Holly Miranda @Bowery Ballroom, May 26th

Thanks to a drawing by Other Music, Shana and I were able to check out the lovely Holly Miranda for her headlining gig at The Bowery Ballroom. The only other time I had seen her perform was last Fall at the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ Day Show at Pianos, where she appeared with only a guitar and the guitarist from her band. This time, we were given the full band treatment, supplemented by a bass, drums, and for most songs, a saxophone and trumpet. With New York being her home turf, she invited a number of guests on the stage, including Kyp Malone of TV On The Radio to join her.

(More words and pics including a setlist, and a video after the jump.)

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The National, sort of @High Violet Annex, May 13th

In conjunction with the release of their latest album, The National has set up a 5 day long pop-up store called the High Violet Annex right next to Other Music. For the past few nights, some interesting friends of the band have shown up to DJ or perform, so this afternoon I decided to take a break from feeling bogged down with this head cold, and checked out the Annex since it was free and I don't have to work tomorrow.

After picking up the new album at Other Music (I fell for their marketing ploy!), I got into line relatively easily around 5:30 or so. Just after 6 we were allowed into the tiny space, and lo and behold, I got some prime real estate, front center, and was even able to rest on some equipment cases. For the next 3 hours we were treated to some brief but excellent sets by the psychedelic country-tinged Phosphorescent, the lovely Sharon Van Etten, and the dreamy Antlers, and as an added treat, some music by The National, sort of. Well, the crowd was a-buzz with excitement, as equipment labeled with the band's name appeared on stage, and then one Devendorf, then the other, and then one Dessner, and then the other, climbed on stage to set it up, but alas, no Matt Berninger tonight.

(More words and pics, and a video after the jump.)

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Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live! @The Nokia Theatre, May 11th

Caught "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Live!" the other night at The Nokia Theatre. Not my usual cup of tea -- I went because Bestest Boy and my brother are fans, and I managed to snag them and some buddies a block of front row tickets. I actually have enjoyed an episode here and there of the show on Cartoon Network, but usually at 2 in the morning when I'm half asleep and have the drunken attention span that the 15 minute show demands. I was curious how the live format would go, and though some moments were definitely funny, the uneven momentum never allowed the show to really take off.

(More words and pics after the jump.)

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R.I.P. Lena Horne (1917-2010)