Why CoolDad Music

Black Wine as Devo at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn.

I Have to Do a Post Like This Every Once in a While

"What the hell am I even doing?"

That's what I was thinking to myself as I sat, pulled over on Marcy Ave., waiting for the NYPD officer to finish writing out my summons for supposedly running a red light. It was about 3AM, and I'd maybe endangered the lives of me, my passenger, and whomever else could have come through that intersection. We were heading home from the second night of the Don Giovanni Records showcase in Williamsburg.

We got back home at about 4AM, and I sat in the driveway scanning the ticket. It could end up costing $278. Ouch.

I thought the same thing again -- "What the hell am I doing?" -- as my car slipped and slid down Route 35 on my way to The Battery Electric's record release party. About 3-4 inches of slush covered the highway, and there was always someone behind me who thought I could be driving faster.

Coming home was less harrowing but no picnic either. It was probably about 2:30 by the time I got to bed.

I'm a 45-year-old suburban father of two getting home at 2, 3, 4 in the morning from covering rock concerts. I spend hours on Satudays and Sundays and almost all of my free moments during the week editing photos and preparing posts. Why??

I got my answer soon after those Don Giovanni shows in Brooklyn.

And, again, after that Battery Electric release show in Asbury.

Our first Asbury Park show was an undeniable blast. @asburylanes was as fun to play as it is to hang out at, @thebatteryelectric brought out a great crowd for their record release party snow be damned, and excellent, photographers like @cooldadmusic were there to document it all. We'll be back soon.

A photo posted by Black Wail (@blackwail) on Feb 23, 2015 at 7:51pm PST

And these are just two examples. Over the three years that I've been running CoolDad Music, I've had several thoughts about what I want the site to be. What I've found that works the best for me is just documenting. Documenting what these artists, however big or small, bring to a show night after night. Documenting what happens inside these venues. Documenting the feelings that all of this brings up inside my own mind. When I go back and view these pictures or read these posts, they take me back to some of the special moments I've experienced and shared over the last three years. Those experiences, together, have been a life saver for me; and it's just icing on the cake when I see evidence that they hold meaning for someone else.

So the answer to "What the hell am I doing?" is "I'm doing something that I love. I'm producing work of which I can say that I'm proud." It's no small thing, I tell you.

I've said this before, but that thing that you always read about finding your passion? It's true. Find what you love and do whatever you can to shoehorn it into your life. Doing it as a job, I guess, would be cool; but who really gets to do that? It doesn't matter anyway. Find what you love. Devote as much time to it as you are able. Do a good job. And when you find yourself asking, "Why the hell am I doing this?" look back at the work you've produced, and you'll see that it's healed your soul; it's allowed you to express who you really are; and it's probably touched other people along the way.

That's kind of what art is, isn't it? I believe each and every one of us is an artist deep down inside. We all just have to figure out what kind  -- musician, painter, writer, photographer, parent, chef, baker, sandwich maker, friend, listener, ballplayer, housecleaner, or a combination of several different things. Whatever kind of artist you are, once you find it and act on it; you'll be the happiest you've ever been.

Thanks for reading.

Don Giovanni Records Showcase at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn, 2/6/15 (PHOTO LINKS)

Black Wine as Devo

Night 1

What a weekend. I'm still recovering. Swim meets. Father / daughter dances. Birthdays. Lots and lots of driving (including a traffic ticket -- the first since my late teens -- in the wilds of Brooklyn). Here's some stuff that happened Friday.

Allyson Dwyer and I set off in the sub-freezing temperatures for Night 1 of the annual Don Giovanni Records label showcase and arrived in Brooklyn a little after 7pm. We parked the family truckster atop a glacier about a block away from The Knitting Factory. We got inside and settled in for a drink before the show.

The great thing about this showcase -- and the label, in general -- is the communal feel. I said hi to Shellshag and Black Wine before the show, and I saw several people with whom I've become friends as a result of attending last year's shows.

We made our way into the performance space, and I parked myself right up against the stage. Host and Don Giovanni artist Chris Gethard started things off talking about how weird and awkward it always is for a comedian to host a concert. I think his worries were unfounded. At least with this crowd. Gethard gave away some free stuff -- really undesirable free stuff that people jumped on because it was free -- like a broken USB wall charger. Allyson got the package of wet naps. He brought Don Giovanni "label honcho" Joe Steinhardt up on stage to preview one of the jokes that Steinhardt has available for sale. I won't print it here, since I didn't buy it.

Gethard then laid down a challenge for each of the bands to include a joke in their set. Each band would ultimately comply with varying degrees of success. As a show of solidarity, Gethard started off the evening with a song. He brought out John Driver of Shellshag to accompany him on his (and my) favorite song of all time, Billy Bragg's "A New England."

