Two Nights with Titus Andronicus and Control Top, 10/11 & 10/12, 2019

Titus Andronicus at Asbury Park Brewery

Asbury Park Brewery & Monty Hall

Last November, Titus Andronicus played Asbury Park's House of Independents. I, of course, made it out to that one. They also played Monty Hall in Jersey City the very next night. I had a ticket to that, too. The Asbury show was great. I was going through a real tough time then; and when Patrick Stickles got the whole room to chant "COOL-DAD! COOL-DAD!" it felt pretty nice, I gotta say.

The next night, I got in the car and headed out to make the drive up to Jersey City. I think, maybe, CoolMom had just gotten back from a business trip. My dad was in the hospital. I got to the corner of Hance Avenue and Newman Springs Road, where I'd normally make a left to head to the Garden State Parkway. I just kinda mindlessly turned right and headed back home to spend the evening with the family.

It's been a year, and I still have my ups and downs. After 38 days on the road, though, Titus Andronicus made their way back to New Jersey for two shows this weekend; and I wasn't missing either of them.

On Friday, the band played Asbury Park Brewery. Once again, CoolMom arrived home from a business trip that afternoon. We said hello to each other, enjoyed some pizza; and I headed out.

I love that the brewery has become a spot for bands who would probably otherwise skip Asbury Park on tour. It's not really my favorite place to take pictures, though. I just don't feel like I've figured it out. Something about the darkness, the blue lighting, the view into the storage / green room behind the performance area. I'm just rarely satisfied with the shots I take there.

On Friday, my thought process progressed from "I'm not bothering with a camera" to "I'll just bring the point and shoot" to "Well, maybe the crop sensor and one lens" to "I'm bringing the full frame and two lenses." I'm happy I finally settled on that.

Philadelphia's Control Top opened the show. Their debut LP Covert Contracts is one of my favorites this year, and I couldn't believe I hadn't seen them yet. They didn't disappoint. I'd put their sound somewhere between hardcore and post-punk. Lead singer / bassist Ali Carter is ferocious on the mic and delivers on the post-punk basslines. Al Creedon coaxes some wild sounds and noise from his guitar. Alex Lichtenauer is not only Control Top's virtuoso drummer, but they also run Get Better Records which features Control Top along with bands like Potty Mouth, Worriers, The HIRS Collective, Bacchae, and more.

Control Top at Asbury Park Brewery

Control Top

Carter put down the bass and made her way through the crowd during "Covert Contracts," climbing up on barstools and pallets, getting in audience members' faces to scream the song's chorus. Creedon's guitar on "Straight Jackets" sounded just as urgent as intense as it does on the record.

Super blurry and dark shot of Ali Carter in the crowd.

Control Top

Control Top

Control Top

Patrick Stickles came out a little after 9:30 and made his usual request that the crowd remain respectful and non-violent for the show -- "No macho bullshit." Just to set the tone, he started the evening with a solo rendition of "To Old Friends and New" from The Monitor. The rest of the band -- Liam Betson (guitar), Chris Wilson (drums), RJ Gordon (bass) -- joined him and launched into "Just Like Ringing a Bell," the opening track to this year's An Obelisk. Like most of that record, the song is a fast-paced rocker. The crowd got into it and went pretty hard. Everyone respected Stickles's wishes to keep things fun.

Titus Andronicus at Asbury Park Brewery

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

That remained true for the whole night. I remember, back at the old Lanes five years ago, bracing myself against the stage in anticipation of the onslaught that would follow "FUCK YOU!!!" during "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ" and still going home with a huge bump on my head from smashing it into my camera. I remember my whole ribcage being covered in bruises after an evening of being crushed against the stage at Warsaw. I even remember being picked up off the floor after ending up at the bottom of a scrum at Monty Hall a few years back. Titus Andronicus crowds have certainly grown up, at least around here.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Stickles introduced a pair of Local Business tracks -- "Ecce Homo" and "Still Life with Hot Deuce on Silver Platter" -- by pointing out that they hadn't been played in NJ in about five years. He called it a risky move, but the crowd rewarded the band with some real enthusiasm.

