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Monday Morning Coachella-Quarterback
By Jim Shearer on 04/20/2009
Filed under: LIVE
Did you miss the 10th annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival this weekend--the unofficial kickoff to the U.S. summer festival season? Don't worry, I did too. Fortunately, the masses brought their cellphone cameras and camera-cameras and other recording devices to capture the action we missed: MORE »
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LIVE: Mr. Lif
By Jim Shearer on 04/13/2009
Filed under: LIVE
I've been to my fair share of "underground" hip-hop shows, and a fair share of them usually play out the same way: MC squats a spot in the middle of the stage, wraps mic cord around his/her wrist, furiously rhymes (while rarely leaving their middle of the stage position), and curiously forgets one of the tenets of live hip-hop--the hook. If you can't sing-a-long, what's the point? MORE »
SXSW...One Week Later
By Jim Shearer on 03/27/2009
Filed under: LIVE
Sadly, my seven-year streak of attending SXSW came to an end this year. No live music for four straight days (sigh), no warm weather for an east coaster looking to escape a winter that doesn't want to end (sigh), no discovering a handful of promising, up-and-coming indie rock bands (sigh), and no gnawing on a big Texas rib from Iron Works BBQ (sigh). My body does thank me though--I didn't stay up past 2AM one time last week, and come to think, I don't think I had to wait in any long lines either. MORE »
LIVE: 3 Shows That I'll Recall Fondly
By James Ziegenfus on 01/02/2009
Filed under: '08 WAS GREAT!, LIVE2008 was a pretty decent year between me and my favorite music. I liked a handful of albums, but hardly loved any. (Tim Goldsworthy's production with Cut Copy and Hercules and Love Affair was probably the one thing that impressed me more than any specific record.) (left: Kraftwerk, "I couldn't hold their inaction against them.) I went to a lot shows and enjoyed many, but rarely walked away dragging my jaw on the ground from amazement. And isn't that the point of going to shows? To feel like there's nowhere else you'd rather be during that hour, or so?... MORE »
'08 WAS GREAT!: Top 5 Shows
By Sarah Pesin on 12/29/2008
Filed under: '08 WAS GREAT!, LIVEAnother day, another dollar. Does that phrase work for the whole year? Another year, another $365. Doesn't have the same ring to it. Ah well, another year has come and gone and probably most of us don't even have $365 to show for it. But with the bad comes the good. Let's not forget all the awesome things that happened in 2008. My personal favorite was of course the summer Olympics. While it may not seem that I would be into sports, I'm obsessed with the Olympics. So much so that when I was younger and able to stay... MORE »
LIVE: Illinois, The Heavy
By Sarah Pesin on 11/06/2008
Filed under: LIVE"Remember, remember the 5th of November." Who said that? V for Vendetta? No, no, that was just the movie based on Guy Fawkes! For those of you who don't know, every 5th of November, those across the pond in Britain celebrate bonfire night with fireworks and a great party. Because I aspire to be British and I'm always looking for a great party, I decided to celebrate Guy Fawkes/Bonfire night in my own special way--by seeing a show! (left: If you're a girl and you're nearby, The Heavy's Kelvin Swaby will serenade you!) I got there late (not by... MORE »
LIVE: 2008 CMJ Showdown Lowdown
By Rachel Pesin on 10/30/2008
Filed under: LIVEIt's the Wednesday after CMJ has ended, and if the lack of emails in my inbox is any indication, all the music industry folk have still not recovered from those five crazy days. This year I ended up going to a show every night and boy was it tiring. (left: Late Of The Pier performed on Friday night. Sarah was feelin' them, Rachel, not so much.) Here's the lowdown: Tuesday, October 21 We (my sister Sarah and I) headed over to The Delancey to catch Magnum PR's showcase. My friend informed me that The Delancey never runs on time--she... MORE »
