Monday, December 15, 2014

Chester Bay Graces Studio 5! With Relentless Musical Perfection



If ever there were a prodigal son of feeling good all the f**king time, it just might be Chester Bay. Straight out of good ol’ Rochester, Minnesota, this eclectic quintet has effectively disproved anyone’s notions that the must-have raunch of upbeat, string-smackin’, good-timin’ rock is dead and gone. The sound is a dead-sexy blend of a slight rapping-to-singing vocal style over a rock-solid rhythm section that pays homage to greats like The Black Crowes, Sublime (the band jammed out a badass rendition of “What I Got”, no doubt), Incubus, and much more. Hints of reggae, ska, and folk can also be found. Singer and guitarist Jake Bosben mentioned John Popper, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, and Johnny Lang as a few early influences on his vocal style, though he also bears a similarity to the milky smoothness of Michael Buble, Bruno Mars, and Jason Mraz. 


Chester Bay was conceived in 2005, and since then, have unapologetically dominated nearly every front of the music scene. Brothers Jake and Cory Bosben (bass, vocals), and their entourage, Marc Greely (drums) and Mike Salow (lead guitar) have played at Basilica Block Party and Wisconsin’s Summer Fest, appeared on a feature-length film soundtrack, nabbed a mention in Rolling Stone Magazine, and released two full-length studio albums and one live album. In short, Chester Bay are pretty much winning at their quest to rule the world.




If you want to catch these guys in action, their next appearance is scheduled at the North Star Bar in Rochester on January 31st. Be sure to check out their full-length albums Get Free and Changes With the Midwest Moon as well. 

Links to Chester Bay’s Facebook and Reverbnation pages are provided below:





Also, be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come! 

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online! 

online donation: http://bit.ly/1yKUfq4

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here:  https://archive.org/details/233ChesterBay

Check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmKjk8bP70s&list=UUMeJC71i9gFjLQ8jjM2DHWA
You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157647385519763/

“Live From Studio 5!” Archives: https://archive.org/details/233ChesterBay



-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Sex Rays Invade The Studio In Style



As if they'd been banned from both East and West coasts for frightening the surfers and tourists with their pleasant out-of-line-ness,  The Sex Rays have graced the music scene of their native Minneapolis with what they've dubbed as "pyscho-surf-garage-punk", an esoteric blend ensuring the terror of the unworthy and the limitless pleasure of the masses. Dawning the delightful clinical insanity of singer and guitarist Joe Hastings, bassist Joe Holland, and drummer and vocalist Ben Crunk, the band has been teasing musical expectation since late 2010, jamming out a slew of original tunes under the noted influences of such righteous punks as The Ramones, The Cramps, The Sex Pistols, Link Wray, Dick Dale, and even Chuck Berry.



The band recently rocked a mid-November 7 inch vinyl release show at Grumpy's in Minneapolis. The 45 was released on Piñata Records, and is available in digital format on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify. 





Don't miss these mind-meltin' rock gods the next time they play in Minneapolis! Check out their Reverbnation and Facebook pages below:


Facebook:

Reverbnation: 


Also, be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come! 

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online! 

online donation: http://bit.ly/1yKUfq4

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking the link below:  

“Live From Studio 5!” Archives: https://archive.org/details/232SexRays

Check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbjuCa4YlDU&list=UUMeJC71i9gFjLQ8jjM2DHWA 

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157649188588069/


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette

Friday, November 28, 2014

Heavy Metalists Favor The Fall Melt Faces and Tell Tales in "Studio 5!"


According to legend, it is said that five Midwest rockers kidnapped the best aspects of post-grunge, heavy metal, and nu metal, threw them into a 10-foot pit, and watched them duke it out gladiator style, in a sole attempt to discover the heavy badassery that this sort of showdown would surely birth. The result was Favor the Fall, who garnered influence from a few recent hard n’ heavies, such as Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Bullet For My Valentine, Slipknot, Five Finger Death Punch, and Linkin Park, as well a few of the forerunners, including Metallica, Alice in Chains, and a hell of a lot more. 


Busting straight outta the heart of Minneapolis (with only their drummer, Joey Radke, being a Minnesota native, the rest hail from Wisconsin), Favor the Fall has been an established act since April of 2012. Vocalist Luke Roatch belts out a relentless barrage of dark and aggressive (yet undeniably honest) lyrics with his sometimes-guttural, sometimes-brightly-harmonic singing style, accompanied by the heavily syncopated guitar wizardry of Justin Cynor(rhythm), Adam Cynor (lead), and Sam Buechel (bass), as well as the ever-present thunder of Radke’s drum work. 



