Backwords @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 5/1/08

There was a small but attentive crowd at Southpaw when Backwords took the stage. Backwords plays with a low-key, mellow energy that reminds me of the Dead's Americana period or Neil Young alt-country songs. The talent of the musicians in the band was obvious and I really enjoyed watching the musical interplay between the members. For being a new band, Backwords already has a full-set of original material so it will be interesting to watch what's next for the band.


Backwords' next local show is at Coco 66 (66 Greenpoint Ave) on June 6th.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

Backwords Are Headlining Southpaw on Thursday, May 1st

Brooklyn's Backwords are headlining Southpaw on May 1st. Backwords is a fairly new band on the scene. The band played their first live show (Pete's Candy Store) and released their first disc ("Factory Angel") in January of this year.

The band's sound is rustic Americana and there are elements of Dylan, Neil Young and Nebraska-era Springsteen in the music. There are a number of tracks from "Factory Angel" streaming on the band's MySpace page and main website (links below).

On the bill with Backwords are Lord Classic and Broken Trees. Tickets are only $8.00.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

New Model Army - Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 3-20-08

After being denied visas for the shows scheduled at the end of last year, New Model Army was finally able to bring the "High" tour to the US last month. Southpaw opened a bit late so I had a chance to talk with some of the other concert goers as we were all trying to fit into the same doorway to keep out of the cold. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people at the gig who had flown in from the UK to tour the states with NMA.

By the time, New Model Army hit the stage, the room was full and the long-time fans and faithful were ready to sing and mosh along. This has to be the first time that I have seen a "pit" at Southpaw though this wasn't like a hardcore show - "The Family" was at the show and ready for a bit of fun.

Below are some of my pictures from the band's set.



New Model Army continues to perform like there is no tomorrow and mixed tracks from their latest CD High with old stand-bys like "51st State". Early in the night, there was a camera mounted to one of the posts facing the stage so I can only assume this live video for "51st State" came from that camera. It would be great to see the complete show released on DVD.



New Model Army returns to NYC on April 18 for a show at the Mercury Lounge with Echoes & Shadows. This is the band's last show in the US for this tour and they start gigging again in the UK in May.

Links:
New Model Army's MySpace Profile
New Model Army's Website

Echoes and Shadows - Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 3-20-08

Echoes & Shadows went on right before New Model Army last Thursday night at Southpaw. Echoes & Shadows was formed from the remains of the goth/industrial band Still Life Decay and play down-tempo, dark ambient instrumentals. The band made their NYC debut in late 2006 opening for NMA and they are opening all of the local dates on New Model Army's current tour.


Echoes & Shadows have a self-released debut LP/CD, "An Emissary of Mine", which is available through the band's MySpace page. Guitarist Edu Mussi is also a member of Ascension of the Watchers with Burton C. Bell and Bell has joined Echoes & Shadows as a guest vocalist at past shows.

The band's next show is April 18th at the Mercury Lounge with New Model Army.

Bell Hollow - Live @ Southpaw, Brooklyn March 20, 2008

Bell Hollow opened for New Model Army Thursday night at Southpaw. Bell Hollow has been around for a few years but Thursday's show was the first time that I saw the band play live. Simply put - the band is impressive...Bell Hollow perfectly captures the shoegazer sounds of the early 80's Brit-pop bands. Points of comparison are The Chameleons and The Smiths.


Bell Hollow released their first full-length release, Foxgloves, last year on the five03 Records label. Three of the CD's 10 tracks are streaming on Bell Hollow's MySpace page. Standout tracks are "Copper Crayon" and "Eyes Like Planets".

The band's next show is at Annex on April 10th with Thrushes, Soundpool and The Art of Shooting.

Bugs In the Dark - Live Video and Backstage Interview

Bugs in the Dark returned to Southpaw on January 24th and I had a chance to catch up with the band before they went on stage. The band was kind enough to do a pre-show interview with me in addition to letting me film some of their set.

