Photos courtesy of Michael Jurick | music.jurick.net
Archive for May, 2009
U.S. Air Guitar Championship (N.Y. Region) - The Bowery Ballroom - May 28, 2009
Friday, May 29th, 2009Win a Limited-Edition Titus Andronicus Bootleg
Friday, May 29th, 2009In anticipation of the Titus Andronicus show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, June 6th, try to win the limited-edition bootleg Live from London 12″.
Track Listing:
Joset of Nazareth’s Blues
Every Time I See the Light, Pt. 2
Titus Andronicus Forever
Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ
No Future, Pts. 1 and 2
Roadrunner
There are only 50 of these records available. That’s it—once they’re gone, they’re gone. The first 50 entrants to correctly answer the trivia question will win this limited-edition 12-inch record. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which contest you’re trying to win (Titus Andronicus Bootleg) and the answer to this question:
The band Titus Andronicus hails from which state?
Winners will be contacted prior to the show date, and the record will only be available for pick up at the Titus Andronicus show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday, June 6th. While you’re browsing for the answer, don’t forget to purchase your tickets in advance. (Check out musichallofwilliamsburg.com for the answer and more.)
The Helio Sequence - Music Hall of Williamsburg - May 28, 2009
Friday, May 29th, 2009
The Helio Sequence is an awesome indie electro band from Portland, Ore., with a good backstory. Drummer Benjamin Weikel used to play with Modest Mouse, and vocalist-guitarist Brandon Summers lost his voice prior to the Helio Sequence’s 2008 release, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, and had to relearn how to sing. (Oh, yeah, and they’re signed to notable indie label Sup Pop.) But there’s more to the band than that.
For just two guys, they sure can make a lot of noise! Last night’s set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg was stellar. Summers and Weikel play fuzzed-out, up-tempo rock with an onstage fury that often makes those in the audience forget that it’s just two guys playing. Summers is a unique and somewhat mesmerizing front man with his muted vocals, and Weikel is an excitingly hard-hitting, precise drummer. The highlight was the closing songs, which switched the mood of the set by including an acoustic ballad and a superloud, distorted, spacey song.
While it was a one-off show in the middle of the band’s tour with English piano-rockers Keane and singer-songwriter Matt Kearney, last night’s performance was a real treat for fans. —Kirsten Housel
Photos courtesy of Kirsten Housel
Hill Country Revue - Mercury Lounge - May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 28th, 2009
(Photo: Todd Roeth)
Last year Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew, the North Mississippi Allstars drummer and bassist, respectively, joined Ed “Hot” Cleveland, Daniel Coburn and Kirk Smithhart to form the side project Hill Country Revue. Following several small-club tours and stints as an opening act, the band put its bluesy brand of Southern rock on record—Make a Move, released just two weeks ago.
But last night at Mercury Lounge, Hill Country Revue proved they are more than just Southern rockers. The band fluidly segued between roots rock, gritty blues and smooth R&B. Chew sang lead on the slow-building cover of Solomon Burke’s “Everybody Needs Somebody to Love,” prompting audience members to dance happily. And on the next song, when the Coburn sang, “Shake that ass side to side,” the crowd enthusiastically continued.
It’s worth mentioning that while Dickinson plays drums in NMA and the Word (his brother, Luther, expertly plays guitar for those bands), his work with the Revue has revealed him to be one hell of a guitarist (that is when he isn’t playing the electric washboard). He and Kirk Smithhart had a jammy guitar interplay throughout the show. And combined with Chew’s heavy—yet somehow subtle—bass lines, the three of them covered a fair amount of territory, from dark Little Feat grooves to a simmering cover of the Meters’ “Cissy Strut” to the upbeat “You Can Make It.” While their music may come from Hill Country, it definitely appeals to all. —R. Zizmor
A Camp - The Bowery Ballroom - May 26, 2009
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Cake on May 29, 2009
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
After 18 years together—and with a new album coming out this summer—Cake shows no signs of slowing down. They hit Terminal 5 this Friday for a sold-out show. But you’ve still got a chance to see the band live even if you don’t have tickets because The House List is giving away two of them. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Cake, 5/29) and a brief message telling us the funniest (true) thing to happen to you over Memorial Day weekend and you just might be the one to Grow a Pair of free tickets. Eddie Bruiser, obviously, will e-mail the fortunate winner by noon on Friday, May 29th. Good luck.
