Kamikos Long Letter & Repellant @ The Trash Bar 05/30/05

Trash bar is a nice little spot on grand street in Williamsburg that has gone through many renovations and ownership changes in the past few years, but they are soming out on top now with their free tots every hour and thier rock shows that are never more than $10 and when you pay in you get free open bar from 9-10, not a bad deal, if youre good you can drink your door price in half that time.

Kamikos Long Letter has two of my friends in it and of course that makes me over critical of the music they play. I have seen these guys a few times now and it seems like every time i see them the three guitarists get tighter and tighter, they go well together but the drums need some work. KLL plays emo music mostly in the style of jawbreaker, its not as emotive as jawbreaker, but its in the same vain. Sometimes light and floaty, sometimes angry and raging, all of this works. I think that the singer writes good songs, and he tries very hard to sing them with a hoarse voice, that he doesnt really have when you talk to him, but it makes it all the better to hear that there is a certain sound that is trying to be produced on stage and for the most part it does. now i am not trying to be a meany-head to the drummer, but he just cant cut it, the boy needs to get his chops in order and come back later. I will give him credit he tries to play very intricate beats, beats that i probably wouldnt try playing, but thats because i cant and i know that, but no one told him. he slows down and speeds up at random, and when you play a 16th note you want to make sure it fits right in the middle of those two 8ths around it, its not a 17th or 15th note for a reason. That being said KLL has potential that i would like to see realized in the not to distant future, they could be successful they just need some more practice. They need to grab ahold of the music they want to play and then make it thier bitch. Sadly no pics because my cam was dead.

Repellent play hardcore, good hardcore, these guys are prime examples of what KLL needs, they need to become one unit with 8 arms. The drummer of this band plays like he has most of those arms, he is tight as hell, and the guitar players play fast HC so they need to be tight or theyll be falling all over the place. Quick catchy tunes make them anything but thier namesake. its loud and you can dance to it and thats all i ask. miraculously my camera rose from the dead for one pic:

The Slackers @ The Bowery Ballroom 05/29/05

The Slackers have no trouble when it comes to bringing it, they never have. They go out on tour and see the rest of the states and then they come back and have a bash because they know the hometown crowd is going to appreciate it more than any other city could. Boy was it a party, The Slackers played for maybe about 2 hours (2 sets) including a 5 song encore. There is something about thier sound that keeps me coming back over and over again, i have shyed away from most ska bands in my recent past because they just dont deliver anymore, or they havent evovled in a while, the slackers keep putting out albums but they know what songs the fans love and they will never stop playing them, on a tour to support a new album they probably play like 2-3 tracks off it and then go back to what makes them them, songs like sarah, married girl, have the time, do you know, feed my girl, wasted days, etc. The only reason i cant say that this was thier best show is because i saw them two years ago and they played thier finest album, The Question" from start to finish and i was sore for days.

The Goxxip @ The Knitting Factory (LA) 05/28/05

Thats right bitches The Pirate Hat has already obtained bi-coastal status, our reporter in the field live via satellite:

so i just got back from seein my fave soul rock danceband, the gossip!!! ohh my goodness ms. beth ditto isone hot mama. my ex-gf wished she could rock thecurves like my lady love beth. its all about theconfidence, is what im thinking. they rocked soo hard,unfortunately it was to deaf la hipster ears. no one was dancing or moving or shaking but me!!! sooo lame. i tried to reprensent nyc style.it was a blast though, i got in for free cause it was at the knitt la, so i worked my magic and got me and lovetaker (aka an) in for free. it was a sold out show and people still werent gettin into it. but you knowthe gossip they dont give a fat one, they shook itlike there was no tomorrow. their new shit is soooawesome. i feel like im at a 70's discoteque when ihear it. im kinda in love with their new drummer,hannah blilie, from the chromatics and shoplifting.what a girl!

