Dead Confederate played Mercury Lounge last night; they belong in a stadium. The band, already building a sizable following thanks to loads of touring nationally and the recently released debut Wrecking Ball, combines the bombast of Sonic Youth with the Southern vibes of My Morning Jacket and the bite of Nirvana to create a sound that should be very welcome in the barren landscape of today’s rock scene. Having spent some time with them in Austin during their show with R.E.M. I can tell you two things: they’re great guys, and they’re getting better and better. It’s a scary thought considering how great Dead Confederate already is, but don’t just take it from me… see what David Fricke has to say about the band in the current issue of RollingStone: “(a)Dead Confederate are even better than their name and (b)could give My Morning Jacket a very hard time in Dixie-guitar-hurricane combat.”
See for yourself tonight on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
*above slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
See Dead Confederate live in NYC:
10 Oct - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
10 Oct - New York, NY @ Late Night with Conan O’Brien
Visit Dead Confederate on MySpace and check out the rest of their extensive tour dates or follow along with their tour blog HERE.
Beautiful, polished and funny, Jenny Lewis is an indisputably terrific performer. And surrounded by her dynamite band, she certainly cast her spell over the sold-out Apollo Theater on Saturday. In retrospect, though, the highlight of my evening was the hilarious shock of the surprise opening act: Sarah Silverman, with her gloriously filthy, vagina-centric monologues, made me laugh in a way that I haven’t in years. Thank you for that Sarah.
I felt some trepidation going to this show. I was disappointed with Lewis’ latest solo album, Acid Tongue, just released on September 23. Her voice is too often lost beneath her band; worse, at times her sound even borders on the affected, belying the so-called confessional style that she is known for. And aside from a few standouts, the song writing pales in comparison to Rabbit Fur Coat, her 2006 album with the Watson Twins.
That being said, the songs from Acid Tongue stand up much better live, doubtlessly benefiting from the force of Lewis’ personality, her razor-sharp band and the harmonies they provided on nearly every number. Still, the old-time country-bluegrass songs are a better showcase for her pretty voice and clever lyrics than the repetitive barroom torch songs, which mostly comprise Acid Tongue. The title track from that album did supply the high point of the show. The band put down their instruments and, with their arms around each other’s shoulders, surrounded Lewis to sing backup on a ballad centering on LSD and lost love. Maybe it was because of the Apollo’s acoustics, or because it was one of the few times during the night where Lewis seemed to be simply singing and not performing, but the song sent chills down my spine and over my skin. Two days later, I still can’t get it out of my head.
At one point, Jenny did a note-for-note cover of “Love Hurts” with her guitar player Dave Scher. It was the slow, heartbreaking version by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris from Grievous Angel, not the hit version by Nazareth. But it certainly begged the comparison between Jenny Lewis and Emmylou Harris. Both ladies have higher-than-average voices and are probably at their best in the realm of folk and country. But where Lewis can be coy, Harris is consistently sincere. And I think erring on the side of sincerity can never be a bad thing.
See Jenny Lewis live:
24 Oct - Santa Cruz, CA @ Rio Theatre
25 Oct - Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
26 Oct - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
28 Oct - San Francisco, CA @ Herbst Theatre
29 Oct – San Francisco, CA @ Herbst Theatre
30 Oct - Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum
1 Nov - San Diego, CA @ UCSD Price Center Ballroom
Visit Jenny Lewis on MySpace.
