the pirate hat

GO TO FLICKR

2007-07-02T17:00:00.000-05:00

hey guys and gals,
it takes me forever to write stories and im so behind at this point that i went ahead and got a flickr account, so if youd like to see whats going on in the city head on over to the new home of the hat.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepiratehat/

xoxo,
edan

The Arcade Fire @ judson memorial church 2/15/07

2007-07-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

After almost dying of hypothermia i got to see an amzing set by the Arcade Fire, i know lots of hype surround them and until you see them live you will never understand it, i waited outside for 2 hours in only a hoodie and when they slowly let us in i was able to grab a ticket just as they started to play black mirror, needless to say i was way in the back of the room but that didnt stop me from freaking the fuck out, they were so good, and the church was such an amazing setting, my pics of the normal set arent very clear, but the best part was the encore where they came out into the crowd not more than two people away from me, and they played an acoustic version of wake up that brought the whole crowd in for the sing along. it was amazing.

Necking @ cake shop 1/20/07

2007-07-01T15:37:00.001-05:00

Necking

Kimya Dawson w/ Tiny Masters of Today @union hall 1/20/07

2007-07-01T15:33:00.000-05:00

Tiny Masters of Today

Kimya Dawson had been gone for such a long time, it was so nice to see her back with baby in tow. It just reminds me of how great it was to see her all the time, but oh well shes mama dawson now.

Birthday Boyz, Stay Fucked & Animal @ glasslands gallery 1/19/07

2007-07-01T15:30:00.001-05:00

Animal is an awesomely amazing band.

Stay Fucked

Birthday Boyz

Awesome Color @ glasslands gallery 1/7/07

2007-07-01T15:25:00.000-05:00

Awesome Color

Matt & Kim, Meneguar, Aa & Totally Michael @ studio b 1/6/07

2007-07-01T15:22:00.000-05:00

Totally Michael

Aa

Meneguar

Matt and Kim

Japanther, Lydia Stone & Animandible @ europa 1/4/07

2007-07-01T15:09:00.000-05:00

Animandible

Lydia Stone

Japanther

High Places @ some art gallery 12/15/06

2007-07-01T15:08:00.000-05:00

High Places

Hari Honzu @ nublue 12/13/06

2007-07-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Hari Honzu

Panthers @ uncle paulies 12/10/06

2007-07-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Panthers

Dan Deacon, Parts & Labor, Grey Daturas & Alexis @ asterisk 12/9/06

2007-07-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

Alexis

Grey Daturas

Parts & Labor

Dan Deacon

The Seconds & Grey Daturas @ glasslands gallery 12/8/06

2007-07-01T15:00:00.000-05:00

Grey Daturas

The Seconds

Tiny Masters of Today @ the arm 12/8/06

2007-07-01T14:59:00.000-05:00

Tiny Masters of Today

The Evens, Daniel Higgs @ nyu 12/7/06

2007-07-01T14:58:00.000-05:00

Daniel Higgs

The Evens

Icy Demons, Coyote, Cale Parks, & Big Digits @ glasslands gallery 12/2/06

2007-07-01T14:55:00.000-05:00

Big Digits

Cale Parks

Coyote

Icy Demons

Dinosaur Jr. @ rebel 12/1/06

2007-07-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

Dinosaur Jr.

Awesome Color, O' Death & Birthday Boyz @ columbia 11/30/06

2007-07-01T14:49:00.000-05:00

Birthday Boyz

O' Death

Awesome Color

Hari Honzu @ Nublu 11/21/06

2007-07-01T14:48:00.000-05:00

Hari Honzu

Mudhoney @ the knit 11/18/06

2007-07-01T14:47:00.001-05:00

Mudhoney

Andrew WK Lecture @ nyu 11/17/06

2007-07-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

Andrew WK

Les Savy Fav w/ Matt & Kim @nyu 11/09/06

2007-07-01T14:43:00.000-05:00

Matt and Kim

Les Savy Fav

The Fugue @ asterisk 11/4/06

2007-07-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

The Fugue

Stephonic and the Brightside @ the charleston 11/03/06

2007-07-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

Stephonic and the Brightside

The Thermals, Ra Ra Riot @ studio b 11/03/06

2007-07-01T14:39:00.001-05:00

Ra Ra Riot

The Thermals

The Thermals, Oxford Collapse, Cadence Weapon, Chinup Chinup, The Changes, & Forward Russia @ fontanas 11/3/06

2007-07-01T14:34:00.000-05:00

Forward Russia

The Changes

Chinup Chinup

Cadence Weapon

Oxford Collapse

The Thermals

Matt and Kim, Lupe Fiasco, Monsters are Waiting @ bed 11/02/06

2007-07-01T14:32:00.001-05:00

Monsters are Waiting

Lupe Fiasco

Matt and Kim

Home Video @ the annex 10/31/06

2007-07-01T14:30:00.000-05:00

Home Video

Matt & Kim, Japanther, Meligrove Band @ 3rd Ward 10/27/06

2007-07-01T14:25:00.000-05:00

Meligrove Band

Japanther

Matt and Kim

Ex-Models, Barr, & First Nation @ uncle paulies 10/20/06

2007-07-01T14:22:00.000-05:00

First Naion

Barr

Ex-Models

It Lives @ southpaw 10/14/06

2007-04-29T17:44:00.000-05:00

It Lives are a local trio gone quartet. I havent yet seen them as a four piece, but i am sure an extra guitar leaves them plenty of room for experimentation with thier psych-garage awesomeness.

Tunnel of Love, Cheveau & Bossy @ uncle paulies 10/13/06

2007-04-29T17:12:00.000-05:00

Bossy was fucking great. From the ashes of Bent Outta Shape was born young men and bossy. So far Bossy is better for my money, just a great new direction. Plaintive surfy girl pop. Maybe Nico from some place sunny, go listen to "walk around" at thier myspace page.

Cheveau was a noise band from france.

Tunnel of Love always put on a killer live show with plenty of climbing and crawling all over and as close to all nude as you can possibly get without going there.

Awesome Color @ tonic 10/12/06

2007-04-29T17:08:00.000-05:00

Awesome Color fresh from thier tour came back home to rock out at tonic. They had an extra guitarist at this show and he was fucking great, they always have sweet surprise guests.

Hari Honzu @ nublu 10/11/06

2007-04-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

I went to check out a buddys band at this crazy new(to me?) place over on avenue c, after not finding it after pacing the block a few times i was told there was a blue light, and sure enough there was a dim blue bulb in front of a shuttered storefront. After pushing through a heavy curtain there was in fact a really nice little club inside. After some heavy dance music played through thier soundsystem Hari Honzu took, what i assume to have been, the stage. Which was really just a place they moved the tables out of the way. it was a bit cramped but no matter. They played a really great jazzy, rocky, noodely style of music that replaces the vocalist with a saxman. They ripped through maybe 8-10 songs that bounced from a really loungey groove to a fast paced finger-tapped crescendo. They are mixing thier first ep right now and might have a gig with oneida sometime this summer.

Two Gallants & Langhorne Slim @ bowery 10/8/06

2007-04-22T17:27:00.000-05:00

Really pleasent evening with two great bands that channel style from eras gone by. Langhorne rolled out a lot of material i had not heard yet, he is about due for a follow up to "when the suns gone down".

Two Gallants blew through an amazing set, they are both such talented players, all kinds of finger implements to add to guitar parts, while the drummer keeps his head down in deep focus to blow out the mile a minute beats. and this was all just days before the tazering incident in texas. no one was about to hassle them at bowery that night, every one was mesmerized

Oxford Collapse, Chin Up Chin Up & Cause Co-motion @ glasslands 10/07/06

2007-04-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

Record release party for oxco's remember the night parties which is a good record, but as always i long for the original line up to make more records.

Cause Co-motion are winners in my book, sometimes aggitating and always dancy surf tunes. Lofi and low budget rockers that get those asses shakin.

Chin Up x2 are a band that i enjoy live, but really cant listen to the records, the life show has so much more umph to it, another great dance rock band.

OxCo close off thier night party with a really long set full of guest instrumenters to make it a celebration. this was easily the longest set ive seen them play and it was a comfortable at hometown gig lots of raging and a bit of moshing which was something i doubt they get very often.

Meneguar, Gospel, Leaders, Team Robspierre, & Dynamite Arrow @ Pratt half circle thing 10/6/06

2007-04-22T16:53:00.000-05:00

Dynamite Arrow roll out those punk rock anthems, a nice breath of familiar air. Classic stylings make for great enthusiasm from band and crowd alike.

Team Robspierre is the shit, i had wanted to check these guys out for a really long while now. Glad i did, they play spazznoise greatness, brings to mind genghis tron on lots of speed, i bought the full length and it pushes the 11 minute mark. lots of people makin lots o noise.

leaders drone on. trudging metal from right here in brooklyn. you can download a bunch of tracks off thier website, check them out and see them when they return from hiatus sometime after may.

Sadly this was the last time i ever got to see Gospel, they broke up quite soon after this show, to bad too. They played such well orchestrated metal it was rediculous breakneck speed, buttloads of time changes, and a drummer to end all drummers.

Meneguar brought the night home with a couple classics. oh i almost forgot to mention the funniest part of this night...there was some ass bag cop who wouldnt leave the area, he just watched and waited for some one to fuck up, meaning every one had to drink very carefully, but halfway through the ordeal the cop gave a speech about how you need to be discreet and if we had regular cups filled with booze he wouldnt have hassled us, what an ahole.

Wolf Eyes @ the knit 10/5/06

2007-04-02T13:50:00.000-05:00

I dunno if i liked human animal as much as the rest of Wolf Eyes output, but this was definately the best show i have seen from them. They seemed really heavy into it, great noise crowd. i forgot my ear plugs and suffered accordingly.

September 2006

2007-03-25T16:03:00.001-05:00

Bloody Panda w/Child Abuse , Silentist, Archeopteryx @ cake shop 9/30/07
What a fucking killer noise show. Archeopteryx fucking slayed. My first time seeing them and they were fucking great. Drums & Guitar nailing it.

Silentist had some crazy noise machines and thunderous drums and the dude screaming his head off almost made my head explode.

Child Abuse killed it as usual i like how casual these guys are and then they just get up on stage and melt your face.

Bloody Panda destroyed, i really thought i might be volunteered for some kind of ritualistic sacrifice during the set, and great backing band and a crazy japanese singer, which makes me scared like those horror movies, did you see the Audition, they will kill you!

The Mountain Goats @ Europa 9/?/06
John Darnielle is your god. The man can do no harm and all he wants to do is save your soul. when i hear that mans voice i can mistake it for no other and as soon as i recognize it i hang on every sylable. This night we got to hear him run through a good portion of Get Lonely. A great record, not his best, but killer jams, all pretty sad ones. Thank god i saw this show a week before my girlfriend broke up with me because my god i wouldve been rolling around on the floor in agony.

You Say Party! We Say Die! w/ The Blow @ Sin-e 9/?/06
The Blow has seemed to have taken the world by storm and this little lady deserves it. Shes got some great lyrics that are laid over some great dance pop beats, not stock kinda stuff either, very intricate sounds crafted by Yacht, he wasnt there for this show and so she was a bit nervous, but we all made her feel alot better by getting into the set. Which was impossible to resist shes just so fun and she just seems like a normal girl you would walk by on the street a million times and never know but of course its all about the surprise.

YSPWSD have been royally screwed, they reminded me of an early days version of pretty girls make graves, but now they are going to have some trouble, they have been banned from the united states for sneaking over the border for this tour, and just before any one could really discover them and get a bit of money behind them, now no one is going to want to touch them here, sadly, because it would be completely worth it, they are really fun and really tight.

Sam Champion & Ra Ra Riot @ the annex
Ra Ra Riot have changed thier line up a bit and they have lost one of their singers and tried to take themselves a bit more seriously and its really working for them, they seemed to have been able to streamline the act some one and brought the powerful songwriting to the forefront. Every one seems to be concentrating a lot more while still trying to have fun. a must see band.

It had been some time since i last saw Sam Champion, march i think, they continue to amaze me with that country rock twang, the new material is great because they original stuff was written before the edition of the second guitar and while it stills goes well it seems this material incorporates it right in and makes it a much fuller sound, i have heard they are done recording and just shopping for a label.

Sono Oto @ merc lounge 9/?/06
Sono Oto play beatles-esque pop tunes, from the early days before all the drugs, funniest part was that the frontman who composed everything is very obsessed with apples so the first 6 songs he wrote are based on different kinds of apples. its an interesting limitation, this was them in full ensemble orchestra and it sounded great.

The Ballet @ the knit 9/?/06
The Ballet are one of nyc pop communities best kept secrets, i dont think they have played more than 20 shows, but they keep getting better with thier lush sound, they just added some cello. And the toungue in cheek lyrical styles are not to be listened to lightly. really beautiful stuff.

Gossip w/ Erase Errata + Mika Miko @ irving 9/?/06
A great night for the ladies.
Mika Miko blew me away, i had heard the album and was really into it, but they come together live and have a really fun party. New ep coming out any time now.
Erase Errata, in my opinion, are better than they ever were, i seem to be in the minority of that idea, but shit nightlife is a killer album with some great guitar work. This was the best i have ever seen them perform. They are finally comfortable as a three-piece and thats just what they needed.

I heart Goxxip, and i apologize that i am a large white male in a sea of tiny girls, but dance with me instead of calling me a mysoginisy im watching out for you more than youll ever know, a pretty standard goxxip performance until the encore when Jenny from EE came out and they did the cover of "tell me are you that some body" it was just enough to send us over the edge.

Joe Lally @ the knit 09/?/06
Its great to see all of the members of Fugazi continuing to do amazing stuff. Joes solo work is very much the more somber side of Fugazi and his voice is very haunting, its good for him to be able to step out from behind the shadow of ian and show that hes a musical force on his own, really great songs about introspections and of course the sad state of the goverment which culminated in a completely vocal performance of "if i only had brain" which was so beautiful and haunting ill never watch wizard of oz the same way again.

Toddps 2nd big outdoor show of the summer (non-acoustic) @ scholes loft 9/?/06
Another mega rager at some dilapidated old building in bushwick, fucking killer line up. i missed antanker convoy, but i got there just in time to see roxy pain perform a 20 minute version of that wham song about never falling in love again that the sickest sax riff ever.

Stars like Fleas assemblage is starting to win me over, its just not my fav, but they sure do put on a show.

High Places when they were still fresh from the incubation period.

I love child abuse, both the act and the band, so its no wonder i was loving the shit out of this set because these retards thought it would be a good idea to get super agro about the show it was to early and they were to rough, i mean im all for freaking the fuck out but be nice to your fellow showgoer and dont fucking knock down equipment unless you are in the band.

A sun drenched Vaz were next, i have their record and i could go either way, but after this performance i am a fan, just some great post rock no bullshit and at the end of the set the guy chucked his guitar over the van that was behind the stage. then some kid came up with it and was like "did some one drop this"

I think this was the last time i saw this amazing line up of Aa, as the sun set. This performance is actually on the dvd portion of their new album, gAame, which drops on 4/26.

Exceptor was crazy loud. It was good, but i feel there may have been to much going on, musical masturbation kind of thing. i will give him one thing, he started to get heckled by some douche and he wasnt having any of it so he grabbed a megaphone and knocked the kid to the ground and totally partied in his face.

Matt and Kim rocked the house so hard the people who owned wanted them to stop playing because the floor was gonna gave in, but kim unleashed that potty mouth of hers and put em in their place and then they finished a sweet ass set, oh and if you like, here's is that set in its entirety. who loves you most?

fucking Ex-Models, they have gone through many stages of existence but this one is by far the best, they have got noise down to a science and with two amazing drummers to compliment thier guitar molestation they cant fail even if they tried shit is crazy amazing.

But the band that stole the fuck out of that show was Comets on Fire, those guys just do it right, just like this hard rock that channels the great of the genre, throw in some psyched out noise for good measure and then practice for about 500 years and you just might get it down. Highlight of the set was when the power went out for about 8 minutes and meanwhile the drummer never skips a beat and as soon as the power comes back the energy surged into every member of the band and they picked up right where they left off, sometimes its those little mistakes that let you know how good af a performance you are actually seeing, no premadonnas and no deli spreads. just killer talent.

Growing was able to calm every one down afterwards and it was a very pleasent cool down, thier guitarwork is so intricate and so heavy and yet its still soothing to the soul.

And just when i thought it couldnt get any better, todd announced that in the backyard dirty projectors was going to play a solo acoustic set and i raced down there to get a front row seat, total darkness and 200 kids hanging on daves every word. he really gave a great performance that night, his voice is just so engaging, i dont even know who to compare it to its so distinctly his, and his guitar work is really good to, he just so effortlessly makes his way across the strings and delivers such an impact, it was way to dark to see but you knew he was there.

Japanther @ the arm 9/?/06
What made this performance special was that japanther set up behind a huge sheet of white paper and there was a shadow puppet show that went on before them, pix didnt really come out. but it was really well done, i think they do it around the city, ill look into it. so then japanther played their first song in silhouette which was killer, then they tore through it and rocked the fuck out.

August 2006

2007-03-25T15:17:00.000-05:00

Rancid @ bb kings 8/?/06
Rancid is definately another one of those punk bands that is to much a part of my younger years to let go, they got some crap coming out these days, but it aint all bad. The point is the live show is never gonna be bad, the fans are always in a frenzy and the band knows excatly what the crowd wants to hear, they stick with lets go and and out come the wolves... and its perfect, this time around they even did fucking opiv covers, who the fuck can say no to that.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs & Sonic Youth @ mccarren park pool 08/?/06
My only chance to get into the pool last summer and it was great, my first time seeing sonic youth and i wasnt even close to disappointed. They ran through a lot of new material which is great because rather ripped is a phenomenal record. they got some classics in there to. and can i say this, why does marc ibald get to be in pavement and then strangers with candy and now sonic youth. shit isnt fair.

YYYs killed it, i know they have a shit ton of hype, but they deliver the goods. they are all so great at what they do, and karen o is one hell of a front woman even if she did move out of nyc.

Gravy Train @ the knit 8/?/06
Well ok so i didnt get any pix of the gravy train show, they played great as usual. i definately have a place in my heart for unadulterated queer-core. so i asked if i could share a cab with them to the after party and they said sure and i snapped this.

ToddPs 1st big summer outdoor show (non-acoustic) @ a parking lot 8/?/06
Some crazy parking lot brought out a bunch of kids for some awesome bands.
Necking were first up, and they kicked it off in style, this is actually the strongest performance i have seen them give. I think it had to do with the keyboard player, hes not usually present.

Parts + Labor were next and as usual they blew it up, to bad it was so early i didnt have it in me to rock so hard before 4.

Dan Deacon tickled me, little did i know that this man would quickly become one of my favorite one man acts of any genre ever. The man is a crazy amazing modern day classical music artist, and if that description is misleading then my bad.

High places were next, they played on an empty staircase and they played it great.

Spank rock played next and he was amazing, thats why everyone came out and you know it the man is a wizard with a microphone, shake it til my dick turn racist is right.

he even got juiceboxxx to throw down at that bitch.

Japanther played crazy good.

This Bike is a Pipe Bomb finally graced the city with thier presence after an unsuccessful attempt last summer due to the flue. but they came back and they rocked us. fuck yeah florida.

a pleasent afternoon for rocking.

The Rentals @ irving plaza 8/4/06
I had been waiting for this show for so damn long and it was so good to finally be there, the rentals have returned and they played to a sold out audience of fans that had all waited just as long as i had.

