Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
Posts Tagged ‘Bowery Ballroom’
Red Bull Emsee: The Road to 8 Mile - Bowery Ballroom - June 21, 2010
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Voxtrot on 6/26
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
The Austin, Texas, pop band Voxtrot is playing its final two shows ever at The Bowery Ballroom this weekend. Tickets are still available to Friday’s show, but Saturday’s is sold out. You can still get tickets to the band’s finale, though, because The House List is giving away two of them. Want to Grow a Pair? Then fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Voxtrot, 6/26) and a brief message explaining why you’re sad to see these guys go off into the night. Eddie Bruiser, not so much a fan of farewells but a lover of gatherings, will notify the winner by Friday.
Double Down with Ryan Leslie
Monday, June 21st, 2010Don’t take this the wrong way, but Ryan Leslie is smarter than you are. He aced the SATs, getting a perfect score, when he was just 14 and then graduated from Harvard at 19. Leslie has gone on to become a successful, producer, rapper, singer and multi-instrumentalist (all documented on his YouTube channel). He’s written and produced for Beyoncé, Britney Spears and New Addition while still finding time to put out a few of his own singles and mixtapes. As if he weren’t busy enough with that, Leslie released two albums, Ryan Leslie and Transition, last year. Recently, he was in Europe touring in support of Ne-Yo, but now he’s back in the US, previewing music from his next album, Les Is More, at The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow and Wednesday.
The London Souls - The Bowery Ballroom - June 17, 2010
Friday, June 18th, 2010
Lively, Timeless Music at The Bowery Ballroom
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010Dave Rawlings Machine - The Bowery Ballroom - June 2, 2010
Dave Rawlings—guitarist, producer and songwriter for artists such as Ryan Adams, Old Crow Medicine Show and his frequent collaborator, Gillian Welch—began the first of a two-show stint at The Bowery Ballroom last night performing as the Dave Rawlings Machine. Though Rawlings has appeared on many different albums in his career, the Dave Rawlings Machine’s recent album, Friend of a Friend, is, surprisingly, the first proper release under his own name, and many of his previous collaborators (including Welch) have come onboard to back him up this time.
“We’re still trying to figure out what the machine does,” said Welch, shortly after taking the stage. “We know that it wears denim,” she said teasingly, giving Rawlings’ wardrobe a once over. Literal meanings aside, the Dave Rawlings Machine’s sound is in line with much of Rawlings’ previous music, with intricate bluegrass guitar melodies, a subtle twang, delicate vocal harmonies and smooth layers of violin softening the edges. Rawlings is an intense, energetic performer, swaying and bouncing with the rhythms of his guitar, tilting its neck up and down as he plucked out intricate solos, and always smiling.
As the band tore through material from Friend of a Friend (“Ruby,” “I Hear Them All,” “Bells of Harlem”), they also incorporated renditions of folk and country classics like “This Land Is Your Land,” “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and “John Henry.” The effortless give and take between the musicians, and especially the proven chemistry between Rawlings and Welch, made for a fluid performance. Given the Dave Rawlings Machine’s musical prowess, it’s tempting to make a bad pun about the band as a “well oiled machine.” Luckily, their lively, timeless style of music deserves much more than an overused pun—and judging by their hearty applause and hollers, last’s nights’ crowd would agree. —Alena Kastin
Get Lost in the Music on Friday Night
Thursday, May 27th, 2010Husband Jace Lasek and wife Olga Goreas are music people. They own the Montreal recording studio Breakglass Studios and formed the Besnard Lakes (above, playing “And This Is What We Call Progress”) in 2003. The couple self-recorded the majority of Volume 1, the band’s debut album, at their studio when time allowed, and then self-released it. They later added band members and a second album, The Besnard Lakes Are the Dark Horse, in 2007. Their third disc, The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night, released in March, is filled with slow-building, psychedelic-tinged music. “We want the listener to get lost in the song. It needs time to get under your skin, so it can’t be three minutes long,” said Lasek. “I don’t do drugs, but this is a drug record.” Find out for yourself when the Besnard Lakes (with Land of Talk and Holopaw) play The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night.