LIVE: Madonna
By Jim Shearer on 10/08/2008
Filed under: LIVEThis week I attended my first ever Madonna concert. I'd be lying if I told you I had a Madonna poster hanging in my bedroom or her latest album cover as the screen saver on my computer. But because Madonna is an important figure in both music and pop-cultural history, not to mention one of the last mega-pop-stars performing at a mega-pop-star level, I felt it was my duty to witness a live Madonna show before my concert-reviewing skills diminish or Madonna's legs give out. (left: Madonna rockin' out on her "Sweet and Sticky" Tour.) What better place to... MORE »
LIVE: Weezer
By Jim Shearer on 09/25/2008
Filed under: LIVEUnfortunately, this is going to be the closest I get to Weezer's Troublemaker Tour, which kicked off in Lowell, MA this week. I had to miss the show at Madison Square Garden last night because I'm out of town on special assignment (hint: I was interviewing a drummer for a well-known Bay Area thrash metal band) and I'll miss all the east coast dates this weekend because of a wedding. (Sigh.) Weezer "Say It Ain't So" (Lowell, MA) MORE »
LIVE: Hideout Block Party
By James Ziegenfus on 09/24/2008
Filed under: LIVEIt's been a nice, long summer in Chicago. There are street fairs and music festivals nearly every weekend from May through September. But the unofficial end of summer music in the Windy City is typically the Hideout Block Party. (left: Monotonix engages the crowd by playing drums right on top of them.) In a dead end alley leading to the Department of Fleet Management, the Hideout takes the show outside for its block party that's moved from the street into a nearby parking lot for big events in recent years, such as 2006's Touch & Go 25th Anniversary. This... MORE »
New American Music Union Day #1 Recap
By Jim Shearer on 08/09/2008
Filed under: LIVEWith three music festivals to chose from this weekend--All Points West (Jersey City, NJ), Virgin Mobile (Baltimore), New American Music Union (Pittsburgh, PA)--I decided to attend the latter, just for the fact that I was heading back to Pittsburgh anyway to compete in a golf/fishing/corn-hole triathlon. I was only able to catch the first night of the New American Music Union Festival, which was the obvious appetizer course (Tiny Masters Of Today, NASA, The Black Keys, and The Roots) for the festival's second day (Bob Dylan, The Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley, Spoon).... MORE »
Attend a Live Ting Tings Concert Right Now
By Jim Shearer on 07/24/2008
Filed under: LIVEIf you've never seen or heard The Ting Tings live, you could do the latter right now. Their July 22nd performace at the 9:30 Club (Washington D.C.) was recorded live for NPR's All Songs Considered program. (left: Katie White, one-half of The Ting Tings.) To listen to the show, click HERE, then click on The Ting Tings Live In Concert under the headline: The Ting Tings Light It Up. MORE »
Highlights From Pitchfork (Day #3)
By Jim Shearer on 07/21/2008
Filed under: LIVENo rain today, just a lot of hot summer sun to end this year's Pitchfork Festival. Here's a quick recap of Day #3: The Apples In Stereo Robert Schneider and crew treated everyone to a fun afternoon set. C'mon, how can you not have fun with the bubbly, positive, and upbeat Apples In Stereo? Schneider seemed to be a wee bit affected by the heat, guzzling down water after every few songs. At one point in the set he apologized to the fans, "Sorry I'm drinking so much water, but I'm sweating a lot and you can only sweat... MORE »
Some Pitchfork Pics from Day 2...
