Rural Alberta Advantage, the felice brothers, deer tick, Cayuga Lake, Nils Edenloff, Billy Corgan, Craig Finn, John Joseph McCauley, Greg farley, james Felice
Deer Tick stole the show at Positive Jam this past weekend
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Deer Tick’s “Houston, TX” MP3
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Positive Jam: Exclusive Coverage on 20 Watts
The glistening water from Cayuga Lake reflected The Rural Alberta Advantage’s Amy Cole’s black shades as the band got on stage, kicking Positive Jam off with a nice cup of Ithaca Beer’s microbrew. Despite the audience being burnt out in more ways than one on the sunny Sunday afternoon, The Rural Alberta Advantage pulled off a show with class as an opening act. The Canadian threesome gave the term power trio new meaning with frontman Nils Edenloff singing like a mellower, folkier Billy Corgan, while Amy Cole played an eclectic mix of instruments from the glockenspiel to a tambourine.
Watching The Felice Brothers — “America’s Greatest Subway Band” — perform was like watching a great Americana musical with farm animals and drums of whiskey. Although he’s not technically part of the family, washboard and fiddle player, Greg Farley is practically a one-man show. Acting out the lyrics and playing his seemingly secondary instruments with the gusto of a lead guitarist. That’s why these cool, relatable guys are so likeable, and if you don’t believe me, check out our interview with James Felice.
While chilling out between sets in scenery reminiscent of John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band cover, the sound of a tribal bass drum hypnotized some audience members to return to the stage. Deer Tick walked onstage to this dramatic buildup. After their first song, lead singer John Joseph McCauley held up his beer bottle and announced, “I haven’t had breakfast yet but a porter is like a meal and a beer” and took another swig before they broke into “Houston, TX,” a song inspired by an ex who dumped him on Valentine’s Day. For a band looking and acting more like frat brothers than talented musicians, they had their Dylan impressions down pat — in both McCauley’s rough, folky voice and their new guitarist’s wild hair and tiny frame. The high point of the set was ”La Bamba,” and although the closing song choice was surprising at first, it ended a fun and crazy set perfectly.
Sadly, after a day full of exciting music, the show’s headliner, The Hold Steady, failed to surpass the greatness of the supporting acts. Craig Finn’s voice was as distinctively nasal as expected, and while his nerdy excitement was endearing, something was definitely amiss. Following such young, high-energy acts, the band seemed washed-up and comparatively family-friendly. We in the crowd questioned their title as “America’s Greatest Bar Band.” They played favorites like “Magazines,” “Southtown Girls,” and “You Can Make Him Like You” along with a few new songs, but the only memorable performance was the sing-along “Massive Nights.”
– Charlie Weeks and Carly Wolkoff
Filed under: Features | Tags: The Hold Steady, The Rural Alberta Advantage, positive jam, ithaca, the felice brothers, deer tick, Stewart Park, festival, photos
Deer Tick
From chain-smoking hippies to multi-band bro-downs, last Sunday’s Positive Jam offered quite a visual feast for Americana fans. Check out all of 20 Watts’ zany photos after the jump, and — while you’re at it — see an exclusive podcast, video and review from the festival, only on 20 Watts.
(more…)
Filed under: XCLUS!VES | Tags: Ticketmaster, The Hold Steady, Bob Dylan, lo-fi, americana, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Neutral Milk Hotel, positive jam, ithaca, the felice brothers, deer tick, Stewart Park, Cayuga Lake, Ithaca Beer Company, Dave Matthews Band, festival, Associated Press, Brewfest
Positive Jam: a weekend of good beer and great music
Check out the rest of 20 Watts’ exclusive coverage of Positive Jam here!
PREVIEW: Get the 20 Watts Positive Jam Mix here!
Music festivals and beer go together like ice cream and Grey’s Anatomy.
That was presumably on Ithaca concert promoter Dan Smalls’ mind as he began to organize the first Positive Jam Festival, featuring The Hold Steady, in conjunction with Ithaca Beer’s annual Brewfest at Stewart Park.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, beer lovers in Ithaca’s Stewart Park will indulge in the Ithaca Beer Company’s brews (alongside those of other small breweries across New York State) while enjoying the scenery of Cayuga Lake. The next day is all about the music — but both days will involve plenty of beer, with little corporate intervention to spoil the mood.
“It’s not just a big corporate moneymaking event, it’s about the city [of Ithaca],” Smalls told 20 Watts in a telephone interview. “There’s so many beautiful parks here, and Ithaca is just such a great summer location that it would make sense to have a summer venue like this. I think two successful years of putting on the Brewfest allowed us the leeway with the city to take a chance on something like this.” (more…)
Filed under: Positive Jam Reviews, Uncategorized | Tags: The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, The Hold Steady, Stay Positive, Boys and Girls in America, Rubber Soul, Bon Jovi, Wanted Dead or Alive
The Hold Steady headline Positive Jam on Sept. 6
PREVIEW: Download The Hold Steady’s “Both Crosses” MP3
WE GIVE IT: 16/20 Watts
This review is part of 20 Watts’ exclusive Positive Jam coverage. Check out the rest here!
The Hold Steady’s newest album, Stay Positive, is the Brooklyn quintet’s fourth full-length venture into alcohol-tinged, rocking Americana music.
