According to Stephen Colbert, the Grammy's "Best Alternative Band of the Year" category is decided by who got the most songs in the most commercials. So the The Black Keys and Vampire Weekend square off, head to head. Me, I've long despised VW and have a mad crush on the Keys' Dan Auerbach, so my choice is obvious...
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| MeTunes - Grammy Vote - Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney & Ezra Koenig | ||||
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Labels:
2011,
black keys,
colbert report,
Vampire Weekend
Man, Bruce Springsteen's announcement of his wicked cool Darkness bonanza of goodies box set last week seems to have everyone excited and paying homage... On Saturday, Vampire Weekend played in Vancouver and covered "I'm Goin Down" from 1984's Born in the USA....
...and Eddie Vedder pulled out a long-favorited chestnut from Springsteen's backlog of treasures called "Open All Night" in Little Rock, Arkansas the same night. (Eddie are you wearing tap shoes, how you making those noises with your feet??)
Though written for 1982's Nebraska, "Open All Night" was one song Springsteen did here and there, performing it only 30 times since its inception (and probably a majority of these were during his mid-90s acoustic Ghost of Tom Joad shows). It started to make a big comeback with his 2006 Seegar Sessions band tour. (See here for more fun facts.)
As you can tell from the crowd response in this 9/1984 show in Philadelphia, PA it's always been a crowd favorite. And Springsteen always tells these long stories before it, so he must dig it too. Hey ho, rock n roll, deliver me from nowhere...
Give a Listen: Open All Night-Bruce Springsteen (The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA, 09/14/84)
Early part of Day 1 review here.
8. Liam Finn
One thing I found myself thinking during certain acts on the indoor stages was "Why are they down here in such tiny rooms if you know the band will attract a big crowd?" Space probably, and a desire to keep stages within easy distance from each other so that they're centrally located yet far enough apart so that sounds don't bleed into each other. Which makes sense. But that sort of calm logic doesn't register when you're a sardine in a million degree room. The first time I found myself thinking this was during Liam Finn.
Liam Finn was playing on the WOXY.com stage, the stage area space that also doubled as a hallway to the other parts of the visitor's center, including the Rock Room Stage (which was within a proper room with well, rocks, hence the name). So when that hallway area got really crowded, it made things difficult for the folks trying to watch the show onstage because there was always a stream of folks trying to move past you and get through (a feat hard for them as well). (This, in fact, did become a problem in that area during The Presets set, as well as the next night during Does it Offend You Yeah?). All 5'5 of me was stuck in the back behind every tall guy who came to Monolith I think, so the only thing I took from the Liam Finn show was that a) his sound is way more rock than the quiet and vastly different sample tracks I’d heard, and b) his female cohort, whose voice I initially liked, began screaming like Yoko doing Japanese hetai but worse, which I did not like.
9. A Place to Bury Strangers
You ever listen to a band’s recorded stuff and think “Eh,” but then you see them live and it’s “Ahhh, NOW I see what the fuss is about”? I call this “The Replacements Factor,” because if you just heard the Mats on record, typically, you liked them ok. But if you saw their live show, you'd, typically, become a full blown convert for time and eternity because their live shows were amazing, so unscripted and spontaneous. The Mats had an essence, that incredible “it” factor, which could just never be captured properly in the sterility of a recording studio. And be it a night when they were *on,* or a night they were a ramshackle shambles, it was always just, well, pure.
This is what happened when I saw APTBS. I'd heard one track of theirs but only had them listed as a "maybe if I'm in the area" (read: not awful but not great) band to catch that day. And I'd only wound up in there because I tagged along with Matt. (Big ups to Matt!)
My first impression of APTBS was that they were decidedly older than anyone else I'd seen thus far and SERIOUSLY FUCKING LOUD. Like put your head in a bell and beat the outside with a hammer loud. The organizers probably kept these guys inside for fear they'd start a landslide outside. And there were only three of them! 
Initially, there were no stage lights, almost like "lights, our bad asses don't need no stinkin lights!" (so the only reason I snagged any photos at all was to use the "forbidden" flash). As the band got more and more into what they were playing, a quick glance out to the faces of the audience convinced me that I wasn't alone in feeling like what we were seeing something very different from everything else that day; folks were standing as slackjawed as I was. One thing that bands remarked on at Monolith was that the thin air made performing a little more difficult. With the ferocity and intensity that APTBS performed, I was shocked they didn't drop from sheer exhaustion when they were done because when I say they played hard, I mean HARD, like pop your guitar strings and beat up your guitar hard.
