WNEW | Where Rock Lives

Time to Celebrate: WNEW's 1000th Post!

We've reached a milestone here at WNEW.com - our 1000th post. In a little under nine months, since our launch in April 2008, we've brought you a thousand posts on all things rock 'n roll, old and new, and other stuff we felt like posting. By way of a look back, here are some of our favorite things from the first 1000 posts:

• Interview gems featuring Scott Muni, Dave Herman and other favorite voices from the WNEW-FM archives, talking to the top artists of the day like Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, The Who, Stevie Wonder and David Bowie.
• Festival coverage from venues far and wide, from Tennessee to Oregon, Colorado to Michigan and even New Jersey.
• Incredible studio sessions with legends like Richie Havens, Phil Lesh, Bela Fleck, Warren Haynes, Donna Jean and more.
• Performances and interviews with newer artists like the Rumble Strips, Noah and the Whale, Illinois, Kings of Leon, Michael Franti, Chris Barron, Vampire Weekend, Grace Potter and many more.
• Rock commentary of the highest order from our outstanding roster of writers: J.A. Bartlett, Alex Young, Fusion 45, Bill Melville, Paul Rhodes, Kevin Phillips, Chris Clancy, our hardworking Archivist, big winner Mari S. (go Cards!) and the rest of the many awesome contributors we've had so far.

There have been a lot of great moments captured in these first 1000 posts - here's a look at the posts you've clicked on the most:

• Mike Gordon Fans Flames of Phish Reunion (w/Audio)
• Live Dead: Phil Lesh & Jackie Greene Visit the WNEW Studio
• Warren Haynes Visits WNEW Studio for Acoustic Session
• Cardinals (w/Ryan Adams) Rock Houston: Setlist, Photos
• Chopping Block: The Cure
• Kanye's Bonnaroo Troubles
• All Points West Festival: Photo Show
• WNEW Archived Interview: Mick Jagger 1979

Thank you kind reader for hanging in there with us throughout our early days. We've had a great time bringing you these posts and we've particularly enjoyed the conversations (and controversies - sorry Cure fans!) that have resulted. We hope you'll still be with us when we hit our 10,000th post - this time I promise I'll bring cake.

All Points West Interview: The Felice Brothers

"Y'all ready for some hillbilly music?"

The Felice Brothers look the part, with their boots and jeans, holes in their shirts. You could say they sound the part too, with that folksy quality to their voices - in particular Ian Felice who sings lead. Their songs seem spun from small-town legend as well - the characters  and their stories feel familiar. On stage the brothers do nothing to dispel the hillbilly myth. There's James Felice on the accordion, with his big brown beard and old-timey hat. Fiddle player Farley alternates on washboard, played not with spoons but the back of a screwdriver. Oldest brother Simone Felice is intimidating on the drums, his scowl believable. And the bass player's name is Christmas. Yes, Christmas. Nuff said.

I sat down with the band backstage at All Points West, to find out just how country these guys really are. Click through for the full interview and more photos from their set on the Bullet stage at APW.

Photo Review: All Points West

The inaugural All Points West festival is in the books, and now that the dust has settled it's time to dive into the photos. Wait, was there any dust? This might have been the first dust-free festival ever. If you don't count all the fairy dust they tossed out during Girl Talk, that is... Anyway, enjoy this look back at three rocking days next to Lady Liberty.

