Last Thursday, The Cave Singers performed a foot-stomping, hand-clapping set at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. I had seen The Cave Singers almost exactly two years ago and liked them when I saw them, but then they sort of fell off my radar. But, luckily for me, the band played a mix of songs–many from their 2009 release Welcome Joy, and then some from their more recent album, No Witch, which was just released in February. So, as it turned out, I wasn’t all that far behind. The Seattle-based band is made up by three members, Pete Quirk, Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund, and they all looked like they were having a great time performing. I have a feeling they always look like that. Their songs are upbeat and involve maracas…and how can you not have fun when there are maracas involved?
The show opener was a performer I had never heard of before named Lia Ices. Clearly I am out of the loop because Lia Ices has already been featured on BriTunes, an online music series hosted by none other an NBC’s Nightly News anchor, Brian Williams. Just a couple of weeks ago I was in the audience when Brian Williams interviewed Newark mayor, Cory Booker, at an educational conference in NYC. Little did I know that he also sits down and chats with indie rock singers in his spare time.
Well, Brian knows how to pick ‘em. Lia Ices had the crowd hooked on her lovely voice, which was backed by a three-member band. She sort of reminded me of Au Revoir Simone, but I think that’s just because of the keyboard and the female vocals. Lia Ices’ voice is much more airy and her songs have more depth to them. Here’s a sample, it’s her “Little Marriage” off of Grown Unknown. And in case you were wondering, Brian Williams is completely hooked on it.
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Tags: britunes, lia ices, the cave singers
Last week’s performance by Bob Schneider at City Winery was advertised as a solo show, which to me meant that these musicians in his backing band would not be there. But little did I know that a Bob Schneider “solo show” is not man-and-guitar. Nor is it just man-and-piano. Let me tell you who was on stage Thursday night:
Bob Schneider, lead singer
Bob Schneider, piano
Bob Schneider, guitarist
Bob Schneider, harmonica
Bob Schneider, human beat box
Bob Schneider, comedian
Bob Schneider, actor (specifically, playing the role of Christian Bale, accent and all)
So much for a solo show. With the help of a looping machine, a synthesizer and his own vocal beats, Bob Schneider was a true one-man band. It was a really fun night and there was lots of Texas pride in the room. Schneider played for about two hours and even took requests from the audience (unfortunately this did not include “Veggie Burger” even though I tried!). He did play some great songs like “Big Blue Sea”, “Let’s Roll,” “Changing Your Mind” and “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet).” Schneider was pretty chatty with the crowd. It was one-quarter stand-up comedy act, three-quarters concert. And let’s just say that when he thought (jokingly) that he spotted Christian Bale in the audience, he seemed to have an endless supply of material.
This was my first visit to City Winery and I really liked everything about it: the rustic decor, wine, music, great view of the stage. It is really an ideal combination. Oh, and you get to sit down for the whole show and nobody stands up to block your view. Bonus points for that.
Though I have yet to see Bob Schneider play in Austin, I still feel like I’ve seen two great performances in NYC. He’s definitely a performer to see live. His new album, A Perfect Day, will be available on April 19th.
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Tags: bob schneider, city winery
The Bands Hit the Rails
Next month, Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show are setting off on a very unique tour which will takes them to six cities across the southwestern part of the country. Instead of traveling by tour bus, the bands decided to take it to the rails…and I don’t mean Amtrak. This Railroad Revival Tour will allow the bands to eat, sleep, and record on the train while they travel from venue to venue in vintage railcars. Here are more details from the tour’s publicist:
The Railroad Revival train is 1,500 feet long and consists of 15 vintage railcars from the 1950s and 60s, pulled by two locomotives. The bands will eat, sleep, and record on the train as they travel across the American Southwest, bringing their collaborative vision to fans from California to New Orleans. The bands will have equal billing and equal time on stage, in an environment that encourages creativity and cross-pollination. The entire tour will be the focus of a documentary that captures the spirit of the journey and gives intimate insights into the creative process…When asked about the inspiration behind the Railroad Revival Tour, Alex Ebert of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros commented, “From hobos to the wild west, trains have always been a fascination of mine. This tour is going to be rad.”
