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I didn’t get a chance to add photos yesterday, and I had enough that it was worth just doing a separate post. This is just a sample of some of the things I experienced on Friday.
Yesterday included a bit of borough hopping between Brooklyn and Manhattan. First up was the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at Public Assembly. This included two rooms of free music and free alcohol (if you like Blue Moon or Firefly). There was also a table selling BV shirts, proceeds of which go towards “Music Has Power” (The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function). Good music + a good cause = good party by the Vegan. There’s another one today that has a sick line-up. Gonna head there first thing today.
One other thing worth noting about that BV party is one of the bands: Shrag. This band was from the UK, which got me thinking about how many bands travel from all over the world (especially places like the UK and New Zealand) just to come to CMJ. I think it’s really cool how this festival gives people a chance to experience music from not just all over the country, but from different parts of the world as well. Because let’s face it, how many of us are going to be visiting New Zealand any time soon?
Next stop was the Impose showcase to catch the band Dark Dark Dark. They were really fun, and had lots of different instruments (including accordion, trumpet, and clarinet). I really enjoyed this band and would definitely want to check them out again.
Final stop for the evening was the Force Field showcase at Pianos. The line-up included Lord Huron, La Sera, Violens, Woven Bones, Wild Nothing, and The So So Glos. I really went to see Violens and So So Glos, but all the bands did a pretty good job (although I definitely enjoyed some more than others). Wild Nothing are playing that Brooklyn Vegan showcase today, in case anyone is interested in checking them out. If you’re looking for a recommendation, consider this it.
One more thought before I bring this one to a close.
You all know how much I enjoy talking about my favorite band, Jukebox the Ghost. Well, I found a great conversations starter for this topic has been the tote bag I bought from their Music Hall show last month. It was because of this bag that I met someone from The Wild Honey Pie and got a great conversation about blogging and the band and music in general. Later that same night I got another comment from someone who knows the guitarist’s sister. So there are two lessons we can take from this: 1) a band’s merch makes for really good promotion and conversation starters, and 2) it is a small little world that Jukebox the Ghost is slowly taking over.
Speaking of promotion – let me take this final opportunity to invite you to Bar Matchless tonight for the TJO Presents showcase, featuring Matt Koziol, Sydney Wayser, F. Stokes, Stuedabakerbrow, Incadeo, Like Trains & Taxis, Alyson Greenfield, and Hank & Cupcakes. It’s going to be a great night, and it’s FREE. Two reasons you should come out and party with us.
Last night was a late start for me, since I had to wait till after class to get to the city. Once I got in I met up with a friend and we walked over to The Living Room to check out McAlister Drive. Got the tail end of their set, but liked what I heard. It was after 11pm at this point, so I headed over to Bowery Electric for the final two bands on the Yep Roc Records showcase: Drink Up Buttercup and Jukebox the Ghost. I knew I dug Drink Up Buttercup from seeing them before, but I had forgotten just how much I love them. They have a ton of energy when they play and are incredibly fun to watch. I had been feeling sick with the allergies all day, but I totally forgot about that once they got into their set. Funniest moments included the addition of a trash can as an instrument for one of their songs (which immediately reminded me of Stomp and how they use lots of things like that to make music), and the drummer’s obvious enthusiasm through most of the night (especially the last song). I think I mentioned this from the last time I wrote about this band, but dude gets really into his playing. You can say that about all of the members, but it’s especially true for him.
Speaking of drummers I enjoy – nice segue – Jesse from Jukebox the Ghost is possibly one of my favorite drummers ever. I have had a couple conversations with different people this week about how he really adds something to the band and isn’t just a beat in the background. It’s more like he adds the heartbeat to them, and he deserves a little shout-out for that.
Moving right along… I thought Jukebox had a much better set here than they did the night before. That’s not to say the previous show was bad, it just wasn’t as good. For one thing, last night’s set was a lot longer. For another, I like the sound at Bowery Electric much better than at The Delancey. There also seemed to be a lot more energy from both the band and crowd at this place. The band played mostly songs off the new album, but upon request ended with a few older one’s, including “Beady Eyes” and the fan favorite “Good Day,” which had a little something special about it this time around (again, I mean more so than usual). They also called Drink Up Buttercup on stage for a cover of one fo their songs. Afterwards I made my usual rounds to catch up with people. I mentioned on Twitter last night that Shervin asked me if I was their biggest fan. Said person would be their tour manager/go-to-for-just-about-everything person. He was the first person I met who was connected to the band, and I always enjoy seeing him at shows.
