showcowgo.com: June 2009

Black Moth Super Rainbow, a psychedelic trance-hop quartet from Pittsburgh, drew a surprisingly large crowd to a Monday lunchtime Millennium Park show. Sure, the weather was perfect, and the event was free, but I've been to some other of these edible-audible shows this summer, and the crowd was much larger for this one. BMSR is an electronic instrumental band, with live drums and bass, and sampled, robotic-ized vocals that occasionally punch through the sometimes muddled, but mostly upbeat dance groove. I've only had passing history with this band, hearing maybe 1 or 2 singles along the way, so it was interesting to see BMSR with fresh eyes/ears. After the largely disappointing Sea and Cake show the week prior, it was nice to see Millennium Park rocking. That BMSR was able to fill such a large amphitheater with both fine grooves and excited on-lookers says a lot about what they should be capable of in a small club. That's one show I'll be on the lookout for.

Cost/Value = FREE = A

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Princess and the Pea 6/24/09

The Princess and the Pea at the Beverly Arts Center:

I went with my teen client, but she might have been the oldest kid there (she's 14). Needless to say, it was geared towards the very young. However, they all seemed like decent actors (as far as kid plays go) and their singing voices weren't bad at all. I was slightly entertained despite it being for children. My favorite part was when the prince and two jesters were playing rock band.

Go for: only go if you have kids, are babysitting, or have a strange fascination with being around kids (scratch that....I'm not promoting pedophilia).

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

The Sea and Cake @ Millennium Park 6/22/9

This was my first Sea and Cake show, and it was difficult to stay awake. Let me qualify that by adding that I had just eaten a big picnic dinner, courtesy of the lovely girlfriend, along with half a bottle of wine, and it was quite warm outside. Plus, I had been sitting in the grass for a little over an hour already after a long day of work. Those factors were conspiring to send me to la-la-land anyway, but the soothing if uninspiring tunes of this veteran alt-indie group weren't doing much to keep the lids open. I'm not much of a devotee of S&C, though I did pick up their fine recent release Car Alarm back when it came out, so I was at least somewhat familiar with their set. I'd see them again, but I'd probably opt for a smaller, standing-room-only venue, unless I was looking for a sleep-aid.

An older African-American gentleman sitting to my left asked before the set whether Sea and Cake was a local band. Upon answering him in the affirmative, he inquired whether they were any good. Again, I answered yes. Halfway through the first song, he promptly stood up, shook my hand, and went home. That he stayed for the entire Dirty Projectors show, only confused me further.

Cost/Value = FREE/FREE = A

Dirty Projectors @ Millennium Park 6/22/9

This seemed like an odd choice for a free Millennium Park show. The Dirty Projectors aren't exactly the type of general population-friendly street festival rock band you would expect to hear if you were, say, a tourist just happening through Millennium Park on a lovely summer afternoon. The Sea and Cake, the headliner on this free bill, although somewhat soft and lite for a big outdoor show like this, at least are generically recognizable. Dirty Projectors, on the other hand, are prog-rock under an indie-rock cheesecloth - wonderfully complex and genre-bending, but I feel that the fact they're occasionally played on XMU is what got them their gig here. This isn't an easily accessible band. Would it seem odd if Coheed and Cambria or Dreamtheater were scheduled instead? Nonetheless, I was pretty excited to see them since I've passed before, largely since I can't spend money on prog-music. To that extent, the show was worthwhile, if only to see how they sound live, since on record it's pretty intensely weird.

Cost/Value = FREE = A

Hold Steady @ Taste of Randolph 6/21/9

I've already covered my feelings about Hold Steady in my review of Art Brut. I feel the same about both bands - great live, boring on record. What was most surprising about this show wasn't the ability of the Taste of Randolph to once again attract a surprisingly stellar lineup of bands, nor the relatively small turnout for what was, essentially, a $10-or-less-pay-what-you-want outdoor show on a perfect summer night. What was most surprising was how thoroughly enjoyable it was to see how excited the band was to be playing for a crowd that was 50% into seeing them and 50% into preening for the meathead techno jock crowd that was overflowing at Market, just next door to the stage. I'll save a review of Market for BRUNCHblog, but it wasn't exactly the finest pairing of worlds, and makes me question why the stage was erected where it was. Nevertheless, it was yet again a fun Hold Steady show, and the weather, price, and acoustics were just about perfect, to boot.

