Category: Music

I just love New York in the summertime. The heat, the girls in cute skirts, outdoor eating and drinking, and of course the free concerts. This was one of the highlights of Summerstage and my first time seeing Femi Kuti.

This day was hot hot hot. The air was thick and menacing and an impending rain loomed but never came. Lower East Siders The Brazillian Girls opened up and it was my 1st time seeing them as well. They had garnered a lot of hype this year so I was excited to see what they were all about because I really wasn’t impressed with their recordings. And well, the hype is for their live shows, as that’s where the energy and sexiness comes out. Sabina is a great performer and singer. She has a deep warm voice and sings in various languages. Their songs are hard to describe as they go from sleepy summer songs to electro dance jams. When they started to play their song “Pussy, Pussy, Marijuana” the rain finally came down, and it came down hard. The crowd went nuts and it helped everyone cool off. Overall, I enjoyed the mix of live instruments and electronic sounds, but it’s Sabine that ties it altogether.

Femi Kuti up next and we were sure to be in the front row for him. Femi is the son of legendary Nigerian music pioneer Fela Kuti, and he is worthy of following in his footsteps. He’s added another dimension to the music that his father has made famous and popular to the rest of the world. He brought a very large ensemble with him including his dancers that never stopped gyrating. I loved all the polyrhythmic sounds coming from the stage. The mix of jazz, afro beat, and strong lyrics got the whole crowd dancing. Femi was nonstop action. Constantly running back and forth on stage. Singing, playing sax, dancing. He was dripping with sweat and the heat never seemed to affect him. He played for over an hour and a half and wanted to keep going but the Summerstage folks discreetly booted him off. BLAH! During the performance he even brought out his son to play a few songs on his sax. It’s good to know that the legacy and the power of his dad’s music will be continued on.

I hate paying more than 20 dollars to see a show in NY, let alone an outside concert. But it’s all the original members of Dinosaur Jr. playing together in over 10 years!! One of the most influential bands of the 90’s which propelled music into a new direction and shaped what we’d be listening to in the present day. (And finally got us out of that darn grunge era). I popped in some of their old albums and I was surprised on how well it’s held up.

So I wasn’t too annoyed about the ticket price because Broken Social Scene was opening up and they gave me the best live show of 2004 and I was excited to see them again. So this is where I would comment on their show but I FUCKING MISSED THEM. I couldn’t believe how early they played and I heard they only played for 35 minutes. That’s absurd. I showed up thinking that I timed it just right to catch BSS but instead was arriving at the beginning of Dino. Jr.’s set. Lesson learned. Show up early to Summerstage,

Well, Dinosaur Jr. was amazing. J. Mascis is a guitar god and kinda looked like one with his long white hair. They actually rocked like they were playing 10 years ago. It was funny to see a trio so spread out on the huge stage but I’m guessing from their history with each other it was for the best. I don’t care, as long as Lou Barlow and Mascis were playing together again. They played from all their albums and for nearly 2 hours so it wound up making up for my tardiness.

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Rooftop Films has been showing underground films on rooftops throughout Brooklyn since 1997. They have been getting bigger and better every year and I’m excited for another great year. There’s something special about watching a film outside with the Brooklyn skyline in the background. This night they invited John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats to play a special acoustic set. Before starting he told the audience to get out of their chairs and to huddle around the stage. Sitting indian style around the music on a rooftop in Brooklyn was like an urban campfire evening under the stars. His simple guitar strumming and imperfect voice took us through some crazed and demented life stories. The Sunset Tree just came out and he played Magpie, Lion’s Teeth, and a great acoustic version of Dance Music. Because he was alone he played more subtle songs from his previous albums. He even played a few that he admitted he’s never played before. Unfortunately the movies shown that night were quite terrible and not worth writing about.

Sam Beam is simply a wonderful songwriter and musician. I started listening to his lo-fi country-folk albums for quite some time now and the grainy quality of his recordings just added to the charm in his songs. I imagine that being a film teacher helps him shape his songs into poetic journeys. I was a bit shocked that he had sold out not one but 2 shows at the large venue Webster Hall. How could a man armed with only a guitar sell out 2 shows? After seeing him live you’ll understand his power. I was bummed that he was playing such a big venue and not a more intimate one where his music would better be suited. Nevertheless, he put on a beautiful show despite the terrible sound system. He was very humble and quiet on stage, but when he started to sing, the crowd became entranced.

http://www.ironandwine.com/

A video of one of my favorite songs. Naked As We Came.

Juana Molina had been gathering a lot of press lately. While I was in Buenos Aires she was mentioned in many of the music magazines applauding her success of her new album Tres Cosas. In the states it was ranked as one of the top 10 albums by the New York Times and garnered response from David Byrne who I believe wound up signing her to his label.

Juana Molina was a very successful comic in Buenos Aires and abandoned her very successful career in television to pursue her musical endeavors. Her off-kilter electronic sounds and guitar rhythms create a vast and strangely comforting world. And her humor sometimes pokes through in her lyrics and especially live. You’ll always be surprised with what she has to offer.

Arriving at Joe’s Pub I was very happy to hear that the show had sold out. It was a very eclectic audience from young to old and different ethnicities. However, that meant the space was way too crowded but I got lucky with a spot in the back. I was surprised to see her alone on stage with only a guitar and various electronic equipment. Her albums are so dense and layered that I was expecting a full band. She politely and bashfully introduced herself and played a song off her new album. Her voice was beautiful and I was amazed at the range she had. She would jump back and forth from keyboards and guitars. She would loop her voice, guitar, and keyboard using the various electronic contraptions around her to create these very complex soundscapes. She would build upon these layers with poetic lyrics and guitars, all live and in real time. It was incredible to see her pull off the songs from her albums live.

http://www.juanamolina.com/

As of now, Gimme Fiction is my pick for the best album of the year. Britt Daniel created a jewel of a record making up for their lackluster attempts in previous years. They gathered the momentum from Girls Can Tell to create a more confident rockin and rollin album. By far the most expansive album to date showcasing the bands broad range of styles. So how did these Texans do on their live performance? I’m sad to say they were terrible. Maybe it was the time of show, maybe it was the terrible venue, maybe it was the high price of the ticket. Nevertheless, the music had no life to it and the band didn’t display the energy that’s in their album. I was expecting so much more. So far the biggest disappointment of the year.

http://www.spoontheband.com/