Ben Lee’s Modesty Rocks
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009The Bowery Ballroom - May 22, 2009
Ben Lee travels light. Using players from opening band Low vs. Diamond as his backing, Lee walked out with only a small, vaguely Polynesian guitar. He could realistically put his entire tour in the overhead compartment of a domestic airliner. Even Lee’s personality betrays an economy of size. But he doesn’t demand attention—it just kind of finds him.
In the second song of the night, the keyboardist plunked out the familiar chimes of “Catch My Disease.” The audience, without a hint of irony or smack, moved and sang along. There was something so winning and ebullient about Lee chanting the lines, “They don’t play me on the radio/And that’s the way I like it” that everyone forgot that a national advertising campaign tried to kill us with this song in 2007. Much later in the set, Lee played a cover of the Ataris’ anti-Lee diatribe “Ben Lee, You Suck.” It was catchy, and Lee somehow made modesty look attractive—pop music that folds easily under a bed.
Lee played a number of tracks off his new album, The Rebirth of Venus: the contradictory and bouncy “I Love Pop Music” and the call-and-response “Surrender.” As Lee chanted the lyrics of the latter, the crowd yelled back. Nominally, the song is about letting yourself fall in love, but the lyrics of “Let go/Give up/Give in/Surrender” took on a different meaning. The audience had already given up—a capitulation to Lee’s carbonated persona and unassuming music. If you don’t bring much with you, you have to leave everything behind. —Geoff Nelson
Happy Memorial Day
Monday, May 25th, 2009
See You Next Tuesday
Thursday, May 21st, 2009Eddie Bruiser and the rest of The House List freaks will be on a retreat upstate this weekend. Look for new posts on Tuesday morning. Have a great weekend!
St. Vincent - Webster Hall - May 20, 2009
Thursday, May 21st, 2009
Remember Annie? The redheaded rapscallion who sang about bottom dollars? Annie Clark is not that Annie. If “The sun will come out” Annie is high-fructose-corn-syrup sweet, Clark, doing business as St. Vincent, is a whiskey sour: smooth and sharp with plenty of bite. Opening with “Black Rainbow,” off her just-released album, Actor, St. Vincent spent the night bouncing back and forth between a two-headed microphone, each giving her a different “voice.” This was perfect, because she’s got a full-fledged Dr Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde thing going on. One moment the music was polished and arching, dominated by Clark’s vocals and then, without warning, as it was during the opener, it explodes into a cacophony of guitar shredding. Yes, she still shreds.
From there Clark went through most of the album, including a solo stint on “Oh God,” referred to jokingly as a “deep cut.” At times things were a bit rough. It’s apparent that the chemistry between St. Vincent and her band—featuring four guys playing everything from bass guitar to clarinet—is still in development. It’s just the second show of the tour, so expect some growth.
My question is where did all these people come from? It’s like some stop-motion flip book: One moment you’re standing in an empty Mercury Lounge in wonderment at the music coming out of this diminutive woman, then flip, flip, flip you’re at the back of a packed Webster Hall, craning to catch a glimpse of her Gibson. Unfortunately, the energy from the stage often dissipated in the room before it reached me.
