Category: live reviews

Jukebox the Ghost/Wakey Wakey Tour

Last week I was lucky enough to make it to both the Brooklyn and NYC dates of Jukebox the Ghost tour with Wakey Wakey. The Brooklyn show was at Rock Shop, and the other was at Bowery Ballroom. This was my first time at Rock Shop, and it might be one of my new favorite venues. It was a nice space with good sound and just enough room to dance. Highlights from this tour included a very memorable fan at this venue and three new songs performed by the band (two new songs + a tasteless cover). The cover was of Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love,” which fans seemed to respond well to. The two new songs sound great, and have me very excited for future new material and hopefully a new record. There’s eight videos from the Rock Shop on my YouTube page, but I will post the new stuff below.

Here are the two new songs:

and the tasteless cover:

Like I said, I love the new stuff, and I even caught myself singing them after two nights in a row of seeing them performed live. The complete set list was as follows:

Mistletoe
Half Crazy
Hold It In
Interlude/The Stars
Empire
Summer Sun
new song
Nobody
new song
Good Day
Static
Power of Love (Huey Lewis cover)
Schizophrenia

Be sure to check out the other videos I took, as well as a few pictures from the two shows.

Jesse Malin @ Bell House – 4/30/11

About a week ago I got the chance to see Jesse Malin & the St Marks Social perform at the Bell House in Brooklyn. Jesse Malin is a true rock & roll singer, with a great stage presence and storytelling skills. The guitarist is also fantastic, and I will go so far as to say he is one of the best I have seen in this decade. There was a lot of energy from the entire band. You could tell the members had a great rapport and enjoyed playing together on stage.

One thing worth noting (outside of the band’s performance) was the audience. For one thing, there was an expansive age range in this crowd (something I believe I mention in my last review I did from my first time seeing the band live). The other thing worth noting was the connection Malin had with the crowd. He even leapt off stage at one point to interact with them for a song. I mentioned the stage presence he had, and the best example of this was a line directed at the audience when he wanted them to clap and sing along.

“I see what it is, you guys are a singing crowd. You don’t get a singing crowd to clap.”

And with that we all sang along, old and young, to one of the best rock bands we will ever have the pleasure to know.

 

Matt Lowell @ Mercury Lounge – March 10, 2011

Matt Lowell played an early show Thursday night at Mercury Lounge.  There was a decent crowd considering it was 6:30 and the weather was dreary.  Lowell was fun and easy-going while on stage.  At one point he made fun of the fact the next song he had started playing sounded like a more famous one (totally by accident).  This is something that happens to every artist at some point, but not everyone acknowledges it in the same way.  He then went on to a short talk of world events and some songs with social reverence.  Things got lighter though when he mentioned his new EP (which came out Tuesday).  He was surprised and delighted to see some in the crowd had already bought the record.  “It’s funny. You get to a certain point where someone who isn’t your Mom and Dad buys your record.”

Lowell also did a cover of La Roux’s “Bulletproof,” which was only recognizable if you knew the lyrics to the song.  Musically it was completely different, being stripped of all the electronic sounds and simply being played on a guitar.  I love when an artist takes an uncharacteristic cover and makes it their own, so this was enjoyable.  I also enjoyed the song Swan Lake, which he concluded the evening with.  I already linked to a download of it in my last post.

 

 

Ben Folds @ Beacon Theater (12/14)

On December 14, 2010 I had the opportunity to see Ben Folds make magic happen at Beacon Theater. Unfortunately, this was also when I first started dealing with what became known in my house as the-illness-that-never-dies. This is my pitiful explanation for why this review is appearing almost 2 weeks after the event took place. Proof it was a great show though, or I would have simply forgotten about it and moved on to other things. So, without further ado, I present Ben Folds: Live @ Beacon Theater.

Picture it: It’s a freezing cold night in New York City, you’re sick and cold, but Ben Folds is playing in your city. Of course you go, even though you should stay in and rest up, but it’s Ben Folds (!). How do you say no to the chance to see possibly one of the greatest musicians of our time? You don’t. You brave the cold and wind and keep telling yourself it’s fine because it’s mostly just subway ride anyway. Reasons I love Beacon Theater: an exceptional venue that is also quite convenient to get to. But I digress…
The show itself was everything I could have asked for. Ben Folds has a lot of things going for him. He’s an extremely talented musician both vocally and on the piano (and isn’t too bad on the drums either, for that matter). He also has a great relationship with his audience, keeping things entertaining all the way through an extended set that somehow doesn’t drag in the slightest. Top moments of the night included the story of how Ke$ha’s single “Sleazy” became the cover song of the tour (it happened to be the #1 song on iTunes that day and they stuck with it) and a killer version of Free Bird after an audience member shouted it during a lull. This happens at a lot of shows I’ve been to, but usually the artist doesn’t oblige. Folds said something along the lines of “Gotta be responsible when you yell that out, young lady” before going into his rendition. Best part of this was probably that he didn’t know all the words, so he made up his own. Here’s a video someone posted on YouTube from the night:

Of course this (combined with the length of an average song of his) ate up a lot of time, so there was a 1-song encore where Folds selfishly got some 3-part harmony out of us before ending the night. There was more than enough music in the main set for me to be perfectly fine with this. My only disappointment was not getting to hear “Trusted” since it’s my favorite song of his, but playing “You To Thank” balanced things out. Overall it was a great night, and one I won’t soon forget. Add this to the list of artists I would definitely recommend seeing if ever you get the chance.

Maxwell’s Presents: April Smith and the Great PIcture Show

This past Friday, December 10th, I was lucky enough to finally get a chance to see April Smith and the Great Picture show live. The opportunity came with a late show at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Openers for the evening included The Canon Logic and Elizabeth & the Catapult. The first opener, The Canon Logic, got things fired up early on, with a mini dance party even forming in the front of the room. Next, Elizabeth & the Catapult kept things going. Their sound seemed to fit better with April Smith (although I enjoyed the first band as well). It might have helped that Elizabeth & the Catapult are a female-fronted band with a similar style to April Smith (IMO). I thought Elizabeth had a similar quirkiness to April Smith and a lot of heart. Speaking of which, my heart was completely won over by the end of their set, due in large part to the charming lead singer.

That brings us to the main event, April Smith and the Great Picture Show. I did a review of their album over the summer where I raved about how unique and entertaining their sound was. This gave me high expectations for their live show, which I am happy to report were not disappointed in the slightest. April and band had a great stage presence. April Smith was charming and sweet and fun, but also strong as a vocalist. I thought she found the perfect balance of strength and sweetness. Overall the performance was solid and enjoyable. If you ever get a chance to see this band live, I encourage you to take it. I promise they will give you quite a show.

*I was going to use the end of this post to include a video I took from the show, but if you follow me on Twitter you will know I was having trouble with that. I promise to go back and edit later, but really wanted to get this up ASAP for your reading pleasure.

Edit: Sorry this took longer than I wanted it to, but all the video I took from the show is finally up on YouTube. I’m embedding my three favorites below as a sample, but you can view the rest on my YouTube page.


(Warning: that last one has a tiny little curse at the end, which you know if you are familiar with the song)

Josh Groban – Live from Soho

Last night I had the chance to see Josh Groban at the Apple store in Soho. This store has a lot of events like this (I also saw Regina Spektor here). I think it is a great chance to experience music you might not normally be able to afford full-priced tickets for.

I have always thought Josh Groban was a talented and gifted musician, but have never had the opportunity before last night to experience this in person. I am glad I was able to change this, because the show was phenomenal. Not only was it a good performance in terms of music, it was also a lot of fun. Josh is really funny and had a great stage presence. It was really comfortable being in a room with him. He even commented, “It feels like we’re playing in a living room right now.” It’s true, the show had a very intimate vibe to it, which added to my overall enjoyment. Another fun line from him came when he mentioned his recent move to NYC. “After years of flirting with the city, I’ve finally made an honest city out of it,” he quipped. That was possibly one of my highlights of the evening. Another highlight came at the end when he announced his last song was going to be “Per Te,” which is off his second album, Closer. This is one of my favorite songs by him. I have always imagined this song being ridiculously hard to sing (and he even said it is one of the hardest songs for him), but he makes it seem remarkably easy. I was impressed not only be the performance but also by how incredibly down-to-earth he seemed. I got the impression he is one of those artists who doesn’t entirely know how he has reached the level of success he has achieved, even though it seems blatantly obvious to his fans. (Btw, Josh Groban fans are very enthusiastic and supportive of this artist).

After final bow the fans called for “one more song,” to which Josh obliged. He commented that they didn’t have anything else rehearsed (plus he was spent from playing his own music), so he did a Neil Diamond cover instead. The song he chose was “Play Me,” which he made entirely his own. Honestly, I only knew it was Neil Diamond because he had introduced it as such. Otherwise it sounded like it could have been one of his own songs the way he sang it. There was no video allowed at this performance (it will be available on iTunes eventually), but here is a video of another performance where he sang this particular song.

