2008, Apr-Jun

The Hold Steady; The Loved Ones; J. Roddy Walston & The Business
@ McCarren Park Pool
Brooklyn, NY - June 29, 2008

The first Jelly NYC Pool Party of The Stay Positive Constructive Summer of 2008 was also the Tad Kubler Birthday Bash. The man himself provided some of the most intense solos I've seen him do, on all sorts of guitars, and it really made the concert. Well that, and the fact that the stormy skies let up just in time for the entire set.
THS played pretty much all of the new record and as of right now, half of it seems to be a bit on the sloppy, slow side. But as with all things Hold Steady, it may just take some time to get into. The stuff that does work already - the title track "Stay Positive", "Constructive Summer", "Magazines", "Sequestered in Memphis", "Lord I'm Discouraged" - work swimmingly (bad pool party reference). "Slapped Actress" has adequately replaced "Killer Parties" as the finale. The rest of the set was filled in by great renditions of already great material - "Stuck Between Stations", "Multitude of Casualties", "Chips Ahoy", "Banging Camp" and so on. A really rocking version of "Same Kooks" was a bit of a more-than-pleasant surprise, as was "Arms and Hearts", one of a bit too many ballads played this day but it worked very well.

The Loved Ones were a terrible mall punk band that weren't just Warped Tour bad, they were BEYOND Warped Tour bad. I'd rather see Paramore. I'm not joking. Like Dude, they were like, 30 Seconds to Mars bad. That's BAD.

J. Roddy and the Business made an impressive showing at the Langhorne Slim release party (and it certainly may have impressed Craig Finn of the Hold Steady because he was at that gig, liked them, and now here they are opening for his band). Could their brand of 70's-homage southern arena rock hold up for a second showing? Ehhhh. It worked for the first few songs but how much of this can one take? I figured they'd make for a good opener for the Hold Steady and they did but I wouldn't be in any rush to see them again.

Clare & The Reasons
@ Joe's Pub
New York, NY - June 27, 2008

Deep, textured, extra lush pop music usually doesn't go hand-in-hand with words like "raw" and phrases like "stripped down" yet that is exactly what is going on in the world of Clare Muldaur and her band. This is one of those rare treats when one can hear pop music at its purest form, devoid of technological production in any way (well, except for some electricity used for the guitars, amps, and speakers but that's about it) and really come to appreciate it. This red bedecked ragtag group of mushy misfits conjure up elemental feelings and make you swim in them. Between Clare's giddy little voice (which on occasion approaches Billie Holiday, and no foolin'!) and the band's spit-shine polish, it really becomes one of those cliche cases where one can forget their troubles for a bit. Whether it is cute little musings like "Pluto", slightly more serious works like "Under The Water" and "Alphabet City", or goofball comedy numbers like "Can Your Car Do That? (I Don't Think So)", one understands why the band's record is called The Movie, since it feels like the soundtrack to some ironic, New York romantic comedy gone awry. Hilariously awry.

Oh, by the way, Clare & The Reasons may have saved a certain candidate for President. After a week of some dicey, somewhat shocking calls that alienated the candidate from his supporter here at SP, the band's rendition of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" with all the lyrics shelved in place of simply singing the name "Obama", conjured up all those gooey "it's the personality, not the issues" swooning that got this old schlub excited about the campaign in the first place. Oh so we differ on the death penalty, so what? What's a little major policy conflict when you got New York's best and brightest singing your name to the tune of the most famous movie song of all time? There's even a Kansas connection for pete's sake. Alright, all is forgiven...for now.

Gogol Bordello; State Radio; Murder by Death
@ McCarren Park Pool
Brooklyn, NY - June 20, 2008

