Honey Powder
Thursdays 2pm-4pm
Show Description
This afternoon gets eclectic.

Lionheart James
Thursdays 2am-4am
facebook page
Show Description
Lionheart James – nice and late. Sexy and Sultry. Hammers. Secession. We’ve got it all. Deal with it.

The Cosby Sweater Club
Wednesdays 4pm-6pm
Show Description
This show’s main idea is to go through generations of music and see what bands influenced or inspired each other. Some of the music will be all over the place, but  will probably be mainly lo-fi and similar types of rock music, but then again I don’t understand genres. It can include artists like Pavement, the Replacements, Talking Heads, Big Star, Neil Young and more! So just listen, whether you are under the influence of anything or not.

WVAU’s next Open Mic Night will be this Friday, October 28th at 5pm (note the early time) in the SIS Atrium. The Davenport Coffee Lounge will be open late for this event and will be serving coffee, chai and other caffeinated treats until 7pm.

Since Halloween is right around the corner, we’ll be holding a costume contest with FABULOUS PRIZES. And just for showing up, costume-clad or not, you’ll receive a ballin blue sweatband.

To sign up, email Carrie at wvauevents@gmail.com. As always, there is a two-performance limit per act, and we’ll be accepting sign-ups for the first half hour of the show. We’re holding this one early, so come by, drink some coffee, wear a dope costume and perform for us!

Thanks to Louise for the awesome poster!

It begins like a Beethoven piece would if he had been born on a distant moon in a far-off nebula. The orchestral flushes mix with the extraterrestrial tambour of the instruments, lifting us into another world. A journey is about to begin.

Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats takes the listener up into the stars to another planet only to find that life is not too different in space. The album is predominantly instrumental. Long solos abound but constantly rest upon an incredibly composed base. In the sleeve notes Zappa describes Hot Rats as a “movie for your ears,” but this is no delicate French New Wave piece of cinema. Oh no, Hot Rats belongs in the realm of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings. It takes place in a world of violent conflict where war is waged through shredding harder and more brilliantly than the opposing side.

If the first song, “Peaces En Regalia”, takes us into another world, the second song “Willy the Pimp” grounds us there. In much the same way as showing Luke’s life on Tatooine shows the viewer that life isn’t too different across the galaxy, “Willy the Pimp” empowers us while making us feel at home. For the sole vocal track on the album, the legendary Captain Beefheart makes an appearance lending his grating blues-snarl to the song.

And then the solos begin. And they continue, their ebb and flow tossing us like waves on a windy day. We discover something. Something unknown

On the third song, “Son of Mr. Green Genes”, Aaron Copland and Charles Mingus fall in love, take a trip to the local scrap yard and make love like lizards. Their reptilian thrusting both transcends and embodies us. After they are finished, they share a cigarette and crash into each other’s arms, Mingus’ head resting on Copland’s bosom.

But then Mingus leaves Copland for Bela Bartok on “Little Umbrellas”. My understanding of the story grows hazy here. But deception and mischief haunt their world. The plot deepens and the conflict is about to explode.

As if he knew that at this point we would be getting far too sucked into the imaginary world of the album Zappa starts the fifth song “The Gumbo Variations” by allowing us hear him instructing the musicians before their second take. We realize that this is an album. It has a history. People made it. And then these people begin to play.

“The Gumbo Variations” is a 17-minutes epic containing three expansive solos over a constantly morphing and changing rock groove. Sax flows into violin that in turn flows into guitar. Like in the Judgment of Paris, these three godly beauties compete for the affections of the worldly band. In the end, the band cannot seem to choose, and the godly soloists collapse in anger.

The last song, “It Must Be A Camel” returns us to earth. We leave the world of conflict we were so recently introduced to. But what turmoil it has spawned in us! Our reflections on our experience propel us past stars and millennia back into our own world and our own time. However, we cannot help but notice it is not too different from that world so far and long ago.

Hot Rats can sustain many interpretations. All of them can only be models for understanding. But the knowledge we gain from using them seems universal. This “movie for our ears” holds a key of sorts. We have only to reach out and grab it. The beauty of the album, however, is that once we’ve grasped it there’s so many doors who can know which one to unlock?

By Jesse Drucker

Twirkin’ french electronic production duo Mustard Pimps will be spinning on the turntables of U Street Music Hall this Thursday night. For a show that is free with RSVP (for 21+), you can’t find any better value of Thursday night entertainment in DC. Mustard Pimps have evolved as cross-genre DJs, previously working with acts like Dada Life, and who’ve recently dropped their new full-length album ‘No Title or Purpose’ earlier in October. If you’re a DJ who’s into electronic music here at WVAU, be sure to stream a few tracks on their soundcloud (posted below), and come out to the high-energy show this Thursday.

