Harlem Shakes recently finished a U.S. tour supporting their first full-length album, Technicolor Health, and they’re “piss-in-the-pants excited” about their five upcoming dates in London. But you don’t have to travel any farther than the Lower East Side to see their upbeat brand of rock tomorrow night. Check them out here playing “Sunlight” at their record-release party at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 26, 2009—and then go see them tomorrow at The Bowery Ballroom. You’ll be happy you did.
Archive for June, 2009
Get Loose with Harlem Shakes Tomorrow Night
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009LES Special: Two Sets of Siblings, Two Venues, Two Shows
Monday, June 29th, 2009Two White Horses - Mercury Lounge - June 26, 2009
First up was the exclamation point on a weeklong whirlwind by Sweden’s brother-sister pair Two White Horses—or maybe not an exclamation point, but a period. The duo, dressed entirely in white (I imagine their unmentionables were also of the white variety) played the early set Friday night at Mercury Lounge. The music and crowd were of the curious variety. Not quite candy pop, that sugary can’t-resist musical confection, Two White Horses, are the musical equivalent of two white Tic Tacs. Somewhere between the catchy ABBA and the anti-catchy Björk, the entire act seemed on the verge of being a Saturday Night Live sketch. The banter between songs—more like a pitter-patter—was as essential as the music.
Anecdotes would begin in perfect English with a tinge of an accent and then pause, or appear to pause but merely finish. Here, those in the audience would chortle in some sort of surreal laugh track, and I was never sure if they were playing it straight or not. The combination of brevity and wit (unintentional or not) carried over into the music. Here it was sibling chemistry at its best. The harmonies were perfect—not in a perfect-harmony kind of way, but in a brother-and-sister kind of way: years of love and hate and love and getting it and not getting it all rolled up in two striking voices. Roll this up with a keyboard, a guitar and a disassembled drum kit played with feet and hands while singing and playing guitar and you have an utterly surreal, highly entertaining, straight-from-Sweden lounge act. The self-described “massive hit” for them, “Good Times Are Gone Forever,” perfectly summed up the combination of humor, bleak worldview and hummable pop. Minty fresh breath.
The Slip - The Bowery Ballroom - June 26, 2009
A different sort of sibling pairing pulled the personal late slot with Andrew Barr (on drums) and Brad Barr (on guitar) raging The Bowery Ballroom with Marc Friedman rounding out the trio on bass. It’s hard for me to imagine living and working so closely with a brother for so long—the better part of a decade and a half—and still performing at such a high level. For a band that’s been trudging along for so long, the Slip has proved to be surprisingly dynamic, which was fully on display Friday night.
Hey, it’s a pump-your-fist rock show! It’s a stroke-your-soul-patch indie show! It’s a grease-your-hips funk-down! It’s a bob-your-head jazz recital! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the Slip! These guys have been playing so infrequently that it’s easy to forget how good they really are. Apparently, most people didn’t forget, as the crowd was raging from the get-go, like they’d been snakes patiently lying in the reeds just waiting for their prey to come close enough to get their jaws around. And a tasty meal they were. Andrew set the tone immediately on a brand new tune channeling equal parts Keith Moon and Tony Williams and putting on a full-fledged “you suck at drums and I don’t” display. Brad and Friedman weren’t too far behind, plugging the band through material old, new and really new. It was this latter category that really impressed, with the hot-off-the-presses songs combining their innate intra-band interplay and their new found song-oriented direction. The result was something that raged like it had been dredged from the Bermuda Quadrangle of the British Invasion: equal parts Beatles, Stones, the Who and Led Zeppelin. And you can dance to it. —A. Stein
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See MGMT on 7/1
Monday, June 29th, 2009
They most recently played a stellar late-night show at Bonnaroo, but MGMT doesn’t have to travel too far for their sold-out hometown gig at the Prospect Park Bandshell on Wednesday as part of Celebrate Brooklyn. If you don’t have tickets but are still hoping to go, try to win a pair from The House List. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (MGMT, 7/1) and a brief message telling us your favorite non-music-related thing about Prospect Park. Eddie Bruiser, a lover of all public parks, will notify the winner by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, July 1st. Good luck.
