APRIL 2, 2011
EDDIE SPAGHETTI w/ UNCLE LEON & THE ALIBIS
EUROPA-BROOKLYN, NY
A 7 o'clock start on a Saturday evening is a tough start time especially when you are competing with probably the nicest day of the year so far and the Final Four. Regardless, we were there for for some cowpunk/country music and Uncle Leon backed by his Alibis set us off in the right direction. Leon brings a boozy country with a little bit of a rowdy side that blends an attitude of all the greats like Cash, Hank, Merle & Waylon. Their song 'Roller Derby Saved My Soul' garnered them praise from roller derby clubs world wide asking them to come play their events. Roller derby leagues in the midwest will never be the same following Leon & The Alibis tours there the past two summers. These guys will give you an education on gritty country, drink you under the table then help you up and give you a free copy of their recent live release 'Thats My Shit'. That's just how they roll. It was shame that they only had an hour to play tonight since once their 'Beer Train' gets rolling the show just gets better and better. Catch their two upcoming shows at the Rodeo Bar in NYC (May 8 & June 5) where they will be playing two sets each night. They are also putting together a tour that will take them to the Heavy Rebel Weekender festival in Winston-Salem NC over July 4th weekend. Heavy Rebel is a rock n roll dream weekend with 'over 90 bands, kustom cars & bikes, burlesque, mud wrestling, beer drinking competition and more'. I'm not sure I would need MORE, but sign me up and go see Uncle Leon & The Alibis.
Roller Derby Saved My Soul:
Beer Train:
Up next was Eddie Spaghetti. Eddie is the lead singer of punk & roll band, The Supersuckers, which I absolutely love. I will make this review as simple as he made his show:
He introduced himself as 'one quarter of the greatest rock n roll band in the world, The Supersuckers'.
**This is a self proclaimed statement that the band has always used and is only the beginning of kitchy things to come during the set.
Told us he would end each song with 'Cha Cha Cha' so we knew that the song had ended then raised his hand up showing the rock n roll devils horn. Over and over and over.
**Uhh, Eddie. It's 8:30 on a Saturday night and there are 75 people here. This isn't the type of venue where people just walk in off the street because they hear music blaring. We're fans. We are here to see you. We know your songs. Don't treat us like we are idiots.
Took request most of the set and played a lot of Supersuckers songs.
**Whew!
Told a funny story about being on Willie Nelsons bus and getting high with him
**Everybody loves a good Willie story
Played more songs about smoking weed than you would hear at a Cypress Hill show.
**Real rock stars graduate to heroin
Introduced a song by saying "this is probably the only song ever written referring to Jesus as a fuckin' faggot"
**Oh no! He didn't just say that? Mind you this is a cover song by someone called the Lee Harvey Oswald Band. You don't include that song on your album and make that statement without trying to get some publicity a big reaction from the crowd. Tonight's reaction was the sound of crickets.
Thanked the opening band as Uncle uhh Leo and the uhhhh Alabees.
**Leo? Alabees? Nice. Way to disrespect the band that just opened up for you. Should you ever meet Jesus, here's hoping he refers to you as Eddie Meatball then raises his hand up giving you the Rock n Roll Devils horns
Simply put. The other three quarters of the greatest rock n roll band in the world were missing tonight.
Cha Cha Cha
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Replacements!!!
There was a significant part of the mid to late 80's in which I listened to The Replacements probably every day. They were a band that, like many of my other favorite bands, my old brother turned me onto. There was something oh so cool about these guys. They were punkers. They were rockers. They played poppy tunes. They played sloppy tunes. Seeing them live (which I never did) was always a question mark. One night they would put on the best show you have ever seen, the next night they would play bits and pieces of random cover songs since they were too drunk to play they own. They were a lit firecracker and they were an inspiration. Green Day, The Hold Steady, Gaslight Anthem, Goo Goo Dolls and many others state that they wouldn't be here if it weren't for The Replacements.
