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Turning Up the Heat on Americana

March 25th, 2013

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down/Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside – Bowery Ballroom – March 22

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down

Despite the still-cold-enough-to-be-winter temperatures outside The Bowery Ballroom on Friday night, the air-conditioning came on early inside the venue. There was doubt it would be a hot one. Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside started off things with their blast of badassery. Working off their new album, Untamed Beast, Ford, looking ready for anything in her short pink cocktail dress and vintage glasses, crooned songs like “Bad Boys” with purpose. This was old school rock and roll, like a soundtrack for dudes with cigarette packs rolled up in the sleeves of their white undershirts. “This song is about innuendo,” she explained before the sexually charged doo-wop of “Do Me Right,” but, really, the same could be said of pretty much every song in the set. The highlight was “They Told Me,” with the Sound Outside providing a sneering rock backdrop for Ford’s don’t-mess lyrics.

The room sufficiently heated, headliners Thao & the Get Down Stay Down came on next—frontwoman Thao Nguyen looking equally ready for anything in the soft T-shirt version of Ford’s outfit of almost exactly the same color. Although the Get Down Stay Down also have a new album, they began with their previous LP’s title track, “Know Better Learn Faster,” Nguyen’s guitar with an eerie pluck and the band quickly finding a mercury-raising groove. She started on guitar, but Nguyen was surrounded by an arsenal of instruments that she used throughout the night. As she went from guitar to banjo to mandolin to steel guitar and back again, bringing her unique sound to them all, it felt like the set was a challenge to make Americana music as steamy as possible. If that was the quest, mission accomplished: The crowd surrendered to the off-center funkiness, singing along to new songs like “City” and “We Don’t Call.”

Has a banjo ever looked or sounded as sexy as when Nguyen led the band through “Holy Roller”? Hers is a singular talent, creating a unique sound, but she’s not above letting her band take the spotlight. “The Day Long,” a slow cowboy groove punctuated by a dark, mysterious bass part, was a highlight. And although the set closed with new album’s title track, another banjo-fueled sing-along, the night wouldn’t have been complete without both excellent bands onstage together. The two forces combined for a pitch-perfect take on the Ronettes’ classic “Be My Baby,” with Ford and Nguyen sharing a microphone like bizarro twin sisters, and the thermometer in the room well into the red … or maybe even hot pink. Nguyen’s new album is called We the Common, but these two ladies were anything but. —A. Stein

Photos courtesy of Mina K

Tags: Bowery Ballroom, Know Better Learn Faster, Photos, Review, Sallie Ford, Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Thao Nguyen, Untamed Beast, We the Common
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St. Patrick’s Day Comes Early to Terminal 5

March 14th, 2013

Dropkick Murphys – Terminal 5 – March 13, 2013

Seeing a man walk down 56th street in a kilt in below-40-degree weather might normally seem strange. But once he was inside Terminal 5, where last night Dropkick Murphys played for the second night in a row, he fit right in. There, he and a few thousand other fans were surrounded by all sorts of things befitting a Dropkick Murphys show right before St. Patrick’s Day, including green balloons, green and gold stage lights and plenty of crowd surfing to Celtic punk.

Early in the night, bassist and founding member Ken Casey eased what might have been the one tension between the seven-piece and the crowd: “Regardless of our sports allegiances, we get treated like gold in this fair city,” he said as he thanked the crowd in his thick accent (which didn’t stop a “Let’s go Rangers!” chant from happening when they later raffled off a Dropkick Murphys jersey in Boston Bruins colors). The veteran band has become a well-oiled machine behind Casey and fellow singer Al Barr throughout the years, and it showed in their comfort onstage, even as they played at a wicked pace. Those on the first floor were moving nonstop for just about the entire show, and they rarely had a chance to catch their breath, as the band fit in as much of their discography as they could.

