Weekend Fun with Algebra II & Heart Bones

Algebra II at Asbury Park Brewery

AP to NYC

This past Friday night, I headed over to Asbury Park Brewery to catch the release show for Algebra II's debut album, Why Would Anyone Think This Goes Here? The album is the culmination of six years of making music together for Maggie Pakutka (guitar / vocals), Gabby Evergreen (cello), and Lewie D'Avanzo (drums, bass). I've dug Algebra II's combination of sweetness and noise for a while now.

Their vibe, I think, is best summed up by a little story. A couple of years ago, I booked Algebra II for a show at the Asbury Hotel. They went on last. There was this guy in a big, red MAGA cap hanging around the bar and making scrunched up faces at the other bands who played that night. When Algebra II was setting up, he noticed the cello and said something like, "Aah... Here we go. Finally, some good music." But once Maggie dug into her SG, Lewie started banging the drums, and Gabby started dragging her bow across the strings, the guy stuck his fingers in his ears and ran out. It really was good music, and the rest of us had a fantastic time.

On Friday, Algebra II put together a bill that included some of Jersey's finest bands. There were happy birthday balloons and tiny party hats. We got the shoegazy dream pop of New Brunswick's Resounding NO, the jangly power-pop of Bloomfield's Joy Cleaner, and the loud, folky, indie rock of Jersey City's Long Neck. The evening culminated with Algebra II playing their new record front to back. In addition to good music, the whole night was full of some really good feeling; and those are always the best shows.

Resounding NO

Joy Cleaner

Long Neck

Algebra II

Algebra II

On Sunday, Chris Dickman and I headed up to (le) Poisson Rouge in Manhattan to catch Heart Bones. Sunday afternoons on the Parkway headed towards NYC are never the best, so Chris and I decided to roll the dice with New Jersey Transit. Surprisingly, the train was only about 20 minutes late and we made it to the show in pleeeeeenty of time. I'm gonna say we were the first two people in the venue, which isn't unusual for me; but Chris -- justifiably -- thought I was nuts.

Anyway...

(le) Poisson Rouge is in the heart of my old NYU student stomping grounds, and I always love going back to Greenwich Village. When I went to school there, (le) Poisson Rouge was the legendary Village Gate, and I saw a few shows in the upstairs performance space. Shows at LPR take place downstairs, and Sunday's show was set up in-the-round, with the stage in the middle of the room.

Good Fuck (Tim Kinsella and Jenny Pulse) were the scheduled openers, but had to cancel because of an emergency. Simon O'Connor of Simon Doom filled in with a solo set backed by tracks from his iPhone. I saw O'Connor's other project, Spiral Heads, open for Sweet Spirit a few weeks back; and I've been digging his post-punk influenced songs.

Simon Doom

I caught Heart Bones when they came through on their Dirty Dancing tour at the end of last year and I had a blast. On Sunday, Sabrina Ellis and Har Mar Superstar took full advantage of the in-the-round setup by having the audience walk circles around the stage as they played to all corners. That highly-interactive aspect of the show, combined with the eminently danceable songs (check out singles "Little Dancer," "This Time It's Different," and "Disappearer"), made for another joyful evening.

Heart Bones

Heart Bones

Heart Bones

Afterwards, Chris and I stopped for pizza at the place I went to almost every day during my freshman and sophomore years of college and then headed back to Jersey like a couple of snails on NJT.

CoolMom was out of town on Sunday, so I stayed up super late editing pictures. That made Monday pretty much a lost day, and I couldn't really finish this up before heading to CoolDaughter 2's swim meet on Tuesday. But you've got it this morning, so now you can rejoice. All the pics will be at the Flickr account.

The Week That Was

Eagles Of Death Metal at House of Independents

10/2 - 10/8, 2017

It's been tough for me to focus enough over the last month or so to do some of the things I find most mentally taxing around here like write album or show reviews. I'm grateful to have wonderful contributors like Henry, Matt, and Ken to pick up some of the slack while I focus on things like editing photos or sharing out songs, videos, and premieres. I have been trying to get out to some shows, but even that has taken a lot more effort on my part than it has in the past. This past week, though, was particularly active for me; and I didn't want to let it just go by without mentioning some of the great experiences.

