Attention, attention! Be alert, be alert! (Saturday, November 7, 2009) Frankenstamp: Queers, Beers & Rears (QxBxRx) @ Cakeshop If I was gay and super into ROCK AND FUCKIN’ ROLL, QxBxRx would be my favorite party. I don’t really qualify in these departments, however, I still enjoyed checking out this monthly event which I’d heard spoken highly of. When we walked in, there were a lot of dudes with guyliner in American Apparel underoos, bouncing around to classic punk, rock, new wave and all that jazz. Soon, Guts for Garters took the stage, a pretty rudimentary punk band whose keyboard player was wearing the most amazing black and gold striped bodysuit (it’s sheer awesomeness made up for their overall suckiness). Next up was Jen Urban & the Box, a dance-rock kinda thing that won me over when the lead singer came out wearing a cloak and shed it, revealing a tight silver dress and fishnets underneath. Way to go. Their sound wasn’t really enough to keep us there though, and chances of it turning into a big dance party were waning, so we flitted off into the night. (Note: While not taken inside the party, I thought this photo was apropos for the evening because of its subject matter, and also its subtle comment on one of the reasons the LES is going to shit—bachelorette parties).

Attention, attention! Be alert, be alert! (Saturday, November 7, 2009)

Frankenstamp: Queers, Beers & Rears (QxBxRx) @ Cakeshop

If I was gay and super into ROCK AND FUCKIN’ ROLL, QxBxRx would be my favorite party. I don’t really qualify in these departments, however, I still enjoyed checking out this monthly event which I’d heard spoken highly of. When we walked in, there were a lot of dudes with guyliner in American Apparel underoos, bouncing around to classic punk, rock, new wave and all that jazz. Soon, Guts for Garters took the stage, a pretty rudimentary punk band whose keyboard player was wearing the most amazing black and gold striped bodysuit (it’s sheer awesomeness made up for their overall suckiness). Next up was Jen Urban & the Box, a dance-rock kinda thing that won me over when the lead singer came out wearing a cloak and shed it, revealing a tight silver dress and fishnets underneath. Way to go. Their sound wasn’t really enough to keep us there though, and chances of it turning into a big dance party were waning, so we flitted off into the night.

(Note: While not taken inside the party, I thought this photo was apropos for the evening because of its subject matter, and also its subtle comment on one of the reasons the LES is going to shit—bachelorette parties).

Buraka Entra (Wednesday, November 4, 2009) ‘Hercules’ stamp (& Kalaf Ângelo): Buraka Som Sistema @ (le) Poisson Rouge I would go see Buraka Som Sistema every night if it was possible. They are just that much fun. Thus, I was compelled to go to this show on a Wednesday evening preceding an important work meeting (and they didn’t take the stage until 1am) — must be true love. I’d seen them twice before, this summer at Sónar and here at Bowery Ballroom in May.Now I don’t care about baseball at all, but on this particular evening, the Yankees were playing the final game of the world series. We watched the victorious ending from a nearby bar, and then slogged through some screaming fans on the always bro-tastic Bleecker Street. We arrived just as Maluca was finishing her set (and, not to be catty, but she was wearin’ the same getup as she did at her Santos CMJ performance!), and Geko Jones then proceeded to play some fun global bass sounds. Soon enough, BSS took the stage in a flurry of kuduro rhythms, Portuguese rapping, heavy bass, and visuals overflowing with 2D renderings of diamonds (which I once proclaimed to be the new black (before bacon was the new black (but after pirates were the new black))). I am not one of those people who will chant along or wave my hands in the air at an MC or band’s first request; I think they need to earn it. But if BSS said jump, I’d say ‘How high?’ And indeed, this pretty much happened, in the form of my favorite Buraka trick — they make everyone crouch down on the ground (and will CALL YOU OUT if you don’t comply), and then count off as the music starts up, and everyone leaps to attention and goes apeshit. They played “Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)” twice, but I didn’t mind at all, since it’s pretty much the best song ever. Thanks a million to Nils @ Echo Tundra for helpin’ me snag this flick with BSS hype man Kalaf Ângelo! (Oh, and the Times talks about this show here, in its typically adorable, old-people-trying-to-understand-electronic-music fashion. Nice one, guys!).

