This is the time of the year when people spend time—too much, perhaps—with their families. Well, imagine working with your sibling every day. That’s what brother and sister Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger do under the name the Fiery Furnaces. They grew up in a musical family in the suburbs of Chicago, but they started their band in, you guessed it, Brooklyn. Matthew handles the majority of the songwriting and in-studio instrumentation, while Eleanor is in charge of the vocals—but the group performs as a foursome in concert. Their debut album, Gallowsbird’s Bark, came out in 2003, and, with their garage-blues sound, the Fiery Furnaces instantly earned comparisons to the White Stripes. They’ve since released a handful of singles, a live disc and seven more studio albums (one featuring their grandmother), the two most recent of which, I’m Going Away and Take Me Round Again, came out in July and November, respectively. With plenty of new material, the Fiery Furnaces are spending their weekend in New York City, tomorrow at Music Hall of Williamsburg and on Saturday at The Bowery Ballroom. See them, above, playing “Ex Guru” in studio for KCRW and then go see them in person.
Archive for the ‘Video’ Category
Two Chances to See the Fiery Furnaces
Thursday, December 10th, 2009See Rooney This Friday
Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
The L.A. pop-rock five-piece Rooney got started about a decade ago. Before ever releasing an album, they received plum spots opening for Weezer and the Strokes, in 2002. After more tours—with the Donnas and OK Go and then Pete Yorn and Grandaddy—Rooney’s self-titled debut disc finally came out in May of 2003. And, suddenly, the band that had previously been known for singer Robert Schwartzman’s famous lineage, was getting recognized for their fine music. They garnered even more attention when they performed on The O.C. in early 2004. A second album, Calling the World, followed the next year. And now Rooney is back with a new EP, Wild One. (Stream it here.) The album is only available for purchase at their shows, which works out well because they play Webster Hall on Friday.
(Check out Rooney, above, covering CCR’s “Lookin’ Out My Back Door” and the Band’s “The Weight” in a hotel room.)
See AA Bondy Tomorrow Night
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Scott Bondy was a member of the early-’90s Birmingham, Ala., band Verbena. When they broke up several years ago, Bondy emerged through Verbena’s distorted-guitar, Southern-grunge sound with a new first name—AA—and a different musical focus—blues, folk and country but with his same smooth voice. He cut his first solo album, American Hearts, in home studios in Mississippi and upstate New York, and it was eventually released on Fat Possum Records. Pleased with the results, Bondy recorded another album of taut storytelling, When the Devil’s Loose, which came out in September. He’s been touring in support of the album ever since. And that tour closes tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom. Check out AA Bondy, above, playing “I Can See the Pines Are Coming” for the Trip Wire and then do yourself a favor and go see him play live.
The XX Marks the Spot
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
In 2005, four schoolmates—Romy Madley Croft (vocals and guitar), Baria Qureshi (keyboards and guitar), Oliver Sim (vocals and bass) and Jamie Smith (beats and samples)—who shared a similar taste in music, from the Cure to the Pixies to Missy Elliott, joined together to form the XX. The band’s self-titled debut, marked by quiet vocal duets and an efficient use of samples, came out earlier this year to much acclaim. Last month, Qureshi left the band, citing exhaustion. But the show must go on, so the XX continues as a trio. They open for Friendly Fires this Saturday at Webster Hall, but that show is sold out (although you can try to Grow a Pair of free tickets). Fortunately, the XX will be back on April 22nd at Terminal 5. Check them out, above, playing “Night Time” on Later…with Jools Holland.
Elvis Perkins in New York City
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Last time Elvis Perkins in Dearland was in town, back in March, the show somehow ended literally underground in the JMZ subway station across the street from Bowery Ballroom. A small group of musicians—members of Dearland and opener Himalayas (who also open Saturday’s show)—played unplugged with an equally small crowd clapping, dancing and singing along as the late-night MTA platform power washers gawked. It was a show that didn’t want to end.
