Tag: Live

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Concert Reviews

Shiny Toy Guns Bring Energetic Show to NYC

I don’t think I’ve witnessed a concert as versatile as Shiny Toy Guns performance last Thursday at Webster Hall. A blend of every musical genre you can possibly imagine — dance, rock, electronica, indie, even some Hip-Hop thrown into the mix — Shiny Toy Guns surely impressed all in attendance.

Their explosive sound is indisputable as the floor of Webster Hall shook continuously from the beginning to the very end of their performance. (So much so, that a few times I literally thought it may cave in.) In fact, their 13-song hour-long set didn’t seem long enough for die-hard fans as the show closed with continuous screams for a second encore.

Surrounded by fog and bright lights, the LA-based band started off with “Starts With One” from debut album, We Are Pilots. Their performance was stellar and the intensity never faltered. Shiny Toy Guns were spot on as they segued from electronic songs to more rock based tracks with keyboard accompaniment. Whatever they were playing, they did no wrong.

It’s hard to determine which song was the crowd favorite. While high energy dance track “Ricochet!” brought the hands in the air, “Le Disko” switched things up with its heavy bass and percussion elements. And I can’t forget to mention the sing along choruses encompassing hit single “Ghost Town” from most recent release, Season of Poison. With its soaring guitar and keyboard features throughout the track, “Ghost Town” had the crowd screaming for more.

Currently on tour with the All-American Rejects, Shiny Toy Guns were clearly in their element Thursday headlining Webster Hall. “It’s good to be back,” co-lead singer Chad Petree said. “We have a lot of pent up energy.”

And he wasn’t lying. Fellow co-lead singer, Sisely Treasure’s energy was contagious and her constant jumping around onstage only enticed the audience to do the same. Highlights included the band’s cover of Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” as well as last song of the night, “You Are the One.”

While they’ve been opening up for the All-American Rejects, there is no denying the need for Shiny Toy Guns to be headlining their own shows. Definitely a band I recommend catching live if you have a chance, as I would see them again if the opportunity arises.

For more on Shiny Toy Guns be sure to visit their Web site and MySpace where you can download a song for free!

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Concert Reviews

Ray LaMontagne Plays Sold-Out Jersey Show

Ray LaMontagne took the stage at Wellmont Theatre Thursday night to screams shortly after 9 p.m. Known for his shy demeanor, it was still a shock that he said little to the audience, except the occasional “Thank you” throughout the first 10 songs of his set. Playing track after track, the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they proved to be ardent fans, continuously yelling, “New Jersey loves Ray!”

Beginning with lively number “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s A Shame)” LaMontagne grabbed each concertgoers attention right off the bat at his sold-out show. With his rustically raspy and captivating vocals, it’s these attributes and his constant fluidity that sets him apart. While some songs played were dark and somber ballads of heartache and loss like older tracks “Trouble” and “Jolene,” others were more romantic and upbeat. Singing praises to Meg White of the White Stripes in, aptly titled song “Meg White” (“Meg White, I saw you on the big screen/Old Jack was keen/But you stole the scene”) or a lover as heard in “You Are the Best Thing,” LaMontagne kept all in attendance anxiously waiting on the edge of their seats for the next song.

Playing many tracks off his most recent critically acclaimed album, Gossip In the Grain, as well as some old fan favorites, it was hard to grasp which song was the audience favorite as screams echoed throughout the venue at the beginning of each song. Textured guitar and pedal steel accompaniment infused with his emotional lyrics was truly an experience one can only witness live.

His nearly 90-minute, 17-song set was interwoven with beautifully descriptive and moving lyrics. On soft, emotional ballad “Empty” LaMontagne sang, “And of these cut-throat busted sunsets, these cold and damp white mornings/I have grown weary./If through my cracked and dusted dime-store lips/I spoke these words out loud would no one hear me?”

In addition to LaMontagne’s solid performance on vocals and guitar, his band — consisting of electric guitar, bass, drums and pedal steel — impressed the crowd with colorful interludes on tracks like “Henry Nearly Killed Me (It’s A Shame)” and country number, “Hey Me, Hey Mama.”

LaMontagne’s music can be described as a fitting blend of folk and country. In fact, he told the audience about his keenness of country music. “I love country song structure; the simple hook and telling a story. It’s really nice and it’s really fluid.” From the look of it, LaMontagne’s song structure is well respected by many as he received a nearly five-minute standing ovation before his encore performance.

