Fronted by the duo of John MacCallum and Katie Schecter, the NYC based pop tarts built momentum as the show progressed with their catchy harmonies and charmed an enthusiastic crowd filling The Studio, Webster Hall’s subterranean lair. The supporting live instrumentation, particularly the contributions of bassist Philip Nuttle, provided more energy and authenticity to their sound than can be heard on their recent, more synth-oirented EP.

“Flash Gordon” served an excellent example of how the interplay of John & Katie’s voices, which defines The Henry Millers in a manner similar to The XX, is best framed within the context of a live show.

Tremendous poets they are not, as more than one chorus relies on soulful howls and repetition rather than mindful wording, but the bands appear comfortable with its identity as creators of fun & free melodies, sure to stick in your head for days.

Artists performing that evening were:

The Yes Way
Black Taxi
Courtesy Tier
The Aviation Orange
Viva Mayday
Beast Make Bomb
Man on Earth
The Ruby Spirit

Frontman Aaron Mendelsoh narrates a journey ranging from undeniably catchy, melodic pop, through spaced-out psychedelia, landing at times for hardcore garage-style grunge. All the while, it’s a tightly guarded secret hidden behind a coy smile what direction he might guide the show next.

I’ve only seen Radiohead do it better. Their New song “Anchor” appears to be an instant fan favorite, with all 6 feet and 6 inches of Nick Burleigh showing that his mastery of the guitar also translates to the spacey and reverb ablaze violin.

The word mastery absolutely applies… if Aaron is responsible for telling the story, than Nick certainly delivers the subtext with tightly-honed skill. Kudos are also in order for bassist Ian Mellencamp who didn’t miss a beat in just his second show with the band. This should probably be half credited to the flawless, yet often off-tempo drumming style of Jesse Bilotta, which one could imagine if even a note were missed the entire song would fall deep into a noisy abyss.

The Yes Way remain a change-up from what the rest of NYC has to offer and a cut above nearly any comparison you could make.

Armed with a rebellious spirit, unbridled energy, and a slew of cameo instruments for frontman Ezra Huleatt to use at his disposal (bass drum, tambourine, trumpet, keyboard, harmonica, & maraca), Black Taxi achieves what Panic At the Disco! might hope to… with more creativity. Not to dwell on the charismatic, if not flamboyant lead, but Huleatt seems to possess (in addition to his stunning resemblance to Brit from Flight of the Conchords) the spirit, poise, and unique appeal to become a true rock star. This is best showcased on the dazzling single “Shoeshine” and every other song on the setlist to be honest. Absolutely try to catch the Brooklyn natives in action if you find them playing a venue near you — actually, travel to see them. Now!

Nearly every Bowery Electric patron who previously never had the pleasure of hearing Courtesy Tier perform must have participated in that exact exchange. Wielding only a guitar and drums, Omer Leibovitz & Layton Weedeman proved excellent musicians require very little to produce complex and appealing genre-crossing music. During the course of their set, the Brooklyn duo applied shades of grunge, R&B, southern rock, and blues to a never-dull canvas, at times harmonic, ceaselessly captivating, and climaxing with Hendrix-esque prestige.

Vocal chords refused to be upstaged by such brilliant instrumentation, keeping all neck hair at attention with a resonant coax, full of conviction that lost none of it’s vibrance using less distortion than their recordings. “Friend” was a personal favorite, although one would be hard pressed to find a laggard in the setlist. Along with Hollis Brown the prior evening at Spike Hill, Courtesy Tier provide a shining example that blues are very much alive in the BK.

We christened CMJ 2011 with an explosive performance from Virginia natives We Run. Their “foot on the gas”, guitar driven tracks grip everyone within earshot and shake vigorously. I was amazed to learn this only marked the band’s second show. Clearly they have been spending copious amounts time tightening their sound, which provides an edge similar to The Vines and a pure rock & roll spirit in the mold of Thin Lizzy—a noted inspiration according to the band. We Run have recently claimed NYC as their new homeland and I’m ecstatic to have the opportunity to watch them slice their way through the Big Apple.

Little Racer next took the stage and reshaped the mounted energy with a California twist, losing none to spoilage. While actually hailing from Brooklyn, the band harkens to surf rock of the 60’s with a style similar to Weezer encompassing a wide range of sounds, from tropical to harmonic. (reference something they played)

Emily Greene blessed the Spike Hill crowd with her rousing pipes and finely tuned keyboard skills. Her backing band allows her greater versatility than comparable acts like Imogen Heap or Feist while matching them with the power of her hallowed voice. There is an incredible sweetness to her stage presence that presents a very intriguing dichotomy when she goes all Jerry Lee Lewis on the keys.

I profiled Hollis Brown leading up to CMJ and was even more impressed with what they brought to the stage in their live performance… no small statement, as I was blown away by their recorded material. Somewhat less blues based, their up-beat guitar driven brand of neo-southern rock had the crowd up and dancing for the entirety of the set. While I would usually advise bands to steer clear of Beatles covers, Hollis Brown brought the house down with a true-to-form performance of “Come Together” delivered with vocal conviction by front man Mike Montali.

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of The Yes Way. While I plan on detailing their face-meltingingly wonderful CMJ set in part II of our CMJ afterglow, I couldn’t possibly recap night one without mentioning them. Blame the procrastination on my lungs and liver which are still struggling to understand what happened over the past week.

