When: 6/25
Where: 285 Kent
Sadly, I missed Iceage at the Fucked Up/Jeff show. But I did catch Jeff the Brotherhood, Nashville 4realz brothers Jake and Jamin Orrall. Jeff the Brotherhood recently released their second album, an unabashed (and entirely self-aware) celebration of rock'n'roll cliches. Their riff-centric psychedelic punk is criminally catchy, with exaggerated weight, excessive effects and extreme rockstar posturing.
At 285 Kent, Jeff played a great selection songs from both albums and played them well. But somehow, I feel like Jeff are less than they once were. I don't want to be one of those resentful motherfuckers who talks about when such-and-such band used to be good, back before they were so popular. And it's an easy trap to fall into - shows are more exciting when you're lucky enough to stumble on something brilliant before anyone else notices it. It's impossible not to miss the intimacy of those tiny shows, with 15 people instead of 500.
But my excitement over Jeff isn't just losing luster out of nostalgia for ye good olde days. There are a couple of other factors at play here. One is simply that Jeff are a bit superficial. Of course, that the genius and joy of Jeff - they make rock music fun again. But like any fun music, it fades over time and you move on to the next catchy thing. Which isn't to say that Jeff's music is disposable. They aren't some one-hit wonder whose albums will show up en masse in used music shops in a year, the original owners completely forgetting the existence of the records the minute they walk out the door. No. I think people will keep Jeff's LPs and will throw them on from time to time and love them every time. But few people will return to the LPs with the sort of urgency that draws people back to the greatest of albums. That sort of emotional urgency, after all, would be a total buzzkill and ruin everything Jeff are trying to do. So it's fine. But it is the sort of infatuation that, despite what we might have thought in the heat of the moment, is far more about the thrill of discovery than it is about the potential for enduring, life-altering love.
Still, this doesn't fully explain my discontent. Yes, the sun has set on my initial crush, but the shows still seem emptier than they should. And this is why: Jeff used to be showmen. It's not that they aren't now, but they don't have the FLAIR they used to. After all, the first time I saw Jeff in a "big" (400+) venue, Jake stood atop a huge amp giving a five minute guitar intro, visible in flickers from Jamin's barebulb flashlight. Jeff still know how to build suspense and how to please a crowd, but they've scaled it back. Note: I am absolutely NOT advocating for bands to do five minute guitar intros standing atop their amps. But Jeff are different - what they do works because of their shameless willingness to revel in rock'n'roll stereotypes like a dog rolling around in dead fish. Like Queen or the Mars Volta, they are the kind of band you should be thankful exist and should be just as thankful only exist once (but not quite as extreme because if you heard another band that sounded like Jeff, it would just sound lame, not mortifying or terminally obnoxious).
So, Messrs. Orrall, what gives? Why no grandstanding? Why no crazy lighting? If you're gonna own that shit, own it. Otherwise, turn off the flange pedal. And please, don't turn off your flange pedal! You have a mission to complete and we're so close! Granted, no one who hadn't seen the band back when would know any air had gone out of the balloon - but Jake and Jamin, you and I happen to know you can do even better.
And then, Fucked Up, billed as "secret guest." What can I write about Fucked Up that I have not already? Damian "Pink Eyes" Abraham went running all the way through the crowd and out the door at one point - if I had to guess, I'd guess he was going to give hugs to the folks working the door. It was the first Fucked Up show where I heard bassist Sandy "Mustard Gas" Miranda step up to the mic, but I'm guessing it won't be the last, since extensive female vocals were needed on Fucked Up's recent rock-opera LP. She was hard to hear but otherwise excellent. There was good pit going too, if you like getting thrown around and drenched in other people's sweat - and if you don't like that, why are you in the pit? It goes without saying that the band was impeccable.
Where Jeff are a fleeting infatuation, Fucked Up are more of long-term relationship material. Theirs are the albums fans will return to with emotional urgency. They are the heralds of a new day of hXc punk rawk, the ragged band exploring new frontiers most of us never would have thought existed. Both bands are important and both have relevant - and rare - missions. Having indulgent, shameless, rock'n'roll fun is underrated and underdone and we need Jeff to remind us of that. But Fucked Up, with their boundless passion, sincerity and sense of purpose, will make the more lasting mark.
Showing posts with label hardcore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hardcore. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Live: Coathangers, Friends, Bush Tetras
When: 6/24
Where: 285 Kent
Although I've loved the Coathangers for a few years now and consider them top-notch badasses, they reached a new level of badassery and awesomeness during their opening slot for Bush Tetras on Friday. The Coathangers are four attractive but intimidating ladies from Georgia. They play strange, energetic, sarcastic punk music. Their vocal styles range from gender-bending growl to possessed muppet, at times warbling, at times screeching - but somehow, there are melodies.
The Coathangers haven't changed that much since I first saw them but they have gone in a new direction on one thing: their approach to the keyboard. Once upon a time, about 90% of their keyboard playing involved randomly banging clusters of keys, but now they've moved away from that technique towards actual melodic riffs (though they still do some random pounding as well). Honestly, it's not better or worse this way - on the one hand, the music is a little less ferociously wild than it once was, but on the other, the band's songs are more distinct and more tightly constructed.
And around those melodic riffs, the band still rages like always. Seriously, don't fuck with these girls. Todd P and his sound guy tried to fuck with them by cutting the band off during one of their instrument rotations. Because their set was a little (ok, a lot) long and there were two bands yet to go, Big Brother decided to pull the plug and start blasting the Beach Boys (or something similar) through the PA, signalling the end of the set. The Coathangers ignored it and kept playing. And won. The music was shut off and the mics were turned back on. Pausing for only about two or three seconds to shout "don't turn off our mics" they launched into another song.
Twice more, the bossman tried to drown them out with shite, but the band refused to leave the stage. During one last instrument switch, someone decided enough was enough and cut off the mics for good. But did that stop our feisty foursome? Ha! They played their last song OVER the between-sets mix that was blasting out of the PA. I don't know how they managed to stay together with a whole other song going at the same time, but they pulled it off and it was awesome. True, the vocals were inaudible and although the band did what they could to encourage a shout-along, not enough people knew the words to make that effective. But even if parts of the song were lost in the cacophony, the point still got across: the Coathangers are nobody's bitch. [video (not this show)]
Granted, the Coathangers are a hard act to follow, but upon seeing Friends, I could see why the much superior Coathangers felt inspired to run over their allotment into the next set. Friends weren't all bad. But the parts that were bad were pretty awful. The band is more post-disco than post-funk, but they were a logical opener for Bush Tetras, warm but white female vocals over angular post-punk dance grooves. They were tight and some of their b-lines were pretty outstanding. Their rhythm section over all was tight and they had some good ideas. Unfortunately, they chose to use two of the most piercing and annoying sounds possible on many of their songs: wood block and claves (those two wood sticks that you click together in Latin music).
The main thing that put me out wasn't the whacking of pieces of wood together, however. It was the oversung pop singing of the frontwoman that really grated my nerves after a while. There were moments when the set was enjoyable, more than I expected, but the overarching vocals sounded a little too much like a showcase of vocal ability and not quite enough like pop hooks or genuine expression.
The band was also a bit grating on a personal level. They were informed mid-way through their set that New York had legalized gay marriage. They made several well-intentioned attempts to express their agreement with the decision but the more they tried, the more awkward and offensive their comments got. As if the vocals hadn't made me cringe enough for one night! Still, their hearts were in the right place. [video (not this show)]
The Bush Tetras closed out the night with a set that was a little too long, given the heat of the room, but they did hit most of their best songs and well, they are too awesome for words. And what words I can use for them, I just used a few days ago. [video (not this show)]
Where: 285 Kent
Although I've loved the Coathangers for a few years now and consider them top-notch badasses, they reached a new level of badassery and awesomeness during their opening slot for Bush Tetras on Friday. The Coathangers are four attractive but intimidating ladies from Georgia. They play strange, energetic, sarcastic punk music. Their vocal styles range from gender-bending growl to possessed muppet, at times warbling, at times screeching - but somehow, there are melodies.
The Coathangers haven't changed that much since I first saw them but they have gone in a new direction on one thing: their approach to the keyboard. Once upon a time, about 90% of their keyboard playing involved randomly banging clusters of keys, but now they've moved away from that technique towards actual melodic riffs (though they still do some random pounding as well). Honestly, it's not better or worse this way - on the one hand, the music is a little less ferociously wild than it once was, but on the other, the band's songs are more distinct and more tightly constructed.
And around those melodic riffs, the band still rages like always. Seriously, don't fuck with these girls. Todd P and his sound guy tried to fuck with them by cutting the band off during one of their instrument rotations. Because their set was a little (ok, a lot) long and there were two bands yet to go, Big Brother decided to pull the plug and start blasting the Beach Boys (or something similar) through the PA, signalling the end of the set. The Coathangers ignored it and kept playing. And won. The music was shut off and the mics were turned back on. Pausing for only about two or three seconds to shout "don't turn off our mics" they launched into another song.
Twice more, the bossman tried to drown them out with shite, but the band refused to leave the stage. During one last instrument switch, someone decided enough was enough and cut off the mics for good. But did that stop our feisty foursome? Ha! They played their last song OVER the between-sets mix that was blasting out of the PA. I don't know how they managed to stay together with a whole other song going at the same time, but they pulled it off and it was awesome. True, the vocals were inaudible and although the band did what they could to encourage a shout-along, not enough people knew the words to make that effective. But even if parts of the song were lost in the cacophony, the point still got across: the Coathangers are nobody's bitch. [video (not this show)]
Granted, the Coathangers are a hard act to follow, but upon seeing Friends, I could see why the much superior Coathangers felt inspired to run over their allotment into the next set. Friends weren't all bad. But the parts that were bad were pretty awful. The band is more post-disco than post-funk, but they were a logical opener for Bush Tetras, warm but white female vocals over angular post-punk dance grooves. They were tight and some of their b-lines were pretty outstanding. Their rhythm section over all was tight and they had some good ideas. Unfortunately, they chose to use two of the most piercing and annoying sounds possible on many of their songs: wood block and claves (those two wood sticks that you click together in Latin music).
The main thing that put me out wasn't the whacking of pieces of wood together, however. It was the oversung pop singing of the frontwoman that really grated my nerves after a while. There were moments when the set was enjoyable, more than I expected, but the overarching vocals sounded a little too much like a showcase of vocal ability and not quite enough like pop hooks or genuine expression.
The band was also a bit grating on a personal level. They were informed mid-way through their set that New York had legalized gay marriage. They made several well-intentioned attempts to express their agreement with the decision but the more they tried, the more awkward and offensive their comments got. As if the vocals hadn't made me cringe enough for one night! Still, their hearts were in the right place. [video (not this show)]
The Bush Tetras closed out the night with a set that was a little too long, given the heat of the room, but they did hit most of their best songs and well, they are too awesome for words. And what words I can use for them, I just used a few days ago. [video (not this show)]
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Live: Pygmy Shrews, Pop. 1280
When: 6/11
Where: Death By Audio
I've reviewed White Suns recently, so I'll skip it except to say they're rad and I enjoyed them much.
I'd really like to get more into Pop. 1280. They have a lot of elements I like - the nasty guitars and screaming of hardcore/post-hardcore and the foreboding tension of post-punk. But Pop 1280's foreboding/gothic leanings overpower their punkier aspects. Most songs are slow and drony, based around minimal, hypnotic drums and bass (or synth-generated b-lines). Murky guitar and synth textures slide sharply between the pounding rhythms and Chris Bug rants over the top.
So far so good, or so you'd think. But something is amiss. Most of their songs are so alike in tone and tempo that they blend together and well, after ten or fifteen or twenty minutes, the repetitiveness and consistency becomes monotony. Dark post-punk is often meant to be punishing, but there's a subtle difference between punishment and boredom and Pop. 1280 fall just slightly on the wrong side of that fence. And I do mean slightly - there's a lot to love about the band. If their ice stage presence doesn't warm your heart, their fat Suicide-esque synth riffs and harsh tones certainly will (if you're anything like me, anyway). It's just that the impact and enjoyment become noticeably diluted as the length of the set exceeds its content, idea-wise.
In a way, the pieces of Pop. 1280 don't quite come together. There's a disconnect between Bug, out front with the mic, and the rest of the band who are actually physically in the background. Band members don't have to present themselves uniformly but they should have a unified vision of how they want to present the band as a whole. Something about the gulf between the players and the frontman in Pop. 1280 makes it seem like you're watching two separate bands who each need the instrumentation of the other, so they tolerate (and mostly ignore) each other. Musically, it's tight and it works together on paper, but in the delivery, it just doesn't gel. [video]
Of course, the juxtaposition with the Pygmy Shrews can't help - now there's a band who gel. OK. "Gel" may be the wrong word in as much as it evokes something smooth and translucent. Pygmy Shrews are more like a blood clot, the physics remains the same - put the three shrews on a stage together and the result is monolithic. They seem to share not only a sonic technique (loud) but also a sense of humor. They're not a comedy act and they absolutely will fuck your shit up, but true to punk's dadaist roots, the Shrews know how to be fun and funny.
