The Felice Brothers, originally from the Catskill Mountains region of upstate New York, started out by playing in various New York City subway stations. Since then, their country-rock sound has taken them to Mountain Jam and even Levon Helm’s barn for one of his very cool Midnight Rambles. The band’s second major release, Yonder Is the Clock, came out earlier this month. See them here, performing “Frankie’s Gun,” and then see them tonight at Webster Hall.
(Photo courtesy of Of Montreal)
It started with a tiger—or, make that, a man wearing a tiger mask— creeping onstage, urging the expectant crowd to follow. The tiger was the White Rabbit, and we followed him down the rabbit hole, like a naive Alice, into the alternate universe of Kevin Barnes’s mind. Flashing strobes, psychedelic lights, nude suits and bizarro dress-up pantomime filled the gaps on the stage last night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.
Then I closed my eyes and realized there’s music in there, really good music—funky, freak-out music that rides the bronco-buckin’ bass (sometimes two basses!) like in some dream-world rodeo. Man, that bass really popped. I’d previously seen Of Montreal at Roseland Ballroom, and the geometry of the room and that show dissipated the songs in the spectacle, overtaking all on the back of a white horse. But in the cozy confines of Music Hall, the spectacle only enhanced the music. It was a perfect mix from the entire groovy catalog, like a steroid-enhanced psychofunkula.
Is there time to discuss Janelle Monáe, who opened the show? She was an utter revelation: Sun Ra, Outkast and Jimi Hendrix perfectly pureed and poured into Monae’s curvy, tuxedoed, hairdo-from-the-future-of-the-past figure, dancing around like a robot on holiday. Unfortunately, I can’t really get into that because too many adjectives are required. You’d better just check her out. She’s that good. —A. Stein
Currently revisiting Neutral Milk Hotel! On Avery Island-raw & powerful…Aeroplane Over The Sea-the MASTERPIECE!!!
Very FEW tickets left for Grizzly Bear @ Town Hall, Music Hall of Williamsburg SOLD OUT! New album is amazing!!
Jack White is hard to pin down. He channeled bluesy riffs with the White Stripes, and then moved in a different direction with the Raconteurs’ full-band sound. And now, White’s the drummer in the lean, loud Dead Weather, playing their first public show anywhere, last night at The Bowery Ballroom.
When the Kills opened a few dates for the Raconteurs, the Kills front woman, the captivating Alison Mosshart, and White and Raconteurs bassist Jack Lawrence recognized a shared musical sensibility. They decided to add Dean Fertita—who plays guitar and keys with the Queens of the Stone Age and had previously toured with the Raconteurs—to the mix to record an album, Horehound, to be released in June.
Live, the Dead Weather have a bold, garage-rock sound that Little Steven would love. They were most engaging when both Mosshart—her voice purring and powerful—and Fertita teamed up on guitar to go along with Lawrence’s thumping basslines and White whaling away on the drums. And although White is a talented drummer, the band really brought the thunder during the last song of the hour-long set, when Lawrence subbed in behind the drum kit, allowing White to move front and center to share a microphone with Mosshart, their faces just inches apart, while his nimble fingers feverishly flew across his guitar. They’re just getting going right now, but do yourself a favor and see the Dead Weather when they begin touring in June. —R. Zizmor
Photos courtesy of Michael Jurick | music.jurick.net
The Walkmen
The Walkmen hit Webster Hall tomorrow night for a sold-out hometown show before beginning an arena tour with Kings of Leon. Pete Bauer, the bass and organ player, kindly took time to exchange e-mails with The House List to answer five questions.
What’s the last band you paid to see?
I think I actually paid to see Pearl Jam because my wife is some kind of crazed superfan. There have been several disagreements about this around the house, especially with the Eddie Vedder solo shows.
Which bands that you listened to growing up do you still listen to?
I still listen to the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan and Roy Orbison and all those sort of golden oldies. I have also been listening to the Nation of Ulysses a lot again recently, which is something I listened to often growing up. I heard some of Extra Width by Jon Spencer on the radio the other day, which I hadn’t heard in years, but they cut the song off in the middle, which was weird.
Who are your inspirations outside of the music world?
I don’t know. I guess I like several writers a good amount. I always really loved Jorge Luis Borges and have really dug in deep with him for years. He is a real constant.
What’s the toughest part of playing New York City?
