Latest news with #TheBends
Boston Globe
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Rain and new rules don't dampen Somerville's PorchFest
Somerville's PorchFest began in 2011 and has grown steadily since. Last year, driven by a performance from Guster, a popular 1990s and 2000s band from the area, the event reached new heights, with countless thousands of people completely packing many of the city's streets. The city became so packed that it — in collaboration with some musical artists — changed the rules this year in an effort to keep Somerville's primary arteries clear for traffic and emergency vehicles. The rules prohibited performances on 13 streets including Broadway, Summer Street, and Highland and Somerville avenues which hosted several dozen shows last year. Advertisement Also new this year is a team of 'ambassadors' to help guide foot traffic, point newcomers in the right direction, and serve as liaisons for bands performing in the same areas. They handed out maps with the locations of Porta-Potties, which were more numerous in an effort to keep people from relieving themselves on anyone's lawn. Advertisement The city also encouraged bands to coordinate time slots to space out performances. Still, Somerville was bustling. Groups of people who looked to be in their 20s and 30s roved the streets stopping every half block or so to check out the latest show they'd stumbled across. Traffic on the highway exits leading into town backed up in barely-moving lines of brake lights. Powder House Square was a disaster. Parking spots were fever dreams. 'It's a great day for local music,' said Croteau's bandmate Dan Oshiro, 25. Done by 1 p.m., the guys planned on making the rounds and seeing what else was going on. And the sounds of guitars and drums reverberated down every street. There was a variety of acts, from DJs to brass bands, but many had some flavor of rock. Often, it included 90s covers — think 'The Bends'-era Radiohead, Nirvana's 'Heart Shaped Box,' or Smash Mouth's 'All Star." Chad Wishner and Hayley Lynch, both 27, stood on Hall Avenue suspiciously eyeing one particularly adventurous DJ who'd spun a trap remix of Lit's 'My Own Worst Enemy," another 90's anthem. 'It's the age everyone is,' Wishner said. 'It's music from when we all were kids.' But the real draw, Lynch said, was the local acts. She provided quick directions to a good rock band and a fun horn section that performed with a vibraphone nearby. 'I love seeing all the local bands,' she said. 'It's really their time to shine.' The event, as it always does, had a game-of-telephone feeling to it. Many people wandering around had a couple of spots they planned to hit. There, they'd be meeting a friend of a friend, or maybe that person's cousin, who is, perhaps, playing drums or bass on some other guy's porch. Advertisement Such was the case for 27-year-olds Kalina Korzec, Parth Dhruve, and Ali Bacon, who'd paused briefly near Davis Square to listen to the vibraphone act that Lynch had described. They planned to see someone they knew who was in an a cappella group, as well as a mutual friend's coworker, who was playing a show somewhere else. Dhruve grinned: 'That's PorchFest.' Sean Cotter can be reached at
ABC News
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
You Need To Hear: Velvet Trip - 'The Bends'
Get a little woozy as you work your way through 'The Bends' — a groove-laden indie psych track from Velvet Trip. With a fuzzy warmth and glimmering nostalgia to 2010s indie, this one from the Wiradjuri artist is a playlist essential for everything from road trips to cooking dinner. For fans of: flared pants flared pants fireplaces fireplaces kitchen dancing kitchen dancing open roads
ABC News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Feature Video: Velvet Trip - The Bends
Velvet Trip's new music video 'The Bends' has all the flickering phosphor glow of technology lost in time, the texture of a lovingly worn-in VHS tape recorded late at night, and an irresistible groove that is impossible to not bop head to. It's the very definition of a "rage vibe". The Gadigal conceived, psychedelic experiment of Wiradjuri man Zeppelin Hamilton last week released a new EP, Glimmers , with 'The Bends' serving as the first official music video from a collection of five songs. Directed by Sydney-based creative Claire Salter, 'The Bends' is a trippy, glitchy, vintage VHS inspired journey with deep roots in the overarching creative direction of the EP. 'The idea started from the top and trickled down to me, so I'll try not to take too much credit!' says director Claire. 'The incredible mind behind Velvet Trip, Zeppelin Hamilton, approached me with a couple of 70s-inspired reference images and asked if I could turn them into a music video.' 'Zep had already begun reaching out to a creative team to collaborate with for the release of the Glimmers EP launch, including local contemporary photographer Macami and Brazilian-based analogue & VFX artist Rollinos. Both brought their own vision and mood boards, and my task was to fuse it all together and bring to life a project that combined all elements in a fresh way that honoured everyone's individual style.' The shoot came together across four performance sets and plenty of footage shot on a blank cyc for Rollinos to rotoscope and go wild with his VFX magic. 'Originally, the plan was to keep the set footage clean, contrasting it with the VFX-heavy shots' explains Claire. 'But after seeing Rollinos' first round of VFX, we changed course—more is more! (It was actually the first time he'd ever been told to go harder on effects!)' 'The shoot day started early—Zep rolled into Alchemy Studios at 8:30 am after a sunrise flight from Brisbane (like the rockstar he is) and headed straight into hair and makeup. Suzanna worked her magic to hide any signs of exhaustion. We were hit with a 30°C day after a cool week of rain—and Zep was immediately suited up in a three-layer outfit styled by Yuzhen, then asked to dance non-stop for 10 hours. (Yes, the fan got a solid workout!)' 'It was a tight day but we were lucky to have our incredible gaffer John Young (also a co-owner of Alchemy Studios), which made lighting transitions smooth and efficient. With only 10 hours to shoot stills and video, our DOPs Zac Heath and Will Valander ran dual 4K cameras the entire time to ensure Rollinos had plenty of material to work with.' That's approximately 10 hours of 4k footage needed to be clear (about 5 days to upload and the same to download… 🙃). We're so happy that the persistence paid off! 'These days film can be so calculated, so it's super exciting to try something uncertain' says Claire. 'And in the end, that risk made it all the more fun and exciting.'
