Welcome to Roadtrip Central! This is a continuing chronicle of my journey around the country, as I meet with Pandora listeners and musicians to learn about what you want to see happen with music in this digital age. I hope you enjoy reading about my past stops - from a three person meet-up in a Biloxi diner to a packed get-together in a huge MIT lecture hall.
I hope you'll take a minute to share your favorite bands, clubs, lodging and eateries in your city. If you don't see your state on the blog, just post to 'Other States' and I'll make a note to try and visit! I look forward to meeting and hearing from you!
Cheers...
Tim (Founder)
Matisyahu :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 41
From his hometown of White Plains, NY to the Pacific Coast, Matisyahu has brought his spiritually-focused sound to fruition, and he recently paid a visit to Pandora's Oakland offices and performed in support of his new album, Light. The man can beatbox, my friends.
"Thunder"
"One Day"
--- Kevin
(executive producer)
Wild Yaks :: Concert Videos :: Vol. 30
This Brooklyn band chose "Boyhood
Forever" as its motto, and it's an apt
declaration of intent. Their four
rehearsal-studio jams linked here
are sleds going down an icy slope
too fast. Or boxcar derby smash-ups.
One female critic (Maud) gushed: "I
want to listen to their music because
it's masculine and not at all pretentious
and they're so into it and their glasses
slide off their noses and their shorts
are too short."
"Tomahawk"
"Whip"
DigForFire's "Postcards from the Music Genome"
Last year, a crew of music-loving British documentary filmmakers joined Tim as he hosted town hall meetings and hit open mic nights across the country. The first of these episodes has just premiered on their website DigForFire. It's set in New York City.
They have a whole collection of cool live music videos as well. Check 'em out.
Dig,
Kevin
Great Venues: The Knitting Factory, New York
This week is the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City, a great festival that spans multiple boroughs and features a wide range of independent music.
We visited the Knitting Factory during CMJ, and were amazed at how smoothly their ship sailed. With three stages on three floors, a single night's entertainment might feature as many as 25 bands, all loading in and out through a single door.
In honor of this week's CMJ, part of which takes place on the Knitting Factory's multiple stages, here is a look at the ways in which the Knit has brought groundbreaking music to audiences for 20 years. From Annie Clark (pictured at left) to John Zorn, the bounty has been rich.
Kevin
New York Get-together: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008!
We are having a Pandora meet-up at the Chelsea Cinemas in New York. Hope to see you there--excited to meet our New York listeners!
If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending an email to Angie at tour@pandora.com with "NEW YORK" in the subject line.
When: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
Where: Chelsea Cinemas, 260 West 23rd Street, New York(map)
Cheers,
Tim
New York Get-together: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008!
We are having a Pandora meet-up at the Chelsea Cinemas in New York. Hope to see you there--excited to meet our New York listeners!
If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending an email to Angie at tour@pandora.com with "NEW YORK" in the subject line.
When: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
Where: Chelsea Cinemas, 260 West 23rd Street, New York(map)
Cheers,
Tim
New York City: A great place to record music
"What makes something that is truly mechanical have rhythmic groove?"
"Why do the Number One Sons get so much recording session work?"
"How is having a studio in Manhattan different from having a studio in another city?"
The questions and more are answered in this week's video. Here we get into the issues of groove and feel, while here we dive into details of distortion and drum preparation.
These episodes are dedicated to the memory of the late, great guitarist Hiram Bullock (1955-2008), who was a good friend of this studio and the people who make music there.
Kevin
SAVE THE DATE! New York City Get-Together September 24th, 2008
Details to be announced soon!
When: Wednesday, September 24th, 2008
Where: TBD--send your venue suggestions to tour@pandora.com. Make sure to write "NEW YORK" in the subject line.
Cheers,
Tim
Studio Stories: Monster Island, NYC
You know that Katy Perry song, "I Kissed A Girl"? It's a recent chart-topper: "I kissed a girl and I liked it - the taste of her cherry chapstick." Anyway... we found ourselves recently at the studio where the musicians recorded that song. It's a place called Monster Island in Manhattan (yes, named for Godzilla's home).
Here is a quick video we shot with the owner/producer, Mike Caffrey. What sets Monster Island apart is that, in the style of Motown and the Funk Brothers, this studio has an in-house band that plays together in the same room to create that organic feel. In an age of digital manipulation, quantizing, and extreme sonic isolation, it's refreshing to find a place where bleed is encouraged. Check it out.
I kissed a girl and I liked it, I liked it,
Kevin
Syracuse Get-together Friday, February 22nd, 2008!
We are having a Pandora meet-up at the Palace Theatre in Syracuse. Hope to see you there--excited to meet our Syracuse listeners!
If you would like to attend, please RSVP by sending an email to Angie at tour@pandora.com with SYRACUSE in the subject line.
When: Friday, February 22nd, 2008 @ 7 PM
Where: The Palace Theatre, 2384 James Street, Syracuse (map)
Cheers,
Tim
SAVE THE DATE! Syracuse Get-Together February 22nd, 2008
Details to be announced soon!
When: Friday, February 22nd, 2008
Where: TBD
Cheers,
Tim
Video: Celebrate Brooklyn
There's nothing that brings a community together quite like a free music festival, and there's no festival quite like Celebrate Brooklyn. Every summer, BRIC Arts|Media|Bklyn treats families in New York to free concerts in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. These shows are not run-of-the-mill freebies, either; these are big-ticket artists such as TV On The Radio, Joan Osborne, the Stills, the Sam Roberts Band and Maceo Parker. Our guest on this episode, Celebrate Brooklyn executive producer Jack Walsh, explains how it works, and tells us how this festival has grown steadily over the course of 30 seasons.
