Jimmy Cliff Busts Open the Bandshell (Part 2)

Jimmy Cliff opened this year's Celebrate Brooklyn Concert Series in Prospect Park.  Relive the magic by reading my coverage of the event, and listening to the entire concert here on NPR.

Upcoming concerts:
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings @ Williamsburg Park
2 Skinnee J's @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Matt Embree @ Mercury Lounge

First in a Pair of White Denim

White Denim played their first night of a Monday-Tuesday run at Brooklyn Bowl to a crowd of curly-haired whiteboys.  After having my coworker talk my ear off about them for weeks, he offered me a ticket to the show.  I definitely liked them more than I thought I would, but I'm still not a diehard like most of their fans.  They play rock music, but within that genre umbrella, incorporate several styles from prog to garage to country.  While some would consider them a jam band due to their songs usually flowing seamlessly into each other, they subvert that classification as well.  Their playing seems too calculated to be jamming, making them not spacey enough for drug-taking and fairly un-danceable.  So what do White Denim fans do at a concert?  They stand there, bob their heads, and wait to see what song will come next in the medley.  They are a jam band for people who don't like jam bands.  In other words, they could be way more fun.

What it comes down to is engagement.  Bands are best when they are connecting with each other and the audience.  Unfortunately, the members of White Denim spent too much time watching themselves play their own instruments instead of looking around to see where the journey could go.  When they did make eye contact, the most inspired music flowed out.  Aside from guitarist Austin Jenkins, who is the newest member of the group, the other members rarely smiled.  There is such a spirited energy that comes off a band when you can tell that they're having a good time.  I found my eyes drifting to Jenkins for much of the show for this reason.  The members of White Denim don't solo much.  They play like a math equation, constantly reciprocating each other as a unit, so there aren't many times for them to feel the appreciation from the crowd, especially with so few breaks.

If it sounds like I'm trashing the band, I'm not, and I'm sorry if it comes across that way.  When I listened to samples of the band that my friend played me, I was not impressed by singer James Petralli.  Seeing him live changed that for me.  At his best moments, he recalled Dan Auerbach.  At his worst, he was still much better than the snippets I had heard before.  The musicianship was excellent, and the guitar tone on "Keys" even reminded me of the Grateful Dead.

I bought D on vinyl after the show, considering they played every song from it.  When I get some time to drop the needle, I want them to assuage my doubts.  As with any band, I hope that I can become a dyed-in-the-wool fanboy... enough that not going tomorrow night would devastate me.

WHITE DENIM – 08.13.12 – BROOKLYN BOWL (1 hour, 27 minutes)

SET –

Anvil Everything > (Mystery Song) > Bess St. > Shake Shake Shake > River to Consider / Street Joy / If You’re Changing > Mirrored & Reverse > Drug / Is & Is & Is > Keys / Syncn / Tony Fatti / I’d Have It Just the Way We Were > Don’t Look That Way at It > Paint Silver Gold > It’s Him! > Burnished > At the Farm > Say What You Want / All Consolation > El Hard Attack DCWYW > I Start to Run

ENCORE –

Mess Your Hair Up

(As I mentioned, I don't know much about White Denim, so I'm pretty sure there was a song between "Anvil Everything" and "Bess St." that I missed.  Any help is appreciated, especially if I forgot something else too.)

Free Fun in Williamsburg (Part 2)

Remember when I saw Fun perform for free at Music Hall of Williamsburg?  Well, Walmart and T-Mobile have teamed up to post video of 5 songs from the set and an exclusive interview right here if you wanna check it out.  Definitely don't miss the stellar rendition of "We Are Young."

The Jacksons Compete with Fireworks in Coney Island

It was a beautiful Saturday night in Coney Island for the Seaside Summer Concert Series to continue with the Jacksons, making a free appearance on their Unity Tour.  There was a solid setlist and the musicians were top notch, but the show was incredibly disorganized.

