Music Snobbery

The Last Shadow Puppets @ Grand Ballroom: Rascal Monkeys

 

Tonight, I checked out the band/project/side-project/concept album performed live called The Last Shadow Puppets -- the two main players being Miles Kane and Aleeeeeeeeex Tuuuuuurrrrrnnnnnneeeeerrrrr. It was chance to see the project in all its glory with an orchestra and fancy lighting. Plus, who can resist the chav charm of Aleeeeeeeeex Tuuuuuurrrrrnnnnnneeeeerrrrr.

It's been about an hour and some change since the show ended and I'm drawing a blank on what made it okay. Maybe my hopes were high when Miles prepared the audience by saying, "Hello, New York. Are you ready to go mental?" After they left the stage after their encore, I didn't feel the need to go mental. Maybe if she said, "Are you ready to go average?" then I would have been better prepare.

It all goes back to the album itself, which is great idea for the lads to make. The Age of the Understatement is a throwback to orchestral pop of the 60s as arranged by John Barry or Ennio Morricone with lyrics by Lee Hazelwood. The end result is more of an exercise in style and production. It's a good piece of work, but hardly great. You kind of want to hear the real thing, the inspiration, after listening to the album. I do applaud the guys for stepping out of their BritRock element and venturing into different territories, especially when they are still relatively young as musicians.

Thus, I felt the same way about tonight's gig. There never moments where I was completely engrossed in the music or the band. I do feel the show was a good representation of the album, but I was wanting that added "wow" factor that you wish for in a live show. The covers of The Beatles, Bowie, Love and Leonard Cohen were nothing special, and unfortunately rather bland.

Leaving the show, I didn't have the sense of empowerment you should feel from a sold out, highly touted show from two popular blokes. The caveat with these side projects is that people wouldn't pay much attention to them if the band members were just nobodies, but since its the guy from the Rascals and the lead singer of the Arctic Monkeys, it becomes a big to-do. If you didn't go tonight, you didn't miss much and that's the bottom line.

Philadelphia Freedom!!!

I think I finally stopped screaming ten minutes ago.

After I stopped jumping up and down like a maniac. The first thing I see on the TV is the Philly Phanatic running around. I said, "Did he throw the last pitch?"

I don't know about you, but I feel like going to a parade down Broad Street on Friday. Jules and Katie will be in town for a Myspace Secret Show at The Barbary. I will have to bring them along.

Man Man will also be back home for a show at Starlight Ballroom. Now, that's going to be a nutty show.

Dr. Dog might be back in Philly. They head off for a European tour with Wye Oak starting November 2.

The Roots can easily stop on by because they'll be playing Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

My dear friend, the talented Natalie Walker, will be celebrating with me. In fact, her CD release show was tonight at Johnny Brenda's. I wonder how that went. In any event, she'll play Nublu (62 Avenue C, bet. 4th and 5th) in NYC this Saturday. I kindly ask you to throw some love for her.

Of Montreal is at Electric Factory, O'Death is at Johnny Brenda's, Hercules and Love Affair play Trnasit for Making Time and Sisters of Mercy is at Theatre of Living Arts -- expect lots of red.

DJ Jazzy Jeff is somewhere. Fresh Prince sleeps on a pile money.

I leave you with this, a White House ceremony ... with President Obama. I like the thought of that.

Counting Crows @ The Wellmont Theatre: Exciting and New!

 

It was the biggest night in Montclair since a third Starbucks opened up in town. The historic Wellmont Theatre debuted tonight and all got to enjoying the place as it was originally designed. Gone are the movie screens and cramped theater seats and in comes the music and the grandeur. For those who've been to the place when it was a crummy 4-screen theater, you'll bowled over at the joint now. It's completely night and day from what it was before to what it is now. As Durtiz said, "This place is bitchin'."

As I've written before, the Welly is two blocks from MusicSnobbery HQ, so tonight's opening was a big deal. I can go to show, see a full rock show and be home in time for the Daily Show.

Granted, having the veterans Counting Crows christen the place would not be my first choice. In fact it would be waaaaay down the list. Probably below Smash Mouth, Spin Doctors or Sugar Ray. So if you're coming here for some Crows goodness, please go elsewhere. I have 25 Stereolab albums, do you think I give a crap about Counting Crows?

