Ramblings of a Redhead Music Snob

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Posts Tagged ‘concert’

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Rules for Setlists?!?

Posted by xneverwherex on September 25, 2009

So by now, you’d think Id have seen it all. I go to enough concerts to make up for most of us, and I love my set lists. Perhaps next job is to scan them all or take pics of them all. One thing at a time.

So anyway, last night I ventured on down to the Mercury Lounge to catch the Rifles. I have to say that the crowd was pretty cool and I ended up knowing more than a few people there. And for those I didnt know, I somehow met most the people in the front area.

Met this cool couple from Brussels (the place to go, btw, not Amsterdam) who told me about seeing bands in Brussels and how I must visit. They also told me they had seen The Rifles a ton of times, and this would be awesome. Then met some other huge Rifles fans and other people I knew showed up. It was like a small little party.

The Rifles put on a great show. They have a lot of energy and the crowd definitely feeds off of it. Everyone was jumping around, pumping their fists in the air and singing along. The lead singer just loved it, and I think half the crowd either came from England or were from there to see them. And I really appreciated the football chants too. We dont get enough of that here in the states.

The only main problem seemed their vocals were set too low so the lead singer was hard to hear. Then again with the loud powering guitars Im not sure it mattered that much. I just love “The Great Escape’ and it sounded amazing live. Its still hard to listen to them and not have your foot tapping along or your head bobbing along. It really is music that you just wanna scream out and sing along.

So — rules for setlists? I know youve been waiting to hear my newest gripe 😉  So I was talking to their roadie and asked for the drummer setlist and this woman next to me starts going off on me. I was so perplexed thinking wtf did I do. Rule #1 – if you come from England to see a band you ARE ENTITLED TO THE F’ING SETLIST! I mean what about the folks from Brussels. Hell they traveled farther than her. I had never heard of such lunacy. But oh it gets better. So I asked to take a picture of the setlist – a pretty mundane request. Instead of a simple yes, she says she would scan the setlist and email it to me. Seriously! all this for a setlist I asked for!

Well there is no way I was going to let this get to me, and so I met up with friends at the bar. Good times, but all these people wanted to hang onto the guys in The Rifles. That is so not my scene. So I ended up meeting up with a friend at Arlene’s Grocery.

So, I didnt know anything about the next band save for a few facts. First, the band Apefight has members from other bands – Radio 4 and Elefant. Secondly, he told me remember this is kind of a joke band and its total ‘cock-rock’. Honestly, I wasnt sure what to think, but thought this should be either a train wreck (that I HAD to see), or it would be the awesomest thing Id ever seen.

Lets just say FIGHT THE FIGHT! Im so on board with Apefight its not even funny. So the music is hysterical. Its so sexual in a way a 13-year old would write it, and their songs are ridiculous. I think one song is about bongs and beer, another one about drink enough beer youll get laid, or something to that effect.

The cool part is its clear the guys are loving it. They have too much fun and its hard not to laugh at it (even when youre one of 3 women in the place). They come out in white robes (ala The Polyphonic Spree) and masks. The lead singer yells at the crowd about clapping (or rather not clapping), saying stuff like “Are we not cool enough to be Art Brut?” – hahaha – and he just yells about everything. When the video screen went down, he yelled at the guys for not helping the chick manning the projector to put it back up.

And then to top it off, a friend described it as reverse karaoke. Basically we’re seeing the lyrics to the songs and the pictures that go with it, as the band sings it. Trust me DONT sing along. This is their show and its all for them. We’re just observing it, being idiots?? Im not entirely sure. Regardless it was awesome!

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A Night Left to the Fates

Posted by xneverwherex on September 20, 2009

That sounds like a good title for a Decemberists song, right? Well dont worry – this is about the Decemberists 🙂

Ive decided that Im going to get back on the game (or is that the horse) and start to update this on a regular basis. Theres so many great concerts out there – and so many Ive seen.

According to The Decemberists website this is what we would get – Decemberists will perform a set that will be entirely left to the hands of fate — we will draw songs from a lottery and dutifully play them, regardless of their quality or presence in our memory. Decemberists songs, naturally, but you do never know what bizarre cover songs or strange commands may end up in the pile.