When I arrived at the venue, it was quite clear this thing was a clusterfuck.  Greeted with a confusing maze of barricades going the entire length of the block, it wasn't obvious where anyone was supposed to go.  "This is the line to pay," said an employee.  I thought it was a free concert, but you could pay $5 for a seat.  If you brought your own chair, you could be penned into another area.  If you wanted to stand, you had to stand way the fuck in the back.

We got there in time to hear misogynistic warm-up comic Artie Fuqua delivering some groundbreaking comedic material: the difference between men and women.  A 
dick-sucking parade for borough president Marty Markowitz followed.  As Marty began trotting out a list of sponsors so long it seemed as if every Brooklyn business was represented, and then asked the audience to contribute money to the men going around with blue buckets, it became increasingly obvious that they didn't have the funds to pay for the show.  Or at least for a decent sound guy.

The Jacksons started things off with "Can You Feel It," which would've been more appropriately titled, "Can You Hear It," the bass and drums creating a nasty muck that the vocals and guitars couldn't cut through.  Amazingly, the sound wasn't fixed for the entirety of the show, and it really put a damper on what could've been an excellent concert.  Jermaine, Marlon, Tito, and Jackie blazed through a mix of Jackson 5 and Jacksons' songs, and even five of Michael's solo efforts.  Three Jermaine Jackson tunes, including my favorite, "Let's Get Serious," were performed, likely a contractual obligation, considering his refusal to join the Jacksons when they signed to CBS.

A hokey scripted segment where the Jacksons sat on stools and recounted the first time they went to Detroit to meet Berry Gordy accompanied a video slideshow of Jackson 5 photos from the '70s.  As they finished up "Time Waits for No One," fireworks from the Cyclones game at neighboring MCU Park lit up the night sky, the explosions ricocheting off the surrounding buildings.  "Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl" was completely obscured by the cacophony, and many audience members shifted their eyes to the pyrotechnics to the right.  Following a tribute to Michael of "Gone Too Soon" by Jermaine, they finally went off-script, asking with a chuckle, "Did you enjoy the fireworks?"  At least they could laugh about it.

A rushed medley of Jackson 5 hits including "I Want You Back," "ABC," "The Love You Save," "Never Can Say Goodbye," and "All I Do is Think of You" snatched back the crowd, everyone's hands swaying during the mélange's finale, "I'll Be There."  After the one-two MJ punch of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," they rocked the crowd with an extended "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and danced their way offstage.  Marty Markowitz got on the mic and asked for more money.  No "Dancing Machine?"  The sound crew's paychecks should all go into the blue buckets.

THE JACKSONS – 08.11.12 – CONEY ISLAND SEASIDE SUMMER CONCERT SERIES (1 hour, 37 minutes)

SET –

Can You Feel It / Blame It on the Boogie > I Wanna Be Where You Are / Rock with You / Show You the Way to Go / Lovely One / Lookin’ Through the Windows / Time Waits for No One / Heaven Knows I Love You, Girl > Push Me Away > Man of War / Gone Too Soon / I Want You Back > ABC > The Love You Save > Never Can Say Goodbye > All I Do is Think of You > I’ll Be There / Dynamite > Let’s Get Serious / Do What You Do / Can’t Let Her Get Away / This Place Hotel / Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ / Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough / Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)

StePhest Colbchella '012 Throws Fans for a Loop(apalooza)

After frantically refreshing the Colbert Nation website for two weeks, I successfully got a ticket to StePhest Colbchella '012: Rocktaugustfest.  The sequel to last year's concert, which featured acts like Talib Kweli and Bon Iver, StePhest '012 included Grizzly Bear, Santigold, Fun, and the Flaming Lips, all aboard the decommissioned aircraft carrier, the USS Intrepid.

