Spires at Death By Audio

When you pick the same band name as a British hardcore band you have to put in a little extra effort to distinguish yourself. I guess that's why Spires have been playing every gig possible. I suggest you give 'em a listen on SoundCloud, though if you live in the area you can probably just catch them live on any random weekend...

Posted: 10/25/2013 at 6:00pm     Tags: CMJ  Death By Audio  Spires 

Bass Drum of Death at The Knitting Factory

I can't believe these guys weren't headlining. Ah well, they still killed it. Find them on Facebook or their own website.

Posted: 10/15/2013 at 8:37pm     Tags: Bass Drum of Death  The Knitting Factory 

Golden Animals at Mercury Lounge

Could've sworn these two sounded more hippie-ish once upon a time.  Now they're dark and ominous, though still in a psychedelic way.  Take a listen on SoundCloud or YouTube.

Posted: 10/15/2013 at 7:21pm     Tags: Golden Animals  Mercury Lounge 

The Golden Grass at Mercury Lounge

The Golden Grass (the band) can be found on Facebook.  I'm not telling you where to find the other kind.

Posted: 10/14/2013 at 11:08pm     Tags: Mercury Lounge  The Golden Grass 

Hanni El Khatib at The Knitting Factory

Hanni El Khatib seems to have a greaser following. There were some really retro outfits in the audience. Cat's eye glasses on the ladies and pompadours... on the ladies too, actually. Funny, I didn't think that Hanni El Khatib's sound was so specifically 50s-ish, and it's certainly not rockabilly. The fans may be trying hard to be retro but the band not so much.

I think it is telling that Hanni El Khatib covered a Cramps song. You know how The Cramps are claimed by both the punk and rockabilly crowds but are really in an insane category of their own? Likewise I do not think it is quite right to call Hanni El Khatib 50's or greaser rock. Their sound is vaguely bluesy, more old-school than new-school, but in the end they just play rock-n-roll. You don't have to be into the 50's to enjoy it, that's for sure. Perhaps it is also telling that the pompadours were very much in the minority in this audience.

Posted: 10/13/2013 at 4:26pm     Tags: Hanni El Khatib  The Knitting Factory