There are certain bands that, when asked to describe them, only a single word comes to mind: infectious. There are bands that craft such catchy songs, lush with multiple harmonies and a killer melody, that you start humming along after the first few bars. When you’re at work, it sticks with you. When you’re in bed, it plays on a loop in your head. Yet, you don’t mind in the least. This past weekend, Bobby Jealousy released their debut album A Little Death to an enthusiastic crowd at the 29th St. Ballroom in Austin, TX. Before the show, they stopped by DTD HQ to talk about the new album and to sing a couple songs, “Take You On” and “Flamethrower”. They didn’t bring any instruments with them, instead they opted to play Stephanie’s accordion and toy tambourine while singing their signature 3-part harmonies.

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During the hour that we recorded, the conversation went all over the place: toilet seats, the show Cupcake Wars, and cereal in the UK to name a few. To top it off, Sabrina performed an Irish dance that we captured on video. Look for a bonus episode next week of a few snippets of our conversation that didn’t make it into this episode.

If you like this episode, or the show in general, please do us the favor of giving us a rating and writing a quick review in iTunes. It will take less than a minute and makes a huge difference for us as we try to grow Dual Tape Deck and provide more great, unique content of bands that deserve greater recognition.

- Posted by Randall La Rue

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Artist: Frontier Ruckus
Title: Mona and Emmy

The state of Michigan has a rich history of music. Most notably, it’s the birth place of Motown Records and the epicenter of the garage rock revival of the past 2 decades that helped thrust The White Stripes to worldwide acclaim. And let’s not forget about Kid Rock.

However, the one thing that never crosses my mind when I think of Michigan is folk music. And yet, Frontier Ruckus calls Michigan home. They stand as a bright bastion surrounded by a bleak environment and downward economy. (I’ve been to Michigan once. It was February, snowy and grey. Overall, I remember it being a very depressing place to which I didn’t want to return. I know I shouldn’t characterize the entire population of a state based upon my brief personal experience, but I do.) I had no idea who this band was, but was lucky enough to see them play at a small venue in Wichita back in early 2010. The banjo playing was both masterful and frenetic, the warbly vocals added a great deal of emotional weight to the songs, and it was the first time I’d seen a musical saw used in a live performance.

Intellectually, I know that there’s a lot of pain and sadness in their songs, but it is often presented in such an upbeat, infectious tune that masks the depressing subject matter. This song, “Mona and Emmy”, is from their latest EP, Way Upstate & the Crippled Summer, pt 2. Had I actually gotten this last year when it came out, it would have been my number one album of 2011. It’s a great entry point for anyone unfamiliar with the band and is guaranteed to get your toes a-tappin’.

- Posted by Randall La Rue 

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