2011 Whalie Award Winners


TOP CRITICS AWARDS:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
 Above/Below "Two Sides"
URBAN ALBUM/MIXTAPE OF THE YEAR
 Erik Lamb "Shoot Everything"
INDIE/PUNK/ALTERNATIVE ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Sodium Lights "Transtulit"
SOLO ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Matt Gouette "Emeline at the Moontower"
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Gone For Good "The Bright Lights"
SONG OF THE YEAR
Gramz "I Have Arrived"
BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR
 Camacho



PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS:

BEST ALTERNATIVE
The Facelifters
BEST AMERICANA
The Rivergods
BEST DJ
The Swagger Jackers
BEST HARDCORE / METAL
End All Suffering
BEST URBAN / HIPHOP
N.M.E The Illest
BEST INDIE / EXPERIMENTAL / DANCE
 Brava Spectre
BEST PUNK / SKA
The Hempsteadys
BEST ROCK
The Reducers
BEST SOLO SINGER / SONGWRITER
 Matt Gouette
BEST MUSIC SERIES
The Sinners Circle
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Matt Gouette "Opinion"



CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS:

BEST ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
 Straight to VHS "Patchwork City"
BEST CONTEMPORARY FOLK / BLUEGRASS PERFORMANCE
Dogbite "Electrified"

BEST BLUES / COUNTRY ROCK PERFORMANCE
 Franklin Brothers "New London Blues"
BEST HARDCORE / METAL PERFORMANCE
ight In May "Modern Modifications"
BEST HIPHOP / RAP PERFORMANCE
Gramz "I Have Arrived"
BEST URBAN ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCE
Erik Lamb "Shoot Everything"
BEST DANCE / ELECTRONIC PERFORMANCE
The Fears "Closer"
BEST INDIE / EXPERIMENTAL PERFORMANCE
 Get Haunted "Crimson Ribbons"
BEST PUNK / SKA PERFORMANCE
Sadplant "Codependence"
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
Gone For Good "Ride To Nowhere"
BEST SOLO SINGER / SONGWRITER PERFORMANCE
Steve Elci "Dance With You"




CD Review: Chris Castle - The Firelands EP

Published May 10, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

Originally from New London, Ohio, (can you believe that?!), singer/songwriter/musician, Chris Castle, is now calling New London, CT his second home. He's been planting seeds here for couple years, playing frequent sets at Hanafin's Irish Pub, as well as the Blue Collar Happy Hour. You may have seen Chris playing as part of the latest Sinners Circle which took place last Saturday (May 7) - and he's even shared the stage with New London favs Matt Gouette, Daphne Lee Martin, Brian Skidmore and Sandy Allen... just to name a few.

More recently Chris has been recording his latest EP The Firelands, which he worked on right here in New London. Fittingly, Chris has joined forces with New London record label Cosmodemonic Telegraph to release it.

The Firelands EP starts out in the standard neo-folk finger picking guitar and softly sung song of love... but the second song is where things start to get interesting.  Think New Orleans setting for a film noir that was narrated by 1973 Tom Waits.  From there it gets a little Ben Folds-y and a little southern pop.  There’s gospel organ and blues guitar and soulful bass.  It’s a fried chicken and Arnold Palmers at a picnic after church, it’s joyous in a very laid back way. 

The EP ends with a downtrodden piano ballad which is kind of a quick drop, but still an extremely well written song.  The EP built up to such a fever pitch before that; the come down is a little harsh.  The Firelands EP will most certainly leave you wanting more.  This is a super polished and complete product that Cosmodemonic should be honored to have under their banner.




7" Review: Ferocious Fucking Teeth - Hounds

Published May 5, 2011
By Adam Wujtewicz

There is certain comfort in a big riff. Knowing that simple string notes can convey a powerful emotion is probably what a psychiatrist would tell you it is.  Being a guy who grew up listening to my father’s Black Sabbath albums I’ll tell you that it has much more to do with repetition and the ability to bang your head in time.  Keep it simple, turn it up, and do not think twice; Hounds, the new 7” by Ferocious Fn' Teeth, lives and dies by those 3 rules.

FFT take the Melvins approach to stoner rock song writing with Sleep’s huge transitions and inject it with a sort of 80’s hardcore punk vibe to jolt the beast awake.  This means a fair amount of speed and enough distorted guitar to turn most stereo’s to rubble.  This, despite the connotations of the stoner rock genre, is still standard procedure.  

