While one band hides its sound carefully in the four walls of their rehearsal space and prefers to put out pictures of themselves, the other one goes live, but never gets their pictures out. So, you get to see This Transient Life live on May 6th at Sidewalk Cafe in NYC's East Village (Ave A and 7th St.) at 11pm. That's so late, even I can make it.
To hear Room, meanwhile, you have to play keyboards or fancy guitar, preferably be female, and join the band in their rehearsal space at Coyote Studio in williamsburg, every Wednesday from 10 to 12pm. Bring your own beer.
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Monday, April 25, 2005
Melo Foxxes Las Vegas Style
Pee Air made the best of his singing partner's absence and led thru their show "Las Vegas Style", introducing a host of guest singers and mixing the Sea Foxx songs with some of his fine Melomane tunes. While the trumpet player most probably was the darling of the drugheads, the best impression left singers "Martina" and "Elly", who gave a convincing NYC stage debut. Girls, you definitely dont have to be afraid of using your real names...! We later went to the Bowery Ballroom to see Out Hud, but honestly, I cant tell you how that show was cause I was too distracted by Mrs. Dreiding and Mr. Jameson and all the other famous people there, like Oli and Domie of A Touch of Class and Thomas of Out Of Condition. Enjoyed the crazy dancing at Motor City Bar in the early morning hours.
Friday, April 22, 2005
Who Wants to Get Into Tunnel Vision?
The place that brought you the HQ song "Tunnel Vision" brings you this monstrous line-up of bands and live DJ!
The Bamboo Kids 11pm
HeadQuarters 10pm
Billionaire Boys Club 9pm
The Ratchets
Lit Lounge
93 2nd Ave. btwn. 5th & 6th Sts
$5, Doors open at 8pm
LIVE VIDEO SHOOT for HeadQuarters' song "Tunnel Vision":
Be at the gig and get in their new music video - There will be cameras shooting both the band AND the CROWD! Arrive early and get your place in the video to become an indie-film superstar!
The Bamboo Kids 11pm
HeadQuarters 10pm
Billionaire Boys Club 9pm
The Ratchets
Lit Lounge
93 2nd Ave. btwn. 5th & 6th Sts
$5, Doors open at 8pm
LIVE VIDEO SHOOT for HeadQuarters' song "Tunnel Vision":
Be at the gig and get in their new music video - There will be cameras shooting both the band AND the CROWD! Arrive early and get your place in the video to become an indie-film superstar!
Monday, April 18, 2005
J.C. & Anphibius at Laila Lounge April 24th
Before JC's eagerly awaited wedding and after the release of the beautiful "Resurrection Jingles" CD, JC and Ant play Laila Lounge in Williamsburg. Here's what the flyer says of the duo:
"These purveyors of uneasy listening music, resurface croaking their newly hatched songs of love found and mislaid. The eternal umpteenagers, return with their second CD, "Resurrection Jingles" a collection of ten slightly psychedelic lounge lullabies."
Check out their website which is still under construction, but shaping up. New solo work by Anthony is in the works, too.
"These purveyors of uneasy listening music, resurface croaking their newly hatched songs of love found and mislaid. The eternal umpteenagers, return with their second CD, "Resurrection Jingles" a collection of ten slightly psychedelic lounge lullabies."
Check out their website which is still under construction, but shaping up. New solo work by Anthony is in the works, too.
There Is Rock On Sunday!
Why not let a beautiful Sunday with a walk in the park and a good Italian dish end with a fiery, poignant rock show? Local David Bowie Kristofer Widholm with Heather Wagner on drums and Yuri Weber on bass pulled it off: A great sounding, tight 45-minute set. And "Mon Bonbon de Dieu" might develop into a true hit. Again no Scarlett, though.The trio is now off to Boston and Philadelphia. You can get their new record here
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Full Review, Full House, Full Throttle
In case you didn't know already, Christian Gibbs singlehandedly turned Rodeo Bar into a cool place again. so no wonder his record release party there Friday night was a packed party of fine tunes and a rowdy crowd. The record, "Parade of Small Horses", is great and shows not only that Christian is a gifted songwriter, but also that Quentin Jennings is one of the finest engineers in town. Highlight was an outstanding version of Echo and the Bunnymen's "Killing Moon" with Pierre from Melomane on guitar. Quite some celebrities were spotted in the audience: Richard the Third Swahnberg, Anphibius, Erik Papparozzi and Brad Stewart, among others. If you haven't bought the record yet, do so here.
