34th & Now

Lack of posts due to neurology lab practical but I’m back...

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:48:51 -0400

Lack of posts due to neurology lab practical but I’m back with a few new bands. First up is Cincinatti indie rock duo Bad Veins with their single “Don’t Run” off their album “The Mess We’ve Made” which hit stores the end of April.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but for the last two...

Wed, 30 May 2012 13:50:13 -0400

I can’t believe I’m saying this but for the last two days I’ve been listening to this Avicii set from Ultra while studying. My hatred for EDM in general is stifled by the fact that Avicii tends to mix in some Florence & The Machine, Temper Trap, Coldplay and other indie/rock bands I already like into his sets. Plus, one of my fraternity brothers, Matt Goldman, is an up and coming DJ (he’s opened/performed alongside Tiesto, Avicii, Afrojack to name a few) is good friends with Avicii so I figure he can’t be all bad.

I saw this song pop up on my dash and clicked it solely based on...

Mon, 28 May 2012 19:09:15 -0400

I saw this song pop up on my dash and clicked it solely based on the band name Reptar because, well, I’m a kid of the 90s and Rugrats was my jam. Now that it’s done I totally want to know more about this band, especially since their last.fm page lists them as “Athens, GA’s breakout sexy groove machine.”

Dr. Dang Folks

Mon, 28 May 2012 10:20:46 -0400

Anatomy T.A.: ...And that's why you never take the carotid pulse bilaterally, you can cause your patient to pass out.
Kim (turns to us): Is that why you die when someone chokes you?
Atish: ...
Me: ...
Atish: ...
Me: ...no it's because you can't BREATHE.
Kim: Oh God! Forget I just asked that.
Us: Hahahaha never.

I’ve got last October’s 34th & Now: Cover Me...

Sat, 26 May 2012 16:24:05 -0400

I’ve got last October’s 34th & Now: Cover Me I’m Going In playlist up on 8track.

Tracklisting:

Kid A (Radiohead) - John Mayer
Thunder Road (Bruce Springsteen) - Matt Nathanson
Viva La Vida (Coldplay) - Lady GaGa
What You Like (T.I.) - Anya Marina
Stuck on You (Elvis Presley) - Dave Matthews
Kids (MGMT) - Ben Lee
Three Little Birds (Bob Marley) - Brendan Urie of Panic at the Disco
Crazy (Gnarls Barkley) - Wakey!Wakey!
Beggin’ (Madcon) - The Saturdays
Across the Universe (The Beatles) - Fiona Apple
Are You That Somebody (Aaliyah) - The Gossip
Use Somebody (Kings of Leon) - Paramore
Badfish/Boss DJ (Sublime) - Jack Johnson
Hide Your Love Away (The Beatles) - Eddie Vedder
When You Were Young (The Killers) - The Noisettes
Tiny Dancer (Elton John) - Ben Folds
One (U2) - Howie Day

Another catchy find from Radio 104.5’s New Music Show....

Sat, 26 May 2012 08:20:00 -0400

Another catchy find from Radio 104.5’s New Music Show.

Drapht is a solo MC out of Perth, Western Australia who’s been active in the Australian hip hop community since 2000. Since then he’s spent over a decade honing his skills and building a fan base while racking up a series of nominations like 2008’s “Best New Independent Artist” nomination. His 2011 album Life of Riley, released by Drapht’s own label, a subsidiary of Sony, hit #1 on the ARIA charts and featured “Rapunzel” as it’s first single.

If this song catches on with the “tween” community it could very well be the next big summer hit.

"..or another way you can think about the limbic system as the four F’s…feeding,..."

Fri, 25 May 2012 14:17:59 -0400

“..or another way you can think about the limbic system as the four F’s…feeding, fighting, fleeing and one more word I can’t say. Oh! I can say fornication!”

- Dr. Welke, Neuroscience

I can’t believe the new Passion Pit single “Take a...

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:49:53 -0400

I can’t believe the new Passion Pit single “Take a Walk” has been out since May 7th and I’m just hearing it now; damn you neuro block. Surprisingly, the song has been met with some harsh backlash from fans criticizing the levels in the mix and the move away from Michael Angelakos’ usual falsetto. While the bass drum might be a bit loud, I was never a huge fan of the super falsetto heard on songs like “Cuddle Fuddle,” so I for one am digging the new direction.

I don’t normally reblog news stories but when I saw this...

Fri, 25 May 2012 01:58:31 -0400

I don’t normally reblog news stories but when I saw this one pop on up The Daily What, it was too awesome to not pass along; especially after today’s four hours of lecture on the ear and auditory system.

Four-year-old comic book fan Anthony Smith is deaf in his right ear and has hearing damage in his left. He also refused to wear his hearing aid (which he calls “Blue Ear” because it is blue), because “superheroes don’t wear hearing aids.” So in a long-shot attempt to help her son, Anthony’s mom emailed Marvel for ideas.

“She didn’t know a specific person to write to here at Marvel, and even figured it might get caught in our spam filters, but she sent it in anyway, because that’s the kind of great parent Christina is,” said Marvel editor Bill Rosemann. “And it was her inspiring effort to help her son that touched so many of us here. As a fellow parent of a toddler, I can understand where she’s coming from, so I forwarded the email around the rest of Editorial, asking what we could do to help, and like when Cap yells, ‘Avengers Assemble,’ the gang leapt into action.”

Not only did Anthony receive an image of the superhero Hawkeye, who lost 80 percent of his hearing back in the ’80s and wore hearing aids — Anthony also received a drawing, by Nelson Ribeiro in Collected Editions, of a brand-new superhero: “Blue Ear.”

