Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly & Bryce Dessner @ BAM

What: Planetarium

When: March 21st, 2013

Jenny and I took a journey to outer space.  In fact, we took a tour of our entire solar system, even swinging by Pluto, poor guy:(  I know what you're thinking. "How?" "What was it like?!"  Well, we joined a packed crowd of Brooklynites at BAM and three musical geniuses took us.  We are happy to report that it's gorgeous out there!  Not only is there sound, but what you hear is heavenly!  The best part is that as the music crescendos, the light become increasingly spectacular.  And just when you think the ship is at full throttle, lasers blast out and your mind shifts to warp drive. 

The captain of the ship was Sufjan Stevens.  He and his keyboards stood front and center of the bridge.  Nico Muhly, a contemporary classical composer with an impressive resume, set up starboard side.  The National's Bryce Dessner worked his guitar magic on the port side.  Behind them were one hell of a crew.  Under the giant orb's right side was a string quartet.  To the left there were seven trombonists in a row.  They've been taking this same journey for a year with people from all over the world and their experience showed.  It seemed effortless the way they bent time and space for the sell out crowd.  

Their design was brilliant from the start.  The first half of the show, the string quartet played songs written and arranged by each of the three composers who hadn't yet appeared.  The alluring music was evoked under the light of a single spotlight, soothing the senses and cleansing the palate for us overstimulated urbanites.  Most of the selections were listened to with closed eyes by the audience, or at least that's what I sensed (my eyes were closed).  But, in the second half?  Liftoff.  

Projections on the enormous orb, richly colored lasers, choreographed intelligent lighting and one cosmic tune after another kept everyone weightless for an hour.  When I'd chosen our seats months ago, something told me front row, center balcony was the way to go.  My hunch was accurate.  Peering over the brass rail in front of us, I felt like Zeus himself, gazing at the Aurora Borealis from a seat in the sky.  But all journeys come to end, and ours concluded when house lights broke the spell.  Gravity's grip returned and a B38 bus whisked us home.  Neil Armstrong once said, "I put up my thumb and it blotted out the earth."  I can now say the same.

Kent Odessa @ the Knitting Factory

When: March 13th, 2013

I looked at my calendar and thought, "Damn, I'm wide open this week."  While a bit of time away from the nightlife and booze was doing me well, I just couldn't bear the thought of a week going by without seeing something live.  Came across Kent Odessa on the Knitting Factory website.  After watching a couple videos and test driving some tracks, I plunked down a few clams to catch his act. 

When I arrived I joined a small crowd to watch the opening act, Black Onassis.  These guys were going for broke and had an enormous sound.  The visuals behind them were colorful and well done and they seemed thoroughly into themselves.  I was feeling it.  Chris Karloff, the former guitarist for Kasabian, led the aural assault for this threesome.  They sounded seriously big.  Huge drums, walls of guitar, echoing samples, and a bassist who played like Colin Greenwood.  As impressive as they were, I was baffled by the vocals.  Each song had a different singer, none of which were there.  The vocals were previously recorded and played over their live performance.  I'm not talking snippets.  I'm talking entire songs with verses, choruses, bridges, etc.  For me, it made the experience unique, but not necessarily in a good way.  Once I watched this video I had a better understanding, but still, not having a frontman is a tough sell for a live performance with vocals.  The music was pretty powerful stuff though.  I'll be keeping an eye on how things develop for Chris and the boys. 

Kent Odessa is a one man band.  I mean, he had a band playing his music when he performed, but on his album he wrote, recorded and played it all on his own.  Way to go, Kent!  Big fan of when people just fucking do it.  It takes balls to make something and put it out there with no other band mates to blend in with.  My soft spot for self producing artists played a part in my choosing his show and how I perceived it.  He has a knack for making catchy, funky, electronic music with lyrics much deeper than your average radio cheese.  He also has a great sense of humor, which I always enjoy.  Lastly, Kent loves to cut a rug.  Throughout his performance he busted one move after another.  He'd do a little shuffle to the front, follow that with a lazy moonwalk across the stage, toss in a spin, thrust his hips at the girls in front, and then get back to singing.  

