What You May Have Missed: Eric Tessmer Band at Mercury Lounge

Eric Tessmer Band: June 17 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

I caught the Eric Tessmer Band this past Friday night. They're from Austin, TX. Good things come out of Austin folks.

If you know anything at all about me from visiting my little place here in the Internet world, then you know I like guitars. Eric Tessmer plays guitar (and sings), damn does he play guitar. Let's see, think Stevie Ray, maybe some Kenny Wayne ... you know, that whole blues rock rip through you like hot lava kind of thing. It was a mind melting, brain fuck. Thank you Mr. Tessmer for giving me an eargasm. My ears and I may be a little bit in love with you now. We will definitely come and see you again when you pass through these parts.

Y'all know I tend to neglect the rhythm section. Hey, it's not my fault, I was born liking guitars! But, they tore it up too, all kinds of bad ass. They are the perfect counter to Tessmer's wailing guitar.

This is what the badassery looked like...
More photos HERE

What You May Have Missed: The Twees at Pianos

The Twees: June 15 @ Pianos, New York, NY

The Twees took to the Pianos stage around 11PM'ish. It was loud, full of energy and fun and by the end of the night, audience members were onstage dancing. See what you missed if you weren't there!

More photos HERE

What You Might Have Missed: Living Days At Pianos

Living Days: June 15 @ Pianos, New York, NY

If you weren't at Pianos on Wednesday night, then you missed Living Days shaking things up. Front-woman Stephonik Youth was a playful vixen, romping around the stage and going into the audience several times to sing to the crowd. It was my first time seeing the band and they were a lot of fun. Check them out if you haven't already.

More photos HERE

What You Missed & Can Still See: Jump Into The Gospel At Pianos

Jump Into The Gospel: June 15 @ Pianos, New York, NY

Where were you on Wednesday night?! Well, if you weren't at Pianos, you missed Jump Into The Gospel bring their "A" game to the stage. After that performance, I have officially dubbed them rock stars. Everyone looked to be relaxed and having fun and they were musically in the zone ... the best show I've seen them do.

Fret not folks. If you missed that show, you can catch them this coming Wednesday, June 22 at Pianos. They're on at 10PM. Joining them on the line-up that evening will be, The Rassle at 9PM and Brick + Mortar at 11PM. It'll only cost you $8!

Look what you missed this past Wednesday...

This is what they played...
More photos HERE

And, this is what it looked like...

Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 To Release New Record, 6/21 + MP3

This Tuesday, June 21, Seun Kuti & the Egypt 80 will be releasing their new record, From Mighty Africa With Fury: Rise. The record was produced by Brian Eno, John Reynolds and Kuti with additional production by Godwin Logie. It was mixed by John Reynolds and Tim Oliver.

Put this on your list of albums to check out this summer.

MP3 Grab: "Rise"

What You Missed Tuesday Night: Adam Taylor

Adam Taylor: June 14, 2011 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

Tuesday night, Adam Taylor and his band took to the Mercury Lounge stage. I've been telling you folks you should go see this guy, he's really good. Well, if you didn't listen to me, you missed out! Had you been there you not only would have heard great music, but you would have also witnessed him onstage with his brother guitarist Chad Taylor (founding member of Live and his new project The Gracious Few) for the first time! While it was their first time on stage together, it's not their first time working together as Chad produced Adam's latest record No Poet as well as his debut record.

The band, rounded out by Kate Young (vocals/percussion), Mike Giblin (bass/vocals) and Jason Hoffheins (drums) kicked things off with "Oliver" and rocked, rolled and charmed the audience. Always an upbeat performer, Taylor seemed to be having even more fun than usual which was contagious for those on stage and off. With big brother adding a bit of slide to the mix, many of the songs took on a more bluesy tone which worked nicely and gave a nice punch to "Painting Leprosy." It has also become clear that "Whiskey" is a crowd sing-a-long favorite with everyone shouting out that one line particularly loud!

While the entire set was terrific and as always, with top notch vocals. I'd have to say the highlight for me was the blistering, blues rock song "New York." If there's a recording of that performance out there, someone should send it my way! Not that I advocate bootlegging...

The set ended with Adam and Kate singing the wonderful "Cat's Cradle," albeit with a bit of giggling. Taylor's a diverse singer/songwriter and once again proved live that he's the read deal. In the span of one show, he and his band covered all bases ... folk, straight ahead pop, tossed in a little jazz flavor, some rockabilly, a pinch of blues, got funky and did it all with a little bit of a punk attitude. It's not something that everybody can pull off and certainly not as well as the Adam Taylor Band.

The show was loads of fun. If you weren't, you really should have been there!

More photos HERE

TONIGHT: The R's at Pianos + MP3

Head on down to Pianos TONIGHT, June 16 at 8PM to catch The R's! They're from Italy and we like Italian stuff. It'll cost you $8 which is way cheaper than a trip to Italy! So go partake in some cultural exchange.

MP3 Grab: "I Love My Family"

TAB the Band At Mercury Lounge This Friday, 6/17

Looking for a good live show to check out this Friday, June 17? Head on down to Mercury Lounge. You will catch TAB the Band and bonus music happiness, Red Wanting Blue is also on the bill. Both are terrific fun to see live. Doors are at 6:30PM and it'll cost you $10. See, look, now you have plans for Friday night!

This Wednesday: The Twee + JITG + Living Days

Check it out ... Wednesday night, June 15 at Pianos ... go have a drink and hear some good music! Living Days at 9PM, Jump Into The Gospel at 10PM and The Twees at 11PM ... all of that for only $8.

Elbow Announces North American Tour Dates

Elbow will be hitting the road in the fall and they'll be making their way to NYC! They'll be at Terminal 5 on September 25. Tickets go on sale, this Friday, June 17. Doors are at 7PM and it'll cost you $32 advance/$35 dos.

See below for other dates.

September 18th:
ACL Festival, Austin, TX, U.S.A.
(On Sale Now)

September 20th:
Center Stage, Atlanta, GA, U.S.A.
(On Sale June 17th)

September 22nd:
9:30 Club, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
(On Sale June 16th)

September 25th:
Terminal 5, New York, NY, U.S.A.
(On Sale June 17th)

September 26th:
Paradise Rock Club, Boston, MA, U.S.A.
(On Sale June 18th)

September 28th:
Sound Academy, Toronto, ON, Canada
(On Sale June 18th)

October 1st:
The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.
(On Sale June 18th)