I’ve finally had the opportunity to check it out this time around and to see how this thing worked. It starts at 11am and each band gets about 3 songs in for the crowd; the final band coming on at 11:30pm. Other than the fact that these bands are all local talent, what’s great about The Next Big Thing is that the DC community gets to take in several genres of music. You can have your rock/alternative band come on first and have a hardcore screamo band (with included crowd moshing) come right after. Pretty gnarly if I must say so myself.

So did I witness or hear The Next Big Thing? I don’t really know. I might’ve come too late or left too early. I did enjoyed myself and the slew of live music I got to hear. I applaud anyone who stayed for that amount of time because I sure as heck didn’t. I did get to see six bands, though. And for those six bands, you get photos!

Enjoy.

One Last Try

Call Me Mercy

Transitions

Karen Culi

Matinee @ Midnight

Sheogorath

For full set of photos: check out our facebook page www.facebook.com/pickupproductions

I spent Valentine’s Day at DC9 with a great line-up of bands: Slow Club from the UK, Air Waves from New York, and one of Pick-Up’s favorite local bands, The Young Rapids.

This was Slow Club’s first time visiting DC and we were the first stop on their “Mega World Tour.” Though Rebecca Taylor was battling the flu, she still powered through to make sure the show went on. The four-piece band from Sheffield, England played a 12-song set, winning the hearts of the DC9 crowd. Well, all but the one girl who responded to vocalist/guitarist, Charles Watson’s question of “Who will come out for the next show?” with “Only if you play the old stuff.” The crowd inevitably turned on her as it saddened the sick Rebecca, who got over it and performed the next song. “We’re just polite English people, Washington.”

The set was filled with a mix of the old (Yeah, So?), new (Paradise), and new new (songs not on any of the records). Charles stayed mainly on his guitar while the rest of the band switched it up. We even got an extra drum kit for Rebecca to add some extra fun drum beats during songs If We’re Still Alive and The Dog. The crowd got to also hear favorites like Giving Up on Love, Never Look Back, and Beginners (my personal favorite). I was pretty bummed about not hearing Two Cousins live but due to Rebecca “slowly dying on stage” they decided to cut it off the list and sing Christmas TV instead to please “Ms. Play-the-old-stuff.” It was a pretty sweet song to end Valentine’s night on.

Let’s not forget The Young Rapids and Air Waves, who opened for the night. The Young Rapids, the local up-and-comers, who we’ve covered before still have that same energy we’ve witnessed previously. It’s always a treat to watch the young band them live as we got to hear the songs we’re getting familiar with, as well as a some new stuff too. Look out for a CD release sometime soon! Air Waves…what a fun band. The folk-pop band from New York had some great harmonies, great drums, and such awesomely droll expressions from lead singer Nicole Schneit. Definitely a band I want to listen to more.

Take a listen to these bands out if you haven’t already!

Hope your Valentine’s Day was just as fun as mine.

Check out photos and a couple of videos down below!

The Young Rapids

Air Waves

Slow Club

For the full set of photos, check out our facebook! www.facebook.com/pickupproductions

Last Saturday Night, we had the pleasure of checking out Nat Osborn Band, who was opening up for Turkuaz at Bayou. The seven-piece jazz-pop band from New York captured the audience right from the get-go with their commanding horn-section, rhythmic beats, and soulful vocals behind the keys. There was a tremendous amount of funk to start of a wonderful night of music at Bayou.

This week we feature one of our favorite acoustic-rock artists, Taylor Carson. Having just celebrated a big birthday, Taylor is also busy with his latest venture, the All Hands On Deck Tour, which is visiting many East Coast venues for free!  We had the chance to catch up with Taylor and he tells us about the idea behind his current tour, his last full-length album Defending The Name, social media, and everything else in between.

First off, you just recently turned the Big 30, so Happy Belated Birthday from us at Pick-Up Productions! How’d you celebrate?

Thanks very much for the birthday wishes. It was nice and low-key. I had a show booked for the All Hands on Deck Tour at Northside Social in Arlington, Va. So I got to play on my birthday!

You’re currently on your All Hands on Deck Tour, playing free shows at several places up and down the East Coast. How excited are you for these venues you’re hitting up?

The tour is off to a great start. I’ve been having a blast and it has been well received so far. Every show is different, but they are all positive.

How did the idea for this tour come about?

The tour was an idea my manager James and I came up with. We have worked tirelessly for years trying to get into certain venues in important markets and unfortunately a lot of the time we’ve been coming up short. We both believe in what we are doing, but we had to find a new way to do it. Building a community continued to be a main topic of conversation so we set out to find rooms that were willing to have us and not charge a cover. Keeping these shows free is a MUST. There had to be no barriers between me and my listener’s. “It’s FREE and Taylor loves me…” That is what every person should think about when contemplating whether or not they should get off of their couch to come to one of the shows on the All Hands on Deck Tour…

Looks like the All Hands on Deck Team gets a bunch of Taylor Carson goodies when they join, huh?

