One of the few things New York City and New Orleans have in common is that each city needs little excuse for a party. Day ending in y? Party! Home team is playing this weekend? Party! So put the finest purveyors of New Orleans funk onstage at NYC’s Terminal 5 on a Friday, two nights before the big game featuring the Saints, and you shouldn’t be surprised by what you get—a big, fat “Who Dat?” fiesta!
Galactic got deep into it from the get-go. It seems they have a new twist whenever they hit the road, and this time was no different with trombonist Corey Henry, of Rebirth Brass Band, expanding the horn section and adding vocals, and Cyril Neville, of NOLA stalwarts the Meters and the Neville Brothers, joining in on percussion and vocals. The boys in the band were more than happy to play backup for long stretches of the evening, ceding the stage to their guests as the set twisted through dark gypsy funk, some hip-hop and plenty of down-home funk.
The unmistakable highlight of the evening came when Tea Leaf Green’s Trevor Garrod and Josh Clark—their band opened and seemed to squeeze a Grateful Dead-show’s worth of music into their generous 75-minute slot—joined Galactic onstage for a couple of tunes that were “by request” from visitors to the band’s Web site. The result was a fantastic detour into some classic rock as Galactic once again became the backing band to their guests, who nailed covers of the Band’s take on the Holland/Dozier/Holland classic “Don’t Do It” and the Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking.” Clark turned the funk party into a raging rock and roll show, peaking with the guitar jam out of the Stones tune, which just may have single-handedly averted the path of the snowstorm coming up the East Coast. —A. Stein
Hot Chip - Music Hall of Williamsburg - February 6, 2010
After four albums, British electropop band Hot Chip is better than ever. The group, consisting of Alexis Taylor, Joe Goddard, Owen Clarke, Al Doyle and Felix Martin, makes synth-heavy earworms that compel your body to move. Their most recent album, One Life Stand, shows wily songwriting and an expansion of the band’s signature sound. Before a European tour to promote the record, Hot Chip made a couple of stops in New York City, including a sold-out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday.
From the moment I stepped into the venue, I felt as though I was in a rave. People in the crowd hypnotically pounded their fists to the thumping electronic drum loops. The band, evenly dispersed across the stage, conducted themselves like elder statesmen. Lead singer Taylor delivered his uniquely unassuming and vulnerable vocals while shifting through a number of instruments. Goddard stood stalwart, singing his rhythmically spaced parts. All the while, Clarke, Doyle and Martin created an electronic symphony. The band’s set list displayed their virtuosity and the depth of their catalog. Three songs into their performance, Hot Chip played a rearranged version of “Boy from School” complete with a handclap beat. Although Doyle primarily plays guitar, he complemented the song with his dynamic steel-drum playing.
Weaving through tunes from their previous albums, The Warning and Made in the Dark, Hot Chip cleverly adapted “Ready for the Floor” and brought down the house with “Over and Over.” The crowd was also eagerly introduced to new songs like “One Life Stand” and “Take It In.” After monstrous applause at the end of set, Hot Chip responded with a four-song encore that slowed down the tempo. For a crowd that wildly danced and devotedly sang along, it was a perfect ending to a fantastic performance. —Jared Levy
It’s hard to even imagine what it would have been like to see the Cure perform in a club the size of Mercury Lounge in the early ’80s. You can’t just chalk it up to pure nostalgia—there’s definitely a reason their sound still resonates through any number of music subsets today. Cold Cave, a band whose name actually describes it perfectly, is one of the direct descendants of that sound. Legend has it the band formed when Wesley Eisold left a successful Boston punk band and started messing around with thrift-store Casio keyboards alongside friends Caralee McElroy, of Xiu Xiu, and Dominick Fernow, of experimental noise band Prurient. Their first 7″ single, “Painted Nails,” was released on Fernow’s Hospital Productions label and has brought about something of a resurgence of Cold Wave minimalist synth that traces its roots directly back to Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle and, of course, the original post-punks, Joy Division.