The Shrews are too cool for woords, but musically they are mostly "just" a punk band and their new material seems to be more straightforward than ever. Of course, Ben Greenberg's aluminum guitar gives the band's sound a corrosive post-hardcore feel and Tia Vincent-Clark's bass has a knotted complexity you won't find in your average (or even above-average) hardcore band. Greenberg has also been known to bust out a nasty, shredded solo. It's these relatively small things - along with the band's absolutely perfect attitude - that set them apart from their punky peers.
What is the perfect attitude for a band like this? Well, it's about striking a balance, caring and yet not giving a fuck, showing genuine affection for your audience while also telling them to fuck off and throwing beer cans at them (or whatever). It's expressing real and urgent rage without taking that tongue out of your check. Too many bands take themselves too seriously and too many more don't take themselves seriously enough, failing to grasp the importance of punk and everything it stands for. Pygmy Shrews are a rare breed, a band that's able to issue an equally big "fuck you" to folks on both sides.
But I doubt they'd put it quite that way. I think they just like to play. [video]
Where: Death By Audio
I've reviewed White Suns recently, so I'll skip it except to say they're rad and I enjoyed them much.
I'd really like to get more into Pop. 1280. They have a lot of elements I like - the nasty guitars and screaming of hardcore/post-hardcore and the foreboding tension of post-punk. But Pop 1280's foreboding/gothic leanings overpower their punkier aspects. Most songs are slow and drony, based around minimal, hypnotic drums and bass (or synth-generated b-lines). Murky guitar and synth textures slide sharply between the pounding rhythms and Chris Bug rants over the top.
So far so good, or so you'd think. But something is amiss. Most of their songs are so alike in tone and tempo that they blend together and well, after ten or fifteen or twenty minutes, the repetitiveness and consistency becomes monotony. Dark post-punk is often meant to be punishing, but there's a subtle difference between punishment and boredom and Pop. 1280 fall just slightly on the wrong side of that fence. And I do mean slightly - there's a lot to love about the band. If their ice stage presence doesn't warm your heart, their fat Suicide-esque synth riffs and harsh tones certainly will (if you're anything like me, anyway). It's just that the impact and enjoyment become noticeably diluted as the length of the set exceeds its content, idea-wise.
In a way, the pieces of Pop. 1280 don't quite come together. There's a disconnect between Bug, out front with the mic, and the rest of the band who are actually physically in the background. Band members don't have to present themselves uniformly but they should have a unified vision of how they want to present the band as a whole. Something about the gulf between the players and the frontman in Pop. 1280 makes it seem like you're watching two separate bands who each need the instrumentation of the other, so they tolerate (and mostly ignore) each other. Musically, it's tight and it works together on paper, but in the delivery, it just doesn't gel. [video]
Of course, the juxtaposition with the Pygmy Shrews can't help - now there's a band who gel. OK. "Gel" may be the wrong word in as much as it evokes something smooth and translucent. Pygmy Shrews are more like a blood clot, the physics remains the same - put the three shrews on a stage together and the result is monolithic. They seem to share not only a sonic technique (loud) but also a sense of humor. They're not a comedy act and they absolutely will fuck your shit up, but true to punk's dadaist roots, the Shrews know how to be fun and funny.
The Shrews are too cool for woords, but musically they are mostly "just" a punk band and their new material seems to be more straightforward than ever. Of course, Ben Greenberg's aluminum guitar gives the band's sound a corrosive post-hardcore feel and Tia Vincent-Clark's bass has a knotted complexity you won't find in your average (or even above-average) hardcore band. Greenberg has also been known to bust out a nasty, shredded solo. It's these relatively small things - along with the band's absolutely perfect attitude - that set them apart from their punky peers.
What is the perfect attitude for a band like this? Well, it's about striking a balance, caring and yet not giving a fuck, showing genuine affection for your audience while also telling them to fuck off and throwing beer cans at them (or whatever). It's expressing real and urgent rage without taking that tongue out of your check. Too many bands take themselves too seriously and too many more don't take themselves seriously enough, failing to grasp the importance of punk and everything it stands for. Pygmy Shrews are a rare breed, a band that's able to issue an equally big "fuck you" to folks on both sides.
But I doubt they'd put it quite that way. I think they just like to play. [video]
Monday, June 6, 2011
Album: Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
Album: David Comes to Life
Matador
Release Date: 6/7/11
Rating: ******** (8/10)
I don't like rock operas. Not Tommy. Not Zen Arcade. Not even really Ziggy Stardust. I like a lot of the songs on those records but I find the whole opera thing really hard to get past. And Fucked Up's new album, David Comes to Life, is no exception. But that's a personal hangup. And setting personal shit aside, David is an outstanding accomplishment.
The double album, clocking in at 80 minutes, is a proletarian meta-drama that explores themes like the subjectivity of truth and personal redemption in the face of guilt. The title character, David, is a factory worker (perhaps the very same worker imagined by guitarist 10,000 Marbles in his flagrantly Dickensian interview with Stereogum) who falls in love with a woman with whom he plots an insurrection of sorts. Soon after the lovers meet, the woman is killed in an explosion and David takes the blame for her death. However, the listener eventually learns that the originally distant narrator was actually (probably) responsible. The truth comes out and David finds redemption and peace, his belief in love restored.
Fucked Up have reinvented hardcore punk before and here they continue to push the boundaries of the genre. There's no mistaking Damian Abraham's voice for any other style, but just as the Who proved rock could reach the epic level of opera, Fucked Up are here to show the same for punk, more convincingly than anyone else has managed to date. Abraham's roar is couched in a wash of guitar, the sort of shimmering layers of sound that characterized the band's last release. Lead guitar also frequently joins Abraham on the melodies, outlining the tunes his gruff voice implies. It all works.
Moreover, David recalls the Who's Tommy not only in its story and the statement it makes on rock music but even in its sound. Although the layers of guitar could be no one but Fucked Up, some of the scintillating textures and broad open chords have Pete Townshend all over them. Although compositionally the furthest the band has gotten from traditional pop, the album is the band's brightest to date in terms of the chords, keys and melodies.
The lyrics are literate and clever. The story isn't all that clear because the band chooses to focus on the characters' internal battles rather than the plot that links them together. Although the ambiguity of the album can be frustrating, it's actually much better for this decision. After all, the whole story is metaphor and allegory. The moral of the tale seems to be "believe in love and seize the day," which is in itself not all that original, but it works because the band tackles huge subjects en route to this conclusion - truth, justice, religion, class struggle and free will among others. The unreliable narrator is not a new literary device, but it's rare to find a narrator so actively and candidly discussing his role as narrator and his reason for taking on this role - to hide his own guilt.
The band's approach here does have its drawbacks, though. There is some dialog among the characters that comes off as a little trite and the constant couplets are a bit annoying for those looking for the kind of pop-structured ragers of the band's previous releases. The lack of straightforward songs is the most disappointing thing about this album - but then again, the bands songs were never terribly straightforward by conventional standards anyway. The album's best tracks are often its simplest. Anthems "A Slanted Tone" and "Serve Me Right" stand out and the quality of the songs seems to improve as the album carries on - as the band's passion peaks and the story's broader implications come into focus.
David is an ambitious undertaking but Fucked Up has not overreached. Indeed, they've earned this and their execution, while occasionally burdensome, is never indulgent. Fucked Up have approached this project with the same passion and love with which they do everything. And despite the heavy subject matter and daunting length of the record, it rocks as hard as anything the band has done to date. I doubt it will find itself in as frequent rotation in my headphones as the band's more song-oriented releases, but it's a humbling achievement and a vital contribution to punk.
You can hear the whole album for yourself right here.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Live: Don Giovanni Showcase feat. Noun, Shellshag + more
OK, so I've been taking a little unannounced vacation from the blog and I'm at least two months behind in live reviews, so I'm just gonna plow through in about three sentences per band and get up to speed.
Here's the first of many:
When: 4/24
Where: Mercury Lounge
I saw indie pop punk mainstays The Measure at the first night of a two night Don Giovanni showcase at Mercury Lounge in April. My friends' reaction was pretty much the same across the board - they wished they had as much fun listening to the music as the band had playing it. The Measure are fun and love what they do and put on a good show, but the songs are just unmemorable. Enjoyable, but unmemorable. [myspace]
Screaming Females headlined. They ruled the fucking stage. They always do. I've reviewed them at least 17,000 times, so that's about all I have to say. [myspace]
When: 4/25
Where: Mercury Lounge
Night two of the Don Giovanni showcase kicked off with the ever excellent Pregnant, whose awkward but brutal hardcore is some of the best unknown music in Brooklyn. The band consists of a skinhead, a glasses-wearing hardcore type and a tall girl who fucking destroys on bass. Not every song is a winner, but as the set went on, their tunes seemed to get better and better. There are some fucking great songs on there that I better have on my ipod soon or I'm gonna be seriously pissed. [myspace]
I'm always impressed by Black Wine, whose simple punk, despite touching on emo, packs in a lot of energy. It's youthful and heartfelt and all three of the band members RULE at their instruments. The singing is not the most technically adept but the down-to-earth feel is a big part of their charm. The other big part is how great their songs are. Which is PRETTY DAMN GREAT. [myspace]
Full of Fancy, featuring Black Wine drummer Miranda Taylor on guitar alongside one Erin Hays (I think that's her name) on bass. They are more pop than punk and their incompetence isn't quite as charming this go around. They aren't awful - better than I expected, based on what I'd been told - but they're skippable, sorry to say. [myspace]
In a continuing busy night for Miranda Taylor, she also drummed on half of the next set, Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females performing her solo material as Noun. This was my first time hearing Noun, as it was most people's, and it was as good as expected. Better, even. Paternoster's solo material is more varied and less complete sounding than her band's work, but it's less lowkey than msot solo projects tend to be. She hit some hushed songs but also some burning rock numbers with sick guitar. Her lyrics here seem a little more bare than in Screaming Females, with some gut-punch self-loathing and good old depression appearing here and there. She pulls it off, though, without ever getting whiny or self-absorbed. The talented Taylor, as always, proved up to the task, following Paternoster's screaming, raging lead and not missing a step. The rest of the set was drummed by Angela Boylan (ex-Cheeky) and I was much less impressed by her work. Her snare drum's distinctive tone was clearly intentional, but I wasn't into it. In fact, that "tock tock tock" sound was really irking me the whole time and her drumming in general seemed to flatten Paternoster's songs instead of adding dimensions. Still, all in all, a great set from one of the greatest guitar heros I've ever seen. Check it out. [myspace]
And finally, Shellshag closed out the night. The duo, at least one of whom I knew to be very hung over, pounded out their slurred, riotous, fuck-off style punk with as much enthusiasm as always. I don't know what to say about this band - they have a special little place in my heart but most of all, they are just plain fun. And while I've seen them attempt a drum tower many times (stacking all Jenn's drums, stands included, into a single tower), this was the first time I saw it stay up. Well done. [myspace]
Here's the first of many:
When: 4/24
Where: Mercury Lounge
I saw indie pop punk mainstays The Measure at the first night of a two night Don Giovanni showcase at Mercury Lounge in April. My friends' reaction was pretty much the same across the board - they wished they had as much fun listening to the music as the band had playing it. The Measure are fun and love what they do and put on a good show, but the songs are just unmemorable. Enjoyable, but unmemorable. [myspace]
Screaming Females headlined. They ruled the fucking stage. They always do. I've reviewed them at least 17,000 times, so that's about all I have to say. [myspace]
When: 4/25
Where: Mercury Lounge
Night two of the Don Giovanni showcase kicked off with the ever excellent Pregnant, whose awkward but brutal hardcore is some of the best unknown music in Brooklyn. The band consists of a skinhead, a glasses-wearing hardcore type and a tall girl who fucking destroys on bass. Not every song is a winner, but as the set went on, their tunes seemed to get better and better. There are some fucking great songs on there that I better have on my ipod soon or I'm gonna be seriously pissed. [myspace]
I'm always impressed by Black Wine, whose simple punk, despite touching on emo, packs in a lot of energy. It's youthful and heartfelt and all three of the band members RULE at their instruments. The singing is not the most technically adept but the down-to-earth feel is a big part of their charm. The other big part is how great their songs are. Which is PRETTY DAMN GREAT. [myspace]
Full of Fancy, featuring Black Wine drummer Miranda Taylor on guitar alongside one Erin Hays (I think that's her name) on bass. They are more pop than punk and their incompetence isn't quite as charming this go around. They aren't awful - better than I expected, based on what I'd been told - but they're skippable, sorry to say. [myspace]
In a continuing busy night for Miranda Taylor, she also drummed on half of the next set, Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females performing her solo material as Noun. This was my first time hearing Noun, as it was most people's, and it was as good as expected. Better, even. Paternoster's solo material is more varied and less complete sounding than her band's work, but it's less lowkey than msot solo projects tend to be. She hit some hushed songs but also some burning rock numbers with sick guitar. Her lyrics here seem a little more bare than in Screaming Females, with some gut-punch self-loathing and good old depression appearing here and there. She pulls it off, though, without ever getting whiny or self-absorbed. The talented Taylor, as always, proved up to the task, following Paternoster's screaming, raging lead and not missing a step. The rest of the set was drummed by Angela Boylan (ex-Cheeky) and I was much less impressed by her work. Her snare drum's distinctive tone was clearly intentional, but I wasn't into it. In fact, that "tock tock tock" sound was really irking me the whole time and her drumming in general seemed to flatten Paternoster's songs instead of adding dimensions. Still, all in all, a great set from one of the greatest guitar heros I've ever seen. Check it out. [myspace]
And finally, Shellshag closed out the night. The duo, at least one of whom I knew to be very hung over, pounded out their slurred, riotous, fuck-off style punk with as much enthusiasm as always. I don't know what to say about this band - they have a special little place in my heart but most of all, they are just plain fun. And while I've seen them attempt a drum tower many times (stacking all Jenn's drums, stands included, into a single tower), this was the first time I saw it stay up. Well done. [myspace]
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Northside Festival
There are so many good shows coming up at the Northside Festival, it's tough to pick what to recommend. This is going to be an amazing weekend for music in Brooklyn. Luckily, a lot of the shows are pretty close together, so it may be possible to dash from one to another. I will certainly try and so should you. Here are the highlights, but check out the entire schedule because like I said, it's just hard to pick.
