Have you been searching your entire life for a concert experience that is as awesome and diverse as WPRB? Well you need to look no further than our home state of New Jersey, as the All Points West festival in Jersey City has delivered again. In its second year, the festival boasted the headliners of Jay-Z, Tool, and Coldplay, with daily line-ups that made even our music senses tingle. Furthermore, it is the first festival of its size to have the entire show filmed in 3D, using brand new technology from Cinedigm. Although the weekend’s weather was unpredictably harsh, ushering in Woodstock-reminiscent ponchos and mudslides, the fun just could not be rained out. So grab a cup of coffee, lean back in your recliner, and read on as I tell you the tale of the second annual All Points West festival.

All Points West is the east coast’s largest festival, drawing almost 75,000 people over three days. Unlike some other festivals, it does not allow entrants to pitch tents or stay overnight, leaving the focus on the music. Not to leave out any details, there were a number of pieces of artwork adorning the park, including a fiber-optic mirror-crested fountain, a shaded misting oasis crafted from wooden crates, and an amorphous lavender-tinted “solar pavilion.” However, this festival was all about the performers.

Friday

New this year, each day was brought in by a string of comedic acts, with the first day featuring the comedians Bo Burnham, Eugene Mirman, and Arj Barker. Following months of doing almost nothing, I was able to walk shuffle between the enormous distances between stages to catch most of the musical acts. The music started almost immediately as the Heartless Bastards attracted an indie rock crowd on the Bullet Stage, while The Knux tore up the main stage, the Blue Comet Stage, bringing fans up on the stage to dance and “put it in the air.”

Shortly after, I was able to experience one of the most interesting acts of the day, Shearwater, who played an entrancing set with members trading and picking up different instruments between nearly every song while singer Jonathan Meiberg’s Celtic vocals led the pack – definitely an act not to miss. As they lured in fans, Seasick Steve played his 3-string guitar on the main stage, getting the audience dancing with the tap of his foot, and holding dearly his bottle of Jack Daniels in between songs. I was able to catch a bit of Telepathe, two energetic girls playing psychedelic electronic music, before hurrying over to see Fleet Foxes, definitely one of the highlights of the day.

Their chorus of voices and celestial sounds seemed to awaken the gods, as dark clouds set in and the rain started for the day. “I feel like we’re a guild of wizards here to deliver an ominous warning,” joked frontman Robin Pecknold. Although the drizzles set in, the fun continued with indie band Ra Ra Riot delivering a lively and overall fun set of songs, complimented by the sight of two female string players, and the National had me tapping my foot to their good old American music. For the remainder of the day, one of the two second stages was dominated by popular hip-hop acts Organized Konfusion, Pharcyde, and Q-Tip. Not exactly my style, but they seemed to keep the audience going for hours on end.

The other second stage, the Queen of the Valley stage, featured multi-instrumentalist Xavier Rudd, popular LA rock band Carolina Liar, and ended with a number of hip hop/electronic acts. The nonstop dance music turned All Points West into a rave, with Flying Lotus, Peanut Butter Wolf, and hit duo MSTRKRFT, who kept the audience alive into the night until the city curfew put an end to the fun. Meanwhile, on the main stage, the band Vampire Weekend gave the audience what they were looking for after almost two hours of non-stop rain, turning the park grounds into a giant pit of mud. However, Vampire Weekend, who I was seeing for the first time, lifted my spirits with their lively and popular rock music, ending their set with a rendition of “Walcott” as their very own ode to Jersey.

After the rain stopped, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stole the show and had the audience screaming as vocalist Karen O tore up the stage with her piercing and smooth voice. My personal favorite from them was a beautiful acoustic performance of their hit song “Maps.” Finally came the headliner, Jay Z, an artist not usually played on WPRB. He was a last-minute performer, filling in for the Beastie Boys, who couldn’t make it due to MCA’s recent cancer diagnosis. However, I must say that I was surprised with the quality of Jay-Z’s performance, bringing a full band on stage and enough energy for everyone in the audience of however many 20,000 people. As I left on Friday, I may have brushed a little dirt off of my shoulders, but my feet were nonetheless covered in mud.

Jay-Z, larger than life.

