Dancing Fool!

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.
This guy is so dorkilicious! Click here for the full track listing. Thanks to Alan for hooking me up with this gem.

Neil Young Tribute @Carnegie Hall, Feb. 10th

To me, tribute shows are kind of a mixed bag.  We go because we adore and want to celebrate the illustrious career of a prolific artist, yet we bring certain expectations, perhaps unfairly so, and I end up walking away feeling somewhat elated, a tad disappointed (unlike last year's superb and much cheaper Dylan Fest).  Thursday night’s Neil Young tribute at Carnegie Hall felt par for the course to me.  While producer Michael Dorf clearly has the vision and pull to do this on a yearly basis (starting with the Joni Mitchell tribute that I attended five years ago in the same venue) and I applaud that effort, especially since these shows benefit a number of worthwhile charities, I cannot turn off my critical eye and ignore the evening’s shortcomings.

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

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Pavement @Central Park Summerstage, Sept. 21st

(My apologies for throwing these up nearly five months later.  It's a bummer when life gets in the way of blogging.)

I was never a rabid fan of Pavement, so when these reunion shows were announced like a year in advance, I poo-pooed them, especially since they were to take place in Central Park at Summerstage, which in my experience usually gives rise to bad sound and sightlines as well as extreme weather.  But then before the week of Pavement came, I succumbed to the buzz, pulled out my CDs and gave their tunes a whirl again, and became determined to see them (but not at scalper prices).  Lucky for me and Julie, I managed to grab a pair off of Craigslist way below face value at $20 a pop, and with my wacky work schedule, got in line early and after a few hours of doing crossword puzzles, found myself front on the rail, center, excited for what would be a good night of music.

(More words, pics and videos after the jump.)

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"Clearly, you have both equally whored out your music."

Tuesday night on The Colbert Report, the ever hilarious Stephen Colbert featured Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys versus Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend in a heated face-off over who had the better Grammy-nominated Best Alternative album of the past year.

I'm pretty sure that I gnash my teeth every time I hear Vampire Weekend's "Holiday" on my TV...

Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @Prospect Park Bandshell, Aug. 7th

Wow...just wow. I don't know why it took me so long to experience the stunning Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, but lawdy, I'm sure glad I went to the concert that closed out a great summer of Celebrate Brooklyn! at the Prospect Park Bandshell and finally got to witness the phenomenon that she is. Sharon Jones blew my mind with her energy, singing, dancing -- you name it, she was a solid gold MVP, James Brown heir-apparent. For 2+ hours, she and her stellar bandmates (including members of the Bushwick Philharmonic) kept the 20,000+ crowd on their feet, grooving along to a wonderful retro-soul/funk sound that did not let up. She was also assisted on a few songs by the charming Lee Fields.

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

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

Atoms For Peace @Roseland Ballroom, Apr. 5th

No, it wasn't a Radiohead concert per se, yet it was still monumental. In 2006, lead singer Thom Yorke released a solo album called The Eraser, and fans had been salivating for a gig ever since. He decided to assemble a band (including bassist Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich) late last year and dubbed it Atoms For Peace. Last night at Roseland Ballroom, they put on a muscled, tight set that had the crowd bouncing along with excitement for a solid 75 minutes. (And surprisingly, the sound did not suck.)

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

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R.I.P. Alex Chilton (1950-2010)

Animal Collective & Danny Perez @Guggenheim, March 4th

After a lonnnng day at work, I decided to check out the one-day show, Transverse Temporal Gyrus, at the Guggenheim. Not being wholly familiar with Animal Collective, I ran with it and bought a ticket to the highly anticipated show, figuring even if it sucked rocks, at least I'd be making a donation to one of my favorite places in this fine city of ours.

If I had to make a snap judgment based on the long line before getting in, I would have guessed the show was going to be annoying, with the dopey young smokers behind me, chatting about dropping acid, and this weird dude in front of me making didgeridoo-type noises with just his mouth. I ended up standing in line for about 35 minutes before entering, checked in my coat, and rode the elevator to the 6th floor for the gradual descent down the ramp.

