Official Bio-

Render Me Useless (RMU) emerged onto the New Jersey music sense in early 2007 with the release of their first project, Love For Lust and by winning a competition for a chance to perform on the 2007 Vans Warped Tour. In 2008, Render Me Useless won Battle of The Bands at the Cross Roads, in Garnwood, New Jersey, opening doors for a chance to perform at the National Rock Summit in Pensacola, Florida, where they generated a strong positive crowd response. On the way to and from the Rock summit, Render Me Useless performed acoustic sets in various coffee houses a long the east coast.

Apart from competing in Battle of The Bands, RMU have gained a local attention in their community by playing at the Mayor’s 2008 Summer Jam (which received two months of local broadcasting), a show at the Hard Rock Café in Atlantic City, playing at the Hot Topic stores in New Jersey Malls, and performing for kids to show other alternatives to drugs.

Render Me Useless is a nice twist to what i usually get in the Rock inbox.  I would like to personally give a shout out to Matthew from Ultra Violet Music Group for putting me on to these guys and The Band Eclypse as well.

Check out the two sample tracks below from RMU

Come to ME

12, 12, 12

Enjoy the weekend!

So as most has probably noticed, this site has been semi dormant for the past several months.  Partly because Ive been working on bloggerhouse.net and mostly because I haven’t been able to find any worth while new music to post on here.

Well fortunatly there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  The Band Eclypse is a breath of fresh air in the unsaturated internet arena of rock.   This band of 8 members out of Westchester, NY combines a rock sound with smooth flows from members Triple J and Daniel Lonner (aka L.E.D.)

Another thing I find very special about this band, is the ability to put 8 members on the same page and work together flawlessly. I’m sure most of you can name 5 bands with 4 or 5 members that have broken up do to creative differences.  I personally don’t see that happening to this group any time soon.

Now back to the album. The Band Eclypse released their first album Ten Past EP on September 6th 2010, and to everyones excitement the album is being ranked currently #11 on the iTunes charts. To me this is no surprise, The Band Eclypse hits a very broad demographic and at the same time is genuinely pleasing to the ear.

Bottom Line this is definitely an album worth buying and a group to keep an eye on.  Being able to appeal to to an audience from 13-30 male and female is something lacking in todays music.

Buy the Album on iTunes or Bandcamp

Here are my two favorite tracks off the album:

This band makes guilty pleasure music. The term “guilty pleasure” has a negative connotation for sure, but ain’t nothing negative here, folks. Listen, I’m not talking guilty pleasure like the Avril Lavigne songs I have hidden deep in the recesses of my iTunes or the fact that even my own wife doesn’t know that I’m an avid rollerblader. No, this is a much less sinister type of guilty pleasure. In short, the music from The Hundred in the Hands is just so dreamy, so lovely and cutesy, that I can’t help but to feel a bit dippy listening to it. Looky hear, if you feel threatened in the least when you listen to this EP, chances are that the smurfs, baby unicorns, and oatmeal make you a bit jumpy, as well. This is not to say that the record is without its share of edginess; most of the tunes are in the darker, minor keys and the lyrics are ripe with dejected longing. However, this is a duo that isn’t trying to hide from what they are at their essence: an astral, almost whimsical sounding band that wears their 80’s influences like a badge of honor. Indeed, we get handclaps that are so obviously made on a computer and Casioesque keys that are at times reminiscent of Men Without Hats, circa 1982. Even the drums that govern the EP’s second track, “Tom Tom” sound like they’ve been touched up with a little reverb, for chrissake. But don’t mistake this for criticism–just the opposite. If it works, it works, baby. And singer Eleanore Everdell’s vocals? Well, for lack of a better term, they are fucking adorable. I mean, my voice has a schoolboy crush on this chick’s voice that it just can’t shake. Breathy and hazy, then simply divine in her upper register, Everdell steals the spotlight away from the music, which is pretty damn impressive in its own right. Anyway, at 22 minutes, you won’t have much to lose by giving this a listen; it’ll be worth it.

Lady Daisey is no newcomer to the music industry.  Even with the vast amount of involvement in the industry, Daisey has now released her debut solo album, In My Pocket, on May 24, 2010.

The first single, “Magical”, from the debut solo album was released on May 7, 2010.  In listening to Daisey’s works, she writes and sings about everyday happenings, but with a beat that you can’t help but listen and move.  Her aspiring words in “Magical” make you yearning for more of her work, and you’re left with a “feel good” sense.