We were up against an 11pm curfew at the brewery, but Titus Andronicus managed to squeeze "The Battle of Hampton Roads," "A More Perfect Union," and "Titus Andronicus Forever" in just under the wire. The crowd danced and smiled all night. I got a few more shouts out from Patrick. It all got me pretty fired up for Night 2 in Jersey City.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

On Saturday, I got into Monty Hall at Around 8. Control Top took the stage at around 8:30 and absolutely brought it again. Carter made her way into the crowd again, kicked and screamed on the floor, got interactive with the crowd, tore off the flowy gown she was wearing over her dress and threw it into the audience. I dig this band.

Control Top

Control Top

Control Top

Control Top

Lighting was meh again, so the pics are a little dark and noisy. What can ya do?

Titus Andronicus played a set that stuck pretty closely to the one they played at the brewery. That was fine by me. Once again, the crowd was raucous but respectful. It got pretty hot inside the venue, and Stickles eventually ended up shirtless. The band left the stage following "Titus Andronicus Forever;" but, this time, the crowd managed to get them back out for an encore of "Titus Andronicus."

Titus Andronicus at Monty Hall

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

I drove home listening to sports talk radio recap the Yankees' win over the Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS. As I listened and drove, I thought about the hundreds and hundreds of bands I've covered here over the last seven years. I thought about becoming jaded and wanting maybe to pack it all in. And I thought about how, after all of that, things always come back around to where they started for me. How, after years of trying to keep this site "relevant" (whatever that means), after years of ups and downs, this whole thing is all just really about me fan-boying out to my favorite bands.

Too many pictures from both nights are up in the Flickr galleries.

Mudhoney Played White Eagle Hall with Shut Up and 50 Ft. Furies, 10/4/19

Mudhoney at White Eagle Hall

I Was, in Fact, Pretty Sick

Since before leaving for London with CoolMom, I've had some kind of upper respiratory nonsense that has left me feeling kinda shitty with a never-ending cough. I took it easy all week last week, but I wasn't about to miss our good pals Shut Up on their opening slot for the hugely influential Mudhoney at Jersey City's White Eagle Hall. So, I hopped into the CoolVan and made my way to Hudson County.

First of all, I'd like to say a special thanks to White Eagle Hall. Since they opened, they have been one of the most welcoming venues in the area to us. We here at CoolDad Music appreciate all of the support and access they've given us over the last couple of years. It's a beautiful space that puts on great shows; and, if you haven't been there yet, do make it a point to check it out when one of your favorite bands comes through.

I rolled in and got to say hi to Bob, Dan, and Jamie of Shut Up at the merch table as I was picking up my pass. I entered the performance space just as Jersey City's 50 Ft. Furies were taking the stage, and they absolutely blew me away. The band say they are "destroying the patriarchy one gig at a time." During their set, they took on targets like Brock Turner and Donald Trump. Even though the topics were serious, the delivery and the personality of the band couldn't have been more fun.

50 Ft. Furies

50 Ft. Furies

50 Ft. Furies

50 Ft. Furies

Asbury's Shut Up were up next, and they brought their usual relentless energy to tracks off of their recent Nope. The music is aggressive. Bob Paulos wails on the drums. Jamie Conner tosses her hair wildly while playing bass. Dan Matthews careens around the stage when he's not screaming at the mic. At the same time, Shut Up have such a good chemistry on stage that they make every show feel like a party among close friends.

Shut Up

Shut Up

Shut Up

Shut Up

As we waited for Mudhoney to take the stage, a few people pushed up to the front. "Is this your spot?" a woman asked me.

"I'm just gonna take pictures for three songs. Then you and your friends can have it," I said. She relayed that info to her friend, and I think they were both pretty happy about it.

Mudhoney came out and opened with "In 'n' Out of Grace" from their classic Superfuzz Bigmuff. They got to "Touch Me I'm Sick" about halfway through the set. By that point, I'd made my way up to the balcony; and I could see the crowd going nuts for every song. Throughout the set, it was easy -- and kind of amazing -- to hear the ways in which Mudhoney influenced bands that came after them, bands who've sold milllions of records from the 90s to today.

Mudhoney

Mudhoney

Mudhoney

Mudhoney

All in all, it was a feel-good night of music on a night when I wasn't feeling good. Getting out and seeing friends and a great show at a beautiful venue proved to be some pretty effective medicine.

Lucy Dacus Played White Eagle Hall with Mal Blum and Fenne Lily, 3/20/19

Lucy Dacus by Rose Lamela

No Sleep Til JC

All photos by Rose Lamela

I can tell I'm getting old. By Wednesday, I'd been back from Austin for about 4 days; and I was still feeling exhausted. I hadn't managed to get back on my exercise regimen or even do much posting here, instead just sitting in a chair and staring blankly into space most of the time. At some point earlier in the week, I'd remembered that I had tickets to see Lucy Dacus at White Eagle Hall. Renee from Lowlight would be joining me for the evening; so, as much as I probably could have benefited from turning in early, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to catch the show or to spend some time shooting the shit with Renee without the usual distractions of being in Asbury Park. Rosi, also recovering from her ATX experience, was there doing the heavy-lifting on photos.

We met up just after doors, and White Eagle Hall seemed pretty empty. This would change.

After some time spent chatting, we found a spot just a few rows back from the stage. Bristol, England's Fenne Lily kicked things off. It was just her and another guitarist, Joe. Lily has a dry sense of humor, and her stories about each song -- the relationships that inspired them, the conversations with her mum about them -- drew us all in and reduced the size of the big room.

Fenne Lily

Fenne Lily

Mal Blum was next. I hadn't seen them since, I think, Don Giovanni's New Alternative Music Festival in Asbury's Convention Hall a couple of years back. Mal still has their self-deprecating sense of humor and amiable personality. That comes through in the songs. They took advantage of having the full band behind them, and even dispensed with a planned solo song to continue rocking. I don't want to get anyone into trouble here, but they also teased that a new album was coming around summertime.

Mal Blum

Mal Blum

Over the course of 2018, Lucy Dacus's Historian grew to be one of my favorite albums of the year. When I saw that she and her band were coming to Jersey City, I snapped up tickets. Apparently, so did a lot of people because, by now, the room was absolutely packed. Dacus opened the set solo with a new, unreleased song and asked if we could please refrain from recording it. To my surprise, I think she got full compliance. Points for Jersey City.

Lucy Dacus

The band joined her; and they did an amazing rendition of "Addictions," maybe my favorite song from Historian. Dacus's voice was beautiful. The band was fantastic. Just before the set, Renee and I discussed maybe heading towards the back to relieve some of our claustrophobia after a few songs. We ended up remaining planted just where we were for the entire set.

Lucy Dacus

Lucy Dacus (can you spot me?)

At one point, Dacus gratefully remarked on how wonderful it is for a performer to see people singing along with their songs. She was rewarded with a full-throated audience singalong during "Night Shift" that gave me chills.

After an entire week of seeing some of my favorite bands and being blown away by new discoveries down in Austin, Wednesday night's show from Lucy Dacus in Jersey City still stands out. Even through my haze of old-guy, self-induced exhaustion.

If you haven't heard Historian yet, check it out.

The Hold Steady Played Stay Positive at White Eagle Hall. Kevin Devine Opened. 7/25/18

The Hold Steady from back in the crowd.

So! Much! Joy!

There's this Onion article from about a year and a half ago called "Man Spends Whole Day Dreading Fun Activity He Signed Up For." It contains great quotes like, "What the hell was I thinking? I have to take the train all the way downtown, stand in line, and then probably talk to people afterwards."

That sums me up pretty well, especially over the last several months. I get all excited when a show gets announced and pounce on tickets; and then, when the day finally arrives, I spend the whole time thinking about how I'm gonna have to find parking, and it's gonna be sold out and super-crowded, and it will be hard to see, etc. All of that stuff was going through my head on Wednesday as I got ready to head up to Jersey City's White Eagle Hall for The Hold Steady. One point in my favor was that Gentleman Jim had volunteered to drive, so the driving and parking stuff wasn't part of the equation. Another was that I wouldn't be shooting the show, so I wouldn't have any stress about arriving early and jockeying for position.

Oh, the other thing about me? Whenever I spend the whole day hemming and hawing about all the negatives associated with attending a sold-out show, I almost always end up having a great time. Wednesday would be the first night of The Hold Steady's "Constructive Summer" mini-tour; and, on this night, the band were celebrating the tenth anniversary of their album Stay Positive.

