Metric Performed on Fearless Music

Handshakes

Fearless Music is an inconsistent but nevertheless needed and relevant music program that airs here in New York late Saturday nights on the Fox channel. Be Your Own Pet plays tonight and the past has seen the Mooney Suzuki, the Raveonettes, and a host of others, perhaps most notably Murder By Death, which is how I found out about that band.

July 2007 Concert Calendar Highlights

-Friday July 6th is one of a few nights in July that has multiple options: Fuji &
Miyagi are at the South Street Seaport, A Sunny Day in Glasgow are at the Cake Shop, and the Violets will be at the Luna Lounge.

-Cat Power will be at the McCarren Park Pool the next night.

-Art Brut continues its tour of every venue in the Big Apple with a show at the Highline on Monday the 9th. The White Rabbits will be opening.

-Do do doo do do do dooooooooo do do do do do do doooooooo: Suzanne Vega at the Highline 3 days after Brut.

-The Decemberists return with a show at Central Park's SummerStage on Monday the 16th.

-The Fratellis leap frog over the successes of hundreds of other bands and will headline a show at the Roseland Ballroom on the 18th.

-It's a night of old and new as the Mooney Suzuki and the Muldoons perform at the Mercury Lounge on the 18th. You can also catch the Suzuki back on the 9th at Maxwell's.

-Electric Six does the Rocks Off Concert Cruise on the 19th and the next night do it again at Maxwell's.

-Speaking of the next night, Friday July 20th is huge, and so is Saturday the 21st. Arguably the most packed two days of the summer:

• Neko Case at the Central Park SummerStage.
  
• Battles, the band pushed on this blog, will be performing at Studio B.
  
• Gogol Bordello kicks off two nights at Irving Plaza.
  
• Wil Hoge at Southpaw.
• Electric Six at Maxwell's.

And Saturday the 21st:

• The Village Voice Siren Festival will rock out one last time at Astroland with the New York Dolls, MIA, We Are Scientists, Voxtrot, Matt and Kim, The Black Lips, Dr. Dog, Noisettes, The Detroit Cobras, Elvis Perkins, the White Rabbits, the Twilight Sad, and more.
  
• The Ponys and Jay Reatard at the Bowery Ballroom.
  
• Aimee Mann at Warsaw.
• Gogol Bordello at Irving, night 2.
  
• Dirty Excuse at Magnetic Field.

-Not enough Cobras for you? They're back at Maxwell's the next night.

As if that's not enough, Tueday the 24th thinks it's a weekend night out, or as we call it in New York, a night out:

• Some stupid band called the White Stripes will be playing Madison Square Garden and they get some losers named Nick Cave (hiding under the name Grinderman) and Porter Wagoner to help out. At least superstar Marty Stuart will be on hand to help out young Mr. Wagoner.
• Devotchka kicks off the first of two nights at the Spiegeltent at the South Street Seaport.
• The Comas and Great Northern will be at the Mercury Lounge.

-John Doe, himself no slouch, will be at the Merc on the 26th and Maxwell's on the 29th to promote his new solo record.

-Sonic Youth will be at the McCarren Park Pool on Saturday the 28th. The same night, Mondo Topless returns to Magnetic Field.

-TV on the Radio does a free show at the McCarren Park Pool on Sunday the 29th.

2006: The Year In Music

Before we get into it, let me warn you that this is, like pretty much all lists, a grossly uninformed and limited view of pop and rock music. And in comparison to previous years, I don't personally feel satisfied with the amount of music I have heard by which to judge these categories. So take everything with a grain of salt and the notion that this is the opinion of one rock n roll fan and the music he has heard, and not a music critic instruction manual in what was good in music in 2006:

Best Artist With A New Album
Josh Ritter – The Animal Years

If only because this is a classically perfect album. It's almost too good and mechanically so. Every song is a melodic radio friendly bit of singer-songwriter pop. And yet this kind of music doesn't make a dent in the charts anymore. And although garage rock and blues are arguably my favorite genre of music, this is the third year in a row that an undeniably non-garage rock record wins. Blanche won 2 years ago and the Decemberists won last year, indicating that it takes something special and different to stand-out, even if, as in the case of Ritter, sounding different means sounding so predictable. Not to mention, The Animal Years wins by eeking out other albums that were near-perfect and split the difference. Listen to some stuff here.

