Phosphorescent – Mercury Lounge 5.13.10

Had an interesting music-geek experience last night.  The sort of thing I could philosophize about for a couple hours with certain friends.  Alternatively, my enthusiasm on such subjects could easily alienate me in the wrong the crowd.

On our way to see Phosphorescent at the Mercury Lounge, we stopped for a drink at a nearby pub (Marshall Stack, on Rivington, which by the way has a great beer selection).  We were pleasantly surprised to hear Neil Young’s On the Beach album playing.  Ten minutes later, we walked into the Merc as Phosphorescent was setting up, and the On the Beach was once again playing over the PA.  1974 Neil Young was following us around the Lower East Side.  I’d be happy to discuss the meaning of this at length with interested parties.

In any case, early 70s Neil was certainly a good warmup for Phosphorescent, with the six-piece featuring a number of songs from their new country-styled LP, Here’s to Taking it Easy, and several from last year’s Willie Nelson covers record, To Willie.   Although the band seemed a little jittery at the start, within a few songs they settled in, with front man Matthew Houck controlling the room.  Houck’s tremolo – not unlike that of Willie’s or Neil’s – tells the story.

Here’s the lead track on the new album, which also opened the show:

It’s Hard To Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)

Arcade Fire at MSG

I caught the second night of Arcade Fire’s two-night stand at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.  It felt like a truly triumphant occasion – like Arcade Fire had won.  It was a big win for me too, as I was previously 0-2 in catching the band live (having had to give up tickets to two local shows – at much smaller venues – in years past).

Win Butler spent a very respectable amount of time up close and personal in the crowd.  Seems like he’s fine-tuning his crowd entries and exits, which is ok by me (maybe next year he can borrow Springsteen’s knee pads).  The Garden crowd (comprised of a wide variety of ages, I should note) held it’s own but it was ultimately no match for this band and their raging singalongs.

The crappy-quality photo above taken by my blackberry actually tells a good story.  As do these fan-produced videos of the final encore, Wake Up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcXQqE9bSmc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjwVuGvVyfw

Oh  yeah, and it was broadcast live on youtube, so you can see what the pros saw too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vS5crSXJ6k&feature=channel

New DBTs

It’s always a happy time for me when the Drive By Truckers release new material.  Their new album, The Big To-Do, comes out on March 16 and is their first on ATO Records.   Luckily, they’ve shared “Birthday Boy” (a Mike Cooley song) via their website, and “This Fucking Job” (a Patterson Hood song) via Stereogum.  Both tunes have the lyrical blood and guts, plus the driving instrumental force, that have moved me for the better part of a decade.  As I wrote last year (I guess I can’t get away from the word “gut” when writing about the DBTs):

“Well, speaking of “soul shaking amazing” shows – August 1, 2002, the Mercury Lounge, NYC. My first DBTs show. Sure we get a little jaded here in New York every now and then, but we’re also fortunate enough to have a lot of opportunities to shake our head at Mr. Jaded, and even throw ‘em an elbow to the gut once in a while. That’s how August 1, 2002 felt. The Southern Rock Opera album was in heavy rotation leading up to the gig, but we didn’t know what we were in for, at all. After one song we looked at each other, collectively exhaled, downed our beers and raced to the bar for a couple quick shots of whiskey. Figuring we needed re-balance for the rest of the show. A monumental night in my long history of losing myself to live music.”

Here are the two new ones:

Birthday Boy

This Fucking Job

NYC Taper Piece in the Village Voice

Some of you might enjoy this Village Voice piece on taping in New  York (and “NYC Taper” in particular).

Village Voice piece

Vampire Weekend at Bowery Ballroom

I caught Vampire Weekend at the Bowery Ballroom last week, the final and by far the most intimate of their three-shows-in-three-nights new album promo in New York. It’s always fun to see a hot band in a venue they’ve outgrown and this gig upheld the rule – longtime fans singing along, hipsters who just had to be there (but wouldn’t want to show too much excitement over their good fortune), celebrities mixing with us commoners and the band excited to get back to their roots (even if those roots were pulled up only a year or so ago). These elements generally mix well, creating a nice buzz.