Thursday, June 24
The show to see is...
Wavves, Cloud Nothings, DOM @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$14
Wavves get some hate now, which is the natural backlash after the sort of hype they got around winter/spring of 2008 and 2009. But despite a bad choice in drummers and a lot of bad choices with drugs, Nathan Williams is keeping it real. He brought some sense back to indie rock and he deserves some damn credit. [myspace]
Close runner-up:
Aa, YellowFever, Air Waves, PC Worship, Coasting @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
After finally getting a chance to check out Aa live, I found they are rather overrated – for a band dependent entirely on rhythm, they drum like the white boys they are. By which I mean their rhythms are mired in an unshakable European sense of halves and quarters and downbeats. HOWEVER, the other bands on the bill are among NYC’s most interesting experimental bands and are very worth checking out. [aa myspace] [yf myspace] [aw myspace] [pc myspace]
Other highlights:
Au Revoir Simone @ Warsaw * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$17
Anni Rossi, ARMS, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Shark?, Miniboone @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $6
My Teenage Stride, I’m Turning Into, German Measles @ The Charleston * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Friday, June 25
The show to see is…
Grooms, Snakes Say Hisss, Darlings, Sisters, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Tough pick Friday night, but this one wins it. Death by Audio roster mainstays Grooms and Sisters are awesome, albeit in different ways – Grooms are a dark, experimental post-punk trio while Sisters are a jumpy lo-fi noise-punk pop duo. Darlings are more towards Sisters if you pretend that’s some sort of spectrum. They play unpredictable, loveable indie rock. As for the other bands on the bill, we’ll find out together! [grooms myspace] [snakes myspace] [darlings myspace] [sisters myspace] [knuckles myspace]
Other highlights:
The Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The So So Glos, The Beets, Asa Ransom, Electric Tickle Machine, Shilpa Ray (solo) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn * $10
We Are Country Mice, Eternal Summers, Grooms with DJ Sets by Jemina Pearl & John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet) and Pete Feigenbaum (Dinowalrus) @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15/$17
MEN (feat. JD Samson of Le Tigre) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Shark?, blair, DOM, Darlings, The Grates, Dinosaur Feathers, MiniBoone, The Sundelles @ Public Assembly * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Saturday, June 26
The shows to see are...
AFTERNOON (1 PM): Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $10/$12
Titus Andronicus are the second most inventive hardcore band of our generation (and the second most inventive hardcore band playing Newtown Barge Park on Saturday). They are passionate and sing about history and art and war and they will make you want to jump around and crash into people. Male Bonding play catchy, manic lo-fi punk with sick pop tunez and hella fucking energy. They are as fun as they are tight. Which is very. [ta myspace] [mb myspace]
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $16/$18
The ever nervous, edgy Liars make skittering, experimental noise rock with a lot of yelping and fucked guitars. They’ve got appeal for the casual listener though – driving rhythms, well written songs and a great stage presence. Fucked Up are the number one most inventive hardcore band of our time. They’ve simply demolished boundaries and definitions of what punk can be. [liars myspace] [fu myspace (unofficial)] [hp myspace]
Other highlights:
AFTERNOON (2 PM): Gold Lake, She Keeps Bees, The Shivers @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * FREE
Ducktails, Big Troubles, WOOM, No Demons Here (Luka Usmiani of Fluffy Lumbers), Andrew Cedermark (ex-Titus Andronicus) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM, ZAZA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
The Zookeepers @ Glasslands Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
LATE (12 AM): Reading Rainbow, The Beets with DJ sets by Kip (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) & Jed (My Teenage Stride) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Sunday, June 26
The show to see is...
Les Savy Fav, Polvo, Grails @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$18
Melodic hardcore punx Les Savy Fav would make this show worthwhile alone, but they are joined by 90’s indie legends Polvo, whose math rock keeps it raw-nerve edgy but whose sense of craft lands them among the most accessible of their mathy peers. [lsf myspace] [polvo myspace]
Other highlights:
My Teenage Stride, The Shivers @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Islands, Steel Phantoms, Active Child, TV Carnage @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16/$18
Thursday, June 24
The show to see is...
Wavves, Cloud Nothings, DOM @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$14
Wavves get some hate now, which is the natural backlash after the sort of hype they got around winter/spring of 2008 and 2009. But despite a bad choice in drummers and a lot of bad choices with drugs, Nathan Williams is keeping it real. He brought some sense back to indie rock and he deserves some damn credit. [myspace]
Close runner-up:
Aa, YellowFever, Air Waves, PC Worship, Coasting @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
After finally getting a chance to check out Aa live, I found they are rather overrated – for a band dependent entirely on rhythm, they drum like the white boys they are. By which I mean their rhythms are mired in an unshakable European sense of halves and quarters and downbeats. HOWEVER, the other bands on the bill are among NYC’s most interesting experimental bands and are very worth checking out. [aa myspace] [yf myspace] [aw myspace] [pc myspace]
Other highlights:
Au Revoir Simone @ Warsaw * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$17
Anni Rossi, ARMS, Ball of Flame Shoot Fire, Shark?, Miniboone @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $6
My Teenage Stride, I’m Turning Into, German Measles @ The Charleston * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Friday, June 25
The show to see is…
Grooms, Snakes Say Hisss, Darlings, Sisters, Tough Knuckles @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Tough pick Friday night, but this one wins it. Death by Audio roster mainstays Grooms and Sisters are awesome, albeit in different ways – Grooms are a dark, experimental post-punk trio while Sisters are a jumpy lo-fi noise-punk pop duo. Darlings are more towards Sisters if you pretend that’s some sort of spectrum. They play unpredictable, loveable indie rock. As for the other bands on the bill, we’ll find out together! [grooms myspace] [snakes myspace] [darlings myspace] [sisters myspace] [knuckles myspace]
Other highlights:
The Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
The So So Glos, The Beets, Asa Ransom, Electric Tickle Machine, Shilpa Ray (solo) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn * $10
We Are Country Mice, Eternal Summers, Grooms with DJ Sets by Jemina Pearl & John Eatherly (Be Your Own Pet) and Pete Feigenbaum (Dinowalrus) @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Real Estate, Woods, The Fresh & Onlys @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15/$17
MEN (feat. JD Samson of Le Tigre) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
Shark?, blair, DOM, Darlings, The Grates, Dinosaur Feathers, MiniBoone, The Sundelles @ Public Assembly * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
Saturday, June 26
The shows to see are...
AFTERNOON (1 PM): Titus Andronicus, Male Bonding @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $10/$12
Titus Andronicus are the second most inventive hardcore band of our generation (and the second most inventive hardcore band playing Newtown Barge Park on Saturday). They are passionate and sing about history and art and war and they will make you want to jump around and crash into people. Male Bonding play catchy, manic lo-fi punk with sick pop tunez and hella fucking energy. They are as fun as they are tight. Which is very. [ta myspace] [mb myspace]
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $16/$18
The ever nervous, edgy Liars make skittering, experimental noise rock with a lot of yelping and fucked guitars. They’ve got appeal for the casual listener though – driving rhythms, well written songs and a great stage presence. Fucked Up are the number one most inventive hardcore band of our time. They’ve simply demolished boundaries and definitions of what punk can be. [liars myspace] [fu myspace (unofficial)] [hp myspace]
Other highlights:
AFTERNOON (2 PM): Gold Lake, She Keeps Bees, The Shivers @ Matchless * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * FREE
Ducktails, Big Troubles, WOOM, No Demons Here (Luka Usmiani of Fluffy Lumbers), Andrew Cedermark (ex-Titus Andronicus) @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM, ZAZA @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $15
The Zookeepers @ Glasslands Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10
LATE (12 AM): Reading Rainbow, The Beets with DJ sets by Kip (The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) & Jed (My Teenage Stride) @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $5
Sunday, June 26
The show to see is...
Les Savy Fav, Polvo, Grails @ Newtown Barge Park * Greenpoint, Brooklyn * $15/$18
Melodic hardcore punx Les Savy Fav would make this show worthwhile alone, but they are joined by 90’s indie legends Polvo, whose math rock keeps it raw-nerve edgy but whose sense of craft lands them among the most accessible of their mathy peers. [lsf myspace] [polvo myspace]
Other highlights:
My Teenage Stride, The Shivers @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $8
Islands, Steel Phantoms, Active Child, TV Carnage @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16/$18
Friday, June 18, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Marnie Stern, Pissed Jeans + more
Sorry I’ve been away for a bit. I will get back on blogging schedule next week.
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT! Friday, June 18
Marnie Stern + Anni Rossi, True Womanhood @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$15
Marnie Fucking Stern, ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest guitar heroes of our generation. At Glasslands, which is small and often has very good acoustics. This show cannot be beat. Marnie Stern isn’t quite metal and isn’t quite punk and isn’t quite anything else except awesome. Plus Anni Rossi, who’s pretty okay at violin and songs and True Womanhood, who sound like Radiohead - in a good way. GO TO THIS SHOW. [marnie myspace] [rossi myspace] [true myspace]
Saturday, June 19
Pissed Jeans, Pop. 1280 @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12
This will be one of the hardcore/post-hardcore/noise rock shows of the year. You might be seriously injured but it will be worth it. These bands play lurching, desperate anthems straight from the gut. They channel the collective underbelly of our world and let it out via amplifiers and hella distortion. [piss myspace] [pop myspace]
Sunday, June 20
Dinowalrus @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Last time I talked to Dinowalrus, they pointed out that I should stop calling them "mathy" because they aren’t, and for once, a band was right about their own music (seriously) so let me just say they are not mathy, but are very rhythm driven, experimental music that’s clearly psychedelic and sometimes danceable. It’s not so experimental as to forgo a strong pop appeal as well. [myspace]
Knight School, Boy Genius @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
Knight School play fuzzy indie pop with the best tunez around. Boy Genius play less fuzzy indie pop and also have more than few good songs. [knight myspace] [boy myspace]
Monday, June 21
Miniboone, Gunfight!, Quiet Loudly, Pet Ghost Project @ Spike Hill * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
OK, this line up RULES. Miniboone are make big, dramatic pop with manic punk energy. Quiet Loudly are a bit more chill, with a sort of angular take on 60’s psychedelic music. Gunfight! make fun cow punk you can’t not enjoy and Pet Ghost Project do a bunch of stuff that swings between lo-fi pop and post-hardcore noise rock. I wouldn’t normally recommend Spike Hill, but this line up is SICK. [mini myspace] [ql myspace] [gun myspace] [pgp myspace]
Wednesday, June 23
Tortoise @ Le Poisson Rouge * Greenwich Village, Manhattan * $22
Electro kings of experimental music back in the 90’s, Tortoise were an influence on just about every worthwhile post rock band in the last decade or so. Their music draws on ambient, jazz, krautrock and post punk and sounds like no one else. [ myspace]
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...
