Discover Lolla 2013: Preview

That’s right, 69 days now until Lollapalooza 2013. With over 75+ sets to jam out to under the blazing sun, this year’s bill is packed with old & new artists- who are you most excited to see? Come hang out with WCRX-FM’s, The Scene, as we count down the days until Lolla 2013.

The Orwells (Sunday, August 4th)

From the outskirts of Chicago, five seventeen-year olds come together and create unmistakable, raw rocky garage punk sounds- they like to go by The Orwells. Last August, the quintet released their debut album, Remember When, and have since then performed numerous shows, including at Beat Kitchen, SubT, Austin, Texas’ SXSW, and now a set at one their home town’s biggest music festivals.

The Orwells’ Other Voices EP is scheduled to be released 6/25.

Palma Violets (Sunday, August 4th)

Last year was the breakout year for London’s psychedelic rock band, Palma Violets. After the school friends met in 2010 and played countless live shows at a small, sweaty studio in Lambeth, Palma Violets began to draw attention with their performances and songs that emulate a ‘60s garage rock and soul feel. In 2012, their first studio recorded track, “Best of Friends,” was released and then shortly named NME’s #1 track of the year, as well as a spot on the cover of the magazine. This past February, Palma Violets’ debut album 180 was released, hand-in-hand with an announcement of a tour: including a set at Chicago’s Lollapalooza 2013.

Wild Belle (Sunday, August 4th)

Get ready for rocksteady beats and groovy sounds from Chicago’s sibling duo, Wild Belle. After dabbling with each other’s musical lives for a while, the bro/sis combo came together in 2011 and began writing songs. A year later, Wild Belle was born and their  first single, “Keep You,” was released, which created quite the buzz. After officially releasing their debut album Isles this past March, performing all over, Wild Belle will be filling their native city’s park with groovy island music at Lollapalooza.

Little Green Cars (Saturday, August 3rd)

From the charming city of Dublin, Ireland, indie folk rock band Little Green Cars. This quintet of 20-some year old bandmates also happens to be great friends: and what could be a better combination to write absolutely soul bearing, down-to-the-core honest music. Little Green Cars just released their debut album Absolute Zero this year, and since then have toured the UK and US widely, appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, performed a set at SXSW as well as Coachella, and excitingly are now on the bill for Lolla.

Machines Are People Too (Sunday, August 4th)

What began as a two man synth-pop project between friends from Chattanooga, TN, quickly evolved into the unique pop quartet, Machines Are People Too, who produces energized dance music that gets you off your feet. The band released their first EP Dreams in July 2012 and has since has toured all along the east coast, playing huge festivals such as Bonnaroo, Hangout Music Fest, and are now hitting up the Midwest to fuel Lollapalooza 2013 with grooves throughout Grant Park.

Machines Are People Too are currently recording their follow up EP, which is scheduled to drop this summer.

Live and on the Aereo!

Can I just say how much of a bad idea it was for CBS and some other major broadcasting companies by not getting into Aereo? They are missing out on an ingenious idea.

Before I get into this little rant of mine, let me explain some stuff for anyone who knows nothing of this. Aereo is an online television feed that can broadcast full television channels in HD quality from their computers. Aereo will be broadcasting several major broadcasting channels, including CBS, ABC, and FOX. Those are already pretty much the main channels that everyone in the nation watches. Aereo will broadcast everything on those channels, online. Including commercials. However, these broadcasting companies refuse to let Aereo do this and threatened their station. How did Aereo respond? By suing the crud out of CBS!

Aereo is almost ready for fulltime airing in 21 major cities in the US, including New York, Boston and of course, Chicago! This means I can catch How I Met Your Mother without having to worry about being away from home or having to try to pirate the show or watch it in a super poor quality from Hulu. And I don’t have to pay an outrageous amount of money for a cable plan! I can just whip out my computer click a button. Plus it records your shows! Brilliant. Just take my money already, Aereo. They’re only charging 8-12$ a month depending on the plan you order. Why these companies don’t want in makes no sense to me.

“Watching the TV from the Internet on my TV. Technology!”

This is a major opportunity for these companies to make some serious money. One thing I say is the most brilliant move modern radio stations have done is an online stream. You never have to worry about owning a radio; you can just go online and stream it! It’s great! Of course Radio is free, which makes it already better than television in my own opinion, so it’s already a very friendly form of broadcasting.

Television needs to step up their online game because they either tease you with tiny little segments of their shows online or rely on you being glued to your television all day and have to pay an outrageous amount of money for a cable box. Television is dying now thanks to the Internet and streaming sites like Hulu and Netflix. That’s why Aereo will make so much money. I already stream almost everything online now. I have a Netflix account and watch pretty much all my favorite shows from there, commercial free. Aereo will be broadcasting the channel’s commercials, which means all that all that sponsorship money will go to Aereo as well. This is a cash cow and CBS is insane for not wanting in!

If I was a major head at CBS or FOX, when I heard about this, I would immediately want to make a deal. Then I’d be rolling in the money… well if I was already a major head of one of those companies, I’d already be rolling in the money but in a bigger pile of it!

“Dolla Dolla Bills, Y’all”

I want to know your opinions on this. Should television stations look into making online streams or do you think Aereo is a bad idea? Comment on this blog and let us know! Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter from facebook.com/wcrxfm and @WCRXFM. Also, follow me, Greg “Philly-G” Broderick on twitter @Philly_Gsteak!

Sources:

Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323826804578466982119594300.html

Aereo Main Website: https://aereo.com/home

College Graduation- Looking Back

Many schools have already held their graduation ceremonies and Columbia College’s graduation is coming up this weekend so I looked back at the last four years to supply you with tips to make it to your college graduation. The road is not easy and college can be an exhilarating but unnerving experience. Here are my five tips to help get you to your big day.

•  YOU MUST PARTY -  I know this sounds so wrong, but you must party. Partying is essential to the college experience. You’re grown, you’re free, have fun. Although we go to school to be educated and not to drink ourselves stupid, it is important to take it easy sometimes. So, please TURN IT UP. You’ll never be this young again.

• HAVE NO SQUARES IN YOUR CIRCLE – College is about communication often times and the last thing you need is a negative influence ruining what you came here for. A lot of people will drop out. A lot of people will leave. A lot of people will go down paths that you don’t want to go down. So stay focused and if they’re not with you for your growth, they’re not necessary.  Remember-BIRDS OF A FEATHER, TEND TO FLOCK TOGETHER.

• DEADLINES – When something is “due”, it’s something you must “do”. Procrastination has hit us all, but in college you must fight this. There will be teachers and professors that will look out and give you time but you must not take them for granted. When you get into life after school, there will be much opportunity to “wait until tomorrow.” You don’t want to lose an opportunity because you didn’t do something you could have.

• HAVE A PLAN – Debt is real, problems are real, which means that life can get real. But go into college with a strategy. Plan your budget. Be on top of your financial aid, know how long you’re going to be here. Don’t just wing it! It will catch up to you in the long run. Trust me. Remember the 5 P’s: PROPER PREPARATION PREVENTS POOR PERFORMANCE.

• IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU – Who’s going to celebrate when it’s all over? You. Who’s going to get that job because they have a COLLEGE DEGREE? You! So who should put all the work into getting this degree and receiving these benefits? You. You’re an adult now so no one is going to hold your hand. You have to stand on your own two feet and put work into what you want. Remember that this is your experience so the only thing that can truly hold you back or push you forward is yourself.

With these pointers in mind, let me be the first to congratulate the Class of 2013.