Notes From Underground

John: CMJ 2007 - The Subjects / The End of the World

I didn't do too much CMJing this year. The throngs of drunken college music directors and super, super late showtimes- (yes Blender, I'm talking to you) are wearing thin. I love Spoon and Band of Horses, but it's hard to keep me out for a 2:30 a.m. start during the week.

I did however, make it down to The Tank on Thursday evening for some free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the Pretty Activity showcase. PA is a local label with some talented young folks on their roster.

The Subjects hail from Brooklyn and the band is comprised of two former teachers, and two of their former students. The guys have a new record out called with the ease grace precision and cleverness of human beings and they've just scored an opening slot with the Walkmen on the west coast next month. Check out The Subjects in a recent Daytrotter Session right here.

Also on the bill was a band called The End of the World. The name's a little dramatic, but I was intrigued...there was pedal steel and a cute bass player. This is one of those bands where the singer is also the drummer. Typically, if you're not Phil Collins, this is not my bag. But, they pulled it off. So check them out. They've got a record out called You're Making It Come Alive and they got a some local NYC dates coming up as well.

The Dirtbombs @ Southpaw

Like the White Stripes, The Dirtbombs started out as a Detroit garage rock band, and followed a musical path away from the typical garage rock sound. But while the White Stripes took the smarty-pants route, making artsy videos and dressing like Bob Dylan, The Dirtbombs have kept things a lot more rough around the edges. They're intelligent and even virtuosic, but they rock with a raw power and unfettered soulfulness that makes you want to jump up and dance all night.

That's how the crowd responded at The Dirtbombs' show at Brooklyn's Southpaw a couple weeks ago. This band is just fun to rock out to. Their energy and precision is amazing. They're one of those double-drummer bands, so you know they gotta be tight! You don't mess around with 2 drummers if you're about to get sloppy.

The audience, however - that's a different story. Many beers were drunk and spilled. Drinking and dancing can get messy. New friendships were forged then lost in the crowd. The couple standing behind me concluded the show with a major makeout session. So I think it's fair to say - a good time was had by all.

http://www.thedirtbombs.net/

M.I.A. @ Terminal 5 (CMJ)

Hi,

It's my first time posting on the "Notes From The Underground" blog... so I hope you will all make me feel welcome.  I caught M.I.A.'s show at Terminal 5 last night (Thursday October 18th) and all I can say is that it was one big, sweaty, dance party!  The venue was packed when I arrived and I got to hang out in the VIP area stage left so most of my view was of her and the backup singer/dancer woman from profile.   You should be prepared for the following at an M.I.A. show:  a big screen full of visual stimulation (she went to college as a film major), she has a DJ with a turntable and it's full of dancing and singing fans. 

My favorite moments at the show last night in no particular order:

1. When she and her backup singer/dancer ran in tandem in what ended up being choreographed dance moves for an entire song,

2.  Watching her fiddle around with her video projector machine after every single song!

3. Seeing her crowd surf.

4.  When she allowed the crowd to come on-stage and it wasn't even near the end of the set!  Can you say DANCE PARTY?!? 

So... get yourself out to Terminal 5 tonight if you're in NYC and get ready to dance, dance, dance!  Or catch her at a local venue near you if you have the chance. 

Yeasayer at The Bowery Ballroom

Last week I saw a band featuring a longtime friend's younger brother, which reminded me how old I am. But I'm cool with it.

Yeasayer are based in Brooklyn, with roots in Baltimore. (Like me!) They're very different from most of the music you hear today, more complex and ambitious, which is a good thing. They have a world music side to them (they've opened for M.I.A., I believe) but I also hear an early 80's INXS thing in some of their songs (also a good thing, no matter what my boyfriend says!), some Fleetwood Mac-ish vocals, and some other prog rock stuff I can't exactly put my finger on.

Also, many of their songs have a good beat and you can dance to them.

After Yeasayer I watched a little of Oakley Hall, which was boring in comparison.

Check Yeasayer out here:

http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer

http://www.nowwearefree.com/headquarters.html

John: Play Radio Play!

Play Radio Play! principle is Dan Hunter from Aledo, Texas. The young man describes himself as a nerd, a Christian, a Texan, and Straight Edge. Dan does a little electro pop thing which you can sample at his myspace site (it includes his take on The Killers “Mr. Brightside”). Dan played a short set at The Knitting Factory last night and was backed by a surprisingly large band- a couple of guitars, bass, keys, and drums. Seemed like a nice kid- keep an eye on this one.

