Perfect Weather for the Summer Sounds of Generationals on Pier 84

When I was in Las Vegas a few weeks ago, I happened upon a store in the Miracle Mile called Art of Music.  Inside, they had some autographed vinyls, but their main draw was signed guitars.  I noticed that most of the instruments were brand new and often from a lower quality manufacturer.  Do you expect me to believe that Bruce Springsteen has ever played a Squier?  I saw what I believe to be the first Squier I've ever seen onstage last night at Pier 84.  The owner was Katie Crutchfield, also known as Waxahatchee, who has received an insane amount of buzz and praise after releasing a record last year. She just dropped the follow-up, Cerulean Salt, the band now expanded to a trio of tatted up Philly hipsters.  With a voice that recalls Zolof's Rachel Minton (I guess that's just how Philadelphia girls sound?), Waxahatchee mananged to sing thirteen songs in just over 35 minutes.  "We're gonna play our bar rock song now," she said, starting up "Magic City Wholesale."  I'm not sure what sort of bars Crutchfield has been going to, but I'd venture to say they have $2 PBRs and allow cats.  The horn from a departing Circle Line boat the next pier over sounded loudly at its end.  "They're telling us to be quiet," joked Crutchfield.  If that was their intent, it was only to silence the other band members, who might as well have been playing in a high school talent show.  The musicianship on songs like "Brother Bryan" was just too monotonously simple to add anything to Katie's words.  Although a nice jangling groove accompanied "Grass Stain"'s noteworthy lyrics, Crutchfield was at her best when she was alone, even if that meant the bassist and drummer had to wait there awkwardly.  I'm not so sure I get the hype, but I feel like if Katie had performed solo, my review may have been different.

Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside were up next, opening with the surf rock instrumental, "The Eagle Has Landed."  Ford broke a string during the number, and picked up another guitar at the song's end. "Little bit of technical difficulties, but we'll keep goin'," she said with a chuckle. There's a certain innocence about Sallie, with her shy banter and her childlike face behind cat eye glasses, that's offset by her womanly figure.  Looking at her in her short blue dress, you wonder, "Do you think she knows we can see her underwear?"  Then you hear her suggestive, sometimes profane lyrics, and you realize, "Of course she does." She lies, she can raise hell, and she doesn't want any lip from boys, but boys should feel free to take hers.  And she sang all this with a distinctive articulation that went up to a nasal snarl at the end of most lines.  I wasn't even particularly fond of her voice, but the sheer originality of it, coupled with her attitude, won me over.  Shoeless lead guitarist, Jeff Munger, proved a nice foil, with his rockabilly licks and quips in between songs.  Offering up a joke, he said, "How do you know if a hot pepper is being too nosy? It's jalapeño business."  When it didn't get quite the laugh he'd expected, he followed, "Obviously you guys have not been drinking as much as I have."  A party boat returned to Pier 83 blaring Serani's "No Games," and Munger shouted, "Turn it up!" "Oh my God," Sallie kept repeating, shocked by their competition.  Munger embraced it, yelling to the boat's passengers, "Why you guys over there?!"  Pulling a cellphone from her purse, Ford explained, "I don't know how many more we have for you 'cause I've gotta check the time."  The band churned out a few more tunes, closing with "Party Kids," which saw Ford playing Munger's guitar with a can of Modelo as she chugged from another.  As with Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, it was great witnessing an empowered rock n' roll woman who's not afraid to get dirty.

I was at the sold-out Generationals show at Bowery Ballroom in April, and missed out on buying the Lucky Numbers 7", so this was my chance to remedy that mistake.  Unfortunately, there was no merch available, but I still got a good show from the New Orleans band.  I made a conscious decision in the spring to make Heza one of my go-to summer albums, and I couldn't have wished for better summer weather last evening.  Generationals demonstrated their faith in the new record by opening with "Spinoza" instead of the usual "Ten-Twenty-Ten," and the crowd responded positively.  "Ten" made its appearance after a chill "Say When."  "You Got Me" came next, but this wasn't the maraca-infused encore version from Bowery, but a louder, front-of-the-set kind of deal.  Ted Joyner's vocals seemed to have more treble than normal, but I'm gonna blame the mix on this one.  "Is anyone here from Louisiana?" asked Grant Widmer.  A few cheers punctured the night air.  "There are some of you. I thought I smelled you guys," he jested.  "Okay, this song is for tomorrow," he added before they delved into "Friday I'm in Love."  Placed in the spot where Frank Black's "Headache" had been at Bowery, the Cure cover definitely went over better with the crowd.  Using that momentum, they plunged into fan faves "Put a Light On," "Trust," and "Yours Forever," all of which had the audience bouncing.  To finish off the set, they opened up the power pop ditty "Nobody Could Change Your Mind" to include a final double-guitar attack.  Overall, a great night to be outside listening to music.

