The House List » 2009

The Cribs Are Coming! The Cribs Are Coming!

November 11th, 2009

Twins Ryan (vocals and guitar) and Gary (bass and vocals) Jarman and their younger brother, Ross (drums), have been playing music together since they were kids in the late ’80s. But they’ve been doing it officially as the Cribs since 2001—although the lineup changed several years later when Gary, a Smiths fan, and Johnny Marr (formerly of the Smiths and currently of Modest Mouse), a Cribs fan, met and decided to collaborate. Eventually Marr, a talented multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, joined the band as a guitarist.

The Cribs’ first album as a foursome, Ignore the Ignorant, came out yesterday, and they’re playing two shows here before heading back to Europe. These lo-fi English rockers have toured heavily since releasing The Cribs five years ago, and their loud and rowdy shows have earned them a bit of a cult following and a loyal fan base, which is probably why Friday’s show is already sold out. But you’re in luck because there are still some tickets available to see the Cribs tomorrow at The Bowery Ballroom.

(Above, the Cribs play “Cheat on Me” in studio for BBC Radio 1.)

Tags: Bowery Ballroom, Ignore the Ignorant, Preview, the Cribs, Video
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Wolfmother Turns It Up to 11 over Two Nights

November 10th, 2009

Wolfmother – Music Hall of Williamsburg – November 9, 2009

Wolfmother - Terminal 5 - November 8, 2009

What was it your mother told you about making a good first impression? Wolfmother learned that lesson well, opening their show at Music Hall of Williamsburg with an eight-minute “Dimension”—an explosion of guitar and falsetto, machine-gun drums and bass. What was it your mother said about playing with matches? The band wasn’t quite as good with that one, throwing flame at the dry tinder of the audience. Never mind that it was a Monday night, it took about 30 seconds for the jacked-up, sold-out crowd to turn into a flailing mosh pit.

From there it was just a matter of playing with fire. Wolfmother leaned heavily on new material but strategically placed songs from the debut album throughout. Of course, these got the greatest reaction, with the crowd taking them in like an intravenous hit of an adrenaline-testosterone cocktail. These tunes were a bit more developed with long, pyrotechnic guitar sections and psychedelic breakdowns. Frontman Andrew Stockdale seemed to be able to flip a switch and turn a formless blob of volume and speed into a coherent sound at will. Never mind a lineup change or two, the band was tight and at his beck and call.

When the band hit “Woman” midset, the crowd and band merged with a crazy intensity, crowd-surfing, stage-diving and the whole lot. This was no video game. Stockdale joked about being warned that the Brooklyn crowd would just stand there, arms crossed, asking, “What have you got?” but the reality was kinetic craziness. Ending the set with a spacey “White Unicorn,” the volume maxed-out to the red, blowing a hole right onto N. 6th St. —A. Stein

Wolfmother – Terminal 5 – November 8, 2009

Photos courtesy of Michael Weintrob | www.michaelweintrob.com

Tags: Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photos, Review, Terminal 5, Wolfmother
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Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Blue Rodeo on 11/14

November 10th, 2009

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One of Canada’s most popular roots-rock bands, Blue Rodeo, has been doin’ it and doin’ it and doin’ it well since releasing Outskirts, in 1987. They’ve put out a slew of music since then, all the while honing their blend of rock, folk and country, earning them comparisons to the estimable kings of that rock-folk-country combo, Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and the Band. Blue Rodeo’s newest album, The Things We Left Behind, comes out later this month. But you don’t have to wait that long to hear the new tunes because they’re playing Mercury Lounge on Saturday. One catch: The show is sold out. But you can try to Grow a Pair of tickets 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 (Blue Rodeo, 11/14) and a brief message explaining why this ain’t your first rodeo. Eddie Bruiser, a sucker for a girl in chaps, will notify the winner by noon on Friday the 13th. Good luck.

Tags: Blue Rodeo, Eddie Bruiser, Grow a Pair, Mercury Lounge, The Things We Left Behind
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Alberta Cross Proves Why It Pays to Get to a Show Early

November 9th, 2009

Alberta Cross – Mercury Lounge – November 6, 2009

Alberta Cross - Mercury Lounge - November 6, 2009
A surprisingly large crowd made the post-work trek to the early show at Mercury Lounge on Friday to see the ethereal blues-rockers Alberta Cross. As a reward, the band put on a remarkable performance for an early billing. Alberta Cross is multifaceted to say the least. Swedish frontman Petter Stakee’s earnest vocals contrasted lead guitarist Sam Kearney’s violently melodic style and captivated the crowd. Behind them, the rhythm section of Terry Wolfers, Alec Higgins and Austin Beede helped the band jump from their more Southern rock-style jams to their lighter, more melody-driven tunes.

