88.1 KDHX DJ Spotlight: Grace of Nomadic Reverie

Grace at KDHX

Over the last 2 years, Grace has hosted the KDHX program Nomadic Reverie, titled, in part, after the Bonnie Prince Billy song, and partly after her own biography. “Internally, the name relates to me,” she says. “And musically, the show is all over the place.” Grace specializes in all kinds of new and old folk music, experimental rock and electronic sounds, taking listeners on a journey that reflects her eclectic tastes and personal connection to music.

She’s moved some 25 different times over her life, from Harrison, Ark. (her birthplace) to Baltimore to rural Missouri, sometimes just apartment to apartment. She considers herself a Midwesterner and St. Louis has come to feel like home.

Grace got her official start in radio at KSLU at St. Louis University in the mid 2000s. She started working part time at KDHX as Assistant Music Director in 2006 and then became Music Director (and Events Coordinator), before stepping down last year to pursue a Masters in Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.

This Thursday evening, 7-9 p.m. Central, Grace will host her final episode of Nomadic Reverie. She’s moving to New York this winter to pursue a practicum and independent study, working with the Henry Street Settlement House and the Abrons Art Center, a non-profit focused on experimental arts education.

And though she’s leaving radio (for now) she’s begun work on a blog which will in time podcast her ongoing musical discoveries: Nomadic Reverie.

“One of the reasons I connect so strongly to music is that I did ballet for 14 years,” she says, following up our interview by e-mail. “Though I no longer dance (except when I’m alone in the house!), I still very much feel music in my body. I think my selections are very much influenced by sounds that awaken my desire to dance. Although the words and melodies are not my own, I still feel that I can express myself — but now the result is on the radio instead of the stage.”

Roy Kasten: When did you first discover music, in a real sense?

Grace: My parents were both into music. My dad would go to drums circles. (Laughs) One of my very first memories is of him taking me to a jazz club, when I was toddlerish age. My mom had really good taste in music. She exposed me to classical. When I was young, I was annoyed by the large amounts of Irish music she played. I complained that Neil Young sounded like Kermit the Frog. And I said I would never like Robyn Hitchcock.

That’s amazing that you even had an opinion about him.

But I do like Robyn Hitchcock!

Did you come around to Irish music?

Not so much deliberate listening, but I find myself listening to a lot of traditional British folk.

I’ve noticed that in your show.

I think that comes from my background. My family is very into their Irish heritage. There’s been a lot of reference to old Irish culture. But it’s more British folk where I hear the similarity; it’s more up my alley. I just find the vocals to be so unique.

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Posted by | December 22, 2010 | KDHX, Music | Comment 

Top 10 Female Vocalists of 2010

As it turns out, most of the music that caught my fancy this year was not from this year… I spent much of early summer tangled in a passionate affair with Tom Petty’s “Time to Move On,” and for the better part of October, I enveloped Leonard Cohen’s “Who By Fire” in my embrace, and then the entirety of Up From Below by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, which, honestly, jesus-crap-I’m-falling-for-this-am-I-really-falling-for-this-god-help-me, took a hold of me months and months ago and hasn’t set me down yet.

Besides these random moment’s of musical ecstasy, however, much of this year was not especially mind blowing. Nevertheless, in attending to every click-my-iPhone-three-times-to-make-this-song-“repeat,” a singular theme emerges: strong female singers, layered vocals with lots of self-harmonizing, myriad instruments with a combination of electric and acoustic and old and new (think harp and banjo and electric bass and the best of all, ukulele), mid-song tempo changes, discordance between the music and the vocals that creates a startling if not haunting aesthetic. In a word, girl music grown up.

Ok that’s four words, forgive me (verbose, overtalker, etc. etc. and so on…). But for a girl who learned about music from Tiffany and Whitney Houston played on a purple tape recorder, I’m thrilled that my devotion to female pop vocalists not only can thrive in today’s world, but can also mature and, well, have a bit more integrity. These Top Ten Female Vocalists with 2010 releases aren‘t just singers or musicians; they are all all-woman – all power, all passion, all of them make you feel alive and transcendent.

10. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me

Evocative best describes her voice, as it creeps and crawls and dances over harp and violin and horns and piano. Odd tempo shifts and mood changes dominate her three-album release. Her tone is quirky yet soulful, dripping with femininity yet solidly powerful. Not quite something to rock out to; rather, this album is best for curling up for a long session of “me time.”

Best song: “Good Intentions Paving Co.”

9. CocoRosie – Grey Oceans

Murky and haunting, the sounds these sisters create are as diverse as their two voices (one childlike and the other operatic). At moments CocoRosie evokes Bjork – well, that is, a Bjork minus the techno-dance of Debut and the silliness of the Sugarcubes; yeah, more like a Bjork that you locked in a dark closet for a few years, whose eyes are still adjusting to the light. The song “Lemonade” is particularly tasty, featuring the two voices piled one upon the other and the requisite mid-song tempo change and the juxtaposition of funeral sad with playground giddy.

Best song: “Lemonade”

8. Beach House – Teen Dream

Eerie and shadowy, but not somber; Beach House creates an atmosphere of calm with a touch of longing. Victoria Legrand’s vocals are at once clear and husky, weaving in and out of the background “oohs” and “aahhhs” and electronics and keys like the whine of a bent saw. Though slow-paced, the electric guitar, bass, keys and percussion (shakers, drums) keep a steady rhythm, giving way to crescendos of cymbals and bells, and my favorite part, intermittent jangles of a calliope organ. Best listened to through earbuds so you can absorb the subtle complexity, Beach House is perfect for couch-bound snowy Saturdays – “you are coming home… coming home any day now.”

Best songs: “Zebra” and “Used to Be”

7. The Joy Formidable – A Balloon Called Moaning

Electronic synthesizers, with keys, horns, organ-sounding hoots and subtle bass, guitar and drums. The vocals alternate with the swelling blend of instruments. Joy Formidable emits a touch of desolation, but adds in a solid rocking-out feel à la girl punk band. What is it about good girl rock that gets you right in the gut? “All these things about me you never can tell.”

Best songs: “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade” and “Whirring”

6. Kate Nash – My Best Friend is You

Although perhaps she is the most seemingly standard girly-pop star of this list, Kate Nash nevertheless embodies authentic, raw power. Maybe it’s that she yells rather than laments about soured romances, “cried my stupid eyes out,” or maybe it’s the pissed-off spoken word laid over the clapping and synthesizers, or maybe it’s that this album has matured since her last, with schizophrenic shifts between melodic lyricizing and screeching. Maybe it’s that she’s mastered that lovely quality of self-harmonizing. Whatever it is that makes her so engaging, she’s definitely not your standard Katy Perry pop, though certainly she can hold her own on the Billboard charts. My favorite song on this album is the acoustic “You Were So Far Away” with only guitar and her voice folded over itself singing about heartbreak-induced death – “I can taste the metal, feel the gun in my mouth.” Kate Nash makes you feel deeper than you thought was safe. There’s something going on there, and I like it.

Best songs: “Later On” and “You Were So Far Away”

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Posted by | December 22, 2010 | Music | 4 Comments 

The KDHX Best of 2010

It’s an annual ritual, especially in musically obsessive circles, to take one long, fond look back at the year, and consider what made the days worth singing about. 88.1 KDHX joins the party with a few lists of our own.

The Top Albums Spins of 2010
The Top Local Spins of 2010
DJ Top Ten Album Lists

Here on the KDHX Blog, we’ll also be running individual lists and reflections from KDHX music writers and DJs. Stay tuned. It’s going to be a great ride.

Happy (almost) new year!

Posted by | December 21, 2010 | KDHX, Music | Comment 

Concert review: Rock to remember with Ultimate Fakebook, the Dead Girls, the Orbz and Highway Companion at the Firebird, Sunday, December 19

ufbrocks.com

Proverbial wisdom says that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Reunited for its first tour since disbanding in 2003, Ultimate Fakebook showed just how true that statement is with an explosive, truly memorable set Sunday night at the Firebird.

