BOTW HAS BEEN MOVED TO: suburbanremix.com

It is true! "A-Tran's Band of the Week" blog has been permanently moved to Suburban Remix [ http://suburbanremix.com/ ]. Along with "BOTW" features on this new and fancy website, you will also find concert/festivals recaps, fashion ideas/blogs, and super hipster/thrifty items for sale (coming soon)!

Thanks for following BOTW every week, and I am looking forward to seeing you at http://suburbanremix.com/ !


Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,
A-Tran.

BOTW #29 - NONONO

NONONO is this week's band of the week... but they are more like YESYESYES! This trio from Stockholm brings sassy chick vocals, dancey beats, and great usage of synthy keys; everything you could ever want in an indie alt-rock outfit. 

Their debut single "Pumpin' Blood" has one of the catchiest licks, and it's whistled, of course (I have a theory that any song with whistling is a gem, I even have a "Whistle Along" playlist...). You can expect to find yourself shamelessly dancing to this song in your bedroom and/or fist-pumping to your heart's content.

NONONO is currently working on their album, and I cannot wait to hear what else they create!
Follow them @nononoofficial

NONONO fans will also dig:
Grouplove
The Ting Tings
Passion Pit
Tegan & Sara
Family of the Year
The Naked & Famous
Foster the People

See all you Seattleites at Bumbershoot this weekend!

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,
A-Tran.

#ThrowbackThursday #FlashbackFriday

What up BOTW readers! Seeing that it is nearing the end of the week, I thought I would equip you with a #ThrowbackThursday/#FlashbackFriday playlist! This set of hand-selected tunes will give you a blast from the past in pop (at least for anyone from my generation haha). I was inspired to do this while I was working and "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade came on my Pandora station. INSTANT nostalgia, I tell ya! Hope you enjoy!

Check out my "#ThrowbackThursday #FlashbackFriday" playlist on my Spotify profile!

1. Fall For You - Secondhand Serenade

2. Back Here - BBMak

3. All or Nothing - O-Town

4. Come Clean - Hilary Duff

5.  Don't Mess with My Man - Nivea
6. Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera
7. Never Had a Dream Come True - S Club 7
8. All That She Wants - Ace of Base
9. Shape of My Heart - Backstreet Boys
10. Case of the Ex - Mya
11. I Wanna Be With You - Mandy Moore
12. The Reason - Hoobastank
13. Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
14. Shake it - Metro Station
15. (You Drive Me) Crazy - Britney Spears
16. On the Way Down - Ryan Cabrera
17. Waterfalls - TLC
18. See You Again - Miley Cyrus
19. For You I Will - Teddy Geiger
20. More to Life - Stacie Orrico

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,
A-Tran.

BOTW #28 - Jagwar Ma

TGIF! Per request by my pal, Mo-riss, this week's BOTW is the indie-surfy-electro-pop band, Jagwar Ma. Upon first listen, I instantly became a fan of their synthy light and upbeat sound, reminiscent of MGMT, Toro y Moi and your favorite 80's new wave artists.

Relatively new to the indie scene, Jagwar Ma just recently released their debut album this year. With the use of contagious dance beats, B-52s-esque synth pads, Beach Boys-inspired guitar tones, and airy vocal effects, this Australian band creates a unique fusion that sounds fresh. but also gives listeners a blast from the past.

Jagwar Ma creates music that is perfect for a workout, a long commute, or even soundtracks for some independent movies!

Check out some of Jagwar Ma's catchiest tunes:

Bands you will also like if you are jammin' to Jagwar Ma:
MGMT
Toro y Moi
Human League
New Order
Empire of the Sun
The B-52s
M83
Men Without Hats

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,
A-Tran.

Festival Recap: 107.7 The End Summer Camp 2013

Found Gregr at Summer Camp! Coolest guy on the radio!

First of all, I just wanted to apologize for the delayed post. I am a survivor of PCD, otherwise known as Post Concert Depression, and I am living with the side effects of partaking in an epic 11 band extravaganza (aka waking up at 1pm...haha)!

If you have never been to summer camp as a kid, not to worry, 107.7 The End hosts one every summer and it's probably 100 times more rock n' roll and good vibes. Tickets are less than 30 bucks and you get to experience handfuls of rad bands, 11 to be exact! 

Here's the run down of all the fun times you missed (or want to relive with me)!

Royal Teeth - Opened up Summer Camp this year with bang. Their indie-melodic tunes were perfect for the nice summer air and got everyone warmed up for the rest of the day at Summer Camp!

San Cisco - These guys are one of those bands that you like on the record, and even more live. Their presence on stage was just so contagious and they are probably the most adorable Australian indie pop bands, ever. Also, huge shout out to Scarlett on drums and vocals, you make it look WAY too easy!