The band featured a heavy dose of their full-length debut, Broken Side of Time (released in September), and highlighted tunes like “Song Three Blues,” a slow-burning blues ballad. Stakee’s thin frame swayed back and forth when not glued to the microphone, dishing out his own dose of erratic guitar lines. Alberta Cross displayed incredible aural control, matching four-part vocals and wild instrumental breaks without letting their sound get too muddy and loud. Stakee’s voice rang the loudest, exceptionally showcased on “Taking Control,” on which he wailed in a strikingly high register. The band wound down with “Rise from the Shadows” (a song Stakee described as “gospel”), involving the crowd with the simple chorus and all sorts of clapping, and ended their early set all to quickly. —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

Tags: Alberta Cross, Mercury Lounge, Photos, Review
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Monsters of Folk – United Palace – November 6, 2009

November 9th, 2009

Monsters of Folk - United Palace - November 6, 2009

Photos courtesy of Dino Perrucci | dinoperrucciphotography.com

Tags: Dino Perrucci, Monsters of Folk, Photos, United Palace
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These Girls Are Smoking Hot

November 9th, 2009

Girls/Real Estate – The Bowery Ballroom – November 6, 2009

Girls - The Bowery Ballroom - November 6, 2009
Expectations invariably follow Girls. From their emergence on the indie-music scene, San Francisco natives Christopher Owens and JR White have captured imagination and awe. Perhaps it is Owens’s tortured lyrics paired with Girls’ ’60s pop-rock sound, an enigmatic combination to outsiders, but a magnetic force for fans. Or perhaps it is the steady stream of media plaudits for the group’s debut album, Album. Regardless, on Friday at The Bowery Ballroom, a sold-out crowd teemed around the stage to witness the band behind the story.

Real Estate, out of Ridgewood, N.J., opened the show. The quartet delivered washed-out guitar riffs with a cool, breezy feel. Songs like “Black Lake” highlighted the band’s use of muffled melodies to communicate laid-back ease. For their brief yet highly danceable tune “Green River,” Girls’ Owens lent a hand on tambourine. Real Estate has yet to release an LP, but their music is available on two 7-inch records, Fake Blues and Suburban Beverage.

As Girls took to the stage, the crowd immediately requested songs. “Lust for Life!” someone near me shouted. While this kind of heckling may throw off some bands, Owens and Girls never appeared fazed. The band played most of Album’s singles, including a mellowed-out version of “Hellhole Ratrace,” “Lauren Marie” and, yes, even “Lust for Life.” Owens switched between a vintage-style Rickenbacker electric guitar and an acoustic one throughout the show. White, solid and steady on the bass, and the rest of the newly revamped touring band ably backed Owens. Girls gave a solid performance for arguably the most-hyped band around. Owens, in somewhat of an acknowledgement to this fact, responded to an audience member asking, “Are you cold?” with: “I’m smoking hot.” —Jared Levy

Photos courtesy of Jared Levy

Tags: Bowery Ballroom, Girls, Photos, Real Estate, Review
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Ray LaMontagne – Beacon Theatre – November 5, 2009

November 6th, 2009

Photos courtesy of Dino Perrucci | dinoperrucciphotography.com

Tags: Beacon Theatre, Dinosaur Jr., Photos, Ray Lamontagne
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They Always Entertain, No Matter What They Call Their Band

November 6th, 2009

Islands – The Bowery Ballroom – November 5, 2009

Islands - The Bowery Ballroom - November 5, 2009
The Unicorns were a surprising mix of indie-pop experimentation. They broke all kinds of rules, all while crafting funny, ridiculous, hypertwee adolescent pop. Their first album was a critical success, so they immediately disbanded to reform as th’ Corn Gangg, briefly playing hip-hop covers of Unicorns songs. Following another break up, they returned as Islands, which, as Nick Thorburn constantly reminds interviewers, are forever. Two members remain at the core of all of these projects: Thorburn and Jamie Thompson, whose tumultuous relationship has spawned some of the most endearing and innovative pop songs over the past 10 years.

