2006, Apr-Jun

Pas/Cal; The White Rabbits
@ Mercury Lounge
New York, NY – June 22, 2006

Detroit’s Pas/Cal are not like – and not really associated with – the bands that have come to personify the “scene” that has come out of the Motor City over the last half-decade or so. Pas/Cal is more like the Decemberists, Velvet Underground, and jangle pop bands and a guy who is a bridge between Lou Reed, Colin Meloy, Wes Anderson and a flamboyantly feminine emo dude fronts it. In describing the band, the lead singer dubbed them the “Forlini’s of Detroit” in reference to a Downtown NYC restaurant that was met with silence by the crowd when the lead singer asked if anyone had been there. That about sums up Pas/Cal in context. The standout song is “Summer Is Almost Here”, one of the finer indie pop songs to be released in some time – composed of the hooks and melodies that don’t exceed mainstream friendliness or indie sloppiness. This is a great band for fuzzy feelings.
The White Rabbits are a New York band in which some of the band dress like 80’s English teen sensations Squeeze (and even have a drum kit that says “William Tell” on it). The band’s music flows between the dance-beat rock that’s all the rage and indie pop etherealness. Surviving several equipment and sound problems, the band was able to put forward a mix of stimulating tunes and meandering malaise. Both Pas/Cal and The White Rabbits opened for Asobi Seksu.

Mondo Topless; The Insomniacs
@ Magnetic Field
Brooklyn, NY – June 17, 2006

For the first time in over a year, Mondo Topless invaded Brooklyn for more good time rock n roll fun. Sam and the boys mostly played material from their new album, including the stellar “Louise” and the novelty hardcore…parody (?) “Beer”. The Insomniacs played more of their pop-fueled rock but nothing tops their “Switched On”.

The Raconteurs
@ Tower Records East Village
New York, NY – May 18, 2006
*The night of infamy, Wristband-gate.

Another sudden Raconteurs show in NYC, this time an in-store appearance at a Tower Records store. It was great seeing the band in an intimate setting (since they’ll never actually play small rock clubs) and it was great seeing them put up with technical difficulties that threw off the setlist (so the result was 3 acoustic songs, a 5-minute break, and then the real show). The songs are sounding solid and fantastic and it’s hard to believe this band is a collection of established artists.

The Yarrows
@Parkside Lounge
New York, NY – May 13, 2006

The streak seems to be over. The Yarrows were able to play a show at a venue that didn’t close up nor seems to have any plans to. The band sounds in fine form as it tests new songs out for a full length release in the fall. On a side note, Mike Myers had been in the crowd earlier in the night for another act. How random.

The Mooney Suzuki
@Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY – May 12, 2006

Finally seeing the Mooney Suzuki proper for the first time after all these years and it was rather anti-climactic. They played an incredibly short set of no more than 10 songs (the reason being they have a brand new bass player who doesn’t know enough songs yet), a few of which were new. More telling than the strong, ferocious live performance they put on, was the band’s tongue-in-cheek sense of relevance (or lack thereof, depending on how you want to look at it). Band leader Sammy said to the crowd “Hello we’re the Mooney Suzuki, you may remember us from such microfads as ‘New York is the new Seattle’ and ‘Rock n Roll is back’.” There’s not much else to report except that the new songs still sound like the band is heading for a softer touch and that it’s just a shame I didn’t get to see this band when they were scorching clubs in the days of Sammy’s short hair and before they licensed their songs for commercial use.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs; The Dirtbombs; The Black Lips
@ Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY – May 3, 2006
*And to think that 4 years before, the YYY were opening up for the Dirtbombs in small area clubs.

I hadn’t expected on going to this show until by dumb luck (and frustration) I found out that the Dirtbombs had suddenly been added to the bill and had played the night before and were playing again. My girlfriend and I were able to score tickets and we went. The YYY’s were a little slower paced at times than they were at the Bowery in February but for the most part they had the same mesmerizing set full of musical lusciousness and visceral energy. Sometimes the new music is so sexual it isn’t funny. They doled out “Pin” and “Y Control” again and finished off the show with “Date With the Night”, but again focused on the new material, which has proven to be one of the best albums of the year. “Phenomena”, “Honeybear” and the single “Gold Lion” are absolutely fantastic songs.

