Anthony Da Costa Residency at the Living Room – August 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th 2009

Anthony Da Costa’s recent “first four Mondays” August residency at the Living Room in Manhattan was excellent.  It included a number of guests appearances, most notably Anthony’s longtime collaborator Abbie Gardner (nights 2 and 4) and singer-songwriter A. J. Roach (night 2) as well as a fiddler on the first night who’s name I cannot recall and Oliver Hill (?), an undergraduate at Yale, who played viola on night 4.  Anthony, who’s most recent album, “Not Afraid of Nothing,” was released just before the series started closed each evening with a sing-a-long including “Just Like a Woman” on night 3 and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on night 4.  The nights were a mix of ADC classics like “Upstate Living” and “Devil’s Won” and well selected covers by A.J. Roach, Johnny Cash (Long Black Vail on night 3 was full of wonderful harmonies), and others.

However, what made the series so memorable was that it was confirmation that Anthony has entered into a new stage in his career and his development.  Gone from his songs are what I used to think of as the “young moments” that would sometimes crack through the well-developed lyrics and song structures that have men past mid-life calling Anthony “an old soul.”  Anthony’s lyrics still have moments that give me a jolt, but now it’s because his leap forward seems to have allowed him to access a set of images and feelings that are moments suggestive of reflection and experience that most adults probably never have.  They add a raw touch to Anthony’s songs that, for a moment, pull you out of the aesthetic he has created and remind you that he is exercising solid control over his songs and audiences.  All of this has me excited for the New York chapter of Anthony’s career which will begin in a few weeks when he begins at Columbia.  After he and Abbie debut Denmark.

Dangerous at Bowery Ballroom – August 1st, 2009

Making Dangerous Happen

On Saturday Matt and Sarah and I headed from the most excellent XO in Chinatown to the Bowery Ballroom for the all metal tribute to Michael Jackson which is Dangerous.  After seeing Satanicide a few months ago I was pretty sure we were in for an irreverent but energetic evening.  At the same time there was a little bit of trepidation as well.  Satanicide wasn’t exactly gentle when it came to its ironic commentary on metal so I was a little nervous about the type of humor that was sure to be in the show.  As it turned out some gags definitely pushed the envelope, some were clever, and some made me cringe.

The entire band was in costume and the crowd favorite might have been keytar player and multi-instrumentalist “Neverland Raunch” who wore leather chaps and not much else.  The night was filled with special guests including an Axl Rose (not of Mr. Brownstone, the GNR tribute band), Tammy Fay Starlight, Vixen Neal of Girls! Girls! Girls, the Motley Crue tribute band, Slash (perhaps of Mr. Brownstone), and several others including one female vocalist who did a killer version of Smooth Criminal.  The show ended with We Are the World done in true ensemble style with the crowd eventually on the stage.

Set list below:

• Thriller
• Rock with You
• Off the Wall (?)
• Don’t Stop till you Get Enough
• Billie Jean – w/ Vixen Neil of Girls! Girls! Girls!
• Black and White
• Smooth Criminal – Amazing guest vocalist on this one.  Don’t know who she was
• I’ll be There (with a nice foray into Night Ranger’s ‘Sister Christian’)
• Bad
• Beat It – The guitar soloist on Beat It, we were told was the guy that did all the guitar shredding on Beavis and Butthead and his solo made my jaw drop.
• Encore: We are the World

The Body of an Irish Band

I went to see the Pogues in DC several months ago.  I was so excited for the show that I spent over 10 hours on a bus for fewer than 24 in the city for the show.  I’m not sure I’ve every been so disappointed.  At least when I paid an arm and a leg for Jerry Lee Lewis to play for only 30 minutes he had these moments that were just wild and, frankly, it was a thrill to be in the same room as one of the originators of Rock and Roll.  I had forgotten about the slurring McGowan and underwhelming performance until Matt of The Sound of Blackbirds sent along this tidbit from No Depression which reflects a similar experience.  In referring to their 1987 album If I Should Fall From Grace with God, notes that “[t]hey had never been this good before — and, alas, they would never be again.”  It’s sad to know that their declining performances don’t seem to have rebounded in twenty years.

NJ-Z

While the first day of All Points West sounded like a muddy mess, I would’t have minded being there for Jay-Z’s cover of “No Sleep to Brooklyn” as an homage to the act he replaced as the day’s headliner.

(HT Brooklyn Vegan)

Garage Banjo

AltOhio recently interviewed Andy Bean of the Two Man Gentlemen Band.  I particularly liked this question and answer since I find the TMGB project to be quite deliberately conceived.  It speaks to the power of evolution, a strong base off of which to work, and perseverance.

AltOhio – I wanted to ask, obviously with the act you’ve put together in terms of sound and look, you’ve almost put together a method band. Obviously you weren’t just two kids in a garage with a guitar, obviously there was much more of a thought process to this.

Andy Bean – Not really. We were the two kids in a garage with a guitar, years ago that was us, and then we wanted to do it more on our terms. So, we started street performing around New York City about four years ago. We figured if we dressed up we’d make a little bit more money. Then, of course, (laughing) we got a little more into it. To answer your question, though, not too much thought in the beginning. The act really developed pretty slowly, we started out more country/rockabilly at first, and then we got into old time jazz.

You can access the full interview here.

Run Amok, Go Nuts

My good friend Adam, a.k.a. Domer has just recently put together a great video for the track “Run Amok” by DJ SmutVillian featuring Kats & Domer with illspokinn.  Check it out below and keep an eye out for the parties Kats and Domer have been throwing at the Bushwick Country Club (see freeicecream.net).  I went to an early incarnation when the events were at Huckleberry Bar and it was excellent.

