BTR: Listen. Read. Watch.

Revolver with DJ Emily on BTR Nights

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:38 -0400

It’s Friday Night! Start the weekend off right with DJ Emily on Revolver. Only on BTR Nights.

breakthruradiotv: Chalk And Numbers - BTR Live Studio...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:56:24 -0400

Chalk And Numbers - BTR Live Studio [ep221]

Chalk and Numbers is the indie pop duo of Sable Yong and Andrew Pierce, based in Brooklyn, NY. Joined live and here in the studio by a keyboardist, bassist, and guitarist to fill out their sound and drawing heavily on the famed Phil Spector-style girl group sound, the band has a knack for carefully crafted pop songs with a timeless quality.

Featured Song: “Boy”

Chalk And Numbers’ Parade EP is available now.

Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/11cizoK

Chalk And Numbers on Bandcamp: http://chalkandnumbers.bandcamp.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/ChalkandNumbers

Twitter: @ChalkAndNumbers

Dapper Fitting Drinking Hour on BTR Nights

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:00:44 -0400

Dapper Fitting Drinking Hour on BTR Nights:

BTR News Update 5/16/13

Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:25 -0400

It’s your weekly BTR News Update! Read all about it.

BTR Pulse

CitiBike, New York City’s new bike share program, is launching in Manhattan and Brooklyn on Memorial Day. Despite early popularity of the idea, some New Yorkers have expressed unhappiness with the placement of some of the 300 bike share dock stations. This week on BTR Pulse, Lauren Hawker asks people in New York their thoughts.

Radio Dispatch

More on the DOJ’s seizing of two months of AP phone records, a new study says children are the poorest group in the United States, and listener mail.

The Daily Beat

Top Story

Yesterday Colorlines.com published an article titled “Study Finds People Of Color Nearly Invisible On Evening Cable News.”

The article’s author Jorge Rivas writes:

A new analysis released yesterday by the media monitoring group Media Matters found that evening cable news guests are overwhelmingly white and male. According to the report, titled “Diversity on Evening Cable News in 13 Charts,” women and other people of color are underrepresented as guests on evening cable news programs at MSNBC, CNN and Fox News.

Media Matters examined the guests of thirteen evening cable news shows on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News during the month of April 2013. During that time period, only 33% of MSNBC guests, 29% Fox News guests and 24% CNN guests were female. Latinos fared much worse. Only 3% of Fox News guests and 2% of CNN and MSNBC guests were Latino.

World News: Today Human Rights Watch published an article titled “Kuwait: Draft Law Threatens Free Speech.”

The article reads:

Kuwaiti authorities should amend a proposed new press law that would increase state control of the news media and further curtail the right to free speech. The draft should be revised to protect free speech, consistent with requirements under international law, not curtail it, Human Rights Watch said.

In Other News

Today The Raw Story published an article titled “LinkedIn’s anti-prostitution policy angers legal Nevada brothel owner.”

The article’s author Arturo Garcia writes:

The recent decision by professional networking site LinkedIn to bar sex workers from posting profiles has led to a disagreement between brothel owners in Nevada, where escorts can legally ply their trade, the Huffington Post reported on Wednesday.

“Are you then going to shut down Steve Wynn’s casino in Vegas, where gambling is legal?” asked Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. “Don’t paint me the same as the people who are doing things illegally.”

LinkedIn, which informed users of the new policy on Monday, now forbids escorts from using the site to look for business, a move Mustang Ranch owner Susan Austin said she supported.

“Advertising is against the state statutes and I wouldn’t allow my ladies to advertise in any form,” Austin said. “Social media is a gray area that turns ugly fast.”

Third Eye Weekly

It’s Girls Week on BTR!

On today’s episode, we chat with Amanda Marcotte, a blogger and author who has made a career of writing about feminism and politics. You can find her writing on websites like Salon, Slate, and Alternet as well as The Guardian, RH Reality Check, and Pandagon.net. You can also find her two book titles on shelves now, the first, It’s a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments, released in 2008, and her second, Get Opinionated, in 2010.