June
24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory
25
Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl
Silversun Pickups, Against Me! @ Williamsburg Waterfront
26
Fiery Furnaces @ Mercury Lounge
Titus Andronicus @ Newtown Barge Park
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park
27
Les Savy Fav, Polvo @ Newtown Barge Park
July
6
B-52s @ Highline Ballroom
11
The Roots, Talib Kweli @ Prospect Park
13
Cheap Trick @ Radio City Music Hall
16
Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront
17
Siren Fest: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Matt & Kim, Ted Leo, Surfer Blood @ Coney Island
22
Antlers, Dinosaur Feathers @ Pier 54
23
Modest Mouse @ Williamsburg Waterfront
24
M.I.A., Sleigh Bells @ Governors Island
26
Flaming Lips @ Central Park
27
Black Keys @ Central Park
The National, Beach House @ Prospect Park
28
Black Keys @ Central Park
30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House
31
Sonic Youth, Grass Widow, Talk Normal @ Prospect Park
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House
August
12
Gang Gang Dance, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen @ Governors Island
15
Public Enemy @ Central Park
17
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
18
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT! Friday, June 18
Marnie Stern + Anni Rossi, True Womanhood @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12/$15
Marnie Fucking Stern, ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest guitar heroes of our generation. At Glasslands, which is small and often has very good acoustics. This show cannot be beat. Marnie Stern isn’t quite metal and isn’t quite punk and isn’t quite anything else except awesome. Plus Anni Rossi, who’s pretty okay at violin and songs and True Womanhood, who sound like Radiohead - in a good way. GO TO THIS SHOW. [marnie myspace] [rossi myspace] [true myspace]
Saturday, June 19
Pissed Jeans, Pop. 1280 @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $12
This will be one of the hardcore/post-hardcore/noise rock shows of the year. You might be seriously injured but it will be worth it. These bands play lurching, desperate anthems straight from the gut. They channel the collective underbelly of our world and let it out via amplifiers and hella distortion. [piss myspace] [pop myspace]
Sunday, June 20
Dinowalrus @ Cameo Gallery * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Last time I talked to Dinowalrus, they pointed out that I should stop calling them "mathy" because they aren’t, and for once, a band was right about their own music (seriously) so let me just say they are not mathy, but are very rhythm driven, experimental music that’s clearly psychedelic and sometimes danceable. It’s not so experimental as to forgo a strong pop appeal as well. [myspace]
Knight School, Boy Genius @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
Knight School play fuzzy indie pop with the best tunez around. Boy Genius play less fuzzy indie pop and also have more than few good songs. [knight myspace] [boy myspace]
Monday, June 21
Miniboone, Gunfight!, Quiet Loudly, Pet Ghost Project @ Spike Hill * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
OK, this line up RULES. Miniboone are make big, dramatic pop with manic punk energy. Quiet Loudly are a bit more chill, with a sort of angular take on 60’s psychedelic music. Gunfight! make fun cow punk you can’t not enjoy and Pet Ghost Project do a bunch of stuff that swings between lo-fi pop and post-hardcore noise rock. I wouldn’t normally recommend Spike Hill, but this line up is SICK. [mini myspace] [ql myspace] [gun myspace] [pgp myspace]
Wednesday, June 23
Tortoise @ Le Poisson Rouge * Greenwich Village, Manhattan * $22
Electro kings of experimental music back in the 90’s, Tortoise were an influence on just about every worthwhile post rock band in the last decade or so. Their music draws on ambient, jazz, krautrock and post punk and sounds like no one else. [ myspace]
The long view...
June
24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory
25
Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl
Silversun Pickups, Against Me! @ Williamsburg Waterfront
26
Fiery Furnaces @ Mercury Lounge
Titus Andronicus @ Newtown Barge Park
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park
27
Les Savy Fav, Polvo @ Newtown Barge Park
July
6
B-52s @ Highline Ballroom
11
The Roots, Talib Kweli @ Prospect Park
13
Cheap Trick @ Radio City Music Hall
16
Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront
17
Siren Fest: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Matt & Kim, Ted Leo, Surfer Blood @ Coney Island
22
Antlers, Dinosaur Feathers @ Pier 54
23
Modest Mouse @ Williamsburg Waterfront
24
M.I.A., Sleigh Bells @ Governors Island
26
Flaming Lips @ Central Park
27
Black Keys @ Central Park
The National, Beach House @ Prospect Park
28
Black Keys @ Central Park
30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House
31
Sonic Youth, Grass Widow, Talk Normal @ Prospect Park
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House
August
12
Gang Gang Dance, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen @ Governors Island
15
Public Enemy @ Central Park
17
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
18
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
Friday, June 4, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Black Wine, Pop 1280 + more
TONIGHT! Friday, June 4
Black Wine, The Measure SA, Slingshot Dakota @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $6
Black Wine are a punk band with good songs that are occasionally slightly emo but not in a bad way at all, actually in a really awesome way. The Measure are a poppy punk band that aren't quite as great as they should be but have fun and want you to have fun too. Slingshot Dakota are an emotive punk duo on keys and drums. This line-up is FUCKING AWESOME. [bw band] [measure myspace] [sd myspace]
Saturday, June 5
Pop 1280 @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Someone told me this band was good. My impression is that they are heavy and dark and unsettling. Go see them. [myspace]
Brian Jonestown Massacre @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Wililamsburg, Brooklyn * $25
BJM are a psychedelic indie band with one fuckin' crazy dude named Anton Newcombe who has done a very lot of drugs. As with any band on a lot of drugs, they have the potential to suck live, but as with only a few bands, they also have the potential to be awesome. [myspace]
Sunday, June 6
So So Glos @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Loveable Brooklyn bros with anthemic hardcore. [myspace]
Tuesday, June 8
Fiasco @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
As always, all the best shows are at Death By Audio. Fiasco are a young math trio whose musical skill matured before their taste, but they are exciting and loud and get better with every show. [myspace]
The long view...
June
11
Jeff the Brotherhood, PC Worship @ Death By Audio
Hunters @ Monster Island Basement
Friendo @ Cake Shop
13
Friendo @ Glasslands
14
Coyote Eyes @ Cake Shop
15
Dan Deacon @ Red Hook Park
18
Marnie Stern, Anni Rossi, True Womahood @ Glasslands
Pissed Jeans @ Cake Shop
19
Pissed Jeans, Pop. 1280 @ Death by Audio
Melvins + Isis @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
24
Wavves @ Knitting Factory
25
Fiery Furnaces @ Brooklyn Bowl
Silversun Pickups, Against Me! @ Williamsburg Waterfront
26
Fiery Furnaces @ Mercury Lounge
Titus Andronicus @ Newtown Barge Park
Liars, Fucked Up, High Places @ Newtown Barge Park
27
Les Savy Fav, Polvo @ Newtown Barge Park
July
6
B-52s @ Highline Ballroom
11
The Roots, Talib Kweli @ Prospect Park
13
Cheap Trick @ Radio City Music Hall
16
Weezer @ Williamsburg Waterfront
17
Siren Fest: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Matt & Kim, Ted Leo, Surfer Blood @ Coney Island
22
Antlers, Dinosaur Feathers @ Pier 54
23
Modest Mouse @ Williamsburg Waterfront
24
M.I.A., Sleigh Bells @ Governors Island
26
Flaming Lips @ Central Park
27
Black Keys @ Central Park
The National, Beach House @ Prospect Park
28
Black Keys @ Central Park
30
Big Takeover: Springhouse @ Bell House
31
Sonic Youth, Grass Widow, Talk Normal @ Prospect Park
Big Takeover: Springhouse, For Against @ Bell House
August
12
Gang Gang Dance, Grizzly Bear, Walkmen @ Governors Island
15
Public Enemy @ Central Park
17
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
18
MGMT @ Radio City Music Hall
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Live: Pissed Jeans
When: 4/9
Where: Knitting Factory
Last year, I got my hands on a copy of the album by Pissed Jeans that came out and I gave it a good old girl scout try. But I just couldn't get into it. It's a lot of shouting and heavy guitar - which I like - but lacking in melodies or unusual rhythms or most of the sort of things keep my attention.
But live, Pissed Jeans is another beast. Still no melody, no cool beats, none of that. But for two big differences - seeing the band and seeing the audience. The band themselves are not too tough looking. In fact, they look like totally normal (if extremely pale) guys - until the music starts.
Vocalist Matt Korvette is the quintessential anti-hero. He may thrash and headbang all hardcore-like, but he also busts out some extremely awkward and ill-fitting dance moves, grotesquely shaking his booty and gyrating, shirt off. Henry Rollins pops off his shirt because he's got scary muscles, but when guys like this do it, it seems almost a self-loathing gesture, inviting ridicule - which isn't to say Korvette is bad-looking, he's just not quite swimsuit model material. More to the point, it's like when you see some animal outside its usual shell or its usual subterranean environment. There's something almost fragile about it.
Although Korvette's unpredictable presence is enough to capture the audience's attention, the rest of the band is also laying it out like they mean it. And they keep it going even when Korvette molests them, even when audience members rush the stage, even when all hell breaks lose in the room. Focused and heavy, they make a (figurative) brick wall at which the vocalist and the audience can (figuratively) hurl themselves.
In the non-figurative world, though, there's plenty of collision going on. This audience came to brutalize their bodies as well as their ears. The mosh pit was good-natured but still scary as they joined in the band's violence and debasement. The bouncer did haul out a fighter or two and a few people seemed eager to really injure others, but there are always a few, huh? Mostly it was just nice kids come to let out some anger and some energy and I can think of few bands with as cathartic a live show as this.
I'm still not sold on the recordings. I respect the band, but I just can't find a thing to grasp. But as a physical experience to share with a roomful of people, this one not to miss. So don't: they play Death By Audio on June 19 and tickets are on sale now.
[myspace]
Where: Knitting Factory
Last year, I got my hands on a copy of the album by Pissed Jeans that came out and I gave it a good old girl scout try. But I just couldn't get into it. It's a lot of shouting and heavy guitar - which I like - but lacking in melodies or unusual rhythms or most of the sort of things keep my attention.
But live, Pissed Jeans is another beast. Still no melody, no cool beats, none of that. But for two big differences - seeing the band and seeing the audience. The band themselves are not too tough looking. In fact, they look like totally normal (if extremely pale) guys - until the music starts.
Vocalist Matt Korvette is the quintessential anti-hero. He may thrash and headbang all hardcore-like, but he also busts out some extremely awkward and ill-fitting dance moves, grotesquely shaking his booty and gyrating, shirt off. Henry Rollins pops off his shirt because he's got scary muscles, but when guys like this do it, it seems almost a self-loathing gesture, inviting ridicule - which isn't to say Korvette is bad-looking, he's just not quite swimsuit model material. More to the point, it's like when you see some animal outside its usual shell or its usual subterranean environment. There's something almost fragile about it.
Although Korvette's unpredictable presence is enough to capture the audience's attention, the rest of the band is also laying it out like they mean it. And they keep it going even when Korvette molests them, even when audience members rush the stage, even when all hell breaks lose in the room. Focused and heavy, they make a (figurative) brick wall at which the vocalist and the audience can (figuratively) hurl themselves.
In the non-figurative world, though, there's plenty of collision going on. This audience came to brutalize their bodies as well as their ears. The mosh pit was good-natured but still scary as they joined in the band's violence and debasement. The bouncer did haul out a fighter or two and a few people seemed eager to really injure others, but there are always a few, huh? Mostly it was just nice kids come to let out some anger and some energy and I can think of few bands with as cathartic a live show as this.
I'm still not sold on the recordings. I respect the band, but I just can't find a thing to grasp. But as a physical experience to share with a roomful of people, this one not to miss. So don't: they play Death By Audio on June 19 and tickets are on sale now.
[myspace]
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Pterodactyl, Liars + more
Tomorrow! Friday, April 16
Pterodactyl, Dinowalrus, Fiasco @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
This is a fucking GREAT line-up, although the bands are playing the opposite order of what would be proper. Fiasco are young guys who play some mathy, lite-thrash, HARRRRDCORE post-hardcore with some sick riffs that are fast and loud and not made for parents or wusses. Dinowalrus play druggy, mathy music that merges electro, rock and punk into some crazy rhythms and madman sprawls. And Pterodactyl play mathy, highspeed noise rock that's insanely fast with crazy sixteenth-note guitar and jumpy drums and ecstatic, drawn out vocal melodies. All three are exceptional live bands. Do not miss. [fiasco myspace] [dino myspace] [ptero myspace]
Saturday, March 17
Sisters @ Death By Audio * Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Sisters are two guys who are different in height but both enormously talented. They are a bit awkward and noisy, lo-fi pop and punk is absolutely bursting from them. They slam out perfect little songs with delicious imperfection. Death By Audio is their home base, so they should be at their best. [myspace]
Sunday, March 18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16 adv./$18 dos.
Liars play spooky, fragmented dance punk. No one was surprised when they moved to Berlin because they seem all dark and icy and their music has that inhuman krautrock thing to it, krautrock combined with funk combined with a weird, paranoid rhythmic punk. They are one of the most creative bands to come out of the last decade. Go to see them play. [myspace]
Tuesday, April 20
The Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16 adv./$18 dos.
The Thermals are a punk band who play catchy, fun music. Yup. [myspace]
PC Worship @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
PC Worship make sonically experimental lo-fi music that slips deftly between sad songs and noise. They are one of the best emerging bands in Brooklyn. Get 'em while they're fresh. [myspace]
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...
