Cursive - Photos from Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ 8/6/09

I'm somewhat of a Cursive novice as I hadn't given the band a lot of attention prior to last Thursday's show at Maxwell's. I was expected a fairly mellow show after watching the band perform "From The Hips" on Letterman and was floored to see a Fugazi-like energy in the room.

A leaky ceiling panel over the stage seemed to slow down the set change-over so the room was completely packed prior to Cursive's set. When Cursive made their way through the crowd to take the stage, they were greeted and back-slapped like hometown heroes.



The band started off with a bang as Tim Kasher eyeballed the crowd as the band started into "Butcher the Song". The minute Tim took the mic, the crowd went wild with singing and dancing along.







When the band didn't slow down after the first 4 - 5 songs, the dancing turned into an on-again/off-again pit and crowd surfing.





This was one of those nights where 'anything goes' but it never got to the point of being out of control (like some matinees at CBGB). The band finally slowed down when Tim went off on a rant about how the devil is real which ultimately segued into the song "Big Bang".



After a few more songs, which included a cover of David Bowie's "Modern Love" and "From the Hips", the band finished their set. It is nights like this that made the walk down Washington Street and the long train ride back to Brooklyn worth it. (How frequently does that bloody PATH train run? I swear I was on the platform for more than 30 minutes.)

Tomorrow night is the final show of the current tour:
Aug. 11 2009, 7:00PM, CD Central - FREE In-Store, Lexington, Kentucky
Aug. 11 2009, 8:00PM, The Dame, Lexington, Kentucky

Links:
Cursive's MySpace Profile

Cursive Announce June/July West Coast Tour Dates (Mama, I'm Swollen)

DOWNLOAD: Cursive - We're Going to Hell (Live on WOXY.Com)

Photo by Wendy Lynch Redfern
Cursive's latest disc, Mama, I'm Swollen, came out this past March to strong reviews. The band has been touring behind this release for the last few months and they have extended their tour to include some June/July dates on the West Coast.

Cursive - Summer 2009 West Coast Tour Dates
JUNE 13 - Denver, CO, WESTWORD MUSIC SHOWCASE
JUNE 18 - Sioux Falls, SD, NUTTY’S NORTH
JUNE 20 - Billings, MT, YELLOWSTONE VALLEY BREWERY
JUNE 21 - Missoula, MT, THE OTHER SIDE
JUNE 22 - Spokane, WA, KNITTING FACTORY
JUNE 23 - Seattle, WA, NEUMO’S
JUNE 24 - Portland, OR, WONDER BALLROOM
JUNE 27 - San Francisco, CA, GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
JUNE 28 - Los Angeles, CA, EL REY THEATRE
JUNE 29 - Pomona, CA, GLASSHOUSE
JULY 01 - Salt Lake City, UT, IN THE VENUE


Cursive - Live on Shockhound.com


Links:
Cursive's MySpace Profile

French Kicks Announce Two Area Shows in February (Vagrant)

French Kicks are back home and have announced shows in Hoboken and Brooklyn next month. The band is playing Maxwell's on Feb. 13th (Tickets are $10 in advance) and The Bell House in Brooklyn on Feb. 21st (Also on the bill are Pomegranates and tickets are $12).

French Kicks were busy in 2008 as they released their fourth full-length, Swimming, which took the band in a new direction. This was followed by "Covers - EP", where the band covered Lindsey Buckingham, The Ramones and others. Three of the four songs on Covers were recorded live in the studio and this gives the songs a loose and relaxed feel.

For anyone who hasn't listened to Swimmers, there are a couple live performances from French Kicks that are available as free (and legal) downloads. The band recorded a session for WOXY that features three tracks from Swimmers and a Daytrotter Session the features four tracks from the disc.

Links:
French Kicks' Website