Elephant 6 Holiday Surprise @ Knitting Factory

It was a nostalgic trip into the depths of our indie fandom on Monday night, as the Athens-based heroes from the Elephant 6 collective treated a sold out crowd at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory to the best of their eclectic discography. It was the first of three sold out shows in NYC. The night was highlighted by some of the stronger tracks in the Elephant 6 vault. Elite players from The Olivia Tremor Control (Will Cullen Hart & Bill Doss) and Elf Power (Andrew Rieger) often overshadowed the rest of the collective.

Ultimately, it didn’t matter, as the lesser known projects were front and center just as much as the established. Neutral Milk Hotel alums, Scott Spillane (The Gerbils) and Julian Koster (The Music Tapes), were given ample stage time for their offbeat, experimental projects. There was a sense of complete democracy among the players, which is part of the appeal of the group of indie veterans. The night was interestingly complimented by odd, seemingly acid-induced storytelling from Koster and a giant snowman stage left. During a trip outside to make a phone call, I rubbed shoulders with Jeff Mangum. Yes, he was there but did not play. I suppose we’ll be able to wait until his Fall tour, which include four NJ dates!

[photos via Eardrum NYC]

UPDATE: nyctaper has posted an excellent quality recording of the entire show here.

MP3: “Freak Out” by Tapes N Tapes

Fishpork faves Tapes N Tapes have a new record Outside coming out on January 11. The band will follow up the release with a three-month U.S. tour that will stop in Brooklyn and Johnny Brenda’s in Philly. In the meantime, their first single “Freak Out” is available as a free download. You can download “Freak Out” by Tapes N Tapes here or stream it below:

You can aslo check out a performance of another new song called “SWM” from earlier this year for Radio Happy Hour in their hometown of Minneapolis:

Faith No More @ Williamsburg Waterfront

Mike Patton is one of the biggest assholes around. He once taunted a New York crowd while wearing his Laker’s jersey post-9/11. He stopped an interview mid-sentence at a festival to bash Wolfmother. On July 5th at the Williamsburg Waterfront in Brooklyn, Patton and a reunited Faith No More mocked the crowd between each song, joking about broken down subway service, the dirty East River, and all the dirty hipsters in the crowd. The band even did a tongue-in-cheek cover of Michael Jackson’s “Ben” just days after the one-year anniversary of his death. Whether you are offended by Patton’s insults and condescending behavior or not, there is no denying his prolific career. With nearly 30 albums with over a dozen music projects, the 42-year old Patton may be the most diverse musician of our generation. He’s worked with avant-guard legend John Zorn, Bjork, Rahzel from the Roots, Massive Attack, Norah Jones, Melvins, Sepultura, Buckethead, Dan the Automator, Handsome Boy Modeling School, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The X-Ecutioners, John Kaada, John Stanier, Dave Lombardo and dozens of others. He’s even sung Italian opera on several solo albums and voiced the howls and screams of the sick, vampire-like monsters in I Am Legend. Patton joined Faith No More in 1989 partly as a way to promote his high school band, Mr. Bungle (see Patton’s Mr. Bungle t-shirt in the music video for “Epic;” they really hate playing it).

Faith No More played a flawless set in Brooklyn, and Patton’s voice was better than ever. I’m not sure there is anyone else out there that can scream for 20 minutes and seamlessly segue into a cover of Lionel Richie’s “Easy” while hitting every note perfectly. An immediate highlight for me was the antagonistic performance of my favorite FNM track, “The Gentle Art of Making Enemies”:

The crowd of 7,500 or so fans that collected at the Waterfront on a 100 degree day were unsurprisingly lame: a mix between 30- and 40-somethings who have yet to move on from the 80s and a sea of hipsters who were there just because the show was in Brooklyn. The alcoholics were cordoned-off behind a barricaded area that employed a beer-for-tickets system. That crowd seemed slightly more motivated. One individual even started a one-man mosh pit with himself, spilling beer on hoards of fans, including myself. In an effort to avoid a confrontation that I might regret, we moved to the “tame” side, which featured local stands selling art and other “hipster” paraphenelia. Smart marketing it was not.