Lady Daisey puts the words of life, love, and truth to the beats made by Batsauce – Daisey’s Beatmaker/Producer/Husband.   They have been working together for some time, but this solo album of Daisey’s, shows the perfect mix of Batsauce’s beats to Daisey’s lyrics.

Lady Daisey answered a few questions for WYDU.  See what Daisey, and Batsauce, had to say about the new album.

WYDU: Any special reasoning or vibes you want listeners to get when hearing “Magical”??  What about other songs on the album?

Daisey: (song by song breakdown)

Magical

Every day is magical, be it beautiful or tragical… I wrote that song for my mom. It’s one of those songs that poured out of me in about 10 minutes. (I wish they were ALL that easy!) She was going through some hard times and I believe the Universe would never throw us a challenge we can’t handle. We may not come out of it smelling like a rose, but we do come out of it a bit stronger, and hopefully a bit wiser. It’s all part of life and a day without some kind of challenge probably means you’re not living anymore. So… bring it! Living and learning, feeling and growing, don’t stop!

Big Time

Oddly enough, this is one of the most powerful and uplifting songs I’ve ever written, yet it was moments after finding out a friend of a friend commit suicide. The overall vibe was super dark the day we got the news and I remember thinking “Yeah, life is hard but dammit! You can’t just quit!” I personify life as a foxy diva, all dressed up struttin’ her stuff, constantly changing her steeze… and it’s up to us, the people, to keep up with her. “You gotta keep up, keep on living, keep on moving, keep on grooving… Every day is worth it!!” I want people to hear that song and feel empowered to do whatever the hell it is they want to do in life, but quitting is NOT an option. Nope. <shakes head>

Gotta Get Up

Being the chronic night owls that we are, we tend to sleep a good part of the day. “Gotta Get Up” is a reminder to ourselves, and anyone else who can relate, that there’s a whole daytime WORLD out there, just waiting to be tapped into!! You know that first song you hear when you wake up? It totally sets the mood for the rest of the day… and we drink a lot of coffee. So each “day” throughout the track starts with one of our musical favorites “playing in ya coffee cup.” It’s funny that I’m singing it to Batsauce, but in all honesty, he usually wakes up before I do!

4 a.m.

We live in Europe, but I work for a software engineering company in the States… which means I work 9-5 West Coast time and clock in at 6pm, working until the wee hours of the morning. It’s perfect, because that’s my natural rhythm, being the night owl that I am. I always feel more productive at night and I *swear* it’s because I’m feeding off the collective energy of everybody’s dreams. I used to feel guilty about my schedule, but the most amazing things happen at 4 in the morning, and if we were asleep, like everyone else, we’d totally miss out!!

Soul Strut

This is the last song we wrote for the album, and one of Bat’s favorites. We both have a ridiculous work ethic, pretty much non-stop to be exact. But it’s SO important to unplug and rock your inner you! It’s easy to get caught up in that daily grind and lose sight of what’s important to you, what makes YOU happy. Everybody’s got their own Soul Strut, and it’s up to each of us to figure out what that means. But whatever it is, take time out from your busy day to recognize it and rock it with pride!

My Story

Entirely written by Batsauce, who knows me better than anyone! I love it! This track really summarizes my childhood, growing up on the road with my parent’s band, the clubs, the bars, living in hotels, my musical upbringing. Then it fast forwards to my life today… the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree and it’s absolutely no mystery that my life turned out the way it did!

Goes Down Like

This one always goes out to anyone and everyone who makes music, loves music, lives music. Some people cherish the sound of the pitter patter of little feet running through the house, but our house is a bit different… no little feet (yet)  Instead, I cherish the sounds coming out of our studio… and I LOVE the way our house sounds! I hear every boom, every bap, every beat Batsauce makes. So I’m forever humming, singing, and freestyling to the omnipresent soundtrack in our home. “You make the music, I sing the song, you make the music and we get it on.”

Wants and Needs

I came up with the first few lines and Batsauce ran with this one. After we recorded a rough mix, I sent it to Akrobatik to do a verse and he KILLED IT!! It breaks down the most basic things we need in this world: peace, love, safety, justice, freedom. And if we all wanted and needed these things as a collective, maybe it might come to fruition… but until then, it’s just a wish list of human rights.

Day Old Bread

I woke up one day, and Bat said “Wanna hear the beat I just made?” I sat up, sipping my coffee and wrote Day Old Bread before I even got out of bed! The song is pretty literal, so there’s not much to decipher, and the message is as simple as it gets – be free and live simple!! The more “stuff” you have, the more you have to carry, be it tangible, emotional, fiscal… in a world tainted by mass consumerism, it’s easy to lose sight of what REALLY makes you happy. And if you break it down, we don’t need much! “The less I have the more I laugh, keeping it simple is the key.”

