Enon @ Johnny Brenda’s
Last night, one of my favorite bands officially became irrelevant. What seemed like a setup for the perfect show quickly turned into a disastrous evening and one of the worst shows I can remember (David Bowie at PNC Bank Arts Center takes the cake). Enon took the stage around 11:30 after two DJ sets in front of one of the smallest Johnny Brenda’s crowds I can recall. There couldn’t have been more than 40 people in attendance of a venue that holds 200+ at full capacity. The band opened with an incredible version of “Rubber Car,” a personal favorite. John Schmersal’s distorted vocals and stage antics quickly brought out the schizophrenic side of the front man that he exhibited years ago with Brainiac. Shortly after the opener, Schmersal began asking why toilet paper was white and the wheels fell off.
Earlier in the day, I had caught a few songs from a live stream of Holy Fuck’s Amsterdam gig. Holy Fuck is now highlighted by the relentless Matt Schulz on drums. We were lucky to catch the group’s impressive performance at Brenda’s last year with Schulz. Schulz’s departure from Enon last year has left a big hole that the band has not been able to fill. Initially, we were impressed by the ability and energy of the new drummer and assumed the band was back at full strength. Unfortunately, Enon was caught with their pants down when a pre-recorded drum track began playing before the new drummer started playing over it. It was an embarrassing Ashley Simpson moment that had the crowd wincing. After a while, the band made no effort to hide the fact that the show was, in fact, a rehearsal session for a new drummer. The drummer even triggered the programmed drums in the middle of one of Schmersal’s uncomfortable rants to the crowd. It was one of many awkward moments throughout the night. The band even used some pre-recorded backup vocals.
Toko Yasuda, Enon’s female vocalist and bass player, suffered several technical difficulties and was under the weather due to allergies. During a break in the show due to a technical glitch, Yasuda even asked the crowd what she should to take for her allergies. A careless sound check led to several problems for a frustrated Yasuda, who’s mic went in and out all night. A tech spent much of the show near the stage trying to troubleshoot the problem. At one point, Yasuda went over and sang into Schmersal’s mic. She apologized to the crowd for all the issues. Schmersal quickly reacted by telling her that she should never apologize. The mix was the worst I’ve heard at the numerous Johnny Brenda’s shows I’ve been to over the past few years. This is a venue that has gained a reputation for great sound, which was most recently confirmed with an inspiring performance by Tapes N’ Tapes a few weeks ago.
Schmersal seemed to be in a strange mood. His conversations with the crowd were uncomfortable, as he joked about the light crowd giving off the proper amount of carbon dioxide in the room during Earth Week. He also asked the crowd why toilet paper is bleached white. The crowd seemed puzzled and wondered how motivated Schmersal was to play after all the calamities during the night. After the band finished their short set, we wondered if a small and unenthusiastic crowd warranted a curtain call. After minimal applause from the confused crowd, Enon took the stage for a very awkward encore. After the first song of the encore, Schmersal’s discussion with the crowd had us shaking our heads, and we left early. It was obvious that the band was not prepared and was using the small venue to warm-up, keep sharp and test some new material. The new material did sound great and adds some promise for the band’s return to true form. Fortunately, the tickets last night were only $10.
Tapes N’ Tapes @ Johnny Brendas
Tapes N’ Tapes is a band that we have been waiting to catch for a while, and they blew the doors off Johnny Brenda’s on Saturday night. Johnny Brenda’s is our favorite venue in Philly. The intimate setting and mix of good beer and great sound makes for memorable shows. And this one even topped last year’s stand out performances from Battles and Holy Fuck at the venue.
The set featured a great mix of songs from both of their full length records, The Loon and Walk It Off. They even showcased two new songs that seamlessly fit into the 15-song set. The second new track, tentatively titled “Hideeho!” according to the set list that I snatched up, was probably the highlight of the show. Lead singer and guitarist Josh Grier mentioned he was under the weather and his voice might be off, but I would never have noticed. He sounded flawless as they opened the set with a tight rendition of “George Michael.”