July 2006

2007-03-25T14:32:00.000-05:00

Hightower @ cake shop 7/?/06
Hightower play heavy ass skate rock from SF, by the end of this show there were so many shattered beer bottles on the floor and it was so slippery the guitarist cut his face open in like three places

Kims art show @ cinders gallery 7/15ish/06
No music here but i just wanted to give it up for kims big art show, these silkscreened superheroes were really great, makes me wish i had money and/or space.

Japanther & Aa @ europa 7/10/06
This is one of the last times i saw Aa in its form right before the current one, this was very much my favorite of thier many incarnations, it was a bit looser, now they are a tight machine and that aint bad.

Oh look at me i saw japanther for once.

Dragging an ox through water @ some art place in chelsea 7/9/06
i went to see this benefit art show for that armada thing and just when i was about to leave this guy just started to play these sweet songs, i really wish i could find out more about him. the only reason i found out his name was because i ran into some one the very next night who i recognized and luckily he knew. if you know anything please contact me.

Finally Punk w/ Kiosk & fucking lion @ rad pad 7/7/06
Great little space over in greenpoint a nice sweaty basement. Kiosk kicked off like crazy really great girl fronted punky junk. the girl was going off, i love the energy.

Finally Punk blew me away, not a single song over two minutes, they switch all instruments every song, and they are fucking beautiful. Great little girly anthems about wanting boys back, hating on some one named missle and thier love of cable tv and johnny depp flicks, where could they go wrong?

fucking lion was basically the fugue, i dont know why they used a different name on this night but they did and in no way was that a bad thing, they fucked that place up just for good measure.

Japanther, Pixeltan & No Age @ tonic 7/6/06
Fucking killer show, my first taste of No Age. They were great. used to be Wives, now they have widdled down to the essentials drums and guitar and they fucking rock it. no good pics though sorry.
Pixeltan was new for me too, i had been hearing a fair amount about them, you wouldnt know it to look at them, but they rock it out hard, soft circle on drums goin nuts, crazy gangley painfully white bass player with megatight riffs, and a kooky japanese front woman, of course it brings to mind deerhoof, but its not the same, a bit more direct maybe.

OK PARTIES OVER! Japanther! this performance was especially amazing because a fan of theirs had made some two screen video art and the band played along to the film. the film was pretty intense and amazing, the director seemed a bit full of himself (surprise!) but i mean shit it was really good so lets move on.

Harry & the Potters @ the knit 7/5/06
Harry and the potters are another one of those ageless bands that just appeals to so much that is good for kids that you cant stand not to support them. This show was packed out the door, seriously i saw kids in costume that had to be turned away because it was such a mad house, meanwhile the main space had sold 20 tickets. This show was new because they finally got a drummer, and he looks somewhat like ron weasly kids were going crazy, notice the homemade shirt and bubbles. it was the reading and rocking tour.

June 2006

2007-03-25T11:45:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving w/Fast Fourier @ cake shop 6/?/06
I will never be able to say enough about fast fourier it is noise at its finest, two dudes from grizzly bear make up the majority of this band, thats the problem, grizzly bear blows up like the godfather and this band is left by the wayside only playing a random show here and there, they have had a record completed for about two years now and the aholes over at narnack are just sitting on it.

Thanksgiving played a tremendous set despite being jetlagged and sick, any one who compares him to the microphones is totally in the right, but in no way is that a bad thins, his merch was a little expensive, but what are you gonna do.

It Lives! @ the black cat 6/?/06
Killer stoner jams from these guys, this used to be a solo project called pants, but now after going through 100 names hopefully they will stick with this one so they can start to get a following. psyched out guitar, keith moon on drums, and a tight bass line.

Lightning Bolt w/ Bunnybrains @ some crazy loft in bushwick 06/?/06
Bunnybrains brought thier usual antics complete with transvestite midgets, yes that was an s on the end of midget. the dash of nudity was quick to come soon after but shit happens when your dress is made of plastic wrap. I did like them a lot more than in the past and i think its because soft circle is thier new drummer and he slays.

Lightning Bolt played the longest set i have ever seen them play, it was so taxing they played a lot of new stuff, and improvised for a while before playing a few hits and ending thier set or so i thought. after about 10 mins they started up again and it was hit after hit after hit, i dont know where i got the extra energy but somehow i was able to rock for another 15 mins, god bless the bolt.

Bent Outta Shape (last show ever) w/ Drunken Boat @ tommys tavern 06/?/06
I guess i shouldve talked about this a while ago, but im sure that goes for everything, but a really great nyc punk band said goodnight for the last time on this night and while it was amazing they will be missed.
Drunken Boat opened, these guys are great i have had thier split with bent for a while, but they are really great live too, that middle america dirt punk sound, with some female vocals as not to be another band in the crowd.

They went out with quite a bang, every one made it out for this show. So many kids packed into that back room and so many of them not even knowing how to use a bar of soap made that thick air completely unbreathable. the highlight was definatley when rudes and cheaps was sung entirely by the crowd. i miss bent, but you can see the kids in Bossy & Young Men and im sure many other new bands to come. rip.

Hari Honzu @ Zebulon 06/?/06
Ill talk more about these kids later, but ill just say that its a new sound its rock, its jazz, its dissonance, but most importantly it grabs you without having a single vocal.

Matt + Kim, Hawnay Troof, High Places & Big Digits @ some patio 6/?/06
Big Digits brought it out, these two guys look pretty awkward at first but they are so into you cant help but love it and get up to and say you know what fuck it. They play crazy scream along booty jams, you gotta love all this dancy shit that is goin around these days, puts some beats on an ipod and shake that ass.

High Places make some beautiful lush soundscapes. Rob keeps the tempo on his drum pads while mary serenades you with her beautiful voice.

Vice Cooler is Hawnay Troof, and i cant help but go nuts for that guy hes crazy and he loves every second of it, he played some new stuff, but we also got to hear modern classics like "boys get hard" & "dry hump".

i think if i give matt and kim one more great review this webpage will explode i will never be able to say enough about either of them whether it be that they are a really great band who know how to move a crowd or that they are two of the nicest people youll ever meet

Eels @ wfc 6/?/06
Eels played a free show for the cities summer frestivals. Smoosh opened, i missed them. Eels played a crazy great set to a thousand losers sitting in chairs, thank god a dance party finally broke out at the end when they played the fast version of i like birds. They also had this great personal security guard who was really huge and he kept going into the crowd and E would point at some one and he would walk over and spray whip cream in thier mouth. thats the kinda security we need. Does everyone have enough dessert?

Boy Least Likely To @ the knit 6/?/06
Got to catch the end of these guys set the same night as the eels show. They were a lot of fun, but seem like one of those brit buzz bands of the moment, they do a good job but i dont think they will be remembered much in between albums, im just saying.

Bird Names @ cake shop 6/?/06
And to complete my triple crown of showgoing that night i got to see Bird Names play at cake shop, these kids from chicago throw together a great ramshackle sound, very abstract but very lush, theres a lot going on and every time they come around its a new arrangement with a new band of gypsies and after they were done they shuffled off into the night, and by that i mean they got frozen margaritas and stooped it up.

Aquabats @ bb kings 6/?/06
I will see the aquabats anywhere at anytime they always put on a really fun show and its all for the kids.

Japanther, Hey Willpower, Juiceboxxx & Squidbots @ Michelines 6/?/06
This show was fucking insanely amazing and intimate. Michelines is a small basment way out on the J in the area where the stops become unpronouncable.
Squidbots played crazy awesome fuzzed out noise jamz they were pretty fun and pretty topless.

Oh dear my first time seeing Juiceboxxx, what can i say about that kid but what the fuck was milwaukee thinking when they let you escape. Juiceboxxx is the hardest working MC in the biz hands down. Hes looking for the kids who just cant get enough.

Hey Willpower continues to astound audiences here and abroad, hes got a new record out across the pond that i am super hungry for, but in the meantime theres a new imperial teen record about to drop.

Of course Japanther brought that fucking house down, one of the best nyc live bands. they always rock the shit out even when thier stacks collapse on top of them. JPNTHR 2K7 yall.

Bouncing Souls @ the knit 6/6/06
I dunno how you spent your 666 but i spent mine finishing up the bouncing souls marathon in honor of their newest cd the gold record, which actually turned out to be quite a disappointment, but at least they can still do it right at the live show, a lot of teenage jersey kids had the time of thier lives that night.

Todd's outdoor acoustic fest @ tip of Roosevelt Island 6/4/06

2006-06-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

This was such an amazing day, i was really glad i made it out to this thing even if i was late and missed out on matt and kim. After quite a bike trip down the island, i had never ridden onto it before, you approach a large fence, and on one side there is a small gate with a little piece of paper that says todds show and has an arrow pointing ahead, after riding past a creepy ruined castle you come across about 200 kids sitting on a huge patch of grass, and all around you are huge buildings that are only 100 yards away on either side. The first band i got to watch was Tiagaa! they were really beautiful rhythmic chant style songs, a really nice trible feel that went well with the setting.

Pterodactyl played after that, they played two really nice acoustic jams that they claimed to have written that morning they were som good songs, and thier drummer used this cool contraption that kim made for a drum, it was a bass pedal taped to a cardboard box and on top was a little cowbell and a tin full of change, all to beat on to make it sound right, and that it did.
Up next was the ever infectious puttin on the ritz. who weve all seen hundreds of times, and sometimes the novelty seems to wear off and then they give a performance like this and you remember why you stick around. there were water whistles, magazines, and some running all the way to the edge of the island and back.

Im pretty sure this nxt guy was Dylan Ewing, he played very sweet singersongwriter type stuff, kinda put me to sleep.

Lidia Stone played next, i thought it was gonna be another lady singing witha guitar but it is in fact just a clever name for a great noise duo. one guy played a cheapo keyboard with some droning synth noise, while the other banged away on a snare drum while singing, i really liked these guys alot.

Zeke Healy played his crazy guitar after that, this guy is a really gifted guitar player he just riffs like crazy on his steel beast and it sounds really great, innovative maybe? hes good times.

Dirty Projectors played so quietly i had to crane my neck even though i was mere feet away, i really love that guys voice, it really has its own sound altogether, i could pick it out of a lineup easily. he played a few songs with a buddy helping out on second guitar.

Dirty Beauty Shop were some really cute hippie ladies singing some soft somber relationship songs, guitar and tambourine, and the singer had mono on top of it all, she still sounded very elligant.

The main event, Aa played a megamazing set, maybe the best ive ever seen, i love Aa very much and love how thier show is always taking on different forms and an acoustic set isnt even a challenge for them, its just so intensly awesome, definately my favorite set of the day.

It was a mistake putting drummers corpse on right after Aa because sadly it is kind of a poor mans version, especially when its right after. These guys seem like they are trying to hard to do what comes so naturally to Aa, they even include a member of Aa with the same drum equiptment setup. the worst part of thier performance was this acid casualty they had rolling around in a white dress while they performed.

Warren Ng was my other favorite of the day, very sweet finger plucked ballads that were only paid attention to, sadly, by about 10 people. Very beautiful performance, that included one of the best covers ive maybe ever heard of nico's these days. breathtaking maybe?

Miguel Mendez rocked through some jams next, theres something about miguel that has a really heavy 90s feel to me, like he himself embodies this decade gone past without being touched in any way by the new century, but i guess thats kind of a weird feeling.

Stars Like Fleas had a n incredibly huge elaborate set up for themselves, they sounded really great, they wondered through a few songs as dust came closer and closer, a really good collective of people who work well together.

The Wowz were my third favorite these guys had a woodie guthrie type feeling to them, really folky down home of the people sort of thing, it was all covers and the best one had to be "this land is my land."

In Mountains In Stars were really beutiful to, some light acoustic string work, i couldnt really hear the words to well but the music was nice enough.

and to seal the deal Meneguar came out and played some very delicate versions of thier usually balls out rock awesomenss. After they got a few songs out it started to sprinkle and then a deluge of rain came down and every one had to run for the hills, but hey it didnt really matter after such a great day of beautiful music to sooth the soul.

Wolfmother 6/3/06 @ webster hall

2006-06-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

ok so this shows doors were at 6:45, can you tell me what the fuck that shit is about. I guess it was club night, anyway. FUCKING WOLFMOTHER!!! Dear lord these guys rocked way harder then when i saw them at sxsw. Maybe its because they got thier full hour of rock in this time. A great live show to say the least. the lead singer is all over the stage wailing on that axe. while the bass player splits his timing molesting a keyboard like crazy, at the end of each song he had to carry it back to where its supposed to reside. they played every single song. but i guess they dont have a huge back catalog or anything, but still they were everything you could want and more, to bad they got so huge so fast and have to be seen at webster, but when you see them, you understand why.

Genghis Tron & Gospel @ the knit (tap bar) 5/30/06

2006-06-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

Its about time i saw some fucking metal. after the tragedy of missing tragedy at cb's the night before i went to check out the genghis tron record release show, and it fucking rawked. Gospel have been haunting this city for quite some time now, they play the droning dark metal brand, really long heavy guitar riffs, bring that shit home.

Genghis Tron kill. They play spazzmetal techno-grindcore if it sounds awesome thats because it is, with mostly preprogrammed beats, these three guys rock out like crazy, a killer guitarest knocks out the riffs while the two other dudes blast away on synthesizers and drum machines and then scream out the lyrics on top of it all. This was a party for thier new album, dead mountain mouth, which is great from what i heard on this night. World tour coming in july.

Partyline @ the knit 5/30/06

2006-06-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

Yay! Partyline! it has been a long time since i have been able to see partyline, i caught them almost by accident a year and ahalf or so ago at kingsland tavern, all i knew was that it included allison from bratmobile and thats really all i needed to know, these ladies kick out the riotgirrrl jams for the new century. Straight outta dc these girls with glasses have released an ep and a 7" split with spider and the webs. The show tonight brought out all that material as well as a handful of new tracks that have the signature allison sound, her voice is unmistakable for sure. They mentioned that they had just layed down most everything for thier new full length due out sometime. The ladies opened up for team dresch's reunion shows. who i caught but unfortunately was rather unfamiliar with, to bad though because there was a lot of fun to bae had. never really do you see such an aggressive punk rock show that is all girls, like the entire crowd, the moshers, the crowd surfers and the stage divers were all of the female persuasion. girls get busy!

Ra Ra Riot & Pocket Parade @ pianos 5/24/06

2006-06-10T17:56:00.000-05:00

Half of Pocket Parade is an old friend i came to check out and support. Little did I know id really like thier pop sensibility. A two piece from portland one plays drums and a laptop with a handful of other instruments prerecorded and the other rocks that saxamaphone. The songs come out sounding something like the get up kids (with a sax) its a fun sound that makes you want to sing along, but alas there is no recorded material yet so you cannot, but i could see them catching on to a younger generation and being quite a success.

Which brings me to the next band that i saw by accident because they played in this slot after my friend, but much to my suprise they were a seven piece bundle of joy. Ra Ra Riot sound like your younger brother invented the arcade fire. They have a tumultuous sonic assault from all sides. disco drums, some great guitar work, two killer keyboards and a cute string section to boot. i really think they could be a younger more accesable arcade fire. They may not sound so on the four tracks they have available, but think of the difference between the arcade fire live vs on record. the difference is huge, and the same goes for RRR. They played through about 10 tracks that were all over the place musically, but every but very fun and dancy, there were a few laughs and even a keytar solo. The encore brought a 6 minute epic that consisted of only the lyrics "come on kids this is where (insert persons name here) lives, he/she knows where the party is, the party is where he/she is!" it was a really great party for all involved. caught it again on 6/3 at the knit and it was just as good as the first time.

Old Time Relijun & Green Milk from the Planet Orange @ cake shop 5/19/06

2006-06-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

Green Milk played a great set, i saw them 10 or so months ago and there was something lacking from thier brand of psych rock. Whatever it was they have found it. They rocked through about 40 minutes of great noise, they pulled the same trick as last time and i fell for it again, they only play a few songs and then they say the next one is there last so you feel a bit let down and then that song is 15 mins long. Its great stuff, i wanted to pick up there new 7" but it was $20, i get it your from japan now stop screwing me.

Old Time Relijun were great too, thier sound is one that seems like david byrne took a bunch of meth and went on some crazy trip and wrote crazy nonsensical lyrics and then grabbed three friends and told them to play whatever instruments they had. Their brand of nutty-rock could also be like a more hippie version of devo on acid. either way it sounds like a good time and it is. i mean how does sushi become a vampire anyway.

Art Brut, Art Brut 47, Robocop Krauss, & The Chalets @ the knit 5/17/06

2006-06-10T17:21:00.000-05:00

Man this show was fucking great. I missed most of the chalets, they were some sweet english girl pop. I saw most of Robocop Krauss, they were german rockers, i had written them off up to this point due to the fact that thier album cover is almost a direct rip off of talking heads-more songs about food and cars. but they delivered a good times rock show that included a minor threat cover, who knew. Then Art Brut 47 played a bunch of rock tunes, insert dumb joke about them not being we are scientists here. I do enjoy the scientists quite a bit, does that make me a girl? They just have really poppy tunes and they play them well.

yeah my pix suck, but if you really need to see them, you can find them enywhere, every one and there mom went to these shows.

Art Brut were fucking spectacular. i had yet to see thier liveness. It was really fun rock and roll, really great musicians back a really great frontman. and a lady bass player that could kick your ass. Many people have said the show is a rehash of thier other shows, but shit its a great show, how much can you vary a set with only one album and a few singles. Yeah sure the jokes are going to be the same, they are funny jokes. I had a great time.

Home Video @ the merc 5/16/06

2006-06-10T17:00:00.000-05:00

After about a yearlong haitus Home Video have returned with very few differences. They are playing most of the songs from before they left, which are good songs. They really honed thier skills prior to the lapse, and they are a tad rusty getting back into things, but its mostly because of the addition of thier new drummer. While he is definately skilled he lacks the talent and diversity of thier last one. He plays more straightforward drum-machine like beats. They are still without a label to release an album that has been finished for over a year, is thier no justice in america. Maybe some one in germany can help, because like i always say, Germans love Home Video.

go robot its your birthday!

2006-05-15T16:12:00.000-05:00

hey dudes and ladies its edan here, just wanted to point out the fact that this some bitch is a year old already, i cant believe it, seriously, i thought i would keep up with this for like a day, but here it is and with many exceptions ive been bringing the show reviews weekly. ive left this thing alone for months at a time and people still come back to check it out. i just wanted to say thanks to every one who stops by and especially all the bands for putting on the shows that keep me getting out there and seeing what its all about. im gonna shut up now and do something else, im not just a blogger you know, jeeeeez.

thanks,
edan

ps maybe in a few days ill tally up the results and see how many bands ive seen and award people i have seen the most, with an award that means absolutely nothing and will exist only in word form right here on this page, now thats honor if ive ever seen it.

Pretty Girls Make Graves, Giant Drag & the Joggers @ Irving Plaze 5/13/06

2006-05-14T17:38:00.000-05:00

Fucking Irving Plaza! they always fuck with the set times, one time you go and you wait around forever for the first band to play and then other times you get there 45 mins after doors and the band is playing thier last song, that was the case last night i caught the last song from the excellent Joggers but that was it, i was pissed i havent seen them in months and they rock the live show.

