I love simple concert lineups. As much fun as it can be to sit through four openers (hell, I've found some of my favorite bands that way), sometimes it's nice to actually have a sense of when the headliner will be on. There's also a certain reassuring hubris to a two-act show, as if the bookers didn't feel the need to hedge their bets. In the case of Wednesday night's Roosevelt // Shallou double-feature at The Chapel in San Francisco, the two complemented each other so well that a longer bill would only have distracted from their chemistry.
Shallou, a solo electronic musician from Chicago, took the stage with a second performer to kick things off. I hadn't listened to any of their recordings before the show, but their set had us all rapt by the end of the first song. His style isn't earth-shattering in its originality, utilizing the familiar patterns of a lot of today's futurebeat artists, but the execution was absolutely flawless. Considering his last EP was released at the end of 2015, I'm excited to hear what's next.
Roosevelt, a solo musician as well, surprised everyone (well, at least me) right off the bat by coming onstage with a band. It hadn't occurred to me that his synth-heavy pop would translate well to guitar, bass, and drums, but its roots in disco made that fairly obvious upon reflection. His drummer, who bore a striking resemblance to Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, was endlessly fun to watch, and brought the studio version of the beats to life with high-energy flourishes and a fantastic stage presence. They made for a hugely likable trio, and I'd recommend catching them live if you have even the faintest interest in Roosevelt's music.
Last Tuesday, May 17, Finnish dream-pop wonder Jaakko Eino Kalevi put on a killer performance at Brooklyn's Baby's All Right. Accompanied by Melbourne's Sui Zhen, it was a night of magic, wonder, and plenty of eccentricity. Check out some pics from the show below.
It's been a while since we've done a Field Report, and I honestly couldn't think of a better way to get back in the swing of things than with the incredible EP release show for local Ridgewood darlings Freind at Baby's All Right last Thursday. The night was filled with great music, great vibes, and great performances from Freind, Shakai Mondai, Railings, and Operator. We have notes. We have Pics.
Operator
"I hate being late for shows." It was a phrase that seemed to be the mantra for the start of my night as I sat in an Uber with my girlfriend and roommate, desperate to make it to Baby's in time to catch Operator. Ever since the release of Puzzlephonics I, the group's first EP, I've been waiting for a chance to see them live—luckily, we made it to the venue just in time for the last two songs of their set. It wasn't the most ideal, but hey, better than nothing.
Operator are an interesting group. What drew me to them, and why I was so eager to see them live, is their ability to combine driving rhythms with lush, interesting synths, sparse guitar, and understated vocals in a way that's cool without seeming remotely pretentious.
In a live setting those elements come across as effortlessly as they do on recordings. For an act that's only been releasing music for a relativity short amount of time, their onstage chemistry is infectious. Start paying attention now—it's going to be exciting watching these guys progress.
The Jennifer Vanilla Dancers
Nicely tucked between each set, we got a couple of truly engaging performances from The Jennifer Vanilla Dancers. The performance group led by artist, musician, and all-around excellent person Becca Kaufman hypnotized the audience with their fluid moves while whispering sweet nothings into our ears. It was definitely an experience, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing more of it.
Railings
This was the first I've heard of Railings, and man, did they make a great first impression. Tight, refreshing, and surprisingly soulful, they had me hooked from the first downbeat. Their blend of driving rhythms and lush (a theme for this show) synths paired well with Operator, but instead of supporting understated vocals the sound fused around Alex Ian Smith's powerful, soulful delivery. The performance was reminiscent of the lighter side of an Ava Luna show, which is saying something.
Shakai Mondai
This was also my first time hearing Shakai Mondai, and wouldn't you know it, not long after entering Baby's I found myself being introduced to her by a friend from college who informed us that we actually went to school together. Queue some platitude about small worlds and whatnot.
Shakai Mondai was actually the last person to perform and her set made for an interesting dynamic after a night full of 4-5 piece bands. At first I even think you could feel it in the crowd. Having a drastic switch to such an intimate performance seemed to be jarring to some at first, but that quickly went away. Mondai was quickly took over the stage making it her space and emanated an aura that seemed to demand attention.
Freind
I think it only took me one solid listen through Freind's new EP Lemon to fall in love with it. Quickly after that, I marked their release show on my calendar and began the countdown to what I knew would be an amazing night of music.
Freind, like many of our favorite bands, have a sound that seems to borrow from so many different influences that coming up with a solid genre definition seems counterproductive at best. What they excel at is creating a sound that's very organized, but always seems as if it's on the verge of collapse. That, in addition to their steady shift in genre references, makes for a performance that comes across as ever-changing while still being cohesive.
They're great live, and are clearly a band that's well practiced—or at least one that communicates extremely well among themselves and with their audience. Freind are solid, very impressive performers, especially given that this is their first release. I honestly can't wait to hear more.
