Tag: kevin devine

CMJ Day 2

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

 
                                           Kids of 88

 
                                          Cassette Kids

 
Jukebox the Ghost

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.

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

Jukebox the Ghost video + CMJ news

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

Famous Last Words

This is a prelimanry review. Pictures and commentary, as well as links to videos, will be posted within the week.

Last night was Star Child’s last show at 89.5 WSOU, Seton Hall’s radio station. It was evident from the first moments that she put a lot of thought into each and every detail. There were specialty blocks including New York/New Jersey bands and even a tiny trip down memory lane with some 90s tunes. There were also plenty of stories from friends who dropped by the studio and hung around to be a part of Star’s final moments on air. These were after her last interviews with some local artists, each with varying levels of popularity. Included in this list were ShiraGirl, Exit She Calls, Joe Wilson, and Kevin Devine. There was a very chill vibe in the studio, as if even the artists were friends just dropping by to say “hi”. (Of course, many of them were friends as well so that did help matters a bit). It was a great environment to have a show, and I was glad I was able to be a part of it all.