Two Man Music Making Employment Strong in Weak Economy!

Matt at The Sound of Blackbirds reminds me that I have been remiss in reporting on our favorite makers of two man music, The Two Man Gentlemen Band.  Matt reports via the Gentlemen’s Blog and Email Letter:

The Two Man Gentlemen Band have just announced that they will be part of The Bob Dylan Show for three dates this summer. This Friday, they play at Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and then on Saturday at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio. And then on the last day of July, Bob and the Gentlemen will be playing at the Amphitheater at the Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama.

All of the shows feature Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp in addition to Bob Dylan and the Gents. The Gentlemen will be playing as a quartet.

I know that Andy Bean likes his minor league ballparks, so I bet that Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp are only part of the thrill. And I bet that Willie would love to guest on a slightly slowed-down version of “When Your Lips are Playing My Kazoo.” [TSOB]

I’ll be up in Vermont for the eponymously named Brewers’ Festival that weekend.  Word is that we’ll also be catching theDylan/Nelson/Mellencamp tour with the Wiyos opening.  Sadly this means that I’ll be missing the Gentlemen.  In a dastardly twist of fate The Gents will be in Vermont on the 17th, but I will be at the aforementioned Dylan/Nelson show.  The next night is the Gentlemen’s only show in New York City on July 18th at Public Assembly in Brooklyn but I will be celebrating brewers.

Jeffrey Foucault and Andy Friedman at Joe’s Pub – April 24th, 2009

Back in April Alison and I saw Jeffrey Foucault and Andy Friedman at Joe’s Pub.  The two swapped songs back and forth in front of a rather reverent audience.  My memory was that the set was heavy on Foucault’s newest album which consists entirely of John Prine Covers while Friedman was heavy on his newest album, Weary Things.  As it turns out it looks like Foucault only played one song from the album. I’ve had it on such a heavy rotation, I’m not surprised for the impression.  Shoot the Moon Right Between the Eyes is a powerful set of John Prine songs.  Below is a mostly complete set list from the night at Joe’s Pub:

1. Road Trippin’ Daddy – AF
2. Mesa, Arizona – JF
3. Locked Out of the Building – AF
4. Stripping Cane – JF
5. I Miss Being Broken, Lowdown and Alone – AF
6. Billy the Bum – JF
7. Self-Potrait In White Knuckle Death Grip – AF
8. Train to Jackson – JF
9. ?? – AF
10. Tall Grass in Old Virginny – JF
11. Idaho – AF

Michael Jackson

Some of my first media memories include the Challenger shuttle explosion and the premier of the video for Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  It probably didn’t hurt that we recorded the video on VHS–at the behest of my sister, I’m sure, who was ten at the time–and for years I kept going back to it.  And during the years following the LP’s cover is one that always stood out in my mind when I would flip through my family’s record collection.  I finally rediscovered and began to appreciate the album in college when the LP, transferred to tape, kept me company during many hours in the dark room during Intro to Photography.

Michael Jackson’s death upsets me more than I expect.  Maybe I had been holding out hope that there would be some sort of late career redemption from the slow, sad, steady decline of the last couple of decades.  I have a friend who just wanted answers about his enigmatic life.  The assumption also seems to be that he was incredibly unhappy and tortured, which I expect is right.  In the end this last part is the greatest tragedy.  Fifty shows in London or revelatory autobiography would have satisfied something in his fan base.  It is certainly possible that Jackson would have preferred this to his own happiness but unfortunately we are left with neither the comeback, the explanation, or the fulfillment.

Nouvelle Vague at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza – June 17th 2009

I showed up to Nouvelle Vague’s Irving Plaza show from Brooklyn with uncertain expectations and without my tickets.  Luckily, they weren’t going on for another hour-and-a-half so I had just enough time to sneak back and forth.  What I entered to was an interesting mix of young American hipsters and Europeans, mostly French.  The band was a song or two into the show when I arrived and energy was already palpable.  It was clearly a crowd that loved the band and with fewer than six dates scheduled in the States both audience and band were determined to make the most of it.

What surprised me the most, right off the bat was how tight the band was.  When I think Bossa Nova covers of New Wave songs, I don’t think virtuosic guitar playing or such tightness from the drums or bass.  Songs included “(This is Not) A Love Song,” a very well-received “Too Drunk to Fuck,” a particularly exciting “Blister in the Sun,” and “Human Fly” somewhere near the end of the night.

What really set the show apart from most others I’ve seen was just the sheer sexuality emoted by Nadeah Miranda, one of the two lead vocalists on stage.  Her singing was sexy.  Her movements were sexy.  And the entire audience responded, as though caught up in collective wanting.   This performance was brought to another level by some of the greatest recklessness I’ve seen by a performer since I saw Monotonix completely violate the performer/audience division at the Bowery Ballroom.  At one point during the show, Nadeah climbed up the ziggurat of  speakers on stage right and started climbing along the exterior balcony ring above the audience.  The crowd was wild for it.  Security raced upstairs and pulled her over the railing onto the balcony.  A minute later she returned to the stage and in a most coquettish voice asked “Can you believe they tried to kick me out?”

They did not and the show kept on.  The band left to an enthusiastic applause and unsurprisingly came back for an encore.  What was odd though was that after this first encore about half of the audience bolted for the exits before the house lights came on.  I recently heard a quote somewhere to the effect that New York audiences are almost as impatient to leave entertainment as they are to get to it.  It was too bad in this case.  The band came back on for a second encore.  I got to be in the second row and one lucky gentleman to my right had Nadneah come off stage and practically seduce him.

Many more photos of superior quality are available at Brooklyn Vegan.