Jose Gonzalez/Juana Molina/Psapp @ Bowery Ballroom

It was a virtual Neapolitan ice cream of flavors tonight at the Bowery Ballroom. You can scoop up each act individually or run your spoon across the whole thing. London's Psapp were the chocolate, Juana Malina is the strawberry, and Jose Gonzalez is the vanilla.

Starting with my new buddy Jose Gonzalez, being vanilla doesn't mean being bland. Many studies have shown that vanilla is the more popular flavor. It is essential in baking I can tell you that. In turn, Jose should be an essential part of your music collection. Sweden's answer to Norway's Kings of Convenience, the singer-songwriter is simply mesmerizing. His soft, effortless voice over traditional Spanish guitar can, depending on your mood, take you into a different plane of existence. It's no wonder he's embraced by the creative industry with his music inspiring graphic designers, animators and video makers. The music injects all sorts of images in your head.

I found myself tonight closing eyes and remembering specific images that I've experienced -- a train trip through France, sunsets over Los Angeles and people who are no longer a part of life. That Jose will get you.

Tonight, he pretty much played mostly from Veneer, which was re-released recently on Mute. He brough out some new songs, one of which doesn't even have a titled yet, but he affectionately called it "Bowery Ballroom." He performed three covers, the well-known The Knife's "Heartbeats," Massive Attack's "Teardrop" and Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart Again." His stage banter is minimum, with a shy smile during the overwhelming applause.

A lot more on Jose to come, as I talked with the man last afternoon. So look for that interview Sunday night.

Argentinian singer/songwriter/actress Juana Molina is the strawberry of tonight's live-up. Strawberry is a feminine kind of fruit, always bringing a smile to people's faces. As did Juana. She took me by surprise because her presence was a bit playful. Using looping pedals, keyboards, electronics and acoustic guitar, she weaved them all together to make some enchanting, Latin-flavored music. I especially enjoyed a story behind one of her songs. It turns out she was inspired by a neighbor's dog that would constantly bark all afternoon when the owner was away at work. Juana's neighbor didn't believe it, so Juana taped the dog barking for a week and played it to her neighbor. In turn, the dog was brought into work, making all parties happy. The song featured various barking, giving it another dimension.

Psapp started tonight. They were the chocolate of the night -- robust, playful and just a little but naughty. The group literally brings a bag of tricks to their shows -- a bag of toy instruments that the band uses as part of their sound. They make fun-loving, quirky pop music (for cats) that would fit right along side The Boy Least Likely To, The Brunettes, The Grates and The Chalets. All these bands make pop music that's inspired by childhood imagery.  Their cover of the night, performed with the help of cat hand puppets, was "Everybody Wants to be a Cat," from the Disney movie, The Aristocats.

During their performances, they would name little plush toys and then throw them into the audience. While all of this might see fluffy, the band takes their music seriously as they are all expert musicians. So if you're seeing this line-up in Washington D.C., Philadelphia or again in New York, I beg you to get your venue on time to see Psapp. You'll thank me later. Also ,they had some fun swag at the merch table.

I just found out now that "Cosy in the Rocket" is the theme song to some show called Grey's Anatomy. I think it's a show about good-looking people who are doctors in their spare time.

Comments

[Jables]

Isn't "Heartbeats" an Annie song?

[MusicSnobbery]

Close, she has a song called "Heartbeat"

[Jables]

Ahhhh. Thanks for clearing that up.