Author Archive

Music Marathon(ing)

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Attention music lovers! CMJ descends on NYC this week. To celebrate, we asked local Music Producer Ryan Fitch (who happens to be speaking on a CMJ panel today) to put together a list of the best free or badge-not-required shows to see. He even put together a Spotify playlist of emerging artists playing the festival. Enjoy!

The CMJ Music Marathon is exactly what it sounds like – a five-day free-for-all of live music. From October 16-20, hundreds of acts (some established, but most looking to make their big breakout) will descend upon New York City to make a mark. And the event has a solid track-record; Prior buzz-mongers include Santigold in 2007, Lady Gaga in 2008, Mumford & Sons in 2009 and Kendrick Lamar in 2011, so the career-making potential isn’t just a ploy to sell tickets/badges.

With so many showcases and bands to keep track of, it’s impossible to sample everything. To simplify things, we’ve scoured the lineups and plucked out our favorite up-and-comers. We know it’s a marathon, but here the 5 emerging pop acts we’ll be sprinting to see.

DIIV

// WHERE TO SEE THEM: 10/18 @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg //
Formerly known as Dive, this four-piece led by Brooklyn musician Z. Cole Smith are like the lovechild of the Stone Roses and Mazzy Star hoped up on Adderall. Their sound is dreamy, psychedelic and languid, but played at chattering, dance floor-ready BPM. Their new album, Oshin, has been championed by Pitchfork, Stereogum and Fuse, and is an absolute must-have.

ELECTRIC GUEST

// WHERE TO SEE THEM: Windish Showcase 10/21 @ Mercury Lounge //
How good is L.A. soul/rock duo Electric Guest? Enough to get reclusive producer Danger Mouse to not only produce their entire debut album ‘Mondo,’ but write a 1,200-word missive on his website explaining why he loved, and wanted to work with, the band. The group has been festival mainstays this past year, drawing from influences as diverse as Blonde Redhead, French cult pop legend Serge Gainsbourg and ’90s West Coast rap group Souls of Mischief.

DOLDRUMS

// WHERE TO SEE THEM:  10/17 @ Mercury Lounge //
It has been a banner year for disorienting Canadian electro-pop, and following on the heels of Grimes (whose ‘Visions’ is one of the year’s finest albums) comes Toronto producer Airick Woodhead – aka Doldrums. Woodhead has already released an EP, and while he’s still working on full-length debut, he’s fixing to drop ‘She Is a Wave,’ a dizzying single whose sampled beats, shrieking synths and tummy-punch bass will leave you feeling upside down and underwater. And since Woodhead tours with a proper backing band, it should sound great in the clubs.

DEAP VALLY

// WHERE TO SEE THEM: 10/18 @ Bowery Ballroom //
The two women who comprise the rock-brut garage duo Deap Vally claim to be “like, totally” proud Valley Girls from California, who bonded over a mutual love of crochet. It’s more likely, though, judging from a wickedly acerbic feminist screed like “Gonna Make My Own Money”(which owes a musical debt to the White Stripes and Jon Spencer), that the prickly pair may have their tongues planted firmly in cheek.

HUNDRED WATERS

// WHERE TO SEE THEM: 10/18 @ Brooklyn Bowl //
From the fertile, gently electronic scene of Gainesville, Florida floats Hundred Waters, an avant-folk five-piece that somehow became the latest signees to Skrillex’s label OWSLA and unlikely Full Flex Express touring partners of Diplo and Pretty Lights.

Category: Events, Music

Musicology

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Ryan Fitch is a Music Producer @ SaatchiNY. In addition to the work he does here, you can often find him playing drums for some awesome bands like Son Lux & Mitten. Since he DOES spend his days scouring the world for great music, we’ve enlisted him to share some of the stuff he’s most excited about for 2012.

In 2011, it seemed new music releases were coming in by the boat load.  There were a lot of releases by established bands on most music aficionado’s radars (m83, Jay-Z and Kanye, The Black Keys, Bon Iver), as well as many pleasant newcomer surprises that popped up throughout the year (Deer Tick, Youth Lagoon, The Weeknd, SBTRKT). For those of you with Spotify – here’s a playlist of some of my favorite tracks from 2011.

