First Aid Kit – Mercury Lounge – November 16, 2011
November 17th, 2011
Photos courtesy of Alexis Maindrault | rockinpix.com
(First Aid Kit opens for Lykke Li tonight at The Wellmont Theatre and plays Webster Hall on 3/28.)
Tag Archives: Wellmont Theatre
Dont Miss Lykke Li Tomorrow Night
November 16th, 2011
For a time, Lykke Li wanted to be a dancer, but while she’d always yearned to be onstage, she ultimately decided dancing wasn’t creative enough and that it involved too much time in a gym/studio. Her path to becoming a singer-songwriter couldn’t have been hurt by the fact that her dad, a multi-instrumentalist, plays world music. Plus, Li’s got eclectic tastes: “I’ve been into everything from Edith Piaf to Joe Strummer to the Velvet Underground to Suicide to A Tribe Called Quest to African music.” And, furthermore, it’s the music that she listens to that shapes her own songs. Her first EP came out in 2007, earning her raves and an Artist to Watch label from Stereogum. An LP filled with electropop and keen hooks, Youth Novels, followed the next year. Wounded Rhymes, recorded in L.A., was released this year and the disc has earned Lykke Li (above, playing “Get Some” on Later … with Jools Holland) even more attention. See her tomorrow night at The Wellmont Theatre.
A Formidable One-Two Punch
November 14th, 2011Manchester Orchestra/White Denim – The Wellmont Theatre – November 13, 2011
Watching Manchester Orchestra blaze through its set at The Wellmont Theatre last night, the one word that kept popping into my mind was emotional. The music, largely pulled from the new album, Simple Math, as written and sung by frontman Andy Hull feels very autobiographical, and the emotions seemed to pour out in a very literal fashion. Angry songs sounded angry, apologetic songs had an apologetic feel but all the songs felt honest … and loud; very loud and intense. Most bands come out and ask, “How are you all feeling tonight?” But Manchester Orchestra played like some metaphysical therapist had asked the clichéd “How does that make you feel?”—and then supplied more than the shrink had bargained for.
The set began with “Deer,” as the album does, and everyone in the audience sang along from the start, like they’d spent considerable time listening to the disc on repeat and that they felt everything there was to feel in lyrics like “Dear everyone I ever really knew/ I acted like an asshole so I could keep my edge on you.” While the album has the subtleties of strings and well-polished harmonies to give it an almost operatic feel, the live versions were 100 percent visceral. It was like the difference between watching a well-orchestrated football game on television and getting flattened by a 250 lb. linebacker. Hull dripped with that emotion in every song as the band backed him doubly: double guitars, sometimes double drums and double-wide beards. Through new songs like “Pensacola” and older favorites like “100 Dollars” and “I’ve Got Friends,” the fist-pumping crowd was left to wonder how to summon those feelings every night.
In the opening slot, the guys in White Denim crammed as many musical ideas as they could into their 45-minute set, like a fortified cereal brimming with all of the recommended daily allowances. Barely pausing to take a breath, their 20-plus-minute stretches of songs and prog jams and instrumentals strung together to confound an unsuspecting audience that didn’t know when or if to applaud. Working almost exclusively off this year’s release, D, the band proved to be, once again, at the top of its high-energy game. The mixture of technical skill, tight interplay and brain-boogie songwriting proved to be a perfect Sunday night foil for Manchester Orchestra’s gut-punch set. —A. Stein
Photos courtesy of Sean O’Kane | seanokanephoto.com
Goo Goo Dolls – The Wellmont Theatre – November 11, 2011
November 14th, 2011
Don’t Miss Manchester Orchestra on Sunday
November 11th, 2011
Some bands hatch fully formed, some peak early and others steadily improve, like a fine wine. Andy Hull (vocals and rhythm guitar) started writing songs in high school in suburban Atlanta. And while the tunes might not have been fully formed, he began to flesh them out with friends Jonathan Corley (bass) and Jeremiah Edmond (drums). Soon enough, Manchester Orchestra was born. (The name comes from the English city that begat the likes of Oasis, Joy Division and the Smiths.) With Tim Very replacing Edmond and Chris Freeman (keys) and Robert McDowell (lead guitar) joining, the band eventually became a five-piece. The group’s first full-length, I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child, came out in 2006. And with the release of each successive EP and a LP, including this year’s Simple Math, the band’s storytelling has gotten tighter and its sound has improved. And you can see Manchester Orchestra (above, playing “Virgin” on Late Show with David Letterman) on Sunday at The Wellmont Theatre. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss the opener, White Denim.
