I’m kind of a sucker for good pop music, and I’ve been listening to the new Duffy album since that widely read but misanthropic music industry guru Bob Lefsetz exhorted his readers to check out her single “Mercy” several months ago. I wanted to see her on St. Patrick’s Day at Hiro Ballroom, but it coincided with a show down the street from Hiro at Highline – one of my favorite 80’s bands, the Hothouse Flowers.

(Aside: As chance would have it, I left Highline around the same time that Duffy was leaving Hiro. I couldn’t resist a paparazzi moment.)

I love “Rockferry,” start to finish, but then again, a) I love Dusty Springfield, Lulu and Nancy Sinatra, and b) I think I might be getting old. If you can get over the ironic hipster in you, and the hipster-druggie tragedy that is Amy Swinehouse, and ride the wave of 60’s-styled British soulsters that the UK is churning out, there is something really enjoyable about this nod to the past. Although, my fandom did not extend to making an effort to catch her at the Apollo, my finger hovered over the “Purchase Now” button on Ticketmaster, and I closed the window. But then I heard she was doing an in-store appearance at Virgin Megastore I decided to pop in for a listen and some photos.

I WISH I’d gotten a shot of the little 10 year old boy who was literally weeping outside the store to meet Duffy. I want to be friends with that kid and go to shows when he’s old enough.

As luck would have it, I ran into a neighbor of mine – I live WAY uptown, so this was strange. My neighbor isn’t much of a music buff, but was drawn in to the excitement of an impromptu live show. I thought it was interesting to talk to someone who wasn’t steeped in the hype, and the detractors, and the musically savvy rhetoric and trends, etc, etc, etc. She said to me, after Duffy was finished, “Wow, she’s like a young Janis Joplin.” Another great belter to compare her to.

 

Bill Baird from {{Sunset}}

In 2006 I happily told anyone who would listen to me that Sound Team put out the best album of the year. I dragged friends to their shows. I made them listen to "Movie Monster" over and over. I forwarded their hilarious YouTube clip to everyone after Pitchfork gave them a measly 3.7 (.7!!!) out of 10, and vowed to never pay attention to them (Pitchfork) again. I'm a bombastic music fan and a big bully, what can I say? Sadly the band broke up last year, but the people I managed to convert still ask me if I know what happened to them... Well, folks, I do. Some of the band members re-convened to form {{Sunset}} and I'm thrilled to report that I have a new band to browbeat my friends with. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, go see them at Piano's on Sunday, or at Trash Bar in Williamsburg on Monday...they're also recording a show for NYU's radio station on Sunday afternoon.

 

Last night I stayed up way past my bedtime to go to a show at Arlene's Grocery, a club that hasn't booked anything I've wanted to see in at least 7 years. I'm an old curmudgeon-- more often than not I'll opt for bed rather than to put myself out -- so last night was unusual. For the right band, I'll make the effort, even if they're playing after midnight at a terrible venue. I had a nice dinner with a friend in the neighborhood (thanks for keeping me company, Catonia!), and a few drinks at the bar at the Living Room (thanks, Karen!), and finally I'd killed enough time to head over to the dreaded Arlene's. Unfortunately, my timing was off, and the band playing just before {{Sunset}} were no where near finished playing the worst kind of Bleecker street bar band music. I went outside to chain smoke and wait... Pretty soon, a group of guys with lots of gear, boxes of gadgets and lots of keyboards, cut a path through the boisterous Long Island crowd streaming out of Arlene's in satin shirts and Kenny G hair and a veritable forest of soul patches, and I thought, "AHA!"

Not your average Arlene's rockers, they wear glasses for goodness sake!

{{Sunset}} don't really sound anything like Sound Team, and yet at the same time they do. In a way, it's like the music was written by the way cooler older cousins of Sound Team...in 1979. Fronted by the energetic Bill Baird, the band produce a strange mix of psychedelic folk, mixed with Brian Eno getting high with the Beach Boys and curating a collection of found sounds. There's a lot of minimalist white noise from 3 organs with an underlying, rollicking drumline in some songs, and mysterious twinkly percussion in others. The vocals range from droning baritone to a reedy tenor, with nearly everyone in the 6-piece band adding a voice at some point...melodies that switch back and forth between sweet and pretty and completely tuneless.

Thanks to the Limewire crew for the invitation to join the merry band of bloggers here. I'm a girl with a camera, and I'm not afraid to use it.

