Fucking Nostalgic

Review: Catalpa Festival @ Randall's Island (Day 2)

2012-08-02T16:58:00.002-04:00

Girl Talk @ Catalpa NYC

Catalpa Festival @ Randall’s Island - July 29, 2012
Photos: Geanna B. and James MacFie / Review: Geanna B.

La-di-da-di-dahh! It's time to talk about the D-O-double-G! What, what, what whaaaaaat! Fo' rizzle. If there was anyone at Catalpa who was more excited to see Snoop Dogg than me, I would like to shake that person's hand. And then possibly give them a high five. Possibly. My dad hates rap music, so I used to have to listen to Snoop in my room quietly with headphones on without moving, so as not to upset his classic rock sensibilities. But before I geek out on middle school nostalgia, let's dive right into the funstuffs.

Sunday. Round Two. No Mercy, Mr. LaRusso.

The crowd was thicker, the air was clearer. And our feets were drier! We kicked off the afternoon with Cold War Kids, just as it started drizzling. The rain came down, but the crowd didn't care - Nathan Willet's voice, as piercing and clear and wistful as ever, rose over the festival lawn and reached out to anyone with ears. They played the requisite "Hang Me Up to Dry," as well as the very bittersweet, "We Used to Vacation," in addition to giving us some newer tracks to sink our teeth into. As their set ended, the band thanked everyone for sticking it out with them through the weather - but honestly, I think the rain only added to the fun.

After wandering around in search of the Arcadia Stage once more, and instead finding a girl in a Tinkerbell outfit, it was time for Matt & Kim. I had never seen them live before, and I think it's safe to say that they are fucking nuts. In the best way possible. I challenge you to find two people with more enthusiasm, love and genuine joy that can keep a party going like they do. After a six month hiatus from playing live, it felt like the two of them had just been released from solitary confinement, ready to rock and play and shake their groove thangs in our faces. BONUS: we were the first audience ever to hear their most recent single, "Let's Go" live! Look at us, all special-like. They're playing Terminal 5 this fall, I suggest you get tickets immediately, if not sooner.

Keeping the party going was Girl Talk, mashing the shit out of some pop tunes and getting everyone crazed pre-Snoop. If you aren't dancing to Girl Talk, I'm pretty sure your heart is made of the lost souls of stuffed animals on the Island of Misfit Toys. It is literally impossible to not get down to those raucous beats. My favorite thing he did during this set was put the Beastie Boys' "Hey Ladies" alongside Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life". God damn, was that catchy. This, along with TP guns and inflatable zoo animals, made for quite the spectacle. And we liked it.

And now, for the main event. The creme de la creme. The final countdown. THE END OF DAYS! SNOOP DOGG. SNOOP DOGGY DOGG. SNOOP!! Holy balls, my head kind of exploded. Joined by members of the Dogg Pound, he started off the night with "Gin and Juice," playing most of Doggystyle (not in its entirety as we may have been lead to believe) and adding in some favorites like "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" and "The Next Episode." Although I prayed to every god imaginable - and Oprah Winfrey herself - for the miracle of Dr. Dre to appear before me, he was nowhere to be found. Another missing element was the inclusion of "Lodi Dodi" in the mix, but as the Mac rightfully noted, there may have been too many words to remember. Snoop closed out the set with "Drop It Like It's Hot," and "Young, Wild and Free." While those are not my personal faves, I was still riding high on the raps of yesteryear, 'cuz everything is fine when you listenin' to the D-O-G.

We hear it’s hard being the new festival on the block, what with the trillion other festivals held in NYC this summer, some taking place in the exact same location. For its first year, Catalpa was a success. Even with the rain and lack of brisket tacos, the weekend was a rockin' good time. The jury is still out on what happened to that huge fire sculpture thing, but I guess that's what we have to look forward to next year. RIGHT?! Right. Now for some photos!

Cold War Kids

Matt & Kim

Snoop Dogg

Review: Catalpa Festival @ Randall's Island (Day 1)

2012-08-01T10:32:00.001-04:00

Catalpa Festival @ Randall’s Island - July 28, 2012
Photos: Geanna B. and James MacFie / Review: Geanna B.

Renaissance Fairs are great, we know this much is true. Where else can you eat delicious turkey legs while donning your favorite crushed velvet garments and lamenting the devastation of the Bubonic Plague? Probably nowhere, actually. But even in the midst of all this Humanist fun, there is one major thang that the Renaissance inarguably lacks: the presence of Snoop D-O-G-G and his historic album, Doggystyle.

Lucky for us, Catalpa NYC was there last weekend to fill the void. But what is Catalpa, exactly? And how did it get its name? And how are we to pronounce said name? And why were there no cats involved? AND WHERE WERE THE BRISKET TACOS?! All of these questions remain unanswered, but we did give it a Google, just for good measure:

Catalpa is a genus of flowering plants in the trumpet vine family, native to warm temperate regions of North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia.

It’s also apparently a place in Iowa. Huh.

But we digress (again). Arriving on Saturday afternoon to overcast skies and a general sense of allovertheplace-ness, we quickly did a lap around the grounds to get our bearings. Confusion arose when the stage #3, the Arcadia Stage, was nowhere to be found. Where had all those DJs gone? We endeavored to get to the bottom of this added mystery, but were sidetracked by black currant lemonade and grilled cheese sandwiches. Cheese: The Great Sedater.

Given the varied lineup and even more varied audience, we knew we were in for something different. The first band we caught up with was The Demos. Upbeat and dance-y, this was exactly what I needed to pick me up by my flop straps and get me into the festival swing of things. Then, the rain came. In full-on downpour mode. From across the field came the echoes of Zola Jesus, who sound like some tripped out version of Lana Del Rey. I don't know if it was the hole in my umbrella or the mud in my toes, but it felt like their set went on for a looooong time. Once the clouds parted and this droning time-warp ended, we flitted like hummingbirds between sets by The Sheepdogs and Hercules and Love Affair. My dad (who most of you should be quite familiar with by now) would fucking love The Sheepdogs and their brand of classic, sounds-like-the-Allman-Brothers rock. Shit, most of those guys even look like my dad in his heyday. Yep, heyday.

Finally, FINALLY, it was time for TV on the Radio. As the band took the stage, it certainly seemed like this was the more anticipated event of the night (although I'm not sure how many people were over at the double-set-jam-funk-out that is Umphreys McGee). I have officially now seen TVotR in every possible type of venue - they never disappoint. Mixing a lil' bit of everything, they gave us "Repetition", "Golden Age", "Wolf Like Me", and "Staring at the Sun". Tunde's spastic, beat-driven dance was in full-effect throughout as the sun began to disappear. My only complaint was that the set was a tragically insufficient 40-minutes long. Definitely, definitely not enough.

Closing out the evening were The Black Keys. Playing basically every festival known to man this year, they took off with their uber-popular "Howlin' For You," before moving on to their other catchy-pop-blues tunes. The crowd loved the shit out of them, and you couldn't help but get swept up in the energy, even while trying to dance in a huge, slippery field of mud.

We trudged home, giddy as schoolgirls with excitement for Sunday's festivities. For now, check out some very rainy photos below. There's more to come people, so jus' chill, 'til the next episode...

The Demos

The Sheepdogs

Hercules and Love Affair

Ponchos, ponchos, everywhere!

TV on the Radio

Catalpa Festival Next Weekend! (7/28-29) Lineup, Set Times and Tickets!

2012-07-19T17:01:00.002-04:00

Veritable smorgasbord music festival Catalpa is coming to Randall's Island next Saturday and Sunday, featuring 3 stages and over 40 artists throughout the hip-hop, indie, reggae and electronic music scenes. The official lineup and full schedule have been announced and are available on the festival's website, with info about tickets, transportation and a pretty ridiculous flame throwing sculpture/structure/DJ booth.

No, really. Check it out for yourself.

Both weekend and single-day passes are still available, and I highly suggest you get on board this dazzling train to Funtown, USA. In recent conversations with my middle-school self, I realized that seeing Snoop Dogg perform Doggstyle in its entirety is on the ol' bucket list of Great Life Choices, so you really do not want to miss out. Added bonuses: TV on the Radio, Girl Talk, Matt and Kim, and Cold War Kids.

Yes, and yes please.

Photos/Video/Review: 4Knots Music Festival @ South Street Seaport (Hospitality, The Drums, Archers of Loaf)

2012-07-17T10:30:00.000-04:00

Archers of Loaf

New York City Firemen

4Knots Music Festival @ South Street Seaport - July 14, 2012

Photos/Video: Chloe Lee / Review: Geanna B.

The port! The port! The port was on fire! ... apparently. While I'm pretty sure I missed all of the action and excitement on that front, by the time I arrived downtown, the multi-alarm fire was the talk of 4Knots, causing Hospitality to cut its set short, with a bit of a delay later in getting the Crocodiles on stage.