WYDU: Any previous albums you’ve written for, produced, or artists you’ve collaborated with?

Daisey: I’m also in the Smile Rays, along with Paten Locke (aka Therapy) and Batsauce. I had the pleasure of singing with George Clinton in our home studio, which turned out to be a Smile Rays track! Definitely one of those golden un-toppable moments!! We also did a tour with Mr.Lif and Akrobatik, and Ak is spittin 16 on my “Wants and Needs” track. Since being in Europe, I recorded with Marc Hype & Jim Dunloop (Stamp Out Reality), I did a track with LMNZ on his world project, and most recently I got DJ Vadim to do a remix of Magical for the single release. We’re doing a little tour with him this Spring (a sweet concept!) — “the Couple’s Tour” — me & Batsauce, DJ Vadim & his wife Yarah Bravo, and Ladi6 & her husband/producer Parks.

Batsauce: My role with Lady Daisey, as well as the Smile Rays, is beatmaker/producer. I have been lucky enough to also work with Akrobatik, George Clinton, Asamov. I have also produced tracks for Mr. Lif, Surreal, Dillon Maurer, Qwazar. I’ve got a whole lot in the works, but I probably shouldn’t say too much yet. I might jinx it…just stay tuned.

WYDU: When did you first realize that you wanted to be a musician/artist?

Daisey: Actually, when did I realize there was anything else? As a kid I thought everybody lived like we did!! I grew up touring the US in a Winnebego with my parent’s band. Mom played drums, dad played keyboards, and they both sang. We’d spend a day here, two weeks there, a month somewhere else… bouncing around the eastern half of the States. It was awesome. I was home-schooled by my mom and forever surrounded by instruments. I programmed Flight of the Bumblebees in MIDI when I was 8. I’d write and record songs on my dad’s 4 track. I’d play dress up in my mom’s outrageous stage clothes. I had a tshirt that said “road manager” and had the very important job of detangling all the cables. I’d sing with them on occasion and just loved all of it. The whole situation. So it always seemed natural to follow that path.

Batsauce: Starting out with an AM transistor radio and my Pop’s acoustic guitar,  music has always been an obsession. I later bought a bass guitar, and played in band in High School. From one of the first paying gigs we had, we bought a 4-track cassette recorder. From then on I was fascinated with recording. I’ve been playing instruments for over 20 years now, and making beats for about 10 years…

WYDU: Who were your musical influences?

Daisey: I grew up listening to Michael Jackson. I saw him perform when I was a kid and I was so excited I couldn’t sleep the night before. I remember being all decked out in my silver sequin glove and a shiny red jacket. Front row, baby! And I’ve always loved Prince. He’s a genius on so many levels. Saw him too. His music is funky and his lyrics are sassy and incredibly sexy! High school was all about Björk, the Pixies, Janes Addiction, De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, RunDMC, DeeeLite, the Cure, U2.  I love old Blues: Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Sonhouse. Then I was introduced to jazz: Keith Jarrett, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk. I listened to a lot of Ani DiFranco and Michael Hedges back when I was performing solo with my acoustic guitar.

In 2001, Batsauce came along and laid some mixtapes on me that really set the vibe of the music we were about to make. He brought me up to date with everything funky, soulful and hiphop. And he’s a monster with the beats, which is very inspiring in itself.

Mix it all together.

Shake it on up.

Batsauce: I am all over the place… My ipod is chaulk full of oddities and seemingly unrelated music. I grew up on punk, psych, blues, reggae, & noise as well as hip hop. My favorite groups back in the day were Sonic Youth, Hendrix, and Public Enemy. Later, I expanded to embrace jazz from Ellington to Coltrane, (even inspired enough to play alto sax for a few years). But above all I would say that all the music I dig has a certain inescapable vibe, whether its the Birthday Party or Biz Markie… I like raw, passionate music.

WYDU: What inspires your music/lyrics?

Daisey: Situations. Emotions.  It’s cliche to say my music is inspired by my life, but who else’s am I gonna write about? Sometimes a song will just pour out of you with no control or awareness of where it’s coming from, or where it’s going. I think those are the most powerful lyrics because it’s like a gift from the Universe. Then you have the ones that start out as an idea or a concept, and it takes some massaging and finessing to get it all to work. Bat and I collaborate on lyrics a lot: he brings the deepness, I bring the sunshine, and together it creates a pretty sweet balance of emotions. We write a lot about our travels, my childhood, our life together… it’s hard to say where these things come from, as if you’re merely channeling.