Josh Groban just released his latest album, Illuminations. You can download it from Amazon or iTunes, or get it from your local record store (or Starbucks).

Jukebox the Ghost + Barenaked Ladies = A Perfect Fit

When Jukebox the Ghost first announced they would be opening for select dates on the Barenaked Ladies tour, naturally I was excited. Mostly I was thrilled for the band that they would be getting that kind of exposure (and be able to say they toured with another really cool band). I didn’t actually think about how well the two bands would work well though. Their styles were more alike than I imagined. I’m not just talking musically either – both bands also have a quirky/fun stage presence that makes their shows even more enjoyable. I’ve always been a passing BNL fan, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed their set (even though I didn’t necessarily know all the words to their songs). There were a lot of great moments during their set, but two that will stick out for me are 1) the closing number, where they mashed together a bunch of covers and danced around the stage like the crazies they apparently are, and 2) the first encore number when Ben from Jukebox came on stage to play piano with them.

Yes, it all comes back to Jukebox the Ghost, doesn’t it now?

I mean, obviously I would not have gone to this show if I did not enjoy me some Ladies, but the opening band did have some strong influence on my actually buying the tickets. For me, BNL have always been one of those bands I would only go see depending on the opener. I can’t think of a better excuse to finally check them out than my boys from Jukebox the Ghost. And let me tell you something, the band did not disappoint. They played a really solid set of their 8 best songs. There wasn’t as much banter as there would be at one of their headlining shows, but that was to be expected. Obviously they would want to squeeze in as much music as possible in the time allotted. There were a couple stories added to the mix though – just enough to give the potential new fans a taste of this bands unique and oh-so-interesting personality. (Ex: Ben describing his taped-up synth and declaring, “Duct tape does amazing things.” – Classic). It was much different seeing them play a venue like the Mayo Theatre, but it was also cool to see what their set looks like with the added lighting. Whoever was in charge of lights for the evening did a great job with both bands in timing the lights with the music. Kudos on your professionalism, Mayo tech crew.

Overall I would say the show was a huge success. The room was almost completely full during the opening set, which means lots more potential new fans for the band. Based on a casual glance of the room, I would say they won a few new hearts over with tonight’s set. And the crowd definitely enjoyed BNL’s set, myself included. Obviously I expected them to be good (or I wouldn’t have gone), but they blew my expectations out of the water. Where once I was a passing fan, now I am super in love. I could not have asked for a more perfect night.

Jukebox the Ghost set list:
Schizophrenia
The Sun
Hold It In
Half Crazy
Empire
Summer Sun
The Stars
Good Day

Side note – Just wanna take a minute to be slightly not professional and brag that I almost completely guessed the set list for tonight. Half Crazy was a maybe that depended on length of set, and Summer Sun was a very pleasant surprise. Other than that, I so called the rest of this list! I know it’s lame to be proud of this, but let me have my moment anyway. And sorry I don’t have BNL’s set list but I don’t know the names of all their songs well enough. There are very few bands actually that I know the names of every song they’ve done. Usually I just know a song when I hear it. Sorry if this makes you like the blog slightly less. I try to make up for it with a passion for music and lots of enthusiasm. Hopefully that is enough.

Live Review/An Open Letter to Muse

There are lots of really great things I have to say (and have said before) about the band Muse. I have seen them twice now, and they put on very good performance that involve lots of technical pieces, including great lighting/effects and a very good use of the entire stage. To date, they are one of my favorite live acts, mostly because I think their music is great and they do an excellent job converting that into a live show. I do have one complaint though that I would like to address at this time.

*ahem*

Dear Muse,

I love you and your music, but something needs to change if we’re going to keep seeing each other. I have seen you perform live twice now, and both times have been very good (the first time in Boston will always be the best for me). There is one thing that bothers me though, and it comes with a story. My first technical experience of one of your live shows was the recording of the HAARP performance. This album has always been my favorite for two reasons: 1) it has most of my favorite songs up till the point it was released, and 2) it is one of the best live recordings I have heard of any band. I love every song on the album, but one of my favorite moments is when you start playing “Invincible”. I have seen you live and in person twice now, and both times you have not included this song in your set list. I understand that you have too many songs to play all of them and that you can’t try to please everyone, but I believe this is one of your greatest songs and should be a staple in your repertoire. I doubt anyone would be disappointed to hear this song played live, just as I’m equally sure that many people are disappointed when it is not included. I always try to predict the encore of any show I go to (especially when I love a band’s music as much as I do yours),  and I have to say I was very disappointed I didn’t get the chance to hear this song live for myself. Would you please please please consider adding this song to your line-up for future performances? It would be especially nice if it were added the next time you play the NY/NJ area, since that is where I’m from. I (and many other fans, I’m sure) would really appreciate it.

