Preview/Live Review: Grand Archives @ Bowery Ballroom [06/13/08]

Grand Archives played their first New York show at the Bowery Ballroom on June 14, and as I promised to write a review and hadn't yet, I decided that I should definitely guarantee that Grand Archives get some press before they play New York again at South Street Seaport next Friday. For the original show at the Bowery, it was first of all great to have the band play in New York. The lineup for the evening was superb, with each band lending a different tone and energy to the night, but each adding to the others. They share much with other Seattle bands in terms of the sound that is coming out of the Sub Pop label this year, with bands like Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses (with whom they shared guitar player/vocalist Mat Brooke).

Hailing from Seattle, of course, Grand Archives recently released their self-titled full-length debut album, The Grand Archives, on Sub Pop earlier this year, opened with "Miniature Birds," a dreamy pop song in which the harmonizing vocals of all 5 band members, along with the rhythmic walking beat, construct sunlight out of nothing. The mellow, yet upbeat, melodies continued as the band moved into "Index Moon," a slightly surreal song that really highlights the band's vocal abilities. I nearly burst out laughing when I heard it, because the band members are typical Pacific Northwesterners, adorned in tattoos, plaid shirts, and denim, with scruffy beards and greasy hair, and to hear them harmonizing so beautifully was a bit disconcerting at first. It was almost like listening to an old barbershop phonograph, sung by lumberjacks.

The energy picked up when the band launched into "Swan Matches," one of my favorite songs. It has a nearly soporific effect on the senses with a plodding rhythm and dreamy lyrics, but this effect is deceptive because when those boys launch into song it just blows you away, like sunshine breaking through clouds on a rainy day. Fittingly, Grand Archives followed this song with the swinging, Beach Boysish energy of "Setting Sun," and then the popular songs "Sleepdriving," a haunting ballad with harmonies that echo easily off each other. Mat tried to change things up a bit by playing a couple of new songs, and the first time they had played live. It was clear that they had a few issues to work on, but I liked it because while a bit darker and (if I remember correctly) in a minor chord, it will flow nicely with their existing music. Hopefully by the time they play at the Seaport they'll have had time to work out the kinks. The band finished the show with a couple of covers ("Saturday Night," by Sam Cooke and "Sundown," by Gordon Lightfoot), which were well-chosen and almost more likeable than the originals, a rare feat!


In the end, Grand Archives totally surprised me with the strength of their music and songwriting abilities. I know this review is ages too old to be posting, but I really hope that some people will read it and come out to see the band at South Street Seaport next Friday. Good new music is always a pleasure to find and listen to, but if you're not in the New York area on August 22, I recommend you get yourself to the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, OR on September 13 or to Neumo's in Seattle on October 4.

Words :: Anna Loosli
Photos :: Dese'Rae L. Stage

Live Photos: Kevin Devine on a Rockville Centre Park Bench [6.20.08]

After a regular show at Long Island's Vibe Lounge was oversold (keeping many fans outside the venue during his performance), Kevin Devine played an impromptu acoustic set around the corner, rummaging through old songs and a Nirvana cover until the police stopped the show.


Photos by Sean O'Kane (full set available here)

Live Photos: Los Campesions at the Bowery Ballroom [5.19.08]

Los Campesinos played to a joyous reception at the Bowery Ballroom. Review coming up.

[Photos by Diana Wong]

Live Photos: The Acorn at the Mercury Lounge [5.6.08]

Live Review: No Age at Bowery Ballroom [5.6.08]

Duos are unique in their focused vision by default. They're immune to dissolving into a mess of non essential elements or complete overboard unnecessary ensemble. They escape the problems of a huge collaborative project and in No Age's case distill the melody down into the important parts, all filtered through layers of effects...all without losing their punk spirit.
But calling them 'punk' is simplifying, they still allow for the introspective 'Things I did When I Was Dead' or 'Cappo' with it's Brian Wilson soft echo, they are more than just cramming punk into a new category they're allowing some breathing room for the pure sound and experimentation. I didn't expect the full on moshing and stage diving at the Bowery though, it's a testament to the band to work on both levels with an audience keeping their enthusiasm throughout feedback loops and synth.


