I've Been Quiet But Busy: Folked Up, Record Plants, Fruit & Flowers, Sweet Spirit, Michael VM, The Vansaders, and More

Sweet Spirit at Johnny Brenda's

What Have I Been Up To?

There was a time, back in the early days of CoolDad Music, when I would write recaps and reviews of just about every show I attended, no matter how large or how small. As I've become a veteran, jaded blogger, I've done less of that. I'm not complaining here because it's 100% my own choice to do all of this, but it's a fair bit of work to put together a post about even a small show if I want to include pictures and all that kinda stuff. Sometimes, I just get lazy.

I still attend a shit-ton of shows, though. Here's a round-up of what I've been up to in the last week or so.

Let's Get Folked Up!, Watermark, Asbury Park, NJ

On Wednesday, May 16th, I attended the inaugural Let's Get Folked Up "writers' round" presented by Chris Brown and Megan O'Shea in conjunction with Nashville recording artist Jo Smith. In addition to Smith and Brown, the line-up for this first show in a proposed series included J.T. Makoviecki of Jackson Pines, Renee Maskin of Lowlight, and Matty Carlock.

Jo Smith

Chris Brown et al

Artists took turns sharing songs and stories over the course of two sets before finishing up with a group performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." It was a pretty laid-back evening in a beautiful space with waves crashing just outside the windows behind the stage. I'm hearing that the next installment will happen in July; and, if last week was any indication, it's definitely something worth checking out.

Thursday with the Dickmans, Independent Record Pressing, Bordentown, NJ / The Outpost, Asbury Park, NJ

On Thursday morning, Chris Dickman and I headed over to Bordentown where Randy Now has organized a tour of the new Independent Record Pressing plant which sits just a few minutes away from the Man Cave. We got a walkthrough of the production floor and saw vintage and new vinyl presses pumping out titles from bands like Radiohead, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Menzingers, and Snail Mail. It was pretty damn cool, especially to know that it's happening right in our backyard.

Fruit & Flowers

That evening, Chris & Amy managed to get me into a party that surf, skate, swim lifestyle brand Volcom were throwing at Asbury Park's Outpost. Fruit & Flowers, long a favorite of ours around here, were providing the musical entertainment. I, amazingly, hadn't seen the Brooklyn band since Austin; and it was nice to see that they could still blow me away. Earlier this week, Fruit & Flowers left for their first-ever tour of the UK.

Sweet Spirit / The 1910 Chainsaw Company, Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA

I already wrote briefly here about what a tough day Friday was. As the day wore on, I made the last-minute decision to head down to Philly to catch Sweet Spirit at Johnny Brenda's.

Sweet Spirit is a project featuring Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen of A Giant Dog along with Josh Merry, Jake Knight, Jon Fichter, and Danny Lion. Where A Giant Dog are glam punk, Sweet Spirit are more soulful, more poppy. Ellis, though, is probably the most charismatic presence in live music right now. It doesn't matter which band she's fronting. And, I hate to put this kind of thing on artists who don't know me from a hole in the ground; but Ellis and Cashen have "been there" for me at times when I really needed it. Catching them at this show was really a no-brainer for me, and they didn't disappoint.

Sweet Spirit

I only brought the point & shoot and spent most of the set enjoying myself rather than shooting. Openers The 1910 Chainsaw Company were a nice surprise. To me, they sounded like what you might get if you crossed Pavement and The Beach Boys.

The 1910 Chainsaw Company

Side note: Philly is like 30 miles further from me than Brooklyn, but the drive on Friday was about 30 minutes shorter each way than my usual trips up to Brooklyn. I'll be heading down there more often.

Michael VM / Metal Mountains, Mercury Lounge, New York, NY

After taking Saturday night off from shows in order to spend some time with the family, it was back to it on Sunday for an early show at Mercury Lounge. Our good buddy Michael VM made the trip up from North Carolina with his family to celebrate last year's release, the happiest man on earth. I reviewed the album right around its original release, and it finds Michael in a quieter more contemplative place following his marriage, his move from NYC to NC, and the loss of his mother. He played live with a band that included several members of his former band, The Everymen, as well as his father, Ray. The songs translated well to a live setting and were as moving as they are on the record.