And yes – this was a set left entirely in the hands of fate – along with also the hands of John Wesley Harding. As emcee of the show, he did quite a good job. He was a little too talkative for my taste, as Id have preferred to have heard more songs. And I definitely was not a fan of him throwing out songs at the end. What no “Engine Driver”, which happens to be one of my favorite songs. But he was entertaining and had to throw about some other ridiculous requests. Not sure how many other crowd surfing requests there actually were.

Decemberists did their best to keep things in order. The only thing actually not in order was they did play Crane Wife 3 and then went straight into The Island. And that worked out quite well. It was great to see Laura Veirs on Yankee Bayonet as the last time this was supposed to happen their show was cancelled. The songs were pretty all over the place and Id have loved to have heard even more of their popular songs, but – as left to the hands of fate you never know what youll get.

The Tain was definitely interesting and lasting 20 mins. Im quite sure this will be the first and last time I ever get to hear it played. Colin did write a song about The Hudson River, NYC and Sully and considering it was on the fly, it was pretty damn awesome. Marcel did some crowd surfing which was pretty funny and yes, even Nate and John made out, although Im almost sure there was no tongue. I was right in front of Jenny and she was looking like she was having a great time as always.

The final song was just awesome. Im a big fan of ELO, hahaha, and this was an awesome cover. I got some great video of it and Colin hopping around.

The good: hearing songs Id never have heard otherwise and in general an awesome idea. it was the perfect, the perfect, the perfect, the perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime!

The bad: not enough music. 15 songs in 2 hours really. Not much of Colin Meloy talking 😦 and way too much John Wesley Harding talking.

Laura Veirs was a good opener. She plays a folky-indie style of music and has a great voice. Her backing band is also quite good. Plus, without her we’d not have her wonderful addition on “Yankee Bayonet”.

Setlist:

  1. Yankee Bayonet (w/Laura Veirs)
  2. July July
  3. The Raincoat Song
  4. Bridges and Balloons
  5. From My Own True Love
  6. Bachelor & The Bride
  7. Rake Song
  8. Culling of the Fold
  9. Marcel crowd surfs to a waltz
  10. I Was Meant For The Stage
  11. The Island
  12. Crane Wife 3
  13. Annan Water

Encore 1

  1. Nate & John Make Out
  2. Colin Writes a Song
  3. The Tain
  4. The Perfect Crime 2

Encore 2

  1. Mr. Blue Sky (ELO cover)

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Fischerspooner and running

Posted by xneverwherex on May 9, 2009

Seriously – the two have nothing to do with each other. But I read a blog this morning – about a guy whose mother died when he was 18 from cancer – and how hes running for a cure. And I thought to myself – I should really run (for myself, not for any cure just yet). Actually, must go back a step – I will start out with walking leading up to a run.

For anyone who knows my bout with running last year – it ended up with me seeing a doctor who specializes in problems that arise from running and other sports. It also turned out he was one of the team doctors for the New York Islanders. I couldnt even make up stuff like this. And there were pics of all these Isles players on his wall – and also Nets (he was the current team doctor for the NJ Nets). 

5/8/09 @ Webster Hall w/Drop the Lime and No Bra

So now – lets jump to real good stuff. Last night was the show of shows. It ended with Spooner saying something to the fact of “You will never witness a live show like this. It is the show upon shows”. Words cannot do justice to what I witnessed. So until the pictures are posted, imagination is a necessity. 

It starts out with a bunch of silvery walls placed on the stage. You could easily tell mirrors were on the flip-side. And there were silvery costumes everywhere – tutus, etc. And the DJ set is on the left hand side of the stage – with 2 guys (one being Fischer) getting the music going – and its pumping, the beats throbbing through your body, that its impossible to not start moving to the music. And then Spooner comes out – with this glorious pseudo space time warped hat on that seems to have its own halo. Who knows who created it, but its out there – its spacey, its bizarre. And thus begins this show.

And then the dancers come out – in costumes that have so much silver and black and what happens is just bizarre. The dancing is something else – the way their bodies move and undulate on the stage, their legs moving around in all sorts of shapes – its unreal. 

