The Bowery Presents

Posts Tagged ‘Brooklyn Bowl’

Power Trio Rocks Brooklyn Bowl

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Earl Greyhound - Brooklyn Bowl - January 30, 2010

Earl Greyhound - Brooklyn Bowl - January 30, 2010
Some bands just have that look, like they’ve dropped fully formed out of the rock and roll womb onto the stage. Earl Greyhound is one of those bands. On Saturday night at Brooklyn Bowl, with guitarist Matt Whyte rocking the white jeans and Jesus-style hair and beard, bassist Kamara Thomas working the pow-bang, feather-clipped Afro and Ricc Sheridan, gleaming in full glory from behind the drum kit, was there any doubt that these guys were born to play loud, anxious, hard ’70s-anthem rock and roll?

Starting off slowly with newer material off their upcoming album and then easing into the older stuff, this wasn’t some high-fructose concoction, but the real deal sugar-sweet rock and roll. Each song presented the promise of at least a taste, and then the band would back away from the microphones and delve deeply. Sheridan looked like a child at a full-size drum kit—not because he’s a small guy, far from it, but because his drums looked so oversize. It seems impossible that he could match pounding fury with any subtlety behind such a behemoth, but that’s what he did. Whyte sounded at times like he was playing two guitars at two speeds in two different directions, and even if those stretches of glory didn’t last long enough, they still kept me wanting more. On “Monkey,” the last tune of the encore, Earl Greyhound finally fully opened up into a spacey all-out jam that rose above the falling pins and Saturday night din. —A. Stein





Photos courtesy of Jennifer Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

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A Wonderful Midweek Memory

Thursday, January 28th, 2010

Bear in Heaven - Mercury Lounge - January 27, 2010

Bear in Heaven - Mercury Lounge - January 27, 2010
It takes a particular assemblage of circumstances to sell out a concert on a Wednesday. You need appealing bands, an inviting space and good timing. Last night at Mercury Lounge these ingredients came together to create a fantastic show. Headliner Bear in Heaven is three months removed from the release of their critically acclaimed second album, Beast Rest Forth Mouth. While they have steadily built a fan base with their anthemic electronic sound, Beast marks the band’s expansion into more accessible pop songs. And, from the looks of last night’s show, this sonic shift is paying dividends.

Openers ArpLine and the Jaguar Club led the talent-soaked quadruple bill. Both bands are based in Brooklyn and show potential, but ArpLine’s excellent guitar work and contagious energy especially caught my attention. (Check them out at their free record-release show at Brooklyn Bowl on February 17th.) Oh No Ono, a psychedelic quintet from Copenhagen, followed—their first show in New York City. The band, both in appearance and song, carries themselves as a ’60s/’70s rock-revival act. Each member seems to stylistically embody a rock star of old. Most notably, lead singer and guitarist Malthe Fischer sports a crazy curly hairdo that could confuse him with Bob Dylan circa Blonde on Blonde. I thoroughly enjoyed Oh No Ono’s entire set, however their cover of Radiohead’s “Weird Fishes” clearly stood out. They captured Thom Yorke’s vocal part perfectly and added their own synth-heavy touch.

Bear in Heaven closed out the night with a tasty sampling of their catalog. The four-piece band, headed by frontman Jon Philpot, showcased their musical dexterity, constantly switching instruments and creating a full, rich sound. With the help of two female vocalists, the group ripped through their soon-to-be-classic take on youth angst, “Lovesick Teenagers,” followed by the rhythmically commanding “Beast in Peace.” As Bear in Heaven finished their set around midnight, Wednesday gave way to Thursday and the night’s performances solidified into a wonderful midweek memory. —Jared Levy



Photos courtesy of Jared Levy

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What’s Old Is New on Friday Night in Williamsburg

Monday, January 25th, 2010

Free Energy - Brooklyn Bowl - January 22, 2010

Free Energy - Brooklyn Bowl - January 22, 2010
Historically speaking, Brooklyn Bowl is situated on a block that Eastern European immigrants built and is now home to a graveyard of low-lying and almost forgotten brick industrial architecture. It hearkens back to a place that Williamsburg used to be, a place that almost does not exist anymore. Inside Brooklyn Bowl, Free Energy took the stage in front of a crowd loosely packed back to the bar. The Philly band, a mixture of winking and willful influences to 1970s rock, took the stage with a confidence both thrown back in time and very much of the present.