While some concertgoers may prefer a performer with quirky onstage banter prefacing each song, sometimes no words need to be spoken. Ray LaMontagne proved Thursday night that truly good music speaks for itself.

Watch below as Ray performs “Empty,” currently one of my favorite songs by him. What do you think? Listen to him on MySpace.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIUSikXex5w]

You can also read this review posted on Filter-Mag.com here.

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News

Watch Live All-American Rejects Concert

A few months ago some friends and I found out that infamous Oklahoma rockers the All-American Rejects would be playing a free NYC concert courtesy of Walmart and Axe. To watch the full six-song performance, click on the link here.

The Rejects just announced another leg of their tour supporting most recent album When the World Comes Down. If you like what you saw, be sure to catch them when they’re in town! For more info visit their MySpace.

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Concert Reviews

Jamie Leonhart Keeps Standing Room Only Crowd Singing

Rockwood Music Hall was packed Thursday night for Jamie Leonhart‘s set while the crowd only seemed to get larger as the night progressed. Performing songs off her latest release, The Truth About Suffering as well as some covers, Leonhart had all in attendance laughing along with her onstage banter and occasionally forgotten lyrics.

With husband Michael Leonhart playing piano throughout the night, Jamie blamed her lyric mishaps to being pregnant, later telling the room, “This is the first outing for the Leonhart trio at Rockwood.”

I first witnessed Leonhart live back in December when I covered the “A Holiday Benefit” concert. Of her performance, I wrote: “Leonhart’s vocals are heavenly as she blends jazz, pop and soul together, making for a truly impressive set. Comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin can be heard throughout Leonhart’s classically elegant tunes.”

After seeing her nearly hour set Thursday night, my previous thoughts haven’t changed. If you get a chance to see her perform, definitely jump on it!

Beginning the night with “Hush,” Michael Leonhart‘s light piano accompaniment blended perfectly with Jamie’s beautifully soft vocals. Mid-song an impeccably fitting piano interlude only strengthened the performance.

Next song of the evening was “Who Says Words,” another moving track from The Truth About Suffering with lyrics from a poem by Persian poet Rumi. About the song, Leonhart has said, “‘Who Says Words,’ is kind of a meditation about noticing your own ‘bad’ behavior but not doing anything to change it. There’s a passive struggle in it that I am very attracted to. I set the poem to a melody, and then sat down with Michael and constructed all the chord changes around it.”

The rest of the night involved strong covers of some of Leonhart’s favorite songs including, “Lucky To Be Me” originally written by Leonard Bernstein and performed by Blossom Dearie. Truly a stand-up number, I could picture myself at a jazz club while listening to Leonhart’s performance. With soft crescendos and her own take on older songs, Leonhart made each song her own, always with refreshingly unique style.

Deidre Rodman accompanied a few songs on vocals as well as melodica (a musical keyboard played by blowing air through a mouthpiece in the side of the instrument) — truly a sight to see. With many solid melodica interludes, Rodman wowed the crowd with her expertise on the instrument.

Song favorite of the night was definitely “Control Freak,” where many — if not all — in attendance sang along word for word during the chorus. With catchy lyrics, “I am a control freak/I want everything to be neat/And put it all in little boxes/I never will enjoy surprises/I just want control,” Leonhart had the song stuck in my head long after it the show was over.

You can download “Control Freak” here.

For more on each artist, be sure to visit their Web sites for upcoming concerts and music.

Jamie Leonhart

Michael Leonhart

Deidre Rodman

Categories
Concert Reviews

PT Walkley Impresses at Album Release Show

On the night of his album release, PT Walkley entertained a packed Blender Theater audience by playing his debut album Mr. Macy Wakes Alone track by track in its entirety. With a full band – at times reminiscent of an orchestral arrangement — Walkley conducted the band with the simple nodding of his head. From backup singers to string arrangement, Walkley’s showcase was one not to be missed.

Perhaps the most versatile musician I’ve seen in concert, Walkley’s voice changed drastically from song to song. One example is the mere difference from second song “Why,” where he exercised a softer, more angelic voice complete with fitting string and horn accompaniment, and then made the shift to the deeper and edgier track “No One Needs To Know” — and that was just in the first 10 minutes of his set.

What makes Walkley stand out from other up-and-coming musicians is the content of his album. He has said in interviews that he hopes to bring back cover-to-cover listening and seemingly does so, as the characters and themes on each track intermingle throughout Mr. Macy Wakes Alone. His publicity is doing pretty well, especially after being hand picked by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin to open their Madison Square Garden show.