April
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: Screaming Females (I called it), Measure (SA) @ 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]
Pterodactyl, Dinowalrus, Fiasco @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $7
This is a fucking GREAT line-up, although the bands are playing the opposite order of what would be proper. Fiasco are young guys who play some mathy, lite-thrash, HARRRRDCORE post-hardcore with some sick riffs that are fast and loud and not made for parents or wusses. Dinowalrus play druggy, mathy music that merges electro, rock and punk into some crazy rhythms and madman sprawls. And Pterodactyl play mathy, highspeed noise rock that's insanely fast with crazy sixteenth-note guitar and jumpy drums and ecstatic, drawn out vocal melodies. All three are exceptional live bands. Do not miss. [fiasco myspace] [dino myspace] [ptero myspace]
Saturday, March 17
Sisters @ Death By Audio * Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Sisters are two guys who are different in height but both enormously talented. They are a bit awkward and noisy, lo-fi pop and punk is absolutely bursting from them. They slam out perfect little songs with delicious imperfection. Death By Audio is their home base, so they should be at their best. [myspace]
Sunday, March 18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16 adv./$18 dos.
Liars play spooky, fragmented dance punk. No one was surprised when they moved to Berlin because they seem all dark and icy and their music has that inhuman krautrock thing to it, krautrock combined with funk combined with a weird, paranoid rhythmic punk. They are one of the most creative bands to come out of the last decade. Go to see them play. [myspace]
Tuesday, April 20
The Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $16 adv./$18 dos.
The Thermals are a punk band who play catchy, fun music. Yup. [myspace]
PC Worship @ Shea Stadium * Bushwick, Brooklyn
PC Worship make sonically experimental lo-fi music that slips deftly between sad songs and noise. They are one of the best emerging bands in Brooklyn. Get 'em while they're fresh. [myspace]
The long view...
April
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: Screaming Females (I called it), Measure (SA) @ 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
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon + more
Wednesday, April 7
Beluga @ Glasslands * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Incomprehensibly underrated lady punks Beluga are playing their "last show for a while" at Glasslands. This band is so damn good. There are four girls and guy and the singer is a blond, dolled-up Brazilian ex-model who screams and writhes on the floor while the others play excellent grunge-tinged punk anthems that pack a punch. [myspace]
Thursday, April 8
Unstoppable Death Machines @ Shea Stadium * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
UDM are two guys who make slabs of insane noise on bass and drums while shrieking into heavily distorted little microphones they keep in their mouths. Badass. [myspace]
Friday, April 9
Screaming Females (opening for Ted Leo) @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza * Union Square, Manhattan * $16
I'm not a huge fan of Ted Leo or the Fillmore, but I am a huge fan of Screaming Females and neither the price ($16) nor the venue is bad enough to rule this concert out. Ted Leo won't be able to follow Screaming Females, but I think he knows that because he put Obits on the bill and he can definitely follow them - they rather suck. Anyway, Screaming Females are one screaming female and two males and they play the best guitar rock on earth right now and neither Ted Leo nor the Obits are fit to haul their gear - but they are way to nice to say that themselves. [sf myspace] [tl myspace]
Saturday, April 10
Mirror/Dash @ "Family Bookstore" * Tribeca, Manhattan * FREE!
Mirror/Dash is really Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore, the couple who have basically served as mom and dad to America's underground music and art scenes for several decades now. Known, of course, for their work in Sonic Youth, the pair could make any sort of music - from noise jams to tight rock songs. You won't know until you go, and why not - it's free! (The venue is some temporary art gallery, it sounds like - some artsy something or other that's going to be there for the next month.)
Shooting Spires @ Death by Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Shooting Spires overlap with Parts & Labor and from what I can tell, they sound pretty similar - and that's good thing! There are great, dramatic, sweeping pop songs jacked up on a constant flurry of electronic noises, massive bass and crashing drums. Check it aowt. [myspace]
After that run of awesome shows, there are a few days that are fairly uninspiring. Not for long though...
The long view...
April
14
A.R.E. Weapons @ Death by Audio
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
16
Kaki King @ Bowery Ballroom
Pterodactyl, Dinowalrus, Fiasco @ Death by Audio
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: Screaming Females (I called it), Measure (SA) @ 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
Friday, April 2, 2010
Live: Pygmy Shrews + TODD
When: 3/12/10
Where: Death By Audio
I've been trying to get out to see the Pygmy Shrews for ages and could barely stand waiting the hour and a half or so the band was late to this show. But damn was it worth it.
OK, so Pygmy Shrews are someone from Drunkdriver and another guy and a girl. The girl, Tia Vincent, plays bass and she looks like the last person you'd expect to see in a hardcore band - she's the extremely shy, slightly stout girl with the conservative haircut and conservative clothes who you see in the elevator sometimes and try to say hi to. Well, that's who she looks like. But instead, she friggin shreds the bass and unleashes melodic but definitely punk vocals over the racket. The guitarist, one Ben Greenburt, is phenomenal too, with lightning-fast post-hardcore riffs and his own even hardercore vocals.
For all their distorted, high-speed fury, the band never loses its focus on songs and melodies. Unfortunately, at Death by Audio, the vocals were a little too quite to fully convey the band's knack for writing, but even here, it's evident each song is as catchy as it is loud. Pygmy Shrews, simply put, are a damn good listen. [myspace]
A band called TODD also played. They live in the UK but their origins are in Texas and their defining feature is a frontman who viciously beats himself about the face and head and yells. He was very drunk and at one point, fell down on the floor and the exited while the rest of his band attempted to keep the set alive. He did come back, eventually. This is a guy who has broken at least one of at least one audience member in his career as a singer. Well, "singer."
As the violence clearly illustrates, TODD is as much performance art as it is music. But they are genuine - you can't fake that, not to that intensity. The only really offputting thing about the show was that I felt like the audience were all in on some inside joke I just did not know about. They kept laughing at things and there seemed to be some sort of ritual of heckling the frontman and dancing out dangerously close to him in the little semicircle in front of (not on) the stage where he performed. Sometimes he would go after these dancers/moshers/whatever with real malice.
Except for the feeling that there was some big joke I didn't know about the band, one that would probably make me like them much less if I knew it, I definitely enjoyed them. Of course, lots of noise plus a frontman who beats up himself and others is pretty much a recipe for success. Or am I giving them too much credit? [myspace]
Where: Death By Audio
I've been trying to get out to see the Pygmy Shrews for ages and could barely stand waiting the hour and a half or so the band was late to this show. But damn was it worth it.
OK, so Pygmy Shrews are someone from Drunkdriver and another guy and a girl. The girl, Tia Vincent, plays bass and she looks like the last person you'd expect to see in a hardcore band - she's the extremely shy, slightly stout girl with the conservative haircut and conservative clothes who you see in the elevator sometimes and try to say hi to. Well, that's who she looks like. But instead, she friggin shreds the bass and unleashes melodic but definitely punk vocals over the racket. The guitarist, one Ben Greenburt, is phenomenal too, with lightning-fast post-hardcore riffs and his own even hardercore vocals.
For all their distorted, high-speed fury, the band never loses its focus on songs and melodies. Unfortunately, at Death by Audio, the vocals were a little too quite to fully convey the band's knack for writing, but even here, it's evident each song is as catchy as it is loud. Pygmy Shrews, simply put, are a damn good listen. [myspace]
A band called TODD also played. They live in the UK but their origins are in Texas and their defining feature is a frontman who viciously beats himself about the face and head and yells. He was very drunk and at one point, fell down on the floor and the exited while the rest of his band attempted to keep the set alive. He did come back, eventually. This is a guy who has broken at least one of at least one audience member in his career as a singer. Well, "singer."
As the violence clearly illustrates, TODD is as much performance art as it is music. But they are genuine - you can't fake that, not to that intensity. The only really offputting thing about the show was that I felt like the audience were all in on some inside joke I just did not know about. They kept laughing at things and there seemed to be some sort of ritual of heckling the frontman and dancing out dangerously close to him in the little semicircle in front of (not on) the stage where he performed. Sometimes he would go after these dancers/moshers/whatever with real malice.
Except for the feeling that there was some big joke I didn't know about the band, one that would probably make me like them much less if I knew it, I definitely enjoyed them. Of course, lots of noise plus a frontman who beats up himself and others is pretty much a recipe for success. Or am I giving them too much credit? [myspace]
Live: Pregnant, Men, Passive Aggressor
So ages ago, I went to Bruar Falls to see a band called Pregnant play and then I got really behind on my live reviews, so....
Passive Aggressor was playing when I showed up. I didn't see enough of their set to give a proper review, but they were a good poppy hardcore band with a female vocalist who went out into the audience and yelled like a serious mu'fucker. The band was tight and packed a punk and the show was spirited. [myspace]
They were actually the second band of the night. I missed the first act, called Zulus, but Shag of Shellshag was there and said they were really good. And if a recommendation from Shellshag isn't worth pursuing, I don't know what is. [myspace]
Next up, The Men had some good things going for them, but they don't seem to have worked out their sound yet. They're about 75% hardcore punk and 25% shoegaze, with massively loud guitar drones straight off Loveless. It's a great combination, but the effort seemed confused, particularly by the sequence of the set list, which started with pure shoegaze and then abruptly shifted to more straight-forward punk. The band also traded around instruments, which I always like - keeps things from getting too settled. But it's a delicate balance - variety and consistency, that is - the band has yet to really to strike the middle. Still, they combine some many of favorite things that I can't help but be excited - I'm going to keep an eye on these guys!
Pregnant were the highlight of the night for me. Cory from Stupid Party sent me an e-mail when he was drunk and told me they were his favorite band, and that's the best recommendation I can think of. At first, the awkward trio didn't strike me as special - good hardcore, but nothing to write home about.
But then, as their set went on, I began to notice the combination of complexity and tightness in their songs, the sweet riffs, the air-raid rumble of the bass, the chunky vocals and the wild way the band grappled and wrangled their instruments on stage. The best punk bands seem always to be fighting against their instruments rather than working with this. And here's an example in its finest form. Look out for Pregnant, there's something special about these kids. [myspace]
Passive Aggressor was playing when I showed up. I didn't see enough of their set to give a proper review, but they were a good poppy hardcore band with a female vocalist who went out into the audience and yelled like a serious mu'fucker. The band was tight and packed a punk and the show was spirited. [myspace]
They were actually the second band of the night. I missed the first act, called Zulus, but Shag of Shellshag was there and said they were really good. And if a recommendation from Shellshag isn't worth pursuing, I don't know what is. [myspace]
Next up, The Men had some good things going for them, but they don't seem to have worked out their sound yet. They're about 75% hardcore punk and 25% shoegaze, with massively loud guitar drones straight off Loveless. It's a great combination, but the effort seemed confused, particularly by the sequence of the set list, which started with pure shoegaze and then abruptly shifted to more straight-forward punk. The band also traded around instruments, which I always like - keeps things from getting too settled. But it's a delicate balance - variety and consistency, that is - the band has yet to really to strike the middle. Still, they combine some many of favorite things that I can't help but be excited - I'm going to keep an eye on these guys!
Pregnant were the highlight of the night for me. Cory from Stupid Party sent me an e-mail when he was drunk and told me they were his favorite band, and that's the best recommendation I can think of. At first, the awkward trio didn't strike me as special - good hardcore, but nothing to write home about.
But then, as their set went on, I began to notice the combination of complexity and tightness in their songs, the sweet riffs, the air-raid rumble of the bass, the chunky vocals and the wild way the band grappled and wrangled their instruments on stage. The best punk bands seem always to be fighting against their instruments rather than working with this. And here's an example in its finest form. Look out for Pregnant, there's something special about these kids. [myspace]
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Werewolves + more
TOMORROW, Thursday, April 1
Werewolves + Soft Black @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Either this is an extremely cruel April Fools prank, or Werewolves un-broke up and are playing a show at Union Pool. Werewolves, if you didn't know it, are one of my favorite NYC bands. They play some mixture of late 60's psychedelic rock'n'roll and 90's shoegaze, with warm layers of guitar and keyboard sounds and gnarled vocal melodies. [myspace]
Bonnie "Prince" Billy + Lichens @ Monster Island Basement | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $12
Bonnie "Prince" Billy plays intensely sad folk music that's more desolate and spooky than mopey. He was one of the seminal indie artists of the 90's. I don't know if he's still as good, though. Still, this is the most intimate venue at which you'll ever have the chance to see him.
Friday, April 2
Bonnie "Prince" Billy @ Monster Island Basement | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $12
Two shows, early and late. See above.
The Bronx @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $15
The Bronx sits on the heavy, thrashy side of hardcore, but they aren't without their big rock'n'roll pop appeal. They are really rad. [myspace]
Blank Dogs, Wetdog (Captured Tracks Showcase?) @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $10
This was once listed as a showcase for the Captured Tracks record label, but it's not now. Doesn't matter, the bands are the same. Blank Dogs, a.k.a. Mike Sniper (who runs Captured Tracks) plays goth music buried under intense layers of lo-fi noise. It will give you the willies. Wetdog are a kind of post punk band of ladies from the UK and I'm not so into them, but they are quite well regarded and popular of late. [blank myspace] [wet myspace]
Saturday, April 3
Soft Pack (f.k.a. Muslims), Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $12
Soft Pack were cooler when they went by Muslims but they are still pretty good, sort of alt-rock-ish pop punk. Nodzzz are really, really scuzzy, fuzzy lo-fi pop. And Male Bonding play exceptional punk rock, some of the best out there. As one of SubPop's newest signees, they won't be an opening act for much longer. [soft myspace] [nodzzz myspace] [mb myspace]
Monday, April 5
White Suns, PRSMS, Genders, Passive Aggressor @ Bruar Falls | Bruar Falls | FREE
Hardcore shows are always great, but when they're free...well you just can't beat that. Some of the best. Go to this show, no excuses. [white suns myspace] [prsms myspace] [genders myspace] [pa myspace]
Tuesday, April 6
The Bronx @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Williamsburg | $15
See above.
