It’s a birthday party!
No, it’s a CD release party!
Stop! You’re both right. It’s two (click), two (click), two parties in one.
Posts Tagged ‘WEXT’
Be Here Now: Sea of Trees @ Valentine’s Music Hall, 7/17/10
Friday, July 16th, 2010On the Radio: “Caffe Lena: 50 Years and Looking Forward” @ WEXT-FM
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
In May of 1960, Lena Spencer opened the distinctive double doors at 47 Phila Street in Saratoga Springs and welcomed visitors upstairs for a hot cup of coffee and an intimate taste of the finest music. Five decades later, its founder long passed, Caffé Lena remains dedicated to the art of telling stories through music, theater and the spoken word.
The rich musical legacy of Caffe Lena is being celebrated in the new three-part radio series “Caffe Lena: 50 Years and Looking Forward,” which will air on WEXT-FM on three consecutive Saturdays this month. The first hour-long show will be broadcast at 6pm Saturday.
LIVE: The Hold Steady @ The Linda, 4/7/10
Thursday, April 8th, 2010
Making their hotly anticipated return to Nippertown at The Linda after a frenzied, beer ‘n’ sweat-soaked sold-out show at Valentine’s Music Hall a year ago, newly revamped, Brooklyn-based, indie-rock torchbearers the Hold Steady charged into a new song “Rock Problems,” that boasted all the earmarks of the band’s classic sound.
A pummeling, churning rhythm section. Big, fat ready-for-the-arena powerchords that flooded the entire theater. A soaring, Allman Brothers Band-like twin-guitar duet. And Craig Finn’s always nimble, literate wordplay.
The Hold Steady have long been saddled with comparisons to early Springsteen, but this song – from their upcoming “Heaven Is Whenever” album, slated for release on May 4 – rang truer to the heart of Tom Petty’s glory-days anthems spiked with some Cheap Trick-like riffology.
But, ah, the band soon found itself facing even bigger “Rock Problems.”
Be Here Now: “Hello Pretty City” @ Valentine’s Music Hall, 3/5/10
Thursday, March 4th, 2010Disc jockey Laura Glazer signed off with her last broadcast of “Hello Pretty City” on WRPI-FM on Tuesday morning. And she’s saying farewell to WRPI with a big concert at Valentine’s Music Hall in Albany on Friday night.
Headlining the bash is Rhode Island’s funky, folksy Americana quintet Brown Bird, who wowed the crowd at Albany’s Madison Grille back on January 9. Don’t believe us? Check out their rendition of Tennessee Ernie Ford’s classic, “16 Tons”:
Brown Bird “Sixteen Tons” (Merle Travis) from m on Vimeo.
Rounding out the “Hello Pretty City” Cavalcade of Stars are the Landlines and Nippertown favorites the Charlie Watts Riots and Pony in the Pancake. Showtime is 8pm, and admission is $8.
And while Glazer’s radio show has left WRPI-FM, don’t expect Friday’s show to be a sad and somber affair. In fact, it’s bound to be a serious party celebrating a new beginning, as “Hello Pretty City” is scheduled to return to the Nippertown airwaves shortly – this time around, it’ll be heard on WEXT-FM.
So let the party begin…
UPDATE: Laura Glazer’s “Hello Pretty City” radio show has found its new date and timeslot at WEXT-FM. The show will be broadcast weekly at 8-10pm on Sundays beginning on April 4.
“Hello Pretty City” Jumps From WRPI to WEXT
Monday, February 22nd, 2010
Laura Glazer (photo by Joe Putrock)
It’s currently broadcast out of Troy between 7-9am – that’s right, it’s FM in the am – on Tuesday mornings. Admittedly, those certainly aren’t the hippest, most accessible hours, but Glazer was doing just fine with them. And over the years, she’s built a considerable following of regular listeners, both on the air and streaming live over the internet.
That’s all about to change, however, as WRPI’s final broadcast of “Hello Pretty City,” hits the airwaves at 7am on Tuesday, March 2.
Last week, Glazer snagged a job as a marketing specialist at Albany Medical Center, and she’s very happy about it. But, unfortunately, the job doesn’t allow her the opportunity to continue doing her WRPI radio show.