The community Dropkick Murphys have built over the years is impressive. Casey went so far as to refer to some familiar faces in the crowd as “legends,” and the band even allowed one onstage once they realized he wasn’t just another crowd surfer. But that regular wasn’t the only lucky guest to grace the stage. The group brought out two boxers, one local and one from Boston, as well as two other fans who “competed” in what Casey joked was Dropkick Murphys’ Idol. The last guests of the night came during the encore, when during “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced” every girl remotely close to the stage climbed up, only to be promptly followed by just about every guy during the next song. When the house lights came on and the hundreds of fans and friends made their way off the stage, the most appropriate song played out the crowd: “My Way,” by Frank Sinatra. —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of JC McIlwaine | jcmcilwaine.com

Tags: Al Barr, Dropkick Murphys, Frank Sinatra, Ken Casey, Photos, Review, Signed and Sealed in Blood, Terminal 5
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Sometimes Just One Album Is Enough

March 8th, 2013

Django Django – Music Hall of Williamsburg – March 7, 2013

The magic number was two last night as Django Django—the band with two first names—played their second sold-out show, and second show of their first coast-to-coast US tour, at Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was a lesson in symmetries and dichotomies, with the band taking the stage in matching-set shirts, in front of a backdrop that was two sets of old, vinyl slat blinds. As the show began, two crescent-moon smiley faces were projected on the blinds: a little bit silly, a little bit creepy. Like on their self-titled album, Django Django began with a swell of bird whistles and a building low-end roar of noise, which exploded into “Hail Bop,” the band and the audience wasting no time getting going.

The show was essentially a live-action run-through of their acclaimed album, each track hinging on pulsating rhythms, perfect three-part harmonies and infectious synthesizer grooves, one song tumbling into the next. The sound, like the lights and computerized projections mixing with glow rings and incandescent bulbs, was a hybrid of high and low-tech, like a tribal drum circle taking place inside a video game. Each member of the quartet spent some time on lo-fi percussion while the entire crowd danced to impossible-to-resist songs like “Waveforms” and “Zumm Zumm.”

On the flip side, a couple moments featured three guys on keyboards, the layered sounds filling the room with delicious melodies. At the close of each tune, lead singer Vincent Neff endearingly raised his arms in triumph like his team had just scored on a perfectly executed play. The set seemed to go by in a flash, highlighted by climactic versions of “Skies Over Cairo” and “Default” toward the end. The band and the crowd seemed to want to keep going, but as Neff exclaimed: “We’ve only got one album!” That’s OK, they played the heck out of it, and if Thursday night was any indication, album No. 2 could be magic.
—A. Stein

Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | gregggreenwood.com

Tags: David Maclean, Django Django, Jimmy Dixon, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Photos, Review, Tommy Grace, Vincent Neff
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Definitely Worth It

March 5th, 2013

Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls – The Bowery Ballroom – March 4, 2013

Just one song into last night’s set from Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, and you knew everything you needed to know about the British punk-folk troubadour and his band. Within those first five minutes they went from a driving, anthemic sound to a slow, intimate one and then back again. Turner led the crowd in clapping during the bridge, and they handled the sing-along parts without prompting, all while he belted out storytelling lyrics with his striking voice. For all the punk-roots talk and drinking-song mentality associated with Turner and Co., there’s nothing messy about their sound. In fact, throughout the set, they were exceptionally tight.

Each member equally pushed along the songs even while a lot was going on. Drummer Nigel Powell pounded out often syncopated rhythms as he twirled his drumstick between hits. To his far left, bassist Tarrant Anderson managed to squeeze a full-body upright-bass sound out of his electric one, even as he constantly (and somewhat spastically) yanked the bass around in wild directions. There was plenty of piano and guitar from Matt Nasir and Ben Lloyd, who hit their stride early during “The Road.” During the first half of the set, the band’s folkie side sounded so good it sounded like there was a phantom banjo or mandolin accompanying the music—and sure enough a few mandolins made it into the latter half.

Like an athlete warming up to perform, Turner’s voice got better throughout the set as it picked up some grit from the wear and tear of being stretched so far. And while the themes of his lyrics (hope, loss, self-doubt, recovery) aren’t too different from those other artists use, Turner and his band package them in what is maybe the best sonic way. His literal phrasing makes everything relatable, even if it’s often specific to his experiences growing up outside of London. That pays off when he sneaks in a lyric that is less storytelling and more reflection, like during “The Real Damage” when he questions with a yell: “Is any of this really worth it?” —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Hilary J. Corts | www.hilaryjcorts.com

Tags: Ben Lloyd, Bowery Ballroom, Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls, Matt Nasir, Nigel Powell, Photos, Review, Tarrant Anderson
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Bob Mould Continues to Rock

February 27th, 2013

Bob Mould – The Bowery Ballroom – February 26, 2013

To get started last night at The Bowery Ballroom, Bob Mould needed just a little bit of help. Something was wrong with his guitar’s connection to the amp, but with just a tap by his stage manager, the blue Fender kicked to life. “I’m out of my mind,” Mould said laughing as he ripped into “The Act We Act” to start the show. Needless to say, Mould didn’t need any help after that.