Islands, known for their onstage theatrics, didn’t disappoint. Dressed in all white, almost Greek-influenced robes with head wreaths, Thorburn headed the forum with a James Brown-inspired, diamond-studded cape. Comfortable onstage, all through “Vapours” he stared down at fans, baptizing them with a push of his hand, swiping their beer or even picking up a notebook left on the edge of the stage and writing the owner a note. There’s an inherent sense of humor to their music that still comes from that experimental place of unorthodox instrumentation and clever lyrics. Who else could passionately deliver “Uncross my arms/To disarm the car bomb/It’s taking too long/Something must be wrong”? Islands are taking their playful formula further and further with each album, becoming more polished, and reintroducing synth and dance rhythms in pursuit of that perfect pop sound. Saving the best for last, they indulged the crowd with “Rough Gem,” which launched the Bowery crowd into a final frenzy of indie-rock proportions. —Jason Dean

Photos courtesy of Mina K

Tags: Bowery Ballroom, Islands, Photos, Review
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Cass McCombs on Monday Night

November 6th, 2009

From Baltimore, the place that brought you Omar Little and “The Star Spangled Banner,” comes singer-songwriter Cass McCombs, whose calling card is his distinctive voice, both lyrically and aurally. Prior to actually releasing any music, his dark, funny stories earned him a slot touring with Palace (a Will Oldham—of Bonnie Prince Billy fame—band) and the Oxes, which eventually led to McCombs putting out his debut EP, Not the Way, in 2002. Two LPs followed before he found himself on the road with Modest Mouse. But since releasing his fourth full-length album, Catacombs, in July, McCombs has been the headliner. He’s off to Europe at the end of the month, but before that, he’s playing one last U.S. show, with Acrylics and the Bad Girlfriends, on Monday at The Bowery Ballroom.

(Above, Cass McCombs plays “That’s That” live in studio at KCRW.)

Tags: Acrylics, Bowery Ballroom, Cass McCombs, Catacombs, Preview, the Bad Girlfriends, Video
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See Monsters of Folk This Weekend!

November 5th, 2009

Monsters of Folk play United Palace tomorrow and the Beacon Theatre on Sunday. Check them out, above, playing “Dear God” with the Roots on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Tags: Beacon Theatre, Monsters of Folk, United Palace, Video
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Thao with the Get Down Stay Down’s Party Atmosphere

November 5th, 2009

Thao with the Get Down Stay Down – Bowery Ballroom – November 4, 2009

(Photo: Shervin Lainez)

The cover of Thao with the Get Down Stay Down’s newest album features frontwoman Thao hitting a piñata with a cheering crowd behind her (including the rest of the band). Never mind that the piñata is actually an oversize human heart and that there’s blood streaming out where the candy should be. It’s a perfect image for their music, a put-a-smile-on-your-face party. The tone of their Bowery Ballroom show was set before they even hit the stage when the album’s opening 30-second track, “The Clap,” played over the P.A. This was a directive to the crowd: You will clap. Sure enough, the rest of the night was a clap-along, sing-along, fun-filled Festivus.

The key word here is fun, and how could you not have fun with a band name like that? The music was deceptively light and bubbly, riding on a bouncy bass. Thao had a twitchy, kinetic energy with a slight rasp to her voice that was irresistible: It was clear that almost everyone in The Bowery, man and woman, had a crush on the woman and on the music. There is an indistinct ethnicity to the songs, a sort of Euro-Afro-Caribbean combo. This is sexy, flirty music, way groovy without getting too thick.

Before “When We Swam,” Thao explained that the lyric was “Oh, bring your hips” not “open your hips” and had her bandmates demonstrate a hip-centric dance move (“If you do it, you’re gonna get laid!”), then proceeded to flirt, PG-13 style, with her music, tickling her guitar and getting a giggly groove out of it. For the encore, they nearly recreated the album cover with nine people on stage, including members of the stellar opening act, the Portland Cello Project. It was a party, through and through. —A. Stein

Tags: Bowery Ballroom, Review, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, the Portland Cello Project
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A Double Shot of Wolfmother

November 5th, 2009

The psychedelic-tinged hard-rocking Wolfmother’s debut album, Wolfmother, came out in 2006 to much acclaim. With Andrew Stockdale on vocals and guitar, Chris Ross on bass and keys and Myles Hekett on drums, the Australian band’s throwback sound earned comparisons to Black Sabbath and Blue Cheer, and their music was featured everywhere from Guitar Hero II to an iPod commercial to Shrek the Third. But despite the fact that things were riding high for the power trio, just like on Behind the Music, backstage things were falling apart.