BBC News
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Radiohead reimagined at Oxford's Christ Church Cathedral
A classical music ensemble's concert of Radiohead songs in the band's hometown of Oxford will feel extra special, its artistic director Concertante's Radiohead Reimagined show is touring cathedrals and abbeys across the UK, and arrives at Christ Church Cathedral on ensemble, used to performing the works of Bach, Vivaldi, and Vaughan Williams, will reinterpret songs from the band's entire Grist, who is also founder of the orchestra, tells the BBC: "The fact that Radiohead are from Oxford, for us to bring the show there feels like a real homecoming." It means reimagining both the guitar anthems and alternative rock from their breakthrough albums The Bends and OK Computer, through to their more experimental later releases, such as Kid A and In Rainbows. Grist says he spent an "awful lot of time listening to every single Radiohead album", and that whittling down the songs was difficult."It has been a really fun challenge and we've tried not to shy away from really musically-challenging situations," he cultural legacy has been expanding in recent years. Upcoming productions include an art exhibition at the prestigious Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and a stage show at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon that will combine the Bard's Hamlet with their Hail to the Thief album. Grist believes that a former "perceived snobbery" in the art and classical world is "evaporating", as the opportunities rock music can bring become evident."[This] can be a starting point for the listener to then explore further the world of classical music, and that's certainly our aim whilst we're creating this show," he says."There is such a line that goes through from the great masters to great rock music, and the way that we've approached it is to not dumb down anything about the music that we're presenting. "So for a Radiohead fan, they'll hear their favourite tunes in a slightly different way, but for a classical music audience who perhaps aren't familiar with the Radiohead repertoire, they'll hear a symphonic concert that happens to be music by Radiohead."It's our way of trying to bridge that gap." Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood is classically-trained and has written extensively for orchestras before, and both he and Thom Yorke have separately worked on soundtracks for filmmakers such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Jane Campion, Lynne Ramsay, and Luca says both are "immersed in that world" which makes their compositions so ideal to work on."You can tell from their writing and music that their musical brains are thoroughly engaged," he says."When you delve deep into what they've created, there is harmonic and rhythmic complexity, and even simple melodic lines are used so effectively." He adds: "There's an ethereal quality to their music, which is going to lend itself so well to the venues we're going to play, particularly Christ Church."It's such an iconic and beautiful venue to be in, and hopefully we'll convey that through the music."For an audience it's all about the partnership between the venue, the music, and the ambience of what they're seeing, and I think that's why live music is still so alive today because it's the only opportunity where listeners get to experience that full immersive element."Radiohead Reimagined tours throughout 2025. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Axios
21-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
An ode to Wayward Goose and the St. Pete that was
This September marks 10 years of living in St. Petersburg, and I'm having a lot of feelings about it. Why it matters: It's still, in so many ways, the beautiful, vibrant, artsy Sunshine City I fell in love with. But, amid this ongoing development boom, there have also been some brutal losses. The latest: The Wayward Goose, a cozy dive-adjacent bar, pool hall and local art space that opened about a decade ago in the Edge District (and that will always be The Blue Goose to me, trademark law be damned) is closing this month. "Our lease is not being renewed, and that's probably all that needs to be said," the owner wrote in a heartfelt Facebook post. I don't have any more details on the lease issue or what the space will become; a representative from the bar declined to comment, and I wasn't able to reach an actual human at the Connecticut-based investment firm that owns the building. Here's what I do know: The bar about a month ago posted about its new pool tables, an odd move if it had been planning to close. The same investment firm, Belpointe, also owns the 15-story apartment buildings rising next door, according to property records. And the Goose's neighbor, burger joint Engine No. 9, in the last year or two signed a 10-year lease to remain at the property, restaurant owner Jason Esposito told Axios. What he's saying: "It's saddening, I can tell you that," Esposito told me about his neighbor's closure. His restaurant opened in 2012, when the beloved dive bar The Bends was the only other game in that part of town, he said. The Goose opened a few years later. "Us three together, we really made what's now called the Edge District," Esposito said. He's held on through rent increases, new competition and the loss of on-site parking. Yes, but: He's watching the changing city with increasing concern, noting that his locally owned neighbor is closing around the same time another corporate chain opened on Central Avenue. ("The Melting Pot?" I asked him. "You said it," he said.) "I don't want Central to be a Fourth Street," Esposito said. And, no matter what happens to the Goose space, he said, "it's never gonna be the same." My nostalgic heart swelled. I grew up at the Goose, sipping their signature lavender lemonades through the highs and lows of my 20s. I flirted with first dates over darts games, played " Dance Yrself Clean" on the jukebox way too many times, and stumbled in to retrieve my credit card the day after raucous nights to non-judgmental eyes from the bartenders. I'd often head across the street to The Bends to finish the night, and for that institution, I have what feels like good news: The Bends' ownership group in 2023 bought the building it shares with Amulet Tattoo and a law firm, according to property and business records. For everything else in this shifting city, this sentiment from the Goose's closing announcement rings true:
