Tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1
Woods @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $?
Woods run with folks like Wavves, Nodzzz and Blank Dogs, but they do something rather different. Their pop is lo-fi, but in a more quirky way, with vocals delivered in a bizarre falsetto and guitars played cleanly. If their no-fi colleagues' music sounds as if it's buried under layers of gravel or ash, the songs Woods play sound like they're submerged under water. They somehow manage to sound distant and unnatural but still welcoming, even enchanting. And their melodies are simply beautiful. One of my favorite NY bands at one of the best venues in town. Check it out. [MySpace]
Friday, April 3
Weird Owl @ Lit Lounge | E Village, Manhattan | $6
As I noted in live review, Weird Owl plays a psyched-out version of Southern hard rock. Perhaps surprisingly, it's really enjoyable. [MySpace]
Saturday, April 4
David Grubbs @ Issue Project Room | Gowanus, Brooklyn | $8/$10
As I've said before, David Grubbs is a legend. He's a former member of Squirrel Bait, Gastr del Sol, Bastro and even Red Krayola and is one of the true innovators in 90's experimental rock. [MySpace]
Sunday, April 5
My Teenage Stride @ Cake Shop | LES, Manhattan | $8
An indie pop band that I grudgingly like, MTS play their catchy little numbers tightly and with gusto. Check it out. [MySpace]
Showing posts with label Weird Owl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weird Owl. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Upcoming Shows: Werewolves, Harlem Shakes, Mahogany + more
Thursday, February 19
Werewolves @ The Annex (Club NME) - LES, Manhattan
If you have been paying attention, you already know all about the Werewolves. If not, start here. I cannot recommend them enough. :: MySpace
The Secret Life of Sofia @ Bell House - Gowanus, Brooklyn - $5
I feel like I never pimp this band enough, but TSLOS, despite the rather obnoxious name, is a great band. They play shimmering, lonely noise-folk that will draw you in without your even realizing it. :: MySpace
**Update - Apparently TSLOS released a free EP today online, which I totally overlooked until I saw it on I Rock I Roll. I'll give you the lowdown soon, but in any case, I guess this show will involve songs from that release so check it out.**
Friday, February 20
Weird Owl (CD Release Party) @ Union Pool - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - $8
I just reviewed Weird Owl, so check it out here. :: MySpace
Saturday, February 21
John Joseph (Cro-Mags) SPOKEN WORD @ Webster Studio - East Village, Manhattan - $10
I have no idea what this is going to be like, but I do know it involves a member of the Cro-Mags, one of the greatest hardcore bands of all time. It's probably worth checking out.
Sunday, February 22
Team Genius @ Glasslands - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - $6
I've been trying to encourage everyone to check out this band for a while now. There are a whole bunch of people in the band and they play a whole bunch of instruments and make really pretty, fun, comforting pop music. Like the grown-up version of Los Campesinos! You can find my review of their last show at Glasslands (along with a review of their debut album) here. :: MySpace
I'm going to get a bit of ahead of myself here, but I'll repost closer to the date for these ones:
Wednesday, February 25
Tokyo Police Club and the Harlem Shakes @ Webster Hall - East Village, Manhattan - $18
If you missed the Harlem Shakes with Shilpa Ray on Valentines Day, then you really messed up. But all is not lost - you can still see the Shakes before they leave town. They are opening for Tokyo Police Club, another great pop band, at Webster Hall next week. It should be a very solid show. :: TPC MySpace :: HS MySpace
Thursday, February 26
Coin Under Tongue @ Cake Shop - LES, Manhattan - $7
To be honest, I don't know much about Coin Under Tongue except that it includes members of Dirty On Purpose and it's all the rage right now in the NYC underground. The second half of that doesn't really mean anything, but the first part (members of Dirty On Purpose) gives me pretty much blind faith that this band rocks. They are too cool to have a MySpace page, so I guess we'll just have to show up and see what it's all about.