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

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The Roulette Sisters @Barbès, Feb. 13th

Saturday night, Bestest Boy and I headed to Barbès in Park Slope to see the reunion of The Roulette Sisters, a quartet of talented women who play country/blues influenced-music, drawing upon both music of the early 20th Century as well as original compositions. The first time I saw them also happened to be the last time they played back prior to their breakup in October of 2007. While we may not know exactly why these fine ladies called it quits 2-1/2 years ago, last night's two hour gig radiated love and charm, with a healthy dose of sass.

Led mostly by Mamie Minch on resonator guitar, the ladies played a lively set full of playfulness, flirtation, some heartbreak and overt double entendres (or even "single entendre" as Minch winked at one point). Minch's throaty, sultry voice reminded me at times of a sexy Kathleen Turner during her mid-'80s heyday, suggesting that she has indeed seen it all. In contrast, Meg Reichardt's sweet, girlier voice evoked an innocence that was more appropriate for the less racy selections, as she did some tight pickin' on her guitar. Meanwhile, Megan Burleyson served as a wonderfully sturdy backbone to the music on washboard, and really brought it home on lead vocals in a cover of Memphis Minnie's "Selling My Pork Chops." Last, but not least, Karen Waltuch's viola rounded out the songs with a fullness that made it feel like there was at times a fifth singer in the band. Here is a newer song about being lonely on New Year's Eve, written and sang by Waltuch:

The Roulette Sisters, who technically are not related by blood, exhibited many of the same dynamics you might observe in a familial situation, poking fun at each other with sly barbs yet united in all their togetherness. Their instrumentation sounded great musically, and their harmonies were gorgeous. They packed the shoebox-sized Barbès with both newcomers and steadfast fans, several of whom had their requests for songs like "Sugar In My Bowl" and "Keep On Churnin'" fulfilled. I especially liked the fire of "Hottest Gal in Town."

Shortly after midnight, The Roulette Sisters finished their gig and sent the warmed and delighted crowd home into the cold night air. What a cheerful early Valentine to love!

Les Savy Fav @BAM, Jan. 29th

Thanks to a random tweet I caught Thursday afternoon, Shana and I each won a pair of tickets to the undersold Les Savy Fav and Vivian Girls show at BAM for Friday night. Despite some initial protestations, we dragged ourselves along with Bestest Boy and Julie into the arctic freeze and ended up having a rockin' time.

I saw Vivian Girls six months ago at the Whitney Museum and really enjoyed them then in the cramped quarters, as it felt like we were part of some loud basement party. However, tonight in the much grander Howard Gilman Opera House, the girls felt a little lost. The sound mix did them no favors at first, with lead vocals and harmonies swallowed by the acoustics. Also, being the opener is always tough, especially with the venue only a quarter filled and with people filtering in, and people seated for their performance. It was not until at least halfway through when their sound began to gel, and the songs began to take form. At that point, guitarist and lead singer Cassie Ramone made some comment about the Xanax finally starting to work, so maybe nerves had worn away at that point.

Next up were Les Savy Fav. I had had zero exposure to this band up until this point, dismissing them as some gag act based on pictures I've seen on various blogs. My basic assumption was that they were just a band with some fat bald dude acting outlandishly, and when Tim Harrington, the lead singer, came onto the stage wearing purple leggings and a loose fitting beige cloth over his shirtless body, and clothespins attached to his beard, and did a solo interpretative dance, he really did nothing to dispel that notion. But then his band joined him and it all changed from there.

