Hooves on the Turf

Port O'Brien played Union Hall, photos

Download “I Woke Up Today” | I headed straight for Union Hall after seeing Regina Spektor at McCarren Pool, and from the 30 or so minutes spent with Port O’Brien in the room, I’m sure everyone picked up on the band’s affability–this is one of those bands who really means it when they name their album All We Could Was Sing. When singer Van Pierszalowski said that they were sad to leave New York and told the audience, “You guys live in the best place”, he was actually quite earnest, as was he when he asked if anyone knew what “Cha Cha” was. The dance? Nope–I guess that would be three cha’s? He, the official caretaker of the band’s myspace, was referring to the the “Ask Away” mobile service, saying “Try it out right now, we won’t mind if we see you texting”. Except, only the super-magical beings get service down there, and a few may have been present.

All photos after the jump.

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Regina Spektor, Loxsly, Dirty Projectors & more tonight

Regina Spektor: Consequences of Sound
Loxsly: Stethoscope
Port O’Brien: I Woke Up Today
Bodies of Water: Gold, Tan, Peach and Grey 
Zero Spanish: Sweetheart
Loudest Boom Bah Yea:  Tap Not, Lest Ye Be Tapped
Brilliant Sweaters: I Dropped Out of High School
+/- {Plus and Minus}: Steal the Blueprints 
White Williams: New Violence
Dirty Projectors: No More
Longwave: It’s True
Heroes & Villains: Captain Wicked
Padre Pio: Madeline
Bridges and Powerlines: Uncalibrated Guns
Dirty Excuse: Just Stay
Future Islands: Old Friend
Fiasco: Oh You Horny Monster

Union Hall: The perky gang of Port O’Brien will be dispersing their share of Californian sunshine with Loxsly, who has managed to emerge unscathed from the saturated music scene of Austin, Texas, which I imagine looks like a big ball of fire. It has to. Headliners are Bodies of Water.

McCarren Pool: I haven’t been to a Regina Spektor show that didn’t deliver, though the days when she played without a mediocre band are greatly missed. Just Regina on the piano was gold. Albert Hammond, Jr. is opening // South Street Sea Port: Catch Brooklyn’s Dirty Projectors for free, playing with White Williams.

Continued after the jump.

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Passion Pit, Sky Larkin, Port O'Brien and more tonight

Passion Pit: Sleepyhead
Sky Larkin: Molten
Thao: Swimming
You Can Be a Wesley: Elephants in Rabbit Holes
Bodies of Water: Gold, Tan, Peach and Grey
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson: Who’s Laughing
David Shultz and The Skyline: Already There
Pepi Ginsberg: The Waterline
Port O’Brien: I Woke Up Today
Phonograph: In Your Mind
Glasser: Glad
Evangelicals: Skeleton Man
Peasant: Exposure
Wilco: White Light
Jennifer O’Connor: Here With Me
Choogin’: Father’s Day

Hurray for Passion Pit’s four-week residency kicking off at Pianos tonight. There’s going to be a lot of basic, pleasant pop rock there, except for Murray Flexor whose electronica would seem slightly out of place if it weren’t for Passion Pit’s own gadgetry. UK’s Sky Larkin will play an early set, and joining them are TheToothaches and You Can Be a Wesley. 

Port O’Brien should be fun (video above), playing with Bodies of Water and Peasant at Mercury Lounge, with an early show from The Cover Up // Glasser plays Cake Shop with Chooglin’ and Evangelicals // Thao plays Bowery Ballroom with The Get Down Stay Down, and opening the show there are the mellow Pepi Ginsberg, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, and David Shultz & The Skyline //  Wilco and Jennifer O’ Connor are playing at McCarren Pool, with a fitting after-party to follow at Union Hall with Phonograph and Salt & Samovar.