Live Review: She & Him - July 6th and July 8th, 2013 - Central Park SummerStage

I spy with both of my bleary eyes…summer. I see lovers. I see buzzing bees. I see Zooey Deschanel jumping up and down with a tambourine!? This makes me giddy to no end! Wake up the overworked and underpaid, we like the same things and I like your smile: Crushes and cold drinks abound!?

I reckon it can’t be beat. And, I’m not talking with the perverted nature of The Man Show when they would have women with big bouncy boobs jumping on trampolines, though, obviously, Zooey is very beautiful. I’m speaking of a good, clean, giddy-fun rock show at one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

Highs

·       Did I mention the giddiness of Zooey Deschanel jumping around stage with a tambourine?

·       They played 25 & 28 songs respectively. In my mind, that’s giving it all you have. They played all my favorites!

·       The band put a strict cease and desist (not really, but lots of posts and security verbal reminders) on cameras and phones during the show. A stand I’d like to see taken more often and more hardcore in the future, if, somehow possible.

·       Anytime M.Ward would sing, the crowd would go berserk! His guitar playing was buzz-worthy. M.Ward has my full attention as a potential sleeper guitar God.

·       Vol 3 is a masterpiece album. The (new) material not only holds up, but it advances the sonic fortitude of the band. Reminds me of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, but with female vocals. As I wrote on my Twitter, “Sunny with waves of darkness blended with effervescent romantism.”

·       Fantastic stage set up with a myraid of diverse lighting sets.

·       No gimmicks: How awesome would it be to hear M.Ward sing, “Who’s that girl?” Or, I think Zooey should wear a M.Ward shirt and M.Ward should wear a New Girl shirt. Though, I understand that they are more “fashionable” than that.

·       Lots of well-done, re-worked, unexpected covers.

·       That fun-go-lucky music just flourishes in the beautiful setting of Central Park. It’s lushness frolics through the parks nooks and crannies and into your brain, fresh and park air clean.

Lows

·       Zooey’s stage banter was sheepish. A bad sheepish. I was looking forward to this part of the show, and I just walked away not gushing all over her as my dreams had me. Perhaps my expectations were to high. She would ask mundane questions to the audience, as a time waster, but it wasn’t sincere or funny. Did anyone else think this?

·       Saturday’s show was TOO HOT. Not the band’s fault, but stuff like that does affect the overall mood.

·       Zooey didn’t pick me out of the audience and marry me on stage. )-:

She & Him just played two nights of glorious smile-glazed harmonies at Central Park’s Summerstage. Now, it wasn’t all greetings of giggles and blowing bubbles in the gentle warm sun. Saturday (the 6^th) was a dense, compacted battle against the sun and its army of humidity, whereas Monday’s show (the 8^th) was forced to grin and bear through a 15, or so, minute rain delay. The rain was hard and cold, but not as much of a nuisance as one might think, coming and going quickly and unabashed. The degree to which the audience was soaked, only seemed to amp up anticipation for the upcoming ZooeyFest.

Make no mistake about the duo’s name: It’s Zooey’s show. Though, at times, I would watch M.Ward with such a mesmerizing trance, it would seem like the band I was seeing was Him & She. This was quite unexpected, as I have followed the band from the beginning (though never live…), but my love of Zooey blossomed exponentially with New Girl, though again I would argue the best parts of that show are the Hims: Nick Miller and Schmidt. With that said, Zooey is the epicenter of fun, cute, quirky and all-world talent (actress, songwriter, performer, what can’t she do? What a life!?) allowing these amazing entities to orbit around her, with her own brand of grace.

