Twin Shadow and Diamond Rings: big sounds, small stage

The music venue at Maxwell’s in Hoboken (for those not familiar) is housed in the rear of what strongly resembles an Applebee’s restaurant. Past the swinging doors is a small, cave-like lair with exposed brick and stone juxtaposed against harsh red lighting. Hugging the rear and stage-right walls are limited vinyl bleacher-like (though only a single row) seating, complete with a no-frills bar to the adjacent side which should have made for an intimate setting for a highly publicized act such as Twin Shadow. However, at the same time one could not help but feel a slight disconnect from the NYC scene. The streets of Hoboken are eerily quiet, the crowd subdued, and the bar underutilized… compared to the socially acceptable alcoholism of Brooklyn. This slight lack of scene “authenticity” could be felt in the room throughout the night, but didn’t fully distract from solid performances by both Diamond Rings and Twin Shadow.

One-man glam band Diamond Rings took to the stage first. Clad in red leather, a white tee and sporting a Vanilla Ice quiff the stringy blonde joked he was “doing his best Bruce Springsteen impression.” His haunting baritone voice filled the room the way The Boss might, though he had only the support of a synthesizer and drum machine rather than the celebrity laden E Street Band. A lesser artist might have difficulty carrying a performance with vocals that at times seemed to drown out the electronic instrumentation, let alone man the stage solo for an audience that didn’t appear overly familiar with his work. Admirably, Diamond Rings conquered both of these tasks as he dazzled with strong performances of “Play By Heart” and “Something Else” all while charming the crowd. He received a particularly strong response when he strapped on a guitar and rocked out to a very uptempo “Wait & See.”

Fresh off tour and recently the subject of adoration from both GQ and Spin, all eyes were on front man George Lewis as Twin Shadow opened with a stirring rendition of “Shooting Holes”. It could instantly be noted that the house sound better suited the full instrumentation of the band than it did Diamond Rings. The crowd came to life for the catchy synth-driven “When We’re Dancing” and “Castles in the Snow,” though it was a tempered excitement. This presents what seems to be an issue in seeing a band like Twin Shadow live. Described by their publicist as “hazily new-wave tinged pop” it often gets a little too hazy and sucks excitement from the air. Regardless, the band showcased a very tight sound and the left the crowd wanting more as they closed with “Tether Beat” before a encore (sans backstage) performance of “Forget.”

The small size of the venue allowed for unique opportunities as both Twin Shadow and Diamond Rings could be seen mingling in the audience before and after their performances. I caught up with Diamond Rings who admitted to feeling “somewhat limited” by the stage space. Fans can expect him to continue to push the envelope as he excitedly noted his “rapping skills” which will be further displayed on his second album, due out Summer 2012. The yet-to-be-titled LP, halfway completed to date, will attempt to “add fullness to the sound while not abandoning the bare-bones, almost folk-esque style of composition.” While that seems difficult at best to accomplish the pending attempt is admirable and interesting.

This Saturday – Studio @Webster Hall Showcase

Reposted from ‘Knocks from the Underground’

This Saturday, May 29th, Rethink Pop Music presents genre-bending trio Ghost Ghost live at the Studio @ Webster Hall with Heypenny, The Vanguard, True Womanhood, and The Sour Notes. Ghost Ghost will be joined onstage by the unstoppable Charlie Kemmerer on paints, the uneditable Tim Bartlett on live video and the unbelievable Mark Christensen on guitar. Tickets are normally $10 ADV or $12 DOS, but the band teamed up with Knocks for an awesome giveaway: the first fan to email knocksny@gmail.com with their favorite ghost joke wins both tickets! (If you don’t have a good ghost joke, a knock knock joke will do.) Video teaser for the show here.

Ghost Ghost loves you so much that they’re also offering their latest single, “Vassar Days,” for FREE download here. Learn more about the rest of the album, No Clothes on Ragged Island: The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay, on their website – they wrote and recorded the entire album in only one week! Plus, who doesn’t enjoy a little history on Edna St. Vincent Millay via a rock album?

Show starts at 8 pm with Ghost Ghost headlining. The Studio @ Webster Hall is located at 125 East 11th Street in New York City.

Buy tickets below or visit: RPM-RSVP.com

Whyleaveastoria.com Turns 2 and Wants to Celebrate with You!

