Listening to new music that, “can’t be defined by conventional music genres” can often be a taxing chore– like brushing your teeth after a night of binge drinking. The music feels foreign and you’re stimulated by so many elements that you can’t even figure out if you’re enjoying this listening experience. Although duo Glass Ghost combines diverse genres together, their music feels interesting and provocative on the first listen allowing you to immediately dissect and delve deeper into their sound.

Glass Ghost backs lead singer Eliot Krimsky‘s dynamic falsetto with rich and big sounds inspired by hip hop, R&B, electronic, and swelling rock. Most would assume the juxtaposed fragile voice and rich music would compete with (or detract from) one another but in Glass Ghost’s case, the sound surprisingly becomes even bigger– each complementing and completing the other.

Glass Ghost will be playing the FREEWilliamsburg Northside Festival showcase at Brooklyn Bowl this Sunday, June 27th along with The Babies, Oh Land, Hooray for Earth and Keepaway! Click here for more details and check out the interview with Glass Ghost drummer Mike Johnson below!

FREEWilliamsburg: Your songs are packed with so many different variables– a dynamic and expansive falsetto, elements of hip hop and R&B, and a variety of electronic and percussive instruments– it’s nearly impossible for an outside listener to synthesize. How would you describe your music?

Mike Johnson: Well, when it’s working well, I feel like there’s a nice absence of fear in our music. And we’ve played together so much that we don’t have to worry too much about the more fundamental aspects of how our music are working and we can kind of play around a little. I heard someone describe a J Dilla jam as, “The Cosby Slop.” I guess I’m interested creating a kind of slop, probably not a Cosby slop though. We take the songs pretty seriously though too. We really try to respect each song and kind of let it be it’s own world. And we try to figure out where it comes from and what it’s about.

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It all started in 2009, when a relatively unknown former ballerina from Denmark took the stage at SXSW, enchanting audience members with her dreamy electro-pop. She had just one self-produced album and little more than a year’s worth of experience making music under her belt. She’d never before performed in the U.S.

Now Nanna Øland Fabricius, otherwise known as Oh Land, is set to release her first major label album on Sony’s Epic Records later this year. After flying back and forth between LA and NYC, she just settled down for good this past January in Williamsburg, and will be playing at our very own Free Williamsburg showcase at the Northside festival this Sunday.

We sat down with the 25-year-old Copenhagen native to discuss her custom made electronic bell organ, being her own tour manager, and why her show will be like Mary Poppins on acid.

Free Williamsburg: So, you’ve just moved to Williamsburg. How do you like it so far?

Oh Land: I wanted to move here because I really like the feeling and the vibe. It’s more relaxed than manhattan. Like going over the bridge: all the work is in Manhattan and then it’s nice to go over the water and be out here and leave all that behind. Actually, Williamsburg reminds me a little bit of Copenhagen, where I come from. It’s like a little village.

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I cannot confess my love for Warpaint any further than saying that they are the sunshine induced sonic love child of HEALTH and Beach House, two FREEwilly favorites. I’ll let your love grow organically with this:

Welcome back Noisemakers, we’ve missed you! Here are some photos from last night’s show:

Last night, we sent out our newest addition, Claiborne McDonald, to chat up the kids of GOASTT:

You might call Sean Lennon’s music Neoclassicism, and considering his background that shouldn’t be far off the mark. Adorning a black bowler cap, bowtie, and heavy glasses, he came ready to play performer lastnight as his new project, Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, took over our Union Pool. GOASTT, which recently went through an almost unnoticeable name change, is co-founded by Sean’s girlfriend, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and after a very up and down set (some blamed the sound guy) I got the chance to catch up with this duo. Charlotte was a little busy loading out the gear amidst the questions (but props to them both for being their own roadies). And though their relationship seems to have been the most over-publicized part of the musical project, let’s just say nothing stops these two from stealing loving glances at one another.

How do like playing in Williamsburg? What’s your relationship to the ‘hood?

Sean: I guess I have a feeling of slight envy– Williamsburg-envy. I grew up in Manhattan and my friends didn’t tell me where they were always going, and [when they left] I was suddenly left alone in downtown Manhattan. But I always miss the city when I leave because my mom lives there.

Charlotte: We always said, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the Williamsburg Bridge!”

Check out the rest of the interview after the jump!

