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]

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

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Friday, March 26

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

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


Saturday, March 27

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

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


Sunday, March 28

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


Tuesday, March 30

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


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

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

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

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

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

5
White Suns, PRSMS @ Bruar (FREE!)

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

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

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

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

15
Liars @ Bowery Ballroom

18
Liars @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

19
Snoop Dogg @ Brooklyn Bowl

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

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

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

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

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

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

May
2
Echo & the Bunnymen @ Fillmore at Irving Plaza

3
Chapterhouse @ Bell House

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

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

11
Sleigh Bells @ Market Hotel

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

16
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ Bowery Ballroom

19
Spectrum, Vacant Lots @ Knitting Factory

July
24
M.I.A. @ Governor’s Island


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

Upcoming Shows: Darlings, Big Troubles + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
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]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
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


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

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...

Live: Drunkdriver + Blues Control

When: 1/9/10
Where: Death By Audio

It was a confusing night for me at Death By Audio, seeing bands I thought I knew and discovering they were not who I thought. First up, Blues Control. This duo uses synthesizers and guitar, but more of the former, which is certainly not what I expect from a band on the lo-fi, "shitgaze" label Siltbreeze. The band clearly has talent but their songs, which have no vocals, didn't really hold my attention - Blues Control's skills lie in sound-making and certainly not in composition. Their image was also off - I don't like when bands dress up all fancypants for gigs, but the baseball cap gave me the feeling the band would rather be home eating potato chips or something than playing a show. Maybe I was the only person to have that reaction, but it certainly threw off my enjoyment of the set.

"Jasper" thought the line-up pick didn't make sense, but I understood it to an extent. Blues Control may not be a guitar-based band or a punk band, but they have a similar aggressive artiness. Unfortunately, the band didn't live up to their potential or their reputation, instead meandering aimlessly through their way-too-long set. [myspace]

Now, I also thought I had seen Drunkdriver earlier this year but when they took the stage, I was pretty sure I'd never seen them before in my life. The three members are much younger than I thought and their music much more straightforward hardcore. Frontman ("singer" is not appropriate) Michael Berdan clearly follows in the tradition of great hardcore vocalists like Henry Rollins. Heavily tatooed, he paced the stage like a caged tiger, yelling "FUCK YOU" to hecklers (and some non-hecklers) and stage diving early and often. The audience seemed to know the routine, shouting insults between songs.


Drunkdriver
(photos from Parts Unknown Records myspace, not from this show)
And while Berdan is definitely the showman of the band, Kristy Greene (guitar) and Jeremy Villalobos (drums) are musicians. Greene's guitar was positively brutal, with sick, weighty riffs that your parents would hate. She and Villalobos locked in tightly, taking cues from noise, math rock, post hardcore and industrial music in their sheer sheet-metal sound and relentless complexity.

I like a band with a vocal melody, so I can't count Drunkdriver as a personal favorite. But they are masters at what they do and put on a classic live show for all your moshing needs. [myspace]

Upcoming Shows: Coin Under Tongue, Agent Orange, Beluga + more

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]

TONIGHT!!! Wednesday, January 6

Babies (mems. Woods, Vivian Girls), True Womanhood, Sundelles, Beach Fossils, Total Slacker @ Glasslands | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
I haven't heard Babies, they might be good or they might be awful. I have heard True Womanhood and the Sundelles and they are both great! True Womanhood play eerie, disorienting rock and the Sundelles play garage rock. Beach Fossils are okay and Total Slacker has been a buzz band lately, so all in all, it's a pretty sick line-up.
[Babies MySpace] [TW MySpace] [Sundelles MySpace] [BF MySpace] [TS MySpace]


TOMORROW!!! Thursday, January 7

Coin Under Tongue @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Coin Under Tongue play sludgy, deliberate post-hardcore with a certain intangible indie pop sensibility.

Japanther @ Santos Party House | Chinatown, Manhattan
Japanther are an arty pop-punk duo with GREAT songs.
[MySpace]


Friday, January 8

Ex-Humans @ Don Pedro | Bushwick, Brooklyn
Don Pedro is a lousy place to hear bands - its stuffy and has poor sound. On the other hand, Ex-Humans are cooler than you and they make good punky music.
[MySpace]


Saturday, January 9

Drunkdriver + Blues Control @ Death By Audio | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Drunkdriver are loud and not very friendly. Their noise/hardcore/punk is extreme and amazing. Check them out.
[MySpace]


Sunday, January 10

Agent Orange @ Mercury Lounge | LES, Manhattan | $10 adv. / $12 dos.
Original southern California hardcore, still at it.
[MySpace]


Tuesday, January 12

Beluga @ Cameo | Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Beluga are lady punks (and one guy). The singer is a Brazilian (ex-?) fashion model who screams and writhes on the floor. They are one of the best and most underrated bands in NYC. They are angry but also fun and their simple, Nirvana-influenced songs stick in your brain.
[MySpace]


[Upcoming Shows Playlist]
The long view...

January 2010
13
The Drums + Surfer Blood, Depreciation Guild @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

14
Coyote Eyes, Frozen Warnings @ Death By Audio

15
Gang Gang Dance, DJ/Rupture @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

16
Dinosaur Jr @ Bowery Ballroom (Sold Out)
Dinowalrus record release with Aa @ Cake Shop

17
Dinosaur Jr @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (Sold Out)
Mos Def @ Highline Ballroom

18
Dinosaur Jr @ Brooklyn Bowl

22
Bob Mould @ City Winery

23
Pterodactyl @ Issue Project Room

25
Cheap Trick @ The Fillmore

29
Asobi Seksu @ Le Poissson Rouge
Here We Go Magic @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Les Savy Fav, Vivian Girls (yick) @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

30
Mission of Burma @ Bowery Ballroom

February
3
Atlas Sound @ Bell House

4
Atlas Sound, Neon Indian, Sisters @ NYU Kimmel
Cold Cave @ Mercury Lounge

5
Sounds Like Brooklyn: Ra Ra Riot, the Antlers @ Brooklyn Academy of Music

6
Don Giovanni showcase: Shellshag, Screaming Females, Jeff the Brotherhood + more @ Bowery Ballroom

9
The Residents @ Webster Hall

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 @ Bowery Ballroom

10-11
The Magnetic Fields @ Town Hall

12-13
Henry Rollins @ The Fillmore

18-19
Killswitch Engage @ The Fillmore

25
Nada Surf play Let Go + surprise guest @ Bowery Ballroom

26
Nada Surf play The Weight Is a Gift + surprise guest @ Bell House

27
Nada Surf play Lucky + surprise guest @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

[Upcoming Shows Playlist]