Just wanted to remind you all about the awesome concert I’m hosting tonight at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Please come out and say hi!
Check out the flier on the right for more info and the lineup for the night below:
Doors 8:30 p.m.
9 p.m. Josh Charles
10 p.m. Joey DeGraw
11 p.m. The Canon Logic
Should be fun! See you there.
My friend Wendy (her lovely photos have graced You Sing, I Write quite frequently over the past year) sent me this song a while back. I recently found it in my inbox and couldn’t stop listening to it all day today. Its a song that, if you listen closely to the lyrics, has such a deep meaning behind it. This ties into my interview with Ace Enders last night and a lot of what we talked about, specifically the music industry and making what you love to do work, even when people are constantly telling you that you can’t. Be sure to check back for my interview/review of Ace’s performance last night as well as Hellogoodbye. Take a listen to Tennessee based-band 33 Miles‘ song below and let me know what you think!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrBy1N0oILo]
The Rock Band Live tour hit New Jersey Sunday with a versatile line-up and even more diverse crowd. From the tween girls screaming, “I love you Brendon!” at Panic at the Disco’s frontman Brendon Urie to the inebriated 21+ group jumping and dancing along during Dashboard Confessional’s set, the night offered something for everyone.
Panic at the Disco, the obvious crowd favorites, closed the night at the Prudential Center in Newark with an hour-long set energizing all in the audience. Taking the stage with their signature song, “We’re So Starving,” Urie crooned to the audience, “Oh, how it’s been so long/We’re so sorry we’ve been gone/We were busy writing songs for you.” The audience accepted his apology wholeheartedly — throwing their hands in the air and singing along word for word.
Panic’s 13-song set consisted of radio hits, “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” “Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off,” and “Nine In the Afternoon.” Whether Urie was running from one side of the stage to the other singing to the crowd or alternating between playing guitar, piano and drums he kept the audience on their feet with the help of his bandmates. Closing the show with Little Richard’s “You Make Me Wanna Shout,” Panic at the Disco had the crowd feeding off their performance and energy until well after the lights came back on, signaling that the long-awaited Jersey stop was officially over.
Co-headliner Dashboard Confessional took the stage before Panic, frontman Chris Carrabba wooing the crowd with his onstage banter and heartfelt lyrics. Playing hits like “Vindicated,” “Thick as Thieves,” and “Screaming Infidelities,” which he prefaced with a question. “Should we do a love song? Like, an ‘I hate my ex’ kind of song?” to which screams erupted throughout the venue. “Mike hates her too. She’s both our exes.” Then Carrabba began the song alone on piano before the rest of the band joined in.
Possible favorites of Dashboard’s set seemed to be a tie between infamous hit, “Hands Down” and a surprising cover of Pink’s current radio hit, “So What.” Previous performers the Cab re-entered the stage and helped out on their rendition of Pink’s song. The energy in the room skyrocketed and it’s quite impressive the way Carrabba hit the high notes.
What differentiates the Rock Band Live tour from your typical concert is that in between each performer’s set change the crowd gets involved playing “Rock Band” instead of just sitting or standing awaiting the next band to take the stage. Between the Plain White T’s and Dashboard’s set Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s “Give It Away” were played, amping the audience for the next band taking the stage.
Plain White T’s played an eight-song set of their fan favorites including their Grammy-nominated hit “Hey There Delilah” as well as “Our Time Now” and newest singles “Natural Disaster” and “1, 2, 3, 4” off of their latest release, Big Bad World. Their set was the most laid-back of the night and they had the audience waving their cell phones and lighters in the air for “1, 2, 3, 4.” As their set closed, frontman Tom Higgenson jumped into the crowd hugging fans and shaking hands throughout the venue while the rest of the band members exited the stage. Not your typical gesture, fans positioned in the front of the arena got a very personal concert experience and walked away from a night they will most likely never forget.
Las Vegas-based band The Cab and New York natives Lights Resolve began the night with a half-hour set each. Definitely a lively set from both bands, whether jumping around the stage and having the crowd bounce to their song — aptly titled “Bounce” (in the Cab’s case) or wowing the audience with their signature “wuh-uh-uh-oh-uh-oh-oh” and catc
hy choruses (Lights Resolve) both bands show much promise. And, who knows, in a few years they might be co-headlining the tour together.
Check out more of Wendy Hu’s amazing photos from Sunday night here.
No matter what your stance is on this election or who the candidate of your choice is, be sure to get out and vote tomorrow! If you don’t know the issues of each candidate by now and the debates just didn’t cut it for you, check out VoteGopher.com. A friend of mine has been working on the site and it has each candidate’s policy and position broken down to the basics in vocabulary we can all understand. And, most importantly, it’s not biased. Check it out for yourselves.
If you haven’t watched each of the debates you can watch them in their entirety here. You still have a few hours so make sure you’re up-to-date on your research!