Buraka Entra (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)

‘Hercules’ stamp (& Kalaf Ângelo): Buraka Som Sistema @ (le) Poisson Rouge

I would go see Buraka Som Sistema every night if it was possible. They are just that much fun. Thus, I was compelled to go to this show on a Wednesday evening preceding an important work meeting (and they didn’t take the stage until 1am) — must be true love. I’d seen them twice before, this summer at Sónar and here at Bowery Ballroom in May.

Now I don’t care about baseball at all, but on this particular evening, the Yankees were playing the final game of the world series. We watched the victorious ending from a nearby bar, and then slogged through some screaming fans on the always bro-tastic Bleecker Street.

We arrived just as Maluca was finishing her set (and, not to be catty, but she was wearin’ the same getup as she did at her Santos CMJ performance!), and Geko Jones then proceeded to play some fun global bass sounds. Soon enough, BSS took the stage in a flurry of kuduro rhythms, Portuguese rapping, heavy bass, and visuals overflowing with 2D renderings of diamonds (which I once proclaimed to be the new black (before bacon was the new black (but after pirates were the new black))).

I am not one of those people who will chant along or wave my hands in the air at an MC or band’s first request; I think they need to earn it. But if BSS said jump, I’d say ‘How high?’ And indeed, this pretty much happened, in the form of my favorite Buraka trick — they make everyone crouch down on the ground (and will CALL YOU OUT if you don’t comply), and then count off as the music starts up, and everyone leaps to attention and goes apeshit. They played “Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)” twice, but I didn’t mind at all, since it’s pretty much the best song ever.

Thanks a million to Nils @ Echo Tundra for helpin’ me snag this flick with BSS hype man Kalaf Ângelo! (Oh, and the Times talks about this show here, in its typically adorable, old-people-trying-to-understand-electronic-music fashion. Nice one, guys!).

Bed Bugs Take Brooklyn (Saturday, October 31, 2009) Star stamp: Flavorpill Halloween 2009: Gods and Heroes @ Brooklyn Masonic TempleNoodly appendages: Model’s own This year, for my most favorite of holidays, some friends and I dressed as a crew of bloodsucking bed bugs. We even had a soiled mattress and an exterminator!After a minor transit nightmare I made my way to Brooklyn, where we all joined forces and walked over to the masonic temple in Ft. Greene. While this (actual friggin’) masonic temple plays host to a number of events, this was my first time heading out there. We walked up to the building, which looks pretty epic on a mostly residential block. I wish my wits had been a bit more about me so I could have paid attention to the architecture, but even so, the main ballroom area was pretty big, and I can’t imagine what it’s like during the Freemasons’…Mason meetings? There were, like, some great bands and DJs and stuff…but there was also an unlimited open bar, and our exterminator had a full tank of bug juice (aka 151 and Kool Aid). I recall catching some of The Very Best’s set (wait, was that actually them?), which was fun, but I was mostly too busy running around looking at people’s costumes and generally making merry. However, at one point there was a dude DJing downstairs (maybe it was $mall ¢hange?) who had a cracked, bloody disco ball coming out of his head. Not only did he play a DJ Assault track, he played my very favorite one— “Yo Relatives”. I went up and gave him a high five to show my gratitude. We ended up closing the place down proper by staying until the lights came on, and then scurried away like the bed bugs we were.

Bed Bugs Take Brooklyn (Saturday, October 31, 2009)

Star stamp: Flavorpill Halloween 2009: Gods and Heroes @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
Noodly appendages: Model’s own

This year, for my most favorite of holidays, some friends and I dressed as a crew of bloodsucking bed bugs. We even had a soiled mattress and an exterminator!

After a minor transit nightmare I made my way to Brooklyn, where we all joined forces and walked over to the masonic temple in Ft. Greene. While this (actual friggin’) masonic temple plays host to a number of events, this was my first time heading out there. We walked up to the building, which looks pretty epic on a mostly residential block. I wish my wits had been a bit more about me so I could have paid attention to the architecture, but even so, the main ballroom area was pretty big, and I can’t imagine what it’s like during the Freemasons’…Mason meetings?

