The Swingin' Neckbreakers at Brooklyn Bowl

The Swingin' Neckbreakers are as close to being a punk band as a band can be without actually being punk (got that?) They're loud, aggressive, and have all sorts of attitude. They were giving the bowlers shit ("You kids suck at bowling!") the audience shit ("What an ugly crowd!") and even themselves shit ("Who's that fat guy on TV?" while pointing to a screen which showed them on stage). The difference is that their music is not raw. The band is sharp. The tunes have actual melodies (and they're catchy as hell too). This is almost punk, but really it is rock-n-roll played with maximum attitude, and it is a blast.

Posted: 1/20/2013 at 6:06pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  Norton Records Benefit  The Swingin' Neckbreakers 

The Piggies at Brooklyn Bowl

Writing about your friends' band is always a little awkward. They are likely to have an opinion about your opinion and to actually tell you. Don't you hate it when other people tell you their opinions of you? Horrible!

So anyway, the four members of The Piggies have probably been in fifty bands between them. I'm pretty sure that every single one of those bands was either a punk band or a garage band. So while it might be accurate to say that The Piggies are a blues-rock band they still have some pretty deep garagepunk roots. They aren't as heavy or introspective a blues band and some of their guitar solos sound more like rock solos than blues solos. On average, that is. They also have straightforward blues rambles like "Dumptruck" and songs like "As Sweet As They Come", a bass-heavy grinder which sounds completely different for the rest of their stuff.

The most distinctive feature of their music is probably the quirky lyrics. And yes, I am well aware that "quirky" is one of those gets-you-in-trouble words. If challenged on this the lyrics of the song Wanna Go To Heaven are probably my best defense. Let's just say that The Piggies's lyrics contain some creative turns of phrase, some just brilliant, others kind of odd. And again, not every song is like this. They do have some songs which are relatively straightfoward "love" songs (for a rather horny definition of "love") and for that matter an instrumental or two. The important thing is that their stuff is really catchy. It just happens that if you pay close attention you might be in for a surprise.

Posted: 1/20/2013 at 5:55pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  Norton Records Benefit  The Piggies 

Gringo Star at Glasslands Gallery

If you paid close attention while looking at these photos you might get the impression that they are out of order. Rarely is anyone playing the same instrument in two consecutive shots. Honestly they might be a bit out of order, but the guys in Gringo Star really did switch instruments between just about every song. The bassist on one song played guitar on the next, one guitarist played keyboards for a few songs, and everyone sang. Only the drummer stayed put. Maybe he had a nice seat and didn't want to move?

Gringo Star have the jangly guitars and raw vocals of a garage rock band. They also have a sort of smoothness which takes some of the edge off. I suppose this could be called a pop sensibility but more likely comes from a 60s Mod influence. At times they remind me of The Kinks. They are also a 60's throwback is that they expect the audience to dance. In Brooklyn no less (how quixotic!) They're not crazy, though. Most of their songs are in fact danceable and even at this show a handful of people got into it. Right music, wrong audience I guess.

Posted: 1/19/2013 at 1:25pm     Tags: Glasslands Gallery  Gringo Star 

DIIV at Brooklyn Bowl

DIIV lead singer Zachary Smith seems to be quite popular with the ladies.  When he came out on stage all I kept hearing behind me was "Oh my God he's so cute!" and the like. Then DIIV started playing and before too long those lovestruck young ladies were displaced by moshing young men. As I heard the pitter-patter of their shoulders bouncing off my spine I thought to myself: "Dammit, I liked the girls better."

Mr. Smith looks a little like Kurt Cobain, and sure enough he has claimed in interviews to be influenced by Nirvana. His look might be, but musically I just don't hear it. The defining feature of DIIV's music seems to be a high-pitched guitar part, the opposite of Nirvana's deeper, metal-influenced sound. DIIV doesn't do the quiet-loud thing either. Their songs are pretty constant, and for that matter somewhat repetitive. There are subtle changes over the course of their songs but none of that aggressive stuff. Then there are the airy, indistinct vocals. Okay, maybe they have one thing in common with Nirvana but they remind me far more of a New Wave band, specifically British bands such as Joy Division, Flock of Seagulls (yes, really) and perhaps even The Cure.

Strange then that people were moshing to their music. There was a certain positive energy in the room, something those other bands I've mentioned were not really known for. Perhaps it is that high-pitched guitar part, floating over the room, soft and light, effusing us with a message "Not to worry, it's all right." Or maybe it was the fact that the band itself seemed to be having fun on stage. They certainly didn't spend all their time moping or staring at the floor. Whatever it is there is something about these guys which seemed to put everyone in a good mood, except of course for those of us who were busy receiving an amateur deep tissue massage.

Posted: 1/14/2013 at 11:00pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  DIIV 

Ice Balloons at The Gutter

If you don't know anything about Williamsburg this might be a good place to start. See, there are a lot of art school kids around here making art and music and what have you so they have to try really hard to stand out. In theory that is what makes Williamsburg (and Greenpoint and Bushwick) such a great place for artists. Folks can't get away with lazily copying the latest trends or each other. They have to be distinctive. Whether or not this actually happens most of the time is a matter of opinion but the pressure to be original is strong. You absolutely, positively have to be different.

So anyway, Ice Balloons are a band with a giant fly for a lead singer.

If Ice Balloons were aiming to create a spectacle then they definitely succeeded. That's B. A. Miale way over on stage left controlling the projections. Add to that two vaguely gothick dancers (one dancing on a trampoline), strobe lights, a smoke machine and various costumes and you've got quite a vitual treat. Yet surely the most noteworthy thing I saw this evening was somewhat famous person Kyp Malone (from somewhat more famous band TV on the Radio) on the ground towards the back of the stage doing... something musical? With electronics? It seems they're making their most famous band member hide in a corner. Or perhaps I just didn't notice his Wizard of Oz costume?

Ice Balloons' music is super-fuzzy. I assume the vocals sound that way because the singer is wearing a mask with no obvious holes! The band's whole sonic aesthetic seems to follow his lead. Note for example that they have a bassist but no guitarist, growls but no screams. They have a heavy, consuming sound punctuated by bleeps and scribbles from the electronic keyboard which add tension to them music. It is neither high-energy indie rock nor mellow stoner rock but rather more like an unstable mixture of the two. Some songs drew me in, others not so much. It is an interesting musical fusion but not one which works every single time.

But these guys are certainly distinctive. Nooooo doubt about that!

Posted: 1/12/2013 at 1:05pm     Tags: B. A. Miale  Ice Balloons  The Gutter