• Day 1 - Radiohead, Girl Talk, Grizzly Bear, Duffy, Michael Franti & Spearhead, CSS,  Lowry, Andrew Bird, Underworld
• Day 2 - Animal Collective, the Felice Brothers, Radiohead, the Roots, the Virgins
• Day 3 - Jack Johnson, Trey Anastasio, Secret Machines, Ben Harper, Earl Greyhound, Ben Jelen, Matt Costa, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals

All Points West Interview: Secret Machines

Some albums get dropped off on my desk with much fanfare with quotes like “Dude, you gotta hear these guys – it’s like Zeppelin meets AC/DC” or “Their sound is like if the Rolling Stones had a kid with the Beatles and Eric Clapton was their nanny, this music is that the kid would play” and others are simply placed gently on my keyboard while I’m not at my desk. Secret Machines' Now Here Is Nowhere was given to me in 2004 and I must say that I was impressed. I’ve interviewed the guys a few times over the last 4 years, and now that band is poised to release a new album (featuring new guitarist Phil Karnats in place of frontman Brandon Curtis’s older brother Benjamin who left to focus on his band School of Seven Bells). Even though there were worries that the band might end – they left major label Reprise and are now ready to unleash some new stuff on us. Listen Up:

Here’s the epic movie-like video for the single Lightning Blue Eyes from their last album Ten Silver Drops:

All Points West Interview: Rogue Wave

Okay, we’ve all seen that Zune commercial 100 times where there’s a cute girl at a rainy café who touches her mp3 player and suddenly finds herself in a world of pink rabbit-like river-dancing marshmallow things, then runs into some paintings, then climbs into a drum which becomes the sun, then swims in the ocean with jellyfish, and then finds herself back in the rainy café waiting for her date that probably won’t show up because this girl is obviously tripping her face off. Now, some people might find this awkward journey a once in a lifetime experience, but for this girl in a rainy café, it’s just Tuesday night. The song in the spot is Lake Michigan from Rogue Wave and it’s caused quite a buzz. The guys released Asleep At Heaven’s Gate last year around this time and have been touring non-stop. But they’re more than just the soundtrack to someone’s trippy mp3 commercial. They’re currently working on some new masterpieces on the road. Listen Up:

All Points West Interview: Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon had the honor of opening up for Radiohead on Day 2 of the All Points West festival. Radiohead seemed smitten by the guys dedicating Airbag to them from their OK Computer album, and you’ve probably heard that they also told the maximum capacity crowd "If we were that good looking, we'd be famous." So... it appears that the love for these guys is definitely building as they prepare to give us their new album Only By The Night. There is a definite formula for coming up with titles of their albums. Listen Up:

All Points West Interview: Grizzly Bear

Stepping into Liberty State Park this weekend I didn’t know what to expect. Whenever someone is putting on a festival for the first time in a new area, there are a lot of questions like – How far are the stages from one another? Are there enough bathrooms? Where the hell is the funnel cake vendor?!? After settling into the media area nestled behind the VIP stands facing the 'Blue Comet' stage, I prepared for my interview with Grizzly Bear. I have been a fan of theirs for a while now – a friend (no pun intended) passed me their Friend EP and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Their epic dark electric and explosive sound became a welcome companion at work and I was definitely excited to hear what the guys were up to as it has been quite a while since they dropped their Yellow House album that spawned a few singles, numerous remixes, and even attracted some attention from Paul Simon as they were invited to perform at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music's month-long celebration of Paul’s catalog a little while ago. So, all the buzz-band stuff is winding down and the stage is set for their new album – here’s what we can expect. Listen up:

All Points West: Trey Anastasio, Jack Johnson Lead Soggy Sunday Pack

Soggy weather tried to steal the spotlight from Sunday's performers at All Points West, but acts like Earl Greyhound, Secret Machines, Trey Anastasio, Jack Johnson, and Rodrigo y Gabriela just turned up the volume and gave festivalgoers plenty of reasons to stick it out in the rain.

Trey and his Classic TAB lineup turned in a really solid show which included Sunday's only real light show, and an exuberant hour-plus set that really caught its groove during a long Gotta Jibboo. Trey would reappear for a quick cameo during Jack Johnson's festival-closing set.

Here's Trey's setlist - click through for more Day 3 photos, and check back here later for reviews, photo sets and interviews with Secret Machines, the Felice Brothers, Kings of Leon and more.