Saturday

Good news came Friday night for concertgoers, as the All Points West management allowed Friday ticketholders to come back either Saturday or Sunday for free because of the weather, just out of the good of their hearts, so a round of applause to them for actually caring about the audience. Thankfully Saturday started out with the sun shining, and the beautiful weather kept the day enjoyable, although the muddy grounds were just as gross as the day before. The comedians of the day included Jim Jeffries, Judah Freelander, and TV Duo Tim & Eric. Meanwhile, I took the chance to checkout Brooklyn locals Black Gold, an up-and-coming band whom I really enjoyed and had the chance to meet later in the day. Their performance was highly entertaining, as several girls painted in gold threw beach balls into the growing audience, and they kept the energy all throughout the weekend by offering ever-popular free massages at their own air-conditioned tent, the only band to have their own tent. Following them was a very melodic performance by …And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, sporting two drummers for that extra bit of LOUD.  The main stage featured the local stylings of the White Rabbits and a very hardcore performance by Cage the Elephant, as the frontman showed off his screaming vocal abilities.

Crystal Castles singer Alice Glass gets the party started.

Following them, the Cool Kids kept it cool with the main stage’s hip hop for the day. Speaking of hip hop, Ice-T made a surprise appearance as a backup rapper for performer Kool Keith. Enjoying his time as a hypeman, Ice-T also performed some of his own songs a cappella, to a huge audience response. They were followed by St. Vincent’s airy vocals and glassy guitars, with female-fronted folk group Neko Case finishing the day’s set. On the Queen of the Valley Stage, I was able to check out Chairlift, with their angelic dual vocals and synth-filled soundspace, as they belted out slow-aced yet heart-pounding  electro rock. Following them, popular young group Tokyo Police Club was a great indie break in the electronic music of the stage, keeping it lively and rocking. However, Crystal Castles stole the show with a barrage of bright strobe lights and their recognizable electronic music that had everybody dancing.

Gogol Bordello's Eugene Hutz keeps it real.

Over on the main stage, the Arctic Monkeys played a great set, which was to be expected, but Ukranian group Gogol Bordello took the cake for the night with possibly the most enjoyable performance of the festival. Their gypsy music consisting of accordions, violins, and folk guitar was transformed on stage by pounding drums and the insurmountable energy of singer Eugene Hutz, easily matched by the rest of the band. I must admit that his performance had my hands in the air and my old feet doing new tricks.

I was not able to catch the next show by My Bloody Valentine, but from what I heard they were unimpressive at best, although I’m sure fans enjoyed them all the same. The headliner for the day was the unclassifiable Tool whose performance was, in a word, metal. Their performance was loud and heart stopping, with frontman Maynard Keenan remaining in the back of the stage, while gruesome artistic videos covered the stage and screens. I left this overwhelming performance with only The Ting Tings ringing out on second stage to cheer me up.

Sunday

Sunday, the third and final day of the festival, started with a bang. Of thunder and lightning. As soon as I arrived at the festival, eager to head over to the press tent for an interview, the rain came pouring down and the gates remained closed. A few minutes later, the entire crowd was forced into the nearby ferry terminal as part of safety precautions due to the storms. But fans waited patiently for the comforting voice of the police megaphone, assuring us all that the show would go on. The gates finally opened about three hours later, a little after 4, and the crowd rushed in to the giant mudpit once more.

Brian Aubert of Silversun Pickups gives an astounding performance, starting the festival's last day with a bang.

The day’s music was started by the Silversun Pickups, a personal favorite, who absolutely rocked the main stage and kept the crowd in high spirits for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this meant that a bunch of the bands scheduled to play earlier were canceled, including hometown favorites Steel Train and the Gaslight Anthem, both bands that I was looking forward to seeing. On the Bullet stage, We Are Scientists continued with a blast of upbeat music, not leaving out their humorous antics in between. They were followed by Swedish band Mogwai, who played a series of great instrumentals, and the Black Keys, keeping things alive with only a guitar and drums. The energy they gave off made it seem like much more than just the duo. The Queen of the Valley stage featured an impressive lineup of electronic-type bands, however, my poor little feet were too tired from three days of rocking to walk over.

We Are Scientists charm the audience with their humorous antics and stylish haircuts.

For all you electro-rock fans out there, you would surely have enjoyed the lineup of Hey Champ, La Roux, Lykke Li, Ghostland Observatory, and Etienne de Crecy. Back on the main stage was a series of English bands, started off by Elbow, who are quickly gaining popularity in the US and played a set that proved exactly why. Following them was Echo & the Bunnymen, who brought back the 80s UK punk era for just a little bit. A rare appearance in these parts, many fans came to see Echo alone.