Later, I would read they are known as the "loudest band in NYC," and given the number of loud bands in NYC, you might think that's hype. But believe it, cause that moniker totally applies to them. If the spirit of the Ramones and speed and volume of Jesus and Mary Chain had a baby, APTBS would be it, full of piss and vinegar, shredding and feedback. And I’m not normally a fan of that sort of thing (Ramones and Social Distortion aside of course). But for the sheer love of how overwhelming their music was, and sheer tenacity at which each of them played, it was overwhelming in a very good way. I stood there just dumbfounded for most of the set.
Seriously, this set ranked as one of the two best shows I saw over the two days. Incredible. They’re currently on tour so be sure to go see them….just don’t forget your ear plugs.
Listen: To Fix the Gash in Your Head_A Place to Bury Strangers
10. Vampire Weekend
Holy crap, they aren't robots after all, they realized they should actually look at their audience! Man, all that touring has really paid off.
Listen: Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac cover)_Vampire Weekend
11. The Night Marchers
I liked what I heard from The Night Marchers' mp3 but live, not so much. Maybe it was coming off the high of A Place to Bury Strangers...maybe it was because I hadn't eaten in 14 hours...but I just wasn't super blown away. The Night Marchers had all the elements I typically like: guitar-driven rock, great backbeat and bass, lead singer very Mike Ness-reminiscent, all snarly and strong jawed like....but it just didn’t wow me. So I dunno what the deal was. But I do plan to check them out again; perhaps they just require being in another state of mind to give them a fair assessment.
12. Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons
I’d really liked what I heard of Corey Chisel beforehand so I raced back down the 230 steps to find that I liked him live just as much. He and his band, the Wandering Sons (although one of the Sons was an awesome female back up singer, Adriel Harris), is music for a Sunday morning, with a paper and a coffee to slowly drink it all in, or for after a breakup during that period when you’re dwelling. At Monolith at least (I couldn’t find band member names sans that of Harris, so I wonder if the players change depending on his needs), Chisel played acoustic, and the Sons were comprised of Harris, who traded keyboard duties with another guy, an electric guitar player, and for a song or two, one of the guys from Band of Horses (they were playing Monolith Day 2). 
Corey Chisel’s 6-song EP, Cabin Ghosts came out in July, and I highly recommend it. His is lush Americana music that is forlorn, soft, and heart-shorn with a tinge of blues, and just really, really lovely. And I cannot wait to see him and the Sons again when they’re out wanderin on tour (though hopefully in a bar that’s got warmer winds going through it than Red Rocks in September at twilight heh). 
Listen: Home in the Woods_Cory Chisel
13. Silversun Pickups
Anything and everything good you’ve ever heard about the Pickups’ live show is all true. They are this incredible bar band, great musicians whose playing as a collective is really tight and can burn down amphitheaters as well as bars (and any place else). What do I mean by that? There are plenty of bar bands, but a really good bar band can touch every person in that room in one way or another. And the Pickups brought that feeling to a huge amphitheater setting and seriously make it work. Not an easy task by any means.
Tearing through a set with tracks from “Pikul,” “Carnavas,” and one or two new ones, the Pickups were clearly having a ball onstage; it was obvious they were happy to be playing again (lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert mentioned they were in the midst of finishing up a new record). Aubert kept pacing the long stage, oftentimes coming right up to the front of the photo pit; had there not been barriers, I do believe he would have waded into the crowd for sure. 
Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger were disarmingly sweet to watch, oftentimes laughing and sporting ear-to-ear grins, like they couldn’t believe folks were so thrilled to see them (and boy were they). 
Drummer Christopher Guanlao is, hands down, one of the best drummers I’ve ever watched. (And here’s a question I may ask The Whigs’ Julian Dorio when I interview them next month: do drummers practice playing all nutso in front of mirrors so they can find the coolest way for their hair to fly around?)
How much did I like the Silversun Pickups show at Monolith? I went out the very next day and bought Carnavas if that says anything, and haven’t turned it off since. The Pickups truly really deserve any and all kudos because they’re just that good.
