Sonic Youth played the “final show ever” at McCarren Pool this past Saturday night and brought the house down with a set that included some rarities, oldies, fan favorites, and two brand new songs they “wrote just a few days ago”. In all, the show was fantastic. The band was in fine form and Thurston and Kim rocked as though the passing of time does not affect them. However, the show was over before 9:30pm (they started right around 7:45), and they did not play “Teen Age Riot” or “Kool Thing” or “Dirty Boots” or “100%”. I’m just saying, they probably could’ve played for another 30-45 minutes or so (or perhaps until someone forced them to stop?) and really closed out the concerts at McCarren Pool in epic fashion.
Setlist:
Untitled New Song (vocals by Thurston)
Untitled New Song (vocals by Kim)
“Burning Spear”
“The Sprawl”
“Cross the Breeze”
“Hey Joni”
“Silver Rocket” (video)
“The Wonder”
“Hyperstation”
“Mote”
“Jams Run Free” (video)
“Pink Steam”
-ENCORE #1-
“Making the Nature Scene”
“Brother James” (video | MP3)
-ENCORE #2-
“Expressway to Yr. Skull”
See Sonic Youth Live:
9 Oct - Alcatraz - Milan, Italy
11 Oct - Stahlbau Pichler - Bolzano, Italy
Visit Sonic Youth on MySpace.
Also there: Spectacular Views, Footurama, Talking Cupcake, James M. Graham (NSFW), Liz & Jenn (setlist source).
“Okay, okay, what should I do now? I feel like I should give you something special,” Lykke Li said entering her final song last night at the relatively brand new (le) Poisson Rouge. The stage was circular and the audience surrounded her and her band at every turn. She was feeding off of the incredible energy the packed house was relaying back to her and had reached the end of her own (admittedly limited: “I’m a young artist with only an EP and one album!”) catalog. Throughout the set Lykke had danced, wailed, entertained, and delivered like a true rising star. Go ahead and dismiss her as ‘just another buzz-fueled artist’, it’ll just mean I’ll have an easier time getting into future shows. However, unlike Lily Allen or Annie or Bat For Lashes or other potential comparisons, Lykke Li actually has amazing songs (thanks, in part, to Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John) and charisma to spare in a live setting. Go see her in concert and try your best to not jump on the bandwagon, I did. Resistance is futile: it’s impossible not to love Lykke Li.
With her band pumping up the energy on the tracks from her recently released debut Youth Novels, and the audience knowing each song very well, the evening had a magnetic air about it that was undeniable. Songs such as “Let It Fall” and “Breaking It Up” brought the house down, with Lykke playing auxiliary percussion and dancing and moving as though the beats were coming from someplace deep within her. The band dropped a choice cover version of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Vampire Weekend (with Li using the song to brighten up the mood after one of her own slow songs) and saved that little something special to end the show with: a version of “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest (watch/listen below). After first taping a performance for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and then playing to a packed house of superfans in-the-round, it must’ve been a special night for Lykke Li. Well, she gave it right back to the audience. The entire show was something very special indeed.
Listen:
“Little Bit” (Loving Hand remix)
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
Watch:
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
See Lykke Li Live:
5 Sept - Bestival, Isle Of Wight
19 Sept - Razzmatazz, Barcelona
20 Sept - Moby Dick, Madrid
22 Sept - AB Club, Brussels
23 Sept - Nouveau Casino, Paris
24 Sept - Paradiso (Upstairs), Amsterdam
26 Sept - Roter Salon, Berlin
27 Sept - Ubel & Gefährlich (Reeperbahn Festival), Hamberg
29 Sept - The Plug, Sheffield
1 Oct - Scala, London
2 Oct - Concorde 2, Brighton
5 Oct - Glee Club, Birmingham
6 Oct - Thekla, Bristol
8 Oct - Academy 2, Liverpool
9 Oct - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
10 Oct - The Duchess, York
19 Oct - Black Cat, Washington, Washington DC
20 Oct - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
23 Oct - Paradise, Boston, Massachusetts
24 Oct - Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario
25 Oct - Empty Bottle, Chicago, Illinois
28 Oct - Richards on Richards, Vancouver, British Columbia
29 Oct - Neumo’s, Seattle, Washington
30 Oct - Doug Fir, Portland, Oregon
1 Nov - Independent, San Francisco, California
3 Nov - El Rey, Los Angeles, California
Visit Lykke Li on MySpace.
