El Ten Eleven – Mercury Lounge – September 18, 2010
If you had closed your eyes during El Ten Eleven’s set at Mercury Lounge on Saturday, the music may have sounded not entirely different from the glitch rock of Dosh, the band that played just before their set. But with eyes open it was easy to see how different the group approaches that sound. Armed with two different double-necked axes (one neck for bass, one for guitar), Kristian Dunn led the duo with dazzling dexterity on the necks of his guitars and the pedals that he fed and looped his many sounds through. Drummer Tim Fogarty oscillated between a full drum kit and a handful of electronic drum equipment tucked into the corner of his setup, providing a blend of rugged and danceable sounds beneath Dunn’s loops. That flexibility let them wander from jazz-style tracks to songs that could be right off a Faint album.
When Dunn wasn’t speeding through blindingly fast picking and hammering, he orchestrated sounds much larger than a two-piece normally has, but without using his pedals as a crutch. Cleverly constructed lines complemented one another each time they looped around, which allowed Dunn to improvise over them, and just as that action built to a climax he and Fogarty would halt the momentum and move to the next part of the song, toying with and exciting the crowd. In fact the packed house was so attuned to El Ten Eleven’s music that there were distinct moments of call-and-response between the crowd and the band, an odd experience when there are no lyrics to prompt it. This was a pure musician’s set, made especially for those who appreciate music in all of its detailed facets. —Sean O’Kane
Jamie Lidell grew up in England but now lives in Manhattan. He got started as an electronica producer and, in the late ’90s, teamed up with another producer with a similar background, Christian Vogel, in (the oddly spelled) Super_Collider. The duo put out two experimental-techno albums and had a club hit in “Darn (Cold Way of Lovin’).” Lidell (above, doing “Multiply” in Belgium on De Laatste Show) probably could’ve had a terrific career crafting nothing but instrumental music, instead he kept moving forward and next took on perhaps the best job title in the world: soul singer. He’s released four well-received albums of interesting layered music, including this year’s Compass, which features guests like Beck, Feist and members of Grizzly Bear. Lidell is an energetic live performer (he’s even known to beatbox), which you can see for yourself on Saturday night at Webster Hall.
The Bad Plus – The Bowery Ballroom – September 15, 2010
A jazz band playing a gig in a rock club can seem like a bit of a gimmick. Then again, a lot of things the Bad Plus do sometimes seem like gimmicks at first glance. But sleight of hand hasn’t kept this trio in the jazz elite the past 10 years. And it wasn’t gimmickry that brought the audience to The Bowery Ballroom last night, successfully demanding a second encore as Ethan Iverson (piano), Dave King (drums) and Reid Anderson (bass) celebrated a decade as the Bad Plus and the release of their newest album.
Playing mostly tunes from Tuesday’s release, Never Stop, the band romped through dancehall beats, pensive blues, expansive pop numbers and, of course, uncaged piano jazz. The Bad Plus is a representative democracy with each member adding his point of view to the set. Iverson’s “Bill Hickman at Home,” proved to be a brooding-blues image of the slowed-down home life of the famed stunt driver, and King’s “My Friend Metatron” was a shape-shifting revelation. But Anderson’s intense compositions marked the night’s most powerful moments. “People Like You” was a soul-stroking masterpiece, tiptoeing to its climax as the audience silently looked on for nearly eight minutes. I’ve never experienced the Ballroom like this: You could actually hear the floorboards creaking beneath the swaying crowd with barely a stifled cough to break the trance.
Late in the set, the title track—a fractured disco number—got such a rousing ovation, that it wasn’t clear if the clapping would ever end. Later, the Bad Plus returned for an encore and reprised the song in its entirety, just on a lark, clearly enjoying their rock-star moment. Even after throwing in their tempo-shifting take on the Rodgers and Hart staple “Have You Met Miss. Jones,” the crowd was not satisfied. For a jazz trio renowned for reconstructing rock and pop covers on a nightly basis, it took a second encore for them to oblige their rock-club surroundings, offering a perfect cover of Aphex Twin’s “Flim” to end a perfect 10th-birthday party. —A. Stein
The Icelandic symphonic black-metal band Dimmu Borgir (the name comes from a volcanic formation in Iceland) has had numerous lineup changes since forming back in 1993. Although Shagrath (vocals) and Silenoz (guitar) are the engaging group’s only remaining founding members, the music continues to be as intense and complex as ever. Their ninth album, Abrahadabra, comes out next month, and tickets for the group’s Terminal 5 show on 11/8 go on sale tomorrow, but you can check out the brand new video for “Gateways” above.
Since forming back in 1997, Of Montreal’s lineup and sound have changed, but the one constant has been Kevin Barnes, who got the impetus to create the band following the end of a relationship with a girl from—you guessed right—Montreal. The group he founded has been active in the collaborative indie-pop community in Athens, Ga., and has been involved with the Elephant 6 Recording Company, a musicians’ collective.
As Barnes has gone through life changes—getting married, moving to Norway to have a child, coming back to the U.S., briefly getting separated from his wife and daughter before reuniting—so has the tone of the music. The band has incorporated synthesizers and different elements of funk, pop, psychedelia and rock into the songs Barnes writes. And being surrounded by so much creativity, he writes a lot: They’ve released six EPs and 10 studio albums, the most recent of which, False Priest, came out yesterday. To celebrate, Of Montreal (above, doing “An Eluardian Instance” on Late Show with David Letterman) and the very talented Janelle Monae play Terminal 5 on Friday and Saturday.