Listen: Common Reactor live (Paris, 11-17-07)_Silversun Pickups
14. Devotchka
Beautiful is an adjective I find I wrote down a bunch in my notes on Devotchka’s set at Monolith. Even in a place the size of Red Rocks, on a stage as big as the main stage where Devotchka played at Red Rocks, their live show was so engaging they made it feel like they were playing somewhere very intimate and personalized. And though the temperature had dropped and a cold rain started drizzling just before their set started, it somehow added to that intimacy, like some weird modern version of “Casablanca.” I’m sure playing such a unique place for a hometown crowd (Devotchka hails from Denver) had a lot to do with that. It was something very lovely to witness. 
There was no aerialist this time, (probably because she’d have frozen to death), but that was ok because it allowed the focus to stay on the band and their talents (Tom Hagerman is always exciting to watch because every time you blink, he’s playing a different instrument). Another neat thing was these black and white "home movies" that played between certain songs on the Jumbotron screens. Given how much the little kid in one of them looked like lead singer/guitarist Nick Ulta, I wondered if they weren't real ones of his family.
I could go on and on about how incredible and amazing Devotchka was at Monolith (“Queen of the Surface Streets” damn near brought me to tears), but then, their live show is always an experience. Bravo to the festival organizers for closing the first night of the unique festival with these hometown heroes.
Listen: Venus in Furs (VU cover live)_Devotchka
Up next...Day 2, including The Whigs, The Airborne Toxic Event, CSS, Sharon Jones, and TV on the Radio.
DAY 3
Day 3 had a lot going on, and after Day 2 mess ups, I was determined to get it right.
My trainer took my measurements upon my return and found I'd lost 4.5" off my thighs, which didn't surprise me given the 76756879 miles I probably walked Day 3 alone…
1. Delorentos
After missing them on Day 1, I finally got to catch Delorentos out of Dublin. Gotta love cute Irish boys. I only stayed for a few songs, but they sounded great, a hard powerful guitar-driven noise in the key of Brit Pop. If I had to equate them to someone, I'd say The Cribs meets Franz Ferdinand.
Stop -Delorenos (MP3)
In the "Guess Who I Saw" department, Clem Burke, the drummer for Blondie was digging the band too, directly in front of me. Made sense as I recalled his side band was playing at some point. As well, we discovered J. Mascis in the hotel lobby with us the previous morning. Frankly, I would have walked right past him if John hadn't pointed him out as the way he was dressed, he looked homeless.
2. Chatham County Line
Delorentos was playing at the Convention Center and thankfully, there was a coffee shop in between there and the next venue with Raleigh-natives, Chatham County Line. I never got to see them there—I think they started just before I moved away—but I always like to support bands from that area regardless. It was a beautiful day outside and the banjo-centric, North Carolina-Appalachian bluegrass inside was the perfect thing for an early Friday-though-it-felt-like-Sunday afternoon. Mother Maybelle Carter would have definitely approved.
Chip of a Star -Chatham County Line (MP3)
Around this time, Sean texted with his success in getting a pass from the SPIN booth for the SPIN party that day from their Convention Center booth and I should give it a shot. The party this year looked really promising with two bands I wanted to catch, The Whigs and those new indie darlings, Vampire Weekend playing back to back. I darted over as it was on the way to The Weakerthans set, but seems many others had the same idea. Poor kid manning the booth looked like a deer in headlights.
3. The Weakerthans
The Weakerthans out of Canada, were one band I was really looking forward to seeing at the Paste/ Stereogum day party at this club called Volume. (Volume had literally opened the Wednesday of SX I was told....which explained that yummy fresh paint smell. They obviously tested their air conditioning system in someplace like Canada in December too because the place was incredibly hot and steamy....like make you pass out hot.) These guys have Death Cab for Cutie all over them, between the lead singer's phrasing, the artful lyrics about heartbreak and dissolving love, and their sound...Which of course means I love them. The songs ranged from ballads to fast rockers so there's a little there for everyone. The place was mobbed and folks were singing along, so I guess I've been under a rock in terms of Weakerthans-mania.
The show was being simulcast on NPR's "World Cafe," which you can check out here.