Value/Cost = $10(donation)/$10 = A

Ladies and Gentlemen @ Taste of Randolph 6/21/9

I don't know much about Ladies and Gentlemen. My friend Ross gave me a copy of one of their discs in a drunken stupor last New Year's Eve, after talking about how he knows the singer (or something, I wasn't sober either) and I've listened to it about a half-dozen times since. Which is to say, I like it. Live, though, I'm not so sure. As you can tell from the picture, I didn't exactly have a great vantage point, as I was sitting in a booth at Market at the time drinking and eating, so the acoustics were pretty lousy. They didn't do much on stage banter or energy-wise, so it might not have just been the lousy sight-and-hearing-lines betraying me.

Value/Cost = $6/10 = 60% = D

Monday, June 15, 2009

Pit Er Pat @ Millennium Park 6/15/9

It doesn't take much self-convincing on a slow work day when it's absolutely perfect weather outside to go to a free indie rock show at the even more beautiful Millennium Park. Even if it is Pit Er Pat playing. Actually, before today I've never heard Pit Er Pat. I've certainly heard of them. Or read of them, at least. Apparently they recently moved away from Chicago, but in the years' prior, I would see them listed in the various venues all the damn time. Like once a week. They're proficient showcasers, to their credit. Yet, the only reason I ever took note of their name was because of a Mr. Show sketch featuring Pit Pat, a "magical, pansexual, non-threatening, spokes-thing". I think the coincidence is strictly that. As a band, Pit Er Pat is best described as a cross between Crystal Castles and High Places in a not-original-yet-oddly-compelling mode. It's a duo of lightly talented musicians with a penchant of layered dub beats and pseudo-hipster-hop overtones. Not as dancy as Crystal Castles, not as shoegazer as High Places. I wouldn't seek the band out again, but if it's another picture perfect day in Millennium Park, I wouldn't hesitate to be entertained by them again.

Value/Cost = FREE! = A

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Art Brut @ Schubas 6/8/9

Art Brut is one of those bands that I never find myself listening to, hated when I first heard them, yet can't stop seeing them live. I have the same relationship with The Hold Steady, except I've only seen them once and I've seen Art Brut at least a half-dozen times. Singer Eddie Argos is an affable genuine nerd, too pudgy and self-effacing to be a front man of a major band, but creative and smart enough to surround himself with capable musicians who are also in on the joke. "Formed a Band" says it all, and was appropriately their first major hit. Like The Hold Steady, I didn't "get it" until I saw them live. Then I knew. That cockiness and cooler-than-thou attitude that comes across at times on record isn't even a projected image, it's just a by-product of genuine goofiness and disbelief that they're actually being recognized (and paid) for doing what they love. The same could be said, perhaps to a lesser extent, about The Decemberists, but not with the same level of tongue-in-cheek awareness, and certainly not to the same level of good time dance party happiness that are their live shows.

Art Brut plays Schubas every night this week, and unfortunately my schedule and funds allowed me only to attend the first show. It was delayed by 30 minutes due to a failed guitar amp, and Eddie did little to entertain the crowd, though he admitted as much, claiming that the only joke he knows is terrible, which it was (why couldn't the drummer get through the door? because of his high hat!). But, like any Art Brut show, it was a roll from there with great energy, excellent banter, and that trademark aw-shucks stage presence. Plus, for whatever reason, I ran into the band on the street after the show for the second time in a row, and both times they've been incredibly friendly and easy to talk to, though with their thick Cockney accents and my ringing ears, I didn't understand a whole heck of a lot of what was said.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention. They spent a great part of one song ripping on U2 (which is totally deserved - that band is 100% useless) and Kings of Leon (only 40% useless). Eddie exclaimed over and over (and over) "Sex on Fire?! What the fuck does that mean?" You gotta love that.