Michael VM

Duo Metal Mountains opened. Helen Rush (vocals / guitar) and Pat Gubler (guitar) delivered, maybe, the mellowest, most low-key set I've ever seen. Metal Mountains' Facebook bio reads simply, "Quiet in the noise..." and that's pretty spot-on.

Metal Mountains

Pastrami from Katz's after the show.

Kali Masi / The Vansaders / Have A Good Season, The Saint, Asbury Park, NJ

On Monday, I headed over to The Saint to catch The Vansaders, Have A Good Season, and Chicago post-hardcore / emo-ish band Kali Masi. Emily was working the door. Scotch LaRock showed up. Alex. Billy. Neil. It wasn't a huge crowd, but there were lots of familiar, friendly faces.

Have A Good Season do the 90s fuzzy guitar indie thing (Dinosaur Jr., Built To Spill) really well, and it's always cool when I catch one of their sets. I was saying to someone over the weekend that I've never seen The Vansaders turn in a bad set, and last night was no different. Just big gut punches of punk-inspired anthems. Kali Masi played to the small Monday night crowd as if they were working a packed room, which is always good to see.

Have A Good Season

The Vansaders

Kali Masi

Things ended relatively early -- always a bonus after a busy few days.

So, even though it's been quiet here at the site, I've been pretty busy. I've got a few interesting things lined up this week that I'll share with you before the coolfamily and I head down to Savannah for the long weekend.

SXSW Day 6 w/ The Gloomies, Dentist, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Fruit & Flowers, BOYTOY, Sharkmuffin, Kino Kimino, High Waisted, Honduras, A Giant Dog, and Roky Erickson, 3/17/18

A Giant Dog on the big stage.

Rock Or Die

Saturday was the big day of our "Rock Or Die V" showcase. Little Dickman Records, The Garden State Beard & Mustache Society, and I worked on it together; and we held the show at Valhalla Tavern right in the thick of it on 7th and Red River St. The line-up was chock full of friends and favorites with The Gloomies, Dentist, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Fruit & Flowers, BOYTOY, Sharkmuffin, Kino Kimino, High Waisted, and Honduras. All of these bands were super-busy throughout the week, and it was great to be able to get them all for our show.

The Gloomies

Dentist

Lee Bains & Tim Kerr

As for the show, what can I say? With the amazing folks on stage and in the crowd, it was a beautiful day. The Gloomies won me over during their 11:30 time slot, their Southern California vibe a perfect start to the day. Dentist's Emily Bornemann took a pretty serious spill following one of the band's shows on the way down to SXSW, but she played all of Dentist's showcases -- including Saturday's -- like a trooper. Except for the Band-Aid on her chin, you would never have known she was injured. Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires played at around 1pm with all of the abandon and passion that you'd expect to see in a packed room on a Saturday night. High Waisted have a new line-up, and brought a rainbow of color to the darkened bar. As Honduras were finishing up their set, a group of us bounced along with the music while cheering CoolDaughter #1 on in her 200 yard breaststroke final as I livestreamed it on my phone. Everyone else was, without exaggeration, fantastic, ripping through 25-minute sets and leaving us all wanting more.

Fruit & Flowers

BOYTOY

Sharkmuffin

And this is the kind of stuff I live for. Lee Bains or Kim Talon (Kino Kimino) bringing their guitar down into the crowd to play a bit in the scrum. Tarra Thiessen asking us all "Are you still having FUN at SXSW??" during Sharkmuffin's "Fun Stuff." The crowd screaming for more from BOYTOY or Fruit & Flowers as the house music came up.

Kino Kimino

High Waisted

Honduras

Almost as important, the show ran on time; and everyone was able to get to their next gig. After packing up and loading out, a bunch of us -- the Dickmans, Matt Beardo, Joe Stalker, the guys from Dentist, and I -- headed over to the big, outdoor stage for A Giant Dog and Roky Erickson. The stage was set up in a vast green space next to Austin's Lady Bird Lake. The photo pit was huge, and that left a giant space between the audience and the main stage.

