My Fake Funeral performing at SXSW in Austin, TX.

By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

Heavy Rotations’ number one zombie flick aficionado has dropped her name in favor of a more fitting, group-oriented moniker. Ann Driscoll has renamed her solo project My Fake Funeral, derived from the name of a one-act musical theater piece she penned last year. The band still features the same cast of topnotch musicians: Bruno Esrubilsky on drums, Dabbo Caucci on bass, and Justin Hancock on guitar.

MFF broke in their new name last Saturday, April 17 at Church. The crowd danced and sang along with Driscoll and the boys; imagine In Utero-era Nirvana fronted by Fiona Apple with an orange Grestch guitar. The quartet is still tight from a number of SXSW showcases, and are currently compiling material for a record sometime this summer.

Also the front person for all-girl dance rock band Mrs. Danvers, Driscoll’s catalog continues to define itself as dark and edgy content juxtaposed with super-catchy melodies and highly sing-along-able choruses; the tunes “I Wanna Be Your Zombie” and “I Wanna Believe You” perhaps exemplify this delightful contradiction.

You can catch My Fake Funeral this Sunday, May 2 on the roof of 173 Newbury Street at 2pm. Check them out at myspace.com/myfakefuneral.

By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

At last month’s South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, over 1,700 bands from all around the world came to Austin, Texas to partake in this renowned networking event. Throughout the week, there were a handful of Berklee showcases, both unofficial and official ones. On Tuesday, March 16, Tono Music Group sponsored a showcase at the Flamingo Cantina which featured predominantly Berklee musicians. Kris Roche opened the show, offering reggae-infused acoustic pop with feel-good hooks and monster grooves from Derek McWilliams on bass and Bruno Esrubilsky on drums. Next up was Zac Taylor & The Drugs, followed by Egypt-native Yasmin Tayeby, who played a lovely solo acoustic set. Heavy Rotation Records’  Nini+Ben, Ann Driscoll and Jordan Tarrant, came next, all of whom played scathing sets.

The hostesses of the evening, Evelyn Brown and Ashley Root (a.k.a. Merry Go Round), headlined the evening backed by their new amazing band. Since graduating Berklee this past December, Brown and Root have made Austin their home base, and just released their debut self-titled LP through Tono. The band performed cuts from the record, including pop-country gems “Be With Me,” “Ferris Wheel,” and “Better On My Feet.” Country Rock powerhouse Sam Riggs Band closed out the evening.

Jordan Tarrant performs at Lucky Lounge

The next Berklee function was an unofficial showcase at the Lucky Lounge the following Thursday afternoon. Alumna Amber Rubarth started the show with her unique brand of jazzy pop noir. Jordan Tarrant took the stage next, thumping out bluesy rock with Russell Lacy twanging on Telecaster, Derek McWilliams pumping on P-bass, Tommy Bohlen pounding on pedal steel, and Curran McDowell rocking the drums. Alumna Sara Houser, Grant Himmler, and Ali McGinley, a.k.a. A House A Home, all of whom moved to Austin last year, played a lovely set of pop rock tunes, followed by a powerful solo set by Melissa Ferrick.

The official Berklee Showcase took place Friday afternoon at Friends on 6^th Street. The room was packed for this 5^th annual event, which was hosted by alumna Sarah Sharp, and featured current students, alumni and also some students who have taken online courses at BerkleeMusic.com. Many Berklee faculty were in attendance, including President Brown and Music Business & Management Professors Jay Fialkov and Jeff Dorenfeld.

The lineup:
Shayna Zaid & The Catch
Love Like Fire
Ann Driscoll
Jordan Tarrant
Stefan Wm
Nini+Ben
The Young Republic
Audible Mainframe

Justin Hancock, Bruno Esrubilsky & Ann Driscoll.

Ann Driscoll, who is on the current Heavy Rotation Records roster, strutted her stuff onstage with her new orange Gretsch guitar, and her band sounded in top form on fan favorites like “I Wanna Be Your Zombie” and “Trophy F***.” “The Official Berklee Party was at Friends was the most fun,” Driscoll said. “At each showcase, we played only 5 songs, which is fun and exciting—to play your greatest hits. No filler, all killer, as they say.”

HRR Labelmate Jordan Tarrant had the most Texified sound of the lot, considering he’s an Austin native. A highlight of the show was an exceptional performance by Nini+Ben, who played tracks from their record The Reasons We Try, as well as some new songs that showed hints of a more dynamic, experimental direction a la Wilco.