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See the Pixies on 10/27
October 25th, 2011
When the Pixies come to town, you’ve got to act fast if you want to get tickets, which means their show on Thursday at The Wellmont Theatre sold out a long time ago. But the good news is that The House List is giving away two tickets. So if you’d still like to go, try to Grow a Pair. It’s easy. Just fill out the form below, including your full name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Pixies, 10/27) and a brief message explaining which Pixies album is your favorite. Eddie Bruiser, who has trouble choosing, will notify the winner on Thursday.
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Odd Future on 10/19
October 18th, 2011
Hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All—sometimes known as Odd Future, at other times as OFWGKTA—comes to town for two shows this week. Tickets remain for The Wellmont Theatre on Thursday. But if you want to see the group’s sold-out show tomorrow at Terminal 5 and don’t already have tickets, your best bet is to try to Grow a Pair from The House List. Just fill out the form below, being sure to include your full name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Odd Future, 10/19) and a brief message explaining who you’re most excited during CMJ and why. Eddie Bruiser, who’s got a long list himself, will notify the winner tomorrow. Good luck.
Jackson Browne – The Wellmont Theatre – October 15, 2011
October 17th, 2011
Cyndi Lauper and Dr. John – Wellmont Theatre – October 14, 2011
October 17th, 2011
Bush – The Wellmont Theatre – October 13, 2011
October 14th, 2011
Trey Anastasio Still Wants More
October 13th, 2011Trey Anastasio Band – The Wellmont Theatre – October 12, 2011
My dog is insatiable: run her ragged out in the yard until she’s too tired to stand and after a five-minute breather she’s ready to play some more. Trey Anastasio has the same problem. Zigzagging the country, playing three-hour shows every night with Phish doesn’t seem to be enough to satisfy his urge to play. So Anastasio is on the road again with his other band, and a three-hour marathon didn’t seem like enough last night at The Wellmont Theatre.
Opening with “Burlap Sacks and Pumps,” a horn-heavy big-band rave-up, the dial was instantly turned to party. Anastasio took the stage with his characteristic giddy-to-be-here grin and little hops accompanying nearly every guitar lick. After several tours, the band has become an independently functioning unit, no longer needing cues from the lead dog about when to make the changes or let things stretch out a bit. And stretch out they did: The first set featured more than 12 songs, including Trey Anastasio Band standards, like “Money, Love and Change” and “Cayman Review,” tunes that have entered the Phish catalog, like the jammed-out “Gotta Jibboo,” and well-timed covers, like “Small Axe” and “It Makes No Difference.”
But the first set was merely a warm-up for an even more compelling second act, a two-hour blur of a dog delightfully chasing its tail. A stretch that started with a straight-up cover of the soul standard “Ooh Child” made its way to Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” and finally exploded with the techno-rock of “First Tube” had the sold-out Wellmont pulsing with impossible energy—Anastasio’s guitar finally taking the forefront and the band grooving its hardest to keep pace. The crowd was tanked, but not Anastasio, who brought the band back out for a multisong, curfew-flirting encore (including yet another great cover, “Black Dog”), leaving no doubt, he’d love to do it all over again. —A. Stein
Grow a Pair: Win Free Tickets to See Jackson Browne on 10/15
October 11th, 2011
Music legend Jackson Browne is coming to The Wellmont Theatre on Saturday night. And as you can imagine, the show is sold out. But not to fear because The House List is giving away two tickets. So if you’d like to go, try to Grow a Pair. Just fill out the form below, including your full name, e-mail address, which show you’re trying to win tickets to (Jackson Browne, 10/15) and a brief message explaining your favorite Jackson Browne song. Eddie Bruiser, whose favorite JB tune was recorded at Merriweather Post Pavilion, will notify the winner by Friday.
Elvis Costello – The Wellmont Theatre – October 6, 2011
October 7th, 2011
Explosions in the Sky – The Wellmont Theatre – October 3, 2011
October 4th, 2011
