Jaded Scenester NYC: Best EPs of 2011

As I understand, it's in the way that you use it, or so the Michelobs are telling me. Here's the JS-NYC take on all things short format in 2011.

1.  Iron Chic – Split & Shit EP
Their crowd is getting a little wearisome to this old bastard, but when it comes to hooky LIHC with a decided post-Lifetime bent, you can't go wrong with Iron Chic or Split & Shit.

2.  Drive-By Truckers – Sometimes Late At Night EP. It's chaos as usual for Team DBT, with bassist/singer Shonna Tucker the latest to depart in the time-honored ambiguous circumstances. This EP came out before the split, featuring a handful of live tracks and a studio version of the Vic Chestnutt tune, When I Ran Off And Left Her. Be interesting to see what's next for these Sons Of The South.

3.  The Hold Steady – Live from Soho EP
I still miss Franz, but this is a pretty solid eight song showing from Team THS. I'm intrigued to see how Craig's solo record impacts things as/re: the new (non-Vagrant?) record. I'm calling ATO as the winner, unless they score themselves a too-good-to-be-true major deal with Anti.

4.  Restorations – The Key Studios EP
Restorations have been a big deal for me over the last year ago and I was glad they sweetened the top with this live recording. Five great takes, with a little studio banter to remind you its not all glowering and dynamic shifts with these nice young men.

5.  Chixdiggit – Safeways Here We Come EP
Chixdiggit pretty much redeemed their last half-hearted junket through town with a fun EP and a great set with Kepi Ghoulie on an East River Rocks Off death barge. On Fat Wreck again, as well. While Hot n' Horny is embarassing for guys as old as these dudes, Since You Got A Dog continues to be an anthem for our times.

6.  Armalite – Humongous 7”
The eight year locusts of hardcore re-emerge from dormancy to drop three jolts of post-D4 Philly punkcore. Boo-ya. And Go! for that matter.

7.  Jon Snodgrass – Tri-State Record
I wish Jon would pull a Wedding Present and release a song a month and then offer a catch-up comp release at the end of the year, as he's almost prolific to a fault. Tri-State Record is the best cumilitive record this year, although the Scorpios record is quite a little delight as well.

8.  Superchunk/Coliseum - Record Store Day 7”

C'mon: The Chunk and Coliseum togther doing Misfits covers. That's worth a spin.

9.  Bobby Bare Jr. – a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep EP
The companion EP to A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head gave nerds and completists a shot at the demos that fostered the full-length.

10.  Trash Talk – Awake EP
Blaaaah! Blaah-Blaah-Blaah-Blaah! Circle Pit. Mosh-mosh-mosh. Chug.

Bobby Bare Jr. - a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep

So you may have read that Bobby Bare Jr. has a new record out on Thirty Tigers called A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head. Well, if you took to that, you may be interested to know that Bobby has also released an aptly named companion six song EP of acoustic demo versions called a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep. It's good. Really good, actually.

Bare Jr. constantly changes his backing bands. He recorded the studio A Storm with most of My Morning Jacket backing him, but the dates behind the band saw Bobby opting for a solo acoustic format backed by former Young Criminals Starvation League cohort Carey Kotsionis and her sister Courtney on backing vocals. He is a natural performer, equally able to front a loud rock band or a solo acoustic show, and equally formidable as a songwriter, making for a compelling performance regardless of its presentation. The six songs on a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep assert that fact pretty definitively, so why not just cut to the chase and pony up a sawbuck for a copy here. Or sign up for Bobby's mailing list here and get it for free. Either way, don't postpone joy. Whether you opt for the album version or the acoustic ep, you're in for a hell of a good time.

R

Bobby Bare Jr. at Skyscraper

Hey Kids:

My review of the new Bobby Bare Jr. record A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head (Thirty Tigers) is up at the new Skyscraper web presence.

Here's a link.