-our thanks goes out to our satellite reporter Dpham for her courageous field work. and her pics:



ill put up more once i can resize them!

maybe the weather will be better in june (show list)

I thought it was gonna be hard to beat may, but i think june has the talent and the go get em attitude to pull it off. upper management written all over it:

5/29 - Diamond Nights @ Bar13
5/29 - Slackers @ Bowery Ballroom
5/29 - Oxford Collapse @ the cake shop
5/31 - Say hi to your mom w/the 22-20s @ Mercury Lounge (bill should be the other way around)
6/1 - Dishwalla @ The Knit (Freecountingbluecarsness)
6/1 - Kraftwerk @ Hammerstien (i dunno, pet your friends was great)
6/2 - Josh Ritter @ Southpaw (really great songwriter)
6/3 - Electralane @ Bowery Ballroom(heard lot of positive things about this band)
6/3 - Ex-Models, Deerhunter, Breaker! Breaker! @Mighty Robot
6/4 - Lawrence Arms @ Tribeca (do i go for the nostalgia?)
6/4 - Wolf Parade @ Pianos (do i go for the montreal awesomness?)
6/4 - Free Blood @ the hook(the dance party?)
6/4 - Meneguar, Bent Outta Shape & United States @ The glasshouse gallery(or the punk rock goodtimes?)
6/5 - Travis Morrison (ex-Dplan) @ North6
6/6 - Futureheads @ Webster Hall
6/7 - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks @ Irving Plaza (sold out)
6/7 - Kaki King @ The Knit
6/7 - Lucero @ Bowery
6/8 - Spoon @ Webster
6/8 - An Albatross, Fresh Kills @ Trash Bar
6/9 - Old97's @ Irving
6/9 - Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah! @ delancy (more bands with exclamation marks now!)
6/9 - Blanch w/ the ditty bops @ Mercury
6/9 - The Coral @ Bowery
6/9 - Spoon @ Webster
6/10 - Cloud Cult @ Sine
6/10 - LCD Soundsystem @ Webster Hall
6/10 - ARE Weapons @ The knit
6/10 - MAximo Park @ Tonic
6/10 - The GoBetweens @ Mercury
6/10 - Lt. Dan Band (Gary Sinise) @ Bowery (and the winner is)
6/11 - MAximo Park @ Tonic
6/11 - The GoBetweens @ Southpaw
6/11 - TMBG @ south street seaport (free)
6/11 - The Daughters, Read Yellow @ North6
6/11 - The Dears, The Shout Out Louds @ Bowery
6/11 - The Ravonettes, Autolux @ Webster
6/12 - Local H w/ The Giraffes @ the boat cruise
6/12 - Martha Dumptruck Massacre @ Pianos (no idea who this is, but best name)
6/12 - Architecture in Helsinki @ The Knit
6/12 - Youth Group @ Bar 13
6/13 - Architecture in Helsinki @ North 6
6/13 - Sloan @ Bowery
6/14 - Kimya Dawson @ North 6
6/14 - Pixies, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol @ Jones Beach
6/14 - Sloan @ Bowery
6/14 - Bloc Party @ webster (why does it have to be sold out)
6/15 - Youth Group @ Mercury
6/15 - Local H w/The Giraffes @ Southpaw (so you dont get seasick)
6/15 - Bloc Party @ Webster
6/16 - Iron & Wine @ Webster
6/16 - Guns Fire Mayhem @ the cake shop
6/17 - Pilot to Gunner @ Sine
6/17 - The Rogue Wave, Helio Sequence, Sam Champion @ Bowery
6/17 - Iron & Wine @ Webster
6/17 - Aqui, Chid Abuse @ the cake shop
6/18 - Free Blood, Cheesburger, Measles Mumps Rubella @ cake shop
6/18 - Dirty on Purpose @ the knit
6/18 - Thurston Moore @ tonic
6/18 - Lounge Against the Machine @ Bowery
6/20 - Modest Mouse @ central parkk summerstage
6/21 - Gomez @ webster
6/22 - Oranges Band @ North 6
6/23 - Comets on Fire @ Bowery
6/23 - Junior Senior @ Merc Lounge
6/23 - Rainer Maria @ North 6
6/23 - Sleater-Kinney, Dead Meadow @ Roseland
6/24 - Alakline trio @ irving
6/24 - The Get Up Kids @ Webster Hall
6/24 - Comets on Fire @ TBA (so says toddp)
6/24 - Plan-it-x records fest check the website + kimya, the good good, matt and kim@ the stay gold gallery
6/25 - Apollo Sunshie @ Southpaw
6/25 - New Pornographers w/star @ Prospect park stage
6/25 - BunnyBrains @ Gladdhouse
6/26 - Behold the Artopus @ the knit(downsatirs)
6/26 - Ted leo + rxs@ irving
6/26 - Soundtrack of our lives @ the knit
6/26 - tegan and sarah @ central park stage (free)
6/29 - David Byrne @ central park stage (pay)
6/29 - Catch 22 @ the knit
6/29 - Lez Zepplin @ mercury
6/30 - The eels @ town hall (with strings!)
6/30 - Apostle of hustle @ mercury