Thank you, and good night.

PS – it really was a great show (besides my one complaint mentioned). You were, are, and always will be one of my favorite live acts. Just do this one little thing and we’ll be good.

Thanks!

Love,
A Passionate Fan

Back to you, wonderful reader… assuming you actually are still reading. I took a lot of great pictures from this show that I will try to post sometime tomorrow. Also, in case you have no idea what I was just rambling about and why I care so much, check out this video of the song in question.

No really, go. I’ll wait…

See what I mean?

But enough about the one song they didn’t play. Let’s move on to what was included.

Set List:
Uprising
Map of the Problimatique
New Born
Supermassive Black Hole
The Resistance
Hysteria
Citizen Erased
United States of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Undisclosed Desires
Time Is Running Out
Starlight
Plug In Baby

Encore:
Exogenesis Symphony
Stockholm Syndrome
Knights of Cydonia

Follow-up: One thing I do appreciate is that they have a good balance of old and new material here. In fact, it makes me very happy that “Feeling Good” and “New Born” still make the cut after all this time. I just wish I could hear Invincible once live before I die…

Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band Kick-off CMJ

For the first time since I started really exploring the music scene in New York, I will be attending something for every day of CMJ this week. Tonight’s entry was Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band at Music Hall of Williamsburg. And oh what a show it was. If you thought Kevin Devine was just some weird dude with a guitar, well then you have never seen him play a full band show before. Whether he’s playing solo or with his band-mates though, you are guaranteed to get your money’s worth. Dude is extremely talented, but also really humble at the same time. A perfect example of this happened tonight, when Devine started talking about what CMJ means to him. He mentioned how he feels honored to still be asked to play the festival since his first appearance here. It was actually one of the only things he bothered to stop playing long enough to say. There wasn’t as much banter as there normally is with his shows, but that just meant the set was jam packed with lots more music for us to enjoy. The set list tonight was band’s choice, which meant we got to hear a lot of songs they don’t normally do live. There were still plenty of fan favorites though, including two of my favorite songs by them – “Just Stay” and “You’ll Only End Up Joining Them”. Overall I would say it was a great start to a week overflowing with too many musical choices to handle. I’m glad a made the decision to come out tonight to enjoy this amazing live act.

Set List:
Trouble
You’re My Incentive
Carnival
Another Bag of Bones
You’ll Only End Up Joining Them
Shift Change
Big Bad Men
Fever Moon
Murphy’s Song
Noose Dressed Like a Necklace
Hand of God
Just Stay
Burning City
Yr Husband
I Could Be With Anyone
Cotton Crush
Ballgame
She Stayed As Steam

Encore:
You Are The Daybreak
Whistling Dixie
Brother’s Blood

Tinderbox Festival A Smashing Success

Sunday, September 26, 2010 brought us the first Tinderbox Festival of what will hopefully be an annual event. The very musical day full of brilliant female performers took place at Southpaw in Brooklyn and was brought to us by New York’s own Alyson Greenfield. Alyson moved here from Alabama a few years ago, and since then she has been making quite a splash in our fair city. This latest success started when Lilith Fair announced it’s return this year. Alyson created a blog as sort of a campaign to get on the line-up. It turned out to be the start of what would be the creation of her own festival. There were many great female performers included in this first year, including Jenny Owen Youngs, Hank & Cupcakes, Jessie Murphy in the Woods, and a performance by Alyson Greenfield herself. The full list of performances was as follows:

MAIN STAGE
:
11:00pm Bitch

10:00pm Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers
9:00pm Jenny Owen Youngs

8:00pm Hank and Cupcakes

7:00pm Alyson Greenfield
6:00pm Jessie Murphy In The Woods
5:00pm Kalae All Day

4:15pm Brit & The Calvary

3:30pm Charlene Kaye and The Brilliant Eyes

UNDERGROUND STAGE:
10:3pm Larkin Grimm
9:30pm Denitia Odigie
8:30pm Maya Solovey
7:30pm Mal Blum

6:30pm Misty Boyce

5:45pm Jennifer Newman

5:10pm Lisa Jaeggi
4:40pm Lachi

4:10pm Allison Tartalia
3:30pm Lara Ewen

There were many memorable moments throughout the evening, but my favorite was probably this line from Ms Greenfield, “Casio. Get one. It will change your life forever.” I would like to add this tagline, “Tinderbox. Stick around. It will change New York forever.”