They broke up due to all the other rock n' roll cliches. Drugs and alcohol were probably the leading reason and power struggle was the other. Guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out for being too drunk and for not liking to play the more mellow stuff that lead singer Paul Westerberg was pushing the bands direction in. He played the guitar fast and loud and died, exhausted, at the young age of 34 . Bob's brother Tommy was only 14 when they released their first cd and much like Bob he lived and played the same way. He eventually moved on to start other bands and is currently playing bass for Guns N Roses?!? Drummer Chris Mars, much like the Stinson brothers, split the band not appreciating the power struggle with Westerberg and is now an accomplished painter and chooses not to talk about his days in the band. Slim Dunlap, who took over for Bob Stinson, has kept a low profile sticking to the Minneapolis music scene. Lead singer Paul Westerberg has had a solid solo career releasing 14 albums, some of under the name 'Grandpaboy' and his last 4 have been self released. A few years ago he severely injured his hand attempting to removed candle wax with a screwdriver and hasn't played much since.
So why am I writing about this band if they haven't done anything in years? There is a movie that is coming about about them and it is getting great reviews. The movie is called 'Color Me Obsessed, the potentially true story of the last best band'. One interesting thing about this film is they say that it doesn't contain any of their music. Huh?
Below you can find info about the film, which I took from its website: www.whatwerewethinkingfilms.com/colormeobsessed/ There are some promo items, trailers and some good quality videos from one of their early shows in 1981 which I found on Youtube. Thanks Youtube!!! Watch, enjoy and go see the movie when it comes to your town. Tell your friends! I'm very excited for this! Enjoy:
ABOUT:
With COLOR ME OBSESSED, the first documentary on the influential '80s
indie-rock band, The Replacements, director Gorman Bechard brings an
extraordinary vision to a unique filmmaking challenge. Told through
the eyes of fans, friends, and contemporaries, the film breaks from
the traditional music documentary format of music and performances.
“Not wanting to make a VH1/where-are-they-now style documentary, I
decided to present the band in a more iconic way,” the director
explains. “I thought, people believe in God without seeing or hearing
him but rather through the passion, faith, and stories of others.
After watching COLOR ME OBSESSED, I’m pretty sure music fans will
believe in The Replacements in much the same way.”
Telling the band’s story was a project close to the heart for Bechard.
Like many who were weaned on punk music he latched onto this brash
young Minneapolis band with fervor. Dubbed “the last best band” by
Spin Magazine, their live shows could be miraculous or downright
disasters. Their fans, unwaveringly faithful. As critic’s darlings,
their albums were wrought with angry guitars and passionate
well-written lyrics that hinted at potential commercial success. Yet,
somehow, the band managed to continually shoot themselves in the foot.
Their relative obscurity was a motivating factor in presenting their
story on film. “The Replacements should have been the next Rolling
Stones,” Bechard says, “And to the people who loved them, I think they
were.”
Combining over 140 interviews with rockers (Colin Meloy of The
Decemberists, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Tommy Ramone, Grant Hart
and Greg Norton of Husker Du, all three members of Goo Goo Dolls),
journalists (Robert Christgau, Legs McNeil, Ira Robbins, Greg Kot, Jim
DeRogatis), and fans both famous (Tom Arnold, Dave Foley, George
Wendt) and not, Bechard delivers the obsessive tale of the most
influential band you've never heard of, to many the greatest rock band
of all time, The Replacements. And though containing not a note of
their music, COLOR ME OBSESSED is a documentary that really rocks.
Name Dropping Trailer:
Another Trailer:
Goddamn Job & Juniors got a gun:
Kids don't listen:
Something to du (giving props to Husker Du):
Dope smokin' moron/skip it:
Maybelline (Chuck Berry cover):
Hey Good Lookin (Hank Williams cover):
They broke up due to all the other rock n' roll cliches. Drugs and alcohol were probably the leading reason and power struggle was the other. Guitarist Bob Stinson was kicked out for being too drunk and for not liking to play the more mellow stuff that lead singer Paul Westerberg was pushing the bands direction in. He played the guitar fast and loud and died, exhausted, at the young age of 34 . Bob's brother Tommy was only 14 when they released their first cd and much like Bob he lived and played the same way. He eventually moved on to start other bands and is currently playing bass for Guns N Roses?!? Drummer Chris Mars, much like the Stinson brothers, split the band not appreciating the power struggle with Westerberg and is now an accomplished painter and chooses not to talk about his days in the band. Slim Dunlap, who took over for Bob Stinson, has kept a low profile sticking to the Minneapolis music scene. Lead singer Paul Westerberg has had a solid solo career releasing 14 albums, some of under the name 'Grandpaboy' and his last 4 have been self released. A few years ago he severely injured his hand attempting to removed candle wax with a screwdriver and hasn't played much since.
