Month: May 2009

I wasn’t the only one to show up for the early early show to catch Chase Pagan from Arkansas. He sang folky soulful songs thats worth checking out from his new album.

It’s always a treat to see Jonah Matranga. His music ranges from hard rock to classic indie rock. Whether he’s playing in someone’s basement or a sold out venue, he always pours his heart & soul into every song. He opened with a great slow cover of Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.”  He then played a solid set of new and old songs including a few from his old band Far which Jonah mentioned would be reforming! Hopefully the band can stay together long enough for a full tour. Jonah talked to the crowd more this time, probably due to his anger over the outcome of American Idol. He ended the set with “So Long,” one of my favorite songs, and made a great speech about the integrity of his music and his love for his fans which allows him to do what he loves. An amazing musician and all around down to earth guy. Although his live shows are sporadic and usually unannounced, definitely seek out his next live show by signing up for his newsletter.

http://www.myspace.com/chasepagan
http://www.jonahmatranga.com

I wasn’t surprised when the lead singer of Fresh Kills said they were from Williamsburgh. I was surprised with the crowd that they brought in and that they were going to tour in Europe. The band had lots of musical potential but they decided to play uninspiring post punk rock instead.

Luckily the crowd maintained itself for The Giraffes record release party. Aaron Lazar had a new look for the new album and I almost didn’t recognize him. Even though I was strategically in the back of the venue, by the 2nd song I was already drenched by a perfectly thrown beer. Considering I was already soaked I managed my way through the grinding crowd to hear the new tunes. It may be the large quantity of beer talking but the new tunes seemed more spacious and placed emphasis on Aaron’s incredible voice. The show was predictably rocking and a great crowd complimented the energy onstage. Although annoying photographer dude showed up again with his distracting flash, the show was awesome and I stumbled home with a delightful ringing in my ears.

http://www.freshkillsband.com/
http://www.thegiraffes.com/

watch?v=lj-x9ygQEGA&feature=player_embedded