Dispatches From CMJ, Day Three: The Lovely Sparrows, Au, Goes Cube, Villa Vina
The third day of CMJ began at Fontana’s, with Austin, TX folk-duo the Lovely Sparrows. This is one of the shows I was looking forward to, as occasional T-Sides contributor Clay Franks turned me onto them. Fans of current rising-stars the Fleet Foxes will find much to love in this pair, who also play melodic-pop-folk,...
Dispatches from CMJ, Day Two: Sister Suvi, Drink Up, Buttercup, Project Jenny, Project Jan, Women, Ane Brun, So Many Dynamos
Remember how day one of CMJ was all about the blogs? Well, day two was also sort of all about the blogs, or at least one in particular, NYC-based Ear Farm, offering up the most appealing daytime option with its free showcase of bands as eclectic as its voices and subjects. Arriving late, I unfortunately...
Dispatches from CMJ, Day One: Emmy the Great, the Sammies, Shearwater, Ponytail, Passion Pit, Gang Gang Dance
The first day of CMJ (or the College Music Journal’s Music Marathon, should you prefer to be proper) this year was all about blog showcases, with New York City’s music and pop culture scribes scurrying off to give press to their own, most popularly The Music Slut, Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum....
TV on the Radio @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Wednesday, October 15th
There are some bands whose God-like characteristics fade a bit in a live setting. Merely seeing that they’re human is enough. They have arms and legs and eyes and ears and a nose, just like you, they’re holding the instruments you’ve seen hundreds of times, and maybe even know how to play. They’re simply standing...
The Notwist @ Webster Hall, Monday, Oct. 13th
In their recordings, the Notwist might give off the impression of being a sleepy little electro-pop band, but don’t let that twist your notions of what their live show is like. Sure, they hide behind the gentle guise of glasses (four out of the five touring members wear them), but in a live setting, their...
Beck w/ MGMT @ United Palace, Wednesday, Oct. 8th
Beck could have been a more engaging performer at Wednesday’s United Palace show, but what he lacked in personality on stage, he made up for in song. The show was the opener of a three-day stand at the Washington Heights venue, and it was hard to tell whether he was tired from touring or simply...
8 Pictures, 88 Words, 8 Minutes & 8 Seconds from 88BOADRUM in NYC on 08.08.08
Drummers receive a lot of flak. Wild and tumultuous, bands go through drummers as a Lothario does women. They are compared to animals and stereotyped as stupid. Oh, come great 88BOADRUM, asking us to fall in love with drummers again! Coupled with an electronic composition, singer, guitarist and bassist, 88 drummers thumped into the night...
Wolf Parade @ Terminal 5, Thursday, July 31st
The first time I saw Wolf Parade, they were opening a secret Modest Mouse show at Webster Hall in 2004. I knew nothing about them, but they impressed me just as much as Modest Mouse had. Four years later, they’re still impressive: probably moreso than the band that fostered them into the spotlight. Terminal 5...
Billy Joel @ Shea Stadium, Wednesday, July 16th
In New York, baseball is akin to religion. To many New Yorkers, Billy Joel is, too. So it was no surprise when it was announced that Joel would play the last concert at the New York Mets’ Shea Stadium. And so, the themes of the night were, of course, New York and baseball, and Joel...
Dengue Fever & Rachid Taha @ Central Park SummerStage, Saturday, July 5th
Of the many things that can be said about the performances of Dengue Fever and Rachid Taha at Central Park’s SummerStage, the biggest link between the two is a good performer’s ability to keep the audience entranced when they don’t speak the same language. Dengue Fever are American based, but to complement the group’s Cambodian...
Liz Phair @ Hiro Ballroom, Thursday, June 26th
She might be from Chicago, but when Liz Phair came to New York City’s Hiro Ballroom, she was treated like a hometown girl. In a city where the sex lives of its women have been turned into national entertainment, her fem-rock opus Exile in Guyville is not just embraced, it’s understood. Wearing a vest with...
Death Cab for Cutie at McCarren Park Pool: The Injury-Ridden Aftermath
Image courtesy Sam Rosenblatt Now that my review of Death Cab for Cutie’s concert at Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool is up on Bullz-Eye, I can give an account of the upsetting events that happened afterward. You’ll want to read the piece on Bullz-Eye first, so pop on over there and read it. Don’t worry, this...
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