Free Energy quickly dove into material from their coming full-length, Stuck on Nothing. Soon-to-be first single “Bang Pop,” a stomping and instantly memorable cut hung in the middle of the set like a vicious linchpin. Lead singer Paul Sprangers, in the simplest of gray sweatshirts, strutted around the stage like a wiry drum major, leading the crowd through the eponymous chorus: “Bang bang/ Pop pop.” It was rife with classic-rock derivation but, at that moment, no one seemed to notice. In the closing moments, the band played “Free Energy,” with its seminal battle cry of youth, “We are young and still alive/ Now the time is on our side,” and “Something in Common,” with a 4/4 time signature and enough inclusive language to make us feel like we had been through something together.

It was an interesting night: A bowling alley with a music venue inside, a neighborhood, both old and desperately new, and a band, with regard for the past, making music they are confident is enduring. Though it sounded like 40 years ago, we were still young and we were certainly alive. Time wasn’t necessarily on our side but it had been successfully removed from the equation. —Geoff Nelson




Photos courtesy of Jen Macchiarelli | www.jennylow.com

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Go Bowling with Heloise & the Savoir Faire Tomorrow Night

Friday, January 22nd, 2010


What began as Heloise Williams singing over prerecorded music with Sara Sweet Rabidoux and Joe Shepard dancing behind her in crazy costumes has turned into something bigger…and better. Heloise & the Savoir Faire, based out of Brooklyn, has blossomed into a full-on band, complete with James Bellizia on guitar, Jason Diamond on bass and Luke Hughett on drums. The band gained attention with the help of Elijah Wood’s Simian Records, and with their choreographed dance routines and debut album, Trash, Rats and Microphones, they continue to attract a wider audience. See for yourself when they play Brooklyn Bowl tomorrow night.

(Heloise & the Savoir Faire, above, plays “Odyle.”)

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Cut Loose with Free Energy

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010


From the city that brought you blunts and booed Santa Claus—Philadelphia—comes the rock quintet Free Energy. Two of its five members, frontman Paul Sprangers and guitarist Scott Wells, were formerly part of the group Hockey Night. Following that band’s demise, they recorded some demos and found themselves in a studio with DFA Records cofounder and LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy. After adding Geoff Bucknam, Nick Shuminksy and Evan Wells to the mix, they had a whole new band with a hook-laden sound reminiscent of ’70s standouts Cheap Trick and Thin Lizzy. “Dream City” earned a Pitchfork designation as one of the Best New Tracks of 2009, and Free Energy’s debut album is due out some time this year (you can stream three songs here). But you don’t need to wait for their disc to check out their sure-to-make-you-move music because they’re playing Brooklyn Bowl in just two days. So check out Free Energy, above, playing “Free Energy” and then go see them play live on Friday night.

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Drug Rug Proves Why You Should See Bands Play Live

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Drug Rug - Brooklyn Bowl - January 14, 2010

Drug Rug - Brooklyn Bowl - January 14, 2010
Pivoting only from her elbow, Sarah Cronin’s arm was nothing but quick flashes across the strings of her guitar. Blues riffs blasted forward in a controlled and precise way, all the while the rest of her body swayed and stuttered around the stage. Contrasted by her much more reserved counterpart and beau, Tommy Allen, the duo and their band, Drug Rug, lit up Brooklyn Bowl last night with a wild display of uniquely charming music.

Even with two full-length albums under their belt, the band still mixed up the live versions of a few songs, turning them on their heads. The once bouncing and energetic “Haunting You” became much quieter and pensive. While the slow burn of “Noah Rules” was prefaced with a much heavier Zeppelin-sounding intro. They even briefly dipped into their unrecorded pool of music, slowing the set with the ballad-like “Dark Hour.”

And while they played through grinning teeth, they even tried out a new song, working out a few kinks on the fly. Fast-paced and fun, the song included a well-placed guitar riff in the chorus that alluded to Queen’s “Crazy Little Called Love.” Drug Rug returned for an encore of “Day I Die,” featuring a musical Chinese fire drill that put Cronin behind the drums and Allen on bass for one last wonderful change of direction. —Sean O’Kane





Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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Steel Train and the New Year

Monday, January 4th, 2010

Steel Train - Brooklyn Bowl - January 2, 2010

Steel Train - Brooklyn Bowl - January 2, 2009
With everyone’s New Year’s hangover dissipated, New Jersey’s own Steel Train helped Brooklyn Bowl kick off the new decade with an excellently offbeat show on Saturday night. After the opening band, the London Souls, quieted the din of the adjacent lanes with their supercharged funkadelic set, Steel Train brought a blend of youthful energy and classic rock to a packed crowd. The band is filling the gap that the Arcade Fire has left in the genre over the last year or so, and lead singer Jack Antonoff matched Win Butler’s moody pipes while adding a much more explosive stage presence. This mix harkened back to a major influence for both bands, Steel Train’s home-state-hero Bruce Springsteen. Fittingly, his “Dancing in the Dark” was the first of a handful of covers played during the set.