Backed by Jason Narducy on bass and Superchunk’s Jon Wurster on drums, Mould breathlessly tore through highlights of his impressive musical career. His nonstop grin seemed to be fueled by the freight train’s pace at which they played. The set’s first half
was a carousel of music from his different bands. Sugar’s “A Good Idea” was followed by “Changes,” and then before you knew it, Hüsker Dü songs like “I Apologize” were pouring out as well.

But before Mould jumped into the material from his newest album, Silver Age, he finally took a quick break to crack jokes with the older crowd: “How many people got babysitters until 1 a.m.?” He then settled right back into focusing only on the microphone, his guitar and showing that his new music perfectly meshes with the old, with wild songs like “The Descent” and the whip-cracking solos he’d let rip during them all. —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | gregggreenwood.com

(Bob Mould plays The Bowery Ballroom again tonight.)

Tags: Bob Mould, Bowery Ballroom, Hüsker Dü, Jason Narducy, Jon Wurster, Photos, Review, Silver Age, Sugar, Superchunk
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Desaparecidos Deliver a Noble Message

February 27th, 2013

Desaparecidos – Webster Hall – February 26, 2013

Desaparecidos, the post-hardcore/punk band formed by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst in the early 2000s, have recently reunited and taken their politically charged show on the road, appearing before a sold-out crowd at Webster Hall last night. Initially inspired by anger at the state of world affairs during the George W. Bush presidency, Desaparecidos’ return can be seen as a clear message that the world is in just as dire straights (if not worse) than it was when Oberst wrote the band’s early songs. Desaparecidos’ new material treads on some similar thematic territory as 2002’s Read Music/Speak Spanish: the evils of capitalism, materialism and an unjust war—with new songs specifically targeting such topics as discriminatory immigration policies in Arizona (“MariKKKopia”) and the plight of the 99 percent (“The Left Is Right”).

While addressing the crowd, Oberst acknowledged that undertones of pessimism and sarcasm run through the sentiments of their songs, but he expressed a hope to rattle people out of their own apathy. A noble message, though to witness the throngs of people in the crowd passionately screaming along with lyrics like “I want to pledge allegiance to the country where I live/ I don’t want to be ashamed to be American,” from “The Happiest Place on Earth,” it seems possible that Oberst may be largely preaching to the (angry, disenfranchised) choir. Even so, if Desaparecidos can use their biting lyrics and heavy guitar lines to incite and inspire their fans to become more involved in political discourse and activism, all under the guise of letting loose at a pretty great rock show, it would seem that their reunion has accomplished its goals. —Alena Kastin

Photos courtesy of Mina K

(Desaparecidos play Wesbter Hall again tonight.)

Tags: Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, Denver Dalley, Desaparecidos, Ian McElroy, Landon Hedges, Matt Baum, Photos, Read Music/Speak Spanish, Review, Webster Hall
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The Life-Affirming Power of Lord Huron

February 25th, 2013

Lord Huron – Music Hall of Williamsburg – February 23, 2013

The expansive, hazy mountain range painted on the backdrop that decked the stage for Los Angeles band Lord Huron’s sold-out show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday night perfectly set the tone for the band’s performance. The types of big thoughts that can pass through one’s mind when looking at such a perfect panorama—life, death, love, the wonders of nature—are all themes that pervade the five-piece’s sentimental debut album, last year’s Lonesome Dreams.

