Category: Pics

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/

Leona Naess released her fourth and newest album Thirteens and showed off some tunes with 4 consecutive Wednesday’s at Piano’s. When she started off the set with a cover of “King of Carrot Flowers” I knew I made the right decision to be there. She was accompanied with a full band including violins which enhanced her songs. She had a dynamic range from quiet delicate melodies to intense soulful songs. Despite the small crowd she played a solid set and felt comfortable on stage. A great show and no doubt I’ll be spending another Wednesday with her.

 Some pictures from the show.

 http://www.myspace.com/leonanaess

This was a perfect show to say good-bye to the institutional Tribeca venu. It’s been a very long time since I last saw this turntable quartet but they did not disappoint. Having DJ Precision in the mix still makes them a dominant force in the hip hop DJ world. However, anytime I can see Roc Raida live is a treat. Made me really miss the Wetlands, where they used to play all the time.

I took one last stroll through the tri-level venue and although I’ve had a bad breakup with the club, I had many amazing expereinces there.  I landed a dream job there after graduating  doing design direction and  producing new media events. We were the first club to broadcast live concert streams and worked on countless video shoots and concert promotions. Although the organization was a mess, somehow we always pulled off the impossible. Over time the Knit became less the go-to place for jazz and experimental music so many of us went to Tonic (which has also recently shut its doors). So another music institution succumbs to the “future of New York”, and I’m left wondering what’s left. Leaving the flier ridden hallways I felt proud to have worked in that building and helped unite so many great bands to eager audiences. Good luck in Brooklyn!

Pictures from the show.

After seeing Kirsten earlier in the day I decide to continue the noise rock of the day by closing things off at the late show at Bowery. Unfortunately I just missed Marnie Stern who I wanted to check out. Taking under 10 minutes to set up, the Vivian Girls shyly took the stage to play their lo-fi surf punk noise. I’ve developed a huge crush on Cassie and her spaced out demeanor. She even retorted that she wanted to marry me after I yelled at her during their set. Enjoyable set.

Crystal Antlers is a band you need to see live to fully appreciate them. The sonic spectrum these guys from long beach is impressive. Blending psych, lo-fi, prog and punk into a an energetic set of future music. There was complete chaos on stage but somehow they pulled off an entertaining show with promise of good things to come from them.

Brooklyn’s A Place to Bury Strangers combine classic rock with dark metal to create heavy atmospheres of sound. Although mostly guitar driven their experimental approach to distorted sound adds a heavier and evil slant but never going to far into hell. The best show I’ve seen these guys play thusfar and wanted to just curl up in their reverb finale. A perfect end to CMJ, now it’s time to sleep.

Pictures from the show

http://viviangirlsnyc.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/crystalantlers
http://www.aplacetoburystrangers.com/

Until I got floated a new mp3, I didn’t know anything about this trio from Copenhagen. That song led me to some more live recordings online and I got immediately hooked. The band is very raw and delivers some of the most exciting stuff I’ve heard in awhile. They conjure up the sounds off Sonic Youth with some death metal married with unpredictable sonic structures. I stumbled out of my sleepy hangover to catch them for free during the day and was totally impressed. With just 3 onstage they completely filled the space with such incredible sound. The highlight of CMJ for me.

Pictures from the show.

video from an earlier Cake Shop show.
http://www.myspace.com/kirstenketsjer