Animal Years (Brooklyn Roots Rock) Plays Free NYE (12/31) Show at Rockwood Music Hall

Brooklyn's Animal Years have had a busy 2014 - they released their album Sun Will Rise (Deluxe Edition) internationally, debuted the video "Forget What They're Telling You" (which starred True Blood's Bailey Noble) on Conan O'Brien's blog Team Coco, filmed a live session in Counting Crows' "Garden" as part of The Outlaw Roadshow, and opened up for Robert Randolph and The Family Band at Brooklyn Bowl in late November. The band is closing out the year with a free NYE show at Rockwood Music Hall.

Animal Years' free New Year's Eve show takes place at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2 (196 Allen St. at Houston St.) on Wednesday, 12/31/14 at 11PM.



Brooklyn’s Animal Years play indie roots rock with influences ranging from early Kings of Leon and My Morning Jacket to Young The Giant and The Avett Brothers. The band is the brain child of Baltimore-to-Brooklyn transplant Mike McFadden (lead vocals, guitar, and banjo), who adopted the moniker Animal Years to break out of the solo singer/songwriter category. McFadden is backed by Anthony Saladino (bass) and Anthony Spinnato (drums) and this three-piece lineup released their debut record, Sun Will Rise, in May which Deli Magazine described as "anthemic and powerful; a passionate work of thrilling crescendos fueled by bright and expansive guitar".

Links:
Animal Years

Everest Cale & Stone Cold Fox - Live Photos from Show at Pianos, Jan. 4, 2013

Last Friday, Brooklyn band Everest Cale premiered the video for their song "Beast" (title track from the band's latest EP) and followed this with a full live set. I reviewed "Beast" last year and compared the band's roots-rock sound to artists like Kevn Kinney and Connor Oberst but the band hits much harder when playing live. While Everest Cale haven't abandoned their core country-blues sound, their live interpretation is closer to Crazy Horse than either of the artists that I mentioned earlier. I was speaking to bassist Aaron Nystrup after the show and he said that the songs on "Beast" date back a number of years and the band is going into the studio early this year to record some of these harder-edged numbers.



My one regret of the evening is that I only brought a still camera and left my video camera at home but there will be other nights - Everest Cale is playing next at Tammany Hall (152 Orchard St) on Saturday, Jan. 19th.





Stone Cold Fox also has a fuller live sound than their new EP, "The Young", would suggest. When reviewing their disc, I compared them to Radiohead and The Walkmen - thinking their sound leaned toward Radiohead - but, live, Stone Cold Fox is closer in sound to The Walkmen and/or later period Replacements.



Check out the indie-pop side of Stone Cold Fox with this stripped-down studio performance of "Give Up The Kids".



Stone Cold Fox is playing next at The Paper Box (in East Williamsburg/Bushwick) on Sat., Jan. 19th. Also on the bill are Nightmare River Band, Watermelon, Rich Mahogany, D. Gookin and Aotearoa. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 7PM.

Links:
Everest Cale
Stone Cold Fox

Everest Cale: Brooklyn Roots-Rock Band Plays Pianos on July 24th / Debut EP Out Sept. 4th

I’m somewhat curious who, what or where Everest Cale is…

Getting back on point, Everest Cale are South Carolina-to-Brooklyn transplants who play roots rock in a similar vein to Kevn Kinney and Connor Oberst. The band’s debut EP "Beast" in due out September 4th and the band has a few summer shows booked in advance of the release of the CD. The first is at Pianos on July 24th and the second is August 22nd at Bryant Park, as part of the Park’s “After Work” concert series.

The music on new EP’s five tracks (22 minutes) has a foundation in classic-rock based “country rock” but it is interesting to note that a couple members of Everest Cale previously played with the barroom stompers The Bourbon Brothers as there are traces of “whiskey rock” and 50’s style guitar twang that creep into Everest Cale’s music. Adding to the music is vocalist Brett Treacy’s distinctive and emotive vocals. Similar to Kevin Kinney’s work with Drivin’ n’ Cryin’, Treacy’s vocals pulls the listener into the music without diluting the impact of the band’s carefully constructed aural textures and crossing over into singer/songwriter territory. Songs range from the somber reflections on past romantic hurts (“Beast”, “Goodbye”) to up-tempo roots-rock (“Soaked”) to the joyous tale of coming home (“Place We Know is Home”).