Giant Drag blew it, up the two piece from LA couldnt be cooler, so many good duos there days. the simger is so cute and soft spoken but shit if she doesnt have the dirtiest sailors mouth ever. they played a chris isaac cover and she told a story about how she originally wrote the song when she was 8 and she played it for her 24-years-to-her-elder lover and he stole it and never talked to her again. and afterwards she said "sometimes broken hearts are worse than broken hymens" jesus! and this time i noticed something i hadnt before, the drummer has a keyboard set up next to him that he plays the bass line with, its a great setup i cant think ive seen before. these guys have been in support of thier first full length for like ever, but it hasnt gotten old yet. check out "my dick sux"

Pretty Girls Make Graves tear me up. i mean, i love em, but they have this problem with fame i think. they have been around for quite a bit now, something like 4-5 years. ive seen them in many different settings and they always seem like they want more fame, but they are not a fan friendly band by any means, they always say how thankful they are, but they never seem to stray from a selist or play an old song, even though they always get begged for, youd think that by this point they could say maybe we should learn that song and play it on tour, but they are all about thier new material, which is good but the longer they are a band the more they stray from their roots. the new album is a good album, but its a pregression where each album makes the last almost unrecognizable, the efforts have always been more interesting than the last but that doesnt make them better. they used to be really punk rock and the crowd would rock out along, but they jsut keep evolving and attracting the types of people that make shows unfun, im talking to you standers, i actually heard a girl last night between songs say, "man i wish he would stop dancing" ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME! so thats my cents, the performace was excellent, but the crowd made the experience less so. the band are all great at what they do and the new keyboard player just keeps melding more and more, the guitarists murder thier instruments and andrea zollo is a commanding frontwoman but she doesnt play an instrument and that is where you start getting more in with the crowd playing to them and what not, you cant just stare at a dot in the back of the room like youre queen shit, wave to people, play to them. when you sing a lyric like "reach out so i can touch you" fucking reach out, you dont have to have one of the peons actually touch you god forbid, just reach out towards them, come on. im sorry about this review, i do love this band, i loved them last night, but i think its because i do that i have so many harsh criticisms for them, i wish it werent this way but it is. i could go on for hours but i wont, ill get to the pics, isnt that what you people skip to anyway?

Matt + Kim, Aa, & Utep @ union pool 05/10/06

2006-05-14T17:08:00.000-05:00

The Bicycle Film Festival which ended its run today had a kickoff party last wednesday with some rockin bands to promote it, and it was free! i missed home video sadly as they have been on hiatus for like 11 months because they were having trouble shopping thier album and lost thier drummer, but this was their first performance back so i was eager to see how the chemistry was with the new lineup, but alas ill have to wait to see them at mercury on tues w/ his name is alive.

utep (cant find a link because thats also the name of a college in tx) was hard to get into, at times i thought it was kind of good spacey metal stuff, but then other times it just seemed like popmetal crap that could easily meld in with the mtv crowd, but what do you expect from the assclown that runs lit lounge. he named his club after a terrible band.

Aa are back to the same old tricks after experimenting this way and that its back to the classic four man tribal space stuff, i have to say i really like the one guy who has the delay on his mic and does lots of drum work with and without that on them, it adds that little something extra to and already great band, i know hes been doing it forever but its just a little nuance i was paying lots of attention to this time around.

Matt and Kim descend further and further into thier bulk of new material and i couldnt be happier, the crowd was so into this performance and it made it megaincredible and there were so many crowdsurfers i thought i was at a nofx show. seriously i got beaten down. they only played one old track, the classic, 5k, except for that it was all fantastic newness, with one song never erver played beferr. speechless as usual, but apparently this record still wont come out for a while, theres a bunch of mixing left and shit, but i dont give two shit, the microphone couldve been up matts ass and the shit would sound great, gross pun not intended. im just dying because i got these fragments from the different new songs, so ill just think about three seconds of keyboard and play it over and over in my head for hours. its like this: doot da doo doo doot doo doot doot blam blam blam, blam blam blam and thats all i got stuck in my brain all the time. its not as fun as it sounds, who am i kidding its fucking fantastic!

Lightning Bolt @ the hook 5/7/06

2006-05-14T16:50:00.000-05:00

Lightning Bolt hadnt graced nyc with thier presence since early august. Since then they have released an entire new album, to great acclaim including my own. They have also spawned brian gibson's side project Wizardzz which is also pretty awesome, how couldnt it be? so i had incredibly high expectations for thier first show in 9 months, but i was somewhat disappointed. not highly, but somewhat. they just seemed rusty, they had some technical problems, but that wasnt even it, something was missing and it was just the vibe that was being spread, something felt funky. maybe they just hadnt been touring as hard and werent in full swing yet, that shouldnt be a problem now that they are on tour for the rest of the summer, including a week or two in japan. they just didnt play the hits, they played only a few tracks off the new album a few oldies and then some freejams that just didnt seem like killer LB jams. no 13 monsters, no draculas mountain. i wanted to hear more of the new album since ive had the time to absorb it because it really does just blow all thier other efforts out of the water, but maybe they just cant do it all at once since it is so incredibly heavy. oh well, i am in no way put off, ill be there front and center next time but for now all i can do is hope that ill get my head blown off next time. one pretty cool thing about the performance was they have this new setpiece that is a huge convex mirror that is mounted above thier amps and set at an angle so if you are short or out of range of the melee you can still see the LB rocking out backwards, but you cant really get a picture of it because it shoots your flash right back at ya. also so many people shoot video at these bolt shows i go to, but none of that footage comes to light, sure there is some shit on youtube, but not everything. you can hear some recent perf clips over at thier site from thier terrastock set. until next timel: "shwa shshhsh ammash shmoo yawashaa!" -brian chippendale.

Bent completely Outta Shape

2006-05-11T18:03:00.000-05:00

hey all, read some sad news this afternoon, it appears bent outta shape are gonna call it quits. and i was just listening to stray dog town this morning. jaime put this message up on thier myspace today:

so Bent outta shape has decided to call it quits. this is probably good news to some and bad news to others. S'bout time you say! Why do you ask? many reasons. The main one being that since around the time Nate left it started to feel like it's "me and skip's" band...which i don't think is lame..but it doesn't feel right for this particular group. So we figured we should just do a new band with new people who don't come into it thinking they are joining a pre-existing entity and have to do what we say or something.know what im sayin? Also nate and ren are moving to california , mike catalano is busy jerking off to vampire lesbian movies, and Ian and Lauren can't tour. Skip and I figured it was just better to end on a somewhat dignified note i guess? i dont think im conveying anything relevent in this message...i guess i just want people to know! bent is fucking done! hallelujah! im sad...but happy. ... i mean it just a band..whats the point of basing your life around something silly like that if it isn't the same anymore.... anyway we are going to do a last show or maybe even a short tour in the end of june/ early July. Keep ya posted.Hope you dont think this is wierd i posted this on the internet...Love, Jamie Ewing take care!

to bad to see a good band go the way of the betamax, but if it has to it has to, hopefully the last tour we be balls out and the new projects the same.

Shoplifting @ the knit 5/6/06

2006-05-07T13:58:00.000-05:00

Shoplifting were awesome, they have a great dancy sound. it definatley shapeshifts is genre quite a bit but if i listen hard enough at times i am reminded of a young make up. its just got that mad dancy feel to it. i just want to mechanically dance along to hannah killer tight drums, i swear if i didnt see her i would think it was a machine she is right on with her chops. the guitarist is the highlight here though going from rhythm to psych freak and back again the guy definatley commands a band where every member is giving there all to be the most in control. vocally they go from sweet serenade to fits of yelling all in the span of one song. i wish i could see them again at thier matinee show, but alas, they had to cut last night a bit short due to time restraints but that didnt change the quality of the show one bit.

the Yeah Yeah Yeah's, the Dirtbombs & black lips @ roseland 5/3/06

2006-05-07T13:34:00.000-05:00

of course work cause me to miss the black lips and 75% of the dirtbombs, oh well, thats annoying. i cant believe black lips played at roseland i hope they blew those snobby fucks away, this show was seriously insanely overcrowded, but i guess i shouldve expected it. its been like three years since ive seen the yyy's at bowery, that show was right before fever to tell broke them like crazy. it was a great show karen was such a crazy bitch of a front woman and chase and zinner are really great together, all of them sorta of seem to feel each other. which brings us to now show your bones just came out and it slays straight up, i really dig the record, i could use for the more metal side of karen, but thats fine these tunes are so catchy and chases drums are so prominent in the mix, zinner doing some crazy psych effects on his guitar. so there it is roseland gets dark and the kids take the stage to a packed house. theyd already been properly prepped by the openers so it was go time. they dove right in and blew threw a pretty good sized set full of oldies and newies and karen was in full form, ive read in the past that she doesnt really feel as much energy at the larger venues, but she didnt seem affected by it on this night. she was all over the place and rockin it out phenomena was fantastic but it was the older stuff like pin and y control, holy lord what a good rendition. after a quick costume change they closed of course with an acoustic maps dedicated to every one and then a little date with the night. a showgasm if there ever was. sometimes i hate paying the big prices but then when i do i always end up knowing it was worth it.

Mt Eerie + Thanksgiving @ the syrup room 5/1/06

2006-05-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

I can always enjoy a nice light mt eerie show to counteract the crazy rediculous rockness of many of the shows i go to, you know its always going to be a fun night full of really sweet songs and probably just as many laughs to go with it, not to mention the most curtsies ive seen since i went to the nutcracker.

thanksgiving was really good, i had never seen him before, its the guy who plays the drums for phil these days, and phil plays drums for him. nice pop tunes with very engaging vocal stylings, if there was a school of songwriting that phil leads, thanksgiving seems to be a disciple, which is not a bad thing, but if you start hanging with some one like that for that long he might rub off on you.

mt eerie was grand but not the best ive seen he played a somewhat short set, but i guess it was getting rather late. it was a great mix of his shakey voiced electric guitar drivin ballads. i do love it when he rocks out though seems so out of character but at the same time exactly what he should be doing. the highlight came at the end when he sang the selfreferecial song about going to a mt eerie show, but he told the crowd to sing along and he would tell them the lyrics as they went. it was kind of a disaster but it also sounded really great because he wouls squeek out most of a word and then every one would relaize what it was going to be so it was a bunch of people jumping the gun on lyrics just to try and keep up, does that make sense? dont worry neither did the idea. i was able to grab the vinyl version of "no flashlight" courtesy of a friend and it says on the cover that its the biggest album cover ever, but i didnt think it could be, upon getting home and folding it out it really is like 5'x5' shit is tight.

Defiance, OH & Matt + Kim @the coz 4/30/06

2006-05-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

ifn i didnt go to two shows that gloryhole played in one week and miss them both times, fuckin work mixing with early shows, this job thing is for suckers. anywho go to the coz just in time for matt and kim to set up and play, the news songs are solidifying in my brains finally i can start rapping my head around the goodness, it was pretty warm and packed in there so matt had to stand upon his amp just to be able to chat with people between songs, i think much of this crowd made the trek out for defiance not really having a good idea of who matt and kim were, so most people were pretty mellow through out but it didnt stop the diehards from rocking out, good stuff, but it was no last weeks loft party.

it was a triumphant return for defiance, about a year after they had played right next door at the woodser. will couldnt make it out on this tour and lacking a core member sure seemed to make the band feel like something was missing, but all the kids tried as best as they could to fill in the gap left by him, by singing along as loud as they could on classics and new songs alike. i really have a soft spot in my heart for these folkpunkers from OH. they just have really great ideas for how a band operates on all fronts. they just released thier first full length that they didnt self release, they chose no idea, which i think is doing some pretty great work these days for lots of people in the diy punk community. a pretty good distro deal, $6 for the cd or the vinyl, you cant beat that shit. and its a very diverse record, i mean sure its all folky, but there are some plucky acoustic jams and some rough sing along rockers. all in the span of 32 mins. but back to the show, they rocked hard kids were flyin every where, song vocal chords were definately blown and as if every one werent tired enough after 12-15 songs they closed with a cover of "things we say" by the gorilla biscuits. killer cuts! so sweaty and drunk and it was only 9pm.

Japanther w/ AQUADOOM @ palladium 4/28/06

2006-04-30T17:12:00.000-05:00

This event was very awesome and very bizzare. japanther played while various synchronized swiiming routines were performed in the water. it was great but of course the nyu security was in full force to make sure no kids ahd any fun. but we did have fun japanther played a great set for some really excited swimmers. it went off with few hitches, like when riley told everyone to get in the pool they got thier plugs pulled until every one was out of the pool, but the plan the whole time was for every one to get in and rock out, but it didnt come to fruition sadly i made it down to my trunks and right as i was baout to go in i got pushed back into my seat and as i wanted japanther to finish thier set i stayed there, maybe they should try it again at a more public pool with more lighter and better vantage points, but for a one off this was hillarious and fun, sucka has some ghreat pics also, check em out.

Electric Six @irving 04/26/06

2006-04-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

man i hadnt been to irving plaza in almost a year. i forgot how wierd and menacing the place was, sure its a professional venue, but it makes it a bit less fun, well see how i handle going back to roseland next week.

now some people would say "hey electric six i love that gay bar song, wait you saw them last week?" and i would say yes, and they rocked out. it was a great show they played for over an hour most of the material off of thier albums before they head into the studio to make a third. these guys have great rock jams and they totally got hosed when thier second album came out because it didnt have a novelty hit like gay bar, the thing got shelved and then quietly released some time late last year. i didnt know and prolly neither did most people, i havent heard the thing, but of course i want to go to hear some of those first record cuts, some dance commander, a little danger high voltage, they really delivered, i hadnt seen them since siren last year, but they sure have gotten tighter musically. id like to hear the studio cuts i heard on that night. there were some winners and it always helps to have a beer sponser greasing every ones wheels all night leading up to the event. congratulations bass beer on sponsoring a youngish hipish band to support your old man beer, itll work wonders for your image, didnt you sponsor a ben lee concert too, oh yeah your beer is going places.
you must obey the dance commander:

The Ergs, The Modern Machines & The Shemps @ tommys tavern 4/25/06

2006-04-30T16:44:00.000-05:00

a really great night for some good ole rock bands that punk it up a notch. shemps flew from cali for the show and the ergs just drove 40 mins. they were doing to do that much so come on.

shemps were good, these guys are a fun fucked up band, they play some good hardcore stuff, i picked up thier ep and its got a real good sound. pretty rockin its over in like 10 mins. they were ready to fire up the crowd they had and i believe one of the first things out of the singers mouth was "nice rack" and you have to stick with what works and i dont see how that couldnt. the singer kept making his way into the main bar since he had a long enough mic chord, i got a hug at some point, kinda sweaty kinda strange. but they gave it all, to bad more people didnt make it out in the rain.

modern machines from milwaukee made it out east for a nice little tour that brings them through new england, but judging from the recent messages ive been getting they are cancelling shows left and right for some reason, hope everything is ok in momac land, the best part about the show was how much all three of these bands like each other its almost like they are only there for each other and it makes it better, who cares what the kid think lets rock, they were covering each other like crazy.

ergs started with some deep purple covers and for some reason no one came running to hear where those sweet smoke on the water sounds were coming from, but they soon started thier original works and people came a runnin. good set from them as well, i dont get to see those lads from jerz as much as id like too and they are right next door. its about time for another full length from these dork cock rod rockers.

wahtever peeople say i am i guess theyre right.

2006-04-23T16:16:00.000-05:00

ok so as i always do i apologize for being so behind on everything and very absent as for whats current but i think at this point if you still come here you arent lookign for something current but as usual i am trying to change that so i have finally compiled a sloppy list of summer shows that is by no means complete, but in my opinion they are where to be and if you like what you read then i for the most part will give these shows my seal of apporoval, of course not every show will be for every one but i listen to shit at all ends of the spectrum so obviously check it out before you go, but just get out there will ya?

Mon 4/24 8:00 PM Two Gallants, Sam Champion, Cold War Kids @bowery

Tue. April 25th - the ergs,Modern Machines, the shemps and gloryhole - New York, NY (Brooklyn - at Tommy's Tavern)

Wed 4/26 9:00 PM Electric Six, Aberdeen City Irving Plaza

Thursday April 27th @ UNION POOL
:: 33 1/3 BOOKS RELEASE PARTY
:: PIXIES 'DOOLITTLE' BY BEN SISARIO

fri 4/28 at nyu japanther plays while people do some synchronized swimming, shit is free!

Fri 4/28 8:00 PM Elf Power, Oakley Hall, The Instruments Northsix

Saturday April 29th @ GLASSHOUSE GALLERY
:: Impractical Cockpit ---> Load Records
:::: the Good Good ------> www.collectalltheleaches.com/soundclips.html
:::::: More Dogs ---------> from Baltimore, Monitor Records
:::::::: USAISAMONSTER

4/30/06 defiance ohio@ the coz

Monday May 1st @ 98 INGRAHAM ST <-- look! the venue changed!
:: Mt Eerie aka the Microphones
:::: Thanksgiving
:::::: Jason Anderson ---------------> x Wolf Colonel

Tuesday May 2nd @ Goodbye Blue Monday
:: Dead Science
:::: Aa / Big A Little a
:::::: Ill Ease

5/3/06 yeah yeah yeahs @ roseland

Thursday May 4th @ Goodbye Blue Monday
:: The Punks
:::: Talibam
:::::: Pterodactyl
:::::::: Imaginary People

Thu 5/04 7:30 PM Modey Lemon, The Victoria Lucas Rothko

Sat 5/06 7:30 PM Shoplifting, Pit Er Pat, Mecca Normal Knitting Factory(Tap Bar)

Sunday, May 7th - EARLY - 3PM! @ UNIONDOCS
:: Shoplifting --------> mem the Gossip, x Chromatics, x the Vogue
:::: Ex Models
:::::: Mecca Normal
:::::::: Meneguar
:::::::::: The Fugue

Sun 5/07 7:00 PM Lightning Bolt, Nautical Almanac, Double Leopards,
The Kites The Hook

Sunday May 7th @ Cakeshop
:: Experimental Dental School
:::: Shellshag
:::::: Hi Red Center
:::::::: Wildlife

Tue 5/09 7:00 PM Pelican, Mono, The Life and Times, Mgr. Avalon

Sat 5/13 8:00 PM Pretty Girls Make Graves, Giant Drag, The JoggersIrving Plaza

Sun 5/14 6:00 PM Harry & the Potters, Jason Anderson Northsix

Mon 5/15 8:00 PM Year Future, With Love, Up the Empire (from
Kilowatthours) Knitting Factory(Tap Bar)

Wed 5/17 & 5/18 9:00 PM Art Brut, Art Brut 47 (We Are Scientists?),
Think About Life, The Chalets @ the knit

Thu 5/18 7:30 PM Architecture in Helsinki Avalon

Friday May 19th @ Cakeshop
:: Old Time Relijun
:::: Green Milk from the Planet Orange
:::::: Arbouretum
:::::::: Good Morning

TOOL May 19 - New York, NY @ City Center
& May 20 - New York, NY @ City Center

Sat 5/20 11:00 PM Psychic Ills, Telepathe, Electroputas, Visuza Knitting Factory

Wed, 5/22 & 24 -Frog Eyes- @ the Mercury Lounge

Tue 5/23 8:00 PM Murder By Death, Langhorne Slim, Metal Hearts
Knitting Factory(Main Space)

Wed 5/24 8:00 PM The Books @ world financial center

Mon 5/29 7:30 PM French Toast Knitting Factory

Tue 5/30 8:00 PM Ghengis Tron, Gospel, Child Abuse, Electro
Quarterstaff Knitting Factory(Tap Bar)

Tue 5/30 8:00 PM Team Dresch, Partyline (Alison from Bratmobile), Les
Mots Knitting Factory(Main Space)

5/31/06 riverboat gamblers @ cbgb

Thu 6/01 11:30 PM The Fall, The Talk Knitting Factory(Main Space)

6/1-6/6 bouncing souls @the knit

Friday, 6/2/06
Super Furry Animals
South Street Seaport, Pier 17, 7:00pm

Saturday June 3rd @ Brooklyn loft space
:: Growing
:::: Thrones

Sat 6/03 6:30 PM Wolfmother, Psychic Ills Bowery Presents @ Webster Hall

tapes n tapes Tue 06/06/06 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

Wed 6/07 8:00 PM Pink Mountaintops, The Black Angels, Catfish Haven
Knitting Factory(Main Space)

Wednesday June 7th @ venue TBA
:: Hey Willpower

Friday June 9th @ venue tba
:: !!! aka Chk Chk Chk

Sat 6/10 8:00 PM Foreign Islands, Professor Murder, Mixel Pixel, The
IO's Union Pool(Kanine Records Party)

Mon 6/12 8:00 PM Be Your Own PET, Whirlwind Heat Knitting Factory(Main Space)

Tuesday June 13th @ Cakeshop
:: Skullening
:::: Eyestek
:::::: Bird Names

Tuesday, 6/13/2006
Eels with Smoosh
World Financial Center Plaza, 7:00pm

Tue 6/13 8:00 PM The Boy Least Likely To Knitting Factory(Main Space)

Friday June 16th @ 718 BROOKLYN DINER patio - OUTSIDE!!
:: Matt & Kim
:::: Hawnay Troof

Thursday June 22nd @ venue tba
:: Erase Errata

Fri 6/23 8:00 PM Erase Errata, Dynasty Handbag Knitting Factory(Main Space)

Wednesday June 28th @ UNION POOL
:: Dysrhythmia
:::: Behold... The Arctopus
:::::: Stay Fücked
:::::::: Archaeoptryx

we are scientists & the double Thu 06.29.06 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw

we are scientists & the double Fri 06.30.06 New York, NY Irving Plaza

Tuesday, 7/4/2006
Belle and Sebastian
Battery Park, 3:30pm

Thursday July 6, 2006: Broken Social Scene @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn

Friday July 28th @ CAKESHOP
:: Saviours (x-Yaphet Kotto, Drunk Horse)
:::: Hightower

that gets us up through july, who knows whats next.

