So, it’s been a few crazy weeks over here. First, The Woodies, which were amazing- all of the performances were so well executed- AND i got to sit next to Tunde and the gang from TV on the Radio, so that was stellar. Gym Class Heroes put on a great performance, and I grew to like them more than i had before. Beck was obviously incredible. he is truly becoming an epically talented artist. i also really enjoyed imogen- and obviously, TVOTR was incredible, as always- no surprise there. As for the winners, i’m happy that Angels & Airwaves won- I think Tom Delonge deserved that one for the degree of enthusiasm and musical genius he puts into his writing… I can’t say that I was ecstatic about 30 seconds to mars pulling in a woody…. but hey, i suppose the jordan catalano lover in me felt some warmth in that moment. Ok ok on from the woodies…
CMJ week in NYC occured the week after the Woodies. I was lucky enough to land myself an all-access pass because of a VJ panel I participated in at the end of the week. My three favorite CMJ shows were: Tapes n’ Tapes, Silversun Pickups, and duh… The Knife.
Tapes n’ Tapes: I saw these guys perform a small daytime show at Other Music, by the way, is a great place to learn about breaking artists and non-mainstream music genres- it’s where i found out about doug martsch- one of my faves now). Anyway, Tapes n Tapes played a pretty amazing 7 song showcase- starting off with Cowbell and finishing with Insistor. They’re good performers, especially for the sort of awkward yet charming atmosphere of Other Music on East 4th Street.
Silversun Pickups: These guys were amazing. Their performance value, for me, ranks up with TVOTR and Architecture in Helsinki. I have listened to the Silversun Pickups album, and liked it, but seeing them onstage was a totally different experience. They’re new enough that they still have some kinks to work out, and some refining to do- but really, the degree to which they exude excitement for their music and performance is so refreshing. The bassist, Nikki, is extremely talented, and is so shy.. it’s charming. Brian, the lead singer/guitarist, had some amazing solos. he’s definitely a gifted guitarist- and very ambitious at that- which i appreciate. some of those solos were of serious difficulty for sure. All in all, a great concert. and smallish, too, which was really nice to see.
The Knife - So, i finally saw them. it was their first US show (incredible), and they managed to sell out two shows on the same night with a line around the block!! I wasn’t surprised, given how much I love and respect their music, but for any band, that’s incredibly impressive! They played between two screens. THey wore full body costumes (which is what they do in general during performances), and projected the art of Andreas Nilsson (who also directed Silent Shout) on both of the screens during the performance. The entire audience was captivated by this piece of art- the grace by which they moved on stage combined with the obscurity and artistic genius of Andreas was something I wish all music lovers could have experienced… After the show, their manager at Mute, introduced me to them. I tried to maintain a good stature, and asked them lots of questions- but inside, i was definitely flipping out! They were no longer wearing their masks, which is sort of rare for them. i heard a story that someone once asked them why they wore masks- and they said that their reasoning was because when they talk to peopel, they don’t want it to get personal- they only wnat to talk about their music. I respect that- though was really excited that I got to meet them with their masks off (and of course, I kept the conversation solely about their sound).
Joanna Newsom is playing tonight in NYC- I wish i were going, but I’ve got plans- so if anyone goes, let me know how it went!!!
