Come out to the Lakeside Lounge on Saturday, December 5th to help us celebrate the launch of the WFMU Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban webstream and blog. We will be broadcasting live during Fool's Paradise and the Cherry Blossom Clinic. Thanks to Rex and Terre T for giving up their time slots for the blast off . And thanks to the Hound for hosting us. DJ sets by Gaylord Fields, Dave the Spazz, Rex, Debbie D and listener Greg G . Special surprises and swag. 1-6 PM. Free. Don't miss it!
WFMU prides itself on holding only one on-air fundraiser per year: our annual Marathon, which is a 2-week-long frenzy of great prize giveaways, hilarious co-host banter, surprise guests, and more caffeine than a case of Sparks (RIP). The listener support we bring in during the Marathon is normally enough to fuel our fire for a full year. While WFMU came very close to making our goal during the Marathon this March, we still fell short (I smell recession).
Because it's tough to operate with an empty bank account and there's an entire winter to get through until our next Marathon, WFMU needs to break with tradition by holding a brief on-air fundraiser next week.
This will be our first and hopefully last ever 24-Hour Marathon, and we will do our best to make sure it is chock-full of fun-loving antics and amazing giveaways. We hope you can help us out with a year-end donation, and be sure to tune in next Tues-Wed! The deets:
WFMU's 24-Hour Marathon
Tuesday November 17th, 7pm - Wednesday November 18th, 7pm
We've got a new t-shirt up for grabs (pictured above), as well as a fresh batch of DJ Premiums by Tom Scharpling, Terre T, Evan "Funk" Davies, Marty McSorley, Ken, Maria Levitsky, and Seven Second Delay. Check out our pledge page for details.
Michael is taking a break from the air schedule, but he's still delivering the goods: DIY pop, shitalo, & the other "fun" stuff from Brooklyn, Jersey City, Manchester circa 1980, and everywhere else the DIY impulse took root.
Click here to subscribe to the Choking on Cufflinks podcast via iTunes, or visit our podcast page for more options.
Get
your game face on and your vinyl flipping fingers warmed up: WFMU's
annual Record Fair hits the Metropolitan Pavilion in Manhattan this weekend! Besides 10,000 square feet of amazing
CDs, LPs, DVDs and artworks, there will
be live broadcasts all weekend long, and live music from the Trashmen, People Like Us, Kevin Blechdom, Heavy Trash (w/ Jon Spencer) and more (full schedule here). Check out movies in the A/V Lounge or deface your favorite record sleeve at the LP Modification Booth!
Location:
Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th Street, NYC
Hours and Admission:
Friday, October 23rd, 7-10pm, $7
Saturday, October 24th, 10am-7pm, $7
Sunday, October 25th, 10am-7pm, $7
Early Admission: Friday, October 23rd from 4-7pm, $25 (includes re-admission all weekend)
Download this flyer (PDF), print it, and present at the ticket booth to receive $2 off admission.
Live Bands and Guest DJ sets Saturday 10/24
Chip Taylor (11:30am), wrote "Wild Thing," "Angel Of The Morning;" live acoustic set.
The Trashmen (2pm), best known for their smash hit "Surfin' Bird."
Heavy Trash (4pm), rockabilly love child of NYC rockers Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray.
New York Night Train DJ set (6pm), with Jonathan Toubin spinning rock and soul.
Sunday 10/25
Electric Chaircuts w/ Nelson Loskamp (noon), electrosonic haircuts.
Kevin Blechdom + BARNWAVE + special guests (1pm, A/V Lounge).
People Like Us (2pm, A/V Lounge), audio/visual collage... avant retard!
Chris Brokaw (3pm), of Codeine & The New Year; 12 string guitar trio.
Damu the Fudgemonk (3pm, A/V Lounge), an Akai MPC 2000 and turntables.
La Cumbiamba eNeYé (4pm), European, African, and Colombian sounds.