dig in kids, dig in

The Dudley Corporation, Home Video & Pinback @ The Stone Pony 05/27/05

I took a trip out to the seaside on friday to as(s)bury park, nj. Man oh man that place was a shithole, but it kind of grew on me, the sadness of urban decay. There are buildings there that got half built and then just got abandoned right in the middle of building. the bigger bitch is that you have to pay to go on the beach, i guess when its your only asset you gotta make the most of it. i got a pic of the asbury park smiley faced guy thats what i wanted to see most, besides pinback of course. Pinback and HV are on a mini-tour together headin out to calimazoo wherver that is. The Stone Pony is a great venue, they have a big bag yard and they have local bands play during the main acts set ups. There were some good bands out there, i missed the name of the first guys but it was a really rockin drums and guitar duo, then there was this other band whos guitarist was insane, but didnt look like he fit in that band at all, he was all thurston moore, and the rest of the band was all victory records.

-The Dudley Corporation was the first band to go on inside and they had a good sound that was made up of these long noodling churning rock songs that seemed to roll on forever, and then when they took a break it was like the just went back to where they left off on the journey(not steve perry). A solid band, they went along with the pinback vibe.


-Home Video played a really solid set and i went along with them and video taped it so they knew what they looked like on stage. It went really well, the crowd that came for pinback had no problems getting down to thier sounds. It was actually one of the best crowd responses ive seen them get yet, thats what they get for venturing out of the city and meeting people who arent afraid of what every one else around them thinks. They sold out of thier cds for the next 4 days within 5 mins of thier set ending. And about 15 kids asked if they had anymore while they were breaking down thier equiptment, hope the other two cities have been as good to them.


(only pic i got)

-Pinback was great, i think thier new record, summer in abadon, is really solid and they kind of have thier own rock sound going, really heavy guitars, with really passionate vocals, it something that they do thats thier own, i mean im sure other people are doing it but not like this. I shouldve caught them while they were in the city. and you shoudlve too.

Lightning Bolt @ the hook 05/26/05

The show at the hook was a rager, that was my first time @ that place, it took forever for me to find it and i was on a bike, it was crazy, and the highwayoverpass doesnt help. But hey they sell 40's @ the bar so its not bad, and thier outside corral was kinda awesome. Lightning Bolt's setlist wasnt as rad as Tuesday but the vibe they put off more than made up for it, i could ramble about how hard they rocked, but instead ill just put up some sweet pics, oh and also Andrew WK was there and he DID NOT party hard, maybe the pressure was to much for him and he cant do it anymore, another fallen angel.

Siren Update (as much as can be given)

Siren is usually awesome, its hot, its crowded, its smelly, and it sounds good. But thanks to Pitchfork's Intonation festival. Lots of great acts have already been booked up, Pitchfork used to be the only music news i read back in the day, but now i think they are getting to big for those pants they are wearin, why would you book a festival in chi-town opposite one of the best free fests of the summer, seems like a dick move. Death From Above 1979, Broken Social Scene, and The Decemberists are among the taken, usually the full line up has been announced by now, but such is not the case, BrooklynVegan, has posted that what we have so far is this:

Spoon
VHS or Beta
Q and not U

(he also started a rumor the arcade fire was talking about it, but lets not continue that one)

Acefu Records has also reported that thier darlings The Dears are slated. Thats all weve got at this point, which isnt bad, id go just for those bands, i am just worried that they will book some really huge act and then all the half assed music fans will turn up and you wont be able to see shit, i didnt even bother trying to get over to death cab last year, i was perfectly fine with my trail of dead thank you very much. Lets keep those finger crossed, and i guess you should still save the date (July 16th.)

