Archive for May, 2008
Summer Concerts in NYC starting with Mirah and Spectratone
Author: Andy Sosnowski
Thurs May 29, Mirah and Spectratone will perform together with Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet as a part of the river to river festival in New York City (see http://www.rivertorivernyc.com/events). Here is a review of their latest CD, Share this Place. Read the rest of this entry »
read comments (0)Mondo Generator Revives a Dead Planet with SonicSlowMotionTrails
Author: Jeff Boule
Sorry folks, no nonsense about this recording, it’s all business with the Generator. It has to be. At least from Nick Oliveri’s point of view. After all, what do you do when you are asked to leave a band on the verge of breaking huge?
Read the rest of this entry »
Second Bananas!
Author: Dee
It’s sad to say, but most opening acts are treated like the cousins of your family that you really don’t like, while the headliner act is given all of the glory.
Even worse, there’s usually one huge musical disconnect between the opener and the main act.
A couple of years ago, I waited almost three hours for a Ryan Adams show. The opening act were two teachers from the local school system who tried their best, but…
They couldn’t sing, nor could they play their way around the block. And yes, they were just bloody awful, but I’ll give them all of the credit in the world for trying their act out in a very small venue all filled up with liquored up Ryan Adams fans.
A couple of years ago, Wilco played a show at the most awful, fan-unfriendly place in Philly called “Festival Pier”, which is one huge slab of concrete set on the banks of the Delaware River, with very few pleasantries (meaning that the good “Flying Fish” beer ran out early).
Guess who opened up for Wilco? My Morning Jacket, and I swear there were only 100 of us dancing around the front of the stage to this band, hair, beards, Chucky T’s and all. Jim James said, “Wow, this is like playing a backyard barbeque!”
So, last Friday, Paul and I went to see Danielia Cotton at “World Café Live”, and we love her!
But, her opener, a band called “The Alternate Routes” really perked up my ears. I picked up both of their CD’s at their merch table, and it’s clear to see that this band has both songwriting and pure musicianship ready to go…with a full band or an acoustic one.
So, don’t ever make the mistake of showing up late for a show just because you’d care to miss the opening act.
You just may miss the “next big thing”!
Keith Kenny: Part 1
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
May 27, 2008: I first met Keith Kenny when they performed at The College of New Jersey on Friday April 26th, 2008. Self-named after the lead singer, the band members are Keith Kenny- lead/vocal/guitar; Jonathan Luberecki- bass, and Tyler Chiara- drums. They’ve put out 2 EPs on the internet, and their first album is out June 14th, 2008, which will be reviewed in a separate blog at that time. Musically, you’re listening to mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, mixed major and minor key tonality. Basically: a hybrid of blues rock, classic hard rock, a little bit of Eric Clapton (when he did blues) and Led Zeppelin.
Atlantic City - House Of Blues - May 10 2008
Author: Carl Homrighausen
I’ve always appreciated the House Of Blues as a venue. Being the compulsive gambler and reckless drunk that I am, being located right above a casino means it couldn’t get much better. That evening, as I meandered through the casino floor towards the two story escalator that leads up to the venue, I thought to myself that this show was my salvation, at least for a few hours, from the timeless vault of lust that is known as The Showboat. Read the rest of this entry »
Times New Viking-Rip It Off
Author: Steven
What is it about lo-fi punk bands that drives everyone crazy [in the good way...] these days? What with the phenomenal debut full-length from LA’s No Age and the long-standing underground successes of garage noise punk a la Japanther, Mika Miko, Black Lips, etc, it’s almost as if the lo-fi recording quality of some upcoming bands serves as a “seal of approval” for listeners everywhere that says, or even screams: “This music is so raw…you’re going to listen to the ****** quality, and you’re going to loooove it.” But in the end, you have to admit that this lo-fi stuff actually sounds, well, kinda good…not in terms of clean engineering or production, maybe, but as a complement to the bands’ sounds and attitudes about not only how they record their music, but how they choose to perform it live as well. Times New Viking’s newest release “Rip It Off” is a perfect example of how maxed-out instrumentation/vocals can be made to just work. Read the rest of this entry »
Islands, with The Magic and Street Carnage
Author: Meghan Palagyi
On Friday night, The Islands, which include two ex-members of The Unicorns, played the first Unitarian Church in Philadelphia. There was fantastic turn out of young and old alike, and all enjoyed a great set of new and old Islands songs. Their new album, The Arm, is gritty departure from their first album, Return to the Sea, but I think Islands are moving in a fresh direction. While most of the set was from the Arm, the audience was treated to all of their favorites and there was much rejoicing. Read the rest of this entry »
Some Jazz Faves
Author: Anthony Medici
Memorial Day Weekend, great weather, friends and relatives visiting, and an ongoing home rehab project that requires hauling boxes of books and records to the storage locker (the best argument for downloads), work against any deep-thinking blog post today, so I thought it would be fun (and easy) to list some of my jazz faves. Like New York City thin pizza, Chicagohot dogs and Italian beef, KC barbeque, Rita’s gelato, and Chen’s crispy beef, these jazzers make me happy and keep me coming back for more; they are my musical comfort food.