For anyone not familiar with the band, I'd describe them as having an "art-punk" sound that falls somewhere between the Pylon, The B-52s and X. (see previous post on the band)

Bugs in the Dark - Backstage Interview & Live, Southpaw, Brooklyn 1-24-08


Bugs in the Dark are a great live act and you can check out a number of tunes from their debut EP, Shake Shake, on the band's MySpace page.

Here are the band's upcoming shows:
Saturday, February 9th, Cake Shop
Wednesday, February 13th, Cutting Room (house band for a comedy show)
Saturday, March 1st, Luna Lounge

Bugs In the Dark Return to Southpaw This Thursday (Jan. 24th)

I've been wanting a chance to see Bugs In The Dark play live having missed their shows at Luna Lounge and Southpaw at the end of last year.

The band is coming back to Southpaw this Thursday with Kid Beyond & Mike B. Bugs In The Dark's EP is streaming on their MySpace page and the band will be playing two new songs during their set which will be on a new CD coming out in April.

If you need more details, check out the band's MySpace page or the writeup that I posted on the band late last year (see previous post). I am expecting this to be a great show.

Tickets are $8.00 (I received an email from the band that said "other bands are charging $10--make sure to tell them you're there for Bugs!") and the band goes on at 8:30PM.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark MySpace Page

The Ropes Play Southpaw Tonight (Sunday - December 9th)

The Ropes, along with Beasts of Eden and Ice Palace are playing a show at Southpaw tonight. This is a pretty cool lineup of bands and tickets are only $8.00.

The Ropes have sort of an early Garbage/Shirley Manson thing going on that works well for them. The band started getting a buzz with the last year's release of their debut EP. The EP hit the CMJ Top 200 list and the band has sold over 5,000 copies to-date. The new EP, "Cry to the Beat" is now out and a number of tracks from both EPs are streaming on the band's MySpace page. The video for "Kill Her Off" (from the first EP) is below.

The Ropes - Kill Her Off


Links:
The Ropes' MySpace page

Care Bears on Fire @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, 11/9/07

The Care Bears played a double-bill with Mink last Friday night. The hometown Brooklyn crowd was out in force so there was a lot energy in the room. This was the first time that I have seen the crowd demand an encore and the band came back to the stage to cover The Clash's "Should I Stay or Should I Go".

The Care Bears are always a fun live act and the pictures below speak to that.



Izzy/Care Bears on Fire (check out the Ramones t-shirt)


Lucio/Care Bears on Fire


Sophie/Care Bears on Fire


Sophie and Izzy @ the Merch Table


I have some additional pictures of the Care Bears from both Southpaw and Club Midway posted to my Imeem profile (BrooklynRocks on Imeem).

Anyone catch the writeup on the Care Bears in the November issue of Spin?

It doesn't look like the band has any upcoming shows but keep checking the band's MySpace page as it is updated regularly.

Bugs In the Dark are Playing Southpaw This Friday (Nov. 2nd)

Brooklyn's Bugs in the Dark are playing Southpaw on Friday. This should be a wild night because, in addition to Bugs in the Dark, Rahim (Frenchkiss Records) is also playing on the bill. Tickets are only $8.00 and Bugs in Dark are supposed to go on at 8:30PM sharp.

For anyone not familiar with Bugs in the Dark, they have an "art-punk" sound that falls somewhere between the Pylon, The B-52s and X. The band has a male and female guitarist and both sing on some of the tracks which emphasize the X and B-52s comparisons. On the other tracks where guitarist/vocalist Karen Rockower takes lead vocals, the vocal stylings are closer Vanessa Briscoe Hay (Pylon) but the lyrical content is more comparable to Courtney Love ("Hot Shit, She's too rich, She has a big mouth, I want to punch it out").

The band just released a 4-song EP which is available through CD Baby and all four tracks are streaming on the band's MySpace page. If you take a look at the band's MySpace page, you will see that they have done a lot of cross-country touring this year and, based on the live pictures and reviews that are also on the band's MySpace page, Bugs in the Dark look like a lot of fun live.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark MySpace page
Southpaw (Brooklyn)

Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble Plays Southpaw on October 4th

I love the diversity of the Brooklyn music scene.




Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble is readying a second CD and are playing Southpaw on Oct. 4th. This should be an great show and watching this 14-piece band perform at Southpaw should be an experience not to miss.

I lifted the following snippet from the bio on the band's website:

With a furious storm of thundering congas and the deep boom of the KALETA drum, the Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble takes to the stage an explosion of dance rhythms. Fusing a mixture of African, Afro-Cuban, Jazz, and Funk music, Akoya is New York’s finest example of a musical melting pot. Featuring members from Panama, Ghana, Benin, South Africa, Japan and the US, this 14-piece ensemble embraces unity and positive vibrations. Armed with original music and an arsenal of songs by Afrobeat founder, Fela Kuti, Akoya consistently brings a new level of dance floor frenzy with every performance. The group features lead vocalist Kaleta, who for 10 years performed and recorded with the immortal Fela Kuti and Egypt 80.

What brings it all together for me is the music -- take a listen to the first cut, BFBF (Panama), from the band's forthcoming CD PDP [President Dey Pass].

The band is playing with DJ Nickodemus (of Turntables On The Hudson). Tickets are only $10. Doors are at 8PM and the show starts at 9:30PM.

Links:
Akoya Website
Akoya MySpace Page
DJ Nickodemus' Website
Southpaw

Care Bears on Fire Video Premier and CD Release Party

Care Bears on Fire released the first video, "Everybody Else", from their upcoming CD on August 31st. Over the last ten days, the video has gotten close to 100,000 plays.

Care Bears on Fire - "Everybody Else"



The band's CD, "I Stole Your Animal", comes out on October 2nd (here is a link to my review of the CD) and the band is having a CD release party at Southpaw in Brooklyn on Friday, September 28th.

Tickets are only $8.00. This is an early show - 6:30 pm doors/7 pm show. CBOF are sharing the bill this night with the Art of Shooting.

Links:
Care Bears on Fire MySpace Page
Southpaw

Iller Than Theirs - Exclusive Interview & Video Release Party

Last Thursday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Kray and Tone from Iller Than Theirs. The band has their debut CD coming out later this month and is having a record release party at the Mercury Lounge on September 29th. I got an advance copy of the CD (CD review to be posted shortly) and it has some infectious beats and killer vocals.

I really enjoyed talking to Tone and Kray as their purpose/mission is really simple and straightforward. They are two old-school Brooklyn guys trying to keep it real in a borough that has probably seen more changes in the last few years than it has in last decade.

Iller Than Theirs is having a video release party at Southpaw on Wednesday for the video of the leadoff track from the new CD "Razor Bumps". Kray La Soul & Kool Kear will also be spinning 45s all night. The first showing of the video will be promptly at 9:30 and doors are 8PM.

I think Wreck Room nights at Southpaw are free but call the club in advance to confirm.

Here is a direct link to an MP3 of the interview I did with Tone and Kray and here is a link to the RSS feed.

Links:
Iller Than Theirs' MySpace page
Iller Than Theirs' Blog

New Model Army Returns to New York in September

After 27 years, New Model Army is still going strong. The band is releasing their 10th CD, "High", on September 4th and are kicking off their US tour in Philadelphia on September 5th.





The band is playing three shows in the area:
September 6th - Mercury Lounge
September 7th - Maxwell's
October 5th - Southpaw (last date of US tour)

I have seen the band a few times and always thought they were a great live act - very much in the same "ragged but right" spirit as The Clash or Sham 69. The Big Takeover said that "On any night… they’re the closest thing to The Clash out there: and not even Joe Strummer has much on Sullivan".

Without ever having had a Top 20 hit in any country in their 27 year history, New Model Army have album sales in the millions, have attracted some of the biggest producers on the planet (Glyn Johns, Tom Dowd, Andy Wallace) and built up an almost religious devotion amongst fans. They’re a classic modern cult band, opting for the pursuit of musical and lyrical vision rather than celebrity status. By the mid 1990s, having grasped that the Internet was changing the whole music industry, they opted for the totally independent path of owning their own label.

