Black Wine

I have seen Black Wine a couple of times now and while I'm pretty sure I liked them in a couple opening slots over the past year, their set the other night at The Studio reminded me that I needed to spend a little more time with the Black Wine franchise. I picked up the record and am pleased to find that this trio does pretty well on record. Black Wine features Jeff from The Ergs! on guitar and vocals along with 2/3 of Hunchback. Miranda also sings. The band may be fairly new, but there is something about this record that sounds old. Not in a derivative sense, but few bands can lay claim to having a sound more than Black Wine. The music is steeped in the Pacific NW, with traces dating from The Sonics through the Fastbacks and Sub Pop/Pop Llama heydey. When this amalgamation catches fires, like on Broken Arm Bear, it will take a week to get the hook out of your head. The three-piece format keeps things economical and the band makes the most of the space. There is nothing to hide, so even when things get stripped down to a single guitar and Miranda vocal on Greengrove Road, Black Wine is just as compelling as the coffee it takes its name from.

Get the record from the good folk of Don Giovanni here. Black Wine can be found here.

R

The Measure (sa) and New Bruises split cd

Kiss Of Death has a good thing going on with their free downloads. It confounds me that vinyl is such a big deal in 2010, but if it's a lucrative enough endeavor to get me quality music on the regular for free and everybody still gets to eat, I say bring it on.

My most recent acquisition from KBD is this new split from Brooklyn/NJ rock machine The Measure (sa) and Tampa foursome known as New Bruises. I enjoy The Measure (sa) very much. They've got great tunes and I like the co-ed vocals a bunch. I tend to find one member of the band a tad silly, but by and large I'm pleased to be able to see them on the regular around town. There is a new Measure (sa) record coming down the pike, but this split serves up four pretty much unreleased new tracks to tide you over in the interim. All pretty uptempo, replete with some dual vocals and Black Flag interpolation on Ruby Is A Punk. None goes past 1:30, but you'll want to play Response over and over anyway, so call it a win and get over it.

New Bruises hail from Tampa and are also the proprietors of Kiss Of Death, which must make it easier to give your product away for free. I knew I was familiar with them, but confused them with another band with brothers. What I did not realize was that they were half of PA emo franchise Mid Carson July. NB cover MCFNJ for their last track and do it well, with obligatory studio joshery at the end. Save for that, our heroes ply their trade in a pleasant mid 90s Crank! Records rock that isn't terribly far removed from its predecessor. I bet they would sound good in a backyard with a keg. I'm not sure how much of a touring entity they are, but here's hoping we get to see this pairing live in NYC soon.

Get the vinyl or the download here from Kiss Of Death.

R

Live: Noise By Numbers, Let Me Run, I Hate Our Freedom, Black Wine, Worrier @ The Studio at Webster Hall 8.9.10

I had tickets for this for a bit, figuring the Vapid factor would really fill the room up, but day of I wasn't really of a mind to go. I was totally wiped from the Ceremony show and a trip North the day before, but Eric convinced me to make it out. I got off the train and made it there early, having never been to the new-ish basement annex of Webster Hall called The Studio and was pretty pleased with the layout, as well as the bevy of places with light where I could sit and read between sets. It's an old guy thing.

In a move that ingratiated me to her more than she could ever hope to know, Lauren had posted that Worrier were both opening and playing at 7:30. When the enchanting Ms. Measure took the stage with a rhythm section of two indie looking gents at 7:30, I almost wept, but maintained my composure enough to enjoy their short set. Worrier features Mike Hunchback on bass and maybe a new drummer? Either way, the songs were good and I like Lauren's music a bunch, but the backing crew needed to hit a little harder and give the songs some edge. They sounded good though, and Ms. Measure gets huge gear nerd props for the blonde AC30 she's playing through. Very, very nice.

Black Wine feature Jeff from the dear departed Ergs with the rhythm section of the dear departed Hunchback. Man, are they good, and throwing down in a Jersey Husker Du sort of frenzy mixed with some early Sub Pop and Taang. I've been remiss in doing their record, and aim to rectify that situation with the quickness. Jeff has a great voice, and may very well get the medal for best post-Erg franchise. Miranda is a great vocal foil. She's a triple threat in that she can play, sing and scream and Black Wine is way lucky to have her in the fold. The full-length is on Don Giovanni and sounds great. Just a great set from a great band. Look for the review of the self-titled debut soon.

I Hate Our Freedom were up next. They have dudes from Garrison, Texas Is The Reason, Thursday and Milhouse in the band and sound like it. As you might surmise they sound very much like a late 90s Rev band. It was ok, but didn't really rock my world. Nice dudes though.

Let Me Run were up after. Hailing from New Brunswick, they signed to Paper & Plastick recently and have a new singer in Rocky Catanese. I've not heard it, but they had a Hot Water/Jawbreaker vibe, which will rarely ruffle my feathers. I wouldn't go out of my way to see them again, but definitely want to check out the EP.

This was the last night of tour for Noise By Numbers, who had been out for a little over a week, Danny and Jeff looked tired, but the band was tight as hell and sounded great. The new Noise By Numbers record is pretty great, and bodes well for the SW reunion being a fruitful one. Odd that no one has brought the SW/Riverdales two-fer into NYC as yet, but NBN are close to being as good in a lot of ways. Same sound, same aesthethic, half the crowd and companion douchebaggery. This this old man likes.

This was the best five band bill we have had in a while, here's hoping that we get a lot more shows like this in NYC. Props to all the bands involved and to Late Night Wallflower for booking this at The Studio.

