Breakfast In Song With Boy Cragoe

Monrovia's notoriously bearded balladeer, Will Cragoe, joined us in our studios this past Sunday to record what would become the next installment in our Monrovia Renaissance Singles Series. Though better known as the force of nature behind the controlled chaos of Sunscribe, the faithful renderings of Toma, and the brutal blues of Skip, Cragoe is also a noted acoustic doodler, delighting in compelling, intricate fingerpicking. For the first time ever released upon the ears of you, the discerning music listener, is a song Cragoe has been holding onto for quite some time. "The Optimistic Song," is deceptively titled in terms of subject matter, but the lyrics are well-crafted and witty. The sighs and subdued delivery make this as much excellent acting as it is suberb singing. The single's b-side was somewhat accidental, arising from a bit of spontaneous inspiration that certainly paid off. This performance of Devendra Banhart's "At the Hop" showcases Cragoe's aforementioned fingerpicking skills as well as a vocal delivery that is somehow soulful and easygoing at the same time. A kazoo-playing tramp managed to sneak past security and weasel his way onto the track (don't tell him we kept his bit in the mix). While we get our Research Department on the task of understanding what we just said, feel free to listen to the single, or download it to listen to it for all of eternity, or for all of your iPod's battery, whichever comes first. Also, be sure to look out for all kinds of stuff from all those bands we mentioned.

Click here to go to the Singles Series page and listen to Will Cragoe

Photo credits go to Matthew Vogel and Megan Stubbs.

Sunscribe: Out Of Hiatus?

2010 saw the rise of many awe-inspiring bands, and foremost among them were notorious post-surf rockers Sunscribe. The brainchild of guitarist Will Cragoe, backed by brother and drummer Ben, and "bassist" Jeff Sizemore, these brutal bricoleurs were capable of summoning impressive blasts of sonic joy. Sunscribe was perhaps notable for winning 3rd place in the Monrovia High School 2010 Battle of the Bands, an almost-victory that left rabid fans vowing revenge. Despite all the hoopla and a succesful (if brief) summer tour, the band took an abrupt hiatus so that Sizemore could attend the coming college school year. The break left Sunscribe with no record of its progress other than a video from its final show at Chain Reaction in the lovely Orange County. Last night, however, the band announced via its Facebook page that they are "officially back in business," meaning that fans may at last have the recording spectacular they've been waiting for. We unfortunately could only speak briefly with Jeff Sizemore about the band's future plans. He only revealed cryptically that people should be "ready for the ultimate experience." They should probably get a new bassist. Either way, look out for new material and shows this summer from this galactic group.

Check out Sunscribe's facebook for upcoming shows and news and their myspace for demos and other bits of glory.

Dapper Lad Interview, Album Details

Monrovia Renaissance recently sat down for an interview with Dapper Lad, DJ for sunny rap weirdos Jr. Planet League. The occasion for this cosmic chat is JPL's announcement that they have entered the studio to begin recording their self-titled debut album. This record has been highly anticipated ever since this duo - consisting of Dapper Lad and the quippy MC No Name - hit the Monrovia music scene in early 2010. Dapper Lad has the tantalizing details:

Monrovia Renaissance: I understand you just returned from a month-long tour in the OC. How does it feel to be back in Monrovia?
Dapper Lad: It's absolutely bittersweet, I must say. I miss the people. Real genuine people.
MR: Now, tell us about the new album. Is it true that No Name had to become an American Apparel model to support your music?
DL: Yeah, I made him do it. It's not at all what you would think, either, not at all glamourous. It's something I'm not very proud of, but I believe that the ends justify the means one hundred percent of the time. Plus the LP is going to be absolutely stunning.
MR: Everyone is curious about how this album will sound since JPL is known to take on a wide array of musical styles.
DL: Oh, I wouldn't say that. If you could somehow listen to a recording of every single show we've ever done, you would know that we haven't changed that much. In fact, I believe we've gotten more the same, which is all any group wants.
MR: Well, that about wraps up our interview, is there anything at all you could tell us about the new album?
DL: Simply everything I've already said. Wonderful people, the OC, not at all what you would expect, except that it's exactly the same.
MR: If you had to sum up the feeling of the new album in one word, what would it be?
DL: I'm afraid I can't, actually. That would really go against my artistic instincts.

Jr. Planet League will be out in the future on Public Records.