Monday, May 23, 2011

BOMB Fest '011 - State Radio

In September 2008, State Radio played a free show at UConn. Several student-led bands opened, and the show, which ran all afternoon, was a mini-festival outside the Student Union, a perfect end to the summer. This year, State Radio kicks off the summer season at a full-scale Connecticut festival, playing a set Sunday of B.O.M.B. Fest.

Nothing tops seeing these Massachusetts reggae-rockers outdoors. They fuse the twirler-friendly jam-band sound with a harder alt-rock edge, and have gained quite the reputation as a live act in the process. Fronted by the lead singer for Dispatch, Chad Stokes Urmston, they’ve gained as much notoriety for their politically charged lyrics and activism as they have for their music. Charitable causes and endeavors have included efforts to bring home the troops and aid in Zimbabwe relief efforts.

Over time, their sound has evolved somewhat, wavering between reggae and punk and even folk influences, but they retain their signature power-trio format of guitar, drums, and bass. Check out some tracks from across their career, and catch their B.O.M.B. Fest set, Sunday at 4. We’ll be running in after we see the better portion of Nosaj Thing, hopefully they save the Us Against the Crown cuts for the tail end of the set, like key tracks “People to People” and “Mr. Larkin” embedded below.






Also enjoy the catchy-as-hell track off Year of the Crow “CIA”, as well as a cut "Calling All Crows" from their most recent album Let It Go.




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