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A Foot-Stomping Night of Old-Timey Music

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Carolina Chocolate Drops - The Bowery Ballroom - March 14, 2010

(Photo: Bruce Deboer)

(Photo: Bruce Deboer)

It was another one of those crazy-weather weekends, so that by Sunday evening you could be forgiven for thinking The Bowery Ballroom had been lifted clean out of the Lower East Side, Dorothy-and-Toto style, and placed in some bizarro world where irony hadn’t yet been invented, iPhones are irrelevant and old-timey music is just plain old music. The journey to this place was provided by Carolina Chocolate Drops—the multitalented trio of Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson—who played a grin-inducing pre-bluegrass hill music: banjo, jug band, fife-and-drum, blues, gospel and the like. This wasn’t influenced by anything. No, this was the real deal. In fact, until they mentioned their Web site at the end of their barn-burning set, I wasn’t 100 percent sure I hadn’t been sucked back in time.

Carolina Chocolate Drops opened with “Starry Crown” and immediately the crowd was theirs. The sound was gloriously imprecise, like they were not only recreating the music they had learned from old records, but also the scratches and clicks the records are riddled with. The effect was intoxicating, as the energy provided by banjo, fiddle, resonator guitar, hand percussion, jug and the like prompted hoots, hollers and plenty of foot stomping from the crowd. Often, the spirit would overtake Giddens and she’d hop out of her wooden chair to flat-foot around the stage.

The set was a folk-art patchwork of unearthed 100-year-old numbers sprinkled with originals, sing-alongs, instruments being passed around, history lessons and self-deprecating humor. The band slowed things down a couple of times, including a wonderful “Genuine Negro Jig,” the title track from their newest album, but mostly it was an infectiously good time. The Chocolate Drops turned a full Bowery Ballroom into a cozy barn dance down in Carolina with the magic of a music that will last at least one more generation. —A. Stein

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A Band Makes It Rain

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Woods - Music Hall of Williamsburg - March 12, 2010

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How often do you stop to think about bands like Woods and Real Estate being from our backyard, here in Brooklyn? They’re waking up late, buying coffee at the corner deli, doing their laundry and playing the Music Hall of Williamsburg at night. It goes far beyond the slightly-cheaper-than-Manhattan rents: The sheer amount of talent in one place attracts a huge number of musicians who struggle to be half as successful as Woods. And this press-shy band doesn’t just play great music. No, lead singer Jeremy Earl is expanding discographies with his own Woodsist label, home to Blank Dogs, Kurt Vile and Wavves.

With that same community-cooperative feel, Woods kicked off the first show of their “No Rain” Tour alongside Real Estate. (And when you tempt fate with a name like that, it should be no surprise that the precipitation came with such force.) Earl, singing in the highest registers of Neil Young or Jimmy Scott, strummed sensitive indie country on a well-worn acoustic. G. Lucas Crane—singing into an old pair of reverse-polarity headphones—twisted knobs on the tape players laid out in front of him and added an old tin-can telephone layer of harmony to Earl’s already impossibly high falsetto.

The end result was an eerie, distant Siren’s cry that didn’t sound like it could come from just the guys onstage. Their songs open up, and given this room to roam, Woods let the freedom of their live performance take over. The familiar structures were recognizable, like in “Rain On,” but as a bottle of Maker’s Mark was passed around, the songs expanded into psychedelic proportions. And then Real Estate returned to join Woods for an all-out jam party on a staple of ’90s nostalgia, Blind Melon’s “No Rain,” which is when I realized the tour had nothing at all to do with the weather. —Jason Dean

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Yacht Rock!

Friday, March 12th, 2010

YACHT - The Bowery Ballroom - March 11, 2010

YACHT - The Bowery Ballroom - March 11, 2010
Value is often measured based on contrast. Good is understood in relation to that which is evil. Bravery is honored compared to the shame of cowardice. However, when an entity comprises disparate forms, simple evaluation cannot suffice. The most puzzling images and figures confound due to their contradictory nature. Yet, like an M.C. Escher drawing or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, art flourishes from unresolved confusion. It is perhaps for this reason that YACHT is currently thriving.