After melting only slightly in the breezy heat, the Crocodiles got the show going again, kicking everyone into gear with their brand of noisy, distorted pop. The duo-turned-quintet from San Diego played an excellent set, chock full of fuzzy guitar riffs, droning vocals, and gritty, angsty lyrics.

Next on stage: The Drums. I started listening to this band at the urgent suggestion/demanding of Mr. James MacFie this past fall, and have pounced on every opportunity to see them live since. This kind of upbeat, surf pop still keeps a bouncy edge throughout every song, and it's always fun to watch lead singer Jonathan Pierce glide and twitch along the stage. It's true, there are heavy hints of The Smiths and New Order and even sometimes Joy Division, but the catchy sound and hum-worthy melodies cannot be argued against. Playing through "Best Friend," "Money," and "Days," the band closed with one of their earliest singles, "Let's Go Surfing," a kind of wistfully glee ode to summer, a perfect tune for a day by the water.

And finally, the main event. After The Drums skipped off the stage to eat ice cream sundaes, the majority of the crowd filed out, needing to replace their American Apparel tanks and tees that had been soiled by sweat and light beer. That gave us plenty of room to move up for Archers of Loaf, the quintessential 90's alt-rock band, complete with muscle tees and trucker hats to boot. It was an interesting change of pace to go from skinny-hipster-reverb to burly-man-guitar-anthems, but this is New York, and that's how we roll. Those who remained in the crowd were die hard fans, singing along with every note, and sometimes shouting out a very enthusiastic, "loooooaf!" The sound seemed to shake the entire Pier, giving us one driving, unforgiving song after another. Fuckin A.

Oh, NYC. Just when I think I can't love you any more, you give me an amazing free summertime show. I just want to hug the shit out of you. Forever.

---

Check out photos Chloe shot for us of Hospitality, The Drums and Archers of Loaf below, and also a video she got of Hospitality performing a brand spanking new song...

Hospitality @4Knots 7/14/12 from Fucking Nostalgic Films on Vimeo.

ATP I'll Be Your Mirror USA moves to NYC (9/21-23)

2012-07-13T10:56:00.000-04:00

In very "WHAT THE WHAT?!" and "HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13th, SUCKAAAS" news this morning, it was announced that All Tomorrow's Parties' (ATP) upcoming I'll Be Your Mirror USA 2012 festival has been moved from Asbury Park, NJ to Pier 36, NYC. In a press release this morning, ATP announced:

"Pier 36 was the intended home for I'll Be Your Mirror beginning in 2013 - but due to unavoidable logistical concerns (along with a lack of available fan accommodations in Asbury Park), ATP has decided to move there for this year's event.

We hope that the new venue will make for an incredible event and open up many other accommodation options to fans who were unable to find rooms in Asbury Park," comments ATP's Barry Hogan. "We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by the move and hope that any problems caused may be minimised by the relatively small distance between the two locations. Anyone who is unable to attend due to the move or due to the cancellation of Louis CK can claim a full refund by contacting their ticket agent between now and July 31st."

Perhaps trying to ease the blow (no Louis CK?!), several new additions to the lineup have been announced, including: Philip Glass & Tyondai Braxton, Janeane Garofalo, Lightning Bolt, Lee Ranaldo, Chavez, Kurt Braunohler, Afterhours, Joseph Arthur, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, The Album Leaf, The Psychic Paramount, Braids, Tall Firs, Blanck Mass, Endless Boogie, Demdike Stare and DJ Jonathan Toubin.

You can read the full press release with mixed emotions on ATP's website, and tickets are still available ova here. The full updated lineup is below, with still more to be confirmed in the coming weeks.

ATP IBYM USA 2012 Updated Lineup:

Friday 21st curated by ATP:
PHILIP GLASS & TYONDAI BRAXTON
JANEANE GAROFALO
LIGHTNING BOLT
LEE RANALDO
KURT BRAUNOHLER
+ more to be confirmed

Saturday 22nd curated by Greg Dulli:
THE AFGHAN WHIGS
THE ROOTS
JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
MARK LANEGAN BAND
DIRTY THREE
THE ANTLERS
CHAVEZ
THE DIRTBOMBS
SCRAWL
EMERALDS
JOSEPH ARTHUR
VETIVER
CHARLES BRADLEY AND THE EXTRAORDINAIRES
AFTERHOURS
DJ QUESTLOVE
+ more to be confirmed

Sunday 23rd curated by ATP:
GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR
THE MAKE-UP
HOT SNAKES
THE MAGIC BAND
AUTOLUX
THEE OH SEES
THE ALBUM LEAF
BRAIDS
I BREAK HORSES
THE PSYCHIC PARAMOUNT
QUINTRON AND MISS PUSSYCAT
TALL FIRS
BLANCK MASS
ENDLESS BOOGIE
DEMDIKE STARE
DJ JONATHAN TOUBIN
+ more to be confirmed

Feature: Greetings From the Edge // Redux (David Thomas & Two Pale Boys, Vic Chessnutt)

2012-07-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

by James M. Graham

Greetings From The Edge // Redux digs through the archives of James M. Graham's once celebrated column "Greetings From The Edge" that he wrote for AOL from 1996-1997. What follows are selections from the column, reposted verbatim.

David Thomas and Two Pale Boys (03/9/97 - NYC)
David Thomas, Keith Moline and Andy Diagram took the stage at The Wetlands on a dark, cold Sunday night in New York in front of, oh, probably about 40 people, and magic ensued. A veteran of at least seven Ubu or Ubu-less David Thomas shows, I can absolutely testify that, other than the first (always a charm), this was the best. David stood, played his melodeon ( or is it an accordion?) while Andy strummed guitar in a rhythmic keep-the-beat kinda way. Keith played treated trumpet - a radio mic sending his breath through a rather inconspicuous, but sinister rack of electronic effects.

They cut through David’s new release, Erewhon, a meandering jazz/beat/free-form sort of record doing more jazzy, beaty and free-form versions of most of the tunes. David was in rare form, pulling on a flask, between monologues and working himself into a relaxed, but intense mood. The Pale Boys seemed to be mostly improvising, although a close eye would reveal that the songs were tightly structured loose and flowing things - kinda tough to pull off. Moline summoned electronic trumpet demons from hell as David launched into "Surfer Girl" by the Beach Boys. Beginning the story of the beautiful beach-bound muse, Thomas eyes began to tear (I don’t know what’s going on at home) and Moline began to sing into the end of the trumpet providing the mandatory Beach Boys backing track.

After David went to the bathroom while the Pale Boys improvised, he began "The Beach Boys" (from the last Ubu record) and told the long, drawn-out tale of a country in South America ruled by The Beatles and Rosanna Arquette (because "she's beautiful"), that had David and Brian Wilson at a local bar discussing "the things they’d seen." David Thomas is a vital artist. You wouldn’t think so, but he is. Its hard to explain, but I can offer help - David Thomas and all that is Pere Ubu is explained perfectly at http://ubuprojex.net/.

David Thomas and Two Pale Boys

Vic Chessnutt (03/16/97 - NYC)
Vic seemed almost as tired as I was. This, being the second show of two at The Knitting Factory, he pretty much asked for requests and obliged with incredibly heart-felt renditions of his back catalog, despite his fatigue. There's something really, really charming about Vic, I don’t know if its his deep Athens, Georgia accent or the simple subject matter of his songs - probably both - but he is an incredible example of transcending ones' physical self and making music that means something. At least to me.

Vic Chessnutt

Review: Patrick Watson @ South Street Seaport

2012-07-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

Patrick Watson @ South Street Seaport - July 6, 2012
Photos/Review: John Dabrowski

There could not have been a more perfect venue for Patrick Watson to perform in New York City than South Street Seaport. The boats rocking effortlessly back and forth. The skyscrapers standing tall as the sun drowns into darkness. As part of The River to River Festival 2012, Patrick Watson and Loney, Dear captivated the audience with tremendous sets of wonder and lightness. What is particularly pleasing about this festival is its reach. Many in attendance had no idea of the genius that are Patrick Watson and Loney, Dear, yet happened to stumble upon the stage and were swayed by the sounds.

Sweden’s Loney, Dear uplifts, delights and startles listeners with its finely combed, delicate music. As the set emerged, I watched as a beautiful, blonde child danced with her father and then proceeded to perform karate moves in sync with the rising tone of singer, Emil Svanängen. It was truly special to watch. Loney, Dear was honored to be able to play for the crowd, who allowed the music to wash over and cleanse. The audience even provided a nice F note to accompany one of their songs.

When Patrick Watson came on the stage, I could sense something magical was about to ignite. I was right. Hailing from Montreal, Patrick Watson recently released Adventur es in Your Own Backyard and this performance was his only NYC date until the fall. Light bulbs draped his piano and among the stage, blinking and dimming and shining alongside the haunting and hulking sound. There is a playfulness to the band and I could immediately sense their closeness. What Patrick Watson unleashes allows for connection and closeness, and the crowd was enamored, wanting more until the 9PM curfew came.

