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.)

Vivian Girls @Whitney Museum, July 31st

It had been ages since the last time I paid a visit to the Whitney Museum. (I believe it was in 1995 when I saw an exhibit on the Beat Generation which included the 120 foot long scroll on which Jack Kerouac typed On The Road.) On this rainy Friday afternoon, I met Avra and her dad (who at first glance, reminded me a little of Gary Louris of Jayhawks and Golden Smog fame) for a quick jaunt through some great installations (do check out the Dan Graham and Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen ones).

We then headed down to the lower level for a brief respite before lining up with the rest of the museum-goers for the evening's entertainment. It is an odd space situated in the same area as the gift shop and cafe, with large columns awkwardly imposed right in front of where the bands set up. I did like the large window behind, which gave people the option to sit outside behind the band, or even for passersby on the street level to have a glimpse at the action.

The opener was this experimental music trio named These Are Powers. Even though we were in a contemporary art museum setting, I was not particularly in the mood for this sort of music, which lacked any sort of traditional melodic/harmonic structure. The lead singer, with her yelps and spoken singing, reminded me at times of Karen O from the YYYs, with a little Peaches and Marilyn Manson mixed in. There were certain elements of their songs I did like, but I probably would have enjoyed them more had there been a little more distance between me and one of the speakers. If they were in a proper venue with a raised platform, I think it would have felt a little less haphazard as though we were in someone's basement or rec room.

Next up was our primary reason for shlepping to the UES -- the recently much buzzed about all girl trio, Vivian Girls, of whom prior to yesterday I only knew of the origin of their name as being from a Henry Darger work. I really dug the raw freshness of these ladies, who moved through their songs swiftly and modestly. Their music has elements of '60s girl group harmonies, with a punk/surf rhythm and shoegaze fuzz to it. If I had to make quick comparisons, I'd say I was definitely reminded of the Raveonettes, Lush and The Breeders at times. I am quite pleased Avra suggested checking Vivian Girls out. I bought their self-titled first album after the show and look forward to their upcoming release.

Overall, a satisfying experience despite the dreary rain.

Thanks to the blog 50 Shows in 50 Days For Free for the linkage.