Well Wisher

Monday, 10/2. Well Wisher, Big Nothing, Earth Telephone, Thin Lips at Wonder Bar.

This ended up being a great one. I've seen Natalie Newbold's Well Wisher several times over the last year or so, and I've really enjoyed their 90s-influenced brand of pop. They've been through a few line-up changes; and, on this night, they had Earth Telephone / Yawn Mower drummer, Biff Swenson, sitting in. His own band, Earth Telephone, were celebrating the recent release of their excellent EP Loss. It's a collection that's been resonating quite a bit with me lately, and you should check it out over at Earth Telephone's Bandcamp.

Thin Lips

Philly's Big Nothing put out their own self-titled EP over the summer. Like the rest of the bands on the bill, their sound weaves between pop and punk without ever actually being what I'd classify as pop-punk. Thin Lips closed things out; and, again, just another really good set. I hadn't seen them since, I think, around 2015 at Asbury Lanes. Monday night's show took place on the eve of Asbury Lanes's final show that same year; and I found myself, at various times throughout the night, -- with the bands that were playing, the friends that turned out -- thinking that this felt like one of those weeknight Lanes shows I'd stumble into every once in a while.

Good times.

J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr.

Tuesday, 10/3. Dinosaur Jr., Easy Action at Brooklyn Bowl.

My plans for Tuesday were to sit home and watch the Yankees / Twins Wildcard Playoff Game. I was scrolling through my Instagram feed and saw that Garden State Beard and Mustache Society President / CoolDad Music contributor, Matt Chrystal, had won tickets to see Dinosaur Jr. at Brooklyn Bowl.

I sent him a text, intending to express my jealousy at his getting free tickets to see, maybe, my favorite band that said something along the lines of "FUCK YOU FOREVER." He texted back, "The timing of this is so funny, because I was just texting to ask you if you wanted to be my plus-1."

Oops.

We patched things up, and I met him at Brooklyn Bowl for the show. Easy Action, featuring John Brannon of Negative Approach on lead vocals, opened with a relentless 45-minute set, rattling off song after song with no filler. Dinosaur Jr. came out and blew the space away with their sheer volume as they ticked off most of the big ones like "Thumb," "Watch the Corners," "Out There," "Feel The Pain," "Little Fury Things," "The Wagon," "Start Choppin'," "Freak Scene," and "Just Like Heaven." They did their usual Deep Wound cover and then brought out Negative Approach for "Can't Tell No One" and "Nothing."

On the way out, we ran into Dinosaur Jr. drummer, Murph, and got a picture with him.

Me, Murph, Matt

Fun night.

Wednesday, 10/4. Home.

Oginalii

Thursday, 10/5. Oginalii, Algebra II at Asbury Park Brewery; The Yawpers at The Saint.

I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, when I noticed that Algebra II were in search of a cello for their last-minute show at Asbury Park Brewery that night. "CoolDaughter 2 has a cello," I thought; so I volunteered it. That night I headed out to see the CD2's cello in action.

Oginalii were up from Nashville and, damn. What a nice surprise. Kind of psychedelic, kind of sludge-y maybe. Elements of classic rock and elements of something a little more ambient.

Algebra II

Algebra II released their debut EP (4 years in the making), Milkshake Summer, back in August. It's an eclectic set of semi-sweet, off-kilter pop songs that I really enjoy hearing live. CD2's cello (well, its player, Gabriella Ibacache, really) performed excellently.

The Yawpers

As I was heading to my car, I got a text from Matt at The Saint that said, "yawpers on come here." We'd just published Matt's interview with Yawpers' frontman, Nate Cook, on Tuesday; so I headed next door. Whoa!

Blistering doesn't begin to describe the set The Yawpers turned in. A blend of country, blues, and punk, the band left everything onstage.

