Review to come.
I AM THE AVALANCHE - 03.28.14 - THE MARLIN ROOM AT WEBSTER HALL (55 minutes)
SET -
Two Runaways / Holy Fuck / Amsterdam / I Took a Beating > 177 / I'll Be Back Around / New Disaster / Green Eyes / The Gravedigger's Argument / Anna Lee / This is Dungeon Music / This One's on Me / The Shape I'm In / Gratitude / Brooklyn Dodgers
Showing posts with label i am the avalanche. Show all posts
Showing posts with label i am the avalanche. Show all posts
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Matt Embree's Tour Ends with a Drunken Tell-All on 9/11
Matt Embree and Vinnie Caruana finished up their acoustic tour last night at the Acheron in Bushwick. While Vinnie had been the talkative one at Mercury Lounge, a slew of shots loosened up Matt thoroughly, resulting in a very fun, very interesting show in a super-small venue.
A duo called Sad & French opened the show. One guy sang, played guitar, and occasionally kicked a kickdrum, while the other played upright bass and occasionally sang backup. Under the lights, the singer looked like Nicolas Cage in Con Air, and he had a good punk growl. Unfortunately, the accompanying music was too simplistic to add much, so most of the songs felt incomplete.
Vinnie's I Am the Avalanche bandmate, Mike Ireland, also known as Spirit Houses, came next. I am a fan of the tracks on his album, I Don't Do Drugs Anymore Again, but in the studio, he kept his vocals in check. Live, he had trouble with restraint, singing and screaming his words at top volume, making the songs seem "emo," which is never a good direction. If he can hone his live performance to be as nuanced as his record, he'll go a lot further.
Vinnie Caruana began his set with the same trio he started with at Mercury Lounge: "Symphony," "This One's on Me," and "To Be Dead & in Love." His throaty bellow on full display, he launched into "The Gravedigger's Argument" from Avalanche United. "It's important that you write songs about killing your ex-wife. It's important so you don't do that," he said, extolling the medicinal properties of music. He followed it with "Clean Up" from IATA's first album. "Brooklyn Dodgers" ended with a singalong from a crowd that sounded much better than those at Mercury Lounge.
At 10:45, Matt Embree climbed onto a stool on the stage, drink in hand. He began by thanking everyone for coming to the show because it was essentially unpublicized (Well, aside from yours truly.). He also described Vinnie's flat-faced cat as looking like it had been hit in the head with a spatula made of concrete. "I don't have to worry about my nose getting in my water anymore; just my whiskers," he imitated. "Overcome (the Recapitulation)," which had ended the show on Friday, moved up to the front of the set. After revving up the crowd with the Rx tune, Embree shared, "I feel so very blessed to have so many good friends in New York City, and it's a wonderful place. I have to have at least a $600 hangover or that's how much I lose if I miss my flight tomorrow." "Bring Our Children Home" followed, with "oh-oh-oh" chants supplied in full force by the crowd. After a reprise of Friday's "The King of Carrot Flowers," Matt jumped into the first medley of the night, which included "Scarlet Begonias," "54-46 That's My Number," and "I Second That Emotion." "Just so you know, none of those songs are Sublime songs. They ripped all those songs off," he clarified, despite having sung lyrics from the Sublime versions.
Shots piled up stageside to assist in the hangover. "I look so ungrateful with all these shots sitting up here. How 'bout I finish some of 'dem and I won't look so damn ungrateful?" he suggested in a sing-sing tone. As the evening progressed, Matt became more and more inebriated. Out of nowhere, he questioned, "You guys ever seen Big Momma's House?" which led to a tangent about playing acoustic in a South American jungle, to going to Montreal with a Canada-hating Vinnie, to the advice: "If you're so pissed off that you need to kill someone, just kill yourself." A little later in the show, he went on a riff about California's Prop 8, and divulged how he had once made out with his gay friend to see what it was like. "I think everyone should go home tonight and make out with one of their gay friends and see what happens," he suggested. (Check out video of the banter below.)