So why am I writing about this band if they haven't done anything in years? There is a movie that is coming about about them and it is getting great reviews. The movie is called 'Color Me Obsessed, the potentially true story of the last best band'. One interesting thing about this film is they say that it doesn't contain any of their music. Huh?
Below you can find info about the film, which I took from its website: www.whatwerewethinkingfilms.com/colormeobsessed/ There are some promo items, trailers and some good quality videos from one of their early shows in 1981 which I found on Youtube. Thanks Youtube!!! Watch, enjoy and go see the movie when it comes to your town. Tell your friends! I'm very excited for this! Enjoy:
ABOUT:
With COLOR ME OBSESSED, the first documentary on the influential '80s
indie-rock band, The Replacements, director Gorman Bechard brings an
extraordinary vision to a unique filmmaking challenge. Told through
the eyes of fans, friends, and contemporaries, the film breaks from
the traditional music documentary format of music and performances.
“Not wanting to make a VH1/where-are-they-now style documentary, I
decided to present the band in a more iconic way,” the director
explains. “I thought, people believe in God without seeing or hearing
him but rather through the passion, faith, and stories of others.
After watching COLOR ME OBSESSED, I’m pretty sure music fans will
believe in The Replacements in much the same way.”
Telling the band’s story was a project close to the heart for Bechard.
Like many who were weaned on punk music he latched onto this brash
young Minneapolis band with fervor. Dubbed “the last best band” by
Spin Magazine, their live shows could be miraculous or downright
disasters. Their fans, unwaveringly faithful. As critic’s darlings,
their albums were wrought with angry guitars and passionate
well-written lyrics that hinted at potential commercial success. Yet,
somehow, the band managed to continually shoot themselves in the foot.
Their relative obscurity was a motivating factor in presenting their
story on film. “The Replacements should have been the next Rolling
Stones,” Bechard says, “And to the people who loved them, I think they
were.”
Combining over 140 interviews with rockers (Colin Meloy of The
Decemberists, Craig Finn of The Hold Steady, Tommy Ramone, Grant Hart
and Greg Norton of Husker Du, all three members of Goo Goo Dolls),
journalists (Robert Christgau, Legs McNeil, Ira Robbins, Greg Kot, Jim
DeRogatis), and fans both famous (Tom Arnold, Dave Foley, George
Wendt) and not, Bechard delivers the obsessive tale of the most
influential band you've never heard of, to many the greatest rock band
of all time, The Replacements. And though containing not a note of
their music, COLOR ME OBSESSED is a documentary that really rocks.
Name Dropping Trailer:
Another Trailer:
Goddamn Job & Juniors got a gun:
Kids don't listen:
Something to du (giving props to Husker Du):
Dope smokin' moron/skip it:
Maybelline (Chuck Berry cover):
Hey Good Lookin (Hank Williams cover):
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Cars...
And speaking of of old school bands getting back together, THE CARS have reunited! They have recorded a new album coming out May 10th and are playing some live shows. Tickets are going on sale as I type so get on this people...
THE CARS - 2011 TOUR DATES
5/10 in Seattle, WA @ Showbox @SODO
5/12 in Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium
5/13 in Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
5/15 in Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
5/17 in Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
5/18 in Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
5/20 in Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
5/23 in Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
5/25 in New York City, NY @ Roseland
5/26 in Boston, MA @ The House of Blues
The new stuff sounds awesome!!