Tickets to the performances went on sale a few weeks ago and are sold out in most locations, though the bands said they will release some last minute tickets for the shows. There seems to still be tickets available for the April 27 show in New Orleans, LA at Woldenberg Park. Here are all the stops on the route:
April 21 Oakland, CA @ Middle Harbor Shoreline Park
April 22 San Pedro, CA @ Ports O’Call Village
April 23 Chandler, AZ @ Arizona Railway Museum
April 24 Marfa, TX @ El Cosmico
April 26 Austin, TX @ 4th and Waller
April 27 New Orleans, LA @ Woldenberg Park
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Tags: edward sharpe and the magnetic zeroes, mumford and sons, old crow medicine show, railroad revival tour
The Bands take over TV land
During my concert lull I’ve had a chance to have some apartment concerts of my own. OK, so it’s not really a concert since it’s on TV, but I have been able to hear some great bands from the comfort of my living room. Here’s the scoop:
- The Strokes are back! And they played SNL last week. I’m looking forward to their new album on March 22. They put on a great show at Austin City Limits in October, but most of it was older stuff so who knows what the new sound will be. Here’s the sneak preview they gave us on SNL.
- The Avett Brothers, Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons appeared at the Grammys. What is happening in this world?? Never thought I would hear any of those bands in the same sentence as Grammy. It’s great for the bands, but I now have visions of many, many sold-out concerts in my future : (
And, at this time, I would like to award Seth Avett with the “Best Grammy Makeover” Award. Please see below:
Before + After
- Florence (minus the Machine) has been making the rounds. First, she appeared as one of the power singers in the Aretha Franklin Grammy Tribute. Then two weeks later, Florence stepped in for Dido to perform “If I Rise” from the Academy Award-nominated 127 Hours. It’s looking like a good year for Florence + The Machine. Tickets for their Central Park Summerstage performance in June have already sold out!
- In soundtrack news, The New Porographers have supplied NBC’s new sitcom Perfect Couples with its catchy theme song. Check it out:
- And in other New Pornographer News, the recent Kindle ad features the band’s “Sweet Talk Sweet Talk”
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Tags: florence + the machine, mumford & sons, summerstage, the avett brothers, the strokes
Cold War Kids – Mine is Yours
Cold War Kids are back with their latest album Mine is Yours. Cold War Kids songs always have some great lyrics that stick in my head after I’ve listened to the songs (“two weeks paid vacation, won’t heal the damage done / I need another one”). I can’t say that anything has jumped out at me yet, but it’s still early. The band plays NYC on March 24 at Radio City Hall. You can listen to the whole album on their MySpace page, but here’s a little sample here.
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Tags: cold war kids, radio city music hall
Tiny Apartment Concert 12-11-10
Photo by Ashley Corbin-Teich
There has been a great deal written about creative and resourceful people who, when faced with very little space, have made the most of their living situations in NYC. A closet becomes an office, a foot stool is also a storage cube, the coffee table can be raised to become a desk, and a bike doubles as wall art. I have not however read much about those daring New Yorkers who attempt (and succeed!) at entertaining in their small space. See, that’s why the bars and restaurants of NYC can all exist and thrive even though there are so many of them. Everyone just meets there instead of in friends’ homes. When people do have living rooms (that is, the living room is not being used as a bedroom), they are usually small and not really capable of seating too many people.
This is why the Tiny Apartment Concert experience is such a rare treat. While others would see a NYC apartment as merely a place to sleep after a fun night out, these hostesses/music lovers/chefs saw the possibility in their apartment. They decided to open up their living room (well, quite frankly their whole apartment) to bands and their own music-loving friends in NYC looking for good food, good music and good company. And I must say they have accomplished quite a feat. I mean, have you ever had a 7-piece band play in your living room?