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVELots of rain which meant lots of mud, but hey, we got to hang with Jay Reatard and Vampire Weekend, so it wasn't all bad... MORE »
LIVE: Dizzee Rascal (Pitchfork '08)
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVEAmazingly, Dizzee Rascal churned out one of the most crowd-friendly sets of the day--also one of the funniest. (left: Dizzee Rascal, maybe the only artist at this year's Pitchfork Festival who will publicly admonish the soundman.) It's been a few years since I've seen Dizzee perform live, but in those few years he's grown as both a performer and entertainer. Anyone familiar with his quick-fire rhyme flow knows that he's spittin' hundreds of words per minute, and somehow, he never runs out of breath--the kryptonite of many stateside MC's. He does have a hypeman, Scope, but for the most... MORE »
LIVE: Jay Reatard (Pitchfork '08)
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVEToday was the first time I witnessed Jay Reatard live in action. Some of you Indie Ear bloggers may recognize him as the man that took out #2 seed Mars Volta in this year's Indie Ear Madness tournament. I told you then and I'm telling you now, the kid is a prime time player, baby! (left: Hell yes! A flying-V bass and a flying-V guitar!) Though early afternoon festival performances are sometimes a snooze, Jay Reatard and crew (Billy Hayes and Buzz Melvin look-a-like, Stephen Pope) brought their bouncy-garage-punk to Chicago and even managed to whip up a little... MORE »
LIVE: Public Enemy (Pitchfork '08)
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVEBecause I grew up on Public Enemy, and because It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all-time, I was both thrilled out of my mind and scared to death to see P.E. perform it in its entirety. (left: Nothing like taking pictures of Chuck D on the jumbo-tron when the lighting gets bad.) On one hand, if done correctly, by letting the Bomb Squad's instrumentals breath freely on the turntables and hoping that Chuck D and Flavor Flav could co-exist in perfect harmony, this performance could be downright... MORE »
LIVE: Sebadoh (Pitchfork '08)
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVEHaving Sebadoh play their Bubble and Scrape album in its entirety sounds good on paper, but executing it live is a different story. Let me explain: When Sebadoh was actually playing their distorted little gems from their 1993 album, they sounded great, sounded relevant, sounded like they should be touring the world today. But here's the problem--and I'm sure when the band recorded Bubble and Scrape they never realized that they'd be playing the album from beginning to end some 15 years later--the three members of Sebadoh share lead singing duties on the album's 17 tracks. Not only that,... MORE »
LIVE: Mission Of Burma (Pitchfork '08)
By Jim Shearer on 07/19/2008
Filed under: LIVEMission of Burma kicked off this year's Pitchfork Festival by performing their landmark album, Vs., from start to finish. No diss on early 80's recording techniques or even the re-mastered version of Vs. that was later released, but Mission of Burma sounded better live than on disc. Just like a good bowl of porridge, the bass was warm, and the drums and guitar sounded crisp, or as the bear in Goldilocks would say, "just right." (left to right: Peter Prescott, Roger Miller, Clint Conley)... MORE »
MGMT Hittin' the Road With Beck
By Jim Shearer on 07/15/2008
Filed under: LIVEWhat a huge month it's been for vowel-less bands. First they get their long overdue shout-out on the Greatest Vowel-less Bands List, then we find out that MGMT will be joining Beck on the road for several dates later this year. (left: Warm up the van, we're road trippin' with Beck!) You can also catch the vowel-less wonders of MGMT playing with The Ting Tings at the JellyNYC Pool Party at Brooklyn 's McCarren Pool on Sunday, July 27. MGMT is also scheduled to play Lollapalooza in Chicago on Saturday, August 2. MGMT/Beck Tour Dates 9/19 San Diego, CA... MORE »
LIVE: Vampire Weekend, Kid Sister, Born Ruffians
By Jim Shearer on 06/16/2008
Filed under: LIVEOn Saturday afternoon, my wife and I thought it would be a good idea to catch the free Vampire Weekend concert at Central Park's Summerstage (New York City). Since there were two supporting acts and the weather was a little muggy, we thought arriving an hour beforehand would do the trick--boy were we wrong. When we approached the band shell it took us a good half-mile walk to reach the back of the line. Since I was calculating the math in my head with the number of people the Summerstage holds, I deducted that--just like at SXSW earlier this... MORE »
LIVE: Anti-Flag
By Jim Shearer on 03/27/2008