There were, like, some great bands and DJs and stuff…but there was also an unlimited open bar, and our exterminator had a full tank of bug juice (aka 151 and Kool Aid). I recall catching some of The Very Best’s set (wait, was that actually them?), which was fun, but I was mostly too busy running around looking at people’s costumes and generally making merry. However, at one point there was a dude DJing downstairs (maybe it was $mall ¢hange?) who had a cracked, bloody disco ball coming out of his head. Not only did he play a DJ Assault track, he played my very favorite one— “Yo Relatives”. I went up and gave him a high five to show my gratitude.

We ended up closing the place down proper by staying until the lights came on, and then scurried away like the bed bugs we were.

I Think I Like It Like It (Friday, October 30, 2009) There’s a stamp here somewhere, I swear it!: CHERYLWEEN @ The Bell House We rolled pretty deep to CHERYL this month—amongst our ranks, we had a narwhal (!), the Great Sphinx of Giza, two killer cacti, Stevie Nicks in drag, The Monster That Blows Coke Up Stevie Nicks’ Ass, an entire barnyard, Zardoz, an 1860s couple as depicted in occult photography of the time, a nurse-fox, and Sam wearing a mask that looked like this (he was bringin’ Skeksis back, har har). My costume for the evening was ‘shiny’. I got to be part of the CHERYLs’ ghost choir during their performance, which involved TPing the entire audience before wrapping them all in a ginormous cobweb. Extreme good times.

I Think I Like It Like It (Friday, October 30, 2009)

There’s a stamp here somewhere, I swear it!: CHERYLWEEN @ The Bell House

We rolled pretty deep to CHERYL this month—amongst our ranks, we had a narwhal (!), the Great Sphinx of Giza, two killer cacti, Stevie Nicks in drag, The Monster That Blows Coke Up Stevie Nicks’ Ass, an entire barnyard, Zardoz, an 1860s couple as depicted in occult photography of the time, a nurse-fox, and Sam wearing a mask that looked like this (he was bringin’ Skeksis back, har har). My costume for the evening was ‘shiny’.

I got to be part of the CHERYLs’ ghost choir during their performance, which involved TPing the entire audience before wrapping them all in a ginormous cobweb. Extreme good times.

Dent May's magnificent ukulele @ Pianos

Dent May's magnificent ukulele @ Pianos

Party detritus @ Santos

Party detritus @ Santos

You Can’t Force a Dance Party But…For You I’ll Try (Saturday, October 24, 2009)

Frowny face stamp: BrooklynVegan/Bowery Presents We’re Double Booked! CMJ showcase @ Pianos

Santos mascot wristband: The Windish Agency CMJ showcase @ Santos Party House

The most epic day of CMJ week for those of us with jobs was Saturday— if it hadn’t been pouring down rain, I might have tried to go to even more stuff, but I was pretty happy with my final tally.

In the afternoon, I headed down to the LES for BrooklynVegan’s showcase. There were tons of bands in two rooms, but I was really only there to see one guy: the inimitable Dent May (& His Magnificent Ukulele, naturally). I walked in, and both rooms were packed n’ stuffy, which somehow felt just right. Upstairs, the adorably English band Pete and the Pirates were finishing up a set of what I shall refer to as feelgood songs for bad times. Up next was neo-folk crooner JBM, who sounded a bit like early Neil Young or Simon & Garfunkel— all I could think was that he must own a cabin and frequently make oatmeal naked, wearing only a big furry hat. But he was charming, and his smart songs were a nice fit for a dreary day.

After that, we made sure to secure a spot right up front, because Dent May was up next. He approached the stage in his trademark giant clear glasses, and made sure to change his cap, deciding on a lil’ camouflage number. Now, I’m not sure if he’s 22 or 45, but either way, he’s a dreamboat, and is responsible for one of my (new) favorite love songs of all time. I appreciate his music for the same reasons I do Stephin Merritt’s— it’s witty, quirky and self-deprecating. I wasn’t expecting him to have a band there, but lo and behold he was joined by a couple guitarists and a drummer, who together churned out a very sweet, fun show. Once they were done, we geekily walked up and asked to take a hand stamp photo with Dent May’s aforementioned ukulele!* I then trotted downstairs to catch some of Cymbals Eat Guitars’ set, where members of the very large audience were complaining to the sound guy because it was SO LOUD. I watched for a little while, but visions of myself in 30 years with awful hearing aids forced me to leave before they were finished.