In studio, the group played each of the 5 songs off of their soon-to-be-released EP (which is being produced by Disturbed bassist John Moyer, no less), as well as a few that didn’t quite make the cut, and even solid renditions of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man” and Staind’s “It’s Been A While”. Towards the end of their set, they also discussed their historic origins, including their early individual influences and inspirations to pursue the wild career of music. 



If you want to catch Favor the Fall live, a few of their upcoming shows include December 5th at Phatheadz in Green Bay, WI, at 8 PM, December 6th at Lefty's Bar in Marshfield, WI, at 8 PM, December 13th at The Phoenix Lounge in Harrisburg, SD, at 8 PM, and December 18th at the Fine Line Cafe in Minneapolis, MN, at 7 PM, as well as a birthday celebration for Radke at Everybody’s Bar in Chippewa Falls (their very next show). 

Favor The Fall’s Facebook and Reverbnation pages are linked below:




Also, be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come! 

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online! 

online donation: http://bit.ly/1yKUfq4

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here:  http://archive.org/details/FavorTheFall

Check out the video on our YouTube page will soon be posted here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks 

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157649087653329/


-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette

Friday, November 21, 2014

"Live From Studio 5!" Beholds The Rustic Majesty of The Minneapolis Chapter of Roustabouts



Rambling out of Northeast Minneapolis on their way to dominate the modern world, The Minneapolis Chapter of Roustabouts, or MCOR, as they’re alternatively known, have seemingly birthed a new fusional genre that they can only, yet fittingly, describe as “junk hop”. Combining Skynyrd-esque swamp guitar, droning cello, a bright, hopeful ukele, lyrics concerning pirates and those who rule over mole hills, and a vocal style that is, at times, reminiscent of the angst-y bellowing of Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, MCOR’s style just may end up as the pioneer for a bold new blend of musical elements. 



To trace things back to the beginning, Adam Seward (vocals, dobro) and Scott Farrell (vocals and guitar) began jamming initially as a hip-hop duo while working as owners at 4 Points Body Gallery in Minneapolis, combining guitar and DJ techniques. After the two recorded an EP in a barn with the aid of a drum machine, Keya Richie decided to join in with his ukelele at the same time Anders Borg dropped by with a cello, all of them ready to kick out some serious jams. 



Originally known simply as “The Roustabouts”, a persistent fan wrote the band after hearing them on a local podcast to inform them that “there are, like, 20 bands called the Roustabouts”. It was then that the group decided to dub themselves, in a lovable tongue-in-cheek manner, as “The Minneapolis Chapter of Roustabouts”. A roustabout, for those who may not know, is described as a traveling blue collar worker, though the band’s intentions for donning the term comes from noted inspirations Tom Waits’ and Aesop Rock’s frequent use of it. 



Aside from two EPs that MCOR has released so far (one featuring just Adam and Scott, one recorded live), the group is currently in the works of recording their first full-length album, to be released sometime in the near future. 


MCOR’s website link is provided below:


Also, be sure to support your local “Fresh Air” Radio Station, KFAI! We are a non-profit organization, so we need your help as the listener to keep this amazing radio station alive and running, so as to deliver a wide-array of music for years to come! 

If you would like to make a donation, simply call us at 612-341-3144, or donate online! 

online donation: http://bit.ly/1yKUfq4

If you missed the original broadcast you can still listen at ANY time from ANYWHERE on the planet on our FOREVER archives just by clicking here:  https://archive.org/details/230Roustabouts

Check out the video on our You Tube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/KFAIRocks 

(MCOR videos will be up shortly)

You can see the Flickr pix from that show here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kfai-fm/sets/72157648972606367/



-Article by Seth Hynes-Marquette

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

THE MYSTERY OF THE PILFERED BANNERS


Have you seen these  banners?








Studio 5 had these Iconic banners up for every show and even an event or two.  Someone of Ill intent pilfered these banners from us.
If you have any information as to the whereabouts of these items, please contact KFAI,doug@dougthethug.com or Dewglass atdewglassproductions@gmail.com
If these items simply reappear, we will be thankful, and ask no questions.  The posters were created, ordered and paid for by me { Doug The Thug }  on a limited income.  If anyone has an issue with me or L5, this is a grade school response to an adult problem.  So I will probably just have to cough up more money and replace them and move on.  Maybe there's a logical explanation for this but I doubt it.  Please help us solve the mystery of the pilfered banners.