An emaciated Eisold barely moved behind a massive Moog voyager, but he worked up a sweat singing in his slight crooning baritone, with an ingrained punk burst of nihilistic vocals, hands clasped behind his back, looking scarily close to Mr. “Love Will Tear Us Apart” himself. Eisold barely mumbled “thanks” before going into the next pounding inhuman beat from Cold Cave’s debut, Love Comes Close. McElroy played off Eisold’s darkness with her own heavily echoed melodic delivery on songs like “Life Magazine” and providing a back-and-forth harmony on “The Tree’s Grew Emotions and Died,” sort of like an industrial Goth version of the Human League.
The three members of Cold Cave, all dressed in black, use their impressive display of technology, minus the nostalgia, thanks to Fernow, whose sheer massive solo catalog of sound manipulation takes each arrangement to a place other New Wave throwback acts just can’t follow. (Simply playing with every piece of an analog synth keyboard is no substitution for knowing which sounds you want to hear and actually willing them out of the circuits.) The music stays perpetually focused on the icy, emotionless sound, straddling a line between undanceable and undeniably catchy. And all of it comes from three keyboards, just like on Trans-Europe Express. The entire New Wave ’80s wished they sounded this good. —Jason Dean
Those Darlins write songs that effectively mix country, pop, punk and rock. The trio—Kelley Darlin (bass), Jessi Darlin (guitar) and Nikki Darlin (baritone ukulele)—hails from Murfreesboro, Tenn., but they record their music here in NYC. So in a way, their show tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom (with the So So Glos and Pine Hill Haints opening) is a sort of homecoming. While it’s true that Those Darlins (above, playing “Wild One”) are a band comprised entirely of ladies, they’d rather be known for their rowdy performances (“There are fucking tons of dude bands out there and they’re not described as an all-male band,” says Nikki), which have charmed audiences across the country and have garnered them a fair amount of positive press. Find out for yourself why in person tomorrow night.
The House List is giving away two tickets to tomorrow’s show. Want to go? Then just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Those Darlins, 2/5) and a brief message telling us what you’d be doing if you weren’t at this show. The winner will be notified on Friday.
Sure, it’s taken the Saints more than 40 years to reach the Super Bowl, but you won’t need to wait anywhere near that long to get your own NOLA fix. Because where funk and jazz collide, you’ll find Galactic. And that collision will be at Terminal 5 this Friday. Virtuoso drummer Stanton Moore holds together this longtime instrumental group. But percussionist and vocalist Cyril Neville, of the Neville Brothers, and trombonist Corey Henry, of Rebirth Brass Band, will join Galactic onstage. (Henry also sat in on Galactic’s new album, Ya-Ka-May, out next Tuesday.) Plus, as an added bonus, the jammy Tea Leaf Green will be opening. So get there early—expect to hear at least one Zeppelin cover—and get your weekend started right.
We know you’ll have so much fun seeing Galactic (above, playing “Hustle Up” with Boots Riley) that The House List is giving away two tickets to the show. Want to win them? Then just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Galactic, 2/5) and a brief message telling us why you could use a free night of the funk. The winner will be notified on Friday.
As part of the Stories in High Fidelity series, tonight, The Bowery Ballroom hosts a cool round of storytelling, led by David Byrne, who will discuss “Creation in Reverse”—the ways that a venue and context can shape artistic creation. Additionally, Alan Light, the former editor-in-chief of Spin and Vibe, and Dan Kennedy, author of Rock On: An Office Power Ballad and Loser Goes First, will also join the panel to add their two cents. But, of course, you can’t have a night at The Bowery without some live music, so the real pride of the Jersey Shore, Nicole Atkins, backed by Brooklyn’s ECHOecho, will be on hand, burning down the house.
The young, talented New York City band the London Souls are a straight-up rock group with a little bit of the blues and soul thrown into the mix. And if you judge a group by their influences, you’ll be happy to know these guys are rather fond of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers Band (“Eat a Peach in particular”), Stevie Wonder, James Gang and Derek and the Dominos. So as you can imagine, the London Souls like to play fast and loud. Find out just how loud tonight and next Tuesday at Mercury Lounge.
(Above, the London Souls play “Stand Up” for fearlessmusic.com.)