After a successful music and potluck dinner event in August, the concert planners arranged for a December show featuring Spirit Family Reunion and The Defibulators. As promised, both bands played foot-stomping music throughout the night. The Defibulators played first and offered up some banjo and fiddle playing. I later learned that one of the band members is called Metalbelly, and let’s just say that it is a very appropriate name. So, not only was this 7-person band can playing in the living room, but there was also room for some dancing. And let me tell you that people did not hesitate to jump up and start the hoedown.
Next up was Spirit Family Reunion. A band of four, they opted not to use any amps, so it was all lungs. Soon after they started there was an instrument malfunction. Apparently the bridge part of the very large upright bass broke. Now, this would be a major problem in any other situation, but luckily there was an upright bass player in The Defibulators who graciously offered his bass to his fellow musician. So, as one bass was rolled into one bedroom, another one was rolled out of the other bedroom. Only at a Tiny Apartment Concert, right?? And the band played on.
It was a night of fun, folky music with plenty of banjo and harmonica to go around. Thanks to the hostesses for another great party. Well done. Check out the Tiny Apartment Concert site to see photos and video from the evening.
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Tags: spritit family reunion, the defibulators, tiny apartment concert
The New Pornographers stopped in NYC earlier this week before heading to England for a few shows. I missed the opener—Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, but The New Pornographers put on a solid 2-hour show. I don’t have their most recent album Together, but having listened to their older albums quite a lot, it was easy to figure out which songs were the new ones. They played some great ones like “Bleeding Heart Show,” “Sing Me Spanish Techno,” and “Use It”. They also played “Hey, Snow White” from the Dark was the Night compilation album. The whole gang was there (which mainly means that none of the members’ solo projects conflicted with the show). This is a rare treat, and I’ve learned that it’s just not the same when the whole band isn’t there. They did have a flashy sign as a backdrop, in case you forgot what concert you were at.
I’m a little sad because all of the bands I like to see live have graduated from venues like Bowery Ballroom, Music Hall of Williamsburg and The Bell House. Bands like The New Pornographers now appear at larger places like Terminal 5 and even Radio City Music Hall. Next time it will be Madison Square Garden! This is all good for the bands, but I miss those days of being up close and personal. It makes for a better concert experience, for sure. And the lack of crowds is a huge plus. Though, I must say that this weekend I’ll being attending a show in a living room, so I guess it all balances out.
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Tags: terminal 5, the new pornographers
Last night Mumford & Sons played the first of two sold out shows at Terminal 5 in NYC. The band is wrapping up a year-long tour and clearly they’ve been having a good time together. Though they mentioned they are ready to take a break (and do laundry and sleep in their own beds), they played with so much energy that you could have told me it was the first night of the tour. The band played for about an hour and a half and invited show openers, Cadillac Sky and King Charles, onto the stage at the end.
The band has released just one album, Sigh No More, so having seen them at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in May, last night’s concert was a bit of déjà vu. It didn’t really matter though, I would listen to them play their album live every night if I could. The band did play a few new songs which mixed things up a bit. I have to say the crowd was much larger at Terminal 5. They packed them in subway style last night. And the whole crowd seemed to move together in an excited, hand-clapping, foot-stomping group. All of the songs are so good, that each one is bound to be somebody’s favorite, but “Little Lion Man” and “Awake My Soul” were the big crowd pleasers.
The good news about the tour ending is that Mumford & Sons will get back in the studio to record another album featuring some of the new songs they played last night. I should mention that Cadillac Sky was a very respectable opening act. I can’t say much about King Charles since I got there too late, but he and his hair made an appearance at the end of the show. The concert started surprisingly early. I think Terminal 5 has to get everybody out at 11pm, so Mumford came on at 9:30.
Here are some pictures:
Mumford & Sons and Cadillac Sky
The crowd
Fans on the second level
Mumford & Sons and King Charles and Cadillac Sky
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Tags: cadillac sky, mumford & sons, mumford and sons, mumford and sons review, mumford and sons terminal 5, terminal 5
The 2010 Austin City Limits Music Festival this past weekend was a wonderful flashback to summer. It was three days of music, food, and 85-degree weather in Texas. I had to keep reminding myself it was October. I was really impressed with the festival, it ran very smoothly and the people there were great. I’d say the highlights were performances by The Strokes, Band of Horses, Monsters of Folk and Muse, Amy’s Ice cream (not a band, just good ice cream), and the free shuttle buses to the park.
