FeedBack (Podcast) w/ Wes Nyle

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP31. Political Skews. 11.12.12This past election has me reminiscing of who I was in my teens. Certainly who I am now is shaped by the music I’m listening to currently. But how much of my views were shaped by artists when I was showing up late to class and smoking cigarettes in the parking lot of my high school. In my early twenties I had good friends of mine tell me that I helped shaped who they were, their style, the music they listened to, political opinions. And I’m sure that’s true because I’m amazing in almost every way. But was it all me? Or were my beliefs molded by artists like Justin Sane of Anti-Flag, and Tim Armstrong of Rancid, then simply regurgitated while sitting in technical theatre class learning nothing. I didn’t come from any type of hardship. Not like the musicians I respected and emulated. I grew up with a dad who taught Government, and Economics and a Mom who remarried a Pharmacist. There was nothing left to be desired, materially. But there is something inside a teen, a fire that can’t be explained or quenched. When I had the time I would spend too much of it at a second hand music shop, being molded the guy that worked there. I can’t remember all the music he introduced me to but I do remember one day before I left he, convinced me I needed to hear Plastic Surgery Disasters by the Dead Kennedy’s. I took it home and sat in front of my stereo, wondering what kind of cruel joke was this that the older guy I trusted with my musical development was playing on me. Jello Biafra’s chipmunk voice blasted my eardrums as I waited for the real singer to jump in at any time. Later on, the lyrics meant more and I thought about who I was and if I was going to turn out like the adults in my life. The track Halloween started me on this path of dress and attitude. I was going to be whoever I wanted to be. As long as I looked and acted like my heroes. I remember going to Wal-Mart and buying a navy blue sweat shirt. I cut it down the middle and buttoned it up with safety pins so I could look like Billy Joe Armstrong in the Green Day poster I had hanging in my room. I cut my hair and spiked it like Matthew Lillard in SLC Punk minus the blue hair die because, well you know, my parents weren’t having that. I learned all the quotes from I Blow Mind’s For A Living: Jellow Biafra’s spoken word, and read it in speech class for an A. I listened to Rage Against the Machine when I skipped class and drove to Chick-Fil-A with my buddy. This was before they were raging against their own machine. I was convinced I was changing the world. There was no question that I completely understood what these bands were fighting for. So I fought with my dad, the high school government teacher about how a socialist society could be great, and how anarchy was a peaceful alternative to democracy. I told everyone to vote for Ralph Nader. And never saw the contradiction in any of it. The summer I graduated I turned eighteen and fought with my dad about not wanting to send in my selective service card. I wasn’t going to potentially be forced to fight for a fascist régime I didn’t believe in. Eventually I sent it in, because I wasn’t going to move to Canada as an alternative either. It’s too cold. Along with that the election was happening and I should have been rushing out to register to vote but, at this point I was to interested in all the other things I could do that were slightly more exciting and debaucherous. By the next election season I was more apathetic to the internal conflicts of the US and instead wanted to make art, write, and listen to others interpretation of the world. The closest I ever came to voting was when someone signed me up to vote under the Green Party while I was walking into Eeyore's Birthday while living in Austin. It wasn’t at that moment but I did later understand that I didn’t know anything about America, or how any of the systems work. Nor did I care. I didn’t vote that year and George W. Bush won

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP33. Twelve Tracks of Christmas 12.13.12Hey Donkey Punchers, For me this year has proved promising. I am not the type of person to sit by and watch opportunities fly past me. I certainly seize the carp, and I am positive that amazing things will happen for me this year because I work hard to make my life meaningful. I started this podcast because I wanted to create a DEMO, or portfolio that people could hear and scrutinize. But the more I listened to bands and the more I played around with my editing toys the more it became less of a resume and more of a labor of love. I hope that you have enjoyed these episodes as much as I have enjoyed making them for you. Please tell your friends to listen if they enjoy discovering new music and the meaning behind the artists that create, what I consider cutting edge rock and roll… or really whatever I like listening to. This episode was created for the listener to count down the days till Christmas from the 13th of December. Kind of like an advent calendar. But feel free to listen to it however you like. Consider it my Christmas present to you. May your new year be filled with as many donkeys as you can punch. Twelve Tracks of Christmas: 1. ColdPlay – Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas 2. The Killers – Don’t Shoot Me Santa 3. Pedro The Lion – I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day 4. Deer Tick – Christmas All Summer Long 5. Best Coast and Wavves – Got Something for You 6. Florence + The Machine – Last Christmas 7. Flaming Lips – A Change at Christmas (Say It Isn’t So) 8. Julian Casablancas – Christmas Treat 9. Sufjan Stevens – That Was the Worst Christmas Ever 10. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – All I Want for Christmas 11. Arcade Fire – Jingle Bell Rock 12. The Beach Boys – I’ll Be Home For Christmas Until next year, sayonara, Nyle

 FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP32. Tame Impala. 11.07.12 I’m back and I hope you’re all doing well. Thanks for sticking with me during my move and the podcast dry spell. The truth is I’ve hardly had any time to think about recording with the move. I have, however had several ideas floating around in my head. For instance I am thinking of changing the name of this podcast to Digital Spray Paint. And I am going to make the format a bit different, offering more variety, in the ways of interviews with bands, alongside phone conversations with my radio alumni, and comedian friends. With that said I am going to give you one more traditional FeedBack podcast the way it’s been since I started this little project. Also listen for a series I’m calling the 12 tracks of Christmas, that will IV drip songs throughout the month of December for your listening pleasure, as we get ready to start the new podcast format that will beguine soon after the new year. Thanks for listening now here’s the Podcast. A phone conversation with my friend recently had me thinking about how much great music comes out of Australia. With the obvious bands out of the way I posted a FaceBook comment and received several comments from you guys as well, listing a ton of iconic rock, that hails from the land down under. I’m not 100% certain of what it is they do differently there but I can say that Australia has yet to produce a rock band that disappoints me. Tame Impala is a band that popped up about two years ago with their debut record Innerspeaker, and shares an ambiance similar to America’s Interpol. The band was originally known as The Dee Dee Drums and is a c ollaboration of other indie groups fronted by Kevin Parker who also plays drums in Pond: A band that compares to other Australian notables like the Vines and Wolfmother. It’s also comprised of Tame Impala members Jay Watson and Nick Allbrook. Kevin’s drumming would show up again in his work with Mink Mussel Creek a group that was comprised of his friends in the Australian underground music scene as well as members of Tame Impala. The group started recording in 2008 but because of setbacks weren’t able to officially release their record, however in this technology age there is a way to find anything online, and the recordings were eventually released. Which is good for me because otherwise I wouldn’t have a song segue right here. There’s more to Parker than rhythm, he also shows intuition towards recording and effect pedal usage, with nearly 20 pedals in his arsenal while on stage. In an interview with UnderCover TV he elaborated on his take towards using pedals in a new way that helps create a sound that newer musicians are wishing they thought of. This past October Tame Impala released their latest full length titled Lonerism an album that embodies the atmospherical, environmentally, synth blanketed rock that fans have grown to crave. A mention of this new album by one of my FaceBook followers has me leaving you with two tracks from these guys. Go by my site WesTexasMedia.com for a full track list of this episode, check out the video for Expectation, and listen to some more poddy deliciousness. Tracks Heard on this Podcast: It’s Not Ment to Be – Tame Impala Jeremy’s Storm – Tame Impala Fantastic Explosion in Time – Pond Doesn’t the Moon Look Good Tonight – Mink Mussel Creek Expectation – Tame Impala Mind Mischief – Tame Impala Music to Walk Home By – Tame Impala

