…From
The Stage
A "send-away party”
prior to another European tour, Nada
Surf headlined a four-act bill
at The Mercury Lounge.
Selling out in one day through little more than
word of mouth, friends of the trio were chosen
as openers. First up was Unlove,
whose sound creatively merged the finer elements
of dream-pop with noise-rock. The keyboard work
of frontwoman Kristina
Zubkova meshed especially well
with the feedback of guitarist Kevin
Mazzarelli, even if earplugs were
necessary.
True
Love followed, bringing a new
definition to the concept of a "power trio."
Besides splitting lead vocal duties from song
to song, guitarist Tom
Beaujour, bassist Keith
Hartel, and drummer Ray
Kubian also regularly worked three-part
harmonies into their songs with the end result
being impressive power-pop.
Former Waxwing
singer Rocky Votolato,
who recently signed to Barsuk
Records, came up next with nothing
more than a harmonica and cleanly amplified electric
guitar. Playing tracks off of the newly released
"Makers," the Seattle singer-songwriter
charmed the capacity crowd with between-song banter
that showed both modesty and grace. It was, by
all means, a night where the openers were just
as noteworthy as the headliner…
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An event sponsored by The
Improper Magazine, Manhattan's own Downtime
played host to an exciting evening kicked off by Psyche
Of Sound, a genre-bending, multi-racial
group. The act featured a hard-to-ignore stage show
with backup dancers and vocalists. A heavy reworking
of Cranberries
hit "Zombie" proved to be a set highlight.
The evening continued with the guitar-oriented, lady-friendly
Steve Marshall &
The Deputies...
Gigging at a private party at the office of Caroline
Distribution, Man
Man is a band that's been on tour with
some great artists as of late; namely The
Arcade Fire, Okkervil
River, and Fiery
Furnaces. While many artists would cower
at the idea of performing without a stage, sound monitors,
or proper lighting, this ensemble -- featuring members
of Coyote
and Need New Body
-- persevered, with those in attendance immediately
crowding around the band. Absolutely recommended for
fans of Tom Waits,
Mr. Bungle,
Skeleton Key,
and Captain Beefheart
alike, no two songs sound alike, and yet Man Man's music
has a distinct sound with gruff vocals and klezmer influence
that are bound to stand out. Expect a tremendous cult
following to develop in admiration of these Philadelphia
folks.
…From The Screen
Featuring nearly two-dozen live and studio
performances from classic bands, "God Save The
Queen" brings together footage -- some of which
is raw, but most of which is rare -- from some of punk
rock's founding fathers. Kicking off with "Sonic
Reducer" from The
Dead Boys and closing with Sham
69 favorite "Tell Us The Truth,"
there are glaring omissions from the bands included.
However, it is refreshing to see less-successful, yet
as-influential artists like Johnny
Thunders and Generation
X getting their due. Completists will
also appreciate the vintage interviews with Thunders,
Marky Ramone,
X-Ray Spex
and a few of the other participating groups. On the
opposite end of the rock spectrum, also new from Music
Video Distributors, is "Seven Days
Live," which features Poison,
post-C.C. DeVille,
live in London in 1994...
An innovative sit-com that ran for two
seasons on Bravo,
"Significant Others", was a series that focused
on couples going in and out of marriage counseling.
Improvised within boundaries, a la "Curb Your Enthusiasm,"
the series was popular amongst writers and other in-the-know
viewers, but failed to catch on among the general public.
Getting a second chance, Shout!
Factory has released the entire series
as a two-DVD set with extras. If you're the sort of
person who prefers to preview before purchasing, be
sure to add this to your Netflix
queue immediately...
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A proven sensation
in their native Norway, 2005 was a break-out year
for Wig Wam,
a glam-influenced quartet of rockers. Filling
out two discs, “Rock ‘N’ Roll
Revolution 2005” combines one full concert
alongside the Eastfold
Symphony Orchestra with two tour-documentaries,
six music videos, and a large photo gallery. While
most of the on-the-road footage is in Norwegian,
the music and tomfoolery is 100% accessible to
native English-speakers. But language aside, fans
of The Darkness
and Ash
ought to love tracks like “In My Dreams”
– a top-placing track from the Eurovision
Song Contest – and “Hard
To Be A Rock ‘N Roller.” An international
pop invasion is inevitable for Wig Wam.
If you have
news to report for the next edition of Moving
In Stereo, press releases
and all other correspondence should be sent to
darren.paltrowitz@gmail.com.
© 2005
– Column used with permission from Darren
Paltrowitz. All right reserved.
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| MIS
Volume 23
Contest Giveaways
The
following albums will be
given away to readers of
Moving In Stereo:
|
Aereogramme
Seclusion
(Undergroove) |
|
The
Green And Yellow TV
Sinister Barrier
(Records) |
|
Amy
Kuney
EP
(Spin Move) |
Three
winners, one CD per person,
will be selected at random. |
|
|