Since then, I’ve seen Perkins and Co. play a surprising, pitch-perfect cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” in the early-afternoon Tennessee sun at Bonnaroo and invite the 20-plus choir of the Shape Note Singers to join them onstage in a powerful moment at the Newport Folk Festival in August. Which is all a way of saying that it might be hard to predict what you’ll see when the band returns this weekend for gigs at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.
I can predict music that transcends Perkins’ unique backstory, plenty of material off of the terrific Elvis Perkins in Dearland, and the just-as-strong follow-up Doomsday EP, and, if we’re lucky, another chills-inducing version of one of the best songs ever written about 9/11, “While You Were Sleeping.” Check out Elvis Perkins in Dearland, above, playing “Shampoo” for Rolling Stone. And then see them live on Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. (Friday’s show is sold out.) —A. Stein
See Lotus This Saturday
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009In 1999, four college friends—two brothers, Jesse (bass) and Luke (guitar and keys) Miller, and two others, Steve Clemens (percussion) and Mike Rempel (guitar)—united forces to mine their rock, funk and jazz influences, thereby becoming an effective jam band in the process. But two years later, when Lotus added drummer Chuck Morris to the mix, they moved in a different direction. They were still guided by the same musical interests, but they began playing instrumental electronica. Or as Jesse Miller said: “I truly believe Lotus’s sound comes from the roots of rock and roll mixed with electronic beats that are popular today. It took a long time for us to finally find a sound we all agreed on. But believe me, we experimented plenty before deciding what sound we were looking for.”
The band has garnered a good deal of public interest recently, having put out two EPs, Oil on Glass and Feather on Wood. Plus, their recently finished West Coast run featured eight shows allowing ticket buyers to choose their price, between $1 and $15. But the most enticing thing is that this band never plays the same show twice. Backed by a vivid light show, they constantly change their set lists and frequently improvise as a group. But don’t take our word for it. Find out for yourself when Lotus plays Terminal 5 on Saturday.
(Check out live footage of Lotus, above, playing the Fillmore in Denver.)
Two Nights of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Stephen Kellogg’s childhood interests in music included singer-songwriter fare, like that of Jim Croce and Cat Stevens, alongside hair-metal bands, like Bon Jovi and Mötley Crüe, which probably explains why his songs are intimate and personal while his live shows with the Sixers are energetic and passionate. Although just one band member’s name is featured in Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, the group is definitely the sum of its parts. Like their heroes the Band (they even have a live DVD called The First Waltz), the SK6ers play a wide range of instruments: Kellogg covers guitar, harmonica and kazoo, Kit “Goose” Karlson handles keys, bass, tuba and accordion, Brian “Boots” Factor plays drums, mandolin and banjo, while Sam Getz is a guitarist, but a really good one. See Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, above, playing “Shady Esperanto” in studio for KINK FM in Portland, Ore., and then do yourself a favor and see them play live on Friday and Saturday at The Bowery Ballroom.
See Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson This Friday
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
With the recent release of Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson’s second album, Summer of Fear, on Saddle Creek Records, the Brooklyn-based artist fits in nicely among the label’s other acts, especially alongside the raw, emotional back catalog of Bright Eyes and the twangy confessionals performed by Neva Dinova’s Jake Bellows. Though Summer of Fear was recorded during a particularly rough time in Robinson’s life, and stories of heartbreak and hard times are woven throughout the music, when he takes the stage (following musical-melting-pot These United States) at Mercury Lounge on Friday, don’t expect a pity party. Summer of Fear finds Robinson expressing his ennui through righteous, roots-y songs in the tradition of artists like Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, full of cathartic choruses and foot-stomping beats. So please leave your tissues at home, for on Friday, as Robinson tells his tales of woe, we can work through some of our own troubles by singing along as loud as we can. It should be a bit like group therapy (but with the added bonus of a full bar). —Alena Kastin
(See Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, above, playing “Trap Door”—last month during CMJ—broadcast on Seattle’s KEXP radio.)
