London Day 8

On our last night in London it was obvious we were feeling our candles burn at both ends.

Nevertheless, Eight Legs were kind enough to let two New York bands play their On the Bus showcase at Powers Bar and we were more than happy to soldier through.

We were able to find energy in the most random places

Ambassadors went on first and killed it as always

Next The Vanguard took the stage with a little help from their friends

The Vanguard played so well that we received our first encore of the trip and they were more than happy to oblige with “Take You Out”

While the night started out with a dozen Americans on the verge of passing out, it ended up being one of the best shows of the trip.

We even made some new fans who invited us to a 3am rave party… we never showed

Greenroom:

Tags: ambassadors, Bob Berman, eight legs, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, London, powers bar, RethinkPopMusic, the vanguard

London Day 7

We had our second day off on Friday and Jeremy took us to see Ice Black Birds. at The Macbeth.

Ice Black Birds is the second project of Sam Dennison who used to front The Matadors. According to their myspace: “IBB are a bluesy four piece from Brighton via London. They draw influence from 60s and 70s rock ‘n’ roll. They formed from the ashes of old London, Sheffield and Scottish bands and seem set to bring a fresh burst of modern blues back into the industry. The energy created on stage by this band is second to none and with catchy songs that maintain their own dignity, they are most definitely one to watch for 2009. They have already been hand picked by the likes of Golden Silvers, Joe Gideon and The Shark, Wave Machines and We Have Band to support them on tour and played various venues across the country such as Concorde 2, Club NME and Proud Galleries amongst others.”

I thought their guitar and bass play were exceptional and although Sam doesn’t have the extensive range expected of American acts, he commanded the stage like few can. I also heard some definite dance influences in many of the song breakdowns especially when they threw in a cover or two. Great band to check out if they make it here.

We called it an early night because we have one last show to play tomorrow before heading back to NYC for CMJ. Day 8 coming soon plus a full recap of the entire trip.

Tags: ambassadors, Ice Black Birds, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, the macbeth, the matadors, the vanguard

London Day 6

So they day finally came for the official Laissez Faire Club vs RethinkPopMusic showcase at The Legion.

The Vanguard kicked things off and despite the fact that Aaron could barely speak all day he was still able to play a terrific set… with a little help from his friends. Ambassadors took the stage next and had the crowd in hysterics despite the fact that Casey’s keyboard lost power half way through the last song of the set. Despite technical difficulties he handled it like a pro and the crowd was none the wiser.

My Tiger My Timing closed the night and then the real party began…

Jeremy was kind enough to invite the bands back to Chelsea for some after-hours fun, but didn’t exactly realize that there were thirty of us. So the entire entourage marched down the street and got onto the double-decker bus. We immediately commandeered the entire top floor and a jam session ensued.

After the INSANE jam session on the bus, which we have video evidence of, we headed to Jeremy’s. This is where things got weird… in the best way possible.

A little Eastern Europe Dance Party!

Gymnastics time?

I was confused

And then it was “chill” time

Or pass out time depending on the tolerance

Tags: ambassadors, Bob Berman, Double-Decker, jeremy lloyd, John Kravetz, laissez faire club, My Tiger My Timing, RethinkPopMusic, the legion, the vanguard

London Day 5

Day 5 was relatively mild compared to the others. Everyone slept in before making the hour long trip to Brixton to play The Windmill.

The temperature dropped about 20 degrees by the time we got off the tube and none of us were too prepared. The show went great and we met some amazing people. I found out that The Windmill was the very first venue Yeasayer played in London!

Needing to rest up for tomorrow’s Laissez Faire Club show we all headed back home relatively early. However, Jeremy and I did stay up until 4am arguing about music and drinking Jim Beam with the drummer from Hoodoo Scoundrels.

Tags: ambassadors, Bob Berman, Brixton, Hoodoo Scoundrels, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, RethinkPopMusic, the vanguard, the windmill, Yeasayer

London Day 4

After an insane night with the boys in Right Turn Left, we were all relieved that we didn’t have to play a show today. However, we did need to travel to Camden where The Vanguard and Ambassadors were asked to film episodes on Balcony TV.

The Vanguard played an amazing acoustic rendition of “Both Sides”

and Ambassadors played a version of “Keys” that may overshadow the original.

Performances should be online relatively soon!

After the taping we hung about Camden for a bit before heading to the White Heat party in SoHo.

We roll up to Madam JoJos 12 dudes deep and there is a line down the block. FUCK! Nevertheless, with a few “don’t you know who we are”s we miraculously go straight in and catch the end of Yacht’s performance… which was pretty much just like this:

The party itself was a good time thanks to the Absinthe and cheap Stella.

Oh, CobraSnake was there and we ended up on his website. Couple pics:

We play The Windmill in Brixton tomorrow… where Yeasayer played their first London gig and then the MASSIVE Laissez Faire Club show on Thursday at The Legion.