Asa Ransom @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Madhouse dance-punk quintet Asa Ransom are having a residency at Cameo. Their stark percussive sound and untamed vocal yelps make them one of the more interesting up-and-coming bands in Brooklyn. Check them out at this or one of their other Cameo shows (later in April). [myspace]
The long view...
April
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
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Darlings, Big Troubles + more
Wednesday, March 10
Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall * Midtown, Manhattan * $35
The Magnetic Fields were a sad band who played very simple late-90’s style indie pop. Now they are back together for some shows.
Thursday, March 11
Iran @ Knitting Factory * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * $10 / $12
Iran is a great lo-fi band with one of the guys from TV on the Radio. Their songs will go straight to your core, in their simple way, and they’ll stay there. [myspace]
Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall * Midtown, Manhattan * $35
See above.
Friday, March 12
Pygmy Shrews @ Death By Audio * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I love the Pygmy Shrews. They play HARDCORE – fast, loud, nasty. But it all fits into good songs that are as catchy as they are abrasive. [myspace]
Scout Niblett @ Union Pool * Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Scout Niblett is an English woman who could teach even the most minimal bands a thing or two about minimalism. She supports her dry, pained vocals with a guitar, maybe, or a drum, but her voice alone carries the music. She’s well regarded by just about everyone. [myspace]
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
Henry Rollins is the poster boy of hardcore. As the definitive vocalist for Black Flag, he pushed American punk into darker, angrier territory than it had ever seen before. Now he does some crazy spoken word stuff and is generally nutso. You don’t want to meet him in a dark alley.
Saturday, March 13
Darlings, Sundelles, My Teenage Stride, Big Troubles, Total Slacker @ Cake Shop * LES, Manhattan * $10
This is a great line-up of bands looking to make a little money for their respective trips to Austin for SXSW. All have a rough, wild edge around a true pop core, though in different ways. Darlings make catchy indie rock but seem to keep changing their minds and veering from one direction to another, starting and stopping and letting their pop tunes slip in and out of their songs with no apparent order. Sundelles play enthusiastic garage rock. My Teenage Stride are an indie pop band whose infectious melodies are just unpolished enough to be lovable. Big Troubles play LOUD motherfuckin noise pop like the Smashing Pumpkins, rocking hard and heavy but never losing track of their warm, poppy side. I haven’t heard Total Slacker, but they’re supposed to be good, I guess. [darlings myspace] [sundelles myspace] [mts myspace] [big troubles myspace] [slacker myspace]
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore * Union Square, Manhattan * $35
See above.
PC Worship @ Shea Stadium * Greenpoint, Brooklyn
PC Worship is a strange lo-fi project that combines wistful, fuzzy songs with sonic experiments. They are more original than 98% of bands in Brooklyn (at least). [myspace]
Sunday, March 14
Drunkdriver @ Cake Shop * LES, Manhattan * $7
Drunkdriver play the hardest of hardcore. Guitar shreds and roars while a heavily tattooed young man paces the front of the stage like a caged tiger, intensely screaming into his microphone. [myspace]
Tuesday, March 16
Miniboone @ Bruar Falls * Williamsburg, Brooklyn * FREE
I just saw the coolest show, and it was by Miniboone. This one is free, so you should go. They are a band with a huge pop sound but a young, exploratory spirit. Like Phil Spector x the Minutemen. And their live show kicks serious ass. [myspace]
The long view...
March
18
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
Oneida + Sightings @ Knitting Factory
23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl
24
Black Lips @ Bowery Ballroom
25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
Jello Biafra and Guantanamo Schools of Medicine @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall
27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall
April
1
Bonnie Prince Billy @ Monster Island Basement
2
The Bronx, Japanther @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Captured Tracks Showcase: Blank Dogs, Wet Dog + more @ Glasslands
Bonnie Prince Billy @ Monster Island Basement
3
Soft Pack, Nodzzz, Male Bonding @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
6
The Bronx, Japanther @ Bowery Ballroom
8
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Webster Hall
9
Pissed Jeans + Himalaya @ Knitting Factory
Xiu-Xiu, Tune-Yards @ Bowery Ballroom
10
Washed Out, Small Black @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
17
Trans Am @ Santos Party House
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Trans Am @ Market Hotel
20
The Thermals @ Brooklyn Bowl
21
Apples in Stereo @ Bowery Ballroom
22
Quasi, Let's Wrestle @ Bowery Ballroom
25
Shellshag, Noun (Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females), Black Wine, Pregnant @ Mercury Lounge
May
3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House
Monday, March 8, 2010
Album: Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
Album: The Monitor
XL, 2010
Rating: ******** (8/10)
In 2008, Titus Andronicus came out of New Jersey to help redefine what hardcore punk can be. With innovations only surpassed by Matador's Fucked Up, the band's debut LP The Airing of Grievances assembled a rough set of epic punk rants about New Jersey, new adulthood, literature and art. It was an album of cutting but impatient introspection, full of the wonder and fear and anger that comes with discovering the world as it is.
On the The Monitor, the band wanders even further down their self-paved road. The album's connecting thread is a running Civil War theme. From the beginning of the band's career, it's been clear that frontman Patrick Stickles is a man with deep sense of what's right and a painful confusion about how to find and stand by that in a fucked up world. The album's Civil War setting is not so much about history as it is about showing the world today as seen by this gangly, bearded young madman.
From the first second on, The Monitor is in emotional overdrive. Not just Stickles but the band as a whole has put themselves on the line even more than before. Every note is the sound of someone playing their heart out. There are some bands who just like making music, some who do it out of insatiable curiosity or because it's the only thing they know how to do, and then there are those who have to, because their emotional and spiritual burdens demand that release, because without it, they would just shrivel up and die. Titus Andronicus are a band with a purpose and drive that seems larger than themselves, and this is what makes them such a memorable and important group.
So what to make of The Monitor? At times it seems a little much. Only two tracks of ten clock in under five minutes, while half of the album's songs cross the seven minute mark. The unending gushing of raw emotion, the epic songs, it's dense and heavy and hard to digest. But I don't think this band know how to do it any other way. And each song, though riddled with changes in tempo and style, makes a distinct statement, a distinct piece of the album's ultimate picture.
Musically, the band's horizons have continued to expand. Though the raging, anthemic qualities of the songs show a deep loyalty to the original punk movement, the band incorporates a wealth of styles, even including some New Orleans jazz saxophone, a sole bluegrass fiddle and a few hints of straight-out country twang. The disparate styles and instrumentation evidence the band's commitment to a vision beyond any sonic aesthetic. Even still, some of these attempts to branch out, though undoubtedly genuine, don't quite work. At times, the band seems a little off their mark, their identity uncertain. The changes are just too abrupt and short-lived to mesh with our sense of what this band is all about.
Still, it's a courageous and meaningful effort. The piano driven "To Old Friends and New" expands the band's vocal range a good octave or so upward and provides the closest thing the album has to an emotional climax, with an uplifting, conciliatory refrain. However, for all the warm, thoughtful dimensions of the album, it also keeps rocking, with rousing shout-along choruses and quick two-by-two beats. The rowdy "Titus Andronicus Forever" is already a live favorite but nearly every song has at least sections with similar high-speed energy.
There is no punk band on earth that sounds like Titus Andronicus. Their long-winded rants, punctuated with references to history, art and literature - as well as to other of their own songs - may sound off-putting by description, but what keeps the band from ruining themselves with self-indulgence is the absolute sincerity they put into everything they do. If they border on obtuse, it's only because their abilities haven't quite caught up with their need to express. But we can all understand the self-doubt and the disillusionment, the yearning for good and the undying hope Titus Andronicus represent. They might not always succeed, but thank god they are trying.
[myspace]
Monday, March 1, 2010
Live: Jeff the Brotherhood, Screaming Females and Stupid Party
When: 2/23
Where: Death By Audio
This one is gonna be a bit short, because I recently reviewed all three of these bands. But the Death By Audio show was different enough to warrant a few words.
Stupid Party were themselves as they've been lately. There were too long instrumental parts and with their fourth member, they aren't able to be quite as charmingly reckless - at least not yet. But their slurring, unaffected grungy punk is still refreshing and they belt it out with the same fun. They're still the coolest kids in Brooklyn. [myspace]
Screaming Females followed. Their set was a far cry from their recent Bowery performance. At Bowery, the band nailed their rock songs with precision so fans of their albums could follow, note for note. At Death by Audio, though, the band let go. They rearranged their songs to create wide spaces for raging guitar solos and jamming. Familiar songs morphed into something entirely new while our generation's greatest guitar hero, the diminutive and frumpy Marissa Paternoster, cut loose, shredding her strings and our ears into oblivion.
Nothing is without its price, though. The band's reinvention cost them their usual tightness - a close listener could hear more than a few stumbles - and put a dent Paternoster's singing abilities, pitchwise. But the band sized up their audience correctly. The people cramming Death by Audio at midnight on a Tuesday were the band's most loyal fans, true music lovers and notably many musicians themselves (members of Titus Andronicus, Vivian Girls, Woods, Sisters, A Place to Bury Strangers and These Are Powers to name a few). It was an event for the indie community and the band provided its audience with something fresh, something DIY, something you just won't get at Bowery Ballroom or Terminal 5. [myspace]
Jeff the Brotherhood closed out the night with their usual masterful showmanship. Rocking the best riffs anyone's written in years, the two Orrall brothers sparked a moshpit that quickly engulfed at least half the room. They tossed out a couple of large inflatable aliens to surf the crowd, and these were soon joined by some terrestrial surfers, Jake Orrall included. Too my surprise, although we were crossing the 1 AM mark on a weeknight, the crowd did not thin at all. Wall to wall, fists pumped, heads banged and moppy hair flopped to the beat. [myspace]
The whole time, I was haunted by a little sadness. These bands can pack a room after midnight on a Tuesday and for fans who saw them first in crowds of twenty or thirty, this is the end of an era. The secret is out about both Screaming Females and Jeff the Brotherhood, and while that gives me hope for American culture, it also means bigger crowds cramming between me and the stage, the bands rapidly shrinking into the distance. It's right, but it's bittersweet. Congratulations, guys.
Where: Death By Audio
This one is gonna be a bit short, because I recently reviewed all three of these bands. But the Death By Audio show was different enough to warrant a few words.
Stupid Party were themselves as they've been lately. There were too long instrumental parts and with their fourth member, they aren't able to be quite as charmingly reckless - at least not yet. But their slurring, unaffected grungy punk is still refreshing and they belt it out with the same fun. They're still the coolest kids in Brooklyn. [myspace]
Screaming Females followed. Their set was a far cry from their recent Bowery performance. At Bowery, the band nailed their rock songs with precision so fans of their albums could follow, note for note. At Death by Audio, though, the band let go. They rearranged their songs to create wide spaces for raging guitar solos and jamming. Familiar songs morphed into something entirely new while our generation's greatest guitar hero, the diminutive and frumpy Marissa Paternoster, cut loose, shredding her strings and our ears into oblivion.
Nothing is without its price, though. The band's reinvention cost them their usual tightness - a close listener could hear more than a few stumbles - and put a dent Paternoster's singing abilities, pitchwise. But the band sized up their audience correctly. The people cramming Death by Audio at midnight on a Tuesday were the band's most loyal fans, true music lovers and notably many musicians themselves (members of Titus Andronicus, Vivian Girls, Woods, Sisters, A Place to Bury Strangers and These Are Powers to name a few). It was an event for the indie community and the band provided its audience with something fresh, something DIY, something you just won't get at Bowery Ballroom or Terminal 5. [myspace]
Jeff the Brotherhood closed out the night with their usual masterful showmanship. Rocking the best riffs anyone's written in years, the two Orrall brothers sparked a moshpit that quickly engulfed at least half the room. They tossed out a couple of large inflatable aliens to surf the crowd, and these were soon joined by some terrestrial surfers, Jake Orrall included. Too my surprise, although we were crossing the 1 AM mark on a weeknight, the crowd did not thin at all. Wall to wall, fists pumped, heads banged and moppy hair flopped to the beat. [myspace]
The whole time, I was haunted by a little sadness. These bands can pack a room after midnight on a Tuesday and for fans who saw them first in crowds of twenty or thirty, this is the end of an era. The secret is out about both Screaming Females and Jeff the Brotherhood, and while that gives me hope for American culture, it also means bigger crowds cramming between me and the stage, the bands rapidly shrinking into the distance. It's right, but it's bittersweet. Congratulations, guys.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Live: Don Giovanni showcase
I'm happy to say I was right about the Don Giovanni showcase. It was a great punk show, the kind you remember when you’re telling your kids about your wild days in the New York music scene when you’re trying to convince them you were once young and hip too. Much to everyone’s surprise, I think, the show sold out very early on. I can’t tell you how nice it was to see Bowery packed with true underground punk types, most young and all truly there for the music and the community. Well, almost all – there was a mysterious contingent of bimbos around who took off pretty early. Which is fine, I’m glad they’re checking out such good music, I just don’t really understand how they ended up there. But, the more, the merrier!