The Islands @ soundfix 04/22/06

2006-04-23T16:11:00.000-05:00

oh it was an early rainy cold morning for the islands on saturday. they played a great mini-set that was almost acoustic, they still plugged in the bass and the keys, but it wasnt like soundfix had a couple uprights sitting around for them, so for all purposes it was acoustic. it was a packed ass room and i was in the back doorway, but every one was so quiet you could hear every word of nick diamonds dance tinged mellow indie rock. islands are like when paul simon went to graceland, just a great worldly sound coming out of a great cast of characters, return to the sea is a great cd and itll have you saying unicorns who?

Matt & Kim, Meneguar & the death set @ chips ahoy! 04/21/06

2006-04-23T15:42:00.000-05:00

matt and kim made it back home with minimal scars after being out on tour for 10 weeks, it didnt seem like it because i saw them four times while they were away. this place was a crazy great little apt under the jmz in bklyn and it almost got shook to the ground.

can i just say, how the fuck have i missed out on the mutha fuckin death set for so long, this shit was fucking incredible. i thought i was gonna blow a gasket, they bring to mind japanther in a lot of ways but not to the point where you could call it a rip off the shit is just down and dirty and dancy. 2 guitar dudes and a drum machine. shit is rockin like crazy and there are some great hooks too, the cd is fuckin tight, i cant wait for the full length, these guys might not be in the states for much longer before they head back down under so see them quick and party the fuck down.

Meneguar did thier rock and roll thang, i still remember the first time i got to see these guys i had to get the album then and there and i still feel the same way, the songs are great and now that thier back from tour maybe they can get some new shit put together for the summer.

and finally after years of waiting matt and kim came back newly filled with the spirit of rock n roll. the kids out of town probably made them feel real good about what they were doing, but not as good as us kids can make em feel. they played a new song and it was so damn good, so damn damn good, i cant wait for this record to come out, the shit is recorded and the people demand it now! and shit if it didnt end right as the lights were turned on and the cops flooded in and kicked everybody out so then everybody were everywhere on the street.

Acid Mothers Temple @ the knit 04/19/06

2006-04-23T15:35:00.000-05:00

i am always looking out for some more japanese psych rock to listen to, seriously what the hell is in that water, the shit is awesome all around. what a genre, what crazy bands it has to offer. Acid Mothers Temple is such a great crazy bad translation of a name too. i was informed that the band got off the flight from japan and came directly to sound check and after only four hours of downtime they jammed out for over 2 hours. that is dedication to your craft. some pretty warped stuff, i could name a few bands from that genre i enjoy more but AMT is no slouch. i tell you what, the best part was at thier merch table they had like 30 albums for sale, what the shit.

Oakley Hall, Miguel Mendez, the Redcoats Are Coming, Diane Cluck & Charlemagne @ brooklyn lyceum 04/14/06 (injection benefit #1)

2006-04-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

my good friend dc has begun his monthly benefit shows and this was his first installment. he has named it injection and his goal is to put on a benefit show for a different cause every month and i am very much behind his ideas and will be halping out in all way possible. you can go to that website to get all future show info, i will try to link it here as soon as i know anything. it was a pretty good turn out for this event considering it was all grass roots promoted, dc was able to raise $680 for the common ground collective which is still working full time to help hurricane victims in new orleans. he had only planned on four band but when he got there another band showed up and said they wanted to help out.

Charlemagne was a twangy two piece from here in the city. i have since found out that charlemagne in its truest form is one man with many revolving players who can help him out at various times. they played a nice little set while many people were settling into the venue. it was a a pretty twangy night for the most part and it was good too.

Diane Cluck played a very quiet set of very melodic folk songs, she has a very great voice and she added a very beutiful element to the night, a very soothing feeling, like everything was going to be alright...and then she threw oranges at the crowd.

congratulations to the redcoats are coming for playing a great set despite many issues with sound during thier set, things were moved around at the last second and shit went crazy but halfway through things were back in order. and they finished it up in style, a very good ny band, they play a very tension filled rock set, i dont really thinks its sexual tension, but they just exude something i cant put my finger on the vocals are deep with out being sultry, more something you feel at times.

miguel mendez also had problems that he had to deal with, his being that he was very ill and you could hear it in his voice when he spoke but he managed to push that aside when it came time to belt out his songs. he was also playing with a different band than he usually plays with but the chemistry was there and it came together well, the thing with miguel is he can play those songs really softly or he can rock the fuck out of them and tonight was on the lighter end of things, and it fit well, i keep saying that because these bands all fit together very nicely in a way. i didnt think it would flow so evenly, but it did.

Oakley Hall rocked us home with thier signature countryrock sound. its such good foot stompin stuff at times, with so many vocal and instrumental elements coming together to make it such a driving musical force. an incredible asset to the city. dc doesnt necessarily mean to showcase all new york talent, but its the way it happened this time and i dont think its a bad thing to be able to showcase the great bands we have hear since they sometimes get overlooked with the mountains of out of town acts that blow through hear on the daily. i look forward to next months show the last weekend in may and you should to, details to come.

Gang Gang Dance, Man Man & Stars Like Fleas @nyu student center 04/13/06

2006-04-23T14:39:00.000-05:00

stars like fleas kicked off very outthere night of noise. i got there towards the end, but from what i heard they seem like a more psyched out broken social scene. lots of people playing thier different instruments all wondering around and meeting up at certain points here and there, a little bit to shoegazzy at times, but good none the less.

man man are man man, they did switch up thier set a bit this time as they have been ending with "ice dogs" every other time ive seen them this year. they added another song to the end. but i kind of like the way every one walks out to the crowd chanting "and this ship will sail and this heart wont die"

i never got to see gang gang dance before, they were great almost put you in a trance sort of psych tunes with a very middle eastern feel to it, the vocals feel very egyptian to me, well the warped way i think of that area of the world. i dont say words like ethereal but that word comes to mind. very manipulated guitar parts, tribal drumming, and a whole host of keyboard and syth antics make it a very trippy performace. quite enjoyable.

Harry & the Potters @goodbye blue monday 04/12/06

2006-04-23T14:28:00.000-05:00

holy shit harry and the motha fuckin potters was off the shit. i am serious as cancer about this. these two guys are great, kids need this stuff and they need it now. harry and the potters are two brothers that tour around the country playing all harry potter related songs and they are great too. these guys tour libraries like crazy givin the kids what they want and usually when i say kids i dont mean preteeens, but this time i do. some guitar, some keyboard and an invisible ron weasley on the drums. they had so much energy, it makes me wonder if thats how loud they rock when they roll up into your local library it cant be. they play all styles of song ranging from grindcore to ballad and they all have to do with different parts of all the harry potter books, shit is so good for kids. they tell the story in the middle of the set as to why there are two harrys but the way they explain this is one is older and came back in a time warp so that they can combine forces and rock us now. its wizard magic gone wild. they are playing north6 on sunday may 14th get down there!

(and yes that is both of them, thats how much they look like HP)

Quasi @ the knit 04/10/06

2006-04-23T14:14:00.000-05:00

Ok so quasi is back and they are awesome. it had been over two and a half years since they have toured, but that makes sense due to the fact that janet has been super busy with SK. i just cant get over the chemistry between the two in this band they just play the hell off each other to create really nice pop songs with a good drums and keyboard setup, sometimes switching to guitar. sam coomes rounds out this killer duo with his crazy good lyrical stylings. they switched it up a bit for this tour and added themselves a bass player and let me tell you she works so well with the other two, her name is joanna and she also plays with malkmus and the jicks so you know she aint no slouch. its just a great show to see live they give alot and janets drums are so tight some times shes just as tight as a marching band and then the next second she is loose and jazzy as hell, she has really mastered her instrument especially for some one who didnt start playing drums until her 20's. i wasnt able to get any pictures since i was so far in the back, but i do have some good pics from the last time they came through to north6 way back in sept of '03:

Oneida, parts + labor (record release party), Ex-models, kyp malone & the good good @ north6 4/8/06

2006-04-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

i was looking forward to this show since i got the new p+l cd at sxsw. the shit is so awesome and this was the celebration of its release, the good good played first on the right side on the floor, i couldnt get close enough to see, but they sounded incredible as usual, but there seemed to be a bit more than normal, i couldnt put my finger on it, they have put out a new 7" worth grabbing, pink vinyl.

ok so, i hate tv on the radio, a lot. abnormally so. so i was already pissed i had to sit through kyp malone. i watched him and tried to give him a chance, but he pulled the singersongwriter w/guitar. his lyrics arent anything special and neither is his presence. so i cant give an unbiased view but i have to say i didnt really like it, he seems like a nice dude, but that doesnt get a crowd going.

ex-models were back in a new form, and that form is double drums. this shit was awesome. its not completely the old models nor is it the second incarnation, its a bit of both and it rocks hard. it doesnt hurt to have kid millions on drums either. the guys got great rhythm, crazyblasts. and the other drummer had a bass drum on top of a bass drum. they played great off of each other, just chugging along beats to go along with the waves of guitar and nutty harpy vocals. its great, they were playing this show to practice for thier upcoming all tommorows party show, bet thats gonna be a good one.

Parts + Labor were in A1 top form tonight, except for a few power issues with an amp, but they powered through it like pros, taking a bit of a break mid song to fix the problem and pick up right where they were. fucking slaid, they have just officially released the album tommorow, but they have already moved on from it and added more to the songs since they were recorded extra keyboard freakouts and a few more drum fills. it was thier night and they deserved every second of it.

oneida finished off the night with a really long set. i like them but i dont love them, they play some good noodling rock and they got kid millions beatin on the drums. they just keep going and going its great for a while but then it seems a bit repetitive towards the end.maybe thats the shtick, they come on to wear you out so youve gotta go home.

the Hold Steady, POS & Miguel Mendez @ warsaw 4/7/06

2006-04-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

I got to warsaw in time for the last three miguel mendez songs. the guy rocks, on cd he is light and nice and in concert he rocks your shit off. what more can you want from the kid. his band is great too, especially the drummer. catch him on friday at brooklyn lyceum (more details to come on that)

POS is a rapper, strange for him to be on the hold steady bill, except for the fact that he sings a song with craog from HS and of course they played that track, he had some good rhymes and some good beats, you also have to give him the credit to go on with a bunch of drunk HS fans saying what the fuck.

Hold steady were awesome. i dont know what else to say, they were in top form. the new stuff was great the old stuff was amazing. a great crowd for thier homecoming. drunk as hell and sweaty. such a good core fan group for a top shelf bar band. hold the fuck steady.

Shellshag, poingly, the headset, illuminati, standing nudes & the legendary 10oz @ asterisk 4/1/06

2006-04-09T17:46:00.000-05:00

this was a long ass night of bands some good some not so much, but it was better than anything else that was going on that night.
legendary 10 oz was a straight up old school punk act that played mostly covers i wasnt feeling it to much, but then they covered the golden girls theme and i could dig that its always nice to be thanked for being a friend.

standing nudes were next, they are good but i just cant get completely into thier altcountry sound, i think that best fits them. i dunno, most people were here for them.

illuminati was a big collective from god knows where collecting many tastes and styles to make up thier indiepop sound. guitars, stand up basses, violins, cowbells, alternating vocals. it was a lot, but it seemed a bit loose at times, they could definately solidify thier lineup and cut a few people so its less busy, but maybe they dont want to do that, i mean it did work for broken social scene.

the headset are the strokes, they make no bones about it. they sound exactly like the strokes and add nothing new, they just seem to be riding the coattails for some fame.

poingly played his brand of crazy art school crossdressing punk. it is what it is.

shellshag slayed, it was 4am but that didnt matter i couldnt stnad still for shellshag the crowd had dwindled to only diehards, and it was good cause the 20 or so people had a great time. i think these guys are a great 1 2 punch of rock n roll, drums and guitar w dueling vocals is a killer combo. and not only did they rock hard they busted the drum heads again. fucking spectacular.

The Duke Spirit @ fontanas 3/27/06

2006-04-09T17:38:00.000-05:00

duke spirit played a handful of shows while they were in town and i was lucky enough to catch one. they play a really great bluesy girl fronted rock, they were in the states on tour with ted leo for a month or two and this was them fresh off that and a bout to head home. you can tell they were happy to be here and it showed they enjoyed thier times. the new album, cuts across the land, keeps it up from start to finish. i was expecting a bit more from the live show, but the audience wasnt really giving a lot so they werent giving alot back but it was still a great performance.

The Gossip w/no dynamics @ the knit 3/25/06

2006-04-09T17:27:00.000-05:00

no dynamics, two nights in a row, to bad i couldnt even hear them tonight because my ears were soley for the gossip. the red dress is workin though.

Murray hill hosted like a rhinestone cowboy would:

gossip were so excited to play even though they play the knit all the time, its still exciting for them to sell out a new york venue and thats what keeps up the feeling that they are a genuine article. because they are no matter where they move or who produces thier albums these guys got it and they arent afraid to let that stuff out. tonight was extra special. they closed with a song i hadnt heard live since back in the day, i think its called revolution anyway it didnt come out until murray hill maid them play a second encore. god damn it was a great night.

and to top it off they djed at beauty bar:

Love is All, cause co-motion, no dynamics, MAN MAN & Will Sheff @ the knitting factory 03/24/06

2006-04-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

ok so this was two shows, but i stayed for both. the first was a benefit i got to pretty late but was able to catch the last two acts. Will Sheff from okkervil river was the first. now this guy is fine, but i was rubbed the wrong way when i say okkervil, it just seemed to go on and on and not be that spectacular. i just kept loosing interest, but this was early and he had some good lyrics here and there but if youre a singersongwriter you really have to have that certain something if im gonna pay attention. and i just didnt see it.

MAN MAN once again i dont need to keep saying it, they are playing nyu this thurs (4/13) w/gang gang dance. what do i have to say to get you to go, they give out free candy and cigarettes!

so the next show started late and no dynamics were thrown on the bill at the last second, i guess. they impressed me this time. they are more comfprtable in thier skin now, i saw them two nights in a row and i was glad i got to give them a second chance at thier girl fronted dance rocking.

Cause co-motion kicked some shit after that. i never saw these guys but judging by the couple recorded tracks i have they were gonna rock out. and they did i was reminded a bit of some Q and not U and some other dancy dc bands. good times

the dance pop stylings of Love is all will not soon be forgotten by this kid, good god these guys were great, and what a great crowd to go along with it. nice and small and loving every second of it, you could tell the band was in heaven loving every had clap they got. they gave it all right back to the audience. seriously i cant say enough about them. they really showed the love.

Casioton for the Painfully Alone w/the Donkeys @ glasshouse 03/22/06

2006-04-09T16:58:00.000-05:00

Fresh back from tx i was ready for some good nyc shows to get me back in the groove. Casiotone would be great for this, i though something nice and light and great. The donkeys are probably big phish fans from Ca, but i wont hold it against them because thier grooves werent that bad, but you can kinda hear it right now cant you, it sounds exactly like that.

i know ive had my complaints about the glasshouse in the past but i am a fan of the space but i have got to say that the place is to full up with junk now, it looks great, but when your stage no longer has space for a drumkit on it then its time to clear some of it out.
Now here comes the tone, one thing i didnt miss about nyc shows are the ones where if the performer isnt blasting out your eardrums then people think its ok to chat it up. thats horseshit i dont care how much you drank, and besides why did you get shattered to see this guy play, not really the shattered occasion, but oh well. casiotone for the painfully alone played a great set mostly new stuff a bit of old, and the donkeys joined him for back ing on a few tracks, he encored once again with his cover of going to graceland and for my money its his best song, he sound so great on it and it gives that new spin to a classic, the mood totally changes. i have to say that last time was better, but it was still killer.

3/18/06 SXSW Day 4

2006-04-01T19:46:00.000-05:00

Just one more soulshattering day and my sonic journey would be complete but i had some heavy hitters to get through before this day was out. We got a hot tip from some drunk dude handing out flyers the day before that there was a hot free show that just got added to emos IV for today. we got there and panther was dancing it up for the 1:30 crowd, he was better today, but probably because people were giving him attention.

Wooden Wand came around after them, and i guess the last time i saw these guys i didnt know meneguar that well and i didnt notice that thier frontman was WW's drummer so that was cool, they play a more twangy rock music, that is obviously fueled by thier frontman, it was a nice this to bring you up in an early morning setting. they are good with and without the vanishing voice contingent which adds the experimental noise aspect.

The good old boys from brooklyn, Sam Champion, were down here getting some much deserved attention from a lot of people, every time i talk about these guys i have to talk about how they sound like pavement having sex with CCR, but not in a gay way at all.

One of the biggest guns in the rock today are the goddamn gossip from olympia by way of arkansas. you can tell that i cant get enough of these peeps since this is the 6th time i have seen them in as many months. the new album slays and if you dont think so i dare you to listen to it, what are you scared of, huh? on of the best pics ive evr taken:

The Giraffes, another sweet nyc band. killer metal with a great guitar player, and a very comanding front man with a killer stache, and did i mention duder had 2 heartattacks last year and continues to chake rock venues to the ground, definately a band you cant judge by the recording, it has to be seen.

The Ark seem like they saw what the darkness did and figured they could get famous too, and while not being a huge fan of the darkness i do feel like i am a fan of thier gayer counterpart. the dudes really play to the crowd and the costumes are barely enough fabric to cover them. they exude sex, of the gay kind and its hot.

Back over to Mrs. Bs for my final visit. Roger Sisters were about to go on. i think these people are great, they really have thier own sonic experiments going on in and out of the studio, but then they can rock with the best of them. and its got a dark edge lurking in there too. i havent heard the newest record yet, but the songs sounded great here.