The duo of Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans package themselves as opposing forces. On and offstage, Bechtolt dons a white suit while Evans dresses in black from head to toe. Furthermore, although the two deliver evangelical messages and religious edicts during their performance, their Web site and stage design proclaim: “YACHT is not a cult.” Clearly they intend to personify that which they are and are not. Despite this façade of absurdity, Bechtolt and Evans create effervescent and captivating earworms. For this reason, they can draw a sold-out crowd at The Bowery Ballroom and persuade those in attendance to kneel, chant and dance.

During their short yet spirited performance, YACHT played the majority of their recent album, See Mystery Lights. The record plays on themes of death, heaven and hell but is in no way depressing or morbid. Even when it is in poor taste, as the group chanted the lyric “Do the Kurt Cobain and blow your brains out” from “B Side Suicide,” it was done with playfulness and levity. This charismatic energy was most apparent during the anthemic “Psychic City” and their show opener, “Ring the Bell.” Additionally, the duo constantly interacted with the audience, from descending into the crowd to laying hands upon eager fans. If YACHT intends to create intrigue, they have certainly achieved it with their personality and music. —Jared Levy






Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

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Foreign Born Doesn’t Miss a Beat

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Foreign Born - Mercury Lounge - March 11, 20210

Foreign Born - Mercury Lounge - March 11, 20210
L.A. folk-rockers Foreign Born rolled through Mercury Lounge last night, bringing with them a warm sound and a pitch-perfect performance. The band played a good portion of its newest record (2009’s Person to Person), sounding almost Celtic (guitarist Lewis Pesacov did an excellent job feigning the typical violin sound with his Gibson) and at times like simple, folk-based rock. Lead singer Matt Popieluch shimmied around the stage when not anchored to his microphone, accenting the rhythms provided by drummer Garrett Ray and their touring percussionist.

Even while matching as many as five harmonies, Popieluch and company never missed a beat. It was as if the crowd just happened to be sitting in the recording studio with them, far from the aural mess many live shows end up being. That said, the concertgoers weren’t just flies on the wall. Foreign Born threw in many clap- (and sing-) along moments, pausing both their music and their (self-provided) stage lighting to engage the Lower East Side crowd. The set, short and simple, wrapped just before the stroke of midnight, having covered everything from dreamily hopeful-sounding songs like “Early Warnings” and “Vacationing People,” to Person to Person’s moody opener, “Blood Oranges.” —Sean O’Kane





Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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Sunday Night with Small Black

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Small Black - Mercury Lounge - March 7, 2010

Small Black
In an appropriate coda to the fading electro craze of the past five years, newly dubbed “glo-fi” bands stepped into a void that perhaps didn’t even exist. Small Black is exactly one of those bands, not quite original but more likely a sharp, revisionist critic. After all, the lo-fi synth movement managed to fire this electro impulse through muddy, underwater effects and fuzz, finding rough choruses and beauty in something intentionally broken. If Justice is a metaphorical Saturday night, Small Black is a slow-drive, contrarian Sunday morning.

With multicolored lights echoing around the front of the stage, Small Black appeared four across, opening with “Weird Machines.” Not the least bit ironic, even given the collection of technology onstage, the song is endemic of what makes the band such an intriguing prospect: It is both anthemic and intentionally drowned in cold-medicine reverb. In what is now typical response, those in the crowd moved their feet and nodded their heads with vicious and responsive purpose. Running through the bass-heavy “Lady in the Wires” and some unreleased material before finishing with the antihit hit “Despicable Dogs” and the closer, “Bad Lover,” Small Black defined something both steeped in criticism and concerned with the contemporary.

As the lyrics to “Despicable Dogs” (“Do it without me/ Do it when I’m gone”) sailed out through flashing light and moving humanity, there was no extra significance attached as the second-to-last song of the night. The pathos was the narrative movement from bands obsessed with the dance floor to bands making similar music in their bedrooms. This is the soundtrack to a Breakfast Club generation that never got detention, a soundtrack for the kids who actually enjoyed staying home. If Small Black isn’t crushing your Saturday night, and this was a Sunday, they are the blinking, blurry eyes of a Sunday morning—criticism and coffee in the kitchen. —Geoff Nelson

(Small Black and Washed Out play Mercury Lounge tonight. The show is sold out.)