After making our way through a few lines (for wristbands and a shuttle bus ride) on Friday, we made it to Zilker Park, which is about 10 minutes from downtown. First band on the agenda was The Black Keys. When we arrived there was already a huge crowd in front of The Black Keys’ stage. They were on one of the two main stages, which had jumbo screens set up on each side of the stage. I quickly learned that it was not likely that I was going to be within view of the main stage performers. I’m sure that superfans of The Strokes had set up shop right in front of the stage at noon that day, when the gates opened.
The smaller stages offered more of a view of the performers. There were 8 stages in all, including a “kiddie” stage for the very underage music fans. The layout of the stages was quite a challenge in acoustics. The stages were set up such that you would only hear the sound of the concert happening in front of you. With some staggered times in terms of performances, ACL did a good job of preventing any overlapping sound. Here’s the layout:
And here’s the list of bands we wanted to see:
Day 1: Band of Heathens, Spoon, The Strokes
Day 2: Lucero, Local Natives, Monsters of Folk, Muse
Day 3: Gayngs (attempted), Robert Earl Keen, Band of Horses, The National
Since The Black Keys area was pretty packed, we made our way to Band of Heathens:
And then headed back to the big stage for Spoon.
We had to pass on Vampire Weekend (at the other end of the park) in order to secure a good spot at The Strokes show at 8pm. Their show was really fun, with some video game effects as their backdrop. Julian Casablancas was full of random mutterings, mentioning the Thundercats television cartoon and pointing out that he wears sunglasses at night. The band played a bunch of songs, including some of their “oldies” that they were asked to rehearse and perform. Overall, it was a really fun show and made getting up at 4 am completely worth it. Can you spot Tetris in the picture below??
Saturday – Day 2
We started the day with Local Natives. I had been curious about them and it was a great show. They clearly had a following, as there was a big crowd assembled who seemed to know the lyrics.
Then Monsters of Folk appeared in their fancy suits and sunglasses and played a two-hour set.
“Supergroups” such as Monsters of Folk require many guitars…
The singers alternated, and here’s Conor Oberst taking a turn at the microphone.
And then it was M. Ward (my favorite). Though I miss his solo songs. He’s been spending too much time with She & Him and the Monsters of Folk.
Between bands (or on our way to another stage), there was time for snacks. I have to say that the food at ACL was really good. There were local vendors there, and lots of options. It was a nice alternative to the fried and boring stadium food you sometimes encounter at concerts. This place had tacos, ice cream, iced tea, fancy sandwiches, and BBQ.
To end the night, Muse put on a headliner-worthy performance. I’m talking lasers, light shows, glowing instruments, and a fully sequined suit for lead singer Matthew Bellamy. The jumbo-tron screens were a huge help. The camera work was so good that it didn’t matter if you were far from the stage. The editing and various camera angles provided good quality, fast-paced visuals of the happenings on stage.
Sunday – Day 3
On Day 3 I was excited for Band of Horses, and I was looking forward to checking out Gayngs and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. Though I had not seen Gayngs perform before, as I got to the stage I knew that the people on stage were not from Gayngs. It was weird though, I didn’t think that bands just skipped festival performances. Sometimes tour buses break down, but they had played the night before in town at a festival after-party. So where were they? I found out after the fact that they had a little bus rental snafu.
Next, we headed over to see Robert Earl Keen and get our country music fix.
Then we saw a little bit of Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, but it was a huge crowd, so we decided to head back to get a good spot for Band of Horses. This meant walking through what I called “chair village.” This was the large area, about 50 yards from the stage, where people were allowed to set up folding chairs.
People seemed to be camped out there, in their chair community, in order to have a nice, comfortable spot for The Eagles that night. We resorted to sitting right on the grass, which was a good move since (a) I didn’t really want to buy a chair and (b) we walked back to the hotel two of the nights, and adding a chair to that walk would not have been pretty.