A Loud Night at Music Hall
Friday, June 26th, 2009Dinosaur Jr. - Music Hall of Williamsburg - June 25, 2009
Warning: Dinosaur Jr. may not be good for your ears. Physically, that is. Sonically, they were just the right thing for everyone’s ears at the sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg last night. Walking the not-so thin line between melodic guitar virtuosity and a deafening cackle, Dinosaur Jr. front man J Mascis used all three giant sets of amplifiers behind him to treat the crowd to one of the venue’s loudest shows ever. Tucked in his cave of speakers, Mascis poked his head out for the shortest of vocal lines, as if he couldn’t wait to take a few steps back again to resume shredding through the band’s distinctly gritty musical repertoire.
The band also highlighted some of the music from their brand new album, Farm (which they promoted earlier in the day with a taping at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), all the while hacking away at their fans’ eardrums. To describe Mascis’ guitar tone as fuzzy would be selling it short. His wicked riffs were often borderline indecipherable, especially with drummer Murph banging away and bassist Lou Barlow administering his own dose of distorted sonic beauty. But Mascis made that level of distortion totally listenable, a feat only possible for someone who is as terribly amazing at playing a guitar as he is. Dinosaur Jr. rumbled on through their set, inciting circle pits and screams galore from the crowd, never needing to apologize for just how loud they were rocking everyone who was there. —Sean O’Kane
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
The Lemonheads Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough
Friday, June 26th, 2009The Lemonheads - The Bowery Ballroom - June 25, 2009
“This show is for Michael,” announced Evan Dando, front man of the Lemonheads, as he began his show at The Bowery Ballroom last night. The shock of Michael Jackson’s death had certainly turned it into a surreal day, and Dando and his band were probably feeling a lot like the rest of us: a bit dazed, incredulous, nostalgic, sad. And then here we were at a rock show. Luckily the Lemonheads were able to provide us all with a much needed escape.
After treating the crowd of devoted fans to their old-school hits like “My Drug Buddy” and “It’s a Shame About Ray,” a man in front of me proclaimed, “I remember seeing them in Boston in ’87!” I imagine that hearing the Lemonheads’ bright, poppy, alterna-grunge live onstage likely evoked some fond flannel-and-Doc Martens memories for many others present as well.
Following a version of “Into Your Arms” with a more upbeat and aggressive edge than on Come On Feel the Lemonheads, the band left the stage and Dando performed a string of solo songs, including the melancholy numbers “The Outdoor Type” and “Being Around.” Lit by a spotlight at the side of the dark stage, he delivered the songs’ wry lyrics with his clear, deep voice and his signature relaxed—almost lethargic—cadence. Time may have passed since these songs were written, but thankfully Dando’s music (not to mention his grunge-era T-shirt, shaggy hair and modest, effortlessly cool persona) manages to transition comfortably into the new decade. —Alena Kastin
One Song, One Set, One Night
Thursday, June 25th, 2009Fatboy Slim - Terminal 5 - June 24, 2009
One song, two hours and just one man behind a laptop. While this may sound like an awful performance in its simplicity, it is a formula that still works for the 45 year-old Fatboy Slim. Removed for the better part of a decade from his last big radio single, he put the sold-out crowd at Terminal 5 through a never-ending ride of beats, infamous samples and even an air horn or two. He rarely left his spot behind his massive soundboard setup, save for a few times to share fist pumps and yells with the crowd from the edge of the stage.
Amazingly, Fatboy Slim never once played full versions of any single that made him so popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The show was much less about greatest hits and much more about various artists. His set started with a 20-second tease of “Praise You,” but that was all he gave of that song until it resurfaced at the end. Along the way he used every kind of music imaginable, ranging from mariachi to DJ Kool’s “Let Me Clear My Throat.” He even sampled the “Fatboy Slim? Just a band!” lyric from Dan Le Sac’s hilarious tongue-in-cheek “Thou Shalt Always Kill.” The full house enjoyed every minute of it, even screaming for an encore after the lights came up. Fatboy Slim never returned to the stage, leaving everyone to wonder just what an encore would be when the set was only one song. —Sean O’Kane
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
Bedouin Soundclash Fans Sing and Dance at Mercury Lounge
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Bedouin Soundclash - Mercury Lounge - June 23, 2009
Last night’s Bedouin Soundclash show at Mercury Lounge was a raucous dance party fueled by the sweet sounds of reggae, dub, ska and a little punk rock. The recently reconfigured Toronto-based duo—Jay Malinowski (vocals and guitar) and bassist Eon Sinclair—took the stage with an outstanding backing band that included a drummer and two horn players/backup singers/dancers who really filled out the band’s sound and excelled the exuberant live show.