Five Firsts: Broadway Blotto of Blotto
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
(photo by Martin Benjamin)
BAND AFFILIATION: Blotto (Lifetime Member. Unless they kick me out. Again.) also the Sea-Monkeys
INSTRUMENT: Guitar, Ukulele, Accordion, Plunger, Keyboard
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … “Songs, Pictures and Stories of the Fabulous Beatles.” VeeJay Records had an early lock on the moptops in the US but couldn’t get anything happening when they released singles here in the summer of 1963. Then came Capitol Records with a many dollar promotion campaign, Ed Sullivan, Cassius Clay & the rest is hysteria.
So VeeJay, basically a little R&B label, jumped on the groupwagon & released what is essentially the lads 1st Parlaphone LP “Please Please Me” (Capitol released it in the U.S. about a year later as “The Early Beatles). It had a spooty fold-out album jacket with fotos & fun facts of the fab four. There was even a place where you could paste your picture under your favorite. But, I’ve said too much. See for yourself.
Nippertown On the Air
Friday, January 8th, 2010Just in case you missed Greg Haymes playing selections from the Nippertown Top 10 Albums of 2009 when the show originally aired on radio station WEXT-FM on New Year’s Day, you’ll get another chance.
Two more chances, actually.
The hour-long show – featuring tunes from the Top 10, as well as a couple of honorable mentions – will be re-broadcast at 11am Sunday (January 10) and again at 9pm Thursday (January 14). You can listen on your radio at 97.7 FM or stream the countdown live on your computer.
Thanks to WEXT-FM, Exit 97.7 for their continued support.
Blotto Reunion @ the Exit Dome, 2/13/10
Friday, December 18th, 2009Non-profit public radio station WEXT-FM – aka, EXIT 97.7 – is roaring back with its third fund-raising concert, slated to take place at the intimate EXIT Dome (aka, the WMHT-TV studio) in North Greenbush on Saturday, February 13. Headlining the big Local 518 shebang will be a reunion of Nippertown’s own veteran new-wave/pop-parody combo, Blotto.
The concert also celebrates the 30th anniversary of Blotto’s debut recording, “Hello! My Name Is Blotto. What’s Yours?,” which was released on February 14, 1980. The band’s debut record featured such classic Blotto recordings as “I Wanna Be a Lifeguard” and “We Are the Nowtones.”
Joining Blotto at the EXIT Dome III concert will be Alta Mira, who recently released their marvelous full-length, self-titled debut CD on Indian Ledge Records. Two additional bands – to be named at a later date – will also perform at the show.
Tickets are available by making a donation to WEXT at the radio staion’s website.
The EXIT Dome concert will be Blotto’s first performance in a year and a half – Broadway, Bowtie, F. Lee Harvey, Sarge, Clyde and Hammerhead last performed together at the Empire State Plaza for the Price Chopper Fabulous Fourth Festivities on July 4, 2008.
LIVE: The Exit’s Local 518 Benefit Concert @ WMHT-TV Studios, 10/23/09
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Sean Rowe and Sarah Pedinotti
What a great night of music.
If you ever doubted that Nippertown boasts a local music scene worthy of national buzz, this show certainly would have changed your mind.
Five Firsts: Eric Margan of the Red Lions
Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
(photo by C. Corrigan)
NAME: Eric Margan
BAND AFFILIATION: The Red Lions
INSTRUMENT: Guitar?
1. THE FIRST ALBUM I EVER BOUGHT WAS … I think it was either Radiohead’s “OK Computer” or Weezer’s “Pinkerton.” I was a late bloomer when it came to buying albums, as that was around sixth grade. I’m fairly certain I’ve listened to “OK Computer” on a regular basis ever since I bought it. I wish the first albums I bought were by the Beatles, but for some reason I didn’t listen to them until sophomore year of college.
2. THE FIRST CONCERT THAT I EVER SAW WAS … probably Richard Marx at the Starlite or Bette Midler at SPAC in the early 90s. I remember the Richard Marx thing because my family also went to see him play softball before the concert at a radio station event. I was probably 5 years old. The first concert that I ever drove to on my own will was probably Guster at the Palace Theatre or Weezer/Get Up Kids/Ozma at SUNY Albany. Or maybe it was John Brodeur and the Kamikaze Hearts at St. Rose.
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