Trey Anastasio - All Points West 8/10/08
Sand, Drifting, Cayman Review, Alaska, Gotta Jibboo, Mr. Completely, First Tube
Encore: Heavy Things, Tuesday

All Points West: Day 2 Photos with The Roots, Animal Collective, Felice Brothers; Radiohead Setlist

"This one's for Kings of Leon. If we were that good looking we'd be famous."

Radiohead made night two interesting, with Thom Yorke on drums for Bangers and Mash and crowd pleasers The Bends and Exit Music For a Film making appearances in a set that otherwise contained a lot of repeats from night one. Here's the full setlist - click through for more day two pictures featuring the Roots, the Felice Brothers and the Virgins.

        1.   Reckoner
        2.   15 Step
        3.   National Anthem
        4.   Kid A
        5.   All I Need
        6.   Nude
        7.   Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
        8.   Where I End and You Begin
        9.   The Gloaming
        10.   Faust Arp
        11.   No Surprises
        12.   The Bends
        13.   Jigsaw Falling Into Place
        14.   Bangers and Mash
        15.   Everything In Its Right Place
        16.   Exit Music (for a film)
        17.   Bodysnatchers
        18.   Pyramid Song
        19.   Videotape
        20.   Airbag
        21.   Fake Plastic Trees
        22.   There There

        23.   House of Cards
        24.   Planet Telex
        25.   Idioteque

All Points West: Radiohead Setlist, Girl Talk Photo Mayhem

Radiohead provided the spectacle everybody was hoping for Friday night - the first of three nights at the All Points West festival in Liberty State Park. With downtown NYC and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop, bands like Michael Franti & Spearhead, the Go! Team, and Girl Talk all impressed on Day 1.

Here's the Radiohead setlist - read on for more Day 1 photos from All Points West.

   

        1.   15 Step
        2.   There There
        3.   Morning Bell
        4.   All I Need
        5.   Lucky
        6.   Nude
        7.   Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
        8.   The Gloaming
        9.   Optimistic
        10.   Videotape
        11.   Reckoner
        12.   Jigsaw Falling Into Place
        13.   You And Whose Army?
        14.   Idioteque
        15.   Climbing Up The Walls
        16.   Bodysnatchers
        17.   How To Disappear Completely
        18.   House of Cards
        19.   Pyramid Song
        20.   Paranoid Android
        21.   Dollars & Cents
        22.   Street Spirit (fade out)

        23.   Cymbal Rush
        24.   Just
        25.   Everything In Its Right Place

All Points West: Let the Fun Begin

The All Points West festival has officially kicked off in Jersey City's Liberty State Park. Pawn Shop Roses got things started at 1:00 on the Bullet stage, and the Go! Team is currently ripping it up on the Blue Comet main stage.

Still to come today are Mates of State, Grizzly Bear, the New Pornographers, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk and of course, Radiohead as the closer tonight, the first of their two-night stand at the festival. Check back here after the show for Radiohead's setlist and lots of photos from Day 1.

We'll be live on the scene all weekend talking to your favorite artists and soaking in the sights and sounds of this already-excellent festival.

A.M. Nuggets: Final Look at Lolla; NY Ready For Radiohead

August has been a good month for us at WNEW. Lollapalooza rocked so hard last weekend that it's taken all week just to sort out what happened. And now here we are barely 5 days later and it's time to do it all over again at All Points West. Sometimes life is really tough.

Evan and I are off to Jersey City this afternoon to get ready for Radiohead and the long list of other bands playing APW. We'll do our best to bring you updates throughout the weekend, as well as full wrapups once it's all done.

If you missed any of our Lollapalooza coverage, here's a rundown of the great interviews from last weekend in Chicago:

• Dr. Dog
• Ed O'Brien of Radiohead
• The Kills
• DeVotchKa
• Patrick Carney of the Black Keys
• The Whigs
• G. Love
• Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs
• MGMT