Check out the video for “Confines of Gravity”.

John: Beastie Boys @ McCarren Pool

A cry of Hellllllllllllllllllllo Brooklyn pierced the early evening air. It was on. The sold out crowd at McCarren Park Pool was ready for the Beastie Boys’ first ever Brooklyn show.

McCarren Park Pool opened in July of 1936 in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. It was one of ten public pools built in New York City during the Great Depression with funds from the Works Progress Administration. McCarren is the size of three Olympic pools combined- which puts its capacity at around 6,800 swimmers. It cost a million dollars to build. Here’s what it looked like back then.

Thursday (August 9^th) night was another story- there hasn’t been water in McCarren Pool since 1983- and currently the facility is home to a series of summer films and concerts. I arrived just before the show began and decided to grab some dinner. Local Williamsburg establishment Warsaw had a food tent at the venue and they were serving pirogues- they were excellent. I got my hot plate just as the show began, and managed to down the entire thing before “Root Down” was over. Well I thought- I’ll wash these down with a beer. Brooklyn Brewery was manning the beer tents- it all seemed very appropriate. After purchasing two beer tickets (the beers looked small) I spent the rest of the Beastie’s opening set in line to buy beer (about an hour). Good times.

That being said, positioning was such that I could still see and hear everything. Mike D, MCA and Ad-Rock were high energy- to say the least- and kicked out set featuring a fair number of their hits including “Pass The Mic,” “Paul Revere” and “Body Movin.” Rev Run (of Run DMC) made a guest appearance on “Check It Out” which was also cool. The boys were joined by regulars Mix Master Mike on the turntables and Money Mark on keys. The set also featured a fair number of instrumental cuts from the Beasties’ new record Off The Grid. Truthfully- I felt the set could have been a little lighter on the instrumental stuff- but at the same time- I respect that the guys were excited to play their new record.

The encore was preceded by a sweet Mix Master Mike breakdown- during which he wore a robot helmet- which I think improves any situation. It also proved be a harbinger- the encore kicked off with the robotic “Intergalactic” followed by “Sabotage” and the appropriate closer “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”. It was hard to believe that in their twenty plus years together the native New Yorkers had never played Brooklyn. Hopefully- unlike my time in the beer line- it was worth the wait.

Check out this video of the evenings rendition of “Sabatoge”.

John: Just Jack / Tegan & Sara

Caught two shows last week, British import Just Jack and Canadian imports Tegan & Sara, both played the Hiro Ballroom (separately) at the Maritime Hotel in the meat packing district. I used to work in the meat packing district and when you came to work in the morning there would be full cows hanging on hooks- very appetizing. The neighborhood has changed quite a bit since then, transforming the old spaces into a couple of fancy hotels and lot of boutiques and fancy eateries. Hiro is a unique (if not super new) space, it holds maybe 250 standing, and the sound is always excellent. What sets it apart are the high ceilings and chic Japanese motif including huge paper lanterns and a large torii (a gate that would mark the entrance to a Shinto shrine) that frames the stage. The drinks are expensive, even by Manhattan standards, and there are bathroom attendants- which I always find creepy- but that’s another post.

Jack Allsopp or Just Jack as he is known in musical circles is from London, and apparently he had a little difficulty making it to the NYC. We arrived about 10 minutes before his scheduled set time- but the doors had not opened. As we waited in line rumors circulated that the artist had been delayed at the airport- and was en route. Indeed- Jack conceded that he had spent the majority of his day at the Newark airport- fun. So after a decent delay- which didn’t allow for a sound check- Jack took the stage w/a backing band consisting of guitar, drums, bass, and a wonderful female vocalist. To his credit Jack seemed unperturbed by the stressful day- radiating a positive vibe throughout a set that featured cuts from this new record (for TVT in the states) Overtones including the hit UK single “Stars in Their Eyes”, “Glory Days” and “Writer’s Block”. He also pulled out “Snowflake” the single from his 2002 debut The Outer Marker. That record only sold a couple thousand records in the US, Jack told the crowd, not a couple hundred thousand, just a couple thousand, I’m not sure why they asked me back he joked. For those of you unfamiliar with his work Jack’s music is an interesting mix of hip hop, two step, and a garagey type rock. I’m always curious how complicated records are going to sound live but they pulled it off; very low key, but fun, not too deep.