*above slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
This town needs an education. The notion that there were empty seats last night at Radio City Music Hall reaches Sarah Palin answering questions about what she reads levels of ridiculousness. Echo & The Bunnymen were in town performing their classic album Ocean Rain in its entirety with an orchestra, one of only three such scheduled concerts worldwide (the other two happening in London and the band’s hometown of Liverpool). Ocean Rain! With accompanying orchestra! Surely the show would’ve sold out if the band hadn’t muddled their canon with a series of post-Ocean Rain missteps and less-than-spectacular live appearances. Hell, I’ve skipped an Echo show or two myself on the basis of not wanting to hear or see an aging band limp through any of their songs recorded outside of the ’80s. And this is one of my favorite bands of that great decade. However, the concert last night promised at least one full set of magnificent songwriting in full-album glory. A trip back to 1984 and a band in complete command of their sound and vision. Could the Bunnymen still pull it off? I was cautiously excited to find out…
Echo & The Bunnymen entered the great hall at full-bore, opting to open the show with perhaps their last great song, 1987’s “Lips Like Sugar”, rather than play the full-album Ocean Rain set to begin. Immediately it was obvious they had complete control of their trademark sound: Ian McCulloch’s voice soared, Will Sergeant’s guitar bit and jangled. From my seat in the front of the first balcony the sound (literally) could not have been any better. It was the best sound I’ve heard yet in my many visits to Radio City and the first notes of their second song “Rescue” (quite literally their second song, or second single at least) sent a wave of goosebumps shooting up my arms. By “Bring on the Dancing Horses” their strategy was already paying off. The anticipation! To hear this current lineup play Ocean Rain in full, with an orchestra, in this room, the way they were sounding… egads! It’s all I could think about as they sailed through a new song (”Think I Need It Too”) and a few more vintage burners before wandering into -dangerous- cover song territory. The band has always displayed an overt fondness for The Doors, and the inclusion of their version of “People Are Strange” (which featured prominently in the film The Lost Boys) wasn’t much of a surprise. But the devolution of the already weak “Nothing Lasts Forever” into a medley of cover version snippets bordered on ‘washed up Vegas performance’ and was certainly the low point of the evening. Thankfully we had the main course to look forward to.
After a brief intermission, the band (led by Ian McCulloch in trademark trench coat and sunglasses) returned to the stage with orchestra in tow. We knew what was next, but just in case McCulloch reminded us in very plain language - “This is… Ocean Rain…” - and thus began the real concert.
Words can not do justice in describing how amazing the Ocean Rain set was. Other than some mumbly between song banter from McCulloch about the ineptitude of the Dutch lighting guy, it was perfection incarnate. The movie screens which flank the stage lit up with vintage pictures of Echo & the Bunnymen, the stage itself lit up with vintage sounds. The longing, the listless melancholia, and the darkness which Echo have always embodied, bled through in thick strokes reaching a climactic peak during the album’s sixth track, the theme song of an entire generation, “The Killing Moon”. It’s from this point forward that Ocean Rain magically moves into stupid-good territory, the final four songs of the album sometimes considered one of the great album sides ever. Shrouded in shadows, the music stood on its own and couldn’t have sounded any better. It was, for lack of words, stupid-good. As a result, the second half of the show last night will likely stand out as one of the great concert-going experiences of my life. Did Echo & the Bunnymen pull it off? Damn straight. Last night they made Radio City their king-kingdom kingdom kingdom…
Check out MP3s of the first six songs from the performance of Ocean Rain below (apologies for the audio quality), more pictures from the show are up at BrooklynVegan.
Setlist
“Lips Like Sugar”
“Rescue”
“Bring on the Dancing Horses”
“Think I Need It Too”
“The Disease”
“All That Jazz”
“The Back Of Love”
“All My Colours”
“People Are Strange” (Doors cover)
“Nothing Lasts Forever”
“Walk on the Wild Side” (partial Lou Reed cover)
“In the Midnight Hour” (partial Wilson Pickett cover)
“The Cutter”
–Intermission followed by Ocean Rain–
“Silver” (MP3)
“Nocturnal Me” (MP3)
“Crystal Days” (MP3)
“The Yo Yo Man” (MP3)
“Thorn of Crowns” (MP3)
“The Killing Moon” (MP3)
“Seven Seas”
“My Kingdom”
“Ocean Rain”
See Echo & The Bunnymen (playing Ocean Rain one more time) live:
27 Nov - Liverpool Echo Arena, Liverpool, UK
Visit Echo & The Bunnymen on MySpace.
