Glasvegas @ Webster Hall, Monday, March 30th
They may only have an album and a christmas EP behind them, but Glasgow’s Glasvegas are already performing like a big-time rock band. Grabbing the attention of the US late last year with the release of their debut, self-titled album, Glasvegas have packed New York City venues of increasing sizes, including their most recent stop...
Akron/Family @ Union Pool, Sunday, March 29th
“Everyone is guilty,” Akron/Family sang at their second gig at Union Pool, but if their performance was any indication, that fact isn’t getting to them. The bi-city band, based in New York as well as Williamsport, Pennsylvania, was full of whimsical energy Sunday night as they surged through an 11-song set without so much as...
Double Dipping: Morrissey @ Webster Hall, The Grates & Micachu and the Shapes @ Pianos, Wednesday, March 25th
New York City living, with its ever-expanding list of options, presents a reoccurring problem: What to do when you need or want to be in two places at once? Given the opportunity to see both legendary crooner Morrissey at Webster Hall for free and up and coming hype bands the Grates and Micachu and the...
Cursive @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Monday, March 9th
Appearances, as they say, can be deceiving. Looking at Cursive frontman Tim Kasher’s slim stature on stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg last Monday night, one unfamiliar with his songwriting might have never guessed the hostilities that lurk within. Shaking his head and his fist, Kasher pointed his rage at lovers, religion and critics,...
Les Savy Fav @ The Mezzanine, Sunday, March 1st
By now, most people who’ve heard (of) Les Savy Fav know their live show is more spectacle than concert. This is due in large part to front-man Tim Harrington, whose no-holds-barred antics could probably attract the same crowd sizes on their own. This isn’t to knock Les Savy Fav’s music, or their ability to play...
Mountain Goats @ Webster Hall, Tuesday, March 18th
Much like John Darnielle himself, the Mountain Goats’ audience at Webster Hall on Tuesday night had a tendency to flaunt its wit. Every time someone called out a song request – which was frequently, because in this cultish fan base, everyone has a favorite – someone else had a witty thing to yell in retort....
Enablers @ Knitting Factory, Sunday, March 9th
San Francisco’s Enablers are more an amalgam of music and poetry than the average band. This distinction is forged primarily through the use of speech only loosely set in pattern with the music instead of sing-song verse. In a live setting – in this case New York City’s Knitting Factory, at the Tap Bar –...
Amy Winehouse & The Pipettes @ Bowery Ballroom, Tuesday, March 13th
In late November, early December, one of my co-workers started playing a song over and over again that had the catchiest hook of “they tried to make me go to rehab / I said ‘no, no, no.'” It was sung by a woman with a deep, exotic voice that was accompanied by a dance-rhythmed brass...
Soapbox