Citing irreconcilable differences, Ross and Heskett left behind Stockdale and the group’s name in the summer of 2008. Undeterred, Stockdale got back in the saddle, recording new material—in L.A. this past spring—with Dave Atkins on drums, Aidan Nemeth on rhythm guitar and Ian Peres on bass and keys. The band, now a four-piece, then spent the summer opening for the Killers. But since releasing another heavy-rock disc, Cosmic Egg, two weeks ago, the newest version of Wolfmother is currently headlining a tour across two countries in North America and two boroughs in New York City—Sunday at Terminal 5 and Monday at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

(Above, Wolfmother plays “New Moon Rising” on Later…with Jools Holland.)

Tags: Cosmic Egg, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Terminal 5, Wolfmother, “New Moon Rising”
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Heartfelt Music at Mercury Lounge

November 4th, 2009

Noah and the Whale – Mercury Lounge – November 3, 2009

It’s hard to say what this crowd came to see. Charlie Fink, lead singer of Noah and the Whale, sort of shuffled to the stage with his five-piece band fully intent on playing large swatches of their new album, First Rites of Spring, ostensibly a love note and a gigantic fuck you to Fink’s ex-girlfriend and former bandmate, Laura Marling. The record is a gut-wrenching exegesis on breaking up, and Fink is more than intent to play it the way a mechanic can stare into the bowels of your car and tell you, quite simply, your engine doesn’t work. Except that it’s Fink who is broken, which is exactly what the crowd has shown up to see. The band opened with “Blue Skies,” arguably the most uplifting of Fink’s tragic masterwork. Of course, this would be like saying The Old Guitarist was the most uplifting painting of Picasso’s Blue Period.

There are aspects of schadenfreude at work here. You couldn’t say Fink looked sickly or drunk or morose or any of the other signifiers that usually typify modern human breakups, and yet the music told a different story. Playing “Our Window,” which vividly describes the night of their separation, Fink was either completely satisfied with his documentation of this event or he’s still actively hurt by it. Either way, we’ve all stopped to watch his emotional car accident, beautifully scored as it may be. What’s that say about us, members of the nearly sold-out crowd, who came to witness this? Were we hoping to be healed in this fire? As the band ripped through the end of “First Rites of Spring,” you felt Fink connect for the first time with this catharsis we’ve come to be a part of. It was the last song of their main set and then they moved into “Shape of My Heart,” from their first album. It had a different tone but given the circumstances, whatever the shape of Fink’s heart, it was almost certainly still broken. —Geoff Nelson

Tags: First Rites of Spring, Mercury Lounge, Noah and the Whale, Review
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Five Questions with…Amy Millan

November 4th, 2009

(Photo: Courtesy Arts & Crafts/Finn O’Hara)

Amy Millan is a singer and guitarist best known for her work with the bands Broken Social Scene and Stars. But she’s also plenty accomplished on her own. Her first album, the roots-rock-filled Honey from the Tombs, came out in 2006. And she released her second solo effort, the spare Masters of the Burial, in September. As is usually the case, an accompanying tour has followed, which brings her to Mercury Lounge tomorrow night. But we wanted to hear what she had to say before then, and Millan—who claims her biggest nonmusical talent is “making soup”—was nice enough to answer Five Questions for The House List.

What’s the best part of playing New York City?
The first time I came to New York many years ago, I knew its reputation as being rude. I found it to be the opposite. It’s extremely friendly compared to say, Toronto. People don’t live in fear, so it’s easy to have random chats about random topics with strangers, if you aren’t an asshole.

What’s your favorite place in New York City to hang out? And do you ever feel like you could live here?
Angel’s Share, Central Park, Babbo to name a few. If I ever become a millionaire, I will definitely get a flat and spend more time there.

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?
There is a current of all emotion that you can dip your fingers into at any time if you wish to. There is a world sadness that is ever-present. So no, I don’t find I need to feel depressed to write a sad song. As with the last question, love is everywhere. Even in the gutter. It’s all happening to me. Even if it’s my reaction to someone else’s story, it’s still being interpreted by my feelings.

Your after-party is at Hi-Fi, the Avenue A bar known for its endless jukebox, and The House List gives you a buck. Which three songs are you playing?
“Lovely Day” by Bill Withers, “Only You Babe” by Curtis Mayfield and “The Whole World” by OutKast.

It’s 4 a.m. and last call has come and gone. What’s your next move?
Well if for some insane, drug-related reason I was not already in bed, then out the guitars would come and we would sing until the sun came up. —R. Zizmor

Tags: Amy Millan, Broken Social Scene, Five Questions, Masters of the Burial, Mercury Lounge, Stars
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