Links:
Everest Cale

Movers & Shakers: Boston Roots Rock Band Plays The Trash Bar on May 25th

Boston's Movers & Shakers plays a style of roots-rock that falls somewhere between the roots/garage rock of bands like the Del Fuegos and Del-Lords and the whiskey-soaked, bluesy swagger of Paul Westerbeg's Grandpaboy project. Singer/guitarist Matt Price gave a quote last year to the Boston Globe that perfectly describes the band's music: "All of us [in the band] grew up listening to punk rock. We were teenagers who got into punk, and it was very much a change-your-life moment. But my mom was, and is, a huge Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty fan, so even when I was younger and listening to loud music, I was always also listening to American rock ’n’ roll.’’

Movers & Shakers are headlining a show at The Trash Bar on May 25th and cover is $7. Movers & Shakers are scheduled to take the stage at 12AM and they are sharing the bill with Counter Riot (11PM), Red Bedlam (10PM), We Buy Gold (9PM) and At a Distance (8PM).



Links:
Movers & Shakers

Teenage Kicks: Toronto Roots-Rock Band Release First Track From Forthcoming EP "Rational Anthems"

DOWNLOAD: Teenage Kicks - "Brooklyn Bridge"

I first heard Toronto's Teenage Kicks toward the end of last year when their debut 7" "Shook Our Bones" was released. Singer /songwriter Peter van Helvoort cites his influences as The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival but I heard more of the later-day FM-radio bands that I grew up with like Paul Westerberg, Jason Ringenberg and Dan Baird in the band's first release.

Teenage Kicks have announced that they will have a new five-track EP "Rational Anthems" coming out next month and the lead-off track "Brooklyn Bridge" (above) sounds like a major leap forward for the band. The EP will be released as a free download through JuiceboxDotCom.Com and the band will be releasing individual songs, b-sides and videos through their website (link below) on the run-up to the EP release date.

The track list for the EP is:
1. Brooklyn Bridge
2. Hearts of Darkness
3. Beasts of England
4. Lose Your Head
5. The River

"Having recorded and produced the record ourselves it’s safe to say we’ve spent far too much time alone with these songs and we’re looking forward to cutting you all in. We’ll have more stuff going on this week but remember starting Tuesday we’re putting up a song per week for six weeks, each song having it’s own visual accompaniment. Some are like music videos, some are live performances etc etc. By the end of the six weeks we’ll be releasing the EP for free with our friends at Juicebox Records again, and will have physical copies for sale shortly thereafter (more details on the release show next week)." - Peter van Helvoort



Links:
Teenage Kicks

Teenage Kicks Release Debut Single "Shook Our Bones" on August 17th

DOWNLOAD: Teenage Kicks - "Shook Our Bones"

Somehow I ended up on a distro. list for bands playing around the Toronto area so I gave one of the bands a listen the other day.

I hadn’t heard Teenage Kicks before listening to their debut 7” Shook Our Bones but the band's sound caught my ear right away. Singer/songwriter Peter van Helvoort cites his influences as The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Who, and Creedence Clearwater Revival but I’m hearing more of the later-day FM-radio bands that I grew up with like Paul Westerberg, Jason Ringenberg and Dan Baird in this two-track single.

Here is a clip from the band’s bio:
Teenage Kicks are not special. Teenage Kicks are not hip. Teenage Kicks are not on the cover of trendsetting magazines or fawned over in taste-making blogs. Teenage Kicks are a rock and roll band.

"We're not very cool, we never have been" admits singer/songwriter Peter van Helvoort. "Patrick is cool, but Jeff, Cam and I are not cool guys. We're a very uncool band."

The frontman is allowed to admit this because he knows his band has something that most "cool" bands lack - great songs. His band draws its influences from pop rock legends - The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival - and carries the torch forward. Teenage Kicks understand that a band becomes great not by emulating the aesthetic of its influences, but by creating something new with them.

"I think we tend to stick out like a sore thumb in the city, playing the music we do, in the places we play" the singer laughs. "I grew up on what you'd call the 'arena rock' sound, I just absolutely love big melodies and big guitars, that's what I grew up listening to, and that's what I want to write and play."

"All the best ideas and melodies come from that golden age in Soul and Rock music" adds brother and bassist Jeff van Helvoort. "We want to write songs that can take the best parts of all those bands and make them into something of our own, not just a reproduction of one aspect of them. I wouldn't be happy going up on stage and doing an impersonation of my favourite band."

Shook Our Bones comes out on August 17th, 2010 and the band is playing a release party show at Sneaky Dees in Toronto on August 20th, 2010.

UPCOMING SHOWS
Aug 14 @ Marcello's, MISSISSAUGA
Aug 20 @ Sneaky Dees, TORONTO (**7 Inch Release Show w. Sandman Viper Command, The Bad Ideas)
Aug 21 @ Call the Office, LONDON (w. The Bad Ideas)
Aug 22 @ The Mansion, ST. CATHARINES

Links:
Teenage Kicks