Calm sorrowful indie rock isn’t quite the first image conjured when one hears the term The Middle East. However, a new band from Townsville, Australia is doing their best to change that. While they give off the same vibe as Bon Iver, The Middle East creates a sound all their own through interesting instrumentals and haunting vocals. Their music is mysterious and (more…)
Ironically enough, “The College Dropout” hit me – and pretty much the rest of the world – during my junior year of college. No one who gave that album a listen needed a degree to know that Kanye West was onto something huge.
His rhymes, his metaphors, his beats and his style shot through 2004 like a jolt (more…)
Hold tight folks, Big Live is coming. In the midst of polishing the platform and filming shows from around the country, we found this gem of a video in our archives.
One of our studly interns, Princeton student Cameron McClain, plays host to some behind-the-scenes footage from our showcase in July. (more…)
My first thought when I saw the song title “Robots in Love” by Beautiful Small Machines was Wall-E. While I do have an uncanny ability to relate almost anything to animated films, this one was not as obscure as my usual connections. Releasing an EP entitled The Robots in Love-EP 6 months after the release of a blockbuster which tells the story (more…)
In early 2008, a spacious apartment above a McDonalds on West 3rd in New York City was turned into a hotbed for avant-garde DIY concerts almost overnight. The organizing group, Less Artists More Condos, began the project for fans looking for an authentic alternative to the otherwise over-publicized and increasingly expensive Manhattan shows. (more…)
Where have I heard that name before…?
Well you probably haven’t considering they don’t even have a page on Wikipedia which is probably a crime in some states. Well, they are a trio hailing from humble Rockford, Illinois recently signed to Lupe Fiasco’s own label 1st and 15th Records. Hey Champ has an (more…)
I hate side projects. I like Volcano Choir.
Volcano Choir is an indie/progressive collaboration by Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Collections of Colonies of Bees. Its like Bon Iver gone Math Rock. Volcano Choir originally began writing music in 2005, but didn’t start recording until late 2008. One year later and we (more…)
As a freshman at Northwestern, I quickly learned that there was a lot of musical talent on campus, but not a true “music sceneâ€.
Yes, the music school put on performances at the end of each quarter, but save for a spontaneous show in the basement of a frat, student bands rarely played locally. A few months into (more…)
In 1962, super-producer Phil Spector guided one of the defining girl groups, The Crystals, to create the song “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss),” an eerie and ominous track about domestic abuse. The song was written after the producers learned that one of the singers, Little Eva, was being (more…)
After years of waiting and scouring the internet for leaked singles, we have finally found Solobob. He has emerged from the shadows and graced us with the first glimpses of his pink and furry image.
Solobob is the solo project of Robert Schwartzman, the lead singer of Rooney. Although no details have been (more…)
Mike Posner is the coolest thing to come out of Duke University since Bobby Hurley.
With only a mixtape (“A Matter of Time”) to his name, Mike Posner & The Brain Trust has excited the industry with his brand of laid back hip-hop with pop-ready hooks. Despite managing responsibilities as a college senior, Mr. Posner (more…)
Yes Giantess, Yes Please
In an age where it seems like anyone with a computer is trying to ride on the synth-pop wave, Yes Giantess gets it just right. If your first thought when hearing this band is Passion Pit after they have eaten one- or sixteen- too many Pixie Sticks, you are not so far off the mark. Yes Giantess’ double A-side (more…)
Fresh off tour with The Cribs and Adam Green, fashionista-cum-songwriter Lissy Trullie continues to makes waves with her latest album, “Self-Taught Learner.” Lissy’s ties to fashion run deep — she recently collaborated with Richard Kern, the photographer for Herve Leger’s Fall 09 campaign, on an amazing rendition of Hot Chip’s “Ready For The Floor,” (more…)
On the NYC radar is The Drums, the infectious 80’s inspired surf-pop band with “the most infectious whistling line since Peter, Bjorn and John.” Despite breaking The Black Kids streak as the coolest thing to come out of Florida since mandel bread, this central Floridian foursome has relocated to Brooklyn to find some (more…)
On October 13th, 2009…
Director Jonathan Caouette’s documentary, “All Tomorrow’s Parties,” is released after critical acclaim on the film festival circuit. The film chronicles the ten year existence of the revolutionary music festival held on the coast of England. It is considered one of the most important music events in the world for (more…)
Big Live loves feel good tunes.
On our radar is Gypsy and The Cat, the Melbourne-based group whose masterful new single, “Jona Vark†is on repeat at the Big Live offices.
Like many Aussie newcomers, the duo has an electronic production background, however, their pop (more…)
Fall is here, but summer grooves live on through Classixx.
Tyler Blake and Michael David make up the DJ/production duo that are now emerging out of the LA’s electronic scene. As the west coast equivalent of NYC’s Holy Ghost!, these guys have concocted a perfect mixx of disco, Parisian lounge, and indie electronica. (more…)
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Mandy Stein took her first trip to CBGB’s when she was three years old. Daughter of legendary Sire Records founder Seymour Stein (used CBGB’s to cherry-pick bands for his label) and The Ramones manager Linda Stein, Mandy has kept her family’s heritage alive with the CBGB documentary (more…)