The Groucho Marxists kicked it off with their hard-edged pop punk. They aren't original and I wouldn't call them bold, but they are true to their punk heritage and could easily be alt/pop-punk radio material, though a damn sight better than most of what makes it on the air. Their live show matched - nothing revolutionary, but certainly energetic. They're a bit more outward looking than most punk bands, just a little more audience-focused rockstar mindset. They're definitely still down-to-earth and having fun, though, and that’s what matters. [myspace]
Black Wine were a surprise favorite and while it’s hard to pick highlights from such a thoroughly amazing line-up, this would have to be one. It’s rare to see a band have so many things so right. Though the parts were fairly simple, they were just right for the songs and all three members played their instruments with comfort and intuition. Drummer Miranda Taylor particularly stood out, but everyone was right on. They also clearly have a knack for songwriting. Again, the arrangements and compositions weren’t too elaborate, but they were exactly right. The only real problem was when the band slid towards emo - I’m not one of those people who hates all things emo, but none of the band members had the singing ability to pull of the slower, more exposed melodies. Off-key singing is a fine aesthetic but it doesn’t work in all contexts and the band’s slower songs weren’t really doing it for me. Aside from that, though, this band shows a rare talent and I will certainly be keeping an eye on them from now on. [myspace]
The Measure played next and I have to say, they were the least memorable band of the night. Of course, that’s not too grave an insult with a line-up like that. They were energetic, with lovable pop punk tunes and creative arrangements. Drummer Mikey Yannich drove their music full-speed ahead, while Lauren Measure and Fid shared guitar and vocal duties with great male-female balance (she leading). You’d have to mosh pretty hard to keep up. [myspace]
Though this was certainly a punk show, it had two rock bands right in the middle. The first of them, Jeff the Brotherhood, positively killed. Guitarist Jake Orrall started the show with the lights out, standing atop his guitar cabinet. While gave the set a grand five-minute guitar solo intro, his brother and drummer Jamin illuminated the scene with a bare-bulb camping light. Jake leapt down and continued to solo while the audience’s anticipation built. When Jamin finally took his seat at the drums, everyone in the room was wrapped around the band’s little finger. They plowed through much of their recent debut, more or less in order, one great tune after another. Jake seems to enjoy playing the mighty rock god, but it’s got a hint of tongue-and-cheek. Only a hint though, because like it or not, he is a rock god. He’s king of the stage and master of the riff and everyone who was in that audience knows it. [myspace]
Luckily for everyone, one of the few acts that can follow Jeff the Brotherhood did - Screaming Females. Screaming Females are the greatest rock band on earth, and at Bowery, they were on fire. Marissa Paternoster is a bonafide guitar hero and an unforgettable singer/screamer to boot. She and her bandmates are a great songwriting team. Although the guitar riffs make take the spotlight, Mike Abbate’s rolling bass lines are just as good and he played them well, despite being already a bit worn out from being in the center of the moshpit during Jeff the Brotherhood’s set. But this band has got as much stamina as they have talent. Which is just one more thing that makes them the greatest. [myspace]
I never got to see Jawbreaker live, but they one of my all-time favorite bands and seeing Forgetters was as amazing an experience as you’d expect seeing one of your heroes for the first time would be. Blake Schwarzenbach is the same as ever, with the same sort of songwriting, the same jumpy guitar, the same lamentable lyrics and low, mumbly, major-key melodies. Bassist Caroline Paquita is different from Jawbreaker’s Chris Bauermeister - Bauermeister played with poppy jumps, while Paquita lays down a more solid foundation. And drummer Kevin Mahon also has his own distinct style, playing with more levity and energy but less rhythmic complexity than Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler. The result is a post-grunge pop punk band with strong, steady songs but without the magical chemistry you usually find in a young musician’s breakout band.
Bringing the night to a close, everyone’s darlings Shellshag celebrated the release of their album. With seven bands, the night ran pretty late and most of the audience had cleared out by time they played. The crowd peaked for Jeff the Brotherhood and Screaming Females, but Shellshag are a cult act. I wouldn’t say there’s a limit on how large that cult could grow, but they don’t have the same mass appeal of some of the bands with whom they shared the Bowery stage.
Large or small, Shellshag’s fan base are intensely loyal and really the best of the bunch. Those left moshing to the duo at the front of Bowery at 1 AM were the true punks, and a great group of kids they were. And Shell and Shag are themselves a wild pair. Facing one another with their Y-shaped mic stand between them, they hollered and twisted to their f-u songs. At the band’s best, Shell’s bare-bones guitar and slurred baritone vocals dominate the band’s sound while Ms. Shag’s dry bells and primal pounding drop the bottom out of the whole thing. It’s boisterous, untamed and charmingly sardonic. No one has more fun on stage that these two. [myspace]
The Groucho Marxists kicked it off with their hard-edged pop punk. They aren't original and I wouldn't call them bold, but they are true to their punk heritage and could easily be alt/pop-punk radio material, though a damn sight better than most of what makes it on the air. Their live show matched - nothing revolutionary, but certainly energetic. They're a bit more outward looking than most punk bands, just a little more audience-focused rockstar mindset. They're definitely still down-to-earth and having fun, though, and that’s what matters. [myspace]
Black Wine were a surprise favorite and while it’s hard to pick highlights from such a thoroughly amazing line-up, this would have to be one. It’s rare to see a band have so many things so right. Though the parts were fairly simple, they were just right for the songs and all three members played their instruments with comfort and intuition. Drummer Miranda Taylor particularly stood out, but everyone was right on. They also clearly have a knack for songwriting. Again, the arrangements and compositions weren’t too elaborate, but they were exactly right. The only real problem was when the band slid towards emo - I’m not one of those people who hates all things emo, but none of the band members had the singing ability to pull of the slower, more exposed melodies. Off-key singing is a fine aesthetic but it doesn’t work in all contexts and the band’s slower songs weren’t really doing it for me. Aside from that, though, this band shows a rare talent and I will certainly be keeping an eye on them from now on. [myspace]
The Measure played next and I have to say, they were the least memorable band of the night. Of course, that’s not too grave an insult with a line-up like that. They were energetic, with lovable pop punk tunes and creative arrangements. Drummer Mikey Yannich drove their music full-speed ahead, while Lauren Measure and Fid shared guitar and vocal duties with great male-female balance (she leading). You’d have to mosh pretty hard to keep up. [myspace]
Though this was certainly a punk show, it had two rock bands right in the middle. The first of them, Jeff the Brotherhood, positively killed. Guitarist Jake Orrall started the show with the lights out, standing atop his guitar cabinet. While gave the set a grand five-minute guitar solo intro, his brother and drummer Jamin illuminated the scene with a bare-bulb camping light. Jake leapt down and continued to solo while the audience’s anticipation built. When Jamin finally took his seat at the drums, everyone in the room was wrapped around the band’s little finger. They plowed through much of their recent debut, more or less in order, one great tune after another. Jake seems to enjoy playing the mighty rock god, but it’s got a hint of tongue-and-cheek. Only a hint though, because like it or not, he is a rock god. He’s king of the stage and master of the riff and everyone who was in that audience knows it. [myspace]
Luckily for everyone, one of the few acts that can follow Jeff the Brotherhood did - Screaming Females. Screaming Females are the greatest rock band on earth, and at Bowery, they were on fire. Marissa Paternoster is a bonafide guitar hero and an unforgettable singer/screamer to boot. She and her bandmates are a great songwriting team. Although the guitar riffs make take the spotlight, Mike Abbate’s rolling bass lines are just as good and he played them well, despite being already a bit worn out from being in the center of the moshpit during Jeff the Brotherhood’s set. But this band has got as much stamina as they have talent. Which is just one more thing that makes them the greatest. [myspace]
I never got to see Jawbreaker live, but they one of my all-time favorite bands and seeing Forgetters was as amazing an experience as you’d expect seeing one of your heroes for the first time would be. Blake Schwarzenbach is the same as ever, with the same sort of songwriting, the same jumpy guitar, the same lamentable lyrics and low, mumbly, major-key melodies. Bassist Caroline Paquita is different from Jawbreaker’s Chris Bauermeister - Bauermeister played with poppy jumps, while Paquita lays down a more solid foundation. And drummer Kevin Mahon also has his own distinct style, playing with more levity and energy but less rhythmic complexity than Jawbreaker drummer Adam Pfahler. The result is a post-grunge pop punk band with strong, steady songs but without the magical chemistry you usually find in a young musician’s breakout band.
Bringing the night to a close, everyone’s darlings Shellshag celebrated the release of their album. With seven bands, the night ran pretty late and most of the audience had cleared out by time they played. The crowd peaked for Jeff the Brotherhood and Screaming Females, but Shellshag are a cult act. I wouldn’t say there’s a limit on how large that cult could grow, but they don’t have the same mass appeal of some of the bands with whom they shared the Bowery stage.
Large or small, Shellshag’s fan base are intensely loyal and really the best of the bunch. Those left moshing to the duo at the front of Bowery at 1 AM were the true punks, and a great group of kids they were. And Shell and Shag are themselves a wild pair. Facing one another with their Y-shaped mic stand between them, they hollered and twisted to their f-u songs. At the band’s best, Shell’s bare-bones guitar and slurred baritone vocals dominate the band’s sound while Ms. Shag’s dry bells and primal pounding drop the bottom out of the whole thing. It’s boisterous, untamed and charmingly sardonic. No one has more fun on stage that these two. [myspace]
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Screaming Females, Shellshag, Jeff the Brotherhood, Forgetters (that's all one show!)
Sorry for my long absence. If I told you what happened, you'd never believe me. Suffice it to say it involves the Wild West, Mexican wedding dances, swine flu, two Buddhists, four evangelical Christians and a fraudulent hedge fund. No, seriously.
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT!!! Thursday, February 4
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!!
Cold Cave is a bleak and nihilistic New Wave synth group with hints of krautrock, but a dark pop edge. They are really, really loud. [myspace]
Friday, February 5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: The Antlers + Ra Ra Riot @ BAM | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
The Antlers are sad and make incredibly sad music about abuse and mental illness and cancer. Peter Silberman has a unique and poignant voice that wavers over the shaky ambiance of his band. Ra Ra Riot are a poppy indie band with a whole bunch of young kids. They are really sad too sometimes because their drummer died. Musically, they are just so-so. Enjoyable, not exciting. [antlers myspace] [ra ra myspace]
Saturday, Feburary 6
Don Giovanni Showcase: Screaming Females, Shellshag, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $13 adv / $15 dos
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, I know I'm totally nerding out but I am so excited about this show, I have been basically counting down the weeks (not days, I'm not that insane!). OK, so Don Giovanni is a great label. A first-rate punk label. The headliners of this show are 1. Screaming Females, who I have written about so many times now, I don't know what more to say. Best rock band of our g-g-g-generation. I mean that, 100%. If you know one better, show me. [myspace] 2. Forgetters, which is the band of Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil). Jawbreaker has been one of my favorite bands (top 20, easily, maybe top 10) for many years, and since they are no more and have not been in existence for a long time, forgetters is what we got, and it's also got Kevin Mahon from Against Me! so that's not bad at all! and 3. Shellshag, that lovely punk duo who played my show in December. They are one of the most fun bands you can see live in NYC right now. They destroy things. They jump around and shout into their trademark Y-shaped microphone and "Shag" beats the crap out of her drums while "Shell" sarcastically croons and stabs at his guitar with his pick. They are PUNK RAWK and I love them in my little heart! [myspace] Opening, we have Jeff the Fucking Brotherhood, who are two brothers, neither named Jeff but both rock prodigies born of the Nashville music scene. They play the meanest guitar riffs out there, and all on three strings. [myspace] Veteran New Brunswick and East Coast punks the Groucho Marxists as well as the illustrious Black Wine and The Measure will also perform. [tgm myspace] [bw myspace] [meas myspace] This is the punk rock event of 2010. DO NOT MISS IT. I mean seriously, DO NOT MISS IT. You will tell your grandkids about this show.
