Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast: May 30 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
Caitlin Krisko
& The Broadcast threw a party, a record release party that is, for their new record Over The Undercover. I ask you, who can resist a good party? No one? So, I went over to Mercury Lounge where said party was taking place to enjoy a night music.This was my first time seeing Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast perform. I went in expecting a good show based on what I'd heard on Over The Undercover. And, that's exactly what I got. Krisko, in a long flowing dress, kicked off her sandals, took to the stage barefoot and proceeded to belt out the fiery opening number, "The Unintelligible Truth." What a way to
kick off a show. My first thought was, why is this the first time I've seen this woman perform?! It was clear from the beginning that Krisko held the crowd in the palm of her hand and she wasn't letting go until she was finished with us. Oh sure, she gave us enough room to breath and dance but we were her captives, possibly the happiest bunch of captives I've ever witnessed.From the openi
ng number to the closing, a smiling and oft times dancing Krisko led her band through a soulful romp that kept the crowd cheering loudly. You really have to see Krisko perform live to get the complete picture. One moment she's sweet girl next door charming, the next, she's an intoxicating goddess and at times mixing the two for a dizzying combination. On record, her talents shine through but it's more laid back, more of a sexy laze around on a Sunday afternoon with your lover kind of thing. Live, she belts out some serious folk based soul that makes you yell out "go on girl!" The woman, quite simply, sang her ass off. The Broadcast, Dave Rosenthal (electric guitar/backup vocals), Nic Coolidge (bass guitar/backup vocals), Rich Brownstein (keys), Michael W. Davis (drums) and Tyler Householder (percussion) provided a solid and for the most part subtle, but fun foundation. They were joined by horns, a sax player and a trombone player, for a couple of songs that kicked things into f
ull party mode. But, shame on me, I forgot to make note of the horn section names! Hey, I was having fun, you can't expect me to be detailed and professional while having so much fun!If you weren't at the show and didn't have a chance to get Over The Undercover, fear not, it will be released digitally on June 15 but I'll tell you more about the record another day. In the meantime, if Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast are playing near you, go check them out. They throw one hell of a party! The videos ...
More photos ...
The Set List
www.CaitlinKrisko.com
www.myspace.com/caitlinkrisko
Action Painters: May 28 @ Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
Sometime last year, I c
ame across a record called Chubby Dancer by local band Action Painters and became instantly hooked. Well, on the drizzly night known as this past Thursday, I finally got a chance to check them out live.First of all, if you haven't seen Action Painters live, you should go check them out should you and they be in the same general vicinity. They put on a terrifically fun show with some seriously infectious tunes. You can't help but sing along. It was all I could do not sing very loudly and off-key to the insanely catchy "Sooner or Later" which is the song, along with "Absolutely Clear," that hooked me on Action Painters when I came across their record on Amie Street last year. I'm sure everyone is glad they didn't have to hear me singing along though! Members of the audience were dancing around up front, wild and c
arefree, Tom (Haslow, guitar/vocals) worked up a good sweat and I was extremely happy I finally got a chance to catch them live. Their show is like a great basement party where you got lucky enough to hire a un-apologetically addictive, cool band.They played a tight set that flowed nicely. Everyone knows I'm a guitar fan. Let me tell you, there were some wickedly rockin' guitars smacking you around. And, make no mistake, the rest of the band smacked you silly too. This is indie pop-rock at its finest folks. Can a person be cocksure and humbly charming at the same time? The combination is a bit of a contradiction that frontman Haslow b
alances well and apparently, it comes naturally. I don't have scientific proof, but I'm pretty sure it's this natural contradiction that separates the rock stars from the pretenders.I spent most of my night over on the right side of the room (stage left) so, from where I stood, with the low lighting, half the time Allison (Zatarain, keys/vocals) looked like a disembodied head. The other half of the time, the positioning of her keyboards and her strapless dress made it look like she had those black censor bars going across her naughty bits. This made me chuckle as you could only see from her bare shoulders up and from her knees down making me think of the bands hilarious promo "porno" video that can be witnessed HERE, if you haven't seen it or if you want to see it again, you dirty birds.This was another show that ended much too quickly. Why are all of the good shows too short? Ok, maybe they're not and I'm just a greedy whiner! W
hy does time have to fly when you're having fun? I don't know the answer to that question but I do know I had a great time and look forward to seeing them again! Action Painters have been out on the road but they're showing all kinds of love to their fellow New Yorker's. They have some upcoming shows in the area, so, if you missed them Thursday, you still have a chance to show up and dance around like crazy to some really good music. They'll be at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn on June 6, the Wonderland Collective on June 13 in Queens and at The Annex on June 17 in Manhattan. The Videos ...