Get to Know Holly Miranda Tomorrow at The Bowery Ballroom
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Holly Miranda is quite precocious. She learned to play the piano at six before picking up the guitar at 14. Two years later, she left Detroit for New York City and earned a record deal that ultimately didn’t pan out. But then nine years ago, before she’d even turned 20, the singer-songwriter released her debut album, High Above the City: Evolution. Two years later, she met producer-keys player Alex Lipsen and they formed the Jealous Girlfriends. That band put out two discs and toured the country, but sometimes you need to go it alone, and so Holly Miranda (above, covering Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor” for The Black Cab Sessions) released a second solo effort, The Magician’s Private Library (with TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek as a producer), this past February. And now she’s on her very own tour, which brings her to The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night. Come check out her big voice for yourself.
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Dylan Fest on 5/27
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Thursday’s Dylan Fest at The Bowery Ballroom celebrates the music of Bob Dylan and his 69th birthday. There are special guests galore, and as you can imagine, the show is sold out. But have no fear because The House List is giving away two tickets. Want 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 (Dylan Fest, 5/27) and a brief message explaining which Dylan song is your favorite. Eddie Bruiser, an “Isis” kind of guy, will notify the winner by Thursday. Good luck.
Music Without Limits on Saturday Night
Friday, May 21st, 2010
After graduating from the estimable Berklee School of Music in Boston, organist/pianist Marco Benevento made his way to Brooklyn and eventually reunited with childhood friend Joe Russo, a drummer. What began as a series of shows at the old Knitting Factory became the experimental-instrumental Benevento-Russo Duo. And when Benevento and Russo aren’t playing together or with Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon or doing Zeppelin covers, Benevento has his own music. Speaking of which, his third studio album, Between the Needles and Nightfall, came out just last week. With a new disc comes a new tour, and since Benevento plays his material—and some covers—live with drums and bass, the Marco Benevento Trio (above, performing “Atari”) will be at The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow night. You should be, too.
You Can’t Blame the Youth
Thursday, May 13th, 2010Two Door Cinema Club - The Bowery Ballroom - May 12, 2010
(Photo: Jamie Adamson)
Two Door Cinema Club captures that youthful exuberance usually reserved for punk records, freshman year in college and elementary-school recess. As they took the stage at The Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday night, the band reflected little on their second sold-out New York City show on their first United States tour. Instead relying on their lyrics, interspersing tautological wisdom (“It’s too late/ You’ve got another one coming and it’s gonna be the same”) with soft rhetorical questions (“Do you want it all?”). Two Door Cinema Club was the embodiment of the youth they lionize and, fortunately, don’t fully grasp.
In one of those moments that was as genuine as it was planned, Two Door Cinema Club opened their set with “Cigarettes in the Theatre,” the first song off their debut LP, Tourist History. They proceeded to play a series of cuts off that disc before delving into B-sides—“Hands Off My Cash, Monty,” “Kids” and “Costume Party.” With a clear limit on their recorded catalog, the fresh-faced kids relied on the rest of their album, either by choice or necessity.
After a brief respite backstage, the band returned with a two-song encore, culminating with the stomping and furious single “I Can Talk.” The crowd bounced and spun like a decidedly unsymmetrical rubber ball, calling to mind the lyrics of “Hands Off My Cash, Monty”: “I made it to the top to get away.” But for these boys from Northern Ireland, they wouldn’t be escaping from this summit of New York City. In fact, with a winning lack of cynicism, they promised they would be back. —Geoff Nelson
A Double Shot of Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra has seen a lot of changes over the years since forming in Montreal back in 1999. Efrim Menuck, a guitarist in Godspeed You! Black Emperor, wanted to make music that didn’t really fit the sound of his first band. So he sought out bassist Thierry Amar and violinist Sophie Trudeau, also involved with Menuck’s musical collective, to see what they could create. What they came up with was their predominantly instrumental debut album, He Has Left Us Alone but Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corner or Our Rooms….