Spend the Weekend with Art Brut
Friday, November 13th, 2009Eddie Argos of Art Brut is not kidding. That is the first thing to know: He is not kidding. At all. He is a new style of frontman in a new-style rock band, all aimed at being able to kill hype, crush backlash and traffic in an irony so deep that it finds pay-dirt seriousness. On Art Brut’s first record, the appropriately titled Bang Bang Rock & Roll, released in 2005, Argos waxed philosophical about this new approach: “And yes, this is my singing voice/ It’s not irony/ It’s not rock and roll/ We’re just talking to the kids.”
It wasn’t quite Will Ferrell’s Burgundy-isms (“Milk was a bad choice.”)—true statements that end up being funny. Argos was more in the market of convincing us that serious statements could actually be serious again. It was a challenge, how to take potentially ironic lyrics like “Modern art makes me/ Want to rock out” seriously, but anyone who has seen the band live already knows Argos is very much not kidding. Even when he is being funny, taking on the absurd rise of Kings of Leon, you get the sense that his goal is to do something more difficult: Acknowledge the absurdity of rock and roll without sneering at the kids he wants to move. All this manages to make the world safe for humor and straight faces each, but at no point is it a laughing matter. It’s just talking to the kids. —Geoff Nelson
(Art Brut plays Brooklyn Bowl tonight and The Bowery Ballroom on Sunday. See them, above, playing “DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake,” off their newest disc, Art Brut vs. Satan, in studio for Seattle’s KEXP.)
Spend Friday the 13th with Lenka
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
She started out acting (she even trained with Cate Blanchett)—first on TV, in the medical drama G.P., then as the host of a cartoon show and then, finally, in movies. But Lenka Kripac also had musical urges, so she joined the electronica band Decoder Ring in her native Australia. But even that wasn’t enough. So in 2007, like so many before her, she dropped her last name and decamped to Los Angeles seeking something bigger. Later on, and also like so many before her, she headed to upstate New York to record her debut solo album, Lenka, in Woodstock. Not only has her disc been well received but also several of the singles have made their way into commercials and TV shows. And now Lenka is making her way to Mercury Lounge tomorrow night. Check her out, above, playing “The Show” and “Trouble Is a Friend” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and then go see Lenka in person and let her sunny music brighten your rainy Friday.
Start Your Weekend with Some Soul
Thursday, November 12th, 2009It began as a record label. Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier and Ken Shipley decided they no longer wanted past musical gems to “sit in a temperature-controlled room dying for a chance to be played.” They wanted the spotlight to shine on the writers and musicians who’d created this essentially unheard music. So they dug into their record collections to remaster and reissue a host of soul, pop and funk songs. But why stop there? Like the Stax Records revue tour of Europe in 1967, Numero’s Eccentric Soul Revue is made up of a revolving group of singers performing with a very talented backing band, in this case, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound. Why are we telling you this? Because Numero’s Eccentric Soul Revue is playing Music Hall of Williamsburg tomorrow night. Check out the trailer, above, and then get your weekend started right by getting down to some sweet, sweet soul in the BK.
The Cribs Are Coming! The Cribs Are Coming!
Wednesday, 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.)
Cass McCombs on Monday Night
Friday, November 6th, 2009From 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.)
See Monsters of Folk This Weekend!
Thursday, November 5th, 2009Monsters 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.
A Double Shot of Wolfmother
Thursday, November 5th, 2009The 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.)
Spend Two Evenings with Monsters of Folk
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes), Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward have put together their significant talents to form Monsters of Folk and to record a terrific self-titled album (stream three songs here) that has taken them out on the road and earned them favorable comparisons to the Traveling Wilburys and Crosby, Stills and Nash. They recently played Neil Young’s Bridge School Benefit, and tonight they’re performing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. But if you want to see these MoFos in person—playing a mix of originals, covers and songs from their respective catalogs—you’re got two chances: They play United Palace on Friday and the Beacon Theatre on Sunday.
(Check out the the video for “The Right Place,” above.)
© 2009