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP30 .Simply New Music (Nude Beach/Explorers Club). 10.28.12As music continues to drown my every waking moment I have noticed a trend in new bands that gives me hope for a brighter future: Simplicity. I use the term “Simplicity” synonymously with “Roots” and for me roots are early 90’s rock. I define this because I know that others around me are still wandering through the desert looking for a band that sounds like Bango Tango, Def Leppard or Ratt, and I make no apologies in saying that I am done with trying to understand what 80’s hair metal had to offer their generation. Even though I was born in the eighties I didn’t raise myself on that style of music for what has now become a drawn out reason. I don’t feel that there will ever be a time when Quiet Riot will try to be emulated again. There is less nostalgia in bands that harness an attitude of tits and booze over a message, or playing an instrument as wasted as possible over stepping up for an oppressed people. And I won’t support a lead singer with hair teased up further than a Judd sister. There is not nostalgia but this concept is dripping with novelty. But this podcast isn’t about bashing 80’s hair metal bands. It’s more about how I felt as I started hearing bands consisting of members that were near my age starting to understand what normal music means to a generation. How genuine art work can show what that generation stands for. And most of the time a message is more genuinely sent simply. A group out of New York is gaining critic attention for what is being called their second LP titled II. But from what I can tell it’s Nude Beach’s re-released earlier EP. If I close my eyes I am taken back to my smoke filled efficiency apartment enjoying what was my first taste of independence. Chuck Betz, Ryan Niadeau, and Jimmy Shelton power through 10 tracks that sound original yet familiar. Like a band you heard on a compilation or a stalker’s mix tape but never followed up on. While the majority of critics can’t help but compare the sound of Nude Beach to “Top Petty meets Bruce Springsteen”, to me the simplicity and warmth of the trio’s sound has the feel of what Indie rock always wanted to be. Like early Strokes (Also from NY), the Presidents of the United States of America, or Face to Face. Really the only aspect of this band that lends them to the 60’s and the 70’s is an album with 10 tracks. A move that the band admits was done strategically with the idea of and A side and a B side in mind. While the subject of new nostalgia is on my mind let me bring up the South Carolinian sextet The Explorers Club a band I was awakened to by David Wild of Huffington Post and a regular on the Adam Carolla podcast. There is no doubt that sometime in late 2007 I heard these guys on an episode of The O.C. a show that I’m not ashamed to admit I watched every episode of when I was living in a one bedroom apartment with four other dudes. The Explorers Club released their 2nd full length Grand Hotel earlier this year and in a way it feels good not knowing about a band until you have something to catch up on. Both albums remind me of taking extended road trips with my dad in his baby blue 64 1/2 Mustang Convertible. I listened to the entire Beach Boys collection through cheap foam head phones with the biggest chromed out Sony cassette player ever to be created. The likeness of this band to the Beach Boys, can be traced back to the producer Mark Linett, who worked with the band on their teaser EP’s for Grand Hotel. Mark has worked with the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson, and also digitally re-masterd Pet Sounds for it’s rerelease some years back. I feel like as time progresses this younger generation is being led to an auto-tuned, dubb stepped, electronic version of what 80’s cock rock used to be. Like they may be frightened by a song with an understanding or enlightening message. Hearing Mumford & Sons and Modest Mouse on an younger persons Pandora station recently gave m

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP28. Sinkane / On-Line Meia. 10.06.12Originally this podcast was supposed to highlight the work of Sinkane but somewhere along the line my Attention Deficit Disorder got the best of me and I began to think and write about all the amazing music I have downloaded in the past few years. I started this podcast to highlight bands that my listeners haven’t heard of yet and hopefully expose them to genres that they may not have known they could like, while at the same time keeping my production chops fresh. Along the way I have discovered some amazing talent that I wouldn’t have even known about without this online underground music society and to me that is awesome. I would like to start interviewing underground bands that have at least one album out, and are willing to sit on the phone with me and discuss their craft, and what it feels like to do what they do. If that sounds like fun to you then hit me up on FaceBook/WesleyNyle or find me on Twitter/WesleyNyle. I would love to listen to your work, do some research and call you up or meet you some place in the Dallas area and talk shop. So with that said here’s the podcast: Without the internet, many bands that are currently the focus of the independent music scene would otherwise be lost in obscurity. The rabbit hole of current indie rock trends continues to go deeper with bands like Yeasayer as a prime example: a group originating in Brooklyn nearly six years ago, and in some aspects sharing the traditional tale of touring and peddling vinyl singles, to rise form the primordial ooze that is indie rock obscurity. But also gaining traction from online publications and being boasted as the “Most Blogged About Band” in 2010. Let’s hear the Doors, Janice Joplin, or Queen brag about that. It’s true that the majority of entertainers are jumping on the online band wagon. And why not? Aside from the monetary aspect of it, producing and publishing your own music or media, is less mess altogether, no agents, no labels, no censorship, no contracts, and with home studios becoming more and more reasonable to build and operate. Bands essentially have all the time you need without paying a studio to play. Radiohead’s last two self-releases, In Rainbows, and The King Of Limbs are shining examples. Doing extremely well as digital downloads that were presented initially as a “Pay What You Think It’s Worth” experiment. Even comedian and writer Louis C.K. made an impact, with his self-releases that he made available only on his website for the ridiculously low price of five dollars, knowing that the media could easily be pirated, but trusting his fans to pay for the easier experience of simply downloading the content directly from his website. Ahmed Gallab, a relatively obscure, yet insanely talented multi-instrumentalist, who has toured with Caribou, Of Montreal, and now has landed a solid role as Yeasayer’s multi-instrumentalist. Is following in the footsteps of many other successful, and established musicians; like Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of The Marz Volta, in the vein of branching out into his own solo project, under the name Sinkane. Really, Gallab has been creating music on his own for several years. It’s only now through the miracle of sites like SoundCould, ReverbNation, and BandCamp that artists are able to take risks, and show off their work with less capital, green lighting new music attics like myself to discover and share what would normally only be a local treat. This is helping smaller artists make a living with their music, and for artist like Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, generate revenue for causes in a more creative way than selling an autographed bass. Example being Flea’s solo album Helen Burns: a solo, self-released, pay what you think it’s worth album, that’s funds benefit the Silver Lake Conservatory of Music. The online liner notes warn, or boast that this is not a Red Hot Chili Peppers album, and stands on its ow

