Tuddd's Muddd

Good shows in NYC February 21st thru February 25th (list #14)

    Shitload of good shows coming up -- in fact, so many that I'm aiming to break a personal record and go to shows five straight nights, starting tomorrow night.  For awhile I was considering getting out tonight to catch former Chris Brokaw, formerly of Come (most underrated band ever?  Perhaps) at Knitting Factory tonight but I'll be pushing it expecting my back can make it through the subsequent five nights.  These shows should be great; to quote Eddie Murphy, "let's talk about them."

Thursday, February 21st
Show: The Big Sleep (record release show!) with Priestbird at Mercury Lounge
What to expect: For what seemed like the longest time, The Big Sleep was a band about whom I'd heard great things but never got the chance to see live.  They were slated to play the Northsix farewell show in January '07 along with Radio 4 and Free Blood -- a show that I had tickets for -- before Con Ed went and fucked that all up.  Way to go, dickbags!  Finally in December I got to see them at Knitting Factory on a bill with the mighty Cheeseburger (this show) and they turned out to be as awesome as I'd heard -- kinda post rocky, kinda atmospheric, but plenty of classic riffs.  They have a new album out which I got from eMusic but I haven't heard it yet.  I saw Priestbird on the fantastic Pelican/Earth/Priestbird triple bill last July and enjoyed the fuck out of their set as well -- kinda stonery with unusual instrumentation for such a heavy band, incorporating cello and violin. 

other Thursday shows:

Show: Magnetic Fields at Town Hall
What to expect: Full disclosure: Distortion is the first Magnetic Fields album I've heard (the whole 69 Love Songs deal didn't sound like my cup of tea), but I like what I'm hearing: bubblegummy pop filtered through Jesus and Mary Chain-esque ambience?  Hmm, that description kinda reminds me of another great band that just put out a new record...

Show: Jason Isbell at Bowery Ballroom
What to expect: Former Drive By Trucker comes into town again.  DBT were okay but I have to be honest: too much Southern Rock gives me the vapors.

Friday, February 22nd

Show: Blood on the Wall at Yuppie Northsix
What to expect: I first saw BotW in '06 at Warsaw opening for Dinosaur Jr. -- great, great show.  Their newest, Liferz, has been on repeat since I got it last month and currently sits at #3 on my favorite records so far this year list (I'll try to put that up over the next couple of days).  Bouncy, fun, funny garage pop.

other Friday shows:

Show: Goes Cube at BAM
What to expect: I've been washing Goes Cube's balls for quite some time now.  Yeah, these guys rock, and their new EP is awesome.  Check 'em out.

Show: Atakke at Don Pedro's
What to expect: I saw Atakke opening up for Baroness at Don Pedro's, and enjoyed their brand of balls-to-yer-forehead thrash.  During the show I saw one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen at a show (#2).  They return to the scene of the crime this Friday, which apparently is also their record release show.

Show: Black Mountain at Bowery Ballroom
What to expect: from the quantity of music journalist semen that has been spewed over these guys, I figgered they'd be okay, but I think both of their albums are uber-bland, kind of in the vein of "hard rock for people that don't like hard rock."  So, if you're into Belle and Sebastian or Morrissey or something, maybe you'll come out of this show thinking "wow, those guys rock!"  Otherwise, avoid. 

Show: Death Vessel at Pete's Candy Store
What to expect: I saw Joel Thibodeau twice in '06, once opening for Os Mutantes and once on a bill with Mission of Burma.  Intensely-delivered acoustic tunes.  Me likey.

Also, Magnetic Fields are playing at Town Hall again.

Saturday, February 23rd

Show: Atlas Sound at Mercury Lounge
What to expect.  I thought Deerhunter's Cryptogram (#3 of '07) was amazing, but I'm not feelin' Atlas Sound's new album-- too samey, gauzy and drugged out for me to enjoy without popping pills.  But whatever, I've heard that Atlas Sound does a great version of "I'll Be Your Mirror." 

other shows:

Magnetic Fields at Town Hall again.

Sunday, February 24th

Show: Times New Viking opening for Super Furry Animals at Bowery.
What to Expect: Yup, I've drank the Kool-Aid on these guys: Rip it Off is my favorite album of '08 so far, reminding me more and more of another Ohio band that I fucking loved.  Garagey, brash and almost oppressively lo-fi, but with so much pop goodness beneath the hiss to make you realize that legitimate recording studios are for pussies.

other shows:

People have been talking a lot about Headlights and the Evangelicals, and they're playing together at Mercury Lounge. 

Also, Atlas Sound plays Yuppie Northsix and Magnetic Fields is at Town Hall (again).

Monday, February 25th

Show: Russian Circles opening up for Dalek at Mercury Lounge
What to expect: Russian Circles' Enter was awesome enough to wind up at #4 on some asshole's Best of  '06 List, basically (for me at least) defining what great Post-Metal should sound like.  Sadly, the only time I got to see them live was opening up for Minus the Bear and some other crappy bands at Irving Plaza, and because there was an accident on the BQE I missed half of their criminally brief (25 minutes?!) set.  Well, time to redeem myself.  These guys don't have a new album out until May but I'd imagine they're playing some new stuff since before writing the new album they only had like six songs.

other shows:

Times New Viking and Super Furry Animals at Bowery (again). 