]]> http://rethinkpopmusic.com/2011/10/rethinkpopmusic-cmj-night-1-recap/feed/ 0 http://rethinkpopmusic.com/2011/10/hollis-brown-defines-the-brooklyn-blues/ http://rethinkpopmusic.com/2011/10/hollis-brown-defines-the-brooklyn-blues/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 19:08:38 +0000 zac http://rethinkpopmusic.com/?p=32755 It’s with trepidation that I attempt to craft with words what distinguishes Hollis Brown from a slew of other artists on the New York scene as they are like NOTHING currently gaining notoriety.

RethinkPopMusic has been fortunate enough to have spent a great deal of time with the band over the past couple years as Bob explained in an earlier post, before immediately demanding that they provide us with their recently recorded material from Nashville that went straight to tape. Well, we recently got our hands on the music and as someone not previously familiar with Hollis Brown, I demanded that I get to write the review… though his 2, or dare I say 20, cents is obvious throughout this review.

The unfortunately overused “soul” stands out as the word best encompassing the “it” quality that thrusts this band to the front of an ever increasing pack that isn’t quite as deserving. Front man Mike Montali conveys a feeling of honesty with every line delivered from his grainy pipes. Each pause and drawn out syllable is done so with such conviction as he gives life to raw emotion. If the vocal element serves as a confession of truth, the crude growl of the guitar answers like a priest from behind the lattice offering both condemnation and solace. If there were ever to be a reincarnation of the blues, this would be it as a band like Hollis Brown will never be a Brooklyn “buzz band” because they are simply too talented for the revolving door of most blogs’ mediocre content.

The new track that catches our attention first is “Cold City” which offers an exemplary peak at the range and talent of Hollis Brown, exposing the photo negative of “Empire State of Mind”. Lyrically loyal to pioneers such as Muddy Waters & John Lee Hooker, Montali gripes on the everyday struggles of life in NYC. This all while stamping each track with an impressive delivery that shows traces of Van Morrison. Each member of the band, including the edition of their new bassist and harmonizing key driven rhythm section, shows exemplary talent and a willingness to stay true to their roots all while expanding upon the status quo. A great example of the type of talent we’re referring to would be a recent performance of a “Revolution Blues” at Brooklyn Bowl with Ian Oneil of Deer Tick.

If you would like to take a far departure from the electro-pop dominant Brooklyn music scene, Hollis Brown will showcase their gritty, textured sound at 11pm TONIGHT at The Mercury Lounge and again TOMORROW at 10:30pm as part of our CMJ showcase at Spike Hill.

Great Elk refers to themselves as “Indie Folk” but could easily be described as “Revival Bluegrass” (just made that one up), as elements certainly channel the blues but lack the associated twang. Rather, Paul Basile’s vocal delivery is reminiscent of Northwest acts (Basile often splits his time between Alaska and NYC) such as Death Cab for Cutie and The Decemberists. However, as he painfully scratches through the “waited for today” refrain at the end of “Vibrations,” as uplifting pseudo-falsetto harmonies weave in and out between sparse guitar strums, one can’t help but think of Kurt Cobain covering Leadbelly’s epic “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.”

While vocals are Great Elk’s tour de force, the music itself is dominated by an acoustic/electric guitar combo between Basile and long time collaborator Patrick Hay. Nevertheless, what may be mistaken for simplicity upon an initial listen, is actually complex guitar work throughout their self-titled EP. On “Down in the Willow Garden” as Basille describes the murder of a young girl reminiscent of the movie River’s Edge, a distorted guitar reverb hovers throughout creating an expansive sound that peaks before becoming the slightest bit overwhelming. Additionally, on “Vibrations” the guitar work is so intricate that we are almost convinced it’s a lap slide… but too embarrassed to ask. And judging from the video of “Further North” below it’s just unfiltered talent.

Great Elk will be releasing their debut full-length Autogeography in early 2012 and we are honestly waiting with baited breath. Also, they are currently nominated for The Deli Magazine’s Artist of the Month and would greatly appreciate your vote. We suspect they will be playing the majority of tracks from the forthcoming release at our CMJ showcase at 10:00pm on Wednesday, October 19th at Spike Hill.

According to Greene her music is “If Erykah Badu and Woody Allen had a baby, the product would be Emily Greene. Growing up in the barrio of Miami, FL, neurotically Jewish Greene inherited, as if through osmosis, a deep, soulful timbre in her voice, and the show-stopping ability to booty dance.”

“Is This What You Had In Mind” is the track that has us smitten at the moment. Greene’s vocal delivery is not what one has come to expect from the piano backed singer-songwriter. She doesn’t try to stretch a studio contrived vocal range above self indulgent instrumentation. Personally, the soulful aspect of her self description is not necessarily most prevalent sonically, but rather through her lyrics. She opens up with some borderline provocative insight into her personal life but delivers them so delicately that the pain being described takes on a beautiful “we’ve all been there” omniscience.

Solo:

Full Band:

Most of Greene’s songwriting follows a similar format of musical restraint and deep lyrical insight. On “Oceans and Waves” she departs from the classic piano and embraces a subtle organ tone. With the additional guitar layering a shoegaze vibe the likes of Sneaker Pimps’ “6 Underground” is fuzed with the remorseful longing of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone with the Wind” to create quite the genre bender.

Overall, the ethereal sound of Greene’s music combined with the richness of her lyrics makes for a musical experience that sets her far apart from her counterparts. And we are beyond excited to have her play our CMJ showcase at 8:30pm on Wednesday, October 19th at Spike Hill.