We hope that you’re enjoying our new Artist of the Month Ha Ha Tonka. There’s lot more great (and exclusive) stuff to come, including a fantastic competition lined up for next week. In the meantime, however, we asked the Tonka gents to select their five favorite moments from the sprawling BAMM.tv archives. Here are their choices:
The Flashbulb – ‘Virtuous Cassette’
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Ready for another exclusive BAMM.tv Artist of the Month? Introducing your new favorite band: Missouri’s musical sons Ha Ha Tonka …
In 2001 two friends from West Plains, Missouri – Brian Roberts and Luke Long, both attending the same college – formed a group called Amsterband, soon going on to recruit drummer Robert Mueller. Mueller would be replaced by Lennon Bone in 2004, and the year before that saw the group add Brett Anderson (not the chap from Suede) to their roster. “Three of us (Lennon, Luke & myself) grew up in a small Missouri town (West Plains) together,” Brian says. “We met Brett in college at Southwest Missouri State University. Brett brings the melody. Lennon brings the talent. Luke brings the looks. And I bring up the back.”
Earlier in the week we introduced you to our Artist of the Month – Austin’s very own Wild Child, a group whose multifarious melodies will surely see them blasting out of every open window this coming summer (trust us, we’re usually good at predicting these sort of things). We asked Wild Child to put together a playlist of their favorite stuff right now, and this is what they dropped our way. Perfect entertainment to unwind with on a Friday …
1. Marcel The Shell With Shoes On
Awesomely quirky animation as recommended by an awesomely quirky band.
It’s the return of our Artist of the Month feature – and we’ve got an absolutely amazing band all set to fuel your February. Gather round and get ready to tame the beast that is Wild Child! We’ve got all sorts of exclusive stuff coming up over the next couple of weeks, starting with this in-depth interview. Enjoy …
How did the band get together?
Kelsey and I we touring together as part of the backing band for a Danish band called The Migrant. I was playing accordion and she was playing violin. We were on the road for 6 weeks and during that time we started writing songs in the van to pass the time. During one stop in SF we stayed with my cousin Evan and wrote “That’s What She Say” together. After that we really started cranking them out and by the time we got back to Austin, we decided we wanted to make a band and make a record. Next came a full band lineup and the album Pillow Talk.
If you tried to distill the essence of early-90s Britain into one power-pop couple, you’d end up with St Etienne’s Sarah Cracknell and The Charlatan’s Tim Burgess. It’s true. Scientists have proven it, absolutely conclusively. We would go and find the research for you, but, erm, we’re a bit busy right now.
Anyway: Tim and Sarah. They’re the bell-ringers for today’s BAMM Advent Calendar entry: ‘I Was Born On Christmas Day’ by St. Etienne (featuring Mr Burgess as a guest star). Gloriously chime-laden and jettisoning self-consciousness in favor of unhip yuletide fun, it’s a happy little wintry blast of a tune. Mind you, wouldn’t you be happy if you got to celebrate your birthday and Christmas on the same day?
One of the saddest musical events of the last few years was the announcement that L.A indie-rock troopers Rilo Kiley were to call it a day. The band’s folksy harmonies – coupled with the luscious tones of lead singer Jenny Lewis – caught the attention of the mainstream press for a short while roundabout 2007, yet (despite notable success) they never quite lived up to the world-conquering ‘next big thing’ label. Whether that’s a good or bad thing is entirely up to personal taste, but no-one can deny it’s a shame we won’t be hearing any more tunes as good as ‘Portions For Foxes,‘ ‘The Execution Of All Things’ or ‘Xmas Cake’ – today’s entry in the BAMM.tv Advent Calendar Countdown.
Hope you’re enjoying the hooks-and-handclaps ultra-melodic indie-rock from our Artist Of The Month Hollerado (we’ve already unleashed an in-depth article on the band, plus discovered their favorite musical moments from the BAMM.tv archives). Now we’re widening that search to the big old world of music in general, and finding out exactly what Hollerado are listening to right now …
Pup – ‘Reservoir’
Charity begins at home, the old phrase goes – and if the history of Canadian melody-merchants Hollerado is anything to go by, it seems that musical genius begins in that area too. Born and raised in Manotick, Ontario (infact, three of the band members grew up on the same street together), the four Hollerado boys – Menno Versteeg, Nixon Boyd, Dean Baxter and Jake Boyd – officially came together in April 2007. Relocating to Montreal, they’ve since been gathering a well-deserved reputation as everyone’s favorite Bright Young Things.
So we’re coming to the end of Whiskerman’s tenure as our Artist Of The Month, and what better way to round things off than by giving away some exclusive prizes to you, our cherished BAMM.tv minions? (Well, one lucky BAMM.tv minion anyway. By the way, we mean ‘minions’ in the nicest possible sense). The band have a t-shirt, CD of their new album and Whiskerman sticker to give away.
But that’s not all – we also have five runner-up prizes waiting in the wings. Hell yes: we also have FIVE FAKE MUSTACHES to give away. That’s right – you could become YOUR VERY OWN WHISKERMAN (OR LADY). Imagine the envious glare from people as you strap one of those furry bad boys to your upper lip and quite literally own the streets. Or possibly get laughed at. We can’t make any guarantees.
To stand a chance of winning a Whiskerman T-shirt and album (or a fake mustache, by which BAMM.tv takes no responsibility should your head explode in sheer excitement upon receiving), simply drop an email with ‘Whiskerman Contest’ as the subject to info [at] bamm.tv by midday on Friday 4th October. Good luck …
OTHER BAMM.TV STORIES YOU MIGHT LIKE:
BAMM.tv Artist Of The Month: Whiskerman
Whiskerman: What Are They Listening To Right Now?
Whiskerman: Their Favorites From The BAMM.tv Vault