Retribution Gospel Choir - Mercury Lounge - February 1, 2010
(Photo: Jared Levy)
Less than a week after the release of their sophomore LP, 2, Retribution Gospel Choir played a knock-the-taste-out-of-your-mouth show at Mercury Lounge last night. The band consists of frontman Alan Sparhawk, the singer-songwriter-guitarist from Low, with fellow Low member and bassist Steve Garrington and drummer Eric Pollard. Contrary to Low, Retribution Gospel Choir explores a drastically different sonic region. With quick, grungy and, above all, loud rock songs, Sparhawk displayed a side of himself seldom heard in his other band’s slowcore sound.
Opener Arms and Legs showed charisma and promise during their set. Scott Daly, the sole songwriter and consistent member of the group, presented himself with magnetic intensity and focus. A set spanning originals from their EP Nothing Ever Was and an endearing Daniel Johnston cover kept the lively crowd engaged. Datus, an emerging Brooklyn-based band, followed with a rhythmically intense performance that pushed the show toward its headliner. Ezre Longinus, formerly of Apse, has vicious drumming with fills that literally deconstructed his cymbal and shattered his drum sticks. Though Datus’ set lacked cohesion, songs like “Roof Walker” proved their original material to be engaging and inventive.
Retribution Gospel Choir took to the stage dressed in business attire: button-down shirts, ties and jackets. However, even before the first note, the layers started to come off. And Sparhawk shredded his Gibson electric guitar with an intensity usually reserved for the weekends. He trashed it, pounded it and even played it with his mouth, à la Jimi Hendrix. The group is clearly classic-rock influenced, and on tracks like “Electric Guitar,” the adoration is made apparent. Highlights included the riff-heavy “Poor Man’s Daughter” and the band’s new single, “Hide It Away,” which showcased drummer Pollard’s impressive skills. By their last song, the guys in Retribution Gospel Choir were drenched in sweat and noticeably exhausted. And isn’t that how a rock show should be? —Jared Levy
Hot Chip has a new album—One Life Stand—out, and they’re celebrating by playing Music Hall of Williamsburg this Saturday. Turns out, lots of people wanted to join the celebration, so the show sold out quickly. (Although tickets are available to see them on 4/23 at Terminal 5.) But you’re in luck because The House List is giving away two tickets. Want to Grow a Pair to this show? Then just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Hot Chip, 2/6) and a brief message telling us your pick to win the Super Bowl and why. Eddie Bruiser, a NOLA lover, will notify the winner on Friday.
Some bands just have that look, like they’ve dropped fully formed out of the rock and roll womb onto the stage. Earl Greyhound is one of those bands. On Saturday night at Brooklyn Bowl, with guitarist Matt Whyte rocking the white jeans and Jesus-style hair and beard, bassist Kamara Thomas working the pow-bang, feather-clipped Afro and Ricc Sheridan, gleaming in full glory from behind the drum kit, was there any doubt that these guys were born to play loud, anxious, hard ’70s-anthem rock and roll?
Starting off slowly with newer material off their upcoming album and then easing into the older stuff, this wasn’t some high-fructose concoction, but the real deal sugar-sweet rock and roll. Each song presented the promise of at least a taste, and then the band would back away from the microphones and delve deeply. Sheridan looked like a child at a full-size drum kit—not because he’s a small guy, far from it, but because his drums looked so oversize. It seems impossible that he could match pounding fury with any subtlety behind such a behemoth, but that’s what he did. Whyte sounded at times like he was playing two guitars at two speeds in two different directions, and even if those stretches of glory didn’t last long enough, they still kept me wanting more. On “Monkey,” the last tune of the encore, Earl Greyhound finally fully opened up into a spacey all-out jam that rose above the falling pins and Saturday night din. —A. Stein
Here We Go Magic - Music Hall of Williamsburg - January 29, 2010
(Photo: Jared Levy)
Advances in music recording have undeniably given musicians greater ability to compose their own projects. Artists like Neon Indian and tUnE yArDs have embraced the DIY spirit, creating their own lo-fi bedroom productions to considerable fanfare. But when it comes to delivering a live performance, these artists have shed their solitary identities and built groups around their sound. Similarly, Luke Temple morphed his self-titled solo record, Here We Go Magic, from an individual endeavor into a budding young band. As Temple notes in interviews: The sonic texture of the album necessitated forming a band. And judging from Friday’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg, he picked a fantastic group of musicians to complete Here We Go Magic’s sound.