The team is really fun and goes hand in hand with the tour. We’d rather people get into the shows for free and sign up for the team. Free show every month, all four of my records, new studio single every month (exclusive to the team) and my very first live record (also exclusive to the team). Team members can ask for anything they want — I have been making home demo’s of new songs and posting them to our patronism site, as well as cover tune’s that I love. www.patronism.com/taylorcarson is a great place to be and I truly believe it is the direction music is heading. FOCUSING more on the listener’s and being aware that they are the one’s who allow me to make music.

You also play the Redwood Restaurant in Bethesda, MD every Tuesday and Wednesday. How do you keep your sets fresh each time?

That’s a good question. Those shows have ended up being a great stage for me to try new material and also play songs that I didn’t write. It does get old playing your own songs night after night. It’s like a new shirt. You likely want to wear it out to the bar and leave the old shirts in the closet for the night. That being said. I do like some of my older shirts…

I also wanted to talk a little more about Defending The Name, which came out in 2010. How was your songwriting and recording process for your last full-length album? Who produced the album for you?

Long. I was teaching music during the day and recording late at night. DTN is a concept album on the history of my family. I kind of feel like that record is the thesis I never wrote for college. I did a lot of research and talked at great lengths to members of my family to better understand why people are the way they are. My friend Todd Wright produced the record. He taught me a lot about doing what is best for the song. The disc ended up being 16 songs, but it could have been thirty (I would have been fine with that). I have no regrets. DTN needed to happen in order for me to keep making music.

Since then, you’ve kept pretty busy. Late last year, you shot some fantastic acoustic sessions with, local cinematographer, Kasey Kirby. Can you tell us a little about that experience?

Kasey is amazing. We shot that at Sucker Punch studio’s in Bethesda with my friend Mark Williams who is producing my new material. I really wanted acoustic versions of select songs from DTN. Nowadays constantly having fresh material online is really important. ALSO, the “All Hands” team members get the audio files from those recordings…

You also put out the song Live to Love in support of To Write Love On Her Arms. How important was it for you to contribute to such an important organization?

Very important. My mother battled depression her entire life and unfortunately lost the fight this past summer. There’s not a ton of sympathy for depression and associated diseases our there right now, but TWLOHA is that. It takes time and love, but there is help out there.

You’re pretty vocal on using the social media sites (Twitter/Facebook). We definitely “Like” and “Follow” you! What’s your take on how helpful these sites can be toward rising musicians?

You really have to have fun with it. I try not to take myself to seriously, there’s really no point in that. If you’re doing something involving your craft, you should have the info out there. Just make sure you believe in it — once you put it on the web it is there FOREVER for ALL to see…

You’ve got four full-length albums under your belt. Can we expect another sometime soon?

The “All Hands” team members get a new full band single from us every month. The plan is to put these songs together for a cd later in the year. I have written about 15 new songs so far and I LOVE to write, so it could be a few new cd’s this year.

Besides your busy performance schedule, what else do you have planned for 2012?

I’m getting married! My mail-order bride arrives in July.

Thanks for your time, Taylor! Anything else you want to say to the readers?

Be honest and do what you love.

For more information about Taylor Carson and his current All Hands on Deck Tour, visit his website http://www.taylorcarson.com/

You can also “Like” him on his Facebook page and “Follow” him on Twitter.

Last Thursday, The Kills played a sold out show at the 9:30 Club and it oozed of so much Rock ‘N’ Roll. They were joined by Hunters, a rock band from Brooklyn, and Nashville brothers, JEFF the Brotherhood. While the two openers were fun and rockin’, it was the moment that Jamie Hince (Hotel) and Alison Mosshart (VV) hit the stage that the crowd went absolutely nuts!

The two-piece band played a 19-song set, with a 4-song encore behind a huge cheetah print backdrop. The set was a perfect mix of the old stuff (Keep On Your Mean Side, No Wow, Midnight Boom) and their latest album, Blood Pressures! The duo also gave their fans a sweet cover of the Patsy Cline classic Crazy. Many songs were backed up by their backup drummers, who had a synchronized drum line thing going on, as well as some soulful background vocals to compliment Alison during DNA and Satellite. The crowd was captivated.

NPR streamed audio from that night, so if you couldn’t grab a ticket to the sold out show you or you WERE there and want to relive every single song again listen to it here: The Kills live at 9:30 Club.