I knew all the songs from their first album, and had heard only one of the new ones before the show. Though Vampire Weekend has taken its fair share of swipes from both the music scene’s intelligentsia and its populist front (wow, they must REALLY be popular), I am not terribly bothered by any of it. The songs, including the new ones on Contra, are generally excellent, catchy and bouncy. And, anyway, I probably care more about how the lyrics sound than what they say.

That said, I categorize the concert experience as merely “Fun…Glad I went…A good night out.” Maybe they need to grow into the songs some more, or just let them loose a bit. With a ripe audience like this, it felt like a squandered rock opportunity.

I don’t know, maybe they just need a dash of horns in their live set.

Here’s one of the new numbers, “Taxi Cab”, which was among the slower tunes performed and thus got a little lost in the barroom chatter and sms buzzing. Something about it still drew me in, though, and it might actually be one of the best on Contra.

And for good measure, here’s a dash of horns. Memphis Soul Stew

Interview with Sam Kearney of Alberta Cross

SolidGoldstein is back after a long hiatus (bossman actually allows paternity leave in this joint) and I’m thrilled to share my first interview for this site.  Sam Kearney plays guitar for Alberta Cross, one of my favorite young bands.  Following up on their 2007 EP, “The Thief and the Hearbreaker”, the band recently released their first long player – “The Broken Side of Time.”  The thing that struck me from the beginning about this album is how “big” it sounds; that it expresses something, sonically, that a small club couldn’t quite contain.

Sam and I had an interview scheduled for a couple days before the band was to leave NYC for the Austin City Limits Festival, where they’d kick off a massive nation-wide tour.  The morning of our interview, the band learned that they were offered the pre-festival opening slot for the new supergroup, Them Crooked Vultures, and needed to hit the road immediately.  So, we switched to an email conversation, the bulk of which appears below.

Listen to The Thief And The Heartbreaker

SG: So, last we spoke you were abruptly pulling out of town for a cross-country trip to open for Them Crooked Vultures tonight in Austin, on the eve of the ACL Festival.  How was the trip?

SK: The trip was long. Wasn’t so bad though because it was just Alec [Higgins, (keyboards)], Austin [Beede (drums)], and myself…Al’s soccer mom van was a bit more spacious than it’s normal condition.  Last time we made the trek from New York to Austin we did it in one sitting…that was not a fun experience and included several near-death moments due to sleep-deprived drivers in a hallucinogenic state.  This time round we took our time and made it in two and a half days…more leisure, less aggro….suppose it could have been a sign of the California boys being the majority rule.  For the most part it was smooth sailing…that is until our second night of driving.  Mr. Higgins was behind the wheel in Arkansas when out of nowhere a coyote came dashing out in front of the van.  There were a couple of horrible sounds and I’m sorry to say that our friend Wild Coyote didn’t fair well.  When we eventually called it a night and pulled into a dirty roadside motel, I hesitantly took it upon myself to survey the damage.  Surprisingly and thankfully the only trace of evidence left from the murder scene was a few stray white pieces of fur wedged between the bumper and hood.  Nonetheless, we were all equally traumatized and saddened by the night’s dark event.

SG: The opening slot for Them Crooked Vultures has to be one of the most sought after gigs around right now.  What a fantastic opportunity for you guys.  How did it come together?  How did it go?

SK: The show with Them Crooked Vultures went very well.  Obviously we all felt extremely privileged to share a bill with such an all star cast.  Not entirely sure how it all came together, but I know we were kind of a last minute addition. Musically speaking, I thought we actually fit in pretty well with them. Don’t get me wrong, I am in no way, shape, or form claiming that we as musicians are anywhere near those guys…simply referring to the fact that they have a few swampy tunes just as our own modest outfit attempts as well.

SG: Speaking of festivals, you guys have played a bunch of them over the last several months.  How have you found that experience?  Is it a necessary evil or something you guys actually enjoy?

SK: Although playing festivals can be extremely exhausting at times, they can also be great fun.  We’ve had early slots with pretty much every festival we’ve played this summer allowing us the rare festival luxury of having a soundcheck.  I’ve played festivals in the past with other bands where your soundcheck basically consists of turning on your amp and listening if sound comes out.