I love Bad Wizard too. they just keep putting out awesome rock albums that get barely any attention, but they bring it live. it had been a while since i saw them, but they were still in top form on the rambler stage. theres just so many people in the band all rocking out at once. check out any of thier gaggilion albums on howler and teepee.

I know i have said i went to sxsw for a particular band, but i was most looking forward to seeing DMBQ. after thier tragic accident last fall i was deeply saddened by the fact that one of the greatest, if not the greatest live shows ive ever seen would never be the same. china thier drummer was thrown from thier van after a collision on the new jersey turnpike. she will be missed, it was an incredible stunt they used to pull, they would surf the entire drumkit into the crowd and she would play a crazy ass solo in midair and jaws would hit the floor, it was incredible. thankfully DMBQ didnt stay down for long even though they had every right to. they figured why not keep going and go they did. it wasnt as intense as last time, but i let this show overtake me entirely and i rocked the hell out hardcore. the crazy psych styling of these japanese dudes is unparalleled, they are amazing at what they do, and i am so glad they decided to keep doing it, next time they come to nyc it is going to be so incredibly amazing i already get chills thinking about it. the best part about this show was at the end they smashed the shit out of some tom toms with this huge rock that had been keeping the bass drum in place and im talking at least 50 pounds of limestone.

The next few bands i couldnt even hear because my ears were so blown out. but i could see tommorows friend. some broolyn kids who bring the rock. it sounded like they were playing bluesy poppy rock stuff. but fuck if i could hear a damn thing.

Diamond Nights i have tried to like for a while, but i just cant get into thier revival of the 80's-ish sound. i dont despise it but i dont think it deserves to be put on a pedestal by the nyc community.

As I will continue to say the new man man album is fucking great. my description of them will always be tom waits hanging with frank zappa and captain beefheart sining sea chanties because thats what fits. i recently talked to singer honus honus for a minute and he completly endorsed that description. so now i got the seal of approval, these guys are really cool and they just seem like they have so much fun, all singing all playing multiple instruments, it just draws you in so well, and the set now is kind of solidified so there are the familiar singalongs that even if its your first time you can still sing along after a repetition or two.

saw three more people at mrs bs after that and that was the end of the night for me. i was spent hours ago. zero skills were some straight up country dudes that i just couldnt do after all the noise rock i endured over the course of the day. Nat Baldwin and Spencer Kingman played thier seperate brands of singer songwriter folky stuff. it brought a nice light close to todds fucking amazing run in texas.
zero skills

spencer kingman

nat baldwin

and after that i wanted to see ill ease again and sharp had offered me and a friend extra wrist bands to come see here, what an awesome lady she is.

alright i admitted i cheated and stayed another day and saw meneguar and matt and kim play at snake eyes vinyl which is a neat place because its a house thats now a record store and venue.

well i think that makes 65 count em up. i have never had such a rockin good time, i think this will be a staple in my yearly life, how can it not be. DYFAO

3/17/06 SXSW Day 3

2006-04-01T17:27:00.000-05:00

Gotta keep going, must see more bands! kicked this day off at the Jane party at the beauty bar. free beer at noon, you gotta love it. What made milwaukee famous started things for me, they were pretty good some light indie pop. nothing to eye opening, but they were a local band that got a chance to be on a big bill, so good for them.

I picked up The M's, future woman a few months ago, and i was into it and then i was on the fence but then i got into it again. the live show was no spectacle but it solidified my respect for them. they are some good indie tunes that get your toes tapping. they could easily open for a death cab or a new pornographers and not be out of place.

Film School were pretty kickin. and they were a bit out there to, indie stylings with some craziness. i liked them to bad they have such a shitty name. Thats allotta guitars!

hit up the spin party at stubbs after that, found out i missed the go team!, but got there just in time for We Are Scientists. I, like every one else, love these guys. they are great on cd and they rock out live. one of those us bands that no one knew about until the kids in england were like, "where the fuck did these guys come from" saw them like a year ago, but had no idea who they were and they blew me away, even thow the bass player looks like a child molestor. honestly you cant help but move your feet, a band i wish i knew the words to so i could be validated to rock out harder.

After them it was Charlatans UK, a band that has been around for a super long time and what i had heard in the past i was never impressed with, but now i can see that the live show is cool. they are from that stone roses, oasis camp from back in the day UK, i was never super wowed by any of those bands, but i never saw them live, maybe thats why. i still dont think i would seek out any albums though.

Back to Mrs. B's for some more of Todds rock action. Got there for the end of Cortina's set. some crazy ass rock from new zealend, now with 100% more costumes, am i the only one who would kill for an awesome bear costume, i would wear it all the time like i was four and i just got pajamas with feet. thier stuff gets a bit psyched out, and i can roll with that, and the vocs are awesome.

Okay, here it is, if you have never listened to me before listen to me right now the new album from Parts + Labor will fucking kill you. it is so fucking awesome. thes noise rockers have totally switched up thier style on this effort, thier new drummer will fucking blow you away and the two front men will shove some much noise in you, you will convulse with joy, its so explosive. its so primal and so advanced at the same time. i am so serious. would i lie. i am coocoo for these cocopuffs of noiserock. they are playing at north six on april 8th, go to this show, its a saturday, you have no excuses, especially becasue they will be right back on the road afterward supporting the hell out of this gem of an album. listen for yourself, but know that unless its all the way up you just arent gonna get it.

The Bats have been a band since i was born(and no, that wasnt yesterday), these guys know what it takes, some straight up rock shit. i wish i could have heard more but i had to rest in the back after being pulverized by P+L.

Then it was off to red scoots inn for a night of some lighter indie acts, when i got there i got to see the crystal skulls, whos album is nice and mellow, so is thier live set, which wasnt good for me as i was beginning to crash, i didnt think i was going to make it through this day, but i just had to.

John Vanderslice came on after the skulls, and he played his brand of singer-songwrighter music. i like it on record but as i said before i went to the wrong place to keep up with my aching body. i will give him respect as a producer and musician producing the last few mountain goats efforts as well as playing on them.

Another band i love on cd is Friends of Dean Martinez, but thier vocalless wandering guitarscapes are just so flowy and light i think i fell asleep standing up, these guys are all great musiciands, but it just rhythmically lulls you, as if to say "shhh, its going to be fine, just drift away with us, drift drift away" they have a wealth of material out on a few different labels.

and the winner of the covetted worst band at sxsw goes to earlimart, bad bands dont get linked here. these cocky indie fucks were terribles! they kept talking like everyone had been standing waiting for them to play even adding, "sorry about all these new ones, well get to the old stuff for you soon enough" at that point i think thier one fan got pretty excited. the shit is just so hacky and overdone and its not even done well, shame on you earlimart, you dont even deserve a better name, let me guess that was the convenience store you guys used to go to after practiced and one day when you were on the curbing eating primal strips you were like "hey i fucking got it, i got us a name!" yeah it worked out so well for you.

And finally all the wait had been completely worth while. The Fiery F'n Furnaces, blew the fucking house down, i have seen them 5 or so times now and this performance was by far the most giving of all, matt didnt even set up his keyboard because they just wanted to bring it, i have finally come around to the new rhythm section, because it allows them to jam through so many songs in such a short period of time, i nabbed the setlist, but fuck if i know where it went all i know if the furnaces are great on disc, but they are completely different and way more rocking live, if you havent seen it yet you got the best chance to @ bowery on 4/19 tix are still available. One of the best sets is saw while there, top 5.

I dont know how i was going to go to 2 more shows tonight but i had to, i got to the beauty bar and the line was down the block and they werent letting any one else in, so i just went around back, the stage was outside and so i just got a spot on the fence and still enjoyed it. The Octopus Project are some great electro noisemakers that i saw back at cmj, do these guys exclusively play fetivals? they are very fun and interesting to watch as they wonder throught instrument and tempo changes some times midsong, and you gotta love that theremin action.

I was holding out for Trail of Dead all day, and for the first time they dissapointed, sure they only got to play 5 songs but they barely attempted to rock, they played more of thier lighter meandering songs, dont get me wrong i love those, like another morning stoner, killer song, but if youve got 5 chances to rock me then fucking do it. finish off the night with some fashion like you usually do, yeah its nice that you are writing some new songs, but save em for later when you have an hour and a half to get to them, dont leave me with something i dont know. i still love you tod, next time.

We got to toddp's warehouse party at around 2 and i was about done, we had already lost 2 soldiers to the comfy seats in the van. we got there and flosstradamus was pumpin them killer jams, dudes are crunk mashup djs extraordinaire. i was totally feeling them and then some crazy foriegners called dada swing they are these crazy italian rocker kids with keybs and some other crazy sample shit, they were superduper and kept me alive for another 30 minutes, theyve gone back home, but they played a few shows here befor they left, theyll be back nyc gotta be some of thier biggest fans.

at this point i found out i would have to get through psychic ills before i would get to see matt and kim, and just thinking about thier set made me drift off to sleep, when i was awakened i was told we were going home, and i was totally down, to bad i missed matt and kim but it was time to call it a night and be ready for the final day.

3/16/06 SXSW Day 2

2006-03-26T16:18:00.000-05:00

Heavily medicated and ready for day 2 i was on my way to Mrs. B's when i walked by emos annex and heard some sweet brit rock coming out the doorway. shit was free so i popped my head in for a little while and saw this great band Field Music they play a more beatles-esque version of brit pop. its something different than the more recent wave of british bands.

Back to Mrs. B's in time to catch the end of Saviours. They are more of that rockin SF metal, it occured to me at that point that was the home of the new kick ass metal scene, or maybe its been there forever, they got all kinds of shit out there one the left coast.

Erase Errata was the reason we hit up that spot, like i mentioned when i saw them in august theyve gone through a line up change. shit works, they are chugging along, im interested to see what the next album will sound like in coomparison to the previous ones.

After that I headed north 8 or 10 blocks to the vice trifecta of stages. two small rooms and an outdoor. As we were walking up i heard the crazy japanese noise of Afrirampo the drums and guitar duo are the craziest girls from JP ive ever seen, outside of japanese horro movies of course. they rocked out, but also played some lighter songs since it was the middle of the day and they werent playing right before lightning bolt. the drummer started to chat between songs, and her limited grasp of english made her sound even crazier, not to mention she was talking about how all the rocks and trees and animals were all music and to listen to them as well as the band, psycho.

I left a tad early so that we could make it to the longbranch inn for Young Knives i was not at all disappointed by these guys, i love thier songs, the first record, here comes the rumor mill, sounds great put them in the same catergory as the rakes, and if that aint enuff the two dudes are brothers. intense set.

I saw islands few months ago, i think i negelcted to mention that, the show was fun but i wasnt ultra-impressed, but that shit all changed after this set. the islanders were fucking on like genghis kahn. they fucking had so much energy. and they blew through some great songs, no filler whatsoever, and if that werent enough towards the end of the set busdriver and subtitle blew up on stage and kick it fresher than the freshest mcs could ever kick it. i fucking love busdriver, fear of a black tangent is the shit. long live islands!

Walked back over to the outdoor stage to catch J.mascis of Dinosaur jr. fame in his new band Witch, a band where he fucking rocks out on drums, never thought that would be, but it is and it rocks, dont let those grey locks fool you, j is nowhere near done and he proves it, when he provides the killer beats for thier metal slow jamz. album out now.

Then i went inside for to the other vice stage to see another band, that was for sure gonna be my favorite new band, but first i had to sit through the second werst band i got to see at sxsw. they were called plan b, i wont even bother linking them, you dont want to go near it. imagine some one like the streets(i dig streets), now imagine that same person likes eminem(i cant stand slim), now imagine he takes those two styles sets them to some acoustic guitar and gets a drummer that is embarassed to sit next to him, booyah, you got plan b, not one song went by where this guy didnt mention rape and back alley abortions, i really wished i could turn my ears off dude was fucking painful, the drummer probably wishes he had gone with plan a. BO! i have nightmares about seeing this band again.

Three fucking cheers for You Say Party! We Say Die! seriously best new band that i thought would be good. these guys remind me of pretty girls make graves before they got more into the artpunk stuff. these guys are straight up rockin dance party jamz. i give them my full seal of DYFAO approval. i had only heard 2 songs before this show but was already a fan, got the album on the spot and its also fucking great, to band these canadian kids dont get down to the states as much as i like, but youll definately know when they will be here next, cause ill be first in line, further listening: "the gap"

Next we hit up the iheartcomix party at the beauty bar just in time to see Giant Dragwho are anything but. this quirky rock duo has some of the most the wierdest stange banter and song names on the planet. the highlight has to be "YFLMD" which is short for you fuck like my dad, check em out they rock.

The Cribs were after that. i was in quite a good mood and had a really good time with thier brit rock stylings, super fast and catchy.

Protocol was soon to follow, they were not very innovative in any way, but they were still very good, its a power indie kind of sound, the guitars riffs are very quick and that seems to be the most powerful sound in the band, kind of in the way the guitars are in bloc party.

Annie came up after that and it seemed like that was what every one was there for, but i was very unimpressed with the nordic diva. i hadnt really got into her this past year like the majority of people up here. but i did like her saong chewing gum when it was with hey willpower! that shit goes off like crazy, but when she did it live sans will i was not that into it. and she kept complaining about the sound. i was kind of hoping she would storm offstage. oh well.

The main event here, for me anyway was my first glimpse at australias Wolfmother they didnt dissapoint. they had a really great stage presence in addition to having some great tunes. its like some really good classic rock sounding shit, back to the good old days. leather vest? i think so.

Hit up some club down the street from there and went to the only show i paid for the whole time. it had kicked off a lot earlier but i blew in just in time for a set from Part Chimp that was like 10x awesomer than thier show at the knit, these dudes are fucking metal and they love it, if you want to get your ears blown out through your ass go check em out.

But the reason i went was because i havent seen Thunderbirds are Now! in like a month or two and that seems to long. they were in top form starting a dance contest bringing rahim and the plastic constelations on stage with them, and delivering a diatribe about how every one should have a great time and fuck all the industry people because no one needs them, and he didnt have to tell me that, i already knew.

3/15/06 SXSW day 1

2006-03-26T13:59:00.000-05:00

My first venture down to that great state they call texas was an amazing one. I headed down to the fest without anything but a list of free shit and a handful of rsvps, i was gonna have a good time, if it killed me and trust me, it almost did. After 30 hours of driving over 2 days with 5 people crammed in a minivan we finally made it deep down into (clap clap clap) the heart of texas, and there was no going back until it was all over.
Probably, and by probably i mean mos definitely, the savior of sxsw was toddp of nyc fame, the man decided to roll on down there and put on the best free shit at a local bar that even made the locals go crazy for. i spent the entirity of my first day on the wonderful Mrs. B's Patio, catching some not so warm weather while viewing a slew of great bands, some new, some old favs:

the people played very first, i didnt get any pix because i rolled in around thier last song. it was cool loose experimental drums(kevin shea of storm and stress fame) and guitar. i liked the drum stylings, they were all over the place, but there was a lot going on.

Hightower is a rock n roll band to the fullest extent of the law, some metal ass shit. it was like noon but i was fucking blown away, duder rocked out on the table we were sitting at and shredded some shit in my buddies face, it was fucking rad. think about the least bullshit rock youve ever heard and then take a way 10x more bullshit and you will be close to this band. SF nows how to grow em. sidenote: the drummer was superrad, he kept fucking shit up at every set by other bands, often doing skate tricks right up on stage, no one had any stops left to pull this week, they dun pulled em all!

Shellshag was a nyc band that i had heard the name of but never really got to see, well im not letting that happen anymore, this dup was excellent, dueling vocals into microphones on one stand that faced each other, awesome. and they kicked it off with the drummer girl trashing a rope with a bunch of cymbals on the end through the air and down hard on the concrete, she also wears tons of jingle bells on her waist and feet for a bit more rythm to her bear bones drum kit. they are the diy-ite stripes. and since no one would let up during sxsw at the end of the set we got not one, not two but three guitar through drums explosions. they just belw the shit outta those heads. rockin.

Walken was another killer metal band from SF, they were no hightower, but they still rocked the early morning right.

alright, so i think the single best surprise of the whole fetival was Ill Ease this one lady rock band was a really awesome idea that is completely her own. and it isnt just a good idea the execution is so perfect. what ms. sharp does, is play really great indie rock drums and guitar tunes without any help whatsoever. shell start you off with some sweet guitar licks and sing a bit then shell loop the fuck out of it and then give you a kick ass drum solo to show you the way. sometimes she works with prerecorded backbeats and those are great as well, she only uses them when its something thats going to be to complicated to pull off live, and there aint nothing wrong with switching up a formula if its gonna kick the content into overdrive, check out some ill ease, because unfortunately for these hometown homies shes gonna be on tour until june, but thats fantastic news for you out-o-towners. go let her know that she rocks, but she doesnt need you to tell her because she already knows.

Panther was my first disappointment of the festival. not because of his musical content, but because there werent that many people there he acted all shitty about it. now this is something i cannot stand. i have seen many bands that i enjoy do this, and it completely turns me off to them, no one wants to see you play songs and then hear you pout during the breaks, no i understand it must not feel good to play to a small crowd, but suck it up, show the kids there whats up and then theyll tell 2 friends and theyll tell 2 friends etc. his musical content also bothered me, he seems like a less talented barr, and you know i love my barr, it was even more noticable because he was wearing a barr shirt, hes got some fucnky fresh moves, ill give him that, but seriously less baby and ill say maybe.

READY MATT? READY KIM?
do i still need to tell people how awesome i think matt and kim are, well i guess not, but i will anyway. they are the coolest kids who ever cooled. seriously i had tons of fun while hanging with these guys down in atx. i got to talk to them and pretty soon they are going to be recording a full length in LA, they are out there right now, its just a matter of time until the world gets 11 new matt and kim tracks unleashed on thier deaf ears. oh man, chills. i have only heard a handful of these joints live, speaking of, i forgot to put a link in my review of thier FL shows, but a pal o mine named maggie took a sweet video of them playing thier new song, "yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" dont know if thats what its called but thats the chorus, now keep in mind maggie is not a lighting technician or videographer, but she does have a sweet camera that takes video and a good sense of what great music is, watch it here, but more just listen to it really. oh and there was a videographer from new york noise catching some great footage of them on stage that day in texas so keep an eye out for it on channel 25 on tues. nights @ 10.

Meneguar is another one of those bands i talk about all the time, but ill continue to talk. they have been playing some new tracks recently, and they are great. this show was a quick one off with no real surprises, but they are on tour with m+k right now and have a bunch of showcases to play and am sure they want thier best feet put forward, so thats what they do, they give the 5 songs they are most proud of and rock them as professionally as possible and i hope that lots of people who never got to see them before were impressed, they shoudlve been.

Die! Die! Die! from NZ were a killer punk trio that have a very early british punk sound to them, the accent doesnt hurt the validity of that label either. they have a handful more shows left in the US before they make thier way back down under, so catch em (that show w/wolfmother @ bowery doesnt look like a bad choice if you ask me)

Measles Mumps Rubella as i have said in the past are awesome sounding super hero rock that bring to mind a psyched out devo taking you on a rocket to jupiter. they got a great response at this set, and they played really well, the lead singer was doing his signature dances and people loved it, he kind of does this low to the ground sweeping thing, its great. listen to some album tracks,you must know that the live show varies greatly, but its still trip-o-riffic. and i also learned at this show, that the singer is new to the band as of about a year ago, i had no idea.

The Psychic Ills played the best show i have seen them play, it may have been the fact that they played so early normally i am tired and these guys kind of lull you that way its good, but it just flows along at some points and you can get lost in the sound. social registry is putting out some great bands these days and the ills are no exception.