Both Patrick Watson and Loney, Dear allowed for their sets to awake and rejuvenate. Below, check out check out both of their current releases and future tour dates...

Patrick Watson 2012 Tour Dates
Sun. July 15 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Frederik Meijer Gardens #
Mon. July 16 - Lewiston, NY @ Artpark #
Fri. July 20 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground #
Sat. July 21 - Pawtucket, RI @ Hope Artist Village Courtyard #
Wed. Sept. 5 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Thu. Sept. 6 - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live
Fri. Oct. 12 - Austin, TX @ Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Festival)
Thu. Dec. 6 - Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall &

# w/ Andrew Bird
& w/ The Barr Brothers

Loney, Dear 2012 Tour Dates
WED 25 JULY – SAT 28 JULY Storsjöyran Festival 2012 Östersund, Sweden
SUN 29 JULY Slussens Pensionat Orust, Sweden
FRI 3 AUGUST Urkultfestivalen 2012 Näsåker, Sweden
SAT 4 AUGUST Broöppning Härnösand, Sweden
FRI 17 AUGUST – SUN 19 AUGUST Summer Sundae Weekender 2012 Leicester, UK
FRI 17 AUGUST – SUN 19 AUGUST Green Man Festival 2012 Powys, UK Find tickets

Dennis Flemion (06/06/1955-07/07/2012)

2012-07-12T11:47:00.001-04:00

by Rhona (Wiglet Bill) Aquilina

Last weekend, July 7th, Dennis Flemion of The Frogs failed to resurface after going swimming on a boating trip with family and friends at Wind Lake, Racine, Wisconsin. He was finally recovered from the lake by authorities on July 10th after a lengthy search. He was 57 years old.

As something of a crazed Frogs fan I am devastated by this terrible news. The Frogs are unlike any other band I’ve ever known. Being a fan is genuinely and uniquely rewarding: not just because the band were comedically brilliant and musically phenomenal but because they treated their fans like personal friends. This is a particularly rich experience, for those of us who, through their records, feel a kinship with and deep respect for the band. I don’t think it’d be controversial to say that The Frogs never achieved the level of success their talent deserves and whilst this is a travesty it breeds a special kind of organic fandom, with a tendency towards militancy, as there was a period where no one could enter my flat without being forced to listen to a selection of Frogs songs in silence (I would allow laughter).

As a UK fan, opportunities to see The Frogs live were few and far between. Fortune smiled on me twice when, with the help of the incredible ATP Festival, I saw The Frogs play shows firstly at The Breeders curated ATP weekend in 2009 and then again in 2011 at the Animal Collective curated event.

At the Animal Collective ATP (the band was there to play their 1989 release It’s Only Right And Natural) I had the pleasure of spending some considerable time over the three day festival talking with the band, who were tirelessly manning their merchandise stand and demonstrating their notorious fan-friendliness. I was on crutches at the time and I remember that one of the first things Dennis said to me was that, despite it not being on the album, they were going to perform "Where’s Jerry Lewis?" from their 1996 record My Daughter the Broad in dedication, a song about a ‘lovely crippled boy’. Once I’d introduced my wife he decided that "Dykes Are We" was a better fit. He then took the time to sign a record for me and to carefully personalise a print I purchased from him, explaining that it was his artwork over a photograph he had taken of Jimmy. I’m truly grateful to have had the opportunity to chat with Dennis and the rest of the band that weekend and I’ll always treasure that experience.

Talking to Dennis, he made me feel like I was important to him, he was proud of The Frogs dedicated followers and he demonstrated this by making the fans he spoke to feel valued, he never rushed off when I approached him, and when I spoke he genuinely listened. The loss of such a sweet man is tragic. My sincerest sympathies are with Dennis’ family and friends.

---

This month the band released two new albums Count Yer Blessingsz and Squirrel Bunny Jupiter Deluxe both albums feature excellent artwork by Dennis Flemion. The albums are available from iTunes & CD Baby.

4Knots Music Festival This Saturday 7/14 (FREE!)

2012-07-12T11:08:00.002-04:00

Yummm, delicious summer is in full effect. Can you taste the happy? We told ya'll last month to get ready for the 4Knots Music Festival at South Street Seaport, and now the day is fastly approaching. Like lightening! This Saturday is the very awesome, very FREE all-day show, featuring sets by Nick Waterhouse, Bleached, Hospitality, Crocodiles, The Drums, and Archers of Loaf.

Hot damn.

It's gonna be a gorgeous, breezy, seaporty day, so take yo' booties downtown and get silly over those views of the water. They are truly a sight to behold. Check out the set times after the jump, as well as more info about the not-as-free after-party-hotel-lobby at Beekman Beer Garden.

Summer. YES.

4Knots Music Festival Set Times:

Main Stage
12:15 p.m.: The Smiling Lies
12:30 p.m.: The Fast Years
1:30 p.m.: Nick Waterhouse
2:30 p.m.: Bleached
3:30 p.m.: Hospitality
4:30 p.m.: Crocodiles
5:30 p.m.: The Drums
6:30 p.m.: Archers of Loaf

Skippers Stage
1:00 p.m.: Doldrums
2:00 p.m.: Devin
3:00 p.m.: Team Spirit
4:00 p.m.: Delicate Steve

After Party @ Beekman Beer Garden
Doors are at 7:00 PM, and you can still get tickets right ova here. This partay will feature sets by DJ Jonathan Toubin, Kid Congo Powers + The Pink Monkey Birds, and The Black Lips. Get on board.

Listen to METZ... start to get excited about METZ

2012-07-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

Toronto-based trio METZ, who recently signed to Sub Pop Records to release their debut LP in October, are heading to New York City for a pair of shows at Pianos (8/31) and Death By Audio (9/1). My advice? Get really fucking excited and grab a pair of ear plugs. The band, who over the past three and a half years have opened for Mission of Burma, Archers of Loaf and Mudhoney, sound like an amalgamation of all those bands, that is if you were to push all their levels in the red and drench their vocals in a huge bowl of reverb. It's quite an exciting ride indeed.

Their self-titled release will be available on Sub Pop on October 9 in North America, and you can stream the lead single "Headache" via the embedded player below. Be sure to get tickets to the Pianos show, as Death By Audio hasn't yet made tickets available. You can also check out their tour dates below to find out where they'll be playing near you. Godspeed...

METZ
METZ
Track List:
1. Headache
2. Get Off
3. Sad Pricks
4. Rats
5. Knife in the Water
6. Nausea
7. Wet Blanket
8. Wasted
9. The Mule
10. Negative Space
11. -- )) --
METZ 2012 Tour Dates
Aug. 03 - Sackville, NB - Sappyfest
Aug. 24 - Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge**
Aug. 25 - Minneapolis, MN - 400 Bar**
Aug. 28 - Pittsburgh, PA - Garfield Artworks
Aug. 29 - Washington, D.C. - DC9
Aug. 30 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
Aug. 31 - New York, NY - Pianos
Sep. 01 - Brooklyn, NY - Death By Audio
* w/ The Men
** w/ Archers of Loaf
^ w/ Kinski

Photos/Review: Dirty Projectors @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

2012-07-10T07:20:00.000-04:00

Dirty Projectors @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - July 9, 2012
Photos: Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Josh Kurp

On the night before the official release date of their sixth album (and second that actually matters), Swing Lo Magellan, Dirty Projectors played a hometown show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Beginning with the title track, Dave Longstreth and company, including fellow guitarist and vocalist Amber Coffman, as well as new member Olga Bell, played the entirety of Swing, with a few older tracks, like "Useful Chamber" and fan favorite "Stillness is the Move," scattered throughout, too.

Spreading the songs between the new release and 2009's Bitte Orca, one thing became instantly clear: Swing is much "friendlier" and less abstract than it's predecessor; it doesn't stray away from the group's signature staticity R&B/folk/funk/billion other genre's sound, but "Gun Has No Trigger" and "Impregnable Question" feel more human, like Longstreth began with the words then worked on the beat, not vice versa. It was an excellent show from an excellent band playing their excellent new album.

Dirty Projectors play again tonight at Prospect Park, for which tickets are still available. Check out a huge gallery of shots that Nadia took of last night's show, including photos of opener Dustin Wong (of Ponytail).

Photos/Review: Roger Waters performing The Wall @ Yankee Stadium

2012-07-09T00:43:00.004-04:00

Roger Waters @ Yankee Stadium - July 7, 2012

Photos: James M. Graham / Review: Debbie Chou & James M. Graham

The first chord of The Wall at Yankee Stadium will stay in my mind for as long as I live. Mind you, I only saw the film for the first time one week ago. "In The Flesh" has to be one of the best opening tracks of all time. Cue fireworks. Jaw drops and stays open for the remainder of the song.

I was probably five years old when I first saw the video for "Another Brick In The Wall." Mean teachers, students in a meat grinder, and rioting in the classroom meant nothing to me. And then I experienced public school in Taiwan. Let's just say I wish those teachers would leave us kids alone. The children in the choir was something I looked forward to seeing the most. It was a delight to see them in black t-shirts bouncing from side to side, clapping their hands, and air-punching the inflated "teacher" that was at least ten times bigger than they were.

