Beirut, The Reciever - August 17 at Little Brothers

The show started with two openers. Unfortunately, I only have photographs of one of the openers. They were called "The Receiver." Their music was akin to The Mars Volta, Pink Floyd, maybe a little Radiohead...

Regardless, they took a little getting used to, as they were really only two members. Much like Echo and the Bunnymen (Echo was their drum machine), this band uses a laptop on stage to sort of thicken their sound and add in the missing elements.

They depended really heavily on the rythmic sensibility of the drummer, as the baselines were pretty boring. The band had an incredible ability to set up some really interesting grooves and see where they led. Their opening song was in 7/4 time, but they made it sound less like unaproachable prog rock and more like indie rock.

Next was Beirut, the band that most everyone came to see. The premise is that the band leader and multi-instrumentalist, Zach Condon, has tried to create a sort of gypsy-klezmer-indie rock band.

Turns out that, despite how ridiculous that sounds, the project works very well. The vibe is more similar to gypsy campground than hipster hangout. The only missing piece seemed to be a campfire in the middle of the venue.

In addition to bringing their obvious talent to the stage, each member also seemed to add to the dynamic of the band's stage presence. They were easygoing, and the whole performance seemed to flow naturally from their enthusiasm for the music. The genuinely looked like they loved being there and loved playing this music.

In short, seeing Beirut live is probably the closest any of us will get to actually sitting in on a roving musical troupe's campfire jam sessions. It truly is a lot of fun to be a part of this type of show, as much fun for the audience as it is for the performers.

Picture the Sound - John Vanderslice Pictures

Kim from Picture the Sound took some better pictures of the John Vanderslice show than I did.

In case you got lost, you can see more of them right here.

John Vanderslice and [the days of the week] : 4/17 at the High-Five in Columbus

More Radio Free Photos

Once again, I bring you the inside look at Radio Free Tobias. On tonight's program, I died and we changed our name to "Andrew Tobias and the Radio Free 5."


This is Andrew doing his job. As in, being witty and intelligent and discussing music over the airwaves.


This is Mallory doing her job, which is discouraging horseplay and making sure we stay as serious and commited as possible during our time on air.


This is Mallory eating the ribbon we awarded her for being a "Dancing Star." Sometimes I think we should bring snacks into the studio so that things like this do not happen.



This is Andrew demonstrating his Tainted Love for us. I was so impressed that I seriously considered declaring him a "dancing star" as well.

So once again, Radio Free Tobias remains awesome. I hope that this photopost only furhter proves this fact.

A Gudied Tour of Radio Free Tobias

Tonight at the Radio Free Tobias broadcast, I decided to take a bunch of photographs. Posted here is the result. Hope they please.


This is the group responsible for the delightful Radio Free Tobias. On the left is me, Stephen. On the right is Tobias himself. And in the middle is miss Mallory, bringin' the moxie since 2005.


Mallory, over the break, developed a stress fracture. Here she is showing it off. Big fan of the color scheme myself.


This is Tobias. He is peeking curiously over the top of his own computer as Mallory plays Oregon Trail and I laugh at both of them.

I promised Mallory that this embarassing picture would end up online. So here it is. But don't blame me... she took it.

So there it is... a peek inside the innner workings of Radio Free Tobias. As you can see, only the most important things ever take place. No time for games (like Oregon Trail.) Hope I have enlightened the masses.

HOT PIX of the Jeff Buckley Tribute Show

Jonathan Hape.

Kim of Picture the Sound took some great photos. They are SUPER HI REZ and good quality, especially considering the lighting. The lighting was nice and ambient and chill and cool and hip... but also very dim for photo-taking. Kudos.


The Whiles.

The Promise Ring Reunion Show Photos!

Total exclusive! Maybe illegal?

RFT had agents in the crowd at the recent one-and-only The Promise Ring November 12th reunion show. These photos, due to budget constraints, were taken with a disposable camera and then transferred digitally to the internet.

I would remind you to kindly please enjoy.

if someone is reposting, I would appreciate consideration for my licensing situation ... just credit radio free tobias.

ps: see if you can spot jimmy eat world frontman jim adkins