One of the most notable aspects of the show was the sheer energy and power of the songs from the quartet. Drummer Jeremy Hanson, who joined the band in 2005 while still a senior in high school, is the glue that curates the raw power of Grier’s ever-changing riffs. Altering between traditional sticks and drum mallets, Hanson gives the band a sonic tightness that makes start/stop songs like “In Houston” so powerful. His jazz/rock drumming style mixes well with Matt Kretzman’s keyboards and the occasional trumpet.
As always the sound at Brenda’s was mixed perfectly, while still allowing the band to show off some of its rawness in songs like “The Dirty Dirty” and “Headshock.” Tapes N’ Tapes sounded even better live than on their records, and the LPs are fierce. I can imagine this is what Modest Mouse might have sounded like back in 1998 while also touring for their second full record The Lonesome Crowded West.
After hearing the new songs, anticipation for their 3rd record has begun. This is a band that you don’t want to miss while they are still playing such intimate shows at places like Johnny Brenda’s with a capacity of only 300. Don’t miss this band on their next tour. The sheer force and energy of the songs was simply awe-inspiring. Another great night at Johnny Brenda’s, and another amazing show.
The band is wrapping up the tour this week and have video blogged their travels on their YouTube page. Below is the one from Philly:
Tapes N’ Tapes - Hang Em All
http://www.tapesntapes.com
http://www.myspace.com/tapesntapes
Vic Chestnutt & Elf Power @ The Bowery Ballroom
Not knowing exactly what to expect from this show, it was certain that two of my favorite albums of 2008 were going to be highlighted on this cold Friday night in New York City. When Elf Power frontman, Andrew Rieger, emailed me with the news that Elf Power would play an entire opening set before supporting the album they recorded with Vic, my anticipation grew. We got there while Elf Power were setting up, and Pete had a quick word with Andrew. Mr. Elf Power also commented on the Neutral Milk Hotel t-shirt I was wearing, one he sold me via Orange Twin Records a few weeks back.
Elf Power left the stage for just a few minutes before making their formal entrance. They opened with “Step Through the Portal …” and then went right into their newest LP, In a Cave (#6 on Fishpork’s Favorite Albums list). Rieger and company played effortlessly through songs like “Owl Cut,” “Spiral Stairs” and “Softly Through the Void.” “You can’t say enough about the sound quality at the Bowery. It’s just flawless. I would prefer the Music Hall of Williamsburg (adjacent to a great bar scene) and Johnny Brenda’s (IPA on tap with only 200 person max), but the Bowery is near the top. Elf Power finished their set with an epic version of “Back to the Web” from the LP by the same name and left the stage promising to be back shortly with Vic Chestnutt. The crowd at this point was still only about half of the 600 maximum capacity. Shame on you, New York!
The band returned just minutes later, this time carrying the legend himself and his wheel chair to an area right in front of us. The crowd finally filled up most of the venue at this point. For those unfamiliar, Vic was injured in a car accident when he was 18. The accident left his partially paralyzed. His ability to play guitar was not altogether lost, although it does take a lot of energy for Chestnutt to set up his leg on his array of guitar pedals, a process that he joked about with the crowd. His set up included an undersized acoustic guitar with five effects pedals below and a harmonica. When Vic was younger he played regularly at local shows in Athens, Georgia before being discovered by Michael Stipe of REM. Stipe went on to produce Chestnutt’s first two albums in the early 90s.
Chestnutt’s newest album was a collaborative effort with Elf Power called Dark Developments, an altogether catchy, scathing and lyrically high brow effort. Vic announced he and the band would play the album in its entirety, a concept that has been popular in recent years with more established bands. Chestnutt began the “la la la” opening of “Mystery,” and the crowd became catatonic. This man has more passion in his broken down body than any musician alive today. He told the stories behind many of the tracks and interacted with the audience all night. He explained, “I wrote this song. It’s called ‘Little Fucker.’ I wrote it about myself.”
The highlight of the night was an angry rant about recent campaign hero, Joe the Plumber. Vic explained that he worked on the concept for the song “Phil the Fiddler” for two years before Joe the Plumber came along. “Fuck Joe the Plummer,” he yelled before going into the album’s closing track. Vic ended the show with two older tracks that have me scrambling to download all of his older stuff. The show was a long one, as Elf Power played for almost an hour, and Vic played for close to 90 minutes. It was all worth several times the $15 ticket. The show will, without a doubt, end up on our list of favorites for 2009.