THE CARS - 2011 TOUR DATES
5/10 in Seattle, WA @ Showbox @SODO
5/12 in Los Angeles, CA @ The Hollywood Palladium
5/13 in Oakland, CA @ Fox Theatre
5/15 in Denver, CO @ The Fillmore
5/17 in Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
5/18 in Chicago, IL @ The Riviera Theatre
5/20 in Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
5/23 in Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
5/25 in New York City, NY @ Roseland
5/26 in Boston, MA @ The House of Blues
The new stuff sounds awesome!!
A Stone Roses reunion?
I read a rumor today that the STONE ROSES could possibly be getting back together later this year. This is amazing news. These guys were one of the best bands that came out in the late 80's/early 90's and put out one of the best debut albums of all time 'The Stone Roses'. Top to bottom, front to back and every other which way this is an amazing album. If you don't have it, you should purchase it and thank me later. Here are some videos of the STONE ROSES. Enjoy:
One of those great music nights...
March 23, 2011
BROTHER w/ The Dig @ Mercury Lounge NYC
RICHARD ASHCROFT @ Bowery Ballroom
I pulled a double tonight. Yes, not even freezing rain, snow and hail could stop me from seeing two shows at two different venues tonight. Luck was on my side. I had bought tickets well in advance to see the much hyped new UK band BROTHER at Mercury Lounge and missed out when RICHARD ASHCROFT's tix to Bowery sold out in minutes. Who knew? I figured no biggie, at least I will be able to see BROTHER, performing an early show, then maybe I would stroll over to Bowery later and see if any scalpers were being generous. Then my friend Karen came thru the day before saying she had an extra to RICHARD and I was in. But enough about my dumb luck and on to the great night of music. The night reminded me of a high school basketball evening. There are always two games. The junior varsity game and the varsity game. The JV team are good but they are younger, less experienced and not as good as the varsity. Eventually they will become the varsity team that everybody will come and pay to see.
Much like previously reviewed bands MONA and the VACCINES, BROTHER are a brand spanking new band who don't even have a proper album out. They are a so called 'gritpop' band, which is considered a rougher version of 'britpop'. Before I get to them, let me mention the opening band THE DIG. I only caught their last two songs but I remember saying to my buddy, "they remind me a little bit of Billy Squire". OK, so lets move on. The great vj/dj Matt Pinfield was in the house so you know these guys have to be good. BROTHER remind me a little bit of an early version OASIS. They don't seem to like that comparison but that's what I thought when I watched an interview with them, even before hearing one of their songs. They are brash, cocky and funny as hell. The lead singer dropped some classic lines tonight that need repeated. Talking about the state of american music: "America needs a great new band so we started one for you and here we are". They are right, We need a great new band that has the balls to say so and can back it up with great music. Reacting to the amount of people in the crowd paying attention to something other than the band: "I didn't know we were playing a blackberry convention, but if you are texting, tell all your friends how great we are". He hit the nail on the head. People need to put their phones down, listen and watch. Their set was short. Seven or eight songs and 45 minutes at best. But it wasn't about how long tonight it was about how good and these guys delivered. I hate calling these guys JV but they are new, young and on the way up. This is a good thing. They even brought up a sweet backup singer on this tour beefing up their sound and showing us that they mean business. Listen to this band. I'm serious. They will be varsity some day soon.
Walking out of Mercury Lounge were were met with slushy sidewalks as we made out way to Bowery Ballroom. Matt Pinfield followed us. We missed openers THE POSTELLES, which I was bummed about but I'll catch them another time. The night was all about Mr. Ashcroft. He was here promoting his latest release 'RPA & The United Nations of Sound'. This album came out last year in the UK to weak reviews so I wasn't expecting too much (and secretly hoping he didn't play much from it). Thing is, Richard is an musical icon so regardless what he is promoting, you want to go based off of what he has done in the past and hope he plays those tunes. He kicked off the night with 'are your ready', the best cut from his new album. Song three he broke out the good stuff playing 'lucky man' from THE VERVE's 'Urban Hymns'. He continued to bounce back and forth between old, new and solo stuff during the set. I have to admit, I'm not that big a fan of the new stuff although it just came out in the states so I'm not that familiar with it. Regardless, we were lucky enough to be there to see this legend play such a small venue. He delivered the good stuff playing an acoustic encore that included the beautiful 'sonnet'. One thing to note is the amount of people using their cell phones to film and take photos tonight. Geez people relax!!! The girl in front of me took a bunch of photos during the first two songs then spent the next four songs posting them on her facebook page while constantly going back and checking to see if people made comments on her post while not even paying attention to the band! Take your photos, then put the phone away and enjoy the show.