R

Live: Ceremony with Rogue State @ ABCnoRIO 8.7.10

It's been a stressful couple weeks with some medical issues and I had been more than a bit antsy. The weather had been so sweltering that it was hard to get out on the bike for any distance with getting heat stroke, so a hardcore show three blocks from the JS-NYC corporate offices seemed more than adequate of an eventuality to both distract me and blow off a little steam.

Popped in early at ABC to get my hand stamped and found that Punch had dropped off the show (and eventually cancelled a bunch of dates) after the singer broke her ankle. When I did cross threshold to get my rock on, Rogue State were tearing thing up. Like Ceremony, Rogue State are from California and make the hardcore. The are a four-piece, although I could have sworn only three guys played, but hey it was crowded. Vocals were kinda non-existent as well, but the band was well-received. If you were there, or the prospect excites you, know that Rogue State have a new record out on Be Happy called emis vs etic that you can get here. You're welcome.

A between set med break had me a little light-headed by the time I made it back to ABC, but the crowd proved frisky enough to keep my senses sharp. The kids were circle-pitting up a storm and the ladies were mixing it up on the floor a fair bit as well. Ceremony kept the pedal to the floor for the duration. Ross was all over the place from the first note: on the floor, in the crowd, on the crowd, sometimes sporting his hoodie pulled over his head. What end said sartorial leaning accomplished, I know not, but it made for a fun Saturday afternoon.

I like the Ceremony records ok recorded, but they are a lot more fun live. The band is a nutty mix of hair farmer with Nikki Sixx model Explorer (set phasers to awesome) and shirtless guy in lace arm garters. I couldn't see the drummer, but I'm sure he was equally bizarre. It's an odd mix, but not an unpleasant one. Ceremony have gotten very much in touch with their inner Black Flag over the last couple years. Ross especially has gotten a lot more Keith Morris, and all of these factors make for a hell of a fun show. Hardcore fans and lovers of rambunctious matinee shows in general would do well to take in a Ceremony show with the quickness before they head overseas for a while. Explore the possibilities here.

R

Big Jay Oakerson - An American Storyteller

I stumbled upon Big Jay Oakerson through his Comedy Central special. He was sort of a super-sized Dave Attell, with a great delivery and similar tastes in sexual and scatological humor. I was pretty obsessed with that special, but lost it in a string of cable box failures and figured I'd have to charge it to the game.

Then I found An American Storyteller. Upon some investimagation, I was red-faced to realize that it had been released over a year ago. Doh! An American Storyteller is a comedy record not to be be missed. Or played in front of those with more sensitive tastes, as our dear Jay covers a number of topics that would cause the more modest people in our midst to have a hemorrhage. An American Storyteller is stem to stern hilarious, but be forewarned. There is a point towards the end of the set where Oakerson realizes that he's purveyed easily a half-hour of filth in front of a 15 year old girl that has to be heard to be believed. Frankly, it would almost seem like a plant for purposes of the recording (ala the infamous Mitch Hedberg special), but it no way makes An American Storyteller any less of a must-buy. Buy it here. The Oakerson web presence is here.

R

Dan Telfer - Fossil Record

Dan Telfer has been quietly making a name for himself in the stand-up comedy world, playing the nerdy Mike Birbiglia meets Greg Proops card to increasingly larger crowds. For his first EP, Fossil Record, he has opted to release product via the upstart AST (A Special Thing) Records. Telfer is good, and seems to be ingratiating himself to the Oswalt / Posehn / Tompkins set, as the opening slots are coming fast and furious for him.

Again, it's kind of a niche thing, as the lion's share of the material on Fossil Record is about dinosaurs. Intelligently put forth and funny, but about dinosaurs on a comprehensive Discovery Channel meets National Geographic level. Picture a world where there were comedians who made their living doing corporate Paleontology gigs and you've got a good starting point. For some, this may be a deal breaker. Truth be told, there are small asides about Star Wars and Voltron, if either eventuality piques your interest, but the Dane Cook fans in our virtual midst might want to look elsewhere for their comedy fix.

The Telfer web presence mentions a desire to host a science show and he'd be wise to pursue that endeavor. In the absence of that opportunity to hear him, poke around his site and see for yourself what he brings to the table. Here's a link. Lovers of economy as well as comedy might opt for the three-fer EP deal that AST has going on their site. You get Fossil Record, along with the new Greg Proops and Paul F. Tompkins EPs, all for $15. Not so bad of a deal, and no two drink minimum either. Here's a link to the AST deal zone.

R

The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo!

Marco Polo has been maximizing his Stateside potential, dropping his Port Authority and Newport Authority mix cds, as well as collabos with Torae and Rustee Juxx on Duck Down. All four are must-owns for anyone who enjoys real hip-hop. It's kind of baffling that it takes a guy from Toronto to bring it to US ears, but release number five for Marco Polo is yet another great comp.

The Stupendous Adventures Of Marco Polo collects a bunch of material that fell by the wayside from other projects due to deadlines ands whatnot, combined with some rare MP remix stuff. Great tracks from a bunch of new artists like Skyzoo and Red Clay rub shoulders with old head favorites like Large Professor and Grand Daddy I.U. Even Skoob from Das EFX weighs in with a great track here. Can't say I saw that eventuality transpiring when I picked this up, but you're not going to catch me arguing either. I don't want to have to track that Rick Ross record down until I get really desperate. In the meantime, join me in avoiding that eventuality and grab a copy of The Stupendous Adventures Of Marco Polo here and look for Marco Polo on the road worldwide, repping for real hip-hop.

R