I go to lots of shows by myself, obviously. Yesterday, though, presented a great opportunity to introduce the whole family to some really good bands. Don Giovanni hosted their annual, free, outdoor concert in New Brunswick's Boyd Park. Screaming Females, Shellshag, Nude Beach, and Mal Blum were all part of the bill that also included some bands from New Brunswick High School. I'm trying to coax CD1 to join me for the all ages PUJOL / Screaming Females show at Asbury Lanes, and CoolMom has never gotten the chance to see either Screaming Females or Shellshag live.
Well, CoolMom and I both really enjoyed Mal Blum's set. I hear that Screaming Females' Marissa Paternoster is producing Mal's next record, so that is definitely something I look forward to hearing. CoolMom also had a great time during Shellshag's "in the round" performance. The cooldaughters pretty much just played on their mobile devices. They didn't complain, and they assured me that they could hear -- and liked -- everything, but I think they may have been humoring me. It's nice to feel loved anyway.
There were birthday parties and movies to go see in the evening, so CoolMom headed home with the girls after Shellshag were done. I stuck around for Brooklyn's Nude Beach and New Brunswick hometown heroes Screaming Females.
Nude Beach's sound is heavily influenced by some of the stuff I spent a lot of time with in my youth -- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen. They own it and do a great job with it, adding a rough, maybe Replacements-y edge and a DIY vibe that draws in the younger folks. They're recent Don Giovanni signees, and their LP, 77, is due on October 21st.
Screaming Females coaxed everybody up to the front and played an intimate outdoor set that covered some favorites as well as some new songs. They sounded just as good as they have the other times I've seen them; but, this time, it just looked like they were having a bit more fun. It was a beautiful early evening in their hometown.
Things were done by about 5:45, and I headed home to meet CoolMom for dinner while the cooldaughters were out doing their evening activities. It was a really nice Saturday. I wish that CoolDaughter 1, at least, had paid a bit more attention to the bands; but she and her sister came with me without complaint and were all smiles. Baby steps, I guess.
Here are some photo highlights. You can see the rest of the pics up at Flickr.
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