MMM Cake Shop

The Subjects; Black Tie Revue; Excellent
@ Cake Shop
New York, NY - June 23, 2007

The Cake Shop is one of the best venues in New York. A cafe upfront, a record store in the back (with a terrific collection of 7" records), and a bar/venue downstairs, the Ludlow LES site is one of those places that should, by all rights, be a New York staple, a future landmark.

The Subjects are very good at what they do but at the same time, there aren't a lot of ways to describe them except to call them indie rock/pop. They don't sound particularly special but they are a good Saturday night small venue band.
Pittsburgh's Black Tie Revue has stuck in my mind since I saw them several years ago at the Trash Bar in Williamsburg. I remembered the chorus from one song and never shook it. All these years later, it is easy to understand what made BTR memorable in the first place - a series of rockin' riffs and good time fun. Not goofy (except for their curious keyboardist) but not too cool for school either, BTR gives a little kick in the pants to the Rust Belt Rock that has been steadily fading away. They deserve to be bigger.
Excellent is a band that plays a little more power pop than the Subjects but suffer from two non-music problems: a lead singer that tries too hard to look like Robin Zander from Cheap Trick, and a horrible band name. Excellent is an atrocious choice for a band name. Their music is fine but not solid. Maybe if they work on the name, that will inspire them to put a little more oomph into their sound. Good kids, nice use of the sax, but seriously...Excellent?