Best of 2009, MTC Concert Edition

What a year it has been.  This has been hands down the busiest concert season for me in my twenty-seven years of life.  Of course, I would not have been able to have gone to as many great shows if it weren't for my arrival in New York in May; sorry Dallas and Norman, you're great but you don't offer the amount of shows (free shows for that matter) in your neck of the woods.  Regardless, I went to some amazing shows and would like to list my top ten:

#1  Paul McCartney @ Citi Field

#2  Muse @ Walter Kerr Theatre

#3  Japandroids @ Pianos

#4  Animal Collective @ Prospect Park

#5  TV on the Radio @ Diamond Ballroom

#6  Dan Deacon @ Ft. Worth Modern Art Museum

#7  Crystal Castles @ All Points West

#8  Boys Noize @ Central Park Summerstage

#8  Gonzales (with Andrew WK) @ Joe's Pub (yes, two #8's)

#9  Simian Mobile Disco @ Webster Hall

#10  Arctic Monkeys @ All Points West

The year is not over yet, so this list might be slightly premature but, most likely, will hold true.  Thanks for all the support this year.

enjoy.

An Ocean of Noise, A Blog Full of Great

Two things happened over the past holiday break in Washington, D.C.:  heavy helpings of friends and food, finding a digital brother in the blogosphere.  Enter An Ocean of Noise, a music blog dedicated to pretty much everything involving music; new releases, reviews, playlists, general commentary and, my personal fave, lists of songs/artists through one synonymous item (name, place, object, et cetera).  Hosted by Travis Hare, the site is well maintained with constant updates; on top of his own commentary, Travis has help from  a columnist cohort and also from guest contributors.  So please, do yourself a favor and check out this site.  Hopefully one day we'll collaborate on something, don't know what just yet, but it'll be grand.  Much obliged.

In MTC news, working on lining up some concerts in the coming weeks and looking ahead to some pretty great shows early next year.  I'll keep you posted on what comes through.   Stay tuned.

enjoy.

Sin Fang Bous @ Le Poisson Rouge, CMJ Music Marathon

 Courtesy of Matthias Arni Ingimarsson

Yeah, I know.  This post has been a long time coming as Sin Fang Bous performed over a month ago at Le Poisson Rouge (10/24) as part of the CMJ Music Marathon.  Opening for fellow Icelanders múm, Sindri Már Sigfússon's solo project is a pop-infused indie outfit that incorporates great harmonies and soft vocals to create a simply delightful live show.  If not for múm's sheer sonic presence, Sin Fang Bous could have possibly headlined his own show;  but, in retrospect,  múm clearly deserved their spot in the pecking order.  As this show was a while ago, I will let the videos speak for themselves:

enjoy.

Camera Obscura @ Other Music, New York

Courtesy of 'Chris'

There was nothing spectacular about this show; no fancy light shows, no ten story video screens and no MTV telecast.  No, this show was intimate, short and sweet.  You don't have to be spectacular to be a great band and perform an excellent acoustic set.  That's what Camera Obscura did at Other Music last night before their headlining set at the MHOW.  In front of a modest crowd, despite the fact that the record store was packed, the band strummed through five songs to a very gracious fanbase.  The first four songs came from their latest release,  My Maudlin Career, which included "Honey In the Sun", "Swans", "James" and "French Navy".  The band ended their set with their upcoming single, "The Blizzard", a Jim Reeves cover; the band admitted that this was their first live performance of the song.  I really wish I had bought tickets to their show at the MHOW because they were fantastic at Other Music.  I guess we live and learn, right?  Here are the videos from last night's in-store performance:

enjoy.

Radio Happy Hour w/ Craig Finn and Tad Kubler (of THS) and Chuck Klosterman @ Le Poisson Rouge

It was off to Le Poisson Rouge this past Saturday for another installment of Radio Happy Hour.  This month's guest actors were Craig Finn and Tad Kubler of the Hold Steady and pop culture columnist Chuck Klosterman; this was the first time that the show had three guest actors.  "Stabbed in the Ascot" took place at the Ascot Bar in a small town in Minnesota, where a blizzard was in full effect.  Stranded by the inclement weather, brothers Craig Finn and Tad Kubler, accompanied by their mom (Robin Reed) and step-father (Klosterman), joined the bartender/owner (Sam Osterhout) and lonely local (Matt Shibiak).  The shenanigans ensued with Finn and Kubler making adolescent jokes, Shibiak making inappropriate comments/questions and Klosterman talking about his sexual encounters with his wife; it was quite funny.  Of course, the story revolved a murder in which everyone was a suspect, though humor reigned supreme during the entire skit.  It was another fantastic screenplay, produced by Dustin L. Nelson and Massoumeh Emami. and hosted by the fabulous Sam Osterhout.  The show was complete with two Hold Steady songs performed acoustically by Finn and Kubler:

enjoy.