The next band was another one of the coolest things about the whole festival, right after the ills finished a van tore into the parking lot and out came 4 dudes who proceeded to rock out for the next 10 mins, gorilla rock shows are the new underground rock shows, impromptu jams you have to be lucky to catch will take over the world silently. The Teenage Harlets rolled around in a van with speakers attached to the top and thier drummer attached to the interior, the roll up jump out rock and then roll, and they were good to, they reminded me a bit of the phenomenauts but a bit more bluesy garagey, it was great.

The Double played a more new york indie type set then had been seen all day, they are like interpol, but good, and out there a bit more. its the singers voice thats commanding enough to let you know, but not be over bearing and after two records the band really has thier shit together, i mean they had to in order to get thier new record on matador.

Night after Night finished off my night right, another one of the metal bands from SF, these dudes dont care about any one else being there, all of those bands are just good friends there to cheer each other on, and it helps a lot, for the crowd at least, great music is made by great people, i think jesus said that. check out the dudes shredding on top of the uhaul.

i took off early that night because the free night shot fell through, but i figured why not just chill, i got three killer days ahead of me, ill stock up on bengay and dayquill and get an early start tommorow. and i did just that.

SXSW on the way

2006-03-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

hey sweet dudes and sweet ladies, i am well on my way to getting this thing back in order, but i just wanted to give you a taste of my sxsw experience, heres who i saw:
People, hightower, shellshag, walken, ill ease, panther, matt and kim, meneguar, die! die! die!, Measles Mumps Rubella, Psychic Ills, teenage harlets, the double, night after night, field music, saviours, erase eratta, afrirampo, young knives, Islands w/subtitle and busdriver, witch, plan B, You say party we say die, giant drag, the cribs, protocol, annie, wolfmother, part chimp, Thuderbirds are now!, what made milwaukee famous, the ms, film school, we are scientists, charlatans uk, cortina, Parts and Labor, the bats, crystal skulls, john vanderslice, friends of dean martinez, earlimart, the fiery furnaces, octopus project, trail of the dead, dada swing, flosstradamaus, panther(again), wooden wand and friends, sam champion, the gossip, the giraffes, the ark, roger sisters, bad wizard, dmbq, tommorows friend, diamond nights, man man, zero skills, spencer kinman, nat baldwin, ill ease(again), meneguar(again), matt and kim(again)

i was all over that place like mad, that shit was the best vacation i have ever taken, the food the fun the sun (when it was there) youll get a full report soon, but for now take the list and like it, i got pics from almost everything. youll see!

3/10/06 Black Dice, White Magic & Wizzards @ High five space

2006-03-25T18:15:00.000-05:00

I got to high five only about an hour after doors and somehow i just missed the only band i really wanted to see. Wizzards has brian gibson, the bass dude from LB playing drums while this other dude makes noise with some boxes and pedals and shit. the record sounds good, but its one of those noise acts youve got to see to get the full effect. i couldve broken things i was so angry. So then after i calmed down White magic took the stage, i had heard good things about their goth folk sound but it made me want to take a nap more than anything. im on the fence about this new folk revolution, some of its good and some of it i cant stand. i managed to snap a few before curling up in a ball on the floor.

Now Black Dice i had seen once before a very long time ago and hated with a passion. but it was while i was waiting to see godspeed so i may have been a little biased, but i remember it just being like free noise stuff that just wondered and at no point formed any kind of song, and just hurt my ears a lot. but this performance changed my whole BD world. they are playing a lot more rhythmic noise now, i really like it, the beat has a good backbone for a nice lush sounding noise layer on top, even a guitar at times, i like the evolution they have gone through and am now a fan, but you make the call on this one.

they had some great visuals too:

and on a side note, i had noticed this large mural of raphael on the wall at high five:

but only this time did the crowd clear so i could see the rest of it, breathtaking:

3/9/06 Oxford Collapse & Part Chimp @ the knit (tap bar)

2006-03-25T18:00:00.000-05:00

i picked up Part Chimp's i am come, listened to it, and after i was done i picked my ears up off the ground and did it again. this shit is RAWK raw as hell and hard as diamonds. i cant say much more than that, its doesnt sound dumb though, its very pre-meditated outlandish at times. maybe a UK version of DMBQ type noise. itll rip you up and spit you out and then youll be like, can i do it again, until your boes turn to powder. rock on.

OXCO was prepped for a tour with PC you could tell. they were in heavy form, but not as heavy as i wanted, if they went for it with the first album, it would be a bit closer but no where near the loudness of PC, but i hope they did well out there on the road, i ran into them at sxsw and had a little chat about it and they said the crowds were moslty metal heads for PC but its to be expected metal dudes are a bit crazy, they said some guy drove 6 hours for one of the shows, dedication or what? the OC boys said they werent getting as big a response as they wanted but it was to be expected, at least they are out jaunting around for a bit. i didnt see any of thier sxsw shows, but i was told they were hyped off thier new label status and gave a great performance.

3/4/06 Man Man @ SoundFix Records

2006-03-25T17:46:00.000-05:00

MAn oh MaN, i love Man Man. seriously, i cant get enough, the first album was great, but this album(six demon bag), while being in the same vein, is light years above and beyond. everything about it. i like to describe them as tom waits mixed with zappa/beefheart playing sea chantys. i didnt think soundfix was that great, but i have come around, i never saw the coffee house connescted to it, this was a small place for a five piece band to play, but every one crammed in and saw one hell of a show, they are definately a live show that is better if the crowd is better. and i have yet to see a crowd that ate up man man like they were acid. how can you not, 5 or 6 guys going crazy on thier respective instruments, while sometimes breaking into kazoo freakouts. singalongs, war paint, and all white. i know ive told you to see bands before, but man man is one of those bands that i mean, dont bother coming back, if you dont see them, i guess im giving out homework, but theres no due date. now get crackin.
~everything thats anything becomes nothing and thats everything and nothing is the only thing you ever seem to have~ man man

February is four weeks to long

2006-03-25T15:33:00.000-05:00

Alright, im back from sxsw alive, but more on that above, this is it, im gonna get this blogs ass back in gear because she deserves it. booyah grandma.

2/26/06 Moistboyz @ The Knit
My last show in feb was heavy one, it was my first time seeing this hardcore side project, made up mostly of members from sound of urchin & ween. actually the first time i saw dean ween play live. the fucker slayed. Moistboyz brought the rock and they brought it hard. it was no bullshit cock rock, and i want that sometimes, especially when its cold as balls outside. the lead singer was so insane i was afraid he was going to come down from the stage for no reason and beat the living piss out of me, but somehow id enjoy it. thats makes sense. but the best part had to be how hard the dean ween and the guy from urchin, molested thier guitars, shit was awesome. thats a couple of guitars that wish they would of been made into something else, they were just screaming for a little mercy, but they wouldnt let those poor instruments any slack. sorry for the dark pics, i didnt want to be hurt.

2/25/06 Weird War, Aa, Meneguar & Professor Murder @ Highfive Space
this was my first time in the highfive space, really great large loft out in bushwick really cool people, really nice vibe. i walked in a little ways through professor murder, they play some really fun dancy punk rock, i really dig em, take a listen and agree with me or die.

Meneguar played second, and if i keep talking about this band i will just be constantly repeating myself, they play some great rock songs. they played some new shit tonight and it sounded great, i cant wait for a new record. i feel like ive turned more people on to these guys than a light switch, dont question that statement it makes sense if you read deeper into it. did you do it, well i was lying, but i made you do it, now scroll.

As i said recently Aa is rearranging their line up a little bit. they have done it once again, added a member with some laptop shit to enhance the sound, it definately adds a nice layer. but i think i like the primal Aa sound a little more than i like this, but i think it would be nice to have that element on a record.

Weird War kicked that shit out. (good luck navigating the website) this was my first experience of ian svenonius in the flesh, he did not disappoint. i was make up fan, but wasnt really in a place to see them when they were around. its has a similar style, but if svenonius is the frontman thats how its going to be, plus the bass player was there to. i still dont think the music is as good as its former incarnation, but its still worth it.

2/20/06 BARR, Free Blood & First Nations @ Cake Shop
First Nation wasnt really my thing, it was noise, but it wasnt noisy. it almost felt somewhat improvised to me. they just got signed to paw tracks so i shouldve expected it, i am really on the fence about that label, i can really get into some of it, while the other stuff does nothing for me. i hold nothing against it i just cant get on that wavelength. ya heard?

Free Blood is funky as hell. i they really are altogether now, a fitting opener for BARR that makes you shake that ass. with a member from !!! you know they got some cred already and they live up to thier dance counterpart well. it even got a bit dirty at times, they said they are going to be releasing some shit sometime in the future, but until then, go see them and get sweaty.

BARR BARR BARR BARR i cant say enough, i love BARR there are some imitators but there is no other brendan fowler (fowler, i hardly know her) the man is excellent, he was so crazed at this show because he hadnt slept in days because he was nervous to start his tour with animal collective, who could blame him, i would think he may have some trouble brining his show out of an intimate space and into a large auditorium, but he can handle it, hes barr. he played a few songs short of a full set, but who could blame him, he still rocked the joint and gave away a cell phone. the man is a wizzzzerd. i was laughing so hard i could barely see, but in the most respectful way possible. barr for prez '08 shit is gonna happen, YOUR ASS BROKE THE CHECKBOOK!

2/9/06 & 2/11/06 Matt and Kim @ BBR (orlando) & the Spot (tampa)
I went on down home for some vacation in the good ole FL, the parts i can stand. and if the weather werent enough i got to see my favorite duo that also doubles as a couple TWICE! they rocked me as usual and i was glad to give them some out of town support. the first show was actually at my sisters house, she was a very gracious host to a sun crazed M+K. They had a great time and were able to play for 30-40 kids just from some great word of mouth. three cheers for, hip hip.

i wish i could say the tampa show was as good, but it wasnt, it was fucked up. i roll in there and what do i find but 30 high school kids having a dance party to bright eyes. after i was done throwing up all over the place i started to wonder what the fuck was going on. this shit didnt happen when i was in high school. and then i found out there wasnt a drop of alcohol anywhere, my head almost blew up. then matt and kim showed up and went through the same realizations so we waited outside calmly until matt and kim played and then we ran for the hills. at least the place looked cool.

2/8/06 The Hold Steady @ the social & park ave cds (orlando)
also while visiting i got to see another NYC band. the hold steady didnt get as big a response as i was expecting them to get, as they get such a good one back in the city, there were still some great people in the crowd, but it wasnt as epic as i thought it would be, dont get me wrong they played great, but you just want some drunkin singalongs. (i did find out that when they played ybor city the next night shit went off, since it is almost like thier 2nd home they have never been to but sing about all the time)

The instore was fun, i liked the store, i got an old mountain goats 7" they did the bit where franz plays accordian, so it becomes an acoustic set. couple new joints in there.

2/4/06 Oakley Hall, Oxford Collapse, & Awesome Color @ union pool
Oakley hall finally put out a new record so they had a release party for it, it was the first time i had been to the newly renovated union pool, that place is nice, and beer isnt rediculous and its only a hop skip and jump(in that order) from the lorimer stop, not bad at all.
i wasnt feeling awesome color at first but i was quikly converted, these guys rocked out,in a great bluesy garage kinda way(think the mooney suzuki, but good)(SLAM!) and they seem to be playing todd shows all the time, so if you see em on a bill go early and dont miss them. in fact they are playing on 3/29 (wed) @ the glasshouse

OXCO played a set that was better than most but not thier finest. i still cant help but yearn for the days that some wilderness was thier main repetoir, it was heavier, it was more thier own sound. i do have to give them mad props (if those are still given) on getting signed to sub pop, these dudes work so hard, they deserve thier success.

Oakley Hall were excellent, maybe they were on fire because of the excitment of finally getting that record out, but maybe they just bring it all the time and i have been in the dark. its like a country bluesy rock collective. really great guitars and really good varied vocals keep it really interesting, they played 2 sets, close to 90mins, brian chase even sat in on the tabla for a song (the next week oakley opened for the yyy's at thier bowery gig)
they are playing again in midapril as part of a benefit a buddy of mine is putting on, keep an eye out for more details on that one, it should be a good night. go pick up the new record, second guessing, out on amish records.

2/2/06 Ex-Models @ the knit
i kicked feb off with an old favorite who have once again regained my respect, after the last time i saw them i was a bit let down, since it was down to 2 members and a drum machine, but the Ex-Models have reinvented themselves as a duo. they are now playing long lush noise scapes. guitar driven, bass stomping noise, and its brutally good. there were some great visuals that night courtesy of mighty robot, they always do the coolest shit and they use those projectors that your history teacher used to write all the notes on colonial times with. only these aint no whigs and torries if you know what im saying, no, i dont either, abracadabra!

i guess fabruary wasnt to long, oh well, let us MARCH!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Blurbs or Woops!

2006-02-26T14:21:00.000-05:00

Well here we go again (on my own) I have done the letting down once again, and once again I will say that I am going to remedy this in the future, but I most likely wont. so here it is, most of the shit I have seen in the past four(4) months. (ill post feb shows in a few days) to infinity and beyond:

January:

1/26/06 Bent Outta Shape w/Common Vision & International Anthems for Irrational Numbers @ Tommys

This show was a quick one off, and the last time bent will perform for a while, looks like they have some line up issues to deal with before they can continue to soldier on, bunt the bent house is still rocking some ass kickin punk shows over on bartlett st.

International Anthems for Irrational Numbers:

Some horn heavy political punk/noise you kinda get that hippie vibe, but it doesnt turn you off, this is the first time these guys had played together in quite a while, they were from ashville I think, or was it bloomington? same difference, am I wrong?

Common Visions

Spazz/Freek rock at its finest, a power trio that makes you want to convulse across the floor.

Bent Outta Shape

You could tell there was some descent among the ranks. they have already had to replace the bass player, but its seems their second guitarist just isnt feeling it anymore which is to bad because I think their rawness is something really amazing, but im glad jimbo has to decided to keep it going because the records are great and the live energy is something people keep coming back for.

1/21/06 Matt and Kim Video Shoot @Pratt
This was a really fun time. I got an email a few days before with the invite from kim and I couldnt wait to check it out and it was fucking worth it. The video is for "5k" which is definitely the best track off of "to/from" and the premise goes a little like this. matt and kim are playing a house party in someones kitchen and every ones having a blast and for some reason matts arm starts growing ridiculously long, to remedy this kim cuts it off and duck tapes it back on the right length so that they can finish the song, but then of course it starts happening to both of her arms, and matt uses the same solution as kim did. Meanwhile the crowd is getting covered in fake blood. it went well, I only have a few good shots due to the fact that I was getting shot with blood every few minutes, suckapants has some great shots though, probly cause he stayed clean. but heres a few of mine:

1/18/06 Ghost Mice @Stain Bar
This was great, I found out about this show like the day before, GM just decided to take a trek before their next europe trek, it was at this tiny little coffee house in brooklyn and since it was just announced there were only like 20 people there, they played a 30-40 min set with their new third member pascal, who plays eukalele and squeezebox. got to hear some tracks off their new record "europe" and hear a great anecdote about how pascal was trying to enter the country and the customs asked him why he was there and he told them it was to play music with his friends, and they asked him why he couldnt just play music in his own country, nice representation of our society, thanks dudes. oh man and while I was there I picked up a copy of the plan-it-x comp and let me tell you it is worth so much more than the $3 it costs, even if you only like one pix band you will fall in love with at least 4 more and thats a promise.

1/17/06 Matt and Kim w/Meneguar @Tommys
This was matt and kims last real show before they headed out on their endless tour which will keep them busy through most of april, good for those kids, get the hell out of here. Meneguar played a really great set, but I am 100% sold on them, I need no more convincing, some friends feel otherwise, but every time they check em out they like em a little more. you really need to pick up their record "I was born at night" a handful of awesome.

I cannot express my undying devotion to matt and kim, something about their popness, the ramshackle style, its perfect and its cute and its raw and its innocent and its pure. Matt has the best stage banter I have seen in years and kim has never stopped smiling since I can remember seeing them for the first time a little over a year ago. let me see if I can convince you in picture form:

1/15/06 The Redcoats are Coming w/Dan Freal (mem of parts and labor) @ the knit(old office)
This was part of some big benefit show. but I only hung out for the downstairs action, p&l were supposed to play, but their drummer got sick I think, so dan stepped in and did his soundscape thing, I cant begin to imagine how he puts these things together live, but he just holds that board and its got a drum maching and a keyboard and random effects peddles and it comes out as a lush wall of noise.

I had been wanting to see the redcoats are coming for a while, it is great stuff, three ladies with guitars and some keys and its just really guttural voices and some sounds that make you shake and shiver and their stage presence is really excellent, im sorry I am not being ultradescript, the fact is I cant really remember the deats of this one, but I know I was really impressed, I will catch them again soon and ill write you a term paper ok, now get off my back.

12/17/05 Japanther, Aa, Matt and Kim, and The Good Good @the coz
Killer fucking house show, absolute killer. this place is right next door to the woodser(which has just recently reopened for business after a few months of remodeling) and just as kick ass. If some one wanted a great sampling of nyc this is what they need to see, I might add a few more bands, but this is rawsome enough for a beginner, you dont want someones heart to explode. The good good has been going through changes as of late, not to its core, but to its lineup and tweaking of how they work it is still very all over the place sounding, in a good way lots of interesting instruments and sounds come from them, they have some bigger gigs coming up soon too, north6 in april.

Matt and kim played another wonderful set with few hitches, the crowded rioted for and encore, but m+k dont do that shit all you get is six songs so deal with it buddy. Look at those keys!

Aa has gone through a drastic lineup shuffle as well, they have wittled down to 4 guys and it was the tightest I have ever seen them, it was great, before my only complaint was that it just seems to wander around and not go anywhere, but that has changed there is a start and a finish and its a big one too.

Japanther played great as usual, they kind of have more of a routine of what they play now, they have really narrowed it down to their shit that translates best to the live show, some of the album tracks, just dont come across as well, not to say they are bad songs, they just dont coheese with the rough stuff they like rippin through and rip they do. whats everyone looking at?

12/15/05 Blood on the Wall w/Jah Division @the knit
Blood on the Wall are fresh off the release of their second album, "awesomer" (oh and it is) psychic ills opened up for them and I was a bit disappointed, but that has since been remedied, I saw them again and they seemed to have it a lot more together. BotW played a great set, but it only lasted a little over 30 mins and it was really heavy on the news stuff, but I kind of thing both their efforts are great listens, it always reminds me of the pixies mixed with the poppier sonic youth, not to sound like a shithead, but thats really how I feel. maybe its because he sounds like frank black and she sounds like kim gordon.

Jah Division played the after party downstairs and they just played on along really great track with three drummers battling for superiority, it felt like it was all improvised, but the drums went together so well I almost feel that it wouldnt be possible maybe they are just super tight.

12/5/05 Pretty Girls Make Graves @the knit
PGMG are back and with a keyboard, they lost a guitarist, but they gained a pretty cool keyboard player, I have managed to nab 3 track from the new album and I am pretty excited for it, the sound has changed but only slightly, they still rock it out, but its seems like there are some more layers in there, the set was great especially since they have dropped off the face of the earth for the past year or so, im glad to see them back in action. andrea gave her all to a crowd of pretty big fans, I was glad to see that they have the power to keep a fanbase really interested after 2 and a half albums. the new tracks sounded really great, but they are both a great live band and a great studio band, so im interested to see what they throw into the mix for "elan vital" due out in late march I believe.

