PlayNetwork is quite happy to be bringing our first artist on the Barsuk label to the PlayLive stage. Unfortunately for Brent Knopf, record labels don’t pay you based on the amount of hours a week you spend working on your art. But they do sign you based on your talent, dedication and vision, and so all that hard work has clearly paid off for both Ramona Falls and Barsuk. And if you want proof that those extra hours are a value add to the finished product, check out this video showing off the packaging and album artwork for Prophet.

Gabriel Marowitz, Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

They’ve taken their positive message off the stage as well, making regular appearances at fundraisers, schools, and juvenile detentions centers. The band even donated half the proceeds from their 2008 release Half-Hour Revolution to the Service Board, plus volunteering their time and expertise to Arts Corps (who PlayNetwork has also partnered up with), both Seattle nonprofit that supports youth programs. I, for one feel extremely lucky to live in a city where bands like Kore Ionz care and connect with the community in so many ways. Should be a fun show!

Michael Beres – Client Coordinator
PlayNetwork

So now you say “Where does the music come into play?” Here is the best part. After Mexico defeated the French, many Mexican rancheros that fought in the war brought out their acoustic guitars and started singing and playing festive songs in a style that would later be known as Mariachi. For our clients on this holiday we’ve developed a Cinco de Mayo program that has a bit of everything that is festive from Mariachi, Rancheras, Cumbias, Salsa, Tejano, Banda and more with the likes of Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Gloria Estefan, Flaco Jimenez, Juan Gabriel, Vicente Fernandez and a few other surprises that’ll have them dancing on the tables. We hope that they and you will be taken to a place this Cinco de Mayo where you can let you hair down, pop open a cold one and say “Salud!” or drink one of your favorite tequilas and yell “Viva Mexico!”

Alex Espinosa – Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

Horse Feathers is an especially unique group, as they dont fit perfectly into any one genre, instead teetering on the edge of many genres, courtesy of the talented multi-instrumentalists that make up this group. We’re excited to welcome them to the PlayLive stage this Friday! I’m sure it will be a performance to remember and a great way to kick off our weekend.

Here’s the title track from their 2010 release “Thistled Spring”

Michael Beres – Client Coordinator
PlayNetwork

Starting out as in-demand session musicians-for-hire with local bands such as Air and Phoenix, Housse de Racket were first brought to the fore as featured artists on a Maison compilation release; curated by French electronic label, Kitsune. The Maison series featured such artists as Bloc Party, Cut Copy, and Simian Mobile Disco, and also help break such bands as Two Door Cinema Club. In 2008 Housse de Racket released their debut album Forty Love, and embarked on a relentless world tour playing over 200 shows from Lisbon to Tokyo and Berlin to Beijing.

Now in 2012, the band is once again stepping out from behind the scenes with their sophomore album, Alesia. Attempting to further solidify their own identity and avoid being lazily lumped in with their contemporary friends, Air and Phoenix, the band recruited none other than Phoenix producer Philippe Zdar to produce their new record. After all, the band joked, “who better than Phoenix’s producer to keep us away from the sound of Phoenix?” Their excellent new album Alesia was just released March 13^th, and while the album reveals a band that clearly took notes during their apprenticeship with their country’s biggest synth pop icons, it also reveals that House de Racket is doing things their own way, and show enough potential to suggest that one day, they could well become just as influential themselves.

Today’s PlayLive show is a must see, and you can also catch the band tonight on Capitol Hill at Chop Suey (tickets are still available). For more info on the band, you can visit their official site, as well as follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@HousseDeRacket). Also be sure to check out the songs Chateau (below) and Roman, which are both featured on their new album.

Blake Kirpes – Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

Alex Espinosa – Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

With SXSW happening but once a year, flocks of musicians and bands make their trek to Austin, Texas for the one-off chance of making an impact on the thousands in attendance.  Once such act; La Vida Boheme who hails from Caracas, Venezuela made that impact at this year’s SXSW music festival two weeks ago.  Being dubbed as the next big thing in the Rock En Espanol movement with influences ranging from 80’s punk to Electronic Dance music, La Vida Boheme tore through their set at The Parish dressed all in white with blue and green paint splattered all over them.  Their latest release “Nuestra” on Nacional Records, received two Latin Grammy nominations for best rock album as well as one for best rock song for “Radio Capital”. Led by singer Henry D’Anthenay, these guys are making people take notice not only for their eclectic shows but also as a staying powerhouse in Latin music.  NPR Music put out their “Possibly Life-Changing Music Discoveries from SXSW 2012” and La Vida Boheme made that list with flying colors, no pun intended.