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:
- Deerhunter @ The Music Hall of Wiiliamsburg
- Girl Talk @ Starlight Ballroom
- Enon @ Hiro Ballroom
- Modest Mouse @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
- Built to Spill @ Terminal 5
- Animal Collective @ Electric Factory
- Nine Inch Nails @ Wachovia Center
- Radiohead @ APW Festival
- Saul Williams @ The Trocadero
- 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
Battles @ Johnny Brenda’s
June 15, 2008- Philadelphia, PA
Battles took the Sunday stage at Johnny Brenda’s in Philly with John Stanier at center stage. That position was appropriate as Stanier’s intense set drove this show into one of the more memorable show’s for an unusually large Brenda’s crowd. The place was packed and the IPAs were flowing as the opening band Thank You took the stage. The few songs I had heard online didn’t make me want to arrive early, but as I arrived midset, I was impressed with their performance enough to garner a second listen. But as Battles began to set up their equipment, the level of intensity of the sold out crowd to new level. Stanier, who at times seems more like an extremely focused, rigorous machine, gave a nod and with that, the stage pulsated with the surging drum pattern of “Leyendeker” (from Battles’ debut on Warp Records “Mirrored“).
As the crowd settled into what was sure to be a true experience rather than just another show, the knockout blow came from ex-Lynx guitarist Dave Konopka’s opening live-sample fustion riff of “TRAS.” This track is a personal favorite of mine, oringinally released as a single, but can now be heard on Warp’s re-release “EP C/B EP.” This release combines the 2004’s “EP C” and “B EP” EPs (say that 10 times fast.) The updated version of this classic blew away the crowd and opened the flood gate to the Battles full catalog of songs. To no disappointment of new fans, they ripped through more familiar songs, “Atlas” and “Tonto,” while ramping up to a intense version of “Race In” which begins with the sweat flying off the arms of an already soaking wet Stanier, as he sat with his head resting only slightly above his kit for the concentrated snare rim click intro.
Not to be overlooked is the architect behind many of the tracks, ex-Don Cab guitarist Ian Williams. William’s masterful use of finger picking and keyboard playing defies ambidextrous logic. Rounding out the quartet perfectly is Tyondia Braxton (son of avant-garde jazz musician Anthony Braxton), who also plays guitar/keyboard and creates live voice samples through a multitude of effect pedals (as seen above). Battles is a must see live set, not to be soon forgotten by me or the crowd at Johnny Brenda’s.
Holy Fuck @ Johnny Brenda’s
Now that I work in Philly, I’m slowly being sucked into the local music scene. No longer is it necessary to drive all the way out here just for a show or take the train into the city. There are so many great venues in this town! One of the best in the area is Johnny Brenda’s. Although it’s in a rough neighborhood, they host some of the greatest bands you’ve never heard of. Best of all, they serve the best local microbrews around. In my winter/spring splurge of Philly concerts (Enon, Holy Fuck, Saul Williams, and Battles), this one had some high expectations. The band is a lo-fi electronica band from Canada. Instead of computers, they make music with toy keyboards, film sequencers, distortion pedals, etc. It’s all in real-time and very improvisational. The decision to use live drums (Matt Schulz from Enon) and bass adds an authentic feel to the sound.
What a great show! The two albums are very good, but the music works best live. If you didn’t see the band on stage, you would have thought that Schulz was replaced by a high-tech drum machine. He was relentless and full of energy. Graham and Brian stood over two huge platforms that contained all their sources for tinkering. The best part was the use of a 35mm film sequencer. I don’t really know how they achieved the sound they did, but it involved pulling 35mm film through the sequencer and the use of a turntable needle. It sounds pretentious (something that Johnny Greenwood would do with Radiohead on Amnesiac), but the result fits perfectly with the backbeat and distortion. The crowd loved it all, as they yelled for an encore at the end of the show. Standouts of the night were Casio Bossa Nova and Tone Bank Jungle. - Mark