Andy Ortmann is not only the mastermind behind Nihilist Records, but is also a member of Plastic Crimewave Sound and Panicsville, with a number of excellent noise/experimental releases under his own name. Andy had a brief on-air stint here at WFMU a few years back and we still have (and use) the air raid siren he left behind.
Any person who has an air raid siren at their disposal is exactly the type of person we want hosting a new WFMU podcast that focuses on contemporary experimental, psychedelic, noise & other obscure music.
In the first partof this series
(posted a week ago) I included an MP3 of people on the streets of Jersey City
speaking on their knowledge (or lack thereof) of the origins of the name of New
Jersey. This time I am including an sample of what the folks I stopped on the
streets of St. Hélier in "old" Jersey had to say when quizzed on
their knowledge of New Jersey (MP3). I am also including my new favorite old Jersey song which sums up so perfectly the unique
and special place that is the small island of Jersey, Hedley Le Maistre's
"Jersey, Mon Vie!" (MP3).
Friday, October 2nd's WFMU live remote broadcast (during
Doug Schulkind's timeslot) from Jersey's capital of St. Hélier during the Channel
Island's 2nd annual Branchage Film Festival was an amazingly wonderful event to
be a part of, and a rewarding one on many levels. First off it was a really
great idea of the festival's director Xanthe Hamilton to link "old"
Jersey with New Jersey via WFMU - something she presented to a receptive FMU
station manager Ken Freedman about five months ago, and whose concept grew in
scope since. And secondly for the dialog it began between the two Jerseys - one
which we hope to keep going on the air here at WFMU. Expect to regularly hear
"Jersey Bites" on Friday afternoons during the new WFMU Fall/Winter
season which kicked into effect Monday, October 12th.
If you missed last week's broadcast it is archived -
in playlist and audio forms - here, and
includes a wide variety of guests getting on the FMU airwaves to share insights
on the island of Jersey; a place that may only be 45 square miles in size but
is incredibly rich in culture and history. A British Crown dependency the
Bailiwick of Jersey, as it is officially known, is 100 miles south of England
and lies only 14 miles west of the coast of Normandy, under whose rule it was
once governed.
The WFMU remote show guests included Philip Malet de
Carteret whose ancestors - several centuries ago - owned the land now known as
the Garden State and were the ones responsible for giving New Jersey its name.
The interview I conducted with him at his historic manor in the parish of
St.Ouen (Jersey is divided into parishes, not counties) ran a lot longer than
the segment included in the remote broadcast. Hence snippets of it will be
played over the coming months on the air. Same for the organic Jersey dairy
farmer Ian Mitchell, who was a live guest during the October 2nd remote but
whose farm I visited the following day (see video below) and recorded more
footage about the Jersey cow (a highly intelligent & unusally friendly
animal) and its rich dairy product.
It's the end of the Summer Season and so time for DO or DIY to unplug the ethernet cable, give the ol' modem a bit of a dust and take the next season off. But before we go we haven't forgotten that it's somewhat a tradition to make a downloadable collection of the best of all things avant retard for your ears and eye-pods, you lucky people - complete with downloadable artwork. So here it is. I always say there's nothing like art, and this is nothing like art.
If you stop people on the streets of Jersey City and quiz them about the origins of the name of the Garden State, the majority will be unaware of the island of Jersey - the British Crown Dependency located in the Channel Islands off the coast of Normandy. I know because recently I did exactly this: I interviewed a sampling of Jersey City folks on the street near the WFMU studios (MP3).
I will be playing back this vox pop on Friday (Oct 2nd) between 9am and 12 noon (NJ time) during the WFMU live remote broadcast from Weighbridge Square on the harbour-front in St Helier (Old Jersey's capitol), during day two of the four-day Branchage Film Festival in Old Jersey.