It’s been well documented that M.Ward is more than fine taking the back seat to Zooey’s show (he does so with such a professional luster I might add…), as the whole thing started with a series of demos Zooey sent him, which eventually became Vol. 1. M.Ward a troubadour, a journeyman, a sleeper guitar God in his own right, makes out pretty well in the deal. He gets to work with someone that really has a gift for crafting top-notch melodies and lyrics and Ward can turn them into harmonic perfection. I wish I made this up, but the best thing I’ve ever read about Ward is so true it’s comically ridiculous: M.Ward can make a song from today sound like it was recorded in the 50’s and a song from the 50’s sound like it was written yesterday. The guy has a gift for tunings and knob turnings that can make anything retro, but at the same time, find that Rick Rubin digging into the personality of the musician, and make it come to life raw and urgent. That’s what he does with Zooey. With  She and Him, he’s brought the Zooeyness to the forefront of the music, along with lending an illustrious creditability to the end product that channels his idols: The Beach Boys and the Beatles, with the chemical artistry of a batch of Walter White crystal meth. 99% vs. 96%. Chuuch.

Speaking of The Beach Boys, She & Him’s new album appropriately titled Vol 3 I’m lovingly titling Pet Sounds with a Pussy. You may not like that word. You may think it’s unfair to compare any album to Pet Sounds. But, if you listen to “I’ve Got Your Number, Son” and “Never Wanted Your Love,” I really don’t see what other conclusion you can come to. M.Ward, mad scientist, uber-genius, really cooked one up here. Accept the reference and the alliteration!? It’s a lovely and updated sound, and with cute female vocals. What’s this world coming to, right? It’s so effervescent and fresh smelling park grass. Even the album cover has two beautiful faces with florescent bubbles flying around it. The art is right on. So, put your headphones on, wait for a gust of wind, and get the kite blazing! That, or find yourself a windy road and a convertible and let your hair fly on a lush coastal beach. These are the two places this album takes me. Either way, the Wilson brothers would be proud!

The first thing I wonder about a She & Him show, is how are they going to replicate all the layering of her vocals. Many times their songs break into multiple, sometimes as many as five, vocal layers. I call it a “brain full of cycling Zooey’s.” Ah, it’s a wonderful thing!? The more Zooey’s the better, am-I-right? For the tour, they have anywhere from just She & Him (two people if you’re counting) all the way to about a dozen people, on an occasional string boosted song. Just awesome. The “brain full of cycling Zooey’s is simply two backup singers (little Zooey’s?), who might I add are snapping and swaying in unison the entire show. It’s amazing to me how those little details make something so special. Just ask anyone that was in a Marching Band. The difference is in the details. Anyway, if you’re keeping score, the means the TOURING version of the band is: She & Him & Him & Him & Him & Him & Him & Her & Her (little Zooey’s).  

I was definitely impressed at Zooey’s vocal prowess. On the new album, Vol 3, her voice has a deep richness to it I haven’t heard before. It looks like when she sings the songs with this robust flavor live, she needs her full elongated straight up posture to hammer it out, but it sounds amazing. Like a singing Zooey oak tree. I would say about 96% of the show, she sounds elite and about four percent of the time she sounds like someone who’s really good at karaoke missing a note or two. As in, a couple of the songs like “Stars Fell on Alabama” (Frank Sinatra) and even though I love it, a couple of times I thought it sounded flat, “Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me” (Mel Carter). On the closing anthem of the show, M.Ward gently strummed a rockin’ “I Put a Spell on You” (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins/CCR) to which Zooey left the mic stand, getting as close to the audience as possible and seemingly tried to blow everyone away with her voice. Literally. Physically. Using the wind of her voice like a powerful tornado. Show’s over, folks, you’ve been blown OUT of the park!!!? It was powerful, comical and quite impressive all at the same time. It reminded me of Tenacious D’s “Master Exploder.” It was THAT over the top and awe thumping. Everyone not bowled over, was at the very least knocked back to their heels and impressed. 

This was the last straw for me to make THIS comparison. She & Him, and Zooey, remind me a great deal of Jack Black and Tenacious D. Albeit more snapping your fingers, clean and poppy, lots of dick jokes to literally ZERO dick jokes… There are some crisp similarities. 1) We’re talking about an actress making music, but I and most I know, prefer the music 2) An A-list comrade to smooth out the edges, give illuminating credibility, and generally take things to the next level. For The D, it’s Dave Grohl, who plays most electric guitars, drums, THE DEVIL, lends his Studio 606, etc, etc. For She & Him, it’s M.Ward. 3) “Master Exploder” 4) They’ve both recorded three albums (we’ll say The D’s HBO show and S & H’s Christmas Album cancel each other out) 5) The D’s obsession with ROCKING correlates directly with She & Him’s songcraft to come up with a retro-style hook. 

Saturday's show was a heat stroke waiting to happen, with the pressure cooker of being a Saturday night in NYC. Saturday nights during the summer of NYC, just have a feel. Like something amazing is supposed to happen. It usually does, but there is still that kind of date-y like pressure. Monday's show, wasn't as hot, sold out, compact or pressurized. It was loose. Zooey's family was in attendance. It just seemed like everyone had a little bit of a better time. It made me very glad I decided to go to BOTH shows. If I only saw the Saturday show, my Midwest mindset perhaps would have left me feeling the band was conceited. Not in a terrible way, but Saturday's event wasn't the most gracious display. It's NYC. It was hot. They did their job, but there wasn't that feeling that this was THE MOST FUN THING EVER for them to do. I always love that feeling. Monday's show was at least a little closer to that. 

I did dig Zooey's Tweet. Perhaps it was PR, but it still made me feel good, and because of PR, and the diminishing returns of expectations, this is a real, real nice gesture...

Amazingly fun two shows in Central Park at the summer stage!! Thank you to all of the lovely people who came to see us in the sun and rain!
— zooey deschanel (@ZooeyDeschanel) July 9, 2013

“Never Wanted Your Love,” reminds me directly of the buzzing bees feeling of Pet Sounds “I’m Waiting for the Day.” Zooey’s lyrics are so cutting and urgent, “take a win, take a fall/I never wanted your love/but I needed it all/I’m tired of being clever/everyone’s clever these days.” That’s just flat out brilliant, and with that rolling drum beat and a rich “I could sing this song in the shower for hours voice,” it’s hard not to fall. Ok, make that a COLD SHOWER. All head over heels and drooling aside, Zooey is a lyrical and melodic force, with an absurd amount of sing-able, maudlin, love struck, love pained, well rounded, outright top-shelf tunes for your listening, discernable ears. I want to buy a tambourine and dance around my room with this shit on full blast. Her songs are as good, if not better than any of my favorite female artists: Norah, Feist, Carina Round, etc, etc. She has to be there, and with Vol 3 and a salient tour—the force is set free.

So cut the chit-chat haters, summer bubbles and bee stings are here. I’ve been stung and I cherish the wound. So, let yourself fall in love and have this retro-ly delicious soundtrack to do so. Buzz. Buzz. Swoon.

Setlist

I Was Made for You

I’ve Got Your Number, Son

Baby

Over it and Over it Again

Take it Back

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me (Mel Carter cover)

Thieves

Turn to White

I Thought I Saw Your Face Today

Brand New Shoes (Sat only)

You Really Got a Hold on Me (The Miracles cover)

Stars Fell on Alabama (Frank Sinatra cover)

Unchained Melody (Alex North cover)

Me and You

Ridin’ in My Car (NRBQ cover)

Don’t Look Back

Rave On! (Sonny West cover)

Magic Trick (M.Ward song)

This is Not a Test

Never Wanted Your Love

Together

I Could Have Been Your Girl (Sat only)

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

In the Sun

Sunday Girl (Blondie cover)

Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry cover) (Sat only)

Sweet Darlin’

I Put a Spell on You (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cover) 




Author's Note: I DID adhere to the no pictures or phone 99% of the time. The pictures you see, were taken during the double encore of the Saturday show, when a bunch of people left. No, I'm not proud, but it DOES add to this blog post. So, I did it for YOU readers. I did it for YOU. (-: 

Live Review: Born Ruffians, The Spinto Band, Turf War - Brooklyn Bowl - June 16th, 2013

Brooklyn Bowl hosted a compelling ensemble of bands Sunday night: Turf War, The Spinto Band and Born Ruffians. The most interesting storyline of the evening, for me, is my own association, or in this case, dissociation, with The Spinto Band—directly in correlation with Born Ruffians. They had an album, Nice and Nicely Done (2005), that was very symbolic of my move from Michigan to NYC, and was in constant rotation in the same vein as Red, White & Blue (2008) by Born Ruffians a few years later. I would say 2005 and 2008 were Indie Rock “baby booming” times in my life, where I took on a shit-ton of new bands in a music feeding frenzy of insatiable portions. These particular albums were staples of said times, yet my fan-ship of the bands didn’t seem to latch on, which is sad, because both bands carried on without me. Not to say they should have stopped, but I am certainly glad they didn’t, and am elated to hitch myself back on based on these rock shows I’ve seen. Nostalgia transcends itself beautifully into new music merriment.

I think the best way to approach this show, is to respect the ensemble cast and unveil the evening like an ascending red carpet of rock goodness…

Turf War 

Image stolen from: www.rollograndy.com

 They are a five-piece indie pop punk band from Augusta, Georgia. One can certainly feel the southern slather to their easy-on-the-ears punk sound. I was kind of taking their set in from the distance while my group of friends arrived, and as the Game 5 of the NBA Finals was beginning, but even without isolated attention their music seemed legit. Definitely a great opening band, setting an upbeat tone for the evening. Being the most “rocking” band of the evening, things were off to a proper start. They have a great classic rock sound and many of their songs, I felt like I could pick up and sing along, though I had never heard the songs before—a handful had catchy “ooo-oooh-oooh,” and “Yeah-yeah-yeah…” type backing vocals. I chanted along from a distance when I could.

The Spinto Band

I can’t believe I forgot about The Spinto Band!?

I still reference that album all the time in rotation and conversation, as I love to frame a situation warranting much fanfare with a quintessential, “Nice! And Nicely done!” in direct reference to that “Zerfas classic.” 2005’s Nice and Nicely Done was a breakout album on Bar/None Records, after putting out four albums on their own label Spintonic, dating back to their high school days in the late 90’s when they were just getting started. The single “Oh Mandy” (played towards the end of the set...) was used for a commercial by Sears, and subsequently funded the bands European tour. Somehow I missed the follow-ups with intriguing album names: Moonwink (2008), Shy Pursuit (2012) and Cool Cocoon (2013).

Shy Pursuit is just a lovely album name, reminding me of my all-too-patient and quiet puppy dog crushing. Sigh. And Cool Coccon just makes me want to snuggle with someone, with a melodic and relaxing musical backdrop, which coincidentally, is exactly what the album’s tone conveys. I wouldn’t mind a cuddle convoy right now. Throw it on and line ‘em up! 

It seems the band is at a creative explosion lately, putting out two albums in consecutive calendar years, again returning to their own label, Spintonic. Shy Pursuit and Cool Cocoon have a matured sound from the Strokes-y sound so many bands had in that ‘05ish period. The band has moved to a more relaxed, electronically driven sound, much in the way of Born Ruffians, with crystal clean worldly vocals reminiscent of Vampire Weekend.

The Spinto Band seems to have a great dueling dynamic to the band, with the more mature lustrous sound coming from guitarist Nick Krill and the more driving, dance-y songs coming from the buoyant stage presence of bassist Thomas Hughes. On this evening he was flannelled up and rocking his ass off, in an upbeat jubilant manner, contagious as hell. It was near impossible to not want to dance right along with the set. They had a very commanding, stalwart stage presence, reminding me that they are, in fact, veterans of the game. Not underground greenhorns. Not to be ignored. These guys can play and these songs are so pretty.

I can only hope this spark in creativity and recorded music is more than just a last hurrah for a band that deserves much more acclaim than they’ve been given (myself included) over the years. The Spinto band is a dynamic live presence and versatile force in the studio—it baffles me they don’t have a more universal audience. I know I will ratchet my fan-ship up a notch and cusp faith these boys will catch fire. They are worthy of the cause. 

 Born Ruffians 

I was debating whether to go to this show or not, being that I just saw Born Ruffians at Bowery Ballroom in April. I figured they would play a similar set, but given that Brooklyn Bowl is one of the GREATEST places on Earth, the show was affordable, my nostalgia for The Spinto Band—I figured if I had the night free, this was the place to be. And I was right, however, I didn’t expect such a reciprocal set from Born Ruffians.

I use the term “reciprocal set” to mean a set that perfectly compliments the previous set. Often times useful if you see a band a number of nights in a row, or on the same tour, when you can find different things about the show that you missed the first time—to complete the experience. Typically, this is done with a varying setlist. Recently, I missed one of my favorite bands Say Anything as they toured with a concept of playing “rarities and b-sides” on their latest jaunt. That would have made the perfect reciprocal set to the Anarchy My Dear set I saw last time.

This particular occasion, Born Ruffians played, I’m pretty sure, the EXACT same set from the Bowery show, and most of their tour really. This typically would kind of bum me out, but the audience reaction at Brooklyn Bowl was completely different. The Bowery Ballroom show seemed to be PACKED with diehards, and anytime an old song would be played, the place would go berserk!? When Born Ruffians opened with “Badonkadonkey” the crowd was actually kind of quiet and seemingly not very amused. 

Luke Lalonde’s voice at times can be quite shrill, especially on those old numbers. I love it, but following some of those glossy Spinto Band songs, it kind of echoed through the darkness with unease. I assured my friend they would “win over the crowd.” Slow and steady, that’s exactly what the Canadian quirky quartet accomplished, song-by-song in methodical fashion, the crowd came around. The rallying cry this time though was the newer, more electronic, more of today’s era cuts off 2013’s Birthmarks. At the Bowery show, the Birthmarks songs were certainly well received, but the anticipation for the debut album was undeniable. 

The first three songs were off their debut EP and LP respectively. After that, there were a number of cuts in a row off Birthmarks that continued to gain steam with the audience. By then, the songs were soaring, the disco ball was spinning and Lalonde was floating from stage right to stage left and vice versa, jamming on stopping for an occasional, well-timed “HEY!” into the microphone. It was a beautiful evening to be at Brooklyn Bowl. Not quite as dance-y and eccentric as I would have expected, but it’s a wonderful thing to watch a band at their craft. I don’t even know why I was worried, or had a hint of doubt, I realize these guys are professionals and this is what they do, but I can’t help but want good things for these guys.

If they were born ruffians, they certainly have proven to grow up to be refined dignitaries—gentleman of their craft. 

Live Review: Punch Brothers, Bowery Ballroom, December 29th, 2012, SUPER PASS Day 1

My title is brought to you by...Fiona Apple. 

2012 has come to an abrupt, yet if you’re like me, welcomed, end, and in the great city of New York there is no shortage of things to do. When the Punch Brothers announced they were closing the year with a three-night run at Bowery Ballroom (the city’s best venue) I knew I had to be there. 1) Three shows, with a wide variety of setlist choices, covers, opening act shenanigans, etc, etc 2) Riding the coattails of their beautiful album Who’s Feeling Young Now? and road warrior mentality The Punch Brothers might just be the hottest band of 2012 (my official list will be out shortly) 3) These guys are so insanely talented and inspiring, I have to have a great excuse NOT to see them if they’re in town. Anytime they’re in town. ESPECIALLY if it’s a “special” ordeal…and we all know I’m a sucker for superlatives and spectacles.

The band took the stage relatively promptly at 10:07pm for a near two hour set that ran the gamut of the expected and the “expected unexpected.” The doozy of the evening (and subsequent nights to follow) was a vocal firework of a cover, “Surf’s Up” by the Beach Boys. Perhaps it’s not a deep cut, but, I consider myself a pretty big Beach Boys fan and I haven’t heard the song in years. I recalled the tune, but didn’t have the relationship with it I will from now on. Honestly, one of the great things about PB shows, they’ve introduced me to such a wide array of tunes I’d never discover otherwise, as well as, making me better appreciate some of the songs already in my catalogue.

I used the term vocal firework for their version of “Surf’s Up” because it kind of exploded everywhere. I mean this in the majestic sense, not the angry film critic sense. Vocally, the Punch Brothers are mostly a pretty reserved band, unless doing an obnoxious cover like Mclusky or the raging ending to Radiohead’s “2+2=5” (to name a few), but when doing “Surf’s Up” everyone sang. Even Noam. It was pretty neat, because I’d never seen them do anything of the sort. I just kind of sat there with my mouth ajar while Thile torched through the near comical falsetto parts, blending seamlessly with fiddle player Gabe Witchers’ more rustic Wilson voice (Dennis?) and, again, blossoming into a layered "sort of" five-part vocal harmony.  I became even more warm and fuzzy with the energy and smiles the band displayed as Thile giddily raised his fist in the air saying, “Brian FUCKING WILSON!” to close the goat rodeo triumph. I would never ask for it, but it worked, so hurray for everyone that got to see this. Will it stay in future setlists?

The opening choice “Another New World” had a very theatrical beginning and was off their new EP, and opening greeting, Ahoy!, a little running gag through the three-nights run Thile used to pump up the crowd. Usually, the “Ahoys!” would come in rounds of three, gaining steam throughout each evening as the crowd became more and more self-aware. After all, with everything the Punch Brothers do for you, it’d be a shame to let them down on a simple call and response gesture. 

The Punch Brothers seemed genuinely happy to be back home in New York. They’ve toured brutally “grueling” on the Oregon Trail scale. To which they sent some love to NYC by playing “New York City” and following it with the Strokes’ “The Heart Beats in its Cage” to which Thile said the songs, “belong together, always.” It’s hard not to be charmed by the dry banter. 

Later on, while debuting Hunger Games soundtrack song “Dark Days” Thile and banjo player Noam “Pickles” Pikelny carried on a dialogue about what it means to “debut something” that would make even the healthiest of Christmas tree’s wilt. It ended with an emphatic high-five and one is glad to see all the touring hasn’t sucked the life out of a tight-knit band of (punch) brothers.

Just when Noam begins to speak, I start laughing. The guy has this ridiculously deceiving deep voice, and slow timing that slays me. He could read a book and I’d think it’s the greatest show ever. He serves as the perfect compliment to Thile’s nerdy professor meets Jude Law playing a (somewhat inebriated) spy-with-a-mandolin stage persona. It’s just a great compliment of guys with an off-the-chart chemistry. They jam enough that everyone gets their run by the end of the evening. Kind of like a team passing the ball around. Thile will often jostle back and forth from person to person giving subtle non-verbal cues as they hot potato their way through the jam. It’s mesmerizing. There is not a weak link amongst the group. They hold their own, and you get the idea working with Thile—they’d have to.

The encore began with Thile solo literally prancing, or in this case, I guess you’d say waltzing, through Bach’s “4^th Movement G Minor Sonata.” This has always been one of my favorite things to see. I don’t know much about classical music, but when watching Thile play Bach on the mandolin, it seems like you’re not supposed to actually play Bach on the mandolin. It feels counterintuitive and facetious, but again, one of those moments during a Thile show when you can’t fathom there’s anyone else on the planet that could recreate what you’re watching. When you close your eyes, you can REALLY take in the acoustics at Bowery Ballroom during this classical ditty. Thile often steps away from the microphones when he does this, but this time it was loud, proud and a real testament to a brooding, confident, bluegrass-rock show.

I missed the Jeffrey Lewis opening set, but they brought him back out. Another shining example of how genuine these guys seems to be—they always bring out the opening act to cook up a little something special. I can’t recall a time when they didn’t. It seems like they find people they respect, want to work with, and have fun melding the exquisite pieces together. In this case, Jeffrey Lewis has a knack for cartoons and singing songs in an almost rap cadence. They brought out a screen for his transitioning comics, and the band stayed to the side in the dark, playing fast moving, eerie, bluegrass music while Lewis sang a song about a “creeping brain” to a series of overtly awesome drawings. It reminded me of a steroid infused version of the comics Tom Green used on his show. Hilarious, but really musical. Something I’d certainly love to see more of. Everyone in the band seemed so happy and side-spliten (past tense of side splitting?) when the stage lights came back on. Again, genuine and fun.