Presented by Spaten, in association with RethinkPopMusic, Studio Square, and Thrillist:

On Thursday, April 8th at Studio Square, Why Leave Astoria?! will celebrate two giant milestones, its second birthday and growth topping 4,000 members. The event begins promptly at 7pm at Studio Square–located at 35-33 36th St. Astoria, NY 11106

To honor the event, WLA has partnered with Spaten beer, RethinkPopMusic, Studio Square, and Thrillist to bring Astoria the largest centralized celebration Queens has ever seen. In anticipation of growth over last year’s celebration attended by over 1,000 people, this year’s event features five of the borough’s biggest musical acts and washed down by TEN FREE KEGS of Spaten and Franziskaner beer. The event will also mark the kickoff of Studio Square’s participation in the hugely popular WLA Card program.

Fifteen of the most talked about independent clothing and accessory designers in the borough will be displaying their wares throughout the evening. There will be giveaways and contests as well as performances throughout the evening by Sol Dance Center, CrossFit Queens, and the New York Circus Arts Academy.
There is no cover charge for the event.

EVENT RUNDOWN:

7:00 Red carpet guest arrival hosted by Sunday Morning Mimosa, Performance by Bobby Kane
7:45 Performance by Illimanjaro featuring Hops
8:30 Performance by TJ Moss Band & Pie Boys Flat
10:00 Performance by The Vanguard
11:00 DJ Lo-Fi of ADG, Performance by Sol Dance Studio

The Vanguard
The Vanguard have been featured on Matt Pinfield’s Morning Show on 101.9 RXP. They have played every noteworthy venue in NYC and were featured in a half-dozen SXSW 09 showcases. They also played The Exit festival in Serbia along with a 7 day UK Tour, MPMF in Cincinnati, Miami Music Festival and their video for “Both Sides” was featured on MTVu. SPIN.com named them a buzzworthy up-and-coming band because of their “bubbling melting pot of sounds, influences, and ethnic backgrounds.” With their second EP ‘Playtime!’ about to be released this fall, The Vanguard are gearing up to hit the road for their next international tour.

TJ Moss Band
TJ Moss Band mixes pop, rock, soul, Fenders and firewater to create their own unique brand of rock and roll. This Astoria, Queens based trio recently opened for Joss Stone at the BOK Center in Tulsa, OK. They were featured in TimeOut New York magazine for “Battle of the Bands: Brooklyn vs. Queens”, which they proceeded to win. Their song “It’s Over” was featured as the finale-winning performance on Bravo’s hit show, Step it Up and Dance last summer.

Pie Boys Flat
For the last few years the fan base for Patrick, Fitz, and Jason has been growing all over the city, country, and abroad! With their history of playing live shows across the world PBF has truely crafted an original live experience that you don’t find anywhere else. Known for writing songs that cross many genres (from rock ‘n’ roll to reggae, blues to bluegrass, latin rock to jazz funk) they bring all the styles home everytime with very unique arrangements. There’s something different about the voices that these three young musicians put together. But in the end you understand that regardless of how, all these sounds come together underneath the same roof that is so sublimely PIE BOYS FLAT.

Illimanjaro
Formed in 2004 and based in Queens and Brooklyn, Illimanjaro have built a reputation as a power trio with a unique brand of punk/funk-infused hip hop for the young and rowdy. Following the release of their well-received debut album ‘A Problem’ (February 2007) and four-song EP ‘Not Invited’ (February 2008), Illimanjaro are back with their third record entitled ‘Boiling Point’ (December 2009)—featuring eight tracks that bubble with the kind of scorching intensity and raw energy that has made the band such a hair-raising live act.

Bobby Kane
There are few songwriters these days that place so much of their souls into their music; Bobby Kane is one of them. Every lyric of every song comes from life and life experience. From mellow and melodic to furious and un-tamable, his styles trample the guidelines of modern music and then transcends them all. With a unique vocal style and an ear for warm sensual chord structures, the potential to go down in history as one of the “Great Ones” of our age is evident.

For More Information: http://www.whyleaveastoria.com/events/wla-turns-2-4000-member-party

Murder Rebel Radio 23: 1 Decade, 3 Asses. Part 1

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Do you remember John Walker Lindh and Elian Gonzales? We did. What do you think you should get if you fuck the first lady? Find out the answers to these questions, and hear our opinions on movies from 2000 to 2006. Wednesday you get the rest. We are back, so tell your mom, dad, sister, and any of your sister’s hot friends.

Murder Rebel Radio 19: A Bloody, Engorged, What?

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Bryan bragged about the badass field goal he kicked. We had technical difficulties and Brett said the most vile thing I have ever heard on the show. We wonder how the fuck 2 adults could agree to taze a 10 year old. We also learned what it takes to make sure your kid isn’t a pussy.

Listen to it here, and d on iTunes, also check out murderrebelradio.com