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP27. Silver Ships (Interview w. Chazz and Kat). 09.19.12On this podcast Wes Nyle chats on the phone with one of the coolest, newest, and insatiably creative indie rock artists in Austin right now. Chazz Bessette of Silver Ships, and his girlfriend Kat Hernandez are working in an all analog home studio they’ve created in their master bedroom and will be releasing an album on vinyl as well as a digital release as soon as January. Before the album is released Chazz elaborates on a few songs, shares some hope recording tips, and shares a FeedBack (Podcast) exclusive track: Summer's Gone. Wes also talks with them about the struggles and triumphs of owning and operating a home studio, the differences between digital and analog, Mexican candy, and drunken hamsters. SPOILER ALLERT: There’s hardly any. Support Silver Ships Here: FB/ ReverbNation Listen to Silver Ships FeedBack (Podcast) exclusive track @ www.WesTexasMedia.com/FeedBack

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP26. Lambchop. 09.10.12Many credit the early nineties as the dawn of indie music. And at the helm of this movement, even if by accident, was Lambchop. A group fronted by Nashville native Kurt Wagner. One that started distributing self-recorded tapes in nineteen-ninety, and is now titled as one of the most original country bands around. You won’t find Lambchop touring much, simply because Wagner’s supporting cast is constantly changing, and even now when on the road, Kurt admits live shows are an interpretation of the current album. Albums that always try to carry a concept; a feat that Wagner admits is getting more drawn out as he moves into his late fifties. Through the years the band has dawned many names, albums, members and even genres. The lineup of each record is impossible for me to comprehend as the list of Kurt’s companions in Nashville continues to expand. And with elements of Soul, Jazz, Lounge, and Country Western, mashed with nonobjective lyrics, even the music snobs settled on defining this eclectic sound as simply Alt-Country. This year Kurt celebrates the release of his 11th studio album Mr. M an album that was recorded with his longtime friend and famous Nashville producer Mark Nevers, and is highlighted with help from Crotney Tidwell, his partner in crime from his folk duet KORT, that coverd 50’s and 60’s country classics from Chart Records. The first track If Not I’ll Just Die vaguely references The Carpenters, and was written while Wagner was spending Christmas with his family in his crowded house as he picked up on bits and pieces of conversation and action. This seems fitting to me as the track almost harnesses the feeling of a fifties Christmas classic. But with lyrics that put you in a quite tailspin like only Lambchop can. This is Kirt Wagner as Lambchop. Soaky in the Pooper Grumpus Gone Tomorrow B2B If Not I’ll Just Die

