Hockey Left Me Feeling A Bit Cold

Hockey: March 15 @ Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

Hockey, the band, not the sport headlined the Bowery Ballroom on a bill that consisted of The Postelles and The Constellations. They were the band I knew the most about when I ventured down to the LES venue for a night of music. Having never seen them, I was interested to see what they were about live.

Well, I like Hockey. But, I discovered something. I'm not as much into them live as on record. Of course, some of my live Hockey experience could be colored by the annoying chick with the big purse who damn near gave me a concussion flailing around, had the gall to take a wad of nasty chewed up gum and stick it to the front of the stage, the stage that people in the front row lean and brush against, like it was a perfectly civil thing to do. Oh and in an act of pure class, she reached out and groped singer Ben Grubin (did I spell that right?!) at some point. Normally, I'd say she was just an overly excited young girl but she looked about thirty-five at the very least. And, though I don't condone violence, the young lady next to me looked like she wanted to punch the chick and I kind of wish she had.

The band worked hard. And, the sold out crowd was loud and enthusiastic. Musically, things were fine but vocally, after a while everything started to sound rather similar. So basically, I went from I like these guys to, they're okay. Perhaps in a less annoying situation I'd feel somewhat differently, who knows. In the end, I was left feeling a bit let down. Judging by the rest of the crowd and their reaction, I'm probably the only one.

www.hockeyband.com
www.myspace.com/hockey

The Constellations, Hypnotic Hair & Cowbell Love

The Constellations: March 15 @ Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

The Constellations from Atlanta kicked things off Monday night at Bowery Ballroom on a bill that included The Postelles and Hockey. When they first walked onstage, I thought, well aren't they a mismatched looking bunch of folks. But, you can't judge music by appearances most of the time so I was curious to hear what they sounded like.

Frontman Elijah Jones at times reminded me of a cross between Eddie Vedder (channeling Sly Stone and minus the pretentious air), Rob Thomas if he went rogue and some random hip-hop guy ... pick a non-hardcore one and insert name here. Then there were the two dudes that looked like Marshall Tucker escapees, a hipster looking guy who loved the hell out of his cowbell, two chicks with extra short dresses, the guy hidden behind the chicks that looked like he might have some pot to sell and a drummer I couldn't see. If they should happen to come across this description, they'll likely say WTF?! Exactly! That was my thought when I saw them. Then, they played.

Their music was a variety of genres ranging from straight ahead rock, to hip-hop, to soul, to dance with some Latin tinges. They mixed it all together and it worked well and they worked the stage hard.

I was on the verge of being hypnotized by bassist Wes Hoffman's 'fro glowing and shimmering according to the stage lighting. That is, until keyboard guy Jamie Gordon busted out the cowbell and proceeded to fascinate me with his enthusiasm. Can I be a cowbell player groupie? I'm just sayin', I'm down with the cowbell y'all. And, so nobody feels slighted, I'll mention the rest of the band by name. There's Ryan Davis (guitar/keyboard) the pot connection looking guy; Jason Nackers the drummer I couldn't see; Trevor Birdsong (guitar) one of the Marshall Tucker escapees; and, Alaina Terry and Shabnam Bashiri (backing vocals/percussions) the chicks with the extra short dresses. For the record, I have no idea if Davis has any association with pot well, other than knowing how to spell it ... hopefully.

All was going well and I was getting my groove on but then ... oh yes, there's a but! But then, they got to the last song which I got along with well enough at first. But, near the end, it kinda went wrong for me. I found myself wanting to scream out and beg, for the love of God, make it stop! Other than that, it was a high energy, enjoyable set.

www.myspace.com/theconstellations
theconstellationsmusic.com

The Postelles Kick Up A Mess Of Shoulder Shimmy Fun

The Postelles: March 15 @ Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY

New York band The Postelles hit the stage at Bowery Ballroom sharing the bill with The Constellations and Hockey. When I first heard The Postelles, I thought they were okay. I wasn't jumping up and down about them. But, they were catchy and that made me curious enough to want to hear what they were about live.

Live, The Postelles are one of those bands that make everything look effortless. They're not one of those bands that put on an air of we're too cool for you pretentiousness nor do they do a bunch of bullshit theatrics to try and keep the audience entertained. They got up there, played their set in a casual "this is what we do, hope you're enjoying yourselves" manner. What they do is play well and look to be having a good time while getting you caught up in their hopelessly infectious songs.

I found myself immediately going from they're okay to, yeah, I like these guys. They have a retro, yet modern sound. They're one part doo-wop, one part Motown, one part garage, one part mod and 100%, foot stomping, hand clapping, shoulder shimmy fun.

Check them out if they're playing near you. They're on the road with Hockey and The Constellations through about mid-April and they'll be at Bonnaroo, June 10.

thepostelles.com
www.myspace.com/thepostelles

The Runaways

If you know me, then you probably know a lot of questionable things about me. But, you probably also know some basic things like, I haven't gone to an actual movie theatre to see a movie in about sixteen years and I've been a fan of The Runaways for well over half of my life ... a very long time for both! What does it take to get your resident quirky chick to think about going into a theatre after more than a decade? Yep, you guessed it, a movie about The Runaways called, The Runaways.

The movie based on former Runaway Cherie Currie's book Neon Angel (which has been updated & re-released) hits theatres tomorrow, Friday, March 19. Runaway and all around bad ass rock chick Joan Jett is one of the movies producers. It stars Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning as Jett and Currie. Both young ladies tackle their own vocals in the movie.

