Just Announced - Jarrod Gorbel on the Fleshy Fresh!

Good news Fleshers! Jarrod Gorbel (formerly of The Honorary Title) will be dropping by the WTBU studios for our show on March 18th. We'll chat with him and he'll play a couple songs for us right at 6:00 p.m. EST. If you have questions for the interview let us know.

He is playing at the Middle East that very same day. In the meantime, check out his songs at his myspace.

(photo is copyright Amanda Klaus).

Jeremy Messersmith on Daytrotter

If you at all believe that you are someone who enjoys good singer-songwriters, then you NEED to go to Daytrotter in order to listen to his live set. In any event, Daytrotter is a great website that everyone should know of.

New Tunes Tuesday - Dave Smallen

Check out the new video for Dave Smallen's song "Happiness" below.

Tonight Tonight!

This week on the fleshy fresh we have new music from Xiu Xiu and Taking Back Sunday, a hearty debate about athletes in the Olympics with questionable gender, some tributes to a retiring musician, and as always, some good honest music.

6-8 p.m. EST (in less than an hour from now)
www.wtburadio.org
BU TV Channel 6

Let us know you're listening and get a shout out at the end of the show!

New Tunes Wednesday - Paramore

Paramore released another new video for "The Only Exception" off of their latest album, Brand New Eyes. The story of the video follows the story of the song pretty well. Check it out on their website: paramore.net.

New Tunes Tuesday - Dub FX

Dub_FX. Everything is his voice. Rather than try to explain it anymore just listen.

Go check him out on youtube if you don't believe that everything is his voice.

Grammy's Shmammy's

I'd really like to go on a rant about my disappointment with the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards that occurred last night. But instead, I'm pointing you to the article in the Muse of the Daily Free Press, because it pretty much captures my thoughts.

I will say this though. I have nothing against Taylor Swift. She has found a niche within the pop/country music world that people have clearly fallen in love with; and that is not debatable. However, when she is up against Beyonce and Lady Gaga, by no means should she be the one to come out on top. THIS WAS THE YEAR OF LADY GAGA. And that, my friends, is undeniable.

Click here to read the Daily Free Press article about the Grammy's by Muse editor Dan Rys.

Lonesome Mississippi Drifters Cancelled

Unfortunately, the interview and live performance by the Lonesome Mississippi Drifters this Thursday has been cancelled due to another sports pre-emption. For the second week in a row, The Fleshy Fresh will not air. Hopefull we will return next week. We will keep you posted.

In-Studio Performance: The Lonesone Mississippi Drifters

The Lonesome Mississippi Drifters will be stopping by the studio this Thursday to play some songs and talk about their music. Tune in between 6 and 8 p.m. on the 28th to catch the live performance and interview. Here is some Drifters stuff to check out in the meantime:

The Lonesome Mississippi Drifters on Myspace.

The Lonesome Mississippi Drifters on Facebook.

Lonesome Mississippi Drifters - My Humps - at the WTBU Awards from Peisin Yang Lazo on Vimeo.

Lonesome Mississippi Drifters - Get Low - at the WTBU Awards from Peisin Yang Lazo on Vimeo.

Top 5 Albums of 2009

I Know. It's a little bit late for the "Best of 2009" article. But I was busy trying to beat Super Mario Bros. 3. And no, I haven't done it yet. World 8 is just impossible. But before I drive myself to eating a different kind of mushroom just to deal with my inability to beat this 20 year old game, I figured I'd distract myself by finally doing this. I give you the Fleshy Fresh's Top 5 Albums of 2009.

5. Metric - Fantasies

Hello. This is Metric. They are relatively new to popularity, but they showed that they deserve it with their release of Fantasies last April. It seems that everyone these days is trying to get somewhere with a female-fronted band, but few groups can do it successfully; and Metric is one of them. Emily Haines is a strong frontwoman with a unique voice, giving the band a unique sound. The best part of this album is Haines attempt to deal with what seems to be an existential problem in "Help, I'm Alive" and "Blindness." The miraculous thing, though, is that she tackles these issues while keeping the music up-beat and avoiding the typical depression-ridden sound that groups like Bright Eyes made so popular (and eventually so hated).

4. Maria Taylor - Ladyluck

Ladyluck brought everything we at the Fleshy Fresh love about Maria Taylor, and then some. She has her slow songs, where she gets to show off her unique ability to lull you to sleep with her soft, infectious voice. She has her full-band songs that show off her grand vision without trying too hard. And she still has strong song-writing skills. This girl has a long career ahead of her, and she proved it with this release.

3. Dave Smallen - Everything Changes and Nothing Changes

It was very tempting to put Smallen's Waiting For the Pills EP on this list of the best of 2009. But Everything Changes and Nothing Changes has all of the songs that Waiting has plus a few extra goodies. Where do we get started? "Waiting for the Pills," "America," "With the Sky All Blue," "I Think It's Getting Better." The record is overflowing with brilliant songs of homelessness, desperation, and self-challenges. It's reassuring to know that he can capture his intense honesty in his recordings. Well done, Dave. Well done.

2. Thursday - Common Existence

Sadly, this is a band that has gotten little attention on the Fleshy Fresh, but for Thursday to be forgotten after such an epic release in 2009 would be an injustice. Common Existence is a breath of fresh air after their previous A City by the Light Divided, which seemed to either be missing something or simply the result of Thursday trying too hard. But the band brought back their tension building intros and stress-relieving power in Common Existence. Welcome back, Thursday. We missed you. Now keep it up.

1. Paramore - Brand New Eyes

I imagine that to some, the fact that Paramore is first on this list will be mildly upsetting. I have checked several "Top 5" articles across the internet that claim to give the best records of the alternative genre for this year, none of which include any of these 5; and most of the picks are things I've never heard of. In other words, this selection might not be musically elitist enough for someone who blogs about music. But the simple fact is thus: Brand New Eyes packs the punch. Hayley Williams is one of the most amazing female frontwomen that this country has seen in years, and she proved it on Brand New Eyes. The pipes in this little woman are astounding! Take one listen to "All I Wanted" and I guarantee you will be blown away. And the record really delivers with the strong song-writers and talented hook-writers that make up the other members of the band. Sure, some songs stand out more than others, such as "Ignorance," "Brick By Boring Brick," and "The Only Exception," but there is not a single bad song on this record. If you're going to listen to anything I say here, listen to this: Paramore deserve all the attention that they have received in the past few months. They are here and here to stay.

Honorable Mentions: Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio, Silversun Pickups - Swoon, and The Von Bondies - Love Hate and then There's You.