Last week at this time we were preparing for Yo La Tengo to stop into the lounge. The session was finalized late, but we were happy to have the legendary trio stop in and play an amazing set of music for us and our audience. The set was stripped down and the band played some songs they had never played before, and did so in a format that is very rare for them. Ira Kaplan even commented during the interview that the band doesn’t do sessions like this very often. However you won’t notice anything lacking during the set.

Post Updated with downloads now available…..

Check out the entire photoset here.

Yo La Tengo - The Weakest Part (Live On WOXY.com)
Yo La Tengo - Big Day Coming (Live On WOXY.com)

Yo La Tengo - Live On WOXY.com (session download)

They bookended their Lounge Act with covers from The Kinks which had to be removed from the podcast for legal reasons. As a result, we’ve offered up a streaming archive of this full session as well so you can hear the Kinks covers as well! The downloadable podcast only features the other 3 songs that were performed and the interview.

Yo La Tengo - Live On WOXY.com (full session stream, including covers)

Nashville’s Hotpipes have been playing together for the last four years. When they dropped in for this Lounge Act performance, it was their first week as a 4-piece (one member left the band to attend law school). Even with that major change, the band played one of the strongest sets we’ve had in recent memory.

In this performance you’ll hear 5 tracks from the band’s self-titled 2nd album which was released earlier this year.

Check out the entire photoset here.

Track Listing:
Love In 3’s
Women Of The World Agree
Starter Kit
- interview -
Lota Lee
Song For The Late Riser

Hotpipes - Song For The Late Riser (live on WOXY.com)
Hotpipes - Women Of The World Agree (live on WOXY.com)
Hotpipes - Live On WOXY.com(full session download)

Our very own Matt Shiv was recently interviewed by the blog, “People With Animal Heads“. Shiv talked about the WOXY play list, local bands, and also gives advice to bands looking to send their music to the station. Here are a few quotes from the piece I want to highlight….

On local / regional music making its way onto the play list…..

“When WOXY was a local FM broadcast, we really went out of the way to spotlight the local music community. Once we went internet-only in 2004, we had to refocus our efforts a bit. Just because you are a band in Cincinnati or Dayton, that doesn’t automatically earn you airplay on the station these days. The music submitted by local artists is held up to the same standards as any submission from around the world. If we like it, we support it,” Shiv said. “Mike, Joe, and I are all from this area, so even without noticing that we have a fondness for Midwestern bands and artists, I think that sometimes that just shines through. In addition to the tri-state, we’ve really supported a lot of bands from Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland and Nashville.”

Tips for bands submitting music.

“The main suggestion that I can make to anybody trying to pursue radio airplay is to have quality product and submit it professionally. At WOXY.com, we’ve got a staff of three people and get hundreds of cd submissions a week. I can’t even keep up with everything that comes in the door, never mind people e-mailing me asking me to follow 500 links to listen to their music online. Our attitude has always been, if you want me to hear your music, you’ll get it into my hands,”

On how WOXY has helped young bands.

“I know that we have a lot of A&R people from record labels who pay attention to the bands that we playlist who are unsigned. We get e-mails from them often asking us for more details on a certain band or they’ll approach us after a Lounge Act performance airs asking for contact info. All we do is play the music that we feel strongly about, but I am always thrilled when that translates into more exposure or a label signing for a band,”

Check out the entire interview here.

New Music focuses on something just added to the WOXY.com playlist. Today the spotlight is on the new album from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Baby 81, which is due out May 1st.

• The album’s title comes from the story of a baby that was claimed by 8 different families after the tragic tsunami of 2004.
• The disc is a return to the sound from the first two albums after the re-tooling on 2005’s Howl.
• This is the 4th full length album from the band, and their second for RCA.

Here are a few reviewers quotes about the new album.

• “BRMC seem invincible; or back to their searing best, at any rate.” Uncut Magazine
• “Still clenching its beloved Americana, BRMC spits a familiar noise that has transformed from a mountain of stifling volume into a dense layering of sophisticated references.” Urb Magazine
• “While this is BRMC at their best, consistency is still their biggest enemy. ” The Guardian

Blog Buzz

• A Letter Never Sent
• Stereogum
• Confessions of a music addict

Check out a video with clips of “Weapon of Choice” and “Berlin” below.

The second half of todays double header in the lounge features Baltimore rock band J Roddy Walston & The Business. The four-piece is out on tour supporting their debut self released album, Hail Mega Boys. The band has drawn comparisions to Kings Of Leon for their straightforward rock and roll style that leans into their Tennessee roots. We have all been enjoying their album at WOXY.com and look forward to today’s session as well.

Check out the song below to preview the band.

J Roddy Walston & The Business - Used To Did

This week we welcome the first of many guest contributors to our Song of the Week feature. Kari Wethington, the local music editor for Cin Weekly was kind enough to contribute this week, check out our picks below……

Mike Taylor - The Veils - “Not Yet”, from the CD Nux Vomica

After The Veils well received debut album was released in 2004, the London-based band split due to creative differences. Lead vocalist and main songwriter Finn Andrews (son of XTC’s & Shriekback’s Barry), returned to his native New Zealand to regroup, literally, reforming the band with two high school classmates.