Bug Sized Mind, Mothus, Metalux & Lightning Bolt @ North Six 05/24/05

This show did not work, i mean on a level yes: When you have a band like Lightning Bolt come, you know you are going to get some strange noise acts, but you expect them to rock, none of the three openers had the crowd moving at all, and thats not what you want at a show like this, you want to be rocked a little bit and then you want it to build up until you have to rock out to LB and then you kick it into over drive, lemme explain:

Bug Sized Mind was not bad, he just didnt fit, he played a bunch of synth, samplers, and pedals, and he wore a crazy costume, the costume worked the ripping, shredding wall of noise, not so much, it was like being trapped uder a car while some one was listening to wolf eyes through blown out speakers. Which hasnt been my thing since the accident.



Mothus probably fit best in this line up, it was a duo, drums and bass. they played some good tunes, nothing to hard, it was mostly just out there jams that went on kind of long and noodled around, the guy played his guitar with a bow for half the set which seemed like a cool idea, but you couldnt really here it unless he was hitting the strings, the drummer put some cool effects on his drums some times, but like i said it just went on forever.



Metalux needs to change thier name to Venue Poison. Good god this is my new least favorite band, it was kind of like Bug Sized Mind only infinitely worse. Tape Loops, knob twiddling and terribly distorted vocals, it was so annoying, it was like some kind of industrial accident where like 8 machines got stuck together and the only way to get them unstuck is to run all of them at once and have a girl bellow into all of them to try and scream them free. STAY AWAY FROM THIS BAND, if they are playing at a show go have a smoke or something, you can tell when thier over by the sounds of relief.



It was about time Lightning Bolt came in and saved the day with thier brand of crazy drums and bass noise rock, the best part is they play on the floor they are part of the audience while being the act, and as soon as they started that venue came alive, they totally redeemed the entire show, i had forgotten and forgiven everything for just a taste of the awesome that is lightning bolt, i cant recomend you see this band more, its a must. They played for like 45+ mins and i dont know how they can keep it up as long as they do, the drums are absolutley insane. The crowd was a sea of freaking out bodies, i cant believe i got the pics i did, and the best part was they saved my favorite, "Ride the Skies" for the end and then they extended it and turned it into this crazy awesome finale that i wont soon forget, be at The Hook on Thurs or lose again. viva la bolt.





My ears are still ringing louder than they have since the last time i saw them.

Be @ the bolt or dont be anywhere

-One last time Lightning Bolt is playing tonight @ north6, get your tix if you still can, $12 @ the door, but they will be gone if youre not there early.

-Jack updated his message to the fans.

-Some good records out today:
Animal Collective - Prospect Hummer EP
At the Drive in- Retrospective
Alakline Trio- Crimson (Dont get this, i put it in for nostalgia remember when these guys used to be a good band, no im not talking to you hot topic kids, im talking to the asian man records community of 7-8 years ago, i hate it when bands find a market for simple shit and stop trying)
Belle and Sebastian - a 2 disc ep comp
Gorillaz - Demon Days (GET THIS NOW!)
Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth (get an 8.7 from Pitchfork)
Sleater- Kinney - The Woods (GET THIS NOW!)
Thunderbirds are now! - necks EP (will these guys ever slow down)

i havent seen a day for new records like this in a dogs age, to bad June 7th is right around the corner and it happens again.

-yikes check out the creepy Phil Spector pic @ productshop

-if you for some reason cant make it to Lightning Bolt tonight, like you have a really bad herpes outbreak or something then i hope it clears up by thursday so you can use your gimme another chance coach card and see them @ the hook, get tix now.

-oh and DANCE YOUR FUCKING ASS OFF

The Witnesses, Jonny Lives!, & (vera spesha guests) Fountains of Wayne @ The Delancey 05/23/05

Ok so i get to the delancey and i knew there was gonna be some special guest, but it never got leaked who it was gonna be, so i walk up to the door girl, who is to punk to die, and i ask her who it is and she just looks at me and goes " you dont know? its fountains of wayne" which is fucking weird because i was listening to the first album the other day and thought how because of that shitstain of a single, stacys mom, i will probably never see fow in a small setting, and they probably wont play their old stuff, i was wrong.