The evening was set into motion by St. Louis band the Highway Companion. Despite being a member short due to a recent personnel change, the group blasted the room with their brand of punk and southern rock infused power pop. Highway Companion is one of those rare bands with a sound that I can only describe as semi-polished. Their songs themselves are well crafted with an energetic pop feel while also retaining the rough edges commonly found in good punk rock. Patrick Baum cut loose with some sharp guitar riffs and vocals that would make Dave Grohl jealous while brothers Josh and Jake Delaloye maintained a smooth yet frantic substrate on drums and bass respectively.

The second act to take the stage was the Dead Girls from Lawrence, Kan. The band consists of JoJo Longbottom and Cameron Hawk sharing vocal and guitar duties with Ultimate Fakebook members Nick Colby on bass and Eric Melin on drums. Starting with the first tune, the Dead Girls revved up the crowd, slammed the pedal to the floor and didn’t let up until they crossed the finish line. The band served up some fantastic vocal harmonies and displayed a wide dynamic range while delivering some of the catchiest hooks this side of the bait shop.

The Dead Girls have been playing together for about 6 years and the chemistry amongst the members, Longbottom and Hawk in particular, was unmistakable. The set felt nothing like a performance. They are so comfortable with each other and their material that there was no playing going on, there was just a nonstop party on stage from the first note to the last. Anyone who wants to see the spirit of rock and roll live and in person owes it to themselves to put the Dead Girls on their must see list.

Grabbing the third spot on the roster tonight was St. Louis band the Orbz. KDHX DJ Jason Robinson (of the Mixtape) handled vocal duties, backed by Ken Adelman on guitar, Jeremy Ivy on bass and Chris Luckett on drums. Evoking the spirit of that short time period between the end of the punk era and the rise of new wave, the Orbz sound like the love child of the Pixies and Attractions era Elvis Costello. Their brand of low-fi garage rock made for an interesting but not out of place contrast to the bombastic assault of the Highway Companion and the Dead Girls and served as an excellent way to cleanse the sonic palate in preparation for the main course.

Capping off the evening was Manhattan, Kan.-based Ultimate Fakebook who reunited for a 4-stop tour in support of Daydream Radio Is Smiling Static, an album released by the band for download at their website free of charge as a thank you to their fans. Nick Colby and Eric Melin took up their spots at bass and drums, joined by Bill McShane on vocals and guitar. Even after a six-year hiatus, they looked and sounded as if they had never parted ways.

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Posted by | December 20, 2010 | Concerts | 1 Comment 

Concert review: Bryan Greenberg proves that music isn’t an act at the Old Rock House, Saturday, December 18

facebook.com/bryangreenbergfb

When I hear the phrase “actor turned musician” used to describe an artist I tend to cringe. St. Louis native Bryan Greenberg showed us that he is best described as an actor and a musician with his set at the Old Rock House Saturday night.

Opening the show was John Boy’s Courage, the vehicle of Todd Sarvies, a singer and songwriter you may recognize from his second place finish in the MTV P. Diddy’s Starmaker. The band put on a technically flawless performance, but the set seemed to lack the energy that usually flows between the performers and the crowd. Whether it was because the band was missing a member (bassist Mike Dyer was in school in Boston and unable to attend the performance) or the audience was just not connecting with them, there seemed to be something missing from an otherwise excellent performance.

The highlight of the set for me was the closing tune, which started shortly after drummer Taylor Smith had an equipment malfunction and continued on, playing the first half of the song without a functioning bass pedal. Smith and Sarvies seemed to find the spark that had been missing earlier in the evening and finished off their set with a bang. I have the feeling that my complaints would disappear if I were to see them perform in a different setting with a more reactive crowd.

Bryan Greenberg, an actor best known for his roles in One Tree Hill and How to Make It in America, decided to finish his 13-week tour in St. Louis, which has been his home since the age of 12. He managed to end it in style with a high-energy show that blurred the lines between rock, folk, blues and funk. Greenberg and his backing band ran through a large portion of the tunes from the upcoming release We Don’t Have Forever, a batch from 2007’s Waiting for Now, and even a cover of the Elliot Smith tune “Twilight.” Their entire set was explosive, the band switching from straight pop to ballad to all-out rock & roll and back again without missing a beat.

