This Band’s Got Soul (I’m talking about Dawes)

9 12 2011

Wednesday night I had the fortune to see Dawes for the first time in Hoboken at the intimate restaurant/venue Maxwell’s.  My friend and I arrived 30 minutes into their set (thank you very much PATH trains), but the moment I stepped foot inside, a smile came to me despite the aggravation of getting there.  However, this isn’t a concert review, but I will share one video from the show.

Dawes’ music makes you feel like they’re old friends.  It’s inviting, insightful, and grounded, which is the exact opposite of how some art can be.  Certain “artists” pride themselves for pushing boundaries and distancing themselves from fans.  Not Dawes.  They wear their love of rustic rock n roll on their sleeves.  They just wanna make good music that people can relate to.

They may not play soul music, but that doesn’t mean they’re not soulful.  Soulfulness is a part of talent, but just because someone is talented doesn’t mean they have soul (square-rectangle scenario).  Dawes has both. You can hear is in Taylor’s work and all of their music.

I look forward to seeing where 2012 takes them.


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Categories : Live Music, The Nature of Music

SXSW 2011 – Day 1

16 03 2011

Note:  This post is being written on the plane, so this technically hasn’t been my first day, but who cares.

The thought of going to SXSW this year was pretty much wiped away when I found out SoundCtrl’s FlashFWD event would be pushed back to June for NYC’s Internet Week.   I had planned on taking it easy in addition to going to see Godspeed You! Black Emperor with my roommate Jeff.

Then, out of the blue, I got an email from Nokia asking me if I wanted to go to SXSW and have my flight and hotel paid for…uhhhhhh no brainer.  Immediately, I emailed my supervisors at work and figured out a work exchange, so I wouldn’t even have to take off of work.  Win-win if you ask me.

So I cut my weekend vacation with my girlfriend a little short and headed to Newark for my flight to Austin.  Surprisingly (but not really surprised at all), I bumped into a few people I knew (and one famous person).  I immediately noticed Noah aka Xaphoon Jones from Chiddy Bang as I sat down at my gate, so I chatted with him for a bit while we were waiting to board the plane.   I unknowingly interrupted (politely) him while he was finished off one of the last tracks off the upcoming album.

I said goodbye to Noah when they called my row number to board, some guy went in front of me.  As the ticket taker noticed me getting irritated, she goes, “I think that was Paul Giamatti.”  I can’t be mad at him since he’s been type-casted as “the depressed guy.”

Lastly, on the plane, one of my bosses, Seth, hopped on the plane as well and says to me, “I thought I was the last one to get to Austin.”

By the time I got to my hotel, it was after midnight and I was ready for bed.  Last year, I made the mistake of going out hard the first night, but I learned from that mistake, so I went to sleep.

Overall, my last minute plans, lack of expectations, and these random encounters are what I love about SXSW.   I look forward to seeing some good friends I don’t see often and, of course, meeting new friends.  More importantly, I’ll be very disappointed if I don’t see James Blake perform on Wednesday at the Time Out North America Showcase.


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Categories : Live Music, Music Tech, sxsw 2011

Top 10 Concerts of 2010

23 12 2010

I just finished my Top 10 albums of the year, so now are my top 10 concerts. I think I went to over 100 shows this year, so narrowing it down to 10 is pretty damn hard, but here it goes (in order by date):

Daniel Lanois’ Black Dub – Bowery Ballroom – 2/17
Soulive/Lettuce – Brooklyn Bowl – 3/4
White Denim – Stubb’s – 3/15
Broken Social Scene – Music Hall of Williamsburg – 5/8
Appalachian Voices – Music Hall of Williamsburg – 7/30
El Ten Eleven – Knitting Factory – 9/16
Pavement – Summerstage – 9/21
Pearl and The Beard – my backyard – 9/25
Kelli Scarr – Joe’s Pub – 10/7
S. Carey – Knitting Factory (CMJ) – 10/22

Honorable Mention:  Rebirth Brass Band – Highline Ballroom, George Stanford – Rockwood Music Hall, Sharon Van Etten – World Cafe Live

Venue of the year: Music Hall of Williamsburg

Most surprisingly good band: We Were Promised Jetpacks – Fader Fort at SXSW

Most disappointing:  Wavves – Pure Volume House (CMJ)

I’ve been touring too long and need a break:  Built to Spill

Most times I’ve seen a band this year:  Broken Social Scene (4)


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Categories : Live Music

The Top 3 Best and Worst of CMJ

24 10 2010

I need to preface this by saying that I didn’t go to nearly as many shows as I did last year. However, I still went to enough shows to say what was hot.

