Instrumental Analysis

The Police will play a surprise gig opening the Grammy Awards, and are expected to be announcing a full world tour shortly. The band will likely not be added to Coachella, Bonnaroo, or any other festival… Find some music here.

We are starting a new feature called IA’s Band of the Week. Every week, we are going to pick a band that has a major event or release coming up in the region. What we do will probably be varied, but I will most likely sit down with them and conduct an interview as part of the feature. We’ll see how it goes. For the first week, I choose DC’s Telograph.

Telograph just released Little Bits of Plastic and are only hours removed from their arena debut. Next Saturday, they will have their official CD release party at the Black Cat with Two if by Sea and Cedars. Due to all of this, they seemed like the obvious choice for this week. Lead singer Andy Boliek was nice enough to talk with me for a few minutes…

IA: Thanks for taking the time to sit down and do this with me. I know that it has been crazy for you lately and I really appreciate it. For what it’s worth, congrats on being our first ever Band of the Week.

AB: Thanks Joe, we really appreciate your interest in us and local music in general.

IA: We have a lot to talk about, but I wanted to start with your arena debut. It’s only been a few hours since you got off of the stage at the Patriot Center. How did it go and how was the experience for you?

AB: It was an incredible experience.

We arrived at the venue around 2pm and spent most of the afternoon and evening preparing. The crew was nice enough to give us a pretty extensive sound check, which left us feeling very confident going into the night.

We hit the stage at 8pm, about an hour and a half after the doors opened. The place was pretty packed by this point. Playing in an arena like the Patriot Center with a powerful sound system, really gets you amped up. The kick drum and the bass sound enormous and the guitars, keyboards, and vocals fill the room. We opened with “Beneath Your Feet” and the crowd gave a very positive response. From there on out, we knew the rest of the set would be top notch.

Our set time was 25 minutes…but due to a production error, they had us come off stage one song too early. So we went back up on stage to play our last song and the crowd went crazy. It was like a mini encore.

All in all, it was an extremely positive experience. We hope to grace the stage again in the future. Oh yeah, and we have a live recording that will be surfacing soon.

Here is a link to some photos, including the one used for this piece.

IA: What aspects of that experience do you feel that you can apply to future shows at much smaller venues?

AB: The experience is much different when you play a large venue. You feel more detached because you are 5 feet off the ground and there is a wide pit in front of the stage, but the energy from the crowd is really really motivating. I’m not sure there’s much that can be applied to future shows at smaller venues. However, we love playing regardless of the venue…our goal is simply to inspire the crowd and have fun.

IA: Hopefully some of that audience will come along too!

AB: I hope so! I was a bit unsure as to how O.A.R and Gomez fans would react to our music, but it was very positive. We sold a ton of CDs and t-shirts and we were approached by many people after the show asking about future shows.

IA: On Saturday, you will have your official CD release party at the Black Cat. You managed to put together an amazing bill with Two if by Sea and Cedars. How did that come about?

AB: We wanted to do our CD release show as an all local bill. Vicki at the Black Cat was nice enough to let us pick the bands. TibS and Cedars are friends of ours and we felt that it would be a fairly cohesive bill musically speaking.

IA: Do you have anything special in store for the audience at that show?

AB: You’ll have to show up to find out! But yes, we do have something extra special planned. I will tell you this… it involves drum heads. And since others have decided to take over our kissing booth idea, Arash has decided to step it up a notch and give out “open mouth” kisses for $1.

IA: I wanted to talk a little bit about Little Bits of Plastic. As you know, I have had to CD for awhile. Whenever I read any press on it, everyone seems to mention “Eye For An Eye” and “Beneath Your Feet.” I am guessing that those are the obvious singles?

AB: They have been noted as the catchiest songs on the CD, so we are promoting them as singles. We love all the songs equally. They’re our babies and we don’t pick favorites.

IA: Personally, I am a huge fan of “We Won’t Settle Down.” The build up and atmospheric qualities in that track are what get me.

AB: Glad you like it! We were lucky enough to have Benoit record the violin parts right before he left the band. The violin, synth pads, and guitar tracks give it the atmosphere. There’s actually quite a bit of layering on this song that doesn’t become obvious until you listen to it a few times.

IA: I am assuming that the EP title comes from the lyrics of “Beneath Your Feet?”

AB: Yes, “Little Bits of Plastic” is a lyric from Beneath Your Feet.

