The Soft Pack @ Cake Shop

Do you ever notice that some good things come from bad situations?  Example:  standing in a crowded bar, no bigger than my studio space, waiting with a hundred other people to see the Soft Pack perform a free show was not an ideal situation but it was a good choice nonetheless.  I give a lot of kudos to the staff at Cake Shop for playing the hand they were dealt; an overcrowded bar area with minimal space to move and an impatient crowd.  Yet patience is a virtue and those who stuck it out found a prize at the end of the rainbow.

The San Diego four-piece (formerly the Muslims) charged out of the gates, performing "C'Mon", the first track off their self-titled debut album that was released earlier this week.  With a surf-infused garage sound, it's no wonder how popular these guys are with their catchy tunes and memorable lyrics.  The band ended up performing seven of the ten tracks off of their debut release, excluding the tracks "Move Along", Flammable" and "Mexico".  Outside of The Soft Pack tracks, they also performed "Extinction", "Bright Side", "Right and Wrong" and "Beside Myself" from The Muslims EP; "Faith Man", from The Soft Pack 12", was also performed.  But the band also included a special treat for the Cake Shop faithful, covering Phoenix's "Fences" near the end of their set; for those who have heard it, it's different but still good.  Here is the set list for the show:

C'Mon

Down On Loving

Answer to Yourself

Extinction

Bright Side

Right and Wrong

Tides of Time

Beside Myself

More or Less

Faith Man

Fences

Pull Out

Parasites

With only having a modest amount of exposure to the Soft Pack's music, I was very impressed with their live performance.  Their sound was crisp and they seemed to have a good time; not only did the band have a good time but they embraced the intimate Cake Shop and tried their best to make sure everybody else did as well.  I speak for myself when I say 'job well done'.  Videos from the performance can be found below:

Update: All videos are uploaded for the time being. More might find their way onto the MTC YouTube Channel.

enjoy.

Atlas Sound / Memory Tapes @ Bell House

I was giddy with excitement the moment I knew I was going to this show.  Honestly, Bradford Cox is a musical talent and it shows on stage.  Memory Tapes released something mesmerizing in Seek Magic and have burst onto the indie scene; not to mention this was Memory Tapes first performance in the States.  Slowly, the masses descended upon the Bell House in Brooklyn and filled up the main hall in anticipation for Memory Tapes, as there were no local bands on the bill.

Memory Tapes is the moniker for Jersey's own Dayve Hawk, who also has gone by Memory Tapes and Weird Tapes.  Pegged as a one-man band, Hawk actually performs onstage with a live drummer and a backing track from a trusty MacBook.  I was very impressed in how the songs from Seek Magic turned out live, though it was apparent that the tempo and transitions of the songs were dependent on the backing tracks.  Not a big deal, it's just something I noticed.  The crowd was very into the set, bobbing heads in agreement with the music and giving strong applause to each performance.  Overall, their set was pretty solid and with only a handful of live shows under their belt, I would say they're onto a very good start.

After the Bell House crew cleared the floor of Memory Tapes' gear, alone sat a solitary chair in the middle of the stage.  Bradford Cox, who goes by Atlas Sound and is the frontman of Deerhunter, took his seat and happily greeted the capacity crowd and began playing "The Screens", a song from his self-released Virtual 7" No. 8.  He then began playing another newer song, "Te Amo", previously known as "Untitled" or "Untitled Jam"; his first effort was defeated by his failing looper, causing him to replay the song.  Unfortunately, six minutes into the song, the looper again stopped and the song came screeching to a halt; the crowd applauded regardless, as the song to that point was top notch.  The next three songs were "Walkabout", "Shelia" and "An Orchid", all from his latest release, Logos.  The following two were new songs, the first entitled "Come Home"; a lengthy, emotional song.  Secondly, "Flagstaff" was a folk number that was very minimal outside of the effect-laden beginning and end; it also tested Bradford's high notes on occasion.  Both were very good.  He then ended his set with "Attic Lights", another song from Logos.

After a brief step offstage, Bradford walked back towards the cheers to play an encore that included a rendition of "Criminals", a surprise performance of Deerhunter's "Spring Hall Convert" and finally ending his show with "Logos".  Afterward, Cox was humbled by the crowd and graciously thanked everybody was attending, stating that playing New York is something everybody wants to do and that every time he plays here, it's like the first time.  He was also very impressed with the Bell House, acknowledging the great atmosphere and said that he would like to come back.  After seeing him twice during CMJ, I would have to say that this was my favorite show of his that I've seen; I prefer the solo performance.  It was an excellent show.  Thanks again Bradford.  Videos of Memory Tapes and Atlas Sound can be seen below:

Update: All videos have been uploaded and posted.

enjoy.