Watching the band interact with each other was a great pleasure. They all seemed to be familiar enough with the tunes and with each other that they could just sit back and enjoy themselves, which was obvious by the smiles that never left their faces. There were a few spots in the evening when the band drowned out the vocals, but I believe this was an issue with the sound levels in the venue.

Greenberg stated during the show that when asked whether he would give up acting or performing music if forced to pick one over the other, he would be unable to choose since he loves both equally. That fact is evident in the quality of the songs he has written. They stand on their own while giving nods to similar musicians, such as John Mayer and Jakob Dylan.

Greenberg and company decided to forego the traditional encore song, instead they headed down into the lounge area to have a meet and greet with fans who donated canned goods or cash to the St. Louis Area Foodbank. With his help, the Foodbank was able to collect enough to provide over 1,000 meals to those in need in the St. Louis area. With his guitar in hand and band at his side, one thing I am definitely sure of is that Bryan Greenberg was not playing the part of a musician tonight. There were no actors on that stage. There were four musicians giving everyone in attendance a pure rock & roll experience.

Posted by | December 19, 2010 | Concerts | Comment 

Event photos: sound waves featuring Ron Edwards, Bob Case and Jon Erblich at the Pulitizer, Thursday, December 16

88.1 KDHX and the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts present sound waves, a monthly event featuring DJs, musicians and art, calling and responding across galleries at the Pulitzer.

December’s featured performers were Ron Edwards, Bob Case and Jon Erblich.

All photos by Michael Landeck.

Ron Edwards

Bob Case

Jon Erblich

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Posted by | December 17, 2010 | Culture, Music, Photos | Comment 

A smashing party at Countdown to Tron: Legacy at the Firebird

It was a hot and sweaty electro party last Thursday at the Firebird. The KDHX Countdown to Tron: Legacy party hosted by Kate from Beep Beep Boop Boop was a smash with local DJ talents Kate, Johnny Orr and DJ Coreyography, classic arcade games, glowing body art, a Ducati and the epic bit-crushed symphony of Daft Punk’s film score.

Partygoers excitedly armed themselves with Tron themed t-shirts, customized glowing body art and ample libations. Kate kicked off the evening with a high energy DJ set featuring Bloody Beetroots’ remixes and Simian Mobile Disco’s “It’s the Beat.” Electronic music ruled the evening, and Daft Punk reigned supreme. The DJs kept a common theme through each set playing and remixing various Daft Punk tracks. As the night wore on and beer lubricated the dance floor our DJs really worked the crowd with hilarious yet bumping tracks like Duck Sauce’s “Barbra Streisand.”

Jonny Orr and DJ Coreyography finessed the crowd together taking turns teasing and tantalizing the dance floor with their on-point yet surprising selections. I’ll be the first to openly admit, I cut a rug to a funky remix of Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” after a few drinks. When all is said and done, the KDHX Tron benefit party was the best excuse this year to do the robot while supporting community radio.

All photos by Rebecca Buell.

Posted by | December 15, 2010 | Concerts, Photos | Comment 

Interview with Eric Melin of Ultimate Fakebook

Eric Melin

Jennifer Long / ufbrocks.com

Earlier this year, we told you Ultimate Fakebook was back. And we meant it. The band’s album Daydream Radio Is Smiling Static rejuvenated its fan base and got UFB out on the road again.

St. Louis is a very lucky place to be granted a visit from the power poppers from Manhattan, KS — after all, only four cities get to host them on this tour, aptly named the “Four Parties” tour. The band will be appearing at the Firebird on Sunday, December 19.

I had a chance to chat with drummer Eric Melin to talk about the new record, his new band the Dead Girls, his career in movie criticism and work as creator of Scene Stealers, and much more.

Presented to you here is the (nearly) complete interview.

Jason Robinson interviews Eric Melin of Ultimate Fakebook

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Posted by | December 14, 2010 | Music | Comment 

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