Oh Ray, look how far you’ve come. The last time I saw you, it was you, a solitary guitar and you’d bring out one of your friends with a bass if you needed some accompaniment. Now, you’re playing with a four piece band and tickets for your concerts run for $250 each on [...]
As ashamed as I am to admit it, I’ve never really found myself enraptured by Steve Reich’s “Music for 18 Musicians,” which is probably some sort of sin in the world of music, especially in classic circles. I was familiar, had appreciated it, but not like I do now.
I had the opportunity to see the [...]
A performance by The New Orleans Bingo! Show is something to behold, and Spiegelworld seems to be the location built for their Tom-Waits-meets-James-Chance-and-the-Contorations-at-a-burlesque-show live events. That’s the catch, too, it’s more event than live concert. The Bingo! Show consists eight members including a piano player with a pension for playing theremin, two foul mouthed clowns [...]
No matter whether you “get” Deerhoof or not, we all like it when bands allow us to hear singles online from an upcoming release a month in advance. It makes us feel special, like we have a secret that no one (except the rest of the f*cking world) knows about.
As a little (about two minutes little) preview of their upcoming album Offend [...]
Longtime fans of Ben Folds know that he delivers one of the best concert-going experiences for your dollar. You won’t go away thinking you just saw something spectacular but Ben Folds consistently delivers a good time along with good music. When I heard that he would be playing with the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra, [...]
It seems as though No Wave is seeing a slight, too cool to be cool, resurgence in 2008. This past weekend saw the reunion of James Chance and the Contortions at PS1 in New York. Chance, weather beaten as ever, has spoken publicly a bit before the gig saying that they had planned to play [...]
The New York based experimental quartet Battles played a free live show on Saturday August 16 before thousands at the Central Park Summer Stage. Supported by Gang Gang Dance and The Black Dice it was a noted departure from the Summer Stage’s typical line-ups through most of the summer. Furthermore, The Black Dice and Battles [...]
I know that Radiohead fans can go overboard in their effusive praise of the band but seeing them in a crowd of 25,000 when they are at their tightest is akin to a religious experience. Between their mind-blowing visual effects, constructing layers of sound, and putting together a killer setlist, no other band [...]
There’s nothing like perfect weather to get you in the mood for some kick-ass live music. When the blue skies and cool breezes are traveling across the bay and weaving through a New York City skyline in the distance, it almost makes you wish you brought that old t-shirt that says “Proud To [...]
Wilco at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington Delaware was concert going nirvana for me. Let’s run down the list of ingredients: 1) One of my favorite bands, who could easily sell out bigger venues playing 2) a small intimate venue that seats about 1,000 people. 3) Tickets were only available via the [...]
