Thanks so much to everyone who came out, especially the fabulous bands who played, and to Trophy Bar for hosting the whole madness. I know everyone I invited to play were some of my favorites, so of course I was thrilled more than anybody else to see them all at one place, but I was extra excited because they all played incredibly strong sets. A ton of pictures are posted here with helpful captions, and we filmed pretty much the whole thing, so video will come soon too! All pics were taken by me (Sarahana), except where noted.
A few interesting things happened at our first show in Crown Heights, which took place at the backyard of Homage Burger & Bar. After Darla Farmer were done playing, it started to get dark, and we realized very quickly that Homage doesn’t really have any lighting in their backyard. So we ran to my apartment a few blocks away to grab my desk lamp, which ended up working really well when turned upwards from the floor.
Vetiver’s show with These United States and Papercuts earlier this month (see photos) was all around a pleasant one: the ever so hospitable Bell House (even the security guy was jolly) has a great wholesome sound, the crowd was enthusiastic and awake, and the line-up was pretty splendid. It was my first time seeing Vetiver, and the experience of hearing their music live definitely illuminates the personality of their songs. Posted here is “Blue Driver” from that show.
Before Sharon Van Etten left for her European tour, I filmed her singing a couple of songs in her apartment in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Despite having seen her play several times before, I was amazed by how good she sounded. This video features “Keep”, a gorgeous tune off her newest, Because I was in Love, and I filmed it as an exclusive for The Tripwire, so you can head over there to see it. Album comes out May 26th.
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Though I didn’t go to Housing Works Bookstore Café where Ólöf Arnalds shared the bill with Björk, her show at Sycamore two nights prior was probably the perfect way to experience this quirky Icelandic songstress (Ólöf, not Björk). Sycamore is a small bar in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with a lovely backyard, a sensible layout, friendly people, and a tiny yet awesome performance space downstairs, which with its wide slabs of wooden benches looks like it was inspired by a sauna room, and which, as Ólöf demonstrated, is great for acoustic performances, even when unamplified; it’s now easily my new favorite venue (and we’re presenting a show there on the 26th, so mark your calendar and stay tuned). It’s part flower shop!
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Come see The Tallest Man on Earth at Bowery Ballroom Wed night (15th). I can’t even believe that this show isn’t sold out yet. It will be so good. The more I listen to “King of Spain”, the more I’m convinced that it’s one of the most remarkable songs of whatever we’ve lived of this century.
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Harlem Shakes played an explosive set at their record release party last night. You would’ve thought that the band I last saw at Red Eyed Fly in Austin was someone else. They were often aided by two members of Brooklyn’s Frances, including Julia Tepper; a mighty three-men horn section that consisted of Jon Natchez (previously of Beirut), amongst others; and at one point, by drummer Daoud of Air Waves. They played several older songs that the fans went nuts about, though I myself prefer the newer ones that are much more percussive. Interestingly enough, singer Lexy Benaim’s voice is one of the stronger elements on record, but his band mates’ charged appearances on stage easily overshadow him during live shows. In the end, though, I’m not quite sure if their aesthetic fits within my favorites, but there’s no denying that Harlem Shakes is one of the finer Brooklyn bands around right now. Plus, their drummer Brent Katz is fantastic, and evidently they know how to throw a party.
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Though I’ve known for a while that Chicago’s violist-singer-songwriter Anni Rossi puts on incredible one-woman shows, I kept missing her at SXSW. She played at Death by Audio yesterday, though, with Micachu and the Shapes, and is playing tonight at Mercury Lounge with Camera Obscura, and then on the 27th at Union Pool with Midnight Masses and Wild Yaks. Pictures of Anni and the Micachu crew from last night are after the jump.
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As I was watching Grizzly Bear play with the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra, I couldn’t help noticing how much of their music is really defined by restrain–their passages aren’t passages of growth, and there isn’t an overflow of any sort, which I guess is comparable to the economy of poems: all of the little bits are born fresh and sacrificed young, before anything is allowed to grow old, ever, by the time the song is over. The band mentioned that having an orchestra allowed them to play songs that they normally wouldn’t play, and while the orchestra sounded pristine, I don’t think there was a whole lot it could add to Grizzly Bear’s music anyway; it was more of a unique experience created for the sake of indulgence and pampering the senses, which allowed some people rare opportunities, such as to my neighbor who found himself annoyed when the audience greeted the beginnings of familiar songs with wild applause–it seemed that he felt you just don’t do that when there’s an orchestra involved, or if you’re at a venue like BAM.
A lot of great bands play with their hearts laid out on the stage, and while that much is blatantly obvious in These United States, what’s especially true for singer Jesse Elliott, and what I generally find to be rare and unique, is that he seems to stomp all over his own laid-out heart and crush it until its sufficiently crushed–or so it feels like when you see them live; because there’s never a doubt that the entire band is attuned to translating of all that self-combustive energy into an unforgivingly awesome performance, even when some of the members are especially drunk! These shows aren’t really about how refined the sound is, though, nor are they about the most intellectual beats: they’re an experience that’s best mirrored by some of our most primal bodily expressions without which we’re unable to have any meaningful existence, really, and without which things like progress and innovation are worthless: blood, sweat and tears! Which is probably why anyone who’s paying attention, and whose soul isn’t in a deathly shape, goes home blown away by performances from this band. And if they ever become massively successful, I hope that these are the three things (blood, sweat, tears) they never lose grasp of–it’s like they’re made of solid dirt and that’s where it’s at!
hooves on the turf is a mostly-music blog based out of brooklyn. i can be reached at hoovesontheturf [at] gmail [dot] com - please send me your lovely music as an attached mp3 or an mp3 link. if i like what you send, i'll be sure to ask for more.
Aqua: Love TEEN. Man they can sing. Cool. Different.
Suraj Joshee: Sarahana, Loved the video. You captured the simple raw essence of the music and band really really...