February 14th marks the 10-year anniversary for Hince and Mosshart and it doesn’t look like the duo will be stopping any time soon.

Check out photos from the show right below!

HUNTERS

JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD

THE KILLS

Known as drummer for Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Brian “Boots” Factor has been focusing on his solo project, making him our Featured Artist of the week. After releasing his first full-length album in 2010, Boots Factor is ready and looking forward to continuing his solo efforts. We spoke to the multi-talented musician to ask about his experience in recording the last album and his plans for new music in 2012!

You’re no stranger to the DC area, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers recently played a show back in November at the 9:30 Club. What was it like to come back into DC and play that show?

No, we’re definitely not strangers to the area.  D.C.  was the first market we started hitting back in the early days of the band, whether it were shows at The Jammin’ Java or a college in or around town.  Playing that last show at the 9:30 in November was something special.  We sold the room out or were at least very close to it. And as you may or may not know, the 9:30 can move the stage up to kind of “cheat” the room (that’s why they are one of the best rooms to play in the country…). I remember headlining the room maybe 6 years ago and that stage was as far up as it could be. This time around, it was back against the wall and the room was packed. It only took us 9 years to do that. Yay for patience!

Boots Factor has been doing his own thing too. Tell us a little more about “Part Or Execution.” How has the songwriting and recording process been different coming from a band to doing your own solo work on the side?

Well, I released Part or Execution as my first full length album in the spring of 2010. The album was mostly a collection of songs that were written over the course of many years. Some were demos, a few were up for Sixers records, but were politely declined. And a few were songs I had written with my friends. The songwriting process isn’t as much different a process as it is that I’m the boss of the process. I get to say what’s good and what goes. And it’s fun to do that. I liked having the freedom to release something that was important to me. If I wanted to, I could have put a song of me flatulating into a microphone if I wanted to… I didn’t, but I could’ve!

Where did you cut the record and what producer did you work with?

I cut the record in Conway Massachusetts in a studio owned by Dave Chalfant. Dave produced an album of Stephen’s Lucky Eleven and the first Sixers record, Bullet Proof Heart. We also recorded another side project of mine called Trevor Jackson at his studio. It’s a great place to work and has the best live room I’ve ever been in and I’ve been in a lot of studios… Dave is a great player and producer and it was so much fun getting a chance to create with him one on one.

Are there any tracks off of “Part Or Execution” that you favor more over the others?

I love em all like children, but I think the ones I’ve grown to love more are the ones I thought no one would pay attention to that ended up being a majority of the listeners favorites. Once We Belonged I recorded in my living room on a dinky digital recorder and wrote the song while I was pressing record.  Meaning, the lyrics you’re hearing in the song are actually improvised. There’s one line that I just mumbled something because I didn’t have anything come to mind.  I thought people would pick up on that and not dig it, but the people I meet who actually like the record list that as their favorite. The other song would be The Killing Kind because it has cussin’ in it and I thought I would get in trouble. Turns out people relate to that song more than I thought…

I’m sure performing as a solo act is a different dynamic as opposed to playing with the Sk6ers, but how has it been to perform your own solo shows?

At first it was totally scary.  Being up front with a guitar is a totally different beast than sitting in the back playing drums. I don’t get nervous before shows that I’m playing drums in, but that first show I played solo acoustic, I thought I needed to be sedated. But you find your groove and adjust, figure out what works and what doesn’t. You get a totally different viewpoint and relationship in general with the audience. All of a sudden you can hear people chatting or you start to read people’s faces and take it all personally if something isn’t going over well. It could break you if you don’t have the constitution for it, but I think I did all right. The first show I ever did was in Singapore. It was great, because if I fucked up and made a fool of myself I could start again clean in the States.

Has there been a challenge in trying to distinguish yourself as a solo artist since the release of “Part Or Execution”?

Kind of in that all of my focus has really been with The Sixers. That’s a good problem to have though. This past summer I played some shows opening up for some friends and that was a blast, but before I knew it, it was time to go back to Sixerland and get ready for the fall tour. I hope to have some more time put aside for some Boots stuff in the future.

What’s next for Boots Factor in 2012? Can we expect another solo album in the works?

Yes, I’m in the process of releasing a new EP that I wrote and recorded with a friend of mine in Brooklyn.  It’s a little bit of a departure from what you might know as “Boots stuff”, but it was a chance to step out of my comfort zone.  I don’t think it will be labeled “Boots Factor” on iTunes or anything, we’re still trying to figure that out, but I will let you know!

Thanks for your time, Boots. Hope to see you back in DC soon! Any last words?

Thanks so much for the questions!

For more information about Boots Factor and his music visit his website http://www.bootsfactor.com/

Check out his album Part or Execution on itunes!

Enjoy!