World Class Fad: Shows This Week by Morning Benders, Delta Spirit, and Ben Nichols

The week of the 12th is a CRAZY week for upcoming shows. Some good ones of note:

Sunday, 10/12....
What a one-two punch of an evening. The Morning Benders are opening for Walter Meego and Ra Ra Riot at the Black Cat (tickets are $12)....



...then we'll be testing how fast one cabbie can race from NW to NE that evening because Delta Spirit is headlining that same night at Rock and Roll Hotel (with The Moderate and Andy Zipf opening). I can't promise any chickens though. Tickets are $10.



Tuesday, 10/14...
Ben Nichols of Lucero, Tim Barry of Avail, Frank Turner bring their songs individually and collectively to the Black Cat with the "Revival Tour." Tickets are $15.



Black Cat schedule
Rock n Roll Hotel calendar

Seen Your Video: Two from Devotchka at the Monolith Festival 2008, Red Rocks, Denver, CO

During an interview with Earlimart awhile back, their drummer and I got to talking about video and whatnot. He said he discovered the Flip Video camera and found it was great during touring because it was so easy and versatile to use. Given the amount of video interviewing I've been doing, (yay to no transcribing), I thought it seemed like a good investment.

My first attempts with this new toy are below: two songs, "Queen of the Surface Streets," and "Last Beat of My Heart," from Devotchka's excellent set at the Monolith Festival last month.

Queen of the Surface Streets


Last Beat of My Heart
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The Trials of Being a BoSox Fan

Being a BoSox fan can be tough. If you've been around for awhile (I mean, longer than '04), you know to wait until that last out because you never know what will happen. Whereas with another team who had a 5-2 lead in the 8th inning you could probably safely go to bed confident of another win, you can't do that with the Sox. You don't make any assumptions until that last out.

I sat through all 5 hours, 18 minutes of last night's game. Mike Lowell should not have played. That diving catch that he missed as it sailed past third in one of the later innings, he'd have totally caught that if he'd been healthy. (But I was so hoping "Brows" knocked one out of the park in the later innings because what a bump in confidence would that have been?) Josh Beckett is really on when he's on (he gave up 5 walks throughout last year's postseason), and really off when he's off (that compared to the 4? 5? walks he gave up in last night's game). Would Manny have clinched the needed run? Probably. Is Papi seemingly lost without him? It does seem so. However, Jacoby Ellsbury, thank GOD we didn't trade him, he kicks serious ass. And Coco Crisp, booyah! The shite announcers kept saying, "Oh Crisp doesn't have a strong arm blahlbah" like every five seconds but it seemed to be pretty good last night. Pedroia and Youk, maybe Bay, I think they'll be the keys to tonight's game. And Jon Lester could be the this year's Beckett of yore.

So do I hate the Sox? Yes, I lose sleep because of them, I stress out because of them, I scare my dog yelling at the tv because of them. But who am I kidding, my name is Erica and I am a codependent with this baseball team because no matter what they do, no matter how crappy they play, I won't leave them. Not now, not ever. It's true love folks, and I know they can change. And I'll be staying up, watching, until that very last out.

Listen: Dirty Water_The Standells

The Boston Globe's Bob Ryan gives a recap of last night's long 12 innings...

Show Review: Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks, Denver, CO--Day 1 (continued)

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.

(More photos from the A Place to Bury Strangers set here.)

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.









(More photos from the Vampire Weekend set here.)

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.



(More photos from The Night Marchers set here.)

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).



(More photos from Corey Chisel’s set here.)

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.

(More photos from the Silversun Pickups set here.)

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.





(More photos from the Devotchka set here.)

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.

New Silversun Pickups Record, "Swoon," Released Early 2009

As the Silversun Pickups last release, Carnavas, has not stopped playing on my Ipod since picking it up after seeing their show at the Monolith Festival a few weeks back, I'm thrilled to read that the Pickups have announced that their follow up will be titled "Swoon" and out in early 2009.

Silversun Pickups is currently tucked away in a Los Angeles studio working hard on the follow up to Carnavas, titled Swoon and scheduled for release in early 2009. Dave Cooley, the man behind the soundboard for Carnavas, was once again the chosen one to produce. Silversun Pickups frontman Brian Aubert on the reunion: “He’s a stronger producer now because of the records he’s done since we worked with him on Carnavas. And as far as experimenting with sounds and everything, he’s just as great as ever.” (source)

New Clash Bio to Come Out...Written By The Clash!

Holy sweet Jesus, how cool is this going to be??? I stumbled across the blurb below in a daily guilty pleasure, Page Six of the NY Post, and was just going to write on Topper Headon's comment. But when I dug further to find out who the "them" is in "written by them," I found that it's a true bio put out by Strummer, Jones, Simonon, and Headon that's out in the UK tomorrow, here in the States next month. Hope it's as cool as it sounds!