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Last year, the UK’s Deluka came crashing into Brooklyn with local label Vel Records and haven’t been able to stop the momentum since. The indie electronica band has found a special place for themselves with sonic references to anything coming out of Italians Do It Better and fellow UK rockers The Joy Formidable… and like their bio says, 2010 is the year Deluka just may well become your favorite band.
Deluka will be taking over NY for the next few nights with shows starting tomorrow at Ella Lounge followed by performances at Cameo, Piano’s, and Nublu (in that order). We’ve got a pair of tickets for one lucky reader to check them out on 5/20 in Williamsburg at Cameo Gallery, all you have to do is go comment on our Facebook thread for a chance to win.
FREEwilly got Deluka to answer some questions about their Brooklyn faves, how danceable songs can have melancholy lyrics, and that Franz Ferdinand is still kinda cool. Check out the rest of the interview after the jump, as well as the video for Deluka’s “Cascade”
First things first– the band is named after a hooker. Why?
Kris Kovacs: Well, as Bobbie Gillespie once said; ‚”Everyone’s a Prostitute”…and musicians, well they’re the biggest whores out there. Oh, and we needed a band name. One of us had just caught Pretty Woman on the TV, and we’d never noticed before, but Kit De Luca had ‘casually’ spent all the rent money on drugs! I mean, it’s not even made a big deal of, barely even touched on, which we found strange. Plus she had all the best one liners, and was generally more bad-ass than Roberts’ character. Like, who shouts after a friend ‚”work it baby, work it!”? Genius!

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I have to admit when I first heard Free Energy‘s “Dream City” I was enamored by it’s T.Rex-ian opening, and also a bit annoyed by the bubblegum flavor. But after finding itself on almost all of my playlists last summer, I decided my subconscious was trying to tell me that DFA’s Philly-based rocker boys were a crew to keep an eye on.

Since then, the band has released their debut full-length, Stuck on Nothing, and I’ve accepted that I want my classic 70′s rock to come back in a modern way (√† la high-waisted everything). The bottom line is, Free Energy knows who they are and exactly how they want to sound– bringing classic rock hooks and guitar riffs together with the pangs of indie-pop. No summer BBQ or nap in McCarren Park would be complete without them.

I got a chance to chat with two-fifths of Free Energy after they opened for the legendary Iggy Pop at last week’s Ray Ban party at Music Hall of Williamsburg about rock ‘n roll mythology, Bob Seger, and how it’s nice when buzz bands are actually good.

Check out the rest of the interview, as well as Free Energy’s video for “Bang Pop” which premiered on Myspace today, after the jump… And be sure to catch them at Bowery Ballroom with Jukebox the Ghost on 5/29.

If you had to explain your music to someone who has never heard it, what would you say Free Energy is all about?

Paul Sprangers: I just tell people Rock ‘N Roll or Classic Rock, I guess.

Geoff Bucknam: It’s kind of back to the air of Rock ‘N Roll as an expression of joy and lust and love. I think it’s Rock ‘N Roll stripped down to emotional drive. No? [looks at Paul] Is that too much for you?

PS: I mean, it’s pretty slick. It’s pretty composed and thought out, but as far as what we tell people it sounds like or what we describe it as… It’s just Rock ‘N Roll. Like, that’s what I tell my mom. I wanna add, too, that moms really like this band.

GB: And we love moms.

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In the past couple of years the power chord duo, The Naked Heroes, have become a New York staple. If you haven’t caught them live, do yourself a favor and check them out. No one rocks harder in Brooklyn. To commemorate the release of their new video, “Sheila,” George Michael Jackson and Merica Lee were nice enough to answer a few questions.

Who would you say you relate to more, George Michael or Michael Jackson?

GMJ: George Michael for sure. George Michael doesn’t give a fuck, he got caught with crack cocaine while cruising for random ass with strangers and when he got caught he told the press “It’s who I am.” Nobody else has the balls to say that, they all apologize, beg for forgiveness and act like total pussies. Also, I’m a big sucker for that Wham Christmas song.

ML: Ya, Wham.

What’s it like being in a band with your spouse?

GMJ: It’s pretty much the best thing ever. It feels like one big interconnected Jenga game of life and rock ‘n’ roll.

ML: Totally! But, I can’t help thinking GMJ longs for the decadent rock slut days of the 70′s and 80′s. All of a sudden being on tour with your wife doesn’t sound so cool…

She doesn’t mind you singing about “Sheila?”

ML: Are you kidding! Sheila is such a Rock ‘n’ Roll… concept. Sheila means “musical” in Celtic. There’s the Smiths song “Sheila take a bow.” Fucking awesome Sheila E. and of course, Ready For The World’s “Oh Sheila”.

GMJ: Are you stoned?

Who leaves more hair in the shower?

GMJ: Merica’s extensions definitely get caught in the drain.

Where are you and Merica from. How long you been in Greenpoint?

GMJ: I’ve been in Greenpoint for 10 years now. I love it here. I wish I knew some Polish though, you would think I would have picked some up but I haven’t at all. Our deli guy Sam is Palestinian and speaks fluent Polish and about 5 other languages. Sam is my language hero. By the way, our deli on the corner of Diamond and Nassau is the best deli ever. Sam, Moe and all those guys are great. Sam even made a cameo in the “Sheila” video.

ML: Plus, 99 Diamond is a little Rock Oasis.

Excluding The Naked Heroes, who rocks the hardest in Brooklyn?

GMJ: Born Loose. Larry May is a consummate frontman and entertainer. I saw those guys rock The Charleston at 1am a few months back and part of my face is probably still in a dirty corner somewhere.

ML: Ya, Larry May. I saw him barf onstage once!

Pick one: Mastodon, Lightning Bolt, High on Fire.

