Hungry March Band at FIAF Bastille Day Street Fair

Perhaps this particular set of photos should be called "The Hungry March Band Dancers (with occasional cameos by the actual band)". See, the band was hanging out under a tent while the dancers were toe-to-toe and sometimes arm-in-arm with the crowd. This worked beautifully, as always. I assume that's why they keep getting these festival gigs. Not only is the music peppy and fun but they have a way of drawing in even casual observers and getting them to dance.

Posted: 7/15/2013 at 12:07am     Tags: Bastille Day  FIAF  Hungry March Band 

Saint Motel at The Knitting Factory

I don't normally go out for these mainstream-ish pop bands, the ones who play to an audience which is 80% female. I have to admit though that Saint Motel have some quirky electro-funky songs which are pretty good. Check out Benny Goodman (their song, I mean). They've got a few like that and those are the songs I like. I'm not as crazy about all the ballads, but I get the feeling that those are targeted at a different audience (and hit their target).

Posted: 7/10/2013 at 8:46pm     Tags: Saint Motel  The Knitting Factory 

Wild Yaks at Shea Stadium

I think I need to stop shooting at Shea Stadium. They keep booking all these crazy rock band who fly around the stage (and off the stage) but the lighting just isn't up to it. Wild Yaks are actually poppier than they (especially their lead singer) might look at first glance, but they're plenty intense. Definitely a Shea sort of band.

Posted: 7/9/2013 at 9:13pm     Tags: Shea Stadium  Wild Yaks 

45 Adapters at The Gutter

Since the last time I saw the 45 Adapters they have lost a guitarist, so their musical emphasis has shifted a bit towards the vocals. The thing is they've always been more about the vocals than most hardcore bands, probably because their songs were always a little bit smarter than most. These guys aren't kids (aside from perhaps the drummer), they've been "doing this for decades", they have opinions about life, and they want to make sure that you get to hear them.

They're still plenty loud of course. They are a hardcore band after all. But if you can imagine a hardcore band where the lead singer makes sure you can understand him as he's screaming the lyrics (and why he would bother to do so) then I think you can understand why 45 Adapters are kind of special.

Posted: 7/6/2013 at 10:49am     Tags: 45 Adapters  The Gutter 

The Teen Age at Pianos

Bands these days are pulling influences from everywhere, blending sounds so thoroughly that sometimes it's hard to identify the original ingredients. Sometimes this leads to a delicious blend of flavors like a nice smoothie, other times a fast-food horror like a McDonald's milkshake.

When I read that The Teen Age are a "doo-wop influenced garage band" I figured they might sound something like the King Khan and BBQ Show, a full-fledged retro sort of thing. The Teen Age don't go that far. At times they don't go far from the modern indie-pop sound at all, but usually they're a little more soulful, a little more passionate. Going back to drink metaphors, you might say that their old-school influences are more like a mixer than a base. They are a vital part of that particular concoction but do not define it.

While I personally love full-fledged retro bands these guys are interesting too. Supposedly they formed about six months ago so they're pretty new. Maybe they'll go full retro, maybe they'll drop the doo-wop bits from the mix, or maybe they'll keep making their own unique blend. We shall see.

Posted: 7/4/2013 at 4:12pm     Tags: Pianos  The Teen Age