I went to this show only for The Witnesses, these guys record out on Howler, Tunnel Vision, is a really great blues-rock record in the vain of some MC5. They give you rock music for the soul, some foot stompin, head rockin blues and their guitars scream like crazy, if i ever had a band this is the sound i would want because you dont even have to know the music, it takes you over and puts the spirit in you and even if you had leg braces like forrest gump them shits would blow off you so that you could jump around and on top of that they played some new shit, and that explains why they havent been playin a lot lately they been in the studio, the highlight was definitely "mannequin."





Jonny Lives! were up next, i had never heard these guys but this trio brought that bluesy-rock sound to, but it was more straight up rock, they must be doing somethin right because they are gonna open up for Juliet Lewis's band on Saturday, ill see you there, if some one kills me and carries my corpse to that show. Seriously though, these guys were great and i bet Juliet refuses to go on after them because that shit will pale in comparison. ps their drummer is a beast.




Then after a quick soundcheck out came some Fountains of Wayne, and i expected them not to play their new stuff, and they didnt, sadly they only played like 6 songs but happily one of them was a medley that started and ended with Radiation Vibe and in the in between was white wedding, sharp dressed man, and a few others, after that track they jammed with James Iha on one song (white hair in the pic) I was disappointed that they only played for 20 mins, but thats still more than i would think to see them in such a small club ever, lets here it for happy accidents.

Growing, Snowsuit, Japanther, The Tender Wizards & Aa @Flight of the Buffalo 05/22/05

Flight of the Buffalo was just some peoples loft apartment over in industrial park, its not a bad thing, when i lived over there i used to try to put on shows, they are such big wide open spaces they are just asking for it, but i dont know how they arer allowed to do it still because you can hear the music for blocks and blocks, not even to mention that building and the one across it house like 500+ people. But fuck it, lets rock and or roll.

I caught the end of Growing's set, i am not even sure if that was thier name, but i think some one told me so i went with it, what i saw was two guys facing each other playing two drum kits and blistering speed, dueling drums if you will, shit was rockin.


Snowsuit was this crazy kid from Oakland who wore this crazy tiger costume and yelled along to his beats that were playing off of his ipod, he was great but his set was less than 10 minutes long, and i just dont understand the logic of coming out here from oakland to play that short of a set, maybe hes just that much more r&r.



Japanther is always the highlight for me, these two guys play all the time, and they play hard. Its a duo, bass and drums and they play along to a tape deck that they build songs around, and they have somehow turned pay phone recievers into microphones and that the best part. There is so much energy going on, and they even played an encore due to the demands of 20 or so kids up front.





The Tender Wizards, i didnt know until i saw them, are Bent Outta Shape minus their bass player and plus a new lead singer. They rock til they drop just like bent outta shape, but its less punky and more rock, they are a really driving band, that i really enjoyed, did i mention this show was totally free.




Aa closed off this a-bomb of a show with thier sound, that is truly only theres, it is all percussion, with a dash of keyboards, it is words like primal and tribal. They (all six of them) just beat the hell out of whatever they have in front of them, the music builds and builds and then shatters beck to earth with the finale. They even have some extra instruments they pass around so you can help them out with thier already high volume level. They really know how to close a place down and send you stumbling home drunk @, dear lord it was only 8 o clock.

Parts + Labor & The Evens @ The East River Ampitheater 05/21/05

This show was put on by the East River Music Project , they took a page from the free outdoor shows that have been taking place in dc for like the past 25 years+. They are totally non-profit and volunteer, so if you go to one of thier shows this summer, drop em a few bucks so they can do it again sometime. The Ampitheater itself was really cool, i had never seen it before, probably because its so tucked away, i guess its about even with grand st. but you have to go through a tangled mess of roads to get there, i suggest the bike, it makes it like 30 mins easier. Check out that view.

I missed Cause Comotion and Greenpot Bluepot due to work, but im sure they were great.

I got there just in time to catch Parts + Labor, a band i have seen many times, but enjoy always. They play spacey wall of noise type rock. Their drummer is crazy insane, and the other 2 members are guitar and bass with a seemingly endless supply of manipulation pedals that they have set up like a keyboad would be, the best part about this performance was that there was some space in front of all the seating and there were all these kids playing in the gravel burying plants and trying to make them grow and dads playing catch with like 2 or 3 years olds, a great time, let the kids know the rock early.