As you can see on the sidebar on right side of the blog (and from the image above), I posted the flier for the concert next Saturday that I’m hosting. I’m really psyched to be able to get such great bands to play Maxwell’s and hope you can all come out!
Check out the MySpace for each band and the lineup for the night below:
Doors 8:30 p.m.
9 p.m. Josh Charles
10 p.m. Joey DeGraw
11 p.m. The Canon Logic
If you have any questions feel free to leave me a comment or email me.
A punk rocker turned acoustic singer-songwriter may be incredulous for some to grasp, but for Kansas native Adam Ruskowitz it could work. While at some moments the listener can picture a frontman screaming the lyrics over a loud bass guitar and drum beat, Ruskowitz’s second solo-acoustic album gives the listener a glimpse into his past and an idea of where he is headed.
At times, Boxed Wine and Bottle Rockets is hard to grasp, with fluctuating vocals and rough guitar features. While his guitar playing isn’t necessarily weak, in tracks like “Hurricane” and “July” the squeaking sound between the changing of each chord played is unbearable.
Yet, Ruskowitz’s strong storytelling throughout each track is ever present. While “Trampoline” vaguely elicits a comparison to the Gin Blossoms with his soft vocals and light guitar strumming other instances suggest a slight resemblance to Elliott Smith. I found myself liking tracks like “Trampoline” and “Five Years Later” most because of Ruskowitz’s deeper vocals. At times, his higher-pitched voice on songs like opening track, “Hurricane” comes across irritating. A great songwriter and good singer on tracks with a slightly lower register, Boxed Wine and Bottle Rockets isn’t a complete loss. Only his second solo effort, it will be interesting to hear what the future holds for Ruskowitz.
You can read this review originally posted on ReviewYou.com here.
To this day, Halloween is still one of my favorite holidays. Maybe it’s the chocolate. I still remember the first time I saw the music video for Michael Jackson’s song “Thriller.” I had nightmares for weeks! Watching it now, it still creeps me out, but it’s such a classic. I can’t embed the video below, so check it out on YouTube or just watch the dance portion below. Happy Halloween!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un3-Hb9wF9s]
Orchestral. Dynamic. Atmospheric. I’m not really sure how to best explain the show I saw Thursday night featuring Canadian indie-pop band the Dears. It’s one of those sets that you just have to watch, taking in the entire experience. The band, literally a few feet in front of me, had the audience intently listening to every word sung and every chord played, some dancing, some singing along, some making out.
Taking the stage shortly after 8:30 p.m., the Dears entered Hiro Ballroom while their first song of the night, “Disclaimer,” was playing over the loudspeakers. Seconds later, each band member picked up their respective instrument and chimed in. The group’s musically rich set seemingly took the audience into a trance with the blue and green lighting only adding to the distinctive aura surrounding the room.
Categorized on MySpace as Other/Other/Other, it is hard to place the Dears into one specific genre of music. Natalia Yanchak, one of the group’s core members, describes their music as “Orchestral Pop. Boom.” However, even this portrayal doesn’t seem sufficient. Either way, the crowd loved them.
Most of the Dears’ set was comprised of songs from latest album, Missiles, including “Money Babies,” “Berlin Heart” and the beautifully angelic “Crisis 1 & 2” as well as some older obvious fan favorites by the way the crowd was dancing around me.
Clearly experts at a festival like CMJ, Yanchak said this year was their fourth time playing CMJ. “CMJ was the first music festival outside Canada we’d ever played, but that was back in 2000,” she says. “Compared to other festivals, the shows at CMJ are more like regular gigs rather than big, organized showcases. Our gig was kind of like that . . . part of CMJ but more like our own gig.”
The Dears have been around for quite some time. When asked about their longevity, Yanchak says, “It’s really a spirit that lives on. We’ve had over a dozen musicians come and go, then some return, and leave again.” She continued. “The Dears really is about the moment, about an incarnation, and connecting with musicians that are able to channel the music. As long as the inspiration keeps coming to Murray [Lightburn], The Dears will remain.”
As for her favorite song to perform, Yanchak says, “It really depends on the moment, the vibe in the room and on stage. I can’t predict that until the show is happening. But I’ve been loving playing all the songs in our set.”
Many have talked of their latest album as being a major transformation from their previous releases, but Yanchak says every release is an evolution and progression to another place. “Missiles definitely falls into this pattern of growth. That said, there’s something innocent and brutally honest about this album that was missing on Gang of Losers. Just a journey, like life, choosing a path and trying along the way to stay true to who you are.”
As for her best advice to festivalgoers, Yanchak suggested planning ahead, but leaving room for spontaneity. “Festivals are always about heading out to see one thing, bumping randomly into people and ending up somewhere else. Also don’t just go see all the familiar bands. It’s always fun to discover something new, so be open to that.”
And I have to agree. I discovered the Dears Thursday night and it definitely was a transcendent experience to a genre of music I probably wouldn’t have covered if not for CMJ. So, thank you, CMJ, and thanks to the Dears.