Jack T. Conqueror, joining me in attendance at this mammoth gig, said it best (paraphrasing): "this is either a real sign of the internationality and universality of music or this is the Village People", and the truth with Gogol Bordello is that it is both. For every second that the shtick and the monstrosity of the shtick serve as overkill, there is a second of absolute success and brilliance. If they weren't so talented, they couldn't pull it off. Eugene and company certainly set out to give you your money's worth and they succeed at that. The only real problem they have is that a period of exhaustion quickly sets in...as in, YOU, the concert goer (or in this case, ME, the concert goer) gets exhausted. Maybe it's because I'm not one of the hundreds of fans going absolutely ballistic upfront. A good chunk of the success of a Gogol concert is the fandom. It is hypnotic to see the most eclectic crowd in New York also be the most intense crowd in New York. And that by rationale, the immensity of the band, the sound, and the venue all work very well.
That immensity did not work well for the other bands on the bill. State Radio in particular may not work well anywhere for any reason period. A hypermix of stoner metal, white boy reggae (and not that good Clash kind of white boy reggae), and Warped Tour stupidity, these Boston kids just don't cut it.
Murder by Death actually suffered from the surroundings. They played too early to too small a crowd in too big a venue. The hollowness of the environs swallowed their sound and made them seem a little off, even if they really weren't. For whatever reason (maybe these just listed) Adam seemed to focus on more of the downer numbers, the ones that require him to moan just a slight bit. To see Murder by Death in their absolute prime, see them in small, humble places in order to appreciate their humble effort at making compelling outlaw rock. When they want to tear it up, they certainly can, and they certainly should, on a regular basis.

R.E.M.; Modest Mouse; The National
@ Madison Square Garden
New York, NY - June 19, 2008

When I first caught wind of this tour, I instantly assumed that it would be the kind of thing where R.E.M. would pass the torch to the National as the Indie-ethic Pop-Rock Band of the Nation (sorry Mr. Brock for skipping you over). I don't know how the rest of the tour has gone, but based on the sound in the Garden tonight, if you were new to the National, you were probably not very impressed, and you also had no reason to see R.E.M. pass on or cede anything.

Stipe, Buck, Mills, and their two amigos came out wailing and they never let up. Playing only a couple of ballads, and everything being short and sweet, R.E.M. made the case for arena rock to live on just a little bit longer. The hypnotic goings on behind the band - a series of screens that relayed the scene on stage as if it was an already edited and produced performance video - were not only beyond impressive, they were actually distracting. At one point, it was even safe to wonder if the show would have been half as interesting without it. But the ferocity of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" and "Bad Day" easily silenced that. Other highlights included the Mike Mills-led "Don't Go Back to Rockville", the Johnny Marr-joined "Fall on Me", "Losing My Religion", "Supernatural Superserious", "The One I Love", and "Man on the Moon". Michael Stipe did something I never thought he did...ever: He smiled and laughed a lot. In his dapper striped suit, the ever chatty, chrome domed Stipe had his usual political things to say but had even more to say in the field of being friendly, open, and inviting. Like the band's music.

Isaac and the gang in Modest Mouse sounded exactly as they should have. In fact they sounded even better when I closed my eyes and let their music wash over me. Like their records, either you like it or you don't or you like some of it. I fall into that third category. "Dashboard" was the real highlight, though "Fire It Up" also stood out. Something tells me they are tearing it up right now at the Music Hall of Williamsburg with their sudden late show.

While the Garden was kind to R.E.M. and Modest Mouse, it was surprisingly a bit rough on Brooklyn's best. The hollow cavern of the arena stilted the strings and winds of all types as the National were in deluxe mode, Padma Newsome and the horn section all in cahoots. Of course they didn't sound bad, but if you were new to the band tonight, you wouldn't think they were full of lush, symphonic melodies. In fact, you would have thought they were a loud rock band, as all that came through were the beats and some of the Dessner guitar grind. If there was anything on the up and up, it was Berringer's voice. Already something divine live, Matt's vocals seemed even more powerful and more prominent in the arena.

It's funny. When I first started praising and passing on the gospel of the National, my immediate pitch to the uninitiated was "a little like R.E.M.". Tonight, the two bands couldn't have sounded more different. Don't be fooled though. Whether they were chilling with "Fake Empire" or inspiring warmth with the Barack-dedicated "Mr. November" (I called that one a year ago, though the "Great White Hope" line may not be the best thing to bandy about), the National still laid claim to the mantle that was fashioned by bands like R.E.M. two decades ago - thoughtful, intricate pop-rock that despite whatever torrent of sub-genre labels one may wish to slap down, transcends categories and simply inspires.

The Airborne Toxic Event
@ Pianos
New York, NY - June 12, 2008

This may be the most original band in America. They don't sound or look like anyone else. So far the only thing they repeat is their intense and immense performance on their visits to New York City and Pianos in particular. Whether they are playing straight up rock n' roll like "Does This Mean You're Moving On?" and "Gasoline", pleasant pop like "Happiness Is Overrated" (you can catch their February Pianos performance of this song shot by yours truly here), or monster, thundering bust-your-heart-into-a-million-pieces power ballads like "Sometime Around Midnight" and "Wishing Well", Mikel and company construct deep-seeded, substantive songs.