So how were the Dirtbombs? As usual they were the best. There is no other word for it…the best. It was awkward seeing them play in such a large venue (the loud but sparse cheers the band received upon coming on stage prompted Mick Collins to say “Thanks for knowing who we are”). We had balcony seats, however, so it was also a nice change to be able to visually take in the entire band as a whole (and we were treated to Ben Blackwell doing a headstand while playing the drums for our troubles). It was also different to hear the band from enough distance as to not have ringing ears by set’s end.

The Black Lips – who I finally was able to see a full set of – started off with a rocking song that recalled twangy country 60’s rock as done by garage bands but the rest of their set was an ode to the 13th Floor Elevators, case closed. That’s not necessarily a bad thing however.

The Black Hollies
@ Magnetic Field
Brooklyn, NY – April 15, 2006

With Mondo Topless canceling due to personal business, it was up to the Black Hollies to take it all on their own shoulders for a Saturday night of rock n roll and they lived up to the task. Showing marked improvement from the first time I saw them last September, the Hollies were tight on the riffs and smooth in execution though the lead singer still needs some work on the vocals. One of the guitarists showed off some unsuspecting soulful vocals for one number. In fact, the Hollies are sound almost identical to the band I saw them open up for last September, the Greenhornes. That’s not such a bad thing.

Soledad Brothers; Heartless Bastards; Beat The Devil
@ Mercury Lounge
New York, NY – April 8, 2006

Finally, I see the Soledad Brothers. I was supposed to see them the Friday following the 2004 election but I had too much of a case of the blues. Little did I know that the Soledad Brothers are the cure for what ails ya. Guitarist and lead singer Johnny Walker, drummer Ben Swank, guitarist/vocalist/saxophonist Oliver Henry, and now along with organist and Frenchman Dechman, comprise one of the best rockin’ outfits tearing it up today. Whether it “I-75 Boogie”, “The Gospel According to Johnny”, “Cage That Tiger”, or “Going Back to Memphis” (which may arguably be the best live blues jam song written in generations), the boys from Toledo offer rock n roll at its finest.

Heartless Bastards are another Ohio rock ensemble, from Cincinnati. A lot more downchord than the Soledads, the Bastards begin their songs with riffs reminiscent of the Pixies but their able-voiced lead female singer/guitar player, Erica Wennerstrom, takes the band on a pop journey, including sparks of early 60’s melodies. It’s a neat mixture of dark and light but it’s a little underwhelming.

The first act we caught of the night, Beat The Devil, is an art-house spoken word cabaret act that gets a little metal. It also gets a little dull.

The Raconteurs; The Muldoons
@ Irving Plaza
New York, NY – April 7, 2006

Talk about a night of full circle. The most anticipated project in recent history made it’s American debut in bombastic style but was humbled both by its own hubris and its opening act. Let’s delve into this. The Raconteurs are the first side-project for Jack White since Loretta Lynn’s Do-Whaters and the first to be taken as a serious stand-alone band to remain around for a long time. The rhythm section of the Do-Whaters, who are also the boys from the Greenhornes, drummer Patrick Keeler and bassist “Little” Jack Lawrence (whom we also know from Blanche), are now the rhythm section for this band. Co-leading the band with Jack in vocals, guitar work, and song writing is Brendan Benson. The ultimate Detroit (with respect to Cincinnati) Supergroup has arrived, though Jack has moved to Nashville and is hailing the band as coming from there (or at least, so it appears). The Raconteurs released their first limited edition single last month, cut a video for it, and then did a handful of shows in England (how any legitimate American rock artist must start out) and a couple of radio shows. Then they announced their North American debut with this show at Irving Plaza.