WAXAHATCHEE - 07.11.13 - PIER 84 (36 minutes)

SET -
Hollow Bedroom / Coast to Coast > Misery Over Dispute / Waiting / Magic City Wholesale / Grass Stain / Tangled Envisioning / Brother Bryan / Lively / Noccalula / Blue pt. II / Peace & Quiet / American Weekend

SALLIE FORD & THE SOUND OUTSIDE - 07.11.13 - PIER 84 (45 minutes)

SET -
The Eagle Has Landed / Shivers / Bad Boys / Lip Boy / Devil / They Told Me / Paris / Do Me Right / Fuck That / Lips & Hips / Addicted / Party Kids

GENERATIONALS - 07.11.13 - PIER 84 (50 minutes)

SET -
Spinoza / Say When / Ten-Twenty-Ten / You Got Me / Awake / Faces in the Dark / When They Fight, They Fight / Friday I'm in Love / Put a Light On / Trust / Yours Forever / Nobody Could Change Your Mind

Generationals Sell Out Bowery Ballroom & Splashh Make a Splash

I got to last night's sold-out Generationals show at Bowery Ballroom in time to see a few songs from Pepi Ginsberg's new band, Companion.  Their penultimate number, "Swimming/Wave," was my favorite, with the rhythm section hitting a danceable groove as effects-heavy guitars swirled around on the surface.  It was the shining moment in a set where Ginsberg's vocals often went over the top.

"This is our first time in America.  We're really fucking excited to be here," admitted Splashh's frontman Sasha Carlson, looking quite young with his Snoopy t-shirt and floppy haircut.  His bandmate, Toto Vivian, donned a Sonic Youth longsleeve, and as they embarked on their guitar-centric first tune, the London band displayed a strong Daydream Nation-era SY influence.  Over the course of forty minutes, Splashh tore through nine feedback-drenched songs that some critics have pegged as shoegaze, but it's shoegaze cranked up to 11.  And cutting through all the noise, a strong pop sensibility that at times recalled Oasis.  An incredibly solid debut performance on this side of the pond.

Arrested Development's "Mr. Wendal" ushered Generationals onto the Bowery stage.  Speech dropped out, and the band dropped into the jittery "Ten-Twenty-Ten."  Generationals play the kind of music that makes you just sort of give up on the genre field in iTunes and resort to typing "Indie."   Put Phoenix, the Cure, and New Order in a blender and set it to "pulse."  I preordered their latest album, Heza, and though I hadn't listened to it much before yesterday, it gets better on every repeat.  I can see it becoming one of my go-to's this summer if it ever gets fucking warm out.

In front of an alternating web of Christmas lights, which gave the whole thing a slightly Winterfest of Lights vibe, they played several tracks from Heza.  Most got a good crowd response, especially harder rocking ones like "I Never Know."  It was a bit of a challenge to come down after the powerhouse of Splashh, but once Generationals settled into their back catalogue, the fans and the band fired up.  "Angry Charlie" and the crowd-pleasing "When They Fight, They Fight" were followed by a cover of Frank Black's "Headache," though that was lost on the mostly hipster audience.  They recovered with "Faces in the Dark" and "Trust."  "This is our first show at Bowery Ballroom.  We'll always remember this," said a gracious Ted Joyner before they left the stage.

Applause brought them back for an encore, Ted saying, "There are a couple more we could do, so thank you."  Then they played their best song of the night, "You Got Me" from the new album.  Synthesized claps blended with human ones from the crowd as Joyner sang, "Every single night, you got me aching all the time."  A nicely placed bit of maraca from their drummer gave it that little extra push into greatness.  Sometimes it's the little things.  Next came the juicy synth sound of "Yours Forever," which had fans singing and bopping along so much that it had to be the last song.  At its finish, I looked down to my phone to note the show's end time, and then peered up to see Joyner strapping on his guitar.  "We're gonna do one more for you guys.  This has been a very special night for us.  This is first song, first record," Ted announced, plunging into "Nobody Could Change Your Mind."  At the song's end, the band walked offstage.  Without skipping a beat, Biggie's "Hypnotize" came on over the PA, and the dancefloor erupted.  The effect was that someone had taped over your "best of hip-hop" mixtape, but instead of being pissed off, you had a new summer mix and a story to tell.

I went down to the merch table, where I found Toto from Splashh sitting on a chair.  "What time is your show at Pianos tomorrow?" I asked.  "It's early.  7:00.  But you should come," he said with a smile.  "I don't think I'll be off yet," I said, lamenting my new job.  "If not, we're playing Shea Stadium at 10:30 or 11.  Do you know that place?"  WHAT?!?  I'm a little ashamed to admit that I got all the way home before remembering that the Mets now play at Citi Field.  It turns out there's now a venue/recording studio in Bushwick called Shea Stadium.  Generationals will be at the Rock Shop in Park Slope tonight.  Go see either band.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

GENERATIONALS - 04.22.13 - BOWERY BALLROOM (1 hour, 1 minute)

SET -

Ten-Twenty-Ten / Put a Light On / Lucky Numbers / I Never Know / Awake / Spinoza / Angry Charlie / When They Fight, They Fight / Headache / Faces in the Dark / Trust

ENCORE -

You Got Me / Yours Forever / Nobody Could Change Your Mind