This was The Evens first show in New York, which is not surprising as Ian McKaye doesnt play clear channel venues and thats what we mostly are. This was a different Ian, he was way more fun loving and jokey between songs, but you can still feel that signature song style when they started playing, its like a stripped down fugazi, Amy Ferena brings the drum skills, and she brings them right, they played fourteen or so songs, some slow and melodic, others that abbrasive throat took control and gave that gutteral restrained yell we all know and love. Sadly they didnt play their "hit", the hillarious "Vowel Movement" they wrote for the kids tv show Pancake Mountaion (if you havent checked that stuff out yet, do it now) because they dont play it live. Highlights were "Mount Pleasent Isnt" where Ian asked every one to sing along for the verse of "The police will not be forgiven, the police will not behave" because he doesnt believe a show is a show unless there is some audience interaction. Another good one was the finale "Washington Liar" which was a really good, classic anti-govt song, but it was about how those politicians are there for a few years, they plunder, then they leave, but how us people are still gonna be there through it all and cant stand to hear the same lies over and over agian, pretty powerful stuff.

Emmit, Tres Ferocious, Erik Landmark & OCS @ The Crosby Gallery 5/20/05

This is a really nice little space, its a tiny art gallery that i have walked by a million times, just below houston. There was no cover, and they had beer for donations, so that means it was a buck a beer. Not to mention all the really cool paintings up on the walls.

Emmit was a nice little singer/songwriter guy, he had some pretty songs that had some nice melodies, im sure he'll get some press if he wants it, otherwise he'll stay quiet and play his songs at art shows.



Tres Ferocious was great, he didnt sing at all, he just played very intricate guitar songs, not crazy heavy, but pretty rockin for an acoustic, lots o' finger pluckin goin on there, i would definately like to hear him again.



Eric Landmark was terrific, he plays really old (like 150 years old) folk songs that hes dug up and tried to bring back to life, and he tries to play them exactly how they wouldve been played, i got his cd ($5, cdr with a printed out insert) after the show and talked to him for a minute and he told me that they are such good songs that hes trying to make his own in that style but they just dont even compare to how good the old stuff is, during the set a guy (nate denver) stood next to him and didnt say anything during the songs, but then in the in between he said stuff like, "that was a good'n how bout another" but halfway through the set he joined in on some backing vocals.



So before OCS played i took a second to say high to an old friend, John P Dwyer who is in OCS, but used to be in my favoritest band in the world ever: the coachwhips, i found out not more than a month ago that they had decided to call it quits, i was crushed, they really are the most fun live show i have ever been to. So i walk up to him and before anything he says, "i got something for you" and he gives me the coachwhips last 7" that i had actually been trying to order for a few weeks, but has been sold out everywhere, so i thank him and ask him why? why? why? and he assured me that it was so he could move on to something better, and his eyes got real wide when he said it, which made me feel a little better, but then he dropped the bomb on me...the coachwhips are going to reunite later this month for 2 shows in NYC, i thought i was going to shit my pants, it is the best news ive gotten this year. I will definatly let you peeps know when and where as soon as i find out myself, because if you think youve been to a show before you are totally wrong, so just deal with it and go to your first show sometime later this month, okay i have to calm down now.

OCS is JPD and Patrick Mullins, the live show is different from the records, there is no noise collage in the background (even though they couldnt get the amp to stop buzzing.) JPD totally switches gears from his unintelligable screaming, to serenade you with beautiful little twangy tunes, with plenty of echo effects. Mullins accompanies with drums, and for a few songs he played the saw, it is a nice little set that you can sit and tap your toes too. Definately a pleasure for the ears, and thats why i am such a fan of Dwyer, the man is so talented and creative, and just an altogether nice guy, and you wouldnt think that for all that hes acomplished at his age, and also he is notorious for being a huge ahole in the SF scene, but i have never experienced anything negative. I just hope he doesnt start a religion because i will probably sign up and i hate religion.

Set List: White Outs/Ship/Second Date/Wait All Night/Goose F Bed/Guilded Cunt/Harmony + Bells/You Oughta Go Home/unknown cover/I Am Slow/Dreadful(Dwyer Solo)





The best part is you have another chance to catch this wonderful show tonight @ the glasshouse gallery (38 S1st btwn Wythe & Kent, Williamsburg) show will probably start early again around 8, youll be done by 11 and then you can go a few blocks away and catch Deerhoof @ north6 or go right next door to that and see Langhorne Slim @ Galapagos. See you there, again.