Let’s start with the WORST:

Matthew Dear –  After hearing so much about this guy, I gotta say that it was just awful.  I felt like I was in a really bad 80′s club.  Not for me at all.

Wavves – I LOVE Wavves, so it kills me to say this.  I turned down MSG tickets  because I wanted to see Nathan and co. for the first time at a smaller venue, so the Buzznet party seemed to be a great idea.  WRONG!  I heard their MSG set lacked energy, but the Buzznet show was HORRIBLE because they were just way too fucked up on stage.  I’d give them another shot though.

Titus Andronicus – Similar to Matthew Dear, I was tired of hearing this and that about the band.  They were just awful.  The singer’s voice bothered me and to quote my friend Jon, “[the female guitarist] looks like she could kick my ass.”  Yet another reason why I hate on Jersey (side note:  has every seen the new South Park yet).

And now the BEST:

S. Carey (from Bon Iver) – Hands down the best show I saw during CMJ.  Killer four-part harmonies.  Nice balance between chaos and calm maintaining a hypnotic aesthetic both musically and vocally.  And they have an upright bassist.

Dominique Young Unique – Nicki Minaj meets M.I.A. (pre-2008) with dance beats.  She ROCKED the MTV party on Tuesday.

Pearl and the Beard – It’s not because they played my backyard.  It’s because all three of them are extremely talented singers and musicians who play fun and energetic (at times), yet moving acoustic music.

Honorable Mention:

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – There wasn’t anything original about these guys and their motif was pretty annoying (they all dressed like race car drivers), but the music was catchy and fun electro-Beach Boys sounding.

Royal Bangs – I can’t say that I saw them in the best environment because the Fader Fort had horrible sound being in an abandoned office with high ceilings that echoed, but I could tell that my friends at Glassnote made a great signing with these Tennessee boys.  They sounded somewhat electronic in the live setting, but you can noticeable pick up on their southern roots, which is refreshing for that kind of music.


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Categories : CMJ 2010, Live Music

Dave’s guide to CMJ 2010

19 10 2010

I don’t have a badge this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t have a killer time this year.  Also, you can check out the Backyard Brunch Sessions artists performing on the BBS blog.

My schedule is as follows (it will be updated as I find other parties worth going to):

Tuesday –

  • MTV Party at Webster Hall
  • Pearl and the Beard at The Delancey

Wednesday –

  • American Babies and Barr Bros at Rockwood Music Hall
  • Buzznet Party at Pure Volume House
  • The Orchard party at Webster Hall

Thursday –

  • NYCTaper Day Party at Cake Shop
  • Cut Chemist at Red Bull Space
  • The Hype Machine party at Backstage Bar

Friday –

  • Topspin Media Meetup at Idle Hands
  • Private Brooklyn Vegan Loft Party

Saturday –

  • Tristan Clopet at Rockwood Music Hall
  • Fader Fort
  • Hype Machine Party at Pure Volume House

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Categories : Backyard Brunch Sessions, CMJ 2010, Live Music, Music Tech

Top 10 Shows of the Summer

22 09 2010

Summer is officially over.  I don’t mind that much because I hate sweating (especially on the subway), but anyways…I was reflecting on all the music I’ve been to this summer and wanted to compile a list of the best shows, which is not to be confused with the best shows of the year (check out my lists for 2008 and 2009)

My list (in no particular order):

  1. Pavement – East River State Park (aka Williamsburg Waterfront) – 9/19
  2. Arcade Fire – MSG – 8/4
  3. El Ten Eleven – Knitting Factory – 9/16
  4. Appalachian Voices Tour (Jim James, Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore)  - Music Hall of Williamsburg – 7/30
  5. Broken Social Scene – Central Park – 9/18
  6. Janelle Monae – Roseland Ballroom – 7/7
  7. Nicole Atkins – Backyard Brunch Sessions – 6/19
  8. The Luyas – Coco 66 – 6/26
  9. Metric – Prospect Park – 8/5
  10. Antibalas – Clinton Castle National Monument – 7/22

Sooooooooo were you at any of these shows?  Did you go to any shows that were better than these?  Let me know.


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Categories : Live Music

BBS Episode 3/Created a new blog

31 08 2010

Check out the new blog I spent all day created here. I’m working on getting a new banner, so don’t comment on that, but I’m interested to hear what you think otherwise.

In the meantime, check out Episode 3 with Person L and The Courtesy Tier.


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Categories : Backyard Brunch Sessions, Live Music

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