Free of gimmicks, pressure, cliquishness, and all those other things that usually go with the territory of rock n' roll, the Airborne Toxic Event curl up with a literary bent, and then unfurl a torrent of prose and poetry. On a deeper level than even that, they just know how to tear it up. The twin Fender Jaguar guitar attack by Mikel and Steve make for some potent mixes of boogie and pop. "Shy"Anna is a one woman wrecking crew on keyboards, viola, tambourine, and sudden mosh pits on the floor literally knocking this poor old writer for a loop. Meanwhile, Noah and Daren provide the most pumping, pounding rhythm section to come along in a long while.

Earlier today, I was asked to name my five favorite bands playing in the world of music right now: I easily came up with the Dirtbombs, the National, the Hold Steady, and Camera Obscura. The fifth took me a second, and I realized it was the Airborne Toxic Event. And as if to back me up, tonight's crowd demanded, and received, the first opening band encore that I have ever witnessed.

Once again, Pianos was too small to hold it in. Forget just the loud crowd that was jammed in like sardines. The sound of the band seemed to test the walls. During the crescendo within "Sometime Around Midnight", it felt like the floor was about to tear apart. When
they blow away the Fratellis' fans tomorrow night at Webster Hall, they are going to have figure out a bigger place to play (Mercury Lounge, Mercury Lounge, Mercury Lounge) when they come back, probably next month.

The debut LP is out August 5th on Majordomo. I can't wait.

The Raconteurs; The Black Lips
@ Terminal 5
New York, NY - May 31, 2008

Is it me? Maybe it's me. Sure, the new record is one bit of awful but why should that affect the live show? These are the Raconteurs after all, this is Jack White after all. Whether it did or not, it was bad. Bad bad. All those little things that signify a Jack White show - the between-song pounding, the ins and outs and ins again of songs, etc etc was annoying. They even looked annoying. Obviously, the venue didn't help with its stifled sound and ridiculous set up.

The Black Lips are the most overrated band in America. They cannot play. And not in that punk aesthetic sort of way. They just can't play. Their songs that sound good on record still sound good live but we're talking about a handful of songs like "Bad Kids", "Oh Katrina", and "Make It". Otherwise, they are pretty damn bad.

The BellRays; The Architects; Nathan Halpern
@ The Delancey
New York, NY - May 24, 2008

There is no band in the world quite like the BellRays. Not a one. They could be playing hard charging rock or they could be playing blissful soul ballads, and you know who you are hearing in each method and that is amazing. Of course when they find ways to mix it up within songs, that's also amazing. Lisa Kekaula's voice is beyond reproach, and the boys in the band are top of the line. Two extra shouts of praise for drummer Craig Waters - first for his drum solo of the year and second for wearing a marathon running outfit. Brilliant.
Little bitty Delancey lounge could barely contain the sheer force of the band's sound, but not only did it contain the sound, it sounded great. This is one of the best venues in the city, and it seems to be rarely used.
Insta-Clip

When the Architects from Kansas City began their set, I thought to myself "Gee, these guys seem to be really inspired by AC/DC". Then lead singer Brandon Phillips (sporting a Wonka Vision shirt of all things) added the end of "Highway to Hell" to one of their songs. Then I saw his AC/DC brand belt. So it all made sense. One would like to think that this is what AC/DC sounded like on the club circuit in the 70's but with a slight touch of modern American punk. It's mostly pretty damn good.
Insta-Clip

Nathan Halpern began his set with a cover of Buddy Holly's "Everyday" and then launched into a real boogie-woogie Elvis Presley-like romp with his fun band. And it was great. The more contemporary alt-pop ballads and bar band-ish rockers were fine enough but they didn't top the opening.

DeVotchKA; Basia Bulat; Fancy Trash
@ Terminal 5
New York, NY - May 20, 2008

DeVotchKa are the true gypsies of rock n' roll, taking big hunks of everything, notably Mexican and Russian sounds, and putting it together for both thunderous and symphonic purposes. When backed by their string section, they are luscious, atmospheric. But when they are at their basic 4, they are whip-snapping, Moricone-rock connoisseurs. This dynamic can be summed up purely in lead singer/guitarist Nick Urata, who can serenade like a crooner before sending the crowd straight to hell. Mad professor of strings and various keyboards Tom Hagerman and drummer/horn man Shawn King administer their departments with the upmost duty, and Jeanie Schroder is a thumping, solid bass player when she isn't possibly the only woman who can dance around in a dress while playing a sousaphone.
Terminal 5's sound was hard on that big sousaphone but other than that, the now notoriously crampy and difficult hall was generous to the Colorado contingent. Or it could have just been that DeVotchKa conquered the difficulties.