The following video of theirs ‘ZHM’ is an example of their beat smashing style. I’m warning you right now this video is pure crazy. If you thought puppets were weird representations of mankind to begin with, the video below makes puppets doing things you’ve never seen puppets do before. Get thrown into a pleasurably uncomfortable encounter of an American Beauty kind, a domestic experience that casually grows into a wild sexcapade which, without spoiling it for you, you should just watch yourself (below) to find out how it ends.

Stream their latest album on Soundcloud – http://soundcloud.com/mustard-pimp
UHall RSVP for free entry (for 21+) – http://bit.ly/uhall_rsvp
UHall Event Page – http://www.ustreetmusichall.com/2011/10/mustard-pimp/

Video – ‘ZHM’ by Mustard Pimp

Mustard Pimp “ZHM” (Official Video) from Dim Mak on Vimeo.

By Louise Brask

I used be uncool. A few years ago I had tendencies to wear peach colored track suits with the bedazzled word JUICY sprawled across the ass. I used to dream of being a Lakers cheerleader. I had nights filled with turmoil of who deserved my love more, Justin or JC.

It was during this time I stumbled across Rolling Stone magazine in a doctor’s office. I flipped the pages open and there I saw her. Her DIY haircut was the result of a dull pair of scissors. She was adorned with crosses and leather jewelry. She was topless. This was the first pair of breasts I’ve ever seen besides my mother’s. She simply just stood there unaware that she was exposed and a handsome man happened to be standing next to her. Initially, I thought she was ugly. But in my young age I confused her authenticity with ugliness. She was real. She was rock n’roll to me.

From that day on, I have been a devote Patti Smith fan. Since that fateful day at the doctor’s, I have shed the track suits (the love for N’Sync still remains).

Her first album Horses is a classic and known as one of the greatest albums of all time. While listening to it you feel as though Smith is your much cooler older sister singing in your basement while you have your ear pressed to the door. The decades between when the album was recorded and the present moment are meaningless.. She is experimentally modern and each song varies stylistically. Yet, the common thread throughout each song is her passion. You hear Smith’s heavy breathing and slight shakiness in her voice. Her lack of precision is forgiven due to her emphasis on the music as a rejection of the ordinary.

Perhaps the most appropriate song from “Horses” for our generation is “Free Money.” As a college student afflicted with money concerns, I appreciate this song much more now. Smith sings of how wonderful life would be if she had lots of money. Her desire for money is obvious and hungry. Her voice contains animalistic grunts when she harkens on all the things she could do with more money.

Yet, this song is not an homage to greed, but rather a commentary on poverty. Smith pinpoints the crux of being a working American, “See those dollar bills go swirling ‘round my bed/ I know they’re stolen but I don’t feel bad.” She sings of simply making her loved ones happy therefore she will do anything in order to see this goal achieved. She does not wish to be rich, but rather she wishes to live a comfortable life free of worry. She provides a human and artistic quality to money consumption and a real portrayal of the American dream, which is interesting and unexpected. Smith does not idealize the life of a starving artist, instead she sings for everyone working and how it is a fundamental human desire to be providers.

By Michelle Merica

They’re either the best, or they’re the worst. Either the greatest, or the most god-awful, horrid, pain-inducing noise ever put on record. Art-rock god Frank Zappa is on record as proclaiming that they’re “better than The Beatles”, while Kurt Cobain has listed their debut as his number 5 most influential record of all time.

The Shaggs, rock/pop/outsider band from the 60’s, are among the most controversial and hotly debated bands of all time, able to conjure up praises from some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, while being (understandably) derided by nearly everyone else. Their brand of simple, idiosyncratic, barely organized ‘pop’ music recalls questions such as “What really is music?” “Is this intentional?” And, “Who are parents?”.

The idea of The Shaggs was born even before the birth of the members, sisters Dot, Helen, Betty, and Rachel Wiggin. Their father, Austin Wiggin Jr., claimed that his mother once received a palm reading in which her son would marry a blonde woman, and their children would form a well known musical group. Apparently a superstitious man, Austin took this tale as gospel, took his children out of school, and arranged for his daughters to begin receiving music lessons with the end goal of forming “The Shaggs”.

Despite the small fact that none of the girls had any interest in being in a band, at the beckoning of their father, they began playing concerts around their hometown of Freemont, New Hampshire, the town in which they would play the entirety of their shows. At the time, the sisters had nearly no idea how to play their respective instruments. The town reacted as expected, verbally abusing and berating The Shaggs onstage during multiple occasions. At this point, Austin decided that it was time for The Shaggs to record their debut album, having so much faith in it that he spent his own money to finance the recording sessions.