Our NYC friends No Smoking Media have been putting on some consistently fantastic showcases lately. If you don't believe me, go check out their Benefit Concert for Bernie Sanders tonight at The Gateway in Brooklyn. Sadly, the fact that I occasionally have to do actual work to survive in this city is preventing me from enjoying this one, but I managed to swing by their killer showcase last Thursday at Palisades featuring one of the better bills I've seen in a while. All the way from LA, The Breathing Effect were accompanied by three local favorites: Zetetics, Altopalo, and The Pluto Moons. Pictures were taken. Notes have been written.
Also special shout out to Dominick Chang for the amazing visuals.
The Pluto Moons
I have a lot of respect for this band's recorded work, ever since I heard their 2013 record Mannequin Legs. But I didn't realize, until I actually found myself standing in front of them, that I've never seen them live. It was a strange feeling.
Pretty much everything I personally love about music is exemplified in the work of The Pluto Moons. Their musicianship is even more pronounced live, where they take their audience on an awe-inspiring, genre-bending joy ride that's as mesmerizing as it is oddly comforting—it lets you know that there might be someone in this world as crazy as you.
Zetetics
I've had my eye on Amani Fela ever since I happened to see him play in some girl's living room for an art opening a few years ago. I remember, at the end of that show, going up to him and expressing my gratitude at seeing a contemporary of mine rap with so much style and intellect. I'm glad to see he's still at it.
Zetetics are an interesting group. Simply saying they're a hip-hop collective doesn't really do them justice. All four members come together to form a style that's wholly unique, delivering beautiful poetry enveloped in a sonic tapestry that takes inspiration from hip-hop, jazz, funk, and psychedelic music. And they absolutely kill it live.
Altopalo
Followers of the blog know my love for Altopalo. This concert was really no different, and by that I mean they haven't deviated from their incredibly impressive past performances.
The Breathing Effect
The Breathing Effect's self-titled 2014 EP has been one of my most played records since its release lat February (the day after my birthday, actually). These guys are incredibly tight and easily some of the most talented musicians I've seen assembled on a stage this year. They fly through dense soul-, rock-, and jazz-inspired arrangements with an ease that could only come across as the epitome of cool. In a lot of ways, I'm reminded of the stories my dad tells me of seeing Herbie Hancock during his Headhunters tour, and you can't get much better than that.
This was a strange bill, and I thought so from the moment I saw it. Besides the fact that they're both from Canada, I couldn't really imagine the similarities between Foxes in Fiction and Nicole Dollanganger. The former was an obvious pair with Emily Reo, seeing as they're collaborators, but for some reason throwing Dollanganger into the mix seemed like a mismatch.
The idea was intriguing, though, and as I listened back and forth between the discographies of each artist, I started to see where the connection might be coming from. Though the reasoning was still a bit opaque, my curiosity won out in the end and I made my way to Baby's All Right to experience the wonderfully bizarre lineup. Pics and notes below.
Emily Reo
The first two acts were, as we've come to expect, aggressively chilled-out. It isn't surprising if you've meandered through Emily Reo's music—her nicely minimal, slightly folky style of dream pop is like a soundtrack to aimless, late-night reflection. And when you come off a nine-hour day of manual labor like I just had, you quickly realize that's exactly what you want.
Foxes In Fiction
Ever since its release last September, Foxes In Fiction's Ontario Gothic has consistently been one of my favorite albums. Sadly, every time I've tried to see Warren Hildebrand live, something has come up and prevented me. Since I couldn't catch his concerts, I just dove even deeper into his recordings, getting perhaps a little too familiar with every little nuance and texture.
Then I didn't touch it for a while. In fact, the first time I've listened to any of the songs off Ontario Gothic since that initial over-saturation was at this concert, which made for a crazy experience because it was all done as a solo set.
At first, I was worried that the music wouldn't be as powerful as it is on the album. That ended up being true, to a certain extent, but what we got instead was a much more fragile and intimate rendition that was absolutely beautiful. The stripping of instrumental layers left the audience with an introspective performance that showcased the vulnerability of Hildebrand's vocal delivery and the simplicity of his guitar work.
Nicole Dollanganger
Nicole Dollanganger has fascinated me for a while now with her mix of soft, intimate lyrics and dark musical textures. It's one of those weird combinations that's surprisingly engrossing. Her music is even more fascinating in the group's live performance, with the small and introspective Nicole Dollanganger surrounded by a bassist who seems to be channeling a troll and a man who plays both guitar and percussion while he stares, unblinking, into the audience's soul with mascara-covered eyes. It's a striking vignette, but one that helps give context to the world in which this music was forged. I loved it.