All in all it was a great night. I got to see a fantastic up and coming new band and a legend at my two favorite NYC venues. I'm a lucky man. Yeah, Richard sang that but I consider myself that as well. It was an awesome night of music.
BROTHER: Darling Buds of May
RICHARD ASHCROFT: Are You Ready
And case you were paying attenion, BILLY SQUIRE: The Stroke
BROTHER w/ The Dig @ Mercury Lounge NYC
RICHARD ASHCROFT @ Bowery Ballroom
I pulled a double tonight. Yes, not even freezing rain, snow and hail could stop me from seeing two shows at two different venues tonight. Luck was on my side. I had bought tickets well in advance to see the much hyped new UK band BROTHER at Mercury Lounge and missed out when RICHARD ASHCROFT's tix to Bowery sold out in minutes. Who knew? I figured no biggie, at least I will be able to see BROTHER, performing an early show, then maybe I would stroll over to Bowery later and see if any scalpers were being generous. Then my friend Karen came thru the day before saying she had an extra to RICHARD and I was in. But enough about my dumb luck and on to the great night of music. The night reminded me of a high school basketball evening. There are always two games. The junior varsity game and the varsity game. The JV team are good but they are younger, less experienced and not as good as the varsity. Eventually they will become the varsity team that everybody will come and pay to see.
Much like previously reviewed bands MONA and the VACCINES, BROTHER are a brand spanking new band who don't even have a proper album out. They are a so called 'gritpop' band, which is considered a rougher version of 'britpop'. Before I get to them, let me mention the opening band THE DIG. I only caught their last two songs but I remember saying to my buddy, "they remind me a little bit of Billy Squire". OK, so lets move on. The great vj/dj Matt Pinfield was in the house so you know these guys have to be good. BROTHER remind me a little bit of an early version OASIS. They don't seem to like that comparison but that's what I thought when I watched an interview with them, even before hearing one of their songs. They are brash, cocky and funny as hell. The lead singer dropped some classic lines tonight that need repeated. Talking about the state of american music: "America needs a great new band so we started one for you and here we are". They are right, We need a great new band that has the balls to say so and can back it up with great music. Reacting to the amount of people in the crowd paying attention to something other than the band: "I didn't know we were playing a blackberry convention, but if you are texting, tell all your friends how great we are". He hit the nail on the head. People need to put their phones down, listen and watch. Their set was short. Seven or eight songs and 45 minutes at best. But it wasn't about how long tonight it was about how good and these guys delivered. I hate calling these guys JV but they are new, young and on the way up. This is a good thing. They even brought up a sweet backup singer on this tour beefing up their sound and showing us that they mean business. Listen to this band. I'm serious. They will be varsity some day soon.
All in all it was a great night. I got to see a fantastic up and coming new band and a legend at my two favorite NYC venues. I'm a lucky man. Yeah, Richard sang that but I consider myself that as well. It was an awesome night of music.
BROTHER: Darling Buds of May
RICHARD ASHCROFT: Are You Ready
And case you were paying attenion, BILLY SQUIRE: The Stroke
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Grinderman
Watching this GRINDERMAN video turns me into Beavis and Butthead. YES!! Yeah yeah, kick ass! How badass is this band? Lead singer Nick Cave has always been known for his coolness leading bands like THE BIRTHDAY PARTY and THE BAD SEEDS over the years. I think he outdid himself with GRINDERMAN. Dudes with beards, long hair and slick suits just blowing the roof off the place and looking oh so cool doing it. My leg shakes to the beat of this song as it builds to its peak and then I just want to jump up and start doing karate kicks. Beavis and Butthead style. Go ahead. See for yourself. Turn it up!