The New York City-based Glass Ghosts and Midnight Masses opened the show. The second band clearly draws its strength from group-oriented music. Midnight Masses is a new side project from …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead multi-instrumentalist Jason Reece and Dragons of Zynth bassist Autry Fulbright. Their band includes two guitarists, a bass player, two drummers and a string section. They frequently featured five-part harmonies that at times were reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash.
Here We Go Magic followed with a smattering of songs from their debut album. As frontman Temple noted during the one-song encore, the band’s oldies only extend to a few months ago. Nevertheless, “Only Pieces” and “Fangela” came to life with fleshed-out vocal arrangements and dynamic instrumental interplay. Bassist Jennifer Turner is truly a talent, providing steady rhythm and excellent harmonizing. The band’s genuine connection and love of playing came through in their music, and I am eager to see how they continue to mature as a group. —Jared Levy
On one of the coldest nights the city has seen this winter, the California rockers Cold War Kids rewarded the sold-out Terminal 5 crowd for braving the weather with a stunning set. Bathed in dark purple light, the band crawled through a moody intro while four projectors flashed on square screens behind them. Simple and beautifully melodic, their music started out punchy and brimming with blue notes, which set the tone for the rest of the show. The laid-back “Audience” awoke the fans from their winter coma, while the following “Red Wine, Success!” set the groove.
Jonnie Russell’s raw guitar sound expanded all the way to the top floor of the venue, ringing out clear with nothing more than the most basic distortion. And he belted out awesome harmonies that complemented lead singer Nathan Willet’s unique voice. All the while bassist Matt Maust stumbled around the stage, leaning into his bandmates and kicking at the piano stool when Willet manned the keys. By the time they played “Hang Me Up to Dry”—the biggest single off their first album, Robbers & Cowards—the crowd was screaming with excitement, which carried through to the end of the hour-plus set.
The rest of the show featured much more percussive and fast-paced songs, like a rowdy version of “Something Is Not Right with Me,” highlighted by a horns section erratically stomping around the stage, blaring into any available microphone. Willet and his band then treated the crowd twice more: First, they finished their encore with an explosive version of crowd-favorite “We Used to Vacation.” And second, as the fans trekked back out into the cold, they were met with flyers for a free download of the entire concert they had just experienced. —Sean O’Kane
The self-proclaimed “East Village spaced-out R&B acid-house revivalist outfit Cubic Zirconia” is known for what singer Tiombe Lockhart affectionately calls “soul white-boy nerdy disco dance house fun party-time music.” Nick Hook, who starts their music with a beat, says, “I like to write things that invite maximum participation.” Guitarist Todd Weinstock writes the chord progressions, and Tiombe comes up with lyrics and melodies. Although each person focuses on one aspect of songwriting, they all end up tinkering with each aspect. The next few days are big for Cubic Zirconia because their new single, “Josephine,” comes out on Tuesday on Don’t Cry Records—with remixes by Waajeed, Greenmoney, Egyptrixx and DJ Sega—and they play Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night. In advance of that show, Tiombe took the time to answer five questions for The House List.
What’s the toughest part of playing New York City?
The guest list.
What music or song always makes you dance?
Anything with some heart.
Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song? Is a song better when it really happened to you?
You don’t need to be depressed or in love to write about those subjects. It does help to have experienced these things, whether in a mild or extreme capacity.
It’s 4 a.m. and last call has come and gone. What’s your next move?
Not going home probably. —R. Zizmor
Mission of Burma began in 1979, but existed for just four years before intense hearing damage to lead guitarist Roger Miller gave them no choice but to call it quits. They left behind a few singles, an EP and their seminal album—Vs., a legacy of visceral guitar—to secure their legendary status, with bands like Sonic Youth to Nirvana citing them as an important influence on their own sound. Mission of Burma eluded a lot of rock and punk classifications in their early incarnation, taking an abrasive and extremely loud approach to experimental post-punk rock. They had no allegiances to any scene, and they were considered too punk for the New Wavers but too experimental for the faster hardcore set.