Full of jaunty, layered guitars and vocal harmonies, Lord Huron at times evoked the uplifting alt-country of My Morning Jacket or the Afrobeat fusion of Paul Simon’s Graceland, along with slow-building cinematic swells and joyful moments begging to be clapped along to. Although Lord Huron’s recorded music doesn’t shy away from the understated and mellow, the live version of numbers like “She Lit a Fire” and “The Problem with Your Daughter” had a much sharper bite than their album counterparts, while meditative number “The Ghost on the Shore” was wisely left in its minimal state.

The group’s lone cover of the night, “Strangers” by the Kinks, fit in well with the reflective, exploratory theme of the show, and its lyrics “If I feel tomorrow like I feel today/ We’ll take what we want and give the rest away/ Strangers on this road we are on/ We are not two we are one” seem indirectly referenced in the sentiment of Lord Huron’s lyric: “Out there’s a world that calls for me, girl, heading out into the unknown/ Well if there are strangers and all kinds of danger, please don’t say I’m going alone,” which singer Ben Schneider contemplates on “Ends of the Earth.” Lord Huron’s combination of contagious melodies with the lyrical voice of a philosophical and wonder-filled world traveler clearly resonates with crowds, and as everyone sang and danced along, the vibe inside Music Hall of Williamsburg was as positive and life-affirming as it might be around a campfire, if those misty mountain ranges in the background were real. —Alena Kastin

Photos courtesy of Mike Benigno | mikebenigno.wordpress.com

Tags: Ben Schneider, Graceland, Karl Kerfoot, Lonesome Dreams, Lord Huron, Mark Barry, Miguel Briseño, Music Hall of Williamsburg, My Morning Jacket, Paul Simon, Photos, Review, the Kinks, Tom Renaud
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Bad Books, Good Show

February 21st, 2013

Bad Books – The Bowery Ballroom – February 20, 2013

Returning to the room where they made their live debut in 2010, the combo group of Bad Books put on an arresting show last night at The Bowery Ballroom. The visible difference this time around was how tight the band was, whether it was the louder, faster-paced “You Wouldn’t Have to Ask” or the blood-boiling simmer of “Please Move.” This was thanks to the band—Kevin Devine and the members of Manchester Orchestra—having another album’s worth of material and a bit more experience playing the songs together.

There was even a noticeable difference during the slow acoustic songs (which is not something new to singers Devine and Andy Hull, who have played together acoustically for years), and those moments were elevated by those in the attentive crowd embracing total silence, their gazes fixed on the two singers harmonizing onstage. It was the kind of special moment both frontmen have cultivated in their solo performances, and it was nice to see it translate to a slightly different setting.

The rapport shared by Devine and Hull is reason alone to see Bad Books perform, and that was an important part of the show as well. The two cracked jokes throughout the set, but their bizarre humor was never more evident than when Hull introduced a “new song” by claiming, “This is the first song that Kevin and I legitimately wrote together,” before easing into half of a cover of Hootie and the Blowfish’s “Let Her Cry.” —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

Tags: Bad Books, Bad Books II, Bowery Ballroom, Chris Freeman, Hootie and the Blowfish, Kevin Devine, Manchester Orchestra, Photos, Review, Robert McDowell, Tim Very
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Tame Impala Take Sold-Out Crowd on Unpredictable Trip

February 20th, 2013

Tame Impala – Terminal 5 – February 19, 2013

Of all the considerable rock-band exports from Australia, it appears that Perth’s Tame Impala will fall much closer to AC/DC on the spectrum of greatness rather than, say, Jet. Having released two critically acclaimed albums, the band kicked off a North American tour to celebrate, starting off things last night with a sold-out show at Terminal 5. The set was as psychedelic, dreamy, fuzzy and trippy as one would expect, although the band had some tricks up their sleeves to make sure some elements remained unpredictable.

“Apocalypse Dreams,” the night’s first song, was played with a completely false ending: Following applause and a drawn-out pause from the band, the quintet surprised everyone by jumping back into an extended jam on the outro. They employed this trick again during “Elephant,” but instead of jumping back in after the applause for a lengthy guitar jam, they played just two short measures before suddenly concluding the tune. It’s like Tame Impala knew when their songs’ momentum was all but unstoppable, so they’d tease the audience by stopping—knowing full well the crowd couldn’t wait for it to continue.