Friday, February 27
Swirlies + Takka Takka, Autodrone @ Mercury Lounge - LES, Manhattan - $12
The Swirlies are a classic shoegazer band from the 90's, here again to capitalize off the current shoegaze fad - and who can blame them? They have chosen well for their supporting acts - Takka Takka is a pretty straight-up weird indie rock band that's been trendy for a surprisingly long time now. Autodrone is a band that could well be on the verge of a major break-through - their 2008 full-length debut reworks the darkest of New Wave ideas into 90's shoegaze soundscapes, with a touch of grunge and even prog just to keep it rocking hard. :: Swirlies MySpace :: TT MySpace :: Autodrone MySpace
Saturday, February 28
Mahogany and Blacklist + Cruel Black Dove and Depreciation Guild @ Mercury Lounge - LES, Manhattan - $10
Go to this show! Trust me. Mahogany's dream-pop and Blacklist's dark 80's soundscapes are going to make a delightfully varied but still cohesive evening (and a busy one for James Minor, who is a member of both bands). My last live review of Mahogany is here and my last review of Blacklist is here. And don't forget, those headliners are coupled with another 80's-esque, goth-influenced band, Cruel Black Dove, as well as electro-shoegazers Depreciation Guild, one of the best shoegaze bands around and also one of the hottest NY bands of the moment. This show is really, really, really going to kick some serious ass. :: Mahogany MySpace :: Blacklist MySpace :: CBD MySpace :: DG MySpace
Werewolves @ The Annex (Club NME) - LES, Manhattan
If you have been paying attention, you already know all about the Werewolves. If not, start here. I cannot recommend them enough. :: MySpace
The Secret Life of Sofia @ Bell House - Gowanus, Brooklyn - $5
I feel like I never pimp this band enough, but TSLOS, despite the rather obnoxious name, is a great band. They play shimmering, lonely noise-folk that will draw you in without your even realizing it. :: MySpace
**Update - Apparently TSLOS released a free EP today online, which I totally overlooked until I saw it on I Rock I Roll. I'll give you the lowdown soon, but in any case, I guess this show will involve songs from that release so check it out.**
Friday, February 20
Weird Owl (CD Release Party) @ Union Pool - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - $8
I just reviewed Weird Owl, so check it out here. :: MySpace
Saturday, February 21
John Joseph (Cro-Mags) SPOKEN WORD @ Webster Studio - East Village, Manhattan - $10
I have no idea what this is going to be like, but I do know it involves a member of the Cro-Mags, one of the greatest hardcore bands of all time. It's probably worth checking out.
Sunday, February 22
Team Genius @ Glasslands - Williamsburg, Brooklyn - $6
I've been trying to encourage everyone to check out this band for a while now. There are a whole bunch of people in the band and they play a whole bunch of instruments and make really pretty, fun, comforting pop music. Like the grown-up version of Los Campesinos! You can find my review of their last show at Glasslands (along with a review of their debut album) here. :: MySpace
I'm going to get a bit of ahead of myself here, but I'll repost closer to the date for these ones:
Wednesday, February 25
Tokyo Police Club and the Harlem Shakes @ Webster Hall - East Village, Manhattan - $18
If you missed the Harlem Shakes with Shilpa Ray on Valentines Day, then you really messed up. But all is not lost - you can still see the Shakes before they leave town. They are opening for Tokyo Police Club, another great pop band, at Webster Hall next week. It should be a very solid show. :: TPC MySpace :: HS MySpace
Thursday, February 26
Coin Under Tongue @ Cake Shop - LES, Manhattan - $7
To be honest, I don't know much about Coin Under Tongue except that it includes members of Dirty On Purpose and it's all the rage right now in the NYC underground. The second half of that doesn't really mean anything, but the first part (members of Dirty On Purpose) gives me pretty much blind faith that this band rocks. They are too cool to have a MySpace page, so I guess we'll just have to show up and see what it's all about.
