Trail of Dead/Midnight Masses Live at Bowery Ballroom (2/28/09)
Dragon’s of Zynth’s Autry Rene Fulbright, And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead’s Jason Reece came together in early 2008, when Fulbright’s father fell ill. It was through tragedy that Midnight Masses formed and their songs are complimented by the work of Destiny Montague of Shock Cinema, Miyuki Furtago of Roger Sisters, Santogold touring guitarist Eric Rodgers, and Giselle Reiber. Their haunting single, “Heaven,” opened the set with ethereal harmonies that seemed to induce the crowd into a trance-like state. It was absolutely breathtaking… the passion and power that one song encompassed. The collaborative talent of these amazing musicians radiated through the use of different instruments to create an incredibly unique sound. “The great part about this whole tour is just playing with friends,” Fulbright explained before performing a song dedicated to his mother. An EP is currently in the works for a summer release and an LP will hopefully be ready for the fall.
These Brooklyn punk rockers brought out a sound I definitely haven’t heard live in quite some time. Brothers Alex and Ryan Levine, along with stepbrother Zach Staggers, were raised together in Brooklyn while guitarist Matt Elkin, the only non-related member, completes The So So Glos. Now, I assumed the proverbial big apple put it’s traditional punk roots on life support, but the Glos proved me wrong. Punk is most definitely pumping blood through the veins of this city. “Throw Your Hands Up” stays true to those garage punk, Clash-inspired roots and was instantaneously a crowd pleaser with the refrain “throw your hands up Deejay, we are verbal shotgun shells/You better change your up your rotation/War on the radio.” The band’s anti-establishment messages didn’t cease there – “We Got The Days” brought on a comedic political message with front man Alex howling to “Stick the revolution to the bathroom stall!” The Glos thought provoking music highly encouraged audience participation – dancing, clapping, screaming. The raw sound and catchy chanting chorus in “Execution” immediately caught my attention, but “Underneath the Universe,” the last track off their sophomore album (which was printed/recorded on environmentally friendly materials) “Tourism/Terrorism,” was a show stealer. This critic is convinced that punk never went anywhere… it’s just been hanging out in Brooklyn for awhile.
…And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead. Any band that plays Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” before their set totally earns an A+. They kicked off the set with “Giants Causeway” and the first three tracks off the new album soon followed, but the show in it’s entirety was on cue and consistent. “We’re going to play the songs twice as fast for those who were at last nights show,” frontman Conrad Keely exclaimed. Adrenaline was flowing through the crowd and a mosh “circle” (if I may) formed almost immediately and soon they were intertwining the old with the new starting with “Homage” and the piano-driven single “Bells of Creation.” The members of Midnight Masses graced the stage yet again and shared their incredible vocal talents in “The Century of Self” but nothing compares to the explosive percussion in “Relative Ways” – brains had to be splattered on the walls. Keely’s hand was a blur during their second to last song of night, “Totally Natural.” The set ended with “Another Morning Stoner” but their one song encore is what truly made the entire night worthwhile – never mind Keely mentioning that “after the show we’re all going to get on buses and we’re all going to eat milk and cookies.” They picked up their weapons and took the stage by storm one final time for the night. I don’t think Jason Reece could have picked a better time to leap into the crowd than during “Caterwaul,” clutching the mic in hand and swimming on a sea of fans. Energy was pumping through the speakers, walls and the crowd – it lingered in the air as everyone returned to the cold city streets. It was truly a night to be remembered.
Tapes ‘n Tapes, The Subjects & Wild Light @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC (2/26/09)
I’d like to, first and foremost, give everyone the advice of watching opening acts! I don’t care if it’s not “hip” to be prompt… have a drink, make some friends and see those smaller bands that open gigs. They’re the first thing you hear that night so I give them credit and believe me when I say that credit is aplenty when referring to Wednesday night’s inaugural band The Subjects. This Brooklyn native’s debut CD was released back in ’07 and they are currently in the midst of recording their second album (which I’m actually looking forward to). They formed in New York City — two were teachers (Dave Sheinkopf, Joe Smith) and two were students (Jimmy Carbonetti, Matt Iwanusa). Crazy, right? Their sound was unique and reminded me a bit of The Strokes (with Pavement influences), and a few songs, such as “The Hounds of War,” encompassed an almost bluesy sound to them that everyone really seemed to get into. Sheinkopf’s vocals cracked at the high notes but were unbreakable with the swelling backing of vocals. Overall, their set was fantastic for a band I have never even heard of. Definitely a band with a lot of potential.
