Upcoming Shows: Drunkdriver, A Place to Bury Strangers + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Friday, March 26

Vandelles @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Vandelles are a sexy band who play music with great old-school pop/rock songs and enough feedback to make your ears bleed. [myspace]

Nada Surf @ Bell House * Gowanus, Brooklyn * SOLD OUT
Nada Surf were a bit of a "novelty band" (so saith "Wilbur") back in the 90’s. Now they are trying to grow publicity by playing a series of their albums at live shows. It’s not a bad thing. They are a quirky indie rock band and their albums are good and who wouldn’t want to hear that? Well, enough people to sell out all three nights. Snooze you lose.


Saturday, March 27

Hardcore show: Drunkdriver + more @ Market Hotel * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Drunkdriver is a great hardcore band with a tense frontman who paces the stage yelling into his mic while a friggin kick-ass guitarist and drummer show everyone what’s what. I haven’t seen the other bands but it’s an explicit hardcore show and I suspect it will be awesome. [myspace]

Nada Surf @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * SOLD OUT
See above.


Sunday, March 28

Landlords, Sightings @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I once saw Landlords and I don’t remember it, but only because I was extremely exhausted. I know they are good, noisy, unconventional and heavy. Sightings is waaaaaaaay out there massive NOISE with crushing bass and intense if inaudible vocals. This show is awesome, you should really go. [landlords myspace] [sightings myspace]


Tuesday, March 30

The Big Pink, A Place to Bury Stranger @ Webster Hall * East Village, Manhattan * $20
The Big Pink is a post punk band that’s pretty good but the real highlight is A Place to Bury Strangers, the loudest band on earth. Tense beats and h-bomb sized guitars. [bp myspace] [aptbs myspace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

April
1
Bonnie "Prince" Billy @ Monster Island Basement
Soft Pack, Nodzzz @ Mercury Lounge

2
Bonnie "Prince" Billy @ Monster Island Basement (x2)
Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wetdog + more @ Glasslands

3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Wetdog @ Death by Audio

4
Drunkdriver @ Monster Island Basement
Smith Westerns, Male Bonding, So Cow @ Mercury

5
White Suns, PRSMS @ Bruar (FREE!)

6
Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza

8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall (SOLD OUT)
High Places @ Market Hotel

9
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall
Pissed Jeans, Himalaya @ Knitting Factory
Pygmy Shrews @ Death by Audio
Xiu-Xiu, Tune-Yards @ Bowery Ballroom

14
A.R.E. Weapons @ Death by Audio

15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Snoop Dogg @ Brooklyn Bowl

20
Snoop Dogg @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Sweet Apple (feat. J. Mascis) @ Mercury Lounge
Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl

21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom
Killing Joke @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl

22
Gang Gang Dance @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Los Campesinos! @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza
Quasi, Let’s Wrestle @ Bowery Ballroom

24
Don Giovanni presents: Measure (SA), “Special Guest” (smart money is on Screaming Females, I think – but it’s no sure thing) @ Mercury Lounge

25
Don Giovanni presents: Shellshag, Noun (Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females), Black Wine, Pregnant @ Mercury Lounge

30
Styrenes (mems Mirrors, Electric Eels) @ Death by Audio

May
2
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza

3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House

7
Broken Social Scene @ Webster Hall
Caribou @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

8
Broken Social Scene @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Caribou @ Bowery Ballroom
Primitives, Frankie & the Outs @ Bell House

11
Sleigh Bells @ Market Hotel

15
Parts & Labor, Talk Normal @ Knitting Factory
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

16
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Bowery Ballroom

19
Spectrum, Vacant Lots @ Knitting Factory

July
24
M.I.A. @ Governor’s Island


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Album: Because Because Because - self-titled

Album: Because Because Because
Sutton, 2009
Recording Date: 1991-1992
Rating: ******* (7/10)

Released under the radar this fall, this collection of six songs by oft-forgot indie band Because Because Because offers a rare taste of unheard songs from one American indie rock's best eras. The songs are cutting indie gems with sweet English pop melodies from frontman and principal songwriter Robert Randall, a British ex-pat. With sharp and aggressive yet lightfooted guitar hooks, Because Because Because displays a perfect balance of pop and punk-influenced rock.

Because Because Because paired Randall with to-be Nada Surf founders Matthew Caws and Daniel Lorca, along with drummer Blake Gomez. Unsurprisingly, the music does sound a lot like early Nada Surf, but with a richer sound and less quirk. "The Slow" builds with tense drumming and glistening guitar to an anthemic chorus. Later in the album, "Her Power" provides an excellent example of 90's indie songwriting - simple and catchy, it rocks hard and never looses focus.

According to a source close to the band*, Randall and Gomez published this album without informing Caws and Lorca, who apparently didn't particularly want this material in distribution. Caws only recently became aware of the release after seeing it for sale online. It remains to be seen whether he and Lorca will take any action against their former bandmates or Sutton Music Group, and there is no evidence that Randall and Gomez were beyond their rights in releasing the record.