Friday, February 27
Swirlies + Takka Takka, Autodrone @ Mercury Lounge - LES, Manhattan - $12
The Swirlies are a classic shoegazer band from the 90's, here again to capitalize off the current shoegaze fad - and who can blame them? They have chosen well for their supporting acts - Takka Takka is a pretty straight-up weird indie rock band that's been trendy for a surprisingly long time now. Autodrone is a band that could well be on the verge of a major break-through - their 2008 full-length debut reworks the darkest of New Wave ideas into 90's shoegaze soundscapes, with a touch of grunge and even prog just to keep it rocking hard. :: Swirlies MySpace :: TT MySpace :: Autodrone MySpace
Saturday, February 28
Mahogany and Blacklist + Cruel Black Dove and Depreciation Guild @ Mercury Lounge - LES, Manhattan - $10
Go to this show! Trust me. Mahogany's dream-pop and Blacklist's dark 80's soundscapes are going to make a delightfully varied but still cohesive evening (and a busy one for James Minor, who is a member of both bands). My last live review of Mahogany is here and my last review of Blacklist is here. And don't forget, those headliners are coupled with another 80's-esque, goth-influenced band, Cruel Black Dove, as well as electro-shoegazers Depreciation Guild, one of the best shoegaze bands around and also one of the hottest NY bands of the moment. This show is really, really, really going to kick some serious ass. :: Mahogany MySpace :: Blacklist MySpace :: CBD MySpace :: DG MySpace
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Live: Weird Owl, Insouciant, Gunfight! and more
When: 1/30
Where: Vanishing Point
In case you haven't noticed, I always make a point of going to shows that have anything to do with the BNS Sessions family. The main reason is that when the Werewolves aren't playing, they usually go and hang out, and I can be in the same room with them and pretend I'm their friend.
So that's how I end up at the shows of a bunch of bands I just heard, like this one, which featured Gunfight!, the Soundscapes and Quiet Loudly. Luckily for you, dear readers, it also featured two bands brand new to this author, so let's start there.
Insouciant - This band hails from New Jersey and while I may have heard the (rather poorly chosen) name before, I knew nothing about them. And in theory it was the kind of music I should have liked - experimental, with definite allusions to math rock and Sonic Youth. But so many bands have made just this type of music that it's become entirely cliche. It came off as disjointed and unfocused, a mush of 90's pre-post-rock influences, swallowed and spat out undigested. (Sorry, that was a gross metaphor, yeah?). They also had four people on stage and it took me a while to even notice this because I could only hear three parts at a time - the band definitely didn't use its resources (i.e. four people) effectively.
Insouciant
The one really good thing I can say about this band is that their delivery was surprisingly aggressive. They yelled and howled, smashed their drums and cranked it up loud. Without that, the set would have been miserable - instead it was enjoyable, if unmemorable. ::MySpace
Weird Owl - Now, in contrast, here's a band I theoretically shouldn't like. Weird Owl basically plays Southern/hard rock, which is a genre whose most classic albums I might dabble in but that I would otherwise never seek out. But Weird Owl made me think twice about that attitude - they played tightly and confidently, and their songs were solid. I was surprised when I realized I was actually really enjoying their set.
Weird Owl (photo by Miss Molly)
After a while of listening, I also realized that this wasn't exactly your typical hard rock, because the band uses a wall-of-sound technique. The friend I was watching with said it was kind of psychedelic, and I definitely agree. There's some Pink Floyd in there, in the density of the sound. Whatever the combination of styles, it definitely works. ::MySpace
Gunfight! - I reviewed these guys not too long ago. This show was the same, only better - louder, more energetic, much tighter and with even better stage antics. Those included one member standing on his amp, and amp-climbing always wins me over. Also, last time I wrote them up, I wavered on classifying them as "cow punk," because it wasn't quite punk rock. But this time around, even though the band still doesn't fit neatly under a label, there was no doubt they could out-punk most of us any day. ::MySpace
Soundscapes - They haven't changed much since last time I wrote them up. They are still amazing. The only thing that has me slightly worried is that they have a little less energy on stage than they did when I first saw them a year ago. I hope it was a one-night fatigue and not a sign that their shows are becoming too routine to them. But anyway, "less energy" is a relative description, and compared to a lot of bands, these guys are still bouncing off the walls. ::MySpace
Quiet Loudly - Quiet Loudly, whom I reviewed not long ago at all, debuted a bunch of songs at this show. I'll wait until their next album is finished (it's already in the works) to give you the details, but their newest stuff rocks hard and heavy and meanders less than their first attempts. That's good news, so stay tuned. ::MySpace
A final rant, if I may. I'm sick to death of projections behind bands. I think it's basic biological fact that visual stimuli trump auditory stimuli and the result is that all the pictures whirling around behind the band are detracting from the music, not adding to it. Whether it's art films or Windows Media Player "visualizations," it's really starting to make me miss the good old days when you'd actually watch the bands do their thing.