Friday, April 1, 2011
A night with a bunch of friends...
MIDDLE BROTHER, DEER TICK, DAWES w/ special guest JOHNNY CORNDAWG
3/6/11
BOWERY BALLROOM
Wow! Where do I start? WOW! WOW! WOW! Each bands gets a WOW! Each of these bands could headline and sell out this venue on their own so we should be so lucky to have all of them playing together on one night spitting out 3 1/2 hours of non stop great music. To give a little background on these bands, you have to start with the headliner, alt-country rockers MIDDLE BROTHER. To call them a supergroup may be a stretch, but this combination of three lead singers from different groups, John McCauley (DEER TICK), Taylor Goldsmith (DAWES) and Matt Vasquez (DELTA SPIRIT). They lead this tour in support of their newly released debut cd. I'll be reviewing this stellar cd in the coming days. DEER TICK are an americana rock n roll band whose live shows are similar to that of the Replacements. Rocking, sloppy and never a dull moment. DAWES, a southern California band that blends breezy harmonies that can easily taking you back to cool music of the 70's. Think Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Kind of. Not sure how Vasquez's band, DELTA SPIRIT, got shafted out of the line up and that is a shame. He arguably stole the show this night.
DAWES kicked off the night and if I'm not mistaken, it seemed like most of the crowd was there to see them. I saw these guys this past summer and they have definitely grown since then. They seem more polished and solid. Maybe because I'm more familiar with their songs now. I love it when songs and bands grow on you. These guys definitely have that quality. To really understand just how good they are as a band, the great Robbie Robertson who was the primary songwriter of THE BAND has recruited these guys to be his backing band as he tours supporting his first album in a decade. Their fantastic set became a bit of a downer as Goldsmith talked of how their van was broken into during their show the night before in Brooklyn. They had many of their personal items stolen including laptops, ipods, passports. It sucks to hear stories like that but he seemed to feel better talking about it to the crowd. Then they broke into their song beautiful song 'love is all I am' and everything seemed all right. Their set was taken to a different level when special guest JOHNNY CORNDAWG joined them onstage to perform a mini set of superior country tunes with a dash of humor. JOHNNY looks plucked right out of the 60's and 70's country music scene and his look matches the music. Their set ended with all three bands joining them on stage for a sing along of their best tune 'when my time comes' (video below from a different show):
After a very short break DEER TICK hit the stage. While they have been around much longer than DAWES and are veterans of 3 solid albums, DT have that rough around the edges feel. Their shows don't seem to have much structure and you never know what is going to come next, with MaCauley going off on hilarious tangents between songs and the band mixing in random covers thru their set. Tonight they give us classic Springsteen, Sam Cooke and an amazing Nirvana. I read recently that at South By Southwest, they even performed a set as DEERVANA, covering all Nirvana songs. They will do this again on June 19th at the Brooklyn Bowl as part of the NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL. If they ever come to your town, please go see DEER TICK and be prepared to drink and have a great fucking time. Check them out from a recent appearance on Letterman:
Not long after DEER TICK finished, the three boys of MIDDLE BROTHER his the stage and finally a chance for Vasquez to shine. He made some great cameos thru the night singing backup with the two opening bands and you could see this dude was probably having more fun than anyone. This set wasn't just about MIDDLE BROTHER, it was about everybody on stage and everybody in the venue. It is about people sharing great songs and a long a laughs. The banter between band members was top notch. McCauley even mentioned taking mushrooms between sets and Vasquez could never seem to make up his mind if he wanted to play guitar and sing or just sing. McCauley's story about falling in love with a bartender led into the beautiful 'daydreaming' to Goldsmith lonely 'wilderness' were beautiful tender moments on stage while great burners like 'me, me, me' and 'middle brother' made you just want to order more beer and sing at the top of your lungs.
This night was a classic show. I'm scared to think that this show happened on March 6th and it quite possibly could be the best show I'll see this year. You know what, I would be OK with that. This was three great bands and good friend playing collectively for almost 4 hours. Just them, their instruments, their humor and us. They played like it was a party in a basement and we were all invited. They way all live shows should be.