The obvious downside to us playing the opening slot is that most people are still in bed recovering from the previous day’s absorption of mass alcohol.  But thankfully festivals tend to bring out serious types of music aficionados, intent on not missing the first beat.  For it is these people that which we have the pleasure of performing in front of.

One of the many attractions a festival offers to your average music fan is the opportunity to see a lot of new acts that have yet to have a proper introduction into the larger music world.  We fell into this lucky niche of bands this summer and I think it’s really helped us in slowly spreading the twisted gospel that is Alberta Cross.

Public Radio Strikes Again

The massive amount of music and music-related information on the web provides countless hours of enjoyment for music nerds like me.  But nevertheless, I still have a strong affinity for public and college radio stations.  Here in New York — 90.7 WFUV (Fordham University), 88.3 WBGO (Jazz 88) 89.1 WFDU (Fairleigh Dickinson University) are all top-notch.  And it’s always fun to dial in a local public station on the “left side of the dial” when driving in less familiar territories.  For me, it’s the combination of funky personalities and unusual tracks that I wouldn’t have otherwise sought out.  Hearing a song that’s totally unfamiliar, and striking…and just hoping that the DJ announces the name and artist before I reach my destination.

This happened recently when I was tuned in to WFDU during a short weekend drive.  The song starts with a fairly cheesy bass line/finger snap thing right out of the early 70s — very Isaac Hayes.  And then a bolt of horns, a deep white guy soul voice, and chorus of backup singers…with the sugary, preachy-inspirational chorus: 

REACH OUT YOUR HAND,

to the one you love,

and the one you love is always close at hand,

to hold you day and night and be your guiding light

Ugh.  Well, anyway, it worked.  I cranked it up immediately, danced and sang in the driver’s seat for three minutes, nineteen seconds. And then the DJ announced it was Reach Out Your Hand by The Brotherhood of Man, an extremely popular British act from the late 60′s and 70′s who I knew nothing about other than knowing the name.  The DJ, who was clearly a baby boomer, essentially said he never liked the group, suggesting that he thought they were on the soul-less side of things but that this song was an exception.   Having since purchased one of their most popular albums, United We Stand (which includes a Reach Out Your Hand as a bonus track), I have to say I agree.  Overall, this is not my thing.  But this song is a BLAST.  And I probably would have never heard it.  Crank it up on your next drive…and support your local public radio stations!

Reach Out Your Hand

And for know particular reason, other than it’s got something to do with “hot August sun” and “a good, good night on the radio” and I am digging this New Jersey band…here’s Radio, by The Roadside Graves Radio

Man Man

I know very little about Man Man, from Philadelphia.  But this video from their Wednesday night performance in New York made me smile (initially at least, because of the war paint, then for the general spectacle, and finally becuase it reminded me of Zappa).  So I figured I’d share.  When was the last time you saw faux-grapes sitting on a keyboard?…

New Jersey’s Own, Roadside Graves

Aaah…the sound of East Coast rootsy rock ‘n roll in the Summer.  Like a warm PBR on a cold August night.  That’s a compliment, and a state of mind.  Anywho…

The Roadside Graves, from Metuchen, NJ.  Downstate cousins to SG favorites and Band devotees, The Felice Brothers, they must’ve driven up the Garden State Parkway towards the Catskill Mountains listening to The River at one point or another.  

The Graves recently joined Autumn Tone Records, the label associated with the best music blog out there - Aquarium Drunkard – and have released their third LP, My Son’s Home. 

I haven’t even made my way through the whole album yet – the two songs I’ve been listening to have pulled me back in for so many listens, I fear the time commitment that the other SIXTEEN require.  But while I make my way through, I felt obligated to share Ruby with you.   Beyond the shout-it-out-loud chorus, what you’ll pretty quickly notice is the breadth of this tune.  I gather – in part from reading the group’s discussion of the material on myspace - that their goals for this record were quite expansive.  I am curious to see how it all pans out….

Ruby

Also – Check out what the principals had to say about Roger Miller.  I love this: The RG’s on RM

Floating Action

Floating Action (the artist formerly known as Seth Kauffman) released a self-titled album this Spring on Park the Van Records out of Philly.  He wrote, sang, played and produced just about every inch of this “lo-fi North Carolina funk” (that’s what he calls it).  Enjoy.

50 Lashes

Don’t Stop (Loving Me Now)