A Giant Dog

A Giant Dog

A Giant Dog played their set and were maaaaaybe slightly more subdued than they were at Hotel Vegas on Monday. They didn't censor themselves at all for the family audience, which was welcome (by me, anyway); and they owned the big stage.

This got me thinking, though. The show was such a stark contrast from the show we just threw at Valhalla and even from A Giant Dog's own set earlier in the week. I missed being thrown around by the crowd at Hotel Vegas as the dust flew up from the ground and as Sabrina Ellis or Andrew Cashen got right in my face. I missed the connection you feel with the band and the audience in those close quarters.

This is no knock on A Giant Dog. Their songs are more than strong enough to bridge much of the divide created by the big stage. And they deserve to be playing the biggest stages in the world. They are that good. But the contrast made me understand what it is I love about going to shows. It's the music, sure. But it's also the shared, communal experience of living those moments -- an experience that doesn't really happen for me when the band is several yards away and several feet above my head. (Aside: I realized that I'm not as comfortable shooting those kinds of shows either.)

Anyway.

Following A Giant Dog's set, we hiked around the grounds in search of some food. I hadn't eaten anything all day. We got back in time for the set by psych-rock pioneer, Roky Erickson. Both times I've seen him, the experience has reminded me of seeing Brian Wilson in recent years. Neither is the same as they were when they were younger (Who is?), but they are surrounded by a band that seems to know all of their idiosyncrasies. And the chance to hear classic songs ("Night of the Vampire," "Don't Shake Me Lucifer") performed by the person who created them is a chance I never like to miss.

Roky Erickson

There was a lot more stuff going on late into Saturday night and into the wee hours of Sunday morning, but I had walked / stood / bopped / bounced / taken pictures about as much as I could for the week. My flight was at noon the next day (Which, in SXSW time, might as well be 6am), so I went back to the hotel to pack and get some rest.

And so my third year at SXSW drew to a close. As I've said before, if I were better at this music website thing, I probably would have had a bunch of artist interviews or photoshoots or whatever; but I'm first and foremost a fan. I pretty much just went to shows and took it all in. There were bands I missed for one reason or another (A Place To Bury Strangers, METZ), and I had some pangs of FOMO as I watched the Instagram feeds of my friends who stayed through Sunday for the "hangover parties;" but this was my most rewarding year in Austin. By now you know that I'm all about shared experiences, and there's just something so cool about being away from home and sharing this experience with friends. I hope I can do it again next year.

I've got a ton of pictures to edit, so keep your eyes peeled for a few big photo blasts in the coming days. For the most part, though, it will be back to our regularly-scheduled programming.

Fruit & Flowers Played Baby's All Right with Surf Rock Is Dead and Sic Tic, 6/29/17. Show Recap and EP Review.

Fruit & Flowers

Drug Tax

On Thursday night, I wormed my way into the Dickmans' car for another trip into Brooklyn. This time, we were heading to Baby's All Right to celebrate the release of Drug Tax, the Little Dickman debut for Fruit & Flowers.

I have to go back and check the stats, but it seems like either Fruit & Flowers or Sharkmuffin are the non-Jersey band I've seen the most live. Over the last year-and-a-half or so of live shows, I've become a huge Fruit & Flowers fan. The band combine surf, punk, and dream pop into a sort of retro / otherworldly vibe that can be, at times, either cool and precise or frantic and wild. Drug Tax collects songs that I've come to love in their live versions and gives them a full, studio treatment.

[...This will be the part where I talk about the EP.]

Things start surfy and poppy with "Out of Touch." There's a contrast between the darkness of the intertwining vocals of Caroline Yoder (bass), Lyzi Wakefield (guitar), and Ana Becker (guitar) and Becker's sprightly y leads. Then, it's right into the highly-moshable "Subway Surfer." The bass and Jose Berrío's drums chug methodically; and the harmonies are spot-on. But the song repeatedly builds tension before bursting into moments of abandon. Fruit & Flowers combine 80s post-punk and 60s psychedelia for "Dark Surf," which opens with a haunting guitar intro and features more hypnotic vocal harmonies.