John Driver, Chris Gethard

The music from the bands started. It would end up being a night of surprises -- some for me,
some for everyone. My first surprise of the night was Crow Bait. I hadn't heard them before and loved their set. A great discovery.

Once the stage was set for Black Wine, Gethard came out saying that he'd been asked to stall for some time. After a few minutes, the band came out wearing yellow jumpsuits and launched into a full Devo cover set. The whole set. All Devo. Halfway through, the band stripped down to the all black t-shirt / shorts combo. The audience went kind of bananas. Joe Steinhardt later told me that it was a total surprise to everyone. So much fun.

Mal Blum, whom I'd first seen at the Boyd Park show back in September, did another fun set including stuff from her upcoming Marissa Paternoster-produced record. Blum and the rest of her band have really relatable personalities onstage. Her sets are full of humor and warmth. When she and bassist Audrey Zee Whitesides stopped to give "a shoutout to CoolDad," I was floored. It kind of explained the surprising moment (one of the best moments to have ever happened since I started this thing, by the way) earlier in the evening when Chris Gethard said, "Is CoolDad here? There are rumors flying around backstage that CoolDad may be here tonight." I passed Blum and her band some stickers when they were done.

The Hamiltons

The Hamiltons, Canadian arch-rivals of The Ergs!, did an intense set of Ramones-inspired punk only after making sure that their nemeses weren't in the house. They rattled songs off one after another in a non-stop barrage. After their set, Gethard noted his surprise -- shared by me -- that several members of the audience knew every Hamiltons' lyric.

Shellshag were next and, as usual, turned the place into a crazy dancing love fest. The duo kind of epitomize the feel of the whole showcase weekend with their positivity. I don't know what more there is to say about their set other than everyone had their arms over their heads as they sang along.

Chuck Betz of Nude Beach

We were already almost an hour into the next morning by the time Nude Beach came out for the final set of the night. I loved their record from last year and had been looking forward to their set all evening. It looked like they'd grown the live band by a few members since I'd seen them in September, and the new set up did a great job of reproducing the sounds on 77. Guitarist Chuck Betz even broke out the double-necked guitar for a few songs.

Allyson and I headed out into the freezing temperatures for the long drive home. I had a swim meet to get to in the morning. I knew I'd be exhausted, but we'd be back for part 2.



I went a little crazy with pics both nights. Here's night 1.

Chris Gethard, Joe Steinhardt, John Driver
Crow Bait
Black Wine
Mal Blum
The Hamiltons
Shellshag
Nude Beach

Black Wine, Yell Boss, 2014

Album Review

Maybe it's the lazy way to do it. Knowing me, it is most definitely the lazy way to do it. But I know that whenever I write about music, I try to place it in a genre -- even a genre that I make up on the spot -- or compare it to something I've heard before. I just don't have the vocabulary or the talent to be able to describe music any other way.

Bands and the people who try to help them get the word out do it, too. I get emails all the time saying things like "RIYL: Dinosaur Jr., The Beach Boys, Celine Dion, Slayer." Well, not really; but you get the idea. That's why I find it so interesting and refreshing that Ocean Grove's Black Wine describe themselves as "no core." From the band's Facebook page: "They play all kinds of music and prefer to not be forced into sounding like one thing." Black Wine are also a democracy. Each member writes. Each member sings.

On Yell Boss, the band's fourth full length, Black Wine stay pretty true to their "no core" aesthetic, delivering a collection of songs ranging from -- and, yes, I'm gonna do this here and for the rest of this piece -- pop to lo fi to hard rock. That's not to say that the album is all over the place. It's not. There is a stylistic connection among all of the songs that I think harkens back to late-80s / early-90s pre-corporate indie and punk.

"Breaking Down" -- about a plane crash on the highway -- switches back and forth between an aggressive-sounding verse and a more melodic chorus to become Black Wine's version of power pop. Drummer Miranda Taylor sings over some beefy guitar chords on "No Reason," but the group vocal on the "Love me for no reason" refrain gives the song kind of a 60s Summer of Love vibe. Taylor again takes lead vocals, singing over some simple guitar, on "Familiar" whose title here has the meaning associated with a couple of the "frequently visited song topics" cited by the band: myths and cats.

The album's centerpiece -- coming a little past the halfway point -- is "Rime." It opens with Taylor singing a verse from an English folk song ("Time to Remember the Poor") and then begins its careening take on "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Bassist J Nixon, who wrote the song, takes lead vocals; and guitarist Jeff Schroeck provides some dark and foreboding shredding.

And I have to mention the cover of the Guess Who's "No Time." I love covers; and this cover of, maybe, the greatest Canadian breakup song of all time is a good one.

So, yeah. The only way I know how to write about music is to compare it to stuff I've already heard. Maybe that's lazy, but I hear a lot of the stuff I like on Yell Boss. The fact that each member of Black Wine writes songs and takes on frontperson duties at various times probably contributes as much to the variety of Black Wine's music as any concerted effort not to get pigeon-holed into a genre. Whatever it is that makes it happen, I think "no core" is right up there with my favorite types of music.