Friday / Saturday. Uncle / Family-related things.

Dave Catching and Jesse Hughes of Eagles Of Death Metal

Sunday, 10/8. Eagles Of Death Metal, The Battery Electric at House of Independents.

Battery's big night. Our friends and Asbury's own The Battery Electric have forged a friendship with Jesse Hughes and Eagles Of Death Metal. You can read all about that in Matt's interview with Ron Santee. This show was a long time in the making, and both bands made the most of it.

The Battery Electric

House of Independents was sold out, and The Battery Electric brought it for the hometown crowd. I'd wedged myself right up front among the EODM die-hards so I could take some pictures, and the response from those unfamiliar with the boys was positive. There were plenty of dyed-in-the-wool Battery fans in the house going bananas as well.

Eagles Of Death Metal took the stage; and, from the first moments, it was obvious that the match between the two bands was perfect. Jesse Hughes started out by shaking hands with everyone in the front row and then went on to lead the proceedings like a preacher (He is an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church.). At various points, he donned Bond St. Bar and Battery Electric T-Shirts. The crowd danced all night. I'd never seen the place so crazy or so packed.

I walked out into the Asbury night; got in the van; and headed home, sweaty and tired with a few hundred pictures. I'm all set to do it again in the weeks to come. Keep on keeping on.

Bandcamp Donating Their Share to Transgender Law Center All Day Friday. So Are Lots of Bands Like Algebra II, TV Tramps.

Algebra II at The Asbury

...or Just Buy from Your Old Faves

Until midnight PDT, Bandcamp will be donating their entire share of sales at Bandcamp.com to the Transgener Law Center. The TLC "works to change law, policy, and attitudes so that all people can live safely, authentically, and free from discrimination regardless of their gender identity or expression." We -- this site included -- have a long way to go before the voices of our trans siblings are properly represented in our media and in our society as a whole; and, as we all work to do better, organizations like the Transgender Law Center are digging in and getting their hands dirty in an effort to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to live an authentic life.

Several bands have jumped on board with Bandcamp and are donating all of their own proceeds as well. Just two of the many, many bands standing in solidarity with Bandcamp today are our friends Algebra II and TV Tramps who both released something new today.

Algebra II, Milkshake Summer

When Algebra II heard of Bandcamp's fundraising effort, they decided to go ahead and make Friday, 8/4, the release day for their four-song debut EP. It's only taken four years, but we now have some Algebra II recordings to vibe out with for the rest of the summer.

Recorded, mixed, and produced by Joe Michelini (American Trappist, River City Extension) at his studio, The Abbey, in Gibbsboro, NJ, Milkshake Summer shows flashes of 1950s pop ("Cool Girl"), early-aughts indie ("Hatches"), 1990s alt rock ("601"), and even some surf ("Spoon"). It all hangs together nicely and makes a convincing argument that a cello can totally rock out.

Milkshake Summer is out now, and you can grab it over at Algebra II's Bandcamp page. Algebra II play Asbury Park Yacht Club tomorrow night, 8/5, with Holiday.



TV Tramps, "Keep Your Mouth Shut"

Asbury Park punks, TV Tramps, recently made new video for their Rip It Up track "Keep Your Mouth Shut." They worked with Viva! La Hara Films on the clip, which features charismatic frontperson and fashion icon, Joy Vay, and the rest of the band getting together to pick out some outfits for their next gig.

The video is as frantic and fast-paced as the song. Check that out here. Then head over to Bandcamp to purchase "Keep Your Mouth Shut" with all proceeds going to TLC.



...and I'm sure many of your favorite bands are also participating in today's fundraising activities. So head over to their Bandcamp pages and stock up.

Mitski Played The Saint with Secret Mountain and Algebra II, 6/13/16

Photo: Emily Bornemann

[CoolDad Note: After four straight nights back and forth to Brooklyn, away from the CoolFamily, including an 11:30pm, Sunday night change of a flat tire on the Garden State Parkway, I had to rest my old bones and stay in. The dream team of Allyson Dwyer and Dentist's Emily Bornemann have you covered when it comes to Mitski, though. Allyson gives us her review and Emily documented the entire evening with all of the pictures in this post. They're two of my absolute best buds and great at what they do. I can't thank them enough.]