Anayway, once we got in front of chair village we found a large open space and got a good seat for Band of Horses. They played a great show, and there was no talk of Andrew or any other boisterous fan.
Then we checked out The National. I’ve seen them more times than I should admit, but I got to hear a few songs, like one of my favorites “Afraid of Everyone”.
And then we said goodbye to ACL. The National’s “Apartment Story” played in the background as we walked to the shuttle bus, which was a nice ending to the three day festival.
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Tags: acl, austin city limits, band of horses, m ward, monsters of folk, muse, the strokes
Billy McCarthy of Augustines
Here is my not-so-live blog of my concert experience…
8/29: I hear that Augustines (or musicians formerly known as members of Pela) will be playing in Boston at The Middle East on 9/22. Check calendar. It’s a Wednesday. Think, can I change my work schedule to get to the show? No. Wonder why none of the shows I ever want to see are on the weekend. Mention to my brother in Boston that he should go check out the show.
9/21: Find out Augustines will be opening for The Boxer Rebellion on Thursday at Bowery Ballroom. Nice! No travel necessary.
9/22 (8:45 pm) My brother sends a picture text to my phone. He’s at the show and I see a picture of Billy McCarthy tuning his guitar.
9/23 (9:25 am) I get the report from last night from my brother. Augustines were good, Amusement Parks on Fire not good. He recommends I stay for the headliner The Boxer Rebellion.
(10:34 am) I hear from Elayna. She wasn’t going to come to the show tonight, but she just watched 20 minutes of Pela videos online. She changed her mind.
(8:50 pm) At Bowery Ballroom. We’re early and there aren’t tons of people there, but that is the benefit of going to a show just to see the opening act.
(9:05 pm) Eric Sanderson and Billy McCarthy (1/2 of Pela) start to play. Both have guitars, both are sitting down. I never thought I would see Billy McCarthy sitting down. This is the man who has been known to break bones during a concert. Ok, maybe the sitting is good. It’s just the two of them. Are they looking for a drummer? Or will this just be a two-man band forever? I miss the drums. They used a drum machine, but that is not the same. Not at all. But Billy’s singing well. Eric’s at the keyboard. They start with “Rise Ye Sunken Ships.” I start to wonder if their new album will be new stuff or the previously recorded Pela songs, which were never released.
(9:20 pm) Billy announces that they are Augustines. That was weird. They look like Pela, they sound like Pela, they’re singing Pela songs. And you’re telling me this is not Pela? I guess they wanted a fresh start after their disappointing break up last September. But I have to say it’s a little weird to hear it come out of Billy’s mouth. And he looked a little uncomfortable when he said it. Maybe I am reading too much into it. He and Eric looked like they were having a good time and happy to be performing again. But I missed the rockin’ out, human water fountain, guitar-playing on-the-floor antics of Pela. They are not meant to be someone’s opening act.
(9:30 pm) Billy gives a shout out to B61. Good local bar in Carroll Gardens.
The do a cover of headlining band’s song “Evacuate.” Then it’s on to good songs off of their soon to be released album. They play “Juarez” and “Chapel Song”. Sounds very similar to the KEXP studio session. Then they play “Tenement Teeth” (a Pela song from Anytown Graffiti). Did I mention I miss Pela?
(9:40 pm) They’re done. That was it. It was definitely good to see them, but it was like “Pela Lite”. I hope they get a drummer. They are not meant to play sitting down.
Elayna leaves. I decide to stay to see what The Boxer Rebellion has to offer.
(10:00- 10:45 pm) Amusement Parks on Fire take the stage. Their name reminds me of the band Care Bears on Fire. Though I think this is a band started by a few 10 year old girls in Brooklyn. So, very different. Not too excited about this music.
(11:00 pm) The Boxer Rebellion starts to play. Lots of lights and echoing high vocals. I can see them playing Madison Square Garden. It’s only a matter of time.
Here’s a live audio sample of the music from Bowery Ballroom last night.
Augustines’ “Chapel Song”
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Tags: augustines, bowery ballroom, pela, the boxer rebellion
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