It is very possibly that nothing ever again recorded will sound quite like Philosophy of the World, The Shaggs’ 1969 first and only album. The blatant disregard for even the most basic musical tenants over the course of the albums’ thirty-two minutes is simply stunning. It is essentially devoid of anything which could be called a chorus. The guitars, already played in a manner of someone who has no understanding of Western music, are perpetually out of tune. Though one of the sisters apparently plays bass, it is nowhere to be found in the mix. Perhaps greatest (or worst) of all are the drums, which appear not to notice nor care which song the rest of the band is playing, doing whatever they wish, whenever they wish.

What may very well be the albums “finest” moments take place during the “classic” “My Pal Foot-Foot”, which both begins and ends with what can charitably described as a drum “solo.” Rounding out the instrumental side of The Shaggs is the vocals, which change note on each and every syllable throughout the album and were described by one Rolling Stone review as “sounding like lobotomized Von Trapp Family singers.”

What is sometimes lost within the vast mess of sound are the lyrics of Philosophy of the World. Song titles such as “Things I Wonder”, “Why Do I Feel?” and “Who are Parents?” (now you get the introduction), can only give way to lyrics which appear to be the inner monologue of a six-year-old girl, despite the fact that The Shaggs were all at least 18 by the time Philosophy of the World was recorded. “There are many things I wonder;There are many things I don’t; It seems as though the things I wonder most; Are the things I never find out,” they philosophize on “Things I Wonder”. The awkward and painfully sincere lyrics touch on a range of topics, including their cat running away, Halloween, fat people, and cars.

After their father’s death in 1975, The Shaggs dissolved. Though Philosophy of the World received little recognition at the time of original pressing, it has since been re-released and rediscovered by artists such as Frank Zappa, Nirvana, and NRBQ, creating new attention for the group. Despite their clear lack of any musical ability, The Shaggs were undoubtedly something to behold and have become an outsider classic. This may not be what The Shaggs wanted their music to be, but it is what it’s has become. And I love them for it.

By Richard Murphy

It’s finally October – my favorite month. Time for crisp autumn mornings, pumpkins, and perfect temperatures for wearing my pea coat, but no list of awesome month-related things is complete without the month’s upcoming shows. So here’s a look at some bands making a stop in D.C. in October. Is this a comprehensive list? No, of course it’s not. Rather some of the highlights like…

Dum Dum Girls stop at the Black Cat on Saturday night, October 22 to support their recently released sophomore record Only in Dreams. The album has gotten some solid reviews thus far, and I’m not just talking Pitchfork but the New York Times, too. That’s some serious exposure. I’ve never seen them live, but definitely looking forward to checking them out.

Deer Tick, my hometown heroes, headline 9:30 Club on Sunday the 16th. If I have to introduce them, you should stop reading this now and go get Born on Flag Day. Seriously.

Japanese metal may sound a little intimidating if you’re not a hardened headbanger, but Boris is incredibly eclectic and has something for everyone. They come to the Black Cat on Saturday, October 29 to play some new material from each of their three full-length albums released this year. I’ve had a chance to see Boris a few times, and I can say it’s LOUD but not your typical rock show. And drummer Atsuo always jumps into the crowd at the end of the set. Awesome.

The District’s own Beasts of No Nation play H Street’s Red Palace on Wednesday, October 26th. I got a chance to see them at Fort Reno this past summer, and they’re some standard, solid punk. If you like Darkest Hour – of whom Beasts features former members – then you’ll definitely enjoy Beast of No Nation.

Big D and The Kids Table come to the Rock N Roll Hotel, also on the 26th, with fellow Boston ska/punk band the Have Nots. Having seen and even played with both bands during my former life as a member of a high school ska/punk band, I can say it’ll be wicked entertaining. They’re both super fun and surely worth a good nostalgic time.

By Anthony DeLuise

WVAU’s Electric Factory, a show that rotates a heady mixture of the latest electronic and indie, will be hosting Willy Joy on this week’s episode, which airs Thursday, October 6th from 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

An American DJ at the core, originally heralding from Chi-town, Joy now lives and works in the nation’s capital, D.C. Joy, himself, relates his style to ‘pop sensibility’ with a dual love for facemelters. Along with giving us a live interview, Willy will be playing a few of his new tracks for us on the show. After listening to his Soundcloud on a crazy loop of repeats for the past week, we can’t wait to hear the new material.

