The Ground Zero basement has spawned its share of excellent bands over the last couple of years from the fist pumping gypsy punk of Dostoevsky’s Pistols to the heartfelt indie pop of Mamoona. Now an excellent new collaboration of talents has emerged from the basement of Nugent hall and they call themselves New Pioneer Society (pretty damn good band name, imho).  They play a refreshingly ambling variety of indie folk that reminds me sometimes of early Built to Spill or of any number of records put out by us …

Dylan is the mild mannered drummer of Barons in the Attic and Dan Maddalone’s partner in crime in the newest top secret B3nson side project, Tom Shreddy and the Heart Rapers.  He also happens to be the most awesome Programming Director WCDB Albany has had since Littlefoot. Here is top 10 of 2009.
1) relapse – eminem
2) them crooked vultures – them crooked vultures
3) spirit of apollo – NASA
4) animals are people too – we are jeneric
5) born like this – DOOM
6) fish outta water – chali 2na
7) wolfgang amadeus phoenix …

This week is especially exciting for us here at B3nson.  One year ago we had our first official Collective show.  Now, one year later the Collective is back to celebrate the spirit of Funsgiving tonight with you at Valentine’s. 
Thursday, Nov 19 -8:00PM
Second Annual B3nson Family Funsgiving featuring:
We are Jeneric, Scientific Maps, Barons in the Attic,
Man Scouts, Pinguinos, Stacy Ullman, & Secret Release.
Valentine’s, Albany
Thursday, Nov 19 -7:00PM
Sean Rowe
Revolution Hall, Troy
Thursday, Nov 19 -8:00PM
Railbird w/ Need to Breathe
Revolution Hall, Troy
Friday, Nov 20 -8:00PM
WCDB Presents:
Barons in the Attic, Oak and Bone, Marijuana Mountain
Chapel …

Dan Maddalone doesn’t give a fuck what you think. Check out his band Barons in the Attic tomorrow at B3nson Family Funsgiving and Friday at the chapel house on SUNY campus.
1.THEM CROOKED VULTURES!
2.Eminem- Relapse
3.Sgt. Dunbar- A March Through Charles Mingus Garbage Pile
4.Monsters of Folk
5.Summer People-Good Problems
6.Jay Z-The Blue Print III
7.Wolf Mother- Cosmic Egg
8.Mastodon- Crack the Skye
9.Japandroids-Post Nothing
10.Jeneric- Animals are People Too
The top albums of the decade list is going to take considerable more time. Consider yourself Lucky that the best Bizkit albums all came out before 2000.

I have to say that the packaging for this album is pretty rad. The art work which was drawn by Kyp Malone who takes on the moniker Rain Machine for this solo album, is in my humble opinion rather awesome and I really dig the cd case design.  Simple and effective.
I wish I could say the same thing about the album itself. Its possible that I am missing something here having admittedly never listened to much TV on the Radio (Malone’s other band) which its hard not to hear lots of …

Todays list comes from a Mr Ryan Stewart, member of Beware!, Desperately Obvious, Boston Celtics and of course Ryan Stewart. Check out his excellent track Gospel from the B3nson Family Affair comp. It may be his aloof style but sometimes Ryan seems to be the ultimate evil genius of the B3nson Collective, which isn’t much more than a bunch of evil geniuses and Donna Baird anyway.
12. Tim Fite – Change of Heart
11. Hop Along – Demo
10. Tor – Illinoize
9. Julian Lynch – Orange You Glad
8. Volcano Choir – Unmap
7. The …

Todays list comes from the oft reclusive Antony W. of Blood. He is the kind of guy who takes listening to music very seriously, at least thats how it seems to me and I would reckon he has put a great deal of thought into this excellent best of 2009 list. (not to mention lots of work, way to include all the album covers Anto.)
In a somewhat particular (but undisclosed) order:

Kate Ferencz – Natural History Museum CS (Single Girl, Married Girl)

Mount Eerie – Wind’s Poem (P.W. Elverum & Sun)

City Center – …

We played with Da Comrade last week or so at the Ground Zero basement in Troy and by all accounts good times were had by all.  They crashed at our house and we played songs in the basement til late at night. We traded cds with them and we were left with two Albums Da! Da! released earlier this year and nicely packaged and The War From Your Living Room which was recorded in their living room in the last couple of months.
You can tell just from listening to …