"You are all very lovely and attractive people," he complimented the audience. "So are you!" called someone. "You should see me in the morning without my makeup... I look great!" he joked. The banter became downright ridiculous, Embree claiming he knew half the people in the room, even their "drunken-ass aliases, like when you get so drunk you're another person." While he may have seemed like another person between songs, his drunkenness had no effect on his musicianship. His guitar solo in "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" was absolutely ferocious, and he proved his vocal prowess on a soulful cover of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand." After fulfilling a request for Manu Chao's "Clandestino," Matt snuck in a cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" before segueing into "Apparition." He announced what would be his last song, and started playing "March of the Caterpillar." When he reached the jam, he declared, "Are you ready for it to get weird?" and transitioned into "S.T.P." by Sublime. But it didn't stop there. He seamlessly delved into "Only for the Night," which had the entire crowd throwing their heads back to shout to the sky. With the amount of alcohol consumed and the probability of additional security at the airport, hopefully Matt is able to make his flight on time tomorrow. And if he doesn't, he's certainly welcome to stay in Brooklyn.
A duo called Sad & French opened the show. One guy sang, played guitar, and occasionally kicked a kickdrum, while the other played upright bass and occasionally sang backup. Under the lights, the singer looked like Nicolas Cage in Con Air, and he had a good punk growl. Unfortunately, the accompanying music was too simplistic to add much, so most of the songs felt incomplete.
Vinnie's I Am the Avalanche bandmate, Mike Ireland, also known as Spirit Houses, came next. I am a fan of the tracks on his album, I Don't Do Drugs Anymore Again, but in the studio, he kept his vocals in check. Live, he had trouble with restraint, singing and screaming his words at top volume, making the songs seem "emo," which is never a good direction. If he can hone his live performance to be as nuanced as his record, he'll go a lot further.
Vinnie Caruana began his set with the same trio he started with at Mercury Lounge: "Symphony," "This One's on Me," and "To Be Dead & in Love." His throaty bellow on full display, he launched into "The Gravedigger's Argument" from Avalanche United. "It's important that you write songs about killing your ex-wife. It's important so you don't do that," he said, extolling the medicinal properties of music. He followed it with "Clean Up" from IATA's first album. "Brooklyn Dodgers" ended with a singalong from a crowd that sounded much better than those at Mercury Lounge.
At 10:45, Matt Embree climbed onto a stool on the stage, drink in hand. He began by thanking everyone for coming to the show because it was essentially unpublicized (Well, aside from yours truly.). He also described Vinnie's flat-faced cat as looking like it had been hit in the head with a spatula made of concrete. "I don't have to worry about my nose getting in my water anymore; just my whiskers," he imitated. "Overcome (the Recapitulation)," which had ended the show on Friday, moved up to the front of the set. After revving up the crowd with the Rx tune, Embree shared, "I feel so very blessed to have so many good friends in New York City, and it's a wonderful place. I have to have at least a $600 hangover or that's how much I lose if I miss my flight tomorrow." "Bring Our Children Home" followed, with "oh-oh-oh" chants supplied in full force by the crowd. After a reprise of Friday's "The King of Carrot Flowers," Matt jumped into the first medley of the night, which included "Scarlet Begonias," "54-46 That's My Number," and "I Second That Emotion." "Just so you know, none of those songs are Sublime songs. They ripped all those songs off," he clarified, despite having sung lyrics from the Sublime versions.
Shots piled up stageside to assist in the hangover. "I look so ungrateful with all these shots sitting up here. How 'bout I finish some of 'dem and I won't look so damn ungrateful?" he suggested in a sing-sing tone. As the evening progressed, Matt became more and more inebriated. Out of nowhere, he questioned, "You guys ever seen Big Momma's House?" which led to a tangent about playing acoustic in a South American jungle, to going to Montreal with a Canada-hating Vinnie, to the advice: "If you're so pissed off that you need to kill someone, just kill yourself." A little later in the show, he went on a riff about California's Prop 8, and divulged how he had once made out with his gay friend to see what it was like. "I think everyone should go home tonight and make out with one of their gay friends and see what happens," he suggested. (Check out video of the banter below.)