What he lacked in actual dancing ability he made up for in personality.  Kent just seems like a guy you wish you knew.  He's got that magical blend of not taking himself too serious, but still having substance.  His music was smooth from start to finish.  While he was singing and swinging, the three piece with him did a great job.  Everything sounded clean and groove heavy.  And good lord, his female backup singer was a knockout who sang like a bird.  I ended up doing a bit of dancing myself and left with a smile on my face.  Kent came through.  Oh, and he turned 32 on the night I saw him, thus the title of this post (it gets tough naming these things). 

 

Youth Lagoon @ Bowery Ballroom

When: March 6th, 2013

Youth Lagoon is Trevor Powers, a 23 year old kid from Boise, Idaho.  I discovered him on Vimeo when I saw his video for "Montana".  It's a beautifully done video for a strong song.  The track builds slowly, reaching a heavy climax similar to something from Arcade Fire.  It shows Trevor to be a mature songwriter and patient songsmith. Check out the video below:

I listened to "The Year of Hibernation", his debut album, in the days leading up to the show.  Trevor lives in Boise, Idaho and has dealt with serious anxiety for years.  Both those things have clearly influenced his sound.  Most of the songs deal with regret, loneliness, and social isolation.  His songs make you feel like he's singing his diary and his voice often sounds like a timid boy singing falsetto.  I prepared myself for a subdued and slightly awkward crowd. 

 

Youth Lagoon's set was both impressive and disappointing.  The music sounded great.  He and his band were locked in.  I read that they rehearsed for the tour in a big Boise warehouse for months.  It paid off.  They filled the place with mesmerizing walls of sound that rolled in and out like the tide.  Soft melodic moments grew to huge swells that shook the walls.  Big moments returned to whispers.  It made for a fun ride.  The problem I had with the show was Trevor's voice.  It just seemed too thin in a live setting.  He hit the notes, but they were no match for the music, especially once the songs kicked in.  Maybe it was the soundboard dude.  Maybe it is what it is.  Whatever the cause, the inequity dropped the performance from a possible great show to just a good show.  I'll be seeing Youth Lagoon again when they open for The National.  My ears hope for a more fulfilling experience.

Something I have to address was the crowd in attendance.  I was shocked out how many pretty boy, model looking dudes were in the house.  It was really odd.  Trevor looked like a hippie friend of Napoleon Dynamite, decked out in a psychedelic silk robe, black frame glasses, and a nerd fro.  Meanwhile, most of the audience looked like they walked out of the pages of an American Eagle catalog.  It was like the school nerd playing for a packed house of prom kings and baseball players.  Weird.  

 

Mac Demarco @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

When: March 1st, 2013

 

Mac DeMarco is a demented young Canadian genius with a gift for making catchy rock he calls "jizz jazz".  His latest album, "2", was released in October and it's one of my favorite albums of the last year.  It sounds a bit like the Strokes and Ween made a baby and handed it off to Jonathan Richman.  It's full of serious grooves, silly lyrics, and skillful playing.  Mac made it in his Montreal bedroom in less than a month.  It's definitely got a low fi, DIY sound, but his knack for crapping out gems shines through.

I've always struggled with taking things serious, so Mac's humor is right up my poop shoot.  Most indie frontmen are staid and as fun as a cock splinter.  Mr. Demarco is refreshingly goofy and silly.  He has songs about freaking out the neighbors, his favorite brand of cigarettes, and his sketchy pimp father making meth in the basement.  His videos are off the wall, low budget affairs made to entertain him and his band.  He plays a piece of shit guitar he bought for $30 Canadian.  He's been known to strip naked while performing and once stuck drumsticks up his ass on stage.  He was once a guinea pig for medical experiments.  Mac is not a douchebag out to convince you he's smart.  He's a smart douchebag who just wants to have a good time. 

Mac's live show was precisely what I hoped for and more.  He and his band filled the place with a zany energy that is incredibly rare in live music.  Few people can pull off what they achieved.  In all the years I've been seeing shows, the only people I've seen with a vibe in the same vein are Ween, Mike Patton, and Beck.  An old friend of mine from way back, T-Bone Jenkins, had the gift too.  It's the ability to disarm an audience with humor, but play music that is legitimately good, not just looking for laughs.  In fact, it's like their character alone can elicit a smile.  The funny bone is tickled before a joke even comes out.  Mac and his crew have that ability.  People threw packs of Viceroys on stage for them, yelled dirty jokes between songs, tossed up notes for them to read aloud, and greeted every song with a whoop and a Cheshire grin.  

