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Grant Hart | Death Vessel @ Bell House

Grant Hart formally of Hüsker Dü opened things up and was bored as I was expecting a bit more punk rock and a little less wimpyness.

I was very excited to have a full band back up Joel Thibodeau of Death Vessel this evening. This talented musician has relocated from Berlin, Maine, Boston, Providence, to finally settle in Brooklyn. I’ve been following his career for a bit now and I feel he is really starting to find his groove with a superb new album. His angelic yet haunting voice still holds up with the other instruments and its hard not to be mesmerized on how it all blends together. He even treated us to a solo song from his previous band String Builder for the encore.

http://www.deathvessel.com/

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Chase Pagan | Jonah Matranga @ Mercury Lounge

I wasn’t the only one to show up for the early early show to catch Chase Pagan from Arkansas. He sang folky soulful songs thats worth checking out from his new album.

It’s always a treat to see Jonah Matranga. His music ranges from hard rock to classic indie rock. Whether he’s playing in someone’s basement or a sold out venue, he always pours his heart & soul into every song. He opened with a great slow cover of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.”  He then played a solid set of new and old songs including a few from his old band Far which Jonah mentioned would be reforming! Hopefully the band can stay together long enough for a full tour. Jonah talked to the crowd more this time, probably due to his anger over the outcome of American Idol. He ended the set with “So Long,” one of my favorite songs, and made a great speech about the integrity of his music and his love for his fans which allows him to do what he loves. An amazing musician and all around down to earth guy. Although his live shows are sporadic and usually unannounced, definitely seek out his next live show by signing up for his newsletter.

http://www.myspace.com/chasepagan
http://www.jonahmatranga.com

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Fresh Kills | The Giraffes @ Mercury Lounge

I wasn’t surprised when the lead singer of Fresh Kills said they were from Williamsburgh. I was surprised with the crowd that they brought in and that they were going to tour in Europe. The band had lots of musical potential but they decided to play uninspiring post punk rock instead.

Luckily the crowd maintained itself for The Giraffes record release party. Aaron Lazar had a new look for the new album and I almost didn’t recognize him. Even though I was strategically in the back of the venue, by the 2nd song I was already drenched by a perfectly thrown beer. Considering I was already soaked I managed my way through the grinding crowd to hear the new tunes. It may be the large quantity of beer talking but the new tunes seemed more spacious and placed emphasis on Aaron’s incredible voice. The show was predictably rocking and a great crowd complimented the energy onstage. Although annoying photographer dude showed up again with his distracting flash, the show was awesome and I stumbled home with a delightful ringing in my ears.

http://www.freshkillsband.com/
http://www.thegiraffes.com/

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Chris Pureka @ Joe’s Pub


I still don’t know why Chris Pureka isn’t more well known. For a couple of years I’ve been following her beautiful songs and each release gets stronger and stronger. I wasn’t sure what to expect from her live show but after starting her set with her new song “California” I knew it was going to be a great show. Chris has such an amazing voice and performed her songs flawlessly with more emotion that’s usually hiding within her songs. She played for about 1.5 hours to a sold out crowd including a great Dylan cover. I was surprised to see her sell her own merchandise immediately after the show. I chatted with her as she was curious on how I found about her and why I was at the show. I thanked her for a beautiful night of music as I bought her new Chimera E.P.

http://www.chrispureka.com/

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Throbbing Gristle @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple

I was more than excited to finally see Throbbing Gristle perform live and in Brooklyn! It was their first US show in 28 years and they started things off with a live soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s In The Shadow of the Sun. After some time and some beer I became infused with the visual and sonic mesh and enjoyed many of the sequences in the film.

Then after a very lengthy and shameless attempt of self-promotion and merchandise pushing the band set up a table to autograph 1 item from the audience. Note to manager: Do this AFTER the show.

Then what followed was a 40 minute audio video art installation of 2 throbbing lines pulsating in and out of sync, It reminded me of the sound performances of one of my favorite electronic duos Pan Sonic. Although I enjoyed the experience it seemed out of place for the timing of the entire night and went on excruciatingly too long. Note to manager: Don’t have your unannounced opening act play in the middle of a show people have been waiting decades to see.

Then after another long delay with a noticeably thinner crowd, Throbbing Gristle finally took the stage after 11 PM for a show that was supposed to start at 7 PM. Although the lights were off for the intermission they decided to turn them ON for the main act! Actually, they turned on ALL the fucking lights including the stage lights and venue lights. Now I can understand leaving the stage lights on for the first song or two for the press to take pictures, but for the entire evening including the auditorium? It was a weird experience to see such a band like TG in such an awkward setting. Needless to say, they still came out and gave us a difficult but rewarding music experience playing a range of songs. The crappy sound system at the Masonic Temple and drinking too much of the shittiest polish beer imaginable may have added to the musical experience, but I was just too darn tired and pissed off at the way the venue handled such a unique and important night of music. A huge disappointment. Note to manager: 1) Don’t leave on the lights for the entire duration of the show. 2) When the band asks you to turn off the lights, you should listen to them. We don’t want to see Genesis’ face that clearly anyway. 3) You should discourage the bouncers from ruining a good time.  4) Please kill yourself.

Pictures from the show.