The pairing of Sting and Simon is less questionable and I understand the intention behind the experiment of the music and combined talent. Sting, while more fit and ten years Garfunkel’s junior, is Simon’s other half … for about a third of the show.
Patterson was fantastic – telling inside jokes (“I recorded this in Muscle Shoals – Percy Sledge was supposed to sing it but he got too drunk”), incorporating disc jockey raps, off color humor, and dancing in the crowd. Patterson plays hard hitting, dance oriented R&B and strapped on a guitar at the end of the set to unleash a barrage of fiery blues licks. Patterson didn’t bring the house down, he set it on fire
Black is an old pro who knows how to work a crowd, but the lasting impression is that he has focused so much on being an entertainer that it has cost him significant unrealized potential as an artist.
But really, despite Simon’s constant attempts, he is simply a little better when Art joins in. This would be a much better show if they had maintained the same format only substituted Art for Sting. Hell, it would’ve been a better set if they substituted Jello Biafra for Sting.
Six on stage, with two violins, keyboard, guitars, drums and bass, they had the folk harmonies of Fleet Foxes, while their songs had the cathartic nature of those of Mumford and Sons (or could it be the Lumineers? I always mix them up), with a bit of Arcade Fire or Kings of Leon in the mix
Totally in charge all night long, she had a very calm charisma and the confidence of an old soul. Angel did not give any long discourse but these short sentences between her songs were enough to build a strong connection with her audience which was already captivated by her performance
the crowd wasn’t just full of fans, it was friends. They knew the callbacks of the songs, made jokes, danced around with reckless abandon. It was a massive dance party, and it was so casual and so fun.
It felt like the boys had been gone for longer than they actually had, and I felt a strange wave of nostalgia as they picked up their instruments and began to play
To say Strait gets Petty is to underestimate how Strait transforms it to the sort of country rock you just plain don’t hear anymore. For one thing, all you need to get Strait rocking is the word “ridin'” and he is off: “Tonight we ride, right or wrong”
My whole body still hurts from what happened last night, I am much older than all these young kids, and standing in line for 3 hours then fighting the crazy moshing-jumping-pushing crowd inside the Echoplex was a bit too much, but it was well worth it
Don Giovanni Showcase – Music Hall Of Williamsburg – February 7th, 2014 – A veritable who’s who of power punk 2014, lead by the unquestionable brilliance of Shellshag, with supergroup Upset in the middle and Worriers at the top of the evening. If they have begun at 730pm instead of 830pm I could have caught Laura Stevenson as well.
There is something very cute about these two, they look alike a bit and their complicity is contagious. I imagine them spending a lot of time together to compose their songs, and this is probably what happens. I literally heard people expressing their sadness that this residency was over
I still walk by the Silversun liquor store they were named after every day, and I remember seeing them at local clubs such as the Silverlake Lounge or Spaceland (now the Satellite) a decade ago, but now they are wow big
Avi Buffalo was one of the surprise guests, and Avi Zahner-Isenberg came alone with his acoustic guitar giving the most intimate set of the night, at least it was what I thought at the time. I have seen Avi Buffalo before and they are a dynamic very young band with Shins-like harmonies and curious pop songs
When they said they were about to slow down, they played their fastest song of the night (and may be my favorite) ‘There goes my baby’… could they have had a Green Day side too? I am hardly joking
Susan writes for her voice and songs like “Just Don’t Care” and “Car” are built to build to powerful chorus where she can really let loose and despite a cold she never waivers right through to the closing “Run Jack Run”.
They built a crashing monster sound with super loud and pounding drumming and brought enough distortion to burry the tips of their melodies. I don’t know how old they were, but they played as if they were some reincarnations from the 90s, bringing anger
Once again there was a very long line in front of Amoeba on Wednesday night, and seeing the scene around 4:30 pm, a large crowd had probably started to form more than two hours ahead of the show,… and all this for just four songs? Sky Ferreira played the shortest performance I have ever seen at Amoeba
All of this revolving around Jessica Molaskey both Matriarch and stylish sex symbol center stage. She isn’t using all of her gifts here, while adept about the jazz folk flung Joni’s songs, she is perfection purring her way through the Great American Songbook
There is a timeless element to DeMent, given her universal themes and the bedrock simplicity of her musical accompaniment. Beyond those aspects, it is her bravery – her emotional honesty and intelligence and passion – that makes DeMent a major artist. She is genuine and moving and a truly gifted songwriter.
Black metal always seems a bit scary to me, especially the look of the musicians is really extreme sometimes, and when I saw a picture of the band Enslaved, which had a meet and greet at local store Vacation Vinyl on Saturday afternoon, I thought these guys were built like mythology warriors. They are from Norway, like many black metal bands
Ben Weasley’s solo on “I Hate Everything” is succinct to the point of abruptness, drummer Lurch Nobody’s intro to “Monster Zero” is exemplary, bassist Chris Fields was all speedy power chords. And Joe has been doing it so long it is a zen like -I don’t mean calm, I mean natural and intuitive, everything done to the precise degree necessary for the required effect.
Perhaps married life has softened the band, the growing old, the changing of the guard, and the world’s hostilities, the relatively low sales volume of the pretty good Mechanical Bull, the hit and miss rate on their own songs; while they still seem way too distanced, they don’t have the stench of arrogance any more.
