Man Forever at The Knitting Factory

I sure hope you like drums. Man Forever has been known to play in many configurations including one with drums plus two keyboards and one with about ten drummers plus one bassist. This time everyone played drums. Aside from that there were some wailing vocals with no lyrics which I could make out. Man Forever may not always be entirely about drums, but this time they sure were.

It is really an odd thing reviewing a band like this along with punk and gospel acts and the like. Those bands pretty much sound the same from show to show. Man Forever can change so much from show to show that it's hard to claim that they are a certain way. At their next show they may have five members, or two, or eleven as they have had in the past. So take what you are about to read with a grain of salt.

At this particular show they played exactly two songs in their half-hour set, or they only took one break between songs, one of those two things. The music wasn't quite catchy or danceable but also wasn't overwhelmingly complex (as it has been in the past). It was more of an evocative thing, like they were telling an epic story. Although they didn't mention an affiliation with any particular tradition I think they were influenced primarily by the drum circle style, with its vaguely Native American and psychedelic roots. The wailing vocals reminded me of a sort of call-and-response where the response never came. Perhaps that epic story is a search for someone who is lost?

Overall this sort of thing is interesting, but very much an art project. It's the sort of thing which I would go to see one time but not on a regular basis. Of course they change lineups so often that the experience may be very different next time... so who knows? I just figure that they're one of those band who I wouldn't mind seeing on a bill, but wouldn't go out of my way to see.

Posted: 4/27/2013 at 11:50am     Tags: Man Forever  The Knitting Factory 

Violent Bullshit at The Knitting Factory

Violent Bullshit sound just as agressive as their name suggests. Their songs are 1-2 minute bursts of pulsing guitars and screamed vocals. Lead singer Jayson Green flew around the stage with a suprising amount of energy. I remember seeing him fronting Cheeseburger in a suit. Is this the same guy? And their guitarist leapt off the drum kit a couple of times too.

Not sure why they were opening for a shoegaze band.

See, if this were a punk show at the Acheron the crowd would have gone nuts. I mean, this is exactly the sort of thing that crowd wants: high-energy insanity, quick break, repeat until bloody. Great band, wrong bill.

Posted: 4/26/2013 at 10:41pm     Tags: The Knitting Factory  Violent Bullshit 

Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens at The Bell House

I don't think you will be shocked to learn that Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens perform gospel music. You might however be surprised at how much of a show they can put on without being ostentatious. All it takes is heartfelt singing, a fine backing band who can take the lead every now and then, a good mix of tunes, and a band leader who knows how to exault without talking down to the audience.

That last part is important. This is actual gospel music with explicit Christian themes and no intention of sugar-coating them. Don't worry if that's not your thing, they don't ram religion your throat. They do however make glorious music which any music lover is sure to enjoy.

Posted: 4/25/2013 at 7:37pm     Tags: Brooklyn Folk Festival  Naomi Shelton and the Gospel Queens  The Bell House 

Las Ardillas at Trash Bar

I rarely go to Trash Bar because I don't know enough of the bands who play there and let's be honest, a lousy punk show is a truly unpleasant experience. Las Ardillas are why I should go there more often. They are the Latin Dead Boys. How did I almost miss this show?

Not to be confused with Alvin y Las Ardillas, these guys are the kind of snotty punk band who sound like 1984 to the present just did not happen. So few fucks were given at this show it's not even funny. The band is from Puerto Rico and sing entirely in Spanish, I think. Or maybe I was too busy dodging flying beer to notice the few lyrics in English. Seriously, this is what all punk bands should sound like: tons of attitude, rough-edged without being distractingly sloppy, and full of energy.

Posted: 4/24/2013 at 6:43pm     Tags: Las Ardillas  Trash Bar 

Quintron and Miss Pussycat at Secret Project Robot

I hate to post photos of Quinton and Miss Pussycat taken in natural light. They are a total party band and as such their true habitat is the poorly but colorfully lit club, bar, or discothèque. These photos are okay, but on some level they are like pictures of polar bears sunning on the beach in Acapulco: interesting but not quite right. I also wish I could have shot them from a higher angle. Quintron has a lot of neat stuff on his dashboard like a slide guitar and cymbals and some sort of rotating night light thing which I think also plays music somehow.

Quinton and Miss Pussycat have a simple formula: organ + electronics + dual vocalists = catchy dance music. Personally I like to compare them to The B-52s: two total party bands with an experimental side and just a bit of an edge. They play light, bubbly dance numbers and darker, heavier songs (which you can still dance to, of course) and sometimes stuff that's just totally out there. Anything as long as it's crazy and fun. Quintron actually covered the Pink Panther theme song (as a solo instrumental) during the set, while Miss Pussycat put on a puppet show before the music started. Because why not?

Posted: 4/23/2013 at 6:36pm     Tags: Quintron and Miss Pussycat  Secret Project Robot