A couple more from Adam Taylor's show at Arlene's Grocery. New York, you still have a chance to catch a show. Head over to The Living Room on April 2. I'm tellin' ya, you'll have a good time if you go.
Adam Taylor & Kate Young: March 26 @ Arlene's Grocery, New York, NY
This past Thursday, I took another trip to the Lower East Side. For this outing, I made my way to Arlene's Grocery to see Adam Taylor and Kate Young. I first saw them perform back in December and they hooked me. Not long after that, I purchased Taylor's record Play The Piano Drunk. I've already written about that great piece of work though. Needless to say, I'm a fan now so I was looking forward to the show.
It was an intimate gig. The best way to describe the vibe would be to imagine hanging around with some folks in a friends basement and having two other extremely talented friends singing for you. Both Adam and Kate are blessed with soulful down home voices. They have an easy going style that's so infectious that you can't help but love them. They're great on record but to fully capture the true essence of their talent you have to see them live where they really shine.
They kicked off their ten song, thirty-five minute set with "Jazzonia." You discover right off where their hearts are ... in their music. These two would play Madison Square Garden with just as much passion and conviction as they showed those of us at Arlene's Grocery.
Taylor's songs are filled with wonderfully catchy melodies and well written lyrics that translate well live. Both Taylor and Young have been gifted with a great sense of timing which makes watching the delivery of each song a treat.
Taylor showed off his sense of humor when he forgot the words to "Whale Song" dubbing it avant-garde. Hey, it works for me! When they got to "Elvis," a funky little number and a favorite of mine, Young really showed off her chops. Where that tiny woman got such a big voice I don't know, but she's got it! I could easily hear her doing some good old fashioned Muscle Shoals or Stax soul or even blues songs. "Coffee," is one of my favorites lyrically and should be a giant hit. I can only hope they didn't hear me singing along badly during the song! The night ended all too soon. They closed with "The Box" ... by request, thank you!
If you haven't seen these two perform and they're doing a gig near you, GO! You won't regret it. Don't wait until they're massively huge and whine because you didn't get a chance to see them while they were playing intimate venues. Go see them now. You'll get a great show.
New Yorkers, you still have a chance to catch a show. Head over to The Living Room on April 2!
Many thanks for making a rainy night on the lower east side so much fun. I had a great time and look forward to another show. Y'all made an old gal feel special.
March 30 -- James Moody Scholarship Fund Benefit Concert (pictured) at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill www.bbkingblues.com March 30 -- The War On Drugs / The Drones at Union Hall www.unionhallny.com March 30 -- Sharon Van Etten / Virgin Passages / Regia at Cake Shop www.cake-shop.com March 31 -- Ray LaMontagne / Low Anthem at Wellmont Theatre www.wellmonttheatre.com
Every time I sat and listened to Astronauts of Antiquity, I kept trying to come up with a way to describe what I was hearing. I discovered that was a hard task! Each time I come up with a description, I listen again, and come up with something else. So, this is the description? conclusion? I came too ... funky-soulful-electro- jazzy-trippy-trance-lounge-club-pop music. Yeah, I know, that's quite a label! But their sound encompasses all of that.
If you're in the New York area, they'll be at World Music venue Shrine in Manhattan on April 10.
Checkthem out for yourselves. Listen to a few songs from their album Rocket Science For Dummies which came out November of last year.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw Enter The Haggis perform. I have since become a fan. Earlier this week, they released their latest album Gutter Anthems. The album is filled with great, often rousing songs. These guys, simply put, are excellent musicians. The highlights of the record for me are "The Ghosts of Calico" and "The Death of Johnny Mooring."