Thursday, April 14, 2005
Karaoke Gone Wild
It was nice to play The Lucky Cat on Tuesday and thanks to everybody who came out! Those who didn't missed the amazing karaoke after the show: A very lifely crowd, ready to do back up vocals and great singers! Chapeau, Mike Fornatale for "Whole lotta love", Antony Fine for the saddest "Major Tom" ever and Charles of HQ (pictured on the mic behind Joe hitting the keys). I should also mention Brendan who's got the most angelic voice and perfect pitch. He's in a band called KINETIC so go see them, you get a chance on April 26th at Pianos. I forgot to take pictures and of the two i took, only this one survived somehow. Kristofer and Kerry, you rock. And thank you, Joe!
Monday, April 11, 2005
Ten Lessons Learnt In One Weekend
What a weekend! I learnt a lot of things, here are the top ten: 1. Tami knows cool people. 2. Tanja is a spectacular cook. 3. Headquarters are the best Mod-Rockband in town. 4. Crash Mansion: The bands are better than the place. The sound is good, though. 5. Pierre from Melomane joins C. Gibbs on tour. The two and Melomane's Kenny used to be "The Morning Glories." 6. J.C. is one year older. 7. Kristofer made the three piece fashionable again. 8. You have to get up at least two hours before you play soccer, otherwise you're just too slow on the pitch. 9. Just because you've written a song doesn't mean you know how to play it right. 10. Le fond de l'air est froid en avril.
Plus, I found this review of HQ online - and it happens to be written by Mike Fornatale, who incidentally will play with Kerry and me at The Lucky Cat. So, Charles, if you want to thank him personally, stop by tomorrow! Mike writes about HQ last June:
"Headquarters. I guess probably most of you have seen them by now -- but if you haven't, do. Sharp dressers, sharper players. This is how it's done, seriously. Self-consciously Mod-influenced in all the right ways. I was sitting outside before the show last night with Eric Bloom from Blue Oyster Cult, one of our celebrity judges, when the band first walked in -- in their stage attire -- and Eric peers over the top of his shades and points at them and asks, "Do they sound like they look?" Yes they do indeed, I said, at which point Eric replied "Okay, we can all go home then -- that's our winner." He decided he liked another band better later on, but that's the kind of first impression these guys make. Again, I don't see anyone on this list not liking them."
Plus, I found this review of HQ online - and it happens to be written by Mike Fornatale, who incidentally will play with Kerry and me at The Lucky Cat. So, Charles, if you want to thank him personally, stop by tomorrow! Mike writes about HQ last June:
"Headquarters. I guess probably most of you have seen them by now -- but if you haven't, do. Sharp dressers, sharper players. This is how it's done, seriously. Self-consciously Mod-influenced in all the right ways. I was sitting outside before the show last night with Eric Bloom from Blue Oyster Cult, one of our celebrity judges, when the band first walked in -- in their stage attire -- and Eric peers over the top of his shades and points at them and asks, "Do they sound like they look?" Yes they do indeed, I said, at which point Eric replied "Okay, we can all go home then -- that's our winner." He decided he liked another band better later on, but that's the kind of first impression these guys make. Again, I don't see anyone on this list not liking them."
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Kerry And Roman And The Lucky Cat
For the first time in nine months Kerry and me are going to do our folk-thing again at The Lucky Cat in Williamsburg, thanks to Joe McGinty and his infamous Piano Parlor. We have two guests: Kristofer from Morex Optimo will open with three of his songs, Mike from New Jersey, who can play every song he's ever heard, will join us for two songs. And Kerry and me actually wrote some new songs we want you to hear! After our set, you have the chance to show off your own rockstar skills with Joe's Piano Karaoke - it's a lot of fun and the audience is usually very friendly, so it's almost impossible to feel embarrassed. It's free and we start at 9.30pm. To hear new Roman music, click on the headline of this posting.
The Hotel On Rivington Test
We verified it. The elevator at the new Hotel on Rivington (that new high rise on the LES) is the hottest in town, with its red leather cushion wall. I tried it out with these cool rock chicks, who sadly are skipping town in the next few days (Tami, left) or few weeks (Tanja, right). T&T are the rare species that often go to rock shows and have excellent taste in music. Their absence will be noted by certain bands like HQ or Melomane! Girls, the city will never be the same without you!
PS: The rest of the hotel is kinda bleak. The bar looks like a living room with a great view of the dirty street below. Tanja thinks its a good location for a band photo shoot...