To my surprise, the band played very tight rhythms that zagged all over the place but were not sloppy. I was reminded of times I had seen Modest Mouse, Built To Spill or The Flaming Lips, with the music being loose and jangly, yet deliberate and well-crafted at the same time. The band itself held my interest quite well, as they played the straight men to the antics of Harrington, who, instead of being a distraction, complemented the instruments rather well, reminding me at times of Jello Biafra with his voice and dialogue with the audience. Yes, he was a crazy looking fat dude running all over the stage and into the crowd, but his angry-goofy-gibberish song rants, energy, enthusiasm and sheer earnestness overcame my pre-judgment. At the start of LSF's set, Harrington dropped into the crowd beckoning people to stand, and it ended up being the right thing to do. Despite the opera house setting with assigned seating, it quickly became apparent that it would take a lot more than that to contain the force that is Les Savy Fav.

Here's a video I shot of an older song, "Who Rocks the Party":

The four of us walked away from that performance delighted and impressed with the spectacle we had witnessed. I am looking forward to digging into their catalog more.

(Brooklyn Vegan quoted my review here.)

Hit it!

How to get into a party mood.

It's doing that rain/slush/snow thing outside right now, making it hard to motivate to venture back outdoors, but I must trudge forth for my friends' two birthday parties. Here's a fun mashup of New Order's "Blue Monday" with Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out of My Head," each in itself a bonafide way to get your body movin', so double your fun by combining the two?

Plus, I was told party #1 will have chocolate cupcakes with dried cherries soaked in bourbon & vanilla bourbon frosting, and party #2 will have brown butter cake with white chocolate & chocolate liqueur frosting. *Sigh* My baking friends are tryin' to kill me!

Holly Miranda - Black Cab Sessions

Shana passed this video on to me, knowing that I really dug Holly Miranda's stuff at the Brooklyn Vegan CMJ Day Show at Pianos last month. This Black Cab Sessions blog/site seems pretty rad too, placing up-and-coming acts in a cab and doing a bare-bones recording. It reminds me a lot of the Take-Away Concerts. Perfect for when you just can't get enough of your favorite performer.

Watching "The Shining"

Bestest Boy and I are watching one of his birthday gifts right now -- Stanley Kubrick's classic "The Shining" on Blu-ray. I haven't watched this movie in ages, probably in almost 20 years, and never before as an uncut version. Anybody remember the creepy twins the son Danny keeps on envisioning while wandering throughout the Overlook Hotel? I was immediately reminded of the cover of Jenny Lewis' solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, and the eerily similarly staged Watson Twins. (I'm sure I'm not the first one to notice.)

Had to have been deliberate, right? So does that make Jenny Lewis the Danny character? Or is she in her red dress the deluge of blood rushing through the hotel that we see in the movie? Quite the opposite from the tenderly precious sentiment conveyed by the songs on the album.

Anyway, here is a clip of Bestest Boy's favorite scene in the movie, in which Wendy Torrance, played by Shelley Duvall, realizes that all this time her husband has not been working on the Great American Novel, but rather, has descended into a repetitive madness of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." Quite a reveal, Bestest Boy termed it, and quite a delicious example of the terrifying score.

Brooklyn Vegan CMJ Day Show @Pianos, Oct. 22nd

On Thursday, I got out of work around 11am, and decided to take advantage of the new schedule by spending the rest of the sunny afternoon in the Lower East Side doing something I had never done before -- I went to a CMJ Day showcase. I opted to attend the free Brooklyn Vegan lineup at Pianos, bolstered by the promise of free beer, and who can really say no to free beer in the middle of the day. I most looked forward to seeing the headliner, Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah fame who was in town promoting his latest solo effort, but I also had been wanting to see some music in Pianos, in which, until then I had only been for a drink occasionally and had never seen any live music. Shocking, I know.

Anyway, it was also nice going by myself, rolling in whenever I wanted without coordinating with my friends. Much like checking out a museum alone, I was wholly in charge of what I wanted to see/hear and how long I lingered for one band over another. And because the day was free, I really was at liberty to do whatever the hell I wanted, even if it was just sitting at the bar and seeing how many bottles of Miller Lite would I really drink (apparently, 4).