That night, I went to Santos for a massive showcase or some things I’d seen before, and some I hadn’t but wanted to. For ease, in the order we saw ‘em:

*Lemonade: The hype machine has been keen on these guys recently, but going into it I wasn’t sure. They had well-curated haircuts, but ultimately played a cool, leftfield punky-tropical-electronica set that I dug.
*We Have Band: I’d also heard a lot about them; they did a pretty neat job of embodying an electro-tinged Talking Heads, but their inclusion of a  totally unnecessary pretty blond chick made me think their name is a big joke on their listeners.
*Maluca:This was my third time seeing her. It’s cool that she’s signed to Mad Decent and all, but I’ve only heard her perform the same three tracks. They’re fun, and she’s hella cute, but I’ll need to hear more before I’m convinced.
*Golden Filter: When I heard their track “Favourite Things” on Kitsuné Maison 7, I was not impressed. And I was not impressed live. We left after two songs.
*Javelin: Was awesome as always, repurposing bits of “December 1963 (Oh What a Night)”, “Get Into the Groove”, and Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” to everyone’s delight.
*Midnight Juggernauts: I was really excited to see them, and we managed to get pretty close to the stage…only to witness another fight! A rather large drunk punk chick decided she wanted to dance recklessly and flash her tits, and one of her dude friends started arguing with some (understandably) upset folks standing in the vicinity. The band’s set was meh; they’re a lot more fun to play at a dance party than to actually see.
*Man Like Me: At around 3am, they came on and supplied the perfect end to a crazy week. I’d seen them a couple years ago in London, but they’ve really perfected their live show, involving a horn section and lots of synchronized dancing. It wasn’t super sophisticated, but damn it was fun, and reminded me how much I love “Oh My Gosh!” and “Donut” (p.s. best use of Heelys in a video ever; makes me want to bust mine out despite acquaintances’ sentiments against them).

An observation: overall, the CMJ experience reminded me of tapas (my preferred style of eating)— gives you bit of everything.

Also, a very important post-CMJ note: Every show I went to, I was upset to realize I had forgotten my earplugs. I never remembered them. Not once. I really do think I may need to graft them to my person.

*Thanks again to Jim for having the balls I so dramatically lack.

You Seem Like Nice People (Friday, October 23, 2009) Drink tickets (to make up for lack of stamp or band): Green Label Sound CMJ showcase @ Brooklyn Bowl An old favorite (Chromeo) plus a new favorite (Solid Gold) together, on the same bill? Surely you jest. When I first saw the lineup for this show, I knew I wanted in. However, there was some nonsense about it not being open to the public, and as it was put on by Mountain Dew’s “label”, I knew that actually trying to get in would involve copious amounts of BS. Long story short, after a bit of expert blagging at the VIP entrance, we were patted on the back and handed drink tickets by a dude in charge, whose reason for letting us enter was “You seem like nice people.” Guy — whoever you may be — I can assure you that we are, in fact, nice people. Good on you.We walked in to the familiar sounds of Holy Ghost!, who was doing a great job of setting the vibe once again. Solid Gold, who are responsible for one of my favorite tracks of the year came onstage first, which was a little strange considering they were the ones I was really there to see. The Minneapolis-based band played most songs off of their EP Bodies of Water, exuding so much authenticity and musicianship (is that a word?) that it felt like we were all watching a practice session in a garage. I was very pleased.Next up was Brooklyn-based rapper/singer Theophilus London, who I’d seen once before and been unimpressed with. He gets a lot of hype in NY and it always seemed to me there was a lot of style and not much substance there, but this performance proved me wrong. Not only did he perform a track called “Humdrum Town” which featured lyrics from The Smiths’ “William It Was Really Nothing”, he also did a B-more club-style version of “I Will Always Love You”, and that was enough to convince me. The much talked about Amazing Baby, also from Brooklyn, came on next, and wow was I underwhelmed. They seemed to me to be what Jordan Catalano’s band would have been like if he kept it up after high school. We broke up the monotony of their set by grabbing a drink, where we witnessed an incredible fight! I was standing next to a girl at the bar, and a beefy dude was behind us waving money at the bartender, hoping to be served first. The girl started bad-mouthing him, until he retorted with “Ya hipster bitch! Is that even real gold?” to which she replied “It IS real gold, asshole!” Then she hit him, and I grabbed our pints and got out of there; it was hilarious.At about that time, Chromeo took the stage. Now, they are not a band I would expect to (or, for that matter, care to) see at CMJ. The name of the game during the fest is new music, and I’d seen them probably five times before (just for the record, I still hold that I would be happily betrothed to anyone in the Macklovitch family bloodline). But I figured, since they’ve got a new record coming out, at least they’d play some new tunes. Turned out they only played one new-ish track, “Night by Night”, and the rest of their set was the same show I saw five times— two years ago. Oh well, at least I was basically paid to be there in drink tickets. Thanks, Mountain Dew.

