The Vandelles at The Knitting Factory
Funny, the last time I shot The Vandelles it was at the same venue. Same venue, same band name, different band (sorta). Two old members left, one new one joined, and as a result their sound changed. With only one guitarist the songs are a bit simpler and there is more emphasis on the vocals. They still play the hell out of those instruments though the sound is not quite as overwhelmingly intense as before. So yeah, they sound different now, but just a little bit different.
The biggest change is that while they still do some of the classics (notably "Swell To Heaven" on this occasion) they mostly play material from their latest album ("Strange Girls Don't Cry"). The new songs would not have been out of place on their previous albums but the emphasis seems to have shifted towards their pop (or perhaps girl group?) influences. The music is more melodic and there is less psychedelia (e.g. fuzzy guitar solos). Which is to say that now they sound more like their more recent Summer Fling EP than their older Del Black Aloha album. But not every song is like that. Songs such as All Aloha or their cover of You Turn Me On sound more like their earliest work. So I guess The Vandelles have made a subtle change, a tonal shift, but not a complete break from the past. Interesting. I guess we shall see how that works out for them.
Oh, and they have a new lightshow too. It's very, very bright. Love the colors, but I do wish that there was a light or two in front of the band.
Posted: 3/28/2013 at 10:33pm Tags: The Knitting Factory The Vandelles
Daddy Long Legs at The Bell House
Daddy Long Legs have an incredible impact for a band with such a stripped-down sound. Sometimes it's just vocals over rhythm (guitar, drums, and usually some stompin') but even those songs are surprisingly intense and chock full of attitude. When they let their guitarist loose the energy just floods out of these guys.
Needless to say catching them live is a blast. As for their recordings... I don't know because they only just released something on CD after unpteen vinyl singles. Dangit, not every music lover cares about vinyl!
Posted: 3/24/2013 at 9:39pm Tags: Daddy Long Legs Norton Records Benefit The Bell House
Esben and the Witch at The Knitting Factory
Esben and the Witch deserve to hold the world record for Googlability. You don't even have to Google the whole band name, just "Esben" will do. Take that obscure Danish fairy tale and everything else in the world named Esben!
Their music is atmospheric, intense but not necessarily loud. In fact the use of quieter moments in their songs is one of their distinctive features. A couple of songs are almost dirges. They play plenty of rock songs as well, but even in those more energetic songs the lyrics are wistful and pessimistic.
It's all very dark stuff, though I hate to call it gothic given that the band has none of the obvious connections to that subculture like the style of dress or the explicit religious imagery. Goths would certainly enjoy this music, though. Interesting that they have chosen to tour with a hard rock band (namely Heliotropes). Perhaps they are explicitly trying to avoid being stereotyped on their first(?) U.S. tour?
As a side note I do recommend reading the fairy tale "Esben and the Witch" on Wikipedia. If "Engrish" is the word for bad Japanese-to-English translations then what is the word for bad Danish-to-English translation? Danglish? Read this and inspire your creativity.
Posted: 3/24/2013 at 3:58pm Tags: Esben And The Witch The Knitting Factory
Bonaparte at Pianos
Warning, NSFW. There, you have been warned. Not that there is anything really nasty in this set. There is no nudity (close but not quite). Here's the thing... certain of these photos are likely to lead to some, shall we say, uncomforable conversations if your boss catches you looking at them.
Needless to say Bonaparte put on visual spectacle. It was quite impressive for a small venue like Pianos. I can only imagine what the manage to do back home (Germany) where there are better known and play bigger venues.
So what about the music? Well, the first word which comes to mind is "enthusiastic". Many of the songs are on the silly side, but the lead singer (who I believe is also called Bonaparte) sings them "straight", like he has an important message to get across to you, the listener. It might be worth mentioning at this point that there is a sort of insanity theme to their show. Remember the old meme about crazy people believing that they are Napoleon (full name Napoleon Bonaparte)? Yeah, start there and then consider that the band members dress like animals and the "Diva" dancers chew on bloody hearts and are wearing what appears to be garbage half the time (and barely anything the other half).
As "silly" as most of these songs are they are also often quite clever and colorful. Plenty of thought went into expanding the phrase "My Horse Likes You" into a five-minute long weirdly psychosexual ditty. Strange, strange stuff, but also quite catchy. Oh, and all of the lyrics are in English which is convenient for me.
The Babies at The Knitting Factory
Well now, the last time I saw The Babies I was applauding the fact that they were playing a decent venue. By which I meant Union Pool. For those of you who haven't been there the Knitting Factory is a solid step up from that. Nice!
Not only did the band look and sound better than ever but at least one band member (singer/guitarist Kevin Morby) took advantage of that extra space to bounce around a little. Cassie Ramone not so much. I see that she managed to injure her arm in the two weeks since the last time I photographed her performing. Well, there's one band who ain't going to SXSW this year. Get better soon!
Posted: 3/7/2013 at 10:19pm Tags: Jack Daniels L Magazine The Babies The Knitting Factory