I initially started downstairs in the more traditional stage setup, first catching the band A Classic Education, which reminded me a little of the time I saw The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, but with a theremin! After a handful of songs, I then decided that what my up-since-4am body really wanted was to go upstairs and sit in the lounge for some mellower music, and Freelance Whales were precisely the remedy I needed, with their twee stripped down arrangements employing a Sufjan-esque sound built with banjo, metal water can percussion, and a thing that looked like a piece of luggage but made sounds like an accordion. Right after was a singer-songwriter named Rebecca Shiffman, to whom you had to give props for playing solo to the chatty upstairs. I headed downstairs again for the adorable Surfer Blood, who I thought sounded like Weezer meets Beach Boys with a little Fugazi thrown in. After their set, I headed back upstairs to catch the end of Peggy Sue, who turned out to be two English girls and a male drummer, none of whom I believe is named after the Buddy Holly song, but played a great cover of Missy Elliot's "All N My Grill."

I went back downstairs, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lovvers, but the room was majorly packed, so I ventured outside to grab a snack to counter the effect of the beer, which was just running through me. Can you believe that the only chocolate and coconut combo that Economy Candy carries is with white "chocolate" -- BLECH! Mildly placated by some Sun Chips, I headed back into Pianos and once again couldn't make any headway into the downstairs room, so I said fuggit and sat for the last song by Chris Denny and his band. His voice had a slight falsetto(?) quality that my beer-fuzzied brain couldn't quite wrap itself around, but no matter, I was seated for the rest of the afternoon.

The upstairs got really crowded for the next singer, Holly Miranda, so I moved to get a better view and ended up sitting like right under her mic. Despite more or less enjoying everything I had seen until that point, her music was perhaps the first that really stuck in my head, her beautiful soaring voice and excellent use of a looping pedal reminding me of Grizzly Bear and Magnet. Gorgeous stuff, truly.

The last band to play upstairs was Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and his band, who despite the limited space, managed to project a great energy that the packed room really enjoyed. His songs didn't stick with me so much, but his performance reminded me of bands like Dr. Dog or Marah, who always seem to have a good time playing together.

For the final act of the day, we moved back downstairs, and to my surprise, it wasn't packed. Solo Alec Ounsworth played a nice short set that consisted of songs from his new solo album, Mo Beauty, as well as a few covers. Here's his cover of Chris Knox's "A Song to Welcome the Onset of Maturity":

His set was pretty different from the manic energy of a typical CYHSY show, but I knew what to expect, having seen him play by himself opening for The National four years ago at the Mercury Lounge. It proved to be a nice way to wind down and I headed back home to Brooklyn with a satisfied grin on my face.

Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band @Giants Stadium, Oct. 8th

Unlike a few weeks ago when Bestest Boy and I saw U2 and Muse, today I decided to fly solo for a chance to be in the GA Pit for Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. I got into line at about 11:10 am and subsequently was awarded bracelet #90 out of 1,000. For the next 3-1/2 hours I chilled in the parking lot and chatted with other fans, eager to pass the time until security drew the winning number which would signify the start of the line: #787, which meant that I was then actually ~303rd in line. Not bad. After strategizing with my neighbors, including some really nice Canadians named Eddie and Rebecca, we decided we would shoot for center towards Clarence Clemons' mic. Surprisingly, the Giants Stadium staff handled the line lottery rather well, and we were able to position ourselves pretty much where we envisioned, about 3 deep from the stage.

This night marked the 4th time I have seen the Boss in concert, and my 2nd time on the floor, but this was the closest to the stage I had ever been by far. While I came to the show fully aware that the album Born To Run would be performed in its entirety, I don't think I was prepared for the impact of hearing it live and seeing it so close. Our positioning in front of the Big Man Clemons proved key as Born To Run runs pretty heavy on sax, especially the closing song "Jungleland," during which I did get a little weepy. While it was amazing to see Clarence wail away on the sax, I could only imagine the physical stress with which his body must have been dealing as he moved slowly across the stage.

