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Yeah Yeah Yeah’s 10 year Anniversary @ Monster Island

To celebrate 10 years of musical energy, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a super small show for about a hundred lucky crazed fans at Secret Project Mighty Robot. It was hot & sweaty even before it started and as soon as the band hit the stage, everyone went completely nuts. Karen Oh appeared with an intense religious costume that slowly got removed as the show progressed to reveal a darker ensemble. The setting of a run down art gallery with trippy video projections was a perfect setting for the show. For a band of such caliber, it was a nice treat for the band to celebrate in such an intimate setting. There was so much energy in the air as they played their hits as well as some really old ones. This ranks as one of the best shows I’ve been too almost eclipsing the time I saw them at Maxwell’s. My ear drums are still hurting from the one. It’s hard to put the show into words, but if you’ve witnessed the band play live before, you know the intensity this band brings. Capturing that explosion in such a tight space was overwhelming. It’s nights like this that make me love the little and big things about New York. Thanks to Gordon for waiting in line for hours for the exclusive tickets.

Pictures from the show.
Videos from the show.
Decent hummus write up here.

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The Damnwells @ Rockwood Music Hall

The Damnwells

The Damnwells is a local band that has been on one hell of a ride. Despite being signed and then dropped from a major label, the band has persevered. Their tumultuous journey is documented in the film “Golden Days”, details found on their website. I’ve been trying to see this extremely talented band for years now but their intense fan base quickly grabs all the tickets. Tonight was no different with 2 sold out shows. However with some determination, I got into the Rockwood Music Hall, a really nice new venue in the LES. They played a beautiful set of old and new songs conjuring up sentiments of Whiskeytown and Rhett Miller. We also got lucky to have Ari Heist sing a few songs with the band.

Pictures from the show.

http://www.thedamnwells.com/

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Tanlines @ Whitney Museum of Art

Headed to the Whitney to catch Tanlines again play their blend of electronic rock to a very fun crowd. Very different setting than the night before but I really enjoy seeing people dance inside a museum. Afterwards checked out the Christian Marclay exhibit. He’s been an artist-musicican I’ve been following since college. His playful and experimental take on music has always peeked my interest and it was cool for the Whitney to give him space to explore some of his musical and visual ideas.

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Tanlines | Memory Tapes @ Bell House

Absolut hosted a free show with free Brooklyn Vodka all night. Tanlines started things off with their danceable music combining electronics and guitars. This duo reminds me of Professor Murder but with more of an indie angle. They drew a large crowd which left when Memory Tapes took the stage. The other duo from Brooklyn played their dark but energetic electronic soundscapes. This is a band you gotta see live, and with trippy visuals, preferably under the influence of something.

Pictures from the show.

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Trevor Dunn, Travis Laplante, Randy Peterson @ The Stone

An impromptu set by 3 very talented musicians at the very hot Stone venue is a good way to get me back into the NYC music scene. Trevor Dunn on bass is best known for playing in Mr. Bungle in the 90’s and Peterson’s drums showed both his relaxed and episodic drumming. The music was very rich, quiet, chaotic, and intense. Exactly what I was looking for.

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Choir of the Seminary @ Teatro del Libertador, Córdoba

When I travel I always try to catch local music to better understand the culture I’m visiting. While in Córdoba Argentina I was told about el Cuarteto, a popular form of music native to the city with origins in town dances held by Italian and Spanish immigrants. One guide book stated that it is the worst music known to man. And after experiencing the hyper movement and tropical rhythms at a pub it very well might be….

To compensate I attended a free chorus at the very beautiful Teatro Libertador San Martin. The concert was celebrating the 20th year anniversary of artistic director Hugo de La Vega. It was a beautiful set of songs by old and young voices and lasted for almost 2.5 hours. I left Córdoba by bus 30 minutes later with wonderful melodies playing in my head.

some good videos:

Sleep – E. Whitacre

Me voy quedando – Cuchi Leguizamón (Arr. Hugo de la Vega)