For all the guitar effects Tame Impala are known for, there is impressively little difference in sound between the band in studio and live, in part thanks to Kevin Parker’s impressive barefoot dexterity. Taking the term shoegaze to a whole new level, the frontman adjusted knobs and settings on a massive guitar-pedal board using just his bare toes (sometimes even in the middle of a riff). The band returned for their encore to play “Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control” live for the first time ever. And you won’t find a more perfect song title with which to end a show. —Dan Rickershauser

Photos courtesy of Joe Papeo | www.irocktheshot.com

Tags: Dominic Simper, Innerspeaker, Jay Watson, Julien Barbagallo, Kevin Parker, Lonerism, Nick Allbrook, Photos, Review, Tame Impala, Terminal 5
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Jim James Is a Force of Nature

February 20th, 2013

Jim James – Music Hall of Williamsburg – February 19, 2013

Fans of My Morning Jacket’s perpetual motion machine, Jim James know there are (at least) three sides to his music. There’s the arena-rock star, there’s the folk crooner … and there’s the sexy soul machine. And while all three sides of his equilateral triangle were in evidence last night at the sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg, it was the latter that was in full force as James grooved and swayed his way through songs from his solo release Regions of Light and Sound of God. He took the stage beneath swirling crushed-velvet purple lights, and opening with “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U),” his voice was equally violet: half cool blue, half red hot.

This was a powerful start to the set. His band—heavy on the slinky electric piano and bass—seemed fully formed, well rehearsed and up to the task in only their fourth gig. The lights were perfectly synched to the song, going to black for dramatic effect when James sang “power going out” over and over in the coda. The energy only built from there with James singing “Know Til Now” and “A New Life” like the second coming of Stevie Wonder and Lionel Richie. “Of the Mother Again” was a highlight, with its distorted scratch-your-back guitar solo from James melting into some sugary keyboards, leading to the inevitable, and effective, use of the disco ball hanging above the packed dance floor.

Like all of James’s projects, this felt like anything but “something on the side.” Songs like “All Is Forgiven” had the band behind the man displaying a range of sounds, this one digging darker and mysterious with a sultry Arabian Nights changeup. The set closed with a long, seething slow-burn jam led by the superb bass player, as James eventually walked offstage while the band kept churning along. Of course, being supersexy can eventually become a tease if you don’t give ’em what they want, so the encore was an audience-gratifying miniset of My Morning Jacket songs: a solo acoustic “Wonderful (The Way I Feel)” followed by “Wordless Chorus,” “It Beats 4 U” and “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream, Pt. 2,” all perfectly handled by the band. While that would have been a complete 90 minutes of music, with Jim James, there’s always room for one more, so he went full rock star, closing out the night with a high-energy “Victory Dance,” the sexy snakeskin shed for one song, but not for too long, I’m sure. —A. Stein

Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | gregggreenwood.com

Tags: Jim James, Lionel Richie, Music Hall of Williamsburg, My Morning Jacket, Photos, Regions of Light and Sound of God, Review, Stevie Wonder
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From Quiet to Loud and Everywhere in Between

February 19th, 2013

Yo La Tengo – Town Hall – February 16, 2013

There’s something wonderfully peculiar about a Yo La Tengo concert split between two sets, one quieter and one louder. Taking the stage in front of cartoonish cutouts of three trees and before a sold-out audience, they kicked off their softer set with an acoustic version of “Ohm,” the first single off the recently released Fade. The song was played so softly that the audience’s excited “Oh, shit, they’re finally onstage and playing this song” applause came to a uniform halt when everyone realized “Oh, shit, I can’t hear this amazing song through our applause because they’re playing it so quietly.”

As soft as it was, Ira Kaplan, Georgia Hubley and James McNew’s voices blended together so well that it was nearly impossible to tell them apart. Kaplan’s singing on the acoustic rendition of “The Point of It” had dynamics turned upside down, singing so softly at times that it was barely there at all, as if to showcase the intensity of the expression through its own fragility. If the first half of the show demanded everyone listen closely, the second half was the payoff. Yo La Tengo brought out on an array of electric guitars, switching back and forth between new songs off Fade and older favorites. This old-song-new-song juxtaposition made it clear that the material off this latest album has already begun to sound as classic as old YLT favorites like “Tom Courtenay” and “Deeper Into Movies.”