Though they just released the digital EP Where Have the Songs Played Gone To on June 19th, Bedouin Soundclash played only one song off it: “On My Block,” a rocker with a great “na na na” refrain. Many of the set’s stand-out tracks were from their 2007 album, Nico on the Night Train (about a girl who stripped to put herself through school)—like the slow skank “St. Andrews” and “12:59 Lullaby,” which prompted many in the crowd to sing along. (Later, a song dedicated to all those singers, “Nothing to Say”—off the 2005 album Sounding a Mosaic—led to even bigger sing-along.)
Bedouin Soundclash does a stellar job of combining the influences of its members and creating a sound that is pretty much all their own. This sold-out club show was a major treat for fans, as after Bedouin Soundclash hit the road this summer—including a number of dates opening for No Doubt—there is no way they will be playing venues this size again. —Kirsten Housel
Photos courtesy of Kirsten Housel
Little Joy? Lots of Joy!
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Little Joy - The Bowery Ballroom - June 23, 2009
(Photo: Karine Carvalho)
Something was different at The Bowery Ballroom for Little Joy’s sold-out set last night. A member of the Strokes leaned in to the bouncer near the right of the stage and said, “It’s the 2000 crew again.” It was a bit of nostalgia. He was certainly referring to when his band stormed through the New York club scene at the turn of the millennium and, allegedly, saved rock and roll in the city. Whatever actually happened, it earned something approaching reverence, which is exactly the word loosely connected to Little Joy, a band devised by Strokes drummer Fabrizio Morretti. Now, Little Joy wasn’t attempting to save anything—just trying to finish their tour before going to Mexico.
Sonically, the heat of Latin America wasn’t a bad starting place: Rodrigo Amarante, a Brazilian, and Bikini Shapiro, a stone fox, fronted the band. Amarante opened the show alone but was quickly joined by the whole of Little Joy, including horns courtesy of the Teenage Prayers. The night oscillated between eruptive and quiet. Just like on the record, the music had its quiet moments and it had its movers. During “No One’s Better Sake” and “Keep Me in Mind,” the crowd shifted to the beat of something tropical and gritty. Shapiro was chatty in a suggestively thin dress while Amarante was an undemanding stage director.
Moretti would make only a cursory appearance in the set’s last song, “Brand New Start.” As an addition to the New York-downtown-Illuminati, Regina Spektor lilted onstage to add her vocals to the closer. It was raucous and a perfect conclusion. For a night steeped in the past, the show looked forward—with celebrity additions and rock history in perfect balance. It was, spectacularly, a little different. —Geoff Nelson
Patterson Hood Hits Crowd with Lyrics Then Guitar
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009Patterson Hood and the Screwtopians - Music Hall of Williamsburg - June 23, 2009
(Photo: Adam Smith)
Patterson Hood is one of those rare songsmiths who will get you to lean in closer so you can better hear the words he’s singing and then, once you’re within range, smack you silly in the face with some heavy-duty guitar. Such is the case with the Drive-By Truckers and such was the case last night at Music Hall of Williamsburg with his current side project, the Screwtopians. One minute I was straining to catch Hood’s lyrics (what was that he sang about “baseball and science”?) the next minute I was straining to catch my balance as guitars, keyboards, drums, bass and pedal steel whipped up a raucous rock.
Personally, I enjoyed it when things got a little quieter on tunes like “The Range of War,” where the lyrics were transmitting clearly and the pedal steel dominated. Then again, I’m a sucker for the pedal steel. Hood explained the project: Dusting off some recently rediscovered 15-year-old tunes riddled with the anger of a barely employed recent divorcée and then “responding” to them with new material written by the same guy 10 years later in anticipation of the birth of his first child.