Let's talk about the space. It's gorgeous, or as some Jersey folks say, gore-jess. Without all that construction and scaffolding, I can truly get a sense of the great sight lines on the floor. There are three levels of general admission so you can have space to breathe, get your drinks and still have a great view of the large stage.

I'm not a sound expert, but everything was fine by me. You can hear the vocals most of time, but since Adam Duritz is a mumbler, you can pick out a few sentences. I didn't expect sound perfection for the first show, but the builders didn't skimp on the sound system.

The one thing I took away from the opening was how spacious it was on the floor. It's easy to get in and easy to get out. In the balcony, the seats are decent and the show sounded fine from up there as well. Plus, you can get a close up view of all the detailing in the ceiling. So all you cheap bastards who can't pony up for the floor will be good up there. They have the same bar drinks up there, too. The weird thing was that the bathrooms are upstairs, not on the ground floor.

The bars, as you can see in the photos, have the faux-starry night lighting you see in the inside of a rented limo. I didn't buy drinks, but it's your basic bare bones selection, with chips and candy for the kids.

For the opening, it was a virtual who's who of Montclair luminaries -- Major Quimby, Comic Book Store Guy, Moe Syzlak, Krusty T. Clown, Reverend Lovejoy and that annoying person you always see around town. I joke. The place got a decent showing. I wasn't sure if the place would fill up, but since Counting Crows do have a fanbase, the place had a generous showing for a delayed opening night.

In the end, this is good for my Montclair peoples, there will be rock .. and pop and R&B and metal and comedy and soft rock.

Okay, I had to take one for the team for Counting Crows. I went to support the town and the new venue. I stayed the whole show and I recognize that they have a strong, passionate fan base. People came from California to come to all three nights.

The music does nothing for me. It's the type of music played on the safe soft rock station like B101 or Sophie 103.7. The music you hear at the office, the dentist, the DMV, at Kohl's, while you're on hold or when you're stuck in an elevator. I didn't like it in 1993, I'm not going to like it now. I'm sure some of you thought, "They are still around?" Answer is "as long as people pay to see them live, no sense stopping."

Here's the setlist. They went on at 9:15, done by 10:50. Wild Sweet Orange went on at 8.

The setlist:

• Long December
• Cowboys
• Color Blind
• Anna
• Ballet D'Or
• Four White Stallions
• Omaha
• Richard Manuel is Dead
• Rain King
• Washington Square
• Miami
• Seen Me Lately
• ENCORE: Caravan
• Mercy
• Come Around
• Holiday in Spain

I did find it funny that they didn't play "Mr. Jones." The one song everybody knows. It's like Jimmy Buffet not playing "Margaritaville," or James Taylor not playing "Fire" and Rain or Bruce not playing "Born to Run."

If you love them to death, that's awesome. I'll stick to my bands. I don't feel like trashing the band's music on this space, too easy a target -- sorry if I offended your golf buddies, Rob.

Adam Duritz hasn't aged or changed since 1993. No wonder he gets all the ladies. With the glasses, he does look like Matisyahu. Adam probably still wears the same five t-shirts since the mid-90s. He does get into the music. Even though he was ailing, he still pranced around the stage, hammed it up and doing the whole tortured, sensitive rock star thing.

That's it for now. Looking forward to many great shows at the Welly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some shots of the space:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schroeder Speaks the Truth

Found on one of my favorite Tumblr blogs, Waxin' & Milkin'.

Fanfarlo @ Fat Baby: CMJ Saturday

The band that might have been lost among the 1000+ acts in attendance was the U.K./Swedish collective called Fanfarlo. For a band this good, it was a shame that more people didn't cram into the broom closet sized basement of the Lower East Side establishment Fat Baby.

The six-piece are in the midst of recording their debut album in Bridgeport, Conn.,  with producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National). If you remember, this is the same place The Grates recorded Teeth Lost, Hearts Broken. They took a break to come for CMJ and to make their NYC debut. You all going to kick yourself for not catching this band early on. Fear not, I have a feeling you'll be seeing and hearing a lot from Fanfarlo around these parts.

