Cross-Pollination Anniversary Show Tomorrow!

Cross-Pollination is celebrating it's 5th anniversary tomorrow, Tuesday, May 12. Head over to Pianos at 158 Ludlow Street, NYC and check things out. It all gets started at 7:30pm and will feature performances from local artists Dinosaur Feathers and The Bloodsugars. And, it's FREE!

Hot Seconds Heat Up Mercury Lounge

Hot Seconds: May 9 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

I went 'round to Mercury Lounge to catch one of my favorite local bands, Hot Seconds, on Saturday. There's nothing like going to a hot sweaty club to see a good band. And, these guys are good but I've told you that before, right?

The band, James Love (vocals/guitar/tambourine), Eran Westwood (guitar/vocals), Marcel Simoneau (keyboards/guitar/megaphone), Bob Toria (bass) and Ian Hudgins (drums/vocals) were in fine spirits and fine form. The set, ten songs and forty-two minutes that flew by much too quickly. While we didn't get any new songs this time out, "When I Go," which they unleashed back in January, has been revamped somewhat. It's a bit harder, tighter (with the exception of that questionable moment at the beginning) and minus the harmonica solo. What's up with that? I was waiting for Love to bust out the harmonica and rock a solo! I still vote this the song most likely to have people dancing atop bars. Even "Pink Caesar," which they set loose back in February, seemed a bit harder, smoother and sped up some. I have discovered something though. The more I hear "We Met Before" live, the more I like it. It's not that I didn't like it before, it's just one of those songs that's extremely good live. Some songs are just meant to be heard live and that's one of them. They played one of my favorites, "Gone To Ground." I've been digging this song since last October. I'll be a happy camper when a studio version of it is rolled out.

Me being a guitar fan I normally notice guitars more than anything. That's just how it works for me. The guitars, by the way, were hot in case you weren't there and missed out. But having seen these guys a few times, I've allowed myself more focus on the other instruments. I was smacked silly by some mad tight backing vocals. What usually happens is, I think about the backing vocals in hindsight. So, it was one of those "whoa" moments for me to notice in real time so to speak. And, I'll be damned if Hudgins isn't trying to turn me into a drum fan. Anyone who knows me, knows the words "drum" and "fan" aren't used together when in reference to me. But, have you heard the guy play? You should. For real! Along with his partner in crime Toria who was throwing down some bad ass bass licks, I was feeling mad love for the rhythm section. The rest of the band were no slouches either!

I had a good time. It just seemed to go by too quickly! As they say, time flies when you're having fun. Tis true, tis true.

Oh, and if you missed the boat and didn't catch this show, you have an opportunity to redeem yourself. They'll be at Union Pool in Brooklyn on Saturday, June 6 ... see you there!

Set List

• Pieces of You
• Can't Stop
• We Met Before
• Rooftop
• Clam Man
• Holy Moly
• Pink Caesar
• Gone To Ground
• When I Go
• Went To India

Be social ...
www.hotseconds.net
www.twitter.com/hotseconds
www.myspace.com/hotseconds
www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Seconds/6225253266

Around New York ... May 11 - May 17, 2009

Upcoming shows in the New York area ...

May 11 -- Vivian Girls (pictured) / Times New Viking at Bowery Ballroom
www.boweryballroom.com
May 11 -- Alice Smith at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 11 -- The Noiseettes at Pianos
www.pianosnyc.com
May 11 -- The XYZ Affair / Action Painters at Pianos
www.pianosnyc.com

May 11 -- The 88 / Gliss at Pianos
www.pianosnyc.com
May 11 -- Crystal Antlers at The Bell House
www.thebellhouseny.com
May 11 - 13 -- Etta James & the Roots Band at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
www.bbkingblues.com
May 12 -- Jennings at The Annex
www.theannexnyc.com
May 13 -- Jill Sobule / Matthew Barber at Union Hall
www.unionhallny.com
May 14 -- The Damned / Electric Frankenstein / The BellRays at Irving Plaza
www.irvingplaza.com
May 14 -- The Dig / Pretty & Nice / Middle Distance Runner at Union Hall
www.unionhallny.com
May 15 -- Melvins at Webster Hall
www.websterhall.com
May 15 -- Puppetbox (pictured) at The Annex
www.theannexnyc.com
May 15 -- Von Iva / Sick of Sarah at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com


May 16 -- Peaches / Drums of Death at Webster Hall
www.websterhall.com

Arc Angels Take Flight At Irving Plaza

Arc Angels: May 8 @ Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza

I went down to the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza to catch the newly reunited Arc Angels. I don't know if this is something that happens to other people, but sometimes before a show I get roller coaster stomach. What's that you ask? It's that feeling you get when you reach the peak of a roller coaster ... that giddy excited feeling that builds up and then everything drops leaving you with the most exhilarating rush. That's how I felt. I stood there waiting for the show to start thinking, "this is going to be good."