3/6/11
BOWERY BALLROOM
Wow! Where do I start? WOW! WOW! WOW! Each bands gets a WOW! Each of these bands could headline and sell out this venue on their own so we should be so lucky to have all of them playing together on one night spitting out 3 1/2 hours of non stop great music. To give a little background on these bands, you have to start with the headliner, alt-country rockers MIDDLE BROTHER. To call them a supergroup may be a stretch, but this combination of three lead singers from different groups, John McCauley (DEER TICK), Taylor Goldsmith (DAWES) and Matt Vasquez (DELTA SPIRIT). They lead this tour in support of their newly released debut cd. I'll be reviewing this stellar cd in the coming days. DEER TICK are an americana rock n roll band whose live shows are similar to that of the Replacements. Rocking, sloppy and never a dull moment. DAWES, a southern California band that blends breezy harmonies that can easily taking you back to cool music of the 70's. Think Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Kind of. Not sure how Vasquez's band, DELTA SPIRIT, got shafted out of the line up and that is a shame. He arguably stole the show this night.
DAWES kicked off the night and if I'm not mistaken, it seemed like most of the crowd was there to see them. I saw these guys this past summer and they have definitely grown since then. They seem more polished and solid. Maybe because I'm more familiar with their songs now. I love it when songs and bands grow on you. These guys definitely have that quality. To really understand just how good they are as a band, the great Robbie Robertson who was the primary songwriter of THE BAND has recruited these guys to be his backing band as he tours supporting his first album in a decade. Their fantastic set became a bit of a downer as Goldsmith talked of how their van was broken into during their show the night before in Brooklyn. They had many of their personal items stolen including laptops, ipods, passports. It sucks to hear stories like that but he seemed to feel better talking about it to the crowd. Then they broke into their song beautiful song 'love is all I am' and everything seemed all right. Their set was taken to a different level when special guest JOHNNY CORNDAWG joined them onstage to perform a mini set of superior country tunes with a dash of humor. JOHNNY looks plucked right out of the 60's and 70's country music scene and his look matches the music. Their set ended with all three bands joining them on stage for a sing along of their best tune 'when my time comes' (video below from a different show):
After a very short break DEER TICK hit the stage. While they have been around much longer than DAWES and are veterans of 3 solid albums, DT have that rough around the edges feel. Their shows don't seem to have much structure and you never know what is going to come next, with MaCauley going off on hilarious tangents between songs and the band mixing in random covers thru their set. Tonight they give us classic Springsteen, Sam Cooke and an amazing Nirvana. I read recently that at South By Southwest, they even performed a set as DEERVANA, covering all Nirvana songs. They will do this again on June 19th at the Brooklyn Bowl as part of the NORTHSIDE FESTIVAL. If they ever come to your town, please go see DEER TICK and be prepared to drink and have a great fucking time. Check them out from a recent appearance on Letterman:
Not long after DEER TICK finished, the three boys of MIDDLE BROTHER his the stage and finally a chance for Vasquez to shine. He made some great cameos thru the night singing backup with the two opening bands and you could see this dude was probably having more fun than anyone. This set wasn't just about MIDDLE BROTHER, it was about everybody on stage and everybody in the venue. It is about people sharing great songs and a long a laughs. The banter between band members was top notch. McCauley even mentioned taking mushrooms between sets and Vasquez could never seem to make up his mind if he wanted to play guitar and sing or just sing. McCauley's story about falling in love with a bartender led into the beautiful 'daydreaming' to Goldsmith lonely 'wilderness' were beautiful tender moments on stage while great burners like 'me, me, me' and 'middle brother' made you just want to order more beer and sing at the top of your lungs.
This night was a classic show. I'm scared to think that this show happened on March 6th and it quite possibly could be the best show I'll see this year. You know what, I would be OK with that. This was three great bands and good friend playing collectively for almost 4 hours. Just them, their instruments, their humor and us. They played like it was a party in a basement and we were all invited. They way all live shows should be.
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