What's in the Water at Wesleyan?

MGMT +
Das Racist +
Boy Crisis +
Amazing Baby
=
The Wesleyan Mafia

Or so says Cristina Black over at the Village Voice.

True, these bands are great. But what about Francis and the Lights? (Playing Zebulon September 1st and 2nd, btw). We love him, too!

Is there something in the water over there in Connecticut?

P.S. September 1st is my birthday! 29 years young!

What Sucks and What Doesn't

Photo from http://www.thetripwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/holly3d.jpg

You know what sucks? When you are totally psyched to see a new band you love perform live - and your editor tries to get you on the list, too - and when you get to the show you hear that a) it's sold out and b) the only press on the list are from Fader. Sigh...

You see, I really wanted to see Holly Miranda at Monkeytown on Monday night, but it was not meant to be. So, instead I had to listen to her on MySpace all day yesterday. I think I like what the NY Times has said about her. Due to the events of Monday night, though, I can't say whether she is "ferocious" live. (I'm looking at you, Fader!) And when I wrote to her PR folks asking whether she had any more shows planned in the New York area the response was: "soon :)". I'll be waiting, I guess. In the meantime, can I say that she is transcendent? Or enigmatic? Like Feist, but maybe more gritty? Take a listen and hear for yourself. I for one, have got the Miranda bug.

A few more things that don't suck: Das Racist and Ear Farm.



From http://thenightbirdcalls.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/das-racist.jpg

Das Racist, if you haven't heard the buzz about them from here or here, are a Brooklyn-based hip hop duo. Yes, yes we love "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell", but what I also really like are the following: this video, and they seem totally smart and socially conscious. (I like that stuff...)


From http://earfarm.com/post/earftpreview.jpg

Ear Farm is a musiczine and I can't believe I've gone this long without talking about it. It's really very good. Please check it out, make comments and give those dudes props. Check out my work there, too!

Oh, also, Fader doesn't suck. Fader, if you are reading this, please know that I wasn't angry at you for being on the Monkeytown list Monday night. Rather, I was angry that you got on the list before me. Promise.

Nostalgia, The New Yorker and Why We Still Go to Concerts Today

Ever since I was a child I can remember wishing that I'd been born in the 1950's. No. I was not and still am not really a fan of DooWop. Rather, I realized then that if I'd been born in the '50s I would be a teenager in the '60s...when music really began (at least in my opinion). Live music began long before the '60s, but it was in that decade--ripe with drugs, radicalism, activism, youth-culture and free love--that it really took hold in a way never before seen or documented by our society.


If you read The New Yorker you may have noticed that the August 10-17, 2009 issue included a piece by John Seabrook called "The Price of the Ticket". I won't get into all the details, but the article gives some insight into the state of live concerts, Ticketmaster, LiveNation. The piece also delves into scalping and how, due to the internet, this formerly criminal act is basically legal and making millionaires out of lazy schlubs who don't want to leave the house.

Aside from its enlightening content, the basic message of the piece was this: there is nothing quite like live music. Even when tickets are posted for $400-$1,500, fans--eager for the thrill of a live concert with their favorite band--will pay.

I liked Seabrook's statement that cheap tickets mean concerts sell out and are "the price the industry pays to preserve the illusion that the '60s never ended." It's funny, because I am a child of the 1980s. I grew up during the era of Debbie Gibson, acid wash jeans and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". I was 20 years too late for the '60s; yet that era holds such enormous meaning for my friends and me. It's part of the reason why I go to concerts today: to get that unmatched thrill that ignited way back when.

TV Smith and Jay Reatard Play the Music Hall of Williamsburg

After some problems obtaining a visa, TV Smith, from The Adverts, hopped on a plane in time to play The Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday July 2, kicking off his scheduled tour with Jay Reatard. TV Smith (aka Tim Smith) wasn't the headliner - Jay Reatard filled those shoes. But, in this lady's opinion, the former stole the show.

It's kind of amazing to me that after being in The Adverts, a band that really only enjoyed three full years of success (from 1976-1979), TV Smith has been able to retain so much of his talent and credibility. It also seems, from listening to him on Thursday night, that TV still holds on to much of his original punk outlook.

That was a great part about this show, because Thursday night felt like stepping back into history to witness the message of a now-defunct movement. It was a change of pace from the current wave of post-punk, whose iterations sometimes share messages, but ultimately do not encourage protest.