Coming off an all-request show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken, Steel Train continued to play other bands’ songs. Antonoff invited Nate Ruess (frontman of his other band, fun.) out for a spot-on version of Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure.” But it was the sparkling performance of originals like “Firecracker” and “I Feel Weird,” both from 2007’s Trampoline, and a brilliant new song off their forthcoming album that set the rest of the show apart. Although, caught up in the fun of the unusual set list, Steel Train finished off their encore with one more cover—the Band’s “The Weight”—featuring each member playing a new instrument. Part cacophony and all smiles, they ended show the best way possible. —Sean O’Kane





Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com

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A Nostalgic Multimedia Experience

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Neon Indian - Brooklyn Bowl - December 17, 2009

(Photo: Dagny Piasecki)

(Photo: Dagny Piasecki)

Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian is the latest moniker in a long line of successful dance electronica projects for the Austin, Texas, native. Formerly—or still, depending on the night—known as Vega and Ghosthustler, he’s been refining his 8-bit ways, which have exploded in a burst of pure ’80s synth nostalgia on his latest release, Psychic Chasms. What better venue to relive this bygone soundtrack than a bowling alley adorned with Coney Island freak-show banners and the requisite huge disco ball. Neon Indian excels at playing with those minimal synth sounds that instantly recall Kraftwerk or Herbie Hancock’s twitching mannequin torsos.

In the end, Palomo essentially succeeds in moving the crowd with familiar sine waves that have worked their way into the collective unconscious. Like with Daft Punk, it’s nostalgia for a sound that never really existed. It’s easily recognized as part of the old school, but it’s been reimagined from a contemporary distance. Further reworking his own sound for this live tour, Palomo recruited drummer Jason Faries, guitarist Ronald Geirhart and keyboardist Leanne Macomber to add a little bit of humanity to the metronome mechanical perfection on the album. It makes for a more compelling stage show when you can work off the energy from bandmates kicking out beats and soloing on guitar, in front of frighteningly period-accurate video manipulations of late-night B movies. (USA Up All Night anyone?) This is Neon Indian’s shtick, to recollect pop culture in the form of straightforward dance. The only thing missing was the slow, couples-only laps around a wooden dance floor on rented roller skates. —Jason Dean

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Dr. Dog - Brooklyn Bowl - December 11, 2009

Monday, December 14th, 2009

Dr. Dog - Brooklyn Bowl - December 11, 2009





Photos courtesy of Mina K

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Spend the Weekend with Art Brut

Friday, November 13th, 2009

Eddie 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.)

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Halloween: So Many Options

Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Boo!

Boo!

Halloween is about tricks or treats, but why settle for just one when The Bowery Presents is offering a night filled with plenty of both? Deer Tick is playing the songs of the Sex Pistols at Brooklyn Bowl. And if you’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing this band live, you already know that with their three-pronged guitar attack and frontman Jon McCauley snarling Johnny Rotten’s vocals that this will be “Anarchy in the BK” done right.

If the Sex Pistols aren’t your thing, but you still want some classic rock—and who could blame you?—then head to Music Hall of Williamsburg to see Lez Zeppelin. Their tagline is All Girls. All Zeppelin. And these girls are fierce (especially Leesa Squyres as John Bonham)! If you still want covers, but are looking to get down, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe will be doing a tribute to Michael Jackson at The Bowery Ballroom. And if you like a dance party with a slight political bent, then shake it all night at Terminal 5 with D.C.’s Thievery Corporation.

Of course, there are also other options. If you’re looking for some catchy-and-contemplative music, we’ve got that too: Tegan and Sara at Town Hall. And if good old-fashioned storytelling is your thing, hightail it to The Wellmont Theatre to see the engaging Robert Earl Keen and Todd Snider. And, finally, if you’re looking to check out several bands with some “high-octane punk rock with swagger” then check out Mercury Lounge’s lineup, led by Black Taxi. (Plus, there’s even a costume contest.) Do what you like, but do see some music on Halloween!

