Dogs On Acid Played The Saint w/ Pig Rypper, Wreaths, Dentist, and Grand Mariner, 8/30/15 (PHOTOS)

Happy Birthday Biff Swenson

It was a Sunday night party for Yawn Mower / Pig Rypper drummer Biff Swenson at The Saint. An extremely well-curated bill helped ease the transition from weekend to work week even if I am kind of exhausted today.

Howell lo-fi surf rockers, Grand Mariner, kicked things off and were impressive as usual. Dentist played to a large and enthusiastic crowd and didn't disappoint. New drummer Rudy Meier is fitting in quite nicely. Philly's Dogs On Acid (ft. members of Hop Along, Algernon Cadwallader, Snowing) are riding on the recent release of their excellent self-titled debut and blew away the crowd with their DIY, 90s-influenced rock. Wreaths filled the room with their psychedelic noise and included a take on The Cult's classic "She Sells Sanctuary." Swenson and Pig Rypper led The Saint in a huge sing along as they ripped through faithful interpretations of the best of Weezer.

Things went pretty late; and, as CoolMom and I made another unsuccessful attempt to get CoolDaughter #2 riding her two-wheeler early this morning, I was definitely dragging a little bit. It was worth it, though. Anytime you see any of these bands on a bill, make sure you check it out.

Here are highlights from all of last night's sets. You know where to find the rest.



And here are some additional shots of Dogs On Acid, taken by Dentist's Emily Bornemann.

Photos of Sink Tapes, Grand Mariner at The Brighton Bar, 1/5/15

Love the Early Monday Show

Following the release of their latest single, "Blow Me a Kiss," New Brunswick's Sink Tapes started a short, East Coast tour last night at The Brighton Bar. They had help from Grand Mariner, Moth Puppy, and Agumon. Swim carpooling commitments had me walking in the door just as Moth Puppy was finishing her solo acoustic set.

I managed to catch full sets from Howell's Grand Mariner and Sink Tapes. This was the second time I'd gotten to see Grand Mariner, and their surf / garage / psych rock once again caught my attention. I picked up what ended up being the last cassette of their Happy to Birth release. After many failed attempts, last night ended up being my first chance to catch Sink Tapes live. Once I threw caution to the wind and removed my earplugs, I started hearing the sounds that drew me to the band in the first place.

Things were done nice and early at around 9:35. That gave me time to chat a bit with Frank Defranco, one of the founders of Sink Tapes' current label, Sniffling Indie Kids. I could tell that what they're doing there is a labor of love, and I wish them luck.

Here are some shots from last night. You can see the full set at Flickr.

Photo Highlights of Robot Death Kites, Grand Mariner, The Uncommonly Good, Jewel Eye at The Brighton Bar, 9/24/14

Robot Death Kites

New Year's Eve

The Brighton Bar rang in 5775 with a 5-band bill of Teenage Halloween, Jewel Eye, The Uncommonly Good, Grand Mariner, and Robot Death Kites. I got there a little late; so I, unfortunately, missed the set by Teenage Halloween. There's another chance to catch Luke, though, this weekend on the beach in Asbury.

I did see the rest of the bands. Jewel Eye delivered some heavy rock. The Uncommonly Good brought some crazy, youthful energy to their hardcore set. They had the crowd going nuts while one of their relatives recorded the entire proceeding to video. Grand Mariner combined surf, pop, and punk into a mix that recalled early Wavves. Robot Death Kites almost defied description, employing masks, dresses, and props in a way that had a couple of people at the Brighton mentioning the legendary Shock Mommies.

Here are a few pics. You can see the rest if you click on the "Galleries" tab.

Show Preview: Robot Death Kites, Grand Mariner, The Uncommonly Good, Jewel Eye, Teenage Halloween at Brighton Bar, TONIGHT, 9/24

Happy New Year

When I first started doing the weekly listings around here, I figured that it would be a nice, useful, informative post that I could put together and queue up weeks ahead of time. Well, anyone who knows me can tell you that I was kidding myself on the "weeks ahead of time" part. Today, though, I decided to get out a little in front of things. As I scanned this week's happenings, I remembered that I wanted to point out tonight's Brighton Bar show. As luck (or, maybe, careful planning) would have it, there's no school tomorrow because of Rosh Hashanah; so you can head out to celebrate the new year with some fine, fine music.

It's a diverse bill headed by Brooklyn noise rockers and general Yuppie Nightmare, Robot Death Kites. Howell surf punk / pop trio Grand Mariner join fellow New Jerseyites The Uncommonly Good (Shrewsbury hardcore), Jewel Eye (rock), and Teenage Halloween (latest project of the industrious and always busy Luke Henderiks) to round out the bill. It's the latest in the monthly Greggy's Den series of all ages shows, and it promises to be an excellent way to ring in 5775.











Doors for tonight's all ages show open at 7pm. It's 10 bucks.

L'shanah Tovah.