Sticking to his roots, TV Smith delivered a solo set that was stark and full of purpose. Only a man and his guitar, TV offered a big sound, with feeling that he maintained throughout, even for songs originally debuted over thirty years ago, like "Great British Mistake", a loud, rollicking piece of punk. I especially loved how TV layered his moments in between each song with a bit of thoughtful musing, like a philosophy sandwich.

In fact, it seems that TV has had some time to reflect on, and be at peace with, his purpose and he was happy to share with the crowd. For instance, in one anecdote, he spoke of a journalist questioning him and The Adverts about making fun of the Bible Belt in one tune. The journalist thought it might get some people riled up - especially fans in the United States. TV Smith replied: "Well, isn't that the point?"

Topping off the set, TV Smith played the title track off his new album "In the Arms of My Enemy", a tough, raw song with strong messages about wealth vs. poverty and the struggle for power. The crowd of mostly men stomped and roared along with the last dying chords of his set, sending their mentor off the stage with massive applause.

From inspired elder, the night moved on to post-adolescent frustration. Jay Reatard's set was all hair and noise, with lyrics reflecting angst and anger. I couldn't help dancing as Jay manipulated his voice from a high, almost bratty whine to a low, guttural roar through songs like Blood Visions or Missing You. Actually, it would have been impossible not to dance due to the fast-paced guitars, drums, and sheer frenetic energy that flowed, unstoppable, through each song.

JR's set was vastly different from TV's. The former mostly mumbled the name of each upcoming song, hair in front of his eyes and hands attached to his guitar, occasionally spitting on the stage or at the audience. It was an interesting contrast to what we had seen earlier, and I felt it represented perfectly the difference between punk and post-punk.

All in all, an enjoyable show. TV Smith and Jay Reatard gave a joint encore that made the crowd crazy. If you've never heard of him, please do yourself a favor and check out TV Smith's "In the Arms of My Enemy". Also, check out Jay Reatard's new album, "Watch Me Fall"(Matador Records) dropping August 18th. You won't be sorry.

Five Questions for Allison Busch of Awesome Color

Allison Busch, drummer extraordinaire of Awesome Color, took a few minutes to talk to me while waiting to perform with her new band, Red Dawn II, at Sodafine as part of the third annual Make Music New York festival on June 21st. I learned--after some uncomfortable gushing (from me) about how much I love their band--that Allison does not take praise lightly. She is truly grateful when she hears that fans dig Awesome Color. Watch for them on tour this summer with none other than the venerable rockers from Sonic Youth. Yes, awesome indeed.

1. How did you guys meet and what are your influences?

We met skateboarding in Ann Arbor, MI. Michael [Troutman] (bass) came to my house to skateboard and we became friends. At the time he was in a band called the Violent Ramp. Then we met Derek [Stanton] (guitarist/vox] at one of their shows. Our influences are Wolf Eyes, USAisaMonster (they actually gave us our first show)...

2. How has the skateboarding scene influenced your music?

I learned a lot about music skating. I really liked the music I heard in skate videos or in Thrash [magazine]. I also got into Sonic Youth, Black Flag and Dinosaur Jr. through the skate scene.

3. What is your goal for Awesome Color going forward?

To play with Hair Police: the best band in Lexington, KY. We love playing with them. We had other goals, too, like to play the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti, MI, as a touring band. We did that.

4. Have you signed with a label?

Yeah, we signed with Ecstatic Peace a few years ago [2005]. They have put out all our albums [a self-titled debut and then "Electric Aborigines", most recently]. They are putting out our [third] album this fall, too.

5. Who are your favorite bands to play with, aside from Hair Police?

There are a lot of bands in New York right now that I like: Oneida, Tall Firs (Aaron [Mullan] recorded our first album), Knyfe Hyts. We like playing with Wolf Eyes [also from Detriot]. We just finished touring with the Black Dice; we like playing with them a lot. We also did a tour with Sonic Youth and will be going on another one with them. We toured with Radio Birdman when they reunited for a bit...

Bonus question: What is happening with your new band?

Red Dawn II? We are playing today (Sunday June 21st) in a few minutes. The band is me and Wolfie, on guitar. It is raw punk. We sing about horror movies.

Interview with Pete from Dinowalrus!

(Cake Shop, May 15, 2009)
I stepped back a few inches to prevent Pete, the lead singer of Dinowalrus, from getting a view up my dress. I don't think he was trying to sneak a peek. He was merely rolling on the floor, riling up the crowd at Cake Shop on May 15. He and Dinowalrus did a good job shaking things up that night, along with Lame Drivers, Guilty Faces and So Cow, the evening's headliner.