Cost/Value = $15/15 = 100% = A+

Monday, June 1, 2009

Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ The Rave, 05/31/09

Once again, concert bookers in Milwaukee insisted on putting a good band in a crappy venue. I was close to skipping this show because I both hate the Rave and having a 50% chance of getting mugged outside a concert venue so much. But I'm glad I went. I attended the show with a good friend who, as a former drummer in a jazz band, loves to tell me how 80% of the music I listen to is crap and just a derivative of Joy Division. While I don't agree with that sentiment, he does provide the view of an outsider to this genre of music. Anyway, my friend had one listen to It's Blitz! at a pre-show BBQ and was sold on going (plus, he wanted to escape hanging with his fiance).

The show was what any Yeah Yeah Yeahs show is -- great sound, great music, high energy, good crowd, etc etc. The band seemed really into the show, too; they kept commenting on how great the crowd was. And really, how couldn't they love the crowd? It was full of drunken fools. I snagged a spot on the balcony and had a good view of Karen O and most of the crowd, so I saw all the antics -- Karen O spitting water on people, Karen O throwing a sweaty towel to adoring (and subsequent to the throw of the towel, fighting) masses, and attempted moshing by the token shirtless guy that seems to appear at almost every Rave show. (Let me take a moment to register my confusion with the crowd's love of getting spit on. I don't get it -- you just got spit on. How is that fun? Why are you cheering? I can like it because I wasn't the one spit on, but I don't think I'd feel the same if I were the spitee.)

Anyway, one interesting tidbit I learned from the security guards was that the band does not like anyone above their heads in the balconies of shows. So, security prevented anyone from standing in the parts of the balcony directly overlooking the stage. My friend -- who loved the show -- thought the band used backing vocal tracks during some of the songs, which I thought was an interesting observation. He also liked the drumming, for what it's worth. Overall, a great show and a great way to end the weekend. 8.5/10. I would definitely see them again. (One final gripe about the Rave -- the price of beer. $7 for a Lite? Really? The Riverside, Turner Hall and the Pabst Theater all serve PBR tall boys for $3. That's more like it.)

The Decemberists @ The Riverside, 05/29/09

My first thought upon entering the sold out Decemberists show at the Riverside this past Friday night was, "Wow, I didn't realize the demographic for the Decemberists skewed so old." Turned out to be only partly true -- while the Decemberists attracted your usual crowd of hipsters, they also attracted an older, "I can say I went to a Decemberists concert and feel cool, and their music doesn't scare me!" crowd. Both those crowds went home happy. I'll admit up front that I like the Decemberists -- even their albums. But I really like their live shows. After seeing show after show with bad stage presence (Bright Eyes) and horrible banter (Bright Eyes), the combination of which can make a show almost unwatchable (Bright Eyes), I appreciate a well-crafted show with good stage presence, good music and good banter. Plus, I'm a huge nerd, so I dig the hyper-literate folk spin the Decemberists put on some of their songs.

This show was really two shows -- first, the Hazards of Love as a play, and second, their old stuff. In the first show/set, the Decemberists played through their entire new album without break and without banter. I thought the setting of the band on a stage (the Riverside is a theater, after all) really underlined the thematic nature of the album. Having listened to the Hazards of Love a few times in the days leading up to the show, I was able to follow what was going on. Most of the crowd didn't seem so prepared -- most seemed lost during the lesser-known songs on the album (including, curiously, Annan Water. I guess most of the crowd doesn't listen to XMU, which plays it ad nauseum). The highlights of the first set were the performance of The Rake's Song, with virtually the whole band playing drums throughout, and any song featuring Shara Worden as the Queen. Worden's vocals were outstanding, and she overshadowed everyone else any time she started singing.

After taking a 25 minute break, the band came back for their second show/set, which consisted of the band's older material. While the band didn't play all the songs I hoped, it was still 50 minutes of solid music. Plus, Meloy had his usual good banter. At the end of the show, he invited a few fans from the front row onto the stage to sing with him, but I think he got more than he bargained for when about 50 fans jumped on stage and surrounded the band for the remainder of the song (see crappy picture). Bonus points for the unexpected cover of Heart's Crazy On You, which allowed the band to feature encore vocals by Worden. In the end, one of the better shows I've seen this year in Milwaukee. 8/10.

showcowgo.com

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

July record releases

Black Moth Super Rainbow @ Millennium Park 6/29/9