Free Summer Concerts Have Been Announced

-Central Park Summerstage freeness
the hightlight is without a doubt MC5 and the Sun Ra Orchestra, how can that be free?

-Celebrate Brooklyn Prospect Park freeness
lots of good raggae and stuff like that, my highlight will be Plastalina Mosh, i heard those guys on love line when i was like 12 or 13 and fell in love, and i dont even speak spanish. Also some New Pornographers action w/Stars. Oh and whats up with the Ben Folds/Rufus Wainright being a pay show, funk that just sit on the grass outside youll hear it fine.

- Nyc River to River freeness (note: the site isnt up, but brooklynvegan posted the list)
Here it is:
July 4th: Yo La Tengo and Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks July 7th: Clem Snide July 8th: The Double with Cass McCombs July 12th: The Fab Faux July 14th: Son Volt with Dr. Dog July 14th: Calexico July 21st: M. Ward July 28th: Robert Earl Keen Aug 3rd: Chris Smither with Thea Gilmore Aug 3rd: Ronnie Spector with The Uptown Horn Aug 4th: McCoy TynerAug 10th: Devotchka and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Aug 10th: Little Anthony and the Imperials Aug 19th: Tarantula A.D. Aug 25th: Sugar Hill Gang Aug 26th: I Am Kloot.
he also heard rumors of TMBG (June 11) and Fiery Furnaces (July 27)

Home Video, David Grubbs, Boom Bip & Mice Parade @ Southpaw 05/19/05

Home Video kicked things off at Southpaw around 9, when they started there were probably about 30 people, but by the end of the set it got closer to a hundred and not a fucker in the place wasnt watching, now i have been following Home Video for a while now, and in the beginning when comparisons were made the obvious one was to Radiohead, but since their first show it has just evolved more and more from that every time, if you want to make a comparison to Radiohead now you have to say that their sound is what Radiohead would be after Ok Computer, but before Kid A the gang flew to funkytown and got a drum machine, and then when to somewhere deep in the African jungle and got some crazy tribal stuff goin on, and they mixed it all and made an album, they didnt do that, but Home Video did, i really am impressed more and more every time i see them, i cant say enough about them, their set is tight (theyve added a cure cover recently), the first ep is all drum machines, but since then they decided the live show would be better w/a live drummer (of course), but the best part is the drums become such a driving presence and almost become the center-piece of the show, and he plays along to the drum machine beats already there, but he rocks so hard he makes that drum machine unsure of its rhythm. The singer belts out his word with such a passion, sometimes its scary, and the keybs player is totally on point with those tones, its a total package, i will definitely let you know when they play next, oh and if you own a label, sign these guys, their full length is already done, they just need some one to put it out and if you do this you will be crowned king of awesome town, they even put the drummer on half the tracks of the full length. Heres some pics:





I missed most of David Grubbs set, but what i saw was good, he was solo acoustic singer/song writer, but it wasnt as self indulgent as most of those people, and the guitar work was very intricate finger plucking. The reason i missed him is because i was outside with home videos drummer talking to Simone from Blonde Redhead, who came to the show just for home video and then rode off, hows that for an endorsement.

Boom Bip was pleasant as well, they played these really heavy space rock soundscapes. Always building to a crescendo, and normally i have problems with those types of songs because they build up and fizzle out, but not these guys, they build up slowly and then they explode. No pics my camera died.

Mice Parade i am on the fence about, some songs were good and other times i just thought it was to jammy. Every one talks about the fine line between a band that improvises and a jam band, and its a fine line, this 7-piece collective (2 guitars, keybs, 2 multi-instrumentalists, drummer, and xylophone) is definitely on the jam band side, but its tolerable at times, like when the lead guitarist joined on a second drum set and it sounded really tight, but other times like when he beat on a suitcase, it just wasnt happening. I applaud what they are doing, its just not exactly my thing. It brings to mind the arcade fire live show. Where as thats trying to do a similar thing, but it rocks so hard and its so good it just works, but some where along the line mice parade just misses the mark, in my opinion at least.