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#skoaradio 11/14/2015 liner notes

"Kibbe, aren't you posting these liner notes kind of late?"

I'm late to getting this up. Sorry. Clearly from the amount of posts I've done so far today I'm trying tog get caught up. It's a nice problem to have with 3 fire shows in a week being the root of not being able to get #content out on time.

Anyway, this is going to be the last time I put together a separate playlist for the show. That's right, from now on you'll have to scramble to pull the songs from a playlist that I'm going to be changing on the regular. This is mutually beneficial because it will force me to get these out sooner rather than later so you can snatch up the goodies I share with you.

Hope you're having a great weekend fam!

<3

kibbe!

Read these things and get smarter okay?

Feel free to grab this playlist, obvi.

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[Night Out] Kate Boy @ Baby's All Right (11/14/2015)

One Friday night 2 years ago during CMJ I took a chance on a band with an interesting press photo and would forget how exhausted I was the day after because what I had experienced had completely blown me away. Last Saturday at Baby's All Right I was fortunate enough to relive an updated version of that night with Stockholm synth-[now] duo Kate Boy. I'm not sure what it is with NYC promoters and Kate Boy that they have the band go on at ungodly hours. I'm guessing it's to make damn sure that everyone present is there get their #posiparty on? Anyway, this 2nd time around had an additional hurdle that we all had to get past which can only be described as the guy who was next to me ever so eloquently put it: it was hot as BALLS in Baby's that night. I'm talking, like, the first 2 minutes of me snapping pictures I couldn't figure out why everything was coming out looking like garbage until I realized that the lens had fogged up from the rapid change in temperature. It was hottttt.

The equation of sold out show + apparent possibly malfunctioning air conditioner normally = showgoers to rage quit a performance early. Not this crowd.

Since the fateful day that the band upped the first song that they ever wrote together, "Northern Lights," and the internet fell in love with their uniquely vibrant and energetic sound, fans have been hankering for more music, which the band attempted to churn out as quickly as they were able to. With their debut full-length, One, only being out in the universe for a week when we all congregated at Baby's, you could tell that the high of hearing songs like, "Human Engine" or "Lion For Real" for the first time hadn't worn off. If anything, it had people practically vibrating with excitement to see them (myself included). I should also add that as I hinted at earlier, recently the band went from a trio to a duo, so the anticipation to see what the change in lineup would be like added another layer of suspense for the evening.

I'm actually starting to think that the heat source was actually Kate Boy. If you thought they were fire when they were a three-piece, they are a force to be reckoned with as a two-piece. Kate and Marcus clearly took on the extra duties that came when the group went from 3 to 2 head on. The energy they threw into their set was addictive. It was almost as if the warmer the room got the harder everyone would dance. Everyone did the best they could to lose as many layers in an effort to not dance until they quite literally dropped. That said, the second the room realized that the band was over everyone poured out onto the street to cool off. If you looked hard enough you could even see steam rising off a handful of people.

If you have not listened to One yet I worry about your ability to make good decisions. You can also be cool like me and grab it on vinyl.

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#skoaradio 11/07/2015 liner notes

Really feeling this week's mixtape you guys.

Can't stop. Won't stop. Can't stop working. But it's chill though, the atmosphere I've been launched into has me surrounded by people who are music junkies just like me! In fact, I found Michl courtesy of one of my dope new friends at the office I'm in right now. (Thanks dude!) Sprout and I also hit up Honne on Tuesday this week where we hung out in the dungeon of a basement at Mercury Lounge and chatted with with James and Andy before they got the entire place pregnant. It's good to be busy. Then we had Flagship at Rough Trade on Friday night. Those guys were super great too. Can't wait to interview them and officially usher them into the skoa fam. But yeah, there's a lot going on but the majority of it is awesome. I guess you could say I'm #stressedbutalsoblessed. I hope you enjoyed this week's show. I'd love to hear from you if I just introduced you to your new favorite song (I know I'm kind of obsessing over SOULS right now).

Until next week!

<3

kibbe!

 

And here's the headlines I rushed through that you can read more about (and you should so you're smarter than everyone else):

As always, feel free to snag the Spotify playlist below so you can listen to the sweet jams I picked out for you on the go!

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#skoaradio 08/22/2015

Really feeling this weeks show, you guys.

Things have been a whirlwind at SKOA HQ so show notes have been a little neglected the past couple of weeks. DON'T WORRY I plan on backdating some posts so y'all have the hookup though! Super excited about the new jams from Peaches, CHVRCHES, and Jacuzzi Boys from this week's show so feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you thought of those!

Until next week, fam!

<3

kibbe!