I've lived in New York for close to 20 years, and in all that time, and all the countless gigs in strange and not so strange places (more on that in another post), I had never ever been inside the Beacon Theater. I'm not really a big show kinda gal, I prefer grittier, dirtier, smaller, etc etc, but given the opportunity I'll pretty much go anywhere. So last night, I had the opportunity, and I busted my Beacon cherry for Goldfrapp, fresh off the boat from Coachella. I'm a total sucker for old fashioned theater theaters, they really give you a sense of occasion when you're out. You totally feel like you should be wearing ribbons in your hair with white tights, a velvet dress and Mary Jane's when you look up and see this:

Nope, that's not Kenny's Castaways, kids.

Back to the music...

Alison Goldfrapp is a drama queen, and I mean that in the best possible way. My gawd, the woman can belt...with this setting and her voice, for a second I thought I was in that crazy scene in "The Fifth Element" when the blue, rubbery opera singer is giving it her all right before the weird, pig creatures bust in shooting, and Bruce Willis digs "the stones" out of her torso. You know, you know what I mean.

And members of her band were dressed up like Dryad Princess Leias on their way to celebrate the solstice.

And they projected a liquidy, lava lamp light show on rattan screens on the stage. Eye candy!

But one of my favorite parts of the show, aside from the setting, the belting, the lighting and the like, was the fans...

Goodnight, Goldfrapp!

Tuesday April 22, 2007- Has anyone been to Europa lately? A rock music venue in Greenpoint that was middle-of-the-road, has just stepped up it's game, with a fresh new decor, new stage, new lights, new sound system and even a beer special. Sounds good, even with dirty garage punks playing through Kustom cabinets and crap.

We saw Golden Error, Cheaptime and Jay Reatard there on Tuesday night. (another great show from Scenic). Despite some technical difficulties at the beginning of Cheaptime's set, this was an OK show. The highlight for me was Golden Error's new tunes. (check them out!) You always hope for the best, and I really want to say the greatest things about Memphis' Jay Reatard, because I "get" the acclaim. I've recently visited Goner Records in Memphis, and I get it. I like the recordings I've heard, but I don't feel like he really delivered 100% at this particular show.

I'd rather listen to songs like "Oh it's such a shame" and "Blood Visions" at home...keep the mystique or whatever. He did, however, deliver lots of rocking hair for these photos. And a lot of people came out to speculate whether or not he would punch anyone in the face...so that's always good.

Jay Reatard at Europa

more after the jump.

Jay Reatard at Europa

Billy Hayes of Jay Reatard

Erick Hughes of Golden Error

Golden Error

Cheaptime

 

 

You may have seen The Oskar around certain cabaret clubs in New York. Or maybe you've seen him on Russian MTV. It wasn't that long ago that he had a #1 video with anti-war messages that was censored in his homeland. Proving to be too hot for TV, he is now stateside with a new album to pump in your ear. Fantasies of a Rockstar is an album that will get your ass shaking (produced by the team responsible for new Debbie Harry and Scissor Sisters). The album release party is going to be a hella-good time at Snitch, on May 5th. I met up with Oskar at Snitch on a particularly crowded Monday night. Nothing but beautiful people and I got a private show. Check out these really sexy photos.

More after the jump...

I had the pleasure of shooting the Victory Records showcase in Austin. C'mon...you remember Thursday? Unearth and Hatebreed? As a label, they have a checkered past, and at times a questionable reputation. However, they have maintained longevity, and from the looks of it, a huge fan base. At Red7 in Austin there were droves of kids who came to see a few bands from North Carolina who delivered emotional angst ridden ballads and mathy progressive metal. I'll tell you whats AWESOME and TERRIFYING, is seeing a room full of hormonal pierced and tattooed teenagers explode during BTBAM. You never see that kind of energy at a show in NYC, nor do you ever see audiences so invested in bands at such a young age. It's all quite epic. I LOVED this show.

Between the Buried and Me, The Audition and The Secret Lives of Freemasons.

Between the Buried and Me front man, Tommy Rogers.

 

Full house at Red 7 in Austin for Victory Records showcase. There was actually a line down the street and around the corner, it was apparently packed to capacity and the fire marshall was called.

Between the Buried and Me

The Secret Lives of Free Masons

The Secret Lives of Free Masons front man, Brien Worsham

The Audition

The Audition front man, Danny Steven.

How much do I love The Giraffes? A LOT! This was the case even with the previous lineup, and now that my lover/partner/fellow LimeWire contributor is the new bass player, this band has reached supergroup status. They are currently on a national tour promoting their new album, which slays. These men are rude, lewd, filthy devil worshiping rock terrorists who are not to be left alone with your girlfriend, or anywhere near an open bar. However, their shows are legendary for promoting alcohol consumption and good times, so you should definitely go see them play in a town near you. Here they are in Austin.

