brand new/colour revolt/born ruffians, 07.28.06, irving plaza

fame is fleeting... or not.
i'd have to say the latter for brand new. becoming more and more reclusive as the months pass has only made them considerably more glorified. we haven't heard anything from this band for over two years-- that is, until their tour. even then, it's just a small sampling of what's to come; but from what i've heard, it's going to be something great. not just thumbs-up great, but formal english great. according to thesaurus.com: eminent, exalted, colossal, august, celebrated, outstanding, paramount. their new, as-of-yet untitled album promises to be all of these things. great.

there is something different about brand new. their quiet and modest demeanor is absent of any of the over-the-top tomfoolery expected of other young bands. sure, they're willing to hurl instruments during a performance-- but it's different, i swear. it's solitude. it's individual. and it adds an air of mystery that i don't think many bands have managed to accomplish quite like this one. i envision monks who have learned how to rock within their zen-like state. there is something otherworldly. it's the quiet things that no one ever knows.

i think they just like playing their music. i think that is a good thing.

for this reason, jesse lacey has managed to start a new curiosity in the 18-25 set. i would like to term it the jesse lacey boycrush phenomenon (JLBCP). many people may call me crazy, but i know what's what. for some reason, jesse lacey seems to compel the same reaction in young adult males that drake bell or jake gyllenhal tend to illicit in tweeny girls. almost any guy i know who knows brand new gets giggly, flushed, and does this little jump-dance-two-step whenever he comes up into conversation. i've heard a few very menly men exclaim that they want jesse's babies. srsly. i mean, i do too, but it just doesn't hold the same weight because i'm a girl, even if i am retardedly obsessed with the band. it's a man-love thing, and i can't compete.

but now on to the show.

ruff ryders and revolters
the born ruffians began the set, and they were formidably awesome. a stringy, skinny, simple trio, they had a snappy, bass vibe sound that grooved pretty nicely. at the time i compared them to a cracked-out bob dylan, but i have no idea why i came up with that comparison. they describe themselves as "pre-punk new-wave dance-folk love-making...without a condom." ...and i kind of have to agree with them. it's edgy folk with a spit-in-your-face kind of twist. nice.

now, on to colour revolt from m-i-s-s-i-s-s-i-p-p-i. beautiful crazy stuff. definitely a mogwai influence in their ethereal instrumental collaborations, along with harsh edginess and a little bit of chris martin/trail of dead vocals added here and there. while i can only remember one of their song titles (check out "a new family" on their myspace), i can for certainty say that they made sweet, sweet love to my ears, and it was a good kind of love. i am one for pretty sounds mixed with some hardcore, and colour revolt hit the spot. they also spell colour with a 'u', which is something i do as well, and that's a definite indicator that these guys are badass.


callin' you a safe bet.
there's not much that can be said that hasn't already. i'm writing this pretty late in the game, and most of my friends AND enemies have already had their say. to avoid the risk of copycatting and/or being annoying, i'll try to keep this as simple and un-gushy as possible.

the band came on quietly and ready to go. as i explained above, they have a mentality behind their performance that could be taken as pretentious. but they weren't. they were real and they were there. "guernica" turned into a free-for-all and it was at the point when the mosh pit formed directly behind me that i was glad that i had already asked one young gentleman named chris to be my bodyguard for the evening (he did his job well. thanks dude). the heat only added to the frenzy that continually grew as "sic transit gloria," "seventy times seven" and "the quiet things that no one ever knows" came up.

they also played my personal favourite, "the boy who blocked his own shot." we even got an anecdote beforehand, about how mr. lacey's friend nicknamed him thus because he had this weird way of shootin' hoops. to be honest, the vibe i was expecting from the song wasn't there, although that may have been more of the crowd's fault than the band's. while i was hoping for something more contemplative and sad, it was just another song to groove to. maybe i'm just biased. nevertheless, i got soaked with water during the song, which was kind of nice considering the heat on the floor was over 100 degrees.

the real deal, however, was the acoustic moments. at one point, jesse started off with ziggy stardust and did a verse and a chorus before realizing there were probably five people in the audience (me included) who appreciated it. i got your back, man. you get a high five for that one. the 16 year olds next to me whined. anyway, they performed some great acoustic sets, such as "soco amaretto lime," "jude law and a semester abroad," and "play crack the sky" as the finale. jude law was the result of the audience begging, simply begging, for him to bust it out. he replied "seriously guys, i would play it for you if i could remember it." of course everyone called bullshit, and while trying to figure out the chords he asked us to be quiet because he was nervous enough as it was. it came out pretty mellow considering it was acoustic, but i actually liked it a lot. i guess he remembered it after all.

