Archive for the 'bands to watch' Category
Scars On Broadway Leave Marks on System, Serj.
Author: Jeff Boule
Once upon a time there were four Armenian boys who formed one of modern rock’s heaviest bands. I am recalcitrant to say heavy metal, as, especially with Scars On Broadway, all these artists can play soft as well as heavy. But back to our four Armenian friends, they formed a band. One considerably older gentleman (Serj Tankian), and the very unusual bass playing style and sound of Shavo Odajian, and two childhood friends Daron Malakian and John Dolmayan.
Now the childhood buddies had very distinct ideas on how the music should sound. But so too did the older gentleman and the unusual player. Four opinions in one small band is toxic.
At the absolute pinnacle of their career, nothing could go better, they decide now is the time to split up and do solo things. So the older Serj went and did his the fastest. His came out first to modest fan/critical response. Next came the project of the buddies Malakian and Dolmayan.
It is easy to see that Shavo will have a tough act to follow.
The heavy dissonances, speedy beats, time/tempo changes, humorous lyrics, inventive keyboards, all belong to the Malakian/Dolmayan connection.
Because as Scars on Broadway, these guys got it dead to rights!!!
read comments (0)
My hunch is that the vast majority of people reading this are not independently (or even dependently) wealthy. That means that most likely, we’re all looking for ways to get some impact out of the money we have in terms of everything, including music. While I didn’t plan it this way, I’ve had a lot of cool little music things happen over the last 12 days – and they’re all cheap. So why not share?
Review of Invaders – Kemado Records
Author: John Linden
Something strange has been happening in a certain subgenre of metal in the past few years. It started, depending on who you ask, either with the release of Wolfmother’s self-titled album or The Sword’s debut Age of Winters. The subgenre was stoner rock, and the strange thing was it was becoming…hip. Yes, hip. Well, about as hip as any sort of metal can get, which is not very. Still, Austin’s The Sword getting signed to indie label Kemado was an eyebrow-raising move, to say the least. And yet it worked. Positive reviews came steamrolling in, and the quest to make stoner rock mainstream began. And that brings us to this compilation, which feels influential already. Read the rest of this entry »
Rose Hill Drive – Moon is the New Earth
Author: John Linden
In this Boulder, Colorado trio we have a strange case. They are a band who has radio-ready songs but is on an indie label. They are a band who are steeped in classic rock tradition but not bound by it. They are a band who, unlike most of their peers–if these boys even have true contemporaries–craft original, thoughtful songs and then play them like the bastard children of Cream and Led Zeppelin. Sign me up. Read the rest of this entry »
Woods [Family Creeps]
Author: Steven
I recently went to see a show in Brooklyn. Typical. What was not so typical, however, were the band who graced my ears upon arrival at the Silent Barn. Read the rest of this entry »
Album Review Samantha Crain: The Confiscation
Author: Rose Taglieri
21-year-old singer-songwriter Samantha Crain, jumps into the Folk Rock world with her debut EP “The Confiscation.” The EP was released by indie label Ramseur Records on July 22nd. It’s already gaining praise for its literate story telling and whimsical sound.
[Monotonix/Crystal Antlers/]Cut Off Your Hands/Bear Hands
Author: Steven
Money is hard to come by when you’re a college student (and your parents aren’t sending you “allowances” for “spending money” because you make “necessary purchases” every week that require hundreds). So whenever I save up the requisite $22.50 to get a round trip to NYC, it’s a BIG DEAL (for me). Phones ring, Brooklyn floors are cleared for my crashing, and plans are made.
Well, don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this Todd P fella, but his shows are, seriously, a dream-come-true for kids (or adults) on a budget. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than $7 for a show, and the bills are always about 3-4 bands. And it’s an all-ages deal…which is amazing so that kids under 18 can actually get to see live interesting stuff instead of sitting at home and watching MTV. This last Saturday had a 4-band bill…unfortunately, I was only able to see 2. And a half. Or something.
St Vincent at Clinton Castle, NYC – Jul 10, 2008
Author: Andy Sosnowski
I did not start out to write a series of reviews of women with musical muscles but it’s turned out that way. Here is the latest in the series about Alpha Females who make music with abandon.
St Vincent, fronted by Annie Clark, brought a 6 piece band including electric violin, flute, and French Horn. They made dynamic high-contrast music to go with their Black and White outfits. In this concert the live music sounded as good to me as the recordings; the songs were varied in style and mood. At times she wielded her electric guitar as mentioned before with abandon and force. She ends her songs unexpectedly and interestingly. Read the rest of this entry »
Montreal Jazz Festival – part two
Author: Andy Sosnowski
In this post I wanted to include a link to still more reviews from the Montreal Gazette of concerts I was unable to attend:
http://communities.canada.com/MONTREALGAZETTE/blogs/wordsandmusic/default.aspx
Also there are 2 local noteworthy bands that we saw:Gadji-Gadjo who play East European tunes. I endured the first blazing sun of the festival to watch them and they played a long set of stirring music to celebrate the sun. Read the rest of this entry »
Fleet Foxes
Author: Steven
Everyone can appreciate a beautiful voice. I don’t care what kind of music you are into…there is always THAT voice for each genre–that voice which, when you hear it for the first time, convinces you that there are few things more welcome to your ears.