You Seem Like Nice People (Friday, October 23, 2009)

Drink tickets (to make up for lack of stamp or band): Green Label Sound CMJ showcase @ Brooklyn Bowl

An old favorite (Chromeo) plus a new favorite (Solid Gold) together, on the same bill? Surely you jest. When I first saw the lineup for this show, I knew I wanted in. However, there was some nonsense about it not being open to the public, and as it was put on by Mountain Dew’s “label”, I knew that actually trying to get in would involve copious amounts of BS. Long story short, after a bit of expert blagging at the VIP entrance, we were patted on the back and handed drink tickets by a dude in charge, whose reason for letting us enter was “You seem like nice people.” Guy — whoever you may be — I can assure you that we are, in fact, nice people. Good on you.

We walked in to the familiar sounds of Holy Ghost!, who was doing a great job of setting the vibe once again. Solid Gold, who are responsible for one of my favorite tracks of the year came onstage first, which was a little strange considering they were the ones I was really there to see. The Minneapolis-based band played most songs off of their EP Bodies of Water, exuding so much authenticity and musicianship (is that a word?) that it felt like we were all watching a practice session in a garage. I was very pleased.

Next up was Brooklyn-based rapper/singer Theophilus London, who I’d seen once before and been unimpressed with. He gets a lot of hype in NY and it always seemed to me there was a lot of style and not much substance there, but this performance proved me wrong. Not only did he perform a track called “Humdrum Town” which featured lyrics from The Smiths’ “William It Was Really Nothing”, he also did a B-more club-style version of “I Will Always Love You”, and that was enough to convince me.

The much talked about Amazing Baby, also from Brooklyn, came on next, and wow was I underwhelmed. They seemed to me to be what Jordan Catalano’s band would have been like if he kept it up after high school. We broke up the monotony of their set by grabbing a drink, where we witnessed an incredible fight! I was standing next to a girl at the bar, and a beefy dude was behind us waving money at the bartender, hoping to be served first. The girl started bad-mouthing him, until he retorted with “Ya hipster bitch! Is that even real gold?” to which she replied “It IS real gold, asshole!” Then she hit him, and I grabbed our pints and got out of there; it was hilarious.

At about that time, Chromeo took the stage. Now, they are not a band I would expect to (or, for that matter, care to) see at CMJ. The name of the game during the fest is new music, and I’d seen them probably five times before (just for the record, I still hold that I would be happily betrothed to anyone in the Macklovitch family bloodline). But I figured, since they’ve got a new record coming out, at least they’d play some new tunes. Turned out they only played one new-ish track, “Night by Night”, and the rest of their set was the same show I saw five times— two years ago. Oh well, at least I was basically paid to be there in drink tickets. Thanks, Mountain Dew.

