Youth Brigade at Music Hall of Williamsburg

You don't exactly write reviews of legendary punk bands like Youth Brigade. When a band which has been around for 30+ years decides to play some shows it's pretty much the same every time:

Q: Are there any original members left? A: Yes! Shawn and Mark Stern are still playing in the band.

Q: Do they actually sound good? A: Yes!

Q: Does the audience still go crazy? A: Yes!

Q: Do you care about anything else? A: No!

Okay, maybe there is one more thing to say. I don't recall ever seeing this band before. They played some new material along with all their classics and I couldn't tell the difference. That is not a bad thing.

Posted: 2/23/2013 at 4:54pm     Tags: Music Hall of Williamsburg  Youth Brigade 

Tim Fite at The Knitting Factory

It is just me or does Tim Fite kind of look like Rodney Dangerfield in that first shot? Seems fitting. Quite a few of Tim Fite's songs are hilarious or just completely ridiculous. He breaks up his set with video interludes which are also pretty funny. Oh, and he looks a bit like Curly in that first shot too.

As funny as he is at times, calling Tim Fite a musical comedian doesn't really cut it. When he puts on an acoustic guitar he does a decent impersonation of a country singer (visually and musically). Then there are his serious songs about poverty and capitalism. Some of them (notably "For-Closure") are pretty powerful. This guy isn't limited to singing either. I assume he plays the instruments on most of his songs (even if they are pre-recorded) because he shows videos during those songs of himself playing those instruments. Sometimes several copies of himself play along on different instruments. On top of that he does the (simple) animation for those video interludes, and he can waltz too. This guy can do everything!

Believe it or not Tim Fite actually had some success as a rapper back around 2001. Clearly he is not one of those people who is trapped by their early work or by thinking that he has one particular style which his work must conform to. He's definitely not trying to replicate his previous successes by creating something similar either. Instead he seems to be one of those rare artists who has interesting ideas first, then picks the right style and medium in which to express them. Catch him live if you want to see something different and new (and entertaining too!)

Posted: 2/22/2013 at 7:09pm     Tags: The Knitting Factory  Tim Fite 

Haybaby at Brooklyn Bowl

Haybaby are a band with a number of female fans apparently. I'm not sure what all the bra-tossing was about but they certainly make lousy pairs of frisbees.

Many of Haybaby's songs start with quiet lyrics sung over a drone or hum, then switch to much heavier rocking out, then back again. It's too intense to be shoegaze, more like grunge, and very cool. On the other hand they have peppier songs like Babies and Storm King (?) which are almost... silly? Not ridiculous, but more of an "I understand what you said but why in the world did you say it" sort of thing. More like The Pixies both lyrically and musically. You might think of Haybaby as a good quiet-loud rock band with a few weird but cute songs thrown in for variety. Or perhaps they just love the early 90s.

I wonder about bands like this where their songs have distinct styles and everyone sings lead at times. Is there more than one songwriter in the band? Is there some actual competition between the different styles, an open question about what the band wants to be? It will be interesting to see how Haybaby evolves.

Posted: 2/19/2013 at 9:06pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  Haybaby 

Hunters at The Studio at Webster Hall

Hunters are one of those rare polished punk bands. They are not the least bit sloppy but their music is still aggressive, their lyrics even a bit viscious. The gutteral rumblings of the instruments contrast nicely with the higher-pitched lead singing. The contrast gives their songs a quiet-loud quality without actually varying the volume all that much. It stays nice and loud.

The last time I photographed this band they were playing at Death by Audio. I know they've played plenty of loft shows too. This band illustrates how to break out of the Brooklyn punk haus circuit and take a shot at the big time. Not everyone wants that but if you do this is how it's done: be good musicians, have an interesting sound, and don't water it down.

Also, it doesn't hurt if your lead singer resembles Madonna circa 1984. More generally putting on a show doesn't hurt. I mean, if you just want people to hear your music you can always put out albums and not play any gigs. If you want to play gigs, if you want to perform, then it doesn't hurt to put on a performance, you know?

Posted: 2/18/2013 at 11:20pm     Tags: Hunters  The Studio at Webster Hall 

Xray Eyeballs at The Studio at Webster Hall

The lineup of Xray Eyeballs seems to change pretty frequently. Since the last time I photographed them they've had at least three other drummers. That's three drummers in 20 months, or 0.15 dummers per month, which is SI units is 1.5x10^-1 Spinal Taps (ST).

Currently the band includes a keyboardist (Liz of Runaway Suns among other bands) who also plays guitar, and a drummer who plays while standing (Tom of Food Stamps). Whatever the lineup their sound has remained the same: fast and sloppy with lots of hooks. They used to toss in a few slower, moodier songs but not this time. That's probably a good choice. Their faster, bouncier songs always did work best.

Posted: 2/17/2013 at 5:37pm     Tags: The Studio at Webster Hall  Xray Eyeballs