Also there: Music Snobbery, So Much Fun It Hurts…, and countless others yet to post about the show.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Dr. Dog played their second New York show this past Wednesday night at Bowery Ballroom and EAR FARM was there once again (see the review of the first show HERE). Check out the pictures from the show above. As for how the concert was, know this: I love this band. Dr. Dog delivered well-beyond my expectations and treated those of us in attendance to a fun, high energy show. They sounded spectacular and I left the Ballroom with a smile and a feeling of deep satisfaction. Lucky for us they’ve still got tons of tour dates ahead…
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
For a while, it seemed like Dr. Dog and I were never meant to be.
On my way out the door, after waiting for more than a month to see them after their initial NYC run was rescheduled, I had an unfortunate run-in with my unstable landlord that left me shaking and in no frame of mind for the rock. Circus music perhaps, but not rock. A few beers later, I mustered up the courage go to head to the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which was the best thing I could have done. While most bands would have failed, Dr. Dog’s laid-back, sunny tunes succeeded in taking the edge off my landlord-induced agita.
Seeing Dr. Dog live was a lot like listening to their 2007 LP We All Belong: Every song reminds me of another song, maybe one I haven’t thought of since my preadolescent years. Which is not to say that Dr. Dog rips people off or plagiarizes. To me they more resemble a group of like-minded enthusiasts than a band, in the traditional sense of the word. Unironically in love with classic rock, they want nothing more than to share their favorite music with the world. I know they are frequently compared to The Beach Boys for the harmonies and The Band for the guitars, but I also found myself thinking, in places, of bands as disparate as the Four Seasons, The Beatles, U2 and Wilco. While it seems like a cohesive aesthetic has yet to form, it’s easy and ultimately pleasurable to get swept along by Dr. Dog’s musical excitement, something akin to trading mixtapes with your friends.
In September, Dr. Dog will embark on a grueling tour: 29 North American shows in just over a month before heading to Europe. Which brings me to the issue of the scores of live plants, large and small, that decorated the stage. Do they bring a mobile greenhouse with them on tour? I kind of hope they leave them in Philly.
Listen: “Worst Trip” (from We All Belong)
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
Fast becoming one of EAR FARM’s favorite discoveries in 2008, Bombadil came back through New York this past weekend and treated the Big Apple to two more bombastic live shows. The slide show that’s featured above is from their Friday night performance at The Living Room.
Listen:
“Julian of Norwich”
“Cavaliers Har Hum”
See Bombadil Live:
26 Aug - Washington, DC @ The Red & The Black
28 Aug - Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage
05 Sept - Boone, NC @ Black Cat
06 Sept - Asheville, NC @ Westville Pub
12 Sept - Mount Pleasant, SC @ Fiery Ron’s Hometown BBQ
13 Sept - Gainesville, FL @ “The Real Big Deal” Music, Camping & Arts
19 Sept - Bristol, VA @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
20 Sept - Bristol, TN @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
26 Sept - NPR, NC @ WUNC’s The State of Things
27 Sept - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
05 Oct - Apex, NC @ Jordan Lake Arts & Music Festival
12 Nov - Grantham, PA @ B-Sides - Messiah College
17 Jan - Riverside California @ Private Party
Visit Bombadil on MySpace.
*above slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR
Clearly, it’s the week of The Walkmen here at EAR FARM… they’re our Band of the Week, we can’t stop listening to their new album You & Me, and we’ve now seen them two nights in a row at Bowery. If only they were playing here again tonight, and tomorrow night, and then the next night, and the night after, and all of next week! Then, perhaps, then we’d be sated.
No, actually, probably not. See, The Walkmen played a nearly identical set last night to what they played the first night (except a few extra requests for Johnny Beach and no “We’ve Been Had” this time around) and it’s still not enough. Never enough! Perhaps a trip to California is in order…
Listen: “In The New Year”
See The Walkmen Live:
21 Aug - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
22 Aug - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
23 Aug – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Park - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
27 Aug – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
28 Aug - Vancouver, BC @ Richard’s On Richards Cabaret
29 Aug – Victoria, BC @ Rifflandia
30 Aug – Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
06 Sept – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09 Sept - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
10 Sept - Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
11 Sept - Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
12 Sept - Chicago, IL @ Metro / Smart Bar
13 Sept - Minneapolis, MN @ The 400 Bar
14 Sept - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre w/Okkervil River
15 Sept - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
18 Sept - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
02 Oct - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
03 Oct - Atlanta, GA @ The EARL
04 Oct - Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
05 Oct - Orlando, FL @ The Social
07 Oct - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
08 Oct - New Orleans, LA @ Republic New Orleans
09 Oct - Houston, TX @ Walter’s On Washington
10 Oct - Austin, TX @ The Parish Room
11 Oct - Dallas, TX @ Pontiac Garage
12 Oct - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
13 Oct - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
14 Oct - Newport, KY @ Southgate House
Visit The Walkmen on MySpace.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
“It can either go well because it’s a high-pressure show or it can go god-awful, so I don’t know. But it’s good to kind of leap into things…”
Or so the Walkmen’s Peter Bauer told us when asked about the band’s decision to start their tour in front of a hometown New York crowd. If they were feeling the pressure, they certainly didn’t show it; Bauer sat patiently at his organ and necked several beers while Hamilton Leithauser and Paul Maroon started the evening with a gracefully haunting version of “New Country”. And after hushing the sold-out crowd with only a plaintive croon and waltzing guitar line, it was indeed time for the Walkmen to leap into things.
