The Annual Rochester International Jazz Festival has commenced, bringing bougie people out of the suburbs and into downtown Rochester to listen to loads of jazz..and Smash Mouth. However, each year there seems to be some gems hidden in the schedule, this years’ being Susanna and the Magical Orchestra. The Norwegian duo which consists of Susanna Wallumrød (vocals) and Morten Qvenild (piano) has been playing slow lush pop since 2000. Susanna and the Magical Orchestra have never toured in America, so that makes this show extra special, and probably your only chance to catch them in this area for a very long time.

Best known for their beautiful covers which are completely given new form, the duo has released three albums to date, one of which is comprised solely of covers. While I love mostly any take on Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart”, I must say Susanna’s may be the best. They first got the spotlight through for their 2004 single, “Jolene” (originally by Dolly Parton), featured on their album Lists of Lights and Buoys. Their latest release, simply titled 3, came out late last year to rave reviews and is a return to original songwriting (with the exception of a beautiful Roy Harper cover). The collection of songs is beautiful yet dark with gorgeous electronic arrangements. Check out “Palpatine’s Dream below, for proof!

Susanna and Morten take the stage of the Lutheran Church this Friday the 18th at 7:30 with a second show at 9:30. If you bought a club pass, just get there a bit early- if you lack a pass at all, you can purchase tickets in advance or just show up early and grab some at the door!

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Who’s Dancing All Around?: A Look Back on my Mates of State Fandom

I’ll be honest…the original reason I started listening to Mates of State was because my best friend, Brian, found pictures of them online and thought they looked exactly like us. Our interest peaked further upon hearing their 2003 song “Ha Ha” (Listen Below). The song was like an instant whisper from the Gods and right then and there we fell in love with our musical doppelgangers.  We wrote to them via email and sent them numerous dance videos in the months that followed to convey our admiration for their work and prove our devotion as fans.

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The  ethereal electro pop duo Phantogram, who hail from Saratoga Springs (Holla! Upstate NY!), have recently stopped by Daytrotter to record a few songs. Among those recorded was the recently remixed“Mouthful of Diamonds” as well as a creepy new take on “When I’m Small.” Check it out below.

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The piano pop trio Jukebox the Ghost will be taking the stage with Drink Up Buttercup and The Demos in Rochester this Friday (tomorrow!) at the Waterstreet Music Hall.  Hailing from D.C./Philadelphia, Ben Thornewill, Tommy Seigel and Jesse Kristin have created an infectious sound that is sure to put a smile on any listeners face.  While the band is often compared to Ben Folds, both vocally and because of their piano-centric tunes, this is a lazy comparison.  First of all…  all three members of Jukebox are about 10x more attractive than 3 Ben Folds put together.  But on a more musical note — while there may be vocal similarities between Thornewill (who splits the vocal duties with Seigel) and Ben Folds, Jukebox’s upbeat sound is more akin to Mika.  Rainbows and fantastical cartoons seem more in line with the band’s vibe, even if their lyrics are often on the more serious side.

Another reason to check this band out: their 2008 cover of Ace of Base’s “It’s a Beautiful Life” (a skipster favorite).  An affinity for Ace of Base usually indicates personality, so they have our vote of confidence! Check it out below!

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Tickets are $10 in advance, with a 16+ age limit (sorry 15 year oldz!). Doors open at 7, show starts at 8.

Astralworks/DFA recording artist Free Energy will be stopping by Ithaca this Friday to help orchestrate an evening of  nostalgia inducing rock. With their wonderful use of cowbell, 70s-esque aesthetic, carefree lyrics, and poppy guitar riffs, Free Energy is undoubtedly the choice soundtrack for a summer night in Ithaca. The band’s debut release Stuck on Nothing, which was produced by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) was praised heavily by critics at Pitchfork and the Onion alike,  with the Onion citing, “Even on tracks that, on the surface, might seem a bit hokey, Free Energy succeeds with loose enthusiasm and unbridled confidence.”

The band, who sprung to life in Philadelphia, is currently on tour with Jukebox the Ghost and Drink Up Buttercup — however, for their night in Ithaca, Free Energy will be playing alongside local fav. Hubcap. Also on Friday, while Free Energy is in Ithaca, Jukebox and Drink Up will be playing in Rochester at Water St. where Free Energy will be playing next week on the 16th with Mates of State. Confused? Here’s the sparknotes:

June 11 - Free Energy in Ithaca
June 11 - Jukebox the Ghost. Drink Up Buttercup, and the Demos in Rochester
June 16 – Free Energy and Mates of State in Rochester.

Tickets for the Free Energy Ithaca show are available now in advance for a mere $8, or you can get them at the door for a smidgen more. The show starts at 8! For tickets to the Mates of State show in Rochester, which is happenin’ thanks to the wonderful 90.5 FM WBER,  head over here.

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As you know, we love  sleigh bells (maybe a bit too much, even). Here are some aw3s0Me remixes we stumbled across! Now if only someone would remix a/b machines…..

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The National and Atlas Sound playing together makes sense to me, as does Martha Wainwright playing alongside her brother Rufus. But all four together? Not so much….Nonetheless, leave it to the city of Buffalo, NY to pull out this tomfoolery on June 18th, as these four acts will come forward to participate in this year’s Rockin’ at the Knox. All proceeds from the concert go to the Albert-Knox Art Gallery.

Tickets are a bit pricey at $4o in advance and $45 at the door- but hey, I guess you could argue it’s a great cause. Personally I’m interested to see what strange mix of people this lineup is going to beckon.

Also playing: Acme Nipple; Caitlin and Jamie Moses Band; Linda McRae, ex Spirit of the West, and Jim Whitford; and Djck. Apparently the show is outside considering the warning of “Rain or Shine”– however last time I heard this statement at a National Concert (Ithaca 2007) the show stopped three songs in due to horrendous thunder so buyers beware.

Details here.

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As promised here’s the skipster guide to Ithaca Festival, starting with tomorrow and ending with Sunday Evening (yes I know that excludes last night and tonight- sorry, I was tired..). As you Ithacans know, Ithaca is a pretty different place with the unpredictable weather, gorgeous land and sights, and the bountiful eccentric citizens (pink panty man, anyone?). That said- the Ithaca Festival is when the town bands together for one weekend each year to celebrate this town in which we live in. With that comes a shitload of music…so, check out our picks/schedule below!
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Local folker Emily Arin’s annual subscription series is back, with newest track “Say” which came out this week. Subscribe now, over at Arin’s site and receive a new song each month (meaning you’d get”Say” immediately). “Say” reminds me of what would happen if Laura Veirs’s vocal melodies and prowess ate Sharon Van Etten’s lovely voice. To say the least, this song is a definite highlight and new chapter in the Emily Arin catalog. Word from Emily is that there were some bumps in the road with the upcoming album and there still are some recording sessions to do- that said we can’t wait to hear the Brian McTear produced LP. Hopefully early fall? We’ll keep you posted.

Check out a clip of “Say” above and personal favorite “Hidden Flame” below.

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Sorry for being off the radar for awhile. Here’s what’s up. Graduation just happened (yes I’m that old)..so things have been immensely busy- also Ive just started a terrible part-time job so I can keep paying for bandwidth, etc. So yes- hectic indeed. However, our night at Pixel was a blast, thanks to the 100+ people that came out to dance, we’ll have some pics and remixes posted soon. Watch out this summer for more skipster DJ nights… What else?

Well the Ithaca Festival is this weekend, with music a plenty..Rochester’s Jazz Festival is around the bend and at least 3 acts that are worth seeing are playing, so I’ll give the scoop on that in a bit.

So sit tight…we’re back in action.