WUD Music » Brandon Clementi

No Hope Kids

ptilley — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:46:30 +0000

Yeah, yeah, yeah. We’re like 3 days late on this one, brah.

This video makes me nostalgic for Spring ’09, aka pre-WAVVES meltdown, when the hopes and dreams of lo-fi music rested on Nathan Williams’ shoulders.

-Patrick

Committee Member of the Week

ptilley — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:53:10 +0000

Brandon Clementi

How did you get started on music committee?

Patrick sold it to me at SOAR. He actually told my mom that it was way better than joining WSUM and I listened.

What drives you to get involved as a member of the music committee?

I enjoy getting involved because it makes me feel productive–I get way more gratification out of flyering than doing homework (haha).

What is your fondest memory of the year thus far?

Meeting the amazingly diverse people on Music Committee. There are so many incredible personalities in this group.

If there was one band you could book who would it be?

Voxtrot.

What song is currently running through your head or on your mind?

TV on the Radio’s ‘Ambulance’. “Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun…”

Five Times August Review

ptilley — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 23:10:33 +0000

Five Times August capped off a weekend of interesting experiments in Der Rathskeller. On Friday night for Los Campesinos! we tried to see how many people we could fit in Der Rathskeller and how sweaty, noisy, chaotic one mass of people could get.

credit Ed Oliver from Muzzle of Bees

On Saturday, Brad Skistimas, mastermind behind Five Times August, represented the converse (or maybe the control): a quiet singer-songwriter wooing a small subdued crowd of pre-twenty-somethings, who just kind of sat there. Der Rathskeller went from a steaming, ebbing and flowing fun house to a quaint sort of living room overnight. (see: German beer hall turned nursery)

Highlights of the night:

My introduction of Skistimas written by the band’s manager which included references to MTV’s The Hills and Lifetime’s Army Wives: dramatic pauses after the announcement of both television shows (per committee member Scott Janowiak’s advice) resounded in applause and roar, the most energy from the crowd all night.

At one point in the night, after Skistimas played his seemingly “big hit,” a group of people sitting front row and center, got up to leave with about 30 minutes left in the set, prompting Skistimas to call them “douche bags” and advising them to “have a few drinks and then drive home.” It was refreshing to see such grit from such a laid back performer who presented himself with no frills.

Maybe Der Rathskeller would have been more crowded if Jessica Simpson and Rascal Flatts weren’t playing at the Kohl Center at the same time.

Here are some more photos from the show courtesy of committee member Brigid Hogan:

Brandon Clementi rockin’ the mic and tearin’ up the dance floor (no jokes):