You can read this post originally posted on the CMJ blog here.
Special thanks to Wendy Hu for the amazing photos!
This is my last post about CMJ . . . for this year at least! Hopefully next year I’ll be able to attend again and cover even more shows for the blog. If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the official CMJ blog here. There are many great posts from all of the UWire correspondents, including myself, and tons of interesting things went on last week so read all about it!
Feel free to check out my preview on Virginia-based band Ki: Theory here. You can also read my coverage of two panels I attended: Web 2.0, Music 2.0, and the Blog Factor, which the title pretty must sums up and Gadgets for Tweakheads and the next big thing, again pretty self-explanatory.
I still have one review to finish up as well as transcribe my interview with Theresa Andersson so be on the lookout for those. I’ll be interviewing Hellogoodbye and Ace Enders next week as well, so if you have any questions for either feel free to email me or leave some comments! Should be a great week! Also, don’t forget not to make any plans for next Saturday and come out to Maxwell’s for an awesome night of music! I’ll post another banner this weekend to remind you. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday’s lineup at the Living Room proved to be quite an unconventional night of music. Comical Swedish artist and producer Tobias Froberg took the stage shortly after 8 p.m., while phenomenal one-woman band Theresa Andersson followed soon after.
Drawing laughs from the audience by prefacing each song throughout the night, Froberg ended each song introduction saying, “and I wrote a song about that because I’m a singer-songwriter,” with Napoleon Dynamite-esque glasses and a voice that recalls Ben Folds. The crowd loved his never-ending sarcasm and anxiously waited on the edge of their seats to hear what he said next.
When listening to the lyrics behind each song, a more serious side of Froberg was revealed while playing piano and acoustic guitar. Before beginning “She Is Becoming Her Mother Again” he said, “Sometimes when I call my mother and father I find myself sounding exactly like them. Even though you love your parents, you don’t want to become them . . . but you do.”
Before playing last song of the night, “God’s Highway,” accompanied by Theresa Andersson and Ane Brun, Froeberg informed the audience that after the show, “I’m going to sit downstairs in the basement and sniff some glue” to which the crowd erupted in laughter. Definitely the comical performer, Froeberg kept the audience attentive throughout the somewhat more mellow songs in his set.
One-woman band Theresa Andersson took the stage at 9 p.m. playing a 50-minute set. With the stage covered in a white shag rug, Andersson could be seen utilizing two loop pedals with her bare feet throughout her entire performance, syncing up each instrument she played — guitar, drums, violin, dulcimer, tambourine and chimes.
“I’m not going to talk. I’m just going to make some noise,” Andersson told the packed room. “Welcome to my kitchen by the way. You’re getting the whole show tonight.”
Definitely not your average performance, Andersson explained her set as being somewhat like a dance. “After a while I started thinking of it as a dance, that’s when it really became fun.” She even took dance lessons from a friend in preparation for her live show. “I actually ended up falling a lot in the beginning. I’ll be standing on one leg and stretching the other one out, skip steps or jump. At one point I’ll have to stand on my heels and hit two pedals at the same time, so I couldn’t keep my balance at first,” she says.
Spending about a month putting together her live show, Andersson said it took a while to really get the music in her body. “I would make a lot of mistakes in the beginning. I would be really nervous, but maybe those mistakes were something that [only] I recognized,” she says. “To me, I’ve reached the point where it’s really a musical instrument. It’s just another way of playing songs and playing music.”
Andersson’s soulful vocals and friendly onstage banter made for an enjoyable set. At times, the audience seemed to be intently and silently watching her performance to which she said, “Don’t be shy. There’s just one of me and so many of you out there.”
Before her show, Andersson explained that she wants the audience to “really feel that they’re in the music and not worry so much about, ‘Oh my God is she going to fall or step on the wrong pedal?'” She seemed to get this across by her second song of the night and current YouTube sensation, “Na Na Na.” A fun and upbeat song, Andersson had the audience relaxed and at ease watching her dance around the stage all while playing multiple instruments.
One of Andersson’s favorites to play live, “Birds Fly Away,” is a New Orleans-inspired song which samples Smokey Johnson and has that soulful ’60s feel, reminiscent of the Supremes. Definitely the crowd favorite, the audience was clapping along with Andersson throughout most of the song and screams could be heard towards the end of her performance.
“Each song is unique and they all have a specific role in the set,” Andersson says. “I really wanted to bring the listener on a journey when they listen to the set. I always think its best when you hear it from beginning to end because it goes into different spectrums of the musical language I use.”
And Wednesday night she definitely brought the audience on a unique journey. Ending her set to thunderous applause and a standing ovation, Theresa Andersson is one artist who stands out from the crowd.
You can read this post originally on the CMJ blog here. Check out the video of Theresa Andersson’s song “Birds Fly Away” below, performed live at home in her kitchen.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMXqn42AykM]