The biggest break from the norm is the instrumentation of this band.  The baritone guitar and standard guitar give FFT some extra flexibility without causing the bleed that a two guitar combo could cause.  Steve and Sgott, the two drummers in FFT, add to the attack of the beat or allow fills that one drummer couldn’t do.

Coming from a band with members of Brava Spectre, Total Bolsheviks and Trillion Gallons of Gas, there is a surprising lack of noise on the record.  The songs are all straight ahead and all put together in small manageable bites.  The tempo slows gradually through the EP. The last song and title track “Hounds” has a droning quality but it only lasts 4 ½ minutes – and to call a song “drone” which is that short, would be pushing it.  I don’t understand the spoken word monolog on the track - it’s distorted and back in the mix so it’s not clear what’s being said. It’s a non melodic vocal track which should push to be more of a focal point.  I still don’t know what the attraction to poetry over the top of heavy music is. My vote for best track on the EP is the second song “Handsome Creeper”.

Hounds is like comfort food to the metal enthusiast.  It’s loud, it’s simple, the riffs are cool, there’s yelling and screaming and it’s short.  It’s not boasting a lot of nutrients or intense preparation but it always tastes good.




LOVE & PRESS

"I just wanted to thank you for all you do for the local music community. I have tonight off so I went to the wailing city site to see who was playing. It’s amazing all the work you put in for all the local musicians and venues and I just wanted to thank you."
- Phil Smith (musician)

"...my new best friend Meghan Killimade, who's site Wailing City, lets me find all the latest local bands -- where they are playing and the times -- has suddenly been a big help in letting me find some events outside of my usual box!"
- Stephanie Shawn "Bar Fly Journals"
(Sound Waves Magazine)
Published December 2024

"Wailing City is this absolutely fantastic local music blog here in CT. They've been the place to go to find out what's happening, what's new and why you should care for well over a decade. Graciously, they interviewed us about the new album, the book, the film and all that. While touring throughout the years, we've sometimes felt like 'one foot in, one foot out' with the local scene, but they've always made us feel right at home. Thanks Wailing City."
- Pocket Vinyl (band)

"There are a staggering 64 documented live music performances in my home of New London county, CT today alone! The population of this county is only 268,805 and it is only 772 square miles. That is an incredible saturation of venues hosting live music and is a stark contrast to places I've lived in the past! You would be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the country that has so much live music. Amazing really! Thank you for the hard work documenting and promoting Wailing City!"
-Travis Hyll (musician)

"Wailing City appreciation post: true champions of the New London county music scene. Follow them!"
-Dirt Pile (band)

"We wanna take a minute to shout out our friends over at Wailing City for always helping to spread the word about our shows. They've been curating the most comprehensive live music calendar for SECT since 2006. If you don't already, give them a follow."
- 33 Golden Street (venue)

"Wailing City should be your first check in for all local music schedules. Thank you so much for all your efforts in promoting the scene!!
- David Schena (musician)

"Wailing City has been keeping the calendar up to date since I first started going to shows 20 years ago. We’re lucky to have Meghan volunteer her time to help keep the scene going!"
-James Burke (musician)

"With a little footwork and a short drive I managed to visit three live music shows on Bank Street last night... New London ROCKS...and all made possible searching out local music on Wailing City... thanks Meghan."
- Don Diederich (musician / local music fan)

"If you don't have ears, then it's possible you're not aware that southeastern Connecticut - specifically New London County - has an incredibly vibrant music scene. Over the years, it's gone from a hotbed of indie rock to an area of musicians, fans and venues that support a complex and varied number of artistic styles. The wailingcity.com web site - newly and lovingly redesigned - is a tremendous resource. A labor of affection and devotion conceptualized in 2006, wailingcity.com boasts artist bios, reviews and interviews, a club and band data base and calendars, videos, audio streaming, and cross-referenced links on all of the above - as well as lists of music services such as instrument instruction, record and retail stores, related media and periodicals, festival information, and so on. It's the brainchild of musician/artist Meghan Killimade, (and contributors), and they do a terrific job."
- RICK KOSTER (The Day) Published April 03. 2014

“Wailing City, is, as of now, probably the most successfully comprehensive listing on local and area shows in Southeastern Connecticut on the Internet; the folks at Wailing City are doing an excellent job of making sounds from the underground.”
-Ben Johnson (The Day) Published July 27, 2006