IA: What influences do you feel are apparent on this release?

AB: There are so many, but here are a few bands that we were listening to when these songs were written:

The Verve
Oasis
The Stills
Radiohead
The Strokes
The Secret Machines
Echo and the Bunnymen
Doves
The Dears

IA: If I had recently been turned on to your music either through your show at The Patriot Center or through any of the press that you have been doing lately, how could I get a copy of Little Bits of Plastic? Where is it available digitally and physically?

AB: I would tell you to come to a show and buy it. Then we can hang out and we’ll say really nice things about you and your friends.

If you can’t make it to a show you can order the physical copy here:

Our webpage
Myspace
CD Baby

Or you can get a digital copy at Amie Street.

We’ll be on iTunes soon. We’re just playing the waiting game right now.

IA: Where did the name Telograph come from?

AB: It’s a secret

IA: I know that you have had some lineup changes recently. How has that changed the dynamic of the band?

AB: Benoit, our previous keyboard/violin player left the band in August to pursue a job in Montreal. It was quite a challenge to find someone to take his place… obviously, it would be difficult to find another keyboard/violin player. We played with a couple keyboardists in the months to follow, before we found JB who eventually became a full-time member.

He was a great addition to the band because of his multi-instrumental capabilities. He plays keyboard, guitar, and sings harmonies (which until now have been non-existent in a live setting). We are still secretly looking for a fifth member. If you play guitar and keyboard drop us a line at telograph@telograph.com.

IA: The DC music scene has been crazy lately. It seems like mere minutes until it explodes into the national conscience. What bands have been getting your attention?

AB: There are a lot of very talented bands in DC right now. Some of my personal favorites are Middle Distance Runner, Cedars, Army of Me, Paul Michel, and The Hard Tomorrows. I also really dig Lake Trout and Two if by Sea from Baltimore.

IA: What are your touring plans for the coming months? Also, how far are you planning on traveling to promote this release?

AB: In the next couple months, we are going to be doing several long weekends around the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. We are planning a larger scale tour for the end of Spring that will take us up the Northeast, into Canada and down through the Midwest. The objective is to play as many shows as humanly possible.

IA: Do you currently have any plans to return to the studio and put out another release?

AB: Yes. We are currently writing new material and aim to have a full-length album by this time next year. We are trying to find the right producer for our next record. Little Bits of Plastic was self-produced and we are very satisfied with the outcome, but it will be time to step it up a notch with the next album.

IA: Before we end, is there anything else that you would like to add?

AB: Come to The Black Cat this Saturday and there will be a 30% chance that you’ll get a free CD and a 100% chance you will have the time of your life.

IA: Thanks again for taking the time to do this. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks when you come to play in Pennsylvania.

AB: Look forward to seeing you. We’re going to try to make it up the night before to catch some of our local favs.

That’s it for our interview. If you would like to read more about Telograph, you can check out their piece from our 12 Bands of Christmas. I’ll leave you with a couple of tracks to enjoy.

Eye For An Eye
We Won’t Settle Down

My friend Jake and I put together a little show on February 10. I am pretty excited about this lineup. Here’s a little teaser, but I promise that more info will be coming soon. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to fire away.

It is the last weekend in January and it’s freaking cold out, but that can’t stop us. There are some great things going on in the region this weekend that you should definitely check out.

Friday

There are a couple of really good shows happening in the DC area tonight.

The night starts with Kristen Hersh playing Crooked Beat Records at 6pm to support this week’s release of her new album. If you want in on the action, get there as early as you can. They can only fit 30 or so people in the store.

IA favorites Telograph are making their arena debut at The Patriot Center in Fairfax. They will be supporting Gomez and O.A.R.

Over at the Black Cat, Washington Social Club will be playing the main stage with Federal Reserve members, These United States and Let’s French.

Telograph – We Won’t Settle Down
Gomez – How We Operate
Washington Social Club – Backed To The Future
These United States – So High So Low So Wide So Long
Let’s French – Unpack the Suitcase
Kristen Hersh – SnoCat

Saturday

In Baltimore, The Smiths tribute band Girlfriend in a Coma is playing The Ottobar. They will be supported by local favorites The Heavycoats in what will be a packed show.

Rock and Roll Hotel in DC has a huge show. Jette-Ives are having their CD release party. Jette knows how to work a crowd and she knows how to throw a party, so this should be a great one. DJ Buster and Soft Complex will be rounding out the strong bill.

