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I absolutely went crazy when I heard about Birdmonster from Gorilla vs. Bear and loved their debut EP in early 2004. Unfortunately missed them live last time they came around, but with 3 back to back shows in NY/NJ it was hard to miss their frenetic live show. When these young unassuming guys took the stage it was hard to believe what came blasting out of the speakers. They were pure intensity from the start and never let up. They were dancing all over the small stage, knocking themselves into the amps and into each other. They were like trapped animals trying to escape and making as much noise and racket in the process. Although their recordings come close to capturing the energetic sound, their live show surpassed every expectation I had. Their soft/loud dynamic was more dramatic and their great attitude on stage is addictive. These guys play like their lives depended on it, but with huge smiles on their faces. These guys just plain rock!

Pictures from the show.

good site with updated blog.
http://www.birdmonster.com/

What a perfect end for CBGB’s than a Sunday Hardcore Matinee. Started the day off with pizza at St. Marks, which has changed so much since the days I used to go to CBGB’s back in the day. I sat down with Rob of Black Train Jack, a band that heavily influenced my life, and he even gave me a nickname. Ha.

Bane and Bold opened things up and Bold, who reunited after 10 years, put on a pretty decent show and prepped things up for the rest of the day.

Before Gorilla Biscuits took the stage, HR from Bad Brains who happened to be in the neighborhood did a surprise 3 song set. Gorilla Biscuits then took the stage and the crowd immediately erupted despite having their opening sample miscued on their song “New Directions”. This was the first time I have ever worn ear plugs at a concert and glad I did as my ears are still ringing days later. The band was on fire from the start and the entire crowd was a moving monster. After almost every song, Civ paid tribute to all the bands that influenced him and the hardcore scene in general. John Porcelly (Youth of Today) and Toby Morse (H20) each played a song onstage. I left the club sweaty, sore, and euphoric. I stared at the battered CBGB’s marquee for some minutes reminiscing of all the amazing moments I had at the club. Civ even mentioned that the club had “many ghosts” trapped in the walls of the club and for 75 minutes that history came out. I was happy to relive those moments once again at such a monumental place. A large part of my past is leaving when the club finally closes, but I’m glad I got to give the floors some more of my sweat and 1 last good-bye.

My pictures from the show.
Links:
Much better pictures here.
Great Article: Gorilla Biscuits play one last time at CBGB

If Union Hall wasn’t so close to me, I’d probably never go to see a show there. Tonight Gritty Midi Gang started things off. And yes, there was a bunch of midi and electronic noises floating around. Although plagued with computer problems and broken guitar strings, the songs were catchy and fun. The keyboardist was really cute and the “midi” guy wore a complete adidas jump suit. We’ll see how this band develops in the future.

Jeesh, how many times can I see The Diggs in one month? Answer: Not enough. These guys created their wall of sound that consumed the small downstairs area. I was so happy that they played a bunch of new songs. They sounded really good and eager for a new release from them soon. The band is consistently on target and never play a bad show. And they FINALLY did an encore rounding out their notoriously short set to a good number of old and new songs. They have gotten better and better and highly recommend checking out their live act and album.

Pictures from the show.

Links:
http://www.grittymidigang.com/
http://www.thediggs.com/

Bob Wiseman from Canada opened up for Final Fantasy with his funny songs about old girlfriends and interesting life adventures. Although his accordion broke right before he started his first song, he distracted us with some hilarious videos of sock puppet theatre, old movie parodies, and human beat boxing. Luckily he fixed his accordion in time to play a well humored set.

Owen Pallett, otherwise known as Final Fantasy, creates these amazing layered compositions using only a violin and his voice. With the aid of “the box” which is a looping device, he melds electronic and organic sounds to form a truly unique combination. I was hooked on his music ever since I saw him open up for Arcade Fire. At times nerdy, and sometimes brilliant, Owen is truly captivating. This time he had an electronic keyboard which he played a few songs with. The crowd was littered with annoying fans including this guy that kept saying “Don’t Stop”, which Owen interpreted as “Don’t Suck!” Although he didn’t play “Peach, Plum, Pear” by Joanna Newsom he ended the set with Mariah’s “Daydream”. BTW, his new album is great.

Pictures from the show.

Links:
http://www.bobwiseman.com/
http://finalfantasyeternal.com/

Luckily Ted Leo had a perfect night and perfect weather despite warnings of a tornado to hit New York!!! This is no surprise, as more often than not, Ted has terrible luck when he plays at this venue. However, torrential rains or blackout would not stop this veteran from putting on a killer show. The band brought out many many many people out for the free show and they played for almost 2 hours. He played a ton of new material and even a song they made up the night before.

Was very happy to catch Cassettes Won’t Listen live as I have been addicted to all his catchy remixes. I found him through his compelling remix of Midlake’s “Young Bride”. I was surprised to find out that this “band” is actually the singular workings of Jason Drake. CWL’s most recent endeavor has been writing, producing and remixing some of the coolest current indie songs. His live show was enjoyable and wasn’t just Jason pushing play on his labtop. He incorporated live instruments and even invited some of the musicians to perform the remixes live. It was quite a treat to have Tim of The Diggs play a rocking version of “Everyone’s Starting Over”.

The Foundry Field Recordings were on next and they played some feed–backy shoe gaze music. Some nice melodies and well crafted song structures.

But the buzz was around New York’s own Apes & Androids. The band is only a few months old but they easily packed Sin-e to play their absurd rock opera music. These guys combine Queen, Bowie, Trans Am and Tron into 1 exciting set of music. The show started with this enormous statue of a skeleton that had evil red blinking eyes. Halfway through the set they had some fans take the arms of the skeleton and go into the crowd to envelop us. Although the band played cheesy electronic glam rock, they did so with expert craft and perfect harmonies. Soon the lights went out, the eyes lit up and the band threw glow-in-the-dark beach balls into the crowd. It was such a surreal night. This was the most FUN I have ever had a concert. Words and pictures can not describe what occurred at Sin-e that night, so here are some other people are saying.

“I’m fairly sure these guys could incite riots at will. But not those violent, punk-infused brawls of our past; the sheer joyfulness of Apes and Androids’ massive danceable madness would likely result in something different. Maybe a cross between Saturday Night Fever and a Sex Pistols gig.” -Jeff Shreve, Stylus Magazine

My pictures of the show. (before my batteries ran out on my camera! ARGH!!!)

15 seconds of awesome

a great review and video by Brooklyn Ski Club:
Apes And Androids Are The Future
and some awesome pictures

Links:
http://www.cassetteswontlisten.com/
http://www.battlebrigades.com/
http://www.apesandandroids.com/