A part of me wants to write "good gosh, have mercy!" and leave it at that. Those words really sum up last nights show. Doyle Bramhall II (lead guitar/lead vocals), Charlie Sexton (lead guitar/lead vocals), Chris Layton (drums) along with Mark Newmark (bass) took the stage and proceeded to take you through a mind blowing blues rock set. To call these men good musicians is an understatement. I knew walking in how good these guys were and was still blown away.

I'll be honest, I got so taken in by the music, I forgot that I was supposed to be thinking about a review! Perhaps that's for the best. After all, if the music is good why should you be thinking about anything else, right? The music was good, it was damn good. While both Bramhall and Sexton handled lead vocals and lead guitars, quiet well I must say, it was Bramhall who shined on guitar going from subtle to guitar god and back again in the blink of an eye. Sexton, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood, on the other hand was spot on vocally. He seemed more relaxed singing than Bramhall.

Drummer Layton held down the back beat like nobody's business. It was a bit odd not seeing Tommy Shannon as the other half of the rhythm section but Newmark showed that he's a stellar talent in his own right. The pair laid a groove so tight that you could bounce a quarter off of it. They kept you moving to the rhythm all night.

There was an interesting thing about the crowd; they didn't seem to care what was being played. Normally when you go to a show, people randomly yell out for the most known songs to be played. I didn't hear any of that. Everyone seemed happy to just enjoy the songs they were given. Sure, fans made a bit more noise when "Sent By Angels" and "Living In A Dream" were played but there wasn't a drastic difference in appreciation for those two songs compared to the others played. Everything seemed to be, for the most part, equally appreciated.

So, good gosh, have mercy, it was a good show! Arc Angels seemed to really enjoy themselves. It's good to see them back together and rockin' better than ever. They're off for a jaunt across the pond to open for Eric Clapton but, they'll be back on this side for a summer tour. I highly recommend catching them if they play in your area.

The photos ...

The Set List

www.myspace.com/arcangelsmusic

A Blissful Night With Gliss

Gliss: May 4 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

I went to Mercury Lounge to see Los Angeles band Gliss this past Monday. I'd been listening to their new record Devotion Implosion and was looking forward to checking out the show.

Gliss makes a lot of good noise. It took a good five hours for my ears to recover from their trippy attack. They're excellent musicians. If there had been any question to their musical precision, they erased all doubts when the band, Victoria Cecilia, Martin Klingman and David Reiss rotated instruments throughout the show and not once did the quality of their music suffer. They put on a good show and I enjoyed myself. Check them out if you're into trippy feedback and solid musicianship. You'll enjoy them and yourselves.

The photos ...
www.myspace.com/gliss
www.gliss.tv

Happy Anniversary To The Donnas

Those rockin' ladies, The Donnas are celebrating their 16th anniversary today. In those 16 years, Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Torry Castellano (drums/vocals), Maya Ford (bass/vocals) and Allison Robertson (guitars/vocals), over the span of seven records, have released some great music. They've started their own label Purple Feather Records which their last record Bitchin' was released, a record they wrote/co-wrote all the tunes and co-produced (vinyl lovers, you can find Bitchin' on purple vinyl ... surely you know what format I bought).

The Donnas are a busy bunch of ladies. They've just put out a live DVD released via their Underground Shoppe. They've got a new record that will be released soon. They'll also be hitting the road with Blondie and Pat Benatar as well as doing some headlining shows. Sadly, The Donnas announced that Castellano will be taking time off to deal with an ongoing shoulder problem so she won't be on the road this summer but their friend Amy Cesari from The Demonics will be filling in. Have a speedy recovery Torry!

Happy Anniversary ladies! Here's to many more years of rockin'!

Don't Wait Up For Me

www.thedonnas.com
www.myspace.com/thedonnas
www.myspace.com/thedemonics

Cross-Pollination Celebrates 5th Anniversary With Free Mixtape

Cross-Pollination is celebrating 5 years of supporting up and coming musicians. To help them celebrate, The Bloodsugars and Dinosaur Feathers will be taking Pianos main stage to play the 237th show of the concert series for the 5th Anniversary celebration on May 12. If you can't make that, you can still enjoy yourselves with some good music. For your listening pleasure, Cross-Pollination is offering up a mixtape. It's free and it features tracks from Cross-Pollination artists. Enjoy the music. Discover something new or re-experience something you already know. Oh, and did I mention it's free?