Earlier in the week I just thought Pete was a reserved, lanky guy with a penchant for the arpeggiator. When we met at Enid's in Greenpoint the shaggy-haired Pete sported a gray argyle sweater and thick, plastic-framed glasses. We sat outside on a blustery spring afternoon and discussed the short but interesting history of Dinowalrus, the band's influences and what he hopes for the group going forward.

For starters, Dinowalrus aims to be exceptional in its sound. Along with that, the group also aspires to a "utilitarian" vibe and audience accessibility, with the occasional tease for the listener, like a flock of high-pitched continuous beeps and blips shrieking from their sampler. From Kyle's carefully-tempered wailing (vocal and clarinet, listen to BEAD), to Pete's experimental curiosity that manifested itself onstage (at one point he placed a mic so close to a vibrating tom that it created an intriguing, mechanical whirring noise), to Josh's tight, sometimes Caribbean-inspired rhythms, a listener can hear real intent in this band's songs. In fact, seeing them live helped me to really appreciate Pete's statement: "We are probably more influenced by our gear than any particular sound or genre."

(Cake Shop, May 15, 2009)
Along with talk of influences also comes comparisons, and Pete appreciates comparison to his favorite bands, ranging from Sonic Youth to The Stooges. He is the first to admit that they rely on their predecessors, stating that the best way to learn is by copying.

According to the lead singer, the band seeks to take and own musical ideas that are extraordinary, or anything that really strikes them as "indescribable", such as a beat that connotes perpetual motion. Experimentation is how they do their best work; its really how most interesting bands ever do their work. This stands alongside Pete's statement that "DIY indie punk is one of the only middle-class folk-art forms that still exist." Right on.

The lead singer also feels that categorization - a subject that may irk some bands - can be helpful for the listener. Paying homage to their influences, Dinowalrus experiments with and borrows a variety of styles. The band's MySpace page describes its music as ambient/thrash/reggaeton. This may sound confusing, but Dinowalrus hits these points in their two self-titled 7" singles and one CD-R album. Listen for an ambient drone in "I Hate Numbers", a track which made me feel like I had stepped out of a time machine and into 1985. Or "Electric Car Gas Guitar", which begins with a rhythm that Daddy Yankee would love. Just listen to the album - you'll get it.

(Cake Shop, May 15, 2009)
Personally, I'm grateful for the band's existence. Dinowalrus, originally Pete's "jokey bedroom project", officially formed when the lead singer met his fellow bandmember, Kyle, at a To Live and Shave in LA show at the Syrup Room in Bushwick in 2006. The story goes that both were there hoping to meet the famed Andrew W. K. I guess you could say that on that night, Dinowalrus, a beast unlike any other, was born.

With Dinowalrus's genuine work ethic and what seems to be sheer enjoyment of their craft, I believe we will be hearing more from these three gents. In the meantime, go out and find yourself a copy of one of their singles. And don't blame me if you can't stop listening...

Three great bands you may not know of...yet!

Oh, readers! Isn't learning about a great band sometimes like falling in love? The obsession with seeing them as much as possible - or in this case, listening. Talking about them constantly to your friends. Daydreaming about them... All of it leaves you ecstatic and wanting more.

While these three bands are not necessarily new, they are certainly new to me. And they've got my full, undivided attention.


First, we've got Dinowalrus, based in Brooklyn, NY who describe themselves as Ambient/Thrash/Reggaeton. Sounds confusing? It's not. They are damn good - just listen... Go on!
You'll notice hints of ambient, droney bliss, occasional bursts of punk and, yes, some tribal reggaeton-ish rhythms. (I can tell - I'm Puerto Rican!) It's thinking music, but also a little tongue in cheek. Keep an eye out for my interview with Pete - from the band - coming soon!


Next, another band based in Brooklyn, by way of Michigan. Yes, Awesome Color came a long way to enchant our ears with their unique brand of old-school, crunchy psychedelic punk circa 2009. I love this band. And I'd never have learned about them if it weren't for Dinowalrus! Take a listen, and don't tell me you aren't hooked!


Finally, we've got So Cow. This one-man band, consisting of Brian Kelly, comes out of Tuam, Ireland (apparently it's in Galway). He plays good old fashioned pop. I hear hints of early Beatles and Weezer, but with the occasional song sung in Korean. (He lived in South Korea for a while teaching English.) Here's an interview with So Cow himself!

I'm still scouring for new bands. Until then, check out Dinowalrus and So Cow at Cake Shop on Friday May 15th!