That about wraps up my coverage of CMJ Day 3. All that’s left is a few thousand words in pictures.
Jukebox the Ghost Set List:
Schizophrenia
Interlude/The Stars
Nobody
The Sun
Popular Things
Summer Sun
Empire
Half Crazy
Hold It In
Drink Up Buttercup cover
Beady Eyes
Good Day
Some of you may remember my review of April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s album “Songs for a Sinking Ship”. Here is the new video for the song “Terrible Things” off that same album. It’s creepy and awesome and I love everything about it.
Day 2 of CMJ was packed with enough cool things for two people to go too… and then some. I chose to spend my afternoon at the Sneak Attack Media showcase at The Delancey. The line-up included Kitten, PVT, Kids of 88, Cassette Kids, and Jukebox the Ghost. Unfortunately I was running errands in midtown that took longer than I thought they would, so I missed the opening act. A friend told me they were good though. Not surprised, the whole line-up for this show was exceptional. I especially dug Kids of 88. They have a ton of energy. I got my hands on a copy of their cd and hopefully will get a chance to review it soon. Of course it goes without saying that I enjoyed seeing Jukebox again. They didn’t play for that long, but it was still a fun little set. The real news with them though is I got a chance to interview Ben, so look for that to be posted sometime next week. The only reason it has to wait that long is because I’ll be too busy giving you the latest CMJ news (and helping on one showcase Saturday).
PVT
After the Sneak Attack showcase finished we got dumpling from Vanessa’s (highly recommend – cheap but good eats) and moved on to Fontana’s to catch a few minutes of Fort Wilson Riot. From there I was lucky enough to get into the sold out Bad Books show at Bowery Ballroom. The band was dressed to impress, and boy did they impress me. It’s worth noting here that I have not had a chance to listen to their recently released album yet (although it is on my laptop waiting for me to do so). This meant I was experiencing the band in much the same way as my first experience with Kevin Devine – not really knowing what to expect but being really impressed within the first few songs. It is also worth noting that there was much more banter at this show than there was for Kevin’s show at Music Hall last night. They announced they “are not a one time band” and will be releasing another record at some point. That was one announcement that was music to my ears. The set ended with most of the band filing off stage, leaving Devine and Andy Hull. Things I learned on this night: Kevin Devine knows how to play the drums. They performed one last song before ending their main set. The encore was a combination of Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra songs, Hull picked the KD songs and Devine picked the Manchester material. Another thing I learned on this night – “Just Stay” is equally good the second day in a row. Same goes for “Cotton Crush”.
Bad Books Set List:
Highway of Death
Baby Shoes
Holding Down the Laughter
How This All Ends
Wouldn’t Have To Ask
Please Move
The Plan
Mesa, AZ
I Begged You Everything
Texas
Encore:
Just Stay
Now That You’re Home
Cotton Crush
Your A Mirror
I’m not sure which part of this night was cooler – seeing Kevin Devine two nights in a row, or seeing him and Jukebox the Ghost on the same day. All I know is CMJ has been a blast so far, and it is just getting warmed up. Tonight is the Yep Roc Records showcase, where I will see Jukebox again as well as Drinkup Buttercup.
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
Sorry I’ve been absent lately. A few things I should have mentioned by now but haven’t for one reason or another.
First off, I meant to post this video Jukebox the Ghost uploaded from their “Free Pianos” shows this summer. Your humble blogger makes a special guest appearance as “overly excited fan”.
Also, CMJ starts today (in case you didn’t know). Tonight is Kevin Devine’s show at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tomorrow he premieres his new band “Bad Books,” which features members of Manchester Orchestra. Also tomorrow is the Sneak Attack Media showcase, where I will be saying hello to the blog’s favorite band, Jukebox the Ghost. There are lots of other great shows happening all week. I will be talking more about the different shows each day, including a review of KD’s set, which should be up either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Do you have any shows you want promoted this week? Either comment below or shoot me an email at munchkin275@hotmail.com
Here is an interview Anthony Rapp did about his one-man show “Without You”. He answer some questions that I would have asked had I gotten the chance.