Pinback unloaded their finely-tuned stage show upon a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on Saturday to prove that one of indie rock’s biggest comic geeks (Rob Crow) may have finally morphed into a larger-than-life alter ego himself: ROADMAN.
Master of the touring lifestyle, practitioner of engaging stage banter, controller of the visual spectrum with a push of the button, the ROADMAN cometh and put on one hell of a show. Time was a Pinback show was a bit of a gamble; you never knew whether Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV’s vocals would be “on” and “meshing” with each other on a particular night. When they were off, not all the reverb in Jim James’ silo could bring them back on target. But when they were on….oh boy, that’s why we keep going back. Read more…
Of all the artistic media, music—which is really just a bunch of invisible vibrations in the air—is the most transient and the hardest to pin down.
But 20 years after their classic debut, Isn’t Anything, My Bloody Valentine is still working hard to change that fact. Their concert at the Roseland Ballroom on Sept. 23 was a distinctly physical experience. It was kind of like playing hockey, or running a half-marathon.
With the volume cranked up well past the point of comfort (even with the recommended earplugs they were giving out at the door), the reunited MBV reminded thousands of their fans that sound waves can be felt in every part of your body: in your chest and in your throat, and in the way that your clothes flutter with each hit of the bass drum. And without the earplugs, you also feel the pain of your cochlea dying a slow death. Read more…
The peak of last Wednesday’s show at the Bowery Ballroom came in the middle of the lineup when TK Webb and the Visions took the stage. Headlining were the Swedish doom metal band Witchcraft. Sounds like Spinal-Tap-meets-Zeppelin in a totally non-ironic kind of way. I realized that my capacity for appreciating Witchcraft was severely limited around the time frontman Magnus Pelander licked his fretboard and not one person in the audience cracked a smile. That Witchcraft and Webb both feature musicians who play with aggressive precision despite yards of lustrous hair obscuring their faces (see photos) seems to be their common thread. Read more…
There were synths aplenty at Mercury Lounge last night, and in theory the pairing of Passion Pit with Sunset Rubdown seemed a natural choice. Both bands rely on a synth-heavy approach, not so much adorning their songs with keys but rather engorging every melody in washes and layers of it. You could also point out some superficial similarities in their vocal styles as well, a convergence of impassioned yelps and falsetto croon. But in watching them perform back to back, these supposed shared characteristics only became more divergent and distinct with every passing melody; the end consensus seemed to be a band in firm control of sculpting their own sound and aesthetic standing in sharp relief to a promising young band perhaps still finding their way. Read more…
Silver Jews played their second sold-out NYC area show in as many nights on Sunday, opting to “downsize” from the cavernous coldness of Webster Hall (where they last played while in New York, back in ‘06) in favor of the more inviting Bowery Ballroom.
Back then, David Berman almost appeared at odds with the fact that he was the focus of attention for a capacity crowd that hung on his every word; he would have seemed a more natural fit nursing a scotch at the back of the room. Onstage, a lit music stand holding all of his lyrics doubled as a shield between himself and the adoring audience, and Matt wrote of the experience, “It struck me as funny that many people in the audience probably know his writing better than (apparently) he does.”
Well no more. Last night, you would have never guessed that Berman was the hermetic poet frozen in place and clinging to a music stand as a security blanket. It’s as though he’s not only realized that he is in fact a frontman of a rock band, but also that he’s chosen to wholly embrace that role with every smirk, swagger, and over-enunciated lyrical growl. Witness David Berman, rock star: Read more…
Sonic Youth played the “final show ever” at McCarren Pool this past Saturday night and brought the house down with a set that included some rarities, oldies, fan favorites, and two brand new songs they “wrote just a few days ago”. In all, the show was fantastic. The band was in fine form and Thurston and Kim rocked as though the passing of time does not affect them. However, the show was over before 9:30pm (they started right around 7:45), and they did not play “Teen Age Riot” or “Kool Thing” or “Dirty Boots” or “100%”. I’m just saying, they probably could’ve played for another 30-45 minutes or so (or perhaps until someone forced them to stop?) and really closed out the concerts at McCarren Pool in epic fashion.