The encore was easily the highlight, ending with a retooled “Lips Are Red” that was the pitch-perfect blend of Jeckyll and Hyde. In the end, you may not want to adopt lil’ Annie, but with her lips so red, skin so fair, voice so bold and guitar so fiery, another show at the end of the tour would be nice. —A. Stein
Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | www.gregggreenwood.com
Southern Culture on the Skids - The Bowery Ballroom - May 19, 2009
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
(Photo: Ron Keith)
In certain New York City music circles, and particularly with many bands that come through the Bowery Ballroom doors, it is (apparently) uncool to dance. Hence the notorious NYC arms-crossed head bop. However, Southern Culture on the Skids is one of those bands that is just impossible not to dance to. For more than 20 years, the North Carolinian trio—vocalist-guitarist Rock Miller, vocalist-bassist Mary Huff and drummer Dave Hartman—has been playing an infectious blend of surf, Americana, R&B and rockabilly that just begs for at least a little shimmy. SCOTS shows are more than just a dance party, though. The group aims to entertain with lyrics that often reference white-trash culture, sex and food, and almost each song in Tuesday night’s set was accompanied by a joke. “The Wet Spot” calls for lyrics full of sexual innuendo but plays as a surf-tastic instrumental. However, in true SCOTS fashion, Miller followed it up by commenting, “That’s something you really don’t want to roll over into.”
Later in the set, Miller dedicated the country song “My House Has Wheels” to those fans who came from the outer boroughs, where single-wides and double-wides have the space to reside. After much heckling, he changed the dedication to those who came from New Jersey. Miller’s and Huff’s voices play wonderfully off each other, with each being able to bend to complement the individual song. Miller easily plays up the country twang when needed, while Huff switches between harmonious background vocals and a center-stage seductive lull. SCOTS’ Tuesday night rock ’n’ roll party showcased the band’s mastery of multiple musical genres and impeccable ability to keep the kitsch from becoming ridiculous, even after all the years. —Kirsten Housel
Bowery Presents and 826NYC Present: The Prom You Were Promised
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009We know what you’re thinking: How can I relive my own prom and help a good cause at the same time? That’s easy. Just break out your black-tie duds tomorrow and head directly to Music Hall of Williamsburg to celebrate 826NYC’s The Prom You Were Promised, featuring DJ sets by Vampire Weekend, Pat Mahoney—of LCD Sound System—and Hercules and Love Affair. All proceeds benefit 826 NYC. And to get you in the spirit, we asked Keith Murray, the guitarist and lead singer of We Are Scientists, about his prom experience.
“I never went to my prom. I can’t lie: In high school, I was a nerd. We’re not talking about simple, benign public awkwardness here, either. I was fairly aggressive about my social distance from the popular kids. I was what my current girlfriend cholerically refers to as a ‘righteous nerd’—one who recognizes his own status as such, and who relishes it; who outwardly celebrates it; who tries to use it to punish those who have transcended the designation.
“Appropriately enough, I spent that night making short films with my best friend and frequent artistic collaborator, Joe. Earlier in the week, we had collected the supplies necessary to handcraft a dummy we hoped would pass for Joe. It was just a Styrofoam head and a flesh-tone jumpsuit full of stuffing, but we did have a wig that looked enough like Joe’s hair to make the dummy a useful prop for several classic shorts, including Joe Falls Off Roof, Joe Falls Off Other, Different Roof, and the criminally under-seen Joe Is Hit by Keith’s Mother’s Car. Meanwhile, all of our friends were elsewhere, in formal dress, making out under adult supervision.
“I had a girlfriend at the time of my senior prom and STILL refused to attend. She saw no value in my numerous arguments against the tradition of the prom. She countered my assertion that the event was little more than an administratively sanctioned circle jerk for the cool kids by citing the fact that it ‘seemed like fun.’ Part of the problem must have been that she was, in fact, one of those cool kids. As I recall, she was nominated to the prom court. She may have even been named prom queen. I’m not sure, though. What I do know for sure is that the guy who ended up going as her (supposedly) platonic date was beaten up by total strangers at the after-party. Had I conformed to high school social mandate, that could have been me. I skipped my prom and dodged a bullet. The cool kids got theirs.” —Keith Murray
Bowery Presents and 826NYC Present: The Prom You Were Promised
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009826NYC Presents: The Prom You Were Promised from Show Cobra Productions on Vimeo.
Go to 826NYC.org for more information.
