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 

Burnt Ones at Death By Audio

The fuzz-psych universe has both a happier, glowy light side and a mopey bummer of a dark side. Lately the dark side is getting all the attention, most obviously because of the unexpected new My Bloody Valentine album. Well, that has nothing to do with Burnt Ones. They are solidly on the light side with a more optimistic sound. Not that they're a straight-up hippie band but they get awfully close at times. At other times they rock out harder, approaching Nightmare Air territory but never quite so vicious. Think of them as a "good trip" psych band who want you to stare at the sky instead of your shoes.

Posted: 7/1/2013 at 7:35pm     Tags: Burnt Ones  Death By Audio 

The Reigning Sound at South Street Seaport

At least for this one show The Reigning Sound were more of a soulful rock band than a raucous rock band. Personally I prefer the latter, but they're just so good no matter what they're playing that I didn't really care.

Posted: 6/30/2013 at 7:28pm     Tags: 4Knots Music Festival  South Street Seaport  The Reigning Sound