Sex, Pot and Donuts (Thursday, October 22, 2009) ‘DRAFT’ stamp: DFA Records CMJ showcase @ Brooklyn Bowl And still, CMJ rolls on. Thursday, I was excited to head to the DFA showcase at Brooklyn Bowl, the world’s first LEED certified bowling alley (which I now have a pretty major venue crush on). When we walked in, Holy Ghost! was laying down an awesome disco-heavy set, the video screen said ‘SEX POT and ::picture of a donut::’ on repeat, and a giant disco ball was in full effect, unapologetically illuminating the rather spacious dance floor. The layout is such that one can both be bowling and seeing a great DJ or band— at the same time. Genius. At one point, I wandered over to the lanes to peep James Murphy bowling, in sandals no less. Next on the decks was Shit Robot, whose particular brand of disco and electro-tinged tunes fell a bit flat for me (especially after Holy Ghost! pretty much killed it). But then, all of a sudden, Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans aka Y△CHT took the stage, he dressed in a white suit and she sporting a sleek black dress with epic triangular shoulders. I am a big fan of the band, and was also a fan of Bechtolt’s old band, The Blow, but I’d never seen them live. At different points during their set I felt like I was at a cult indoctrination, a Southern Baptist church and a hipster dance party, all in a good way. A friend commented “I keep thinking about the Eurythmics, I don’t know why”— made sense to me. They had a lot of angular choreography which worked really well with their outfits and black-and-white minimalist video projections. At one point, during a cult-ish tirade, they put up a Google map of their street, flashing their address in Portland on the screen in case anyone wanted to come by. I worried a little when they kept swinging their microphones around in big sweeping circles— someone could’ve put an eye out! But we all survived, and Claire Evans even successfully crowd surfed whilst singing— no small feat, to be certain. I wanted to stay for Special Disco Version (made up of DFA boss man James Murphy and his LCD Soundsystem bandmate Pat Mahoney), but, as I’ve said before, someone’s gotta work in this town.

Sex, Pot and Donuts (Thursday, October 22, 2009)

‘DRAFT’ stamp: DFA Records CMJ showcase @ Brooklyn Bowl

And still, CMJ rolls on. Thursday, I was excited to head to the DFA showcase at Brooklyn Bowl, the world’s first LEED certified bowling alley (which I now have a pretty major venue crush on). When we walked in, Holy Ghost! was laying down an awesome disco-heavy set, the video screen said ‘SEX POT and ::picture of a donut::’ on repeat, and a giant disco ball was in full effect, unapologetically illuminating the rather spacious dance floor. The layout is such that one can both be bowling and seeing a great DJ or band— at the same time. Genius. At one point, I wandered over to the lanes to peep James Murphy bowling, in sandals no less.

Next on the decks was Shit Robot, whose particular brand of disco and electro-tinged tunes fell a bit flat for me (especially after Holy Ghost! pretty much killed it). But then, all of a sudden, Jona Bechtolt and Claire Evans aka Y△CHT took the stage, he dressed in a white suit and she sporting a sleek black dress with epic triangular shoulders. I am a big fan of the band, and was also a fan of Bechtolt’s old band, The Blow, but I’d never seen them live. At different points during their set I felt like I was at a cult indoctrination, a Southern Baptist church and a hipster dance party, all in a good way. A friend commented “I keep thinking about the Eurythmics, I don’t know why”— made sense to me. They had a lot of angular choreography which worked really well with their outfits and black-and-white minimalist video projections. At one point, during a cult-ish tirade, they put up a Google map of their street, flashing their address in Portland on the screen in case anyone wanted to come by. I worried a little when they kept swinging their microphones around in big sweeping circles— someone could’ve put an eye out! But we all survived, and Claire Evans even successfully crowd surfed whilst singing— no small feat, to be certain.

I wanted to stay for Special Disco Version (made up of DFA boss man James Murphy and his LCD Soundsystem bandmate Pat Mahoney), but, as I’ve said before, someone’s gotta work in this town.