Last but not least, were headlining superstars Coldplay, who drew probably the largest crowd of the event and did nothing but deliver great performance after performance for the rest of the night. They played all of their hits, and had the audience singing and dancing along, even in the giant pockets of mud that had formed throughout the day. On the second stage at the [poorly planned] same time, were the young and great MGMT, who couldn’t help but have the audience going crazy throughout their set, even playing a brand new song. Even though the day started in disappointment, the show surely did go on, and many of the big name acts delivered harder than ever to call this last day of the festival a raging success.

Mud, Music, and People Having Fun = All Points West 2009.

Along the way, I was able to speak with Gregg Flotlin from Free Yr Radio, who informed me that a number of interviews and recorded content will be available to us in the near future, so stay tuned for all of that great stuff coming to you on WPRB. And for those fans who were unable to make it to the festival, but want to cherish the good times anyways, all of the main stage acts were filmed in 3-D, which should prove for an interesting, if not tantamount experience, when it hits the big screen this fall. All in all, although the weather tried to get us down, All Points West still turned out to be one of the best concert experiences I have had, so watch out as it comes back next year, and be sure not to miss a minute of it!

On Fridays you can always hear the best of the best during our Top Ten Show on at 5PM EDT! (Like the show? Become a fan on Facebook!)

1 VARIOUS ARTISTS Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples (Numero)
2 DIRTY PROJECTORS Bitte Orca (Domino)
3 DEERHUNTER Rainwater Cassette Exchange (Kranky)
4 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By (Island)
5 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (SUB POP)
6 DEBBIE LEGGO Debbs Leggs (Fire)
7 CAVE Psychic Psummer (Important)
8 THE BATS The Guilty Office (Hidden Agenda)
9 OBITS I Blame You (SUB POP)
10 EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL Forest Field (Self-Released)
11 DINOSAUR JR. Farm (Jagjaguwar)
12 AUDIBLE In Simple Intervals (Polyvinyl)
13 SONIC YOUTH The Eternal (Matador)
14 IT HUGS BACK Inside Your Guitar (4AD)
15 SPACEMEN 3 The Sound Of Confusion (Fire)
16 SNAKE FLOWER 2 Renegade Daydream (Tic Tac Totally)
17 LIECHTENSTEIN Survival Strategies In A Modern World (Slumberland)
18 TARA JANE ONEIL A Ways Away (K)
19 SCREAMING FEMALES Power Move (Don Giovanni)
20 CAUSE CO-MOTION! Because Because Because (Slumberland)
21 TYVEK Tyvek (SILTBREEZE)
22 WOODEN SHJIPS Dos (Holy Mountain)
23 CROCODILES Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
24 NOSAJ THING Drift (Alpha Pup)
25 POISON ARROWS First Class, And Forever (File 13)
26 THE FIELD Yesterday And Today (Anti-Kompakt)
27 BISHOP ALLEN Grrr (Dead Oceans)
28 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Dark Days/Light Years (Rough Trade)
29 YEAH YEAH YEAHS It’s Blitz (Interscope)
30 IRON AND WINE Around The Well (SUB POP)

The 2009 WPRB Membership Drive is coming! Mark your calendars! This year’s drive is October 7-14, 2009!

As you may (or may not!) know, WPRB 103.3 FM holds a membership drive every fall to raise funds and meet our annual operating costs. While our station is located on Princeton’s campus, we receive no direct funding from the University. We are an all-volunteer organization but there are still costs we cannot eliminate. Our annual membership drive is one of the ways we are able to keep WPRB running all year long.

Every year, we search for talented artists to contribute artwork. These designs grace the merchandise available during the drive that we give as exclusive premiums to our donors – T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, tote bags – we give as premium items to donors.

Since we introduced our membership drive in 2007, WPRB has been fortunate to collaborate with many artists, including John Cei Douglas, Tim Gough, Ed Moorman, and Gregory Pizzoli.

This year, one of our artists could be YOU! (Or maybe a friend, family member, colleague!) This is a great way to get tons of exposure and link your work with an ace independent radio station.

This is NOT a contest. We’re posting this here to let people know about this opportunity.

If this interests you, please download the document below for complete details and contact our Development Director, Alaap.

