Music Snobbery

New York Dolls @ Siren Festival

You have to save the legends for last. If I had more time and page space, I would post every picture I took of these guys.

It's entirely appropriate that David Johansen and Syl Sylvain close out this edition of the Siren Festival. The Dolls are a living testament of the New York that once was before the Starbucks and high rise condos at the lower east side took over. This being possibly the last summer that Coney Island is how we know it, you have to end with a good shout with a couple of guys who represented that 70s New York attitude. The thing about New York is that it's a different city every 10 years and you need people like these guys to pass along the sound and feeling of their era.

Obviously, they look ever bit of their long, hard-earned years and yes, them being the two surviving members is something to admire. The two of them can rock and hold an audience captive. I loved looking behind me to see middle aged men going nuts alongside a bunch of punk rockers. What I liked during the Dolls performance was looking to my right and seeing Maya (M.I.A.) standing next to me. We both nodded and acknowledged how awesome it was seeing the Dolls live.

Sure, the New York Dolls as presented is basically David and Syl with a bunch of other guys. They released an album last year that had some memorable tunes like "Dance Like a Monkey," "Runnin' Around" and "I Ain't Got Nothing," which they dedicated to original member Johnny Thunder. They also did a rousing rendition of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." As far as the old stuff, "Personality Crisis" and "Pills" is all you need to grab your friend next to you and rock out.

If the organizers of the Siren Festival wanted to end this incarnation with a bang, they succeeded. You have the new buzz bands, big names and a legend that the other bands wanted to see. If you want a prediction on what will become of Siren, mine is that they'll find another spot a few blocks away on Coney Island to have it.

So that was my Siren experience. The one thing I didn't get a sense of was how many people jammed the street and the weirdos and freaky people that come to these things. The exotic dancer on stilts was the only odd person I saw. When I walked around the street at the end, all I had to see where piles upon piles of garbage all over the place to know the enormity of the crowd. Somewhere, Al Gore is shedding a tear.

I'm glad I got to do it properly this year and with great weather. Next time, I'll go to the bathroom at least once during the day.

This is my favorite picture of all that I took.

Voxtrot @ Siren Festival

I think it's about time we stop calling Voxtrot a blogger band or blog-buzzed band. Since I last saw them in November of last year, they finally released a proper, self-titled debut album. It displays their duality, one part they want to be more down-tempo, contemplative like their idol Morrissey. The other part, ther are the guys you want to invite to the party because they will always dance to a song that was influenced by early Elvis Costello music.

One of the great things about these Austin dudes are that they fit right in to the small clubs and large outdoor festivals. Ramesh has always been the showmen on stage, jumping around and feeling every pop moment in his songs. With such a large stage, he has plenty of room for him to do his thing.

The sucky part, with the delays on the main stage, Voxtrot and M.I.A. went on at about the same time. It was a tough call to leave the dance party of M.I.A., but there was also a party going on with the other stage. These two acts shouldn't have been competing with each other and probably should have been on the same stage. Like I had to struggle to get out of M.I.A., and when I made it to Voxtrot, I could have done cartwheels in the photo/V.I.P. area because there was so much room.

Cursive @ Siren Festival

Towards the end of my marathon day, while I was enjoying New York Dolls, I had considered skipping Cursive all together. They are just not my style -- sort of this avant-guard screamo-indie-punk mish mash from Omaha that I might dig in another life.

In any event, I literally ran from New York Dolls to the Stillwell stage, just to catch a song and take some pictures as a service to those who are fans of Cursive. What I saw didn't change my opinion of them, but it looked like those who stuck around we're having a good time. I'm watching them and say to myself, "Okay, there's a lot of aggression in their songs. Still not my thing." With that, I ran back to the Dolls set, fulfilling my goal to see every band.

We Are Scientists @ Siren Festival

Look who's back and playing as themselves. It's Keith, Chris and Mike testing out new material for a future album, tentatively titled Do Smoke Detectors Detect The Smell Of Smoke? or Mermaid Stewwwww (Yuck!). That's not going to go over well at Virgin. The songs that I heard for the first time are less dance rock and more glammy, psychedelic rock. Good for them. There was a riff in there that was down right Wolfmother ripping off Led Zepplin. I was impressed.

The We Are Scientists crew are one of the many local acts that have become big names before our eyes. Back in my day, I saw We Are Scientists play some guy's tool shed in Queens and we liked it dammit. I remember how surprised I was when I saw a big display in London music shops for With Love and Squalor. They are like the shit in the U.K. This fall, they are doing a big arena tour with Kaiser Chiefs. First, they need to rock out to a bunch of sun drenched hipsters and homeless people sweating on concrete with no shade.