Your Life is Over (Tuesday, October 20, 2009) Neon green wristband w/ bouncer’s handmade squiggle: Here We Go Magic, Titus Andronicus, WOODS & Beach Fossils @ Webster Hall Oh, CMJ week, when performers and music journalists from across the globe converge on NYC for an endless string of shows, parties, and snarky coverage writing. I always go a bit crazy when all the event lineups start to emerge, since there’s literally stuff happening in every nook and cranny that lays claim to a microphone and speakers. I even…sorta…made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of different options for each night. But that’s no matter. My strategy this year is to add a pinch of stuff I like and have been wanting to see live, a dash of things I love and have wanted to see again, and a big helping of The Unknown. As such, I thought this showcase was perfect for the opening night of the festivities, since I’d never seen three of the bands. Sadly, I wasn’t super impressed by any of ‘em— nobody was awful, but nobody really got me. At least (the exceedingly evil) Webster Hall was not crowded, and we got in free! To make this easier: *Beach Fossils: Lo-fi synth pop (some have been calling it glo-fi) which was alright, but didn’t bring anything new to the table. For their first time playing with a new drummer, they did a pretty good job. Also, props to the singer for his aggro attitude—at one point he admonished the crowd for not dancing by saying ‘You guys need to fuckin’ wake up!’ *Woods: This is the band I had seen before, this summer at the Woodsist Festival. I don’t know what was up, but they sounded like a psychedelic jam band trapped in a fishtank to me. *Titus Andronicus: I’d heard a lot of great feedback about these guys, but always suspected it wasn’t my kind of thing. However, I wanted to give them a chance, and was excited to check out their live show. I think if I had been into punk in high school, I would have loved this. But I wasn’t. So I didn’t. Their particular blend of amped-up, Irish folk-influenced workin’ man’s songs felt genuine and sincere, and they were fun to watch, but they just didn’t move me. However, a tiny mosh pit even broke out, and dudes were trying to crowd surf when there were very few people to catch them. Pit etiquette was in full effect though, and it was nice to see the kids taking care of each other. Oh, and they covered “Undone (The Sweater Song)”. *Here We Go Magic: The friends I was with were familiar with this band’s album, but I was not. I think we all agreed they are more for bedroom listening— to me, their show felt disjointed in a bad way, and the lead singer’s dance moves kind of gave me the creeps. That notwithstanding, I think I’m going to give their recorded tracks a go. (Sidenote: alls I have to say is, boy am I glad I saw The Xx when they were here this summer! It seems that all their shows this week will be a clusterfuck involving garbled guestlists and impossibly long lines. Screw that noise.)

Your Life is Over (Tuesday, October 20, 2009)

Neon green wristband w/ bouncer’s handmade squiggle: Here We Go Magic, Titus Andronicus, WOODS & Beach Fossils @ Webster Hall

Oh, CMJ week, when performers and music journalists from across the globe converge on NYC for an endless string of shows, parties, and snarky coverage writing. I always go a bit crazy when all the event lineups start to emerge, since there’s literally stuff happening in every nook and cranny that lays claim to a microphone and speakers. I even…sorta…made an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of different options for each night. But that’s no matter.

My strategy this year is to add a pinch of stuff I like and have been wanting to see live, a dash of things I love and have wanted to see again, and a big helping of The Unknown. As such, I thought this showcase was perfect for the opening night of the festivities, since I’d never seen three of the bands. Sadly, I wasn’t super impressed by any of ‘em— nobody was awful, but nobody really got me. At least (the exceedingly evil) Webster Hall was not crowded, and we got in free! To make this easier:

*Beach Fossils: Lo-fi synth pop (some have been calling it glo-fi) which was alright, but didn’t bring anything new to the table. For their first time playing with a new drummer, they did a pretty good job. Also, props to the singer for his aggro attitude—at one point he admonished the crowd for not dancing by saying ‘You guys need to fuckin’ wake up!’

*Woods: This is the band I had seen before, this summer at the Woodsist Festival. I don’t know what was up, but they sounded like a psychedelic jam band trapped in a fishtank to me.

*Titus Andronicus: I’d heard a lot of great feedback about these guys, but always suspected it wasn’t my kind of thing. However, I wanted to give them a chance, and was excited to check out their live show. I think if I had been into punk in high school, I would have loved this. But I wasn’t. So I didn’t. Their particular blend of amped-up, Irish folk-influenced workin’ man’s songs felt genuine and sincere, and they were fun to watch, but they just didn’t move me. However, a tiny mosh pit even broke out, and dudes were trying to crowd surf when there were very few people to catch them. Pit etiquette was in full effect though, and it was nice to see the kids taking care of each other. Oh, and they covered “Undone (The Sweater Song)”.

*Here We Go Magic: The friends I was with were familiar with this band’s album, but I was not. I think we all agreed they are more for bedroom listening— to me, their show felt disjointed in a bad way, and the lead singer’s dance moves kind of gave me the creeps. That notwithstanding, I think I’m going to give their recorded tracks a go.