I'm sure everyone has a Runaway that they favor, me, it's Jett. Little rock lovin' me took one look at Jett, thought, she's pretty, she's got a guitar and she looks tough, like she has kicked a few dudes asses ... cool. So, in honor of The Runaways, both the band and the movie, I've got my media player rockin' The Runaways catalogue. And seriously, if you haven't experienced The Runaways, hop out quick like a bunny and buy some of their stuff. Check out the trailer below and head on out to see the movie this weekend to check out the story of the band that was The Runaways.

www.runawaysmovie.com
therunaways.com

Video: David Byrne & Fatboy Slim With Santigold - "Please Don't"

Someone, David Byrne, says something along the lines of 'picture this, a concept album about former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos ... with a disco beat, snazzy!' Okay, he probably didn't use the words "picture this" and "snazzy" but came up with the notion none the less. Apparently, Marcos liked disco almost as much as she liked shoes so, it seemed the obvious thing to do, at least to Byrne, was to put the rise and fall of Imelda Marcos to a danceable beat. He got Fatboy Slim involved and along with over 20 singers, put together Here Lies Love which is scheduled for release on April 6. So, does Marcos as a concept record work? I don't know. I haven't heard the whole thing but, "Please Don't" certainly works. Check out the video below and use the handy dandy widget also below to get a free download of the song.

www.davidbyrne.com

Video: Foxy Shazam - "Oh Lord"

Oh Lord indeed. I think I just had a serious WTF moment. Those moments aren't always bad. Instead of saying WTF and turning it off, I said WTF and watched the whole thing, slightly dazed and with a bit of wonderment. Their self-titled major label debut release is scheduled for release on April 13.

www.myspace.com/foxyshazam

Talking To Walls Celebrate New Record On The LES

Talking To Walls: March 13 @ The Local 269, New York, NY

Talking To Walls recently released their new record, We Were Not So Tall. In celebration, they've taken to the road for their Too Many 'atts Tour. That tour brought them to this city I call home.

Saturday, I went down to The Local 269, during The Great New York Monsoon of 2010, to catch Nat (Webb, guitar/vocals), Matt (Krupa, drums), Matt (Miklos, bass/vocals) and the cat called Brian (Kelly, vocals/guitar) rock out a big set on a tiny stage. A little NYC downpour can't stop good rock 'n' roll! Oh sure, they were soggy but that didn't dampen their spirits. They all seemed to be in exceptionally good moods. When bands have fun on stage, it's contagious. Me being windblown and damp, I needed that contagiousness. It didn't take long to have me smiling and singing along. Lucky for them, they were playing loud enough that they didn't have to hear me singing along off key.

They promised quirky old broads such as myself a good time (without dialing an 800 number or a per minute charge) and that's just what I got. But, I've got a bone to pick with those Walls, they played a wee bit of "Paradise City" ... teases! I'm putting in my request for the full song, complete with one or more of them breaking into the Axl snake dance, the next time they roll through town. Bonus points if bike shorts and a bandana are involved. But, remember guys, I have a camera!

I'd give you a set list but I forgot to get it. Just know they played a fine selection of songs which were all really good ... wish you were here postcard worthy good! I had a great time. Talking To Walls are an incredibly fun band to catch live. If you haven't had the experience, you're missing out on a whole helluva lot of fun.

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

Around New York ... March 15 - March 21, 2010

Upcoming shows in the New York area ...

March 15 -- Hockey / The Postelles / The Constellations at Bowery Ballroom
www.boweryballroom.com
March 15 -- Two Hours Traffic / Steel Phantoms / The Law / Julian Berntzen at The Studio at Webster Hall
www.websterhall.com
March 15 -- Kate Miller-Heidke at Joe's Pub
www.joespub.com
March 17 -- Mr. North / Audio Fiction / Suddyn at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
March 17 -- Hot Chelle Rae / Black Gold / Reece at Highline Ballroom
www.highlineballroom.com
March 17 -- The Juggs at Pianos
www.pianosnyc.com
March 18 -- Doppleganger (pictured) / Dead Sparrows / The Bali Shag Vipers / Des Roar at Glasslands Gallery
www.glasslands.com
March 18 -- Amos Lee / Cary Ann Hearst at The Bell House
www.thebellhouseny.com
March 18 -- Inner Princess / PM Edition / Balls To The Wall at Cake Shop
cake-shop.com
March 19 -- Lisa Bianco & The Fury at Spike Hill
www.spikehill.com
March 19 -- Michael Tarbox / Henry Wolfe at Union Hall
www.unionhallny.com

Photos: Matt Jasper @ The Local 269

Matt Jasper: March 13 @ The Local 269, New York, NY

The third act to take the stage at The Local 269 during The Great Monsoon of 2010, was Matt Jasper who I believe put the shindig together. Jasper was low key in comparison to the blistering electrified set by tour mates Talking To Walls. Low key isn't a bad thing. Unfortunately, during his set, band members and fans for the late show started piling in and were rather loud. It was rather distracting to me and I'd imagine annoying and frustrating for Jasper. He just released a new record, Bored Games, so check that out. Check out a few photos from his set below.

mattjasper.com
myspace.com/jasper
twitter.com/mattjasper