PS: The rest of the hotel is kinda bleak. The bar looks like a living room with a great view of the dirty street below. Tanja thinks its a good location for a band photo shoot...
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Let The Parade of Small Horses Begin!
Just got the following from C.Gibbs. The record is just great. Listen to some tracks by clicking on the headline of this posting.
C. Gibbs writes:
"Yes it is true!..It is finally here!..What you say?...Is it the end of Bush's 4 year term?-No...Have gas prices dropped back to $1.14 a gallon? -No..Is Britney pregnant after all?-No (well maybe)..Is the C.Gibbs record "Parade Of Small Horses" (distributed by Caroline) finally in stores TODAY?..YES!
From the bottom of my big 'ol heart I would like to invite you to my Record Release Party at The Rodeo bar friday after next, April 15th. With a supporting cast and guest appearances by members of these fine bands: Morricone Youth, Melomane, Hem, Asian Orange Soundsystem, The Damn Lovelys..and more. And yes, once again the new record,"Parade of Small Horses" is out today. This fine gem of a recording culminating in years of Blood, Sweat, and Gypsy Town Cars is now available in stores or simply go to amazon.com and buy it now! I will have it at the show of course so bring your Sharpies.
Record Release Show
C.GIBBS
April 15th-Friday, 22pm
Rodeo Bar (375 3rd Ave. Corner of 27th)
Free....(He puts us all on the guest list so we can buy a record!)
Christian is also going on an extend tour. He writes:
"Check out my 6 week Stateside tour and tell a friend in one of these faraway places to bring me some canned food...I will be traveling with my hot plate and living in my trusty Ford van I chose to call The Green Capsule...see ya!"
SPRING TOUR (with more dates to be announced)
April 24th- The Overdraught Pub- Cambridge, MA
April 27th- Sweet Shoppe-W.V.
April 29th- Millers-Charlottsville,VA
May 1st-- Artful Dodger,Newmarket, VA
May 3rd--The Cave, Chapel Hill, NC
May 5th-- Five Spot-Nashville,TN
May 7th--Radio,Radio-Indianapolis,IN
May 8th--Uncommon Grounds-Chicago,IL
May 10th-Elbow Room-Ypsilanti,MI
May 11th- Wilberts-Cleveland,OH
May 12th- Northside Tavern-Cincinatti, OH
May 14th- Vaudeville Mews-Des Moines,IO
May 18th-Larimer Lounge-Denver, CO
May 21st-Neurolex-Boise, I
May 24th-Dante's-Portland,Oregon
May 26th- Hotel Utah-San Francisco, CA
June 2--Thirsty Hippo-Hattisseburg,MS
June 7th--Southgate House-Cincinatti,OH
C. Gibbs writes:
"Yes it is true!..It is finally here!..What you say?...Is it the end of Bush's 4 year term?-No...Have gas prices dropped back to $1.14 a gallon? -No..Is Britney pregnant after all?-No (well maybe)..Is the C.Gibbs record "Parade Of Small Horses" (distributed by Caroline) finally in stores TODAY?..YES!
From the bottom of my big 'ol heart I would like to invite you to my Record Release Party at The Rodeo bar friday after next, April 15th. With a supporting cast and guest appearances by members of these fine bands: Morricone Youth, Melomane, Hem, Asian Orange Soundsystem, The Damn Lovelys..and more. And yes, once again the new record,"Parade of Small Horses" is out today. This fine gem of a recording culminating in years of Blood, Sweat, and Gypsy Town Cars is now available in stores or simply go to amazon.com and buy it now! I will have it at the show of course so bring your Sharpies.
Record Release Show
C.GIBBS
April 15th-Friday, 22pm
Rodeo Bar (375 3rd Ave. Corner of 27th)
Free....(He puts us all on the guest list so we can buy a record!)
Christian is also going on an extend tour. He writes:
"Check out my 6 week Stateside tour and tell a friend in one of these faraway places to bring me some canned food...I will be traveling with my hot plate and living in my trusty Ford van I chose to call The Green Capsule...see ya!"
SPRING TOUR (with more dates to be announced)
April 24th- The Overdraught Pub- Cambridge, MA
April 27th- Sweet Shoppe-W.V.