Setlist:
Untitled New Song (vocals by Thurston)
Untitled New Song (vocals by Kim)
“Burning Spear”
“The Sprawl”
“Cross the Breeze”
“Hey Joni”
“Silver Rocket” (video)
“The Wonder”
“Hyperstation”
“Mote”
“Jams Run Free” (video)
“Pink Steam”
-ENCORE #1-
“Making the Nature Scene”
“Brother James” (video | MP3)
-ENCORE #2-
“Expressway to Yr. Skull”
See Sonic Youth Live:
9 Oct - Alcatraz - Milan, Italy
11 Oct - Stahlbau Pichler - Bolzano, Italy
Visit Sonic Youth on MySpace.
Also there: Spectacular Views, Footurama, Talking Cupcake, James M. Graham (NSFW), Liz & Jenn (setlist source).
“Okay, okay, what should I do now? I feel like I should give you something special,” Lykke Li said entering her final song last night at the relatively brand new (le) Poisson Rouge. The stage was circular and the audience surrounded her and her band at every turn. She was feeding off of the incredible energy the packed house was relaying back to her and had reached the end of her own (admittedly limited: “I’m a young artist with only an EP and one album!”) catalog. Throughout the set Lykke had danced, wailed, entertained, and delivered like a true rising star. Go ahead and dismiss her as ‘just another buzz-fueled artist’, it’ll just mean I’ll have an easier time getting into future shows. However, unlike Lily Allen or Annie or Bat For Lashes or other potential comparisons, Lykke Li actually has amazing songs (thanks, in part, to Bjorn from Peter Bjorn and John) and charisma to spare in a live setting. Go see her in concert and try your best to not jump on the bandwagon, I did. Resistance is futile: it’s impossible not to love Lykke Li.
With her band pumping up the energy on the tracks from her recently released debut Youth Novels, and the audience knowing each song very well, the evening had a magnetic air about it that was undeniable. Songs such as “Let It Fall” and “Breaking It Up” brought the house down, with Lykke playing auxiliary percussion and dancing and moving as though the beats were coming from someplace deep within her. The band dropped a choice cover version of “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” by Vampire Weekend (with Li using the song to brighten up the mood after one of her own slow songs) and saved that little something special to end the show with: a version of “Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest (watch/listen below). After first taping a performance for Late Night with Conan O’Brien and then playing to a packed house of superfans in-the-round, it must’ve been a special night for Lykke Li. Well, she gave it right back to the audience. The entire show was something very special indeed.
Listen:
“Little Bit” (Loving Hand remix)
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
Watch:
“Can I Kick It?” (A Tribe Called Quest cover, live from this show)
See Lykke Li Live:
5 Sept - Bestival, Isle Of Wight
19 Sept - Razzmatazz, Barcelona
20 Sept - Moby Dick, Madrid
22 Sept - AB Club, Brussels
23 Sept - Nouveau Casino, Paris
24 Sept - Paradiso (Upstairs), Amsterdam
26 Sept - Roter Salon, Berlin
27 Sept - Ubel & Gefährlich (Reeperbahn Festival), Hamberg
29 Sept - The Plug, Sheffield
1 Oct - Scala, London
2 Oct - Concorde 2, Brighton
5 Oct - Glee Club, Birmingham
6 Oct - Thekla, Bristol
8 Oct - Academy 2, Liverpool
9 Oct - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
10 Oct - The Duchess, York
19 Oct - Black Cat, Washington, Washington DC
20 Oct - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
23 Oct - Paradise, Boston, Massachusetts
24 Oct - Mod Club, Toronto, Ontario
25 Oct - Empty Bottle, Chicago, Illinois
28 Oct - Richards on Richards, Vancouver, British Columbia
29 Oct - Neumo’s, Seattle, Washington
30 Oct - Doug Fir, Portland, Oregon
1 Nov - Independent, San Francisco, California
3 Nov - El Rey, Los Angeles, California
Visit Lykke Li on MySpace.