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Evan Dando Works It Out Onstage

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Evan Dando - Mercury Lounge - March 7, 2010

evan-dando
It was close to 1 a.m. at Mercury Lounge when Lemonheads frontman Evan Dando hurried onstage, mumbling about a flight from Seattle and apologizing for being late, unwittingly living up to the slacker image branded upon him during his ’90s heyday. He promised to make it up to the sold-out crowd and strapped on his guitar, beginning with “The Outdoor Type”—from the Lemonheads’ 1996 album, Car Button Cloth—a tune filled with his straightforward, self-deprecating lyrics. The crowd was charmed by song’s end and Dando’s tardiness was forgiven in just two minutes.

Performing as a solo artist seemed liberating and challenging for Dando. He reached deep into the corners of his catalog, honoring requests from the crowd left and right (“Hospital,” “Hard Drive”). Although he did appear uncomfortable at times. But unlike with his nervous stage banter, Dando eloquently expressed his thoughts though his lyrics. Without the fanfare of a backing band, such Lemonheads favorites as “My Drug Buddy,” “Being Around” and “Great Big No” seemed a bit more melancholy, with the lyrics at the forefront and the emphasis on Dando’s evocative, at times weary voice. Songs like “Great Big No” and “Bit Part” felt even more poignant after an offhand, awkward mention of his recent separation from his wife.

By nearly 2:30, the crowd had thinned considerably, yet Dando was still going strong. But it was unclear whether he was simply making good on his promise to deliver a worthwhile show or if he was actually working over some personal issues through his music. Dando closed the show with the possibly appropriate “Rudderless,” in which he compared himself to a directionless ship. —Alena Kastin

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Japanther Celebrates a New Album at Mercury Lounge

Friday, March 5th, 2010

Japanther - Mercury Lounge - March 4, 2010

Japanther - Mercury Lounge - March 4, 2010
Japanther is Brooklyn, a landmark of the days when anything past Bedford on the L was scary, when there were just a couple of legitimate venues—when it was still a little badass to live over the bridge. The signs of Japanther’s following continue to show up on construction sites and in the layers of stickers built up on traffic lights. The signs are such a fixture that they even made it into the 2006 Whitney Biennial. But the band is still humble about its place in NYC rock history.

Japanther has played every loft or basement, opening for every hyped band of the moment. And they always seem to be in the middle of recording another album. They have this insane DIY work ethic that’s help make them a success. So to see them at a record-release party for their eighth album, Rock and Roll Ice Cream, at Mercury Lounge was definitely a special occasion. Like their contemporaries Lightning Bolt, they make a rock show into an overwhelming experience. It’s not like you’re watching a band on a stage, instead it’s like you’re in the middle of their living room. They have to be seen live.

Watching Matt Reilly press play on a cassette tape of samples of a TV being flipped through the channels and Ian Vanek, sweaty and shirtless, pounding the drums—while they both sing through telephone receivers—just doesn’t translate into a recording. Last night they made Simpsons references, encouraged weapons in the workplace and slandered President Obama with such enthusiasm and punk glee that the crowd burst into a bodysurfing pit for each song. That’s what they’re in it for: the reaction from diehard fans and new ones who heard whispers at parties about what they were in for. It’s just another day at the office for the guys in Japanther, who never lost sight of why they love playing music in the first place. It’s never become routine because they continue to put on the best stripped-down punk show they can every time. —Jason Dean





Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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It’s a Family Affair

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Akron/Family - Music Hall of Williamsburg - March 3, 2010

(Photo: DL Anderson)

(Photo: DL Anderson)

Last night, under the psychedelic swirl and stripes, a nation was formed. Its principles? Set ’em wild, set ’em free. Its declaration? Fuck the weekday. Lead by its founding fathers, Akron/Family, this edict and a number of potent jams were delivered to loyal citizens for a celebration the band actually termed the “fuck the weekday party.” Dancing was done, revelry was made and no one in attendance could deny the forged sense of community. From the opening harmonies to the closing chords, the night was for everyone.