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP254. Walk the Moon. 08.17.12Like anything worth doing, it takes time to get where you want to be. This year Cincinnati locals Nick Petricca, Kevin Ray, Eli Maiman, and Sean Waugaman have signed with RCA, and their self-titled album Walk the Moon is gaining traction with it’s current hit Anna Sun sitting 24th on Billboard’s Rock Song charts. Only three years before the success of the RCA release Nick was trying to build the bands reputation by touring local venues and pedaling two self-made albums. Petricca says, Walk the Moon’s current lineup, the lineup that freshens up tracks from their harder to find 2010 self-distributed I Want! I Want! on the new self-titled, has only been around since this year. But with the bands new found following, and touring schedule changes are a survival tactic at this point. There is something endearing about a group who pays attention to their audience in aspects that most artists wouldn’t. Face paint on the band and crowd is now a trademark at most live shows. This is a call back to the Anna Sun music video where Nick walks through a sea of friends in costume and face paint in between moments of Thriller and Westside Story style dance offs. In the spirit of keeping his friends involved, the video was the brain child of Nick’s friend who is an indie director, and used a local Chicagoan dance group to choreograph the five and a half minuet continuous shot. As a band with relatively newly found success it’s hard to say what lies in the future for such a fanccentric group. Something that has been promised in interviews with Walk the Moon is evolution. The quartet sites the Talking Heads, David Bowie and The Red Hot Chili Peppers as influences. And with such a blatant Police reference as the band’s name I’d say the shoes to fill are quite large. However this debut effort is a good place to start. This is Walk the Moon. Tracks Heard In This Podcast: I Can Lift A Car (All By Myself) I Want! I Want! Anna Sun Tightrope Jenny

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP24. Givers. 08.17.12When you hear stories of the modern music era success, stories of youtube, iTunes, and social networking seem to be a centralized theme. It’s refreshing to know that bands still create buzz and build a fan base the old fashion way. By playing what they love, being recognized by local clubs, and expanding through traditional word of mouth outlets. During January of 2009 in Lafayette, LA a quintet was developing from the idea that traditional African, Cajun and Zydeco elements, can be held together with an experimental glue. Taylor Guarisco and Tiffany Lamson were home from the University of New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina. The two had been playing since 2005 and were now experimenting with, Kirby Campbell on drums, and Josh LeBlanc who then was known as one of the most impressive trumpet players in the area, but now on bass. Kirby was attending Berklee College of Music but after a late night jam, Guarisco posed the question that they should start a band. The chemistry must have been magic that night, because Kirby decided to stay, and a few months later Taylor received a call from a local venue looking to fill a last minute opening. At that point the band had found their six-pieces, with Will Henderson on keys, sax and whatever else he could blow into, alongside him multi-instrumentalist Nick Stephan. The groups years of improvisational practice had finally paid off, the band would play two hours that night, and forced them to come up with a name. They decided on Givers a track from the band Lucky Dragons. As time has marched on the group has lost Will as a member but this band is steamrolling their way into notoriety. Finding their debut full length In Light on Glassnote Records: a label that houses acts like Childish Gambino, The Temper Trap, and Mumford and Sons. This is Givers. Download Givers first full length effort In Light for five buck on Amazon. Tracks Heard In This Podcast: Saw You First Up Up Up Ceiling of Plankton Givers – Lucky Dragon Meantime

FeedBack w. Wes Nyle. EP23. Hacienda. 08.10.12Music has a special harmony and rhythm when a band is bonded by blood. The Allman Brothers, The Kings of Leon, The Jonas Brothers! The point is: Credence is owed to Hacienda, a four-piece from San Antonio, TX who earned their first professional recording, before a Black Keys show, when they laid their six-song demo on Dan Auerbach. The boys form the Black Keys have been in my line of site a lot lately it seems. We talked about Patrick Carney last week helping with Tennis’ new release. In the same vein Dan has helped fellow indie two piece JEFF the Brotherhood with their new album Hypnotic Nights. And does it not strike you a little coincidental that along with the infamous album of the Keys’ titled Brothers that Dan also has his mixer fingers in the latest release from Hacienda. A band comprised of three brothers and one cousin. Luck or persistence the group made it work after years of being unsatisfied with bands that didn’t understand what each individual was going for. Abraham Villanueva and cousin Dante Schwebel, were experiencing this in the early version of Hacienda with a rhythm section that wasn’t meshing. But as fate would have it Abraham’s brothers Rene and Jaime were having creative differences with their band. The natural fix was to create a band that was bonded by something thicker than talent or friendship. The Beach Boys shine bright as an influence on Hacienda’s early work. And for critics to compare the music of this relatively young Texas indie band to an American classic has to mean something. Their third album Shakedown has taken on a life of its own, showing courage in experimentation. Heavier driving guitar and pounding 4x4 drums leaves me excited for what will come next from this band who has yet to create a full length less than two years apart. This is Hacienda. Download Hacienda’s new album Shakedown for only five bucks. Tracks Heard On This Podcast: Useless and Tired Another Day I Keep Waiting Go To Get Back Home Don’t Keep Me Waiting