The second set reached its pinnacle with a much louder version of “Ohm.” Hearing the song twice in such different variations made it seem the theme song of the night. Despite Kaplan wailing away on his guitar, at times looking like he was trying to strangle the instrument to death, the feedback screams that came out of it never felt abrasive. It was like all that noise needed to be there, a deliberately dissonant reaction to the song’s irresistible melody that felt missing when it was played the first time around. There may be no better band at forcing the harsh rock noise against timelessly gorgeous pop melodies. They’re usually blended together so well by the band that it takes splitting these two worlds to make them noticeable at all. —Dan Rickershauser

Photos courtesy of Stephanie F. Black | www.flickr.com/photos/blackfrances

Tags: Fade, Georgia Hubley, Ira Kaplan, James McNew, Photos, Review, Town Hall, Yo La Tengo
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Passion Pit Defy the Odds

February 11th, 2013

Passion Pit – Madison Square Garden – February 8, 2013

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night prevents a proper concertgoer from heading out to see his or her favorite band play a live show. The harsh element on Friday night was a blizzard, but it was matched by an equally momentous event: Passion Pit at a packed Madison Square Garden. And thousands of fans braved the weather and trudged through the snow en masse, chapped lips and soggy socks be damned. They were met onstage by a mirror image of themselves. Michael Angelakos, the main force behind Passion Pit, had a score to settle, and he wasn’t going to let anything slow him down. “About seven months ago, they told me we would never tour again,” he announced defiantly early in the set. “And now we’re in Madison Square Garden.” They obviously were dead wrong—and continue to be more wrong than they could have possibly imagined. Passion Pit filled the Garden, and they did so with the aplomb and sizzle of a veteran band seasoned on the arena circuit.

Looking sharp in a black, slim-fit suit and feeling daring (did I spot brown shoes and matching tie?), Angelakos navigated the stage like a young Mick Jagger while doling out hit after hit. Even though they just released their sophomore LP, Gossamer, Passion Pit favored cuts from Manners, the 2010 album that launched the band to indie stardom. I didn’t keep score, but I’m fairly certain they played the entirety of that record. It was the right move, as the crowd sang along deliriously to Angelakos’s sneakily catchy hooks from favorites like “Little Secrets” (“Higher and higher and higher / Higher and higher and higher”) and “The Reeling” (“Oh noooooooo / Oh nooooooooo”). Of course, “Sleepyhead,” which Passion Pit played as their short and sweet encore, was the standout of the album and the night, catapulting thousands of smiling fans into the air. If any of Angelakos’s doubters were in the crowd on Friday, a screaming and undulating Garden would have persuaded them of their folly: Passion Pit are absolutely an arena band, and their career is just beginning. —Alex Kapelman

Photos courtesy of Joe Papeo | www.irocktheshot.com

Tags: Frenchkiss Records, Gossamer, Ian Hultquist, Jeff Apruzzese, Madison Square Garden, Manners, Matt and Kim, Michael Angelakos, Mick Jagger, Nate Donmoyer, Passion Pit, Photos, Review, Xander Singh
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The Mystery Is Finally Revealed

February 8th, 2013

Shone – Mercury Lounge – February 7, 2013

Since late December, a viral marketing campaign has been surrounding a new Long Island band that involved typewritten letters delivered through the mail, hidden treasure chests containing song-filled USB drives and pieces of canvas sent around the country (which eventually combined to make the album art), plus a whole lot of theater around a character named Levi Gudmondson and his apparent mental spiral dealing with a supposed murder. That band tuned out to be Shone, and in the middle of the whole campaign they released their debut album, Heat Thing, and announced a lone show at Mercury Lounge, where the band was finally revealed last night.

Up until the moments before the show, speculation grew online, but the identities were no longer concealed once the band took the stage for a 40-minute set, basically made up of the album, which deals mostly with the story (and mental anguish) of Gudmondson. The band was led by Robbers frontman Andrew Accardi, and he had a supporting cast of six (plus a cellist for one song) that included his brother, Vin, and drummers Brian Lane and Ben Homola. Most in attendance were expecting theatrics akin to the marketing campaign’s tone, after all the show was sold out before any significant part of the album had even been heard. But Shone did something that was perhaps better by just playing a loose, wild and brawny set that matched the awesomely catchy, bizarre rock that fills their debut release.

