Category: Music

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.

4 guys with really good hair + classic fuzz rock + brooklyn = Amazing Baby.

The Wrens in Brooklyn! Hell yea! Even with some of the best albums ever put out, seeing The Wrens live makes you truly appreciate their musical talent and energy. Although mostly playing from Meadowlands, they did treat us with a few new songs. We celebrated Jerry MacDonald’s birthday along with “Flat Stanley,” a drawing by his 8 year old son. This guy who’s been going to 100 shows in 100 days (sounds like something I would do) was the “5th Wren” to play a song with them onstage. As always an amazing show and I will patiently again to hear a new album or a live show.

Pictures from the show

http://www.100bandsin100days.com/?p=2197

You’d expect a large entourage with a name like Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s. The band played a solid set with many instruments and lots of musical energy. Their new album is still on heavy rotation here and I was excited to hear the tracks live.

With I think 7 albums behind them, Cloud Cult played a somewhat special show for one of their favorite cities. They played for almost 1.5 hours with songs ranging from their entire catalog including a few they normally don’t play. I always enjoy the highly creative live spectacle they bring to every performance, The emotional and narrative songs are accompanied with live painting to create a unique concert experience. I’m glad I caught them again as I feel they’ll be on a long hiatus. They also have a new documentary out.

Pictures from the show.

http://www.cloudcult.com/
http://www.margotandthenuclearsoandsos.com/
great video: As Tall as Cliffs

I was eager to catch Leona Naess again on her final night at Piano’s. Tonight the place was packed and possibly due to the subsequent bands. She played another great set including “Leave Your Boyfriends” and “Heavy Like Sunday” from her new essential album. Although most of the songs can be slow and depressing there’s no doubt the strength and range of her voice. She reluctantly played “Charm Attack” which was a needed upbeat song for the crowded audience. And she looks just as good playing bass as she is banging a tambourine dancing around.

Coming off the buzz from SXSW, The Grates from Brisbane Australia marched into Piano’s and gave an extremely strong performance. There’s no denying their similarities to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs but their new album is jam-packed with the energy and excitement that “Blitz” is missing. Patience Hodgson never stopped moving onstage and it’s pretty hard not to sing and dance along to the very catchy songs. Their whole set was a like a great celebration especially when she got on the shoulders of the tallest guy in the crowd to sing a song. Sure the songs aren’t all that complex but sometimes you just want an excuse to party.

I didn’t know much about Micachu & The Shapes other than the increasing buzz in the media. So doing some research I found that the trio is from East London and Mica has been playing music since the age of 4 and commissioned to write an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 20. So I was surprised to hear such unusual melodies and sounds when they took the stage. But I found out that her hero is Harry Partch who I’ve actually gotten into in the past few years. They share the use of inventive homemade instruments and unusual musical styles. She played the “chu”, which is an adaptive guitar, to create these truly unique tones. The combination of the unusual organic and digital counterparts made for a unique set of music. Although at first I was a little lost, after a few songs I was able to immerse myself into the tinny, gritty, unexpected songs onstage. Very excited to see how this band will continue to create and destroy the future of music.

Some pictures from the show.

http://www.myspace.com/leonanaess
http://www.thegrates.com Fun Video
http://www.myspace.com/micayomusic

I guess it was fitting to book New Jersey’s Titus Andronicus to open up for tonight’s KEXP benefit. Somehow all the musical aggression onstage came out as dirty pop songs. Their rant about Jersey being the future of music was unsettling yet interesting. Ultimately their live intensity worked for them and goes perfectly well with a night of drinking.

So I’ve been waiting a loooooong time to see The Wrens again live and more eager to finally hear some new tunes. It’s no secret that I think The Meadowlands is one of the best albums ever made and was excited to hear a bunch of them again. Although the band seemed a bit rusty, they still rocked out all their songs. I was surprised to hear only 3 new songs but they were very good. They had a great crowd and Kevin rewarded them by passing his beat-up and live bass to the masses. A solid set and for the encore we sang “This is Not What You Had Planned” at the top of our lungs.

Some pictures from the show.

Better ones here.
http://www.titusandronicus.net/
http://www.wrens.com/