Adam Taylor: June 30 @ The Living Room, New York, NY
One of my favorite musicians, Adam Taylor, rolled through town to put on a show at The Living Room this past Wednesday. With him, his songstress partn
er-in-crime Kate Young, drummer Jason Hoffheins and bassist Mike Giblin.I realized something about Taylor's shows. Or, more accurately, I realized something about myself during his shows. I always smile a lot watching him perform. His music makes me feel good.About three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing a full band show for the first time. I couldn't wait to see another one. Taylor and Young always give it their all when doing acoustic shows but, they seem more carefree with Giblin and Hoffheins on stage with them. It's like an added spark to their already burning fire.They played a song that I haven't heard for a little while, "Painting Leprosy." It was that song (along with the vast amount of talent displayed by he and Young) that cemented me as a fan back in December 2008. They were opening for Bob Schneider. I had no idea who they were but I captured an extremely dark and grainy video of the song that night and have been following Taylor's career since.I've watched Taylor grow. That first time I saw him, he and Young were huddled together on a small parcel of stage singing their hearts out. Now, Taylor really starting to own the stage. He's coming into his own and it's been a pleasure to watch. He's a bight shining star waiting for the world to take notice.I know I've said it before, but I highly recommend you catch a show. You'll be blown away.Check out videos for "New York" and my new favorite, "Coffee and Cigarettes" below. Video of "Jazzonia" can be found HERE and "Oliver," HERE.
More photos on the QNYC Flickr page HERE.
Set List
- Yes/No
- Jazzonia
- 12:51
- Story of the Sea-Green Sky, Pt. II
- New York
- Coffee and Cigarettes
- Oliver
- No Diggity/Come Together
- Painting Leprosy
- Elvis
- Lucy
- Cat's Cradle
www.adamtaylormusic.com
California DIY musician Alex Kemp recently released a new EP, Rat D'Hôtel - Part I - Rat Walks into a Bar, with three more to follow. So, your resident quirky chick set out to find out about this project and what else Mr. Kemp was up to. You know what? He's witty and charming folks. Get the low-down on Alex Kemp below. And, there's an MP3 Grab at the end of the interview ... as if my brilliant interviewing skills aren't enough for you!
Quirky NY Chick (QNYC): First, things first, thanks for taking time to answ
er some questions.
Alex Kemp (AK): You're very welcome. It was hard to find time between consulting with BP on how to stop the oil spill and trying to talk Kim Jong Il back from the brink of war, but hey- anything for QNYC.
(QNYC): Fans may know you from your work with Small Factory and Chicago electro rock band Assassins; you also do sound design if I’m not mistaken. But, for those that may be unfamiliar with your work, tell us a little about yourself.
He's coming back! Yes, good people of Internet-land, Adam Taylor is making
his way back to the fair city of New York once again. This time, he'll be at the cozy LES venue The Living Room for an early set, 7PM, on Wednesday, June 30. He's bringing with him, his band. So, if you missed them earlier this month, you should remedy that and catch this show! They'll skiffle, they'll rock, they'll jazz, they'll pop and, they might even get funky on you. One thing that's guaranteed, they will be good. But, you'll only have my word to go by if you don't go see the show and experience it for yourselves!I'm personally hoping they'll do "Coffee" this time out ... just thought I'd put that out there!
adamtaylormusic.com
facebook.com/adamtaylormusic
myspace.com/adamtaylormusic
twitter.com/adamtaylormusic
Food Stamps: June 24 @ The Delancey, New York, NY
I was at The Delancey Thursday night. I walked in and the first act was stil
l on stage. All was well and good, the sounds I heard as I entered the room weren't bad. That's always a good thing! It seemed like a normal enough show until I looked up and saw a Trojan warrior. Yeah, you heard me! The band playing, the Food Stamps were on-stage doing their thing. But, on the floor in front of the stage was an older fella in platforms, g-string/cod-piece, Trojan helmet dancing around with a shield and spear. Seriously?! Yes, seriously. After being hit with a major case of WTF'ness and trying my damndest to get a decent shot of Trojan Man, I turned my attention to the duo on-stage. They were rather enjoyable. They have a record, Food Stamps EP. The record samples I listened to on iTunes don't do their live sound any justice.
www.myspace.com/foodstamps
Kimberly Nichole: June 18 @ Joe's Pub, New York, NY
This past Friday night, I made my way down to Joe's Pub to catch a performance by songstress Kimberly Nichole. Until earlier that week, I hadn't been in th
e know when it came to Nichole. Monday and Wednesday of that week, she helped UK band The Heavy kill it at The Bowery Ballroom. So, when I was hipped to who she was and that she had an upcoming show, I had to check it out!The pub was packed and there seemed to be a genuine buzz of excitement in the room. Nichole, whose tag line is "the puffy-haired tower of power," was introduced. Out she walked wearing a tutu with a matching hat. I thought to myself, "ah hell, we're in for something now!" Tower of power is an understatement. The lady is like a little stick of dynamite. She blew the roof off the joint. Not long into her eleven song set I was wondering why I was just now finding out about this woman!She sang her butt off all the while striking dramatic poses and contorting her body to the rhythms of the music. Nichole is a big star on a small stage. She was one part diva, one part down-to-Earth girl next door, mixed with a good dash of cheekiness playfully lifting her tutu to show off her granny panties.Not being in the know about Nichole, of course I wasn't familiar with her songs. That didn't matter. You didn't need to know them to be drawn in and entertained. She did do 
three covers that I recognized, The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" which frankly she does better than Jack White ever could. Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" had the audience up on their feet, dancing and cheering her on. It was an electric performance. She closed with her cover of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" which again had people on their feet. Other than her scorching version of "Dirty Diana" I was grabbed by "Crash & Burn" a song that can be found on her record YBJ Reloaded. Oh, the show by the way, was a re-release party for the record.Somebody slap some diva wings on her tutu because she put on a show that easily blows the current roster of diva's out of the water. I was blown away by her performance. I generally enjoy the shows I go to; but, once in a while there's a show that makes me say to myself, "I'm really glad I went." This was one of those shows.
More photos on Flickr, HERE.
Set List
- A Rage in Harlem
- Johnny Come Lately
- Seven Nation Army
- Little Girl New
- Peace of Mind
- Crash & Burn
- Dirty Diana
- Disconnected
- Fire
- The Yellow Brick Journey
- Crazy
www.myspace.com/KimberlyNicholeMusicwww.theYellowBrickJourney.com
Hot Seconds return to the Mercury Lounge stage on Thursday, July 1. So, head up, down, over or across to the LES and rock out with the boys. They've got some seriously heavy new songs that you're going to wanna check out or hear again as may be the case. Y'all know that's just days shy of Independence Day; start your partying a little early. Swing by and show 'em some love.
www.hotseconds.net
er-in-crime Kate Young, drummer Jason Hoffheins and bassist Mike Giblin.
