PHOTOS: Birdcloud, Old Lady, Country Grits and The Dicks at The Saint, 8/28/18

Birdcloud at The Saint by Rose Lamela

Photos by Rose Lamela

One of the shows I was really sad about missing while we were on vacation was the Little Dickman Records-presented, Tuesday night extravaganza at The Saint featuring Birdcloud, Old Lady, Country Grits and The Dicks, and Nice Knife. Contributor, Rose Lamela, made the trek down from Hudson County for the show and got there in time to catch the last three bands of the evening. Here are some of her shots from what looks like it was a wild and raunchy night. Rosi mentioned almost getting hit in the head by a flying dildo, so... ...yeah.

You can see full galleries over at Rosi's Flickr.

Old Lady

Country Grits and The Dicks

Birdcloud

Matt Chrystal's Show of 2017: Birdcloud / Ex-Girlfriends / Little Vicious at The Saint, 7/3/17

Birdcloud

3rd of July, Asbury Park

By Matt Chrystal

Hey, remember the time Birdcloud came to town? If you were there, then it's probably something you will never forget... or at least something that you can never unsee. Summer is all but a distant memory now, but the visions of Birdcloud still fill my head like the plumes of blue smoke that filled the Saint on that sweaty July evening.

Here we are at the end of the year, and I'm feeling nostalgic for all those good times had throughout this crazy year. "Best Of" lists are coming out fast and furious; and, for me, the good times don't get any better than Birdloud bringing their own unique brand of country, rock, and twisted humor to the good ole Garden State. It was The Show of the Year, in my humble opinion.

Picture it. Asbury Park. July 3rd. 2017.

It was a 90 degree day, and the night was about to get even hotter inside The Saint. Little Dickman Records had been celebrating their five year anniversary in style by putting on a terrific series of summer shows and had booked one hell of a pre-Independence Day party that would rock the city by the seashore like a tidal wave. The evening saw the successful pairing of the Nashville based, indie-rock powerhouse duo of Birdcloud with Brooklyn punks, Ex-Girlfriends. Asbury Park's Little Vicious were also along for the raucous ride.

It was a "holiday weekend," but it was still a Monday night. It could have gone either way. People could come ready to party or it could be one of those off nights in between the weekend and the actual holiday. Luckily, it was the former. Little Dickman Records went above and beyond to promote this show as a "must-see" night of rock n roll. And, hot damn, were they right on about this one.

The whole night had a big feel about it. Little Vicious, a two piece rock band and recent transplant to Asbury Park by way of Fort Collins, CO, kicked things off with an epic set filled with post-punk swagger that felt like they were taking on a stadium instead of a Jersey shore nightclub. Ex-girlfriends put on a fun, loose, energetic set and were joined on stage by their former tourmates, Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green of Birdcloud for a few spirited numbers. The party vibes were in full swing.

Little Vicious

Ex-Girlfriends and Birdcloud

Then came time for Birdcloud.

I have been to a lot of shows this year. I seen some stuff.
But this… this was different.

They were fun. They were funny. They were provocative. They were ridiculous. They were self-deprecating. They were self-indulgent. They were genius. They were empowering. They were uber-talented. They were mesmerizing. They were intimidating. They were comedy. They were performance art. They were rock n roll. They were everything.

And they were wearing adult diapers.

And they did not give a fuck.

They fed off the energy from the crowd; but they were putting on an unapologetic, mind-melting assault on the senses and having a damn good time doing it. And if you were enjoying it, too… well then good for you.

I was enjoying every crazy second of it.

There were larger than life cardboard cut outs of the band in the background, smoke machines that would fill the room, pauses for shots, beers, and reapplications of lipstick. There were jokes, stories, and -- of course -- songs that could make a truck-driver blush and send any conservatives heading for the door. There was mandolin madness, gooey guitar goodness, and a harmonica solo that was simply unforgettable.

Harp solo

Mackenzie wore a bedazzled neck brace, and I am still not sure whether she actually needed or if it was just a prop used to punctuate some of her punchlines. All I do know is that Birdcloud had the crowd eating out of their hands throughout the entire set. There were moments of pure joy, frenzy, and of shock and awe peppered in.