Since then, the band, now a quintet, has seen name changes (each fairly similar to the current moniker, although SMZ has always remained the shorthand name), roster changes (members have come and gone) and even sound changes (what was once mainly instrumentals is now vocals heavy, although still rooted in punk), on their way to releasing an EP and five more studio albums. The most recent of which, Kollaps Tradixionales, came out in February and brings Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra (above, performing “God Bless Our Dead Marines”) to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday and The Bowery Ballroom on Sunday.
L.A. Quintet Makes It to NYC
Friday, May 7th, 2010Local Natives - The Bowery Ballroom - May 6, 2010
Several months ago, my “guy who knows these things” hipped me to Local Natives, so I checked out their debut album, Gorilla Manor, and, as usual, he was correct. Seems it wasn’t much of a secret, though, as last night, in their first trip to NYC, the Los Angeles band played the first of not one but two sold-out shows at The Bowery Ballroom. It wasn’t the “merely curious” either, it was a crowd full of early adopters, belting out lyrics to every song like they’d been listening to them for years. And why not? Their music was made for the giddy sing-along.
With just one disc, it was almost certain that everyone got to hear his or her favorite tune, no matter what it was. There was no clear consensus: Gorilla Manor is the kind of album that invites repeated listens and each time through a different song might catch one’s ear. There is something satisfying seeing a band exhaust their entire repertoire in a single set, like driving a car until the gas truly runs out so you know how far below the E you can let the needle go.
Local Natives did the album justice from beginning to end, propelled by groovy, perpetual bass lines and tribal drumming and beefed up by perfect vocal harmonies. A second fractional kit at the front of the stage, which the keyboardist and others would pound away on, augmented the drummer, providing a constant extra kick of energy and volume. For one song (and again in the encore), a string quartet materialized, helping the band remain true to their studio versions. The keystone of the set was its lone cover, the Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign.” If you’re going to play a cover (and really, every set should feature at least one) you better make it count, and Local Natives did just that, nicely contrasting the rhythms and elastic-band bass with exquisite Beach Boys harmonies. —A. Stein
(Tonight’s Local Natives show is sold out, but they play The Beach at Governors Island on 8/7.)
Murder by Death Plays Live
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Murder by Death - The Bowery Ballroom - May 4, 2010
Over the years, Murder by Death has honed its gothic noir punk-rock sound, carving out a niche genre of basically one. Last night’s Bowery Ballroom set had the Bloomington, Ind., quartet showcasing yet another step in its evolution as a band, playing a selection of songs from its newest release, Good Morning, Magpie, an album that once again starkly plays upon Americana influences, especially Johnny Cash. Driving such comparisons is frontman Adam Turla’s low-baritone range, which is similar to Cash’s.
After playing a few older songs, Murder by Death jumped into a run of new material, playing standout tracks “King of the Gutters, Prince of the Dogs,” “As Long as There Is Whiskey in the World” (leading to a loud crowd sing-along) and “On the Dark Streets Below.” Although the audience swayed and sang songs old and new—and even moshed for a few—it was “Brother” and “Spring Break 1899” that had the most drinks in the air. One of Murder by Death’s best qualities, other than its penchant for writing songs about zombies, the devil, and drinking whiskey, is its lush instrumentation, which once again draws on its Americana roots. Having an electric cello player instead of a bassist, Murder by Death is already rather unique, but last night they added a keyboard, an accordion and a trumpet, which took the band’s on-record sound perfectly into the live setting. —Kirsten Housel
Yeasayer Brings the Heat
Wednesday, May 5th, 2010Yeasayer - Webster Hall - May 4, 2010
(Photo: Jared Levy)
Warm weather is steadily settling upon the city. As the humidity rises and the days lengthen, a change in moods and minds is present on the faces of those around. Whether you gauge it from sunglasses or smiles, energy bounds from the upcoming season. And, for Yeasayer, a band that reflects this infectious spirit, a Tuesday night in early May was the perfect time to return home.
Nearly three months since their last show at The Bowery Ballroom, Brooklyn’s own Yeasayer continues to tour on the heels of their second studio album, Odd Blood. This time at Webster Hall, Seagulls and the up-and-coming duo Sleigh Bells opened. The combination of these two bands drew an impressive crowd, packing the venue early in the night. Sleigh Bells played the majority of their blog-lauded headbangers. As Chris Keating of Yeasayer pointed out, industry types attended to scout out the duo, and to their end, Sleigh Bells delivered on the blown-out beats of “Tell ’Em” and “Crown on the Ground.”