Bruce Springsteen, while younger than Clemons, is no spring chicken himself, recently turning 60(!), but you never would have known it. His energy was absolutely incredible, running through an amazing setlist that ran exactly three hours with nary a lull. I was particularly jazzed to hear "It's Hard To Be A Saint In The City" and "Because The Night," which were audience requests, as well as a moving "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)," played in memory of longtime E Streeter Danny Federici, who passed away last year. Bruce ran all over the stage and up and down several ramps and catwalks which extended into the pit, and even bodysurfed the crowd for a while during "Hungry Heart." Killer!

It's gonna take me a long time to forget this experience. After all, Bruce was one of my first loves -- Born In The U.S.A. was the very first cassette I owned. I even had a Cabbage Patch Doll I dressed in blue jeans, white teeshirt, red bandana and ball cap in the back pocket. Gimme a break -- I was in the 5th grade! =)

Here's a kinda shaky recording of "Thunder Road":

More photos on my Flickr.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @Music Hall of Williamsburg, Sept. 29th

As I write this entry, I'm two hours into my birthday. What better way to ring in the new year than with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Totally outrageous and mega-high energy, the band had the floor shakin' tonight. Karen O. was fierce as always, yet gracious to the Brooklyn crowd, remembering the YYYs' roots. As overplayed as "Maps" may be, I never get tired of it, especially this beautiful acoustic iteration:

I love you, too, Yeah Yeah Yeahs!

Excellent Y-shaped confetti!
As for opening act, Services, let's just say for me they were the musical equivalent of monkeys throwing feces and leave it at that.

Yo La Tengo @Roseland Ballroom, Sept. 25th

The concert gods smiled upon me again as I won a pair of VIP tickets to see Yo La Tengo at the (dreaded) Roseland Ballroom, thanks to The Music Slut. This was not the first time I had won tix to see YLT -- it has been almost exactly three years since I got my ass flown via helicopter to see them in Jersey City, and I took dear brother Ste (newly engaged, might I add!) once again to see our faves. Luckily, our VIP status enabled us to sit upstairs in the very spacious Mezzanine, which suited me just fine after two prior consecutive nights of seeing Elvis Costello and U2, respectively. Muchas gracias! Coincidentally, Shana also won a pair of tickets (but not VIP) so I managed to smuggle her and Julie up for a pretty relaxing evening.

I was looking forward to seeing this show after seeing them perform an abbreviated set when they opened for Wilco at Coney Island a few months ago. Also, it's always refreshing to see these guys play -- they seem rather unpretentious (especially after seeing someone like Bono the night before), and they manage to mix up their shows quite a bit that one would be hard pressed to call them repetitive.

Tonight, YLT augmented their show with a light show by Joshua White and Gary Panter projected on a large screen at the rear of the stage. It very much reminded me of the time they played The Sounds Of Science at the Prospect Park Bandshell, but this time without the angry octopus. From the Mezzanine, I had a good vantage point from which to spy the setup. The band played on the stage where you'd expect them to be:

while the light show crew of about ten people worked behind the screen:

Pretty nifty! It resulted in a great psychedelic backdrop which pulsated and evolved with the trippy music, kinda like seeing the old Pink Floyd laser light show at the Hayden Planetarium, except live and more organic. Here's a cut off their latest album, Popular Songs, entitled "Here To Fall," during which they brought on a small troupe of accompanying strings:

The evening featured a setlist of material that spanned their career, as well as their diverse range of styles, from guitar shredding riffs to perfect head bopping, finger snapping melodies. They switched off on instruments and vocals quite a bit, demonstrating their truly collaborative effort. My appreciation for Yo La Tengo only grows more and more.

I also recorded videos for my favorite song, "Autumn Sweater," and the last song, a requested oldie called "The Whole Of The Law," as well as the rest of my pics on my Flickr.

There was additional support by Susquehanna Tool & Die Co. (of whom we unfortunately caught only the slightest glimpse), comedian John Oliver (très drôle), and The Black Lips (très noisy and hard to understand).

Thanks to Brooklyn Vegan for the link.