Jesus & Mary Chain, Bowerbirds, Bright Eyes
Part of the reason that it takes so long to get concert reviews up here is because I admittedly let myself run a little wild and, quite possibly, get a little too extravagant. So, for tonight we’re going to try something new – short reviews! If only because I saw three shows recently that I’d...
Patti Smith @ Bowery Ballroom, Thursday, Apr. 24th
The line for the 10:30 Patti Smith Bowery Session (the last of three) was enormous. It curved around the corner and went around halfway around the next block. I was easily the youngest person in line. At some point, the couple ahead of me (probably also in their 20s, but definitely older than me) had...
St. Vincent & John Vanderslice @ Union Hall, Sunday, Apr. 22nd
It’s never been especially easy for singer-songwriters. It seems like every Jane and John Doe who can play a guitar thinks that means that they can write good songs. With the blogs and MySpace and how the two have completely revitalized how people discover music, it’s become even harder. Any marketing student or employee can...
Goes Cube @ Mercury Lounge, Friday, April 6th
Let’s be upfront, shall we? I know diddly squat about any kind of heavy/hard music. If you’d like proof, I can tell you that the first hard/heavy music I listened to was Metallica. Not Metallica circa Kill’em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Justice for All or the Black Album, but Metallica circa Load....
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...
“Two Nights with Explosions in the Sky” or “Yet Another Reason Why Pitchfork Blows”
For a long time, whenever someone asked me about the best concert I’ve seen, Explosions in the Sky was always one of the first bands to come to mind. The first (and up until this week, only) time I saw them was at the now defunct NorthSix in Brooklyn during the Winter of, I think,...
Mahogany @ Galapagos Art Space, Friday, Feb. 16th
Pictures only for this one, folks. Mahogany played a short but very good set, and I didn’t see any of the opening bands… Mahogany: “Soleil Radieux” (download) Mahogany: “Springtime, Save Our Country” (download) – M4A format
Kyp Malone @ Zebulon, Wednesday, Jan. 31st
Zebulon is softly lit. There is a candle at each table and 11 dim globe lamps hang overhead. It is a small place, about the size of four large bedrooms. In front of me, a couple is sitting at a table playing with a dog. To my right is the bar, lined with men in...
Wordless Music, Featuring Bird-Named Artists.
My generation is, largely, not a generation of instrumental music, nor of music that is experimental or progressive (at least certainly not in the mainstream). For the most part, my generation is a generation of dance-pop hooks and rap. My generation is a generation of lyric quoting, 3-4 minute song loving teeny boppers. And I...
ATTN NYCers: Come Rock Out with Taylor T-Sides and So Many Dynamos.
Hey, Mr./Miss. New Yorker reading this blog. Have you noticed that the weather is not so nice today? Have you noticed that it’s only the middle of the week? You should do something to spice up your night, and I have a suggestion. Come to Piano’s and see So Many Dynamos play with Trespassers William...
T-Sides CMJ Wrap-Up: Saturday, Nov. 4
[In relation to my CMJ coverage, allow me to pre-emptively apologize for two things: 1) my camera is not fabulous with concert photos, 2) I won’t be hosting many mp3s direct. The reason for the latter is that my current connection is rather slow, so it takes me ages to download and upload things. Since...
T-Sides CMJ Wrap Up: Friday, Nov. 3
[In relation to my CMJ coverage, allow me to pre-emptively apologize for two things: 1) my camera is not fabulous with concert photos, 2) I won’t be hosting many mp3s direct. The reason for the latter is that my current connection is rather slow, so it takes me ages to download and upload things. Since...
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