The band’s incorporation of both keyboards and guitars into its sound, as well as the storytelling ability of singer (or would “ranter” be a more appropriate title?) Craig Finn, has earned the band completely justified comparisons to the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen. Perhaps consequently, the band’s last release, 2006’s excellent Boys and Girls in America, became a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
On Stay Positive, we get a lot of the same: arena-ready rocking with a healthy dose of small town, middle class memoirs. But we also get something new from them — a willingness to experiment with different sounds and song arrangements. Stay Positive is almost for The Hold Steady what Rubber Soul was to the Beatles: an album showcasing a band on the verge of something deeper while still sticking to its conventional songwriting format. (more…)
Filed under: XCLUS!VES | Tags: deer tick, ithaca, positive jam, Stewart Park, the felice brothers, The Hold Steady, The Rural Alberta Advantage
Charlie Weeks & Blake Rong dish the dirt on Positive Jam.
Albums you should check out before hitting Stewart Park.
20Ws’ favorite songs from the festival; download the mix here.
Irina Dvaldize brings you the bands and news to know.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: The Hold Steady, The Rural Alberta Advantage, positive jam, ithaca, the felice brothers, deer tick, central new york
20 Watts is giving three lucky readers a pair of tickets to the Positive Jam, in Ithaca's Stewart Park on September 6!
Ah, the first weekend of the school year: classes haven’t quite started up, freshman haven’t yet learned their limits, but Ithaca’s Positive Jam festival is already bringing the Hold Steady, the Felice Brothers, Deer Tick and the Rural Alberta Advantage to the shores of Cayuga Lake for a phenomenal all-day event.
Sure, the $25 tickets might strain some back-to-school budgets. But THREE lucky 20 Watts readers will win a pair of tickets to Positive Jam — so you and a friend can see the festival for free!
Its easy to enter the drawing: just comment on any blog post between now at September 2 and write “POSITIVE JAM” at the end of your comment. Make sure to leave a current e-mail address in the e-mail box, too! We’ll draw the winners on September 2nd at 8:00 p.m. and post the winners’ names on the 20 Watts blog, as well as e-mail them with details on claiming their prizes. Positive Jam is on Sunday, September 5, in Ithaca’s Stewart Park — about an hour from SU’s campus. Doors open at noon. You don’t have to be an SU student to win.
Even if you can’t make it, keep your eye on 20watts.wordpress.com: this Wednesday, we’re dropping a package of Positive Jam content, complete with interviews, editor playlists, and reviews of all the bands’ latest albums. Plus, we’ll have full coverage of the festival as it happens!
Get commenting, y’all — we doubt Juice Jam will be this sweet.
Love,
20 Watts
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features | Tags: Art Brut, Johnny Ramone, New Wave, Ted Leo, The Hold Steady
New-wave/pop-punk Art Brut turns it up a notch by coming at you harder and hipper with “Art Brut vs. Satan.” The new Art Brut album, due out on April 20th, has a little more “bang” than “pop” this time.
Art Brut’s third album “Art Brut vs. Satan” rocks fast-paced classic punk with indie-conversational lyrics. I hear so many great bands in Art Brut’s sound, like The Clash, Ted Leo, and The Hold Steady. In fact, that’s half the fun of this listening to this album.
Even though Art Brut’s instrumental style is old school (heavy distortion and a fast drum kick), Art Brut beautifully balances this out with Eddie Argos’ prose-like lyrics. He sounds like he’s chatting with the listener instead of singing to them, kind of like The Hold Steady and Ted Leo. If Argos just screamed and sang like Johnny Ramone, this band would not work. By talking more in Art Brut’s music, Argos’ heavy English accent comes out–adding to the band’s international image.
Even though “Alcoholics Unanimous” is the hit single (see below), my favorite song is “What a Rush” because of the stellar lyrics. At the bridge, right before the chorus, Argos sings: “You like the Beatles, and I like the Stones, but those are just records…” It’s hard to make out the in-between lyrics, but you get the picture. Another fun part about Argos’ lyrics is that he doesn’t hold back on the English cliches, like singing about the Beatles and drinking tea.
Ever since their debut in 2005 with “Bang Bang Rock & Roll,” their buzz has been getting bigger and bigger, which is funny because they don’t fall into electro-pop groups exploding today. Art Brut doesn’t need synth-beats or drum-machines, or even auto-tune vocals. Their soul is young with fire and attitude, and they keep it hard and fast like old-school punk/English pop groups.
Bang. Bang. Pow. Pow. Please sir, may I have some more?
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: Franz Nicolay, The Hold Steady, The New Pornographers
I can’t stand this guy anymore. Franz Nicolay, the keyboardist from The Hold Steady, released his solo album “Major General” this year, and he’s showing his face everywhere now. This post has nothing to do with anything other than my distaste for this guy. It’s nothing personal. I just hate his mustache, and I’m not crazy about The Hold Steady either. I saw The Hold Steady’s Bandersnatch show last year and I thought their sound was outdated and flat.
I thought that was end of my relationship with The Hold Steady, but I was wrong. Now with solo projects getting more popular (i.e. The New Pornographers), Franz Nicolay just couldn’t help himself—he had to get himself involved.
It’s an awful thing to say, but I just don’t like his face. This will be my far-most immature post ever (I promise), but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. Franz, shave that mustache and go find some vintage clothing shop in Greenwich Village to work in.
If you’re a fan of Franz Nicolay, that’s fine. Here’s his new video for “Jeff Penalty,” premiered on Stereogum.
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