Not your average singer-songwriter, Walkley has also composed music for several Ed Burns films as well as had his music placed in numerous commercials including MasterCard and GE. With so much varied musical exposure, his diversity in concert no longer seems all that surprising, but continues to impress concertgoers as heard from the screams and applause after each song’s end.

With string, horn, percussion and continuous guitar and backup vocals, Walkley’s set did not disappoint. Slower ballad “Coming Over” showcased his deep and trance-like vocals. With the complement of a harp, the concertgoer had the relaxed vibe of being on a tropical island, easily picturing palm trees swaying in the background. Always quick to change the mood from song to song, next track was energetic “The Lucky Ones.” The song featured Walkley’s wife Michelle on infectious backing vocals. Their voices blended beautifully together, and the light musical accompaniment fit well, never overpowering the song’s main vocals and narration.

While “Evolution” sounded almost planetary at times, “Calvin the Coroner” had a carnival-esque feel to it. With a faster piano introduction and crescendo of Walkley’s vocals at the end of each line, the song is quirky with lyrics, “When Calvin was a boy there was a lot to comprehend/A high imagination but he never had a friend/His father bought the funeral parlor just around the bend from the Macy’s/He helped around the basement and he swore he’d never tell/He couldn’t stand the bodies but he grew to like the smell/Formaldehyde and suicide were words that came too well to a young boy.”

Before playing upbeat track, “Audrey Macy” Walkley introduced the song by saying, “This song is about a murder and a girl named Audrey Macy.” A captivating tale of a trust fund girl who is never satisfied, she eventually kills her father to inherit money he already has spent, thus forcing her to work the rest of her life. Yet another example of Walkley’s versatility, with fitting electric guitar and percussion, the music only assisted him to tell the story effectively.

With rave album reviews and having recently opened for Coldplay, PT Walkley has definitely been making a name for himself. Setting the bar well beyond most musicians these days, Walkley begs the listener to pay attention to every detail of his performance and album as the recurring themes and characters only make sense when listening cover to cover. Definitely an ambitious musician, Walkley is breaking the mold of the music industry as we know it today, and it would behoove every music lover to give him a listen.

You can read this review, originally posted on Filter here. For more on PT Walkley, be sure to visit his MySpace.

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Concert Reviews

Joshua Radin Pours His Heart Out in New York

Taking the stage to a swarm of screaming female fans, Joshua Radin played to a packed crowd at Webster Hall last Friday. Radin’s performance was nothing short of surprises as fellow singer-songwriters Ingrid Michaelson and Dar Williams accompanied him on two songs throughout the night. Playing nearly an hour set, fans left the venue with the hopes of seeing Radin again soon as he told the crowd he moved back to New York just four days prior.

“Hello New York! My name is Joshua Radin,” he told concertgoers after first song, “Free Of Me,” as if they didn’t already know his name. “It’s New York City and you never know what can happen,” he continued before Ingrid Michaelson took the stage to assist on “Sky.” Their voices blended beautifully together and the crowd was energized from the moment Michaelson entered the stage, drowning out the rest of Radin’s introduction.

While he has referred to his music’s genre as whisper rock, one might imagine it difficult to hear his soft voice at a concert venue, however this was not the case. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Radin’s vocals remained hushed and undeniably airy at times, but the audience hung on to every lyric sung during his set. Incredulously, on numbers such as “Winter” the room was so silent you could literally (please forgive the cliche) hear a pin drop. He told fans that “Winter” was the first song he had ever written while walking around New York nearly four years ago. Taking the stage alone on acoustic guitar the crowd gave Radin their complete attention as he ended the song to screams.

Radin often introduced each song with the story behind it. One such song was inspired by Bob Dylan’s autobiography. Radin said the one thing that stuck out from the book was advice Dylan was given when moving to New York and how he should lose all his envy and fear. “I wrote a song about it because I had so much envy and so much fear and the song is called, ‘No Envy, No Fear’.” The light percussion, guitar and string features blended impeccably well with Radin’s vocals right up to the fade out of the song.

Many of his songs are detailed accounts of former relationships or fantasies. Take “Vegetable Car,” a song he told the crowd was written about a girl he had never met while “One of Those Days” is a heartbreaker that surely melted most girls’ hearts in the room. Having trouble getting over a former girlfriend that used to tour with him, the lyrics include “Now a year has passed/Alone I stay inside and I await the rain/To wash away your face so I don’t have to hide/The sight of you is painful/So I crawl underneath my blanket where I can hide away/I know I can’t take it anymore/’Cause I see now it’s just one of those days.”