The most surprising and distinctive element of Mission of Burma’s sound was Martin Swope’s tape manipulations. It’s hard to imagine the physical effort it took in the early ’80s to sample the band’s own sound as it was being played live to a reel-to-reel recorder and then fed back into amps. He was the wizard behind the curtain who literally never appeared onstage, which was unheard of for a rock band. But Mission of Burma was this kind of amazing contradiction of esoteric arty garage rock. They were at the post-punk frontier. Fast forward to 2010: It’s not news that Burma has reunited to perform their groundbreaking material again, but rather that this reunion has resulted in three new albums, ONoffON (2004), The Obliterati (2006) and The Sound the Speed the Light (2009), proving that the band’s early brilliance was no accident.
With the help of Bob Weston, indie-rock engineer extraordinaire, in Swope’s role, Mission of Burma’s new material has shown that rock life after 40 can be more than greatest-hits compilations and benefit shows—experience and wisdom can bring innovation. It’s why October 4th was recently declared Mission of Burma day in Boston. This unlikely feat of endurance is on display at The Bowery Ballroom this Friday and Saturday. It’s more than a comeback, and please don’t forget to bring your own firing-range ear protection. —Jason Dean
(“1,2,3, Party!!” is the first single off The Sound the Speed the Light.)
Bear in Heaven - Mercury Lounge - January 27, 2010
It takes a particular assemblage of circumstances to sell out a concert on a Wednesday. You need appealing bands, an inviting space and good timing. Last night at Mercury Lounge these ingredients came together to create a fantastic show. Headliner Bear in Heaven is three months removed from the release of their critically acclaimed second album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth. While they have steadily built a fan base with their anthemic electronic sound, Beast marks the band’s expansion into more accessible pop songs. And, from the looks of last night’s show, this sonic shift is paying dividends.
Openers ArpLine and the Jaguar Club led the talent-soaked quadruple bill. Both bands are based in Brooklyn and show potential, but ArpLine’s excellent guitar work and contagious energy especially caught my attention. (Check them out at their free record-release show at Brooklyn Bowl on February 17th.) Oh No Ono, a psychedelic quintet from Copenhagen, followed—their first show in New York City. The band, both in appearance and song, carries themselves as a ’60s/’70s rock-revival act. Each member seems to stylistically embody a rock star of old. Most notably, lead singer and guitarist Malthe Fischer sports a crazy curly hairdo that could confuse him with Bob Dylan circaBlonde on Blonde. I thoroughly enjoyed Oh No Ono’s entire set, however their cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” clearly stood out. They captured Thom Yorke’s vocal part perfectly and added their own synth-heavy touch.
Bear in Heaven closed out the night with a tasty sampling of their catalog. The four-piece band, headed by frontman Jon Philpot, showcased their musical dexterity, constantly switching instruments and creating a full, rich sound. With the help of two female vocalists, the group ripped through their soon-to-be-classic take on youth angst, “Lovesick Teenagers,” followed by the rhythmically commanding “Beast in Peace.” As Bear in Heaven finished their set around midnight, Wednesday gave way to Thursday and the night’s performances solidified into a wonderful midweek memory. —Jared Levy
Singer-songwriter Chad Urmston was previously in Dispatch. But he disbanded that group when he wanted to focus more on singing and the guitar rather than jamming and switching instruments. The new band he started, State Radio, combines socially conscious songwriting with roots-reggae rhythms. The Boston trio put out their fourth full-length (and first available on vinyl) album, Let It Go, last September and is currently touring the country. And while the music has an upbeat injection of punk sound, the guys in State Radio are about more than just having a good time. They’ve done work with Oxfam International and have founded their own organization, Calling All Crows, to mobilize “musicians and their fans to promote human rights.” But don’t worry, when you see them on Friday at The Wellmont Theatre, you’ll still have a blast.
(State Radio, above, plays “People to People.”)