This album is not a lost masterpiece, it is not revolutionary in any way. But for fans of this era of music, for those who prefer their pop-punk without all the gloss and certainly for Nada Surf fans curious about the band's roots, the album is well worth getting your hands on. And I recommend doing that as soon as possible, since there's a very real possibility that a potential lawsuit from Caws and Lorca could cause the album to be pulled from circulation, at least temporarily. You can get it on CD Baby, iTunes (I think) and probably some other places.

[MySpace]


*I know I don't delve into real journalism very often so it seems prudent to reassure you that this is not bullshit.

Upcoming Shows: MDC, Mecca Normal + more

This is the most old school week ever, especially for punk rockers. (And if that's your thing, also check out Dead Milkmen and Meatmen tour schedules this week.)


TOMORROW, Tuesday, April 14

Wye Oak @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $12
Wye Oak are a really amazing noise-folk band from Baltimore who alternately make nice sweet songs and a really lot of noise. And sometimes they do both at the same time. Consisting of two amazingly gifted musicians, Wye Oak was rightfully the buzz of last year's CMJ Music Marathon. Check out my last live review of them for more information. [Website] [MySpace]


Wednesday, April 15

Nada Surf @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $15
Bell House has it going on this week! Nada Surf have been around forever. I know this, because many years ago, my very first band did a cover of their classic song "Popular." (However, we hesitated to perform it live since our vocalist would kind of go nuts and start screaming names of specific people we went to school with. But I digress.) With their slightly punky indie rock, Nada Surf have only improved since their initial hit (yup, "Popular"), with their quality steadily on the rise for at least 15 years now. [Website] [MySpace]


Thursday, April 16

Throbbing Gristle @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $35 (Sold Out??)
I would be remiss not to tell you that classic industrial band Throbbing Gristle is doing their first East Coast show in ages this Thursday at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple. An offshoot of Krautrock and its unhuman electronic beats, industrial music was largely defined by Throbbing Gristle in the mid-70's. Without them, you'd have no Big Black, no Nine Inch Nails, probably even no Depeche Mode. And they have a reputation as an amazing live act, far exceeding their recorded material. Still, thirty-five bucks ain't cheap. [Website] [MySpace]

?? Rumanian Buck @ Southpaw | Park Slope, Brooklyn | $8 ??
I can't figure out whether or not this show has been cancelled. I think it has, but it's worth looking into further, because Rumanian Buck features members of Big Sleep and the late Beat the Devil, two of NYC's best edgy, hard-rockin' bands.


Friday, April 17

Of Montreal, Janelle Monae, The Ladybug Transistor @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT
Wow, this is a monster of a line-up. Honestly, I stopped liking Of Montreal when they stopped being a creepy little twee band, but they do know how to incorporate a trumpet into a pop song, so they're clearly doing something right. The worst thing about them nowadays is that their stage performance is super gimmicky and lame - but they've kind of made up for that this time around by inviting two killer openers. Janelle Monae is a richly-talented singer who I've been rooting for way back before any of y'all knew her name. Her southern roots mixed with funk mixed with indie rock sensibility make her sound pretty hard to describe but pretty awesome to listen to. And the Ladybug Transistor, well, they're NYC's quintessential indie pop band and nothing short of irresistible. Together, the three acts have a lot of variety but a lot of great pop moments that make surfing craigslist for a ticket worth your while. [OM Website] [OM MySpace] || [Monae Website] [Monae MySpace] || [Ladybug Website] [Ladybug MySpace]


Saturday, April 18

MDC (unplugged) @ ABC No Rio | LES, Manhattan | $7 | 3 PM
MDC @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $10 | 8 PM
MDC are one of the great classics of American punk, a West Coast hardcore outfit who were contemporaries and equals of fellow San Franciscans the Dead Kennedys. You have two chances to see them Saturday, both in intimate environments. True to hardcore tradition, both shows are ALL AGES. [MySpace]

Asa Ransom @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $?
It's been a long time since I last checked in with my pals Asa Ransom, whose keyboard-driven, aggressive, experimental punk is comparable to Pere Ubu in no small way. Their live show is outstanding and their music is cutting edge. [Website] [MySpace]


Monday, April 20

Mecca Normal (K Records) @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
Mecca Normal is a classic K Records band, and while K Records is most famous for its wussy twee pop, Mecca Normal are far more badass than their label would imply. Though formed in 1981, the band didn't hit their stride until the late 80's and early 90's, when they combined the sounds of their scene - indie pop and early riot grrrl - with the more experimental sounds of noise rock, post punk and no wave. Check it. [MySpace]

The Bronx @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $15
The Bronx are the leading hardcore band of the moment, so if the K Records crowd is too pansy for you, stop by here instead. [Website] [MySpace]