11/22/05 Hey Willpower! @the knit
Boy oh boy I love hey willpower! I didnt think I would go crazy over it, but its great dancy pop music, this was my second night in a row as youll see below. but I couldnt get enough after the first night, its pop that gives Jtimb a run for his moanay. its very sexy stuff, but its gender neutral, you can use it for cute ladies and sweet dudes alike. just grab that crush a tell them you want to be their magic window. the dance ep is out now and there is a kick ass duet with annie available on his myspace page. oh and did I neglect to mention his dancers. the whole set is choreographed hardcore, and there is even some audience participation and who doesnt love that, when your watching will and co. you cant help but laugh, but youre not laughing at him, its with him and if youve ever talked to will the dude can barely stop laughing so you know its all in fun.

11/21/05 Matt + Kim, BARR, Hawney Troof and Hey Willpower! @the glasshouse
Amazing show, for reels. absolutley unbelievable. This was the first night of my hey willpower! assault, it was umcredible. his dancers really added to the seduction, he really sells you on his sexuality, good times.

Hawney Troof, is vice cooler, and only vice cooler. Regularly hes the leader of XBXRX, but now hes flyin solo with some big booty beats. he put on a really great performance even though he blew the amp out once or twice, it was kind of like this crazy spazzglam. lots of crowd infiltration and a lot of good stories about the tour he and barr were in the middle of. and his choice words of wisdom had to be "if you want to dry hump, be prepared to be dumped"

What can I say about BARR besides the fact that he is fucking amazing, his music is him singing, but really more like talking with very minimal beats,but its the lyrics that take you in, always incoherent, but sometimes forming a story or even a chorus if youre lucky, barr has to be seen to be believed, he just doesnt translate to cd as well as I thought he could, its still good to have a recording though, because you can listen to it and think about the performance you just saw, or the one you are anticipating next, and when barr is on stage I cant stop laughing the shit is the best.

Matt and Kim somehow became the headliners of this show, and by no stretch of the imagination am I complaining. they played a new song on this night of nights and it was super cute because kim totally wasnt ready to play it for an audience, but instead of it getting her down she just smiled that huge kim smile and it was all ok. and also it was one of the last times I saw matt play with glasses due to the fact in his rockness he threw them off of his face and they flew behind some of the artwall and after the show as im leaving I see kims legs kicking in the air as she was wedged between sections and she was pulled to freedom with matts glasses in hand.

11/19/05 Oxford Collapse @ the knit
Oxford Collapse played a somewhat disappointing set on this late night double bill. the chromatics played after them, but after about a song and a half the girl decided she didnt want to perform anymore, but as I was standing there I didnt see anything strange happen she just took off, I have seen the collapse like 10 times and this was the least impressive, I just prefer their older album, some wilderness, to the new stuff.

11/17/05 Elf Power & The Kings of France @ the knit
Kings had been receiving alot of positive buzz around the city and I could see why, it was a really energetic indie show. Some good songs of love and loss. I would recommend them for a nice evening in which you dont want to get to agitated.

Elf Power continues the legacy of the elephant6, with pride, through their dense live soundscapes and their positive energy. This show was extraspecial due to the fact that jeff mangum was in attendance and he even jumped on stage to sing about six seconds of music, but when he did my jaw was on the floor and I thought my ears were going to blow up, it was unmistakable, that nasal howl cracked open my skull, and shot tingles down my spine, I swear this happened. and then after that he faded back into the crowd, the people there(the venue was less than halfpacked) wont soon forget it.

11/14/05 Black Lips w/king khan +bbq show & the DC Snipers @ Maxwells
Sometimes you gotta leave the city, I think it was a good choice, even though black lips play here it seems like every 3 weeks. its always interesting to go to a bar that people smoke in these days, because at first youre like this is fucking crazy, but then you remember where you are, the dirty jerz.
DC Snipers fucking brought some hardcore shit, swapping vocal duties through the set, these guys ripped it up and really pumped the crowd for some lips.

King Khan & the BBQ show was some crazy bluesy surfy rock stuff, they seemed to have a following out there, or everyone was just really excited, bbq was rockin aome guitar that brought back all that 50s surf style begging for johnny to be good, and king khan rocked double duty drums and guitar. about halfway through the set for some reason bbq decided to change into a dress, which of course meant the dude from black lips would have to simulate oral sex on him/her and he did.

Black Lips I had loved for quit a while, I had their second effort on Bomp! Records for close to a year and kept it in rotation and since I had already missed them a handful of times I didnt want to keep making that mistake and im glad I didnt. the show was raukus, at one point some one threw a strip of 100 firecrackers, which wouldve been a fine trick except for the fact that there is little ventilation in there so it was impossible to breathe for a few songs. they played all the things I loved off of that album, I managed to grab their other 2 records with in a few weeks of that show and now work my way through the catalog when I can. go see em, toddp is always booking show for these dudes from atlanta. and the trek from maxwells wasnt even that bad, worth the commute.

11/11/05 Modey Lemon w/the Apes @ Cake Shop
It was good to see the Apes again although they got a new lead singer which is offputting to me most of the time, it took me a bit to get used to the change and luckily I did the new frontman is fucking crazy (no haggars here) he adds to the live show. apparently the old singer wanted to go have babies, but its his loss, he was in a rockass band, but the players are the same and they still blow it away. whats in the rock water in DC.

Listen to Modey Lemon they are incredible, just really rockin shit some synths thrown into the guitar mix. I came for the apes, but the real money was on this band, seriously I was really impressed, listen to it ASAP, speechless.

11/8/05 The Joggers @ the knit
These guys are a pretty strong band, I really enjoy their record, with cape and cane, its sometimes straighforward indie sound, but then sometimes they try some unorthodoxed sounds for their type of music, but it works out very well for them, and the live shows energy just adds to it, they werent even the headliner, but I didnt even feel the need to stay.

11/7/05 DFA1979, Japanther, Child Abuse, No Dynamics, Matt + Kim, and Meneguar @ club exit
This was without any doubts the best club show I saw all year. I was blown away everytime a new band hit the stage, granted I have seen most of them before, but does that mean they rock me any less? the answer is holy fuck no.
I have stated before that I am a big fan of meneguar and it was good to see them on this large bill, to bad only a fraction of it was filled up, but they played their hearts out and if I was the only one who loved it than so be it.

Matt + Kim played the lapdance lounge, which is in the side of the venue and much smaller than the mainstage so it got packed up fast, and this was the first time some of my pals had seen m+k and 5 of 6 of them flipped their shit, and rightfully so I am a big advocate but sometimes people dont listen, but you cant ignore it when its rocking your socks off right in your face.

No Dynamics was the only band in the mix that I wasnt screaming for, not to say they were bad, I just wasnt blown away by these canadian dance-popish band, the problem was all the other bands were straightforward rock actioneers and these guys mellowed the mix a bit to much, but maybe if they were in some other context it would be better, sadly the crowd felt the same way and offered them little to no respect.

Child Abuse is that crazy spazz duo you love to feel indifferent about, but tonight was one of the best slices they have ever served up, drums and synth really do make a killer combo and tonight was the night for killer combos, 4 of 6 bands, you cant beat that with a stick. if only lightning bolt and the helio sequence were there.( and the white stripes and the evens for that matter, I could go on)

Japanther, what the hell are you doin? awesome, it always seems like these guys are coming back from tour, or getting ready to leave for a tour, so its a always, a triumphant return or a spirited send off, but that doesnt bother me, because they always play a great set, this was no exception, in fact it was one of the longer sets I have seen from them. it was really long, and it was one of the thickest japanther crowds, and everyone was loving them, the perfect pump before the main event. best/worst part was, at the end of the set ian threw his drum set over his head into the crowd and my buddy gene caught a cymbal to the face, but hes better now.

DFA1979, what can I say. ill say this, the last time I was lucky enough to get a ticket to see this band was at the merc and it was a sold out show, had been for two weeks so I was ready for shit to go down, I made my way up to the front and I proceeded to freak out at their majesty for the next hour+ (they covered danzig) but to my dismay I was the only one who was moving at all, they put on one of the heaviest, most rockin shows ive seen from a duo and I was the only one in awe? I was really just angry at the whole shitty nyc scenesters, of which I myself could be considered, but I rock out im not like that other trash, so I wouldnt want to be in their company. so ANYWAY I was ready for the same thing to go down here, but to my delight, it was the opposite. every one came and rocked out, I was so exhausted by halfway through I didnt think I could keep up, but I powered through and incredibly long set, with many many songs I had yet to hear needless to say my faith had been restored, I was so incredibly happy I had to lay down. but not before I got a copy of the new japanther cd, yer living grave, in my opinion their best one yet.
~let your spirit free~

ps here was the ticket design from todd:

11/6/05 The Constantines w/Oxford Collapse @ Bowery Ballroom
Oh gob do I love the sound at bowery, that night was amazing, oxco put on the best show I have ever seen them play, its strange, I really enjoy this band, but there really is something to the live show that I cant put my finger on, sometimes I am a bit bored by it and other times I am completely enthralled and I am never sure what I am getting. I can understand them being excited to open at bowery its a big venue for them. anyway they are well worth it as I have stated at least 10-15 before.

Now the constantines are another band that I have written about here a few times and I am going to reiterate that you cannot touch this band. they should be able to play an arena because thats one of the best things about them they have this arena rock feel brought down to a club level. I cannot get enough whether it be recorded or live I want to hear that howl. this performance kicked off like crazy...they played the first track off of the new album, tournament of hearts. if you havent heard the track it starts out with a very driving drum beat, just repetition of a floor tom that slowly builds into the whole band, live they turned that mother out they brought out like 5 more drummers to bang along, and it just psyched you up so hard for a great show and I wasnt disappointed. they played for well over an hour that included the best cuts from all three albums and they encored with a cover of niel young's "dont be denied" that included a guest appearance by the singer from oakley hall. it was wonderful, look if you dont believe me:

The setlist:

11/3/05 Dirty Projectors, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Dear Nora & Ballet @ the Glasshouse Gallery
Ballet was a very fun bklyn band that I had never heard of before, I found out that it was because this was their first show, and it didnt seem that way, they really had it together, its cutsie synthpop stuff that still has an edge to it through the guitars, they play around quite a bit, see em now before they go places, like away.

Dear Nora is actually not this solo ladies name, I forget what it actually is but I think that is really confusing to the casual observer, you know she gets called nora all the time. She played a very sullen minimalist guitar with painful break up lyrics, peppered with really funny stories as well, funny and sad is definitely a good way to get some one to listen, she gets my vote.

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone was incredible, seriously this guy blew me away, he carts around half a dozen different toy pianos in various levels of disrepair along with some pedals and drum efx and he seriously makes it work, the production value is low while the content value is the polar opposite. its very heartfelt and simple, but so lush at the same time. you cant hear him without thinking of a tom waits with electronics. hell be back on 3/21 and 22 you really should witness him in a smaller setting for maximum enjoyment. and definitely check out his duet with dear nora called "hot boyz" and man and I almost forgot he finished off the night with the coolest cover of "going to graceland" ive ever heard. kick ass,

Dirty Projectors played only a handful of songs he said they were mostly early planning stages of some new tracks, normally he has a laptop with crazy effect and he floats around with a microphone but this time it was just a man and a guitar. it went very well with the rest of the evenings performances.

10/31/05 The Mountain Goats w/Grizzly Bear @ the knit
sorry no pics on this one, I was to far back, but all im gonna say about grizzly bear is I really dont enjoy them that much on record, and the live show to an even lesser extent. what erks me most is that two of these guys are in another band called fast fourier that I think are way better than GB but they havent played in so long because of GBs fame. and their record has been done for at least a year and narnack is sitting on it for some reason, the only glimpse you can get is on that narnack comp that came out a while ago. so keep an eye out, rant over.

John Darnielle put on one of the best shows I have ever seen, I know I say that every time, but its true every time. he was dressed as a priest for halloween, and to his left was his bass player dressed as death. sidenote: no one at this show dressed up except for me, most of the staff of the knit and the bands that played, this crowd can suck it. anyway back tmg. I cant say anymore he was amazing, I wish he would play for hours and hours, I wouldnt get bored, enough of this flattery.

10/29/05 Direct from Hollywood cemeteries, Green Milk from the Planet Orange, Rah Bras & Measles Mumps Rubella @ the Kingsland Tavern
Measles Mumps Rubella will their day soon enough, I love these guys, they have this crazy spacy sound, it reminds me of super hero rock sometimes, the singer has such a bassy voice that is just commanding justice, while the rest of the band just delivers the rockin new wave sounds he deserves to have behind him and why dont you throw in some trumpet ofr good measure, I just picked up their new album and its definitely a winner, check out "algorithm of desire" for a good time.

Rah Bras also play a very new wavy style of music, and they have great theatrics to go along with it, to bad I was in the back for most of it. I did get this one snap when the singer dove out into the crowd.

Green Milk from the Planet Orange disappointed me, not to badly, but I just wanted more of a japanese noise assault that never came, they are definitely talented, but they seem tame when I think about bands like DMBQ and Afrirampo. those bands could beat the shit out of GM. they still played a very energetic show with some killer guitars.

Direct from Hollywood cemeteries is a halloween band that plays every once in a while, they have another one of those great stage shows, this time it included a standing coffin the singer cut through to enter the show, then there was a giant snake sacrificed in the audience that was paper mache filled with toys and candy and jack chick pamphlets. they play a very heavy punk misfits style rock. they even cover last caress. happy halloween to them.

10/27/05 The Gossip, New England Roses @ supreme Trading
I heart Gossip. lets get that out of the way since the next 4 posts include gossip perfs I am not going to keep telling you how much I love them, ill just show you the pics.
New England Roses are a super group that includes JD from the tigre and Barr of Barr fame. they play very loose songs that wander around for a while, its an experiment that I am not the biggest fan of, I just want a beat sometimes especially if I need to gear up to see some goxxip, I cant just go at it cold I could collapse.

gossip were great, only problem was that the PA blew halfway through the set and they had to stop. but their costumes were the best, two vaginas and a hand.

10/22/05 The Gossip & Erase Eratta @ the bottom of the hill (SF)
This was the last night of my three day gossip fest up the california cost and it was definitely the best night of the three, it was also the last day of this tour, so they turned it out.
Erase Eratta played a great set, I hadnt seen them before, but they have gone through some line up changes and the singer learned to play guitar so she can pull double duty instead of having another member.

gossip, need I say more:

and I got the setlist:

10/21/05 The Gossip & Sharp-ease @ kooz (OC)
Sharp-ease were some great punky stuff, they have some local popularity, I dont really hear their name much on this coast.

g to the o to the s to the s to the I to the p

10/20/05 The Gossip & We are Wolves @ the troubadour (LA)
WaW were great once again, I had caught them a cmj a month earlier and I had more fun this time around. this is a band that I want to see before the gossip because they get you just excited enough as to not blow a gasket, I think these dudes arent just canadians, but french-canadians.

so this place had the best lighting ever for gossip, to bad beth had a panic attack 2/3 of the way through and had to stop the show, but its all good.

alright, that took forever ok so now we are good through January, to bad its not midmarch, I am leaving for sxsw on monday and so ill start on feb and march when I get back, but hopefully I can be fully up by the end of march but lets give me about a week into april just so I dont disappoint, but trust me I got some killler reviews on the way, in the mean time, dance your fucking ass off. bye. and thanks for reading.

Wooden Wand & Mt. Eerie 10/14/05 @a dumbo loft

2005-10-16T16:20:00.000-05:00

and with this post i am finally back up to date, hooray!
after being mad about the FF i called a friend and she said that i would totally be able to make it to the mt eerie show in dumbo so i did just that. i really wish i couldve seen more of toddp's dumbo shows this weekend but i had to work through them and i hate that shit. so i got to this crazy huge top floor of a this loftspace and was able to see wooden wand in the vanishing hand's entire set. this is a great experimental collective. they played all kinds of interesting noise, they had some cool home made instruments. one girl had a harp-esgue box that she fingerplucked. another girl had a guitar on her lap that she played with one of those things that keeps reverberating one string without having to pluck it, another guy was on the floor manipulating dials, knobs and tapes while he sang into his headphones and the drumming was very light and tribal. it was a very ethereal sound that just seemed to flow so well.

I have never seen the microphones/mt eerie in the flesh before but love the records especially the live one. the singer is one of those personalities that is just so humbled that people actually enjoy what he does. they are these really great guitar songs that are driven completely by his vocals, with a little drumming accompaniment just for good measure. he just seems like a great person that you are very happy that he can produce such good music. way to go champ. the highlight was a singalong right at the end of the show that actually had the audience providing the background while he sang other lyrics on top, it was like magic and totally restored my faith that was lost earlier in the evening. i never shouldve doubted you, music.

The Fiery Furnaces & The Childballads 10/14/05 @ Town Hall

2005-10-16T16:03:00.000-05:00

I have been awaiting my beloved fiery furnaces to come back to town for about 6 months now and with all the controversy surrounding thier new record i wanted to hear it for myself and make my own judgements.

The Childballads were great, they played really good alt country type songs with vocals that brought steven malkmus to my mind. the lead singer was very exicted to be playing at such a famous venue, you could tell by his chain smoking. he was very excited to dedicate every song to some one different, one was even dedicated to rows 4-9, and that included me! for all the suckos that got there late you missed an exciting set from an up and coming band. theyll be all over pitchfork soon.

I am very torn about the fiery furnaces set i witnessed this evening. on one hand they played a great set that brought many great songs back from the dead, they played many of thier songs very close to the forms they take on thier albums, which isnt something i have seen them do before, they are usually going back and forth between them and coming up with completely new music arrangements that are really great to hear and very specific to each time ive seen them. the songs from the new album were incredible the only complaint people reviewing the new album have is that the furnaces grandmothers voice is unlistenable, and this may be so, but hearing the songs live got me very excited to hear them again. the encore included inspector blancheflower and blueberry boat done by just matt and elenor. those were the good things, but the bad almost seemed to outweigh them. first of all sitting down for this show was a terrible idead, FF are not a sit down band by any means. the seating at town hall is very bad and if any one slightly tall is in front of you, you miss out because the stage is lower than eye level. the sound for the childballads was fine, i had no complaints, but for FF the sound was some of the worst concert sound i have ever seen, it was way to heavy on the low end, bass and drums were overpowering elenors voice as well as her guitar and matts keyboards at times were almost inaudible, i payed 30$ for this ticket when i used to be able to stand up and see and hear them great for 1/3 that. my last complaint is thier addition of two new members when the bass and drums they had before were amazing, these two guys were very by the book and didnt have sun with it like the other guys did, i dunno what the problem was, but i want them back. so i really am pissed off about this show for many reasons but am still a huge fan of these guys, i just dont think ill be back at town hall for quite a while, just because dylan played there 40 years ago doesnt mean the place is still worth it.

oh and ps: i tried to take some more pics but some usher shined a flashlight in my face and told me to put it away, fuck you buddy, you and your yellow jacket!

The Organ 10/09/05 @Pianos

2005-10-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

after i saw the teeth i ran over to pianos to catch the organ and i was really glad that i did. The organ are 5 super cool ladies that rock out like they were a modern day joy division. i cant really think of anything else besides that, imagine female vocals on joy division and youve got this band, but instead of being like, well that nothing new. youre like, why didnt joy division have strong female vocals in the first place. it totally works and you can dance around to it like crazy or, like many people at the show preffered to do, you can stand still and look as cool as you want, just like im sure is what happened at joy division shows. thier record, grab that gun, should be grabbed soon because they have a new full length in the works and you dont want to be behind do you?