The change of scenery involved the onsite construction of the Wall along with visuals protected onto it. Roger: "Mother, should I trust the government?" Screen: "NO. FUCKING. WAY." Add photos of lost ones from wars and 9-11 contributed by fans and you may feel a chill on this hot summer night. Live props included the flying airplane, puppets from the film, waving flags, and an inflatable capitalist pig. This tour must have the most hard-working stage crew in rock and roll history.

The band was pitch perfect. The four-man choir was tight and the surround sound was haunting. Roger Waters looked and sounded great. With a big grin on his face, he was sincerely grateful for his audience. As he closed the show with a reprise of "Outside The Wall," he declared that 30 years ago he would've refused to play in front of such a large crowd, "but that was 30 years ago!" This was a show that you know wouldn't happen again, yet still wish you could see over and over...

---

Nostalgia is an odd thing. I bought The Wall in 1979 the day it came out on vinyl, Columbia BL 36183 - paper insert with the band name and title under the shrink-wrap and a gate-fold sleeve with crazy illustrations by Gerald Scarfe. I played it millions of times (and at recent inspection, it shows) and read Rolling Stone's review of the shows in LA and NYC with a jealousy that was just out of my reach financially and age-wise. My buddies and I saw the film on opening night, probably at midnight, and dug the shit out of it - I've owned it on DVD since one could have. I bought the song book to The Wall from Sam Goody so I could pick it out on piano and my Dad's guitar.

Then I forgot about it. Except the parts that classic rock radio would not let me forget.

I saw Waters on his "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" tour twice with the buddies once we were financially and age appropriate. He played a few songs from The Wall (as well as a smattering of everything form Floyd's discography). Awesome - a taste!

Then I forgot about it. Except the parts that classic rock radio would not let me forget.

Until he played Berlin in 1990. That seemed awesome, even though there was no way in hell that I could go, although a good friend of mine did.

Fast-forward 20 years. A very jaded man buys field seats for the Yankee Stadium show after his sister and one of his best friends tells him he will regret missing this show.

I would have regretted missing this show. Despite the parts that classic rock radio will not let me forget.

Everything you've read about it is true. The sound is amazing, the visuals are astounding and the performance is breathtaking. A smiling, appreciative Roger is not a bad thing (one of my fears) and his re-imagining/updating exactly what The Wall means to a 68 year old man 30 years later is profoundly poignant.

I guess, since I didn't get to see it in NYC when I was a teenager and living in North Carolina, I count myself lucky that I got to see it 30 years later with all of that 30 years of wisdom, life and technology that Roger has experienced too. Something also tells me that if I had been there 30 years ago at Nassau Coliseum, I'd have still been at Yankee Stadium this past Saturday night.

---

Check out more photos of Saturday night's show below...

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day Three (Cloud Nothings, The War on Drugs, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Guided By Voices)

2012-07-09T00:30:00.001-04:00

Guided By Voices

CBGB Festival (Day Three) - July 7, 2012
Photos: Nadia Chaudhury / Review: Chris

Day three of CBGB Festival had two pretty huge options, both seemingly aimed at the same audience. How does one choose between Superchunk in Times Square and Guided By Voices at SummerStage? Theoretically, one could have attended both, as Superchunk took the Times Square stage at 1:20pm, but I didn't want to take any chances getting shut out of Guided By Voices, who weren't on until 6pm. I'm not entirely sure if I made the right decision, but we'll get to that in a bit.

Cloud Nothings

The weather in Central Park was pretty unbearable on Saturday, with temperatures reaching the high '90s (possibly over 100) and at least one person fainting from the heat. But the show plowed on with only a few minor hiccups. First up was Cloud Nothings, who I caught back in March at Mercury Lounge shortly after they released their latest album Attack On Memory. Similar to that performance, the band put on an energetic, albeit brief show which set the bar pretty high for the rest of the day. If you haven't jumped on the Cloud Nothings train yet, it might be a good time to do so. Frontman Dylan Baldi has managed to merge so many various forms of indie music into a singular sound, without coming off as derivative or incoherent, making his band one of the most exciting things to pay attention to today.

The War On Drugs

Next up was Philadelphia quartet The War On Drugs, who were the only band on the lineup I hadn't seen live yet. Considering their 2011 album Slave Ambient was one of my favorite records of the year, I was pretty excited to finally see them live. Unfortunately, their performance was marred by a poor sound mix and some faulty equipment. The drums were practically inaudible, and as great as Adam Granduciel's voice is, his vocals were so loud over everything else, it didn't come off too well. And at some point towards the end of their set, his guitar amp apparently exploded from the extreme heat. 100 degree weather isn't a good environment for anyone to perform in, so in no way am I taking this particular set as an example of what TWOD (twod?) can achieve live. I am definitely looking forward to the next show.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The last time I caught The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, it was at Coney Island for Siren Fest in 2010, another 100 degree day. I've never been the hugest fan of the band, but it's hard to deny that they do put on a great live show. I did however start to feel slightly dizzy during their set, and gulping bottles of water didn't seem to help much. It became one of those shows where you're really excited to stick around for the headliner, but you also want it to just end already. Don't let that fool you into thinking POBPAH (pobpah?) weren't any good. And I have no idea where Kip Berman got the energy to jump around as much as he did.

Guided By Voices

After a lengthy changeover, and an increasingly saturated crowd, the legendary Guided By Voices took the stage to overwhelming applause. I've seen the reunited lineup twice already, and both times contained over two hours of non-stop hits. But since the band has released two albums in 2012 alone (with a third on the way) it was inevitable that at least some of Saturday's set would contain new songs. Turns out Pollard thought it would be a good opportunity to play all new songs for the entire set, save for six or so familiar songs. I respect the decision, but quite honestly, the new stuff doesn't hold up to the four GBV albums this current lineup is known for. And when you're in sweltering heat for four hours, you generally want to be compensated with some familiar material.

Mitch Mitchell's cigarette roadie

You can't take away how good the band sounded though. And some of the new songs are actually quite good. When a fight broke out between a bouncer and a group of pogo-ing fans, it brought out the best Pollard stage banter I've heard yet. "Don't eat the brown acid!” Pollard said in response to the scuffle. "How come you can't eat the brown acid? I never understood that. It sounds pretty good to me." Also have to give props to lead guitarist Mitch Mitchell's cigarette roadie, whose sole purpose was to stand there, light one cigarette after another, and pass them to Mitch at the end of each song. Fucking brilliant.

But what it comes down to is that a free GBV during the day with a 7pm curfew just isn't a true GBV show. The band is known for performing ridiculously long sets, with Pollard becoming increasingly drunk as the night wears on--and his band playing hit after hit after hit. It's hard to complain about anything free, but I'm anxiously awaiting the next paid Guided By Voices performance, which hopefully won't take place at Terminal 5.

Check out a full set of photos of the show that Nadia shot for us, and give a listen to Guided By Voices' Class Clown Spots A UFO below...

Guided By Voices setlist (via):

"Laundry and Lasers"

"The Head"

"Roll of the Dice, Kick in the Head"

"Billy Wire"

"Doughnut for a Snowman"

"He Rises! Our Union Bellboy"

"Blue Babbleships Bay"

"Shocker in Gloomtown"

"Spiderfighter"

"The Unsinkable Fats Domino"

"Hangover Child"

"God Loves Us"

"Class Clown Spots a UFO"

"Hang Up and Try Again"

"Chocolate Boy"

"The Opposite Continues"

"Keep It in Motion"

"Game of Pricks"

"Waves"

"I Am A Scientist"

"Imperial Racehorsing"

"Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory"

"We Won't Apologize for the Human Race"

"No Transmission"

"14 Cheerleader Coldfront"
"Quality of Armor"

Encore:

"Matter Eater Lad"
"Echoes Myron"

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day Two (MxPx, Radio 4, Reggie Watts)

2012-07-09T00:05:00.000-04:00

Reggie Watts @ The Bell House

CBGB Festival (Day Two) - July 6, 2012

Photos/Review: Geanna B. & Chris

Day Two of CBGB Festival had a lot of great options, but unfortunately our day jobs and inability to be in two places at once greatly limited what we were able to cover. Luckily, Geanna was game to check out pop-punk purveyors MxPx at Best Buy Theater, while I took a trip to The Bell House to catch one of comedian Reggie Watts' viciously unique sets. I'm happy to report that neither of us were stabbed throughout our excursions. Here's Geanna's account of the MxPx show:

Well, my ears are still ringing from Friday's MxPx show at Best Buy Theater for two reasons: 1. They totally rocked out, and 2. Because I might be getting old. Celebrating their 20th Anniversary as part of the CBGB Festival, this was one of the fest's shows that I absolutely had to see. Oh, Memory Lane, how often I visit thee. Who needs a DeLorean when nostalgia is just a subway ride away?