On Saturday, President Brown hosted a BBQ, at which Nini+Ben performed, followed by another Tono Music Group Showcase at Waterloo Icehouse later in the evening. Many of the same acts from the Flamingo Cantina showcase performed stripped down acoustic sets, including Kris Roche, Zac Taylor, Jordan Tarrant featuring Russell Lacy, and Dave Scher. Sam Riggs Band and Nini+Ben played full band sets, and the showcase ended with a breathtaking set from Merry Go Round.

“The SXSW experience was one I’ll never forget,” said drummer Bruno Esrubilsky. “Spending a whole week with amazing friends and musicians in one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been before was just amazing.”

Black Kettle: Narrative
By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

“Oh please—tell me that you like me,” Keeley Bumford sings in the first tune of Black Kettle’s debut record, Narrative. Charming. Fun. Flirty. These words describe the songwriting, production, and even performances on these ten self-produced tunes.

The bulk of the record falls into the folky-quirky pop category, especially aforementioned opener, “Magnetic,” “Chameleon,” and “The King and All His Horses.” But after these first three single-worthy tracks, the Kettle throws a welcomed curve ball with the demure “Like a Book,” which sounds like a track from Tegan & Sara’s The Con.

Fast forward to “I Don’t Want to Know,” a ballad lush with gentle fingerstyle acoustic guitar and elegant violin. Bumford loses the cheeky flirt in favor of passive jealousy, cooing “You’re crawling up my spine, you’re in through my ear, down to my heart, I’m losing all direction, but I don’t want to fall this time.”

Narrative’s sound immediately tosses a grappling hook into your eardrums upon which the oohs, bop-bops, whoa-whoas, ukeleles, and glockenspiels climb into your brain and hang out. The guitar work and orchestration from Kailynn West and Peter Holland-Recine sounds as sharp and well executed as anything Blake Sennett (Rilo Kiley) has done recently.

The band’s CD Release Show earlier this month at Café 939 was very well-attended, thanks in part to openers Tamsin Wilson and Natural Forces. Wilson’s honest delivery and positively lovely stage presence mesmerized the crowd. Accompanied by Jörn Bielfeldt on cajon and Tommy Bohlen on pedal steel, the mellow trio played tunes off of her self-titled EP, including the entrancing tunes “Just How it Goes” and “Foolish.”

Left to right: Bumford, Baum, Hayes, and West. Photo by Cierra Walker.

Natural Forces, an upbeat rock duo consisting of Josh Washam singing and playing guitar and Andrew Kahl backing him up on both drums and backing vocals, played tracks off of their new EP One-Track Mind, calling to mind a stripped-down Jet singing Jim Croce-style songs. The duo’s performance easily outmatched the energy from most rock trios and quartets.

Still hot from Heavy Rotations Records CD Release show in February, Black Kettle took the stage in full force, relishing the opportunity to get all of the sounds and quirks of their record performed live, including the bops, whoas, and oohs from sexy backup singers Elyse Hayes and Whitney Wolf. Throw in guest musician Chris Baum for the violin on “I Don’t Want to Know,” and of course the grooving rhythm section of drummer Curran McDowell and bassist Michael Manke, and you got yourself one hell of a CD Release Party.

And Keeley, to answer your first question: Yes. We like you.

Here’s a handful of noteworthy artists and bands that have appeared on previous Heavy Rotation compilations.

Annie & The Beekeepers The Beekeepers and front woman Annie Lynch wowed the audience at the Dorm Sessions 5 release show in 2008, and has since made the move to New York building a strong fan base in the hip folk venues of the east coast. With two releases under their belt and having signed with Kate Landau Management, they have received much press and are to tour with “The Low Anthem” this spring.

Nathan Reich Nathan Reich’s elegant and poignant music has captivated audiences in Boston and New York. 2009 saw the release of his first full-length album, Arms Around a Ghost, and performances at New York’s CMJ festival. Currently, Nathan has been journeying through India and has been keeping up with friends and fans via Facebook.

Passion Pit (the Peasantry) Three members of the Peasantry (Vol. 5) went on to form electro-pop band Passion Pit which has become once of the biggest up and coming bands out of Boston going from the Great Scott to the House of Blues in the same year. Their songs have been used in television shows Big Love and Gossip Girl. The 2009 Boston Music Awards gave them with Best Act of the Year and Best Song of the Year awards.

Big D & The Kids Table A staple in the diet of Ska-Punk fans across the nation, Big D and the Kids Table rocked HRR’s Dorm Sessions 4 release. Playing on average 200 shows a year, they have made their home in venues such as the Paradise Rock Club and the Vans Warped Tour. They have also released six full-length albums and five EPs and have appeared on dozens of compilations.

