Men

Tuesday night’s showstealers were Men, a high energy, high concept performance art collective from Brooklyn. The personnel features two former members of Le Tigre, JD Samson and Johanna Fateman, and others from JD’s side project, Hirsute. Clad in hand-painted white jumpsuits, Men challenged the crowd at the IAMSOUND records showcase to stop checking their smartphones and move their asses to their thrashing, guitar-driven danceparty. I accepted! And did you know that I love sets and props?! Men performed in front of giant painted canvases, and for part of the set JD wore a handmade cardboard animal mask that looked like a giraffebunny.

Wednesday afternoon I got out of the house early for a day party hosted by Terrorbird Media at the Cake Shop. There I saw a set by Kyle Andrews, a psych-country band from Tennessee, and one of KZSC’s favorites: Baths! A few hundred people crammed into the Cake Shop basement to see Will Wiesenfeld of Baths button-mash and dial-spin his rich, sample-generated electro gloom. The second half of the set featured a dark and menacing composition that made me feel sad and punished–beat down by a relentless bass sample and noisey static pulses. Ohhhh I love it when that happens!

Marnie Stern at Cake Shop, NYC

The Cake Shop remained at capacity for Marnie Stern’s set. Her pre-show and between-set banter consisted primarily of ‘ween’ and ‘vageen’ jokes, supposedly a product of her long-standing sexual frustration. Perhaps its this frustration that empowers Marnie’s fretboard-shredding guitar-work and the barreling-down-a-hillside pace of her music. Before her final, frenetic song she shrilled, “I don’t understand water. I just don’t get it. It has no taste…it has no flavor…SOOODAAA!”

Wednesday evening I headed to Santos Party House for a huge party featuring a slew of bands on two stages. Downstairs, my highlight was dancing along to the one man show from Ontario, Diamond Rings. Surrounded by a midi drum pad, a keyboard and his laptop, Diamond Rings produces gorgeously crafted danceable pop songs that remind me of  Magnetic Fields. Check out this video for “Wait & See” and see for yourself!

Upstairs at Santos, Tamaryn made my night. Thank you, Sonja, for compelling me to see them! Propelled by Jonah Buffa’s bass and Matthew Bajda kick drum, their sound is heavy and thick. Amid the depths of a pitch black groove, Tamaryn’s low voice whirls icy currents of chanting melancholia around the controlled, screaming riffs of Rex’s guitar. The band played in near complete darkness, save for the dim light of under-saturated watery projections. If you’re into the live sets of Beach House and Dinosaur Jr., you’re sure to love Tamaryn. And there’s good news on that front: Tamaryn will play Slim’s in San Francisco on Nov. 19!

Tamaryn at Santos Party House, NYC

In the wee hours of Thursday morning I refueled with whiskey and pizza before catching the end of the Lefse Records/I Guess I’m Floating party in the basement of a burlesque club. Before heading in, I shared my whiskey with a fellow Massachusetts native and the members of Young Prisms, a Bay Area band who were fresh off celebrating Juan Uribe’s walk-off sac-fly at a bar nearby. Once downstairs, the crazed and hypnotic Young Prisms set preceded the fantastical and psychedelic soundscapes of Candy Claws. Playing along to a tape recording that fed into headphones worn by the drummer, bassist, and guitarist, Candy Claws performed without stopping at a fluid pace that embraced my weary body and dispelled my fatigue.

Candy Claws at Delancey, NYC

The final set in that basement began at 3:40am. The shell of myself that was still present managed to crack a smile and occasionally nod as Tom of How to Dress Well cooed and oooed for the remaining twenty-or-so people in the audience. Tom’s performance and vocal style is eerily reminiscent of the King of Pop–so much so that I tried imagining what MJ would have looked with a pubescent mustache and plastic-framed spectacles. Having spent the half hour set wrapping and unwrapping his body with the microphone cord, How to Dress Well’s last song ended abruptly with Tom cursing the by-then-faulty cable-to-mic connection.