R

Live: The Silos @ Bloodshot Records Anniversary BBQ, Bell House 9.26.9

I feel the same about Bloodshot Records as I do about Merge in 2009. They are sort of like the awesome girl you used to date that you managed to stay cool with. I love, love, loved almost everything that came down their pike five or six years ago and their SXSW parties are the stuff of legend. You can't beat free beer and tacos at 11am during a Texas spring. Save for the mighty Bobby Bare Jr. and The Silos, I can't say I've been over the moon about their last couple releases, but there was no way I wasn't going to represent for their 15th.

So now, let me bitch: I can understand how they want to get bodies in the room and make it worthwhile for both Bloodshot and The Bell House, but post a fucking schedule in advance already. I saw two or three variations of the line-up and showed up at seven to find The Silos (band number #2) playing and a five hour run of not-especially-remarkable bands til Bobby Bare Jr. played at midnight. Party foul, and that's not even taking into consideration the midnight double booking I had with OnPoint. It's weird seeing The Silos without Drew in the band, but they were still top fucking notch, with the largest percentage of old material I've heard them do in years. The are definitely The Who of the roots rock scene and that is due in no small part to Konrad Meissner. That man beats the hell out the kit in the best way possible. You would do well to pick up the entire Silos catalog, but to keep it Bloodshot relevant why not start with Come On Like The Fast Lane. Pour out a little liquor for Drew, too, while you're at it.

I bailed to get shithammered at The Creek and the Cave before the OnPoint show, courtesy of Queens finest bartender (and aldenbarton mainman) Dru St. Aubin, but trust that the rest of the show was ok. I had a moment with Exene who is terrifying well-beyond her diminutive stature and trust that Bobby was as great as normal. Look for a review of his new American Bread EP soon. In the meantime, pop on over to Bloodshot and drop some dollars via this handy link.

R

Live: Bobby Bare Jr. @ Mercury Lounge 9.22.8

I've said it before and will say it again: Bobby Bare Jr. is most important artist of our generation. No one straddles genres like he does, nor is there anyone who has a broader sense of songwriting. When you come from his genetic roots, grow up living in between the Cash and Tillis families and have Mike Grimes (of Nashville's Grimey's Record Store) as an ex-band slash roommate, you're going to have a much deeper well to draw on than the average performer.

This show was with The Broken West, who play the type of tuneful pop-rock that LA bands like Gingersol and I See Hawks In LA seem to make popular and are evidently on Merge. I prefer the power-poppy end of their material over the fairly generic Americana stuff, but they seem to be a decent, albeit average band. They evidently share the same booking agent and all parties involved were purported to be stewing it up at said agent's wedding for most of the weekend. It lent a very 'Sunday Night' vibe to the proceedings which was just as well for this old asshole, especially as I was straight off the bus from Maryland. The Broken West wrapped up on time and Bobby was on stage in short order. Evidently his drummer plays with And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead and was tied up at ATP, so Bobby called an audible and decided to play acoustic with a little help from uber-sideman Chris Masterson. Masterson is from Houston, but has lived in Brooklyn in recent years. He is, in the parlance of the field, a motherfucker, playing lap steel, acoustic and beautiful Gretsch White Falcon as well as singing his ass off for the duration.

We've come to expect that from Bobby. No matter who he has backing him, they are absolutely terrifying players. Not that he needs the crutch. Over the course of his last four or five records, the quality of the songs have gone through the roof. His records have been on Bloodshot in recent years, the most recent being the Longest Meow. Bare is a man for whom music is music. If you're looking for a guy who will play a Smiths cover as readily he would a Hank Snow cover (or on this night a bitchin' cover of Bob Seger's Night Moves) this could be your type of renaissance man.

The set was pretty fast and loose, with Bobby taking requests for most of the set. As great as Bare is, much credit is due to Masterson, who fielded every song as if he had been playing it for years. I was bummed that we were going to miss the full Young Criminals Starvation League treatment, but Bare would do well to record one of the duo shows for a DVD. He is as engaging a banterer as he is a singer, and the chemistry between him and Masterson is a special thing that is a joy to behold. I assume there is a new record coming down the pike soon, as he played at least one new song, but look out for upcoming dates/info here and buy his Bloodshot back catalog here. You won't regret it.