The forecast called for thunderstorms, so I bagged my valuables and crossed my fingers that we wouldn't have a rerun of last week's Lollapalooza evacuation.  The sun shone brightly as I ran up 12th Ave from 34th St, fearing a massive line.  After checking in and receiving tickets to be exchanged for beer and food, I took advantage of a free scoop of
Stephen Colbert's very own Ben & Jerry's flavor, Americone Dream.  My friend Carrie (who took all the photos) joined me as we made our way up more than a few sets of stairs to the flight deck of the ship.  The stage was set up on the starboard side, flanked by screens and underneath a set of flashing lights reading, "COLBERT."  We used our drink tickets to grab some Heinekens (Guy behind us: "Which has more alcohol: Budweiser or Heineken?"  Trick question.  They both don't have any.), and settled in for the show.


With the stage manager directing us to cheer, the opening graphics for The Colbert Report illuminated the screens, and out came a swashbuckling Steve spinning a captain's wheel and brandishing a sabre.  Following some quips about the sewage spill in Tarrytown, Colbert played a game of life-size Battleship with Jon Stewart, putting a gigantic red peg into the stage.  He then instructed the crowd to keep the energy level up because they had to tape the opens for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  Billed as a festival, this came as a surprise to most of us.  I don't get cable, so perhaps if I had seen last year's week of shows, I would have expected a show-taping environment instead of spending the past week reacquainting myself with the entirety of the Flaming Lips' catalog to be prepared to see them for the first time.

Colbert returned thrice more, putting a different spin on his pitches for sponsor, Pepsi.  First identifying their slogan as "Put it in your mouth," he later inserted a comma into their actual slogan: "Live, for now.  Because we're all going to die someday."  He also introduced his first mate, Grandmaster Flash, although their awkward repartee suggested that the two had never met before.  Colbert closed his final intro with an impromptu duet of "The Star Spangled Banner" with the stage manager.

Fun took the stage shortly after 9:30, and burst right out with current hit "Some Nights."  The sound sliced right through the humid, body odor-laden air, and the crowd sang along happily.  "Carry On" followed (Next single, maybe?) and "We Are Young" was the obvious closer.  A short set, but this wasn't a festival; it's TV.

Grizzly Bear hadn't played a concert in two years, but they assembled onstage to support Shields, which drops on September 18th.  They started things off with the heavy-on-harmonies "Two Weeks" off their album Veckatimest.  While not exactly a rager, the song didn't get the reaction from the crowd that the producers of the show had wanted.  It was time for a do-over.  Speaking as someone who works in television, this is a fairly common occurrence.  But to the mass of people who came to see a concert, it was a letdown.  After being part of a crowd on a TV show, you learn how to move your hands more, how to exaggerate your side-to-side movements, how to imitate a bobblehead.  But some folks didn't want to deal with multiple takes, and began making their way back to shore.  The live debut of "Yet Again" had to be rebooted after some technical difficulties with frontman Ed Droste's equipment, and there was even more resistance from the crowd.  Colbert came out to make amends, offering, "As an impartial observer, allow me to say that the second time you play a song, it's even better."  Once GB got that song in the can, they finished it out with another new one, "Sleeping Ute."

Grandmaster Flash provided the music between sets, but sadly spent most of his time spinning current radio hits. One break featured "Hip Hop Hooray," "Jump Around," and "Let Me Clear My Throat," recalling elementary school dances at the Sunset Room, but shockingly Flash's own classic cuts like "White Lines (Don't Do It)" and "The Message" remained absent.

When Stephen announced that he was going to take some time to record the goodnight tags, groans issued from the crowd.  That is, until he descended into our ranks, only to be hoisted above by eager concertgoers, to deliver his lines into the jib camera.  With those fans expecting a typical concert rapidly departing, Colbert nobly turned to the role of pacifier.  He did everything he could to keep us entertained, from singing "Happy Birthday" in Latin to a crowdmember to joyously dancing to Rihanna's "We Found Love, a snippet of which can be seen below.