The gig sold out amazingly quickly and the hype was on. So we come to the show. The bouncers are absolutely paranoid about picture taking, on orders of the “management” (and later changed to the “band”) and there is an unfortunate but understandable barrier set-up between the crowd and the stage. It is apparent that Jack White is prepared for the explosion of the White Stripes to happen all over again (or something less flattering is afoot). But the crowd turned out to be fairly decent, no moshing or crowd surfing, but far from dull.

And so the band took the stage to the sounds of old Western cowboy themes (including the theme used in Kill Bill Vol. 2) dressed in plaid as they’ve been known to do, a giant lush “R” and huge metal lamps hanging behind them, and the Plaid Cowboys let the show rip with their grooving blues-rock number “Level”. All night the band fluttered between out-right hard-rocking 3-chord rock and almost-progressive jam-like arena rock, with a ballad or two thrown in for good measure. The Raconteurs are meant to recall the hard rock bands of the 70’s with a fresh perspective (though their covers of the Flamin’ Groovies, Love, and David Bowie indicate a respect for the less commercial music that inspired these guys and their peers). The penultimate song “Blue Veins” is an ode to Zeppelin/Floyd blues but with a stark presence of latter-day blues men like BB King and Buddy Guy – it was a surprisingly smooth and soulful blues epic rather than the nitty gritty dirty raw nasty blues we’ve come to expect from Jack. And in less than an hour, the show was over. A packed, celebrity-filled crowd, rock snobs, hipsters, rockers, stringent rules – you couldn’t get more hyped than this…but the Raconteurs delivered and delivered more than what could be asked for. But how is this full circle?

The opening act were the Muldoons. Drummer Brian Muldoon was Jack’s teacher in his upholstery shop lo’ those many years ago in the 1990’s and was Jack’s first recording partner in the band fittingly called The Upholsterers. Brian has two sons, one middle-school aged - Hunter, the other elementary school-aged – Shane and he has taught them well in the school of rock. Jack produced their first single for Ben Blackwell’s Cass Records, and the trio played their first shows ever for the White Stripes last year. And here they are, making their New York debut, opening for Jack’s latest thing. Little Shane may not have the soothing voice, but it is a treat live, especially visually – what with his little tie, his little fingers on the neck, the little strap falling off his little shoulder, and his great ability to emulate all the great rockers as he crashes to his knees and plays the guitar behind his head. Older brother Hunter is shaping up to be an excellent three-cord guitar monster, best showing his chops on “Red and Black” and similar sounding songs. When the band took things to an all-out punk level, it seemed a bit much after awhile, but there is nothing to scoff at with these kids and their Dad. This was a smart and fun way to open up this full circle night.

Scott H. Biram; Hazmat Modine
@Mercury Lounge
New York, NY – April 6, 2006

Opening up for the Legendary Shack Shakers, Mr. Biram returned to New York with a full-on beard, a little rubber chicken on his mic stand, and the same brash attitude of his “dirty old one man band”. Sporting a Jimi Hendrix t-shirt and singing a range of blues/country/metal songs which can best be described by Biram himself at one moment in the show: “That song was about loving your bother…this song is about forgetting…where you buried your girlfriend.” Last time Biram was here he was headlining a Monday night show, coming to town pretty much by his lonesome, which helped fuel his combative “fuck you all” attitude. On this night, he was surrounded by a bunch of Texas and Shack Shaker friends, so we got to see for the first time a happier, nicer, more comfortable Scott Hiram Biram, whom Jesus still loves, and we love probably even more. Opening act Hazmat Modine were an invite of the Shack Shakers and it’s not hard to see why: An eclectic 7-piece band, Hazmat Modine starts out playing music best described as a cross between Klezmer and Cajun before turning into a full-on Cajun jazz blues band. Featuring a great trumpet player, two harmonica players, and one wacky tuba, this was a fine opening act though they ran a little long and the lead singer’s interaction with the crowd was cornball.