Alex Espinosa – Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

THE FRONT BOTTOMS – Monday, March 26^th

“We kinda thought we were a punk band but then we’d play on bills with real punk bands and we’d be like ‘Whoa, were not punks. What the hell are we?” – The Front Bottoms

With that quote from The Front Bottom’s drummer Mathew Uychich, it’s pretty clear that his band is simultaneously defying labels while searching for a defining identity. The fact that Mathew is also listed as the band’s official bullhorn player further supports that claim. The Front Bottoms have been tearing up the New Jersey (Bergen County, to be exact) DIY scene for some time now with their catchy brand of pop-punk. Their songs are irreverent, playful and above all thoroughly enjoyable.

Currently on tour with Say Anything, the internet has helped The Front Bottoms get their name out there. They were approached by a director from Spain named Pablo Nieto who saw them online and wanted to make a music video for their song “Maps”. You can see in that video below how lead singer Brian Sella pretty much has a smile plastered on his face the whole time, which means that you can’t help but enjoy yourself as well. PlayNetwork is looking forward to having fun with The Front Bottoms on Monday, March 26^th.

LOST IN THE TREES – Tuesday, March 27th

Ari Picker, the composer/songwriter behind Lost in the Trees, was once asked in an interview why young people tend to be averse to orchestral music. He suggested that many kids may have been turned off by the strict discipline and rigidity they experienced while taking piano lessons or playing in the orchestra growing up. Or perhaps the manner in which classical music is presented, what he called a “stale, upper class, Ritzy environment”, is unappealing to younger generations.

I personally experienced before-school piano lessons in the living rooms of stuffy old ladies and the dictatorial rule of a few middle and high school orchestra directors. While my exposure to classical music didn’t inspire me to practice Mozart concertos for 3 hours a day, it was certainly the impetus for a musical journey into other genres that continues today. Had Ari Picker been there to hand the 13-year-old me a Lost in the Trees album, I might have been playing a different tune (sorry, couldn’t resist).

Picker explains that despite perceptions of younger generations, “there a lot of badasses in classical music, and people would think it’s cool if they learned about it in the right context.” It’s no coincidence that his project Lost in the Trees presents elements of classical music in a modern, popular setting. Part of an ongoing trend that could be characterized as “chamber folk” or “orchestral pop”, Lost in the Trees have just released their second album titled “A Church That Fits Our Needs”. Coming off an impressive and well-received performance at SXSW, the band will be playing the PlayLive Mainstage on Tuesday, March 27^th. Check out the video below for a behind the scenes look at the recording process and inspiration behind the new album.

Gabriel Marowitz – Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

If you’ve ever performed in any capacity, or have been to a show where you felt awkward and embarrassed for whoever was onstage, here is an entertaining website that will give you real, first-hand accounts of the sh** hitting the proverbial fan. Music journalist Jon Niccum has taken some real gems he’s heard over the years and compiled them into a website called The Worst Gig. Read, listen and watch some of your favorite artists tell you about the gig from Hell. Notable entries from Fitz and the Tantrums, Flogging Molly, Gillian Welch, Alice Cooper, Wilco, and many others.

http://www.worstgig.com/

Gabriel Marowitz, Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork

Here’s a name to share with you: ‘Mati Zundel”. This artist from Buenos Aires, Argentina is on the ZZK label, who are starting to release intriguing new Latin releases that are based on Cumbia, Urbano and Electronica dub beats.  With Mati’s new release titled “Amazonico Gravitante”, the elements he mixes are something that are not normal in the Latin world; he mixes Cumbia, Urbano, Electronica and Latin Folk to create an artisanal sound that will hopefully have other’s following in his steps.

Here’s a video of the new single “Señor Montecostes”…disfruta!

Alex Espinosa, Associate Music Supervisor
PlayNetwork