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The Big Sleep | The Thermals

This show sold out pretty quickly. The big sound of The Big Sleep would finally get a bigger stage. They came out pretty strong playing some of my favorite songs but very few new ones. Although I’m eager to hear some new material, it’s always great to experience this band live. I felt the sound wasn’t perfect at Bowery, and as usual the vocals suffered the most. Regardless, they added more fans to their base. Congratulations on the birth of the twins.

The crowd was anxious for The Thermals, and I couldn’t blame them. Their new album was really good and they have developed their sound into a slightly new direction. And the songs “Pillar of Salt” and “Here’s Your Future” was a recurring anthem for me the previous year. The band was pure energy, playing one song right after another. They never took a break, and either did the crowd. The fans were moving, dancing, singing to every song and really elevated the show. Although I felt the set of songs became a bit monotonous, they would sprinkle in some of their more guitar catchy ones to maintain the momentum. The lead singer and bassist constantly moved around the stage and kathy’s hair was always bopping back and forth to the songs. It was a genuine fun night and the Thermals made sure of that.
Links:
Pictures from the show.

http://thebigsleep.net/
http://www.thethermals.com/
Pillar of salt video

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Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin | Chin Up Chin Up

I was eager to catch Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin as I missed them when they opened up for Birdmonster last year. These young lads from Missouri came out with a well crafted album, Broom that is very catchy and good to sing along to. They started off the set with Oregon Girl which I think is the best tune and got the crowd, majority of which where young girls, into the mood. I enjoyed them but midway through I got bored and sleepy until the 2 guitarists collided when they tried to jump over each other. It was quite funny and surprised they kept playing as they hit the stage hard. Their next and last song was a let down when the lead singer’s guitar decided to expire during the song. Overall a dissapointing set with a few good (and funny) moments.

Up next was Chicago’s Chin Up Chin Up and was excited to see them again. Their 2005 CMJ performance was one of the more memorable shows. The Chicago sound has basically sucked in the late 90’s but these guys have been doing some really interesting things and continue to push the sound with their new album This Harness Can’t Ride Anything. This album comes after the tragic death of their bassist Chris Saathof by a drunk driver outside the Empty Bottle. Their live set and new tunes were energetic and fun. Although not a super show, it was great to see these guys continuing their sonic journey.

Pictures from the show.
Links:

http://www.morawk.com/boris/
http://www.chinupchinup.com/

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Ayano Kataoka & Joshua Quillen | Explosions In The Sky

I got 2nd row tickets for the third part in the Wordless Music Series. It took place in a church-like concert hall at the Society for ethical Culture. Ayano Kataoka, a native from Japan, started the night with a riveting solo percussion performance. She was then joined with Joshua R. Quillen to play two songs on two enormous marimbas. I was especially moved by their performance or Steve Reich’s “Nagoya Marimbas”

I finally get to see Explosions in the Sky again and this time showcasing some new material form their new album that got released that day. This 4 piece instrumental band has seen a huge rise in popularity despite not being on the radio, avoiding all Live Nation/Clear Channel venues, and not signing to a major. Their triumphant emotional songs shook the building. They started the set with “All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone”, the title track off their new album. Although expected to only play 4 songs, they gave us a few more which made the night even more special. The space quickly became consumed with their soundscapes and didn’t let up until they finished an hour later. As usual they played through each song without any breaks and left the stage exhausted. I was on the edge of my seat the entire show and the venue and sound system was perfect for the perfromance. I was so impressed by this band and completely captivated by their live performance once again. Definitely the show to beat for 2007.
Pictures from the show.

Links:

pics and mp3 from 2005 show.

http://www.explosionsinthesky.com/

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Cat Power @ Moma

This night even started out bad by waiting in line for about an hour in the rain and cold just to get into Moma’s sleepwalkers event. Having a show at a museum with no stage is a bad idea. No one could hear the opening reading but then these 2 performers/artists came out yelping out auction bidding in a frantic and unstopping pace. It was surreal having that occur in a museum and thought it was thought provoking.

Despite being a few rows back from her and next to the speaker, Cat Power’s performance was muffled by all the chatter going on inside. It was one the worst audiences I’ve ever experienced. She seemed very happy taking the stage but she left after a few songs, no doubt because no one could hear her. At least the lights hanging from the ceiling provided an interesting backdrop for her.

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Gary Higgins | Castanets @ Mercury Lounge

Castanets played a psychedelic set reminiscent of the drones of Velvet Underground. The band seemed a little bit insecure on stage and very poor stage presence, but teh music was good, and a good primer for Gary.

I couldn’t believe that I was actually seeing Gary Higgins play live. His album Red Hash was heavily played on my system in 2005, despite being released back in 1973. It got a second life when someone from Drag City got it from Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance. After many months calling all the Higgins in phonebooks, they found him in Connecticut. The album was recorded right before Gary was sent away to the “big house” for drug charges and didn’t get adequate distribution.

I counted a dozen guitars on stage when Gary took the stage wearing a gleaming white NY Yankees baseball cap. With him were 4 other musicians including a very funny cellist that blurted out “You can do it!” every so often. I’m glad that he is finally getting to play his wonderful songs, that don’t sound dated, to eager audiences. Although my only complaint was that the set list was too long, I was won over by his psychedelic folk songs. Maybe he’ll release a “new” album.

Pictures from the show.

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SupaComp will rock you

SupaComp 2006 is finally done. Another jam packed disk full of the past year’s highlights. Lots of great music came out in 2006 which made editing really tough. Although musically diverse, there is a consistent
theme throughout the comp. Here’s some other interesting data points.

The first time John Vanderslice has not made a comp.
Repeat bands that have been on previous comps: 30
1 musician appears 3 times
Bands from New York: 20
Female bands: 23
3-piece bands: 7