The Giraffes at SXSW

more after the jump... 

 

Damien Giraffe

Jens Giraffe

Andrew Giraffe

Damien takes it in the crowd

Aaron Giraffe

Jens keeps it heavy

Blood

Terrorizing the streets of Austin

The SPIN party at SXSW was an extreme example of how major media can sway trends. It seemed like an exercise in relevancy, that left everyone scratching their heads. The two headliners being, "prep-rock" fresh faced Vampire Weekend, followed by the seasoned and seminal punk outfit, X. On an average, most X fans would be quick to punch VW fans in face, am I wrong? Let's take the 1,800-capacity Stubb's backyard and find out! Vampire Weekend (SPIN cover boys) were able to fill out the venue, and keep everyone's attention. I found them a little green on stage, and sadly, I found none of their songs memorable. Hey, it's just one woman's opinion though, I bet they're huge in Hoboken. By contrast, X from Los Angeles was the single act that made my trip to Austin worth it. The original members are on their 31st anniversary tour, and were well received both at Stubb's and at Emo's on Saturday night. I loved talking to all the rock and roll veterans who had stories about Exene and John Doe from their punk heyday. Perry Ferrel introduced them and hit the nail on the head, "New York had The Ramones, and LA had X."

Exene, DJ and John Doe, X


Billy Zoom, X


Exene Cervenka, X

Jens Carstensen, in the crowd for X


This is funny, I almost busted it down some stairs, and realized I was backstage at the X show on Saturday night. ha! A few seconds before the encore at Emo's.


Vampire Weekend at Stubb's


Vampire Weekend


Vampire Weekend


Perry Ferrel!

 

A pilgrimage to Austin, TX is just what the doctor ordered when you're tired of the same old NYC scenes. Of course, 1,800 miles later, you end up gallivanting with your friends from home, because Texas is a big scary place. Especially when the streets are filled with roaming musicians from across the globe, each one trying to lure you into their showcases or slip their band name into your consciousness so they can hitch a ride on the great big buzz-mobile. So you form a rock n roll gang, and go to each others gigs, crash parties, get hammered, and get lost in Texas together. This show of camaraderie is very specific to SXSW, and NYC rolls deep. Here's an homage to just a very few of the Brooklyn bands who made it down this year. Ex-Humans, The Big Sleep, Golden Error and Katy Mae.

Ex-Humans, loving it already!


Ex-Humans, Todd


The Big Sleep at Mohawk


Golden Error in a back alley


Golden Error tearing it up


Katy Mae at the Maggadee Records showcase


Katy Mae spotted on the sidewalk, taking a break from the SXSW hustle.


Ms. Bea herself, with her son. They run a little spot called Ms. Bea's, where Todd P has hosted his shows the past few years. They love New Yorkers, and gave me a free Ms. Bea's t-shirt so I could come home and advertise for them. Sweet!


There is not enough Lone Star in all the world to quench the thirst of the New Yorkers who went to Austin this year.

For two (SOLD OUT) nights last week, I had the pleasure of photographing our favorite Swedish mega-rock-and-roll-superstars, The Hives. Their tour with The Donnas is nearing a close, and their show couldn't possibly be any more captivating, tightly played or ROCKING. Whatever "it" is, these guys have it, and then some. On Thursday night, I rushed from the UWS (Nick Cave show-see previous post) all the way down to Williamsburg to catch a crowded yet intimate, sweaty show with the charming Swedes at MHOW. I actually thought the floor would collapse at one point during "Tick Tick Boom". Afterwards we went to local bar, K&M for a few Kronenbourgs and a dance party! Friday night was all the excitement and rocking of the night before, x1,000 at Terminal 5. There are a ton of photos in this post...try not to get any drool on your keyboard. ( :

The Hives at The Music Hall of Williamsburg

Pelle at The Music Hall of Williamsburg....dreamy!

The Hives at Terminal 5, NYC

The Donnas have a little hair for your rock n roll.

The Donnas at Terminal 5, NYC

Nicholaus Arson

Dr. Matt Destruction

Chris Dangerous

Howlin' Pelle Almqvest brings it down to his knees.

The crowd at Terminal 5.

Chris and Pelle with Stig (Norwegian rock band The School)

Stig and Karl (The School) with Maya and Allison (The Donnas).

My new friends from Norway, The School.