Action Painters: May 28 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
Sometime last year, I c
ame across a record called Chubby Dancer by local band Action Painters and became instantly hooked. Well, on the drizzly night known as this past Thursday, I finally got a chance to check them out live.First of all, if you haven't seen Action Painters live, you should go check them out should you and they be in the same general vicinity. They put on a terrifically fun show with some seriously infectious tunes. You can't help but sing along. It was all I could do not sing very loudly and off-key to the insanely catchy "Sooner or Later" which is the song, along with "Absolutely Clear," that hooked me on Action Painters when I came across their record on Amie Street last year. I'm sure everyone is glad they didn't have to hear me singing along though! Members of the audience were dancing around up front, wild and c
arefree, Tom (Haslow, guitar/vocals) worked up a good sweat and I was extremely happy I finally got a chance to catch them live. Their show is like a great basement party where you got lucky enough to hire a un-apologetically addictive, cool band.They played a tight set that flowed nicely. Everyone knows I'm a guitar fan. Let me tell you, there were some wickedly rockin' guitars smacking you around. And, make no mistake, the rest of the band smacked you silly too. This is indie pop-rock at its finest folks. Can a person be cocksure and humbly charming at the same time? The combination is a bit of a contradiction that frontman Haslow b
alances well and apparently, it comes naturally. I don't have scientific proof, but I'm pretty sure it's this natural contradiction that separates the rock stars from the pretenders.I spent most of my night over on the right side of the room (stage left) so, from where I stood, with the low lighting, half the time Allison (Zatarain, keys/vocals) looked like a disembodied head. The other half of the time, the positioning of her keyboards and her strapless dress made it look like she had those black censor bars going across her naughty bits. This made me chuckle as you could only see from her bare shoulders up and from her knees down making me think of the bands hilarious promo "porno" video that can be witnessed HERE, if you haven't seen it or if you want to see it again, you dirty birds.This was another show that ended much too quickly. Why are all of the good shows too short? Ok, maybe they're not and I'm just a greedy whiner! W
hy does time have to fly when you're having fun? I don't know the answer to that question but I do know I had a great time and look forward to seeing them again! Action Painters have been out on the road but they're showing all kinds of love to their fellow New Yorker's. They have some upcoming shows in the area, so, if you missed them Thursday, you still have a chance to show up and dance around like crazy to some really good music. They'll be at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn on June 6, the Wonderland Collective on June 13 in Queens and at The Annex on June 17 in Manhattan. The Videos ...
More photos ...
The Set List
actionpaintersband.com
www.myspace.com/actionpainters
Metric released a video of my favorite song, "Sick Muse," from their recent album Fantasies. For those in the New York area, they'll be at Terminal 5 on June 17. Check it out.
Massachusetts band Wheat will release their new full-length record, White Ink, Black Ink, July 21. They're also doing some shows this summer. For those in the New York area, they'll be over at Mercury Lounge on June 27. Have a listen to "H.O.T.T." from the upcoming release.
Track Listing
- H.O.T.T
- Changes Is
- My Warning Song
- El Sincero
- Living 2 Die
- Everything Falls
- Music Is Drugs
- Coke and Tanqueray
- Two Mountains
- I Want Less
- Baby In My Way
www.wheatmusic.com
www.myspace.com/wheatmusic
UK rock band Kasabian have a new record coming out. Their third studio record, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, is due June 8 in the UK and June 9 here in the US. I had heard songs from this pending release and liked what I heard. Those songs put me in the mood for a proper day of Kasabian listening (music player on repeat) and left me looking forward to the new release.Well, I got my hands on a copy of West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum last week. I got it home, popped it in and I've been listening to it for several days now and haven't gotten bored with it. It should be noted, that this is a big deal for me since I categorize myself as a casual Kasabian listener. When I'm a casual listener of an artist, I tend to listen for a couple of days, get bored and then ignore it until something sparks my interest to listen to it again. This hasn't happened and I don't foresee it happening with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum as I'm honestly enjoying this work. My first thoughts were, "this sounds a bit retro." That doesn't mean it sounds old or dated or even that retro is a negative. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is some serious electro psychedelic funk. There's a lot of fun rhythm on this record. You get a nice dose of late 60's psychedelia as well as vintage po
p sounds mixed with current day electro dance all making for one heck of a rock album. "Swarfiga" is an instrumental that leaves me imagining this is what you would have heard if Booker T. & The M.G.'s had made music on the sunny beaches of California with a side trip to England instead of Memphis. "Fast Fuse" continues in the same groovy vibe where as "Take Aim" starts acoustic with vague South American flourishes before turning into a wicked mid-tempo groove ... nice.I wasn't sure about "Thick As Thieves" when I first heard it. But after a couple of listens I found myself enjoying the interesting slice of vintage pop mixed with the theatrical somewhat cabaret leanings it offers up. Somewhere along the line, they decided to channel classic Rolling Stones in "Ladies And Gentleman (Roll The Dice)" and "Happiness." These songs are what you'd imagine The Stones would sound like if they still released good songs.The highlight songs of the album are the previously mentioned "Swarfiga" and "Vlad The Impaler" with it's serious dirty groove; it beckons you to some hot, sweaty, questionable club to dance half naked pressed against strangers while not giving a damn. If there isn't already a remix for this song, I fully expect one. "Fire," which at the moment is my favorite of the 12 songs, for some reason, during the low key moments reminds me of Jim Morrison and begs me to hippy dance. These low key moments are surrounded by and kick into a modern day dance floor rev up.Would I recommend West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum? It's an overall good record that casual listeners such as myself can fully enjoy as well as those who consider themselves fans. So, you bet your sweet funky backside I would recommend it.