Basia Bulat, by all rights, should be the next mega female Indie rock singer. Her voice may very well be unparalleled in her generation. To call it exquisite is to do it injustice. It is beyond anything as humble as the word "exquisite". Her songs are little blankets of joy and melancholy, and her choice of covers - like Daniel Johnston - are as sweet and adorable as her demeanor. She tamed big, bad Terminal 5 with that sensational voice and her tiny, little catalog of music. She's a big dose of sunshine in a sad world.

Fancy Trash are from Massachusetts and they seem like it. These guys should be working the door to the Newhart mountain hotel. These guys define safe, older, acoustic pop. That's not a swipe, though. They construct and perform pretty substantive songs.

The Long Blondes; Drug Rug; The Subjects
@ Bowery Ballroom
May 16, 2008

The Long Blondes are a pretty snappy, and very solid British rock outfit out of Sheffield. Led by spunky yet vampish singer Kate Jackson, who has legs up to her neck, the band's eclectic nature most readily identifies them with Blondie. Not that every eclectic disco-punk band led by a sassy chick needs to be compared to Blondie, but in this case it's obvious. And it works. How they aren't dominating radio is a mystery.
Three times now this band called Drug Rug has snuck onto a bill I already intended on attending. This time the band was slightly stripped down by a member or two and it had a bit of an affect as they seemed to lose a tad step in the country rock stomp department that they previously did so well. Let's get back to full strength kids.
The Subjects began strong and ended with a sleek flourish of Indie pop but the middle was kind of...lacking. But their affable nature, and devotion to their sound, should spell big things to come.

Jukebox the Ghost; Morning State
@ Mercury Lounge
New York, NY - May 10, 2008

I know the XYZ Affair headlined the show. I know that. But something came up and I had to leave. I'll make it up to those boys, I promise. I know they put on another fine show.
Jukebox the Ghost, for what I saw of them, offered very friendly pop in a very friendly manner and in all senses, they were quite...friendly. A little hokey...but in a good way.
Morning State were by the book pop. Not "by the numbers". By the book. "By the numbers" is bad. "By the book" is good. Get it? They know what they're doing, and they're doing it right.

The Hold Steady; The Virgins; Republic Tigers; Bad Veins
@ Webster Hall
New York, NY - May 2, 2008

This was the second consecutive Hold Steady show that was part of a special corporate event, in this case a Target sponsored showcase as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. THS served as the celebratory nightcap for what seemed to be a battle of the bands. Taking it easy on the new material, and serving up delectable renditions of their usuals as well as songs like "Multitude of Casualties" and "How A Resurrection Really Feels", Craig and the boys were in fine form.

The Virgins are the latest in the long of line blog-buzz-hype bands and guess what? They actually lived up to said hype. If the Strokes and the Cars had a baby, this would be it. They were fun, sprightly, colorful, and full of pep. They also join the Dirtbombs as the second band this year to cover INXS' "Devil Inside".

Remember a few years ago when a lot of bands had the word "republic" in their name? And a handful had "tigers"? Well these guys may be a bit behind in hipster etymology (maybe "Republic Bears" and "Republic Wolves" were already taken) but they've tapped into cacophonous indie pop rather...well? Some of it worked, most of it didn't. They also need to lighten up a bit.

Bad Veins also had a little bit of a Strokes thing going on. If only in that the lead singer of this odd duo used a bullhorn and an old telephone to get that Casablancas singing style down. But these Cinci kids were more like the Republic Tigers than the Virgins, and they were even a little bit more out of it than said Republic Tigers and yet somehow they won $10,000 out of this event.

Langhorne Slim; Hoots & Hellmouth; Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson; J Roddy Waltson & The Business
@ Mercury Lounge
New York, NY - April 30, 2008

Why is Langhorne Slim so damn good? Is it the showmanship and the skill? Is it the class act good nature stage presence? There may not be a nicer fella making music today. His guitars kept going out of tune, he broke a string, other stuff was amiss - at his big record release party, and he took it all in stride, having fun to the very end. It was a special night - after years and years of working hard, Langhorne was headlining a sold out (way in advance) show on a Wednesday night at the Mercury Lounge. And just fresh off the heels of opening for Josh Ritter at the Music Hall, where he himself will be headlining in a month. With his excellent War Eagles in tow, Langhorne Slim is settling in comfortably for a long career of well deserved success.

