Peter Wade Blog

Shitake Monkey interviewed in EQ.

New Release From Northern State Set For May - April 17, 2007

New Release From Northern State Set For May Northern State has been busy recording their third full length.

While recording, the girls reported from the studio: “We’ve been writing some rock songs and some hip hop songs and some other kinds of songs. We have been doing an unprecedented amount of singing, and we are no longer allowed to hold writing sessions at the Rodeo Bar. We have either lost our mind completely or we are making the best record of our career. You decide.”

The band’s record label, Kanine Records decided that it’s their best yet and picked two songs that they feel typify the “other kinds of songs” or their “new direction” and pressed it onto some black vinyl complete with colorful jacket. The A side contains two tracks off their upcoming album and the B side contains exclusive remixes. This will be limited vinyl, though the remixes will be available digitally.

Side A
1. Better Already
2. Away Away

Side B
1. Better Already (Hired Goons PVC Remix)
2. Away Away (dub remix)

The “Better Already” 12″ is set for release May 1st.

Northern State is Hesta Prynn, Sprout, and Spero. Their mutual love of hip-hop inspired them to form Northern State in NYC in 2000. In 2001 they began gigging all around New York with a live band, eventually getting the attention of the Village Voice and Time Out NY for their high energy live performances. Their 4 song EP, Hip Hop You Haven’t Heard, recorded as a demo and a means to booking better gigs circulated around NYC and eventually landed a 4 star review in Rolling Stone.

Their first full-length album, Dying In Stereo was released independently in 2002 on Northern State Records and it was later picked up by NYC indie label Startime and Wichita Records in the UK. The critics took notice, and The Village Voice declared that “Northern State is just what rap music needs right now: young female-centric insight that amuses as it amazes”.

Their 2004 Columbia LP “All City” featured collaborations with the girls’ hip hop heroes Pete Rock, Muggs from Cypress Hill, and ?uestlove of the Roots and was named one of the best 50 albums of 2004 by Rolling Stone.

Due to frustration with the Columbia monster, the girls split with the label, and teamed up with producer Chuck Brody (Shitake Monkey) and Adrock of the Beastie Boys to record their third full-length album in NYC, tentatively titled “Mother May I?”

TeamUSA started rockin’ St. Louis, MO in 1995 when art school pals Jackie Gendel, Mike Reddy and John Mathias joined up with local drummer Andy O’Neill to perform around town and campus. Originally conceived as an oldies cover band, Team USA quickly acquired enough material of their own and spent about a year playing local clubs and parties.

After a brief hiatus following graduation, all four Team members found themselves living in the New York City area and began to write and play local rock clubs such as the Mercury Lounge, the Knitting Factory and Brownies. A four song EP was recorded partly in Brooklyn by friend and Top 40 whiz kid Peter Keusch (J. Lo, Jessica Simpson!) and in Gloucester, MA by basement technician Tony Goddess of Papas Fritas. The EP includes: “Graduation,” a concert favorite with classic rock power chords and an addictive chorus, “Rome Wasn’t Burned in a Day,” a foot-stomping ode to breaking up, “She Don’t Know,” a humorous 60’s pop confection, and the bright albeit alcoholic title track “When does the Weekend?”
A tour in the Spring of 2000 with Minty Fresh Records’ Papas Fritas brought The Team and its EP down the East Coast and over to Texas, reminding indie crowds that Rock N’ Roll is all about cutting loose and having a blast.

After the tour, TeamUSA wrote more material and continued to play NYC and regional club dates including the CMJ Festival, two month-long residencies at the Parkside Lounge, and opening slots for both Alex Chilton and the Blake Babies at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. In April 2001, with a year of steady gigging behind them, TeamUSA hit the Brooklyn studio of producer Elie Massias, recording 12 tracks in a single week.

These sessions became StarTime International’s “Listen to the Night,” capturing the band playing with all the wild enthusiasm of their live show. The title track and the stalker/pack rat anthem “Saving Your Life” kick it off with pulsating bass and switchblade guitars. For a change of pace, The Team breaks out the acoustics and settles in for ballads “The Postcard” and “What Could Be Wrong?” And what party album would be complete without a cha cha, rock rumba, or disco track? TeamUSA doesn’t miss a trick.

The Fall of 2001 will find TeamUSA touring and playing locally to support “Listen to the Night” and, as always, writing new material.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
FILM FESTIVAL 2007

The 20th anniversary of the Columbia University Film Festival celebrates the thesis work of screenwriting, directing, and producing students from the Graduate Film Division of the School of the Arts at Columbia University. From comedy to drama to documentary and beyond, these unique voices combine the art of storytelling with the craft of filmmaking to create unforgettable cinematic experiences. Visit www.cufilmfest.com for more information.

Film Program A
Monday, April 30 at 5:30pm
Click here to purchase tickets
Lock, dir: Ming Kai Leung
Vacation, dir: Huy Chau
Dog Run, dir: Caleb Johnson
Kali Ma, dir: Soman Chainani
Below Sea Level, dir: George Parker
Maine Story, dir: Nina Chernik
Program running time: 88 min.

Film Program B
Monday, April 30 at 8:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets
Taxista, dir: Enrica Perez
That’s Good, That’s Enough, dir: Jessiline Berry
Proof of Birth, dir: Jose Luis Orbegozo
First Period, dir: Jonathon Roessler
Ismael, dir: Ambarish Manepalli
MAN, dir: Myna Joseph
Program running time: 97 min.

Film Program C
Tuesday, May 1 at 5:30pm
Click here to purchase tickets
Dear Lemon Lima, dir: Suzi Yoonessi
Music From A Farther Room, dir: Tobias Munthe
Rising Fallen Deer, dir: Odin Ozdil
Recruiter, dir: Adam Salky
Babyface, dir: Odin Ozdil
Where Time Is Still, dir: Fride Vedde
Program running time: 92 min.

Film Program D
Tuesday, May 1 at 8:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets
Security, dir: Matthew Linnell
All That You Love, dir: Natalie Mooallem
Bare Knuckle, dir: Ted Magee
Long Distance, dir: Nelson Kim
New Business, dir: Julia Kots
Mr. A, dir: Joe Murphy
Program running time: 94 min.

Film Program E
Wednesday, May 2 at 5:30pm
Click here to purchase tickets
Remains, dir: Allison Cook
A Piece of America, dir: Keir Politz
Blue Hole, dir: Neel Scott
The End of Magic, dir: Ann Husaini
Para-Normal, dir: Lauren Timmons
Program running time: 80 min.

Film Program F
Wednesday, May 2 at 8:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets
The Hunter, dir: Benjamin Gray
Three Boys, dir: Ming Kai Leung
Memorizing Dates, dir: Chad Schneider
Blue In Joy, dir: Dana JL McClellan
Rattlesnakes, dir: Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson
Program running time: 92 min.

Film Program G
Thursday, May 3 at 7:00pm
Click here to purchase tickets
The Lucky One, dir: Brett Caroline Levner
Lunch Money, dir: Elvira Carrizal
Parade of Horribles, dir: Jacob Kader
Unattached, dir: J.J. Adler
Three Bodies, dir: Elif Refig
The Second Line, dir: John Magary
Program running time: 100 min.

screens at columbia university film festival
here’s the sched

sound by peter wade
directed by natalie mooallem
story by caton clark based on a short story by stephen king

screens at columbia university film festival
here’s the sched

sound by peter wade
directed by natalie mooallem
story by caton clark based on a short story by stephen king