Video: Killola - "Cracks In The Armor"

So, those delightful darlings, Killola, have released a video for their song "Cracks In The Armor." Forget about Finding Nemo. Finding Lisa is way more wicked. And, watch for Johnny's bitchin' hair toss around the 2:35 mark ... toss your hair, rescue the chick, rock out. Yep, works for me. Check it all out below.

www.twitter.com/killola
www.facebook.com/killola

www.myspace.com/killola

Bebel Gilberto To Play The Box, 9/29

Exciting news for fans of Brazilian vocalist Bebel Gilberto. She has a new record, All In One, coming out on September 29. The record focuses on the rhythms of her native country and is sung mostly in Portuguese.

But, that's not the only good news. Attention New York! That same evening, September 29, she will perform two shows at The Box, 7:30 and 9:30 respectively. Tickets can be found HERE. Grab one while you can. These will be her last shows in the US before taking off for Europe. You don't want to have to wait for her to come back, do you?

For those interested in a taste of the upcoming release, you can grab her rendition of the Carmen Miranda song, "Chica Chica Boom Chic," HERE.

www.myspace.com/bebelgilberto

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E, para todos os meus amigos que falam Português e porque traduz o Google, aqui está em Português. E para os amigos, não rir de minhas habilidades de tradução, a culpa do Google! Ok, vá em frente e rir!

Boas notícias para os fãs do vocalista brasileira Bebel Gilberto. Ela tem um novo recorde, All In One, que sai em 29 de setembro. O registro incide sobre os ritmos do seu país natal e na maior parte é cantada em Português.

Mas, essa não é a única boa notícia. Atenção Nova York! Nessa mesma noite, 29 de setembro, ela fará dois shows no The Box, 7:30 e 9:30, respectivamente. Os ingressos podem ser encontrados AQUI. Pega um, enquanto você pode. Estes serão ela últimos shows em os E.U. antes de decolar para a Europa. Você não quer ter de esperar para que ela voltasse, pois não?

Para aqueles interessados em uma amostra do próximo lançamento, você pode agarrar a sua interpretação de Carmen Miranda canção "Chica Chica Boom Chic", AQUI.

www.myspace.com/bebelgilberto

A Feathered Delight, Juliette Lewis Wowed NY

Juliette Lewis: September 19 @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, New York, NY

If you know me or have been reading my little sliver of space here in the blog world, then you know that I'm a fan of Juliette Lewis. So, it was the fan in me that trotted my happy self down to Irving Plaza and caught Lewis’ headlining set. What a treat!

Her support artists got me good and warmed up for her set. The air was electric and the audience seemed to swell in between the time American Bang left the stage and Lewis hit the stage.

Lewis has an enthusiastic fan base. So, to the loud cheers of the crowd, she took the stage with her top notch band Shirley To (bass), Yves Lelevier (guitar), Chris Watson (guitar) and Troy Zeigler (drums). And, they were joined for a song by Finnie on congas. While I am/was a great fan of The Licks, I find this band to be a much tighter unit and they seemed more apt at showcasing Lewis' vocals in the best frame.

I mentioned to a couple of people that I had gone to see Juliette Lewis and their response was "the actress?" My response was, "the singer." From the moment Lewis hits the stage, there is no mistaking that she is a rocker. She isn't acting like a rocker, she is one and she puts her all into her performance. Saturday night she strutted out in black and red feathers looking every bit the dramatic rock chick ripping into a set that covered not only tracks from her new album Terra Incognita but also her work with The Licks. Lewis seems to have better control of her voice. She sounds more precise but, without losing the edginess that has endeared us to her vocals.

Lewis worked the stage reminiscent of Iggy Pop with the attitude of Patti Smith. She's a bundle of wild energy and busted her ass for us. We appreciated it. My fellow audience members seemed to enjoy the new songs as much as the older songs. Of the new songs played, it was "Hard Lovin' Woman" that stood out. While I love the album version, this song gets my must hear live stamp. Lewis belted out the blues like nobody's business ... gritty, passionate and straight from the gut. Lewis has nothing to prove, but for any doubters who may have been lurking in the audience, that song alone should have put them in their places.

She left the stage after "Suicide Dive Bombers" before coming back and donning her feathered head gear. The crowd went wild the moment she slipped it on. She then ripped through her final song of the night, a cheeky version of "Hot Kiss." It was a great show full of fun and energy. We all would have loved more. But, all good things must come to an end. I highly recommend going to see Lewis. And, if you can catch her while she has The Ettes and American Bang out on the road with her, you'll witness possibly the best touring package on the road right now.