However, before the history of the nation is recounted, credit must be given to the founding mothers. Warpaint, principally composed of bassist-singer Jenny Lee Lindberg and guitarist-singers Emily Kokal and Theresa Wayman, lit into ethereal grooves before the already capacity crowd. Joined by Stella Mozgawa, an incredibly talented Australian drummer, the rhythm section was dynamic, and the interwoven vocals shined. Songs like the “My Guy”-inspired “Billie Holiday” and the dreamlike “Stars” showcased the group’s impressive songwriting abilities. Any preconceived gender norms that could be attached to an all-female band were dismantled during their rock-heavy set.

After a short break, Akron/Family gathered in the middle of the stage, forging together for an opening a cappella harmony. While the group has been reshuffled in recent years, their presence did not give this impression. Their energy was infectious and they, in turn, responded with loose but precise versions of “River” and “Phenomena.” For the encore, Akron/Family played “Woody Guthrie’s America” and crowd-pleaser “Everyone Is Guilty.” And as the nation exited two hours into Thursday, the weekday was officially fucked. —Jared Levy

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Rogue Wave Brings New Music to Williamsburg

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Rogue Wave - Music Hall of Williamsburg - March 2, 2010

(Photo: Sterling Andrews)

(Photo: Sterling Andrews)

Tuesday night is that nowhere-land part of the week, the point in the sentence where you’re not yet sure what punctuation is coming at the end. Tuesday is also the day when new albums are released, and so it was for Rogue Wave, celebrating the debut of Permalight at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The band hit the stage at precisely 11 p.m. and proceeded to play almost the entire new CD. They opened with “Stars and Stripes,” which was characterized by a heavy, smooth bass sound that seemed to set the bandwidth in which the synthed-up keys and Zach Rogue’s vocals operated. The first few numbers established a comfortable Homer Simpson ass groove in the couch, and the rest of the songs sat there, laid back and comfortable as all heck.

The live Rogue Wave sound is sort of an analog-digital hybrid, with guitars—acoustic and electric, occasionally with capo, slide and even bow—mixing amiably with synthesizer and glossy bass notes. The electronic side was a bit retro, maybe 64-bit, which was amplified by the display on the stage: a decidedly low-def screen, with big, fat, fist-size pixels scrolling indiscernible images in Day-Glo coloring. The change to acoustic guitar brought a songwriter-ly change of pace for “Solitary Gun” and “Sleepwalker,” the latter being particularly charged, with a nice building arc and crushing climax. Rogue had a little excited patter between songs, but would fall into an endearingly sung banter that ebbed right into the next number.

After a short burst of older material, they were right back into Permalight with their dedication to the cruelty of anonymous online critics: “We Will Make a Song Destroy,” which blossomed with angry electricity. And then, before you knew it, Tuesday was practically Wednesday, and an exclamation point was just a short ways away. —A. Stein

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Shout Out Louds Return to NYC

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Shout Out Louds - Music Hall of Williamsburg - March 1, 2010

Shout Out Louds - Music Hall of Williamsburg - March 1, 2010
It seemed like the stakes were unnaturally high. Shout Out Louds had returned from the brink of dissolution, back in a city they hadn’t seen in nearly three years—with an audience maybe even worse for wear. But lead singer Adam Olenius has always been a dealer in pain. Only now at a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on a Monday night, Olenius seemed aware of himself as fractured and aware of his crowd as broken and in need of pathos. Dressed in black and sporting the type of beard that, if we are to believe The Royal Tenenbaums, says, “I just tanked a tennis tournament, and the woman I love doesn’t love me back,” Olenius emerged in the flesh, entirely prepared to live or die with us.

