The Woes at The Bell House

The Woes remind me of The Greenhornes and The Sadies. Yes I suppose you could call them a bluesy rock band, and at times they certainly rock out. But some of the ballads have a hint of something much older. Perhaps New Orleans jazz? Although I have to admit that I preferred the rock, it is an intriguing style.

Posted: 10/9/2011 at 1:59pm     Tags: The Bell House  The Woes 

Stranger Cole at The Bell House

How in the world does Stranger Cole have that much energy on stage? One of the greats of ska and rocksteady in Jamaica, Stranger Cole recorded his first single in 1963. That makes him roughtly one billion years old (though he claims to be 18) so how does he have that much energy?!

Posted: 10/2/2011 at 7:50pm     Tags: Crazy Baldhead  Dig Deeper  Stranger Cole  The Bell House 

The Coup at Brooklyn Bowl

If you have noticed a certain lack of rap and hip-hop photos on my site, that's because I don't usually go for that type of music. It doesn't speak to me (big surprise, eh?) Now, The Coup are real funky (and I mean _real_ funky) and I can go for that. They also have something to say. Now whether or not you agree with their politics, surely one must admit that this more than most musicians have going for them. Something for my mind and something for my hips -- that's a good combination.

Posted: 9/26/2011 at 9:57pm     Tags: Brooklyn Bowl  superfunky  The Coup 

Cult Of Youth at Live With Animals

It is almost time to say Farewell to Live With Animals, Monster Island, and the rest of the venues in the arts building on the corner of Kent and Metropolitan. Apparently Cult Of Youth refuse to leave. They played on this stage for the second time this month. Too uptempo to be goth, too dark to be folk, Cult Of Youth are like streams of day and night which mingle but do not completely mix. The visuals suited their sound nicely (but made it dang hard to take pictures!)

Posted: 9/23/2011 at 7:40pm     Tags: Cult Of Youth  farewell  Live With Animals 

Vivian Girls at The Knitting Factory

I have only seen Vivian Girls twice, once at Webster Hall and once at Knitting Factory. Why is it that the lighting is so much better at the smaller venue? They sounded great at both, but c'mon WH, burn some electricity. Feel free to compensate by turning off that dang smoke machine. In fact, please turn off the smoke machine all the time. For the environment.

Posted: 9/21/2011 at 10:02pm     Tags: The Knitting Factory  Vivian Girls