The Triumph of Tired Eyes

So I was excited for CMJ, considering last year’s was um,.. terrible. The first night of CMJ was action packed and I had a good game plan to hit all the shows I wanted to hit. First stop was Mercury Lounge to see the much over-hyped Clap Your Hands and Say Yea. I could not believe the line to get in. It streteched down the block, and people were waiting for an hour and CYHASY weren’t to be on till another hour. I was shocked to see such a crowd for a band that plays practically every other weekend in NY and honestly isn’t that good and are getting way too much press than they deserve. No really, listen to the album, really listen to the album and disregard the hype and you’ll see it’s not that fantastic.

The line at Mercury Lounge

OK, plan B, go check out Coco Rosie. Finding out the venue was cross town and they were starting in 15 minutes and afraid of a sold out show, we decide somewhere closer. Ok, plan C. Stiff Little Fingers at Rothko. Also a line to ge in and an hour wait. Are you kidding me?!! Plan D, Lucero at Crash Mansion. Never been there but at this point I just needed to see some freiking live music!!! We were surprised to also see a line to get in, but luckliy we got in pretty quick. Cool venue, although the space made it seem claustrophobic. The opening band was too drunk to give notice. It was my first time seeing Lucero live and they were very good. Many fans came out to see them and they played for over an hour. At least my night wasn’t a complete waste.

Ok, I’ll admit I was excited to see Arcade Fire again. However, seems like every time I see them they are playing bigger and bigger venues. It’s been quite a journey since the Mercury Lounge days. The show was sold out but the crowd was kinda lame despite being into the music. There was no energy in the crowd and Win Butler even commented on it. The music was great and they played from all their albums and I loved it every time Régine did her robot dance. She’s so cute. However, the combination of being outside in a large space affected the sound and mood. That all changed when during the encore they announce that they’ll be doing a David Bowie song and David Bowie steps onstage!!! I couldn’t believe it. He was like an apparition all dressed in white. I was truly in shock and realized that I was jumping up and down like a little kid. The place erupted and finally there was energy in Central Park. The band proceeds to play Queen Bitch with Win singing and David playing guitar. Bowie then sings the next song Wake Up by The Arcade Fire, and he was flawless. Although overall the concert was a dud, seeing Bowie preform made up for the previous 2 hours.

Here’s an mp3 of the song done at the Fashion Rocks event.

Mazarin’s new album is just amazing. Go get it and see him live. Although I was apprehensive about this show because the last time I saw him, Quentin was downright awful and they were testing out the new material that would show up on “We’re Already There” and it was bad. They played foronly 25 minutes and ranks as one of the worst shows I’ve been to.
But now is now, and the new album is stellar. The more I listen to it, the better it gets (yea its one of those). Mazarin makes the combimation of pop fizz, psychedlic rock, and interesting song structures work together into a cohesive experience. The concert was great, and although the crowd was small, everyone was into it.

Langhorne is from the dark forests of Pennsylvania but recently moved to Brooklyn. I had recently circled a review of him in one of my many music magazines as an artist to check out. Later that day, Katherine invites me to a show at Joe’s Pub featuring none other than Mr. Slim. It was fate and so we went. The opening band was quite good. Reminded me of Shivaree but with more of a bluegrass twist.

Langhorne Slim then took the stage with his raggy young band. I hate the word alt-country, so I’ll describe his music as a blend of old fashioned folk with a fucked up backwoods tone and the sounds of a jug band. His songs are full of witty lyrics and knows how to carry you through his stories of life and love. His show is very energetic and by the end you’ll be singing along. After the show we hit a local bar with the band that provided a better surrounding than the stuffy Joe’s Pub. And we drank and drank…..

Listen to a song why don’t ya. The Electric Love Letter

Enon comes back to New York. Finally. So it’s a very long time since I’ve seen this band last. It was over 3 years ago with the original (and amazing) band members Rick Lee, Steve Calhoon (both from Skeleton Key) and John Schmersal of Braniac. I’ve had a deep interest in this band since Braniac disbanded due to Tim Taylor’s tragic death. Being in Dayton and immersed in the music scene there, it was the low point in my musical life. Braniac was on the verge of exploding and they were taking music in such a unique direction. When I got word of John teaming up with the remnants o Skeleton Key (which had also recently disbanded) to form Enon I was elated. Their debut Believo! had some pretty incredible songs mixing junky guitars and the electro noises John was playing around with on the last Braniac album. There was much hope for this experimental idie band.

Hocus-Pocus came out and unfortunately Steve Calhoon left the band and added Toko Yasuda of Blonde Redhead. Eventually Rick Lee would leave as well and the sound changed dramatically, Although it was a better production, I felt the album was a mess.

In February 05 they released “Lost Marbles And Exploded Evidence” which is actually a collection of B-sides mainly from Hocus-Pocus era. I decided to check out the new lineup (including Matt Schulz) and the new sounds. It took me awhile to get into the new sound. They abandoned the “junky” sounds and moved into an electronic pop direction. John left most of the singing to Toko, who although cute onstage, does not have the energy to contain the sound from the band. The songs became formulaic but at least were better live than on disc. The saving grace was when they eased up on the moogy crap to perform “Rubber Car” form their first album, which I’ve always considered to be in memory of Tim Taylor.

Very few bands experiment with the potential of sound and the blending of various instruments and melodies to come up with something new. There is a constant spontaneity in Enon’s music. Although not perfect, I appreciate their constant pushing and prodding.

I am very lucky to have been introduced to this amazing artist. She is originally from the Czech Republic but now lives in NY. She sings in fluent Czech and Spanish. Her songs are beautiful and relaxing with a hint of Bossa Nova. She has a broad range of styles and with only a trio creates a bold sound. She has a sweet but sad voice and her latest album has more mystery in it than her last. Being only 29 (and very beautiful I might add) she has emerged as strong songwriter who can also sing with intense emotion. A must see live performance.
http://www.martatopferova.com/

Here’s an mp3 from her 1st album Sueño Verde.
Vuelo De Cigüeña

I’m sad to post that Satalla and Kavehaz will be closing by the end of the year. With all these amazing venues closing for the construction of luxury condos is yet another reason why New York will no longer be the haven for artsist and musicans to live and perform.