If you'd like to subscribe to this series for free in iTunes, just tap on this link right here.
No sleep 'til... (cue guitar...) BROOKLYN!
Kevin
Video: Iridium Jazz Club, Manhattan
There's a longstanding rumor that saxophones are lined with iridium. (I was unfamiliar with the substance, which sits at Number 77 on the periodic table -- it's a silver-white metal that resists corrosion.) That rumor's truth or fiction is not for us to say, but the story was enough to inspire founder Ron Sturm to name his jazz club after this brittle metal. To learn more about this place, we headed to Times Square, and explored the Iridium Jazz Club. This great little spot is where Les Paul performs every Monday night, and where the Mingus Big Band plays every Tuesday. We happened to be there on a weekend night, and got to see the great jazz clarinetist Eddie Daniels.
It turns out that Iridium's master audio engineer, Rich Freeman, is a legend in his own right: he sang tenor on the doo-wop classic, "In The Still Of The Night."
Enjoy the show, and thanks for watching,
Kevin
Brooklyn Get-together Thursday, June 21, 2007!
I'll be at the Brooklyn Lyceum in Park Slope for a Pandora meet-up. You can RSVP by emailing tour@pandora.com with "Brooklyn" in the subject line. Hope to see you there--excited to meet our Brooklyn-area listeners!
When: Thursday, June 21, 2007 @ 7:30 PM
Where: Brooklyn Lyceum, 227 4th Ave, Park Slope (map)
Cheers,
Tim
Back from Podcamp NYC
I had no idea what to expect from Podcamp NYC. Predictions of a modern-day Wet Hot American Summer were soon disspelled: no underwear run up flagpoles, no basketweaving classes, no bug-juice-fueled hijinx between nubile young counselors.
Upon entrance, each of the 1300 registered participants was asked to sign a release form allowing his or her likeness to be displayed publicly. I thought this odd until I walked into a session and saw that many people there were taping and filming everything for their own podcasts. A vortex of cameras and microphones, with nearly every person recording every other person. Is this the future?
Continue reading "Back from Podcamp NYC"
New York City meetup recap...
Another great get together in NYC. Started off a little badly as we waited a half hour for the film in the theare we were using to end. One of those 4 hour French epics...
Thanks to everyone who patiently waited in the jammed lobby to be let in. Hope the free popcorn helped ease the hassle...
Continue reading "New York City meetup recap..."
New York City Get-together tonight!
Tonight, I'll be in NYC to meet Pandora listeners and music lovers at the Cinema Village. Looking forward to hearing what your thoughts are about the service and current trends in digital music. If you're in the area, please stop by! Full details are below.
Details
When: Wednesday, February 7th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
Where: Cinema Village, 22 East 12th St between University Place and 5th Ave, NYC (map)
Hope to see you there!
Tim (Founder)
Los Angeles to New York City...
What a week! Started with a fun visit to USC for a discussion with a group of undergraduates, graduate students, faculty and radio biz folks at the Thornton School.
Thanks to Jerry Del Colliano for hosting a very nice event. Breeding the next generation of music/tech entrepreneurs. Jerry is a long time radio guy, now reborn as a tech guru.
Wrapped the evening with a discussion with students and Westwood-ites on the UCLA campus.
Early morning to NYC - halloween night Medeski, Martin & Wood at Hammerstein ballroom... nice photo from balcony...
Continue reading "Los Angeles to New York City..."
I'm currently planning an itinerary for my next tour stop in New York for summer 2006. We had a great time in New York back in May and again in June, so we'll definitely be back again soon. I'll be stopping in the city for the CMJ conference at the end of October. Lecturing later that week at NYU to the next generation of digital music entrepreneurs - should be great fun. New York always has something new to offer every time. Don't hesitate to leave a comment below if you have any suggestions about a meetup. I can't wait to come back!
We love reading and responding to your feedback on the blog - the comments have been a treasure trove of great insights and guidance as we plan our visits. If you have a particular idea you want to discuss, or just want to get more involved, we're eager for help - just drop us an email at tour@pandora.com. Please include your location in the subject line of your message too. No idea is too big or small!
New York Meetup
We're coming to New York City next week. I'd like to meet Pandora listeners to talk about the service and more generally about the future of online music...
When: Monday, June 5th, 2006 - 7pm
Where: Tribeca Film Center (The Screening Room)
375 Greenwich (bet. North Moore & Franklin Directions
This is a FREE event. Seating is limited, so if you'd like to attend, please RSVP to timinny@pandora.com
Should be a fun evening. Hope to see you there! Tim (Founder)
We're coming back to New York City on May 15th and 16th, 2006. We're planning a gathering on the evening of the 16th. Please leave any comments or suggestions here - always looking for fun music-related things to do and hear. So much to do in the big apple, and so little time! We'll post details on the get together as soon as we have more specifics. Really looking forward to this visit.
NYC Meetup & Pandora on Air America
Spent a wonderful evening with Jeff and Stephanie at a cozy NY cafe - lots of great feedback and ideas from these two thoughtful and enthusiastic Pandora listeners... Thanks you guys for taking the time. It's made me eager for the next gathering. We're thinking of a Southern states swing in March... starting in TX. Let me know if you want to host one.
Also, tomorrow we're going to be on Air America - Rachel Maddow did the interview in NYC. Rachel rocks... It's scheduled for 2:30pm EST as part of the "Al Franken Show.' Info on their website. http://shows.airamericaradio.com/alfrankenshow/
NYC Meetup - Dec 14th!
We've picked the time & place.
Wednesday, Dec 14th, 2005
7:30pm
Cafe Doma
7th Avenue & Perry (West Village).
I'll be wearing a Pandora cap.
Look forward to great conversation and food/drink. Bring your ideas and favorite CDs...