MxPx. Photo by Geanna

The first band to hit the stage was Gasoline Heart, a straight-up rock band with a pretty solid sound. Had their lead singer not been so self-deprecating while dejectedly stomping around on stage, their set would have been a lot more enjoyable. Next was the very awesome (and possibly underage?) Such Gold, a supersonic blend of Thursday and At the Drive-In that was a welcome wake up call to everyone on the floor. You absolutely must listen to this band, lest the Hammer of Thor strike you in the ears for ignoring their raw, driving tracks. And closing out the openers was I Am the Avalanche, whose Brooklyn-based punk ballads brought everyone to the brink of unbearable anticipation for the main event. When, Lord WHEN?! When's gonna be their time?!

The last time I saw MxPx was at The Birch Hill in high school, so seeing them at this brand new, swanky venue was definitely a bit odd. Without the moldy carpeting and scary parking lot, I felt a bit out of place with all those sparkly chandeliers looming overhead. And the bathrooms made me feel like I was in a spaceship. But as soon as the boys took the stage I was transported right back to that sweaty day in 1990-something. And it felt goooood.

The band gave us all of my faves - "I'm OK, You're OK," "Chick Magnet," and then closed the night with "Punk Rawk Show"!! There was crowd surfing and mosh-pitting and a very enjoyable cover of The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go" thrown into the mix. We jumped around and sang, and I will never, ever get tired of acting like a teenager with a bunch of other people doing the exact same thing. We poured into midtown at the end of the night, screaming to hear ourselves over the buzzing in our brains, and navigating through lost tourists and pedi-cabs and day dreaming gals like me. Okay, maybe a DeLorean would be nice after all.

MxPx posing for a photo. Photo by Mariel Marrelli

---

Reggie Watts, who like many of the artists playing CBGB, was sort of an oddball pick for the festival because, well, I doubt he ever performed at the venue and he's much more a comedian than a musician. That is not to knock Watts' talent -- the man can fucking sing. Half of me was laughing at how silly his songs were, and the other half was laughing at how ridiculously good his voice is.

Watts, sporting a Bob Marley t-shirt with an image of Jimi Hendrix‘s face, would take brief breaks in between songs to quickly rattle off jokes to the crowd, often referring to CBGB Festival as the "Sibbajib Fest." His dialog is short so as to not take away from his true talent, which is looping layers of his voice to form strange, melodic and ridiculously funny sounding songs. Listen to his 2012 comedy album A Live At Central Park below to get a better idea of his live show, because explaining it doesn't do it justice.

Radio 4. Photo by Chris

The surprising thing about the Bell House show was opener Radio 4, a New York City-based dance-punk act that reminded of Gang of Four, Talking Heads, and somehow They Might Be Giants. How I hadn't stumbled upon this group before was a bit of a surprise, as they've apparently been around since 1999 and their sound is right up my alley. Give their most recent recording (released in 2006??) a listen below, and certainly keep an eye on their tour dates (even though I can't find any at the moment).

Below, check out some more photos of The Bell House show, and stay tuned for coverage of day three of CBGB Festival...

Harley Flanagan, founding member of Cro-Mags, reportedly stabbed Cro-Mags bassist Mike Couls at Webster Hall last night

2012-07-07T08:04:00.001-04:00

Harley Flanagan (left) at Thursday's screening of American Hardcore

Sad, strange, and alarming news is being reported about last night's Sick Of It All / Cro-Mags show, which was part of CBGB Festival. The entire show was cancelled after Harley Flanagan, founding member of Cro-Mags reportedly stumbled into the VIP lounge of Webster Hall (inches from where I was photographing Thursday night's show) and stabbed Cro-Mags bassist Mike "The Gook" Couls.

According to Bowery Boogie:

"Security mobilized in a hot minute and beat the shit out of him. It took no less than six beefy dudes to control the madness. Blood was everywhere, and bone protruded from his shin. Cops quickly appeared and took [Flanagan] away in cuffs. Not before he had already stabbed some dude in the chest (said victim left the scene with a bandage over the wound). Because of the violence the rest of the show was canceled. The remaining bands promised to reschedule the show. To be fair, Webster Hall security contained the situation professionally. Lots of drunken, pissed off hardcore fans were on edge after the cops shut down the show, but the scene was cleared without further incident."

Particularly strange about the whole incident is that Flanagan showed up to American Hardcore's screening on Thursday with who appeared to be his two young sons (both were sporting mohawks). Flanagan seemed his usual slightly intimidating self, but I never would have expected him to stab someone the following night.

CBGB issued the following statement early this morning:

"We are saddened to learn about the events that occurred last night at Webster Hall. Our primary concern is always the safety and experience of New Yorkers, music fans and the general public. Naturally we will fully cooperate with law enforcement while hoping for the speedy recovery of those injured.

Live music can be incredibly uplifting, empowering and positive. We don’t feel the actions of one person should overshadow four amazing days and nights of events that include today’s historic and unprecedented free concerts in Times Square and Central Park."

CBGB Festival rolls on today, with the aforementioned two huge free shows: Superchunk / The Hold Steady / Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Times Square, and Cloud Nothings / The War on Drugs / The Pains of Being Pure At Heart / Guided By Voices at Central Park SummerStage. More coverage of CBGB Festival is on the way.

Photos/Review: CBGB Festival Day One (Krist Novoselic, American Hardcore, Agnostic Front)

2012-07-06T09:59:00.001-04:00

Agnostic Front @ Webster Hall

CBGB Festival (Day One) – July 5, 2012
Photos/Review: Chris

CBGB Festival is in full swing here in NYC, which means thirty venues throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn are hosting music showcases, and the entire Landmark Sunshine Theater is holding numerous panels and film screenings. To kick things off, legendary bassist Krist Novoselic gave a keynote speech at Sunshine yesterday at noon, which was hosted and moderated by walking music encyclopedia Matt Pinfield.

Novoselic’s speech focused mainly on his life as a musician and his tenure as bass player for Nirvana, but he also emphasized his involvement in social activism after the demise of the band. Novoselic was active in lobbying against laws such as the Erotic Music Law, which would have prevented minors from purchasing music deemed obscene, and the Teen Dance Ordinance, which stopped minors from attending many shows. After his speech, Matt Pinfield moderated a Q&A with the audience, which generated some oddball questions and responses. The most interesting exchange occurred when someone asked him what it was like working with Butch Vig again on the latest Foo Fighters record, which Novoselic made an appearance on. He took this as an opportunity to express his admiration for Dave Grohl, exclaiming that when people ask him if he’s jealous of everything Grohl has achieved he tells them, “How could I be jealous of that? Dave has worked so hard for everything he has, and he deserves every bit of it.” The response drew a lengthy applause.

Krist Novoselic @ Sunshine Theater

After the speech, I killed some time in the area before heading back to the Sunshine Theater to catch a screening of the documentary American Hardcore. I saw the film when it was first released in 2006, and figured an encore viewing wouldn’t hurt. The director of the film (Paul Rachman) and the writer of the book in which the film is based on (Steven Blush) appeared with Harley Flanagan of Cro-Mags fame to speak briefly of what the film was about, and how it relates to the CBGB Festival. The consensus being that CBGBs represented the beginnings of the DIY ethic, which has persevered throughout independent music ever since.

Harley Flanagan, Steven Blush and Paul Rachman

The film itself is an entertaining and thorough examination of the American hardcore punk scene from 1980-1986, featuring performances by Bad Brains, The Adolescents, Minor Threat, MDC, Black Flag, Gang Green, Flipper and interviews with punk icons such as Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, Mark Arm, HR and Keith Morris. Being a fan of many of those bands, it’s quite fun to witness how the scene came about and what it represented, but I do have a couple problems with the film. First, there are a lot of bands that are completely overlooked such as Husker Du, Dead Kennedys and The Misfits. It’s possible the rights to their music could not be obtained to use in the film, but not even the slightest mention is made of them. Second, the film tries to mark the moment of when Bad Brains began playing reggae as the “death of hardcore.” I understand that Bad Brains did make a radical shift towards metal, reggae and funk around 1986, but they use their song “I Luv I Jah” as an example of their change of style, which is a song on their debut record released in 1982. It just seems like the filmmakers were looking for a scapegoat as to why the scene sort of fizzled out in 1986.

Personally, I feel like the death of hardcore came from too many bands sounding exactly the same (something that becomes more and more apparent as the film goes on), and had they made some mention of Husker Du and their foray into expanding the hardcore genre, it could have left the film on a higher note. A sort of, “well, that type of hardcore may have died, but look at what great music rose from its ashes!” But again, it’s a great and informative film, and well worth watching.

Apparently hardcore was in my blood yesterday, so after the film I walked over to Webster Hall to catch the very hardcore lineup of Maximum Penalty, Murphy’s Law, Madball and Agnostic Front. Now, I’ve never been the hugest fan of NYHC (I much prefer the early hardcore sound of The Germs, X and all of the original SST bands), but I did spend some time as a teenager at matinee shows at Coney Island High, Wetlands Preserve and of course CBGBs in the late ‘90s. So I was well aware of what I was getting myself into by attending the show. Point being, I hung out in the balcony during most of the showcase so as to avoid getting slammed in the face with my own camera. It was a good decision.