Pianist Ben Thornewill, guitarist Tommy Siegel and drummer Jesse Kristin met while attending George Washington University. They initially formed a band called the Sunday Mail, but it didn’t take. After a hiatus, the trio changed the name to Jukebox the Ghost, and after graduation they moved to Philadelphia. The group has been steadily touring behind catchy music ever since, and with their second album, Everything Under the Sun, coming out last Tuesday, Jukebox the Ghost (above, playing “Schizophrenia” on Late Show with David Letterman) comes to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday. The House List wants you to be there, but this is more than just a ticket giveaway. Sure, we’re offering up a pair of tickets, but the winner will also get access to the band’s sound check and a signed CD. Pretty sweet, right? Just fill out the form below, including your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Jukebox the Ghost, 9/16) and a brief message explaining why in the age of MP3s, CDs are still cool. The winner will be notified by Thursday. Good luck!
Aziz Ansari came to New York City for college. While attending NYU, he got into stand-up comedy, which eventually led to Human Giant, a sketch-comedy show on MTV, and other acting roles. He’s perhaps best known for playing the lewd Raaaaaaaandy in Funny People (“It was an amalgam of stuff I’d see kill at comedy clubs that I thought was terrible”) and the lovelorn Tom Haverford on Parks and Recreation. To work on the show, Ansari had to move out to L.A., and once there, he “had to get used to a much higher intake of delicious tacos.” With such success at a young age, it would be easy to rest on his laurels, but that’s clearly not the case: The South Carolina native released his debut CD/DVD, Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening, in January; he hosted the 2010 MTV Movie Awards in June; and he comes to The Wellmont Theatre tomorrow. But first, Aziz Ansari answered Five Questions for The House List.
What band/music is your guilty pleasure to listen to?
Weirdly enough, just since this past weekend I’ve been heavily rocking “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base. Then yesterday, I saw they are doing a comeback and they replaced the two ladies with younger girls! That is brutal. Could you imagine being the girls in Ace of Base? Girls: “Yeah! A reunion is a great idea!” Dudes: “Hahahaha! Are you fucking kidding me?! You’re way too old to be in Ace of Base!”
Were you much of a sitcom fan before joining Parks and Rec? And if so, what are some of your favorites?
Definitely. I love(d) Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office (U.K. and U.S.), Extras, Eastbound and Down and Delocated. When I first sat down with Mike Schur and Greg Daniels, the executive producers on Parks, I thought the U.S. Office was the best network sitcom on TV (which they also produced), so signing up to work with them was an easy decision.
Does Nick Offerman ever offer you any facial-hair grooming tips? Nick Offerman is the nicest, sweetest dude ever. We’re off for the summer and I really miss that dude and his mustache. When we wrapped I wanted him to shave his mustache and sell it for charity, but something happened and he had to shave it off real quick for an acting role and we couldn’t do it. Wait, that makes no sense, I don’t know what role would be like, “Nick, shave that thing NOW!” Anyway, something happened and he couldn’t preserve it.
When you do stand-up, you’re responsible for everything. And on Human Giant, it seems like the four of you did a lot of work. How is it being a supporting player on a TV show considering you don’t have as many responsibilities?
It is a fucking breeze! I come in, pretend to be a parks-department employee for a bit, and the rest of the time I’m watching Dexter in my trailer. I’m only slightly joking. The truth is I’m so lucky to be on a show like Parks where there are so many talented writers, producers and actors that I can just play a small part of a bigger entity. With something like Human Giant, my stand-up or hosting the MTV Movie Awards, a lot of more of it is on my shoulders. With Parks, I really trust our producers to make the show really funny. It’s great having one project where I have less responsibility but can still count on it to be something I’m proud of.
Where do you like to hang out in NYC? And do you ever think about living here again?
I’ve been filming a movie in Michigan this summer and escaping to New York when I can. I really miss living there. Some places I love are Momofuku Ssäm Bar, PDT, Bowery Ballroom (probably my favorite venue in NYC), Luke’s Lobster Roll, Shake Shack, Turntable Lab, Strand Bookstore, Bowery Hotel, Ace Hotel, Union Hall, Other Music, Cones, and Kim’s Music and Video (R.I.P. St. Mark’s location). I know I listed a lot of restaurants, but you have to understand a lot of my New York-trip itineraries are food-centric. I ABSOLUTELY think about moving back. L.A. is great and unfairly demonized, but New York on a nice day beats EVERYWHERE. I’ve thought about coming back and just working on stand-up and movie scripts for a few months, but things always pop up to derail plans of that nature. —R. Zizmor
Superchunk’s first new full-length album in nine years, Majesty Shredding, is out today, and the band comes to town to play two shows this weekend: The Bowery Ballroom on Saturday and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sunday. Alas, they’re both sold out, but you’ve still got a chance to see the pride of Chapel Hill, N.C., because The House List is giving away two tickets to Saturday’s show. Want to go? Then try to Grow a Pair. It’s easy. Just fill out the form below, including your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Superchunk, 9/18) and a brief message explaining what Superchunk’s return means to you. Eddie Bruiser, who’d really like to know, will notify the winner by Friday. Good luck.