And also, you check out our full interview with power couple Cherie Lily and Andrew W.K!

breakthruradiotv: CitiBike Hits NYC - BTR Pulse...

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:01:48 -0400

breakthruradiotv:

CitiBike Hits NYC - BTR Pulse [ep129]

CitiBike, New York City’s new bike share program, is launching in Manhattan and Brooklyn on Memorial Day. Despite early popularity of the idea, some New Yorkers have expressed unhappiness with the placement of some of the 300 bike share dock stations. This week on BTR Pulse, Lauren Hawker asks people in New York their thoughts.

Featured Song: “All That I’ve Got” by Mitten

Official website for CitiBike: http://citibikenyc.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/CitibikeNYC

Twitter: http://twitter.com/CitiBikeNYC

The Night Show with DJ Audrey II

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:00:48 -0400

The Night Show with DJ Audrey II:

Get into the Night Show with DJ Audrey II on your Andrew WK Wednesday night!

Photo

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:31:40 -0400

breakthruradiotv: Third Eye: Cherie Lily + Andrew WK -...

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:05:19 -0400

breakthruradiotv:

Third Eye: Cherie Lily + Andrew WK - BreakThruTV [ep52]

BTR’s Matthew Demello and Jordan Reisman sat down with fitness guru and musician Cherie Lily and her husband, Andrew WK, a well-known musician and partier himself. The couple discussed their philosophies on life, partying, and fitness as well as their own relationship. Andrew WK’s recent selection to be a cultural ambassador for the US State Department –- which the department quashed before the gig even began -– was also explored.

Official website for Cherie Lily: http://www.cherielily.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/cherielily

Twitter: @CherieLily

Official website for Andrew WK: http://andrewwk.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/andrewwk

Twitter: @AndrewWK

basedspace: Andrew WK playing his pizza guitar with a slice of...

Wed, 15 May 2013 14:23:02 -0400

basedspace:

Andrew WK playing his pizza guitar with a slice of pizza

PARTY HARD with BTR on Andrew WK Wednesday.

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:33:04 -0400

PARTY HARD with BTR on Andrew WK Wednesday.

Andrew W.K. on BTR!

Wed, 15 May 2013 12:21:03 -0400

IT’S ANDREW W.K WEDNESDAY ON BTR! To celebrate this joyous day, here is the interview BTR’s Matthew DeMello and Jordan Reisman did with Andrew and his lovely wife and previous Discovery Artist, Cherie Lily. PARTY HARD!

State Regulations Mean Big Changes for Abortion Rights - Girls Week

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:37:57 -0400

by Dane Feldman

Four decades after the Supreme Court’s incendiary Roe v. Wade decision, abortion is still a loaded topic to discuss in this country and one of the most polarizing issues in American politics. Recently, the issue has come to represent a legislative grey area between federal and state powers, generated from the belief held by both sides of the argument, pro-choice and pro-life, that they possess the moral high ground over the other.

Although Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, states have since passed their own laws regarding abortion and when in the duration of the pregnancy it is no longer acceptable. Pro-choice and pro-life advocates are still fighting for full authority 40 years later.

As of late, the Kermit Gosnell trial fueled the already hot-button issue of state abortion laws. Unfortunately for those in support of pro-choice, Dr. Kermit Gosnell’s case is aiding red states in their fight to crack down on abortion laws.

Gosnell, an abortion doctor from Philadelphia, was found guilty yesterday of three counts of first degree murder as well as the involuntary manslaughter of a woman who died under his care. In the wake of this decision, Gosnell now faces a potential death sentence. While this trial takes place in Philadelphia, states across the US are pushing for change.