Download Cross-Pollination: The Mixtape Vol. 2.

Upcoming Cross-Pollination Shows
All shows 8PM & Free @ Pianos

• 05.19 Matt Jones ::: Lake Street Dive
• 05.26 Jeff Litman ::: Rana Santacruz
• 06.02 Craig Shields ::: Brent Shuttleworth
• 06.09 [Main Stage] ::: TBA ::: Murder Mystery
• 06.16 Abby Payne ::: The City And Horses
• 06.23 [Main Stage] (Co-Curated w/ Bumpershine.com) ::: Pearl and the Beard ::: Anni Rossi
• 06.30 Anthem In ::: The Fieros
• 07.14 Andrew Lipke ::: Your Sister's Canary

The Takeover UK Takeover NY

The Takeover UK: May 4 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NYThis past Monday, I went over to Mercury Lounge to take in some live music. When I originally made plans to go to this show it was to see Gliss. But, in the days approaching the show, I decided to have a listen to the other artists that would be performing too. I browsed around online visiting MySpace pages listening to the bands. I was instantly taken with The Takeover UK. So, I dashed over to the nearest online store and acquired their new full length debut album Running With The Wasters. As a result, I had their songs floating around in my head and was looking forward to checking the band out live.

The Takeover UK, Nic Snyder (vocals/guitar), Mark Solomich (vocals/guitar), Derek White (vocals/bass) and Josh Sickels (drums) aren't from the UK, they're from PA (Pennsylvania). According to them, via between song banter, The Takeover PA doesn't sound as cool. Yeah, I agree.

Never having seen them live I wasn't sure what to expect. Well, right off, they show you what they're about ... tight, high energy rock 'n' roll. Their brand of rock is well put together, 60's tinged, Brit-pop spiked with some punk attitude. Oft times what you get on record you don't get live. This isn't the case with The Takeover UK. To be honest, while their record is a good piece of work, it's live where they shine. Their set was tight and they worked the stage hard like men hell bent on some massive, melodic, world domination takeover plot. One thing's for sure, if you didn't know who they were when they hit the stage, they made sure you knew by the time they walked off.

I had a great deal of fun watching their set. The Takeover UK are definitely a band to keep an eye on and well worth checking out live if you get the chance.

Set List

• Main Street Crush
• Running With The Wasters
• Don't Wait Up
• Kill Me Dead
• Black Flowers
• Birthday Boy
• Ah La La
• The Lonely Ones

A few more photos from the show ...

www.myspace.com/thetakeoveruk
www.runningwiththewasters.blogspot.com

Hot Seconds At Mercury Lounge This Saturday!

Those charming lads known as Hot Seconds are hitting the stage once again. They'll be doing their thing at Mercury Lounge this Saturday, May 9. I dig these guys so you know where I'll be. Swing by and check 'em out!Be social ...

www.hotseconds.net
www.twitter.com/hotseconds
www.myspace.com/hotseconds
www.facebook.com/pages/Hot-Seconds/6225253266

Arc Angels At Irving Plaza This Friday!

Arc Angels are making a stop in New York this Friday, May 8 at Fillmore Theater at Irving Plaza!

For those that aren't familiar, Arc Angels formed back in the early '90s, released a really good self-titled album, Arc Angels, in 1992 which drew critical acclaim and their live performances gained them a legion of devoted fans. In 1994 they split up. The members went their various ways working with a bevy of legendary artists (Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Buddy Guy etc.) as well as crafting some excellent solo works. This year, original members Doyle Bramhall II (lead guitar/lead vocals), Charlie Sexton (lead guitar/lead vocals), Chris Layton (drums) officially reunited at Austin's SXSW Festival.

Now that they've reunited, they're doing a U.S. tour this summer as well as recording new music. If that's not enough, they plan on releasing a live CD/DVD later this year as well. See there, lots of stuff to look forward to.

So, if you're in the NYC area, grab a ticket and check them out at Irving Plaza this Friday. I believe this is their only headlining gig outside of Austin before they take off to the UK for a string of shows opening for Clapton.

Click on the image to see video footage of Arc Angels.

www.myspace.com/arcangelsmusic
www.livenation.com/edp/eventId/404643