Monday, April 6, 2015

Mirah, Mal Blum, Worriers, Slothrust, and Aye Nako Played Knitting Factory Brooklyn, 4/3/15

Mal Blum played the She Shreds / Don Giovanni Showcase last Friday. Great photo by Mike Petzinger.

Words by Allyson Dwyer

Yesterday, I gave you Mike Petzinger's photo highlights of last Friday's She Shreds / Don Giovanni Showcase featuring Mirah, Mal Blum, Worriers, Slothrust, and Aye Nako at Knitting Factory Brooklyn. As promised, here's Allyson Dwyer's take on the event.

The same pair covered the Screaming Females show at Asbury Lanes for us, and I'll get you that tomorrow. For now, here's Allyson. Now, it's time for a limoncello with George.

She Shreds / Don Giovanni Showcase at Knitting Factory Brooklyn

by Allyson Dwyer

CoolDad is in Italy, probably on a yacht with George Clooney drinking fancy wine and wearing designer scarves; so I'm stepping up to do his dirty work. Usually the designated beer runner, I've finally graduated to covering shows while CoolDad HQ CEO laughs from a distant private yacht.

On Friday, I headed into Brooklyn by my lonesome to check out the She Shreds release showcase with Don Giovanni Records. In between sets, DJ SAD13 (aka Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz) spun tunes. As with the record label's previous three showcases this year, it was held at the Knitting Factory.

I arrived just in time for the beginning of Aye Nako's set. I had listened to Aye Nako, having come across them on a random Spotify playlist, and was excited to catch them live. The Brooklyn-based band had a wonderful dynamic on stage – lo-fi power pop-punk musings, with lead vocals traded off between guitarists Mars and Angie. Roommates, they shared that they have the best name for a dog ever...Broccolini. Holy shit! So cute.

I caught up with Mike Petzinger and other friends, and then got up front to check out Slothrust. I had never seen them before, and I was blown away. From Brooklyn via Boston, they are a band you have to experience live. Watching them play is like watching a perfectly edited, timed short movie. Leah Mallbaum's neurotic lyrics are made unique by her precise guitar playing and calculated-yet-warm voice. My clothes literally floated above my skin to Kyle Bann's basslines, and the hair on my neck rose to each soaring, rising crescendo of a song. Since, their album has not left my car stereo.

Next up was Lauren Measure's Worriers, a band I have seen quite a few times now. It felt like seeing old friends. Sadly, the night was going to be the last that guitarist Rachel Rubino would be playing with the band for some time. But they played their hearts out to an absolutely packed and enthusiastic room. The band are working on a new album. I'm excited to hear more and, of course, to see them again.

The fantastic Mal Blum and band took the stage to play tracks off her recent Tempest In A Teacup as well as new songs from her upcoming album that will be her first for Don Giovanni. Saying I'm excited for this new album is an understatement – and so hearing some of the songs again made me very happy. Plus, Mal Blum is just such a wonderful personality. Her stage presence is just another part of what makes her music so warmly inviting and familiar.

The night was building up for Mirah, an artist each band gushed about being excited to play with. It seems that everyone has a history with her music. I have a few of her albums, but I haven't yet made that deep connection with her in a way that others, like her peers, have. With a long drive ahead of me, I headed out for the night after just a few songs. I heard from Mike Petzinger that, for many in the audience, it was like a religious experience. I can certainly identify. I have a few artists who would, no doubt, do that for me (All Praise Queen Björk).

Stay tuned for another takeover, in which I visit Saturday's Screaming Females show at the Lanes. I know, I'm hella interesting. Xoxo.

No comments :

Post a Comment