Born Cages winds down their most recent tour by descending upon Brooklyn. Drink an extra cup of coffee and catch them at the Knitting Factory for the midnight show on Friday June 28th opening for #EDAS favorite, Har Mar Superstar. If their EP is any indication, their hard-nosed ruffian rock will wake you up. Stream that EP now on Filter, and get ready for them to drop their first full-length, later this year. Come on over to Billyburg because I'm sure they'll be previewing some new stuff, and because Har Mar doesn't usually disappoint.
Here is my favorite cut off their 'The Sidelines EP', Caiti. Get your tickets here.
You may remember a May 28th post I made celebrating Ivan & Alyosha's latest tour and their first full-length album after years and years of bandhood. Well, back on June 10th, someone in Atlanta liked them so much that they stole their van, and dumped it, sans gear and trailer. If you live in Atlanta, they posted a well-designed gear list and a plea that you check out area pawn shops and eBay/Craigslist for any of it. You should. Some big ass companies pitched in, and they setup a fundraiser with Kickstarter knockoff Pledge Music, because having all your gear stolen sucks. And to show us they are not fucking around, they added even more tour dates:
8/9 - San Diego, CA @ Humphreys Concerts By The Bay* 8/10 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Anaheim* 8/11 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour 8/13 - Santa Cruz, CA @ Moes Alley 8/14 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent 8/15 - Saratoga, CA @ Mountain Winery* 8/16 - Turlock, CA @ Turlock Community Theatre* 8/17 - Sacramento, CA @ Bows and Arrows 8/18 - Santa Rosa, CA @ Wells Fargo Center* 8/21 - Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion* 9/2 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot
* with Brandi Carlile
Look past the star-spangled wrapper and you'll hear one of the best voices in soul.
Every time I hear Irma Thomas sing "I Needed Somebody," all I can do is howl "Irrrrmaaaa." It's because I love her so much. And I'm really dramatic. Maybe it’s because it’s a song about how, deep down, everybody needs somebody--even if it's just for a little bump and wiggle. Maybe it’s because she’s got the ability to rip your heart out through your chest with a wail. Or maybe I'm just being dramatic again.
This performance is a cover-tune, but it's not often that a cover is better than the original.
Still, whenever I’m feeling down and Irma sings, "Oh, it gets so lonely sometimes, in this great big ol' lonely town,” it makes me feel a little better.
I heard this song in 2006, almost accidentally, when a friend of mine (who happens to be a studio engineer in Nashville so toot-toot on that horn) and I watched New Orleans Music in Exile, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina's effect on the musicians of New Orleans. Interspersed with interviews with struggling musicians were filmed performances, and Irma was the best of the lot.
We re-wound and re-watched Irma sing this song (not this version, mind you. This Youtube clip was filmed much earilier) close to 10 times that night as we drank too much and turned the volume way up. Then our other roommate came downstairs and told us that it was 3 a.m. and we really needed to chill. Since then, this song has been a go-to whenever I feel like squirting a tear into my vodka--or if I ever need primal-scream therapy, I just sing along.
It wasn't until today that I realized that the original was sung by Ann Peebles.
Just got the word that #EDAS will be covering one of the biggest bands of my childhood this summer. I don't think anyone born in the 80's has to defend liking Aerosmith, but I am beyond pumped to be seeing them headline LivingSocial's delicious Backyard Festival. We will be going a little further in depth to let you know the specifics of the event, but for now, just sit back and enjoy the Aerosmith.
Tomorrow, NYC's favorite summer concert series, Summerstage really kicks it in to high gear with a one of a kind performance by British Invaders, The Zombies. Led by Rod Argent on piano and Colin Blunstone on vocals, the band scored US hits in the mid and late 1960s with “She’s Not There,” “Tell Her No,” and “Time of the Season.” Their 1968 album, Odessey and Oracle is ranked 80th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time." In 2011, The Zombies released their fifth studio album, Breathe Out, Breathe In. This latest album enhances the legacy of this monumental rock group with The Independent declaring, “…an authentic 1960s prog-pop tone is sustained through Argent's surging organ and sly piano, combined with the layered harmonies of Blunstone, whose voice seems impressively unravaged by time.” Regularly grouped in The Stones, Beatles, Who and Small Faces; The Zombies actually had a more RnB influenced catalog. Instead of Chuck Berry, think Ray Charles. These guys have had their mojo's working for over 45 years and they still look and sound great.
The bill features fellow brits, Django Django, however I am most looking forward to the openers, Adam Green and Binki Shapiro. You may be a fan of Greenster from his work with The Moldy Peaches or you from his amazingly tripped-out toon paintings. These guys go on first so get there around 6:00pm to get a good spot.
In addition to its impressive lineup, SummerStage is launching “Forewords” a panel discussion series before select SummerStage programs co-curated with The Strand Bookstore. Forewords is a great way to help support SummerStage's free programming and to get an inside look into the minds of the artists you love. I believe there is an admission for this event and it begins at 4:00 at regular Rumsey Playhouse location. The inaugural "Forewards" Panel features Colin Bluntstone, Rod Argent talking to Oscar Award Winning Director, Jonathan Demme.
The weather is supposed to be great, so kick off your summer right and let the Zombies make you feel good!