Yell Boss is out now on Don Giovanni Records. You can stream the album over at Black Wine's Bandcamp page.

Black Wine Releasing Yell Boss in August. Stream A Single.

Bassist Jason M Nixon penned the latest single from Black Wine.

"Rime"

During a set from Asbury Park via New Brunswick band Black Wine, you may hear pop, pop punk, rock, hardcore, whatever. The trio of Jeff Schroeck, Miranda Taylor, and Jason M Nixon share songwriting duties and each member takes a few turns at lead vocals. Black Wine are a band that can't be pigeonholed, so they appropriately label their sound "no core."

The band's 4th LP, Yell Boss, is due in August on Don Giovanni Records; and, today, we get single "Rime." It's a Jason M Nixon original featuring references to a cross and an albatross along with a little Mascisian solo-ing from Jeff Schroeck. It comes down on the more aggressive side of the band's sound, which is alright by me.

Head over to Wondering Sound to check out the track; and, if you're around Philly this weekend, you can catch Black Wine at Golden Tea House on Saturday with Mumblr, Thin Lips, Risk Relay, and Hurry.

Diarrhea Planet Came Back to Asbury Lanes w/ Music Band, Black Wine, and gods (PHOTOS), 6/6/14

Nashville Meets New Jersey

On Friday, Nashville's Diarrhea Planet brought their orchestral guitar pop punk arrangements, along with friends Music Band, to Asbury Lanes as they hit the East Coast on their way to NYC's Governor's Ball Festival. This was the fourth time I'd seen Diarrhea Planet in the area in the last two years or so, and frontman Jordan Smith mentioned several times that Asbury Lanes was his personal favorite East Coast venue.

Two New Jersey bands got things started with impressive sets. Asbury Park's gods opened with their psychedelic, a-bit-tighter-than-garage rock. With bands like The Parlor Mob and Black Jesuses on the members' résumés, it was no surprise that every band that took the stage after gods had to take a moment to praise their set. Similarly, Black Wine played a set ranging from pop to hard rock -- the band's trademark "no core" -- that made people put down their drinks and listen. Again, praise from the visiting bands was effusive.

The Nashville portion of the evening got started with garage-psych-and-roll trio Music Band. The band bring a bit of a southern twang to their sound that works really well. It was their first trip to Asbury Park -- maybe New Jersey -- and they couldn't say enough good things about the city, Asbury Lanes, or the Asbury Lanes staff. As the set ended, Diarrhea Planet's Evan Bird did some photo bombing from behind one of the amps and popped out to "Ice" Music Band guitarist Harry Kagan.

Diarrhea Planet took the stage and opened with "Separations" from 2013's excellent I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams. Despite their name, Diarrhea Planet take their playing / performing very seriously. Guitarists Smith, Bird, Emmet Miller, and Brent Toler all get chances to play lead -- sometimes simultaneously -- and can fill a place like Asbury Lanes with arena-sized hooks. Smith is constant energy, bouncing around the stage or playing from his knees when not shouting lyrics along with his bandmates. In addition to songs off of the band's two LP's like "Babyhead," "Kids," "Cigarettes," and "Warm Ridn'," we got crowd favorite and first-ever Diarrhea Planet song "Ghost With a Boner" and a new song or two.

Yesterday, Diarrhea Planet were in New York taking their close-up with an early slot at the Governor's Ball Festival. Tonight, they go a little more intimate with an officially-sanctioned GovBall after-party at Glasslands in Brooklyn. Let's hope we made them feel welcome enough in Asbury that they'll come see us again.

Here are some pics. Check Flickr for more.

Don Giovanni Records Showcase Starts Tonight. New Brick Mower.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

New Brunswick's Don Giovanni Records has grown into, quite simply, one of the most important independent record labels in the country. Nowhere is that more evident than at the label's annual showcase. Founded as kind of an alternative to the industry / corporate showcases at events like CMJ or SXSW, the Don Giovanni event features bands from the label, bands who are friends of the label, and a real sense of community.

This year's event spans three days in Brooklyn. Tonight's show is at Death By Audio and features Tenement, Vacation, Nuclear Santa Claust, The Groucho Marxists, and the Jersey Shore's Night Birds.

Nights Two and Three take place at Music Hall of Williamsburg. Tomorrow night's lineup consists of Laura Stevenson, Shellshag, Upset, Worriers, and Nude Beach; while Saturday brings Screaming Females, California X, Brick Mower, Priests, and the currently Asbury-based Black Wine.

These are some great bands that I've written about often here and elsewhere (click the little tags at the bottom of this post or the "Speak Into My Good Eye" tab up above to see all of that). As of right now, it looks like tickets are still available for each night, including two-day passes to the MHOW shows. If you can't make it, watch for my coverage over at Speak Into My Good Eye.