Thankfully, it’s looking like 2012 will to be another big year for new music.  Here’s a list of albums I’m looking forward to checking out in the coming months.

FANFARLO  [SHINY THINGS]

“Shiny Things” is the first single from Rooms Filled with Light (2/28, via WMG).  The new album from London band Fanfarlo, arrives next month.  This song features pounding rhythms and subtle electronic accents alongside the band’s familiar harmonies and soaring arrangements.   Hopefully, it’s a precursor to how great the rest of the album is going to be!

tUnE-yArDs [TBA]

This is project comes from New England native Merrill Garbus.   When performing live, Garbus creates drum loops on the spot, and layers ukulele, voice, bass and other percussion instruments.  It’s tribal and soulful and like nothing you ever heard before.

The Above (amazing) performance of “You Yes You” was filmed a few months ago for Jimmy Kimmel.

MAZZY STAR [TBA]

Mazzy Star released their new single in October 2011, but the album is rumored to be released sometime later this year.   This is the first material from her in over 15 years.  Despite all the speculation and doubts around if she’s actually finished with the new record . . . I have a feeling this might be a really big 2012 release.

ANDREW BIRD  [Break It Yourself (Out March 6, via Mom + Pop)]

Andrew Bird has been very prolific in the last 12 months.  Besides writing new material for films  (Norman and The Muppets) he’s also been working on his 6th solo album, which should be released in March.  I was just given a sneak peak and it’s beautiful!  Here’s a beautiful track from the Norman soundtrack called “Night Sky.”

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE – [TBA]

Inspired by ambient textures, bursts of noise, folky sing-a-longs, psychedelic explorations and a love of melody, Animal Collective is always pushing the musical envelope.   It seems they have recently returned to the studio and will be releasing their 9th studio album sometime later this year.  Looking forward to seeing what new musical territory they explore next.

This new mind-bending video for “Bluish” is now posted on their site.

AIR – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Out Feb 7, via Astralwerks)

“Seven Stars” is a new song from Air and will appear on the soundtrack of colored version film “Le Voyage Dans La Lune”. The song features lovely vocals from Victoria Legrand (Beach House) and is a haunting, galactic and beautiful ballad.

OTHER STUFF TO LOOK OUT FOR

Other releases that stand to be great this year include The xx, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear and Phoenix.   Be on the look out for our Saatchi & Saatchi New Music Review series in the up coming months to get a chance to hear some of these and other new albums.

Also helpful is this link for all the official release dates scheduled for Q1 this year.

Category: Music, Our People

New Fall Music

Wednesday, September 7th, 2011

Ryan Fitch is a Music Producer @ SaatchiNY. In addition to the work he does here, you can often find him playing drums for some awesome bands in NYC like Son Lux & Mitten. Since he DOES spend his days scouring the world for great music, we’ve enlisted him to share some of the stuff he’s most excited about for the fall. We’d also love to hear what you’re listening to. Let us know through the comment section or via the “contribute” button at the bottom right hand of your screen.

I’ve been listening to hundreds of new albums this summer of emerging artists of all sorts of shapes and sizes.   Here are some of my favorites that really stood out …

THE NAKED AND THE FAMOUS

The Naked and Famous is a New Zealand indie rock band from Auckland.  They have a great sound that fills the void between MGMT, Shiny Toy Guns and James Blake.   Big buzzy synth bass and cool hooky melodies; these guys have a great vibe that is really infectious.

ST. VINCENT

St Vincent is a very unique artist who has an incredible way to balance extreme contrast like being cute with being grotesque or having things sound rigid against sounds that are totally shapeless.   This is her 3rd studio album and is official out September 13 and I’m really excited to hear more of it.

GOTYE

Gotye plays drums, percussion and piano and he writes, sings and produes tracks at his home, currently in Victoria, Australia.  Gotye’s sound is a melting pot of samples from sources far and wide, and really passionate and interesting to listen to.

UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA

Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Little Blu House’ from 4eyes on Vimeo.

Portland based Unknown Mortal Orchestra are starting to get a lot of attention on the music blogs.   They bring break-beats together with 70s pop harmonies and minimal Krautrock rhythm section in a kaleidoscopic sort of way.