Hoots & Hellmouth remain an exceptionally fun and well-oiled bluegrass stomp machine out of Philadelphia. They are still one of the best kept secrets in the Northeast but for how much longer?

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson has too long of a name and a terrible, lazy, out of tune singing voice. Except for a few songs that had something to latch on to, most of it was adrift in nothingness. What the heck was this?

J Roddy Waltson & The Business are essentially a 70's arena rock band doing boogie woogie blues. It would be almost uninspired and devoid of creativity if it wasn't for the fact that this was about as energetic and fervent a band as has been seen in awhile. The energy, the raw thunder, was off the scale. And they attracted some interesting people in their audience...in other words, stay tuned because you may be seeing this band in some bigger places real soon.

Jesse Malin; De Novo Dahl; Holly Brook; Pop Girls Etc.; The Orion Experience
@ Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY - April 26, 2008

Jesse Malin started out with an acoustic set through much of which he ranted on and on about the state of the music industry and technology. When he didn't do covers of Jim Croce ("Operator") and the Hold Steady ("You Can Make Him Like You"), he did his own material, stuff full of simple 90's radio pop hooks that are easy to like but also easy to get annoyed with rather quickly. The ranting, however, went on so long that after 45 minutes it didn't seem clear when the whole band would take the stage, so - with time being a major factor - I left.
Jesse wasn't alone on stage though, he had a fox keyboard player with him and that sort of turned out to be the theme of the night. Georg and Yortuk would have had a wild and crazy time.
Nashville's De Novo Dahl are more erratic than eclectic, the latter of which they appeared to try to be. The songs don't all add up and they had more luck with their one dance number than the garage rockers they tried to muster up. The nudie suits were an annoying distraction but the fox in the band was not.
Holly Brook is a one fox band, a torch song singer of sorts who will be helping Jesse out on his European tour. She has a decent voice and the mood was fine...but for some other night. All the Degeneration folks in the crowd were a bit thrown off.
Pop Girls Etc. were the only band sans foxes. Four dudes with hit and miss offerings, the faster stuff worked a whole lot, the ballads blew the big one. They look like they wished they graduated high school circa 1970 but with a bit of 80's Breakfast Club longing one way and Potsie the other. The lead singer (who really did look like Potsie) has awful mic banter. Is the forgetting to finish the thought thing a gimmick?
Unfortunately, I was only able to catch the last two songs of the Orion Experience but they sounded as great as they did at the Luna Lounge awhile back. Their concept of dirty, filthy, raunchy sex songs performed in a spirit of sweet, sugary candy-rock may have a longer shelf life than one may think. It helps that they really know what they are doing up on stage. And of course, they have a fox in their band too (with a dynamite voice). And the leader of the gang, Orion himself, isn't such a bad looking chap either.

She & Him; Ola Podrida
@ Webster Hall
New York, NY - April 22, 2008

Where there is chaos there is opportunity and so despite selling out two shows in seconds at the tiny Hiro Ballroom, the apparent laryngitis plauging the lead singer resulted in a one night stand at Webster instead with extra tickets to sell.
Our Man Ward and His Gal Friday Zooey Deschannel offer us She & Him, a sweet-as-home-baked-chocolate-chip-cookies revue of 60's-flavored Country, Soul, and R&B. Though she could not speak, Zooey sang delicately and nimbly, and her charm was infectious. She was doe-eyed and smiling, and sporting signs to thank the crowd and all that jazz. Matt sang back up on all but his own song, the superb "One Magic Trick" from Post-War, and he was having a good time, relieved it seemed from being the sole center of attention.
The Country side of things proved to be a little dull and fractured, but the Soul and R&B components were ace perfect (the big exception in the country realm is the excellent "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"). Zooey's voice, despite this night belonging to a dolly dressed up like a pre-fame Loretta Lynn, is more attuned to classic elements of Jazz and Blues, than that style of country. In other words, she's more Memphis than Nashville. The cover of "You Really Got A Hold On Me" brought that Smokey Robinson classic to the very stripped down goose-bump-giving core of that song, a song that best exemplified that mix of Northern orchestral Pop and Southern Soul. "Bring It On Home To Me", their other cover of note for the night, was just a few minutes of bliss in an otherwise crazy world. And to bring it back to that theme of chaos and opportunity, that's really what She & Him are all about - a chance to take a breath in an increasingly maddening and loud society.