Murphy's Law @ Webster Hall

All in all, the show was great and I’ll never get tired of watching kids mercifully beat each other in the mosh pit in the name of fun. One question though: is it customary at NYHC shows for there to be 50 people on stage? It seemed a bit obtrusive to the performers at times.

Check out some photos from my first day of CBGB Festival below, and stay tuned for more coverage of the festival in the coming days.

This Week's Nostalgia (7/3-7/9)

2012-07-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

by Trista Hou (Bingshu Hou)

The last time we heard from The Virgins was around 4 years ago when they released their self-titled album. Donald Cumming has an extremely similar voice to Julian Casablancas, and they've opened for Iggy Pop, The Stooges, Lou Reed, Sonic Youth, Patti Smith, etc... which strongly proves that their show is a must see for you to check it out net week. They will be playing in Bowery Electric on July 6.

I don't have to introduce our NYC-based jazz sweetheart Norah Jones. But this time she will come take us to a murkier and darker mood, since her newly released album contains scenes of jealousy and heartbreak. At Central Park SummerStage on July 3 she will use her melting voice but with new expression to satisfy your curiosity of how a jazz sweetheart could sound like if she sings sorrow songs.

CBGB Festival begins this Thursday. We've listed a bunch of those shows below, but stay tuned for an extensive preview of the festival in the next day or two. We're running a little slower than usual lately, but things are about to pick up. Without further ado...

Tuesday, July 3

Norah Jones @Central Park Rumsey Playfield
Bobby Womack @Music Hall of Williamsburg
Phish @Nikon at Jones Beach Theater

Wednesday, July 4

Dustin Wong @Socrates Sculpture Park

Thursday, July 5

Craig Finn w/ The Hold Steady @ Brooklyn Night Bazaar last year

Craig Finn (of Hold Steady) @ City Winery

Richard Lloyd (of Television) @ Bowery Electric

Agnostic Front and Madball @ Webster Hall
The Werks+Damn Right! @Brooklyn Bowl
Beat Connection+Whtie Arrows+Teen Daze+Rioux @Knitting Factory Brooklyn
Brothers NYC, The Orion Experience, My Pet Dragon @ Littlefield

Friday, July 6

Redd Kross+The Men+Labor Pool @Music Hall of Williamsburg

The Virgins @Bowery Electric
Scissor Sisters+Rye Rye @Terminal 5
Swear and Shake+These Animals+Tall Tall Trees @The Mercury Lounge
Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds+Empire Beats @Knitting Factory Brooklyn

MxPx @ Best Buy Theater

Yellow Dogs, The Everymen @ Pianos

Patrick Watson @ South Street Seaport

Sick of it All, Cro-Mags @ Webster Hall

Saturday, July 7

Superchunk @ House of Vans last summer

Superchunk @ Times Square (FREE SHOW)

Guided by Voices+Pains of Being Pure at Heart+War on Drugs+Cloud Nothings @Central Park Rumsey Playfield

D Generation @ Bowery Electric
Souad Massi+Simon Shaheen @Prospect Park Bandshell
Friends @Bowery Ballroom
Roger Waters @Yankee Stadium
Scissor Sisters+Rye Rye @Terminal 5
Gilmour's Breakfast (A Tribute to Pink Floyd) @B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
Moon Hooch @Brooklyn Bowl
Sheila Jordan @Blue Note
TAB the Band+Mail the Horse+Arc in Round @The Mercury Lounge
'100% Silk' w/ Octo Octa+Jonas Reinhardt @The Glasslands Gallery

Sunday, July 8

Fishbone @ Brooklyn Bowl in November

Fishbone @Brooklyn Bowl

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah @ Beekman Beer Garden
Steve Lewis+Dave Beck @The Mercury Lounge
Bobaflex+Heldin+Child Abuse @Bowery Electric
Light Asylum+Trust @Music Hall of Williamsburg
Glassjaw @Irving Plaza

Photos/Review: Amanda Palmer @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

2012-07-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

David Byrne on stage with Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - June 27, 2012
Photos/Review: James M. Graham

She had her bass player open. He had a horn section and David Byrne. Good.

She had her guitarist open. He had a Scissor Sisters vibe and no David Byrne. OK.

She came on and played most of her new album, ----. A handful of Dresden Dolls songs ("Missed Me") and "Leeds United" from the very underrated "Who Killed Amanda Palmer."

Then she closed the show with David Byrne doing a full-on horn section Talking Heads "Burning Down The House."

It's as close as you're gonna get to a Talking Heads reunion EVER, I think - I hope, so dig it hard.

Me: I saw you in 1982
David Byrne: Where?
Me: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
DB: My parents live there. I mean they used to.
Me: With Adrian Belew and Steve Soles
DB: Right.

Amanda's fans are rabid. Doors at 8pm/show at 9pm - observation at 8pm: floor full and packed.

And she just raised a million dollars (1.2, actually) on Kickstarter. The first to do so.

Her fans are rabid.

Her show rocked my world. Her enthusiasm rocked my world. You could not help but smile. And for god's sake she did a Motels cover???!!!

And that voice...

I love Amanda Fucking Palmer.

---

Photos from last week's show are below...

Stream The New Dirty Projectors Album "Swing Lo Magellan"

2012-07-02T14:16:00.000-04:00

Because you can! Right now! On the New York Times website!

As a listener for whom the Dirty Projectors' previous work has generally taken quite a bit of time to absorb and uh, enjoy, I was very surprised that this Swing Lo Magellan grabbed me so immediately during my first listen this morning. Very good that we'll get a week to chew on it before the band plays two hometown shows, one at Music Hall of Williamsburg on July 9 (no more tix, but you can stream it) and an even bigger show at the Prospect Park Bandshell the following night (tix).

They've got even more dates through Amurrica and the rest of the world, which you can check out here, and a new trailer for their upcoming short film "Hi Janitor" after the jump. Because hey, why stop at just making a new album?

Photos/Review: Codeine @ The Bell House

2012-07-02T09:09:00.001-04:00

Codeine @ The Bell House – June 29, 2012
Photos: Jennifer Harmon & Chris / Review: Chris

On Friday night, slow-core progenitors Codeine played their first NYC-area show in nearly two decades to one of the most focused and dedicated crowds of recent memories at the Bell House in Brooklyn. That is to say, during the band’s hypnotizing hour long set you could hear a pin drop during their most quite parts, and you could feel the energy utterly immerse you as they hit their most powerful moments. Many audience members in the front row stood with their heads bowed down and eyes closed, but make no mistake… no one was sleeping. Deeply concentrating on every strum of John Engle’s guitar, every whisper of Stephen Immerwahr’s lyrics, and every crash hit of Chris Brokaw’s drum parts just may be the best way to experience a live Codeine show. The set was absolutely beautiful.

The band’s reunion is somewhat of a celebration of the reissuing of the band’s discography, which includes two LP’s, an EP, and a smattering of demos and Peel Sessions--all of which are included on the deluxe box set which is finally on sale--earning the distinction of Pitchfork’s “Best New Reissues” title. Having seen the box set myself, it’s a beautifully packaged and comprehensive set. The band performed songs from all of their releases, even though current drummer Chris Brokaw (a singer/songwriter in his own rite) only played drums on the band’s debut Frigid Stars (I myself didn’t know if Brokaw or other drummer Doug Scharin would be playing that night until I saw Brokaw behind the merchandise table).

Opener Stephen Brodsky, openly a huge Codeine fan himself, seemed to have his greatest dream come true when he was invited onstage to perform “Cave-in” with the band towards the end of the set. It was a cathartic moment for the guitarist, who thrashed his head around on stage to the song a he played, making it one of the most exciting moments of the night. After the band’s set, which included a two-song encore, Immerwahr and Engle stuck around onstage and chatted with excited fans (myself included). When I asked Engle why they decided to put cats on their most recent tour t-shirt, he just grinned at me and said, “…that’s my cat.”

Codeine will return to New York City on July 15 when they play our other favorite venue, Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are still on sale. In the meantime, check out the band’s reissues over at the Numero Group, and take a look at a set of photos Jen and I took on Friday below…

Check Out The New Dinosaur Jr. Song "Watch The Corners"

2012-06-29T10:49:00.000-04:00

We're continually excited about any news out of the Dinosaur Jr. camp. Now, a little over two weeks after the band revealed their trippy album art and tracklist for upcoming album I Bet On Sky (out on September 18 via Jagjaguwar), we have our first taste - er, listen - to the LP in the form of "Watch The Corners."

Check it out on Rolling Stone over here - it's a scorching track for what's looking to be a scorching NYC summer day.