"High" is NMA’s most guitar-driven and melodic album for some time, while the lyrics are the customary mixture of political and personal, timeless and absolutely current, but always with a vivid piece of storytelling at their heart. As is their tradition, New Model Army has once again placed a legend behind the boards with Chris Kimsey (The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Cliff, Killing Joke) both producing and mixing the album.

The current line up of New Model Army is Justin Sullivan (vocal and guitar), Nelson (bass), Michael Dean (drums), Dean White (keys) and Marshall Gill (guitar).

Links:
New Model Army's MySpace page (seems to be the band's main website)
New Model Army's Website (hasn't been recently updated)
New Model Army's Wikipedia entry

Tiny Masters of Today & Smoosh @ Southpaw, June 2, 2007

Here are the end of my pictures from the 826NYC Benefit that was held last Sunday @ Southpaw.

Tiny Masters of Today was the second band to play and it was really cool to see them playing with JSBX drummer Russell Simins.





Smoosh was the final band to play. The band is getting a national buzz as they have previously shared the stage with Sleater-Kinney, Cat Power, Sufjan Stevens, Pearl Jam and many others. Smoosh opened for The Pipettes' at their show at Highline Ballroom last Wednesday.






Both bands were recently written up in a NME feature article:

Links:
Tiny Masters of Today's MySpace page (link)
Smoosh's MySpace page (link)

Martha Plimpton & Toxic Muffic @ Southpaw, June 2, 2007

Martha Plimpton hosted the 826NYC Benefit show at Southpaw this past Sunday. She was a wonderful host but...here is where I start to show my age. Plimpton has been in dozens of movies and was recently nominated for a Tony for her role in The Coast of Utopia...yet everytime that she got on stage, all I could think about is "She was Stef from The Goonies".


Toxic Muffin was the first band to play and I think they were the youngest. They were a fun way to start the day. The guitar player had some solid chops and the vocalist gave a great showing, which included a very brave rendition of Black Sabbath's Iron Man.

Care Bears on Fire @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, June 2, 2007

I have been trying to write a CD review of the latest release by an "established artist". Honestly, I can't get motivated to write a review of this disc [sorry, I am intentionally avoiding mentioning the artist's name] as music is just completely flat and uninspired. At this point, you are probably wondering what this has to do with the Care Bears. The Care Bears brought out the complete opposite reaction -- the band was warm, fun, talented and energetic. I have seen bands in major clubs who don't have the talent and enthusiasm that these three have. This will be a band to watch and, if I heard correctly, the band will be releasing a CD sometime this fall.







I have pictures of the other bands that played which I'll get posted in the next day or two. I also have a few pictures of host Martha Plimpton (her bio was included in the program that was passed out at the show and I noticed that she didn't include The Goonies when listing her past work.)

Links:
Care Bears on Fire MySpace page (link)

Care Bears on Fire Play Benefit Show at Southpaw on June 3rd

Steve, the owner of Liberty Heights Tap Room, was telling me a couple months ago that Care Bears on Fire was great band.

At the time, I had never heard of them at the time and now it seems that they are everywhere (and getting great reviews).

The band got good reviews for last week's show at Pianos and this appears to be their last show for a while (the band members are off to camp??).

Here are the details on the show:

Sunday, June 3rd – 2:00PM
Care Bears on Fire
@ Southpaw
125 5th Ave
Brooklyn, NY
$25 / $10 (16 & Under)
Tix at Ticketweb
w/ Smoosh & Tiny Masters Of Today
ALL PROCEEDS GO TO 826NYC

CARE BEARS ON FIRE full length debut “I Stole Your Animal” out Oct 2, 2007.
New track up at http://myspace.com/carebearsonfire

"...they rock with impressive skill..." - New York Magazine

Here are some details on 826NYC:

826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around our belief that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. With this in mind we provide drop-in tutoring, field trips, after-school workshops, in-schools tutoring, help for English language learners, and assistance with student publications. All of our free programs are challenging and enjoyable, and ultimately strengthen each student's power to express ideas effectively, creatively, confidently, and in his or her individual voice.

