Bells were the surprise of the night and honestly stole the show for me.
Foo Fighters wrap up their North American tour with a strong supporting cast and rock the sold-out TD Garden audience.
35 years on, The Damned still deliver.
Thankfully, this performance more than justified the $30 ticket price.
Their set was short but sweet.
So how did Wild Flag fit into this context? Quite splendidly.
Victoria jazz-punks NoMeansNo prove, once again, that time has not sapped their energy but only strengthened their resolve.
Power pop doesn’t have to be all buffed out and shiny; there was plenty of grit and sweat in tonight’s doses.
Within a few seconds of their set, I had beer spilled on me.
ALL, on the other hand, were amazing.
Of the many times I’ve seen Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, I’d never had the chance to see them in such a great-sounding and intimate room.
This more stripped-down iteration fit in perfectly with the gentle, quiet vibe of this seated show
Winnipeg’s most intense Singer/song-writer Greg Macpherson tries to goes QU
Improved songwriting, musicianship and stage presence contributed to what was by far the best Vivian Girls live set I’ve ever seen.
Thurston’s set in the beautiful but very poorly ventilated church sanctuary drew heavily upon his recently released solo Lp Demolished Thoughts.
Singer Steve Polcari acted as if almost a quarter of a century hadn’t passed, jumping around all over the stage and showing off the energy of a frontman half of his age.
Guitarist and songwriter Joey Molland of ‘70s power-pop giants Badfinger was special guest at the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago. In addition to an interview with local Breakfast with the Beatles DJ Terri Hemmert, Molland joined the festival’s house band Liverpool for a concert. The set included Badfinger classics “Baby Blue,” “Day After Day,” and “No Matter What.”
Still, this had the feel of a band playing to a bunch of friends and family and that’s basically what it was. It was an afternoon show to boot, so that made it even more family-friendly.
Opening with Bad Moon Rising‘s “Brave Men Run (in My Family)”, the first five tracks were a flurry of ’80s highlights.
What better venue to see the man play than a church?
Backed by erstwhile DFA darlings Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley, Nomi Ruiz’s dancefloor essays had even the most jaded wallflowers twisting and turning, feeling and burning away every ironic calorie.
We always hope that a band will have the inherent gravity needed to overcome the fracturing of its individual parts, but not all bands are as committed as The Rosebuds.
At the end of his set, opening band The Gerunds came on stage and they proceeded to crank out two highlights of Reynolds’ tenure with ALL.
Not only do they do faithful versions of Zappa’s music, but Dweezil manages to recreate Frank’s guitar tone to an astonishing degree.
An incredibly intimate and rare treat to see so many East Coast musicians amongst the West Coast mountains of Big Sur.
“What’s more popular here these days, ice sculpture or butter sculpture?”
Bill Callahan’s baritone brings songs of grief and joy to life on stage.
Timber Timbre is a trio from Montréal, Canada but their sound seems to have emerged straight from the heart of Twin Peaks. Needless to say, their moody tracks don’t seem to fit along with those of any other bands hailing from their city and that’s perfectly fine because it makes their songs even more intriguing. Taylor Kirk establishes an ambiance which is both unnerving and charismatic. His vibrato delivery makes one think of Elvis, if Elvis was possessed by darker and much more interesting spirits.
Urge Overkill man their Rock and Roll Submarine
Saturday’s offerings at Pfork included a wide range of eclectic styles from the more experimental but deeply enriching music of Julianna Barwick and woods to the dream pop of Wild Nothing, the angular rock of The Dismemberment Plan, the gothy synth pop of Cold Cave, the punk rock of OFF! the dj stylings of DJ Shadow, and the folk music of Fleet Foxes. It would be impossible not to love a couple of bands from that kind of lineup and it seems many people were able to see bands they hadn’t listened to before and found it an enjoyable experience.
Pirates is the kind of singular record that attracts a certain type of devotion…
Day One at Pitchfork provided a rather eclectic lineup, offering a little something for everyone, including legends like Thurston Moore and Guided by Voices and relative newcomers like Tune-Yards and Ema. It was marvelous to witness both the creativity in the more experienced bands as well as the inventiveness of those newer to the scene. Much like the varied ages of the bands on stage, fans of all ages gathered to enjoy their favorite bands as well as be exposed to new music.
Wild Nothing played to a sold-out and jam-packed room at Johnny Brenda’s
Suddenly, it’s as if Bill Callahan belongs to us on some cosmic level.
It’s that time of year again, Chicago. We’re all recovering from that epic BBQ holiday weekend wondering what we have to look forward to next…well, here it is!
It’s possible there is no musician finer to see on the eve of Independence Day than Bill Callahan. Considering both his prolific nature and the distinctiveness of his voice, he recalls a stunning and vibrant modern Johnny Cash.
Wilco is back for the second version of their self-managed festival, nestled in the woods (and rain) of Western Massachusetts.
In other words, the new songs fit in so perfectly with the old stuff that The Smithereens should be commended.
For starters, this was the fourth time I’d seen them at the First Unitarian Church since early 2007.
Village Green with orchestra and choir was as amazing as you could have hoped for.
His description of the genesis of Zen Arcade led to a sort of heartbreaking admission that the album means more to others than it does to him, that he had outgrown the feelings it documents by the time they’d been written down and recorded.
Confuse your contemporaries.
It was almost too much, really. From the supergroup opener to the celebrity interview to the classic album in-full, I still don’t know what to think.
All in all, there seemed to be a lot of love between artists on this evening as OFF! were specifically selected to open the tour by Dinosaur Jr and the mutual admiration and respect is always comforting to see.
These punk rock veterans made it look so easy, flailing and headbanging away while playing some of the tightest, heaviest and catchiest music that I’ve heard in years.
One might not immediately expect the Norwegian singer/songwriter Sondre Lerche to have a dynamic stage presence.
All art is abstract art. The Cars are fairly artful and surprisingly abstract.
So what, might you ask, differentiated this year’s visit to World Cafe Live from their two previous Philadelphia appearances since their 2008 reunion?