They closed the set away from the microphones with a delicate version of “Moonshiner” presented as one of the bands’ favorite Christmas songs (also available on Ahoy!). One could hear the floorboards creak when people’s weight shifted. It was delicate, precise and perfect. What a wondrous way to end a set…and to kick things off.  

If you have tickets to the following two nights, you’re feeling pretty damn good right now.

Setlist

Another New World (Josh Ritter cover)

New York City

The Heart Beats in its Cage (Strokes cover)

Song For a Young Queen (From “Not All Who Wander Are Lost”)

Down Along the Dixie Line (Gillian Welch cover)

This Girl

Dark Days (Hunger Games Soundtrack)

New Chance Blues

Don’t Need No

Surf’s Up (Beach Boys cover)

Flippen

Through the Bottom of the Glass (Seldom Scene cover)

The Blind Leaving the Blind: Third Movement

Movement and Location

Rye Whiskey

4^th Movement G Minor Sonata (Bach cover, Thile Solo)

The Creeping, Creeping Brain (Jeffrey Lewis cartoon-y song)

Patchwork Girlfriend

Moonshiner (Traditional, Bob Dylan) 

Thile opened the encore solo with, "a little bit of Bach." 

Day 2
Day 3

Anamanaguchi, Hooray for Earth and Yellow Dogs at Tammany Hall, June 19th, 2012. (eMusic Selects Showcase)

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Anamanaguchi when they played live at the quaintly named Tammany Hall as part of the New Music Seminar (NMS) presented by eMusic. In my head, I pictured a bunch of “gamers” getting up to towering parallel Nintendo stacks, while dramatically holding the classic black, red and gray controllers for showmanship, before launching into classic tunes from their first album Dawn Metropolis. Then, I remembered, the band plays actual instruments as well. Quite well, actually.

For those that haven’t heard the band, their brand of music is typically referred to as “chiptune,” which in the case of Anamanaguchi means they derive synthesizer sounds from 1980’s era Nintendo gear, giving their music a driving eerily nostalgic cadence. They mix in live drumming, bass and electric guitar for a melting pot of nerdy goodness.   

While the show didn’t feature any singing, as all the songs are instrumental, there was a projector featuring images of anything from Nintendo folklore to furry little kittens. The band looks; exactly how you think they would look, donning Mickey Mouse shirts, bed head hair and stage banter dry enough to brittle a leaking waterbed. For instance, when they came out as the special guest for the eMusic showcase, they proclaimed, “we’re the Beatles from New York City.”

I guess if you classify them as the Beatles of chiptune, they were accurate on both accounts.

The succinct set gave head bobbers, jumping thrashers, IPA sippers and nostalgic nerds alike everything one could ask for.

The opening acts were alums of the eMusic Selects program, whose mission is to find and spotlight new up-and-coming bands, Yellow Dogs and Hooray for Earth.

Yellow Dogs opened the night with a furious, danceable set that featured a keyboard player that looked like an Iranian John Oates and an overall sound that stuck out, much like how I would imagine the Bad Brains did during the punk hey-day of the 80’s in DC. Worldly in context and bouncy in vernacular, their music comes with a fun anecdote. The band was formed in Tehran, where rock music is illegal. They played under constant threat of arrest and punishment until they left the country, moving to Brooklyn in 2007.

It’s certainly a story one can rally around, if not the uprising spirit and riot act their infectious sound brings to the landscape.

Hooray for Earth was a throw everything, AND the kitchen sink at the audience act. There didn’t seem to be a moment when the band wasn’t flexing their sonic muscles to force the audience on their heels with the sheer physics of rock waves. I didn’t walk away from their set with any hooks in mind, but they held an entertaining presence and are a band to keep an eye on.

All in all, bravo to eMusic for a fun night of music and I look forward to the next NMS and other collateral bands eMusic drums up for my listening pleasure. 




Yellow Dogs:

Hooray for Earth: 

Anamanaguchi: