Press Coverage

It’s a viral love fest, and we’re reaping high praise and accolades from the blogger world. Rolling Stone digs us, Wired.com, the online brother of Internet technology's most popular print magazine, has called Daytrotter "a revelation of a website" and Largeheartedboy.com, one of the most influential music blogs added that Daytrotter is "one of the greatest things to happen to online music in 2006." We can't argue there. Download our clipping sheets and take a peek at what they said in Magnet and Filter. Even Pitchfork thinks we're pretty cool.

When publications say nice things about Daytrotter, and the bands featured here, we like to know about it. If you read something, please send a note to info@daytrotter.com. Let us know if it's okay to mention your name when we post a link to the article.

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Rolling Stone, April 19, 2007 [729.2KB]
Wired Magazine, Feb. 2007 [983.2KB]
Press Clippings [1.3MB]

Chicago Tribune Visits the Studio

Bands make pilgrimage to Quad City-based Daytrotter, a studio/Web site that just might be the music industry’s future

By Josh Noel | Tribune reporter

“ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – So there was the rock band, filing out of its dirt-streaked van on an off day between Omaha and Chicago in the placid middle of the country: a city of 40,000 along the Mississippi River, where the tour manager had to walk 30 minutes to find a store selling cigarettes.”

Read the story and watch the Video »

Winner - Best Music Blog: Daytrotter Interview

Daytrotter is not your typical music “blog,” but typical isn’t what Daytrotter is about anyway, so it’s members aren’t worried about what you call it. Run by a group of passionate and creative writers, illustrators, and recording enthusiasts based in Rock Island, IL, this collective has quickly become one of the more influential music sites on the web thanks to their ability to attract amazing underground and independent acts into their studios for their “Daytrotter Sessions.” Daytrotter’s Sean Moeller was kind enough to answer a few questions about the site after being dubbed Best Music Blog by Hey! Nielsen members.

Read the whole interview

Wired shows us some love...

DayTrotter: Somewhat Like the Peel Sessions
By Eliot Van Buskirk
September 27, 2007 | 12:35:47 PM

The world will never fully recover from the death of John Peel, the legendary British DJ who discovered countless indie bands that became household names (in certain select households), but without him, would never have pierced the public’s consciousness. Aside from his Radio One show, Peel is known for recording and releasing quick and dirty “Peel Sessions” recordings of the bands he liked, usually comprised of four songs, with a limit of only one or two overdubs per track (if that — most Peel Sessions were probably recorded live to tape). Peelie’s no longer with us, but the concept of the Peel Sessions lives on in America.

Visit the Wired Blog

Matt Liebowitz writing for Sound Generator

Cool:

Every week, America’s finest indie bands are somewhere on the road, and, in the course of this traveling, Futureappletree Studio One in Rock Island, Illinois, manages to steer two bands to their studio for two hours, where they record four or five songs quickly, often on borrowed instruments, before hitting the road again. It’s an extremely casual affair, yet the results are more often than not astonishing. Indie bands like The Slip, Menomena, Of Montreal, Sunset Rubdown, David Vendervelde, Richard Swift, David Bazan, and Low, have all logged in stellar performances, but my favorite so far is the song ‘Blood and Guts’ by the Los Angeles band Simon Dawes, which I can only hope is on the follow-up to last year’s Carnivore. Listen here

Amidst the unbelievable and numbing amount of access to every facet of everything about every musician, Daytrotter seems to still be quaint place to discover great indie gems, like the basement club only you know about.

Read the whole column…

From the Boston Globe

Meet your new favorite bands

If you love free music, but don’t love the idea of stealing it from your favorite, underappreciated musicians, Daytrotter.com is a small miracle. The site lures some big names in indie rock (Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Of Montreal, Grizzly Bear, Jolie Holland) and smaller-but-interesting acts (Whispertown 2000, Harlem Shakes, Jana Hunter) into a studio in Rock Island, Ill., to record “exclusive, reworked, alternate versions of old songs and unreleased tracks.” They then release eight of those songs every week for free.

But don’t be fooled by Daytrotter’s altruism or by the folky, hand-drawn art that the site’s illustrators pack onto every page. The Daytrotter Sessions aren’t some lo-fi scraps from a basement four-track — they’re high-quality recordings of intimate, impromptu performances that you can download to MP3, stream individually, or — if you’re in an exploratory mood — play in a randomized radio-station format.