“I have two ex-girlfriends and two records. This one is about the second,” Radin said before introducing “You Got Growin’ Up To Do,” telling the audience that the song is about meeting the right person at the wrong time. Ecstatic to have one of his favorite singers, Patty Griffin, accompany him on the track on his album, Radin described it as “the coolest thing ever.” Singer Dar Williams then took the stage filling in for Griffin’s vocals.

The rest of the night showcased songs from Radin’s latest release, Simple Times as well as his previous album. Ending with a cover of his favorite song ever written and recorded, Sam Cooke’s soulful “Bring It On Home To Me,” Radin promised fans he’ll be back soon since New York is now his home. From the crowd’s response, I think they’ll be eagerly waiting.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to visit Joshua Radin on MySpace and catch a show when he’s in town! To listen to a stream of single, “I’d Rather Be With You” click here.

Photo credit: Wendy Hu

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Concert Reviews

Anya Marina Heats Things Up At Record Release

Playing nearly an hour set last Tuesday, California-based singer-songwriter Anya Marina showcased songs from her newly released album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II. Receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, Marina’s New York headline performance at Mercury Lounge demonstrated just what the fuss is all about, proving that the buzz is only beginning.

Having toured with fellow San Diego native Jason Mraz last year, it is clear what makes Marina so distinct — her sultry and seductively mousy vocals. With her quirky, yet intriguing stories she didn’t beg for the audience’s attention, they gave themselves to her wholeheartedly.

Taking the stage solo playing “Not a Through Street” on acoustic guitar, Marina’s softer vocals fit the ballad well. One song later the band joined her onstage to which she enthusiastically told the audience, “Let’s hear it for our new President!” A record release and headline show on inauguration day couldn’t have been a better way to celebrate.

“I just had a record come out today. I’m so excited!” she exclaimed to the packed room. “Come out after the show and buy 17 for your friends and we’ll get acquainted,” she joked. The rest of the night was filled with tracks from Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II and Marina’s never ending comical onstage banter (ie. “It was weird growing up Russian. Did you have people call you Commie and throw things at you?”)

Stand-out track, “Waters of March (Aguas de Marco)” was sung in Portuguese and English, which Marina dedicated to a friend in the audience. With stellar vocals and strong electric guitar accompaniment, the song’s Latin groove switched gears a bit as Marina continued to liven up the audience by jumping around the stage while singing.

Marina’s dancing wasn’t the only thing that affixed concertgoers’ attention. Catchy “Afterparty at Jimmy’s” grabbed the listener’s attention with intriguing lyrics, “So you say you got a band?/Three parts Kinks, one part the Jam/You got soul on stage, boy/How ’bout soul in the sack, huh?” The electric guitar feature throughout the song only complimented the edginess of the song.

Ending the night with hit single “Move You(SSSPII)” (yes, you’ve heard it on “Grey’s Anatomy”) Marina exclaimed, “This is a dream come true! Thanks for being here and celebrating 1/20/09 with me.” I have a feeling this is only the beginning for Anya Marina.

For more on Anya, be sure to check out her MySpace and watch her video for “Move You” below!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbDNJo3iLSs]

Categories
Concert Reviews

Lights Resolve Tear Up Sold-Out Highline Ballroom

Not every band can engage a room full of concertgoers successfully, but Lights Resolve has learned to do so, and quite effectively. Rather than write another show review, I’ll let Wendy’s pictures do the talking. (But if you REALLY want to read a review of what the LR guys are like in concert, you can check out my MTV post from last summer here.)

I made it to the LR show just in time to see Liam and Me and TV/TV perform and they’re definitely fun bands to be on the lookout for. If you need some entertaining reading, peruse Liam and Me’s hilarious advice column on their blog here. And, if you’re in the mood for some energetic, foot-stomping (did I really just write that?) music, be sure to give TV/TV’s songs “Indie Rock Girl” and “Let It Go” a listen on MySpace.







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Concert Reviews Features

Fall Out Boy Lead Washington Square Park in Sing-Along

For those who cut class or took a break studying for final exams to see Fall Out Boy perform at Washington Square Park in New York today, many were disappointed. Gracing fans with their presence for oh, just about 10 minutes, the band conducted a sing-along to fan favorite, “Grand Theft Autumn/Where Is Your Boy.”

Bassist Pete Wentz told the crowd, “We want to apologize to you guys. We’re not allowed to play right now any music at all. But we figured that Patrick could sing something right here and we can all sing along instead.”

