Henry Millers @ The Studio at Webster Hall

Much like the $3 cans of Bomb Lager served at the bar, The Henry Millers proved to be an acquired taste, at first unsettling, but ultimately leaving you thirsting for more at night’s end.

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.

RethinkPopMusic CMJ Promo Video

RethinkPopMusic hosted a CMJ showcase at The Bowery Electric on Thursday, October 20th 2011.

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

RethinkPopMusic CMJ Night 1 Recap

As CMJ week draws to a close, major media outlets everywhere will scramble to decide which acts won big and what “buzz band” is destined to be the media darling of the year. To believe that the newly crowned kings, whoever they may be, rose like cream on the merits of talent and performance alone would be akin to believing the most qualified person in the country is elected President. The former may involve the same degree of corporate interest, politics, and backroom dealing as the latter. While some past “buzz bands” like Arcade Fire have proven to worthy of such accolades, we here at Rethink like to connect with artists based on what they bring to the table musically rather than who’s in their back pocket. It was with this fan mentality that we assembled a stellar line-up of artists for showcases on back-to-back nights at Spike Hill and Bowery Electric.

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.

Hollis Brown Defines “The Brooklyn Blues”

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… from Alaska to CMJ

We’re not too sure how we came across Great Elk, but after hearing some tunes and realizing they have been around for quite some time we felt a bit silly we hadn’t heard them earlier.

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.