The band invited Rahzel on stage to beatbox during several tracks, which worked generally well. The second encore featured another favorite track of mine off of the band’s Album of the Year record. Although the band’s performance surpassed all expectations, the heat wave, the festival-like atmosphere, and the disingenuous and annoying crowd interfered with all intended nostalgia we may have been seeking. As usual, we’ll look for Patton’s “asshole” tactics and next project in an underground club in the city sometime soon. Jim Morrison or Kurt Cobain would have to come back from the dead for me to attend another Waterfront show.

MP3: “Attic Lights (Live @ Bell House, Brooklyn)” by Atlas Sound

Courtesy of our good friend nyctaper, we’re able to share a great live performance of the track “Attic Lights” by Bradford Cox’s (Deerhunter) solo moniker, Atlas Sound. The early part of the show was hampered by a failing looping sampler, but Cox continued on in gracious fashion to play a stunning version of this song from his 2009 Logos album (#6 on Fishpork’s “favorite albums of 2009″ list). Download “Attic Lights (Live @ Bell House, Brooklyn)” by Atlas Sound here or stream it below:

Animal Collective @ Prospect Park Bandshell

Animal Collective has lost my interest as a live band. Merriweather Post Pavilion is, of course, one of my favorite albums of 2009, but a third straight snoozer from the live incarnation requires me to reconsider their abilities as an engaging stage presence. The problem mainly lies with the live presentation of electronic music in general. Watching three guys bob their heads up and down while triggering samples does not stir excitement.

Comparing AC’s live show to other bands who have engaged audiences while playing electronic elements in their songs is inevitable. Battles, for example, spend much of their show playing real instruments and sampling rhythms live on stage and going back to these sounds and manipulating them while building upon an organic composition. That’s exciting! Grizzly Bear, although not an electronic band, has bassist/producer Chris Taylor sampling all sorts of wind instruments live and building upon them as though accompanied by a full orchestra. That’s exciting!

During parts of Animal Collective’s set, Panda Bear did pound live drums and Avey Tare did hold his guitar. However, both instruments seemed more like props than important components of the live versions of their songs. I could easily sense from the crowd that a collective interest was lost about mid-way through the set, as side conversations tended drown out a lot of the sound. Maybe that’s just the product of a large outdoor venue filled with indie hipsters who do not really like the music they claim to. It could also be a result of unyielding 10-minute jam sessions of “Fireworks” or “Daily Routine” that embrace segues and ignore all elements of song structure.

This was my favorite live performance by the band, and Avery Tare seemed especially excited to be playing in Brooklyn. Highlights included Strawberry Jam standout “Chores,” and “Lion in a Coma” from MPP. Unfortunately, the experience did not support the notion “third time’s a charm.” Setlist follows:

Setlist:
What Would I Want Sky
My Girls
You Could Win a Rabbit
Summertime Clothes
Slippi
Daily Routine
Chores
Fireworks (medley)
Brothersport

encore:
Lion in a Coma
Guys Eyes
Leaf House

Atlas Sound to Play New York/Philly in October

Bradford Cox (Deerhunter) will bring his solo act back to our area with October shows at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg and Philadelphia’s First Unitarian Church. Each show will be a co-headlining gig with UK electronic artists Broadcast. It’s been a busy year so far for Cox, who released Deerhunter’s Rainwater Cassette Exchange EP a few weeks ago and will release Logos, his second solo record in as many years this Fall. Deerhunter plays the Flying W Airport Resort in Medford, NJ this Saturday with Dan Deacon and No Age. Tickets are still available through TicketWeb here. Cox will also play with his band and as Atlas Sound at the Flaming Lips curated ATP New York show in September. Links to the Atlas Sound points of sale below:

Atlas Sound/Broadcast – First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, NY – October 18, 2009 (on sale now)
Atlas Sound/Broadcast – Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY – October 21, 2009 (on sale July 31 @ noon)

“Walkabout” by Atlas Sound (feat. Panda Bear)

Of Montreal @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

As Of Montreal wrap up their current tour of 2000+ seat venues in North America before heading over to Europe and Australia, a spot on Letterman brought Kevin Barnes and his troupe of musicians and actors to the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn for a small club performance. The Music Hall show was announced only a few days prior to the on-sale date, and it sold out in less than 45 seconds. The 550 or so die-hard fans that were lucky enough to hit refresh on their keyboards fast enough to get their tickets and stood through about thirty minutes of a backstage DJ set (as the Of Montreal prepared to take the stage).

Four golden Buddhas took the stage around 11:15pm and stood motionless for a few minutes before keyboardist Dottie Alexander, guitarist Bryan Poole (aka The Late B.P Helium,) multi-instrumentalist Jamey Huggins, bassist Davey Pierce and Drummer Ahmed Gallab took the stage. As the opening “Id Engager” bass line started (from their most recent LP Skelatal Lamping), Barnes threw open the back stage door and screamed the opening high-pitched “Ahhhhhyeaahhhh!”  It was an non-stop party from that moment on.

Kevin Barnes wrote and played just about every note on his last two records, mostly recorded in the attic of his Athens, GA home (with the rest done in Norway). His dark, sexual brand of melodic pop translates perfectly to the stage. Every song had sketches to accompany them, involving a troupe of ninja actors with ever changing costumes and art props. If Barnes wasn’t stripping down to his gold-colored vinyl underwear held up by an over-sized purple belt, he was wearing a half fur coat or clergy dress.

A large projection screen was filled with the familiar artwork from Kevin Barnes’ brother David, with images that have graced the covers of this records and the six foot horse collages that accompany the Lamping vinyl. If that wasn’t enough, at one point during “Gallery Piece,” when he sings the line “I want to be your what’s happening,” Rerun and Raj from the 70s sitcom of the same name show up on the back screen to a roar of laughter from the crowd. It was just impossible not to be entertained by this show.

During “Plastic Wafers” the four actors with Buddha heads returned with sponges of washable red paint in their hands and began to lather up a near naked Barnes until he was entirely covered. As the song continued, the Buddhas turned to the audience and lathered up the faces of everyone that was up near the front of the stage (myself included). Audience participation was not optional and that continued until they closed their set with “A Sentence of Sorts in Kongsvinger”

When Kevin Barnes is on stage half naked or wearing his blue eyeshadow and matching sequence shirt over his white blouse, it’s easy to forget the early Elephant6 days where Barnes would sheepishly hide behind his acoustic guitar and sing his power-pop songs. I can only imagine what it must of been like in the Athens house that Barnes shared with Jeff Mangum, of Neutral Milk Hotel, and Will Hart and Bill Doss, both of Olivia Tremor Control. When Barnes finished writing 2004′s Satanic Panic, his breakaway from the traditional Elephant6 sound, he even considered changing the band name to close that chapter of music but decided it would be more interesting to carry a catalog that was more diverse. Diverse it is.

The sound was mixed well and warm tones were crisp. Barnes’ guitar playing was on point and the entire band was tight. As expected, the set was very Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer? and Skeletal Lamping heavy with a few tracks off Sunlandic Twins and Satanic Panic. The show was a non-stop 2-hour set that featured a mind-blowing 30 songs.

Barnes would run off stage every 3rd or 4th song for costume changes (after throwing his outfit he was wearing into the crowd) and fans fought over a white mink, a pair of blue glasses or a sequenced jacket. For the last few songs he wore what looked like an old-time diner waitress uniform with a large “K” embroidered near the left shoulder. As Barnes walked off stage the audience waited for him to fling it into the audience as well, but as he walked off he smiled and commented “I just bought this one today, so I’m going to break it in a little.”

