Brooklyn’s Dinosaur Feathers played a slew of shows this past week, as did many a band in NYC, and I happened to catch two of them, one at Quiet Color’s Anti-CMJ party in Williamsburg and the other at a CMJ show at Fat Baby in the LES. Contradictory? Well, maybe, but that’s not the point. Dinosaur Feathers brought their unique and infectious tropical infused indie pop to both venues, sending a crowd of sweaty hipsters into a swirling bump and grind lasting into the wee hours at the Anti-CMJ show and getting the jaded concert goers at the CMJ show to nod their heads and move their feet. Well done, I’d say.
Though sound difficulties were a recurring theme for Dinosaur Feathers throughout the weekend (packed multi-level apartment in Brooklyn, incompetent sound man at Fat Baby-he responded to a request to turn up the under-amplified drum machine to a near deafening volume), the talented group delivered solid performances at both shows. Dinosaur Feathers seemed to burst with energy, the trio singing their fun and often thought-provoking songs at the top of their lungs. Their signature drum machine, which blasts a diverse array of island percussion and is ported to shows and proudly displayed onstage in a suitcase, got people moving and having fun. At the Quiet Color party, the band introduced a new drummer to compliment the tried and true drum machine, a bold step that was one worth taking. Highlights of their show included “Family Waves,” a rollicking tropical tune that isn’t easily forgotten, and “Teenage Whore,” their most powerful song, one that uses continuously building crescendos sung by the whole band to memorable effect.
As all things must come to an end, the Quiet Color party did so rather abruptly and rudely when the police showed up following Free Moral Agents’ (keyboardist from Mars Volta’s band) performance that followed Dinosaur Feathers. Oh well, everyone seemed to be having a good time up until then. Thankfully Dinosaur Feathers will be performing again soon at Bruar Falls in Williamsburg on November 4th.
Here is the video