The material off the band’s latest effort, Work, is darker in nature, driven at the soul of what almost killed this group in 2008. Olenius strolled out to the album opener, “1999,” and as locked into the past as the song’s titled suggested, he got lost somewhere before things went black. But slowly he and his bandmates found their stride, sounding explosive and pitch-perfect on “Tonight I Have to Leave It.” Minutes later, the band hammered through the latest single, “Fall Hard,” an ode to mutualism in the face of fatality. But Olenius was hardly prepared to give in, directing the band through a fuzzy, shabby-in-places rendition of “The Comeback.”

The set closed with “Show Me Something New” and second-album B-side “Hard Rain,” prompting Olenius to say, “This is for our Mercury Lounge days.” As much as the band was tied to its past, Shout Out Louds were still locked into the present. And then the lights went down, Olenius held his hands aloft and the audience was left with nothing but buzz and echo in the darkness. —Geoff Nelson





Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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A Sunny Day in Glasgow Play on a Snowy Night in New York

Monday, March 1st, 2010

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Mercury Lounge - February 25, 2010

(Photo: Drew Reynolds)

(Photo: Drew Reynolds)

A Sunny Day in Glasgow was literally what NYC needed on Friday night. The idea of any kind of sunshine was a far-away dream buried beneath the snowed-in streets, but that didn’t stop the band from launching their US tour in a packed Mercury Lounge. A Sunny Day in Glasgow is not sentimentally named. Instead, the moniker refers to what a freakish occurrence a not-gray day actually is over there. The idea of waiting out the everyday for those unusual moments exactly describes the group’s process, constructing dense layers of just barely melodic sound.

The blasted wash of guitar tones consists of a thousand individual chance elements. And the harmonies from Annie Fredrickson and Jen Goma, who sometimes seem to be singing completely different melodies and lyrics, come together in a way that can’t be planned. Rows of guitar pedals and samplers, with inexact dials and effects, add even more layers of uncertainty to the band’s live performance. Ben Daniels, a founding member, and Josh Meakim, both on guitar, certainly work hard to keep the saturated tones cooperating, carefully watching each other for changing effects and sound cues. Adam Herndon, on drums, provides the only consistent sound, keeping an even rhythm for the reverberated vocals from both frontwomen. It all comes together in an experimental twee soundtrack of dizzying heights.

A Sunny Day in Glasgow thanked the audience for braving the weather, but it didn’t seem to be on anyone’s mind. For this group, ambient shoegaze pop didn’t end with My Bloody Valentine, Lush or Cocteau Twins. No, they’re trying to create that unexpected moment when the clouds finally part. —Jason Dean

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Wild Beasts’ Warm The Bowery Ballroom on a Cold, Cold Night

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Wild Beasts - The Bowery Ballroom - February 25, 2010

Wild Beasts
“The snow had piled up knee high in the street,” is a line from Wild Beasts’ song “Two Dancers.” And as multi-instrumentalist Tom Fleming sang these words with wintry mounds surrounding The Bowery Ballroom, the music and band seemed to connect deeper with each moment. A sold-out crowd braved the elements to attend the show and Wild Beasts recognized this, abundantly thanking their minions. However, dedication alone did not draw a capacity crowd. On Friday night, Wild Beasts demonstrated that their performance is worthy of passionate devotion.

Since the release of their sophomore album, Two Dancers, Wild Beasts have been busy garnering accolades and touring extensively. Critics deservedly praise the British band’s recent record for its accessibly unique sound and varied vocal stylings. Frontman Hayden Thorpe employs an impressive falsetto and medieval-sounding countertenor, while Fleming croons with a strong baritone. The combination of their incredible voices with support from a tight rhythm section and spellbinding guitar work continues to attract fans across the globe.