The title track is one of my favorite songs -- maybe ever. It captures everything that's great about Fruit & Flowers -- the hints of surf and post-punk, the wall of beautiful sound created by all three vocalists, the incredibly tight rhythm section, Becker's guitar, the building tension, the "HEY!"s.

Fruit & Flowers are the complete package. They're unique yet accessible. They just released one of the best records of the year, and the EP even looks great with artwork by Jose Berrío. Fruit & Flowers also happen to be a great live act.

Fruit & Flowers' Jose Berrío

The show on Thursday at Baby's All Right bore that out.

[...This will be the part where I talk a little bit about the show.]

Sic Tic and Surf Rock Is Dead joined Fruit & Flowers. It was a great bill, and there was enthusiastic support for both bands. Surf Rock Is Dead absolutely blew me away and landed a spot on my regular, personal playlist.

Sic Tic

Surf Rock Is Dead

The night, though, belonged to Fruit & Flowers. The band sparkled -- literally. They all wore something shiny or sequined. During fast-paced songs like "Subway Surfer" or -- another Drug Tax track -- "Pick Fairy," the crowd thrashed and bounced along with the band. At one point, singer / bassist, Caroline Yoder, surfed the crowd. By the end of the night, members of Brooklyn's Ex-Girlfriends and other members of the audience had joined the band onstage for a cover of The Zombies' "She's Not There."

Fruit & Flowers

Fruit & Flowers' Lyzi Wakefield

Fruit & Flowers & Friends

It was a triumphant evening for a band who, I really believe, are destined for big things.

Drug Tax is out now via Little Dickman Records.

Pics from Thursday night will be up in the Flickr galleries or on the Facebook page.

New Stuff from Lyons, YJY, Fruit & Flowers. They All Play Asbury Park This Weekend.

Lyons just released their s/t debut EP.

Solid Weekend Coming Up

Gonna try and get right to this before we slide into CoolDaughter #1's big, frantic graduation day. Three of our faves around here released new stuff today and are playing Asbury Park this coming weekend, so yeah... Here goes.

Lyons,  Lyons

This Asbury Park five-piece just released their self-titled debut EP with In The Clouds Records, and it's a stunner. CoolDad Music has had Lyons on a show or two in the past, and I've always loved their surfy, dream poppy, post-punk.

On Lyons, singer / guitarist Amy Malkoff belts out swirling vocals as Sharon McDonaugh provides those chiming leads that I always love so much. The rhythm section of Jenny Vickers (drums) and Lisa English (bass) contribute to that post-punk vibe, and the added prominence given to Charleen Artese's keys on the recording is a major (and welcome) sonic component to several of the songs here.

Sounds range from the new-wavey darkness of "Wrapped Up" to the epic post-punk of "Midnight Drive" or "Walking the Line" to the melodramatic, retro-inspired "Cloudless Blue." It all adds up to a collection that picks, chooses, and re-assembles influences that I've always loved into something I've had on repeat all morning.

Lyons celebrate the release of Lyons, with a free show this evening at Anchor's Bend to close out the Asbury Park Night Bazaar that also features The Cold Seas and Holiday.



YJY, The Enduring YJY

I premiered this one here the other day, but I don't think I really gave it any kind of review.

This one's tough. YJY are another band who have been a big part of CoolDad Music over the last few years. Little Dickman Records and I had them at one of our Sundown at the Carousel shows, and they played the CoolDad Music Indie Pop Winter Formal a couple years back. In addition to that, I've become good friends with Steve Sachs, Dave Sachs, Ricky Lorenzo, and Tim Fitzpatrick; and it's sad to know that this is the band's first and last album.

They do go out on the top of their game with this one, though. In my conversation with singer / guitarist Steve Sachs earlier this week, he said he hoped that people would notice the band's progression in terms of songwriting and production; and it's not really something you could miss. From the very early strains of "Passport Photograph," the pains that YJY took in the studio become apparent.