Runner-Ups:
Bob Dylan – Modern Times

At the top of many other lists this year (and shockingly shun by the Grammys), the legendary Dylan's new record is one of many albums this year that are half-perfect and half-flawed. Like many other records, it peters out with some filler but what's good about it is so good that it is still part of the Top Albums of the Year. See the video for "Thunder on the Mountain" below.

The Black Keys – Magic Potion

Like the Dylan record, what's great on this record is great enough but it sort of weakens out as it goes on. Not to mention, trying to follow up Rubber Factory is like God trying to show up...well...Dylan. Here's the video for "Your Touch".

The Changes – Today Is Tonight

A sharp, sudden, and stylish debut from these pop-rockers out of Chicago. Jingle-jangle all the way. Listen.

The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

After having last year's Best Album with Picaresque, it was going to be hard for the Decemberists to match it completely just one year later. They almost pulled it off with a handful of solid tracks and a couple of shocking departures but all together it's a bit too much to take in at once. Plus, it's way too derivative of Pink Floyd, ELP, and Talking Heads at different times, and even as the Decemberists do the homages well, they're above it. But still...a fine record to remember the year by. Expect the Decemberists to stick around a long time, if they choose to do so. Now how about some Colbert-inflamed "Valencia"?!

The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics

By Lips standards, this is an eclectic record filled with nice twists and turns. No Flaming Lips record is a complete masterpiece (though The Soft Bulletin came closest) but this album held on from its spring release to remain a top entry. Scroll down below in the video section for the "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song".

James Hunter – People Gonna Talk

I first heard James Hunter on Dave Raven's Raven N Blues podcast and it turned out he was getting help from some big time stars, Starbucks, and Virgin Records Stores. So he was stuck in my head. The second coming of Sam Cooke provided the most lighthearted and pleasant record of the year. Listen to some of the stuff here.

Mondo Topless – Take It Slow

The best garage rock record of the year, Philadelphia's Mondo Topless takes too long to put out new albums but if consistency requires big lapses of time, then let them do what they want. Listen.

The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldiers

Yeah yeah yeah yeah, I know. How could the official band of the Blue Republic blog not have the Album of the Year? In all honesty, it would be a little unfair. The Raconteurs were not the only band around in 2006. That's obvious. And if I have to get technical, let's just say "Call It A Day" cost them the victory. They should have put the live version of it on the record and we'd have a different story. My Baby's on the "Level".

M. Ward – Post-War

M. Ward has yet to make an album I completely love from beginning to end, but he gets better every time and he's become of the most endearing authentic artists out there. Listen to some tunes.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Show Your Bones

For most of the year, it was probable that the YYY's third album would shock the world and be the Best Album of the Year. It was tough not giving it to this unique and important (band-wise) record which showed the trio could shift their sound without changing their aesthetic. See the videos for "Gold Lion" and "Turn Into" below.


Best Song/Single Released by Band , Group, or Duo

TV on the Radio – “Wolf Like Me”

Usually I break this category down into three winners but this year there was almost no contest. The true number 1 - and certainly one of the best singles of this decade - is TV on the Radio's "Wolf Like Me". It's everything that experimental rock n roll should be. Their albums remain too much for my taste but I appreciate where they are coming from and what they are trying to accomplish and producing songs like this certainly make that possible. Listen here and see their Letterman performance here.

Blanche – “What This Town Needs”

Oh boy - here they are again. 2 years after winning it all, Blanche is back. Those of you who thought I shilled for the Raconteurs (and for that matter, the Dirtbombs)...just wait till 2007 when the full Blanche lp is released! This sneak preview, released off an October EP, demonstrates that Blanche is going down true rock n roll paths on their continuing unique road. Listen.

The Raconteurs – “Broken Boy Soldier”

Yep, here they are. But it can't be helped. By the sheer technicality of releasing this mostly-title track as a single at the end of the year, the Racs sneak into the winners circle. But they deserve it. It's Led Zeppelin, Decemberists, White Stripes all in one and all at their finest moments. Scroll down to the video category to check it out.

