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.

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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.

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Simian Mobile Disco Videos @ Webster Hall

Here are a few of the videos taken of SMD's set at Webster Hall:







enjoy.

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Simian Mobile Disco @ Webster Hall

Courtesy of Melissa Dex Guzman

Every now and then, you are pleasantly surprised.  Not to say that I was floored but I was definitely impressed by the electronic duo, James Ford and Jas Shaw, of Simian Mobile Disco.  With their fascinating light show behind them, the duo shredded through a set that included bangers from their debut Attack Decay Sustain Release and their sophomore release Temporary Pleasure.  Standing onstage for the the better part of the first half the show, I was in awe by the sights and sounds of their live show.  It was incredible.

Opening with the sonic explosion of "Sleep Deprivation", my personal favorite, I knew I was in for a treat.  These two guys produce a massive sound with their roundtable of equipment including mixers, synths and pedals; as they performed, they moved from instrument to instrument, rotating as they pleased.  After about half the set, I left the stage to watch the rest of the performance from the balcony; it was just as good since I could see the entire setup and enjoy the sound just a bit more.  All in all, it was one of the best shows I've seen all year.  If you're a fan of electronic music, or any music for that matter, and love great live shows, I highly recommend you check them out when possible.

I am in the process of editing a few videos taken from the stage and I have will have those uploaded as soon as possible.  Also, I will be traveling to Oklahoma this week where I hope to capture and interview Deadmau5 from the Diamond Ballroom in Oklahoma City.  Until then, stay tuned for the SMD videos.

enjoy.

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