Also there: Music Snobbery, So Much Fun It Hurts…, and countless others yet to post about the show.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
Dr. Dog played their second New York show this past Wednesday night at Bowery Ballroom and EAR FARM was there once again (see the review of the first show HERE). Check out the pictures from the show above. As for how the concert was, know this: I love this band. Dr. Dog delivered well-beyond my expectations and treated those of us in attendance to a fun, high energy show. They sounded spectacular and I left the Ballroom with a smile and a feeling of deep satisfaction. Lucky for us they’ve still got tons of tour dates ahead…
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
For a while, it seemed like Dr. Dog and I were never meant to be.
On my way out the door, after waiting for more than a month to see them after their initial NYC run was rescheduled, I had an unfortunate run-in with my unstable landlord that left me shaking and in no frame of mind for the rock. Circus music perhaps, but not rock. A few beers later, I mustered up the courage go to head to the Music Hall of Williamsburg, which was the best thing I could have done. While most bands would have failed, Dr. Dog’s laid-back, sunny tunes succeeded in taking the edge off my landlord-induced agita.
Seeing Dr. Dog live was a lot like listening to their 2007 LP We All Belong: Every song reminds me of another song, maybe one I haven’t thought of since my preadolescent years. Which is not to say that Dr. Dog rips people off or plagiarizes. To me they more resemble a group of like-minded enthusiasts than a band, in the traditional sense of the word. Unironically in love with classic rock, they want nothing more than to share their favorite music with the world. I know they are frequently compared to The Beach Boys for the harmonies and The Band for the guitars, but I also found myself thinking, in places, of bands as disparate as the Four Seasons, The Beatles, U2 and Wilco. While it seems like a cohesive aesthetic has yet to form, it’s easy and ultimately pleasurable to get swept along by Dr. Dog’s musical excitement, something akin to trading mixtapes with your friends.
In September, Dr. Dog will embark on a grueling tour: 29 North American shows in just over a month before heading to Europe. Which brings me to the issue of the scores of live plants, large and small, that decorated the stage. Do they bring a mobile greenhouse with them on tour? I kind of hope they leave them in Philly.
Listen: “Worst Trip” (from We All Belong)
See Dr. Dog Live:
5 Sept - Arlington, VA @ IOTA Club & Cafe
6 Sept – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
7 Sept – Nashville, TN @ 3rd and Lindsley
8 Sept - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe
9 Sept - Hattiesburg, MS @ Thirsty Hippo
11 Sept - Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington
12 Sept – Fort Worth, TX @ Lola’s
13 Sept – Austin, TX @ The Parish
16 Sept - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
17 Sept - San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
19 Sept - Costa Mesa, CA @ The Detroit Bar
20 Sept- Visalia, CA @ Cellar Door
21 Sept - San Francisco, CA @ Treasure Island Music Festival
22 Sept - Eugene, OR @ W.O.W. Hall
23 Sept – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
24 Sept – Seattle, WA The Tractor Tavern
26 Sept - Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
27 Sept - Denver, CO @ Hi-Dive
29 Sept - Omaha, NE @ The Waiting Room
30 Sept - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
1 Oct - Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
2 Oct - Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
3 Oct - Toronto, ON @ El Mocambo
4 Oct - Montreal, QC @ Pop Montreal - Le Petit Campus
6 Oct - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7 Oct - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
8 Oct - Troy, NY @ Revolution Hall
9 Oct - Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse Music Hall
10 Oct- Cambridge, MA @ Middle East (downstairs)
28 Nov - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom
Visit Dr. Dog on MySpace.
Fast becoming one of EAR FARM’s favorite discoveries in 2008, Bombadil came back through New York this past weekend and treated the Big Apple to two more bombastic live shows. The slide show that’s featured above is from their Friday night performance at The Living Room.