Now, with his hearing aid back in, Anthony is able to “fight battles and help people.” His preschool, for hearing-impaired kids, recently hosted a superhero week to inspire the students to overcome their limitations.

DON’T miss the video. It’s the best thing you’ll see all day.

Marvel Comics, you’re doing it right.

Three years. For three years I lived in Philly and not once did...

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:13:22 -0400

Three years. For three years I lived in Philly and not once did we have a concert this epic. Don’t get me wrong, the Philly music scene is fantastic and I have yet to find a major city where venues that bring in fairly big artists e.g. First Unitarian, North Star Bar, The Troc are as crowd friendly; First Unitarian lets you bring in your own booze in a bookbag!
That said, I am slightly peeved that I will be missing this concert by one or two days to head back to Dominica for continuing student orientation.

Last night I listened to The Lumineers album for approximately...

Thu, 24 May 2012 08:08:00 -0400

Last night I listened to The Lumineers album for approximately four hour straight while studying. It’s really just that good. Big shout out to Colin and Shred for their “Hey check out my friend’s band” messages. Here’s “Stubborn Love.”

I realized that not everyone uses or has access to Spotify so...

Tue, 22 May 2012 22:13:24 -0400

I realized that not everyone uses or has access to Spotify so the last 34th & Now Playlist might have been unavailable to some of you. In an effort to correct that, I’ve decided to also put it up on 8Track.com as the May Indie - 34th & Now mix. Check it out. Share it with friends. Let me know what you think of this month’s bands.

Playlist:
Daughter - Youth
Daugher - Medicine
Greg Laswell - Come Back Down (ft. Sara Bareilles)
Greg Laswell - Landline (ft. Ingrid Michaelson)
Geographer - Original Sin
Geographer - Verona
Jack White - I’m Shakin
Jack White - Trash Tongue Talker
The Jezabels - Endless Summer
The Jezabels - Easy to Love
Ed Sheeran - A Team
Ed Sheeran - Gimme Love
The Lumineers - Submarines
The Lumineers - The Dead See
Imagine Dragons - It’s Time
Imagine Dragons - On Top of the World
Electric Guest - American Daydreams
Electric Guest - Troubleman
The Concept - Gimme Twice
Xylos - Summer Long
The Heartbreaks - Delay, Delay
Pegasis Bridge - Like Dogs
Damien Jurado - Nothing is the News
Damien Jurado - Museum of Flight

The latest edition to my studying has been James Vincent...

Tue, 22 May 2012 18:58:00 -0400

The latest edition to my studying has been James Vincent McMorrow. McMorrow’s self produced debut album, Early In The Morning, has earned him some well deserved buzz and performing spots along artists ranging from Bon Iver to Al Green; the album was self-recorded in a cottage over 5 months with McMorrow playing all the instruments himself.

His soulful indie/folk sound can be traced back to his influences: Neil Young, The National, and Otis Redding.

Neuro Block & PBL 20

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:45:27 -0400

A: I'll be in C1 or if not I'll be in PBL 20.
A: With no internet and two huge whiteboards I get so much done in there.
E: Sounds like jail.
A: It is like jail.
A: Except I'm prison raping neuro and not the other way around.
E: ...That's real.

I listened to The Shins’ latest album Port of Morrow a ton...

Mon, 21 May 2012 19:19:07 -0400

I listened to The Shins’ latest album Port of Morrow a ton this past weekend while studying neuro block. Start to finish it’s one of their best albums, and a great album even if you don’t know The Shins. Here’s “Fall of ‘82”

Opened up my Gmail today to a brand new track entitled...

Sat, 19 May 2012 09:24:00 -0400

Opened up my Gmail today to a brand new track entitled “Gaucho” from the Dave Matthews Band and well…fuck yeah! This track is fantastic. The acoustic guitar riff at its core features some of Dave’s fastest rhythm picking since “The Stone. Oh and did I mention that there’s chanting school kids providing vocals over a Carter Beauford drum solo? It’s like “The Stone” and Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)” had a baby. In closing I’d like to reiterate: fuck yeah!

I’ve always been a fan of the relic look on electric...

Thu, 17 May 2012 00:07:38 -0400

I’ve always been a fan of the relic look on electric guitars, especially Telecasters, but the Fender Custom Shop relics always seemed too…unauthentic to me. Well, at least until I saw this. This Fender Custom Shop Jazzmaster might be one of the sexiest looking guitars I’ve ever seen.

I don’t think I’ve posted any bands from Australia...

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:44:24 -0400

I don’t think I’ve posted any bands from Australia lately. Luckily alternative/indie rockers The Jezabels are talented enough to hold down the scene for the entire continent. Fronted by the strong vocals of singer Hayley Mary and backed by the jazz-infused rock drumming of Nik Kaloper The Jezabels have released three EPs since 2009 and one full length album, 2011’s The Prisoner, on which this song, “Easy to Love” is featured as a bonus track.

The Jezabels just finished up a stint of US touring with some other folks who have had the indie scene abuzz, including 34th & Now, Las Vegas’ own Imagine Dragons. While the US dates are done, if you happen to be in Europe, you can catch The Jezabels in select cities through early June.

Blunderbuss, the latest album from Jack White, completely blows...

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:05:39 -0400

Blunderbuss, the latest album from Jack White, completely blows away any of his previous work. The album sees White embracing some rockabilly twang and making his white Billy Gibbons/Bo Diddley Gretsch live up to it’s namesakes. Here’s “I’m Shakin.”

Here’s Geographer with “Verona” off their...

Sun, 13 May 2012 15:51:55 -0400

Here’s Geographer with “Verona” off their Animal Shapes EP. I’ve been listening to this a lot while studying this week and it’s definitely worth checking out.