Said the Whale - I was super stoked to catch these guys and gal from our friendly neighbors, Vancouver BC, and they didn't disappoint! Their hits, "I Love You" and "Camilo," got everyone on their feet and rock horns up without a doubt!
My previous blog on Said the Whale: http://atransbandoftheweek.blogspot.com/2013/08/botw-26-said-whale.html

MS MR - Fierce, Fabulous, Synths, & Girl Power. That pretty much sums up MS MR. Lizzy commands the stage with her confidence and flawless vocals (& her lime green w/pink under layers hair was perfection), while Max is rocking the short-shorts and synths. This duo is unstoppable.
My previous blog on MS MR: http://atransbandoftheweek.blogspot.com/2013/07/botw-25-ms-mr.html

Hey Marseilles - Seattle locals take the stage and treat the Summer Camp audience to that "classic Seattle sound" reminiscent of Death Cab and the like. Always a blast to hear them play and represent our city!

Family of the Year - These guys and gal (I sense a pattern here, haha) ROCKED the stage with their upbeat tunes and serenaded the crowd with their beautiful "Hero." The band's set was as tight as their vocal harmonies and Christina's lemon-lime Blondie-inspired bob was to die for. 

The Neighbourhood - Urban-indie-rockers (as I like to categorize them), The Neighbourhood, brought cool alt-hiphop-esque vibes to the Summer Camp crowd. Their extremely catchy "Sweater Weather" got everyone's head bobbin' and rockin'.

                                    

Wavves - The dudes of Wavves brought me back to my high school days of REAL punk rock shows. If you could sit through their set of upbeat songs, there is probably something wrong. They will get you on your feet and moshing in no time.

New Politics - Being a huge fan of New Politics before the show, I didn't think I could love these guys more, but they proved me wrong. This three piece brought so much energy and stage presence that you could not help but DANCE. Defintely one of my favorite lice bands now, and that is saying a lot. Lead singer, David, even showed us his breakdancing and backflipping skills. #MovesWayBetterThanJagger #ImInLove
My previous blog on New Politics: http://atransbandoftheweek.blogspot.com/2013/02/botw-5-new-politics.html

Surfer Blood - Surfer Blood definitely lived up to their name! I'm not sure if any of them surf, but their tunes are perfect for a day on the beach (or Summer Camp)! 

Cold War Kids - The "Hang Me Up to Drive" band delivered and ended Summer Camp perfectly! The bands bluesy-alt-rock energy is contagious and Matt's vocals are ON POINT.

Hope you had as much fun as I did, and if you weren't there, hope to see you there next year! 

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,

A-Tran.

BOTW #27 - Lorde

At the ripe age of 16, this week's BOTW, Lorde, is totally killin' it and proves that age really is just a number. After sweeping her homeland of New Zealand off their feet with her debut EP, The Love Club, Lorde is now making her way into the US music scene and she will not have any trouble with doing so!

I first heard of this indie-pop-prodigy (literally) this afternoon while I was driving and haphazardly "Shazam-ed" to see who the creator of this ridiculously catchy song was. "Royals," the lead song off her EP, has this cool MIA/Santigold feel, and an a cappella vibe with her layered backup vocals (and y'all know how hyped I get with anything a cappella-y). I was instantly hooked!

Aside from her inventive instrumentals and fresh beats, Lorde's lyrical content is so mature for her age and really gets you listening and thinking. Check it out for yourself!

Lorde could/should totes collab with artists like:

Lana Del Rey 

Santigold

Kid Cudi

MIA

Toro y Moi

Marina & the Diamonds

Madeon

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,

A-Tran.

BOTW #26 - Said the Whale

Aren't they just hipsterific?
No doubt they were influenced by the Seattle indie scene.

Along with Surfer Blood and Wavves, you will also be able to catch water-themed-band-name band, Said the Whale, at this year's The End's Summer Camp (YO, 107.7 The End, you should probably hire me for promoting you guys all the time)! And boy are you in a for an indie-rock treat.

These Vancouver (BC, not WA) natives came to the scene with the debut EP in 2007 and have been creating honest and raw tunes ever since. Upon multiple listenings of their discography, Said the Whale does a great job of creating captivating instrumentals whilst also not making it too complex where it could not be replicated in a live show. Creating a huge or full sound on recordings without sounding too overproduced is definitely a skill that is taken for granted.

STW's vocal harmonies also sold me. Any band that has multiple members that can sing is almost always a winner! Said the Whale takes this vocal approach and keeps it classy and does not overuse harmonies to the point where you don't know who the lead singer is (always a musical pet peeve of mine).

Said the Whale's current single (does it remind you of "My Sharona"?):

A couple of my faves:

You're totes gonna dig Said the Whale if you like these bands:
Walk the Moon
The Hush Sound
Young the Giant
Harvey Danger

And other beachy-keen bands like:
Surfer Blood
Wavves
Best Coast
Nada Surf

These guys are perfect as the soundtrack for your last few weeks of summer!

Peace, Love, & Rock n' Roll,
A-Tran.