Review: Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island (Day 2)

2012-06-28T10:49:00.000-04:00

Fiona Apple

Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island - June 24, 2012

Photos: Chris / Review: Damien & Chris

Damien's Thoughts:

It says a lot about my sense of optimism when I wake up on the morning of any music festival and assume that it's going to be a maaaaaassive shitshoooooow, but as it turns out I had absolutely nothing to worry about when I got to Randall's Island for Day 2 of Governors Ball 2012.

Transportation from my uptown lair to the island itself was a breeze (in the form of a hipster-filled X80 bus to Randall's), and upon retrieving my VIP wristband ably provided by VIP Of Life James MacFie, I found myself staring down into a field containing two massive stages and dozens of tents full of swag and tacos and tacos (and tacos). I lowered the elbows that I was expecting to have to throw on my way in and strutted off to the VIP area at the Hype Machine stage to meet up with Jamie and Chris to chill on beers and air-conditioning before checking out Freelance Whales. Yes, that last sentence sounds bougie, but damn if I don't love some VIP treatment.

Freelance Whales put on a good set for sure, but I quickly forgot about it as we were using the area essentially just to meet up before heading to the other side of the Ball to get our minds rocked by NYC-via-Saratoga Springs indie rock / electronica duo Phantogram on the Honda Stage. I'd seen Jamie rocking their album and EP on Spotify and been intrigued, but their live set took their shoegaze-meets-J. Dilla beats musical style to a completely different level. Perhaps benefitted by the Honda Stage's intense bass setup and touring drummer Tim Oakley, tracks from the Eyelid Movies LP like "Running From The Cops" and "Mouthful of Diamonds" took on a slinky and infectious life of their own. The beautiful Sarah Barthel let her vocals soar over the near-chiptune stylings of Nightlife''s "Don't Move," and by the time the band ended the set with "Futuristic Casket" the crowd was in full dance party mode. Definitely a band to catch when next they rock a venue or festival near you.

As evidenced by the number of beards sported by the crowd, Sunday's audience was definitely here to catch the '90s indie power players that were set to rock the stage: Built To Spill, Fiona Apple, and muh-fuckin' Beck. And really, how many different ways can I affirm the inevitability that YES, THEY ALL COMPLETELY KICKED ASS? I saw BTS rock through "Virginia Reel Around The Fountain," I saw Fiona kick her absolutely electrifying set off with "Fast As You Can" and end it with "Criminal," AND I saw Beck - who we honestly had no idea what he was going to do - rock through the bulk of Odelay and get thousands of people chanting the lyrics of "Loser" into the summer night sky.

All that and I ate nearly a half-dozen Hill Country BBQ brisket tacos. Props to the Governors Ball staff for near-flawlessly pulling off a Sunday in NYC that I won't soon forget.

---

Chris's thoughts:

After an extremely sunny day of EDM blasting in my ear drums, I was looking forward to the much-more-up-my-alley lineup that awaited me for day two of Governors Ball. The day started out sunny but got progressively cloudy as the hours went by, which I don’t think anyone was really complaining about. Every now and then you’d get a nice cool breeze that refreshed you and allowed you to mentally prepare for either a) another great band or b) another brisket taco.

Day two was much more reliant on indie artists, particularly indie artists formed in ‘90s, which meant instead of the park being filled with neon tank tops, it was now filled with plaid shirts and scraggly beards. I hate to make festival crowds sound so stereotypical, as there were a lot of un-stereotypical people there of course, but it was kind of amusing just how vastly different the crowd was on day two. As I watched Freelance Whales perform on the Hype Machine Stage early on in the day, it was clear that there wouldn’t be a whole lot of fist pumping and jumping around. Instead there would be a lot of swaying and head bobbing. In short: a much chiller day was had.

The two biggest surprises for me throughout Sunday were Phantogram, who performed an energetic set at the Honda stage, and Cults--a band I never paid much attention to amidst the hype that surrounded them for the past year, but who really won me over during their set. As frontwoman Madeline Follin sang the chorus to one of the best songs, “You Know What I Mean,” there was a noticeable cheer that swelled up as she belted out the lines “’cause I am afraid of the light yeah you know what I mean… ‘cause I can’t sleep alone at night and you know what I mean.” I walked away from their set having a hard time getting that song out of my head for the remainder of the day (and week).

Later on in the day, Built To Spill performed a hypnotic set, jamming out their songs to an enthusiastic crowd. Fiona Apple would later draw one of the festival’s largest crowds, which I can only assume the majority of were seeing her for the first time. She didn’t disappoint—though of all the bands that performed on the Hype Machine stage, hers seemed the quietest. Later on, Modest Mouse would perform on the same stage, but we only stuck around for about 25 minutes before heading back over to the Honda stage to get a good spot for Beck.

Ah, Beck. Having been a fan of his since a friend of mine gave me Mellow Gold on cassette for my 10th birthday (side note: he also gave me In Utero that day), to say I have a long-standing attachment to the artist is a bit of an understatement. The last time I saw Beck was during the Guero tour, when he played a sold out Hammerstein Ballroom and my brother and I hesitantly bought tickets from a very sketchy scalper (we did, however, make it in). But considering Beck has no album to support at the moment (he’s been busy producing albums for people like Stephen Malkmus and Thurston Moore), he really could have pulled out anything from his lengthy catalog for Sunday’s performance. What we got was a set that leaned heavily on Odelay material, but also included songs from Sea Change, Guero and Modern Guilt (of the three times I’ve seen Beck, he has yet to play a single song off of Mutations, arguably his best record).

Beck’s backing band actually happened to be the same band he recorded Sea Change with, which meant the suite of songs they played off that record in succession, “The Golden Age,” “Lost Cause,” and “Sunday Sun,” sounded particularly good. “Sunday Sun” was updated up a bit, with his drummer adding an electronic drum sound to the verses, and then heavily pounding his toms for the chorus. It got us ready for Beck to reach further back and play some of his heavier songs, including one of my all-time favorites, the punky thrasher “Minus.” The 11pm curfew meant there would be no encore, so when Beck said, “okay, we’re gonna end this with something big and stupid,” and kicked into “E-Pro,” everyone sang along, knowing this would be the grand finale of Governors Ball.

It was a fine way to end a near-perfect weekend, and I really look forward to seeing what Governors Ball has in store for us next year. Take a look at some photos I shot with my point-and-shoot below…

Freelance Whales

Explosions in the Sky

Kid who loved Explosions in the Sky

Beck (sorry for the blurriness)

Phantogram

Cults

Cults (*sigh*)

MCA Tribute

Built to Spill

Fiona Apple

CBGB Festival is almost here - WIN TWO PASSES FROM FUCKING NOSTALGIC!!!

2012-06-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

With a lineup that includes Guided By Voices, Superchunk, Red Kross, Agnostic Front, Fishbone, David Johansen, D Generation, and tons of other great artists new and old, you could probably guess that we're pretty excited for the inaugural CBGB Festival that takes over New York City next week from July 5-8. The ambitious multi-venue festival's goal is to "help new artists grow, gain visibility and be seen by the music industry." Considering a majority of the 300 bands on the lineup are relatively obscure, it seems that the organizers have done a good job staying true to that goal.

Badges for CBGB Festival are still available over at CBGB's website for very affordable prices. We'll be running an extensive preview to highlight the best of what's going down throughout the four-day festival. In the meantime, you have the chance to WIN TWO PASSES TO CBGB FESTIVAL RIGHT HERE. Details are below...

To win two passes to CBGB Festival: Send an email to chris@fuckingnostalgic.com with "CBGB" in the subject line and your full name in the body by Monday, July 2 at 9am. A winner will be selected at random with instructions on where/how to pick up your two passes. Your email won't be used for anything other than entering the contest. Please make sure you will be in New York City for the festival! GOOD LUCK!!!

Feature: Greetings From The Edge // Redux

2012-06-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

by James M. Graham

In 1996 I was hired by AOL to be their FIRST music critic, writing a column a week. I was paid $20 per article, which even by today's standards is pretty hefty. My column was called GREETINGS FROM THE EDGE and ran for about a year and a half. I scored comp CDs, tickets to shows and attended press events. I walked out on the Echo & The Bunnymen reunion tour, cried at a Paul Westerberg show and fell in love with a band called Guided By Voices.

When AOL was bought by Warner (or someone else who regrets it, stock-wise) I was "let go" - unceremoniously. Whatever. I got paid to write about the great and not so great music I saw between 1996 and 1997. Looking back on it now for Fucking Nostalgic, I'm amazed at the number of bands that are not together anymore, the people I saw that are not alive anymore, and the general demise of everything I loved. All in 15 years.

But there is always hope. Who the hell is "Thrall?" Well, they were fucking amazing as you will soon see via my archival contributions...

As Frank Zappa once said, "Music is the best."