While YJY experiment a bit more here, they do stick with their formula of producing infectious pop music. Steve Sachs turns his sometimes snarky vocal delivery to something more pleading on "Somebody Take My Phone;" and Ricky Lorenzo, who's often contributed some of the more shoegazey or noisy songs to the YJY catalog turns into a pop songsmith on "Loathe" with its "doo doo doos." Ricky and the band are back to something a little more manic with "Cold."

About two years ago, I shared YJY's first single, "Couch Surfin' USA," with you right here. For The Enduring YJY, the band have re-recorded the sing along crowd-pleaser which seems wholly appropriate for a farewell release. Give the people what they want, you know.

YJY simultaneously mark this release and the end of the band with a show at Asbury Park Music Foundation this Saturday, 6/17, with help from NGHTCRWLRS, Julian Fulton & The Zombie Gospel, Avery & The Man Devils, and Jeff Lane.

The Enduring YJY is out now via Sniffling Indie Kids.



Fruit & Flowers, "Subway Surfer"

Fruit & Flowers released a video for "Subway Surfer" off of their upcoming Little Dickman Records debut, Drug Tax, today. The song has been a favorite of mine from the band's live sets for a while. Lyzi Wakefield's bassline and the triple-shouted "HEYs!" always hit like huge, bold-faced exclamation points.

The video finds the band and their fans going wild at a live show, while it also shows Fruit & Flowers snaking their way through the subterranean world of the city they call home.

Fruit & Flowers play Sunnyvale in Brooklyn tonight to celebrate the video's release along with Kino Kimino, Good Tiny, and Big Bliss. Tomorrow they come down this way to play Bond St. Basement with GayGuy / StraightGuy and Plus Plus Minus.

Drug Tax comes out on June 30th.

New Video from Fruit & Flowers. Debut EP due 6/30 from Little Dickman Records.

"Out of Touch"

In case it hasn't been clear to you from visiting this site or from following the CoolDad Music Instagram, I freaking love Brooklyn's Fruit & Flowers. They've blown me away at shows in Brooklyn and in Asbury Park. I saw them about a million times at this year's South By Southwest, including a show at Austin's Stay Gold where the entire crowd was chanting for more, more, more. I've even booked them on a couple of shows.

Fruit & Flowers at Stay Gold Austin

What's been hard, though, as I try to explain my deep and abiding love for this band, has been the scarcity of any recorded music to which I can point people. There's "Turquoise" over at the Fruit & Flowers Bandcamp page, and I got to premiere "Way Out" off of the most recent Speak Into My Good Eye 24-Hour Songwriting Challenge comp; but that's pretty much been it until now.

Yesterday Fruit & Flowers gave us the Thomas Ignatius-directed video for live set staple "Out Of Touch." Both the song and the video perfectly capture the vibe of the band's self-described "Surf Noir." Ana Becker's lead guitar is eerily sunny, and the little flourishes that crop up throughout the song are masterful. Jose Berrío (drums) and Caroline Yoder (lead vox / bass) are a ferocious rhythm section; and the contrast with the intertwining, dreamy vocals of Yoder, Becker, and Lyzi Wakefield (guitar / vox) is the key to Fruit & Flowers's hypnotic sound.

"Out of Touch" serves as the lead single for the band's upcoming Drug Tax EP, which is due from our friends at Little Dickman Records on June 30th.

Fruit & Flowers play The Gutter Bar tomorrow, 5/19, and The Bronze on Saturday, 5/20 -- both of those venues are in Brooklyn.

SXSW, Day 3: Music Journo Panel, Cigar City Management Party, Outer Spaces, Spiral Stairs

Hockey Dad

Doing Some Official Stuff

When I was in Austin last year, I made it a point to get out and start seeing bands before lunchtime. That often extended into the wee hours of the next morning. I decided to try and pace myself a little better this year and to maybe take advantage of some of the conference offerings. On Wednesday, I decided to head to a panel discussion called "How to Get Paid to Write About Music." THUMP editior-in-chief Emilie Friedlander moderated the discussion. Other panelists were Eric Sunderman (Noisey, EIC), Matthew Schnipper (Pitchfork managing editor), and Andre Grant (freelance).