» 2009 WPRB Membership Drive Artwork Submission Information (PDF)

On Fridays you can always hear the best of the best during our Top Ten Show on at 5PM EDT! (Like the show? Become a fan on Facebook!)

1 V/A – Shiftless Decay: New Sounds of Detroit (X!)
2 SONIC YOUTH – The Eternal (Matador)
3 DEATH – For The Whole World To See (Drag City)
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS – The World Is Lousy With Ideas, Vol. 8 (Almost Ready)
5 SPACEMEN 3 – The Sound of Confusion (Fire)
6 IDA MARIA Fortress Round My Heart (Upper 11-RCA-Fontana)
7 ART BRUT – Art Brut Vs. Satan (Downtown)
8 CAUSE CO-MOTION! – Because Because Because (Slumberland)
9 DIRTY PROJECTORS – Bitte Orca (Domino)
10 CAVE – Psychic Psummer (Important)
11 POLLY SCATTERGOOD – Polly Scattergood (Mute)
12 PINK MOUNTAINTOPS – Outside Love (Jagjaguwar)
13 CROCODILES – Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
14 COMET GAIN – Broken Record Prayers (What’s Your Rupture?)
15 BOY LEAST LIKELY TO – Law of the Playground (+1)
16 SUPERCHUNK – Leaves In The Gutter [EP] (Merge)
17 DEAR NORA – Three States: Rarities ’97-’07 (Magic Marker)
18 WAU Y LOS ARRRGHS – Viven (Slovenly)
19 THE FIELD – Yesterday And Today (Anti-Kompakt)
20 MSTRKRFT – Fist Of God (Downtown)
21 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS – The Hunchback (richie)
22 NAOMI SHELTON AND THE GOSPEL QUEENS – What Have You Done, My Brother? (Daptone)
23 EAT SKULL – Wild And Inside (SILTBREEZE)
24 LEE FIELDS AND THE EXPRESSIONS – My World (Stones Throw-Truth And Soul)
25 OBITS – I Blame You (SUB POP)
26 HERMAS ZOPOULA – Espoir/Live In Ouagadougou (Asthmatic Kitty)
27 AXEMEN – Big Cheap Hotel
28 MAGIK MARKERS – Balf Quarry (Drag City)
29 DEBBIE LEGGO – Debbs Leggs (Fire)
30 PREFUSE 73 – Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (Warp)

Join WPRB and hundreds of artists of all ages at ART ALL NIGHT-TRENTON 2009! Art All Night-Trenton is a 24-hour long art and entertainment celebration happening at the Museum of Contemporary Science (675 South Clinton Avenue) in downtown Trenton, NJ. Art All Night-Trenton begins at 3:00 PM on Saturday 6/20, runs through the night until 3:00 PM Sunday 6/21.

RSVP FOR THIS EVENT ON

Art All Night-Trenton takes place in the Chambersburg section of Trenton in a sprawling 50,000 square foot factory building. The site of Art All Night is a former Roebling Machine Shop and played an important part in manufacturing parts to construct the Brooklyn Bridge.

What is Art All Night-Trenton? It’s a 24-hour (literally) art and entertainment event! An opportunity for four-year-old refrigerator artists, spirited novices and seasoned professionals to display one piece of art in a gallery like setting and for the public to enjoy that art in a dramatic renovated urban space.

Submitting art to and attending Art All Night-Trenton is FREE and open to the public!

Last year over 500 artists of all ages, skill levels and mediums submitted work and more than 5,000 people attended. Join in to enjoy live music on indoor and outdoor stages, interactive art, art films featuring stop motion photography, and animation, lectures about using art to revitalize cities, meaningful kids art activities, interesting food, and plenty of artful surprises!

WPRB is proud to be a sponsor of this year’s event and station DJs will be showing off their skills at the event on the indoor stage! Don’t forget to stop by the WPRB booth and say hello, too!

Saturday 6/20
03:00 PM Alaap
03:30 PM Jon Solomon
04:00 PM Maria T
11:30 PM KPC

Sunday 6/21
01:00 PM Lance Loud
01:30 PM Bene.dj.ctus

For a complete listing of the event’s music line-up, interactive art events, directions and much more, visit the Art All Night-Trenton website.

The Wawa may be closed (for the night due to an electrical outage – ed.), but WPRB is still rockin’ round the clock to deliver you the latest and greatest in sweet tunes. Don’t let this weather get you down: read in and enjoy this week’s Top 30!