The Shins - Terminal 5 - May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Photos courtesy of Michael Jurick | music.jurick.net
The Vaselines - Music Hall of Williamsburg - May 18, 2009
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
The Vaselines, once a humble indie pop band from Glasgow, were onstage before an ecstatic sold-out crowd at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last night. The majority of those in the audience were probably still watching Sesame Street when the band originally broke up in the late ’80s. Many of us might not even have been there if not for uber-fan Kurt Cobain, whose Vaselines covers introduced many a suburban teen to the underground band. Regardless of how each person in the crowd originally discovered the Vaselines’ music, the passing years have turned us into the kind of fans who shriek in delight at the opening chords of “You Think You’re a Man.”
The Vaselines’ singer-songwriters, Frances McKee and Eugene Kelly, opened with “Son of a Gun.” McKee sweetly sang the lyrics, “The sun shines in the bedroom when you play/And the raining always starts when you go away….” But don’t be deceived by these innocent sentiments—McKee and Kelly are anything but twee. Instead, their relationship is firmly based on raunchy jokes and double entendres. While at one moment McKee spoke innocuously about hot chocolate, in the blink of an eye, she and Kelly were engaged in a most inappropriate chat having something to do with her feeling “moist.”
Tonight’s show proved that the dynamic between McKee and Kelly is as compelling as their danceable songs. It’s nice to know that upon reuniting the band in recent years, the two seemingly picked up where they left off—harmonizing sweetly and deadpanning some dirty jokes. —Alena Kastin
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to the Shins on May 21, 2009
Monday, May 18th, 2009
The Shins are still going as strong as ever, which pretty much means sold-out shows wherever they go. They’re playing Terminal 5 on Thursday, and guess what? It’s sold out. But you’ve still got a chance to go because The House List is giving away two tickets. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (the Shins, 5/21) and a brief message telling us the strangest (true) thing to happen to you last week and you just might be the one to Grow a Pair of free tickets. Eddie Bruiser—who else?—will e-mail the fortunate winner by noon on Thursday, May 21st. Good luck.
Rodriguez - The Bowery Ballroom - May 15, 2009
Monday, May 18th, 2009While his music could’ve seemed dated, somehow because he hasn’t been playing these same songs night after night for 40 years—and perhaps because his lyrics about disillusionment and rebellion are beginning to ring true again—his material has remained fresh and topical.
Like Paul Pena before him, Sixto Rodriguez remained a cult favorite for a long time before finally earning the acknowledgement and attention he deserves. And just like with the “Jet Airliner” and “Gonna Move” writer, that recognition has come several decades after recording his first two albums. Rodriguez’s Cold Fact and Coming from Reality came out in the early ’70s, and now that they’ve been re-released, he’s on his first-ever U.S. tour at 67.
Onstage at The Bowery on Friday, Rodriguez was calm and cool and dressed all in black with a Yoda-like Zen about him. But his smile made it clear that he was happy to be able to play these songs he’d recorded so many years ago for this rapt audience. The room was comfortably filled. And it seemed like everyone there was concentrating solely on this cool brand of folk rock because there was very little side chatter. Those in the surprisingly young crowd danced and intently sang along to songs like the inquisitive “I Wonder” and the glorious “Sugar Man.”
Rodriguez is still firmly rooted in the ’60s. He wore a peace-sign belt buckle and made several references to not trusting people. Interestingly, while his music could’ve seemed dated, somehow because he hasn’t been playing these same songs night after night for 40 years—and perhaps because his lyrics about disillusionment and rebellion are beginning to ring true again—his material has remained fresh and topical. Much of that has to do with his young, talented seven-piece backing band. The singer-songwriter even acknowledged it after one tune: “That was one of the first songs I ever wrote and it was only the second time I’ve played it in, like, years. But with this band, it cooks.”
Rodriguez capped off the show with a strong solo two-song encore. He played “Forget It,” with the appropriate line “Thanks for your time/Then you can thank me for mine,” before finishing with a lovely cover of “At Last” that came off as appropriately fitting rather than a cliché. “I love you. I won’t forget this,” he said at the conclusion. And judging by his constant smile throughout the show, he probably won’t. —R. Zizmor
© 2009