DRUMMER Topper Headon forgives the Clash for firing him at the height of the band's success. "I was out of control. I remember being sick on Buddy Holly's grave, which didn't go down too well. I was a Keith Moon fan - you know, 'Live fast, die young,' and I lost the plot completely," Headon says in the new book titled "The Clash" and written by them, due next month. "On the tour of the Far East, I was standing in a lift with Joe [Strummer] and he's saying: 'How can I sing all these antidrug songs with you stoned out of your head behind me?' " (NY Post)

Myspace Founder Out to Revolutionize the Music Industry

I, for one, would love it if this infringed on Live Nation, break up their monopolistic hold a little.

THE founder and CEO of MySpace, Chris DeWolfe, is out to revolutionize the music industry - and make some money. MySpace, which has so far relied heavily on advertising revenues to make bank, will now pocket a percentage of every song sold - and in "phase two," when it starts selling concert tickets and merchandise, it will receive a cut of those as well. But DeWolfe says he's not out to infringe on Live Nation's business. "Most of our concerts are sponsored - and Live Nation pays big money for big-name acts," he said Friday. "We're just distributing through the Internet." MySpace is owned by News Corp., which also owns The Post. (NY Post)

Show Review: Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks, Denver, CO--Day 1

With over 1200 photos to edit, text to write, and legs that are no longer wobbling from running the many, many flights of stairs to get from stage to stage, I'm finally getting around to reporting on the coolness (literally and figuratively) that was the Monolith Festival at Red Rocks in Denver, CO.

Now, I'm from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains so I thought I knew mountains. But nowhere on the NYS Thruway is there a view quite like the one I saw ahead of me as I barreled up I-70W towards the Morrison exit for Day 1 of 2-day festival. The amazing Colorado mountain ranges sat in the forefront of the brightest blue sky, a picture so perfect it was like it had been Photoshopped. If I'd not been running so late (overslept and more shite Google Map directions), I would have pulled over and shot pictures of it, it was that breathtaking. And this wasn't even Red Rocks!

Which btw, was pretty mind-blowing. All these naturally-placed red sandstone monoliths, angled just so, it's like an American version of Stonehenge. And in the middle of it all is a BIG concert amphitheater and multiple parking lots and a visitors center, none of which you initially see as you pull in, because these rocks aren’t just big, they’re GINORMOUS (history of Red Rocks). I gotta tell you, it was a little surreal knowing I was going to see rock shows in the middle of all that.

I arrived, so that was one challenge down. Then, I had to adjust my NY-paced stride to the high altitude (things like walking up inclines or flights of stairs definitely left you winded), so challenge two down. Challenge three, finding the stages that were indoors, was a bit tougher as some festival planner thought directive signs to stages weren’t as important as signs to hemp ice cream or a pay-for-oxygen booth apparently.

1. The Morning Benders
Fortunately I was able to catch at least one song of Berkeley, CA's Morning Benders by the time I found the "Rock Room Stage;" unfortunately, that one song was their last song. Somewhat of a bummer as I had enjoyed *hearing* their live set enough that I wanted to *see* their live set too. That one song didn't disappoint though. They brought the coagulated sounds of British pop and California sunshine as nicely in person as they do on record.



I made a mental note to request the VU song from their great record of covers when I interview them at their DC show October 12th.

(Two of the Morning Benders during Blitzen Trapper. More photos of The Morning Benders set here.)

Listen:
Dammit Anna_The Morning Benders


2. The Muslims
I had scheduled an overview appointment to get skinny of the Dell Dome shortly after The Morning Benders set, but I was able to catch a few songs by The Muslims on my way. These guys may dress like Vampire Weekend but they were all about testing the sound barrier of everyone's earplugs with their super-energetic hard driving punk-pop.



I think Jon Behm over at Culture Bully summed them up the best:

Pretty music is nice. Sometimes though, what you need is the rock 'n' roll equivalent of a spirited bar fight. In those instances, lately I have been turning to San Diego band The Muslims.

"Spirited bar fight," yup sounds about right.



(More photos of The Muslims set here.)

Listen:
Extinction_The Muslims


3. The Dell Dome
Billed as a "self-expressive arts studio" and a place to discover new music, the Dell Dome's exterior was designed by artist Mike Ming. Ming also designs specialized Dell laptops, skateboards, and the like.

(Artist Mike Ming)

(Mike Ming-designed skateboard display.)

Ming is one of the 4-5 artists that Dell has involved with the Dome as it makes the festival circuit (Monolith was its fifth this year). Additional artists will be joining shortly for a collaboration with Project Red.

(The start of Ming's painting that he was working on inside the Dome.)

Activities inside the Dome included free screen printing on attendees’ clothing, rock star hairdos, and temporary tattoos ("There's always a wait for those," said my guides Lee and Lisa).

(Two brave souls getting rock star hairdos.)

Other cool activities allowed individuals to create a "mix tape" with 20 or so free downloads that was emailed (mixes can also be created here), and to partake in meet and greet interviews with artists.

(Devotchka's Shawn King and Tom Hagerman during one of the artist interviews in the Dell Dome.)