Category: Music, Our People

See It Live

Wednesday, April 20th, 2011

Our very own Ryan Fitch was recently named as one of the top ad agency music producers by NARIP.  Outside the office he drums for some awesome bands in NYC, including Son Lux & Mitten. But since he spends his days scouring the world for great music, we’ve enlisted him to share some of his favorite venues for new live music in NYC.

GLASSLANDS GALLERY
289 Kent Ave // Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Glasslands Website

One of the best venues in Williamsburg

Located in a gritty industrial art space with a tiny bar area so it’s not the best of venue layouts. Despite that, Glasslands is a place of “experiential” artistry.  Karen O and Thurston Moore have hosted concerts there and the odds of hearing music that will blow your mind and make a lasting impression is good.

ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL
196 Allen Street // NYC
Website

Great venue, great musicians

The Rockwood Music Hall is a beautiful and intimate space with one of the best sounding PA systems in the city. A welcoming space for singer-song writers, this relaxed atmosphere also tends to attract top-notch musicians.  It gets crowded easily so make sure to get there early!

THE JAZZ GALLERY
290 Hudson Street // NYC
Jazz Gallery Website

It's a small space . . . but worth showing up early to

Located almost directly across the street from SaatchiNY, the non-touristy and non-pretentious Jazz Gallery is a no-frills venue. Duck in to hear some of the best jazz legends and young lions in the city.

BOWERY BALLROOM
6 Delancey Street // NYC
Bowery Ballroom Website

A great spaced for up and coming buzz bands

The Bowery’s event calendar is like a who’s who of today’s buzz bands. With a capacity of 550 you can always find a good spot to scope out what the fuss is all about.

UNION HALL
702 Union Street // Park Slope, Brooklyn
Union Hall Website

Rock at Union Hall

From bands touring internationally, cool new local bands, comedy shows (Eugene Mirman does regular shows here), to theater and other artistically inclined performances – Union Hall is clearly very eclectic. They might not have the best sound system, but the venue makes up for it with a plethora of new talent coming in and out, not to mention it’s great vibe and atmosphere.

And one final tip: check out OhMyRockness for up coming shows at these venues and others around the city.

Category: Events, Music, New York

Music for 2011.

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Watch out for Pepper Rabbit in 2011

Ryan Fitch is a Music Producer @ SaatchiNY. He’ll be speaking on a panel at the 45th annual MIDEM festival in Cannes this month, and in addition to the work he does here, you can often find him playing drums for some awesome bands in NYC, including Son Lux & Mitten. Since he DOES spend his days scouring the world for great music, we’ve enlisted him to share some of the stuff he’s most excited about for 2011. We’d also love to hear what you’re listening to this year. Let us know through the comment section or via the “contribute” button at the bottom right hand of your screen.

At the request of the H/H team, I’ve put together a list of my top new bands to keep an eye on in 2011. 2010 was a really interesting year for music with new musical ground broken in all most every genre. It’s still early to tell . . . but 2011 is off to a great start! Hope you enjoy the music.

THE BAND – Baths
THE TRACK – “Hall”

THE BAND – Vandaveer
THE TRACK– “Fistful of Swoon”

THE BAND – Gayngs
THE TRACK – “City of Music”

THE BAND – Pepper Rabbit
THE TRACK – “Harvest Moon

THE BAND – Lindsay Ray
THE TRACK – A Medley

Category: Creative, Music, New York, Our People

King St. Q&A with Ryan Fitch

Friday, November 5th, 2010

Ryan Fitch hard at work at his other job . . . playing drums

Ryan Fitch is a Music Producer @ SaatchiNY. He’ll be speaking on a panel at the 45th annual MIDEM festival in Cannes in January, and in addition to the work he does here, you can often find him playing drums for exciting bands in NYC, including Son Lux & Mitten. If you’d like to learn more about Ryan, feel free to check out his LinkedIn page.

What do you do at Saatchi & Saatchi?

Music Producer (sometimes engineer and sometimes music booking manager and sometimes roadie).

Your first job?

My first job was mowing lawns in my hometown Zionsville, Indiana trying to make money so I could buy music equipment.

What led you on the path you’re on today?

