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