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[Night Out] OMG CMJ 2014 Day Four: WALTZ, Shilpa Ray, Lost Boy ?, Ron Gallo, The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Kate Boy

WALTZ @ Piano's for The Deli Mag Showcase 10/24/2014Fridayyyy. I continued to lose my momentum as the photographs and writeups began to pile up. Sleep deprivation was really getting to me. I kept it low key during the day and then decided to take myself on an adventure for Friday night. I was still amped from the night before and wanted to find more fun new bands to give my heart to, but I didn't want to be influenced by anyone else. I've mentioned previously that in my heyday that I used to randomly pick up albums based on whether or not I thought their album artwork looked interesting, so I took the same approach for CMJ Day Four but with press photos that were readily available on CMJ's much improved mobile app.

First band of the night was WALTZ at Piano's for the Deli Mag Showcase. I arrived a little late and caught a glimpse of what appeared to be some dudes in speedos up on stage while I was getting stamped outside. I didn't think much of it because they were gone by the time I got to the back. It was Australian turned New Yorker Matt Hutchinson's "whatever" scowl sporting an 80s windbreaker in his press photo that had me willing to take a chance. Not sure why, he just seemed like a friend I hadn't met yet or something. At any rate, my gut did not lead me astray. His erratic movements whilst furiously strumming on his guitar with his mic coupled with his tortured monotone wailing stirred something inside of me that lives in my dark and twisty place. Oh yeah, those speedo dudes? They came back. I hadn't noticed before, but they each had a letter painted on their chest to spell out "WALTZ". That part is still a bit of a head scratcher for me. Looking forward to getting more familiar with this band. I briefly spoke to Hutchinson after the set and he said they were wrapping up an album and working to get it out the door to the public, so more on that front as the details become available.

After WALTZ I was chatting up a photographer from Pancakes and Whiskey about the wonders of Bo Ningen from the night before when the keyboardist/guitarist from the band setting up next chimed in to share his love for them as well. I hadn't settled on a next step at that point, but that interaction made me want to stick aroud to see what kind of music this friendly fellow contributed to.

Shilpa Ray @ Piano's for The Deli Mag Showcase 10/24/2014The band ended up being singer/harmonium player Shilpa Ray and her band of chill dudes. I don't know how else to describe Ray other than the ultimate badass bitch that I aspire to be. I hung on to every snarl and howl that rang out with each song they played. Around the middle of their set, Ray came to a full stop and said something to the effect of, "If all these other fucking people are gonna play shirtless tonight then fuck it I'm gonna do it too." She then proceeded to finish her set shirtless as if nothing had ever happened. It didn't seem to distract her or the audience from the performance. If anything it made her all the more fierce and fearless than before. I am anxious to spend some time with her music now, but I know the experience won't be complete until I purchase a nice bottle of whiskey first.

Lost Boy ? @ Trash Bar 10/24/2014Next I ventured into Brooklyn to have a peek at Lost Boy ? over at Trash Bar. The allure with this band was their press photo consisted of the lead singer feeding himself what appeared to be a partially eaten piece of pizza in a passed out dude's hand. I would say that it appropriately captured the essence of the band. They were witty, carefree, and super fun. I'm glad that I kept "accidentally" seeing New York bands that night. I look forward to incorporating them and the other I stumbled across into my ongoing show schedule.

The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die @ Cameo Gallery 10/24/2014As the night progressed on, I attempted to see what a band with an epic name (The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die) and another fun press photo of a dude with a slice of pizza on his face wearing sunglasses (Ron Gallo) that were both playing at the same time. If you had seen the way I darted from Spike Hill to Cameo Gallery and managed to slide my way into semi-prime positioning at both shows you would have been impressed. That said, both had me all "meh" but for different reasons. TWIABPAIANLATD was good, but in a pretentious way that I wasn't really in the mood for. Ron Gallo, on the other hand, was more goofy than playful and I found it to be off putting. Also worth mentioning that the audiences of both bands were really annoying and I didn't want to be associated with them so I bounced.

Ron Gallo @ Spike Hill 10/24/2014Nothing else looked terribly interesting until 1AM when Stockholm group Kate Boy were set to hit the stage at Knitting Factory so I grabbed a Criff Dog and took advantage of my old watering hole for a few drinks and a place to charge my phone. I was sort of anxious about staying out so late on the offchance that Kate Boy MIGHT be worthwhile, but #YOLOOMGCMJ2014 and all that.

Kate Boy @ The Knitting Factory 10/25/2014I'm happy to report that I was able to end the evening on an ultra high note. Kate Boy is pure pop fire that consumes you in their pulsating beats, succinct synths, and bright vocals. I'm just mad that this didn't make it to my radar sooner. Tracks like "In Your Eyes", "Self Control", and "Open Fire" have already made it into my rotation since then. I look forward to their forthcoming debut album, whenever that is slated to drop. Don't worry, I'm already working on getting more details shortly.

You can check out photos from my night out in the slide show below!

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