According to a MTV News report, since the band didn’t obtain a permit to perform in the park, if they so much as picked up an instrument they would be put in jail. Not the most exciting place to be on the day before your album release. While some fans in the crowd were confused about the situation, most clapped along and sang the song word for word as members of Fall Out Boy played air guitar.

After the nearly two-minute rendition, fans screamed for one more song as Wentz told the crowd, “If we’re doing anything else we’re getting arrested right now.” Not a complete loss, the band walked around shaking hands and giving out copies of their upcoming release, Folie à Deux as Wentz showed fans pictures of his newborn from his phone, saying, “How handsome is he?”

Watch below for Fall Out Boy’s performance in Washington Square Park, courtesy of MTV and to learn more of the details behind the impromptu concert, read MTV rock editor James Montgomery’s take on it here.

MTV Shows

Don’t forget to pick up a copy of their new album in stores Dec. 16. And be sure to check out Amazon’s 12 Days of Christmas promotion, which features a sale on Fall Out Boy MP3 albums, plus a limited edition, exclusive version of the band’s new album, Folie à Deux. Limited to 1,000 copies worldwide, the packaging is made from 100% recycled materials, including a seeded envelope that will grow flowers when planted. Definitely not your typical album packaging. Click here for more info. on this promotion as 100 of those albums will be signed by Pete Wentz.

Categories
Concert Reviews

Army of Me Frontman Opens Up at Acoustic New York Set

Taking the stage solo, Army of Me frontman Vince Scheuerman played to a standing room only crowd Wednesday night at the Living Room.

For me, life came full circle as I realized that it was just around this time last year that I first met Vince for Army of Me’s show at Union Hall in Brooklyn. My third “official” band interview for the blog, I remember walking away in awe of the pure honesty and amount that he revealed himself to me, a mere music journalist. Then I was struck with the immediate, “I HAVE to do this for the rest of my life” realization.

A few months later I was fortunate enough to go on tour with the band during the “Get a Life” tour with The Used, Straylight Run, Street Drum Corps and Lights Resolve — all great bands you should definitely check out if you haven’t yet. I spent two days touring with Army of Me; interviewing the guys and getting a feel for the real touring lifestyle. Let me tell you, it’s not as glamorous as it may seem.

Wednesday night at the Living Room, Vince reminded me of why small venues are my favorite. The intimacy. The onstage banter. The feeling that you’re having a conversation with the musician onstage.

Performing songs from Army of Me’s amazing debut album, Citizen (pick it up on iTunes, easily my most listened to album of the year) as well as a few new songs, Vince showed the audience his true colors as he told many of the stories behind his songs. Take “Perfect,” a solid song played on acoustic guitar of which he said was written “at the end of a six-year relationship where I realized I was the worst boyfriend ever and was so wrapped up with myself.” With light guitar picking, never overpowering the emotion of the song, Vince had the room paying attention to every lyric sung.

Having been off tour for a few months, Vince told the audience he’s been at home writing and debuted a few new numbers. Some still untitled, he told the room his tentative song titles throughout the night. Not a huge deviation from his debut album, the newer songs sounded a bit more personal and fit the acoustic, intimate atmosphere of the venue extremely well.

Heading over to the piano, he told the crowd, “If I had my way, I’d play piano 80% of the time and guitar 20% of the time. But, I’m not good at piano,” which seemingly presents a problem in that wish. Despite his lack of confidence in his piano playing, piano based “Better Run” continues to be my favorite song of theirs played live. Slowing down the night, you can feel the emotion throughout the lyrics as Vince sings, “If you find that your life would be better off without me/If you’re running full speed and it feels good to be free/If you know it in your soul, though it’s hard to let it go/You better run, you better run.”

Another song from Citizen, “2 into 1” he asked, “If you love someone, is there anything you can’t forgive?” before telling the crowd, “That’s the idea of this song.” The rest of the night included more of a behind-the-scenes look at each song performed as well as a few personalized dedications to long-time fans in the crowd.

As the year draws to a close, Wednesday night’s set reminded me of why I began this blog just over a year ago. Showcasing musicians like Vince that I probably would never have stumbled upon years ago and seeing their progress as a band over the years is so inspiring. I’m excited to see where Vince and the rest of the guys from Army of Me will be up to in the next few years!

Vince will be playing another acoustic set in Arlington, Virginia this Thursday, so if you’re in the area be sure to catch it! For more on Army of Me and future tour dates, check out their MySpace. And, if you haven’t read my interview with Vince from last year yet, click here.

Photo courtesy of Wendy Hu.