The Click Five Appearing on Dorm Sessions Vol. 1, alternative rock band the Click Five has sold more than 350,000 copies of their debut album Greetings from the Imrie House which also took fifteenth place on the Billboard charts. They have been an opening act for artists such as Ashlee Simpson, The Backstreet Boys, and Alanis Morrissette. In 2008, they received the ‘knockout award’ at the MTV Asia Awards.

Nini+Ben Going strong with the release of their debut LP The Reasons We Try and a sold out album release show, Nini+Ben have been steadily building a loyal following. This elegant band formed just before last year’s Dorm Sessions show and from then on has been a strong staple in the Boston and New York music scene. Their album was produced by Rich Mendelson (The Cars, Boston, Paul Simon) at renowned Avatar Studio in Manhattan. They continue to tour the northeast and will be appearing at SXSW this spring.

WhiteShoeBrownShoe After shaking up the Heavy Rotation Records showcase last year, WhiteShoeBrownShoe went on a tear, playing show after dynamite show from NYC to Connecticut, to New Hampshire and back down.  Around November 2009 they decided to immortalize a few of their new hot licks on cold vinyl, so they shimmied up to Headroom Studios and had local legend Jason Laine guide the crafting of their new album, set to be released this spring.

Shea Rose After the Heavy Rotation show last year (literally days later),  Rose flew to Naples, Italy to record an album with Cindy Blackman and her production team. This soul-rocker woman is gearing up to release her self-produced EP Rock’n'Rose this spring and is featured in the February issue of Performer Magazine. She’s also the president of The Movement @ Berklee, a student-led volunteer initiative managed by the Office of Community & Governmental Affairs, which enables her to give back to her native Boston community.

Every band and artist on the new roster of Heavy Rotation Records sat down with BerkleeGroove.com to talk about their lives, music and dreams of success. Click on their name and picture to read their full interviews.

Danny, Elizabeth, and Pete. Photo by Peter Van Hattem.

By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

 In the wake of Heavy Rotation’s 10^th Anniversary, it’s nice to know that indie-pop songsters Elizabeth and the Catapult, whose debut LP Taller Children is now a featured item at Barnes & Noble across the country, first appeared on Dorm Sessions Vol. 3. Elizabeth Ziman (keys and vocals), Pete Lalish (guitars) and Danny Molad (drums), have really been making a name for themselves with fans and critics alike. Not only has the record been getting rave reviews, so have their music videos for the record’s title track and the second single, “Race You.” The Catapult sat down with The Groove before their most recent Red Room appearance to talk shop on their record, creative mindsets, and making the big metropolis of New York feel like a Mr. Roger’s neighborhood.

Zac Taylor: Welcome back to Boston. You guys came from Brooklyn today?

Elizabeth Ziman: Yes. Yesterday we had a really eventful day. We did this really funny late night show for Fox, and then we did NPR, and Iggy Pop was on the same program. Then we had a show for housing work and raised $1,500 for homeless people with HIV. So that was literally a 24-hour period.

ZT: Wow, that’s quite a day in the life. How was Iggy Pop?

EZ: He was so sophisticated and sweet. He was the absolute opposite of how you would expect Iggy Pop to be like. He was like, ‘How are you? I’m so happy that you brought a string section—that’s so lovely!’

Danny Molad: I was like, ‘Hi, I’m Danny,’ and he was like, ‘Hi, I’m Iggy.’ And that was my exchange with him. He’s 62 years old, did you know that?

ZT: He looks good for 62. He must hit the gym. And the hair stylist probably. Did he have highlights?

Pete Lalish: He had beautiful highlights. A beautiful mane.

ZT: So you guys are back at Berklee—your home turf. How long has it been since you were here?

PL: We were here in 2004.

ZT: Is it fun coming back? Do you feel like hometown heroes at the alma mater?

PL: I’ve actually only been back to come here now and it’s a whole new school. It looks great.

DM: We definitely kept in touch with a lot of our classmates, play music with them, and we live in the same apartment complex.

EZ: We live with Via Audio, the Prigs, St. Vincent—everyone is in the same building. It’s like a Berklee dorm in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.

ZT: How is rent there?

DM: Amazing.

EZ: It’s going to go up once we get it out on the Groove.

DM: The Groove is going to expose us and our secrets!

ZT: If you could go back in time and tell the Elizabeth, Pete and Dan from 2004 who were eating lunch at Crazy Dough’s and cramming for Ear Training tests some advice about the music industry, moving to New York, and some things to watch out for, what would you tell those youngsters?

EZ: In all seriousness, it would be to really trust your instinct as much as possible, because it’s going to be tested a lot. And the more of any kind of success you have, the more people are going to try to tell you what to do—the more you’re going to have to trust yourself. And even though it sounds like a self-help book, I think that’s the biggest thing.