Check out the video for “Stars in Their Eyes”

The next night I was back at Hiro to check out Canadian twins Tegan and Sara. The sisters have a new record out on Sire called The Con (co-produced by Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie) and they played the entire thing- backwards- including their excellent first single “Back In Your Head”. It seemed like a bold move- as the record had just come out the week before. But it worked out, the audience was definitely a die hard bunch, several folks already knew the words to the new tracks. One of best parts of the evening was the harmonies. I firmly believe that no one harmonizes like siblings- and the ladies did not disappoint. An interesting and integral part of the show was the stories. As is the reputation, there was no shortage of banter. Sara would tell very long and tangential stories about the sister’s childhood- including a story about the time Tegan has fallen off a swing and broken her arm, and a story about not wanting to drive with their grandfather. Tegan would chime and in as well, at some points try and get Sara to warp it up, which made of an entertaining and very sibling dynamic. The girls switched off between guitars and a keyboard and were backed by a full band- which they jokingly asked if the audience could see- apparently given their name they are often mistaken for a duo- even onstage. After the new record the group treated fans to a solid set of older material- highlights including “So Jealous” and the closer and White Stripes favorite “Walking with a Ghost”.

Check out the video for “Back In Your Head”

Lisa: See Ya

Today is my very last day here at Fuse :(  It's been pretty fantastic, AND I got to meet Mandy Moore yesterday. I love her. Now if I could only meet 5ive....

In 6 days I leave on a 7 am flight from NYC to Los Angeles to start prepping for Warped Tour. I was up till 8:30 AM the other morning picking my 430 VIP finalists because I had to post the winners list the next day. I should learn to manage my time better. You can see the winners at www.warpedpanel.com or on my warped panel myspace at www.myspace.com/warpedpanel .  If you didn't win this year, there is always next year....and the year after that...

If you are attending Warped Tour I'll be at the front of the lines every morning from 9-11ish, come say hi!

Unfortunately, I never got to go rowing, or see Spring Awakening. There is still a little time, we'll see what I can do with it. I did however bake a cake and decorate it with fondant.  Fondant is fun, but its kind of hard to work with. And I pushed down on the cover to hard this morning so it cracked a little and its not lopsided. boo.

My roommate is going to see The Honorary Title tonight, its a 21+ show which means I can't go. lame. But I'll get my fill of concerts in about a week.

I need to find something to do this fall. like food network. or the travel channel, do you think they'd send me on vacations for research? That would be kind of fantastic.

the end

lisa

Andrew: The Great Escape

So I am basically obsessed with the song "The Great Escape" by Boys like Girls.  I listen to it on repeat in my room and think that it is one of the best songs I've ever heard.  Besides being a good video, I think that they have great voices.  I am so jealous of everyone that gets to go to WARPED TOUR on the West Coast.  Boys like Girls will be there, performing basically every other day.  For their tour dates, go to their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/boyslikegirls

They're coming to New York for Warped Tour on AUGUST 4TH in case anyone wanted to try and get tickets for that date.  I know that I will be doing whatever it takes to go to that show. 

Another great thing going on is the movie Knocked Up.  I think it might be one of the funniest movies in a while.  Granted that everyone has their favorite movies, I think that this movie appeals to basically every crowd. 

Starring Katherine Heigl, from Grey's Anatomy, and Seth Rogen, from various movies, it is the story of a drunken one night stand that ends up creating a baby.  Anyways, it is hilarious and I hope that everyone goes out and sees it

Lisa: RIOT!

I got the new Paramore cd, RIOT! and I think it's fantastic! I honestly can't stop listening to it. It's really catchy, and I love Hayley's voice. I'm excited to see them perform all summer long.

I also recently saw this movie called Paris, Je T'aime which was a 23 segment movie, each part taking place in a different section of Paris.  The parts were each short films a few minutes long, all created and directed by different people and sequenced together when the movie was edited. It was pretty interesting, some parts obviously better than others.  There was this one with Elijah Wood where he was this traveler who saw someone get killed by a Vampire, and he fell in love with the vampire and then he turned into a vampire so they could be together...it was weird. Natalie Portman was in one, and Steve Buscemi was in one too, so was Maggie Gyllenhaal. 

I want to see Waitress, and when they come out I need to see License To Wed and Hairspray.  I'll be away when both of the movies are released : ( I won't be here for High School Musical 2 either! What a Bummer.

And I really want to see Spring Awakening on Broadway before I leave too, but Broadway is too expensive!

Mandy Moore comes into Fuse on Wednesday, June 20th...who's excited? I am for sure...Now if we could only book 5ive my life will be complete....

-Lisa