Ola Podrida were absolutely boring Country-Folk Pop.

Jay Reatard; CPC Gangbangs; The Diet Pills
@ The Silver Dollar
Toronto, ONT - April 17, 2008

In what should go down as one of the more infamous nights in Toronto rock history, Jay Reatard played for all of about 3 songs before calling it quits. The crowd was absolutely out of control. Unlike the madness the night before at the Horseshoe with the Dirtbombs, it was to be expected for there to be at least a little chaos on the floor for this show. But not only did it cross a line, it crossed the line almost from the start. It was almost as if the crowd didn't want Jay to play. It was almost as if they tried to sabotage the show on purpose. Can people be this dumb? The crowd smashed beer and glass and other objects on the equipment, and when someone unplugged Jay's guitar (what is the point of doing that?! Honestly!), that was it for Jay. But don't take my word for it:

And yet somehow, despite the oversold, overstuffed place, Mr. Pennypacker was able to make his way out of the place, and the only person who also made it outside at that point was...Jay Reatard! No riots ensued, Jay has since tried to make nice with the fans in the city of Toronto, but let it be said that in the department of rock fans, the first SP trip to Toronto was a real disaster.

Oh yeah the opening bands. CPC Gangbangs look like a hodgepodge of disparate garage punk bands come together and that's exactly how they sound. The first handful of songs were riff-heavy, good time fun. But the remainder of the set was populated by the noise and aimlessness that is plaguing the scene today.
The Diet Pills were a-ok. They had a surf edge to them and it made them standout.

The Dirtbombs, Kelley Stoltz
@ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
Toronto, ONT - April 16, 2008

The focal point of this show wasn't even the band. It was the crowd. Apparently a bunch of scenesters (I even heard one announce "I hope this band is good") thinking they were being cool, these morons broke the sacred rule of a Dirtbombs show: they moshed. They moshed with unauthorized drafting of innocent folks around them. They stage crashed and dived. They practically ruined the show, except that the Dirtbombs are so good, it's impossible to ruin a Dirtbombs show. Pat Pantano took it upon himself to question the heterosexuality of the troublemakers, knowing that such tactics usually disarm the meatheads who conduct such behavior. And as a band member, and not a priss in the crowd, he has some immunity from a backlash. And it worked. It also helped that the show ended with an AMAZING collaboration with the Kelley Stoltz band:

Speaking of Kelley Stoltz, third time was the charm. The band was tight, rockin', and full of pep and vigor. Everything was solid. They also sounded more pop than country on this night. Good work.

Hot Chip
@ Terminal 5
New York, NY - April 12, 2008

Hot Chip have certainly made an exciting run so far in 2008, in support of their excellent new album, Made In The Dark, the follow-up to the stellar, just about classic The Warning. In their live milieu, these sneaky petes show off a sensational knack for percussive rhythm, the live physics of which not only benefited an otherwise increasingly disastrous set-up at Terminal 5, it overshadowed the band's bread and butter - techno-rock. Hot Chip still excels most, though, when they mix that electronic half-clubber, half-nerd thing with r & b, hip hop, and soul. The drums work best on show starter "Shake A Fist", the guitar works best on the new single "One Pure Thought", the electronics - the synth sounds and back beats - work best on "Over and Over", and Alexis Taylor's vocals work best on pretty much everything, but especially the ballads. For a genre that is really not covered on this blog, these guys have certainly - with their creativity and originality - made one hell of an impression.

The Dirtbombs; Kelley Stoltz
@ Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY - April 11, 2008

At this point, after so many feeble attempts at being something akin to a rock critic, why bother? You all know how I feel about the music itself and about how they play live. All you need to know about tonight is that it was a much cooler, calmer performance than last night's explosion in Philadelphia. It was a straight, maybe even scaled back, performance - probably because the band was exhausted and also because the Bowery Ballroom just isn't conducive to Blackwell's shenanigans.
So let's just personalize it, in the spirit of a true blog, and not some half-assed hipster "mag" deal:

It was a night of accomplishment. After all these years, I was finally able to get a number of friends of mine to see the Dirtbombs live. It had only happened once before a couple years ago with my most notoriously stubborn and curmudgeonly rock classicist friend. The last two nights I was able to bring various sets of friends, from different walks of life, to see this unifying band. And it was a major success. Everyone was converted to a fan. Every single one. The non-rock guys loved the funky beats and the jams. The rock guys - one coming from the perspective of a musician, the other a casual fan whose personal tastes run along the lines of the Cure and the Smiths - each cited the same thing in their praise: professionalism. The casual fan even noted that having never seen either the Dirtbombs or Kelley Stoltz live before - and being a general fan of the Grateful Dead/Band style the latter works with - he was struck by how he was convinced he had just seen the highlight of the night until the Dirtbombs came on and made the whole thing look effortless (that's no slight at Stoltz, there is something admirable in what he's doing up on stage every night).
As a side bonus, 2 of the friends who did not previously know each other shared a fondness for comic books, which led to a nice discussion of the Alan Moore-infused "Leopard Man at C & A" with Mick Collins after the show (that song, by the way, as a live lead-off, is just phenomenal).

A lot of other bands have been filling the "pages" of this blog for a good while now and they are great bands all, but at the end of the night - by the power of their own performance, the warmth of the community they foster, and their ability to make true believers out of anyone - it is always satisfying to come home to the Dirtbombs.

The Dirtbombs; Kelley Stoltz; Mondo Topless
@ Johnny Brenda's
Philadelphia, PA - April 10, 2008

After an intense, pitch perfect, textbook, sensational set by the Dirtbombs, sheer, utter madness ensued. Perhaps enthused by Mick Collins' declaration that this was the best Philly crowd the Dirtbombs have ever had, Ben Blackwell just about went absolutely mental. He climbed up to and then off of the balcony, making like Spiderman across the ceiling track lights, then dropping onto the stage, not breaking or spraining a bone in his body, nearly falling on Sonic Parthenon's own Jack T. Conqueror (who in turn nearly stumbled into Elwood D. Pennypacker who was busy trying to stop Troy Gregory's mic stand from falling onto drinking glasses). Eventually, JTC - the musician at heart that he is - put Troy's mic set up back in place, while Ben resumed the madness on stage leading the gang (minus Mick) in a looooong (and I mean looooooooooong) noise jam that included a couple members of the Stoltz band. Never seen anything like it.

Do you like the Grateful Dead? If so then you'll like San Franciscan-based Kelley Stoltz and his good time hearty country-ish stompy, boogie thing. A lot of it works, some of it gets a bit old.

Mondo Topless were their usual rocking self but the native Philadelphians were subjected to a surprisingly empty hall, populated by a handful of Williamsburg-wannabe hipsters and some normal rock n' roll blokes too self-concious to lead a party.

The Dirtbombs
@ Other Music
New York, NY - April 7, 2008

Ahhhhhhhhhhh all is right with this very wrong world. The Dirtbombs returned to the island of Manhattan for the first time in a very long time, playing on solid ground at the epicenter of the Hipsterverse, the Other Music record shop on East 4th St. Rather than cater to the arms-crossed, chuck-taylor mode of music loving that emanates from the store, the band brought their loud, raw, distorted, yet gripping hooks to bear, tearing up (almost literally) the site. Playing We Have You Surrounded from front to back, the gang have the riffs down on most of it ("I Hear The Sirens" has arguably surged past "Wreck My Flow" as the standout of standouts), they are jamming the hell out of all of it, and they are getting a little rage out too - Ben nearly literally bringing down the house with his upside down drumming and throwing, Pat climbing the walls and tapping on the record shelves. In case you didn't know it before, you know it now: The Dirtbombs are back.

Murder by Death; O'Death; Kiss Kiss
@ Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY - April 4, 2008

Murder by Death are essentially ghosts. They lurk behind the scenes, making their spooky slices of gallantry and reflection in an alluring shroud. They seemed to have come from nowhere despite being one of the hardest working bands of the decade. And all their songs, in all shapes and sizes, combine a dirty, rough western edge with a sense of gravitas. And lead singer Adam Turla's mutton chops included, they cut an imposing presence, particularly Sarah Balliet on strings. Biting yet graceful.
O'Death were on fire this night, no other way to put it. Everything sounded swampy, stompy, and chilling. They had themselves a hootenanny but, much like their touring partners from Bloomington, they know how to stir a dark pot.
Kiss Kiss sounds like Dream Theater meets...well...Murder by Death. But it's not as good as it sounds.