Tags: ambassadors, Balcony TV, Bob Berman, Brixton, Camden, Cobrasnake, jeremy lloyd, John Kravetz, laissez faire club, London, Madam JoJos, RethinkPopMusic, right turn left, Soho, the legion, the vanguard, the windmill, White Heat, www.BalconyTV.com, Yacht

London Day 3

Our third day in London was far and away the most interesting to date. Ambassadors were scheduled to play The Tooting Tram and Social for the Sex Soup and Music party that Right Turn Left throws every week. Once again we found the name of a tube stop HILARIOUS!

The venue, Tooting Tram and Social, was amazing. It used to be an old railroad car depot and has these amazing 40+ foot cathedral ceilings that make the acoustics massive. The Ambassadors took the stage around 9:30pm and played absolutely brilliant despite having no monitors. The same can definitely be said for Right Turn Left, whom according to everyone there have expanded their musical prowess exponentially in the last few months. Regardless, I thought they were exceptional!

Unfortunately, The Tube stops running somewhere close to Midnight, so we had to decide whether to miss Right Turn Left’s set or the last train home. Fortunately, Right Turn Left made that decision quite easy when they informed us of their 6 bedroom house down the block. Assuring us that they, the entire bar staff and most of the crowd would party with us until The Tube began running again at 6:00am was all we needed.

As the entourage made our way through the streets of Tooting it instantly became clear that this was going to get out of hand instantly . We arrive at the house and a “Can’t Hardly Wait” style party is already in full affect.

Observations:

People had a lot of “energy”
Someone in our crew made out with the bartender
A certain musician got better looking as the night went on
The Vanguard and Ambassadors are the masters of the house party jam session
Kravetz doesn’t like annoying dudes who pretend to be “Pirates” form Atlantic Records
Seeing the sunrise gives me a sense of accomplishment

Tags: ambassadors, Bob Berman, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, London, RethinkPopMusic, right turn left, sex soup and music, the vanguard, tooting, tooting tram and social

London Day 2

Today was a wild one with Sam (Ambassadors), Rasko and David (The Vanguard) flying in this morning and having to play separate Communion gigs in the evening. Because Ambassadors had to travel all the way to Brighton (1.5 hours by train) Jeremy and I elected to accompany them to Audio and leave The Vanguard to their own devices at Notting Hills Arts Club in London.

The train ride was a bit tedious, but the phrase: “Jeremy, your cunt is beautiful” never got old. (reference to the incredible countryside) Unlike The Vanguard we arrived to our gig on time for soundcheck and a threatening “ass kicking” by some degenerate footballl fan outside the club while having a cigarette.

Brighton and Audio is amazing! The venue sits on a road that hugs the coastline two blocks from a legit boardwalk… carnival and all!

Ambassadors took the stage around 8:30pm and absolutely killed it! At one point in the night I was convinced that Sam may break the stage.

Ambassadors played the best set I have ever heard from them, and the comments people were making, including the other bands were unbelievable. It was quite impressive!

Right after Ambassador’s set Jeremy and I hitched a ride with Adam from Virgin Records to meet up with The Vanguard, which was unfortunate because I would have loved to see La Shark. Such rad guys and a crazy unique sound.

While we missed The Vanguard’s set, it was obvious they had an equally great experience, when we noticed everyone in the crowd were wearing their pins.

Ambassadors play Sex Soup & Music at the Tooting Tram & Social w/ Right Turn Left. If the rest of the trip is even half as good as the first night we may never come home!

We have lots more pics and video content of the show, just missing a key charger and cord to get the rest up on here.

Tags: ambassadors, audio, Bob Berman, Brighton, communion, jeremy lloyd, la shark, laissez faire club, London, notting hills arts club, RethinkPopMusic, right turn left, sex soup and music, the vanguard, tooting tram and social

London Day 1

With half of the crew flying in Friday night and the other today we were able to avoid any pesky customs inquiries… in regards to work visas. However, getting piss drunk on the flight because Virgin Atlantic offers free booze throughout the ENTIRE flight is another beast all together. Just to get an idea of what I mean, myself, Noah and Kravetz drank every drop of beer and whiskey Virgin Atlantic had on board and at one point probably around 5:00am we were taking shots in the back galley while some of the female crew members watched in disgust/admiration? It was hard to tell…

I have to admit that the Virgin Atlantic staff was exceptionally accommodating and we certainly pushed them to the limit.

We arrived at Heathrow early Saturday morning which mildly confused and severely disappointed Aaron because he thought we were going to Disney World.

Shockingly customs was a breeze and thanks to Virgin Atlantic all of our gear came out in great shape. Because we are all staying in different parts of London (No Red Roof Inns) Casey, Noah and Adam of Ambassadors along with Kravetz jumped in a cab and headed east. Myself along with Aaron and Luke from The Vanguard elected to try The Tube.

According to Jeremy Lloyd (Laissez Faire Club) in his cute accent: “It’s quite obvious that you are Americans because they are the only riders who carry-on in conversation on The Tube.” I think the fact that we giggled like school children at every stop because a lady’s voice came over the loudspeaker announcing: “Last stop… Cockfosters.” Hahahahahahaha!

