Blog: nyctaper

[Photo by Ken Grand-Pierre. See his Flickr stream here ] Food Will Win the War may have been opening for the Lemonheads on this night, but they put a headliner-level of intensity into their set of acoustic folk-rock, and were rewarded with a mostly full house to do it. They are one of those big, "musical" bands that puts thought as well as energy into their performances, using their fairly large (six) number of players and diverse instrumentation to produce finely-honed, thoughtful arrangements. Yes, as rock music goes, they are about [...]

[photo courtesy of Dominick Mastrangelo ] Captured Tracks is on quite an impressive run. The label began as a small Brooklyn boutique a couple of years ago - "CT-013 is the Dum Dum Girls EP Yours Alone . Even at slightly more than 100 actual releases, Captured Tracks has managed to nurture some of the brightest bands around these days, including Widowspeak, Wild Nothing, Hoop Dreams and Beach Fossils. Another superb Captured Tracks discovery was on display at 285 Kent last week. Blouse is a quartet from Portland whose [...]

[ photo by nyctaper ] In the two years since we last checked in with Larkin Grimm , much has happened in her life. When we recorded her at Knitting Factory in December of 2009 , Larkin had a set of excellent new songs and a new album was expected soon. But Larkin received a wonderful gift in the interim - a baby boy. She also parted ways with Young God Records in a split that does not seem to be completely amicable. But in a fashion consistent with her incredible life story , Larkin [...]

[Photos by acidjack] In a north Brooklyn scene that has both thriving indie rock and metal scenes, Grandfather are one of the few bands that bridges that divide. The band plays intelligent, aggressive hard rock (not quite metal) that capitalizes on the outstanding guitar work of Michael Kirsch and the focused, balls-out vocals of Josh Hoffman, already a consummate rock frontman even in his rookie years. The closest reference point sound-wise for the band is probably the mighty Tool , but these guys clearly listened to plenty of Nirvana and other Seattle bands in their [...]

[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice ] On nyctaper, we take pride in recognizing the talent and potential of bands long before they hit it big. We have had a nice little track record and the results are archived in five years worth of posts on this site. But we're also perfectly willing to admit when we miss one entirely. Two and a half years ago, I recorded Hospitality at Littlefield but did not post it on nyctaper, because, well, I did not see the band's potential. This week Hospitality [...]

[Photo by acidjack] It's one thing to be unaware of an amazing live act for far too long; it's another for them to be from your own backyard and to be totally clueless about them until they're opening for an established band at Bowery Ballroom . But such is the truth of my discovery of Brooklyn's Superhuman Happiness , and I'm happy to say I'm glad I made my way to them eventually, even if I arrived late to the party. Like the band they were opening for , Superhuman Happiness utilize a [...]

[Photos by acidjack] I suppose one could fairly accuse this site of not featuring enough heavy music. There are several reasons for that, not least being that a lot of "metal" bands aren't into being recorded. But here's to hoping that changes, especially since Brooklyn has had a vibrant metal scene going for quite awhile now, as chronicled by BrooklynVegan among few "indie" sites that acknowledge metal even exists. Naam are one of the first bands that made me realize such a gap existed in our coverage, when I saw them open for Om [...]

[Photos by acidjack] Rubblebucket is a Brooklyn-by-way-of-Vermont band that is building a fan base the old-fashioned way: outstanding live shows and the positive word of mouth that results. With a touring schedule that has blanketed the eastern seaboard and made them regulars in their home region, the band has come by every new fan and every new gig as honestly as possible. That's why, although you may have never heard of them, they sold out the Bowery Ballroom handily on a Saturday night. They may have gotten their start on the college music circuit, [...]

[Photos courtesy of Matthew Eisman. See more of his excellent work HERE .] I've always been a rock music guy. And if it can rupture eardrums and upset my equilibrium just by listening to it, I'm usually in my happy place. That's why I was surprised to find Low Roar's debut album with its haunting melodies so intriguing. Having already drawn comparisons to the mellower offerings of Radiohead, Jeff Buckley and Sigur Rós in reviews, I also heard flashes of Brian Eno in that first listen. The band's backstory is no less interesting. Formerly of [...]

[Photos by Jill at fortheloveofbrooklyn ] While Wasilla, Alaska will forever be inextricably linked with its most famous resident, a certain former vice presidential candidate, music fans may know it as the unlikely birthplace of Portugal. The Man [punctuation theirs]. Now based in Portland, the young band is an unabashed classic rock throwback, with semi-psychedelic, jammable songs that take their cues from the sounds of rock's late 60s - mid 70s period. I fully admit to them being one of those bands that flew completely under my radar, until I noticed one day that they were headlining [...]