Runner-ups:
The Black Lips – “Oh Katrina”

Atlanta's Black Lips are fast becoming a band that when they're good, they're good and when they're not good, they're not good. "Oh Katrina" is pure good. Hookish, garage-ish, fun-ish. Good. Google search - find it.

Electric Six – “I Buy The Drugs”

Switzerland may have been an overall bust, and even the live show slacked off at least one night, but E6 can still put out the singles that ought to be hits. Here's the video and here's hoping they pull out all the stops on New Year's Eve at Maxwell's.

The Flaming Lips - “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”

See below.

Gnarls Barkley – "Crazy"

It had to be on here. It was that good. And that's the end of it. The video.

The Soledad Brothers – “Good Feeling”

They came, they saw, they broke up. But they left this shoulda-beena-classic behind. See the video below.

The Strokes – “You Only Live Once”

Last year's First Impressions of Earth came out too late to matter last year and had too much filler to be considered this year but the band wisely released the opener as a single. It's the best song on the album. the video.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Gold Lion”

The video.

Best Song/Single Released by a Female Artist
Jenny Lewis (w/the Watson Twins) – “Rise Up With Fists!!!”

No contest this year. No female-sung song stuck in my head quite like this one. See the video below.

Runner-ups:
Cat Power – “The Greatest”

Chan Marshall gets better all the time and less of a secret each time at that.

Neko Case – “Margaret vs. Pauline”

Neko's voice is one of the best in the world and she shows it off on this diddy from Fox Confessor Brings The Flood. Watch

Best Song/Single Released by a Male Artist
M. Ward – “Right In The Head”

How did M. Ward fend off Bob Dylan and the album-winning Ritter? By combining rock, country, folk, and pop into one haunting little song that's how. Watch.

Runner-ups:
Bob Dylan – “Thunder on the Mountain”

Nothing was finer on Modern Times than this opening track. The video.

Josh Ritter – “Girl In The War”

Barely losing to M. Ward in this category, it's the best song on the best album. Listen again.

James Hunter – “I’ll Walk Away”

Listen to this episode of Raven N The Blues to hear it.

Best New Artist
The Changes

An impressive combo of a great live show with a solid debut album is all it took for these boys to win it.

Runner-ups:
James Hunter

Did I already mention he's the second coming of Sam Cooke?

Les Sans Culottes

The live show says it all. So much fun. Listen.

Best Live Act
The Dirtbombs

Winning it outright 2 years ago, and sharing the title with about two dozen bands last year, the Dirtbombs sieze it outright again this year. No one does it better. No one. Listen to the live "Missionary Man" on the greatest MySpace page in the world. Watch something.

Runner-ups:
The Changes

You'll want to date Molly Ringwald after listening to this band live. Maybe.

The Decemberists

Colin Meloy remains the great frontman and the band remains a killer live show. Watch.

Electric Six

Yes they had one sour show but they are still E6 and they are still better than you on your best day. Watch.

Les Sans Culottes

If you see them live, request "Les Enfants Terrible". But here's "Ecole De Merde" in the meantime.

The Mooney Suzuki

I caught the Suzuki three times this year in three radically different stages. No bass player, a brand new bass player, and finally, a working band. I don't know how the next album will turn out, but live-wise they're getting it back together. A taste.

Mondo Topless

The best way to appreciate the Topless is to see them live. Give them a beer!

Pas/Cal

Not your typical Detroit band, Pas/Cal stays outside the box with their own brand of pop. Listen. Watch (kind of - the idiot cameraman is an idiot friend of mine).

The Raconteurs

Despite breaking the single-year record for most times I've seen an act live, the Racs came up just short in this category too. And they did so if only because it's impossible to best the Dirtbombs and because it was more interesting seeing them perfect their sound each time they played. The Raconteurs of April were good but they were not the Raconteurs of September, who were flawless. Also, it helps to have the world's greatest living rock n roll guitarist in your band. Nothing beats "Headin' For The Texas Border".

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sexy sexy nights out thanks to YYY. Believe it.

Best Music Video
The Raconteurs – “Broken Boy Soldier”
If only for the cannon-firing squirrel, here's the winner.
Plus, for all the non-stop attention I gave them, they deserved more than just a co-win for Best Single and coming in second in two other categories.

Runner-ups:
The Flaming Lips - “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song”
Why is Wayne Coyne the goddamned greatest?