Filed under: LIVEWednesday, March 26 New York, NY The Knitting Factory Last night's Anti-Flag concert at the Knitting Factory was my first ever "MySpace Secret Show." I'm still confused as to what a "MySpace Secret Show" entails? Besides a small banner hanging from the wall and some extra room in the mosh pit, you couldn't even tell the evening was being presented by MySpace. Um, I think if you add "Secret Shows" to your MySpace friend-list, you get alerted to the concert a couple days before everyone else?? I don't know what the hell I'm talking about--let's just get to the... MORE »
LIVE: The Cribs
By Sarah Pesin on 03/21/2008
Filed under: LIVEThursday, March 20 New York, NY The Music Hall of Williamsburg Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh! I've seen The Cribs many times these past few years but last night's show at The Music Hall of Williamsburg (i.e. North Six) was in a category all its own. Literally the crowd was moshing right after the first chord was played by the Jarman brothers and didn't stop 'til the lights came on. While I'm usually against said "moshing", it's a different type when it's at a Cribs show. Where it would normally be angry and dangerous, it was a mash-up of caring fans looking to... MORE »
SXSW: MSTRKRFT (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/16/2008
Filed under: LIVEArmed with a mixer, two turntables, a CD-deck, and a laptop, MSTRKRFT closed out the night with a thick blend of dance grooves, or as Al-P likes to say, "maximal beats." Jesse Keeler is definitely the rockstar of the group, as well he should be--being a former member of the powerhouse thrash duo Death From Above 1979. I know purists claim electronic music is faceless, but when Keeler wipes back his bangs, or throws up his fist (dice-rolling style) during build-ups and break-downs, it only adds to the spectacle.... MORE »
SXSW: Modey Lemon (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/16/2008
Filed under: LIVEClassic rock on anabolic steroids--that's the best way I can describe the sound of Modey Lemon. By far, this was the loudest performance that I've taken in at this year's SXSW. When a drummer has two floor toms, that's a good indication that things are going to get noisy. Speaking of which, Paul Quattrone obliterated his drum-kit throughout the set and bassist/organist Jason Kirker isn't going to have a neck left in 5 years the way he thrashes it around on stage. Frontman, Phil Boyd also shouted out the band's hometown a couple times, proving once again that people... MORE »
SXSW: Jim Noir (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/16/2008
I think a lot of people were surprised by Jim Noir's new look. He's done away with his three-piece suit and bowler's hat and replaced it with a headband, a shaggy hairdo, and a pair of blue jeans. Noir sandwiched his set tonight with his two biggest hits to date--opening with "Eanie Meany" and closing with "My Patch." In the midst of a song, Noir's voice sounded sweet and confident. In between songs though, Noir seemed uncomfortable as a frontman, having a hard time connecting with the audience. Without a suit and tie to hide behind, Noir lost his... MORE »
SXSW: Nada Surf (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/15/2008
Nada Surf is the Seabiscuit of indie-rock music. They went from one-hit wonders, to not having their label release their sophomore album, to resurrecting their career and becoming one of the most consistently good bands in indie rock music today. It must have been "Hat Night" for the Nada Surf--Matt Caws was decked out in a top hat, while drummer Ira Elliot was wearing a cowboy hat. Daniel Lorca probably skipped out, cause there's no way he's going to fit a hat over his years of grown-out dreadlocks. Nada Surf showed the youngsters how to do it tonight. As... MORE »
SXSW: Tapes 'N Tapes (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/15/2008
I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw the members of Tapes 'N Tapes set up their own equipment. Despite being a case study in the successful "blog band" phenomenon, they all still work day jobs when they're not touring. Tapes 'N Tapes' set echoed the band's demeanor--nice, honest, not overly dynamic, and a bit unpredictable. They showcased a few new tunes, which I won't be able to explain, cause I've never been able to pinpoint Tapes 'N Tapes' sound. Tonight, whenever I predicted a high-hat hit or a certain chord progression on the new material, they... MORE »
SXSW: Vampire Weekend (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/15/2008
Filed under: LIVEDenied. The picture to the left sums up my Vampire Weekend experience. This is the first time in all the years I've come to SXSW that I wasn't able to get into a show. I got to the venue a good 40 minutes before Vampire Weekend's set, and in those 40 minutes I probably moved up 10 feet. The irony in all of this, is that for all the people wrapped around the building to see Vampire Weekend, they didn't even notice when frontman Ezra Koeing popped out a side door, hung out for a couple minutes and brought... MORE »
SXSW: The Presidents of the U.S.A. (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/14/2008