Of Montreal came out for a three song encore with a great version of “Gronlandic Edit” and “Oslo In The Summertime.” They have been closing with a different cover almost every show on this tour, and we were treated to a Barnes interpretation of Tom Petty’s “American Girl.”

One moment that sums up the Of Montreal experience happened in-between songs when Barnes looked around for his cup of vodka and orange juice that was poured for him during one of the background performances. He found it laying near the drum kit where much of the stage performance action was going on.  He looked into it then pulled his mouth away from the cup. He then asked the crowd, “who here is 21?” A fever of hands raised up, and he walked over and gave his cup to an enthusiastic fan. As the kid took a sip, Barnes commented, “I hope you like the taste of silver sparkles.”

Kevin Barnes channels the over-the-top transsexual/she-male Georgie Fruit, and it’s done so well that its hard to imagine Barnes being any different in real life. Much like a Flaming Lips show, the theatrics do not supersede the performance of the music — it only compliments it. There are not many artists that could pull this off without distracting the audience from the music, but its pure symmetry when it comes to Of Montreal.

I grabbed Dottie’s set list as she walked off stage.

Of Montreal – She’s A Rejector (Live @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)

Of Montreal – Gronlandic Edit (Live @ Music Hall of Williamsburg)

Our friend NYCTaper has the entire set for download here.

http://www.myspace.com/ofmontreal
http://www.ofmontreal.net/

Fishpork’s Ten Favorite Shows of 2008

As a collective, Fishpork attended 15 live shows this year (and there are still two more: Of Montreal tomorrow and Crystal Castles on New Year’s Eve, both at the Music Hall of Williamsburg). Unfortunately, a band does not have complete control over how well received their live performance can be. This was the case with all bands that played in our least favorite venue of 2008: The Electric Factory in Philadelphia. Although Animal Collective managed to overcome the venue’s sound limitations the best, others were not so lucky (The Mars Volta, TV on the Radio, Of Montreal). Unless Jeff Mangum announces a show here, Fishpork will avoid it at all costs in 2009. Highlights of the year included an intoxicating performance by Deerhunter, a sweaty dance party curated by Girl Talk, and a 3am secret show by Modest Mouse. These were our favorite shows of 2008:

1. Deerhunter @ The Music Hall of Wiiliamsburg
2. Girl Talk @ Starlight Ballroom
3. Enon @ Hiro Ballroom
4. Modest Mouse @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
5. Built to Spill @ Terminal 5
6. Animal Collective @ Electric Factory
7. Nine Inch Nails @ Wachovia Center
8. Radiohead @ APW Festival
9. Saul Williams @ The Trocadero
10. Battles @ Johnny Brendas

Honorable Mention:

Holy Fuck @ Johnny Brendas
Crystal Castles @ Webster Hall
Health @ House of Blues
TV on the Radio @ Electric Factory
Of Montreal @ Electric Factory

Least Favorite Show of 2008

The Mars Volta @ Electric Factory

Favorite Live Venue of 2008

Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, PA

Least Favorite Venue of 2008

Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA

Gummy Awards @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

It was only a month ago when Deerhunter played the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. That amazing performance set the new standard for live shows in 2008, so the expectations this time were through the roof. Even without use of their own equipment and a poorly mixed set by the sound guy, Deerhunter still found a way to captivate the Williamsburg crowd.

Under the guise of Stereogum’s “Gummy Awards,” Deerhunter played a slighty stripped down show, using the amps and drums from openers Violins, while only bringing a few guitars and pedals.  Cox began to set up his own equipment shortly after their set, along side blues guitar extraordinaire Whitney Petty. Not far behind was to follow was drummer Moses Archuleta, bassist Josh Fauver, and guitarist/sometimes vocalist Lockett Pundt. Pundt has been a busy man of late with his recently announced debut full-length release from his solo band Lotus Plaza entitled The Floodlight Collective. This follow’s the trend set by Bradford’s solo project (better known as Atlas Sound). The Lotus Plaza record will drop on March 23rd.

