Last Tuesday, the always amazing Brandon Bakus headed to Baby's All Right, camera in hand, to capture a fantastic night of music: In Transit Records were holding their 12" compilation release show featuring Tall Juan, Triathalon, Acid Dad, and The Britanys. Check out pics and notes from the night below.
Tall Juan
Tall Juan is a great example of how attitude and stage presence can define a performance. Even though he was up there all by his lonesome, his energy made him seem as if he were an entire band crammed into one person.
His skill as a performer was dwarfed only by the music itself, which enveloped the audience in a fun (and somewhat aggressive) Ty Segall-esque vibe.
Triathalon
Next up was an amazing set from Savannah, GA's Triathalon, whose fun and easy performance was a crowd favorite from the start. Like so many of our favorite bands, when it comes down to it, they just seem like normal people. It was like a group of guys just walked out of the crowd and decided to start playing. Plus, they had matching shirts, which is always cool.
Acid Dad
Acid Dad were completely insane, and their name seemed apt after the first few songs. Imagine a middle-aged man doing acid for the first time, wandering around the NYC psych and garage-rock scene. Then imagine his experience being made into a movie. Then imagine the soundtrack to that movie. There you go: Acid Dad.
The Britanys
Last, but never anywhere close to least, the always-excellent Britnays wrapped the evening up with the seamless, grungy, classic indie-rock sound they do so well. After blazing through a killer set, they rounded out the night with a single, solid power chord. What else would you expect?
For those five or so people out there who've been with us from the beginning, you'll know by now that we have a bit of a thing for Montreal's TOPS—they've been featured a whopping twelve times on the site so far, more than any other act. Last Sunday, our rock-star photographer Brandon Bakus powered through a post-Halloween hangover to cover their show at Brooklyn's Music Hall of Williamsburg and make it a round thirteen. Accompanied by local favorite Jerry Paper and LA's Puro Instinct, it was, predictably, an excellent show. Pics and notes follow.
Jerry Paper
Jerry Paper has always been fairly inscrutable, and it seems this performance was (thankfully) no different. From his odd brand of pop music to his live act which teeters on the edge of performance art, there's always something he does that's perfectly off. His sets are fluid and passionate, which contrasts brilliantly with his shy, awkward stage banter. Also, there's a lot of groaning. He really seems to love groaning.
Puro Instinct
Traveling all the way from the mean streets of LA were electro-pop wonders Puro Instinct. They hit the stage with a powerful, neo-retro California sound, reminiscent of the late '80s or early '90s with an undeniably contemporary twist.
TOPS
This was our photographer's first timing seeing TOPS live, and when asked what he thought of the indie-rock four piece his first words were "authentically sweet." It was pretty apt, for a camera jockey.
There's a sincerity to the way TOPS plays that shines through in every aspect of their performance. It never seems like they're trying too hard, and they let their art speak for itself—the simple beauty of their music is as endearing as it is mesmerizing.
Ever since I moved to New York, CMJ has seemed pretty overwhelming. Mostly, it's because I get a little paralyzed by having to choose between so many great options. I spend hours trying to decide who I should go see, mapping out routes from one venue to another, desperately trying to figure out if there's some way I can make it to every act. By the end of the festival I've almost certainly had a great time, but there are usually a few regrettable missed opportunities that slipped through the cracks.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that I usually try to do some sort of coverage of all the shows I see, which gets increasingly difficult after I've made it through my first round or seven of beer.
This year I decided to change it up. One show for the blog. That's it. And if there was one show at CMJ that had more acts I wanted to see than any other, it was the Terrible Records X Cymbal X Pigeons & Planes showcase at Cameo Gallery in Brooklyn. I gave our wonderful photographer Brandon Bakus one simple task: take beautiful pictures. I'd say he did a good job.
Ever have a blah day? Neither good nor bad, just bland? A day where it feels like it would take a miracle to get out of your tediously repetitive daily grind? I had one of those on Saturday, July 25th. Fortunately for my sanity and well-being, that also happened to be the day I went to see Memory Tapes play at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn.
The amazing performance from the headliners, as well as openers School Dance and Computer Magic, had the sort of psychically palliative effect that only music can provide. I snapped out of my rut and remembered what wonder the world around me could hold, and it was excellent. As usual, pics were taken.
School Dance
Sadly, we only arrive to catch the last fifteen minutes of School Dance's set, but all the same it was a wonderful way to whet our appetites for the music to come. "Peaceful, nice, and a little bit adorable" would probably best describe our short glimpse of the group, and the vocal stylings of Allison Lorenzen were immediately mesmerizing.
Computer Magic
Often, I'll hear about an artist or TV show or book from multiple friends but for whatever reason delay actually checking it out—who knows, maybe it's some kind of pathological need to find things on my own first. But that's exactly what happened with NYC-based electronic pop artist Computer Magic, whose set at Baby's will go down as one of my favorite I've seen all year.
...Makes me wonder if I should listen to my friends more.
The sheer quality of the sound coming off the stage was incredible, a mix of super rich electronics and tight live drums. And the stunning visual work was a perfect match for the already gripping presence of the band's creative mind Danielle "Daz" Johnson, whose performance was wonderfully crisp and focused.
In the end, though, I think it was so enthralling because it surprised me. I just didn't expect it to be quite so good. If someone called me right now and told me Computer Magic was playing within any reasonable distance, I would first get mad at them for interrupting the Computer Magic song I was listening to at the time, then drop everything and go without hesitation. If you find yourself in a similar situation, I suggest you do the same.
Memory Tapes
While I've been familiar with almost all of Memory Tapes' catalog for a while now, this show at Baby's was the first time I've ever seen them live—and rarely, if ever, have I seen performers look so much like two normal-ass dudes who wandered onstage by accident. It was actually quite refreshing to see a show with mind-blowing music but none of the pomp.
It's been a while since we've heard from Dayve Hawk, and you really got a sense of that from the audience. There was an almost reunion-like quality to the show, which was very cool to witness.
This stop was towards the end of his tour, and he performed with the comfort and relief of someone heading back home after a long journey. All in all, it was a great show. I don't know if Memory Tapes are coming out with a new album anytime soon, but if they do I'll definitely be looking out for the tour dates.