The Screwtopians had all the earmarks of a side project with friends from other groups filling in the backing band and guitar players turning away from the audience to rock out, more like buddies in a garage having fun than a band trying to earn its keep. Perhaps the best part was the fact that Will Johnson from Centro-matic was in it—not necessarily for his playing in the Screwtopians, but for the fact that he was in the house to play an opening set. Johnson held down the stage with just guitar and voice, singing out of the side of his mouth like every song was a whispered secret to the crowd, but a stage whisper at best. His voice—loud, crisp, powerful and soulful—was the best thing going. He concluded with a full-band tune that had me hoping his next side project might be Will Johnson and the Screwtopians. —A. Stein
A Night of Guitar Rock at The Bowery Ballroom
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009Spinnerette/Band of Skulls/the Gay Blades - The Bowery Ballroom - June 22, 2009
When I ran into the Gay Blades’ Clark Westfield at last week’s Metric show, he squealed with excitement at the prospect of playing The Bowery Ballroom for the first time. Well, last night, the NYC-based duo put on a rockin’, cherry-poppin’ show. Westfield (vocals and guitar) and drummer Puppy Mills play trash pop—the result of two wannabe hipsters without a bass player, but making up for it with loads of confidence. However, perhaps what sets them apart most from the legions of other two-person noise-making bands out there is what they have to say—both in their humorous live show and their witty, often wordplay- and metaphor-filled lyrics. “O Shot,” which features some hard-hitting drums from Mills, had more than a few fans rocking out hard.
The three-piece Band of Skulls, from London, played a tight, grungy retro-rock set, though a bit more subdued than either of the bands they shared the stage with. Front woman and bassist Emma Richardson mesmerized with howling vocals and an oh-so-cool swagger.
The headliner, Spinnerette, featuring ex-Distillers members Brody Dalle and Tony Bevilacqua, on vocals and guitar respectively, put on their own rockin’ show—almost unexpectedly because the record’s sound is a bit more toned down and moody. All eyes were on Dalle. Years ago, she was quite obviously still coming into her own, perhaps somewhat left in the shadow of her famous then-husband, Tim Armstrong of Rancid. However, with her transition to a new life, including Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme on her arm and their daughter, Dalle has physically turned from girl to woman in front of our eyes, and her onstage persona has changed to accompany this new image: She’s seemingly softened over the years, and perhaps it’s because she no longer carries a guitar onstage, instead spending more time dancing and crooning rather than shredding and screaming. Interestingly, Dalle still has the adoration of her fans—many girls sported haircuts similar to Dalle’s previous styles, and the starry-eyed boys pushed up front to sing her lyrics right back to her. Overall, it was a great night of loud, distorted guitar rock. —Kirsten Housel
Photos courtesy of Kirsten Housel
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Patterson Hood Tonight
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Patterson Hood’s new album, Murdering Oscar (And Other Love Songs), with his newest band, the Screwtopians, is out today. And to celebrate, The House List is giving away two free tickets to tonight’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Patterson Hood, tonight) and a brief message telling us your favorite Drive-By Truckers song and why. Eddie Bruiser will notify the winner by 5 o’clock. Good luck.
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Dinosaur Jr. on 6/25
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
If you like your indie-rock bands rockin’—guitars, feedback, distortion—then you should be spending Thursday night with Dinosaur Jr. at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Don’t have tickets to this sold-out show? Then try to Grow a Pair of free ones. Just fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Dinosaur Jr., 6/25) and a brief message telling us why you deserve this House List hookup. But here’s the catch: You’ve got to do in the form of a haiku. Eddie Bruiser, perhaps the biggest haiku fan to ever come out of Bayside, will notify the winner by noon on Thursday, June 25th. Good luck.
The Aggrolites - Mercury Lounge - June 21, 2009
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Photos courtesy of Kirsten Housel
Band Rises Like a Phoenix at Terminal 5
Monday, June 22nd, 2009Phoenix - Terminal 5 - June 19, 2009
It’s strange how easy it is to miss a band’s rise in popularity. One minute it’s 2004 and a friend is playing you this “new” French dance-pop in a car, and the next it’s 2009 and that same band is taking the stage in front of a sold-out crowd at Terminal 5. While Phoenix has gotten a fair share of attention in those years in between, it has been most recently that they’ve reached the heights of that rise. Their set on Friday was sharp and impressive. The band bounced between songs that scream the ability to sell out arenas (like the two-part “Love Like a Sunset”) to simpler ones, like “Lisztomania,” which show why they still play venues like they did the night before at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Front man Thomas Mars excellently showcased those endearing moments that would fit tightly in a smaller club, but also knew when to take a step back and let his bandmates (Phoenix features six members for their live show) fill the three floors of Terminal 5 with more than just quick guitar lines and catchy melodies.