How To Dress Well at The Delancey, NYC

OK! Sorry for this epic post. I’m off to college day and the CMJ awards. I’ll let you know tomorrow (or Sat) who brings home the bacon.

I won’t stop til I get enough (of CMJ) is a post from: KZSC Santa Cruz

After visiting my ma and pa in Boston last weekend, I bussed down to NYC. The foliage in southern Massachusetts is peaking right now, so the banks of the Mass Pike were ablaze in orange rouge and gold. I didn't takes this picture, but I wish I did! double rainbow!

Last night I celebrated CMJ eve–the marathon officially kicks off today–at an AOL office, where, to my delight, the caterers were serving complimentary basil hard lemonade and 4 oz. pours of whiskey. The libations quickly put me at ease, and after locating the bathroom and emergency exits, I began introducing myself to anyone that didn’t look like a banker. Hoping to meet some radio dj’s, I targeted the scruffiest of the bunch. Unable to locate any other dj’s or music directors, I made sure that any promoter with an intriguing lineup got one of my Kate Bush business cards.

Halfway through my second cocktail, I was corralled into a television studio for a set by Gold Panda. He performed three tracks off his new Ghostly International release, Lucky Shiner, named after his grandma. Gold Panda’s sample-heavy electro dance pop has the potential to get people moving, but I and others spent the set distracted by painfully bright studio lights and a jib camera that, without warning, would swing out and grace the one or two hairs standing akimbo from the rest of these beautiful coiffures!

Ghostly International owner, Sam Valenti IV, was in attendance at the AOL party and looking dapper, kinda like this.

Opting to preserve my eyes and my scalp, I watched the Jamie Lidell set that followed on the half dozen LCD screens outside the studio. Lidell’s experimental soul pop felt like a revival gathering in a submarine, echoing with distorted vocal samples and junky percussion. And, of course, the camera shots were slick.

Hopping a turnstile with two armloads of luggage, I subwayed to Rebel for a promotion company showcase. The stand-out performance came from Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The duo’s cascading harmonies and crisp samples contrast adorably with their embroidered NASCAR jackets and Old Glory set pieces. Their fuzzed-up version of “Nothing But Our Love” from the Horsepower EP concluded with them singing “We get more than we deserve. Maybe everyone has some worth”–a fitting commencement for a week when over 1300 bands are hoping this year’s CMJ deems them worthy.

Oh, the set pieces! Check out them "JR JR" light boxes! - Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr at Rebel, NYC

KZSC in NYC? yes! It’s CMJ2010 is a post from: KZSC Santa Cruz

Yesterday CMJ gave away a slewww of prizes and awards at their annual College Music Awards. While KZSC is only winning at home (and with you) right now, our neighbors KSSU Sacramento took home a mountain of awards, including Station of the Year! Say congrats to them and give them a listen to see what all the hooplah is about.

Little Teeth!

The real hooplah last night, however, was Little Teeth, one of my favorite high energy freak-folk bands whose album “Child Bearing Man” was played alllll over KZSC last winter. The group recently became a (partly married) trio and the combination is still as fantastic as ever. Front woman Dannie Murrie stomped around with legs wrapped in shells and bells, threw pots and pans, and nearly made my booted heel break the floor boards from the amount of stomping and clapping that was induced. They should be coming to Santa Cruz in the near future, so get into this soon. You’ll want to wear your dancing shoes and your swing along with all your friends. Also, this little lady managed to snag their new EP “Falling Off the Bed By Default of the Bed Falling Off of the Bed” so look forward to hearing that all over the SC radioland.

UUVVWWZ!

Also last night was a current favorite out on Saddle Creek right now: UUVVWWZ. They played at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn which I have to say is a less-than ideal venue for such a great act. Can I just say right now that I really dislike stages? Mainly tall stages, I have a problem with a band as fun and crazy and dance-along wonderful as UUVVWWZ playing while raised 5 feet in the air with obnoxious colorful lights flashing the whole time. What I mean to say is that this band is great. I want to dance along with them in my living room will all my friends and get sweaty and nuts. An oversized venue just didn’t do the trick. Lead singer Teal Gardner kills it with her jumping dancing flying crazy voice over gritty jittery guitars. I am 100% going to try to catch them again before I take off for California tomorrow (booooooooo!) so cross those fingers that I do!