Santigold surprised me, as I had written her off as a M.I.A. clone (and I don't like M.I.A.).  Her stone-faced backup singers, doing choreographed routines with a variety of props including briefcases and umbrellas, had me laughing out loud.  And the dub-like sounds of "Disparate Youth" had me legitimately dancing, not just hamming it up for the cameras.  But alas, the perfection necessary for TV struck again.  After guitar and monitor issues required both "The Keepers" and "Disparate Youth" to be repeated, I remarked to the Santigold fan next to me that she could've gone to the bathroom as she had wanted to, and not missed a thing.

The show now running late, the sense of urgency was apparent, with Michael Ivins and Steven Drozd tuning their own instruments.  Wayne Coyne took the reins on pumping up the crowd, and the Lips launched into "Ashes in the Air."  A bizarre marijuana PSA from Coyne flowed into "Drug Chart," which had him shaking a maraca with a face, and obscuring his own visage with a foil cape.  As they broke into "Do You Realize??," I realized how strange it was to see the Lips in the year they became world record holders for the most concerts performed in 24 hours, likely playing to their smallest crowd since 1994.

No Flaming Lips show is complete without Wayne jumping into a space bubble and hamster-wheeling his way above the crowd.  Wayne and Colbert climbed into their spheres and set out onto our bed of hands, so Stephen could deliver his final goodbye.  It was a little surreal to know that as they passed above us in their space bubbles, while the Lips played the theme to The Colbert Report, just to our left, in an even bigger bubble, was the space shuttle Enterprise.

I guess we'll see next week how it all comes together on TV.  Well, those of us with cable.

FUN – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (14 minutes)

SET –

Some Nights / Carry On / We Are Young

GRIZZLY BEAR – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (27 minutes)

SET –

Two Weeks / Two Weeks / Yet Again (aborted) / Yet Again / Sleeping Ute

SANTIGOLD – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (29 minutes)

SET –

The Keepers / Disparate Youth / The Keepers / Disparate Youth / Go!

THE FLAMING LIPS – 08.10.12 – STEPHEST COLBCHELLA ‘012, USS INTREPID (26 minutes)

SET –

Ashes in the Air / Drug Chart / Do You Realize?? / Charge (tease) / The Colbert Report Theme

Cookies at the Knitting Factory

When I moved back from California in 2010 and found out that the Knitting Factory had moved to Brooklyn, I was appalled.  Fortunately, the venue has redeemed itself over the years by housing Hannibal Buress' free comedy show every Sunday and continuing to open its doors to lesser known and unsigned bands like the original Knit.  Good acoustics don't hurt either.


Last night's show consisted of Dead Leaf Echo and Work Drugs, with Cookies in the middle, like a reverse ice cream sandwich.  Can you guess the genre of opening band Dead Leaf Echo just from their name?  If you guessed shoegaze, you're correct.  I don't usually listen to the ambient rock music unless I'm depressed or doing my taxes (like I said, depressed), so I really wasn't in the mood last night.  Dressed mostly in white, they projected inky black and white images onto themselves, as they played songs that felt too confined by their genre.  Had I not seen the funk revival band, the Stepkids, do the projection bit to its fullest (We're talking all white clothes and all white instruments!) earlier this year, it probably would've been a little cooler.  The blasts of color on the Stepkids were admittedly more thrilling to watch than the static on Dead Leaf Echo, where only a few reds and yellows found their way onto the palette.


Work Drugs hail from either the Florida Keys (like they claimed) or Philadelphia (like their website claims).  They categorize themselves as "sedative-wave/smooth-fi," which I suppose means "pleasant enough, but all the songs sound the same and don't go anywhere."  They have released something like 5 albums in the past two years (When I say released, it means burning a CD, putting it in a slim jewel case, and calling it a limited edition.), but they should really slow down and try to experiment a little more on their next one.  You're not really being prolific if you make the same song fifty times.  Good name, though.