Previously, Willy has worked alongside the acts of A-Trak, Kid Sister, and The Gaslight Anthem on tour. The dude is also planning to hit up U Street later that night where he will be opening for NYC DJ/Production-duo Designer Drugs. Tickets to see DD, Willy Joy, and Harry Ransom at U-Hall are free with RSVP, and you can easily RSVP by going to the UHall event page linked below.

Hear Willy’s interview on ‘Electric Factory,’ this Thursday 4-6PM EST on http://wvau.org.

illy Joy on Soundcloud:
http://soundcloud.com/willyjoy

Designer Drugs, Willy Joy, and Harry Ransom @UHall (Event Page):
http://www.ustreetmusichall.com/2011/10/designer-drugs-4/

Electric Factory Facebook Fan Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Electric-Factory-on-WVAU/129140907133810

By Louise Brask

In my last post I said that it would be pathetic if I didn’t catch my first live show before my next post, and I’m a woman of my word, so I checked out Wolfette at the pub in the Islington area of London, Monto Water Rats And to further the WVAU-relevancy of said gig, I went will fellow AUer-in-London and DJ Eric Lynch, former host of WVAU’s British Invasion.

With only about a 20 person crowd in easily the smallest venue I’ve ever been to, Wolfette worked the pub’s backroom-stage with her fiery, deep voice and fierce gold jeans, accompanied by her band.

My knowledge of Wolfette prior to the gig was minimal, as Eric only sent me a link to one of her videos when he asked me to go with him, but that didn’t stop me from dancing to her catchy electo-pop with a but of a harder, more alternative edge.

Only a short set of 7 songs, as Wolfette kicked off the string of acts for a night of live music at Monto’s, the British band created the edgy and sassy, but upbeat vibe to set the tone for the rest of the night.

The venue itself has a very similar atmosphere to my pub-crush the Lexington that I last posted about — rustic, uber hip, open and dark, but still welcoming, (I’m beginning to realize that “welcoming” is part of the vibe for almost all London pubs. Makes sense, no?), and also regularly hosts live music events.

The past two weekends I’ve been living the super glamourous lifestyle and jet-setting off to Paris and Munich for Oktoberfest, so time to catch another live show has been few and far between because I’ve also had to focus on the pesky “studying” part of the “study abroad” experience (what a downer). But I’m forcing myself to make another promise to y’all to check out another live act for my next post. Until then, Cheerio!

Quirky as ever, the progressive rock band Deerhoof rode into the 930 Club with a thunder on Saturday. Without a word to the crowd, they picked up their instruments, confidently assembled themselves in a line at the front of the stage, and began to play. The substantial crowd of thrill-seekers that had gathered to revel in the band’s celestial aura woke up gradually-they needed to be pulled from the state of indifference most people inhabit.

The adorably fun-sized singer and bassist Satomi Matsuzaki delivered the lyrics of the first song “Super Duper Rescue Heads” with a wide-eyed hypotonic gaze out into the crowd and hand gestures that accompanied the lyrics, only heightening the child-like tone of the song. Matsuzaki’s hypnotic gaze persisted throughout the entire hard-rocking set. It calmed the crowd at apex of chaos and challenged them at the zenith of ridiculousness.

Beneath the mirage of the composition there lurked a tide of improvisation that occasionally washed over the audience. Throughout the set the band played games with each other. As they all continued to play, one guitarist Ed Rodriguez scared Matsuzaki into hiding behind an amp while the other guitarist, John Dieterish, simply walked off stage, his riffs seeming to come from nowhere.

Halfway through the set drummer Greg Saunier stood up to say a few words. Obviously feeling awkward, he began to stutter out some incomprehensible words, and with the crowd’s help he managed to thank the opening bands. His awkward and uncomfortable demeanor lasted until the very end of his speech when he made a quick joke, laughed heartily, and sat back down at his drum set. Had he put on a character for the speech? Or was the awkwardness genuine? The mystery haunted the audience.

All of the songs came from Deerhoof’s latest album “Deerhoof vs. Evil.” In it, the band explores a more electronic sound and generally sounds more composed than in previous albums. Melodic lines weave in and out of the songs, almost seeming to combat each other and occasionally morphing into hard-rocking complex chord changes. For all the arrangement of the album, the band managed to control the transmutation of the recordings into performance with a refreshing vigor. The songs took back on the older Deerhoof sound without the workings of a studio but retained their sense of composition.

The band finished by playing over a short stop-action film. By this point the crowd was transfixed and stared at the projection like a cult might stare at their figurehead. After the band had left the stage and the audience began to break up a single woman remained standing in front of the stage. The tears she tried to hold back eventually broke and streamed down her face. What about this show had affected her so? Had it reminded her of a dead lover? Or were these tears of joy? Deerhoof’s music is powerful; let us hope they continue to use this power for good.