The Teeth 10/09/05 @the knit

2005-10-16T15:40:00.000-05:00

I got to the knit early to try and catch the teeth, four guys from philadelphia that have a really good sound. they have an ep out on park the van that i picked up a few weeks ago it really reminded me of some kinks and on the vocal end i got a kind of talking heads vibe so i wanted to check them out and it was really worth it. they arent the most energetic people on stage, but its the songs what matter with this band you have to hear it to see what i mean, i bet thier new album carry the wood is gonna turn a few heads. (meaning to look at them not like look the other way or anything)

Regina Spector & Michael Leviton 10/06/05 @NYU

2005-10-16T15:28:00.000-05:00

Im glad i know people who can help me into nyu events they have some really good shit going down there most of the time and this was no exception.
Michael Leviton was a real surprise, i had never heard of him at all and at first glance he doesnt seem like much, but he plays nautical love songs on a eucalali and thats it. they are terrific songs and he has very fun stage banter in between, i cant think how hard it would be to come up with only nautical analogies, but when you think about it the sea can represent many things. he plays around town a lot. hes also on myspace.

Regina Spector is an amazing person, she is like fiona apple, but with 10x more talent, her voice is unbelievable and her piano skills are incradible. she is so soft and sweet and her lyrics are arranged in a way that seems like it would only fit her music, it is unlike anything else, they are so personal and specific that you can sometimes understand exactly what she means and others have no idea because its such personal statement that maybe just she or one other person will ever know what she means. she is very cute and playful with her live show. very humble for the amount of talent she puts forth. she had an upright and keyboard set up as well as a guitar she rocked out on for one song. it was great when she switched to the keyboard because she played with the settings a bit and made her piano into a quire. and the smile never left her face, i only wish she couldve played longer. the greatest moment for me was when she sang "love is so fickle it starts with a flood and ends in a trickle", that lyric just reaches into your soul and makes your heart explode. and because it was yam kipur she decided to blow a chaffeur, but it took her like ten tries, and she couldnt stop laughing about it. she seems like one amazing human being.

The Decmberists & Cass Maccombs 10/05/05 @Webster Hall

2005-10-16T15:05:00.000-05:00

I have got to admit that i have been trying to steer clear of webster hall for as long as i possibly could. i went there once a few years ago for some afterparty and the place was an awful bridge and tunnel dance club. so i have passed on many shows that have come through there, but i am tired of missing the decemberists so i bit the bullet and you know what, it isnt so bad, the space is pretty big and i really dont have any complaints about the sound, but thats probably because they have the people from bowery and the knit on the boards.

Cass Maccombs played thier brand of light indie songs of love and loss. its not really my thing, the whole sufjan crowd, although there are a few acts that get my goat, these guys arent one of them, while i respect it and can listen to its beauty its not really my cup of tea, it seems very run of the mill, like you could have a bill with about 8 of these acts and blindfold people and ask them which band it was and theyll get it wrong. the music is barely there, and the lyrics dont grab you with thier intamacy, i hate to go on about i, but i feel that way with as little disrespect as possible

The Decemberists dazzled the crowd as they have been known to do, they clock in at a little over 1:15 and it was filled with great sounds coming from its six players, thier style of large melodic rock is something that tickles the ears the right way and collin melloys nazally voice grabs your attention over the top of all of the swelling sounds. i really cant believe that he hasnt had a band before, maybe he has but in my searching i have found no info about it. he just seems to know exactly what to do even though the decmberists have only been a band for around 3 years. from the first ep to picaresque i cant think of a song that is no good. the set was filled with great stuff from all albums,leslie ann levine, eli, the sporting life, we both go down together, and sixteen military wives has never sounded better. the mariners revenge song as always was the highlight and they have even added some special effects: the multi-instrumentalist guy comes out with a big set of whale jaws to swallow up the crowd. they encored with a cover of mr blue sky, an ELO song i didnt think i would ever hear again, and i was meant for the stage.

The Oranges Band & Rahim 10/02/05 @the Knit

2005-10-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

I picked up Rahim's ep, jungles, out on french kiss the other week and was very impressed by it. Its only four songs long and it goes from having a very punky sound at times to a slow passionate sound that brings the smiths to mind. they are a tight little trio and live they played a bunch of other songs that were really good, these guys play around town quite a bit since they are from here and they are definately worth checking out, check you local listings, and word is they will have a full length at the begining of next year.

I hadnt heard the oranges band before except for a few comp tracks, but i read in a few places that they were like lookouts answer to the shins, but this is not really the case i was pretty unimpressed with thier brand of watered down pop songs. they are really more like lookouts answer to the bodeans.

The Numbers, Limited Express (has gone?) & Child Abuse 09/30/05 @Rockys

2005-10-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

I know i just saw these bands at cmj, but that didnt matter to me, they were great and i wanted to see them again.
Child Abuse kicked it off right with thier heavy ass keyboard and drums thrash rock. i have seen them a few times around town, always as the first band and it seems like they should be more than the band every one misses because they come late, it has a different feel to it, almost like a psycho circus in some ways and not the kiss kind at all.
Limited Express were, in my eyes, the breakout band of cmj, but it seems like not many others thought so or not enough people talked about them because the show wasnt that packed and sadly this was thier last night of us tour and it was a shambles whoever does the sound at rockys is an asshole, cut and dry. the set was plagued with problems from begining to end, mic problems, level problems, at one point they stopped for a few minutes because there were no vocals and i heard one of the sound guys ask if they really needed vocals. what the fuck is that shit. regardless of the problems they tried making the best of it and danced around to thier girl fronted japunk stylings. its to bad that they didnt have more fun.

The Numbers set was also plagued with sound problems. the main vocals come from the drummer, and no matter how many times they asked for them to be turned up nothing was done, the guitarist and drummer even switched mics at one point and that worked for a few minutes, but then the levels got changed (somehow) and were back to the guitarist way over powering the drummer, sure her voice is softer, but that doesnt mean a mic cant pick it up. other than that, the music was good, but i just cant take when a band sounds really bad and it isnt thier fault. I wont be running back to rockys in the near future.

The White Stripes & The Shins 09/24/05 @Keyspan Park

2005-10-16T14:29:00.000-05:00

Oh how i long for the days when i saw the white stripes in tiny venues, but hey i cant complain because everytime i go see them, i am just in the mindset that they arent going to be as good, but they make me wrong every single time. they have yet to disappoint me besides the fact that thier ticket prices get larger each time, but hey when youre carting around a full piano and kettle drums its gonna coast a little bit more.The Shins opened up and while i very much enjoy the shins on record thier live show definatley leaves something to be desired, they are the standered shoegazing indie rock band and when you play before the white stripes you better do something interesting if you want any one to give you a second thought and the shins just didnt do it.

See how far away i was, this is my only other problem with seeing the stripes, i want to be right there, but it doesnt matter vibe wise to be that far back, its still like jack is grabbing you by the collar and singing right in your face. The kids ripped through an amazing rock set, playing very few of their lighter jams in favor of rocking my socks clear out of the park. and every one always rips on meg for being not that great a musician and sure, say what you want, but imagine trying to be a more intricate drummer when you have to answer to every slightest bend of a note to race into an entirly different, time signature, beat, etc. it would be pretty fucking hard, but that why they are so good, they are so unpredictable and so all over the place, that where ever jack is steering the tone of the show, he can spin around and go in a completely different direction. jack was also carting around that marimba, and its was nuts when he played it to, the man just recently picked it up and hes already doing crazy extra fills and spinning the sticks in his hand. and probably the funniest part of the night was when meg was laughing at jack for something and he was like, oh whats funny i wanna know, whats so funny, and then he started playing in the cold cold night as a punishment. long live the white fucking stripes. i ripped the setlist from productshop, but just look at this things it still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up just reading it:

Black Math / Blue Orchid / Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground / Passive Manipulation / Jolene / My Doorbell / Cannon -> John the Revelator / Screwdriver / Passive Manipulation / The Nurse / Forever for Her / Death Letter / Hotel Yorba / Hardest Button to Button / I Think I Smell a Rat -> Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" -> I Think I Smell a Rat / Walking With a Ghost (Tegan and Sara) / Ball and a Biscuit / Hello Operator / Union Forever // I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet) / Red Rain / Loving You / In the Cold, Cold Night / Let's Shake Hands / We're Going to Be Friends / Little Ghost / Ball and a Biscuit / Seven Nation Army / Bo Weevil

that was the best i could do for the distance i was at, but fuck it, at least i remember what they look like.

Japanther & Copra 09/23/05 @some clothing store in the meat packing district

2005-10-16T14:15:00.000-05:00

I think this was a really cool idea. Some puppet artist decided to take some of japanthers artwork and bring it to life in a play entitled "dump the body in ricki lake" which is of course also the name of one of japanthers records. the play was made up of the dialogue on the tape loops that come between some of thier songs. crazy gangsta rap musings coming out of oversized bad ass cats and dogs was fucking awesome.

of course the band played the songs in between the puppet fight scenes. and it made for a really good setting for them to do it, the back of some chi chi clothing store was made up to look like a ghetto block and the lighting was provided by a bulb inside a trash can suspended from the ceiling and swung around accordingly. they played 2 sets that were for the most part the same, but after the second one they played a few more fan favorites and at the end the puppets killed them dead.

In between there was this crazy spazzed out band called copra who were a trio of drums bass and vocs, the drums and bass were in a very japanther-esque style, but the guy on vocs was crazy, he was screaming and shoving all these people who had never heard them before, which makes me wish i knew the music more so you could get as crazy as he was getting, but since it was the first time i was just like yikes im scared. good times.

Thunderbirds are now!, Mommy & Daddy, and Oxford Collapse 09/21/05 @Mercury Lounge

2005-10-16T11:38:00.000-05:00

Oxford Collapse is a great band. I cant understand why they arent getting more attention, they are from the city and have seen them a few times, the last time was an incredible set opening for the coachwhips, that blew me away. This time they were playing in support of thier new full length, A Good Ground, while it does have its good qualities in doesnt hold a candle to thier last effort, Some Wilderness. The set was filled with mostly new songs that sound better with the bands live twist and a couple of old favorites, i have trouble describing thier sound kind of a more noodley pavement but with some more of a classic rock edge, it doesnt sound like a good description so check out some mp3's here.

Mommy and Daddy are of course a duo, that have a really good dance rock sound, they alternate vocals, drum machine and bass and have just put forth thier second effort on kanine recs, from what i heard at the live show its gonna be another good one, but to me its more of something you need to see live then listen to at home, daddy just has so much energy bouncing around the stage, and thier chemistry is some voodoo magic there.

sorry, it was dark and mommy was wearing black

Thunderbirds are now! blow me away! seriously i bought justamoustache a few months ago and got thier first effort the last time i saw them and they are great records, got kind of a devo edge to them, but sped up a few notches and thier live show is something that needs to be witnessed, it was my second time and there were definately more people into it this time, they blasted through most of justamoustache and only played one song from their first one, but it was the best song off of that. They played 3 new ones and they were kick ass, i swear, they even invited the guys from Rahim to join them for a song, it was a good sing along number. The highlight was when the keyboard player donned a cat mask and scratched the shit out of some toilet paper, seriously these guys give out so much energy you cant help but give back, they will be back on 11/7 opening for the hold steady @ webster, ill see you there.

Final NYC Q and not U show 09/20/05 @the Knit

2005-10-16T11:28:00.000-05:00

Q and not U is a band that i fell in love with after hearing thier first record no kill no beep beep back in the summer of 01. sadly i went overseas for a while and was unable to see them in thier early days, but i did have the record and that was worth something, while i was away they released thier second effort, different damage and while it was a good record it was missing something the first one didnt have. the band lost thier bass player, i never found out why, and he took with him some of thier spazz rock edge that i enjoyed so much. i got to see them soon after returning home and while i had a good time, the show was just missing something, i have seen them three times since then and have missed something each time, while the bands final effort, power, was very good it wasnt the QanU i fell in love with. even from the first time i saw them they didnt play much from the first record and that was a problem for me because i think it would have translated better to a live show to get people going then thier softer songs did. for thier final two nyc sets they really did give a lot of energy and ended up playing over 2 hours total, only 3 tracks from thier first effort at most. but a great representation of different damage and most of power. the bands members are already working on other projects so it wont belong until your seeing them on the stage once again.

since i been gone (part 2)(cmj)

2005-10-11T18:29:00.000-05:00

ok so cmj was more than i couldve expected this year i didnt have a badge, but have since learned its fun even without one. i kicked it off on tuesday afternoon by going to the museum of television and radio because kexp, that radio station from seattle, was having a free broadcast of langhone slim, there were very few people there, he played a few songs in 30 mins, one new one that was real good, but the best part was a story that he told about his tour with eugene merman. it started like he was cleaning out the van and left his guitar by the wheel and forgot about it, merman went out later to move the car and he crushed the heriloom guitar that belonged to his uncle. ouch! well things are okay now, but its a rough ass tour story that fo sho.

that night i went to the knit to catch fiest do her canadian girl thing, and she did it well to a sold out crowd. playing a lot of her record, but also playing a good amount of new things and some variations on her songs that were welcome, and she played 2 encores, i think its been a while. check out a terible pic:

(knit lighting is terrible for pics, to bad most of the good shows are there now)

wednesday brought me to the ace fu showcase @rothko. acid mothers temple had to back out due to customs problems, but as sad as that is thats probably the reason it wasnt sold out before i got there. its fun to be at a 21+ venue for cmj and see kids get turned away because mommy and daddy boutght them a badge haha FUCKYOU! so anyway, i missed the occasion sadly, but i got there just in time for we are wolves and they fucking rocked out, they are so asskickin the drummer has to stand hes so excited, and the bass drum has to be on a machine, theres just no way around it.

after that was the octopus project who i had never heard before and that mightve been good because they play these crazy tangling vocallesss indie rock soundscapes that are totally amazing to see, but i am unsure how it would translate to cd, the live energy was all ther and they came out with these crazy block headson:

and they dressed the speakers up like big scary ghosts that shuddered with every bass thump:

they had all kinds of cool synths and effects and a great theramin solo. check em out!

next was the band i came for, the mighty man man! who ive seen a bunch and am totally in love with thier sea chantys from outer space. a little bit tom waits a little bit frank zappa, they have reworked thier line up a bit, but it is still a great white whale of a show. complete with grunts, slide whistles and those pianos you play with your mouth. honus even played a spatula for a bit.

to kill us off was the mighty AN ALBATROSS who was playing a lot of new licks, i guess they have some kind of album coming out soon maybe. they did their normal riot act, but not many people were going insane as many of the albatross shows ive seen before ending in blood. but they didnt give a shit either way. they need to play on the floor, and all those dudes are short, but i guess you cant be a metal guitarist and shred unless youre pissed about your height...

after they were done, which was rather quick i walked over to the knit to check out the 3am performance from outkasts hip hop purist, BIG BOI and friends. it took them forever to get out there, but when they came they brought that shit southwest atlanta style. they pumped a lot of new shit because BB is releasing a new comp called got purp, they kicked it off with the new single called, kryptonite, and interestingly enough it has nothing to do with superman, but rather that green shit you know and love. sleepy brown, killer mike, rock-D and others were there puttin it down, we got some whole world, southernplayalistic, like the way you move, and a few other kast classics, and when it was all over i wasnt even tared, but killer mike had to sit most of the set out due to all the killing i would guess its gotta fatigue ya herd?

-thursday brought us the ployvinyl showcase at the knit i missed aloha, but ida was interesting, very light fluffy stuff, that was not good to keep me going, but i would give it another listen if i were trying to entice a lover, but only if our bellies were sluggish with goat meat. after they were through saturday looks good to me rifled through a short set, but they were definatly winners, they have that polyvinyl sound, they middle it out, not as hard as apollo sunshine, but around there.

hail social played downstairs to much admiration, i picked up thier record a little bit ago, its good, but to see them live is to hear thier rocknroll sounds a bit more, they are more radioactive in a live setting.

XBXRX brought thier shit like crazy, thier spazz rock stylings were a very welcome wake up call to a sleepy crowd, and you figure most bands, especially one so different than anyone else playing that night would get sucha good response, but they said get on the ground and every one there got the fuck down. they rocked thier pink sailor suits til the wheels fell off, i have since got thier new record sixth in sixes ans i am not disappointed in the least it is a half hour of pure mayhem, i feel like i should wear earplugs under my headphones.

the billy nayer show was shoved away downstairs for a short set that had the few people there super excited, these guys are a great band and if you need any proof just check out thier masterful movie the american astronaut, shit is a rocknroll space western, and they do the soundtrack to match. guy rocks out on an autoharp for shits sake.

of montreal finished off the knit show excellently, those guys are alright on record but there live show is done up so right its not even funny. great costumes, great breaks, great choreography, sadly while i was down watching the bns the place filled up like mad with fucking cmj badges and i was way in the back and it wasnt even worth trying to take pics, not that most of tonights were any good to begin with. anywho go see this band.

after that got out i raced to scenic in the village for the secret constantines gig, i am so glad that this happened because there big ass subpop showcase was way sold out due to wolf parade being on the bill, they are good, but i dont think they deserve all this crazy hype, but who the fuck am i. so yeah about 2am constantines took the tiny staged and played a lot of the old stuff, and a good amount of stuff off thier new one tournament of hearts, that comes out soon if not now, i wasnt big on it at first but of course live they make you understand what it means, the lead singer has such a great sprinsteenish vibe to him and he just growls the whole show right in your face, it was incredible as usual. second best performance of cmj easily.

-friday was the end for me and it was my fourth night in a row at the knit for the kill rock stars extravaganza. slumber party began the night with their light indie-girl-pop sounds of beauty, many from thier new album out now.

slim moon played his first show with a badn downstairs and it showed, i enjoyed it but boy was it sloppy and the last song consisted of him saying fuck the presidant at least a hundred times.

limited express (has gone?) was the #1 surprise blowout performance of the week, there were things i knew would be good and things i knew would suck but thie band made my eyes pop out of my head, they are jap-punks a long way from home but that doesnt stop then from blowing your head off, the music is insane and the singer catches you so offguard between songs, because shes one of those stereotype cute softspoken girls and then she just starts wailing and you cant help but just be like what the fuck i cant stop jumping up and down

BARR brought his funny ass freestyle rapish spoken word musings to a tiny crowd downstairs with his beat machine in tow, his performace is really great and funny, its like a performance piece, but its good and he actually plays different characters and the only way you know if because he has a sweater on his head. he was big on pushing his upcoming release on krs

the numbers new record is a departure from those past, but in no way is that a bad thing, they are just more accessible now, but they still play old stuff and its great girl fronted (even though shes in the back on the drums) rock tunes, with great melody from erik on the keyboards.

the makers would be good anywhere else i guess, but at this show i couldnt really take them, its kinda mooney suzuki-ish but it sucks and the lead singer is not mick jagger nor is he wayne kramer. i had to suffer through them because i wasnt gonna miss one second of the next band, check out those sweet matching vest and shirt combos!

cmj was all an excuse for me to not think about how awesome the gossip were going to be i had to see other shows to rev me up because if i just showed up out of the blue to see some gossip rock action my head and balls would explode on the first lick. hannah billy has really complimented the band well her beats are tight as hell, and brayce is still rocking that geetar, and beth ditto is still the beautiful hunk of woman from my dreams that could put most other singers of this day to fucking shame, they would just leave the building after hearing her belt out the gutteral voice that is the gossip, this set was amazing from start to finish, you know how sometimes bands play new tunes and you just cant really get into them, it was like i had heard them a hundred times already. i even brought my dad to this show and he fucking freaked too, he said beth is like mama cass, whatever the fuck that is. they fucking rocked my shit away, im just babling now, thats what they did to me, i cant make real word anymore. gossip good! evrythign else not as good! pictures now!

and as if cmj couldnt get any better miss beth was kind enough to get a pic with me and to be as cool as she could be she put her back pack on the front.

see you later cmj!
ps the gossips new dance 12" came out today its called standing in the way of control, go get it!