Anyways, I arrived at Jeremy’s flat in Chelsea as The Vanguard headed to King’s Cross. I spent the afternoon purchasing a cell phone and grabbing some food. That evening we hung at the local pub, until it closed at 11:00pm?! So Jeremy and I met up with the boys in Kingsize and went to some super sketchy basement disco party. After getting our fill on 8 pound drinks we began discussing a full European tour over the ridiculous rave rendition of Billy Jean. Around 3am I started feeling the effects of the jet lag/insomnia so we grabbed a couple Kebabs, a bottle of Jim Beam and headed back to the flat.

Observations from night 1:

Virgin Atlantic are enablers of drunk musicians
RethinkPopMusic will only fly Virgin Atlantic
Cockfosters is still hilarious
Chelsea is very much like the Upper East Side… chochbag finance guys included
I am going to spend waaaaaaay too much money on this trip

Today, I am going to meet with Jeremy’s contact at Virgin Records then we are going to Brighton for Ambassadors’ Communion show at Audio. Immediately after the set we are going to haul ass back to London and hopefully catch the end of The Vanguard’s Communion set at Knotting Hills Arts Club. Lots to do!

Tags: ambassadors, audio, Bob Berman, Brighton, communion, jeremy lloyd, Kingsize, Knotting Hills Arts Club, laissez faire club, London, Red Roof Inns, RethinkPopMusic, the vanguard, VIrgin Atlantic, Virgin Atlantic Airlines

RethinkPopMusic is crossing the pond…

Thanks to Jeremy Lloyd and Laissez Faire Club:

RethinkPopMusic will be taking The Vanguard and Ambassadors to London to play a slew of shows. Thanks to Virgin Atlantic Airlines for helping us out with the tickets and supporting independent musicians everywhere!

Dates:

The Vanguard

Sunday 11 October – Communion @ Notting Hill Arts Club, London w/ Lunar Youth & Beans On Toast
Tuesday 13 October – Oakford Social Club, Reading
Wednesday 14 October – The Windmill, Brixton, London w/ Ambassadors & The Collectable Few
Thursday 15 October – Laissez Faire Club @ The Legion, London w/ Ambassadors & My Tiger My Timing
Saturday 17 October – Powers Bar, Kilburn, London w/ Ambassadors

Ambassadors

Sunday 11 October – Communion @ Audio, Brighton w/ Lyrebirds, La Shark & Hot Feet
Monday 12 October – Sex Soup & Music @ Tooting Tram & Social w/ Right Turn Left
Wednesday 14 October – The Windmill, Brixton, London w/ The Vanguard & The Collectable Few
Thursday 15 October – Laissez Faire Club @ The Legion, London w/ The Vanguard & My Tiger My Timing
Saturday 17 October – Powers Bar, Kilburn, London w/ The Vanguard

Tags: ambassadors, audio, Bob Berman, communion, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, London, notting hills arts club, oakford social club, powers bar, RethinkPopMusic, sex soup and music, the legion, the vanguard, the windmill, tooting tram and social, VIrgin Atlantic, Virgin Atlantic Airlines

RethinkPopMusic Launch Party

09/17/09 was the most successful night in RethinkPopMusic history and although we formed merely nine months ago your support has been overwhelming. Therefore, innumerable thanks are in order:

Foremost, RethinkPopMusic would like to thank Crash Mansion for their incredible staff, patience and faith in us… we are forever grateful.

Our partners: U-Haul, Yak Pak, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, Red Roof Inns, Spaten Beer, Absolut and Red Bull are all owed a great deal of gratitude for providing product and special discounts for independent artists. RethinkPopMusic will be traveling the world educating consumers utilizing our interactive questionnaire at our events and word of mouth at standard gigs.

Needless to say, none of this would be possible without RethinkPopMusic’s Affiliated Artists The Vanguard, The Aviation Orange, Ambassadors and Eastkoast and our adopted family members Hank and Cupcakes for keeping the crowd roaring all night!

Last but certainly not least, thanks to Jeremy Lloyd of Laissez Faire Club for making the trip all the way from London to DJ the event. Oh, and for the bottle of Veuve, you certainly are quite the gentleman.

With the help of Jeremy from MyDailyThread, Seva from MyOpenBar and Adam from Thrillist the 850+ RSVPs we received were so staggering that we had to shut down www.RPM-RSVP.com over 24hrs before the party. Fortunately, Crash Mansion was miraculously able to accommodate every attendee!

The night began with the premiere of The Vanguard’s, The Aviation Orange’s and Ambassadors’ debut music videos before the MTV music and Thrillist staffs:

Thanks to MTV for accepting all three music videos… we look forward to informing our readers on when to expect them to air.

Below are the rest of the pictures of the night… see if you can spot members of The Postelles, BM Linx, Chainsaw Trio, The Hotcakes, The Glorious Veins, Man on Earth and others who were in attendance. Huge thanks to Luiggi Tapuch for taken such great pics!

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Tags: Absolut, ambassadors, Bob Berman, Crash Mansion, Eastkoast, Hank and Cupcakes, jeremy lloyd, laissez faire club, MTV, MyDailyThread, myopenbar, Red Bull, Red Roof Inns, RethinkPopMusic, Spaten Beer, The Aviaiton Orange, the vanguard, thrillist, U-Haul, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, yak pak