According to the Arizona Daily Sun, Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona made it clear early this May that she intends to support legislation that would keep Planned Parenthood from receiving any of the funding from Brewer’s new Medicaid expansion plan. Although Planned Parenthood currently provides family services via Medicaid, federal and state law prohibit using public money for the majority of abortions. Yet, Brewer’s apparent animosity towards Planned Parenthood and all things pro-choice means this expansion plan could pass, despite warnings that this could cost her Democrat votes.

Meanwhile, in North Dakota even more severe changes are underway. In early April, the state house approved a “measure” that would ban abortions any time after the 20th week of pregnancy, which is at least 2-4 weeks before viability is established. According to The New York Times, Gov. Jack Dalrymple intends to sign the “fetal pain” bill and has already signed a separate measure that could ban abortion any time after a heartbeat is detected which could be after just six weeks.

However restrictive North Dakota’s new rulings on abortion may sound, Forbes reports that Kansas passed the most restrictive in the country at the end of April. This new law “declares [that] the life of each human being begins at fertilization,” but because of Roe v. Wade, Kansas cannot ban abortion all together.

Instead, Gov. Sam Brownback signed an anti-abortion bill that would, in essence, make it far more difficult for women who seek abortion services by way of a new state tax code. Like most states, Kansas’ sales tax excludes taxes on prescription drugs, but this new law means taxation on prescriptions for abortion. In addition, non-profit organizations that provide care and services to women seeking abortion will now no longer be exempt from taxation. It’s possible that some health care centers may no longer offer abortions because of these new taxation laws, which means bad news all around for pro-choice women in Kansas.

In Virginia, more deliberate restrictions on abortion clinics have occurred since April. New regulations require the state’s 20 abortion clinics abide by standards set for new hospitals, which could cost anywhere around $500,000. That’s exactly what it would have cost for Hillcrest Clinic, which had been in business for 40 years — or since the passing of Roe v. Wade — but had to surrender and shut down after these new regulations were put in place and the owners could not afford the upkeep.

According to The Washington Post, what happened to Hillcrest Clinic is exactly what Virginia policy advocates hoped for when they pushed to pass this requirement. Supposedly, the combined cost of compliance is $14.5 million for 15 of the clinics. This likely means that Hillcrest Clinic won’t be the only clinic to perish in the wake of this strict new state regulation.

Meanwhile, in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is looking to change the current state abortion laws in favor of pro-choice advocates, a trend that seems fairly uncommon in recent months. According to The New York Times, the new legislation “would guarantee women in New York the right to late-term abortions when their health is in danger or the fetus is not viable.”

The new legislation would also move abortion regulations from penal law to public health law. Cuomo says, “it’s her body, it’s her choice” in his State of the State address regarding his Women’s Equality Agenda. Cuomo seems to be standing by his statements and promises to aide women’s rights in the state of New York.

The feud between pro-choice advocates and pro-life advocates has no end in sight, as both progressions and regressions have been made at the state level since the passing of Roe v. Wade. Perhaps an update on a federal level would help move abortion rights forward, but for now it appears state regulations will continue to consistently change, some for the benefit of pro-choice advocates and some in favor of pro-life advocates.

9gag: Buddhist Monks riding a roller coaster.

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:06:49 -0400

9gag:

Buddhist Monks riding a roller coaster.

"Today, believe in yourself more than ever. Believe everything is possible. Believe in the..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:25:02 -0400

“Today, believe in yourself more than ever. Believe everything is possible. Believe in the unbelievable. Believe in believing.”

- Andrew W.K. (via baconumbrella)

that-potter-guy: Grouplove covers Andrew W.K.

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:24:02 -0400

that-potter-guy:

Grouplove covers Andrew W.K.

cracked: Guess what? Pouring a bunch of Diet Mountain Dew down...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:20:17 -0400

cracked:

Guess what? Pouring a bunch of Diet Mountain Dew down your gullet won’t help your weight loss plan one whit.

5 Well-Known Tips for Healthy Eating (That Don’t Work)

#5. Diet Soda Helps You Lose Weight

The Reality:

Scientists noticed a strange trend: People who drink diet soda do not in fact lose any weight. They reason appears to have something to do with how your body processes sugar.