There is an amazing chemistry between Kaset and Green that is undeniable and a magnetism about them that is undisputable. I had become so engrossed with the performance that, for that brief moment when Mak tore off her neckbrace, finished her beer, and bowed before the audience in one fluid, grandiose gesture, I can only assume that it must have been akin to what the disciples felt when they witnessed Jesus walk on water.

It was a gosh darn miracle!

Birdcloud

Birdcloud was the perfect combination of calculated trainwreck and well-oiled machine.
A little bit country. A little bit rock n roll. A whole lotta fucking fun!

Thank you Birdcloud.

Y’all come back soon now, ya hear.

Interview: Matt Chrystal Talks with Jasmin and Makenzie of Birdcloud

Birdcloud at the beach

SleazeCloud, Wave 2

By Matt Chrystal

Earlier this year, two of Nashville's biggest independent bands, Birdcloud and Thelma & The Sleaze, embarked on a joint trek through the U.S. on the aptly named SleazeCloud tour. The tour was a powerful statement of empowerment for the feminist movement in rock n roll as well as for independent bands in general.

The SleazeCloud combo made some big noise and drew in some big crowds, thanks to their combined DIY work ethic as well as a grassroots campaign that generated a reverberating buzz throughout social media platforms and by word of mouth.

While the joint tour may have recently wrapped up, the SleazeCould party continues on into New Jersey this week thanks to the efforts of Little Dickman Records, who are celebrating their fifth anniversary this summer by bringing both bands to Asbury Park in two separate hard hitting waves.

Wave 1 hit on June 30th when Thelma & The Sleaze rocked the Saint. Frontwoman, Lauren Gilbert aka LG, captivated the crowd with soaring guitar solos and hilarious anecdotes between songs that ranged from vulgar to ridiculous. LG led the band on an all-out rock n roll assault on the senses.

Wave 2 hits TONIGHT, July 3rd, when Birdcloud (joined by Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends and Asbury Park's own Little Vicious) bring their own unique brand of country, blues, and humor to The Saint.

I caught up with Birdcloud's Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green just a few hours away from TONIGHT's showtime at The Saint to talk about their favorite moments from the SleazeCloud tour, getting to be larger-than-life on the road, and how New Jersey's Gov. Christie screwed them out of a beach day.

CoolMattyC:  You just wrapped up the SleazeCloud tour which paired Birdcloud up with Nashvile's Thelma & The Sleaze and Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends. What were some of your favorite moments from that tour?

Jasmin: We covered the Cranberries' "Zombie," and that was great. I got to take a bath with LG from Thelma & The Sleaze one night. That was great too!

It was just a really powerful badass night of music, every night. It was just pure rock n roll as far as the energy. It was a great bunch of kids. I knew it would be a great tour and that the entertainment value was going to be solid every night; and I was right. Every night was a solid bill and left me feeling really good about it.

CMC: How did the idea come about for a Birdcloud / Thelma & The Sleaze tour?

Makenzie: We have a mutual booking agent, but really it's because we have been friends with LG for years and we have always wanted to tour together.

CMC: I interviewed LG recently, and she told me that in addition to all of the special musical moments and feelings of empowerment that there were a lot of really cool, dirty, sleazy moments on the road. Her exact words were, "After the check's in the bag and the van's in the driveway, shit happens!"

Care to share any of those moments?

Makenzie: Every night I was trying to fuck her. I got her to take a bath with me one night, and I was able to get her to make out with me every now and then. That's all I'm gonna say for now because a gentlemen never tells.

CMC: While often billed as country duo from Nashville, Birdcloud's live performances might be considered over-the-top by some, and lyrics and stage banter often push past an NC-17 rating into the realm of NSFW.

Do you ever experience audiences that just do not get your style of humor? And, if so, does that become motivation for you to win them over or does it become fuel to make you go at it even harder as "fuck you" to them?

Jasmin: We get a little bit turned on when people walk out of our shows. We always want to piss conservatives off. So, when people get pissed off at our shows, we just assume that they are conservative, bible-thumping republicans and they can't handle our diapers or us using cuss words.

Every show is different and we feed off of the energy of the crowd. But there has definitely been times where no one gets it. We just played a show in South Dakota where nobody clapped. Again, every show is different, it's always a surprise.