Sunday, February 7
28 Degrees Taurus @ Bushwick Music Studios | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5
Another band that's played a Radio Flyer Review show, 28 Degrees Taurus are from Boston. They are one of the most original bands around these days. Their bizarre psychedelic shoegaze is spacey and warped, nihilistic, fun and mysterious. [myspace]
Tuesday, Feburary 9
The Residents @ Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan | $30
The Residents are some weird, weird folks. They formed in the 60's and nobody knows who they are because they wear big eyeball masks on their heads. They make strange, avant-garde music and really hit their stride in the early no-wave/post-punk years. Like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, their West Coast contemporaries, they mixed elements of noise, free jazz and avant-garde classical but the Residents don't have the hard rock of Zappa or the blues of Beefheart. There is little to hold on to, just strange spoken word, percussive electronic drones and distortion, mixed with too much acid and not enough ritalin. They may not be for everyone, but we are all indebted to their fearless exploration of new sonic terrain and redefinition of what rock could be.
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...
February
10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge
12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House
20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg
21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge
26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom
27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge
28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden
6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom
10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore
18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl
25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall
27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall
April
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
TONIGHT!!! Thursday, February 4
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | SOLD OUT!!
Cold Cave is a bleak and nihilistic New Wave synth group with hints of krautrock, but a dark pop edge. They are really, really loud. [myspace]
Friday, February 5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: The Antlers + Ra Ra Riot @ BAM | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
The Antlers are sad and make incredibly sad music about abuse and mental illness and cancer. Peter Silberman has a unique and poignant voice that wavers over the shaky ambiance of his band. Ra Ra Riot are a poppy indie band with a whole bunch of young kids. They are really sad too sometimes because their drummer died. Musically, they are just so-so. Enjoyable, not exciting. [antlers myspace] [ra ra myspace]
Saturday, Feburary 6
Don Giovanni Showcase: Screaming Females, Shellshag, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $13 adv / $15 dos
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OK, I know I'm totally nerding out but I am so excited about this show, I have been basically counting down the weeks (not days, I'm not that insane!). OK, so Don Giovanni is a great label. A first-rate punk label. The headliners of this show are 1. Screaming Females, who I have written about so many times now, I don't know what more to say. Best rock band of our g-g-g-generation. I mean that, 100%. If you know one better, show me. [myspace] 2. Forgetters, which is the band of Blake Schwarzenbach (formerly of Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil). Jawbreaker has been one of my favorite bands (top 20, easily, maybe top 10) for many years, and since they are no more and have not been in existence for a long time, forgetters is what we got, and it's also got Kevin Mahon from Against Me! so that's not bad at all! and 3. Shellshag, that lovely punk duo who played my show in December. They are one of the most fun bands you can see live in NYC right now. They destroy things. They jump around and shout into their trademark Y-shaped microphone and "Shag" beats the crap out of her drums while "Shell" sarcastically croons and stabs at his guitar with his pick. They are PUNK RAWK and I love them in my little heart! [myspace] Opening, we have Jeff the Fucking Brotherhood, who are two brothers, neither named Jeff but both rock prodigies born of the Nashville music scene. They play the meanest guitar riffs out there, and all on three strings. [myspace] Veteran New Brunswick and East Coast punks the Groucho Marxists as well as the illustrious Black Wine and The Measure will also perform. [tgm myspace] [bw myspace] [meas myspace] This is the punk rock event of 2010. DO NOT MISS IT. I mean seriously, DO NOT MISS IT. You will tell your grandkids about this show.
Sunday, February 7
28 Degrees Taurus @ Bushwick Music Studios | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $5
Another band that's played a Radio Flyer Review show, 28 Degrees Taurus are from Boston. They are one of the most original bands around these days. Their bizarre psychedelic shoegaze is spacey and warped, nihilistic, fun and mysterious. [myspace]
Tuesday, Feburary 9
The Residents @ Webster Hall | East Village, Manhattan | $30
The Residents are some weird, weird folks. They formed in the 60's and nobody knows who they are because they wear big eyeball masks on their heads. They make strange, avant-garde music and really hit their stride in the early no-wave/post-punk years. Like Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa, their West Coast contemporaries, they mixed elements of noise, free jazz and avant-garde classical but the Residents don't have the hard rock of Zappa or the blues of Beefheart. There is little to hold on to, just strange spoken word, percussive electronic drones and distortion, mixed with too much acid and not enough ritalin. They may not be for everyone, but we are all indebted to their fearless exploration of new sonic terrain and redefinition of what rock could be.
The long view...
February
10
Harlem @ Mercury Lounge
12
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
13
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Magnetic Fields @ Brooklyn Academy of Music
14
Jonathan Richman @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
19
Fucked Up, Kurt Vile, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Europa
Andrew W-K @ Santos Party House
20
Crystal Stilts, Beets, Beach Fossils, German Measles @ Music Hall of Williamsubrg
21
Dum Dum Girls, Frankie Rose & the Outs @ Mercury Lounge
26
Wild Beasts @ Bowery Ballroom
27
Glenn Branca (record release) @ Le Poisson Rouge
28
Wild Beasts @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
March
5
Muse, the Silversun Pickups @ Madison Square Garden
6
Titus Andronicus, Parts & Labor, Babies @ Bowery Ballroom
10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall
12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore
18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore
23
Black Lips @ Brooklyn Bowl
25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom
26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House
Spoon, Deerhunter @ Radio City Music Hall
27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
30
Big Pink, A Place to Bury Strangers @ Webster Hall
April
15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom
18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Upcoming Shows: Mission of Burma, Les Savy Fav + more
Tonight!!! Wednesday, January 27
El Medio @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $5
El Medio are an awesome lo-fi pop band who hardly ever play live, so go see this. They are sad and restrained and their songs are truly beautiful. [myspace]
Benefit for Haiti: The Walkmen, Ted Leo,Cold War Kids, the Wrens, Here We Go Magic, A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Freelance Whales (YUCK), Jimmy Fallon @ Bell House | Gowanus, Brooklyn | SOLD OUT!
This is some line-up! And for a good cause too - no wonder it's sold out. If you can make it, make it. But skip Freelance Whales. I first became aware of Freelance Whales this fall when I was on a subway car with them and eavesdropped long enough to find out their name. Even if the name weren't so stupid, though, I knew the music would be awful just from sitting near them on a train. Imagine my surprise when a few months later, their name started popping up all over the place! And everything we've learned from the blogger buzz deepens my disapproval of their existence. I don't even need to listen to them to know they suck. But anyway, I digress...the rest of this line-up is amazing. You should go.
Tomorrow!!! Thursday, January 28
Mattress, Weird Fantasy Band @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Mattress is a punk band from the New Brunswick scene, which means true, down-to-earth, old-school DIY American hardcore punk. Weird Fantasy Band is kinda the same thing - it seems to be one man backed by a variable collective out of that scene. I haven't enjoyed WFB's music all that much, but "Jasper" says they are amazing live. [mattress myspace] [wfb myspace]
Friday, January 29
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav + Vivian Girls @ Brooklyn Academy of Music | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
Les Savy Fav are one of the hardcore bands fronted a bald, bearded fat dude who strips to his underwear. They aren't the best of such bands, but might come in a respectable second. One of the Vivian Girls just e-mailed me and asked me why I keep taking cheap shots at her band. I take cheap shots because I don't think they are worth the hype and I find them boring. And boring music to me is like waterboarding to most people. But they have improved significantly over the last year and I'm warming up to them ever so slowly. So, I dunno what to say. They mostly still suck, but at least they are better than the Freelance fuckin Whales. [lsf myspace] [vg myspace]
Oneida @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I like Oneida's older stuff better and they've changed a lot over the years, but they basically play pretty heavy music that jerks like metal, smiles like punk, bristles like industrial and most of all, breaks your head like krautrock, looping and trancing the hell out. So yeah, it's interesting. [myspace]
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
Mission of Fucking Burma, folks. They were one of the first of the second generation of American punk bands, but their music was a bit slower and a lot more complex than the rest of the hardcore crowd - they brought musical sophistication back to punk. And they are still awesome. Go see them Saturday, though, because there are too many other shows going on Friday.
PC Worship @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
PC Worship is amazing lo-fi avant-rock with noise experiments and sadness. But there's too much else going on for me to recommend this show, especially since the rest of the line-up sucks. They are a Brooklyn band, so you'll get another chance. [myspace]
Drunkdriver @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
One of NYC's most hateful hardcore bands, Drunkdriver put on an unforgettable live show. They seem like really nice people, but would definitely freak your parents out. [myspace]
Saturday, January 30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
See above.
Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Sisters are the BOMB. Among noise-punk/noise-pop duos, they are easily one of the best. See them now before they go the way of No Age and Japandroids and start playing fewer and bigger spaces. Fluffy Lumbers and Total Slacker are all the rage. I haven't listened yet, but they are probably worth at least checking out. [sisters myspace] [fl myspace] [ts myspace]
PC Worship @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
See above.
Dinowalrus + Javelin @ House of Yes! | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I've never heard of this place before, but my guys Dinowalrus are playing there Saturday, so if for some reason you skip the above shows, consider this one. Dinowalrus play art. Like Sonic Youth, but only in spirit. Javelin plays throw-away post-disco dance-pop, but I gotta admit, their whole amplification by radio broadcast (BYOB, bring your own boombox) is pretty cool. [dinowalrus myspace] [javelin myspace]
And then there are like no shows worth mentioning for several days...weird...
El Medio @ Bruar Falls | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $5
El Medio are an awesome lo-fi pop band who hardly ever play live, so go see this. They are sad and restrained and their songs are truly beautiful. [myspace]
Benefit for Haiti: The Walkmen, Ted Leo,
This is some line-up! And for a good cause too - no wonder it's sold out. If you can make it, make it. But skip Freelance Whales. I first became aware of Freelance Whales this fall when I was on a subway car with them and eavesdropped long enough to find out their name. Even if the name weren't so stupid, though, I knew the music would be awful just from sitting near them on a train. Imagine my surprise when a few months later, their name started popping up all over the place! And everything we've learned from the blogger buzz deepens my disapproval of their existence. I don't even need to listen to them to know they suck. But anyway, I digress...the rest of this line-up is amazing. You should go.
Tomorrow!!! Thursday, January 28
Mattress, Weird Fantasy Band @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Mattress is a punk band from the New Brunswick scene, which means true, down-to-earth, old-school DIY American hardcore punk. Weird Fantasy Band is kinda the same thing - it seems to be one man backed by a variable collective out of that scene. I haven't enjoyed WFB's music all that much, but "Jasper" says they are amazing live. [mattress myspace] [wfb myspace]
Friday, January 29
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav + Vivian Girls @ Brooklyn Academy of Music | Fort Greene, Brooklyn | $20-25
Les Savy Fav are one of the hardcore bands fronted a bald, bearded fat dude who strips to his underwear. They aren't the best of such bands, but might come in a respectable second. One of the Vivian Girls just e-mailed me and asked me why I keep taking cheap shots at her band. I take cheap shots because I don't think they are worth the hype and I find them boring. And boring music to me is like waterboarding to most people. But they have improved significantly over the last year and I'm warming up to them ever so slowly. So, I dunno what to say. They mostly still suck, but at least they are better than the Freelance fuckin Whales. [lsf myspace] [vg myspace]
Oneida @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I like Oneida's older stuff better and they've changed a lot over the years, but they basically play pretty heavy music that jerks like metal, smiles like punk, bristles like industrial and most of all, breaks your head like krautrock, looping and trancing the hell out. So yeah, it's interesting. [myspace]
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
Mission of Fucking Burma, folks. They were one of the first of the second generation of American punk bands, but their music was a bit slower and a lot more complex than the rest of the hardcore crowd - they brought musical sophistication back to punk. And they are still awesome. Go see them Saturday, though, because there are too many other shows going on Friday.
PC Worship @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn | $7
PC Worship is amazing lo-fi avant-rock with noise experiments and sadness. But there's too much else going on for me to recommend this show, especially since the rest of the line-up sucks. They are a Brooklyn band, so you'll get another chance. [myspace]
Drunkdriver @ Union Pool | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
One of NYC's most hateful hardcore bands, Drunkdriver put on an unforgettable live show. They seem like really nice people, but would definitely freak your parents out. [myspace]
Saturday, January 30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom | LES, Manhattan | $20
See above.
Sisters, Fluffy Lumbers, Total Slacker @ Shea Stadium | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $7
Sisters are the BOMB. Among noise-punk/noise-pop duos, they are easily one of the best. See them now before they go the way of No Age and Japandroids and start playing fewer and bigger spaces. Fluffy Lumbers and Total Slacker are all the rage. I haven't listened yet, but they are probably worth at least checking out. [sisters myspace] [fl myspace] [ts myspace]
PC Worship @ Market Hotel | Bushwick, Brooklyn
See above.
Dinowalrus + Javelin @ House of Yes! | Bushwick, Brooklyn | $10
I've never heard of this place before, but my guys Dinowalrus are playing there Saturday, so if for some reason you skip the above shows, consider this one. Dinowalrus play art. Like Sonic Youth, but only in spirit. Javelin plays throw-away post-disco dance-pop, but I gotta admit, their whole amplification by radio broadcast (BYOB, bring your own boombox) is pretty cool. [dinowalrus myspace] [javelin myspace]
And then there are like no shows worth mentioning for several days...weird...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