Also, take a listen to the brand new "Shitty Parade" from New Jersey Pop Punks Brick Mower whose album Teenage Graceland comes out March 25th on Don Giovanni.

The Last Weeks of Maxwell's, Part 3: The Everymen / Life Eaters / Black Wine / Brooklyn What, 7/12/13

A Concert Ticket's All She Really Tries to Score

In parts 1 & 2 of this series, I wrote about Yo La Tengo and The Feelies. Maybe The Feelies have never truly gotten the recognition they deserve, but both of those acts have a relatively large national following. I called them two of Maxwell's house bands.

Maxwell's has another "house band." That band is every local, tri-state area band that works and works, playing show after show as openers for national acts, in New Brunswick basements, and at Maxwell's. They're your friends, maybe your co-workers. And Maxwell's gave them a place to play where they could say that they played the same room as Sonic Youth, Pavement, Guided by Voices, R.E.M., Hüsker Dü, and The Replacements. On Friday night, four of those house bands came together to perform their last sets ever at the venue.

The Brooklyn What brought the guitar-driven rock and roll onslaught of their most recent LP Hot Wine with songs like "Punk Rock Loneliness," closing things out with a cover of The Replacements' "Left of the Dial." New Jersey punk supergroup Black Wine, which features former members of The Ergs!, Full of Fancy, and Hunchback, had the crowd moving to the no-core sounds of songs like "Chateau of Ghosts." Life Eaters, frontman Mike Sylvia appropriately decked out in a Rip Curl wetsuit in anticipation of the deluge of beverages that would be flying in from the audience, tore through a set of aggressive, high-energy rock.

By the time The Everymen took the stage at around 1AM, I was beginning to question the wisdom of my decision to attend such a late show the night before an early swim meet. Once the band's set got underway, though, I forgot all of my misgivings. The band started things off with a slow number before frontman Mike V said, "OK. Enough of that shit...," and The Everymen tore into a more typical set that had the entire crowd dancing from beginning to end. For the evening, they changed the title of "Coney Island High" to "Maxwell's," adding a Maxwell's reference to the chorus.

Then, in fine, final Maxwell's set tradition, the band did a series of covers: Bruce Springsteen's "Ain't Good Enough for You," Midnight Oil's "Beds are Burning" with saxophonist Scott Zillitto on vocals, Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released," and Neil Young's "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World." The Lost Romance's Gerry Perlinski joined the band on stage; audience members sang entire verses into the mic; the horn section came down and played among the crowd; and show closer "Boss Johnny and the Get Lucky" saw almost the entire audience on stage with the band.

It was a party that went a few minutes past the official Maxwell's 2AM close; and, as CoolMom and I walked out into the street, sheepishly realizing how late my parents would be up babysitting the cooldaughters, we both told each other how happy we were to have been a part of it.

My growing confidence as a point and shoot concert photographer took a bit of a hit under last night's difficult lighting conditions, but I did my best to document the proceedings. I also managed to corner some of The Everymen in Maxwell's basement to get their thoughts on Maxwell's imminent closure. Stay tuned for that.

The Last Weeks of Maxwell's, Parts 3 & 4 on the Way

With a Swim Meet In Between

I'll be hauling myself back up to Hoboken both this Friday (with CoolMom in tow) and next Monday for two more shows at Maxwell's.

Tomorrow night we'll be seeing The Everymen, Life Eaters, Black Wine, and Brooklyn What. As of right this second, tickets are still available for that show; and it promises to be an emotional evening. The bill features four, great, tri-state area bands playing their last scheduled sets at the venue.

On Saturday and Sunday, CoolDaughter #1 has a swim meet at Princeton that starts at 7:05 AM each day. I'll be dragging myself out of bed just a few hours after getting back from Hoboken; so if you can sleep in, you really have no excuse for not coming to the show.

Then on Monday, I'll once again be seeing Titus Andronicus. The Glen Rock band has a worldwide following, of course; but their hearts are here in New Jersey. This won't be their last set at Maxwell's, as they added a third (now sold out) date on the 16th; but it will be my last chance to see a band there that has evolved into one of my true favorites.

The last show I'm scheduled to attend at Maxwell's (Part 5) comes less than a week later, when I head in for, maybe, the final time to catch Ted Leo.

Things are happening at a breakneck pace as we wind our way down to the end of the month, when Maxwell's is scheduled to close its doors for the final time. There's talk of a block party with a DJ as the final event. While it won't be the same experience as a packed, dark, and sweaty show in the back room; I think it's a nice idea that will let more than the 200 people who can usually squeeze inside come and say goodbye.

Come find me at one of these shows. I'll (hopefully) be the guy way up front taking pics with his point and shoot.