Today I got up early to catch High Life once again. An early show (2pm is pretty damn early) and equipment constraints lead Doug to adapting in the most wonderful way: we started off downstairs at the Cake Shop in a nearly empty, dark basements and followed the guys up the stairs into the cafe for a surprise acoustic set of what I had previously seen: freak electronic Panda Bear-style pop. And this time? Beautiful folk music from a musician who I really cannot get enough of.

Keep checking here for more CMJ updates!

CMJ Day 3: UUVVWWZ, Little Teeth, and college music awards! is a post from: KZSC Santa Cruz

Last night on the outskirts of CMJ land I met an excccelllent all ages venue called Monster Island. What started as a quick stop just to see Best Coast turned into an all-night adventure involving whisky runs, water-front park benches, and, jesus– was it SEVEN bands at this one venue? There was also a pumpkin carving party upstairs. I got some candy.

Music to fall in love with after the jump!

High Life bathed in a heavenly glow

Band to look out for should they (slash he) ever come into your town? HIGH LIFE. Amazing. It’s a project of White Magic guitarist Sleepy Doug Shaw and it sounds like freak pop surf rock perfection. Go to that myspace now and get crazy in love. High Life nearly literally (which is not at all) blew me out of the water last night. The music is strange enough, psychedelic enough to get your mind stretching far and wide while your feet stay here and stomp out the dance party.

Duck Tailsssss

And the reason it was completely impossible to get off Monster Island at an early hour — Duck Tails played. Again an almost one-man effort of surf glitch psychedelia that’s friendly (speaking of– go listen to “Friends” on that myspace) dreamy and wonderful. Needless to say, I didn’t want to go home at the end of this show.

Did anything else destroy me? You bet.

Bethany of Best Coast played seriously wonderful lo-fi pop tunes at Monster Island and across town at the Terrorbird party (hosted by the Cake Shop) we saw War Paint and Darlings, both wonderful.

Best Coast

War Paint is an all-girl threesome who turn out captivating psychedelic rock with their unbelievable good voices and their hypnotic guitars. Wonderful!

Also at the Cake Shop was Darlings whose garage pop is killlerrr. You’ve probably heard them on various indie shows at KZSC (oh because they’re wonderful whaaat) and they were equally wonderful live.

Keep checking here for more CMJ updates! Tonight: UUVVWWZ!

Update deux from CMJ: High Life, Duck Tales, War Paint! is a post from: KZSC Santa Cruz

Friends!

It’s that CMJ time of year again– that’s right, College Music Journal’s festival of vital festivities in nyc and guessss who’s here? That’s right, KZSC! Well, Caitlin to be specific. Caitlin is in New York to play at CMJ and if you have an insatiable desire to live vicariously through anyone, this blog is your place for the next four days. I’ll update here, usually around 2am, about what was great about CMJ for the day. Am I going to see live music? You betcha! Get lost? You better count on it. Make lotsa friends? I hope so!

For TODAY’s update:

I arrived in New York at 5pm and it was time for, if nothing else, breakfast. Had some bagels and coffee (just what I was asking for–thank you NY for being bageltown, USA! And then I went and did some drinks, got lost on the way to see some bands, and made some VIP guestlist promises. TOMORROW I will live up to those promises and actually see some live music that I can tell you all about.

Until then, I’ll be drinking Brooklyn IPA and eating peach rings in a giant comfy bed that is not my own.

May energizing sugars, drinks and musics be with you.

Love

Caaaittlinnnn ((KZSC))!!!!!

CAITLIN JEAN HANNAH AT CMJ!!!)) is a post from: KZSC Santa Cruz