Lady Daisey will be starting her tour in Berlin, with her CD release on June 3, 2010. There are plans for Daisey and Batsauce to return to the U.S. to perform some shows.  You can check out Lady Daisey by following her at any of the sites to see when she will be close to your town!

www.daisey.com

www.twitter.com/daisey

www.facebook.com/ladydaisey

www.myspace.com/ladydaisey

www.youtube.com/daiseykat

Ashley Bishop

Written for: WYDU

Brother Tree

Brother Tree is four-member collective based around musicians and songwriters, Donnie James (Rhythm & 12 string guitar, Lead Vocals) and Amy Snider (Drums, Lead Vocals). Along with fellow members Jarrod George (Lead Guitar, Vocals) and Jason Rogers(Bass),Jay Chadwick (guitar), the group has developed an eclectic sound that draws on musical influences from both the past and the present. Veteran Sound Engineer, Ed Turner (engineered the bands first album), calls their sound…..”A guitar-driven merger of 70’s rock and 90’s grunge…. With a tip of the hat to Crazy Horse and Nirvana.”

The well crafted lyrics from their original music exhibit the long held social and environmental views of Donnie James along with the passion for life issues of Amy Snider all wrapped up in wicked guitar riffs and hooky melodies!

Pie Boys Flat

3 dudes met in Virginia circa 1998. 5 years later they found themselves together again in NYC; paying rent with the cash they made wailing harmonies on the subway platforms with a djembe and an acoustic guitar. 5 years later they find themselves pushing full speed ahead, through the uncertainty of a rapidly changing music industry, against the current of economic crisis, toward their third and, undoubtedly, best album. Writing, rehearsing, and touring constantly, the 3 dudes from VA continue to develop their unique approach to Reggae and Rock, and evolve into the li’l ol’ band from the big ol’ city.

Alt-Roc k band Nada Surf will be releasing a new album as well as continuing their world-wide tour, celebrating its release.  if i had a hi-fi is in stores June 8^th via the band’s label Mardev Records, but fans may purchase the album in CD and Vinyl format exclusively at their upcoming us tour dates. if i had a hi-fi will be a cover album featuring songs written by several notable artists including “Electrocution” written by Cleveland musician Bill Fox and Depeche Mode’s classic “Enjoy the Silence”. So far it seems if i had a hi-fi has been receiving solid reviews, earning a 4/5 from Alternative Press and 4/5 from Mojo.

With all that said we’ll have to see how a cover album works out for Nada Surf. To me it kind of shows a little lack of imagination, hopefully this isn’t the end for Nada Surf. Personally I have enjoyed them for many years.

MAY

24 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly up Tavern

25 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour

26 – West Hollywood, CA – Troubadour

27 – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA

29 – George, WA – Sasquatch Festival

30 – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom

31 – Seattle, WA – Crocodile Café

JULY

08 – Palma de Mallorca, ES – Cultura Club

09 – Santa Pola, ES – Camelot Club

10 – Liege, BE – Les Ardentes

12 – Holland, US – Effenaar Eindhoven

13 – Luxembourg, US – Rockhal Club

14 – Amsterdam, US – Melkweg Max

16 – France, FR – La Guerre du Son

17 – Stuttgart, Germany – Tubingen Lauscht

19 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie

20 – Paris, FR – La Maroquinerie

22 – Luzern, Switzerland – Schuur

23 – Eberndorf Osterreich, AT – Acoustic Lakeside Festival

24 – Feldkirch Vorarlberg, AT – Poolbar Festival

26 – Aschaffenburg, DE – Colos saal

27 – Numberg, DE – Hirsch

28 – Munich, DE – Backstage

30 – Grossenfehn, DE – Omas Teich

AUGUST

07 – Messe, Japan – Summer Sonic (Marine Stadium)

Alright, folks. This right here is where it’s at. The genre bending, angst driven James Murphy is back with his third and supposedly final installment of music made under the moniker of LCD Soundsystem, and I’m going to have to go ahead and insist that you cop it. If you, like me, were kinda nonplussed by the album’s single, “Drunk Girls,” don’t stop there. It’s the record’s only song that clocks in at under six minutes; it had to be the single. And it’s a nice little party jam, but it just doesn’t quite contain the same depth that many of the record’s other songs so wondrously share.