I think Homme simply got scared! A lot of musicians have been attacked on stage and Lennon was shot by a fan after all. Imagine being immersed in the music and suddenly seeing this guy jumping at you and wanted to do god-knows-what?
Headlining Laura Stevenson, who I missed, the line up included power poppers the Warriors, the modern world jam of Nude Beach, super-groupish Upset and a band that personifies so many things so significant to Don Giovanni…
Former Pussy Riot-er Nadezhda Tolokonnikova had this to say at Barclay Center , “We have to remember that freedom is not a given.” And after five hours at this godawful show I know exactly what she means.
Also, that man can shred on the guitar; he’s such a well-rounded musician, which could be said for all of them, making these boys at the forefront of the CT scene, to me. The pushing and dancing around during their set was incredibly fun
Kera is not your average frontgirl, she is so dynamic, so full of life, looking like a little happy volcano always ready to explode at any moment with her songs, that the show was pure joy and fun. The band may have found the right description to fit their cute songs bursting at your face in repeat, ‘bipolar folk’
It was so small and intimate, and the crowd’s energy really made it feel like a classic punk show, which seems to be the case in the CT house show/small venue scene. Tanner ended up saying, “I haven’t smiled this much during a set in forever,”
“We are coming for everyone. I promise. The only breaks we take are to finish writing this new album. Please hang with us.” I can’t wait to see these guys live again. And if they’re not coming to your area, they promise they’ll be around. Just be thankful they’re touring at all.
the point being that these shows are always too big to be real, and there was a question on many lips… were the Red Hot Chili Peppers really playing or were they faking it?
His gritty and dynamic voice filled the room, and my eyes were locked on him. His passion was overwhelming, and he had such a strong presence.
They describe themselves as, “A confusing jumble of swaggering cockiness, crippling self-doubt and downright ambivalence delivered over big riffs and little sparkly parts and some medium stuff in between. Baritone vox, three people, word-centric, party time.”
Permanent Records fortunately still had a few copies – and this is another proof that people are still buying records when they are this good and when they give you the feeling of riding an old classic motorcycle along the 60s highways.
Ely’s strength is that he writes good songs and covers even better ones. On this evening, he oddly alternated between a high energy rocker and a slow tempo number throughout the entire evening. As passionate as he is as a performer, I don’t think he would be physically capable of phoning in a gig, he never transcends his material.
The energy and passion Brendon put into it mirrored that of when he was nearly ten years younger, when Panic! was just starting out. His ‘swagger’ and persona were overwhelming, and my eyes were glued to him.
The set is one of the most perfect things you will ever see. It starts strong and ends stronger. The word is sublime. All the playing, the entire band, is money. But Chad Gamble is remarkable; the tempo is always a touch slow, it always seems to be dragging itself but he holds it down but with power and not with speed, it is like he is playing martial beats on country songs but he isn’t doing that at all.
On record, Li’l Mo is so soulful you wish she’d cover Curtis Mayfield, everything she sings touches you deep and keeps you coming back, on stage she leads her band with a sure hand through set pieces of sound (the following set she would have a 12 girl chorus joining her!) and the audience never felt short footed.
His songs had a very familiar melancholy, but unexpected detours in the melodies, with those kinds of inflections in the voice that suddenly make the whole song for you. Just listen to ‘Cold Blood’, one of my favorites off his debut full-length album ‘Get your Burdens Lifted’,
The feeling was a quietly vibrating, exuberant joy, one characterized not by hysteria, volume, or grandiosity, but by gentle, light, yet still extreme, beauty. And I can’t stress enough how much feeling was present in that room
Was it yesterday that I thought that classic rock was totally dead according to Google play users or whatever it was? Apparently the band Ivory Deville didn’t get the message and its members are bringing back some real good old time of rock’ n’ roll with great dynamism and a modern twist
With his band, he produced a spacey, trippy, surprising and very funky sound, sprinkled with R&B and danceable groves, stretching into extended jams, wandering around jazzy minimalism but… I am not sure I even knew what I was exactly hearing, his music was a head trip
This is exactly what I was hoping for but then the set derails for 20 minutes with the band taking over for a song, Morris singing from behind the stage (costume change) and then an endless and stupid piece of business where all”the sexy” girls in the audience get on the stage
It’s very hard on weeknights for everyone but these Criminal Hygiene Mondays residencies are full of super badass bands, and last Monday, presented by Dirty Laundry, was no exception
the band turns the corner with a derailed “Tryin'” that they stop mid jam, fix the amp, and set off. They follow it with an excellent “Memory Screen” and a roof raising “Howlin'” with Mike diving off the stage and joining the audience.
Exene talked fast and her outspoken tone got her lots of clapping and cheering during the talk. It was intense and passionate, and I tried to report about the best parts as much as I could!
He also was extremely passionate and it made everyone snap to attention as soon as he started playing guitar. I couldn’t believe how great his musical ability was- he’d clearly been playing for a long time to be that polished and perfect.
“Devil In My Bloodstream” was the part of the set that I didn’t care about crying anymore. I lost it. The song is so honest and emotional, talking about depression and what it does and how it affects people- even though it was an acoustic show, there was still yelling of the lyrics and no one held back
Wandering around the stage, touching his guitars, he seems to be thinking about his musical history, really from around 1966 – 1972 and playing it at the same time.Last night was the first of a four night stand and rumor has it he will be playing different sets each night. I hope not.
