Feast of Music

Pound For Pound

2009-11-08T12:51:44-05:00

Like some kind of overweight prize fight, last night's Fun Fun Fun Fest had Fucked Up's Pink Eyes on the Black Stage going head to head with Les Savy Fav's Tim Harrington on the Orange Stage. Both these guys are bald, bearded, weigh close to 300 pounds, and spent half their set roaming the audience. Which is about as scary as it sounds. The winner? Find out after the jump.

My Kind of Festival

2009-11-07T17:47:03-05:00

Ok, folks, this is how you put on a festival: find a postage stamp park downtown, set up four stages, (two of them double stages) and fill them with everything from retro folk, to indie punk, to hardcore. Provide ample stands for food and drink (along with facilities to relieve oneself of the byproducts.) And, oh yeah, build a skate ramp, offer $5 bull rides, and sell custom screened t-shirts for $20 (or less.) Best deal of all: with a 2 day pass, each band runs you less than $1. Damn, I don't know if these Transmission guys make any money at all, but god bless them for doing this.

Festivus (for the Rest of Us)

2009-11-07T14:27:43-05:00

Greetings from Austin, where the weather is clear and warm for this weekend's Fun Fun Fun Fest, arguably the worst-named, most enjoyable music festival in North America. Over the next two days, some 60 bands from the indie, hip-hop and hard rock realms will fill downtown's Waterloo Park with all sorts of sonic goodness; the Austin Chronicle has dubbed it "Austin's Festivus: the festival for the rest of us" (as in: not ACL or SXSW.)

Kicking things off last night at the Mohawk, local entertainment blog Austinist hosted a bloggers roundtable, including such indie stalwarts as My Aquarium Drunkard, Idolator and My Old Kentucky Blog, along with representatives from establishment pubs Spin and Billboard. For over an hour, they shared war stories about trying to stay relevant and avoid becoming a rote showlist, while somehow managing to pay the bills. The Spin and Billboard reps were simultaneously smug and desperate, freely admitting they were overseeing the start of their own demise. After, they took questions from the audience, most of whom were fellow bloggers and freelance writers trying to figure out how to make money at this game. (My advice: get a day job.)

"What is this?" a local asked.

"It's a panel of music bloggers talking about...blogging."

"What the hell do I care about that?" he screamed. "What the hell has happened to Austin? I just wanted to come out and see a show!"

He stormed out, which meant he missed the subsequent spectacle of the Minor Mishap Marching Band: a 25 piece local outfit who whipped up a circus-like atmosphere via a battery trumpets, trombones, horns and percussion, played with the eastern European flavor of NYC faves Hungry March Band and Slavic Soul Party. They paraded through the patio with flags and parasols, eventually climbing the stairs for an impromptu jam up on the rooftop lounge.

They were followed by My Milky Way Arms, who played reverb punk sent to the next level by a middle-aged trumpet player dancing around the stage like a man possessed. I would have liked to have stayed for more, but with a big day in front of me, sleep was a much higher priority. (More pics below.)

Wine, Wo(men), Song

2009-11-06T17:55:08-05:00

In between World Series games this week, I paid my first visit to City Winery: a swank new venue on Varick St. which pairs wine and small plates with live music, mostly of the singer-songwriter variety. The block-long brick structure is the brainchild of Knitting Factory founder Michael Dorf, who wanted to combine his twin passions of wine and music: in addition to an extensive wine list, they make three wines on property, available in carafes shaped like chemistry beakers

Nashville's Matthew Perryman Jones warmed things up with a short set of tender songs about love and loss, sung in a pretty, plaintive voice. He was followed by Shawn Colvin, who played a quiet, soaring two hour set spanning her entire catalogue, including "Trouble," "Polaroids," and the Grammy Award-winning "Sunny Came Home." Honestly, I can't remember the last time I had such a blissful night out in NYC. (If you want to get a sense of what you missed, check out her new album Live ,recorded at Yoshi's in San Francisco last year.)

Speaking of Austin, I'm headed there right now for the 4th annual Fun Fun Fun Fest: the Waterloo Park mini-festival I attended previously in 2007. Check back here for periodic updates throughout the weekend. (More pics below.)

Double Trouble

2009-11-03T19:54:20-05:00

(photos by Julieta Cervantes)

BAM's Next Wave Festival - and artistic director Joe Melillo in particular - must have a thing for indie rockers. Last year, they commissioned Sufjan Stevens' The B.Q.E. which - though I never saw it - turned out unanimous rave reviews. This year, BAM turned to The National's Bryce and Aaron Dessner to write The Long Count: a 70 minute piece of musical theater, with visuals by Matthew Ritchie and musical contributions from Kim and Kelley Deal (ex. Breeders/Pixies), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), and The National's own Matt Berninger.

