After a few days here in Oslo, Norway, there are quite a few things that I am impressed by. This city feels incredibly safe, the people are modest, kind and overall fairly harmless. Everyone mostly keeps to themselves and if asked, are happy to help you on your way. This comes in handy when walking the streets looking for one of several music venues during the by:larm festival. And speaking of venues, this city has plenty. Every time Larry and I walk into another one and examine it’s contents and size, we are more impressed.
From old theaters with a modern touch to hole in the wall bars with loads of character, Oslo lets you know what’s important while visiting from overseas, and what’s important is live music and the buildings that house it. And the music, well, it’s not so bad either, and last night may have been the best overall night for music here at by:larm 2010. (more…)
It’s Thursday, and the first full day of by:larm 2010 here in Oslo. While we try and shake off the jet lag, the festival is fully cranked up and roaring it’s heat into the wintry day outside. The conference is moving along as well, and today featured sessions with some real legends. Among them were Alan McGee, the founder of Creation Records and also former manager of The Jesus & Mary Chain. Also featured was an interview with Karl Bartos of Kraftwerk fame and a conversation with Rough Trade Records pioneer Geoff Travis.
Sure, that sounds like alot, but it wasn’t enough to deter Larry from Future Sounds and myself from exploring the city some as well. We went walking into the cold and snow in search of food, and after finding some, got lost, about a mile out of our way, into Oslo. We didn’t mind it though, and even took a moment to acknowledge it here. After finally finding our way back, it was just enough time to gather our strength and head out for the first full night of hopping around town watching live music. It’s the main course of our meal after all, and we were ready to consume. (more…)
It’s 8pm in Oslo, Norway but it feels more like 2am to me. After all, I just hopped off a plane from the US after flying for nearly 13 hours from Austin, Texas. I mention that it’s 8pm because that is when the first band takes the stage at this years by:larm festival. If you know nothing about by:larm (pronounced “bee larm”) then I suggest you have a look at our festival preview. Good, all caught up now? Great.
It’s a cold and snowy 8pm here in Oslo as well, and as I walk from my hotel to the makeshift venue for the night (the shows for opening night are being held in a tent), I wonder why winter festivals don’t really happen in the US. Maybe it’s just the weather, maybe it’s the massive amounts of summer, spring and fall fests that already fill up the calendar. Or maybe, it’s just that we don’t have the creativity that the by:larm folks do.
After all, tonights show is in a tent, and its a brisk 18 degrees outside. But the tent is climate controlled and comes complete with a large stage and plenty of heat to make you forget the temperature. Of course, the bands did their part as well, helping the thawing out attendees enjoy the kick off to a big weekend of live music. (more…)
You may know comedian Aziz Ansari from MTV’s “Human Giant” or his current role on the NBC sitcom “Parks & Recreation”, but over the last few years, he’s also become on the best stand-up comedians in the
country. His first stand-up special Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening recently aired on Comedy Central and has now been released on cd & dvd.
This hour-long performance is one of the funniest things I’ve seen in a very long time. Aziz covers a myriad of topics, but hits his stride when he tells stories about harassing his younger cousin Harris on Facebook and the night he went out on the town with Kanye West.
Here’s a clip from the special where Aziz decides to have a little fun with the employees at his local CVS.
Thanks to our friends at The Syndicate and Comedy Central, we have 5 copies of the Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening dvd to give away! It features the full, uncensored hour-long special (along with a bonus encore performance from Aziz’s “Funny People” character RAAAAAAAANDY) and also a bonus 30-minute performance that was filmed at the Upright Citizen’s Brigade in Los Angeles last fall.
If you would like to win a copy of the dvd, just send an e-mail to woxycontests at gmail dot com and put Aziz in your subject line for a chance to win. Please include your mailing address in the body of the e-mail
so that we can ship your dvd to you if you win. We’ll accept entries thru February 10, 2010 and notify the winners via e-mail.
Enjoy this video of when The Breeders invaded our WOXY studios earlier this summer in Cincinnati. It’s never boring when Kim and Kelley Deal are around……
This weekend during the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks we continued our “WOXY Wants To Know” video series. We caught up with The Answering Machine the day after their set on the WOXY stage and asked them a few questions.
It was another great year at the Monolith Festival, and the WOXY stage was once again the talk of the fest. Here is a scrapbook of sorts with some video clips of the action on the WOXY stage this year. Have a look and enjoy!
This weekend during the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks we continued our “WOXY Wants To Know” video series. We had a chance to chat with a couple members of These United States, whose third album Everything Touches Everything is yet another excellent record from one of our favorite bands.
This weekend during the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks we continued our “WOXY Wants To Know” video series. First up was a chat with Grant from Generationals, whose debut album Con Law is a station favorite. I was able to chat with Grant just after they opened up the WOXY stage at the festival on the first day.
If you follow us on Twitter, you have been watching our videos chronicling our move to Austin, Texas. If you have not had a chance to keep up, here is the most recent video.
Every time Larry and I walk into another one and examine it’s contents and size, we are more impressed.
