2006, Jul-Sep

Be Your Own Pet; The Black Lips; Imaginary Icons
@ Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY - September 29, 2006

A night of hard rock n roll. BYOP's lead singer, Jemina Pearl, seemed quite disinterested in performing, and gimmick or not, I don't like that. Especially considering that when I saw this band in February, Jemina was rocking out on stage, having a great time. The boys in the band are getting quite good at their instruments and show potential to expand their musical horizons should they ever choose to do so.
The Black Lips have really defined themselves by now as a band that plays good songs badly. Songs like "Oh Katrina" really showcase the band's talents as a pure rock n roll band but their insistance on playing most of their songs out of tune and to distract everyone with gimmicks continues to hinder them. That being said though, if they have fun with it and their fans love it then so what. I could personally do without the smoke machine, the flashing lights, the spitting, the vomiting, the peeing, and the penis exposure but their fans seem to dig it. The underage girls who populated the crowd really seemed to love all that kind of stuff but considering that the leader of the underage girls in the crowd was Jemina Pearl, I guess it doesn't matter or mean anything.
Opening act Imaginary Icons are a straight up garage punk band with the successful ability to have all their songs stand out from each other. Led by Tom Dash, would you expect anything without substance? I think not.

The Raconteurs; Dr. Dog
@ Roseland Ballroom
New York, NY - September 25 & 26, 2006

First off I need to apologize to readers of this blog. I did not intend for the music half of this blog in 2006 to be almost entirely focused on the Raconteurs. It just happened to work out that way (multiple gigs, affordability, news & developments). By now, anyone who actually reads this thing must groan at sight of the name "Raconteurs" and probably for that matter "Dirtbombs" as well but that just the way it be right now, kids. So bear with me.

I still don't understand how the band of storytellers came up with this Western motif they got going on (Ennio Morricone theme entrances, the occasional cowboy-esque hat, the brown and gold colors) but it works. Initially the band had no theme (the website is still designed as a primitive old Commodore style computer) but this is clearly the direction the band has taken. And it works.

When I first saw the band live at Irving Plaza in April, they were great but it didn't feel perfect. The songs clicked but not all the way. The band was tight but not incredibly tight. All that has now changed. Over the last few months, touring incessantly, this little outfit has filled in all the extra adjectives. In a microcosm, let's take their cover of "Bang Bang" (the Cher/Bono song made famous by Nancy Sinatra and revived in Quentin Tarantino's ode to Spaghetti Westerns, Kill Bill). When the band first started doing the song over the summer, the mp3 bootlegs revealed a disjointed, sloppy sounding stutter step (in fact, the way it was done, it sounded better for the White Stripes to cover). But by these last two nights, it's become more than solid, more than finely executed - it's perfect. The band sounds perfect. Maybe they were helped by the acoustics of Roseland but I first caught wind of this at the Prada gig. They are now fulfilling the hype the fans of their previous bands generated. They have met expectations. (Notice I did not say "exceed" because that would set the bar impossibly high but that day may yet come.)

Electric Six; Aberdeen City
@Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY - September 16, 2006

Except for the jerks in the mosh pit down below, it was a decent night for E6. Unfortunately, some of the new songs lack any compelling sizzle. They're not so much run of the mill as they are squandered opportunities. Then again, I didn't like most of Senor Smoke when I first heard it but it quickly grew on me. One song off the new album is fantastic, as good as anything Dick Valentine and co. have ever done - "I Buy The Drugs" so here's the video:

Openers Aberdeen City are a Boston band that mix a previous E6 opener, She Wants Revenge, with The Smiths. And they aren't as good as either of those bands, especially of course the latter. So eh.

The Raconteurs
@Prada Store
New York, NY - September 8, 2006
*The second night of infamy. Awkward-gate.

Yeah I was at a 200 VIP only party at the Prada Store for Fashion Week to see the Raconteurs play.

Actually I met my girlfriend outside the place because she wanted to get a glimpse of what was going on but we unexpectedly were able to hear the whole show loud and clear outside. Big thanks to the bouncer who let us stand right outside and even block the doors and also for rocking out with us!

The band was in great form, tighter than ever, even doing a smashing cover of Cher's (and Nancy Sinatra's) "Bang Bang" (I had hear an mp3 of previous performances and let's just say that the band has quickly worked this one out better).

That's pretty much it but if I have any readers that are into the Celebrity Gossip Sighting Stuff, here it is - a Blue Republic one time only event - Eric goes Hollywood: Orlando Bloom, Seth Green (who talks to the food truck guys outside), Mark McGrath, Griffin Dunne (!!! - actual talent), Lisa Marie Presley, Harvey or Bob Weinstein, Brian Grazer (who wasn't actually at the show but was walking away from the place as we were heading towards it), a guy from Interpol, Liv Tyler, Leelee Sobieski, and Winona Ryder (who left with the band, ha!).

X; Rollins Band; The Riverboat Gamblers
@ Nokia Theater Times Square
New York, NY - August 16, 2006

X is perfect. Any questions? Rollins Band is not my personal cup of tea despite my immense respect of Henry Rollins. But if you like his music in addition to his words, then you wouldn't have been disappointed. The day after I saw the openers, the Riverboat Gamblers, I read they were on Spin Magazine's Top 25 live acts. While this Texas hard rock band does put its collective heart out, the songs all sound the same and the lead singer's lame antics and Iggy Pop crowd-mingling ripoff got old fast.

The Dirtbombs
@Rocks Off Concert Cruise
New York, NY - July 30, 2006

Two full sets. That's right - two full sets. With food on board. And the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline around us. Highlights included "Shake Shivaree", "If You Want", "I Want Need Love You ", all the usual, and covers "Missionary Man", "War Pigs", and "Oh Katrina" (the new great song from the Black Lips). They also did Brian Eno's "Baby's on Fire". Also per usual, they just about entirely trashed their instruments. All that was missing was a couple of captain's hats and some pirate talk.

The Dirtbombs; The Dansettes; The Demands
@ Maxwell's
Hoboken, NJ - July 29, 2006

The night before the Dirtbombs set sail on a cruise off the island of Manhattan, they played at the old Maxwell's stomping grounds and dusted off old chestnuts like "Little Miss Chocolate Syrup", "Stuck Under My Shoe", and "I Can't Stop Thinking About It". It couldn't have been better (except for the confusion that led to no encore but this was made up for, the next night).
Openers The Dansettes were a straight-up Motown soul revival party band. But you should have known that by now. The Demands were another straight-up band, this time pure punk rock n roll. Excellent opener.

The Avatars; The Bamboo Kids; Electrajet
@Trash Bar
Brooklyn, NY – June 24, 2006

The Avatars returned to Brooklyn with technical problems and tired voices but still managed to pull off a decent gig. The Bamboo Kids, who have been off the scene for awhile, have shed the early Clash look for blazers and a full head of hair, and also unfortunately seem to have lost the fans that packed the house the first two times I saw the trio. Nevertheless they sound better than ever and their new album in September promises to be good. Electrajet is an odd and successful trio, playing dark, almost grungey sounds but with a National Dobro guitar and an organ. My girlfriend said they have a “Tim Burton” feel to them and I liked that description.