In addition to talking on the air with the film festival's director Xanthe Hamilton and many others about the festival that also involves music, I will be talking with several authorities on the relationship between Old Jersey and New Jersey. These will include Philip Malet de Carteret whose ancestors are literally responsible for New Jersey. Back in 1663 King Charles II rewarded the de Carterets for their loyalty during the Civil War by gifting them with a large tract of land in North America. That tract of land would become New Jersey.
Also to be interviewed will be Rod McLaughlin - an acclaimed Jersey historian who will speak on Jersey's status as a Crown Dependency, how it was once under French rule, its occupation by the Nazis, and its relationship to New Jersey. Jersey cow farmer Ian Mitchell, who will bring along samples of some dairy products derived from the rich creamy Jersey milk, will discuss Jersey's popular export.
And in conjunction with BBC Jersey, who are producing the festival's Shear Music showcase of local talent, I have invited numerous Old Jersey artists including Jjjiiim, Jersey Bob, and Wizard & Frog to come on the air live to perform. There are many more guests expected on this WFMU remote broadcast but who knows just what might happen on freeform FMU. Tune in to find out on Friday 9am to 12 noon (Doug's normal slot) on WFMU. For exact details on the Branchage Film Festival click here. And check back here on the WFMU blog for updates from Jersey on the Branchage Film Festival.
Disregard any and all messages, songs, and movies directing you to "Kill Your Idols." On Monday, September 14th, the sanctified grand poohbah of Riot Grrrl herself, Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin and LeTigre centerpiece, KATHLEEN effin' HANNA, blessed WFMU with an appearance on Beastin' The Airwaves! with Keili, to chat about youth empowerment and to share her personal herstory and experience with our devoted listeners.
Tagging along for the fun was the king of Boggle himself, The King AdRock, Adam Horovitz of the world-altering Beastie Boys and BS 2000.
Listen as the studio walls buckle under the pressure to contain so much sheer talent and the floor shakes with the realization that these superstars are still relatable people who can make time to have a fun chat on freeform radio without having to promote any product.
While you're in the thick of reawakening the grrrl inside you, head on over to Kathleen Hanna's blog for some hilarious photos, art tips, and lady-centric commentary.
From the streets of NYC and also in-studio, a unique, pleasantly insane
talk show about pop culture, food, technology, the mysteries of the
universe, and a whole lot more. Subscribe to The Rampler podcast via
iTunes by clicking here (or visit WFMU's podcast page for more options).
You can be a part of this incredible nautical disaster!
The IBJ vessel departs at noon, and the cruise will last until approximately 4pm. It's time to rock the boat! For more info or to purchase tickets, click here.
Hook yourself up to the freeform feeding tube! WFMU is pleased to present a brand new podcast: Noise and Syrup with Jeff M.
Fill-in DJ Jeff takes his show Noise & Syrup on a stroll through the park with the Free Music Archive to enjoy the company of the odd, the noisy and the beautiful.
Click here to subscribe to the Noise and Syrup podcast via iTunes, or visit WFMU's podcast page for more options and for a full listing of our 21 podcasts.
Hot off the presses, it's WFMU's very own iPhone app!Not so
long ago, WFMU became the first radio station to offer streams for the
iPhone, way before the app craze took off. We've finally joined the
teeming masses...
Click here to get the free WFMU Radio app
via iTunes (or go to the iPhone app store, and search for "WFMU"). The
app is complete with song title, artist and show info as well as two,
count 'em, two streaming options - 32k and 128k MP3. It's the easiest
way yet to listen to WFMU from anywhere on a phone!
You can of course
still use the Public Radio Player app,
which is also free. Many thanks to Webhamster Henry, tech Czar Doron
and DJ Frangry for help with the new free WFMU iPhone app.
In addition to playing Fountains of Wayne twice on his radio program this week, he's been consorting with other dark forces. Irwin has just co-written (with Barbara Economon) and released his 3rd book on the artwork of Jim Flora, an illustrator from the '40s and '50s who is known for his great album covers, childrens' books, the occasional (posthumous) piece of WFMU swag, and generally creepy undertones beneath a cheery facade. This third volume of Flora visual treats includes newly-discovered artwork that Irwin himself dug out of a time capsule that was buried in a top-secret location. Or maybe I made up that last part.