Singers today come in a variety of singing abilities; I’ll admit that I enjoy the nasal whining/screaming of singers just as much as I do the beautiful crooning of a well-weathered singer/songwriter (more often than not, I like the former). But the trick for pulling off the “beautiful voice”-kind-of-music is to find the right combination of a beautiful voice and…well, kinda obviously, beautiful song-writing. I don’t think many would argue that the majority of American Idol contestants have great voices (my one requisite pop-culture reference for the year), but when it comes to their collective ability to write a beautiful album, I think that it’s safe to assume that it leaves something to be desired.
Fleet Foxes’s self-titled LP has that golden ratio of beautiful voices and song-writing. The perfect combination that kinda (embarrassingly) leaves your mouth hanging open for the first few minutes of the album while sitting by yourself in your local coffee shop. And it’s delicious…
Music for Headphones
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Music for Headphones
1 July 2008—By chance, I stumbled upon ‘Music For headphones” a psychedelic/ shoegaze/ experimental band out of Philadelphia, PA. This is a very creative and unique sounding band for people who want innovative and modern music.
Another Empowered Female – Santogold
Author: Andy Sosnowski
Last time I reviewed MIA’s live concert. This time I review Santogold from Brooklyn, as a preview to a free concert that Santogold will be giving on Sunday July 20 in N.Y.C. as part of Central Park Summerstage (see www.summerstage.org). There are similarities in that both make powerful but not (usually) pretty electronica. Santogold has a strong song called Starstruck, M.I.A. has a strong song called Sunshowers. If anything Santogold’s music is more melodic and diverse. Read the rest of this entry »
Keith Kenny CD Release Party: Limit is the Sky
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Keith Kenny CD Release Party: Limit is the Sky
June 17, 2008- Keith Kenny is a band that instills new respect for music’s ability to expand one’s horizons and way of viewing the world. Aptly titled, “Limit is the Sky,” Keith Kenny’s first CD (http://keithkenny.net/) is a celebration of classic blues rock combined with country influences, skilled musicianship and demanding instrumental part writing.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Dodos-Visiter
Author: Steven
A few prerequisites before naming your band “The Dodos”:
1. More than 50% of the band should be relatively good looking in an effort to avoid too close of a connection between the band name and the band members
2. Your music should be pretty good so as to avoid the label of a “joke band.” (Note: Most bands should strive to meet this prerequisite, though not all of them do.)
3. You should not take yourself too seriously. I mean…you call yourself The Dodos.
4. I should hope that you really love animals. And not just extinct ones.
Having met these requirements, these two boys from San Francisco (The Dodos!) create a perfect blend of light-hearted music, substantial lyrics, and anthemic drive. Tasteful irony is alive and well in the music world. Read the rest of this entry »
Editor’s Picks from Jersey Stock
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
June 10, 2008: Last week was my last post as a blogger for Prex. This week is my first post as one of the newly appointed Editors of the Blog, making this my first Letter from the Editor. A response from a reader stated, “I for one am interested in learning about new and upcoming acts, I’m just interested in those that are a little off the edges of typical American pop music.” These are the Editor’s Picks from Jersey Stock 2008 (‘Jersey’s version of Bamboozle): 5 reviews of up and coming local ‘Jersey bands.
Rilo Kiley Live at The Electric Factory
Author: Liz Kantner
Thursday night Rilo Kiley played at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia with Benji Hughes and Thao and the Get Down Stay Down. Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands and I have been listening to them for years, but this was the first chance I’ve had to see them live. Despite the tickets being a bit pricey, it ended up being one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. Read the rest of this entry »
Summer Concerts Abound, Gas Prices Be Damned!
Author: Jeff Boule
As someone penning for this blog has already asserted, the summer concert season is upon us. For this reviewer, it is a highly pregnant season with many, many promising, quality, not-to-be-missed performances. You can pretty much rest assured, if I am interested in these shows, they are not your run-of-the-mill American Idol loser tours (read: I got your diversity right here!). Read the rest of this entry »
Not So “Sly”!
Author: Dee
Back in late November, 2006, while I was still digging on “The Information” by Beck, there was one song that caught my ear.
Sherazada: Honest, Epic, Solid
Author: Leigh Silbernagel
Alternative Rock/Post-Hardcore brings back solid alternative rock, honest musicianship, epic-romantic lyrics, and a quality stage show
June 3, 2008: Sherazada (Bergen County, NJ) was still in its forming stages when I met Stephen Nahorniak, lead singer of Sherazada, at a party at The College of New Jersey in December 2006. Six months later, he sent me an invite to the Sherazada Facebook group. I first saw them perform at the Bogota VFW in September 2007: I blew off tailgating at a TCNJ football game to drive an hour and 45 minutes to see them perform a short set on a small stage. On May 28, 2008, I was listening to “Let it Go” downstairs, my brother heard the song, came down from upstairs and asked, ‘what band is that?’ I said, ‘Sherazada.’ He said, ‘I know the lead guitarist.’ I said, ‘I know the singer.’ My brother and I never agree on anything; but on that Wednesday, we agreed that Sherazada should have played Bamboozle 2008.
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”!