They instantly transitioned into “On The Water”, another standout from their latest album You & Me, and showed no signs of fatigue or boredom from having played the same song some 14 hours earlier on the set of Good Day New York (watch the amazingly awkward interaction between the cheery newscaster and the band HERE). With the entire band locked into a manic, skulking lockstep, “On The Water” careened forth with an absurd gravity and confidence that defined the rest of the set, anchored by the rich, textured foundation of Walter Martin’s Vox bass and Matt Barrick’s sure-handed pummeling of the kit. Read more…
Question: Who did critics compare bands to before Arcade Fire made their jobs so much easier? It’s a rhetorical question that’s dancing especially close to the tip of my tongue right now seeing as that’s the most obvious comparison following (haunting?) both bands that played Union Hall on Saturday night. That caveat out of the way, it’s probably also worth noting that it was one hell of a show. Read more…
Jeff Tweedy’s secret weapon as a songwriter has always been his utter avoidance of the comfort zone. Whereas lesser artists might fall into the potential dad-rock sand trap that a seemingly innocuous tune such as “Via Chicago” may advertise, Tweedy has always been in favor of putting these simpler and prettier moments into sharp relief through any number of devious twists, turns, and trap doors he may consider along the way.
Of course, this also speaks to Wilco’s greatest strength as a band. It’s their unparalleled command of dynamics and the dramatic flair, dexterity, and sheer effortlessness with which they shift gears on the fly that make each and every song crackle and burst with vitality. Or to put it more cheesy: Tweedy may provide the roadmap full of hairpin turns and detours, but Wilco is the precision driver that expertly navigates and makes the whole trip worthwhile.
Again, “Via Chicago” is the perfect place to start. Conveniently, it was also the first song from the band’s nearly two and a half hour set last night. Now, I don’t mean to suggest this tune is simply pedestrian until saved by glimmers of “weirdness” towards the end, but rather that it serves as the prototypical example of the patience with which Tweedy – and the rest of the band – approach the craft of songwriting, building a precious and lilting ballad slowly and surely only to deconstruct it before our eyes and ears via an apocalyptic clatter of cannon-fire drums and feedback. The sweet parts feel that much sweeter, and the cacophonous freakout lets us all know what was in store for the rest of the evening.
At that point, 7:40 p.m. to be exact, 6,000 people probably could have gone home glowing and happy. That there were 26 songs remaining was, how can you say, a bonus? Read more…
The love affair between Radiohead and its audience is one of empathy.
In the band’s most recent single, “House of Cards”, Yorke beckons: “Forget about your house of cards, and I’ll do mine./ And fall off the table, get swept under.”
A house of cards is a structure prone to fall down: “The infrastructure will collapse from voltage spikes.” While the most obvious interpretation would be that the singer wants a woman to run away from her flimsy marriage (“Put your keys in the bowl/ Kiss your husband goodnight”), I, of course, believe the message is directed towards me.
I’m not suggesting that Thom Yorke is in love with me––although he could be. I simply see the house of cards as a metaphor for my feelings. Yorke knows that I sometimes feel fragile and forlorn. Forget about it, he coaxes, and I’ll forget about my problems too.
Not only does Yorke understand me; he is asking me to join him. He does not neglect to inform me that he has his own house of cards (“I’ll do mine”), and that we should both forget––together. This is the connection essential to understanding the staggering love-worship for Radiohead.
Think back to the song “Creep”, their first smash hit, in which the band pulls a similar stunt. The anthemic chorus, “But I’m a creep, I’m a weirdo./ What the hell am I doing here?/ I don’t belong here.” Yorke feels like a weirdo, and I feel like a weirdo too. Radiohead totally gets me.