Set List

• Badass Baby
• Purgetory Blues
• Ghosts
• Fantasy Bar
• Pray For The Band Latoya
• Hard Lovin' Woman
• Terra Incognita
• Uh Huh
• Sticky Honey
• Junkyard Heart
• You're Speaking My Language
• Suicide Dive Bombers
• Hot Kiss

www.myspace.com/juliettelewis
www.facebook.com/pages/Juliette-Lewis/126010241551

American Bang Brought Southern Swagger To NY

American Bang: September 19 @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, New York, NY

When I walked into The Fillmore this past Saturday, I went in knowing two of the three bands that were performing that night. It wasn't until I took a glance at the merchandise table on my way to the stage area that I even knew the name of the other band that would be playing that night.

As I stood there waiting for the second act of the night to take the stage, I wondered to myself, where are these guys from and what do they sound like? I also hoped like hell that they would at least be a decent band. Not long after I wondered that, Tennessee band American Bang took to the stage and proceeded to silence my questions. The first thing I noticed, the band, Jaren Johnston (vocals/guitar), Ben Brown (guitar), Kelby Ray (bass) and Neil Mason (drums) looked to be a no frills group of guys. I immediately thought, long hairs from the South who look like the sort of guys you'd hang out with, at your local bar, tossing back drinks. Nice!

I may have walked into the venue an American Bang virgin but, it was clear from the opening chords of their set that I was going to be given a night to remember. They are, all up in your face, straight up rock 'n' roll. Live, American Bang has the intensity of Cream; the fiery, whiskey drinking, kick your ass, foot stomping, Southern boogie and swagger of early Skynyrd; the bombastic bluesy arena rock attitude of AC/DC; and the loud, fast, hard rocking wallop of MC5. Yeah, that's some heavy comparison but Saturday night, bad-assery rained from the stage and this band was responsible for it. Bad-assery, is that even a word? Well, if not, they put on a show worthy of word creation.

They roared through a blistering set that left no doubt that they meant business. Frontman Johnston who in addition to having a good voice that serves him well and playing killer licks, put on a display of charm and swagger reminiscent of frontmen of yore. Guitarist Brown totally rocked out, working his side of the stage like nobody's business; he also seemed to have a cadre of woman cheering him on. The rhythm section of Mason and Ray are a tight driving force that not only demand your attention, but demand that you move. Their rhythms are heavy, particularly Mason who lays down a hard back beat but, doesn't overpower.

For those who want a taste of American Bang and don't already have it, they have an EP out, Move To The Music. If my memory is serving me correctly, Johnston mentioned from the stage that they have a record coming out in January.

American Bang are a damn good live band. They're high energy bad ass fun. While I walked in not knowing who they were, I walked away with that excited, tingly, euphoric feeling that seems to invade every fiber of your being when you witness good rock 'n' roll. I like that feeling.

On the photo side of things, the drummer photo curse continues ... forgive me Mr. Mason for I have blurred you!

Set List

• Wildside
• All Night Long
• Move To The Music
• She No Cry
• Rock 'N' Roll Queen
• All We Know
• Whiskey Walk
• Wild And Young
• Kiss Kiss Bang

www.americanbangrock.com
www.myspace.com/americanbang

The Ettes Cause A Power Surge In NY

The Ettes: September 19 @ The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, New York, NY

I've been a fan of The Ettes since I came across their 2006 album Shake The Dust. So, needless to say, I was quite tickled when I found out they would be one of the bands supporting Juliette Lewis this past Saturday. It was the first time I'd managed to catch a show so I was excited.

The band, Coco (vocals/guitar), Poni (drums), Jem (bass) and Johnny (guitar) took the stage first. Those who didn't get their early enough to catch The Ettes set truly missed out on something special. Their set was a walloping display of garage rock. They ripped through a set that had enough punk and girl group sass to make both The Stooges and The Shangri-Las proud respectively.

Coco looks the part of a 60's girl group bad girl ... you know, one part sweet, one part innocent, one part fun, one part mischievous. You half expected her to leave the venue donning a leather jacket, head scarf and shades on the back of a motorcycle. She has a good voice; it's one that ably handled the multi-faceted description I just gave her. Coco is a charismatic front woman who is charming while at the same time displaying a lets get down to business demeanor.

On his first tour with the band, guitarist Johnny, along with Coco set an electric fire of crunchy guitar work that blazed from the stage burning those of us who had the good sense to get there early enough to see them. Hey, sometimes getting burned is fun.

Drummer Poni is to be witnessed. The woman keeps a fierce beat. A tiny woman with a mass of hair, she's a powerhouse drummer. Her playing definitely encourages audience movement. The song "No Home" comes to mind in cementing that notion right off the bat. I heard more than one person after the show comment on how bad ass she is.

Bassist Jem seemed to be the most low key member of The Ettes. He laced the set with a storm of fuzzy bass licks and seemed to be the string that held it all together in a nice tight rock 'n' roll package. He and Poni without a doubt make a formidable rhythm section.