PL: I’ll give advice that someone gave me in regards to New York. When I was a Berklee student, I told a teacher, ‘I think I’m going to leave school early and move to New York.’ He said, ‘Great. So what do you want, my blessing?’ But then he said, ‘So you’re going to move to New York? Well, there’s going to be a bunch of great musicians around. And there’s going to be a bunch of really bad musicians around. There you go.’

ZT: Ha!

PL: When you’re in school, you feel like you’re part of this group of amazing people. At the same time, you don’t have to be technically amazing or be in school forever to go and play music anywhere.

EZ: So Pete, you’re basically telling people to drop out of Berklee?

PL: Well, it really works for some people to stay, and it really works for some people to go. Either way, whether it’s two or four years, it’s a great time. But the best advice I had was that everyone outside of the school is doing it, good or bad, it’s still the same thing.

EZ: Yeah, just set your own rules.

DM: So much has happened in the industry in eight years, it’s insane. Coming to Berklee my freshman year, I would be going through a library of CDs, and then mp3s were sort of happening, but slowly. Then record stores started closing, and all of a sudden playing these summer festivals was like the thing to do.  Festivals have become this insane thing, where 40 amazing bands will be in this one city, and then they’ll be in this other city. And all these things adding up, and…I’m not sure where I’m going with this.

EZ: I think what you’re saying is that we started off with music being made for joy, and then it turned into a business, and then the business went out of business, and now we’re making music for joy again. Is that it?

DM: I guess it’s really you have to make your own path. Don’t listen to what anybody tells you. If you think you know what you’re doing, trust yourself, like Elizabeth said.

Read the full story

Design by Silvi Naci.

By Tommy Bohlen

HRR Director

 Heavy Rotation Records is bar none the coolest experience I’ve had at Berklee in regards to my Music Business major. One of the reasons Berklee is such an amazing place to be is that we may split our time between music and the trades that go along with it, giving us a strong potential to succeed in the music industry. For many of us music is our passion, our gift and our sanity in this world of immense possibility. When we enter the halls of Berklee we are making a strong commitment that this is going to be the road we set out on and follow through wherever it may lead. Taking our passion to the gates of reality is no easy feat in a world of survival, but from here on we shall be well equipped.

“Heavy Rotation Records is an established student run record label at Berklee.” But what is it really about? For over 10 years now, HRR has been giving students a two semester crash course on the fundamental aspects of a major recording company covering departments like A&R, Marketing, Touring/Promotion, and New Media. Members of the class get to take on roles in these departments and gain real experience for whatever field they may get into in the real world. The departments are overseen by two student co-directors and faculty advisor Jeffrey Dorenfeld to make sure things run smoothly and professionally.

 The main focus of the HRR staff is to release a compilation album of current Berklee artists entitled Dorm Sessions. 2010 marks the 7th installment of the album, which has previously featured notable artists such as Annie Clark (St. Vincent), the Click Five and Apollo Sunshine. The process starts every fall as the A&R teams brings in over 300 submissions from the Berklee community to be considered for the release. Usually only 6-9 spots are available on the album, which makes the selection process very difficult, but the listening is fun and hearing all the great music coming out of the school is a real treat. Once the finalists have been selected we create the album artwork, master the tracks and then prepare for the CD release concert at the BPC, which is held on February 10 this year. Running around town, yapping on the phone, attending countless meetings can run you dry, but the excitement around this project keeps us going strong with the mindset to do the best.

The BPC release show is an epic event. Every year it has been sold out and has recently showcased some incredible performances from groups like Nini+Ben, Re-Up, and Annie & the Beekeepers. The audience gets a solid and unique performance each time as the bands are put to the test in the 1,200 + seat venue. Every year gets a little more fun, and this year will be no exception.

The HRR staff’s job doesn’t end with the CD Release show. The marketing and new media groups help ensure the bands stay well known in the music community, and the touring group helps book shows for the bands. Often we get our artists to perform for industry giants, or as an act in a large festival. Each year HRR also sends their artists to perform at the renowned CMJ and SXSW music festivals. Keep an eye out for HRR in the musical world outside of Berklee, we get our name out there and this year will be no exception as great things are in store. 

See you at the BPC on Wednesday! 

Press Release Courtesy of Tommy Bohlen

The following artists will appear on Heavy Rotation Records’ Dorm Sessions: Volume 7. They will also perform at the BPC on February 10, 2010.

Ann Driscoll
Julia Easterlin
Liz Longely
KR
Black Kettle
Lip Tease
Tin Soldier
Jordan Tarrant
Tais Alvarenga