I went to the show to see Cookies hopefully tear it up and buy their two 10" singles.  I got both.  If Cookies are just a dessert to you, here's some backstory.  When Mobius Band disbanded in 2010, they split into three groups.  Noam Schatz went the full-blown electronic route with LOLFM.  Peter Sax enlisted his wife to make baroque pop as Ladies & Gentlemen.  Ben Sterling put weird guitar sounds, synthesized drums, hard-hitting keys, and female vocals into the oven and baked up Cookies.  (Click any of the links to listen and download for free!  I'll even put the video for "Boycrazy" below.)

As the opening sirens of "Boycrazy" transitioned into Sterling's happy strumming, I knew I was in for a treat.  Even though he was slightly annoyed he didn't get the chance to soundcheck, Sterling pulled out the stops with his guitar, at times banging on its strings with a drumstick.  But how would the live vocals of Melissa Metrick, formerly of Reina del Camino, compare to her sexy legs?  They complemented each other nicely, especially on new songs "Piano Jam" and "Go-Getter," where she proved her range, belting out the lyrics like a soul singer, in sharp contrast to her usual breathy parts.  The playful interplay between Sterling and Metrick was fun to watch, especially when trading barbs on "Wilderness Tips" like "Little girl, you're mean; it took you 6 months just to fit in those jeans."  I long for the day when I can go to a Cookies show and the crowd yells the "yeah"s of the chorus.  When the propulsive bass of "Crybaby" punched itself into the song's end, I smiled, knowing that if they continue to get out there and play, the band's following will swell to at least that of Ben's previous band.  Then we'll get to have our Cookies at the end, like mom always said.

COOKIES – 08.03.12 – KNITTING FACTORY BROOKLYN (34 minutes)

SET –

Boycrazy / Face Down / Wilderness Tips > Crybaby (A) / Piano Jam / Go-Getter / 1,000 Breakfasts with You / Summer Jam

Blogger, Meet Tumblr

I figured it was time you guys met each other.  I have a Tumblr, How Am I Supposed To Drink Without A(.Tumblr.com), where I attempt to write a joke every day.  The Tumblr is the first place the jokes are published; I don't post any jokes after I've already told them onstage.  I don't always do it every day, but it usually comes in streaks.  Right now I'm actually doing an Olympic-themed joke each day for the duration of the Olympics.  So join in as I comment on the absurdity of the opening ceremony and piss off equestrian fans.

Jesse Harris Record Release Party

Last night at the East Village's number one Brazilian record store, Tropicalia in Furs, Jesse Harris treated 25-30 fans to a very intimate performance of selections from his new album, Sub Rosa.  Harris, probably best known for his Grammy-winning songwriting on Norah Jones' "Don't Know Why," has been releasing solo albums since 1995.  His latest is a largely acoustic affair with European flourishes, reminiscent of Josh Rouse's most recent work.  It's a nice Sunday afternoon record, or innocuous enough to be a dinner soundtrack, though I anticipate the album revealing more depth with repeat spins.  The album was co-produced by drummer Bill Dobrow, who I've seen perform with Peter Salett.  Miss Jones finds her way onto three of the 14 tracks.


Crowded into the tiny storefront, it was very hot, and visibility was limited, with Dobrow and supporting band members taking places on the floor.  The unplugged performance sounded great in the small room, the notes bouncing off walls covered in photographs of people with their record collections.  But what struck me most was how completely humble Jesse was, personally walking around a tray of cookies before the show.  "Tant Pis" was introduced, "This song is in French, so if you speak French, I'm sorry," furthering Harris' humility.


Jesse plays an amplified set tonight at Rockwood Music Hall.

JESSE HARRIS – 07.29.12 – TROPICALIA IN FURS (24 minutes)

SET –

Waltz of the Rain / I Won’t Wait / It’s Been Goin’ Round / Sad Blues / Tant Pis / Rocking Chairs / I Know It Won’t Be Long