While Accardi sported face paint as drastic as his onstage movements, his banter was light—and humbled: “So some of you heard the record … and still decided to come?” In all, it was perhaps as polarizing a show as the album itself. But just like in the campaign that started it all, the puzzle pieces fit, even if a few seams were showing. And for those hoping there’s more on Shone’s horizon, look no further than Levi Gudmondson himself and what he tweeted at (what seemed to be) the end of the campaign: “this is but a chapter….” —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

Tags: Andrew Accardi, Ben Homola, Brian Lane, Heat Thing, Levi Gudmondson, Mercury Lounge, Photos, Review, Robbers, Shone, Vin Accardi
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Walk the Moon Have Arrived

January 28th, 2013

Walk the Moon – Music Hall of Williamsburg – January 25, 2013

If Friday’s show was any indication, the time to hype Walk the Moon as becoming “the next big thing” has since past—because there were signs it’s already true. First, many in the audience brought their own face paint, which the band used to do as a way to engage with fans. Second, the first few rows of kids practically pulled muscles trying to Instagram the set list the second it was taped to the floor prior to the show’s start. Third, the band had a small army helping set up their stage and equipment. (Who says major labels are useless these days?) Fourth, and perhaps the biggest sign of all, was that the packed-to-the-brim Music Hall of Williamsburg was teeming with excitement, energy and joy throughout the four-piece’s energetic set—the first of three sold-out weekend shows.

With all that considered, it’s easy to imagine a flashy band, but the Ohio natives proved to be anything but. They focused on strong, multipart vocals, catchy songwriting as viral as the videos they make, and phenomenal stage presence. As lead singer Nicholas Petricca rotated between his two keyboards and a neon-painted floor tom drum throughout the night, guitarist Eli Maiman and bassist Kevin Ray bounced around their sides of the stage while drummer Sean Waugaman loudly crashed his skins and cymbals. This all came together perfectly on each of Walk the Moon’s songs, especially the vocally strong opener, “The Liftaway,” and during their biggest hit so far, “Anna Sun.” But picking favorites would be foolish, because there were no dull moments. For those observing the band from a distance, their rise inspired a feeling of: I hope they can keep this up on the next record. But Walk the Moon have rewritten the script to: I can’t wait to see what they do next. —Sean O’Kane

Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

Tags: Eli Maiman, Kevin Ray, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Nicholas Petricca, Photos, Review, Sean Waugaman, Walk the Moon
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The xx Leave Them Wanting More

January 28th, 2013

The xx – Hammerstein Ballroom – January 25, 2013

Both on record and during their live performances, London’s the xx have proved to be masters of dramatic tension. Although their music can be lush and layered, for the most part the band gives their songs room to breathe—spare guitar lines and plaintive vocals are followed by heavy pauses, and percussion often doesn’t kick in until mid-song. While this can be a potential test of patience on their records, live, the xx expertly play with these moments, building exhilarating tension as the crowd waits for that beat to kick in or that hook to start. Because of this, an xx show can feel like a well-executed tease.

At their sold-out show at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Friday night, the trio had the crowd in the palm of their hand from opening song “Angels”—performing the intro on a dark stage while obscured by a screen projected with abstract, shape-shifting images. As the beat kicked in, the screen dropped, revealing the black-clad band beneath three striking spotlights. But moments later, they were once again shrouded in darkness, and the song was over, like a sharp knife, expertly polished and leaving a clean cut.

The band performed a mix of newer songs from their 2012 album, Coexist, alongside crowd favorites like “VCR,” “Night Time” and “Crystalised” from their self-titled 2009 debut album. The moody, understated material and dim stage managed to create the intimate environment their music demands. The trio’s tunes have a subtle but undeniable inclination toward electronic music, and the dance breakdowns emphasized on songs like the steel drum–augmented “Reunion,” as well as “Night Time” and “Sunset,” contrasted the precise and exacting nature of the their music with moments of abandon and release. Of course, the xx were sure to cut off these uninhibited moments after not too long, always leaving us wanting more. —Alena Kastin