Historically, I would say it was always loading out. Putting all our crap back in our studio was always a disaster because everyone wants to go out and have a good time and someone always gets stuck with the piano. We solved this problem by getting equipment insurance and leaving everything in an unlocked van.
Have you ever experienced fear onstage?
The first time I ever had a show with my old band, the Recoys, I threw up as we went on. —R. Zizmor
The band the Tallest Man on Earth happens to be just one guy, the Swedish folk musician Kristian Matsson. (He’s also in a band called Montezumas.) His U.S. tour ends soon, so make sure you see him tonight at The Bowery Ballroom, and as an added bonus, see him here, at the Sydney Harbor, performing “Where Do My Bluebirds Fly,” from his debut album, Shallow Grave.
The Bowery Presents: the Walkmen, “In the New Year” from Show Cobra Productions on Vimeo.
There are five of them. They grew up together in Washington, D.C., and over time, made their way to New York City. Eventually, they left their previous bands, Jonathan Fire*Eater and the Recoys, and started the Walkmen. Nine years later, the Walkmen are still going strong. How strong? Find out for yourself at Webster Hall on Thursday, April 16th. And check them out here, at The Bowery Ballroom performing “In the Year,” the second single off the band’s fifth studio album, You & Me, released last year.
Andrew Kenny
Andrew Kenny’s music is a fine mist—little droplets of melody. Upon first glance, it seems inconsequential, like you have no fear of getting all that wet. But after a little while, the moisture seeps in and soon you’re sopping. A few years back, at the Austin City Limits music festival, the sounds of Kenny’s old band, American Analog Set, floated across a heat-drowned field to my early-day spot in the shade and trickled down into my soul until I was splashing in utter, joyous revelation.
Friday night at Mercury Lounge, the droplets came from his new band, the Wooden Birds, as they played a brisk 45-minute set in the early slot. It’d be hard to find a band with two guitars, a drummer and a percussionist that makes less noise than this one. The songs, all from an album to be released next month, highlighted the difference between drumsticks and brushes and between speaking and whispering. This band whispers its music. With Kenny on bass and vocals, smacking a piece of gum in between lyrics, the two guitarists acted more like another pair of bass players—with light touches of rhythm and melody framing Kenny’s solo vocals and when he was in coarse harmony with his bandmates.
Midway through the set, a country shuffle punched up a couple of songs and the transition in tempo was palpable: You’d think the band had started playing speed metal. This was sort of their first gig, and I expect the music to fill out as Kenny and his band have time to grow accustomed to this new brand of mist. They’ll get another go at it when they return to Mercury Lounge on Thursday, April 16th. —A. Stein
To honor Of Montreal’s three sold-out shows this week at Music Hall of Williamsburg, The House List is pleased to announce we will be giving away a free pair of tickets to the band’s show on Wednesday, April 15th, as part of our first-ever Grow a Pair contest. Fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Of Montreal, 4/15) and a brief message telling us why you deserve to Grow a Pair of winning tickets. Eddie Bruiser—the man just gives and gives—will e-mail the lucky winner by 5 p.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14th. Good luck.
The Faint celebrate their 10th time playing webster hall, a few tickets released, don’t miss them & Ladytron!!!
Lotus killed it @ Bowery Ballroom last night, few tickets remain for tonight!
Each time the guys in the Omaha, Neb., dance-punk band the Faint have made changes—their name, their lineup, their sound, their record label—they somehow seem to grab a little more attention. Their most recent album, the band’s fifth full-length studio effort, the spelling-challenged Fasciination, was released last year. And now the Faint are co-headlining a tour across North America with Ladytron, the Liverpool electronica outfit. See them tonight at Webster Hall, and check out the Faint here, performing “Paranoiattack.”
Superdrag, which formed in Knoxville, Tenn., back in the early ’90s, first achieved national attention in 1996 with the release of “Sucked Out”—the first single off their debut LP, Regretfully Yours—which garnered considerable airtime on MTV and the radio. But after some personnel changes, more albums and continued touring, Superdrag broke up in 2003. Fortunately, it’s hard to keep a good band down, and, last January, lead guitarist and singer-songwriter John Davis announced Superdrag’s reformation. And now they’ve made their way back to New York City to perform tonight at The Bowery Ballroom and tomorrow at Music Hall of Williamsburg. See them here, playing “Aspartame,” from Industry Giants, released last month.
