Thursday / Friday
I'll be covering Brooklyn's Northside Festival as press again this year. The music portion of the festival goes Thursday through Sunday, June 11-14.
It's exciting because I saw a lot of really good bands and met some really cool people last year. It's a little scary because humping it back and forth to Brooklyn on a late spring weekend isn't the easiest thing in the world logistically when you're a suburban husband and father of two. We've got guitar lessons, bat mitzvah tutoring, birthday parties, and softball practice. And that's just Thursday and Friday nights. Saturday involves softball games, post-game ice cream, and a swim meet. On Sunday CoolMom leaves for a business trip. I'll make it all (well, some of it anyway) work somehow.
Anyway, today I present the first of probably two previews with what I hope to see on Thursday and Friday evenings, June 11th and 12th. Like last year, I'll probably generally shy away from the big headliners in order to focus on some of the smaller bands playing. There are some headliners I won't be able to bring myself to miss, though.
Thursday, June 11th
Luna at McCarren Park
Here's one headliner I probably won't be able to miss. 1990s dream pop band Luna have reunited for a few dates, and one of them is the Thursday night free show in McCarren Park. Dean Wareham's guitar and vocals will be a beautiful way to ease myself into the craziness to follow.
Expert Alterations / Beverly at Alphaville
The first thing I saw at last year's festival was the Kanine Records showcase at Cameo Gallery. This year, the Brooklyn dream pop / pop label will host their showcase, along with Culture Collide and Terrorbird, at Alphaville. I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it over there, but I hope to get there in time to catch the late sets from Expert Alterations and Beverly.
I just received my Expert Alterations 12-inch EP, and I've been loving their REM / Feelies-inspired jangle pop. I wasn't able to head up to Brooklyn for NYC Pop Fest a couple of weeks ago, so I'm happy to get another chance to catch this Baltimore trio.
Beverly, the project started by Drew Citron and Frankie Rose (since departed), was the secret headliner at last year's Kanine Records showcase. By the time I figured that out, I'd already made my way across the borough and missed them. In keeping with the overall Kanine aesthetic, Beverly are another group that trade in the sounds of dreamy garage pop.
The Muscadettes at Living Room
Another band that do the reverb-heavy, female-fronted, dreamy garage thing are Montreal's Muscadettes. Fronted by twin sisters Chantal and Kathleen Ambridge, The Muscadettes are a band that I stumbled on when they showed up as a last-minute opener for Dead Heavens at Wonder Bar.
They put out the 6-song Side A back in April, and I've listened to it pretty regularly since picking it up with the last few bucks I had on me at that Asbury Show.
Fort Lean at Echo
Fort Lean, who have made a couple of trips to Asbury Park, look poised to blow up at any second. Their debut LP, Quiet Day, just came out on June 2nd. On the singles I've heard so far, it sounds like the band have added a bit more of an electronic / synth-y sound to their jangly guitar pop. "Cut to the Chase" has worked especially well for me. I'll be interested to see how the band have evolved since I last saw them a little more than a year ago at APYC.
Ringo Deathstarr at Grand Victory
I haven't decided if this band have the worst or the best name in the world. It doesn't matter, though, because their combination of influences -- from My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jr. -- make theirs a sound that I can't get out of my head.
They're kind of playing at prime time on Thursday, scheduled for 10:15; so I'll have to sacrifice something to check them out. It is their only scheduled show of the festival as far as I can tell, though.
Sharkmuffin at The Gutter
Sharkmuffin were one of the revelations for me at last year's Northside Festival. Their sound drenches short, catchy pop songs in a swirl of grungy, surfy dirt making the ferocious sweetness of their name wholly appropriate.
They've also just announced that they'll be working with our friends at Little Dickman Records for the release of their debut LP, Chartreuse. I've gotta make to one of their sets to say hi and congrats. Like Ringo Deathstarr, they've got a prime time slot on Thursday; but I believe I've got multiple chances.
Friday, June 12th
Neko Case, Rhye, Magical Clouds at 50 Kent
I'd say Neko Case has a beautiful voice -- and she does. But I feel like that doesn't fully capture the way she puts it to use. It's almost like a weapon, like a superhero's special power. She plants her feet firmly on the stage and -- when she's not playing guitar -- tenses her arms at her sides and just unleashes it on you. All you can do is stand there with your mouth open as it washes over you and maybe even musses your hair a little bit.
Dentist, Vomitface, The Planes at Pet Rescue
Our friends over at Hearts Bleed Radio are holding their 2015 showcase at Pet Rescue on Friday. That show was the source of a lot of fun and new friendships for me last year, so I don't want to miss this one.
Stephen Perry's The Planes, whose single "Evacuation Route" we premiered here a while back, and Jersey City's Vomitface were both standouts for me at last year's festival. And Dentist make their way to Brooklyn for this one. I can't miss Dentist. I love them way too much.
Dead Stars, Slonk Donkerson at The Gutter
Will it finally happen? Will the stars finally align so that I can see noisy / fuzzy / Dino poppers Dead Stars? We'll see. If I miss out -- again -- I think I've got another chance on Sunday, but Sunday's iffy with the CoolMom trip and all. Ugh.
If I do make it to this one, I'm excited to catch Slonk Donkerson as well. Like Ringo Deathstarr, their so bad it's good name is just part of the appeal for me. Their loud, sludgy, guitar-based pop is the real draw.
The Meaning Of Life at Bar Matchless
Matchless. The Meaning Of Life. I could relive one of my favorite moments from last year's festival, Marta DeLeon's smoky vocals filling up the little cave of a performance space in the back of the bar. We'll have to see how geography, logistics, and set times play out for this one.
Mitski at St. Vitus
Unbelievably, I missed Mitski both times she came to Asbury Lanes this year. I've gotten reports from friends that the Don Giovanni artist's sets have been amazing and transformative. This is one I'd really like to make work.
Spider Bags, Ex Hex at MHOW
Spider Bags are heading out on tour with Titus Andronicus. They're also playing at Saturday's Asbury Park Night Bazaar at The Anchor's Bend. I saw them at The Saint last year; and their all-out, southern tinged garage punk blew me away.
I've been kicking myself for the last couple of months for missing Mary Timony's power trio, Ex Hex, when they played WFMU's Monty Hall. I'd love to see them, but it would mean giving up on a few sets I already listed. Decisions.
SLEEPiES at Aviv
SLEEPiES' Weird Wild World is pretty much a masterpiece of intelligent, quirky punk rock. They were one of the first bands to reach out to me in the early days of CoolDad Music, and I've never been able to catch one of their sets. This is a late one, so the only thing that could stand in my way this time is whether I can still stand. I'll make it.
OK. So this list is beyond aspirational. I'm sure that it's physically impossible to do all of this, but in an ideal world... Well, in an ideal world, there's even more stuff I'd like to see. There will be those surprises that happen too, bands I happen upon by accident that could end up as highlights of the weekend.
Back tomorrow with a list of stuff I'd like to see on Saturday and Sunday.
No comments :
Post a Comment