CMC: The SleazeCloud tour was an empowering statement for independent bands. 
2015's Tetnis and 2016's Singles album were listed as released on yk records. Birdcloud is kickass right now; so my question is, why aren’t you signed? Any plans for a future releases, and are you currently road testing any new material?

Makenzie: We are trying to get our next record, Bolth, out by December. We are going to Europe in August for a five to six week tour, and that will be a big push for us as it's our first international tour. It's gonna be a real doozy.

CMC: You have been touring with life-size cardboard cutouts of yourselves… will they be making their way to Asbury Park? And what’s the story behind having them made?

Jasmin: They are actually larger-than-life as they stand about eight feet tall. They are coming with us to Asbury Park and are taking up a lot of real estate in our van right now.

We have these fans that work in a print shop in Chicago and every time we come to Chicago, they hook us up. They are the best! The last time we came through, they hooked us up with these current larger-than-life versions of us. I even sent them an image of LG from Thelma & the Sleaze so they had one for her too.

Makenzie: LG was very pleased with it. She actually started crying when we gave it to her.

Jasmin: We have been hauling those around for a couple weeks now. We are going to try and sneak them onto the beach at some point.

CMC: How great and surreal was it to see your contemporary and (freshly signed) ThirdMan Records recording artist, Joshua Hedley not only performing on Fox News but doing it in style with a Birdcloud Tshirt on?

Jasmin: What a legend!

Makenzie: He has been a muse of ours. On our song "Snail Trail" we mention him in it, so we feel like we are a little bit responsible for all of his success. (sings) "I was down at Foobar sittin' on Josh Hedley and havin' myself a time. And I look down at his Imogene and Willies and discovered a line of slime."

True story.

Jasmin: He was so composed and spoke so eloquently and his word were so considerate I had to doublecheck that I was watching Fox News.

CMC: In addition to the joint tours, there is much social media love and promotion shared amongst TATS, Birdcloud, Margo Price, former members of Those Darlins, etc. Do you feel this is the emergence of an all-new "girls club" that is tearing down walls and breaking through the glass ceiling of the "boys club" of the Nashville music scene? Or are you of the idea, that artists should simply be called artists?

Jasmin: Good question…

Makenzie: That is a good question. I do not feel that we are part of any club.

Jasmin: It can be really hard for women in this business, and it is important that we lift each other up and it is hugely important that we have each other's backs especially in this day and age, actually it's important in any day and age.

I think we all know what it is like to walk into a club and have the soundguy or the crew treat us like we are just the band's fucking girlfriends and not the band. So, if having each other's backs is what it means to be in a club, then sure count me in; but I think it's much more than that. I think that, whether we are women or men, everyone you just named are all bona fide artists and badass rock n rollers in our own right.

CMC: With the 4th of July Holiday being tomorrow, I was wondering if you would be open to sharing your thoughts on the current political climate in today's USA as well as what your hopes for the future are?

Jasmin: Hopefully, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as far as the Trump administration goes. Maybe he will be impeached soon or something bad will happen to him. Maybe he will have a heart attack while playing tennis.

Makenzie: It's a fuckin disaster. It's a scary and mean time.

Jasmin: I think people are going to look back at this time and feel really embarrassed.

CMC: Speaking of embarrassment, I wanted to apologize on behalf of New Jersey as I heard your beach plans were ruined thanks to Gov. Chris Christie's shutdown of the state government which closed the state beaches to everyone… well, except to the governor and his guests…

Jasmin: I saw that pic of the governor at the beach and I wanted to have someone photoshop us hanging out with him and his family. [CoolDad Note: Your wish is my command.]

Yeah, we were going to come earlier today to hang in Asbury Park but then we heard that we couldn't go swimming anywhere.

Makenzie: What a drag. How the fuck can he do that!

Jasmin: It is just another example of the very few enjoying what belongs to the many.

Birdcloud play the Saint in Asbury Park TONIGHT, July 3rd, as part of Little Dickmans Records' 5th Anniversary Celebration Series.

They will be joined by Ex-Girlfriends and Little Vicious.

For tour dates & more info check out: http://birdcloudamerica.com