1 EXTRA GOLDEN Thank You Very Quickly – (Thrill Jockey)
2 SUPER FURRY ANIMALS Dark Days/Light Years – (Rough Trade)
3 VARIOUS ARTISTS SCORE! 20 Years Of Merge Records: The Covers – (Merge)
4 SONIC YOUTH The Eternal – (Matador)
5 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Eating Us – (Graveface)
6 MAGIK MARKERS Balf Quarry – (Drag City)
7 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines – (SUB POP)
8 OBITS I Blame You – (SUB POP)
9 SILVERSUN PICKUPS Swoon – (Dangerbird)
10 KING KHAN AND THE SHRINES What Is?! – (Vice)
11 VARIOUS ARTISTS Eccentric Soul: The Young Disciples (Numero)
12 ART BRUT Art Brut Vs. Satan – (Downtown)
13 MIKA MIKO We Be Xuxa – (Post Present Medium)
14 APOSTLE OF HUSTLE Eats Darkness – (Arts And Crafts)
15 DOVES Kingdom Of Rust – (Heavenly-Astralwerks)
16 METRIC Fantasies – (Self-Released)
17 BINARY MARKETING SHOW Pattern - (S/R)
18 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By - (Island)
19 DAN DEACON Bromst – (Carpark)
20 VON HAYES Quatered Lots For The Umbrella Soldier – (State Capital)
21 EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL Forest Field – (Self-Released)
22 DENGUE FEVER Sleepwalking Through The Mekong – (M80)
23 BLACK DICE Repo – (Paw Tracks)
24 VARIOUS ARTISTS Tee Pee Records Sampler – (Tee Pee)
25 ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE & THE MELTING PARAISO U.F.O. Lord of the Underground: Vishnu and the Magic Elixir – (Alien 8) *
26 WOODEN SHJIPS Dos – (Holy Mountain)
27 PINK NOISE Alpha - (Almost Ready) *
28 LORDS OF ALTAMONT The Altamont Sin - (Gearhead)
29 VARIOUS ARTISTS The World Is Lousy With Ideas Volume 8 – (Almost Ready)
30 NIAGARA FALLS Sequence Of Prophets – (Honeymoon Music)

On Fridays you can always hear the best of the best during our Top Ten Show on at 5PM EDT! (Like the show? Become a fan on Facebook!)

1 BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW Eating Us (Graveface)
2 WOODEN SHJIPS Dos (Holy Mountain)
3 OBITS I Blame You (SUB POP)
4 VARIOUS ARTISTS Shiftless Decay: New Sounds Of Detroit (X!)
5 LIECHTENSTEIN Survival Strategies In A Modern World (Slumberland)
6 CROCODILES Summer Of Hate (Fat Possum)
7 SILVERSUN PICKUPS Swoon (Dangerbird)
8 FEVER RAY Fever Ray (Mute)
9 VASELINES Enter The Vaselines (SUB POP)
10 BOB DYLAN Together Through Life (Columbia)
11 PJ HARVEY AND JOHN PARISH A Woman A Man Walked By (Island)
12 METRIC Fantasies (Self-Released)
13 YEAH YEAH YEAHS It’s Blitz (Interscope)
14 EAT SKULL Wild And Inside (SILTBREEZE)
15 MY FIRST DAYS ON JUNK No Order (State Capital)
16 KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS The Hunchback (richie)
17 POISON ARROWS First Class, And Forever (File 13)
18 THE WHIP X Marks Destination (Razor and Tie)
19 ST. VINCENT Actor (4AD)
20 JUKEBOX ZEROS Rock & Roll Ronin (Rankoutsider)
21 PREFUSE 73 Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian (Warp)
22 THERMALS Now We Can See (Kill Rock Stars)
23 AKRON/FAMILY Set Em Wild, Set Em Free (Dead Oceans)
24 MIKA MIKO We Be Xuxa (Post Present Medium)
25 AMADOU AND MARIAM Welcome To Mali (Nonesuch)
26 MAGIK MARKERS Balf Quarry (Drag City)
27 ERICA POMERANCE You Used To Think (ESP-Disk)
28 IRON AND WINE Around The Well (SUB POP)
29 MSTRKRFT Fist Of God (Downtown)
30 WAVVES Wavvves (Fat Possum)