Sun in an Empty Room -The Weakerthans (MP3)
I was told I should check back at the SPIN booth for passes again so I headed back and joined in the line of hopefuls, including another friend from our group, Dave. The guy manning the booth had apparently received an ok to go ahead and start distributing a few passes, so we were a lucky couple of kids.
While waiting in the line of uncertainty, the booth next to SPIN, a guitar manufacturer, had a few folks starting to play/sing a beautiful guitar/vocal version of the old Cowsills' song, "Happy." I remembered reading that Susan Cowsill was playing SX this year. It seems this was indeed her singing with her other Cowsill brethren, and I believe this was the first time in ages they'd done so. Beautiful harmonies for sure.
No one was certain of the start times of the Whigs or Vampire Weekend, but given the time, we knew we were cutting it close. Being the closest to Stubbs, the SPIN party location, I practically ran the four blocks to find out I'd done the right thing, The Whigs were just about the take the stage. I think the text message that went out was "Move yer asses!" :)
4. The Whigs
These guys blew me away, I don't know how else to say it. Out of Athens, GA, I'd heard of them but not *heard* them...in a word, "Wowza." It's music that beats your ass and makes you stand up and want more, seriously. If I had to classify their sound, I'd say maybe Led Zepplin meets...something really poppy and catchy (maybe these guys or, and you're gonna think I'm nuts, but I swear I hear Michael Hutchence-era INXS even). The Whigs' sound is hard but really friggin catchy. In fact, I picked up the cd "Mission Control" and drove around with it one nice afternoon doing errands...I found myself inadvertently drumming and humming the melody when I was out of the car getting my hair done, picking up my dry cleaning...really infectious songs. Drummer Julian Dorio was given Esquire magazine's 2007 Esky Award for Best Drummer), and it makes sense they utilize a serious asset and make their stuff really drum driven. Plus, watching Dorio play is entertaining because, in the words of my friend Dave, "it's a lot like watching Animal of the Muppets" really frantic, with this mass of hair that just goes everywhere. In fact, I was so impressed that after the SPIN party, they were playing that hellaciously hot Paste/Stereogum venue and I actually went back in there. Course, I didn't last long but still, that's gotta say something about The Whigs if I even attempted.
Their show from the Paste/Stereogum party was also being simulcast on NPR's "World Cafe," which you can also check out here. (Unfortunately some dumbass is chatting through some of it sorry). I didn't find this show as good as their SPIN party one so you'll just have to check them out live and see for yourself.
Production City -The Whigs (MP3)
Right Hand on My Heart -The Whigs (MP3)
5. Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend closed the SPIN party this year. I'd seen them on Saturday Night Live awhile back and frankly, wasn't overly impressed. They do have an odd but original sound though-sort of a ska/African pop sound and regular jangly-rock mixture that is catchy and different. There is something interesting and different there for sure. But is it worth all the friggin hype about them? That I'm not so sure. Someone should definitely tell them to work on their stage presence, in the words of the guy standing next to me, "Do you think they realize there are people out here actually listening to them?"
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa -Vampire Weekend (MP3)
6. Von Bondies
I'd gone to see The Whigs a second time after the end of the SPIN day party but only stayed a few songs because Volume was such a sauna that no amount of Lone Star beer was gonna quench for me. So I set out for the Von Bondies show up the street at Emos. Now if you know anything about Emo's, there's like three divisions of this joint: the Annex, the main area, and some other smaller venue on the corner. Trying to find which one was hosting the VonBondies took a friggin lifetime.
Emos, I found out later, is not the best mix for acoustics. While the Von Bondies play really loud, the vocals still weren't anywhere near loud enough. As such, things came across really muddy, an eek from a big wall of sound. I was introduced to the Von Bondies via Denis Leary and his show "Rescue Me," as the VB's song "Cmon Cmon" is the show's theme song. I even have it on my mix for the gym. But seeing them in this environment was rough. The new stuff sounded promising but it was tough to tell...This show, all it sounded like was a lot of yelling. I do hope to check the new record out, as well as another Bondies' live show hopefully, at a later date.
Cmon Cmon-The Von Bondies (MP3)
Coming up...Day 3 night shows...
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Day 1/Part 2
Day 2/Part 1
Day 2/Part 2