Where: Vanishing Point
In case you haven't noticed, I always make a point of going to shows that have anything to do with the BNS Sessions family. The main reason is that when the Werewolves aren't playing, they usually go and hang out, and I can be in the same room with them and pretend I'm their friend.
So that's how I end up at the shows of a bunch of bands I just heard, like this one, which featured Gunfight!, the Soundscapes and Quiet Loudly. Luckily for you, dear readers, it also featured two bands brand new to this author, so let's start there.
Insouciant - This band hails from New Jersey and while I may have heard the (rather poorly chosen) name before, I knew nothing about them. And in theory it was the kind of music I should have liked - experimental, with definite allusions to math rock and Sonic Youth. But so many bands have made just this type of music that it's become entirely cliche. It came off as disjointed and unfocused, a mush of 90's pre-post-rock influences, swallowed and spat out undigested. (Sorry, that was a gross metaphor, yeah?). They also had four people on stage and it took me a while to even notice this because I could only hear three parts at a time - the band definitely didn't use its resources (i.e. four people) effectively.
Insouciant
The one really good thing I can say about this band is that their delivery was surprisingly aggressive. They yelled and howled, smashed their drums and cranked it up loud. Without that, the set would have been miserable - instead it was enjoyable, if unmemorable. ::MySpace
Weird Owl - Now, in contrast, here's a band I theoretically shouldn't like. Weird Owl basically plays Southern/hard rock, which is a genre whose most classic albums I might dabble in but that I would otherwise never seek out. But Weird Owl made me think twice about that attitude - they played tightly and confidently, and their songs were solid. I was surprised when I realized I was actually really enjoying their set.
Weird Owl (photo by Miss Molly)
After a while of listening, I also realized that this wasn't exactly your typical hard rock, because the band uses a wall-of-sound technique. The friend I was watching with said it was kind of psychedelic, and I definitely agree. There's some Pink Floyd in there, in the density of the sound. Whatever the combination of styles, it definitely works. ::MySpace
Gunfight! - I reviewed these guys not too long ago. This show was the same, only better - louder, more energetic, much tighter and with even better stage antics. Those included one member standing on his amp, and amp-climbing always wins me over. Also, last time I wrote them up, I wavered on classifying them as "cow punk," because it wasn't quite punk rock. But this time around, even though the band still doesn't fit neatly under a label, there was no doubt they could out-punk most of us any day. ::MySpace
Soundscapes - They haven't changed much since last time I wrote them up. They are still amazing. The only thing that has me slightly worried is that they have a little less energy on stage than they did when I first saw them a year ago. I hope it was a one-night fatigue and not a sign that their shows are becoming too routine to them. But anyway, "less energy" is a relative description, and compared to a lot of bands, these guys are still bouncing off the walls. ::MySpace
Quiet Loudly - Quiet Loudly, whom I reviewed not long ago at all, debuted a bunch of songs at this show. I'll wait until their next album is finished (it's already in the works) to give you the details, but their newest stuff rocks hard and heavy and meanders less than their first attempts. That's good news, so stay tuned. ::MySpace
A final rant, if I may. I'm sick to death of projections behind bands. I think it's basic biological fact that visual stimuli trump auditory stimuli and the result is that all the pictures whirling around behind the band are detracting from the music, not adding to it. Whether it's art films or Windows Media Player "visualizations," it's really starting to make me miss the good old days when you'd actually watch the bands do their thing.
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