I’ve always been involved in music, first as a percussionist and then later on as engineer, producer, and manager. I feel lucky (and somewhat cursed) that it’s what I’ve always wanted to do and I’ve been able to make a career out of it.

Current desktop?

Favorite YouTube video?

U2’s unreleased music video for ‘Window in the Skies’. It gives me chills every time I watch it.

What’s your best “nothing is impossible” story?

There was a Dodo’s song that we licensed for a spot a few years ago that was a feat to make happen. The editor cut the rough version in a way that everybody loved the song and it worked as the lynch pin to the spot.

As we moved forward though, we started hitting snags. There was a distorted trombone note that was described as ‘farty’ that we were asked to remove. The band was out of the country, so we couldn’t the original session file, so we had to work with a stereo master. We went to an engineer who couldn’t work it out, but I knew that it was possible. I took the track to my home audio studio in Brooklyn, found the equivalent trombone part without distortion and fit it in without sounding unnatural or edited.

THEN, right before we had the band sign the license agreement they had a change of heart and wanted to pull out and not let us use this song. Dubs had been made and the tapes were already being shipped to Las Vegas for an important share holders meeting.  After a lot of discussion, they finally agreed to let us license their song and when it aired the response was tremendously positive and they gained a lot of new fans and very happy.

Tell us something surprising about yourself:

I moonlight as a private detective. Haha… j/k I’ve been watching too much Bored To Death lately.

What are your Lovemarks?

Vespas and Apple gadgets!

Favorite childhood television program?

The Monkees

What’s your favorite creative pursuit?

Collaboration. I love working on new projects with new people and surrounding myself with talented people to (hopefully) make really cool stuff.

What do you do for fun?

Scoot around on my Vespa and explore New York.

What blogs, magazines, books, papers or websites can you not live without?

Mostly music related stuff.

Gizmodo, The Daily Swarm, Pitchfork, Stereogum, Oh My Rockness, NPR Music, Hype Machine, Drowned in Sound, Ears of the Beholder, Bleep, Said the Gramophone, FlavorPill, Permanent Wave, Bands & Brands . . . which is not to be confused with Brands Bands Fans, and Music Supervision Central

Have you ever won a trophy?

I got first place in Pine Wood Derby (Boy Scouts) one year!

Book that you’re currently reading:

Keith Richard’s new autobiography “Life”

A guilty pleasure for me is:

Listening and enjoying really catchy pop music like Ke$ha’s ‘Tik Tok’.

What do you think the greatest invention is in your lifetime and why?

There have been so many amazing digital inventions that there’s too many to name.   I guess my favorite would be the digital camera.   Sadly, I never really took and kept pictures until I got one.

Favorite artist/musician/designer?

Miles Davis.  He was such a musical innovator and somebody that was constantly exploring new creative territory.

When’s the last time you gave a standing ovation?

This is a hard one.  I give standing ovations all the time.   I like to support people and their creative efforts.

If you weren’t at Saatchi & Saatchi, what profession would you most like to try?

I’d be an electrician I think.  Something very practical and something that doesn’t deal with all the eccentric creative types.

My best/favorite Halloween costume was:

I dressed up as a keg of beer one year complete with a working tap!

Category: Creative, King St. Q&A, Lovemarks, New York, Our People

Saatchi & Son Lux

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

 

Looking for something fun (and free!) to do with your Thursday night? Look no further than Celebrate Brooklyn! – the amazing summer concert series going down in the Prospect Park Bandshell. I will be drumming with NPR’s Best New Artist of 2008 and widely acclaimed electronic composer, Son Lux. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m a Music Producer at Saatchi & Saatchi NY, where I do my best to use my powers for good - trying to introduce the world to great musicians through TV Spots. See: The Dodos.

The Son Lux set, co-produced by Lottdance, has been specifically produced for this event, and brings together seven remarkable young musicians and eight of the city’s finest dancers. Son Lux will perform new arrangements from his debut, At War With Walls and Mazes, which earned him the title of NPR’s Best New Artist in 2008, his recently released Weapons EP, as well as new, unreleased material arranged specially for this performance. Curious about what Son Lux sounds like? Check out this video . . . then come see the show.

Gates open at 7
Shows starts promptly at 8

Bring a picnic… Hope to see you there!

-Ryan Fitch

Category: Events, Our People