Filed under: LIVEI always feel a bit guilty watching a high profile rock group at SXSW, since my conscience tells me I should be watching a struggling up-and-coming indie band. But every now and then I need a little sugar--a little pick me up if you well. It's not like the President's of The United States of America are smoking hundred bills in a hot tub filled with supermodels, but they've tasted the fruits of rock success. After poking my head into a bunch of SXSW day parties, seeing various younger indie-acts, I almost forgot how much fun a polished rock... MORE »
SXSW: Money Mark (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/14/2008
Filed under: LIVEI have seen Money Mark perform 20-plus times with the Beastie Boys, but I have never caught one of his solo gigs. So tonight, I thought I owed it to myself and the Beastie-family tree to take in Money Mark's set. I'm also a fan of his work, so I was long overdue for a live show. Early in the set Mark was having technical difficulties. His echo-box (for his guitar) wouldn't work and a friend who came on stage to play theremin couldn't figure out how to position it in the microphone. After the glitches were ironed out,... MORE »
SXSW: Tim Fite (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/14/2008
Filed under: LIVEFolky-country-hip-hopper, Tim Fite looks and acts like a big, little kid (think Pee Wee Herman with a rounder face). Tonight he was backed by only band member, and performed all of his songs to a backing track that synced up to a movie screen displaying various childlike, storybook images (damn, this is going to be a tough one to explain). On other songs, Fite would perform with three other versions of himself on the screen. Lost yet? Fite's live show is his own unique vision of Pee Wee's Playhouse and Captain Kangaroo. Everything is broken down into childhood terms... MORE »
SXSW: The Black Keys (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/13/2008
Filed under: LIVEThere was a huge line to get into The Black Keys performance at Emo's. After about 40 minutes, I finally managed to make my way in. I think I only missed a song or two. There was a lot of buzz over this particular performance, because everyone was excited to hear some new material from The Black Keys (they have a new album coming out April 1). The Black Keys played four new songs, but Dan Auerbach only introduced one of them, saying, "This is a new one, we could mess it up." The new stuff didn't stray too... MORE »
SXSW: The Kills (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/13/2008
The Kills played right after Sons and Daughters at the Domino Records showcase. A lot of people saw them at a day party (Fader Fort), but c'mon, you can't watch The Kills during the day, that's like eating breakfast with a vampire. The Kills play best at night (I'm actually not trying to be clever here, VV and Hotel once told me this themselves). The Kills set-up was very sparse--two guitars and a drum machine. It doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun, but trust me, it was. VV and Hotel somehow make it work--they believe in what... MORE »
SXSW: Sons & Daughters (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/13/2008
Talk about a line to get into Domino Records SXSW Showcase tonight --sheese! I thought the line wouldn't be that long considering the showcase was taking place at Antone's, a venue that's a good 10-15 minute walk from the main drag on 6th Street. Apparently, this was the place to be. Even Vampire Weekend made sure to stop by the V.I.P. box to catch the Sons & Daughters performance. The band started off with a bang, opening up with their new single, "Gilt Complex." Their chuggy rock anthems sounded tight, thanks in part to Adele Bethel's spot-on vocals and... MORE »
SXSW: Corn Mo and .357 Lover (Live)
By Jim Shearer on 03/13/2008
Filed under: LIVEA partial resemblance to Sam Kinison, a good dose of Meat Loaf's rock opera tendencies, the falsetto of a well-seasoned arena rocker, and the whimsicality of Dr. Demento--add all of these together and you're just beginning to scratch the surface of the man known as Corn Mo. Besides being well-known in New York City for doing a one-man accordion show (where he also wedges a drum stick in his shoe and wallops a crash symbol), he's been featured in Rolling Stone and has toured with the Polyphonic Spree. When not performing solo, Corn Mo teams with his band .357... MORE »
LIVE: Beastie Boys
By Jim Shearer on 03/05/2008
Filed under: LIVETuesday, March 4 New York, NY Terminal 5 Moby was billed as the host of last night's Institute for Music and Neurologic Function benefit concert. I didn't know what that exactly entailed--was he going to perform? Spin some records? Or just introduce the Beastie Boys? If you chose option number three, you're correct. You'd also be right if you chose option number one (kind of). MORE »
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