Check out Big Sexy Keith in these pictures, the graying hair makes him looks distinguished, like George Clooney or a young Bruce Campbell. With his vegan lifestyle, he's looking svelte and fit. Meanwhile, Chris had a run in with some barber equipment and decided to let the shears take over. No more porn-stashe.

Lavender Diamond @ Siren Festival

You ever walk into a conversation and somebody says something out of nowhere that doesn't make sense to you, because you came into late to the conversation. Something along the lines of, "So I told him, that's going to cost you $20 extra." Well, that's what it was like walking into the area during Lavender Diamond. Lead singer Becky Stark was talking about, and I kid you not, how we as humans have only been shitting in water for the past 100 years.

Then she continued to explain that funds will be needed to build a fantasy play land that will have an abundant amount of renewable technology. You don't know whether to laugh at the lack of humor or just laugh at Becky for her just being Becky. Some of the crowd members just starting yelling at her to get off the stage. Not nice. Her guitarist was just shaking his head, probably thinking, "Please make this end, they want Matt & Kim."

The Los Angeles outfit just seemed out of place at the festival. When I saw them during CMJ last year, they were better suited to playing small rooms like the old NorthSix or Maxwell's. In front of maybe, three or four thousand people in a parking lot with no shade, their sound just kind of sits there and fails to stir a response. It's a shame because I like them and their debut album, Imagine Our Love, that Matador released. The album best displays their whimsical fantasy pop sound and it cleans up Starks vocals.

Live, she just comes off as a little girl trying out for the singing portion of Little Miss Sunshine. "You Broke My Heart" has all these difficult high notes and she just squeaks through it and does this little baby doll poses. The better known song, "Open Your Heart," came off a little better with it's happy-go-lucky, up-with-people ideology.

M.I.A. @ Siren Festival

Note: I'm skipping ahead to the high point of the festival. I've been blogging for about five hours now, so I'm going to post on the other bands like New York Dolls, Voxtrot and We Are Scientists later this week.

M.I.A. was hands down the ruler of the day. She commanded the stage like she was meant to be on it all her life. With her military inspired hat, she was like Captain Siren. If you managed to stay at the main stage throughout the whole day, you would agree that M.I.A. and New York Dolls probably made your summer. I was standing right in front of the sub-woofer, so I can feel every thump coming from her Philly DJ. Then, I went nuts every time she came to my side of stage. I looked behind me and the whole crowd was loving every beat and word she was spitting out. Even when her microphone crapped out of her, she never panicked. She just asked for a new one and told her DJ to start over again. The way she performed the old material was the best I've heard it. It was a booty shaking experience for the ages, my friends.

Now, I hadn't seen M.I.A. since June, 2005 at S.O.B.'s. That show was a big, sweaty affair where I got my groove on. It didn't take long for her to be highly demand artist, having since toured with LCD Soundsystem and Gwen Stefani. I also crowned her as my Best New Artist of 2005.

2007 looks to be the year M.I.A. where she will assault your senses once again. The new material she debuted during her set is sick. You thought Arular was something -- wait until you freak out to Kala. It's a crazy concoction of world beats and sexual energy. It's take no prisoners hip-hop that's unlike anything you heard the genre put out before. She has a U.S. visa for a year so you better watch out.

Matt & Kim @ Siren Festival

I had the same feeling about Matt & Kim as I did about the Black Lips -- not digging the fact that they are known more for their crazy live shows than their music. While I appreciate the Black Lips music, I listened to the Matt & Kim album and founded their stripped down, drum and synth songs to be lame and unappealing. It's suppose to be power pop but it feels so unemotional, programmed and detached. I know that their live shows is the reason to love Matt & Kim. They usually play on the same floor as the crowd and the crowd just goes ape shit around them. They knock over their instruments and thrash around into each other, causing mass hysteria and leaving everyone exhausted and fulfilled.

So I got to the front of the stage and I saw a bunch of kids already escaping security and trying to hop on stage so that they could stage dive. Matt was yelling at security to leave those kids alone. No matter, those whipper snappers were dragged away dancing. I said, "Well, looks like I got here just in time."

My opinion has changed on Matt & Kim after seeing them at Siren. They are a massive amount of fun to see live. Their music can only be enjoyed in a live setting. The two of them are having just as much fun as the crowd. They truly come off as appreciative of their devote following. This being their largest show to date, and their first appearance at a festival, Matt mentioned how awkward it was having the crowd so far away. He said something along the lines, "you guys are much more important than these people up front." You got that right, I really shouldn't be given access to anything.