I had the pleasure and privilege of chatting with Cox for a moment as he set up his equipment to relay Fishpork’s appreciate of the new album (#1 on Fishpork 20). Cox was grateful, giving his child-like grin. The band quickly assembled what little equipment was available for them and retreated backstage so Stereogum could come out for their two stooges comedy troupe which was anything but funny. The stand up comedy/video montage from Stereogum was less than enjoyable but thankfully short.  Even more regrettable was the announcement that Fleet Foxes was their voters’ choice for album of the year.  This was announced as Fishpork’s choice for favorite album was ready to take the stage.

Cox and company wasted no time and opened with “Cryptograms” from their 2007 album of the same name. If I could find anything out of place, it seemed that Cox was slightly too high in the mix. This did make for a larger than life sound that commanded attention to the their performance but did not compare to their Music Hall performance a month ago. Cox played with a likely borrowed no-frills strat, which showed that he could still get his trademark sounds to shine through. Petty did manage to bring Fender Coronado II for the ride. SInce this was somewhat of a last-minute show, so I guess the band just wanted to play without bringing their sound crew. Furthermore, the soundboard dude was texting on his phone the entire show, which did not help the mix.

As Cox toyed fellow bandmantes with an impromptu version of “Jane Says,” Fauver put down his bass with cynical disapproval. Cox laughed and asked, “so what should we play then?” Since I was less than two feet from him I couldn’t help myself with a shout for “Operation” from Weird Era Cont. Bradford then turned around and replied ”that’s a good choice!” with a grin. Fauver picked up his bass, and Cox went into the song without hesitation.

The set was Microcastle heavy, as expected, but the aforementioned “Cryptograms” and a few others did sprinkle the set. Crowd-pleasers “Nothing Ever Happened” and “Never Stops” sounded tight as usual despite the issues with the mix.

As the band readied themselves for their encore, Cox thanked Stereogum and also gave a solicited shout out to Fishpork before going into the set closer “Saved by Old TImes.” This was followed by a crotch dive and human scissor with Perry, the former cheerleader, to finish a brilliant performance (see photo).

The self-described “ambient punk” band seemed as focused as ever. Perhaps this is because this was Deerhunter’s last scheduled show for the US (except for a hometown New Years secret show gig). Cox and company are taking a break before heading out for a long European tour in February.  But you never know when they might show up somewhere with borrowed instruments or as Cox’s alter ego Atlas Sound.

Deerhunter – “Never Stops”

Deerhunter – “Microcastles”

Deerhunter – “Saved By Old Times”

Deerhunter – “Vox Celeste”

http://www.myspace.com/deerhunter

http://deerhuntertheband.blogspot.com

Spend New Year’s Eve with Crystal Castles!

Bring in 2009 with Ethan Kath and Alice Glass, better known as Crystal Castles, at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The Hall will be hosting our favorite electro-thrash Canadians on New Year’s Eve this year and is without a doubt one of the best venues in the NY area to see a show.  The Modest Mouse secret show and Deerhunter show earlier this month were easily the best shows of the year. If this show is anything like their Webster Hall performance, it will be a night to remember.

Their self-titled debut album released earlier this year is sure to be in many of the Top 10 lists that will begin to pop up over the next few weeks.

Alice gave a boot and smashed my camera into a few pieces at that show, but all that mattered was that the memory card survived.  Check out our pics from that show here. This is sure to be another great one on New Year’s Eve in Brooklyn.

Get your tickets here before it sells out.

CRYSTAL CASTLES – Courtship Dating (official video)
by Differentrecordings

http://www.myspace.com/crystalcastles

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