3. Blitzen Trapper
I'd heard a lot about Blitzen Trapper but not seen or heard them, so I did some reading beforehand. One phrase I found was "experimental folk rock." Seeing them myself, I didn't hear much in terms of "experimental" so much (unless by “experimental the author meant combining indie pop with folk (like pre-electric Dylan folk) and rock (ala classic, southern, and cock rock)). But the "folk rock" part was definitely accurate...think big guitar sounds with a harmonica and rock howl (which lead singer Eric Earley was great at). The "Rock Room Stage" was a rather small room but BT packed the peeps in (including two of The Morning Benders and two of the Vampire Weekend kids). A great rendition of "Wild Mountain Nation" made the crowd lose it altogether, and they did quite a few tracks from their new release Furr, out this week.





(More photos from the Blitzen Trapper show here.)

Listen:
Wild Mountain Nation_Blitzen Trapper


4. John Vanderslice
Before I made the long trek down the 230 amphitheater stairs, I stopped for a few minutes to check out the bright daylight settings of the bad ass Nikon D80 I was sportin by shooting some of the John Vanderslice set. I wasn’t left with any big indelible impression of his music (and I’m normally a sucker for a fiddle in an indie band) but I did manage to get some nice shots, so I had that going for me. Which is nice.





(More photos from the John Vanderslice show here.)


5. Cut Copy
Cut Copy didn’t do much for me when I went to review their opening band, The Black Kids, here in DC awhile back. But as I stood up at the top of the amphitheater seats, waaaay above the main stage as they played, I thought to myself, "Hey, they aren't half bad!" Maybe Cut Copy is just like a set of bagpipes, maybe they're just better heard over a hill and far away.

Listen:
So Haunted_Cut Copy


6. Scratch Track
I swung down to the acoustic stage to see this two-piece called Scratch Track before The Fratellis show (with a stop off at the stinky media tent for a bottle of water with a cap. Red Rocks, for whatever reason, sells bottles of water without their caps. Odd...) Scratch Track is comprised of a soul singer who doubles as a human beat box, and a guy playing acoustic guitar. They were a different sound and they made it work (and that stuff isn't typically my cup o' tea). I mean, how often do you get to hear a good acoustic rap version of "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News at an indie rock fest? Exactly, so you couldn’t help but give them props.





(More photos from the Scratch Track set here.)

Listen:
Shaker_Scratch Track


7. The Fratellis
Other reviews of the Fratellis performance at Monolith weren't stellar, saying that they were kind of blah, not too exciting, etc. I, however, didn't think they were so so bad. True, it could have been the high altitude messing with my brain, but I thought they had a great wall of poppy sound, more Liverpudlian than Glaswegian, that bounced nicely off the rocks that framed the back of the main stage.



Or maybe I was just more entertained watching their cuckoo-bananas drummer, Mince...the guy was a total maniac on the drums. Picture Ringo's feet fused with Keith Moon’s body.



Me digging them this time was kind of funny as I hadn't been so impressed when I saw them before at Webster Hall with The Airborne Toxic Event. Although it could have also been that I was just blinded by Jon Fratelli's excellent taste in shirts to notice much else (he was sporting the exact Dublin Sound shirt by Worn Free that I'd been planning to buy that very week).



(More photos from the Fratellis set here.)

Listen:
Chelsea Dagger_The Fratellis

Still to come for Day 1...A Place to Bury Strangers, Vampire Weekend, The Night Marchers, Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, Silverun Pickups, and Devotchka.

World Class Fad: The Child Ballads Play NYC on Thursday

(Photo by Piper Ferguson)

The Child Ballads, a great little band out of DC, doesn't play live very much, so you kids in NYC would do well to head out to Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn on Thursday for their 9 pm show. You may recall the name of TCB's lead singer/songwriter, Stewart Lupton, as the lead singer of that little group from the 90s who influenced, well, everyone called Jonathan Fire*Eater. Lupton's new band has a vastly different sound than JFE, more stripped down and folky (read my review of their EP here), but Lupton's still one of the most enigmatic frontman you'll see performing today. Plus, his song lyrics will make your IQ shoot up 50 points after just one listen and who couldn't use getting just a little bit smarter hmm?

Free Wilco/Fleet Foxes Covering Dylan if You Promise to Vote

Everyone's in the spirit of giveaways this week it seems. If you pledge to vote in November's presidential election, Wilco will send you a free download, er, "audio postcard," of them performing Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" with the Fleet Foxes from a Bend, OR show in August. Not a bad deal for doing something you already plan to do right?

Such tumultuous times. And in the spirit of giveaways that seem to be sweeping the nation, we've got something free for you. No it's not a pile of cash (sorry) but rather an audio postcard of sorts from a summer's night in Oregon with our friends the Fleet Foxes & a lovely Bob Dylan tune. All we ask is you go to http://wilcoworld.net/vote/ and click the "I pledge to vote in the 2008 Election" button. If you can spare it, we also encourage you to consider a donation to Feeding America http://www.feedingamerica.org/ . Happy listening (and please feel free to pass this email along to friends, family members, etc.).