Or Screw You Garfield. My Monday  Was Awesome.

by Allyson Dwyer

A Monday show at The Saint? Could I do it? For this line up -- Algebra II, Secret Mountain, and headliner Mitski -- there was never really an option. I bought a ticket the day the show was announced.

CoolDad couldn’t make it to the show because he had partied so hard at Northside all weekend, so it was up to me and Dentist’s Emily (with CDM’s camera diaper bag) to pick up his slack.

And I think he missed a pretty damn good show. The place was jam packed, thankfully with mostly short people like me, making it an extra good occasion. The energy was high. Maybe it’s because I was up front, but something just felt special about the show. Like all eyes in the room were on the stage. I think because every single person in that room wanted to be there. And not just for one band, but for the entire bill.

The first opening band was Asbury Park’s Algebra II, a three-piece fronted by Asbury Park Feminist Collective’s Maggie Pakutka (Maggie had also toured with Mitski back when Mitski played the Lanes). Although having existed for three years, Algebra II joked onstage this was like their "tenth show” ever. You would have never known because they played so perfectly together. Self described on Facebook as "friendship rock/quiet grrl," their music was a gorgeous mixture of soft sounding melodies and rock-pop tunes infused with even a bit of country. The band was also collecting money to help those affected by the tragedy in Orlando, and I believe they've since raised over $200. A beautiful way to open the night, and I hope to see more and more of them.

Algebra II

Secret Mountain followed. I cannot tell you how unprepared, and then blown away, I was by this band, beginning with their first song, "Shift Happens." The one thing I kept thinking the whole time I watched them was that they were like a punk-lo-fi-indie jam band. The entire room, if not bouncing along, either knew the words or knew the right moments to dance to songs. Lots of freaking out and laughing and in-jokes between the band and audience. There was a lot of love in the room for this band, and it was hard not to feel that.

Secret Mountain

Time seemed to fly watching both bands, and it was time for Mitski. Taking the stage at around 9:30, Mitski and her band came right out and opened with "Townie." They followed that up with my favorite song of hers, "First Love/Late Spring." I didn't think the set could get any better just two songs in, but she and her band also played "Thursday Girl," an early favorite of mine from listening to Puberty 2 on NPR. It's incredible how, with just three musicians on stage, Mitski is able to reinterpret the production of her songs in new and interesting ways that give them even more depth.

Of course, she also played "Your Best American Girl," a track that has been talked about quite a lot and played just as much on SiriusXMU and other stations. To be honest, I was sad to not hear a live version of "Happy" because of how intuitive and new sounding the live versions of these songs were. But we were spoiled with so many other songs that I didn't even realize I missed it until writing this.

Mitski closed out the show solo, switching from bass to guitar, and singing the closing tracks to Bury Me at Makeout Creek and Puberty 2, "Last Words of a Shooting Star" and "A Burning Hill." These solemn songs are just as captivating -- if not more so -- than the songs she played with her full band. Just a moment between a really gifted lyricist and an audience dying to hear her sing those lines out loud.

One of the best times I ever had at Asbury Lanes, at any show, was the night Mitski opened for Screaming Females. The place was packed; and, when Mitski took the stage, I realized it was possible maybe most of the audience was there to see her.  Even though I had to stand off to the side far away, her material immediately clicked with me. And now, not much later, I was right in the front, mouthing along and finding myself getting emotional at certain lyrics.

After that Lanes show, we talked a little bit -- mostly about Sailor Moon -- and she signed my copy of Bury Me at Makeout Creek.  It's probably one of my most played and treasured records. And I can't wait to listen to Puberty 2 on vinyl over and over. And hopefully the next album around, Mitski will be back in Asbury Park.

You can see all of Emily's photos from the evening in CoolDad's Flickr galleries.