Half of their set consisted of songs from their new record Do You Want Power which I recommend. It is available at shows and digitally online now. The release date of the physical CD is September 29 for those who won't be seeing them live to pick one up. It's the tightest and most polished of their efforts yet it doesn't lose any of the kick that makes their previous efforts the delights that they are.

I can't pick a favorite song from the show because the whole set was dynamite and flowed terrifically. The Ettes are a great live band. For some reason I expected them to sound a lot more raw than they actually are. Raw isn't a bad thing by any means but, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they're such a well-honed band.

The Ettes are a band deserving of a massive following. With Do You Want Power being such a delight and a killer live show, I expect they'll have that and much more soon.

Set List

• Red In Tooth And Claw
• I Can't Be True
• Reputation
• Take It With You
• So Say So
• Chilled Hidebound Hearts
• Lo and Behold
• Marathon
• No Home
• Blood Red Blood
• Dead And Gone
• Crown of Age
• I Heard Tell
• Walk Out That Door

www.theettes.com
www.myspace.com/theettes

As you can see, my drummer photo curse continues!

Talking To Walls To Play M.E.A.N.Y. Fest 2009

Those rockin' lads known as Talking To Walls are coming back to New York! Say wha?! Yes indeed fellow creatures known as New Yorkers, those CT boys are coming back. This time, they'll be taking part in M.E.A.N.Y. Fest 2009 ... that stands for Musicians and Emerging Artists New York ... yeah, I didn't know either. I'm not hip or down or with it or whatever the young whipper snappers are saying these days. They'll be at The Delancey on Thursday, October 1. I hear it's going to be the "greatest, wildest, most legendary show in Talking to Walls history" ... how could you even think about missing that?! They'll be shooting a video with Irish step dancers (really? wicked!) and just in general rockin' out. You should go and show some love or at the very least some highly energetic lust.

And because you won't have gotten enough Talking To Walls, you'll want to go see them when they wreck havoc over at R Bar on Thursday, October 22. Really, you will!

www.talkingtowalls.com
www.myspace.com/talkingtowalls
www.facebook.com/talkingtowalls
www.twitter.com/talkingtowalls

ResidentBand Features Killola

Our friends over at ResidentBand have put together a video announcing Killola tour dates for their Maximum Bits Tour. Yes, Killola is hitting the road. No, they're not coming to NY ... what's up with that?! It's been nearly a year since I peeped them. Oh Lisa, Johnny, Mike & Dan how sad you've made me. I'll have to try and ease my sorrows sitting around in my spiffy Killola tee-shirt, watching ResidentBand clips while sucking back Twizzlers and cheap booze.

www.residentband.tv
www.twitter.com/killola
www.facebook.com/killola
www.myspace.com/killola

Video: Cage The Elephant - "Back Against The Wall"

Any video that has a smack down with garden gnomes in it is all right by me. Oh, and I dig the song too.

Garden gnomes are like the cockroaches of lawn decorations. You can't get rid of them and they seem to mysteriously multiply! Am I the only one that feels this way?

www.cagetheelephant.com
www.myspace.com/cagetheelephant

Juliette Lewis Tomorrow Night In NYC!

Juliette Lewis is coming to rock NY TOMORROW, Saturday, September 19. She'll be over at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Be there!

www.myspace.com/juliettelewis
www.facebook.com/pages/Juliette-Lewis/126010241551

Karin Park Makes US Debut At Pianos

Karin Park: September 16 @ Pianos, New York, NY

I paid a visit to the LES to catch Swedish/Norwegian singer Karin Park make her NY debut. Park's band which consists of herself (vocals/keyboards) and her brother David Park (drums) took the stage at Pianos.

For those unfamiliar with her work, she plays deliciously groovy electro-pop. I myself was just recently introduced to Park's music so I wasn't sure what to expect live. It's always nice to walk into a show not knowing what to expect and walk away afterwards pleased with what you saw. While it was a short set, it was an effective set and an excellent introduction. I'm absolutely hooked on "Ashes" and "Can't Stop Now" which were both done last night and even more fun live.

Park is a striking woman and cuts a fierce pose on stage. She has a strong stage presence and put on a good set. If you're a fan of electro-pop, hers is a show to check out.

New York, you still have a chance to catch Park live. She's supporting Datarock at Highline Ballroom tonight, September 17. So, get there early enough to see her set. This isn't a random support act situation. Park's latest record, Ashes To Gold was produced by Datarock frontman Fredrik Saroea and released on Datarock's YAP Records label.

On a side note, I have to mention that I had a chance to meet Park after her set last night. Though she confessed to being a bit nervous, I can say it didn't show. She is an incredibly nice lady. They didn't have a set list written down and she was kind enough to write it out for me after the show so I could share it with those of you in my happy little blog world. So a big thank you to her for that!

Here are a few photos from the show.

Set List

• Bedtime For The Children
• Desire
• Ashes
• Can't Stop Now
• Out Of The Cage

www.myspace.com/karinpark