Jette-Ives – Darker Than You
Soft Complex – Barcelona
The Smiths – Girlfriend in a Coma
The Heavycoats – Sea Song

Earlier this week, Bloc Party recorded a Black Session. This is a French radio show recorded in front of a live audience. So yeah, you will hear French in these recordings. Anyway, I found these legally on the net and wanted to share them with you. Thanks goes out to blocparty.net. If you enjoy these, please purchase their new CD when it comes out in February.

1. Waiting For The 7:18
2. Positive Tension
3. Banquet
4. Hunting For Witches
5. This Modern Love
6. The Prayer
7. Uniform
8. I Still Remember
9. So Here We Are
10. Little Thoughts
11. Helicopter
12. Sunday

*Removed by request. Please visit blocparty.net for more on this show.*

Today’s Throwback band needs no introduction. They are probably the most hyped band of the past 10 years. Today is the day that we listen to the requests and bring you Radiohead. This is a band that seemed poised to be a one hit wonder with “Creep.” Then The Bends came out and everything changed. All of a sudden, they were everyone’s favorite band. OK Computer only enhanced that and the rest is history. Let’s skip the boring small talk and just get to the music. We stayed away from most of the more popular songs and tried to bring you a few hidden gems. If you don’t have the albums, we highly recommend them. Anyway, I’m out. Go listen.

Pablo Honey (1993)
You
Stop Whispering
Vegetable

The Bends (1995)
The Bends
Just
My Iron Lung

OK Computer (1997)
Airbag
Let Down
Climbing Up The Walls

Kid A (2000)
Everything In Its Right Place
Kid A
Idioteque

Amnesiac (2001)
Pyramid Song
Knives Out

Hail To The Thief (2003)
2 + 2 = 5
Where I End And You Begin
There There

Extras
Talk Show Host
True Love Waits (Live)

Past Throwbacks:
1/18/07: The Police
1/11/07: Smashing Pumpkins
1/4/07: Ryan Adams
12/28/06: The Replacements
12/14/06: Talking Heads
12/07/06: Peter Gabriel
11/30/06: The Pixies
11/16/06: Prince
11/09/06: Ben Folds Five
11/02/06: Beastie Boys
10/26/06: Joy Division
10/19/06: They Might Be Giants
10/12/06: The Psychedelic Furs
10/05/06: The Clash
09/28/06: The Smiths
09/21/06: A Tribe Called Quest
09/14/06: R.E.M.
09/07/06: The Cure
08/31/06: Morphine
08/24/06: The Lemonheads
08/17/06: Depeche Mode
08/10/06: New Order

It’s fall of 1993. I’m a senior high school. Kurt Cobain is still alive. Beavis and Butthead rule MTV. Sega Genesis is the gaming system of choice. Zach de la Rocha is pissed off. My friends and I are filled with angst. We are a perfect match.

I’ll never forget the first time that I heard Rage Against the Machine’s debut album in full. Back then, a parental advisory sticker actually meant something. My friends and I were dying to get this CD. I was the first of us to turn 18, so I purchased about 5 copies as soon as I did. There weren’t a lot of CD players in cars at that point, so I waited until I got home to put it on. I put it on in my room and cranked it up, not knowing that Bombtrack builds. Mike (yes the one that used to run the Austin side of this site) was in the next room and as soon as the song kicked in, he heard me scream. And I heard him laugh. While my ears may have hurt, I immediately fell in love. To this day, this CD can bring out the angst that I had believed to be long gone.

Bombtrack
Know Your Enemy
Freedom

The Arcade Fire performed a secret show over the weekend at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Montreal. Somebody was able to record a bootleg and turn it rather quickly. We of course have the mp3s from the show zipped for you.

Here’s the setlist and a couple of samples:
Black Mirror
Keep The Car Running
No Cars Go
Black Wave/Bad Vibrations
My Body Is A Cage
Ocean Of Noise
Rebellion (Lies)
Intervention
(Antichrist Television Blues)
The Well and The Lighthouse

Encore:
Haiti
Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)

[ZIP] The Arcade Fire – Live @ St. Michael’s, Montreal, 1/20/2007

Credit for the recording can be found here.

Holy. Crap.

Day one might be the best one day festival lineup that I’ve ever seen. Not to mention my excitement over the Rage Against the Machine reunion. Guess you’ll find me in California this spring.