Jenny Lewis (w/the Watson Twins) – “Rise Up With Fists!!!”
Dang cute.

The Soledad Brothers – “Good Feeling”
The band put together this one official video, filled with friendly cameos (including the one and only Dan Miller). A fond farewell to some good time guys.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Turn Into”
As intoxicating as the song.

CMJ Send-Off

The Mooney Suzuki; Margaret & The Nuclear So & So's; The Willowz; The Dansettes; The Changes
@ Rebel
New York, NY - November 4, 2006

I remember three years ago when the Mooney Suzuki sold out the Bowery Ballroom on a Monday night. Now they 3/4's filled the new (and great looking) club Rebel, which is about a fifth or a sixth of the size of the Bowery, on a Saturday night. Take that for what you will. I've seen the Suzuki three times this year now. The first time, very early in the year, had them testing out new songs, and it wasn't THAT bad, but it wasn't great. The second time, not quite at the halfway point of the year, was a super-short set with a brand new bass player and they were still feeling out their new ways. Last night, however, the Suzuki were back in form. Playing mostly their established stuff, they were solid through-and-through. The new songs sounded a lot better, but it will be interesting to see how they turn out on the new record.
Margaret & The Nuclear So & So's were stale indie pop.
The Willowz came on stage looking like Southern Mountain folk, so I expected either hippy dippy music or something like metal. Instead, it turns out they're from California and they play garage rock with a high-pitched singer. Lots of promise but still working on it.
Them nice goils and boys in the Dansettes stunned the hipster crowd with their Motown/soul revival and that's a good thing.
The Changes started off the night and very nearly stole the whole night. Recalling equally The Smiths as well as a bit of the Jam and a tiny bit of the Replacements, these Chicago pop-rockers mixed dance-beat background with solid pop-hooks. But the last time I heard a band sound this good with this kind of music, The Golden Republic, the record turned out to be a completely different story. So there's a caveat for you.

Official CMJ Music Marathon Schedule

First listen to this and read this and this.

CMJ Music Marathon Tue 10/31 - Sat 11/4

Tuesday October 31

The Black Hollies - Lincoln Center Day Stage

Medeski, Martin, & Wood - Hammerstein Ballroom

The Cardigans; Matt Nathanson - Knitting Factory

Birdmonster - Pianos

Wednesday November 1

Steve Earle; Laura Cantrell - Southpaw

Tapes N' Tapes; Cold War Kids; Dr. Dog; Elvis Perkins; What Made Milwaukee Famous - Bowery Ballroom

The Giraffes - Studio B

Magnolia Electric Company - Northsix

Someone Still Loves Your Boris Yeltsin - Pianos

The Mugs - Magnetic Field

Thunderbirds Are Now - Pianos (early)

Thunderbirds Are Now; Tokyo Police Club; Harlem Shakes - Galapagos

The Slits - Knitting Factory

Rooney - Irving Plaza

Dr. Dog, Jonny Lives - Lincoln Center Day Stage

Tigers and Monkeys - Fontana's

Thursday November 2

The Slits - Maxwell's

Blue Cheer; Moon & Moon - Knitting Factory

Heavy Trash - Pianos (early show)

The Black Lips; Dirty on Purpose - Sin-é

Tralala - Rebel

The Shins; The Thermals; The Elected - Bowery Ballroom

Forward Russia - Mercury Lounge

The Flesh - Midway

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin; Headlights - Europa

The French Kicks; Thunderbirds Are Now; Tokyo Police Club - Studio B

Silversun Pickups - Pianos

Jonny Lives - Crash Mansion

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Lincoln Center Day Stage

Oakley Hall - Tonic

Hot Chip - Webster Hall

Friday November 3

The Decemberists - Hammerstein Ballroom

The Black Keys; The Black Angels - Nokia Theater

Albert Hammond Jr; Tokyo Police Club - Mercury Lounge

The Black Hollies - Cake Shop

George Clinton; Kid Congo - Crash Mansion

SSM - R&R (9:30AM show)