The Family Band Show @ Rockwood Music Hall

 

It was very crowded at the Rockwood Music Hall, a small yet comfortable music venue on the Lower East Side, where a trio of bands and friends were set to perform.  Bear Man Gun, formerly the Lion's Share, Zach Williams and Brian Elmquist are all friends from previous experiences yet all converged onto this space for a night of friendship and music.

Bear Man Gun led the way with their brand of melodic sing-alongs, complete with memorable lyrics and bouncy tunes from start to finish.  Fronted by the energetic Caleb Clarty, the band definitely had a swagger about them and their showmanship really showed.  Despite not being my cup of tea, they put on an entertaining show and had the crowd going their whole set.

Following Bear Man Gun was Zach Williams and his entourage of band mates.  Consisting of six members, the band engulfed the small stage and at times were pouring off the stage.  Zach was very soulful yet melancholy, often taking the time to slow things down and really engage the crowd with heartfelt lyrics, so soft they were almost whispers.  I was very impressed by Zach's intensity and his powerful vocals.  At the end of his set, he gathered Caleb and Brian onstage where they jumped into a cover of the Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down"; definitely one of the highlights of the night, the entire crowd sang boisterously along and enjoyed themselves 'til the very end.

Capping off the trio of performances was Brian Elmquist, a Georgia native who calls Brooklyn home and whose voice, please pardon the cliche', is as smooth and rich as honey. Brian plays a brand of folk rock with twist of southern soul, easy to listen and easy to enjoy.  With his bassist and drummer, Brian played through most of his recent release, Situation Unknown, having a little help along the way.  During "Funny Thing", Williams came onstage and sang alongside Elmquist, making for another highlight of the evening.  It's very apparent where Elmquist gains his inspiration for songwriting; heartache, lost love, new love, friendship and an importance of being true.  And for him, it makes for some beautiful songs and something we can all relate to.  Videos of Williams and Elmquist are below, along with the trio covering "Don't Let Me Down":

enjoy.

Oh No Ono @ Sound Fix Records

Courtesy of 'TheLeafLabel'

Last night I found myself back again to the intimate setting of Williamsburg's Sound Fix Records to see to the Danish quintet, Oh No Ono, whose latest effort Eggs came out the same day.  After a slight delay on the account of some AA batteries, the five-piece began playing their opening song "Eleanor Speaks", which is also the opening song to Eggs.  The band was very soft-spoken, but the bassist Nis Svoldgaard did mention that this was their first time playing in New York; in fact, it was their first time playing in the States altogether.  The band went on to play "Internet Warrior", the popular track "Swim" and their latest hit "Helplessly Young"; all of which can be found on Eggs.  Their sound was quite good for being 'stripped' down, i.e. most notably the absence of real drums, and vocalist Malthe Fischer's voice almost floated away since it was so light.  Another great show put on by the great people at Sound Fix Records.  Oh No Ono will be performing at Mercury Lounge tonight and at Brooklyn's Union Hall tomorrow.  Videos of the set are below:

enjoy.

Britt Daniel (of Spoon) @ Sound Fix Records

Courtesy of 'BayTaper'

Set in Williamsburg's own Sound Fix Records, the lanky Britt Daniel, most notably as the lead singer of the everlasting indie group Spoon, warmly greeted the small gathering of fans and thanked them for waiting in the cold (it was pretty cold).  Quickly strumming into "The Mystery Zone", one of the eleven tracks from Spoon's latest effort Transference, Daniel's raspy voice stretched through the intimate record store; after the song, he talked for a minute or two on how he used to live in the same building that Sound Fix was affixed.  He then jumped into Tranference's first single, "Written In Reverse", where his raspy voice was most apparent through the four song set.  With little time wasted, Daniel began playing a familiar tune in "The Beast and Dragon, Adored", the opening track to Spoon's 2005 release Gimme Fiction.  Thanking the crowd once more, Daniel played his final song, the popular "I Summon You"; another track from Gimme Fiction.  All in all, it was a short but sweet set by one of indie's best.  Videos of the four songs performed are below:

enjoy.

D.I.M. DJ Set @ Webster Hall

The scene was set, the floor was packed and the crowd was waiting for Andreas Meid's, aka D.I.M. (also one-half of Puzique with Boys Noize), DJ set at Webster Hall on Friday night.  Opening with Boys Noize's  awesome track "Transmission", the crowd flailed and danced wildly to the electro banger.  The atmosphere was electric and the mood was great and the ever-smiling Meid sang with the crowd, pumping his fist in agreement to the dance music.  After missing D.I.M.'s last visit to Webster Hall, I felt fortunate to have caught this set because it was simply fantastic.  Below are two three-track medleys from his set; the first includes SonicC's "Stickin'", Boys Noize's "Jeffer" and Mr. Oizo's "Positif" and the second includes D.I.M. and Tai's "Lyposuct", the Bloody Beetroots' "Warp 1.9" and Boys Noize's "Nott":

enjoy.