Track Listing
- Underdog
- Where Did All The Love Go?
- Swarfiga
- Fast Fuse
- Take Aim
- Thick As Thieves
- West Ryder Silver Bullet
- Vlad The Impaler
- Ladies And Gentleman (Roll The Dice)
- Secret Alphabets
- Fire
- Happiness
www.myspace.com/kasabian
blog.kasabian.co.uk
Metalheads of the world, take note, Judas Priest are releasing a new live album. In July they will unleash A Touch of Evil: Live. The mighty Priest, Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitars), K.K. Downing (guitars), Ian Hill (bass) and Scott Travis (drums) have put together an album of tracks that have all been previously unreleased in live form on CD. That means, we get the make your ears bleed guitar assault of "Painkiller" live ... nice. This also marks the first time anything from their recent concept album Nostradamus makes a live album appearance in "Death" and "Prophecy" respectively. The songs were recorded during Priest's 2005 and 2008 world tours and was produced by Tom Allom who produced their classic live album Unleashed In The East. He also produced the classic British Steel which Priest will be performing in its entirety this summer to celebrate it's 30th anniversary.
Track Listing
- Judas Rising
- Hellrider
- Between The Hammer & The Anvil
- Riding On The Wind
- Death
- Beyond The Realms of Death
- Dissident Aggressor
- A Touch of Evil
- Eat Me Alive
- Prophecy
- Painkiller
www.judaspriest.com
Upcoming shows in the New York area ...
May 26 -- Paramount Styles / Loxsly at Union Hall
www.un
ionhallny.com
May 26 -- Midnight Masses at Union Pool
www.myspace.com/unionpool
May 26 -- Keane at Wellmont Theatre
www.wellmonttheatre.com
May 27 -- Blood Street / Hill Country Revue at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 27 - 29 -- Zap Mama (pictured) at Joe's Pub
www.joespub.com
May 28 -- Jeannine Hebb at Spike Hill
www.spikehill.com
May 28 -- Action Painters at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 28 -- Chickenfoot at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
www.irvingplaza.com
May 29 -- Au Revoir Simone / The Antlers at Music Hall of Williamsburg
www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
May 29 - 30 -- Alice Smith at Joe's Pub
www.joespub.com
May 30 -- Cait
lin Krisko & The Broadcast (pictured) at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 30 -- Parachute / Phil Benson at Knitting Factory
ny.knittingfactory.com
May 31 -- X / Steve Soto & the Twisted Hearts at Bowery Ballroom
www.boweryballroom.com
May 31 -- The Bangles / Lindsay Rush at Wellmont Theatre
www.wellmonttheatre.com
May 31 -- The Tubes at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
www.bbkingblues.com
May 31 -- Imani Coppola at The Living Room
www.livingroomny.com
ame across a record called Chubby Dancer by local band Action Painters and became instantly hooked. Well, on the drizzly night known as this past Thursday, I finally got a chance to check them out live.
arefree, Tom (Haslow, guitar/vocals) worked up a good sweat and I was extremely happy I finally got a chance to catch them live. Their show is like a great basement party where you got lucky enough to hire a un-apologetically addictive, cool band.
alances well and apparently, it comes naturally. I don't have scientific proof, but I'm pretty sure it's this natural contradiction that separates the rock stars from the pretenders.
hy does time have to fly when you're having fun? I don't know the answer to that question but I do know I had a great time and look forward to seeing them again!
rticular bill, I'll admit, I'd never heard of them. I listened to a couple of songs online and determined I wanted to get there early enough to check them out. I wasn't sure what to expect but I soon found out what they were about. They were fun and rocked out a good set. I was particularly taken with the song they closed with, "Sugar In My Spoon." If you missed them last night, they'll be over at Music Hall of Williamsburg next Friday, June 5, with Love Is All. Check them out if you're in the neighborhood.
Massachusetts band Wheat will release their new full-length record, White Ink, Black Ink, July 21. They're also doing some shows this summer. For those in the New York area, they'll be over at Mercury Lounge on June 27. Have a listen to "H.O.T.T." from the upcoming release.
UK rock band Kasabian have a new record coming out. Their third studio record, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, is due June 8 in the UK and June 9 here in the US. I had heard songs from this pending release and liked what I heard. Those songs put me in the mood for a proper day of Kasabian listening (music player on repeat) and left me looking forward to the new release.
p sounds mixed with current day electro dance all making for one heck of a rock album. 
dplay at Jones Beach
Track Listing
ionhallny.com
lin Krisko & The Broadcast (pictured) at Mercury Lounge