Listen:
“Julian of Norwich”
“Cavaliers Har Hum”
See Bombadil Live:
26 Aug - Washington, DC @ The Red & The Black
28 Aug - Winston-Salem, NC @ The Garage
05 Sept - Boone, NC @ Black Cat
06 Sept - Asheville, NC @ Westville Pub
12 Sept - Mount Pleasant, SC @ Fiery Ron’s Hometown BBQ
13 Sept - Gainesville, FL @ “The Real Big Deal” Music, Camping & Arts
19 Sept - Bristol, VA @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
20 Sept - Bristol, TN @ Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
26 Sept - NPR, NC @ WUNC’s The State of Things
27 Sept - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
05 Oct - Apex, NC @ Jordan Lake Arts & Music Festival
12 Nov - Grantham, PA @ B-Sides - Messiah College
17 Jan - Riverside California @ Private Party
Visit Bombadil on MySpace.
*above slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR
Clearly, it’s the week of The Walkmen here at EAR FARM… they’re our Band of the Week, we can’t stop listening to their new album You & Me, and we’ve now seen them two nights in a row at Bowery. If only they were playing here again tonight, and tomorrow night, and then the next night, and the night after, and all of next week! Then, perhaps, then we’d be sated.
No, actually, probably not. See, The Walkmen played a nearly identical set last night to what they played the first night (except a few extra requests for Johnny Beach and no “We’ve Been Had” this time around) and it’s still not enough. Never enough! Perhaps a trip to California is in order…
Listen: “In The New Year”
See The Walkmen Live:
21 Aug - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
22 Aug - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
23 Aug – San Francisco, CA @ Golden Gate Park - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
27 Aug – Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
28 Aug - Vancouver, BC @ Richard’s On Richards Cabaret
29 Aug – Victoria, BC @ Rifflandia
30 Aug – Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
06 Sept – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09 Sept - Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rosa
10 Sept - Toronto, ON @ The Legendary Horseshoe Tavern
11 Sept - Pontiac, MI @ Pike Room
12 Sept - Chicago, IL @ Metro / Smart Bar
13 Sept - Minneapolis, MN @ The 400 Bar
14 Sept - Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre w/Okkervil River
15 Sept - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
18 Sept - Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Downstairs
02 Oct - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
03 Oct - Atlanta, GA @ The EARL
04 Oct - Tallahassee, FL @ Club Downunder
05 Oct - Orlando, FL @ The Social
07 Oct - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
08 Oct - New Orleans, LA @ Republic New Orleans
09 Oct - Houston, TX @ Walter’s On Washington
10 Oct - Austin, TX @ The Parish Room
11 Oct - Dallas, TX @ Pontiac Garage
12 Oct - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone Cafe
13 Oct - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
14 Oct - Newport, KY @ Southgate House
Visit The Walkmen on MySpace.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
“It can either go well because it’s a high-pressure show or it can go god-awful, so I don’t know. But it’s good to kind of leap into things…”
Or so the Walkmen’s Peter Bauer told us when asked about the band’s decision to start their tour in front of a hometown New York crowd. If they were feeling the pressure, they certainly didn’t show it; Bauer sat patiently at his organ and necked several beers while Hamilton Leithauser and Paul Maroon started the evening with a gracefully haunting version of “New Country”. And after hushing the sold-out crowd with only a plaintive croon and waltzing guitar line, it was indeed time for the Walkmen to leap into things.
They instantly transitioned into “On The Water”, another standout from their latest album You & Me, and showed no signs of fatigue or boredom from having played the same song some 14 hours earlier on the set of Good Day New York (watch the amazingly awkward interaction between the cheery newscaster and the band HERE). With the entire band locked into a manic, skulking lockstep, “On The Water” careened forth with an absurd gravity and confidence that defined the rest of the set, anchored by the rich, textured foundation of Walter Martin’s Vox bass and Matt Barrick’s sure-handed pummeling of the kit. Read more…