Give the Dessners props: they certainly have ambition. Ritchie's visuals played on a huge double screen, with the Dessners sitting at opposite ends of the stage and an 11 piece orchestra down front. Their subject matter was equally grand: the title refers to the Mayan creation myth of Popol Vuh, in which twin gods play ball to decide the fate of the universe. (Aaron and Bryce are twins, as are Kim and Kelley Deal.) And the music pulled from all kinds of places: everything from Renaissance madrigals to Glass' cinematic scores with their repeating themes and ecstatic builds. There was even a bit of Michael Gordon's pounding force, which surely Gordon must have noticed from his seat not far from mine.

But in practice, The Long Count was something of a mess. At the performance I saw on Wednesday, the levels were overly loud, Kim Deal's vocals were distorted to the point of being incomprehensible, and Worden's treacly soprano was outshone only by her overly-dramatic gesturing. Far worse, any sense of narrative arc was lost on me: the only way anyone would know what was going on would be by reading the program (or possibly looking at Worden's feather headdress.) And the music, which was full of promise early on, degraded by the end into overripe cliche.

Judging by the standing ovation, I assume most folks present were willing to give the Brothers Dessner a free pass based on their reputation. Sorry, but that's not doing them any favors, nor is it respectful of the tradition they're attempting to play into. If indie rockers want to play in the art music world, they should stick to what they do well. In other words: keep things clear and simple.

(P.S. Bryce found better success with his Kronos Quartet commission Aheym, premiered at Celebrate Brooklyn this past summer.)

Marathon Music

2009-11-02T08:29:54-05:00

Not to be confused with last week's music marathon, yesterday's NYC Marathon was a social affair, with friends and family lining the streets to cheer on the 44,000 runners from all over the globe. Along 4th Ave. in Brooklyn, there was also plenty of music, both of the live and canned variety (Rocky, anyone?) The quartet above played Brazilian samba outside a pizza shop, while down the street a rock band played a fun mix of pop and metal. Too bad there aren't more occasions like these to take the music outdoors. (More pics below.)

A Juilliard Halloween

2009-10-31T23:27:15-04:00

Ok, a chamber music concert might not be most people's idea of how to celebrate Halloween, but when the Juilliard Quartet is in town to play the People's Symphony, count me in. These guys may have been passed on the hype meter awhile back by some of their proteges (Emerson, Tokyo, etc.) but there remains no greater group of string players in this country, if not the world.

Tonight, the Juilliard played mostly chestnuts, which are only chestnuts because they helped make them so. Schubert's "Rosamunde" was effortless and vigorous. Bartok's 2nd was creepy and ominous - perfect for halloween, especially with a hard rain falling outside. And Beethoven's last quartet (Op. 135) was simply untouchable, with Nick Eanet - who replaced longtime first violinist Joel Smirnoff earlier this summer - giving the most heartfelt performance of the Lento I've ever heard.

Now, onto parties. (More pics below.)

Corner Orchestra

2009-10-30T22:20:35-04:00

Although they've been around for 13 years, I wasn't familiar with the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra before a friend invited me to their matinee this past Sunday at St. Ann's in Brooklyn Heights. The church - which is also home to the better known One World Symphony (whom I've written about previously) - has near-perfect acoustics, yielding deep, rich sonorities in the brass and strings. And the playing was far better than anyone should expect of an orchestra that performs three times a year. Yet it was as casual as a trip to the corner store, the kind of concert where locals can do their knitting while listening to a little Mozart and Tchiakovsky, and still be home in time to catch the late game on TV. Or, in my case, in person. (More pics below.)

CMJ - Saturday Recap

2009-10-28T08:43:30-04:00

It was a soggy day in New York on Saturday, which may have put a damper on some folks' plans (pumpkin picking, leaf raking, the Yankees game) but it made no difference when it came to the last day of club hopping for this year's CMJ Music Marathon. As in past years, the final day of CMJ is a day-and-night affair, starting out with a mess of free day parties, many of which offer freebies to entice folks in the door.

Such was the case upstairs at The Delancey, which offered a spread of lamb meatballs, bruschetta, cupcakes and individually wrapped belgian waffles. While I was there, the music was supplied by Emanuel and the Fear: an sextet of wind and string instruments (slimmed down from their usual 11) supporting Emanuel Ayvas' trenchant songs. It was pretty and melodic, though a far cry from some of the bands (Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens) they claim to emulate.

From there, I skipped through puddles to the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Piano's, which had a full slate of killer bands on two stages. (Apparently, there were free Bloody Mary's during the first act, but your's truly was still scribing in Brooklyn at that point.) Downstairs, Seattle's Moondoggies played twangy, chanting guitar rock while upstairs the UK's Pete and the Pirates played retro garage with a whiff of old sea shanties.