"soco amaretto lime" was done beautifully, as jesse changed the perspective at the end, singing slowly "i'm just jealous 'cause you're young... and in love." it really hit a note with me, because i know what he means. we won't delve into the emo void too far, but let's just say at that concert, it became abundantly clear that i'm hearing that song, and this band, with different ears now. the concert finished with "play crack the sky." it was lovely. there were some people who didn't know how to take a quietly vulnerable moment, but overall, it was an amazing rendition-- very sad, very fitting. i left the concert glowing, knowing that what's going to be coming is going to be better than it was before.

this is the end
so, i suppose this wasn't so short afterall. but it was pretty sweet. brand new is quite an experience as long as you know what they're about. if i ever have another chance, i'll definitely see them again.* expect my thesis on the JLBCP within the year.

/jen/


*insider note: expect a chance kind of soon. shhhh.



up next: midlake/muse

rookie of the year, 07.17.06, northsix

i'm going to keep this short and sweet because that's exactly what my show experience was. at northsix, rookie of the year was one of the openers, and seeing as how i had to take an hour and a half subway ride back (and pick up a cake pan... don't ask) i didn't stick around long after their set was finished. i'm sure blackpool lights were fabulous, but i'll have to catch them another time.

awk-WARD
night kills the day were the first openers. i don't know what happened there. it was a mix of too much influence and too little good originality. the attempt at dirty rawk wasn't working with me. it was like axl rose with alice in chains with bad, bad, BAD joy division. when the lead singer would do his own epileptic version of the davy jones crab shimmy, it just made me really confused. anyway, there were two awkward people in the front totally getting down to their music, so i suppose someone out there appreciates them, but i personally had to hold back giggles because it was so ridiculous. i think most people in the audience were doing the same. the moral: don't spend ticket money on night kills the day. they need to get their act together as far as being their own band goes before they're worth seeing.

the sweetness
and that's what rookie of the year are. sweet. a slightly more wholesome, slightly less bitter answer to a young chris carrabba. this isn't to say that there isn't angst-- there is plenty of it. but for some reason, it takes on a far less condescending, throat-choking-up semblance than dashboard confessional; instead, it's more of a melancholy, bittersweet, one-tear-falling kind of angst. far more subtle and forgiving. the guys are young, all around the age of twenty, and still have a fresh-eyed look regarding the world, love, heartache, and life. everyone in the band is also pretty cute, in that boy-next-door kind of way. it just adds to the whole sweetie pie factor.

their music, however, is also good. they're a tight band, and they're just as good on stage as they are on the album, which is pretty well produced considering the small crowd at northsix. songs such as "poison like your own" and "blue roses" were well-played with a bevy of emotion. the mix of acoustic and electric, plus the tenored voice of ryan, the lead singer, was enough to keep the crowd excited, yet cool ( i would compare it a little to emery's sound, but with less throatiness). i was happy i could show my support.

my final thoughts: rookie of the year are doing pretty okay for themselves. right now, their music is good when i'm in a lighter mood for emo. and that's fine. however, what i'm really looking forward to is the band maturing as time progresses and they begin to tour more. maybe they'll always be kind of sweet, but i want their influences to grow and change and see something from a different perspective. i'm willing to wait for it.

/jen/




next up: brand new

kevin devine and the goddamn band, 06.30.06, tonic

cupcake groupie
my friends always tease me. i can walk past parker posey or johnny knoxville or whoever is big on e! at the moment, and casually recount my glance at glamour, but when it comes to interacting with musicians-- well-known or not, and most likely not glamourous-- i become bandy-legged and furiously blush while my mouth seems to lose all tersenss and i start giggling like an idiot. people who play things mesmerize me, but for all the dorky reasons. i am not your particular pamela des barres or penny lane, i'm not here to do tricks. i just want to talk about music, man... have an intellectual conversation; i want to know what goes on in the mind of artists, because sadly, i can only hope to listen and write about it all.

so it's no surprise while i'm waiting in the line outside of tonic, i practically passed out when i learned kevin devine's friends were behind me and he came by to chit chat for a bit while the other bands soundchecked. i turned red, and i was too afraid to turn around and make eye contact, which was hard considering his head full of titian hair is naturally eye-catching. i eavesdropped instead and tried to to breathe normally and attempted to not do something stupid.

pink christmas lights
in the end it was all okay. we were finally let in, and he and his band hung out with their friends around the bar and then retreated backstage to get ready to open the show. the crowd was very excited. people were looking forward to hear kevin, more so than any of the other groups, and he was opening. "why are you starting this gig?" one fan screamed from the audience. that's a good question. when he and the g.d. band were on, everyone flooded to the stage. it was a young group of fans, but they were completely enamoured. everyone knew every word, everyone cheered whenever he started a song.

his band was wonderfully together, and very at ease on stage. kevin devine managed to make a few quips and giggly moments. his voice brash and emotional, he was able to conjure up songs as he wore them on his sleeve, in front of all of us. "cotton crush" was, of course, considerably well received and he even threw out a few new ones which were pretty awesome as well.