April 29th- Millers-Charlottsville,VA
May 1st-- Artful Dodger,Newmarket, VA
May 3rd--The Cave, Chapel Hill, NC
May 5th-- Five Spot-Nashville,TN
May 7th--Radio,Radio-Indianapolis,IN
May 8th--Uncommon Grounds-Chicago,IL
May 10th-Elbow Room-Ypsilanti,MI
May 11th- Wilberts-Cleveland,OH
May 12th- Northside Tavern-Cincinatti, OH
May 14th- Vaudeville Mews-Des Moines,IO
May 18th-Larimer Lounge-Denver, CO
May 21st-Neurolex-Boise, I
May 24th-Dante's-Portland,Oregon
May 26th- Hotel Utah-San Francisco, CA
June 2--Thirsty Hippo-Hattisseburg,MS
June 7th--Southgate House-Cincinatti,OH
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Coxon, Britrock and The Real Draw
Let's be a little more serious about Blue Sparks, just because they deserve it. Those who still don't believe it, should come to the Mercury Lounge on April 6th at 9.30pm. This time, it's compulsory! Then, there's this piece in New York Magazine:
"Second Best. Sometimes the opening act is the real draw"
1. Morning Theft. Superdrag's John Davis may have the marketable name, but moody popsters Morning Theft are high on every indie scenester's must-see list.
2. The Donnas. No longer written off as a novelty act, rock's premier brat-punk girl band has far more cred than their headliners, Maroon 5.
3. Kevin Devine. Having opened for everyone from Bright Eyes to Dashboard Confessional, Devine now reunites with his former Miracle of 86 bandmate, Mason Dixon frontman Mike Robertson.
4. Blue Sparks. Who's the second-billed act here? The hard-rocking local foursome could easily pack the Mercury Lounge, even without the largely unknown Scottish act Speedway.
While I haven't heard Kevin Divine and The donnas, I ran into one member of Morning Theft after Graham Coxons show at the Bowery Ballroom yesterday. I was handed a demo and just listened to it. Pleasant, but not great. Same goes for the 22-20s, who opened for Coxon. They had their moments, but sometimes lapsed into boring southern style rock. The guy playing keys and looking like Eric Clapton sang great harmonies. Singer Martin Trimble - while his voice is great - was way too busy on guitar, less would have been more. Graham Coxon himself was respectable. Hey, it's not Blur, but it's getting damn close to their early stuff. Coxon is just not a band leader like Damon Albarn is, but it's great to see that he can pull it off. The guys in the band unfortunately just did their job without much creativity, except the bass player.
"Second Best. Sometimes the opening act is the real draw"
1. Morning Theft. Superdrag's John Davis may have the marketable name, but moody popsters Morning Theft are high on every indie scenester's must-see list.
2. The Donnas. No longer written off as a novelty act, rock's premier brat-punk girl band has far more cred than their headliners, Maroon 5.
3. Kevin Devine. Having opened for everyone from Bright Eyes to Dashboard Confessional, Devine now reunites with his former Miracle of 86 bandmate, Mason Dixon frontman Mike Robertson.
4. Blue Sparks. Who's the second-billed act here? The hard-rocking local foursome could easily pack the Mercury Lounge, even without the largely unknown Scottish act Speedway.
While I haven't heard Kevin Divine and The donnas, I ran into one member of Morning Theft after Graham Coxons show at the Bowery Ballroom yesterday. I was handed a demo and just listened to it. Pleasant, but not great. Same goes for the 22-20s, who opened for Coxon. They had their moments, but sometimes lapsed into boring southern style rock. The guy playing keys and looking like Eric Clapton sang great harmonies. Singer Martin Trimble - while his voice is great - was way too busy on guitar, less would have been more. Graham Coxon himself was respectable. Hey, it's not Blur, but it's getting damn close to their early stuff. Coxon is just not a band leader like Damon Albarn is, but it's great to see that he can pull it off. The guys in the band unfortunately just did their job without much creativity, except the bass player.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Be Afraid, New Jersey, Be Very Afraid
If you see her by daylight, you might think she's the sweetest girl in the world. But there have been constant rumors that Kerry Kennedy of the Blue Sparks is in fact a vampire. Kerry has since been dubbed Scary Kerry and keeps haunting the internet, latest "proof" supposedly is this photo. Kerry is kept safest on stage, where the Blue Sparks' powerful rock keep her nocturnal desires at bay and all the energy flows into the music. The band is heading out today to play a show in New Jersey, at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. As Buffy-Generation we all know that there are good vampires and that it can be a lot of fun when they come to schools. Check out more Blues Sparks, if you click on the headline. Check out the vampire rumors at Manic Mess.
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