Following a spirited performance from Canadian indie rockers Still Life Still, Wild Beasts took the stage with romantic poetry announcing their arrival. Thorpe built upon the theatrics already set in place by serenading the audience with Two Dancers’ opening track, “Fun Powder Plot.” During the show, Thorpe and Fleming continuously traded guitar, bass and keyboard duties, though Thorpe’s guitar seemed to malfunction toward the middle of the set. However, the band rebounded seamlessly, and the crowd erupted at the first snare hit of Two Dancers’ triumph, “All the King’s Men.” For an encore, Fleming chillingly belted out “The Devil’s Crayon” from their debut album, Limbo, Panto, and Two Dancers’ album closer, “The Empty Nest.” Although those in attendance had to trek back into the cold once the show ended, fans could look forward to the warmth of home and Wild Beasts repeated on headphones. —Jared Levy

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Punk Rock Hits Northern Jersey

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Dropkick Murphys - The Wellmont Theatre - February 24, 2010

Dropkick Murphys - The Wellmont Theatre - February 24, 2010
Last night, just two dates into their St. Patrick’s Day Tour 2010, Dropkick Murphys tore through The Wellmont Theatre, with Strung Out and Larry and His Flask supporting. Both Strung Out and Dropkick Murphys have been at it for more than a decade, and the veteran punk-rock lineup brought an exciting one-two punch to a sold-out crowd at a venue still new to hosting such shows.

Dropkick Murphys’ set began dark with a single light on Scruffy Wallace playing the bagpipes. But before long a fury of guitars exploded, led by Al Barr’s gruff and barreling voice. About five songs in, the band played a great run of “The Warrior’s Code,” “As One” and then “Buried Alive.” They later dove into yet another great run with “Forever,” “The Dirty Glass” and “Black Velvet Band.” Throughout the night, Barr ran feverishly from side to side of the stage, while his bandmates shared microphones behind him. Ending the set, Dropkick Murphys played “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced”—a song for the ladies, dozens of whom climbed onstage to sing along—and the Bostonian anthem “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” which saw many guys from the crowd join together with the band. —Kirsten Housel



Photos courtesy of Kirsten Housel

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Rocky Votolato Returns to Mercury Lounge

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Rocky Votolato - Mercury Lounge - February 24, 2010

Rocky Votolato - Mercury Lounge - February 24, 2010
Like scoring tickets to a Yankees’ World Series game or to see Lady Gaga at Radio City, winning a crowd’s attention at a New York City concert can be difficult. But sometimes all it takes is a few earnest solo musical acts, one of them being a storied and exceptional artist from Seattle.

Playing Mercury Lounge for the first time in four years—and just the second show since his sixth LP, True Devotion, came out this week—Rocky Votolato mixed a heavy dose of the new with some of the very old. Most of his songs (especially the newer ones) have a personal tilt to them, dealing with mental struggles and medicated solutions. Yet the warm, encompassing music was never as brooding as the songs’ lyrics. The section of songs off the new disc specifically made for a powerful experience, with hopeful and faithful songs like “Sun Devil” and charged, anthemic songs like “Red River” arresting the audience’s attention.

Once ramped up, the set quickly—but satisfyingly—ended with those in attendance showing Votolato what they had been holding back all night. When he played “Makers” (an anecdotal tune about time spent with Allen Ginsburg on the Lower East Side), concertgoers sounded somewhat prideful, as if they had adopted Votolato as their own, and their passionate attention was their welcoming present. —Sean O’Kane




Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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Don’t Miss Dawes the Next Time They’re in Town

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Dawes - The Bowery Ballroom - February 19, 2010

Dawes - The Bowery Ballroom - February 19, 2010
The L.A.-based quartet Dawes played a handful of NYC shows last year, all of them as openers. But on Friday night, serving as headliners, they sold out the venerable Bowery Ballroom. Much has been made of their musical roots and the precociousness of their debut album, North Hills—most often mentioning Americana and alt-country, or comparing their sound to that which has come out of the legendary rock and roll neighborhood Laurel Canyon, comparing their evocative lyrics to those of the Band and comparing their harmonies to those of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Instead, though, let’s just go with this: If Dawes were a van, there’d be a DON’T COME A KNOCKIN’ sticker on the back bumper ’cause this band rocks.

