NYC Live Pick for 04.17.10 // Ambrosia
Sat 4/17 • 7:30 PM • Ambrosia • 21+ • $15
w/ Yacht Rock
While You’ve Been at SXSW: Jonny Leather’s Non-SXSW Wrap Up
I was jaded, ready to throw in the towel. That's what this industry can do to you. A rat race with very little prize to be had, the joy of being a piece of the music industry pie had become less and less bearable. Following industry insiders, critics, photogs on twitter was like an up to the second reminder that much of my beliefs and tastes clash with theirs. Namedropping, the hype cycle, the never-ending circle jerk and the overall bore that is much of the industry was beating the life out of me, and yet I remained part of it.
Off to SXSW they went, but with the magic of twitter, I could live their every moment. Through the horror that is 4-square (the farmville of twitter), I was constantly updated of their whereabouts. Bands that blogs have already hyped to the brink of irritability played sets all over Austin, as bloggers/critics fought for claim of discovery of the "next big thing."
While my peers drank loads of beer, saw too many bands to remember, and ate loads of Tex Mex in preparation of a week full of post SXSW wrapups, I also did stuff.
Since you've been busy live tweeting from Austin informing me about your every move, and have plans to overload me with plenty more info about your past week's exploits, please allow me to give you a run down of what I've been up to while you've been at SXSW...
- My cat puked in my bathroom. I cleaned it up.
- It was really nice out on Tuesday, so I went to the Highline, then got a few drinks and eventually ended up at Sweet Revenge
- After reading a constant barrage of your 4SQ whereabouts at SXSW, I decided to quit Twitter.
- Then Flavorwire named me one of the 10 most followable music critics on Twitter
- Went to The Delancey on Wednesday night to see Grub Animal, and ended up seeing a terrible frat band cover Vanilla Ice
- Was published on Artinfo.com
- Saw Jon Natchez and Soft Landings at Zebulon. Shared a Jim Beam Milkshake with a great girl at Relish in between bands
- Randomly became obsessed with Supertramp
- Listened to Big Star's "Thirteen" 200 times
- Earned a considerable paycheck from a company whose office feels like a morgue
- Slept in a comfortable bed
- Put on a show at The Bell House that rivals anything that happened at SXSW. Ghastly City Sleep and Lagoon were particularly mesmerizing.
- Beat everyone except Mike Tyson in Punchou
- Saw Alice in Wondland 3D. There was a 3D Friskies commercial before it. I love Burton, but the movie was blaspheme, taking far too many liberties with Lewis Carrol's classic novel
- Hung out with cool people less concerned with being hip than being themselves
- Didn't have to travel to see a load of bands I've already seen a million times before in NYC just so I could hype them as next big thing.
- Enjoyed a peaceful weekend in the perfect weather in Brooklyn rather than risking my safety at MtyMx to see every band that ever plays at Market Hotel
- Randomly became obsessed with Eddie Grant
- Went to the Bronx Zoo on one of the most perfect days of the year and made friends with sea lions, lemurs, giraffes and other furry creature
- Drank Sangria on the roof of Alma, while my peers were stuck waiting for a bus to Mexico thanks to some terrible planning.
- Befriended incredible Brooklyn band, Sad Red
Sad Red - "Just Like An Orange"
- Revived my passion for music thanks to a bunch of great bands that may still exist far under the radar but need to be heard
To all my friends in amazing bands who played at SXSW (The Silent League, Royal Forest, Bear in Heaven, ARMS, Drink Up Buttercup...etc), you're still awesome. Don't mind my rant.
Despite Not Going, I know that all of these bands ruled at SXSW
- Bear in Heaven
- Royal Forest
- The Silent League
- Oh No Ono
- Drink Up Buttercup
- Deleted Scenes
- ARMS
- Spoon
- Besnard Lakes
- Broken Social Scene
- Liars
- Capybara
- Big Star
The National: Better Recorded, But Why?
Why Do I Love The National's Records So Much More Than Their Concerts?
When the National released Alligator in 2005, the album slowly built them a solid fan base. Pitchfork gave them a borderline "Best New Music" score of 7.9, ending their review with "Alligator is satisfying and engaging, it's not quite as bracing as their stellar sophomore outing, 2003's Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers." Alligator was a grower—over time fans and critics fell in love with the record and by the time they released 2007's acclaimed Boxer, they were indie darlings and a legitimate headliner, able to fill larger sized venues.
The National's records are the prototypical "grower." With each listen, there seems to be another element to uncover. Most fans didn't love Alligator or Boxer the first time they heard it the way they do now. This may be due to the deliberate pacing or the unwinding poetics of Matt Beringer's baritone, but whatever the cause, few songs by The National have an instantaneous nature to them.