The Secret Machines - Warsaw

The Starlite Desperation - Lit Lounge

The Grates - Bowery Ballroom

Architecture in Helsinki - Irving Plaza

Thunderbirds Are Now - Pianos

Deerhoof; Mary Timoney - Hiro Ballroom

Palomar - The Delancey

Saturday November 4

The Mooney Suzuki; The Dansettes - Rebel

Scott H. Biram; Bobby Bare Jr (4PM show) - Union Pool

The Fall - Hiro Ballroom

The Secret Machines - Warsaw

Cody Chestnutt - Canal Room

Shooter Jennings; Oakley Hall; The Watson Twins - Irving Plaza

The French Kicks; Bobby Bare Jr. - Mercury Lounge

Silversun Pickups; Tokyo Police Club; Elvis Perkins - The Annex

Austin Powers Misses The Yarrows; The Mooney Suzuki Don't Miss Fads

The Yarrows
@Parkside Lounge
New York, NY – May 13, 2006

The streak seems to be over. The Yarrows were able to play a show at a venue that didn’t close up nor seems to have any plans to. The band sounds in fine form as it tests new songs out for a full length release in the fall. On a side note, Mike Myers had been in the crowd earlier in the night for another act. How random.

The Mooney Suzuki
@Southpaw
Brooklyn, NY – May 12, 2006

Finally seeing the Mooney Suzuki proper for the first time after all these years and it was rather anti-climactic. They played an incredibly short set of no more than 10 songs (the reason being they have a brand new bass player who doesn’t know enough songs yet), a few of which were new. More telling than the strong, ferocious live performance they put on, was the band’s tongue-in-cheek sense of relevance (or lack thereof, depending on how you want to look at it). Band leader Sammy said to the crowd “Hello we’re the Mooney Suzuki, you may remember us from such microfads as ‘New York is the new Seattle’ and ‘Rock n Roll is back’.”

(photo by Roxxan H)
There’s not much else to report except that the new songs still sound like the band is heading for a softer touch and that it’s just a shame I didn’t get to see this band when they were scorching clubs in the days of Sammy’s short hair and before they licensed their songs for commercial use.

May: Easy Like Sunday Morning All Month Long

It seems like May is a relatively quiet month. After a packed first four months of the year, it seems that people want to spend more time in the increasingly nice weather than in the rock clubs. Thats great but dont forget to catch some shows, and dont forget that shows are always added as the days and weeks go on.

The month kicks off as it should on the first. Aqualung is playing the Bowery Ballroom tonight. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs return to the New York stage since their pair of Bowery shows in February with two shows starting tomorrow night at the Roseland. The Black Lips will be opening up it may be the biggest crowd the Lips have ever played for.

On Sunday, the Bamboo Kids play Maxwells while the Brian Jonestown Massacre play Webster Hall a week from tomorrow. Friday May 12th is a huge night, the biggest of the month and its almost all happening in Brooklyn: Elvis Costello will be playing BAM, the Mooney Suzuki will be playing Southpaw, and the Fleshtones will be playing Magnetic Field. Anyone left should go see the White Rose Movement at the Bowery. The next night is all about the Yarrows at the Parkside Lounge.

Elefant will be playing Webster Hall on Wed May 17th while Art Brut plays two nights the Knitting Factory starting the same night (with rumors of We Are Scientists opening up). Art Brut just played 3 shows in NYC in April and here they are again. Maybe in June theyll take up residence at Madison Square Garden and try and beat Billy Joels record before Madonna does. The third week in May ends in legendary fashion with two nights of Television's Tom Verlaine at the Bowery. But that weekend will be another packed one: The Hard Lessons return to their Brooklyn Home-Away-From-Home, the Trash Bar, that Friday, while The Woggles play Magnetic Field on Saturday, and The National play Webster Hall on Sunday.

Webster Hall is the busiest venue this month by far, wrapping up May with Gnarls Barkley making their US debut the night after the National, and the Walkmen playing on Wednesday May 24th. In between, go catch Langhorne Slim at the Knitting Factory.

More gigs will pop-up and then it will be June, which has already shaped up as being twice if not three times as busy as May. So take a breath while you can because summer is coming and there wont be any slowing down after that.

March: In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lion

Ok so I missed a couple days. Sue me. All I missed was a Strokes show and a Belle & Sebastien show and a Jonny Lives show....yeah, ok.

But that's March. It is jam-packed, chocked-full, and other annoying descriptions worth of gigs.