You see, with the exception of one organ in particular, your body is kind of a dumbass. That’s why, when you wash down your meal with a half-gallon of fake sweetness, your gut is all “Dur, sugar!” and tells your pancreas to get all revved up to process said shitload of sugar. Because your pancreas is not the sharpest tool in the shed, it starts cranking out insulin. This is a problem, since there is, in fact, no shitload of sugar to process.

Read More

Discovery Artist- Rocky and the Pressers

Tue, 14 May 2013 14:00:22 -0400

Discovery Corner

Today on the show I play the music of and talk to the Bronx, NY-based reggae group Rocky and the Pressers. They recently released their debut full-length Dance at the Playhouse. During the interview we discussed being a ska kid from Westchester, the amount of tracks they used on the mixer, and their collaboration with horn players who have played with Sharon Jones and Antibalas. Get into it!

Discovery Artist: The Article

Every band goes about creating their first record in a different way. Some sloppily throw twelve songs together that seem like they would mesh well, others fine-tune their craft and work hard at making sure that their first offering is taken seriously. Rocky and the Pressers of the Bronx, NY chose the latter with their debut Dance at the Playhouse and ensuring that their brand of reggae wasn’t overlooked by the rest of the New York reggae/rocksteady community, of which there is a solid history.

The two spokesmen of the group, Eric Sullivan and Rocky Russo, respectively had their own ska backgrounds in Westchester County. The early to mid-’00s saw an incredible boom of ska and reggae-influenced bands in the suburbs of Westchester, Long Island and parts of New York City. Bands like Daly’s Gone Wrong, The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, and the Cleavagents were all local heroes but largely unknown everywhere else.

Suddenly ska became a part of your high school experience that you were supposed to regret, but for a bit during Eric and Rocky’s talk with BTR they could reminisce about the days where ska was it.

Sullivan said, “I did…I messed around with a couple of bands from over in the Dobbs Ferry area, we used to do shows at the Dobbs Ferry Community Center.”

“I had a brief fling with ska music,” adds Russo add., “It was short lived and rough.”

The hesitation to talk about their ska pasts probably came from the fact that they were “on record” talking about being in ska bands, as admitting such normally taint any hopes for instant stardom. Either way, it just becomes a thing you can laugh about when you’re older.

As amazing as the instrumentation is on Dance at the Playhouse, none of the band members came from classically trained backgrounds, obviously they all must have flexed their music muscles covering the Reel Big Fish cover of “Take On Me” in high school. Only one member even went to school to pursue anything music-related, production. However, it seemed to be unanimous that the members of Rocky and the Pressers were involved with the high school jazz and marching bands, the other stereotype of ska pasts.

The band started in 2009. They said that the band only really took off when they started to do the tracking to their recently released debut in Maine, back in 2011. The Pressers put out what Sullivan called “a remix here and a live track there” but nothing too substantial. He said, “We kept it very low-profile and we’re still keeping it pretty low-profile.” The reason for this? No publicist.

They also attributed Mark Zuckerberg to the reason that they’re not promoting their music with full steam ahead.

Sullivan said about this, “If you try to pump something through Facebook too much, they want you to pay extra to get you on more feeds. If so and so always types ‘Rocky and the Pressers this’ and ‘Rocky and the Pressers that’, then they [Facebook] actively squash it. That’s what our keyboardist was saying, I think he’s right.”

So, in terms of promoting their new album, BTR is getting the first “inside look” at Rocky and the Pressers. In uncovering the band’s reputation in the area for an hyper-focused, obsessive attention to their music, it was intriguing to hear the Pressers’ reminisce of the laissez-faire attitude that went into creating their debut.

