Well on this, the last day of May, we've got some good news. First off, HAIL SOCIAL shall be playing the Mercury Lounge tonight with The Mugs, Earl Greyhound, and The Metric Mile (217 E. Houston at Ave. A, $8, 7:30pm). Good solid rock show there.
And in LARS-related news, almost all of the LARS pages are in full brand-spankin'-new effect. We're talking
LARS Fresh Music ,
LARS Classic Music , and
LARS Photo Album . That's a whole lotta LARS love for you. And when I say that the LARS Photo Album is updated, I mean that it includes new albums of pictures from the Runner & The Thermodynamics and the Man In Gray shows. Hotness, eh? Take a peek below and then rock it at the Lounge tonight.
Runner rocks:
Man In Gray also rocks:
It's the woman in you/That makes you want to play this game-S.
I hope that you all are having crazy times with barbeques and fireworks and all the righteous hoopla which Memorial Day allows. As if the wondrous times couldn't get any better, there's a great show tonight at Don Hills which I think you all should attend. THE HARLEM SHAKES shall be playing Trash, which I think in and of itself constitues a holiday. They've matured tremendously as a band, and their material is so tight live, it's practically begging for Top 40 airplay. See 'em while they're still humoring small spots on the West side. It's 511 Greenwich at Spring; the Trash party featuring DJ Ultragrrrl and bands My Favorite, Americana, and The Good North; 18+ and either $5 or $10 depending on whether y'all are underage. Rock it hard tonight friends, and party like there's no work tomorrow.
Some Shakes pics from the gig at CBGBs:
The Shakes' new guitarist who brings the rock.
Lexy brushes up on his soft-shoe as Josh bangs the keys.
And finally, a great music quote I found while at work. It's courtesy of the spring issue of Plantet.
"We are poets. We need our muisc. We need to be cured by our own music."
-Jean-Benoit Dunckel of Air.
Sometimes/All I need is the air that I breathe/And to love you-S.
"I'm crazy for tryin'/Crazy for cryin'/And I'm crazy for lovin' you..."
Yes, instead of events (refer to the Calendar please, it's gonna be a long day for me), I'm just going to send out a little love to the current monkey on my back: my addiction.
This time, it's a TVT Records band whom I've both seen and photographed (
The Franz Ferdinand/Ambulance LTD show and of course enjoyed. They're a band to be reckoned with, and not (as the music press will lead you to believe) for their glossed cheekbones and pouted lips. "Primitive (The Way I Treat You)" is simply an amazing song, a stealth Cupid's arrow straight to your heart. It contains one of the finest subtly catchy guitar motives I've heard, and it couples this with great harmonies and cocky attitude. It's perfection in four minutes, period.
So now, when I got my newsletter from TVT Records this morning...well okay, so I woke up at 1pm, whatever. Point being: The boys Ambulance have a new video to accompany their fabulous song. And the good news is this: it's a great video, one which is nice to look at but, more importantly, showcases the song. Because the last thing I wanted to see was, say, Marcus' girlfriend trapped in an elevator shaft and the boys having to fetch her during the guitar solo. NO. So let it be known, the band Ambulance Ltd. not only have great musical chops, but they also know how to play their cards right in the skeazy tricky world of music videos. In this case, my friends, video did not kill the radio star. Rock on Ambulance.
Ambulance Ltd: Primitive (The Way I Treat You) Video, Quicktime.
The next AL show shall be at Maxwell's on June 2nd. Check
their website for more info.
Ah yes, you didn't think I'd leave you without a rock photo? Surely now.
Robert Plant used to rock it, now he rolls it/But he always knew what it was for. Taken for CORBIS.
Sooner or later/It all gets real-S.
Friday nights were made for rock n' roll, especially Fridays which kick off three-day weekends. So kick it hard at this LARS-recommended show, because if you don't, I might just have to call you an unpatriotic rock hater...
The band who has been privileged enough to be misrepresented in several upstanding New York City publications (Village Voice, get your head out of Karen O's ass please) is now going to fuel more rock comparisons by attending the Tribeca Rock Club tonight at 9pm. MAN IN GRAY have wowed me every time I've seen them live, which is quite a feat. They possess a maturity many a rock band wishes for, and it comes through in their solid musical prowess. Plus, I hear that some new material may be debuting tonight in celebration of their studio work. But as it is, you all shouldn't need any hooks to snare you into this fine show, just the fact that MiG should do just fine. It's gonna hit the fan over at 16 Warren St. with some help outta The Tuesday Suits, The Animators, and Chris Batten and The Woods. See you there.
Man In Gray with what has to be one of the most indestructibly amazing songs ever, "Incommunicado" http://www.maningray.com/nodaynonight/05_Incommunicado.mp3
And a newbie: "Brakelights" http://www.maningray.com/nodaynonight/02_Brakelights.mp3
The Tuesday Suits website: http://www.thetuesdaysuits.com
The Animators website: http://www.theanimators.com
Chris Batten And The Woods' website, where you can stream their songs: http://andthewoods.com
And a little MiG pic for you. Another reason why I am passionately in favor of this band: they possess a fantastic photographer who casually doubles as a crazy guitarist, Bryan Bruchman (http://subinev.com).
And finally, while I'm at it, a short LARS plug: I was able to go to the Runner And The Thermodynamics show last night at Sin-E, which therefore allows me to say three things:
1. Fear not music lovers. Rock is alive and well, and bears the names Roger, Marc, and Mike.
2. Never before have I seen a drummer as insane as this one. Clinically unbalanced and beautifully so. Insanity which crashed, thundered, rolled and pounded. Insane.
3. Check back soon for what I'm sure you can tell will probably be a glowing review. Oh, and some pictures/videos. Yeah, don't believe me? Well, I know I've been neglecting LARS lately what with finals/moving out/moving back in, etc etc. But see here:
Aha.
...And speaking of aha, what a great band. Where's a reunion when we truly need one?
You're all the things I've got to remember-S.