Maryanne Ventrice is one of my favorite people in all of the NYC music scene. Its safe to say that when you see Maryanne shooting a concert, it makes you feel like you've chosed the right show to attend. Besides her obvious talents behind the lens, Maryanne is also skilled at recognizing the art in the work of other photographers. To that end, she is curating a photography show that features the work of some of the finest of NYC's concert photographers - all of whom also happen to be female. We [...]

[iphone photo by PP] Its hard to fully describe the complete manic communal energy at Saturday night's Akron/Family show at 285 Kent . On the night after the band received the great gift of being able to perform with the Sun Ra Arkestra (in Philly) , it seemed as if A/F wanted to reach that kind of high on their own - and to a great extent, they succeeded. The crowd was quite animated from the very outset of the show, a superb opening set from Bad Weather California . By the [...]

[Photos by acidjack] DONATE TO JONATHAN TOUBIN'S RECOVERY [ HERE ] The beloved New York DJ Jonathan Toubin, proprietor of the New York Night Train & Soul Clap parties, was recently the victim of a bizarre and horrifying accident while he was sleeping in a hotel room in Portland, OR last month. The odds were against that he would be alive beyond that night, but Jonathan has beaten those odds. He is convalescing in a Portland hospital at this moment. He will likely need years of expensive treatments [...]

[Photos by acidjack] In an excellent piece in the L Magazine entitled "101 Secrets to Indie Rock Success", the magazine advises that "[p]laying instruments on a stage isn't all there is to a performance. It's got to rise to the level of a show. There are different ways to put one on, but just playing instruments, even quite well, isn't enough." Our Mountain have obviously taken that to heart in a big way - they're one of the most dynamic, engaging new live bands I've seen in awhile, and they look the part. [...]

[Photos by acidjack] The Phantom Family Halo deserve your attention - and they've already gotten their fair share. Last year's The Mindeater EP with Bonnie "Prince" Billy , another artist with some Louisville roots, earned them mention in the New York Times and beyond. Bandmember Dom Cipolla also participated in another high-profile collaborative affair recently when he contributed to a live session at Joe's Pub that covered Brian Eno's Here Come the Warm Jets . This Monday night show at Glasslands , however, was dedicated to the band's own material, [...]

[screen cap from this youtube video ] As we noted in the Camper Van Beethoven post , there will be another East coast "Camp Out" this year. The main event for the multi-day show at the 40 Watt Club in Athens Georgia (March 1 to March 3) is the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of Cracker's debut album. On Saturday night at Highline Ballroom , Cracker headlined the show and played an energetic 75 minute set. Although this show was not exactly a preview of the Camp Out celebration, [...]

[screen cap from this youtube video ] Camper Van Beethoven has an extensive catalog dating back almost thirty years to their early 80s formation, which permits the band to play divergent setlists on any given night. But CVB has not released a new album since 20042s brilliant New Roman Times . So it was a bit of a surprise to hear that Camper has three new fully formed songs that have been played on each night of the current tour, including Saturday night at Highline Ballroom . Of the three, the most [...]

[Photos by Ken Grand-Pierre. See his Flickr stream here ] As acts from the early 90s have continued to take victory laps over the past few years, I have had a chance to reflect on how different the personalities were that dominated the music scene then than those from today's self-affirming generation making vital new music today. In an era principally concerned with authenticity, its troubadours were often people who lived hard and felt deeply - addicts, romantics, and the generally self-destructive. And if you wanted a picture of the archetypal musician of the era, you might consider [...]

[photo from Wires Under Tension Facebook page] Wires Under Tension is one of those bands formed out of a happy accident. After he left his condemned Brooklyn practice space for a building in the Bronx, Christopher Tignor met and teamed with drummer Theo Metz to form the band. The 2011 release of Light Science ( Western Vinyl ) was one of those "out of nowhere" albums that took many critics by surprise . But really, WUT is a duo of incredibly talented individuals who produce compelling instrumental post-rock music, and its no [...]

[photo courtesy of Maryanne Ventrice and Impose Magazine ] When acidjack recorded Suuns in January at Rock Shop , he noted the versatility of the band and the "controlled intensity" that the band brings to each song. By December, when I recorded their show at Webster Hall opening for The Antlers , Sunns seem to have perfected that approach. In one of the best-received opening sets we've seen in quite some time, Suuns began with the new 123 b-side "Red Song" (streaming below), which presaged the compelling [...]