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okay.  That took awhile and was more than a bit of a beating, thanks to my new computer crashing FOUR times while I was trying to write it.  So, sure, it's not the best thing I've ever written but it's also certainly not the most useless thing I've ever written.  Meh.  Bring on the shows.

Bobby Bare, Jr. and Meowskers at Bowery Ballroom, June 22, 2007

    Luuuuuunch.  Anyway.  As it turned out, thanks to rain, and lots of it, I really don't have much to report from the Williamsburg Street Music Festival thingy on Thursday night.  Rain throughout the day postponed openers Best Fwends set, which I really didn't have any interest in catching anyway.  Instead, my friend and I had beers at The Abbey on Driggs.  I wound up drinking 5 1/2 beers in less than 45 minutes, so I had a decent buzz going by the time we finally exited.  We missed the first song of Cheeseburger's set, but they played "Money for the Heart," "Derby Day" and part of "Hot Street" before the thunderstorm came sending everyone scurrying.  Of course, I was so stoned that I had no idea where I'd parked, but nonetheless we eventually made it back to my friend's apartment to smoke yet more weed and eat Peruvian chicken.  The rain cleared up after less than an hour or so, so who knows, maybe Oxford Collapse got a set in after all, I have no idea -- but at that point getting me off the couch with my mouth stuffed with beans n' rice, yuca and that awesome green sauce wasn't happening. 

    On to Friday's show.  Bobby Bare Jr. is definitely amongst my top five favorite live performers at this point.  I was trying to come up with a list of other artists whose shows I prefer that still perform regularly, and all I could come up with was Comets on Fire, Mogwai, Arcade Fire, Social Distortion, and the now semi-retired (from playing live, at least) Robert Pollard.  This being the third time I've seen Bare Jr.'s live show, I've still never seen him headline a set.  Last year he opened for Drive By Truckers and pretty much blew them off the stage, and later I caught him opening for Centromatic.  No Centromatic fan am I: he made those guys look like a fucking Barney sing-along or some shit. 

    Fortunately, Thursday night's Bobby Bare Jr. show was indoors.  (Again, I'm aware that The Slip were  headlining this show but I'm not into that type of middle-of-the-road blandness).  Openers Meowskers kind of reminded me of bands like Bon Savants and Cheyenne, if only because of three reasons: 1.) chicks obviously dig 'em; 2.) their schtick is basically spare melodies delivered over inoffensive chording and 3.) I (embarassingly) kinda like 'em, too.  Seriously, there were a ton of eminently fuckable college chicks who showed up for these guys' set, most of whom were drinking heavily.  Great stuff because not only is it worthwhile (and boner-inducing) to watch hot drunk chicks hop around, but you had to know that as soon as Meowskers left the stage, these chicks would be gone and there would be plenty of room up front.

    After the last shrill teenybopper cheer died down, Bare and his band began setting up immediately, and I noticed that the personnel -- and notably the instrumentation of his backing band, the Young Criminals' Starvation League -- had changed entirely.  No more handlebar-sportin' well-dressed guitar dude (Richie?  Is that his name?), but instead a dude on guitar/bass/trumpet/keys and a woman splitting time between bari sax and keys.  Of course, I cheated and looked at their taped-to-the-stage setlists, pleased that they were planning on playing a generous portion of great songs. 

    Opening with a somewhat more sedate version of "Valentine" -- complete with horn intro -- it became obvious that this would be a more pensive Bobby Bare Jr. show than I was used to.  Throughout the set his jams seemed trippier than his usual countrified Pixies/ramshackle powerhouse RAWK.  As his backing band seems to constantly be shifting members, it's cool to note the differences in performance styles.  Well, for me at least.  Cool shit.  During the second song, "Borrow Your Cape," the band roared straight through in full bore hard rockin' mode.  "Flat-Chested Girl from Maynardville" followed, and again the closing freeform coda was cacophonous and super dissonant.  More faves were to come, amongst them "Uh Woh Oh," "Mayonnaise Brain," "I'll Be Around," "Heart Bionic."  According to their setlist, they had planned on playing "Stop Cryin'" before ultimately ending with "Terrible Sunrise," but... fuckin' time constraints.  They closed their set with the requisite cymbal-crashin' big rock ending, after which I pretty much booked out the Bowery door to my car.  Seriously, sticking around for The Slip's first couple songs would have been pointless because, face it, I was going to leave anyway, and always better to leave on a good note. 

    So, yeah, here's hoping Bobby Bare Jr. and the Young Criminals Starvation League comes back real soon (y'hear?) and that they can fire up a full 90 minute-or-so set of the good stuff.   I'll be chewing my toenails in eager anticipation.