And while I have your attention, go check out my coverage of New York Comic Con over at Nerds in Babeland.
I would have written about it here, but they asked and I hadn’t written anything for them yet and thought this would be a great introduction of me to their readers. I had a lot of fun this weekend and would love to share my excitement with all of you. So go check that out.
As I mentioned in a previous post, Anthony Rapp’s memoir has been adapted into a one-man show. Select performances have been running as part of the NY Musical Theatre Festival. I got to see it on Wednesday night, and I have to say it was spectacular. The musical proved to be a great adaptation of the book. The focus was more on Rapp getting the lead in Rent, the effect of Larson’s death, and his mother’s illness. There is very little mention of the other relationships discussed in the book, but that works best for this play. Now, I’ve never been to a one-man show before, but Rapp did a fantastic job with all the parts. He effectively conveys all of the characters and makes it easy to tell who he is representing in each moment. My personal favorites were his conversations with his mother and his representation of Jonathan Larson. Besides Rapp, the only other people on stage were the musicians. The music blended with the story very well and combined with Rapp’s performance to make for an experience packed with lots of emotion. It was hard to hold back tears in some parts. To conclude – Without You is a touching story of love, life, and family. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. And hopefully when you leave you’ll be inspired to live.
The theme to the hit tv series M*A*S*H* was a piece of music called “Suicide is Painless”. While suicide may relieve the pain and suffering of those who commit said act, it does the opposite for those left behind. Not only do the friends and family grieve the loss of a loved one, they also have to deal with feelings of guilt over what, if anything, they could have done to prevent this tragedy from happening. Recently we have had not one, but five reported cases of young teens who were bullied to the point where death looked like the only way to find peace. One such loss would be sad enough, but five cases is a tragedy. I normally try to keep my portion of the internet focused on the good in the world, but too much has happened for me to keep silent. I just can’t help but wonder if these kids knew that help was available to them. Two support groups that immediately came to mind at the news of these events were two non-profits I have supported for some time now: To Write Love On Her Arms and The Trevor Project. In case you have not heard of them, I will take some time now to explain a little of what they are about.
To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit based in Florida that deals with suicide awareness and prevention. Their mission statement says it better than I ever could:
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.
This all started with one struggling girl who needed help. It eventually spread to become a movement to help many others out there who have nowhere else to turn. The group tours the country, spreading their message of hope to those who are willing to listen. I was able to attend one of these events in New York City, and it changed my life forever. Now, I’m not struggling with depression or anything that serious, but it still was uplifting hearing their message all the same. No matter who you are our what your story is (and we all have a story) it is good to know that there is Light in a world full of Darkness. That is what TWLOHA is all about: shining a light for those who need it most.
The Trevor Project is another crisis hotline, but they focus on youth dealing with LGBTQ issues. This is especially relevant since the recent suicides were all teens dealing with such issues. I know homosexuality and gender issues are both touchy subjects in today’s society, but they are issues that need to be addressed. Actually, they shouldn’t be issues at all – and that’s the problem. I’m not saying you have to agree with the lifestyle. I understand why it is hard for some to accept. All I’m saying is don’t think it gives you justification of treating people as if they’re not even human. These kids were bullied for being different, and it cost them their lives. I don’t care if you don’t approve of the choices these kids have made, that does not give you the right to treat them in such a cruel manner. If my opinions offend any of my readers, then so be it. This issue is too important for me to keep silent any longer. My only hope in the light of recent events is that it opens the eyes of the world and helps to keep similar tragedies from happening in the future. I am pleased that certain celebrities have been speaking out on the issue, but more has got to be done to stop this from happening again. People need to start taking responsibility for their actions and realize that what they say and do has more power than they can possibly realize. Actions have consequences, and there are no do-overs in life. And with that, I’m going to get off my soapbox and point you towards those who can help pull other troubled teens from the edge and find them peace in a world full of suffering.
More information on the groups I have mentioned can be found in several places online.
TWLOHA:
website – http://www.twloha.com/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/towriteloveonherarms
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/towriteloveonherarms
Twitter – http://twitter.com/twloha
street team – http://towriteloveonherarms.fancorps.com/
The Trevor Project:
website – http://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/TheTrevorProject
Twitter – https://twitter.com/TrevorProject