R Stevie Moore at Issue Project Room

I have to say that given R. Stevie Moore's reputation I was expecting something weirder than this.  To be fair this was a solo performance.  His full-band show the next night was supposedly more theatrical.

This particular performance reminded of hearing Allen Ginsberg back in the 90s, when he released that music video and was doing readings of his poems alongside regular rock concerts.  He had backing musicians but the performance wasn't about the music.  Now, R. Stevie Moore certainly is about the music.  My point is that in this particular performance was so stripped down that it approached the style of a poet putting his words to music.  I suppose could have compared him to someone like Gil Scott Heron instead but with that hair and those glasses I had no choice but to go with Ginsberg.

Posted: 2/1/2014 at 4:34pm     Tags: Issue Project Room  R Stevie Moore 

Sweet Soubrette at Pianos

At some point in the evening I got the impression of attending an early Valentine's Day show.  The overwhelming red-ness of the place may have had something to do with that, but also the fact that Sweet Soubrette's new album features so many songs about desire.  Not really love songs, mind you.  They were more like songs about longing (see "Be My Man", "Sweet Time") or about relationships under stress ("Just Your Heart", "Rock Paper Scissors", and perhaps "What's My Desire?").  So it wasn't really a romantic evening, though the fervent "Live Wire" certainly added a dash of heat to the mix.

It is probably safe to say that classic love songs have never been Sweet Soubrette's thing.  Returning to the themes of her first album, most of the songs on "Burning City" are about the dramatic moments in relationships, the moments when things are not quite as they should be.  However the new album has a definite optimistic streak.  This time you get the feeling that some of those relationships might just work out.  For once there is an honest-to-goodness (implied) happy ending in the song "Port in a Storm".  Well that's new.

Posted: 1/27/2014 at 9:58pm     Tags: album release  Pianos  red  Sweet Soubrette 

New Bomb Turks at The Bell House

The last time I caught New Bomb Turks at The Bell House the vibe was kind of goofy. Front man Eric Davidson is always like that but there was also a guy on stage flapping around like a chicken and just plenty of lighthearted moments. This time the mood was weirdly aggressive. Once of my friends actually took off early because of that.

At least the band sounded good. That doesn't always happen with one-off shows like this but they were definitely sharp tonight. Those who could hold up had a great time.

Posted: 1/26/2014 at 3:05pm     Tags: New Bomb Turks  The Bell House 

Nervosas at The Bell House

You can probably tell that Nervosas are an aggressive, vaguely malicious punk band they so clearly resemble. But they were particularly unsettling on this occasion. Maybe it had something to do with the monitors but the drum part seemed to be way off. I doubt it was intentional, and unfortunately it took away some of that driving energy they normally have. Oh well, at least they looked good doing it.

Posted: 1/25/2014 at 2:42pm     Tags: Nervosas  The Bell House 

Born Loose at The Bell House

I think this band might be insulted if I called them anything other than a rock-n-roll band. You want loud guitars? You want screaming vocals? Well here you go.

Posted: 1/25/2014 at 2:11pm     Tags: Born Loose  The Bell House