The rest of the set sparkled, and they wrapped up their encore with “1901,” the newest single off their new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. At the end of the song, Mars requested the lights be turned off, and when they came back on a few moments later, he was in the crowd, screaming along with the fans until the song ended. —Sean O’Kane
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
Passion Pit - Bowery Ballroom - June 19-20, 2009
Sunday, June 21st, 2009
Passion Pit’s polished performance at The Bowery Ballroom last Friday delivered the upbeat electro-pop that the group’s growing fan base has come to adore. The intimate venue served Passion Pit well. The group commanded the small space to draw in the mixed crowd of diehards and newbie fans. The set list similarly, and wisely, played to the mixed constituents in the crowd, alternating between überpopular songs like “Better Things” (with which they opened) and “Sleepyhead,” and lesser-known or newer jams like “The Reeling,” the first single off the band’s upcoming, debut full-length album, Manners. The impossibly and impressively high-pitched voice of Michael Angelakos (lead vocals/keyboards) remained crisp and consistent throughout the set and the enthusiasm and energy pulsating from keyboardist Ian Hultquist and samplist/synth-master Ayad Al Adhamy engaged the crowd in a ballroom-wide dance party. The five merry men of Passion Pit rarely stopped smiling throughout the show, and their obvious enjoyment of the music set the tone for the crowd to follow. —Theo Spielberg
Photos (from 6/20) courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | gregggreenwood.com
Andrew Bird’s Big Sound Fills Radio City
Friday, June 19th, 2009Andrew Bird - Radio City Music Hall - June 18, 2009
(Photo: Cameron Wittig)
When the curtain was pulled back at Radio City Music Hall last night, there was a wizard standing there. A real wizard for once: Andrew Bird, with spirals of looping violin curling around his lone figure onstage summoning more and more sound and releasing it into the room until an echoing cacophony filled the chamber completely. His band joined him and this noise became “Sweetbreads,” and the wizard behind the curtain became Willy Wonka. In Wonka’s world, everything is edible. In Andrew Bird’s world everything makes music—hand claps, whistles, violin, xylophone, guitar and, of course, his voice all moving together in a complicated contra dance. I have seen several amazing shows at Radio City, but never have I seen the venue filled with music the way Andrew Bird did: perfectly coating the walls and arching ceiling.
And never have I seen an Andrew Bird show so dominated by his voice, which stood out more prominently than the band and the looping instruments, whistling and all. Through a set consisting mostly of new material, the majority off of this year’s Noble Beast, Bird coaxed his voice and his band, a bit stuttering at first, then more confidently. Things really gelled midway through with a majestic, wall-of-sound “Effigy” followed by a powerful “Nonanimal” and a rollicking “Fake Palindromes.”
As the set wound down, supporting act Calexico, in full—more guitars, pedal steel, xylophone and trumpets—joined Bird and Co. for a climactic one-two-three punch. The 11-strong ensemble took a big sound and made it even bigger, finally exploding with a highlight version of “Scythian Empire.” —A. Stein
My Five: Jay Belin
Friday, June 19th, 2009
(Left to right) 1. Passion Pit 2. Dawes 3. Gentleman Jesse and His Band 4. Crocodiles 5. The Gaslight Anthem
Jay Belin is the talent buyer at Mercury Lounge. Lots of music comes his way, but these are the five CDs he’s listening to the most right now. Read below to see why.
Passion Pit, Manners
Who said being young, dumb and full of cum couldn’t get you anywhere? Well, two of three anyway. The hype machine is in full gear and why not—this record rules hard. I heart these guys and that was before hearing this. Manners only makes it easier. (Passion Pit plays two sold-out shows at The Bowery Ballroom this weekend.)
Dawes, North Hills
My love of this record has confused more than one of my friends, but there is something undeniable about the sincerity and musical ability of these youngbloods from the great state of California. It may not land in my wheelhouse, but these days it’s all I want to hear.
Gentlemen Jesse and His Band, Gentlemen Jesse and His Band
Things can go two ways when you hear a band for the first time at a show. This one obviously fell into the positive end of the spectrum. It’s been said before, but they fill the void left in my soul by the Exploding Hearts tragedy.
Crocodiles, “Summer of Hate”
Falling for a band after hearing one song is as dumb as selling the farm after the first date, but sometimes, if you’re lucky, it all works out in the end. The standout “I Wanna Kill” was built for skinny ties and confused Goths on dance floors across the country. (Crocodiles are playing Mercury Lounge tomorrow night.)
The Gaslight Anthem, The ’59 Sound
If you aren’t obsessed with this record, I’m de-friending you. Sorry for the drama, but seriously, rent a convertible, hit the highway and watch your troubles disappear in the rearview mirror. They’re the best thing to come out of Jersey since the Bouncing Souls (yeah, I went there).
© 2009
