First Weekend in NYC: Karen Elson, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses

Karen Elson, Grizzly Bear, Band of Horses

To continue my concert binge through out my first weekend here, I went back to BK for some great live shows at Williamsburg Waterfront. This show was the first of 101.9 RXP concert series and while the view (the East River... the sunset... sigh...) was breathtaking, the venue coordinators were retarded. When we arrived (unfortunately, a bit fashionably late, right after Elson had finished her set), we soon realized that there were three lines (one to enter the venue, another to actually enter the GA area, which was a one-out-one-in policy, another for beer tickets, another for... something else. Why you may ask? Like I said, retarded).

When we made it through the first set of lines, Grizzly Bear had just started and we were anxious to get in ASAP. Thank god the concert was outside because even though we were not actually inside the GA area, we could hear the flawless acoustics perfectly. This is my first time seeing GB live and I was so impressed; they sounded wonderful. Lead singer Ed Droste commanded the vocals with subtle, welcoming beauty, accompanied by his fellow band members' floating and powerfully wistful harmonies. GB played a mix of tracks from older albums, like Yellow House, as well as the newest one, Veckatimist, including hits like "Knife," and "Two Weeks," respectively. Before finishing off with "While You Wait for the Others" and "On a Neck, On a Spit," Droste graciously thanked the crowd for coming out and engaged everyone to sing along as they danced and threw back their buzzed heads in the hot summer air.

Band of Horses came onstage shortly after with a rockstar pep in their step. Not only was it their last show of of the tour, it was Father's Day, and lead singer Ben Bridell was thrilled to be going back his family so soon. Ultimately, the band was ready to end their tour with a bang, and they did. I am pretty familiar with BOH's debut album Everything all the Time and a few popular tracks from Cease to Begin. Unfortunately I don't know much from their newest, Infinite Arms. Either way, BOH packed a shit ton of great music to jam out to for a full night of rock debauchery - a sixteen track set list plus a four track encore. They played a couple of my (well-known) favorites - Funeral, The Great Salt Lake, No One's Gonna Love You, as well as some other great ones that I have never heard before but was glad to be introduced to for the first time live. 

The crowd didn't want Band of Horses to leave the stage, and it was clear they didn't want to leave either. While the first half of the set was obviously dedicated to the music, the second half seemed dedicated to a wasted dude in the front row named Andrew, who they made shout outs to, and a couple lil diddy's for before moving on to the next song. It was their way of connecting with the audience, to reach out to fans, and everyone loved it (no matter how bizarrely obsessed they seemed to be with Andrew). 

By the time BOH finally finished the show with "Monsters" it was already dark. The air was cooler and people were ready to get even crazier post show. And they did. It was a Sunday night but the Williamsburg streets were crowded with happy partiers and boozed up couples. 

Cheers.

We <3 Andrew

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWR2VyGyt38&feature=player_embedded#!

Ed Droste, Grizzly Bear

Ben Bridell, Band of Horses

First Weekend in NYC: Suckers

My first weekend in NYC is pretty emblematic of how musically-rich and freaking awesome this city is: two amazing shows in three days (Suckers on Friday, Karen Elson/Grizzly Bear/Band of Horses on Sunday). Yes, please!

Suckers

I flew in Friday night, cabbed it to my good friends' East Village apartment, took shots and headed to Brooklyn to see Suckers play at the Music Hall of Williamsburg for their CD Release Party, Wild Smile.  

Our picky friends at Pitchfork recently described Suckers as a band that "make[s] music with personality." But listen closer and you will see they are much more than that. Comparable to a conglomerate of sounds from Animal Collective, to Tears for Fears, to Modest Mouse, Suckers mixes all kinds of funky instruments with whistling, high-pitched vocals, jam buildups and blasting, yelping finales. 

Some of my favorites from their new LP, "Save your Love for Me," "Black Sheep," "Before your Birthday Ends," "You Can Keep Me Runnin' Around," (the first four tracks on CD, actually) and "It Gets Your Body Movin'" were even better live. Ultimately, I do have to agree with the good ol' Fork: Suckers makes music with personality. After seeing them live though, it became clear that Suckers is responsible for giving music personality as well. And a fucking good one at that - from the lead singer's psychedelic wardrobe, to the their synthetic, raucous-soaked energy, to the fact that they welcomed audience members join onstage to dance around...and play drums with them? Wow, maybe I was a little more blackout than I thought. Thanks, Suckers, for a kick ass time. 


PS Karen Elson/Grizzly Bear/Band of Horses to come very soon.

Pre - NYC: Pains of Being Pure at Heart & Surfer Blood

Although I am going to post reviews for the shows I go to NYC, I have seen a few shows while at home in Miami. Check 'em out biatches!

...

Poplife celebrated its anniversary at Grand Central Saturday night with an awesome concert rocked by shoegaze pop darlings, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and manic guitar machines, Surfer Blood.

POBPAH came out at eleven on the dot. Moments after the adorably gangly lead singer and guitarist, Alex Naidus, gracefully thanked us all for coming, the band kicked off the set with effervescent musical muscle.  POBPAH played a slew of popular songs from their self titled LP and some from their newest EP, “Higher than the Stars.” While everyone loved the obvious ones such as “Come Saturday” and “Young Adult Friction,” other tracks, like “This Love is Fucking Right!,” stood out for their sheer energy. Not only do POBPAH love playing music, they love playing music that deals with love itself: first crushes, kisses, sex, and everything else that makes you feel warm and fuzzy and yummy. Oh yeah, and heroin and vicodin too.