Sullivan comments on their creative process, “The writing was pretty fun and pretty easy and didn’t take very long. A lot of the songs were pieces of songs that I had begun writing when I was a teenager eight years ago. Taking them and finding the stuff that I said, ‘Oh, that’s not bad’ and then putting music to them, working together with Mario, Rocky and Seth was the fun part. Then doing the basic tracking was kind of an awesome time and also very challenging because we all played in one room so you have to get it right.”

Rocky on the other hand, is a bit more hands-on in terms of production value.

Russo said, “We maxed out the mixer for most songs which is 48 tracks: a lot of strings, horns…”

The record is 13 songs with 48 tracks each, which all adds up to a unique aura of effortless perfectionism.

About the band’s supposed dogged work ethic and focus, Sullivan said, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard about us. We totally work harder than a lot of band’s work. We hold a really high standard, we rehearse a lot, and the stuff is complicated and requires a lot of rehearsal.”

The band even has a screening process for members as they hand select each Presser, skipping the whole “putting up fliers” aspect of putting together a crew.

Somewhere in the mix of the 48 tracks are accompanying horn parts played by Daptone Records elites and members of BTR favorites Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings as well as Antibalas. They were what Sullivan called, “the cream of the crop,” and were made available to the Pressers through friends of friends.

Russo said about the studio players, “They understand that soulful, old-style that we’re going for in some of the arrangements as well as the tonalities and timbre.”

Though Dance at the Playhouse is technically reggae, the band’s harmonies help their sound encompass an impressive recipe of genres including American folk and soul.

Sullivan said about this willingness to expand the genre, “Well first of all, traditional reggae is harmonically based on vamps, like two chords for the verse and two chords for the chorus, two chords for the whole song. There’s also a lot of reggae that’s totally complicated. So I think with the songwriting, the chord changes and the content isn’t very purist.”

Russo adds, “The format and the rhythms are [traditional] but the harmonic structure and some of the song structure stuff is a little bit more ambitious.”

Another difference is their overall message, which for reggae has been traditionally revolutionary. Rocky’s is a little bit different. A group-approved email message touched on this unique approach: whole band:

“You have to remember that although popular reggae music - Marley especially - often has a political revolutionary aesthetic, there is also quite a lot of reggae that does not. A lot of bands have capitalized on that imagery of the reggae artist as a righteous political agitator and often it doesn’t come off as particularly genuine. Our lyrics sometimes contain critical commentary and social commentary but we try to stray a bit from some of the themes in reggae that are repeated to the point of banality, like smoking weed and citing political grievances. Reggae greats like Marley have already said that stuff better than we or anyone else following in their footsteps ever could.”

Quite possibly the first reggae band in existence to break away from the influence of marijuana, Rocky and the Pressers have made it clear that they have no need to preach about the “done to death” Rastafarian issues. They have their own, distinctly musical, agenda to push.

Get ready for tomorrow…

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:24:33 -0400

Get ready for tomorrow…

breakthruradiotv: The Blank Tapes - BTR Live Studio...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:12:44 -0400

breakthruradiotv:

The Blank Tapes - BTR Live Studio [ep220]

Shades of classic rock and 50’s/60’s pop permeate The Blank Tapes’ stoner/pych-rock vibes. Hailing from San Francisco, Matt Adams is a prolific songwriter — not to mention a talented visual artist — with a timeless approach to music. Now in perhaps its leanest and strongest form yet, The Blank Tapes are a trio these days, featuring Adams along with girlfriend/resident-Moe Tucker-style-drummer Pearl Charles, and D.A. Humphrey on bass, and they’re ready to spread their songs across the land, taking us all on Vacation.

Featured Song: “Don’t Ever Get Old”

The Blank Tapes’ new album, Vacation, is available today from Antenna Farm Records.

Complete broadcast and radio playlist: http://b-t-r.co/12Lh8rt

Official Website for The Blank Tapes: http://theblanktapes.com/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/blanktapes

Twitter: @theblanktapes

nevver: Zach Driftwood

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:42:23 -0400

nevver:

Zach Driftwood