So many projects that seek to combine synthesizers with live instrumentation and vocals come off as clumsy at best. Not this. While his first album was impressive, each subsequent effort has seen Murphy grow by leaps and bounds as an artist. And now, it seems that he has finally and fully arrived. “This is Happening” will have you sitting in traffic and singing along at the top of your lungs, and simply not giving a fuck about the teenage girls in the next car who are pointing at you and laughing their asses off. It’s too rock to be techno, too punk to be pop, and too electronic for your grandma to listen to. Like so much good house and techno music, these are songs that start with a simple concept, a quiet tension if you will, and then build to an electrifying crescendo. And just when you feel like a song is getting too repetitive, here come some bongos, or a banging bass line, or some synthesized weirdness to hook you back in. Basically, if you find yourself feeling bored at any point while listening to this album, I have good news for you: congratulations, you are now a grandma!

Okay, enough about grandmas, already. “This is Happening” is the type of record that makes me want to give up making music altogether because I know that mine could never measure up. How could it? At the end of the day, Murphy has carved out a nice little niche for himself in this scene we call music, but isn’t content to stay stagnant and put out variations of the same album again and again. We have a man who may not yet have found comfort inside his skin, but sure as shit knows how to make music that matters. Well, Mr. Murphy, if the whole tortured artiste thing is what’s lead to “This is Happening,” then I say, stay jaded, dude; you wear it well.

Mark my words, kids: this record will end up on many a 2010 top ten list—maybe even your grandma’s. Ha!

Indie-rock legends The Flaming Lips have announced July and August tout dates, with the support of up and coming hard rockers Fang Island. Prior to that tour, Fang Island will embark on their solo headlining tour. The tour begins May 15th in Phoenix, leading to a NYC homecoming on May 29^th. Tour dates are as follows.

Fang Island “Daisy”

Fang Island “Life Coach”

Fang Island:
05/15  Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
05/17  Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
05/18  Austin, TX @ Emo’s
05/19  Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
05/20  San Antonio, TX @ Ten Eleven
05/21  Houston, TX @ House of Blues
05/24  Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
05/25  Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
05/26  Baltimore, MD @ Golden West Cafe
05/27  Philadelphia, PA @ Barbary Coast
05/29  New York, NY @ Cake Shop (5th anniversary w/ Dan Deacon)
06/26  Chicago, IL @ Subterranean
06/27  Chicago, IL @ Chicago Green Music Fest

Fang Island with The Flaming Lips:
07/04  Atlantic City, NJ @ Showboat Casino
07/07  Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
07/08  Toronto, ON @ Molson Ampitheater
07/20  Pittsburgh, PA @ Ampitheater at Station Square
07/22  Lewistown, NY @ Artpark
07/23  Canadaigua, NY @ Constellation Brands Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center
07/24  Holyoke, MA @ Mountain Park

It drives me crazy when I read a review and the writer does little else than to compare the band to other musicians out there. That being said, let’s just say Joan Baez walks into a bar and strikes up a conversation with Burt Bacharach. One thing leads to another, and they end up creating a lovechild. This little creature grows up and becomes involved in a scandalous affair with the dudes from Ween, thereby spawning an illegitimate baby. He or she eventually settles down with the offspring of Erasure and Tom Petty and the two of them work for years to train their talented host of pet animals to sing and play instruments. Were this to happen, the results would pretty much sound exactly like Sweden’s The Radio Dept.

Heh heh. Anyway, The Radio Dept has just released their third album, entitled, “Clinging to a Scheme.” If you can get past their generic name (and I’m pretty sure you can), “Clinging to a Scheme” is an immensely pleasurable listen. It tends to ride the line in that grey area between rock and pop, but thankfully never slips too far down the slope into sappiness.

The songs here mostly stray from the verse-chorus, verse-chorus formula, though they  manage not to digress into a formless mess. In other words, these are tunes that go someplace, but don’t meander all over freaking town to get there.

One of the most excruciating parts of American Idol is when Kara DioGuardi goes on and on in describing someone’s voice as “an instrument.” I feel as though someone’s taken a cheese grater to my soul every time I hear her drivel. However, it must be said that some of rock music’s most gifted vocalists share in the ability to present their voice as just another instrument in the band rather than to always have it take center stage (see Thom York, Courtney Taylor-Yaylor). The Radio Dept.’s Johan Duncanson seems to know when to pull back and let the music do the talking, and the results are captivating.

Look, this isn’t a record that’s going to change the world or make your head spin off of its axis. But at the end of the day, if music can be measured by the emotional response that it brings forth, then The Radio Dept. scores pretty damn high on the happiness scale. So much of the music I listen to anymore is so moody and pensive, so when an album comes along that manages to be light and blissful without making me retch, I just gotta jump on it.