Overall, the band was able to create energy in both the creation and production of the sound. POBPAH won my heart because they were so happy to be there. This was evident in both their music and their attitude -- from the lead singer’s bashful smile in response to the crowd’s enthusiasm, to the way my newest girl crush, keyboardist Peggy Wang, drunkenly danced and giggled whilst harmonizing and making silly side commentary.  POBPAH had a such a freaking cute thing going on and I fell hard for them. 

After POBPAH generated such lovable presence onstage, I had high expectations for Surfer Blood, especially since they are South Florida natives. But while lead singer, JP Pitts, announced that they were “happy to be back home,” it didn’t really seem like it – there was something lacking right off the bat, as if the band members were a bit unsettled. To some, this probably went unnoticed, considering that the band kicked off with an awesome opener of “Floating Vibes.” Soon after they finished their second song though, their initial attitude was explained: guitarist, Tom Fekete, thanked everyone for coming and said “too bad this place is run by a bunch of dicks.” He then ate the microphone…. and the crowd ate it up. Everyone hooted and screamed out of love for Surfer Blood. The band members laughed off their resentment and loosened up...and the rest was history. What followed was an almost flawless show.

I heard that this band is incredible live, and they were. Between the powerful, resonating guitar textures, to the way Pitts flamboyantly marched/jammed/pranced around stage (you should have seem him on the dance floor afterwards), to just the overbearingly robust sound this band produces, I couldn’t help but get completely lost in the sweet sixties noise. Surfer Blood covered most of their debut LP, “Astro Coast,” with domination and rocker spirit. And some improvised additions only heightened the live experience, like when Pitts asked a friend to join in for a guitar guest spot or when he crowd surfed during “Swim (To Reach the End).”

Overall, Surfer Blood lived up to everything I heard they could be and perhaps even more.  And their encore, a cover of Lit’s “My Own Worst Enemy” with the help of POBPAH, could not have been cooler (Wait… is that Peggy Wang I spy with a tambourine on her head?). Who thought shoegaze and guitar rock could sound so good together?

Music the Great Communicator.

I told you I wouldn’t be gone forever.

Since I am moving to a new city - New York City to be exact - to start a new chapter in my life, I figured I would start another blog.

For those of you who know me at all, I love writing. I also love other creative things, and right now, it’s all about music. I have always been a music lover, but it’s not been until this past year that I have gone from listening to music to fully experiencing it. And by that I mean concerts, concerts and more concerts.

Since NYC is a wonderful concert hub for all kinds of music I thoroughly enjoy, I figured I would start writing concert reviews and posting them here. I already have a bunch of concert tickets purchased and a full lists of free shows I will be attending in the city. Hopefully my posts will inspire you to appreciate other types of music, and broaden your tastes.

Maybe if I am lucky, I can even get you to hit up a few shows with me.

Anyways, happy reading!

… And of course, happy listening!

The end.

Hi guys.

I wrote this post right after graduation, so excuse the intense emotionality of it. I was traveling for awhile and finally am back home in Miami; although it's a bit late, I figured I would still post this.

I will be starting another blog in the next month so stay on the lookout!

xx

...

Goodbye Vanderbilt.
Farewell Artsy Nash.
Hello, World.

College is over and so is my blog. I don’t really now how to feel. Weird? Sad? Nostalgic? Of course, these feelings don’t arise from the fact that my short lived blog is now coming to an end but that this part of my life is coming to an end.

I graduated. We graduated. And that in itself is daunting. Now is the time for us to search, to look for places that move us, that make us want to grow creatively, professionally, artistically, and emotionally...

Now is the time that we can really find ourselves. Keywords: by ourselves.

So, what next?

For now, I'll be moving to NYC at the end of June, working at New York Magazine, where I interned two summers ago. And although it’s sad that college is over, I can’t wait to start this next part of my life. Not only will I be in the writing world, a great starting place for my future endeavors, I will also be in New York City, the hub of creativity. I can’t wait to meet all kinds of new people and expose myself to new kinds of art. I think it will be such an inspiring experience.

But before I make this move, I write this last post as a thank you...

I thank both my professors and Vanderbilt as an institution for helping me grow academically. The knowledge I have acquired is invaluable and will guide me as I search for my place in the world.

I thank my friends for the thrill of the college years: the transitioning, the traveling, the raging, the chilling, the learning and the bonding. I thank you all for allowing me to experience what it means to actually become really close to people.

And I thank you artsy Nashville, the city outside the bubble that I only really discovered my last year at Vanderbilt. I thank Nashville for showing me a world of art that I love so much and hope to monumentally incorporate into the next part my life.

It’s all of you -- all of you who “turn me” -- whom have helped me become the person I am right now.



Mr. Braddock: What is it, Ben?
Benjamin: I'm just...
Mr. Braddock: Worried?
Benjamin: Well...
Mr. Braddock: About what?
Benjamin: I guess about my future.
Mr. Braddock: What about it?
Benjamin: I don't know... I want it to be...
Mr. Braddock: To be what?
Benjamin: Different.

- The Graduate