More photos ...
The Set List
actionpaintersband.com
www.myspace.com/actionpainters
Metric released a video of my favorite song, "Sick Muse," from their recent album Fantasies. For those in the New York area, they'll be at Terminal 5 on June 17. Check it out.
Massachusetts band Wheat will release their new full-length record, White Ink, Black Ink, July 21. They're also doing some shows this summer. For those in the New York area, they'll be over at Mercury Lounge on June 27. Have a listen to "H.O.T.T." from the upcoming release.
Track Listing
- H.O.T.T
- Changes Is
- My Warning Song
- El Sincero
- Living 2 Die
- Everything Falls
- Music Is Drugs
- Coke and Tanqueray
- Two Mountains
- I Want Less
- Baby In My Way
www.wheatmusic.com
www.myspace.com/wheatmusic
UK rock band Kasabian have a new record coming out. Their third studio record, West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum, is due June 8 in the UK and June 9 here in the US. I had heard songs from this pending release and liked what I heard. Those songs put me in the mood for a proper day of Kasabian listening (music player on repeat) and left me looking forward to the new release.Well, I got my hands on a copy of West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum last week. I got it home, popped it in and I've been listening to it for several days now and haven't gotten bored with it. It should be noted, that this is a big deal for me since I categorize myself as a casual Kasabian listener. When I'm a casual listener of an artist, I tend to listen for a couple of days, get bored and then ignore it until something sparks my interest to listen to it again. This hasn't happened and I don't foresee it happening with West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum as I'm honestly enjoying this work. My first thoughts were, "this sounds a bit retro." That doesn't mean it sounds old or dated or even that retro is a negative. West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum is some serious electro psychedelic funk. There's a lot of fun rhythm on this record. You get a nice dose of late 60's psychedelia as well as vintage po
p sounds mixed with current day electro dance all making for one heck of a rock album. "Swarfiga" is an instrumental that leaves me imagining this is what you would have heard if Booker T. & The M.G.'s had made music on the sunny beaches of California with a side trip to England instead of Memphis. "Fast Fuse" continues in the same groovy vibe where as "Take Aim" starts acoustic with vague South American flourishes before turning into a wicked mid-tempo groove ... nice.I wasn't sure about "Thick As Thieves" when I first heard it. But after a couple of listens I found myself enjoying the interesting slice of vintage pop mixed with the theatrical somewhat cabaret leanings it offers up. Somewhere along the line, they decided to channel classic Rolling Stones in "Ladies And Gentleman (Roll The Dice)" and "Happiness." These songs are what you'd imagine The Stones would sound like if they still released good songs.The highlight songs of the album are the previously mentioned "Swarfiga" and "Vlad The Impaler" with it's serious dirty groove; it beckons you to some hot, sweaty, questionable club to dance half naked pressed against strangers while not giving a damn. If there isn't already a remix for this song, I fully expect one. "Fire," which at the moment is my favorite of the 12 songs, for some reason, during the low key moments reminds me of Jim Morrison and begs me to hippy dance. These low key moments are surrounded by and kick into a modern day dance floor rev up.Would I recommend West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum? It's an overall good record that casual listeners such as myself can fully enjoy as well as those who consider themselves fans. So, you bet your sweet funky backside I would recommend it.
Track Listing
- Underdog
- Where Did All The Love Go?
- Swarfiga
- Fast Fuse
- Take Aim
- Thick As Thieves
- West Ryder Silver Bullet
- Vlad The Impaler
- Ladies And Gentleman (Roll The Dice)
- Secret Alphabets
- Fire
- Happiness
www.myspace.com/kasabian
blog.kasabian.co.uk
Metalheads of the world, take note, Judas Priest are releasing a new live album. In July they will unleash A Touch of Evil: Live. The mighty Priest, Rob Halford (vocals), Glenn Tipton (guitars), K.K. Downing (guitars), Ian Hill (bass) and Scott Travis (drums) have put together an album of tracks that have all been previously unreleased in live form on CD. That means, we get the make your ears bleed guitar assault of "Painkiller" live ... nice. This also marks the first time anything from their recent concept album Nostradamus makes a live album appearance in "Death" and "Prophecy" respectively. The songs were recorded during Priest's 2005 and 2008 world tours and was produced by Tom Allom who produced their classic live album Unleashed In The East. He also produced the classic British Steel which Priest will be performing in its entirety this summer to celebrate it's 30th anniversary.