Incorporating a violin, mandolin and a trumpet, the band blissfully portrays the joy and pain found in pop music. They embrace all that and just run with it. There's no holding back. They remind me of early Belle & Sebastian, when Murdoch and Co. cranked through "If You're Feeling Sinister" and "Me and the Major." With Fanfarlo, they blazed through their set with the anxiousness of a young boy discovering their older sister's pop music collection. Something like their single "Harold T. Watkins" bursts with energy while lead singer Simon Aurell croons his way through this little ditty. Also, a song like "We Live By the Lake" will make Sufjan Stevens jealous.

On the other hand, Fanfarlo is still very much a young band, a little timid in their live show and still trying to find their stage presence. It will be great fun seeing them a year from now and how they've evolved. I have no doubt they'll be a dynamite act to behold. The band also has Sigur Ros manager John Best on their team, so I think that guy knows what he's doing.

 

 

Counting Crows Cancelled Tonight ... Wellmont Theatre Will Open Tuesday Instead

So Big Poppa Adam Duritz is fighting the flu, so the grand debut of Montclair's Wellmont Theatre will be postponed until Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday's shows are still on.

Thus, all I got to say is GO PHILLIES!!!!!

Lucky Soul @ Joe's Pub: MusicSnobbery.com Presents

 

Well, gang. Friday was my second presenting show at Joe's Pub and my un-official CMJ showcase. I've been fortunate and lucky that my shows have been successful beyond my expectations. As much as my ego gets fed with these shows or the attention I get, I can not take credit for Lucky Soul's outstanding performance or your enjoyment from seeing one of the great undiscovered British bands make their proper U.S. debut.

With these shows, I take away little moments that will always stay with me. There was the band looking out of the crowd and being amazed that people were clapping along and shouting for their favorite songs. There was Andrew dedicating the last song ("The Last Song") to his departed auntie, whom in their last conversation, talked about coming to America to play. Despite Ali's cold, she smiled widely between songs. Afterwords, I saw how fans lined up to take photos with them all and buy up all their merch. That, I know, was unexpected for the band.

Check this out, people flew in from Canada, Orlando and Los Angeles just to see this show. Holy crap! Even Pitchfork showed some love for the band and the show. With any of these show, I just hope people show up because my job is to get butts in the place. Not only did people show, but they filled up the room nicely. I remember when Nicole Atkins started to become popular and I saw that couples would come to her show as their date night. I always thought that was highest compliment. So on Friday, I saw lovely couples grab a table, hold hands and have a great time. Say it with me, "Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww". You could have been anywhere during CMJ, so I tip my hat to those who came to the show.

As for the show, despite the first two songs being a little shaky with the bass crapping out and Ali struggling with her voice, the show as a whole was everything I hoped it would be and more. Ali found her voice and was able to hit all the right notes, and sometimes, her broken voice fit with the song. Not only did she make it through the show, she had a blast. People were shouting for "Lips Are Unhappy" and what the crowd wants, the crowd gets. I made sure that they played "Get Outta Town!". "Add Your Light To Mine" was filled with giddy joy.

I, like the fans who traveled far and wide, wanted to see this band in action. They've been on the U.K. scene for two years and all that time I desperately wanted to see them perform. Their sound is just tailored made for my tastes, 60s mod pop with shades of the Staxx sound and girl group vocals. It's classy, sassy, sexy and damn fun to see live. They debuted some new tracks that branches the band out into gospel and country-western territory a la Dusty in Memphis or Jenny Lewis' solo work

I can't thank you all enough for the showing up and showing love for the band. I know they were flabbergasted that the place was full, that fans stayed to meet-and-greet and that you all had a great time. In this day and age, it's getting harder for international bands to play in the U.S. The financial cost and paperwork involved will have you freaking out. So for Lucky Soul to have people come and screaming and shouingt means the world to them.

As far as coming back and doing other gigs in the U.S., it's a tall order, but not out of the realm of possibility. They all have U.S. work visas for a year and hopefully the show gave them some much needed and deserved exposure. So tell your friends and your mother that Lucky Soul will be your new favorite band.

For me, it's just another accomplishment in a wonderful, surreal year. When I hear Ali giving me props on stage for bringing them over, giving them a platform to shine and praising my brownies, I am humbled and embarassed to no end. Then again, there's a little snob voice in my head that screams, "You know it!"