Last year saw the UK release of Nux Vomica, the band’s sophomore release, which finally hit US record shelves this week. Even though the band may have technically shrunk, there’s a very big sound to the record and with Finn’s vocals taking more center stage, it’s easy to draw comparisons to bands like The Waterboys or even Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Check out the opening track, “Not Yet” which echoes elements of both bands: Mike Scott’s vocals mixed with the Bad Seeds dark noir. The result sets The Veils up as something much more substantial than a latter-day Britpop band that their debut disc had them pegged as.

The Veils - Not Yet (live via Music Is Art)

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Matt Shiv - The Clientele - “Bookshop Casanova”, from the CD God Save The Clientele.

Alasdair MacLean has one of those voices that can just make me stop whatever I’m doing and get lost in the music when I hear it. On the band’s new single, a lush string arrangement is layered onto a Donna Summer-esque disco backbeat. OK, this is not exactly “Bad Girls”, but it’s nice to hear them pick up the pace a little bit. “God Save The Clientele” is released through Merge Records on May 8th.

The Clientele - Bookshop Casanova

Joe Long - St. Vincent - “Now Now”, from the CD Marry Me.

Annie Clark is St. Vincent, and it is about time she burst out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Clark has already played supporting roles for the likes of Sufjan Stevens and The Polyphonic Spree, and is now very poised to join the ranks of other great female folk / pop singers.

The album from St. Vincent, titled Marry Me is out July 10th from Beggars and the first song to see the light of the web, Now Now is more than just a teaser, it’s an introduction to the beautiful vocals and complex sound of Annie Clark.

St. Vincent - Now Now

Kari Wethington - Mark Ronson - “Oh My God” feat. Lily Allen from the CD Version.

British super producer/DJ Mark Ronson has worked with everyone from Christina Aguilera and Ghostface Killah to indie pop star du jour Lily Allen.

On his latest disc, Version (out now in the UK), he again teams up with Allen, as well as Amy Winehouse, Kasabian, Robbie Williams and more.

In this sample track, “Oh My God,” Ronson and Allen cover fellow British cool kids the Kaiser Chiefs, from the band’s 2005 release Employment. Replacing the original guitars and post-punk drama with bright horns, a funk-fueled beat and Allen’s softly sassy vocals, the song is reinterpreted here as less rock, more dance-party jazz.

This irresistible song, and others from the disc, would make great additions to any summer soirée’s playlist.

Mark Ronson feat. Lily Allen - Oh My God(stream)

Take a look back at our previous Song Of The Week Installments.

Weekly Hit - Top 5 Blog Posts

1. Gorilla Vs. Bear lists his Top 25 Hip Hop albums of all time.
   
2. Regina Spektor and Nick Cave practice space videos, via Culture Bully
3. Muzzle Of Bees Digs up The National’s Black Sessions.
4. A drunk Bright Eyes gives away guitars at a show, from Stereogum.
5. Brooklyn Vegan has pics from the now famous night Patrick Wolf beat up his drummer.

And Now The Top 5 News Items

1. Rolling Stone lists 40 Songs That Changed The World.
2. Other Music Launches Digital Music Shop
3. White Stripes Announce North American Tour Dates in support of Icky Thump./a>
4. Domino to re-issue Sebadoh debut.
5. The Top 10 Rock N Roll films of all time.

Keep up to date with the daily hit and stay tuned for another weekly hit next Friday.

Another double dip in the lounge tomorrow kicks off with a session from Dead Heart Bloom. DHB is the brainchild of former Phaser band member Boris Skalsky and he is out supporting his second album right now. The album, Chelsea Diaries is a stripped down acoustic effort and just like his previous album, Boris has this one online available for free download. But the packaging on the album itself makes it a very worthy purchase as well.

The set should begin at around 2pm EST tomorrow, so tune in for the performance from Dead Heart Bloom.

Also, check out a very cool live video of Boris covering “Folsom Prison Blues” about a year ago.

Dead Heart Bloom - Who Will You Love

Today we look back at the session from The Little Ones, which was performed during SXSW. The L.A. based five-piece brought their shimmery brand of indie pop into the studio and recorded a really great set. The band was also kind enough to be a part of our “Everybody Needs A Nurse” day party later in the week. You will hear a few choice tunes from their debut EP, Sing Song , as well as two brand new unreleased songs, (O-A and Gregory’s Chant) which are also cut out of the session and available for MP3 download below.

The Little Ones - O-A (Live On WOXY.com / unreleased)
The Little Ones - Gregory’s Chant (Live On WOXY.com / unreleased)
The Little Ones - Live On WOXY.com (full session download)

Be sure to check out all of our other SXSW session recaps by clicking the logo below.

All of us here were pleasantly surprised when Boston’s Age Rings came across our radar. Their self released debut got lots of spins here so it was a no brainer to get them in for a session while in Austin for SXSW. We have two downloads from the session cut out for you today, as well as the entire session in mp3 form. Enjoy!

View the entire photoset here.

Age Rings - Everything Will Fall Apart (Live On WOXY.com)
Age Rings - Firefly (Live On WOXY.com)
Age Rings - Live On WOXY.com(full session download)

Be sure to check out all of our other SXSW session recaps by clicking the logo below.