Anyway, I wanna take Matt & Kim out for tacos because they seem like the nicest people to have around. You have a party and you say, "Wow, I can't wait until Matt and Kim show up." They are the genuine article, no BS what so ever. Matt was the only performer I saw who mentioned that this could be the last summer before Coney Island transforms. The reason condos are built is because people are willing to pay for them, so his recommendation was that if your rent is raised, don't pay it. I'll tell my landlord that next May. The usually quiet Kim got to say a few words about how nervous she was, which was true because backstage she was pacing back and forth and drumming in the air to get the jitters out of her.

In all, Matt & Kim are okay in my book. I'd never listen to their music by itself, but it works in a live setting because of the positive, physical energy they extract from the crowd.

The Black Lips @ Siren Festival

Where does one start with The Black Lips? They are known around blog circles as the band that vomits and pees on stage. Right off the bat, that doesn't jive well with me. First off, that's not sanitary. Second, I don't need to see that. Third, the real reason why I was skeptical seeing them is that they are known more for their on stage antics then they are their music.

The funny thing is that I like their music. It's classic 50s-60s garage and doo wop. Given that they release a boat load of albums and EPs, all their songs stick to that idea. So you got one Black Lips album, you have them all, and there's nothing wrong with that. Naturally, they stick around because their live show is the main draw of the band.

After catching four or five quick songs from the Atlanta group, I was bowled over how entertaining they were ... and I didn't see one bodily fluid on stage other than pure sweat. They look like rejected 70s porn actors, but they play like horny teenagers who just discovered the fine art of the guitar riff. My criteria for stage antics is that you have to justify knocking shit over by actually playing your instruments. The Black Lips do know how to maintain a sense of civility to their music while doing all sorts of wild things on stage. The guitarist looked like he was having an epileptic seizure, spinning himself in circles before he trips over his guitar chord.

I left halfway through to run over to Matt & Kim, but I was told that they brought a live chicken on stage, which would explain the feathers all over the front pit of the stage when I got back. Also, so many people were coming from backstage to see the spectacle that security weren't letting anybody through to the front of the stage. It's the unpredictable nature of their live show that will make them a must see.

Detroit Cobras @ Siren Festival

The Detroit Cobras out of, ummm, Detroit, were the one band I didn't know anything about going in, I just knew the name. With a name like that, you can pretty much guess they are a rock band. As I came out from the side of the stage and into the front, I took a look at them and figured out instantly what they are all about. You see a lead singer, Rachel Nagy, in a leopard skin top, inked all over her arms while singing with a cigarette in one hand and a beer in the other. The rest of the band were all wearing white t-shirts and jeans.

You hate to judge a book by its cover, but it's obvious that they are a retro-garage rock, motorcycle gang loving band. Think the Reverend Horton Heat and Southern Culture on the Skids. Just as fast I put the pieces together, I just as much got into their music and their style. Black leather, snarls, Thunderbirds, the open road. Yup, right up my alley. They are just bad ass. They are on Bloodshot Records, they don't mess around over there. The Cobras could have easily been one of the gangs in The Warriors. In any event, their new album is called Tried and True.

The Noisettes @ Siren Festival

At this point in the festival, the main stage was a good 30-45 minutes behind schedule. Both stages we're starting bands at the same time. I was frantic trying to navigate both stages while trying to remain hydrated and properly lathered with sunscreen. Thanks to the further delays on the main stage, the Noisettes were antsy to start rocking the festival.

They are one of many British bands that always seem to be touring in the U.S., mainly tagging along with Mystery Jets, Bloc Party or the Maccabees. The night before they we're playing Studio B with Battles. It's no secret, bands want them on the bill because they bring the noise and the funk. Shingai Shoniwa is a rock chick for our times, combining the stage presence of Courtney Love and the vocal stylings of Donita Sparks and Grace Jones. She packs enough personality into a live act that you'll ever see from a three-piece. The Noisettes finally released a full-length album, entitled What's the Time, Mr. Wolf. With some slamming bass and guitar riffs and drums that will make your ribcage shake, their music is force you to take notice. With Dan Smith's powerful guitar cutting through everything, there was much rocking to be had. Also, you can't keep Shingai in one place at one time.

I didn't realize it but this is my third time seeing them live, but I always feel like it's the first time -- like the very first time. There's nothing subtle about them and they always put 100% into their show. Heck, it's matches their rock-funk style.