On Thursday night, The National played one of two nights at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Much smaller than Radio City, which they'll be playing on their upcoming tour, the band was given the opportunity to play their new songs from the upcoming release High Violet for the first time before hitting the road.
I've seen The National a few times in the past—always in a larger venue, where it's hard not to feel removed—and I've always felt that something was missing. They always manage to play the songs that I love on record flawlessly with an additional layer of instrumentation, and yet it feels underwhelming. I approached Thursday night's concert expecting that the intimacy of the smaller venue would change this, but once again no matter how perfectly executed the songs were played and how much I love the recordings, the concert never quite felt as amazing as the records.
I guess much of this has to do with them playing mostly new songs, which although sounding great are like their older material in the quality of being growers. And since I've never heard them before, they've never had a chance to grow on me. Past hits like "Mr. November," "Abel" and "Fake Empire" were the highlights of the night.
It's hard to criticize a band for not being great live when they flawlessly play songs I love, but sadly this is the case with The National. I may never totally understand how I can enjoy their records so much more than their concerts, but that's just how it is.
[and this is not to say they are bad live by any means, just not quite amazing as the records I've spent countless hours with]
Concert: SXSW-BK / Kordan, DeVries, Lagoon, Ghastly City Sleep @ Bell House // 3.19.10
You don't need to go to Austin for SXSW to discover the next great band... Like many others, I'm not able to make it to the annual music festival of industry schmoozing so rather than setting up a showcase down there, I've decided to host a special showcase of excellent up and coming Brooklyn bands here at home for all the rest of you who can't manage to make it down south for the endless party and tex mex.
Next year these will be the bands that everyone talks about at SXSW. see them now instead and stay ahead of the curve.
Jonny Leather Presents: SXSW-BK
Kordan
DeVries
Lagoon
Ghastly City Sleep
Friday March 19, 2010
@ The Bell House
Doors at 7:30. Bands at 8pm
Tickets only $5
Kordan
Kordan - "Hologram"
"Undiscovered Band of the Month / Kordan recently finished recording their debut full-length album The Longing. Taking cues from their earlier release, The Longing depicts a story of love in a hazy metropolis circa the year 2036, where the sky is tuned to a dead channel, the city glimmers with neon dreams, and holograms of lovers drift away."— Filter Magazine, February 2010
"Fantasy Nation is one of the most pleasurable releases from a Brooklyn act this year, on or off the dance floor."—Jezebel Music, B+ Review of Fantasy Nation EP
DeVries
DeVries - "Darkest Summer"
"...lushly melodic, Britpop-accented album" —Dave Segal, The Stranger
"Death to God is possibly the greatest Manchester album never to have been made in Manchester. a beautiful piece of work. Yes it sounds like it was recorded under a rain cloud but it’ll entertain you from start to finish. Simple. Precise. Haunting. Special. Death to God is a must have for all of those who spend more time looking at their shoes than should be considered healthy. Don’t miss it." —Damian Leslie, Incendiary Magazine
Lagoon
Lagoon's singer Alex Drewchin may be young, but take notice because she very well possess the most powerful set of pipes in New York's saturated indie scene and also has guitar chops. To greater compliment her gift, she's put together a really talented band willing to explore in ways many bands don't dare and couldn't even if they tried.
Ghastly City Sleep
Ghastly City Sleep - "Ice Creaks"
"It isn't often new music surfaces that is so deeply intense, just hearing it may induce instant nostalgia; the ancient sensations you get when the seasons change, a vivid dream involving the first person you ever loved. In the same way that select few can simultaneously achieve dark and uplifting songs, the Brooklyn-based quartet known as GHASTLY CITY SLEEP hone in on some immensely powerful elements to deliver a commanding, breathtaking first offering. On the GHASTLY CITY SLEEP debut, four tracks span thirty minutes... and when it's done, you actually feel different. While two pieces nearly reach the six-minute mark and the other two eclipse nine, the whole offering flows with a smooth liquidity, creating one solidified, captivating body of work. The four young men involved in GHASTLY CITY SLEEP don't stick to one instrument long, as the entire collective can be found playing everything from guitars, keys, various percussion and just about everything in between. The multitude of layers involved here are accompanied by a warm yet haunting array of vocals, all helping to produce this simply epic debut."—Amazon
NYC Live Pick for 02.24.10 // The Subjects
The Subjects - "Winter Vacation"
Wed 2/24 - 7:00 PM - The Bell House - 21+ - $10
w/Arms, Uninhabitable Mansions, Frances
Concert: Benefit for Jiamini @ The Bell House // 2.24.10
Jonny Leather/Good For You's Good For Me Presents:
A Benefit For Jiamini Scholarship Fund
The Subjects
ARMS
Uninhabitable Mansions
Frances
2.24.10 @ The Bell House
149 7th Street Brooklyn, NY
Doors at 7pm
21+
$10
proceeds will be donated to The Jiamini Scholarship Fund
The Subjects
The Subjects - "Winter Vacation"
"The line I want to use to describe The Subjects is from the exasperated phone call scene in 'Back to Future', where Marvin Berry- wth his bloddy, bandaged playing hand - punches his cousin Chuck's phone number and says, "You know that new sound you've been looking for? Well, listen to this..."—Daytrotter
Consequence Of Sound: "... classical work with eccentric pop work that is light and fresh with just enough thud and kick to it."