It's still impressive how the sound conjured up can be so all encompassing with just the two of them blowing out every corner. The vocals were even more buried under the echo, but of course...their recorded material is layers and layers of building guitar distortion and fuzz, this recipe that throws it all together and feels like all possibilities.... every single note all at once. And then a hook will explode out of the haze anchoring the chaos, and they don't waste time drawing it out, the point is made and it's on to the next song. Anything recognizable is fleeting, appearing for a moment blasted into existence.




There is something undeniably about marking a time and place in this sound that could be compared to Pavement's Westing (by musket and sextant), that essential noise, the pure sound is at the heart of the driving rhythms, but it's different, somehow made new again.
What does it take after being unencumbered by rock/punk predecessors, sounding like their ignoring everything previously to come out and evolve on the other side? Where do you go from that groundbreaking first release? No age wasn't created in that vacuum waiting to be discovered... they are definitely in the middle of it, reflecting and appropriating punk along with a Black Dice loop aesthetic which makes for unnatural transitions between songs, from an almost ambient melodic organ loop to 2 minute barrage of noise.



The only trouble is they felt out of their element at the Bowery, removed from the audience trying to fill the half empty stage...they're more at home at a Toddp venue, thriving on the unconventional alternative spaces crowds and atmosphere. This could be a difficult transition to a massive live audience which thanks to immediate acclaim of 'Nouns' is just going to demand these venues in the future.

Along with all of this comes a history of being part of a definitive underground scene in LA and Thanking High Places and Fiasco before them, they left with the same community DIY spirit that they rolled into the Bowery and countless basement loft spaces before them.

[Photos by Sean O'Kane]

Live Photos: The Night Marchers @ Mercury Lounge [5.07.08]

Photos from The Night Marchers NYC performance on May 7, 2008













Full gallery available on Flickr.

Live Review: Calvin Harris at the Bowery Ballroom [4.28.08]

Among his many charms, Calvin Harris is quite direct. His songs don’t meander around before getting to their core message – no, he gets straight to the point. The pattern began to emerge as Calvin tore through his upbeat set at the Bowery Ballroom. In “Merry Making at My Place,” Calvin tells us just what is happening at his place. You guessed it – merrymaking, and drug taking. In “Girls,” he expounds upon exactly what kind of girls he likes: namely, Black girls, White girls, Asian girls, mixed raced girls, Spanish girls, Italian girls, French girls, Scandinavian girls. “Acceptable in the 80’s” lists the rewards bestowed upon those lucky enough to have been born in that magical decade: specifically love, and hugs. Dylan he aint, but hey, at least Calvin Harris is a straight shooter.

In addition to his propensity towards lyrical list-making, Calvin Harris also wants to make us dance. In fact, he’s determined. A bundle of energy on stage, Harris is backed by an able band, who also serve as hype men of sorts – when not playing guitar, one member runs from side to side of the stage, mugging to the crowd and taunting us to cheer louder. It’s a rainy Monday night, and the majority of the sold out crowd must be soggy and frizzy from the days’ downpour, probably still recovering from their wild weekends, or else trying to shake off the first bout of 9-to-5 exhaustion. It’s not an easy task, but Calvin Harris is dedicated, and he’ll jump around the stage as much as it takes until we’re jumping along, and then keep going.


Turns out, it doesn’t take much to get us to dancing, and Calvin’s smooth beats coupled with those catchy hooks are pretty much irrefutable. You’ll probably sing along too, as on “This is Industry”, or “Vegas”, where the hook, “When I go to Vegas!” becomes an immediate chant in the crowd. Though Calvin’s lyrics are pure irony - Are they? They are. I think? - his music is pure dancefloor. He may not have created disco, as his debut album title would lead us to believe, but he has created a unique hybrid combining commercial dance music’s cheese, pop music’s irresistibility, and punk rock’s detached attitude and brevity.

It’s a winning formula, to say the least.


[Photos by Mina K]