Amidst the dancing, the use of mirrors and Spooner singing and talking to us about fireside chats, there is a concert in there. And the concert is fabulous – its an art lovers orgasm as it combines something for all the senses. Great fashion, the minimalist sets, aural beats and the crowd moving together dancing as one. Its a mind-fuck to say the least. 

Maybe Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys started it in the 80s, but electro-clash/art-rock certainly is not the same with Fischerspooner on the scene. Its worth checking them out, if only because I guarantee you will _never_ see anything like this in your life. As Spooner said ‘Guess who is here tonight?? … Tom Cruise’. Amongst all the gay boys in the crowd, that would have been something else.

Oh – and “Cloud” performed live – with no use of dancers and just Spooner singing it – simply f’ing gorgeous. He looked like this amazing shimmery goldish thing from an outer-world place.

Now this is one concert worth talking about. If you missed it, be sure it never happens again. Words cannot do justice.

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2 Nights With Maps = Bliss!

Posted by xneverwherex on October 4, 2007

9/28 – 9/29

I somehow ended up with 2 tickets to Maps for each of the nights. Initially I had planned on seeing them on Friday night with a friend from out of town, but that didnt pan out, but instead of selling both our tickets, I sold off hers and kept mine. And I must say, I’m sure glad that I did.

It was an early set at the Mercury Lounge on Friday night starting out with Brooklyn’s own The Silent League. (as this is a recap of both nights – im infusing two nights shows together, got it?) 🙂 The Silent League played a really great set. I recall last time that I had seen them, there were more members in the band. (I havent seen them in at least 3 years).  Their sound was as incredible as always, and the trumpet player ended the set playing 2 trumpets at the same time. Their songs were quite slow and more mellowed out and we should have been just sitting around a campfire. I guess Kevin (or one of the other guys) was right when he stated that. Justin, formerly in Mercury Rev, has still managed to keep some of that sound in their style and it complements them perfectly. Has that feeling of being in an orchestra with the variety of instruments.

The highlight was definitely on Saturday when Justin brought his brother, Jason, along to sing backups on 2 of the songs. Jason is the lead singer of Hopewell and one thing that I did notice was that it seems Silent League’s new stuff invokes some of Hopewell’s last album. Such as Calcutta. Not necessarily the same middle-eastern/indian flare, but for whatever reason that is what it reminds me of.

Saturday night’s set was really great as well. The crowd didn’t seem to be quite as into it, with very few of us clapping or yelling in appreciation. Im definitely set on seeing them again. I got to meet Justin on Saturday night, and he’s a cool guy. We talked for a bit, and I told him I had come out here to see them. He playfully joked to me, that I better stay around for Maps. 🙂 I had told him that I had first seen them quite a few years back at the Mercury and he seemed pretty stoked about it. Good guy, good music, great sound! What more.

For those thinking that their music is completely different from Maps (which it is), they met when they were playing some festivals in the UK. And they all got along great, and voila! Together the bands were awesome.

Before I get to Maps – there was a 3rd band on the Saturday night show, but I swear it was a joke, and it was really awful. The lead singer cannot sing at all, and it was a cringe-worthy set. For that – I wont even name their name, aside for the fact I also blanked it out.

Maps, from Northampton, UK, were the band to see. Friday night I wasn’t sure what to expect. I remember falling in love with their sound the moment I heard it, but it still couldn’t match what was on stage. The Mercury set was packed and felt overflowing with Brits. I’d have to guage that at least 80% of the crowd were from the UK and the band was quite excited. This was their first show in the states and they were clearly excited to be playing in NYC.

James asked everyone to move forward to be as close to the stage as possible and wanted everyone dancing. Their music, while many would probably think is not the most danceable, works quite well live to dance to. James not only fronts the band, but is apparently THE band and he brings the other guys along with him when touring. His lush vocals almost drowned out by the guitars fit with the music. An electronic beat infuses with the swirling guitars complementing James’ vocals.