Start the month off right on a Friday anyway, I say. And we pick up where we left off...The Strokes and Eagles of Death Metal play the Hammerstein Ballroom tonight and tomorrow night while Belle & Sebastien wrap up their stand at the Nokia Theater tonight. Both shows are sold out (which is ok, since moshing assholes have crashed the Strokes gigs), but have no fear: Les Sans Culottes is back at Southpaw tonight, and the Mooney Suzuki will finally play at the Annex tomorrow night for the Tiswas party. Sunday night is Oscar night but if you feel like doing something, go see the Misteriosos at Sin-é or Curtis Eller at the Living Room.

The local acts have a field day starting next week: Jonny Lives is a local pop rocker who basically never stops performing so you have no excuse to not go (unless my word of praise means shit to you, then I understand). Next week, Tuesday, he's at Southpaw, then back there 2 weeks later. Then a week after that he's back at Sin-é. Meanwhile, the Violets are playing CBGB's next Tuesday as well and Crash Mansion on the 27th. Langhorne Slim is doin' time at the Mercury Lounge next Wednesday.

British indie-gal Carina Round has a 3 night stand next week at 3 different venues: Pianos on Thursday, Rothko on Friday, and Mercury Lounge on Saturday. And also next Thursday, the Allman Brothers Band begin their annual two week stand at the Beacon Theater.

Friday March 10 is a frustrating night. What to choose?! Metric at Webster Hall? or Les Sans Culottes at Magnetic Field? Argh! Some of you should split the difference and go see the Datsuns at Maxwell's. Some of you must like them. You can also see them the next night at the Merc.

Isobell Campbell comes to Southpaw on the Ides of March while the Pogues (yes that's right...the POGUES!!!) begin a 4 night sold-out stand at the Nokia Theater on the 16th. And that brings us to St. Patrick's Day. If you don't have a ticket to the Pogues (like me, the idiot), you can see Black 47 at the Knitting Factory. They are playing two shows in one night. You can skip the Corned Beef and Potatoes and Parade, and go see the one and only John Doe at Maxwell's.

Indie darlings Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins return to New York for the second time in a month for two nights at Irving Plaza, starting on the 18th.

There's nothing going on until the 23rd (as far as I can tell, it's always subject to change) then you have more hard choices: Richard Hawley at Sin-é? Controller.Controller at the Merc? Animal Collective at Webster Hall? Sigh.
The next night, Ray Davies begins three nights at Irving Plaza. And Saturday the 25th is again full of choices: Davies, Animal Collective again - this time at the Bowery Ballroom, The Gossip at the Knitting Factory, and the most hyped band in the world, the Arctic Monkeys, making their New York debut at Webster Hall.

And yet the month is still not over! On Monday the 27th, the White Rose Movement finally plays the Mercury Lounge. And the month ends triumphantly with the Flaming Lips at Webster Hall on the 31st. And sure enough, they kick off what's going to be another insane month, the next night.

Yeah New York

Yeah Yeah Yeahs; Oakley Hall
@Bowery Ballroom
New York, NY – February 25, 2006

When the indie rock scene was smoking hot at the turn of the century, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were considered the cream of the crop without really doing much. Along with the Strokes and the Mooney Suzuki, they represented New York’s presence in the scene, standing out with an art-rock edge, taking chances (rather than sticking to a repeated formula), and led by an ambitious, talented young woman who recalled the aura of New York’s great rock n roll dames before her. And all this happened before YYY put out their first full-length album. Once that full-length album dropped, the band faced the inevitable backlash from the picky critics but managed to pick up an unexpected surprise mainstream radio hit with “Maps”. Fast forward a couple years, and YYY is finally back, taking more chances, defying the odds, and doing it all in more ways than one. First, Karen O, Nick Zinner, Brian Chase, and a new keyboardist/guitarist decide to take the band’s sound in a new direction: a darker but smoother form of pop music one can move to, without sounding Goth or industrial. For the sake of comparison, I’ll throw Roxy Music out there, but I expect to be properly chastised for such a size-up. The next step: playing live with almost exclusive concentration on the new material. With the exception of “Art Star”, “Y Control”, the aforementioned “Maps”, the hidden track on Fever to Tell, and “Tick”, YYY played nearly 2 full hours of brand new music that sounded different from the work that made them a success, both critical and commercial (Well, “Maps” is sort of dark pop, but it’s not very danceable). But is this new stuff any good? The studio results remain to be seen but live wise, it’s fantastic. The band is entirely in synch, Karen O’s voice was perfect on this night, and the songs, both old and new, resonate with syncopated clarity. In a word…outstanding.