GMJ: Mastodon.

ML: But the dude from High on Fire is so freakin’ hot.

What’s your favorite place to hang in the hood.

The Palace is by far our favorite. Jerry and Johnny are hilarious awesome dudes and you can guarentee you will hear some Dio or old school Metallica when you’re there. Just don’t ever go in the back room or they will drag you onto the street

When can we see you perform next?

GMJ: We are releasing a limited edition picture disc vinyl 12″ of our record “99 Diamond” on Drug Front Records and will be having a release party for that soon but we haven’t nailed down a date yet. Our next show is March 31st at Trash Bar with Runny / The Whores and The Heartpunchers. Ken from Runny directed our video for “Sheila” and he rocks the stage like no other.

ML: But, stay tuned; we play Brooklyn all the time.

In case you missed it, we named Best Coast’s Make You Mine the Best EP of 2009, not to mention, according to my iTunes play count, “When I’m With You” off of the Black Iris 7″ was the track I listened to most this year– which is a pretty big deal considering it didn’t drop until November. But when I hear a feel good jam with the right amount of sadness, I tend to play it on repeat (just like I haven’t stopped playing the new Beach House record since it arrived in my mailbox).

There’s something to be said about the fuzzy delivery of Best Coast leading lady Bethany Cosentino’s beckoning 60′s inspired pop. The dizzying effects of heavy reverb combined with her girlish timidity float us away to the cavernous beach coast of California at the very first blink of an eyelash. I’m a New Yorker born & raised, but Bethany’s Beach Boys and burritos make me long for a warm winter, all while successfully playing as a foreground soundtrack for Brooklyn snow days. And with two more 7″ to be released before the end of February, including a split with Jeans Wilder, as well as talks about an upcoming full length– 2010 just may be “the year of Best Coast!”

FREEwilliamsburg caught up with Bethany before the end of the year about what the future brings, the things we have to be thankful for in our ‘hood, and how awesome Stevie Nicks is. Check out the interview after the jump!

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by Janice Chou

image via
Neon Indian is the musical side project of Alan Palomo from the 80′s inspired synth-pop band VEGA. Despite sharing a key component (namely, composer Alan Palomo) Neon Indian is a musical deviation from VEGA. Neon Indian’s sound blurs grinding guitars and synths and old samples underneath somber lyrics with a dance hook.
What started as an apology song astutely titled, “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” Neon Indian has flourished into an audio/visual wonder as Palomo partnered with video artist Alicia Scardetta to contribute to Neon Indian’s live visuals. Neon Indian attempted to remain anonymous and successfully alluded the public before their popularity caught up to them.
Since then Neon Indian has received the prestigious, “Best New Music” merit badge from Pitchfork and has gained serious notoriety for two Grizzly Bear, “Cheerleader” remixes dubbed: Sega Genesis P-Orridge and Studio 6669.
Alan Paomo discusses with Free Williamsburg both VEGA and Neon Indian and his artistic plans to stimulate and fascinate (the drug addled and sober alike) New York crowd at his upcoming shows. Neon Indian will be playing at Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday, December 17th with openers Tigercity and Awesome New Republic. Doors at 6PM, show at 9PM. Cover is $5.
1. Does your music with VEGA influence your music as Neon Indian? And vice versa?
It definitely takes a bit of coordination. The initial desire to conceive separate projects tends to be kind of compulsive to begin with so most of the planning and distribution of time happens after the fact. I’ll get majority stoked about the concept behind it, write some songs and make a band page for it before having that realization of, “Oh shit! I gotta play this live.” That definitely happened with Neon Indian.

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Steel Phantoms; (from left to right) Adam Fisher, Yos Munro, Aaron Harris

There’s a new band in Brooklyn, which comes to no surprise to any of us… At this point music and Brooklyn are pretty much synonymous, not mention, dare I say, redundant. With an overabundance of talent on the scene, one (read: me) could make oneself dizzy– so what ingredients scream “we’re awesome, pay attention to us”?

Ladies & gents, I bring you Steel Phantoms (known for about 5 minutes as the Brass Cups)– two parts Islands, namely drummer Aaron Harris and the sound engineer from their last tour Adam Fisher (this time on bass), and vocalist Yos Munro channeling a young Jonathan Richman. If you made your way out to Art & Rock 2, you were probably one of the many super impressed peeps in the crowd, not only for the energy these guys evoke, but for a musical trick I’ve never seen (pulled off well at least, if at all)– Aaron, on drums, and on lead vocals for about half of the performance… while drumming!

Steel Phantoms is a band to keep an eye on. Since they’ve only played a handful of what we hope will be tons of shows, we were sure to catch up with the guys earlier this week to see what they’re all about. So, befriend the boys on their brand new Myspace page (just about the only thing the almost dead social networking website is good for nowadays)! They’ll be playing at Ace of Clubs on October 21st as part of CMJ– our list of must see shows will be out later this week

Now, click on through after the jump to get to know you’re new favorite band in their first FREEwilly exclusive interview…

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