We had an overwhelming reception for yesterday's Quadron Review but I was hearing a handful of complaints about the poor sound quality of the live recording. For those who are hungering for another taste this stunning vocal talent, here is a sweetly soulful encore off Vested In Culture's newest baby, Avalanche.
When I was a kid, everybody in the whole world listened to Michael Jackson and it was awesome. Nowadays a person can't walk into a deli without hearing Rihanna and it's just not the same. Somewhere between then and now, pop lost its way.
Full disclosure, I have always considered myself a voice of the voiceless. I spent my high school years in smoked out indie mosh pits and started listening to strange world music forms in college. I don't think my street cred is on trail here, but I've been to an experimental electronica show in the back of a chinese restaurant for godsakes. While I was music snobbing it up, I felt comfortable leaving the pop music for the populous. Every now and again I would relive the glory days of the genre with the occasional early Beatles, Ray Charles or Motown record, but for the most part I didn't touch the stuff. Then I heard Quadron.
Shortly after I first mentioned them on #EDAS well over a year ago, I exhausted my entire rolodex trying to get into their sold-out VIP performance at Cameo Gallery. The wild goose chase that led me all the way to the upper floors of the Sony Music Headquarters paid off in spades because that night was one of the most moving musical performances I have ever had the privilege to attend.
You knew they were Born 2 B Wild, but dig a little deeper into Steppenwolf's catalog and you will find some serious gems. By 1970 Steppenwolf had already shuffled it's lineup around a few times but they were still getting really great sounds. It's sad to think history totally missed this killer riff by virtual no-name sessioneer, Larry Byrom.
Way Yes offshoot Van Dale debuts their 90's oriented heaviness with Bed Of Bricks. Their first show happens later this month in Columbus, opening for Parquet Courts (who play NYC's 4Knots Festival) at Ace of Cups. It's well worth the 5 buck admission so Buckeyes, get your tix here.
The newest video from Oakland hip-hop stalwarts, The Coup, features Patton Oswalt pantomiming just about every lyric. As if there is anything this Comedian of Comedy can't make more enjoyable, here he is lifting this song into serious Video of the Year consideration. I'll let Boots take it from here. Enjoy what's left of your weekend.
Artist-Fair Shopping: Nothing Online, Hit a Record Shop
Style: Cool Uncle Americana, Like Father like Son, You Could Learn Something from This Guy
Audience: Hipsters Chewing Tobacco, Old People Who Still Go to Bars for Live Music, Bearded Thirty-somethings Who Complain at Every Show, Fans of Bubbles on HBO's The Wire
There's plenty of reason to believe that Steve Earle and son Justin Townes Earle help each other sell records by individually being good at the same thing. Justin's profile rose because he releases quality, hipster-friendly Americana. Steve Earle seems settled into his large, gray beard, that I suspect now controls his Americana-leaning country rock, which hasn't slowed down since his return from the depths of self-destruction in the mid 90's, with only a few creative dips along the way. That is impressive.
It's good that Steve Earle had not wandered down the old man rock road and mired his excellent writing with a tired production from some old Nashville cats wanting nothing more than to get the fuck out of the business, as soon as they pay off their boat. Instead, the Dukes and Duchesses sound right, enough that the twenty-something couple swaying together at Pickathon (well, not this year)--with their PBR's knocking together, her breezy cotton summer dress, and his tailored sustainable berry farmer getup--can enjoy it and forget about The Avett Brothers for a minute.
The album opens strong with "The Low Highway," a slow-moving steel guitar guided number that starts strong, and regains momentum near the middle of the album with "Love's Gonna Blow My Way," an excellent New Orleans style fiddle tune--written along with "After Mardi Gras" for HBO's Treme, both by Earle and co-star Lucia Micarelli--with fast dealt, simple lyrics that are strong on its hook. It reminds me of Justin Townes Earle's addictive opening track, "Hard Livin'," from his debut full-length, The Good Life. "Pocket Full of Rain" plays like classy 70's New York piano pop rock, which is fun considering Earle made NYC his home in 2007 (possibly 2006, I found no firm date).
There are a few low points on this record, which is incredible considering he is far along the second wind of a career he revived fifteen years ago, after heroin problems and jail time. "Calico County" sounds lazy, even if it does play to Steve Earle's strengths. I'm usually all for rambling meth rock, but not with so many good cuts on the album. "Invisible" had a similar problem, where the vocal harmony in the chorus is inconsistent with the rest of the material. I figure they are trying to fool a young radio audience by running it as a lead single, but if not, I'm confused. It also sounds like "Down Here Below" on Washington Square Serenade, minus the goofy banjo bridge to fade out. "21st Century Blues" sounds like a late-period Springsteen B-side. Whatever. But everything else makes up for it, given where his career could have ended considering his age and gritty past. Let's see you do better.
Verdict: Excellent Reason to Pound a Six Ringer on a Porch While Slapping Mosquitoes
One of my favorite New York City bands, played one of my favorite new songs, on a show with my one of my favorite comedians, from one of my favorite movies. Here is the newest single from The Subjects Caveman's self titled new album out on Fat Possum Records. These guys just released an official video starring the beautiful Julia Stiles, but I prefer this live performance which accentuates the celestial voice of lead vox Matty Pickles and also promotes the insane craftmanship Jimmy Carbonetti brings to guitar-making. I guess I just like watching the "Dirty Work."
