Posted on

Ayano Kataoka & Joshua Quillen | Explosions In The Sky

I got 2nd row tickets for the third part in the Wordless Music Series. It took place in a church-like concert hall at the Society for ethical Culture. Ayano Kataoka, a native from Japan, started the night with a riveting solo percussion performance. She was then joined with Joshua R. Quillen to play two songs on two enormous marimbas. I was especially moved by their performance or Steve Reich’s “Nagoya Marimbas”

I finally get to see Explosions in the Sky again and this time showcasing some new material form their new album that got released that day. This 4 piece instrumental band has seen a huge rise in popularity despite not being on the radio, avoiding all Live Nation/Clear Channel venues, and not signing to a major. Their triumphant emotional songs shook the building. They started the set with “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone”, the title track off their new album. Although expected to only play 4 songs, they gave us a few more which made the night even more special. The space quickly became consumed with their soundscapes and didn’t let up until they finished an hour later. As usual they played through each song without any breaks and left the stage exhausted. I was on the edge of my seat the entire show and the venue and sound system was perfect for the perfromance. I was so impressed by this band and completely captivated by their live performance once again. Definitely the show to beat for 2007.
Pictures from the show.

Links:

pics and mp3 from 2005 show.

http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/

Posted on

Cat Power @ Moma

This night even started out bad by waiting in line for about an hour in the rain and cold just to get into Moma’s sleepwalkers event. Having a show at a museum with no stage is a bad idea. No one could hear the opening reading but then these 2 performers/artists came out yelping out auction bidding in a frantic and unstopping pace. It was surreal having that occur in a museum and thought it was thought provoking.

Despite being a few rows back from her and next to the speaker, Cat Power’s performance was muffled by all the chatter going on inside. It was one the worst audiences I’ve ever experienced. She seemed very happy taking the stage but she left after a few songs, no doubt because no one could hear her. At least the lights hanging from the ceiling provided an interesting backdrop for her.

Posted on

Gary Higgins | Castanets @ Mercury Lounge

Castanets played a psychedelic set reminiscent of the drones of Velvet Underground. The band seemed a little bit insecure on stage and very poor stage presence, but teh music was good, and a good primer for Gary.

I couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing Gary Higgins play live. His album Red Hash was heavily played on my system in 2005, despite being released back in 1973. It got a second life when someone from Drag City got it from Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance. After many months calling all the Higgins in phonebooks, they found him in Connecticut. The album was recorded right before Gary was sent away to the “big house” for drug charges and didn’t get adequate distribution.

I counted a dozen guitars on stage when Gary took the stage wearing a gleaming white NY Yankees baseball cap. With him were 4 other musicians including a very funny cellist that blurted out “You can do it!” every so often. I’m glad that he is finally getting to play his wonderful songs, that don’t sound dated, to eager audiences. Although my only complaint was that the set list was too long, I was won over by his psychedelic folk songs. Maybe he’ll release a “new” album.

Pictures from the show.

Posted on

SupaComp will rock you

SupaComp 2006 is finally done. Another jam packed disk full of the past year’s highlights. Lots of great music came out in 2006 which made editing really tough. Although musically diverse, there is a consistent
theme throughout the comp. Here’s some other interesting data points.

The first time John Vanderslice has not made a comp.
Repeat bands that have been on previous comps: 30
1 musician appears 3 times
Bands from New York: 20
Female bands: 23
3-piece bands: 7