Highlights abound, from three unreleased Phosphorescent (above) tracks (including the great “Cocaine Lights”) to a set from Cambridge’s own the Dead Trees (formerly Furvis). Band members chime in for other weird and interesting features, such as recitations of book excerpts and, in the “Lasso’d” section, short lists of their favorite music, activities, and miscellany.
The site also carries a slew of interviews, album reviews, and, as of deadline, at least one live video performance by Architecture in Helsinki, which hopefully won’t be the last of its kind. All that related content is fun, but the music is what’s putting Daytrotter on the map, and likely, on your list of bookmarks. [David Kieley]

The Morning News

One of the best of the best blogs on the interweb has taken note of our little midwestern operation. The Morning News named us:

“Favorite Heir to the Throne of John Peel”

“If you believe the internet only started mattering once it was ‘monetized,’ stop reading now. We can’t be responsible for the damage you’ll wreck upon your 42-inch LCD cinema displays. Because why, you might ask, would anyone record exclusive sessions and interview today’s best independent artists and bands, then post the results alongside original illustrations—for free? That’s exactly what Daytrotter does, out of a love for bringing together so many artistic media under one beautiful canopy. Truly the best of the musical web.”

We’re honored. And we totally dig the fact that TMN also noted two of our favorite sites, Gorilla Vs. Bear and Said the Gramophone — two sites that are must-stops on our daily trip around the interweb.

Sean talks to Jim Albrecht

WOC (1420 AM in Davenport) posted a podcast of Sean’s conversation with Jim Albrecht.

Rolling Stone thinks we Rock!!!

Rolling Stone
« In the issue with two very good lookin’ bad girls on the cover:

SONGS FROM THE HEARTLAND
“Rock Island, Illinois, may not be an island, but it certainly rocks. While touring the nation, some of the biggest indie bands stop by the town’s tiny Futureappletree Studio One to perform stripped-down sessions. Our favorites include hot sets by Cold War Kids, Of Montreal and Dr. Dog.”

Sweet!

DesMoines Register, April 07

Daytrotter Web site turns Quad Cities into indie music hotbed
By KYLE MUNSON
ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Sean Moeller of Davenport opened his new issue of Esquire last month only to be floored by a happy surprise: His year-old Web site, www.daytrotter.com, had won an Esky award for “Best Free Live-Music Site.”

“I was just reading it at my kitchen table that day,” Moeller said Monday night while scrambling to finish his tax return. “There’s no rational way to comprehend that you made that kind of impact already.”

Esquire Digs Daytrotter

Esquire loves us, and gave us a Mini Esky Award:

Best Free Live-Music Site:
Daytrotter.
Twice a week, up-and-coming indie-rock bands like Bonnie Prince Billy, Cold War Kids, and Of Montreal head to Rock Island, Illinois, to record live, straight to tape. The wealth of MP3 archives are spare and intense. And free.
Hear a live performance from Daytrotter.com on the 2007 Esky Music Awards podcast.

We feel all warm and fuzzy. Check it out online.

You can also see the award in the April issue of the paper magazine.

Harp Magazine: March/April

At first blush, it looks like just another music blog … Except it’s actually a magazine: the drawings are quite attractive, and the spiel’s tone aspires only to be friendly and informative. And what really makes Moeller’s site stand out in the indie geek chorus is its media player.

No matter the artist—Vietnam, William Elliott Whitmore, Catfish Haven, Bonnie Prince Billy—the first track is always an extemporaneous, charming “Welcome to Daytrotter.” ... Bands love the Daytrotter concept, which combines John Peel spontaneity and field-recording immediacy, and often drive hours out of their way to record a session. The Hold Steady has twice attempted to visit, although logistical constraints prevented the sessions—but they’re still trying.

Read the Article

From "Lost in E Minor"

“Since John Peel passed on in 2004, there hasn’t been a concerted effort to record live, exclusive, and reworked performances from up-and-coming bands in the vein of his famed sessions. Till now, that is. Daytrotter, founded by veteran independent music journalist Sean Moeller, attempts to fill that gap. Bands passing through on tour stop by the publication’s Illinois-based studios and lay down exclusive cuts to analogue tape. Existing installments include Bonnie Prince Billy, Mates of State and Annuals.”