On Saturday night, our relationship was in full swing. The show was completely sold out. At one point in between songs, Yorke thanked openers Kings Of Leon, joking, “If we were that good-looking, we’d be famous.” Once again Yorke was appealing to me with self-deprecation. I’m sure the rest of the crowd felt it too––those people who feel like creeps, weirdos, those who don’t belong, who want perfect bodies and perfect souls, who wish they were as special as someone else.
Yorke’s intended punchline, obviously, was that, ha-ha, Radiohead is one of the most famous bands in the world. And it is the previously described sentiment––Yorke wishing he were someone else––that made Radiohead so famous in the first place.
How is it that these 25 million album-selling, festival-headlining rockstars are still our favorite outcasts? How do they inspire so intense a devotion from so massive an audience? What the hell is Radiohead doing here, headlining All Points West? Do they really belong here?
The answer, quite obviously, is yes. Radiohead, oh Radiohead. Your performance was earth-shattering, heart-melting, bone-crunching. I love you.
The Setlist:
“Reckoner”
“15 Step”
“The National Anthem”
“Kid A”
“All I Need”
“Nude”
“Weird Fishes/ Arpeggi”
“Where I End You Begin”
“The Gloaming”
“Faust Arp”
“No Surprises”
“Jigsaw Falling Into Place”
“The Bends”
“Bangers and Mash”
“Everything In Its Right Place”
“Exit Music (For A Film)”
“Bodysnatchers”
–FIRST ENCORE–
“Pyramid Song”
“Videotape”
“Airbag”
“Fake Plastic Trees”
“There There”
–SECOND ENCORE–
“House of Cards”
“Planet Telex”
“Idioteque”
Visit Radiohead on MySpace.
Last Saturday I headed out to Day 2 of the All Points West Festival, mainly to see Radiohead. But I was able to catch a ton of great bands before they took the stage… above you’ll find a slideshow of pictures I took of the following bands (in order) Nicole Atkins, The Felice Brothers, Metric, The Virgins, Animal Collective, The Black Angels, Kings of Leon, and The Roots. Most of the bands were actually very enjoyable, but it was Radiohead who stole the show. Expect a review of their Saturday night All Points West set tomorrow. Read more…
When I entered the SummerStage grounds on Monday night - during the very last song of Plants & Animals, unfortunately - it was a frightening sight. Most of the audience was sitting down. At a rock show! Sitting down for folk or a singer-songwriter showcase or jazz is one thing. But sitting down at a rock concert? SCREW. THAT. YUPPIE. SHIT. At that instant I knew this was going to be a long show for Yeasayer (above) and The National.
When the line-up was first announced, it seemed like it was indie-rocker heaven. Not one, but TWO bands with Read more…
Brooklyn was abuzz before, during, and after the stellar show this past Sunday at McCarren Park Pool. Fans turned out in massive numbers to witness sets from Black Lips, Deerhunter, and Tall Firs; however, it was King Khan and his Shrines who ended up stealing the show time and again…
Benjamin from LimeWire Music Blog was there: Read more…
Last Thursday night EAR FARM represented at the Jukebox the Ghost show, the Wolf Parade show, and the show that took place over at the Music Hall of Williamsburg which included sets from We Are Scientists, Oxford Collapse, and Apache Beat.
Leslie from Trust Me on This was there and had the following to say: Read more…
I’ve noticed a common party line repeated time and again by Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner in interviews, an assertion of a laissez-faire ethos that permeates the band and informs much of what they do. Of course, it just so happens that “what they do” is create effortlessly anthemic (but somehow) blissfully wigged out 21st century prog-pop, so if a cavalier attitude is what it takes to get such results, then by all means….who am I to criticize how they got there?
But such sloppy smiles and drunken revelry would only prove to be their downfall in the live setting, right? I mean, I had in fact witnessed it firsthand at their first Bowery show a few years ago, a less than stellar affair by a band still struggling to find their voice without stepping on one another’s toes. Back then, they were tentative, drunk, and derailed.
Now - with last night’s show at Terminal 5 being the new benchmark - they just might be one of the best live bands out there. The difference between “then” and “now” is staggering, and no matter what I say or how I can explain these changes I just don’t think I can do them justice. It’s like that episode of Two and a Half Men when the ugly girl from high school comes back to Malibu and is suddenly smoking hot, prompting Charlie and Alan to compete for her affections. It’s like in Head of the Class when Dennis Blunden returns from summer vacation in a fat suit, only to triumphantly rip it off before class to reveal his newly svelte figure. It’s like trying to compare a band that has left your head spinning and your brain unable to make analogies to a series of hackneyed television sitcoms? That’s more like it I suppose. Read more…