Roky Erickson - You're Gonna Miss Me Movie Premiers On June 8th

Kevin McAlester's documentary on Roky Erickson makes its premier at Cinema Village on June 8th. Cinema Village is at 22 E. 12th Street in the Village.

Chris Blackwell’s Palm Pictures will be releasing Keven McAlester’s directorial debut film YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME in theatres and on DVD. Recently nominated for a 2007 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary, the film details the rise and fall of rock legend Roky Erickson, whose band, The 13th Floor Elevators, coined the 1960’s term “psychedelic rock.”

YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME will have a limited theatrical release starting in New York on June 8, and the DVD release shortly following on July 10th.

Outside Austin, Texas, a 53-year-old man sits in an apartment with four radios, three televisions, two amps, a radio scanner, and a Casio electric piano playing all at the same time. Loudly. He has three teeth, his hair is matted into one huge dreadlock, and he has a notarized document on his wall declaring himself an alien, "so whoever's putting shocks to my head will stop."

This is the story of Roky Erickson: the manic singer and front man for the legendary band, The 13th Floor Elevators who are considered by many to be the creators of psychedelic music and muse to Janis Joplin. YOU’RE GONNA MISS ME is a disturbingly intimate portrait of an imploding family and the struggle between modernized medicine and religion. Known for his colossal heroin and LSD binges and an ongoing struggle with schizophrenia, Roky has become one of music's legendary tragic figures.

First arrested for carrying one joint of marijuana, Roky enters an insanity plea, which lands him in a minimum-security mental hospital. After numerous attempts to escape, the state of Texas transfers him to Rusk State Hospital for the criminally insane, where he undergoes a series of implausible shock treatments, leaving this rock virtuoso a scarce whisper of his former self.

Now kept under lock and key by his mother Evelyn---who refuses him any treatment beyond love, prayer, and a view of psychiatry gleaned from the shows that she has seen on television. Erickson becomes the centerpiece of a surreal family struggle and the blank screen onto which those around him project their re-imagined pasts and hopeful futures.

Roky appears to be getting back on his feet and is playing two shows in town this month (which are both sold out). Here is his current tour itinerary:

April 13 Brooklyn NY @ SOUTHPAW
April 15 New York, NY @ BOWERY BALLROOM
May 2 New Orleans, LA @ PONDEROSA STOMP
April 28 Indio, CA @ COACHELLA FESTIVAL
June 18 SWEDEN @ HULTSFRED FESTIVAL
Jule 6 DENMARK @ ROSKILDE FESTIVAL
July 8 FINLAND @ RUISROCK FESTIVAL
August 8-11 NORWAY @ OYA FESTIVAL

If anyone has an extra ticket for the Southpaw show, please drop me an email.

Links:
You're Gonna Miss Me Movie (www.rokymovie.com)
Roky Erickson's Main Site (www.rokyerickson.com)

Roky Erickson Is Playing Southpaw in Brooklyn

This has to be the show of the year for me. I know the year has just started but I can't imagine an artist that means more to me coming through town. Roky Erickson coming to town for his first East Coast show ever is the equivalent for me of seeing Captain Beefheart coming out of the desert and touring again or seeing Syd Barrett play live.

It kills me when I mentioned this show to some of the people I work with and they politely said "who's that". Everyone from Television to R.E.M. to the Jesus and Mary Chain cited Roky as an inspiration. For anyone unfamiliar with Roky, Wikipedia has a good overview of Roky and his career and Roky also has a new website.

Roky is playing Southpaw on Friday, April 13th. He has reunited with his 80's backing band The Explosives and Antietam and The Insomniacs are also on the bill. Tickets are $25 and I would expect them to go quickly.