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There’s a Lady Who’s Sure All That Glitters Is Gold

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Bustle in Your Hedgerow - Brooklyn Bowl - October 20, 2009

(Photo: Nicholas Tolson)

(Photo: Nicholas Tolson)

Bustle in Your Hedgerow: What are these guys? Are they a cover band? Supergroup? Tribute band? Rock band? Jam band? Luckily, for those who hauled out to Brooklyn Bowl on a Tuesday night, they were a little bit of all those things. Playing (mostly) instrumental versions from the Led Zeppelin catalog, the band—Marco Benevento on keyboards, Dave Dreiwitz on bass, Scott Metzger on guitar and Sir Joe Russo on drums—hit all the right notes. Like a cover band, they explored all the facets of the catalog—the wily blues, the gargantuan rock and roll, the psychedelic groove—while adding their own twists. Like a tribute band, they stayed true to the originals, ensuring that everyone in the crowd could follow, pump fists in unison at all the well-worn changes and even sing along should the urge arise.

Like a supergroup, the quartet rose above the material, letting their talents shine: Dreiwitz’s pitch-perfect rock bass set up the pins and knocked ’em down. Benevento’s organ played Plant’s vocals, combining the wail with the warmth. Metzger’s guitar innovated on the invention, interweaving his own solos with Page’s iconic riffs. And Russo…let’s just say John Bonham was spinning in his grave, turning over so he could better hear what Russo was laying down on his brand new drum kit. Several laws of thermodynamics were broken on that drum set last night.

After blazing through hit after hit, like “Ramble On,” “Custard Pie” and “What Is and What Should Never Be,” they announced they were skipping a set break and were commencing with the second half of the show. Somehow, things clicked into higher gear at that moment, the band melting into a jamming goo. The remainder of the show was superlative: “Thank You,” with its elegiac piano and guitar solos, “Moby Dick,” with its gonzo drum section, and the monster set-closing “Kashmir,” which perfectly encapsulated a perfect night of Zeppelin. Well into the midnight hour, the band returned for a straight-reading encore of “The Song Remains the Same.” It certainly does. —A. Stein

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The Bowery Presents Now Booking Brooklyn Bowl

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

brooklyn_bowl_shooting_gallery

Brooklyn Bowl, Williamsburg’s unique music venue/bowling alley/restaurant and The Bowery Presents are pleased to announce a strategic partnership that will unite the two entities to book events at Brooklyn Bowl.

Starting today, the two organizations will bring ticketed and free shows to Brooklyn Bowl. Josh Moore of The Bowery Presents has been named the lead talent buyer for Brooklyn Bowl, in addition to his ongoing duties as the talent buyer for Music Hall of Williamsburg. Brooklyn Bowl will continue to occasionally program various aspects of its entertainment schedule, including events with DJs, bands and multimedia showcases. Brooklyn Bowl will also continue to work with various promotional partners including Jelly NYC, Flavorpill, the Fader/ Cornerstone, DFA, Finger on the Pulse, Learned Evolution, Velour and more.

“We watched Brooklyn Bowl grow from the ground up,” said Moore. “The project was indeed ambitious but it was so well conceived and executed–it just worked. We are also excited to be in business with our good friends, Peter Shapiro and Charley Ryan, who did an amazing job bringing the venue to life. After spiritedly competing on bookings over the past few weeks we mutually realized that we should work together, rather than compete against one another.”

Will Griggs, cofounder of Cantora Records, has been hired as talent coordinator of Brooklyn Bowl. He will work closely with the The Bowery Presents team to bring top-tier concerts and events to Brooklyn Bowl. Brooklyn Bowl’s current talent buyer, Mia Sladyk, will continue to work with Brooklyn Bowl as a favored promoter. “This is an ideal development for Brooklyn Bowl,” said Brooklyn Bowl cofounder Peter Shapiro. “Even from the first few shows, the venue has developed a reputation for being one of the most unique live-music experiences in New York. We’ve been thrilled with the response and want to take our momentum into this partnership with The Bowery Presents. We are very appreciative of the significant contributions that Mia Sladyk made to Brooklyn Bowl. She has been a key member of our team and we look forward to continuing to work creatively with her in the future.”

About Brooklyn Bowl

Brooklyn Bowl is a sustainably built, 16-lane, 600-capacity bowling, concert and dining destination. It occupies a former ironworks factory built in 1882 in Williamsburg and seamlessly blends exciting new technologies (including a custom-designed JBL Vertec sound system, stage lighting and a nine-screen, high-definition digital video projection system) into the beautifully restored old structure, all designed to meet L.E.E.D. certification. The venue features a full restaurant and menu by Blue Ribbon, the acclaimed NYC-based restaurant group.

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