Though it is admittedly difficult to follow an act like Sleigh Bells, Yeasayer’s headlining set was expertly designed and executed. The core members—Keating on keyboard and vocals, Anand Wilder on guitars, keyboards and vocals and Ira Wolf Tuton on bass guitar and backing vocals—performed center stage with the help of two percussionists. Among such new songs as “The Children” and “I Remember,” the group also mixed in “2080” and “Sunrise,” singles from their previous album, All Hours Cymbals. Later, Webster Hall’s hanging disco ball spun along with Odd Blood’s danciest track, “O.N.E.” The lights shimmered over an appreciative crowd, mirroring the glow of Yeasayer’s joyous music. No longer must we “Wait for the Summer.” —Jared Levy
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Local Natives on 5/7
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010
Local Natives come to town for sold-out shows on Thursday and Friday at The Bowery Ballroom (although tickets remain to see them on 8/7 on Governors Island). But even if you got shut out, you’ll still have a chance to see Local Natives on Friday because The House List is giving away two tickets. Want to Grow a Pair? Then fill out the form below, listing your name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Local Natives, 5/7) and a brief message explaining what you like so much about the band. Eddie Bruiser, a local native himself, will notify the winner by Friday. Good luck.
Spend Your Weekend with Adam Green
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
Adam Green rose to prominence around the dawn of the new millennium when he dropped out of school to form the lo-fi, anti-folk Moldy Peaches with Kimya Dawson, whom he had met at a record shop in Mount Kisco, N.Y. But after putting out several albums of slow-paced tunes about adolescent angst, the band broke up—or at least went on a hiatus—in 2004 (although their song “Anyone Else but You” got some big-time play as part of the Juno soundtrack in 2007). Since then, Green (above, performing “Give Them a Token”) has put out several albums of earnest and funny music, the most recent of which, Minor Love, came out this past January. Adam Green plays The Bowery Ballroom this Friday and Saturday. Welcome him with open arms.
The Hold Steady Does It All Night Long
Monday, April 19th, 2010The Hold Steady - The Bowery Ballroom/Music Hall of Williamsburg - April 17, 2010
Taking a cursory glance at audience members’ wrists at Music Hall of Williamsburg sometime after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning, it was obvious that the Hold Steady weren’t the only ones pulling double duty. The indelible, florescent twin wristbands marked for some fans an evening spanning two boroughs and nearly seven hours. It was two sold-out shows, starting at The Bowery Ballroom, where the doors opened at 6:30, and followed by a late-night 12:15 a.m. set at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The Hold Steady was perhaps the perfect band to do it.
Though the set lists were slightly altered and lead singer Craig Finn changed his blue oxford shirt for plaid, the two sets were twins in their theatrics. At The Bowery, people in the audience shouted lyrics at Finn and high-fived one another after each song. At Music Hall, the crowd barked some of the same lyrics at the band, turning the middle of the floor into a carbonated, bouncing mess. Bowery was the scene of the hugs and arms around, as people celebrated being in the room with the band. And the Hold Steady’s everyman anthems easily broke the wall between band and audience, like all these people were complicit in the making of these songs. They certainly knew the words and as Finn spun away from his microphone, like a nerdy top, sweating and ebullient, he seemed fine letting all these strangers into his process. In fact, it was the point.
The band walked off the stage after their main set at Bowery to the dulcet outro of “How a Resurrection Really Feels.” For a band with two new members and a brand new record, Heaven Is Whenever, Finn’s final insistence—“and that’s how a resurrection really feels”—felt new and righteous. At Music Hall, four hours later, Finn left the stage with a thank you and the crowd continued to sing backing vocals, like a sea shanty or a European football chant in the dark. The band returned with the crushing “Citrus” before closing with “Stay Positive.” Finn, ever direct and charming, screamed, “Stay positive, Brooklyn!” before ending the double sell out with a wave and a disappearance backstage. —Geoff Nelson
© 2010