 

 

 

 

White Shoes & The Couples Company @ Spike Hill: CMJ Saturday

 

The odds were against me making it to the debut NYC show of Indonesian pop superstars White Shoes & Couples Company -- the rain was unrelenting, I had a full-blown cold and fever, my energy was near zero and the Phillies game was going to go on (what an amazing game. I figured if this band flew half way around the world to play in front of 100 people, I can suck up my illness and make it over to Brooklyn. The end result was my favorite band I saw during the week that was not part of my Joe's Pub show.

White Shoes and the Couples Company might have a hidden time machine somewhere because they might have travel from 1966. You can take those countless post-punk 80s revivalist techno bands and I'll have my one Asian pop band.

To say the show was crazy fun would be an understatement. You have a unique band full of positivity, a group of Indonesian natives going nuts and music that you just don't see often in these parts. Even Sondre Lerche was smiling throughout the set.

The setlist:

• Super Reuni
• Brother John
• Tentang Cita
• Sabda Alam (Ismail Marzuki cover)
• Topstar
• Today Is No Sunday
• Ye Good Ol' days
• Roman Ketiga
• Windu & Defrina
• Aksi Kucing

Somewhere among the Magic Numbers, Cibo Matto and the Archies lies White Shoes & The Couples Company. Entrenched in 60s bubble gum pop, the music leaps from the stage in bright colors and hip retro kitsch. Their self-title debut album is on the Minty Fresh label, who specialize in international pop bands.

While their album can come off as a little subdued and easy-going, their live show is high-energy, happy smiley good time. When lead singer Aprilla Apsari came out twirling an umbrella, you knew it was going to be different and special. Even though five of the six members could get U.S. work visas, the band's sound was full, spunky and had incredble bounce. They got a temp guitarist who dressed like Rudy from Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

Their popular song, and a good intro to the band, "Tentang Cita" feels like an anthem for Up With People, with it's sunny harmonies, sweet lead vocals and funky guitar line. They included a cover from Indonesian hero, Ismail Marzuki, which I'm sure his music is in all of your iPods. According to Wiki, Ismail Marzukiwas an Indonesian composer and musician who wrote a number of popular patriotic songs during the country's early post-independence period in the 1940s and 1950s. They saved their best song for last, "Aksi Kucing" from their new EP, which lends the audience into meowing on cue (see the video below). The song also features an extended drum solo that was dynamite.

As you can see with the pictures, the band dresses the part, meaning they all look like good will ambassadors for the Indonesian Tourist Bureau. It was rather cute how they all loved being on stage for the first time in New York (they'll also visit D.C. and L.A. on this trip). Numerous times, they pleaded the crowd to buy merch so that they could get home.

So let's hope you all get to see the White Shoes crew on their next visit to New York. They are too much fun to be ignored.

 

 

 

High Places @ The Annex: CMJ Saturday

 

Let's get caught up on some CMJ posts, shall we?

Walking around Saturday in the torrential downpours, I saw a lot of drained and dejected CMJ badge holders eeking out as much effort as they can on the last day. There are hipster zombies everywhere! In any event, I ducked into The Annex to catch Brooklyn duo High Places set. Part of the unofficial collective of knob-turning, lo-fi indie-tribal-electronic music makers that's permeating the scene, Mary Pearson and Robert Barber spent their set connecting equipment, pushing buttons, banging on drum pads and adjusting levels to mak ea transcendent, tropical sound.

They might not be much look at (it's never exciting to see live music when it's basically people twiddling knobs on stage), but the music is rather pleasing and you get even bounce to the beat. They're pretty good for they do, but I prefer the antics of Holy Fuck, who do the same style. I think the advantage they have is that singer Mary Pearson has a sweet, child-like voice that gives the music a little of magic.

MusicSnobbery.com Presents Lucky Soul TONIGHT!!!

My un-official CMJ showcase of one band. Honestly, it's all you need. Here's the poster.

Doors 11pm. Lucky Soul will playing a full set starting at 11:30pm. I hope to see you there. There are people coming from Canada and Orlando just to see them, so NYC you need to come out and bring your mother.