Two doors down at Cake Shop, I missed the free pizza party but caught a rocking set by local punk outfit Love or Perish. They were led by the wisecracking Massimo Scodditti, who gave the most balls-out performance I saw at CMJ this year, bouncing off pillars and ripping at the soundproofed ceiling. Sadly, despite repeated pleas from the ladies in the audience, he refused to remove his shirt (though his bandmates obliged.)

Next door at The Living Room, Norway's Sissy Wish played a quirky set of electro-folk while wearing a tunic made out of cassette tapes, switching between keys and guitar. Her high-pitched voice landed somewhere between Bjork and Abba, mixed with an awkwardness that was less charming than distracting.

After a quick stop at the Pure Volume House to fill up on free beer and soda, I made my way across the East River to Bushwick's Market Hotel: the old SRO that DIY guru Todd P has turned into one of NYC's most unlikely venues. Shaped like a perfect fan, the acoustics are as ideal as the walls are filthy; I was glad to find myself there while it was still daylight (as opposed to my one previous visit 18 months ago.) Todd - a notorious control freak - was running around like a chicken in a barnyard, doing everything from fixing the sound to helping the bands load in.

There were all kinds of delays - including a 30 minute gap while Todd tried to keep the cops from busting the show - but I did manage to see two bands: local electro-dance duo Javelin (whose sound shorted out mid-set), and lo-fi Chicago garage outfit The Smith Westerns, none of whom looked older than 18. Acc. to others, it seems as if the show picked up as the night went on.

Finally, after a long, meandering bus ride through Clinton and Cobble Hill, I landed at The Bell House Pompano Beach, FL's The Postmarks (another So. Florida band!) played atmospheric pop with rear-wall projections, led by the Emma Peel-esque Tim Yehezkely. Headliners Au Revoir Simone came across like a low-key version of the Vivian Girls, with their pretty bangs and questionable musical talent, though I'll admit by that point I was about ready to pack it in.

Thanks, CMJ, for a great week. Until next year... (More pics below.)

Emanuel and the Fear The Moondoggies

Pete and the Pirates

Love or Perish

Sissy Wish

Javelin

The Smith Westerns

The Postmarks

Au Revoir Simone

CMJ - Friday Recap

2009-10-24T13:12:45-04:00

After Thursday night's CMJ marathon, I was looking for something a bit more low-impact last night, so I headed back to the L.E.S., starting out at The Suffolk for the Matador Showcase, where Harlem played an early set of garage that was sloppy and fun. Or, maybe it was the free Magic Hat and PBR.

Telling myself I'd be back later for the killer lineup to come (Lemonade, Cold Cave, Ted Leo), I ventured across Rivington to Fat Baby: a cozy little basement with vintage lamps and zebra-print wallpaper. Holding court was Vancouver's quirky, delightful Mint Records, with a great lineup of Canadian acts rarely seen in these parts. Victoria's Immaculate Machine played pretty, earnest pop that recalled their fellow BC natives New Pornographers. They were led by the engaging Brooke Gallup, who looked like Doug Henning with his mustache and flowing red hair. Suddenly, it struck me that this is what this festival is all about: 30 people in a Lower East Side basement, listening intently to a five-piece band from an island 3,000 miles away, dropping in on their way back from Europe. It reminds you that music is all cut from the same fabric, no matter how distant.

"Is anyone here even from New York?" asked Chris Connelly, lead singer of Edmonton, Alberta's Hot Panda who followed. (About 1/3 of the crowd cheered.) In between their lo-fi pop, Connelly told us the band was on their second day without sleep, having just driven 15 hours from Halifax, where they played the Pop Explosion Wednesday night. "We're fueled by the power of rock!" he exclaimed, earnestly.

After getting locked out of Lemonade at the Suffolk, I made a beeline straight back to Fat Baby, in time to catch Vancouver's The Pack A.D. Comprised of drummer Maya Miller and singer/guitarist Becky Black, they were - on the surface - like the female version of Japandroids, except their sound was more Stooges than emotive pop. Black - who's quite the looker with her raven hair and tight jeans - jumped all around the stage, her throaty voice full of bluesy vibrato. And, they too are headed to Halifax, playing a show there tonight. Damn, these Canadians have a lot of energy!

Speaking of that other Vancouver duo, they actually played Bell House last night at 1am, which I intended to make after a quick nap at home. Unfortunately, that quick nap turned into a much-needed 8 hours. Oh well, its not like I haven't seen them before.

Headed out now for the day parties on the LES, followed by a run over to Williamsburg for the Showpaper benefit at Market Hotel. Most of the stuff today is FREE, so get off your couch and get out there. (More pics below.)