Now put all that combination together and you get Maps. A dancey-electronica band with guitars that you’d expect to hear at a My Bloody Valentine or shoegaze show. James seemed excited about Saturday night in a different way than Friday night. He seemed much more relaxed on stage and was having fun with the crowd. He was on the sides while The Silent League were playing, and I caught his eye a few times, and he gave me the biggest smile. You could just see the excitement. While it was not a sold-out show at Luna Lounge, the crowd up front seemed really into them (I think a lot of us saw them on Friday night). The girl next to me grabbed my arm at one point, and excitedely tells me “ive been singing this song all day, i couldnt wait to hear it”. About this time, her, me and some other excited girls continued to dance to a very happy James Chapman.

Stand outs from the set were definitely “You Dont Know Her Name” and “It Will Find You”. Great friends (new and old), great bands, great music = awesome time!

I also managed to catch +/- {plus/minus} on Friday night, but barely remember the rest of the night after a butterscotch shot and some beer on an empty stomach. I do remember trying to find somewhere to eat in Tribeca at 2am and that was not fun!

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Mum is the Word…

Posted by xneverwherex on September 27, 2007

So – I just bought my mum tickets as part of the Wordless Music Series. And I can’t recommend seeing shows at this series enough. I have been listening to mum a bit and am just blown away by how amazing they sound. So naturally, a church and mum seem a great fit!  Now really …. its on to Beirut.

9/24/07

Monday night was a great way to start the week by heading up to the Society for Ethical Culture on the corner of Central Park West & 64th. The church is still in amazing condition (I did read it was recently refurbished) and the paintings are gorgeous. The pews are about as comfortable as pews can be, but more importantly, the acoustics are amazing. This was my second trip to this church – my first time having seen Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance.

This series is about putting together acts that we might never consider listening to. For a lot of indie fans (myself included), its not often that I’d go out and find a new classically trained artist with electronic influences. And its not that I don’t care for the music, I just don’t find myself gravitating towards that. So I look to this series to expose my horizons.

The first review I read about the Beirut show had me so disappointed with what I read, I was convinced I attended a different show. Thanks NYT for thinking outside of the box.

Colleen, a French woman who it turns out barely made it into the states thanks to our government’s efficient visa plan with turning away all these artists, was the first artist to play. She is classically trained and primarily played the cello. She was very gifted and her music was a fusion of classical and electronic. She played everything from a clarinet to wind chimes to the violin. And everything was so beautifully crafted it was hard not to drift away with the music. I had no idea what to expect coming in, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

The next artists up were Katya Mihailova (on the piano) and Colin Jacobsen (on violin). Katya came up to perform 2 songs by herself on piano. The song from Chopin was performed perfectly, her fingers flying over the keys amazing to watch. I was seated in the 3rd row on the edge and had an amazing view. Her next song – which I dont remember the title but has something to do with only the left hand – was even more impressive. With just her left hand, she played the entire song. I don’t know if anyone else would have realized it, but when it hit me that she was only playing with one hand, I was blown away. Brooklyn (where she lives) should have been proud tonight!

Katya was later joined on the stage with Colin Jacobsen. Their first piece was from Arvo Part which really played out well together. The violin accompanying the piano was just beautiful. I am a sucker for beautiful piano pieces, and I have a love affair with watching people play the piano. It takes me to a different world. The set ended with a piece from Bela Bartok and Colin asked the lovely men of Beirut to join them on stage. So 4 guys from Beirut came out with a trumpet, a cello and some other instruments. There seemed to be a bit of confusion, but by the last part of the song it came together. It was a great way to end the set and get us pumped up for Beirut.

 Beirut were amazing. Zach Condon, the ever talented lead singer of Beirut, was exceptionally cool! Possibly the epitome of cool. With heavy French influences in the form of Jacques Brel, the band put on quite a show. 6 other guys filled the stage playing a variety of instruments and the lone female primarily on violin. The music which has a very Eastern European flair contained a big sound from the accordion, trumpets, violins, ukuleles and minimal drums. Guitars were barely used which was quite the nice change.

Its hard to close your eyes and imagine this band from Brooklyn, performing this Eastern European music, but this is what they do. And they do it quite well. The evening ended with Zach coming back after the encore and telling everyone to move forward and stand up. It ended with some sort of Romanian jig like tune. It was a perfect setting for nearly an hour and a half even when inside of a church!

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