The Sweetly Diabolic Art of Jim Flora is published by Fantagraphics, and is available here.
They will discuss their musical output, their Dust to Digital rare international 78 series "Victrola Favorites," and current release "Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography 1890-1950."
Mac and Climax Golden Twins will play records and talk about the dogged pursuit of 78s. Tune in, turn on and listen to them drop steel needles.
Kurt Gottschalk, the esteemed host of WFMU's The Brother Lucy Show, is taking a break from his Thursday morning web-only slot and will instead deliver the goods directly to your MP3 player. The Brother Lucy Podshow premieres today with what might be seen as a desperate bid for popularity. But the Fiery Furnaces aren't just really, really hip. For the first of a summer of free concerts delivered to your computer or MP3 player, The Brother Lucy Podshow with Kurt Gottschalk presents The Fiery Furnaces, recorded live at Socrates Sculpture Park on August 26, 2007.
We hope that your summer is full of margaritas, BBQs, flip-flops, tube tops, sand in unlikely places, and of course, freeform radio! WFMU's Summer 2009 Program Schedule takes effect Monday morning, June 22nd at 6am, and will be in effect until October 12th. You can see the Summer 2009 schedule in handy-dandy table format here, or as an unwieldy big-ass list right here.
If your favorite show is not on the schedule, don't fret: DJs and shows
often rotate in and out in order to keep things fresh and give new people a chance.
Beginning July 12th, WFMU's new archives will no longer be available
in 20k Real Audio, and this change will affect archive listeners on a
dial-up connection. Going forward, all new archives will be available in the higher quality 64k AAC+ format, which sounds fantastic with our new Pop-Up Player. If you listen to our 128k MP3 archives, fear not, no changes are being made in that dept.
How will the change affect your archive listening?(Read more)
If you have DSL, cable, or a T1 internet connection: For Pop-Up AAC+ archives to work, Javascript must be enabled (info here) and you need Flash Player plugin 9 or higher. Pop-Up archives can only be played inside your web browser (they load in a pop-up window, try one out here).
You can still listen to our 128k MP3 archives using external programs
like iTunes or Winamp (although these archives expire after 4 weeks, as
they have done in the past).
If you have a dial-up connection: Due to the higher quality and higher bit-rate of our new archive
format, your internet connection speed will not be able to accomodate
archive listening going forward. Rest assured that we will continue to
offer our live streams in Real Audio and Windows Media, at bit-rates
appropriate for dial-up connections. All of WFMU's Real Audio archives
prior to July 12, 2009 will remain available on our website for your
listening pleasure, but new archives going forward will no longer be
offered in Real Audio.
ISSUE Project Room, Brooklyn's progressive non-profit performance space, has put together the most interesting walk-a-thon we've ever heard:
On the afternoon of Sunday June 7, a group of visionary artists will lead sonic excursions throughout New York as part of a rare live sonic arts experiment — the ISSUE Project Room Soundwalk-a-thon — a fundraiser and collective public inquiry into the connection between urban space and our collective sonic imaginations.
You can sign up to... * Bang a Gong for Issue with Swans co-founder and WFMU's favorite drummer, Jonathan Kane. * Walk through the Brooklyn Botanical Garden contemplating the simulated sound of tinnitus with Anthony Coleman. * Explore the sounds of Gowanus with Marc Ribot. * Join a game of urban "telephone" -- the Tin Can Telewalk -- led by Marie Evelyn and WFMU DJ Kurt Gottschalk
...Speaking of ISSUE Project Room, have you heard their recent contributions to the Free Music Archive? Here's a recent highlight from James Blackshaw, live at ISSUE Project Room on March 7, 2009 excerpt (MP3)