Lori Carson (4/23/97 - NYC)
A sold-out show at The Mercury Lounge provided an intimate little appearance right before leaving town for the tour to support Everything I Touch Runs Wild. Lori was still working out the kinks in the set, in her band and in her hands. She sat for the whole show and basically mesmerized the audience with selections from her last two albums and from The Golden Palominos' Pure. Lori’s hard to pigeonhole, which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good for her – originality and creative autonomy is a rare thing; bad for you, ‘cause I can’t really describe her. Okay, here we go…how about Jennifer Charles’ (Elysian Fields) big sister? Not working for you…how about Suzanne Vega with talent? Oh well, I told you it was tough. What I like about Carson is her very simple approach to song writing and her extremely honest, emotion-filled voice. Late-night sultry torch. Or something like that. And her guitar playing ain’t bad either. It’s sort of like a weird club – if you know the Palominos, you’re a fan – if not, pick up Everything… or check her out when she graces your hometown with her presence.

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The Musical Box (4/29/97 – NYC)
One of the most surreal experiences I’ve ever had. Forget “weird club” – this goes straight to “cult.” Here’s the deal – there’s these Montreal-based guys who worship the Gabriel-era Genesis and they were sitting around one day and came up with the idea of recreating their entire career live. So this is basically “Beatlemania” except way more twisted. So by this point they’re actually up to the 1973-74 Selling England By The Pound Tour. For those of you that don’t know, Genesis (pre-vocal Phil Collins) used to be the ultimate prog-rock überband – each album a twisted concept unto itself and the live performances fraught with characters that freely sprung from Gabriel’s odd little mind. Legendary, in fact, and the stuff of legends. If you ever meet a dumb old man that actually saw them then, he’ll be the first to tell you.

Anyway, given that the original performance was what it was, imagine what it’s like to sit through an “exact recreation” of the show, note for note through the actual set-list, amazingly re-created costumes, and (one assumes) actual between song banter. The lead singer, sporting the reverse mohawk look, sounded remarkably like Gabriel and the rest of the band, although not going for the visual gig, played extremely complex music like they had written it from the get-go. And here’s the drug part. If you were a Genesis fan, and knew every single note of “Trespass,” Nursery Cryme,” “Foxtrot,” and of course, “Selling England By The Pound,” through some sort of early thirties white male suburban upbringing – by the third song you actually forgot that you were not seeing Genesis in 1973. I cannot say any more for fear of personal embarrassment, except that when they return next year for The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway tour…I’ll be there riding the scree…

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Dwarves (4/30/97 – NYC)
5 songs – beer flying from the audience, violent stage-diving by Blag, the drum-kit demolished, and then a grand stage-left exit. Rock ‘n’ roll, kids, rock ‘n’ roll. If you didn’t know what you were getting into, you had no business here. He Who Cannot Be Named (on guitar) was surprisingly not masked. Blag (lead singer) was surprisingly sort of blase about the whole affair. The drummer looked a lot like Danzig, and demonstrated the scariest “I hate the audience” maneuvers. The bass player got a lot of beer thrown on him. But only for twenty minutes…

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Mazzy Star (12/01/96 - NYC)

This was gonna be all about Mazzy Star, but I missed the gig. So now I'm just waiting for Swans to come to town. Oh, and I'm gonna go see Thrall on Friday. And if Velma ever plays again, I'll be there... I'd love to see John Doe solo, but I forgot to go and well, he played here last Saturday and Sunday (I have seen Exene solo if that means anything). I will not see Buffalo Tom since I already did and I was bored. Railroad Jerk is playing again, and hell, I might go. David Thomas (from Pere Ubu) and the Two Pale Boys canceled their US tour last week, so there goes the night of the 18th at the Wetlands... How about Varnaline? Well, I just saw Space Needle... Luna on New Years Eve seems like the place to be - but I might not even be alive by then... Oh yeah, the New York Times said Mazzy Star sucked...but I don't think they went either.

Review: Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island (Day 1)

2012-06-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Governors Ball 2012 @ Randall's Island - June 23, 2012

Photos: Chris / Review: Geanna B. & Chris

Geanna's thoughts:

Did you guys know that neon is back? Well, it is. It's back in a big effing way, as was evidenced by the slew (yes, SLEW) of mutants rockin' some neon at the Governor's Ball on Saturday. Now in its second year, the Ball offered two days of festivities on Randall's Island, having since moved from their Governor's Island location of yesteryear. There were blow-up monkeys, brisket tacos, Native American headdresses and lots and lots of shirtless bros. And the icing on this summerlicious cake? Chris bought a $15 souvenir water bottle, making this his most successful trip to Randall's Island to date!

We would be jerkfaces if we didn't give a shout-out to our benefactor, James MacFie, who so generously dished out some free VIP passes to our rag-tag team of FN editors. Did we mention the clean, AC-ed, VIP bathrooms? The very large cans of Miller High Life? The strippers?

Putting together two very different days of music, Saturday and Sunday were clearly geared towards different audiences... of very different ages. Saturday's line-up of Kid Cudi, Passion Pit, Duck Sauce and Chromeo brought out all the kiddies in various forms of as-naked-as-you-could-get attire, ready to dance and scream and rage. Despite the rave-ish aspects of this mixup, the day was still pretty hassle free, leaving plenty of time to drink the champagne of beers and devour many tacos, pizzas, and teriyaki balls, oh my! Another plus - there were only two stages with no overlapping sets, allowing everyone to ping-pong themselves back and forth without missing a beat (pun intended! yeah!) all day.

A few choice moments included Major Lazer literally telling everyone to "TAKE OFF YOUR SHIRTS!" and whip them around in the air! Honestly, I have never seen a crowd so eagerly remove their neon tanks in order to obey the Laze. Seeing this shit go down was mesmerizing and hilarious. Beats were dropped. Steps were dubbed. A naked girl danced on stage. It was a very Jerzy moment. Across the way, the Duck Sauce stage featured a large inflatable duck sporting a fancy jacket. They did keep the party going in between posing for photos and readjusting their hats, but all I could think of was that disturbingly addictive video for "Big Bad Wolf." It's Big Bad Terrifying.

The highlight of the day's festivities was by far and away was the DJ set from Special Disco Version - LCD's James Murphy and Pat Mahoney - who were so chill and happy and enjoying themselves that it just set the tone for an extremely satisfying good time. In a perfect summer moment, it was exactly the self-proclaimed "block-party" that Mr. Murphy wanted, without the angst and intensity of basically every other performance that day. Giving us sounds of the 70s and 80s (and a little bit o'Harvest Moon, hollaaaaa!), I probably could have listened to this all day and been perfectly content.

More brisket tacos, please.

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Chris's thoughts:

I didn't really know what to expect on my first journey to Randall's Island in twelve years. The last time I trekked out there via the X80 bus out of Harlem, I was seventeen, on my way to Warped Tour, and was most likely wearing something with a checkered pattern. On Saturday, I took the same bus but I was surrounded by scantily clad teenagers (both male and female), sporting neon tank tops and war paint. It was enough to make me feel old and withered and out of place, what with my wAcKy Sonic Youth t-shirt and jeans, but by the time I arrived at Randall's I was comforted by the sight of shirtless middle-aged men, reminding me that I have a ways to go before I'm the creepy old guy at a music festival.

Clearly, the festival organizers went out of their way to ensure two very different days of music, which resulted in two very different crowds throughout the weekend. Saturday was, as fellow photographer Dave Andrako described to me early in the day, "looking pretty brotastic." Brotastic indeed. Whatever floats your boat. Fans of Big Gigantic, Duck Sauce, Major Lazer and Penguin Prison certainly got their dance on. And in its second year, Governors Ball proved to be a successful and well-run New York City music festival, which is not easy to come by.

Having just two stages with only a five minute walk between them, and no overlapping sets was a stroke of genius. Music festivals are generally overwhelming in both the amount of bands you want to see and the amount of distance between stages, but the stress of picking one act over the other, or dragging yourself to the other end of a park was completely devoid from Governors Ball. Not to mention, those brisket taco's were FUCKING. AMAZING.

The highlight for me, as it was for Geanna and James, was watching James Murphy and Pat Mahoney thrown down one of their legendary DJ sets. It was amusing witnessing the duo so laid back behind their turntables, carefully selecting their vinyl, especially since every other EDM act on the bill was going out of their way to pump up the crowd. Seamlessly blending obscure disco tracks with classics like "Slippery People" by Talking Heads and some odd remix of "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young, Special Disco Version proved to be the most exciting set of the day.

Passion Pit closed out the Hype Machine stage, a headlining set even though Kid Cudi followed them on the Honda stage (confusing), but we ended up leaving halfway through their set so as to not have to wait a ridiculous amount of time in line for the X80 bus. Passion Pit did go over quite well however, what with it being their first show in the city in well over a year.

Sunday was a completely different story, and we'll get to that in our next post. In the meantime check out some very far-away photos I took with my point-and-shoot throughout the day, and stay tuned for Sunday's assessment...

Passion Pit

Duck Sauce

Chromeo

Big Gigantic

Special Disco Version (James Murphy & Pat Mahoney)

Major Lazer

Duck Sauce

Hillbilly golf

Penguin Prison

Neon socks