Tag: live music

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.”

Titus Andronicus + Free Energy Take Webster Hall By Storm

Saturday, September 25, 2010 – Tutus Andronicus and Free Energy played a fun and energy charged set at Webster Hall. First, Screaming Females opened to a decent crowd – at least considering they were the opener AND hadn’t been able to promote the date much. The fans who were there early enough seemed to enjoy them. I had heard of the band before but didn’t know much of their music. Even so, I enjoyed their set and wouldn’t mind seeing them again.

Next Free Energy came up to bat. I had seen these guys once before (performing with Jukebox the Ghost) and was really impressed. In fact, the combination of them and Titus was what made me interested enough to want to attend this event. They did not disappoint and were just as energetic as I remember them being. I said it in a past review, but they really do live up to their name. I almost bought their CD after an outstanding set, but limited funds told me I should hold off for now. I definitely will be following this band more closely in the future, however.

The final act for the evening was Titus Andronicus. If I thought Free Energy’s set was intense, that was nothing compared to the energy levels for the headliner. The band had a good stage presence and did a good job feeding off the energy from the crowd. At one point a string broke on the lead’s guitar (after some fierce playing on the previous song) and the singer decided to re-string it instead of using another instrument. He kept the audience entertained with stories and fan interaction. This included talking about his parents and proclaiming, “Mothers are special people.” Other life lessons received on this break included, Patience is a virtue,” followed by, “So is temperance.” Lessons we can all live by – although I’m sure the bar would prefer you save your temperance for another day. The night concluded with Titus and Free Energy combining to form one giant super group. The group agreed on stage they would be called Temporary Tattoos, since one member had gotten everyone temp tattoos before. They sang AC/DC’s hit “It’s A Long Way To The Top” to finish the night. There was no encore, but I thought the way they ended it was perfect as it was.

Alex Band @ Highline – June 6, 2010

If you were at Highline Ballroom last night, then you know that there were a lot of things that made the night special. First of all, there was a good mix of the new solo material and some of his hits with The Calling (including Adrienne, Stigmatized, and the #1 song of the decade – Wherever You Will Go). I’ll admit, Stigmatized was never one of my favorite songs off that record (I never hated it, simply liked others a lot more). Having said that, I also have to admit the song sounded very good live. He even did a special extended live edition with some good guitar riffs in the opening. Since I have always respected an artist more for their ability to play live over their recordings, I have to give kudos where they are due. This kind of connects to my next point – the most important factor to what amounted to a successful night.

The biggest thing that made the evening special was Alex himself. He is is a special guy, pure and simply (and I mean that in the best connotation of that word). This was shown from little things like an attempt to make eye contact with his audience (well, as best as he could with all the lights), to the sheer amount of energy he put into his performance. He has a good personality both onstage and off. He doesn’t talk too much during the performance – that is a time reserved for the music and pleasing the fans. He even asks how he’s doing about midway through the set, showing he cares how his fans are enjoying themselves so far. He saves most of the talking for after the set is over, which brings me to my favorite part of the evening.

After every show on his tour, Alex has enjoyed going to the merch table and talking to any of the fans who want to meet with him. A willingness to mingle with the fans is a common factor in all of my favorite musicians, but I especially loved the way Alex managed this. After the set was over and he made his announcement, everyone who was interested lined up at the merch table to buy things (more money for Alex = more music for us later on). Alex signed our CDs and posters without us even having to ask, talking to each person as he did so (and even taking pictures with whomever wanted them). This level of fan interaction is what will place him on my list of favorite artists. Alex has shown his dedication to his music and his fans trumps whatever money he could potentially make from this career path, which makes him an example of what more musicians should be like. Too often an artist will get a taste of success and let it take over for them. I hope Alex continues down his chosen path for years to come and is rewarded for it in the end.

Jukebox the Ghost Light Themselves On Fire At Bowery Ballroom

Last night Miniature Tigers, Jukebox the Ghost, and Free Energy played to an incredibly packed Bowery Ballroom. Miniature Tigers were the opener, and they succeeded in warming up the crowd for the main event with their unique beats. Next was Jukebox the Ghost, who played the best set I have ever seen from them since my first performance of theirs at Knitting Factory (back when it was still on Leonard St). They played a good mix of old and new tunes, with a cover thrown in the middle. They began with Static and ended with Good Day (which seems to be their classic final piece). The cover I mentioned was Donna Lewis “I Love You Always Forever”, which they gave a fresh feeling to that made the song their own. They also played the classics “Hold It In” and “Victoria” (among others) and some new stuff as well. It was announced that the band has signed with Yep Rock Records and the new album will be released early September. For all the latest news be sure to follow the band on their Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter. I also recently discovered their last.fm page, which elicited possibly a little too much excitement. For me, it showed how big these guys are getting and the bright future they have ahead. After the show, I told Ben about that possibly being the best set ever and how I wasn’t just saying that because of a bias I have for the band. One of the other things I love about them (besides their music) is ever since that day we talked after the Union Square show I have been able to talk to some of the members (and those surrounding them) at every show I have been to. (Note: I have been to almost every show they have played in NYC since that first time I heard them). This isn’t about being crowned #1 Fan though. This is to try to share something special I found out there in the music world. Don’t want to take my word for it? Then find out for yourself. The next date in the area is July 13th at 92Y (which would make it a smaller show than the Bowery one). Although this date has not been posted on the website, it was announced at the show last night. (Anyone affiliated with the band can feel free to correct me if I heard this wrong).

Going back to last night’s show, the final act for the night was Free Energy. This was the only band I had never heard before, but they definitely lived up to their name. There was plenty of energy from both the stage and the audience. It was a great end to what I would describe as a lively and energetic night. I’ve never walked away from a show feeling both energized and exhausted before, but that was what happened last night. I wonder if that’s how the bands who perform feel as well? Anyone who wants to provide an answer to that one can either leave a comment or email me at munchkin275@hotmail.com.