Read the blog entry…

Denver Westword

Drew Bixby and Dave Herrera wrote some kind words in the Denver Westword and on the Westword Blog:

“Since going live last spring, Daytrotter.com — perhaps the Internet’s most innovative and easily accessible source for free, never-before-heard independent-music downloads — has changed the digital-music landscape forever. The premise of the site is simple: Artists traveling through the Midwest along I-80 stop off for an hour or two at Futureappletree Studio One in downtown Rock Island, Illinois; they record four unreleased or re-envisioned songs live, chat with founder and chief writer Sean Moeller, and continue on their way. All songs are then archived and available for download or stream, along with musician-penned song descriptions, exclusive interviews, reviews, art, comics and the kind of literate music exposition rarely found on the gaggle of slop sites currently clamoring for scene points and Google hits.”

Artscene: Destination Daytrotter

“It’s easy to fall for Daytrotter. Try talking to Sean Moeller—the vision and drive behind the grassroots webzine and recording studio—for even a few minutes without getting really, really excited. And why not? Daytrotter may be less than a year old, but the Quad Cities-based operation has already amassed a passionate following in the indie music scene.”

download the ArtScene article

DesMoines Register

Kyle Munson of The DesMoines Register likes Daytrotter:

“I’ve been meaning to post about Daytrotter for a while — an original and vibrant music site based in the Quad Cities and operated by Sean Moeller. It provides streams of live, in-studio performances by indie bands touring through Iowa and the Midwest.

“So what the BBC did for British rockers in the ’60s, Daytrotter is doing for America’s contemporary indie crop — chronicling an alternate recorded history to all the albums these bands are releasing.

...

“Daytrotter also has embarked on a new partership with a Parisian music site that provides video of bands touring through Europe. So in indie rock terms, Paris has become a sister city to Rock Island, Ill. — not shabby for the QC!”

Posted on Jan 11, 2007. Kyle’s Blog

Aquarium Drunkard

“2006 saw many interesting online developments in the world of music; my favorite of these being the launch of the Daytrotter sessions. Whether widely introducing new artists to their audience or providing a new take on existing talent, the ‘trotter is on point every time.”

Posted on Jan. 8, 2007 at Aquarium Drunkard

Flavorpill NYC

Flavorpill featured us in their Jan 2 Newsletter:

“Founded by veteran independent music journalist Sean Moeller, Daytrotter was born partly out of his frustration with having to hound editors to get new acts covered. While there’s no shortage of music sites on the web and ever-expanding blogosphere, the site differentiates itself from others hunting new bands and musical trends by offering exclusive recordings in the mold of John Peel’s famed Maida Vale sessions. Bands passing through on nationwide tours stop by the publication’s Illinois-based studios and lay down exclusive cuts to analogue tape. Check out installments from Sunset Rubdown, Bonnie Prince Billy, Mates of State, and the Changes, and don’t miss the ever-expanding cache of features and reviews.”

Indie Don't Dance: Daytrotter

Daytrotter

9 September 2006

I’m currently obsessed with Daytrotter. Have you visited lately? Not only does the site host fantastic album reviews and original artwork, but also weekly band features. These features are (hands down) the best thing happening musically on the Internet right now. Bands drop by the Daytrotter studio, record four live tracks, talk about their music and the daily nitty gritty of being recording artsits. The interviews are intimate and true and often funny. My favorite part is probably the commentaries that bands give for the songs they selected to play for the session. My favorite song description so far is SSLYBY’s explanation for “Oregon Girl:” “[It’s] supposed to sound like a chase scene through an airport. Think of the McCallisters barely catching their plane to France in ‘Home Alone.’” ... [Visit Indie Don’t Dance]

Pitchfork: Casey Dienel

Casey Dienel “Better in Manhattan (Daytrotter Session)” [2006] 4 stars
23 June 2006

Dienel weaves a tale of a stripper named Sugar in this quasi-paean to Manhattan, where you have to wear lipstick for tips and costumes for tricks. Old men bombard you with catcalls, relationships become strained, plants only grow on fire escapes, “the buildings are tall, and the sky is something you search for”—or “reach for,” as she sings in one of the song’s cleverest turns of phrase. But the big-city trials make Dienel’s protagonist savor her small triumphs: “It’s not easy ‘cause it never is/ that’s why everything tastes so good.” ... [Read the article…]

Wired: Listening Post

Daytrotting
16 June 2006

Daytrotter is a revelation of a website – an ezine centred not just around indie rock and reviews, but around original music. Head honcho Sean Moeller has come up with a brilliant (and eloquently described) concept… [Read the article…]