Making money has never been a goal of CoolDad Music, so the panel wasn't as relevant to me as it probably was to aspiring music journalists; but it was interesting to get a bit of a behind the scenes understanding of how some of the publications I read on a daily basis select stories and writers. There was some discussion of "branded content" that I found kind of icky, but it's important to keep in mind that these are big, corporate entities who also function as ad agencies.

That done, I headed out for some BBQ before making my way to Stay Gold for the Cigar City Management / Nochebuena Party. That one featured lots of friends -- Sharkmuffin, High Waisted, Fruit & Flowers -- as well as a couple of acts I'd been wanting to check out for a while like DTCV and Australia's Hockey Dad. Also, there were really good margaritas.

High Waisted

Sharkmuffin

The two-piece Hockey Dad put a little bit more of an edgy spin on jangly, beach-inspired sounds... ...which totally works for me. DTCV were some pop, some post punk and just impressive. I almost left for a break during their set. Cigar City's Randy Ojeda convinced me to stay, and I'm glad I did.

Hockey Dad

DTCV

Fruit & Flowers' set was the highlight of the party. Not only were they as good as they always are, but the crowd also chanted twice for encores and were still shouting for more as the house music came up. It was a cool moment.

Fruit & Flowers

From there, I headed back downtown to catch the set from Baltimore's Outer Spaces at The Main. I love Outer Spaces' A Shedding Snake, and Wednesday night's set was easily the best I've seen from the band. The sound was great, and Outer Spaces had enough time to hit most, if not all, of my favorite songs from the record.

Outer Spaces

I was pretty spent at this point and started walking back to my hotel. I just took a glance at my phone and noticed that Spiral Stairs (former Pavement guitarist, Scott Kannberg) was going to be playing a set a block away. Kannberg and the band sandwiched new and old solo work between covers of Pavement's "Kennel District" and "Two States." A fine way to end another long day.

Spiral Stairs

I don't even have any idea what I'm going to do today yet. It's all becoming a blur.

SXSW, Day 2: Australia, Fruit & Flowers, Spider House, Roky Erickson

Roky Erickson

This Was a Long One

The Dickmans asked if I'd like to join them for blunch at Kerbey Lane on Tuesday morning, and I immediately accepted. They've been gracious enough to let me freeload on their rental car the last couple of days, and my feet and I are very thankful.

After some brisket hash, we headed over to B.D. Riley's to catch Go Fever at the Sounds Australia Showcase. The Austin-based band, fronted by Australian expat Acey Monaro, struggled through a few technical difficulties but ended up putting in a solid set of selections from their self-titled debut. They were followed by Sydney's Food Court. That band's loud garage rock did a pretty good job of rattling the Irish Pub.

Go Fever

Food Court

From there, we headed over to Kick Butt coffee where we arrived just in time for our very good friends Fruit & Flowers. They looked a little dazed following a travel day that involved canceled flights, re-routed flights, and busses; but, once they started playing, they were as mind-blowing as ever and just solidified their position as one of my favorite bands going right now.

Fruit & Flowers

Then it was off to Spider House where we caught Scottish post-punks WOMPS -- who play Little Dickman's first showcase today -- and Alabama instrumental post-rock band In Snow.

WOMPS

In Snow

Dinner break.

Finally, we headed over to Scoot Inn for another set from Brazil's dreamy, ambient, and extremely busy at SXSW psych rockers Boogarins. There was something even better about them in the evening, under the psychedelic lights.

Boogarins

The main event of the evening at Scoot Inn, though, was a set by psych rock pioneer Roky Erickson. I noticed a pit in front of the stage before Boogarins' set and asked if I could shoot from there. After showing my SXSW camera tag to security, they let me in; and I managed to shoot both sets from the pit.

Roky Erickson

Erickson's performance has been a highlight of South By Southwest for me so far. His band appeared to have some psychic connection to him, and the whole experience was an emotional one. Having such a close, unobstructed view of how the band played off of Erickson made it that much better.

We packed it in for the night after Scoot Inn. The Dickmans and I had been running around for over 12 hours; and, just speaking for myself, there was no way I could do anymore.

It was back after it on Wednesday, and I'll be back with my 1-day look into the past probably sometime tomorrow.