Openers Oakley Hall looked like the entire set-up for Lynyrd Skynyrd, and tried to sound more like Whiskeytown and My Morning Jacket and it just didn’t work. Snooze factor on 10.

Blue Republic's My Space Band of the Week: The Mooney Suzuki

This Friday at Southpaw come see one of New York's biggest bands: The Mooney Suzuki. They broke through a few years ago when the garage rock revival exploded with the Electric Sweat album. A couple years ago they turned a little more slick with their Alive & Amplified record, and they recently tested out some tunes at Sin-E under the guise of the "Patchwork Family".

This band has always had the rock snobs, scenesters, and legit fans brewing so it's time to come see for yourself. Before you head on out, check out their now classic "In A Young Man's Mind" on my page . And don't forget to check them out on their page and their official page.

Februray: The Month Rock Built

Well let's not get so dramatic but there is a ton of stuff in Februrary including some last second surprises.Last night's Isaac Hayes show was postponed so nothing here will be behind the times:

The Violets will be playing CBGB's lounge tonight and The Continental next Friday (good opportunities to bid farewell to these hangouts). Holly Golightly is playing Maxwell's late show tomorrow while Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins play the Orensanz Center for the Arts on Sunday.

Next week, Lennon plays two nights at Pianos while Mission of Burma plays Bowery Ballroom on a busy Friday night. Also that night, the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players are at the Knitting Factory. And also that Friday night...just added - the Mooney Suzuki were slipped into a show at Southpaw. I'll be there.

The middle of Februray is killer: 3 nights of Electric Six (Saturday and Sunday at the Bowery and Monday night at Maxwell's); Lou Reed at Crobar on that Monday; Cat Power at Town Hall on Valentine's; Flogging Molly at the Nokia Theater and Jonny Lives at the Mercury Lounge on Thursday Night, and a weekend with the Dirtbombs at Maxwell's and Southpaw, while the Sirens play Magnetic Field and Fontana's respectively on those same two nights. Also that Saturday, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Elefant at Webster Hall.

The month draws to a close with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs playing 3 nights (Thursday the 23rd at Maxwell's, followed by two nights at the Bowery) and the Hard Lessons playing the Trash Bar on Friday the 24th.

Secret Shows and Secret Treasures

Bona Roba, The Patchwork Family (The Mooney Suzuki), Treasures of the Sea, Jonny Lives
@Sin-é
New York, NY – January 10, 2006

The Mooney Suzuki, a band that I have never had the pleasure of seeing live in their proper name, played a not-so-secret show (hence how I was there) at Sin-é to showcase brand new songs for the next Suzuki album. Playing under the name of the Patchwork Family (but not really), the band (really just the lead singer/guitarist Sammy and guitarist Graham, reunited with their original drummer, Will) took a light hearted approach to the night. The songs are definitely in the vein of previous work, and done live, they sound solid. The Suzuki are continually moving towards pop but it is still based in rock-n-roll. The question will be whether the album will be raw like Electric Sweat or slickly produced like Alive & Amplified. Either way, this promo-gig was done smartly and received generally enthusiastic support from the crowd, give or take 1 or 2 critics. The rest of the night featured excellent bands. Opener Jonny Lives is a power pop master. Sharp and tight, the band delivers the hooks how they have to be. Closers Bona Roba are a fine, hard rocking garage band, who already sport a song so catchy I remember the name: “Cunningham Park”. But the real treat of the night was Treasures of the Sea. Sporting a clarinet, a small drum kit, a National Dobro Resonator guitar, and a female voice out of the 1920’s, Treasures of the Sea offers America’s darling original pop music: Ragtime, Dixieland Jazz and its course through the 1920’s and 30’s. Firing off covers as random as “You Are My Sunshine” and “Putting On The Ritz”, this exceptional little outfit takes a road less traveled, to a music world far away from most contemporary music. Sensational!