"You are all very lovely and attractive people," he complimented the audience. "So are you!" called someone. "You should see me in the morning without my makeup... I look great!" he joked. The banter became downright ridiculous, Embree claiming he knew half the people in the room, even their "drunken-ass aliases, like when you get so drunk you're another person." While he may have seemed like another person between songs, his drunkenness had no effect on his musicianship. His guitar solo in "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers" was absolutely ferocious, and he proved his vocal prowess on a soulful cover of Hendrix's "Castles Made of Sand." After fulfilling a request for Manu Chao's "Clandestino," Matt snuck in a cover of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" before segueing into "Apparition." He announced what would be his last song, and started playing "March of the Caterpillar." When he reached the jam, he declared, "Are you ready for it to get weird?" and transitioned into "S.T.P." by Sublime. But it didn't stop there. He seamlessly delved into "Only for the Night," which had the entire crowd throwing their heads back to shout to the sky. With the amount of alcohol consumed and the probability of additional security at the airport, hopefully Matt is able to make his flight on time tomorrow. And if he doesn't, he's certainly welcome to stay in Brooklyn.
SPIRIT HOUSES – 09.11.12 –
THE ACHERON (19 minutes)
SET –
That Ship Has Sailed /
Seasick / Holy Eraser / January Wedding / Piles of Dirt / Just Don’t See*
VINNIE CARUANA – 09.11.12
– THE ACHERON (28 minutes)
SET –
Symphony / This One’s on Me /
To Be Dead & in Love / The Gravedigger’s Argument / Clean Up / Hey /
Brooklyn Dodgers
MATT EMBREE – 09.11.12 – THE
ACHERON (1 hour, 27 minutes)
SET –
Overcome (the Recapitulation)
/ Bring Our Children Home or Everything is Nothing / The King of Carrot flowers
(pt. I) / Scarlet Begonias > 54-46 That’s My Number > I Second That
Emotion / Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers / David’s Birthday / Master of
Puppets (tease) / Castles Made of Sand / White Lies / Clandestino / I Heard It
Through the Grapevine > Apparition / March of the Caterpillar > S.T.P.
> Only for the Night
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Matt Embree Covers Neutral Milk Hotel & Announces Brooklyn Show
Matt Embree (of Rx Bandits) and Vinnie Caruana (of I Am the Avalanche) sold out Mercury Lounge for one of the last stops on their summer acoustic tour. Each frontman played a solo set of songs from their various projects, and announced a secret Brooklyn show for next week.
Those who arrived early were treated to a short set by Lauren Coleman, singer for Pebaluna, a new band that features Embree (Album Carny Life drops 9/18.). Accompanied only by her ukulele, her sultry voice sang songs of becoming rich and an island where parrots open your beercans. Coleman's tunes, with her jazzy delivery, playful lyrics, and gentle strums, recalled those in movies from the '50s where everyone stops to watch a musical number. I was trying to think of who her voice reminded me of, but I couldn't quite place it. When I got home, I discovered she's the female character in one of my favorite songs: Gavin Castleton's "Coffeelocks." Mystery solved.
Vinnie Caruana (rhymes with marijuana) put down his beer and picked up his six-string to open with "Symphony." His voice has improved so much over the years, his guttural growls awed the crowd into silence. When the song ended, he launched into the first of what would be several extended railleries: "That song's a downer. 'Why did he start with that?' There's more where that came from." "I'm from Long Island and I'm in a band called I Am the Avalanche." Cheers from the crowd. "You guys know that island and that band? Sick." After another IATA classic, we got Vinnie solo staple "To Be Dead & in Love," which he said would be on a solo release to be recorded during the winter months. "I was in a band called the Movielife." More cheers from the crowd. "The magazines say we were an influence to the young'uns. And we made way less money than them." Movielife tunes "Hey" and "Sailor Tattoos" had most of the crowd singing, and one drunk guy on the right side of the room yelling. Caruana took time to thank Lauren Coleman, revealing, "My father already likes her music more than mine." Vinnie's parents were in the crowd, which made the father-themed closer "Brooklyn Dodgers" all the more poignant.
Matt Embree took his place on a stool center stage a little after 9pm. He kicked things off with "Bring Our Children Home," the first of five Rx Bandits songs for the evening. The crowd joined in for the triumphant chorus, and for a moment, things were great. But as the night progressed, the drunk on the right shouted more and more, and audience members came together to shush him. After the incendiary Love You Moon track "To Kill for You," Embree eased his way into Sublime's "Pool Shark." A surprising cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "The King of Carrot Flowers (pt. I)" came next, and was promptly followed by the highlight of the night, "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers." Everyone in the crowd seemed to know the words, and helped Matt through the song's bridge. He admitted afterwards, "Whenever I play with Rx, I just make shit up." A faithful cover of Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" came later, the inebriate on the right barking, "Mary!" throughout. A bluesy interpretation of Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me" was similarly marred by the asshole.