(Sidenote: alls I have to say is, boy am I glad I saw The Xx when they were here this summer! It seems that all their shows this week will be a clusterfuck involving garbled guestlists and impossibly long lines. Screw that noise.)

Cloud Cake (Saturday, October 17, 2009) Mendhi: Adrienne & Sandeep’s wedding party @ The Maritime Hotel Ok, so this post has nothing to do with dance parties or geekin’ out on music. However, I thought the visual was too good to pass up. A lady friend recently married a very nice gentleman from India and to celebrate, they had a lovely party that offered hookah, Indian snacks, and even a henna artist, whose handiwork I decided to take advantage of. In other news, this week is The CMJ Music Marathon. Stay tuned while I try to keep myself from going batshit insane running around NYC in hot pursuit of rad tunes.

Cloud Cake (Saturday, October 17, 2009)

Mendhi: Adrienne & Sandeep’s wedding party @ The Maritime Hotel

Ok, so this post has nothing to do with dance parties or geekin’ out on music. However, I thought the visual was too good to pass up.

A lady friend recently married a very nice gentleman from India and to celebrate, they had a lovely party that offered hookah, Indian snacks, and even a henna artist, whose handiwork I decided to take advantage of.

In other news, this week is The CMJ Music Marathon. Stay tuned while I try to keep myself from going batshit insane running around NYC in hot pursuit of rad tunes.

53 Feet* (Friday, October 16, 2009) Black light ‘PAID’ stamp: Dub War w/ Brackles & Moldy @ Love While I had been planning to attend Dub War anyway, I was presented with a super sick freelance opportunity** last week that officially sealed the deal. On Thursday and Friday, I attended Dubstep Fantasy Camp, a two-day training session focused entirely on dubstep, and I’ll be putting together a ton of coverage for Mog.com (watch this space). The camp attendees were four really sweet dudes from across the country who had made tracks online using the SCION Dubstep Studio, which were then voted on by the People of the Internets. My favorite part of the whole shebang was getting to meet and talk to the instructors, who are all incredible badasses in their respective corners of the electronic music realm: Joe Nice, DJ/rupture, Matt Shadetek and Dave Sharma. For the culmination of the proceedings, we went out to experience some heavy bass live at Love, and with SCION footing the bar bill, good times were had by all.While I was pretty busy chatting with people, I did catch some of Brackles’ awesome set, which included a lot of UK funky (a recent interest of mine thanks to pals across the pond) and even the old school MJ Cole 2-step jam “Crazy Love”, which I used to listen to all the damn time. I can’t believe it’s ten years old!*The title of this post refers to a fun fact I learned from Matt Shadetek at camp— very low frequency sine waves (aka nasty basslines) take about 53 feet to fully develop. **Special thanks to Andy P. for the amazing hookup!

53 Feet* (Friday, October 16, 2009)

Black light ‘PAID’ stamp: Dub War w/ Brackles & Moldy @ Love

While I had been planning to attend Dub War anyway, I was presented with a super sick freelance opportunity** last week that officially sealed the deal. On Thursday and Friday, I attended Dubstep Fantasy Camp, a two-day training session focused entirely on dubstep, and I’ll be putting together a ton of coverage for Mog.com (watch this space).

The camp attendees were four really sweet dudes from across the country who had made tracks online using the SCION Dubstep Studio, which were then voted on by the People of the Internets. My favorite part of the whole shebang was getting to meet and talk to the instructors, who are all incredible badasses in their respective corners of the electronic music realm: Joe Nice, DJ/rupture, Matt Shadetek and Dave Sharma. For the culmination of the proceedings, we went out to experience some heavy bass live at Love, and with SCION footing the bar bill, good times were had by all.

While I was pretty busy chatting with people, I did catch some of Brackles’ awesome set, which included a lot of UK funky (a recent interest of mine thanks to pals across the pond) and even the old school MJ Cole 2-step jam “Crazy Love”, which I used to listen to all the damn time. I can’t believe it’s ten years old!


*The title of this post refers to a fun fact I learned from Matt Shadetek at camp— very low frequency sine waves (aka nasty basslines) take about 53 feet to fully develop.

**Special thanks to Andy P. for the amazing hookup!

Comments
1 of 4
Themed by: Hunson