Bring on Wild Light (and skin tight white David Bowie pants). By the time Wild Light graced the stage, Bowery was plentiful in people. They opened their set with “Red House,” but really caught the crowds attention with “New Hampshire.” You know you’re doing something right when you can get a venue (the majority of them who are there to see a band that’s NOT yours) to sing along without even asking them to. Their lyrics are candid and brought back some small-town memories and plenty of New England pride bubbled inside me. One song seemed to flow into the next and I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing, but I felt the crowd dying down and becoming anxious. “The Party OMG” picked up the pace and truly stood out from the rest of the set. It was if they were trying to find their own sound all night and finally hit the right chord with the crowd. Their hit single, “California On My Mind,” brought in a pop feel with some bittersweet lyrics about the west coast (bittersweet being a more gentle term) and they truly won my heart by the end of “Call Home.” Overall the set seemed rather monotone — songs morphed together one right after the other, but the few mentioned above really makes me believe that Wild Light is a band on the rise. Oh… and this native New Hampshire band’s new record is out on Tuesday. So check that out! Live free or die!
I absolutely adore prompt shows. Everything seemed to be on time and it really kept the crowd happy. A few notes about said crowd: eclectic as all hell! Incredibly chill group, minus a few unnecessary drunk ‘bros,’ and it seemed a little female dominated. Go us! For those who were there, the short balding man in the front who could not cease dancing (never mind watching his attempts to dance with others) was a winning moment. For those who weren’t there — be jealous you didn’t get to dance with that hunk of sweet and sassy moves.
Tapes ‘n Tapes has a knack for definitely drawing in an interesting crowd and for the first time in my life i witnessed a hipster moshpit. “George Michael” truly encompassed it’s own sound and “Hang Them All” really displayed a polished live sound that included some serious sing-along action. The head-bobbing, toe-tapping and full out hipster-moshing slowed down a bit with the first half of “Manitoba,” but with their dynamic and aggressive sound picked right back up at the end and created a fully-loaded rock out session that got everyone’s blood flowing. Almost every song began with the whooping cheers of approval — The opening line of “Headshock” causing a surge in applause: “I was hitting and sowing the tide/For the waiting until you were mine.” “Demon Apple” brought back the hipster-pit of jumping/dancing/giggling/hugging/slight shoving. It was almost obnoxious to watch, but not one body stood still for “Conquest” (and if you say you were still, you are a liar!) If the little balding man in front was rocking out as hard as he was, you had to at least be wiggling your big toe to that catchy gem.
What I find great about Tapes ‘n Tapes is simply their sound. They can take a song, start it off incredibly mellow (almost bluesy at times), bump it up to a more dance/pop beat and then bash it over your face and rock. Aside from the mic being sporadically low, everything else blended perfectly. Kudos to the sound tech! Throw in a handful of new songs and you have yourself an overall fantastic show. The moment that won my heart was “Insistor.” Catchy riffs, fantastic lyrics (“And don’t be terse and don’t be shy/Just hug my lips and say good lies/And know that I will be your bail bond”) and a disco ball. Although the crowd began to clear out around 11:45, Tapes ‘n Tapes still had a few in ‘em and ended with “Just Drums,” but it was the crowd echoing a soccer chant that enticed their return to the stage for an encore that included “Omaha.”
Of Montreal – Live at Music Hall of Williamsburg (12/16/08)
For those who braced the icy tundra that was Tuesday night, I applaud you. There’s no better place to experiment those new dance grooves than at the Music Hall of Williamsburg to the full and glitter-fab crew of Of Montreal. Those who haven’t been to the MHOW imagine a tad bit smaller version of the Bowery Ballroom, considering it’s owned by BB, but with just as wallet-emptying drink prices.
By 10 we were graced with the melodic musings of Regia, a local alternative-folk pop duet that enticed the audience to unlace their dancing shoes and put their feet up for the show. Regia felt more along the lines of late night road trip or indie coffee shop music. Their lyrics, however, got me hooked and I will most likely be stalking them in the future.
I must admit that the thing I enjoy most about seeing Of Montreal live is the inane crowd that attends. Young folks clad in things from football jerseys to fur jackets piled their way to the stage and I felt like my overbearing eyeliner didn’t do justice.
Either way, the show was, overall, like any other Of Montreal show. Stage extras dressed as scuba robots, animals and covering Kevin Barnes in red paint, and I still feel like that man has more costume changes than J-Lo at an awards show… it’s absolutely mind-blowing. The set lasted a strong two hours, but I feel like the crowd began to die a little ¾ of the way through. There’s only so much constant liquor-filled dancing one can do in one night however I don’t think Barnes could say “I want to hurt your pride, I want to slap your face, I want to paint your nails,” enough.
One melodic song tumbled into the next and minus a few over-active dancers who remained unaware of the fact that they were causing injury to those under 5’6″ it was probably the best live show I have seen them perform in awhile.