When punk musicians go acoustic, their fans generally don't know how to adapt (Well, at least no one moshed.). It's fine to scream at the top of your lungs when it's drowned out by distortion and drums, but it's a completely different story when the artist is alone and unplugged, even if they're encouraging you to sing along. Add in the fact that most punk fans can't carry a tune and you've got yourself one nasty situation. This culminated when Lauren Coleman stepped on the stage to duet "A New World" with Matt sans microphones. Please please please let the band sing when they're not using mics. RXB standard "Overcome (the Recapitulation)" finished it out, along with the announcement that Vinnie and Matt have added a special final tour stop: Tuesday 9/11 at the Acheron in Bushwick. Tickets are $10 at the door, and the guys promised to change up the setlists. I'll be there if you shut the fuck up, and if I can figure out how to get home.
Those who arrived early were treated to a short set by Lauren Coleman, singer for Pebaluna, a new band that features Embree (Album Carny Life drops 9/18.). Accompanied only by her ukulele, her sultry voice sang songs of becoming rich and an island where parrots open your beercans. Coleman's tunes, with her jazzy delivery, playful lyrics, and gentle strums, recalled those in movies from the '50s where everyone stops to watch a musical number. I was trying to think of who her voice reminded me of, but I couldn't quite place it. When I got home, I discovered she's the female character in one of my favorite songs: Gavin Castleton's "Coffeelocks." Mystery solved.
Matt Embree took his place on a stool center stage a little after 9pm. He kicked things off with "Bring Our Children Home," the first of five Rx Bandits songs for the evening. The crowd joined in for the triumphant chorus, and for a moment, things were great. But as the night progressed, the drunk on the right shouted more and more, and audience members came together to shush him. After the incendiary Love You Moon track "To Kill for You," Embree eased his way into Sublime's "Pool Shark." A surprising cover of Neutral Milk Hotel's "The King of Carrot Flowers (pt. I)" came next, and was promptly followed by the highlight of the night, "Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers." Everyone in the crowd seemed to know the words, and helped Matt through the song's bridge. He admitted afterwards, "Whenever I play with Rx, I just make shit up." A faithful cover of Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary" came later, the inebriate on the right barking, "Mary!" throughout. A bluesy interpretation of Sam Cooke's "Bring It on Home to Me" was similarly marred by the asshole.When punk musicians go acoustic, their fans generally don't know how to adapt (Well, at least no one moshed.). It's fine to scream at the top of your lungs when it's drowned out by distortion and drums, but it's a completely different story when the artist is alone and unplugged, even if they're encouraging you to sing along. Add in the fact that most punk fans can't carry a tune and you've got yourself one nasty situation. This culminated when Lauren Coleman stepped on the stage to duet "A New World" with Matt sans microphones. Please please please let the band sing when they're not using mics. RXB standard "Overcome (the Recapitulation)" finished it out, along with the announcement that Vinnie and Matt have added a special final tour stop: Tuesday 9/11 at the Acheron in Bushwick. Tickets are $10 at the door, and the guys promised to change up the setlists. I'll be there if you shut the fuck up, and if I can figure out how to get home.
VINNIE CARUANA – 09.07.12
– MERCURY LOUNGE (33 minutes)
SET –
Symphony / This One’s on Me /
To Be Dead & in Love / Hey / Sailor Tattoos / Green Eyes / Brooklyn Dodgers
MATT EMBREE – 09.07.12 – MERCURY
LOUNGE (56 minutes)
SET –
Bring Our Children Home or
Everything is Nothing / To Kill for You / Pool Shark / The King of Carrot
flowers (pt. I) / Taking Chase as the Serpent Slithers / David’s Birthday /
March of the Caterpillar / The Wind Cries Mary / White Lies / Bring It on Home
to Me / A New World (feat. Lauren Coleman) / Overcome (the Recapitulation)
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