The group is led by its 24-year-old frontman, Taylor Goldsmith, who has serious pipes, dexterous guitar skills and exuberance and stage presence to spare. (Plus, he resembles a beardless Charlie Day.) And although he sings and rips it on guitar, the rest of the band—Wylie Gelber on bass, Griffin Goldmsith (Taylor’s 19-year-old brother) on drums and Alex Casnoff on keys—is just as talented. The show began with a mellow one-two punch of “When You Call My Name” and “Give Me Time” before Taylor happily addressed the crowd: “Last February, we were the first of three bands to play here. And look at us now!”

But something special about this band is how easily they move from a slow song, like the harmonious new tune “So Well” to an upbeat one, like “My Girl to Me,” which really comes to rocking life onstage. Of course, the high point of the night was probably the band’s set closer, the anthem “When My Time Comes,” which inspired the most rousing, fist-pumping sing-along The Bowery Ballroom has seen in quite some time. That moment would have been a fitting end to the show. But this was Friday night in New York City, and the headlining Dawes didn’t disappoint with their two-song encore—a pitch-perfect take on Warren Zevon’s resplendent “Lawyers, Guns and Money” and a dreamy, swirling, jammed-out “Peace in the Valley.” It made for one hell of a Friday night. —R. Zizmor




Photos courtesy of Gregg Greenwood | www.gregggreenwood.com

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Reinterpreting the Girl-Group Sound

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Dum Dum Girls - Mercury Lounge - February 21, 2010

Dum Dum Girls - Mercury Lounge - February 21, 2010

Dum Dum Girls are the handiwork of Kristin Gundred, a.k.a. Dee Dee, and they sound like a West Coast answer to the fuzzed-out pop of the Vivian Girls. After the breakup of Grand Ole Party, Dee Dee returned to her roots to write catchy low-fi guitar pop that was “obsessed with a big chorus. I want everything to sound like a single.” Sounding like the stepdaughters of the Raveonettes—or the original bad girls, the Shangri-Las—Dum Dum Girls have even gone to the length of working with Richard Gottehrer, the man behind the ’60s girl group the Angels’ No. 1 hit, “My Boyfriend’s Back,” for their new album, I Will Be.

Like with the openers, Frankie Rose and the Outs, Dum Dum Girls’ sound is a departure from their classic girl-group garage counterparts. Dum Dum Girls have clearly adopted the idea that less fidelity is more aesthetic on their Captured Tracks EP, favoring a sonic wall of jangly guitar and distorted-harmony vocals that are best served loud.

Last night at Mercury Lounge, Dee Dee belted out her mix of subversion and sugary harmonies on her new single, “Jail La La,” dressed in an ironic, black, huge-sleeved prom dress. “Play with Fire,” a Rolling Stones cover, was reinterpreted by the dressed-in-black quartet, a calculated facade in direct opposition to the candied sweetness of the echo-heavy choir sound. The pairing with Frankie Rose’s new solo project was the perfect lineup. Besides Ms. Rose being a part of both groups, it’s proof there are endless inspired variations in reinterpreting the girl-group garage sound. —Jason Dean





Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

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Editors Finally Return to NYC

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Editors - Terminal 5 - February 19, 2010

Editors - Terminal 5 - February 19, 2010
After a two-year absence from playing in New York City, Editors returned to Terminal 5 on Friday night with a great set and a ton of passion. Following two stellar opening performances by the Dig and the Antlers, lead singer Tom Smith warmed the crowd with a sharp, nearly totally instrumental opening song. When moving to the second song, “Lights,” he laughed off how out of tune his guitar was, grabbing another from his tech. And as they jaunted through their set, it was easy to tell just how focused they were on pleasing the crowd, something that went over well with the packed house.

Their music, familiar to most New Yorkers, thanks to the presence of hometown rockers like Interpol, had the crowd’s attention for the entire hour-and-a-half set. Drummer Ed Lay mixed in heavy doses of a drum machine with his actual drumming, strengthening the band’s modern take on the ’80s Brit-rock sound that borrowed heavily from bands like Joy Division and the Cure. Smith never stayed static, even while at his piano, switching microphones and never giving the crowd the same look twice from song to song. Still doing all they could to please by the end, Editors finished their set with the hit “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,” and then taking their encore past the posted 11:00 p.m. curfew. —Sean O’Kane





Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

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