Track Listing
- Judas Rising
- Hellrider
- Between The Hammer & The Anvil
- Riding On The Wind
- Death
- Beyond The Realms of Death
- Dissident Aggressor
- A Touch of Evil
- Eat Me Alive
- Prophecy
- Painkiller
www.judaspriest.com
Upcoming shows in the New York area ...
May 26 -- Paramount Styles / Loxsly at Union Hall
www.un
ionhallny.com
May 26 -- Midnight Masses at Union Pool
www.myspace.com/unionpool
May 26 -- Keane at Wellmont Theatre
www.wellmonttheatre.com
May 27 -- Blood Street / Hill Country Revue at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 27 - 29 -- Zap Mama (pictured) at Joe's Pub
www.joespub.com
May 28 -- Jeannine Hebb at Spike Hill
www.spikehill.com
May 28 -- Action Painters at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 28 -- Chickenfoot at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
www.irvingplaza.com
May 29 -- Au Revoir Simone / The Antlers at Music Hall of Williamsburg
www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
May 29 - 30 -- Alice Smith at Joe's Pub
www.joespub.com
May 30 -- Cait
lin Krisko & The Broadcast (pictured) at Mercury Lounge
www.mercuryloungenyc.com
May 30 -- Parachute / Phil Benson at Knitting Factory
ny.knittingfactory.com
May 31 -- X / Steve Soto & the Twisted Hearts at Bowery Ballroom
www.boweryballroom.com
May 31 -- The Bangles / Lindsay Rush at Wellmont Theatre
www.wellmonttheatre.com
May 31 -- The Tubes at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
www.bbkingblues.com
May 31 -- Imani Coppola at The Living Room
www.livingroomny.com
Legendary group Crosby, Stills & Nash are releasing an album of 12 unreleased demos simply titled, Demos. You can get your hands on it on June 2. Whether you're a long time fan, a casual fan or among the uninitiated, I think this is a collection all will enjoy. Normally, I wouldn't say that about a demo collection as most are products only die hard fans truly appreciate.This collection features demos recorded between 1968 and 1971. Many of the tracks feature the members, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash going at it solo. The opening track, "Marrakesh Express," however, features all three members offering up the renowned harmonies we've come to know and love from them. This demo was recorded four months before the trio released their classic self-titled debut in 1969. Crosby and Stills can be heard on "Long Time Gone" recorded in 1968 mere weeks before Nash would join them. Neil Young makes an appearance too. You can hear him on "Music Is Love" with Crosby and Nash; the three co-wrote this song that would go on to appear on Crosby's solo debut.Of the songs I've heard thus far from this collection, Crosby's "Almost Cut My Hair" hands down blows me away. I will even go so far as to say that I like this demo version better than the version from their #1 album Déjà Vu. This song alone is worth the price of the record. You can hear it for yourselves, HERE, as part of this three song "listening party" that also includes "Marrakesh Express” and “Love The One You’re With." Crosby, Stills & Nash are going to be on tour all over the place in the U.S. and Europe. For those in the New York area they'll be at Jones Beach on August 8.
Track Listing
- Marrakesh Express
- Almost Cut My Hair
- You Don't Have To Cry
- Déjà Vu
- Sleep Song
- My Love Is A Gentle Thing
- Be Yourself
- Music Is Love
- Singing Call
- Long Time Gone
- Chicago
- Love The One You're With
www.crosbystillsnash.com
www.myspace.com/crosbystillsandnash
www.myspace.com/davidcrosby
www.myspace.com/stephenstills
www.myspace.com/grahamnash
Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast are playing Mercury Lounge this Saturday, May 30. This show will also serve as a record release party. The record, Over the Undercover, will be available at shows starting Saturday and from digital stores on June 15. I've heard the record; it's something to look forward to. And, swing by on Saturday if you're in the area.
www.CaitlinKrisko.com
www.myspace.com/caitlinkrisko
Austin rockers The Steps channel a bit of Brit-pop and add in a dash 70's garage glam rock to come up with a modern rock sound that makes for a fun mix of tunes. They have an EP, Take It All In, that will be released on July 21. I'm looking forward to checking out this release. If you're in the New York area, they're playing at Webster Hall on June 6.
www.wearethesteps.com
www.myspace.com/thesteps
Singer/songwriter Kennedy released his album, Life Is A Party, this week, May 19. The record is filled with electro trash and retro 70's sounding pop songs. I know what you're thinking, "QNYC, you don't generally go for that kind of stuff." True, but sometimes I do.Upon first look at the album cover, my first thought was, "Oh hell no! I'm not going to like this!" But, I gave it a listen. The first song "Karate" was ok, I liked the music well enough but the lyric didn't particularly do anything for me. I thought, so far so good, nothing horribly wretched happening to make me bail before listening to the rest of the record. Then we get to the second song, the insanely catchy "John & Yoko" which features vocals by French singer Yelle. To me, this is the standout track on the album. It's what I would call a summertime song. You know, those songs that seem to catch on like wildfire in the summer and has everybody and their mama playing it. Other songs that caught the ear, "Going Insane" and "Oh Yeah.""Your Mama" gets an honorary mention. Why? For being somewhat catchy but, mainly for the sheer fact that the video is an H.R. Pufnstuf/Sid and Marty Krofft, 70's, Saturday morning acid trip gone awry piece of reasonably delightful cheese. I mean that in a good way as I love a good piece of cheese. If you're not old enough to remember those delightful Saturday morning shows of questionable enrichment, search them out. But, in the meantime, check out the "Your Mama" video and witness it for yourselves.
Download "John & Yoko" HERE and "Karate" HERE.
Track Listing - Karate
- John & Yoko (feat. Yelle)
- Oh Yeah
- Hillbilly Witchcraft
- Mama Made Me A Pimp
- Going Insane
- Life Is A Party
- Sleep Talking
- Let It Out
- Wanted The World
- Your Mama
www.myspace.com/kennedy
www.kisforkennedy.com
One of my favorite musicians, Adam Taylor, is playing Milwaukee's Summerfest 2009. The festival which bills itself as The World's Largest Music Festival runs from June 25 - July 5. This mega festival comprises of 11 days, 11 stages and is hosting a who's who of music acts. Taylor is playing on July 5 as part of the U.S. Cellular Emerging Artists Series. There is going to be an Emerging Artists Series Compilation CD that will be given out at the festival and some other events and promotions. They're asking people to vote for their favorite artist and the 11 artists with the most votes will be on the compilation.Go HERE, check out all of the artists and vote for your favorite; you're allowed to vote once per day. Since I live in a democracy, I can't tell you who to vote for. If I could, I'd say vote for Adam Taylor! He of course, is my pick. If you're going to the festival, go catch Taylor's show. If you're not going to the festival but you're in the area, go just to see him! We all know how much I like his live performances ... well, you do if you've read my past postings! He puts on an incredible show and is amazingly talented. Catch him before he turns legendary and you have to max out your credit card to see him.
adamtaylormusic.com
www.myspace.com/adamtaylormusic
www.summerfest.com
& The Broadcast threw a party, a record release party that is, for their new record Over The Undercover. I ask you, who can resist a good party? No one? So, I went over to Mercury Lounge where said party was taking place to enjoy a night music.
kick off a show. My first thought was, why is this the first time I've seen this woman perform?! It was clear from the beginning that Krisko held the crowd in the palm of her hand and she wasn't letting go until she was finished with us. Oh sure, she gave us enough room to breath and dance but we were her captives, possibly the happiest bunch of captives I've ever witnessed.
ng number to the closing, a smiling and oft times dancing Krisko led her band through a soulful romp that kept the crowd cheering loudly. You really have to see Krisko perform live to get the complete picture. One moment she's sweet girl next door charming, the next, she's an intoxicating goddess and at times mixing the two for a dizzying combination. On record, her talents shine through but it's more laid back, more of a sexy laze around on a Sunday afternoon with your lover kind of thing. Live, she belts out some serious folk based soul that makes you yell out "go on girl!" The woman, quite simply, sang her ass off. The Broadcast, Dave Rosenthal (electric guitar/backup vocals), Nic Coolidge (bass guitar/backup vocals), Rich Brownstein (keys), Michael W. Davis (drums) and Tyler Householder (percussion) provided a solid and for the most part subtle, but fun foundation. They were joined by horns, a sax player and a trombone player, for a couple of songs that kicked things into f
ull party mode. But, shame on me, I forgot to make note of the horn section names! Hey, I was having fun, you can't expect me to be detailed and professional while having so much fun!
www.CaitlinKrisko.com