"...remarkably solid..."—Magnet Magazine
ARMS
"Arms' music is lo-fi but lovely and very, very good. There's truly not a bad song on here. 'Kids Aflame' rocks, shudders, weeps, and smiles as you reach to hit 'play' again." —The Guardian (UK)
"[Arms] readily demonstrates a knack for the slowly building, triumphant-sounding anthem that's still a little downbeat no matter what." —AllMusic.com
Uninhabitable Mansions
Uninhabitable Mansions - "Do You Have A Strategy"
At Bowery last Saturday, the Brooklyn art and music collective Uninhabitable Mansions opened for the Antlers and provided the packed house with abundance of talent and songcraft. Drawing members from the bands Au Revoir Simone, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah, and the late lamented Dirty on Purpose, UM performed a thirty-five minute set of material from their excellent new release Nature Is A Taker. The songs combine elements of indie-pop and shoegaze and highlight the vocal harmonies of Annie Hart and Robbie Guertin, while focusing on the interplay between melodic guitar lines, keyboards and Doug Marvin’s driving drums.—NYC Taper
Frances
“All The While nails its grand aesthetic. It never descends to the pomposity of similar artists like the Divine Comedy, but still forges a friendly marriage between accessibility and mystery. Call it “chamber pop” or just call it like it is: a phenomenal debut album.”—Prefix Magazine 8.5/10
Learn More About Jiamini
Together with the New York Times and Thomson Reuters, Jiamini is honored to co-host a panel discussion addressing the role of education in Africa’s long-term development.
Event: Panel discussion
African Experiences: Development through Education
Date: February 16th | 5:30PM - 9:00PM
Panel discussion will begin at 6PM | Cocktail reception to follow
Location: 3 Times Square | 30th floor | New York, NY
7th Ave between 42nd & 43rd Streets
Panel Moderator: Matt Bigg, Atlanta Bureau Chief for Reuters
Panelists
- Ambassador John Campbell, former U.S. ambassador to Nigeria
- Dr. Mojubaolu Olufunke Okome (CUNY), Professor of Political Science
- Mora Mclean, President and CEO of theAfrica-America Institute
- Reverend Petero Sabune, Chaplain at Sing Sing Correctional Facility
Sponsored by: Thomson Reuters Black Employee Network
The New York Times African Heritage Affinity Group
RSVP Required | This is a free event | Jiamini.org/rsvp.php
Strength Through Unity: A Benefit for the Victims of the Earthquake in Haiti
Since the moment tragedy struck in Haiti, there has been a heartwarming response of humanitarian efforts throughout the world. People want to help and when given some proper guidance the results can be astounding.
Within the first day, The Bell House in Brooklyn began planning a benefit event which I'm proud to have had a minor role in. The lineup, which still could see a few additions, is an incredible collection of musicians, comedians, and even a state senator.
Taking place on January 27th, tickets are $50 and 100% of the proceeds will be split between Save The Children and Partners In Health.
All performers will be playing abbreviated, acoustic and/or stripped down sets.
Scheduled to appear:
JIMMY FALLON
fun.
THE WALKMEN
TED LEO
EUGENE MIRMAN
THE WRENS
MICHAEL SHOWALTER
SONDRE LERCHE
New York State Senator DIANE SAVINO
TODD BARRY
AC NEWMAN of NEW PORNOGRAPHERS plus RHETT MILLER of OLD 97s plus NICOLE ATKINS as a SEEKERS cover band.
HERE WE GO MAGIC
PAT KIERNAN of NY 1
THE WAHOO SKIFFLE CRAZIES
Early birds can come for free food courtesy of GREAT JONES CAFE, DUB PIES, and more.
A special two hour edition of keyboard karaoke will be hosted by SARA SCHAEFER and JOE McGINTY in the front lounge from 11pm-1am.
Raffle and door prizes courtesy of NONESUCH RECORDS, THE DOUBLE WINDSOR, DRILLTEAM, BAM, and more.