the only downer in the evening was when the sound guy accidentally cut them off before they were finished. thinking that the band walking off the stage was a signal that this was it, instead of kevin doing a lone, acoustic, final song, he put up the lights and started the house music. the audience, who remembered kevin promising them at least one more song, started booing and pleading for the show to continue. kevin talked to the powers-that-be while packing up his guitar, and it was decided that the next act needed to go on. this choice resulted in a potential mini riot, with boos, jeers, and catcalls as the emcee proceeded to the stage. the people were there for kevin, they weren't around to see the next act (a pretty pretentious attempt at reggae-scat-ambience which i left 30 seconds after hearing), so it's no suprise the place literally emptied out onto the street as the next group set up.

all in all, a very excellent show sans the space cadet sound guy, but we all make mistakes. getting the chance to hear that final song be played is a good enough reason to spend twenty bucks to k.d & the g.d. band play at webster in august. looking forward to resting my eyes on that shock of coppery hair once more.


ps: don't think i was too cool to tell him he did a great job. i totally did. cupcake groupie 4 life.

/jen/




up next: rookie of the year/night kills the day

hooray for earth/unbusted, 06.28.06, pianos

i'm not gonna lie. i'm going to be honest and upfront and claim right here and now that i'm biased about these guys. i'll try my best to keep an objective view while talking about their show, but it's going to be hard because they are all so freaking cool. i was the girl in the front taking pictures after all (groupie 101: become the [hand-held digi] photographer. then if you take a few good ones, they owe you a beer).

austin, tx is so f'in weird.
i met hooray for earth this past march in a completely different part of the country. that completely different part was austin, texas, which is the wierdest capital city for a state ever, but only because it's too awesome for people like me, a northern, 20-something music snob. it is nothing else like the rest of texas, yet it is texan in most of its elements. go there some time and shop for some vintage but don't have the italian food, even if random strangers on the street tell you they know of a good place for pasta. they don't know what they're talking about.

anyway, i was invited to attend the blender party by the lovely jamie, and it was while i was standing at the foot of the stage during spoon that i bumped into a few of the members of hfe. when we realized that we were to be foot-of-the-stage buddies, the bassman and quintessential pr guy gave my cousin shaina and me their demo. key moment, right there. when i got back from sxsw 5 days later, i popped it into my computer and was hooked. we'll get into the reasons why in a bit.

while at sxsw, they also toured with unbusted, and i have something to say about them too, which is nice.

can i have some pianos with my beer?
it's a wednesday night at the end of june on the lower east side. we all know pianos. it's kind of scrubby but since it has shows it's where a lot of people go to be hip and cool and have some booze. we like it. i also like how when i run to a random atm i see mike myers on the street and totally act cool like the typical new yorker i am even though i am peeing my pants on the inside.

unbusted
speaking of unbusted, they rock. they're up there with the alterna-indie guys that we know you know i know and love. you can tap your foot to it in my favourite style, which is the back-heel method (you know, where your whole leg moves and the other stands straight and you look like you fucking know what you're tapping about. hells.yeah.). essentially, i've really got to start researching them a little more. while i wouldn't say they blew my mind, i would stress that they just might have the potential to in a bit, and that excites me. come august 19th, they're back in the city at r&r. i'll have to make sure i'm around for that one, and then i'll have more to say on all of them.

hooray for earth
alright, let's get ready to rumble.

considering these are boys from boston, i'm impressed by the amount of people that were there. granted, they were part of a whole showcase of bands that the bassist, chris principe, helped organize, but nonetheless, the crowd knew the words, knew the songs, and were having a great time. i was foot-tapping and dancing.

hooray for earth is an interesting band. their sound is a mix of crunch rock guitars and poppy synths. while i'm not so sure i would go as far as they go with their description (blur, nirvana, and.. enya?) i will concur that it's something a little different from the everyday. if i personally had to describe what their sound was, i'd liken it to blur (i'll give them that) and a laptop-induced schmear of depeche mode and the cure (the irony in the lyrics helps out, too). i'd also say it's a little like head automatica, what with a lot of the characteristics of shoegaze, but they'd kill me. so i won't.

as far as the technical portion, they have their stuff together. noel heroux, the vocalist, and chris principe, the bassist, had been playing in raymond, before it was reincarnated into hooray for earth, since the late 90's. all members are comfortable with their respective instruments and i have to say, watching the drummer, seth kasper, is pretty fun.

there were some minor technical difficulties during "so happy," but they quickly adjusted and everything went smoothly from there on out. they played my favourite song, "simple plan" second, and it was like buttah.

i've heard their shows in boston, where their following is considerably more noticeable, are even more entertaining. taking into account that their venue was pianos this time around, i'm not going to take points off for showmanship. they got me raring to go even with out the usual stage antics, and the crowd seemed to go right along with me. hopefully someday i'll be able to go into boston and see them on their own turf. that will be a fun day.

i've been told they'll be back in nyc come august. keep your eyes peeled, and visit their myspace if you have a minute or 16 to spare. and don't forget unbusted. they're just as wickedly awesome.

/jen/


up next... kevin devine and the goddamn band