 Speaker dancing during "Rock N Roll Night Club"

Mac Atop the Crowd

Mac Carrying His Girl Around the Stage

Mac and his band are funny, but the fun is just part of the show.  As musicians, they're legit.  They've been playing together for years and it showed.  The music was top notch from start to finish and the songs sounded even better live.  The exuberance of the audience for the new album was obvious and not surprising.  It's a record that gets better with every listen.  I've spent entire days where it's the only thing I put in my ears.  Nothing better than seeing the band you're currently obsessed with and having them exceed expectations.  Mac and the boys did just that.

At the end of the show, Mac carried his girlfriend down from the balcony to the stage.  He confessed to the crowd how much he loves her and that the tour will keep them apart for the next 3 months.  They kissed and hugged while the crowd cheered them on.  Then Mac serenaded her under the spotlight while they sat on the front of the stage.  Everyone joined in on the high pitched choruses of "Still Together" as her eyes welled up with salty tears.  It made for a sweet and surprisingly intimate moment.  Of course, after a big smooch, he tossed her over his shoulder and danced around the stage while the band wailed away on an instrumental.  The joker can only reveal himself for so long.  

By the end of the night, Mac's girl wasn't the only one head over heels for him.  The line at the merch table stretched up the stairs and into the hall and everyone was smiling. 

"Dreamin"

"Freaking Out the Neighborhood"

Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Foxygen @ Bowery Ballroom

When: February 28th, 2013

A while back I was texting with my buddy Vijay about the music we were listening to.  He suggested I check out Unknown Mortal Orchestra.  I followed his advice and checked out their new album, II.  Pretty quickly it was in heavy rotation.  A perusal of their tour dates revealed they were playing Bowery Ballroom with a band called Foxygen.  Gave Foxygen a listen and instantly took to them as well.  Paid my $15 and got a ticket to see them.  Within days they were sold out.  Glad I scooped them up when I did.  It ended up being one hell of a good show. 

When I arrived I caught a little of the opener to the opening band, Wampire.  They were cool.  Didn't really wow me or anything.  Did talk to one of the members later at the merch table though and he was a good dude.  They're from Portland and just getting their thing going.  Have to keep an eye out to see how they develop.  One thing they've already got down is their packaging.  I mean, check out their poster above. haha Picked up a 7" of theirs just for the cover and the purple vinyl. 

Foxygen

Foxygen is a rock band from Cali with a bright future.  The heart of the group is two friends barely legal to drink who have been making music together since the end of middle school.  They channel the sound of the Stones, the Kinks, the Beatles, Lou Reed, and other greats into musical collages that make for entertaining listening, especially for those of us with record collections.  Their new album, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, is a current favorite of mine. 

As tight as their studio work is, I was blown away by their live show.  From the get go they were bursting with energy.  Sam France, the singer, was bouncing all over the stage.  He screeched and screamed, strutted and crooned in deep tones, jumped down into the crowd to sing to audience members, beat the mic off the cymbals, preached in short rants about the value of not giving a fuck, and brought the thunder like they were the headliners.  Alongside him was Jonathan Rado, the guitarist, whose playing far exceeded what most 22 year olds can conjure.  Together, with the rest of the band, they made the stuff they've recorded sound more dangerous and intense.  Clearly, whoever produced their LP, shined these kids up, because they were fierce in the flesh.  By the time their set was done the place was crackling with excitement. 

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Next up were UMO.  Like Foxygen they're signed to Jagjaguwar.  Like Foxygen they're heavily influenced by the rock of days gone by.  And also like Foxygen, these guys are much better live than on record.  I was consistently wowed by the fact they're a three piece.  These guys can make a lot of beautiful noise.  Ruban Nielson is an absolute beast on guitar.  Nothing I've heard on their records prepared me for how good he actually is.  Virtually every song expanded into heavy solos and lightning quick runs.  The drummer and bassist would lay a firm foundation and Ruban would just throw notes all over the place like a man possessed.  We're not talking about noodling jam band stuff.  We're talking skillful rock and roll from a guy who is a master of his craft.  UMO truly gave bang for the buck.  Their set was rock solid and close to 2 hours. 

 

Overall, this was an amazing show.  Both Foxygen and UMO delivered.  If they're in your neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and grab a ticket to ride.  Lastly, a big thanks to Vijay for turning me on to these guys.  Cheers brutha!

"So Good At Being In Trouble" 

- Unknown Mortal Orchestra

"San Francisco" - Foxygen