Beer as Heritage in the Pacific Northwest
I’m visiting my family in Washington. I’ve only been at my mother’s house for about four hours, but I’m already reaching for a couple of beers. I take them from the outside fridge, and speed past barking dogs and bickering relatives to my mother’s deck. I close the sliding glass door and suddenly it’s quiet.......
Phagwah Parade 2011: It’s Spring And The Men Are Horny
Phagwah Parade, by Taylor K. Long By Taylor K. Long My obsession with India could take up its own essay, its own series of essays, even, but it’s not nearly as complex or compelling as the country itself. My first exposure to the Hindu holiday of Holi (also known as Phagwa(h), or “Festival of Colors”)...
GAS @ Miller Theatre, Friday, May 29th
Save the massive excitement surrounding what was claimed to be his first and only show in the U.S. (though it seems he played Chicago three nights prior), everything about Wolfgang Voigt’s show at Columbia University’s Miller Theatre on Friday night was minimal. Performing under the name of his popular ambient electronic project, GAS, Voigt was...
Pattern Is Movement & St. Vincent @ Webster Hall, Wednesday, May 20th
Pattern Is Movement have certainly lived up to the Movement part of their name, touring relentlessly since the release of their excellent fourth album, All Together. Seeing them for the third time since October, Pattern Is Movement’s set at Webster Hall last Wednesday was yet another in a line of charged, exciting performances. The duo...
Tallest Man On Earth & Marissa Nadler @ Mercury Lounge, Tuesday, Dec. 9th
Image courtesy flickr user Karl Gunnarsson (note: not from Mercury Lounge show) Though Kristian Matsson’s stature does not meet the expectations set forth by his stage moniker, Tallest Man on Earth, he was plenty intimidating in presence during his recent show at the Mercury Lounge. Pacing about the stage and having staring contests with the...
Dispatches from CMJ, Day Five: Drink Up, Buttercup, Little Jackie, Pattern Is Movement
The first half of the last day of CMJ was something of a random draw, with there only being one band I was determined to see that day (Pattern Is Movement, seen above). I ended up at Cake Shop for a repeat performance of Drink Up, Buttercup, the only band I saw more than once...
Dispatches From CMJ, Day Three: The Lovely Sparrows, Au, Goes Cube, Villa Vina
The third day of CMJ began at Fontana’s, with Austin, TX folk-duo the Lovely Sparrows. This is one of the shows I was looking forward to, as occasional T-Sides contributor Clay Franks turned me onto them. Fans of current rising-stars the Fleet Foxes will find much to love in this pair, who also play melodic-pop-folk,...
Dispatches from CMJ, Day Two: Sister Suvi, Drink Up, Buttercup, Project Jenny, Project Jan, Women, Ane Brun, So Many Dynamos
Remember how day one of CMJ was all about the blogs? Well, day two was also sort of all about the blogs, or at least one in particular, NYC-based Ear Farm, offering up the most appealing daytime option with its free showcase of bands as eclectic as its voices and subjects. Arriving late, I unfortunately...
Dispatches from CMJ, Day One: Emmy the Great, the Sammies, Shearwater, Ponytail, Passion Pit, Gang Gang Dance
The first day of CMJ (or the College Music Journal’s Music Marathon, should you prefer to be proper) this year was all about blog showcases, with New York City’s music and pop culture scribes scurrying off to give press to their own, most popularly The Music Slut, Pop Tarts Suck Toasted, Brooklyn Vegan and Stereogum....
TV on the Radio @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple, Wednesday, October 15th
There are some bands whose God-like characteristics fade a bit in a live setting. Merely seeing that they’re human is enough. They have arms and legs and eyes and ears and a nose, just like you, they’re holding the instruments you’ve seen hundreds of times, and maybe even know how to play. They’re simply standing...
The Notwist @ Webster Hall, Monday, Oct. 13th
In their recordings, the Notwist might give off the impression of being a sleepy little electro-pop band, but don’t let that twist your notions of what their live show is like. Sure, they hide behind the gentle guise of glasses (four out of the five touring members wear them), but in a live setting, their...
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