Black Jazz
Author: Keith
Certain labels are known for their quality and are spoken of in revered tones: Desco Records (the precursor to current retro-funk labels Daptone and Soul Fire), Rawkus (in the mid-90s a near-guarantee of dope hip-hop) and Blue Note (revered in the jazz world, at least their pre-1980s records). And when you collect records, search for beats or both (as I do) you become familiar with additional record labels. Digger’s favorites. The ones known for their incredible music, incredible hard-to-find beats and songs ready for the sampling… or both. People (James Brown’s imprint and sure-shot funky guarantee). Fania (the salsa giant). And, a true treat for the aficionados and beatdiggers, possibly the digger’s favorite of ALL digger’s favorites …. Black Jazz.
Cousin Brucie, WABC, and the Demise of AM Radio
Author: Bob Bembridge
Movin and a groovin, Big M
Movin and a groovin, Big M
Movin and a groovin, having a ball
With Cousin Bruce
How important were Cousin Brucie and WABC Radio to New York area teens in the Sixties?
Imagine the Pope, the President, and Mickey Mantle rolled into one. Maybe throw in Roger Maris.
Appetite For Instruction Part 2
Author: Rob White
Unfortunately, tracking down these demos is slightly harder then a cheetah getting a license to run a daycare. For three evenings I lurked guns and roses message boards and wasted my freaking time looking at web blogs shut down by Axl’ s lawyers. I gave up and searched on Soulseek for some kind of salvation. The results were predictable, people would claim to have the entire album but its a Kraftwerk CD also, I’m not sure of the connection, but every time i try to find the track “catcher in the rye” i open it to find its a Bruce Springsteen song. Read the rest of this entry »
2008 Album Releases
Author: Julia Sahin
It seems as though 2008 is the year for comebacks-and when I say that, I don’t mean for unsuccessful bands to redeem themselves, but bands to continue their album releases. If you think about it (and do your music research), there are quite a few groups with albums being released this year. There must be something with the summer of 2008…but it’s full of music mayhem.
Album Review: Narrow Stairs by Death Cab for Cutie
Author: Liz Kantner
Death Cab for Cutie is a band that evokes emotions some didn’t even know they had. They were my favorite band a few years ago due to the release of ‘Transatlantcism,’ which I listened to on repeat for weeks. Death cab has a song that can relate to pretty much every relationship I have ever been in. From the hard break ups to the times I was truly in love. While they are no longer my favorite band, they have always been there for when I want to get lost in memories of the past.
Concert Review: The Morning Of
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Newcomer to Bamboozle Rocked it
May 20, 2008—The Morning Of—Newburgh, NY—played at Bamboozle 2008 for the first time on May 3rd, 2008. This is a happy, energetic band that is also very talented. Their new Indie pop-punk album is “The World As We know it” (Tragic Hero Records). For a newcomer to Bamboozle, their confidence and stage presence looked as though they were returning artists. In between songs, the guitarist said, “Two years ago I stood in the stands and thought, ‘wow, wouldn’t it be cool to play at Bamboozle,’” which made me wonder, where will they be two years from now?
Alive 2007
Author: Carl Homrighausen
Mix and Mingus
Author: Anthony Medici
No Age - Nouns
Author: Meghan Palagyi
Nouns is the best album of 2008 so far by any standards. The duo No Age bring their sound with refreshing consideration to punk-attuned audiences with no qualms. Hailing from Los Angeles, their guitar and drums combination with insightful lyrics layered on top provides the recipe for a great half hour of listening. In particular, Nouns emphasizes No Age’s lo-fi melodies that provide a for cushion for lyrics that hold meaning and mentality. Read the rest of this entry »
Appetite for Instruction part 1
Author: Rob White
Well, anyone remember what they did on September 17, 1991? I sure as hell don’t, but you know who does? Axl Rose. Probably because that was the last time his band Guns and Roses put out a full length album of original material. Since that time he has been busy kicking people out of the band, and replacing them with other people who play exactly like the people he had just kicked out of the band, all the while signing them to contracts to guarantee them a royalty free future from the forth coming album. Welcome to the jungle baby! Read the rest of this entry »
Los Campesinos! Live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg
Author: Steven
Going to NYC for a show always seems like such a wonderful idea at first…but then in retrospect [after riding the 1:41am NE corrider branch NJT back to Princeton Junction only to find yourself standing in the rain trying to hassle with cab drivers to drive you back to the campus] one has to reaaally think about whether or not that money and time was worth it. In most cases, the response is pretty quick to come: “Yeah, that was an amazing show…[insert band name] were so great. Totally worth it. I’m going to go blog about how wonderful they were.” But, every so often, you have to brace yourself for the ugly truth (i.e.-you got suckered); unfortunately, that seemed to be the case last night. Read the rest of this entry »
Ladies, please!
Author: Dee
So, let’s see…I love Sally, Carly, Daniela, Ella, Joni, Nina, Linda, Dusty, Dolly, Shelby, Bonnie, Amy, Kirsty and, of course, Emmylou!