We got to White Eagle Hall maybe 30 minutes after doors. The Hold Steady fanbase is a rabid one, and the area in front of the stage was already pretty packed out. We just set up somewhere towards the rear, and not once did I worry about the negative impact that this would have on my ability to take pictures (That's a lie. I had my point and shoot like always, and I knew it would be next to useless during the headlining set, which did kinda bug me. But I digress.). I've been to White Eagle Hall several times now, and I'm still impressed with what a beautiful venue it is. Its other great feature is that, even during a sold-out show, it's comfortable. Some venues can feel kind of harrowing when packed to the gills, but there's always some breathing room to be found at White Eagle.

Kevin Devine opened the show at around 8:30. He played solo acoustic for about 45 minutes and was a trooper throughout. He gave the set his all even as the din in the room swelled to a dull roar as more and more people filed inside. It's gotta be a tough gig to be the acoustic opener for a rock band.

Kevin Devine

At about 9:45, The Hold Steady took the stage and launched right into Stay Positive's opening track, "Constructive Summer." Back in the summer of 2013, The Hold Steady opened the Stone Pony Summer Stage with that song. I can't hear it now without thinking about all the emotions that filled me upon hearing it as the first song of our first post-Sandy summer on the Jersey Shore. I'm a pushover that way sometimes.

From there, the band ran through Stay Positive front-to-back including bonus tracks "Ask Her for Adderall," "Two-Handed Handshake," and "Cheyenne Sunrise." Stay Positive is an interesting album for a live show like that in a few spots, I think. Songs like "One for the Cutters" and "Both Crosses" aren't necessarily sing along jams; but, for that reason, they're also relatively rare selections for a live set. Die-hard fans get a chance to hear things they don't hear at every show.

Singer Craig Finn played his usual jittery and jovial emcee. He'd step away from the mic to re-mouth the lyrics he just sang. He'd snap his fingers and spread his arms wide. The crowd sang just about every lyric -- even to those not-necessarily-sing-along jams. Arms were raised aloft. Confetti exploded up from the folks assembled in the front row.

The Hold Steady

Once the band were done with Stay Positive, they rattled off favorites from other records like "The Weekenders," "Stuck Between Stations," and "Your Little Hoodrat Friend." We got the first-ever live rendition of new single, "The Stove & The Toaster." They closed the main set with "How a Resurrection Really Feels."



The final song of the evening was "Killer Parties." As the band vamped the intro, Finn delivered thank yous and farewells. "You know what I'm gonna say... ...cause I always say it. There's..." and the crowd said it with him "SO! MUCH! JOY! in what we do up here." And it's always true. All of The Hold Steady's songs "are sing along songs," and just being a part of it is worth all the hassle of getting myself to a sold-out show.

Our good buddy Scotch LaRock was at the show, standing behind me. At one point early on, as I was singing along, he put his big arm around me and said, "It's good to see you happy."

The Hold Steady continue their tour with sold-out shows tonight, 7/27, at Philadelphia's Union Transfer and tomorrow night, 7/28, at the new Lanes in Asbury Park.

White Eagle Hall Celebrated Their First Anniversary with Rye Coalition, Will Wood and The Tapeworms, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives, and Long Neck, 5/5/18

Rye Coalition at White Eagle Hall

Happy Birthday!

This past Saturday, I headed back up to Jersey City to catch the first anniversary celebration for White Eagle Hall. It was a free show headlined by the band who opened the venue exactly one year ago, Jersey City's own Rye Coalition. Joining them on the bill were Will Wood and The Tapeworms, Long Neck, and our CoolDad Music Extended Family Band, The RockNRoll Hi-Fives.

I've attended a few shows at White Eagle Hall over the last 365 days; and, I have to say, it really is a great room. They've been booking some important touring acts as well as making room for local nights in their 800 cap space; and the staff there have been extremely accommodating to CoolDad Music, allowing contributor Rose Lamela and me press access to just about everything we've asked for.

Speaking of Rose, Saturday was the first time we ever met face-to-face. That was a nice treat. This Internet-connected world allows us to form so many virtual friendships, and it's always fun to make them real. I also think this means that this was the first time we ever had "double coverage" of a show by CoolDad Music. Be on the lookout for Rose's pics a little bit later.

Rosi and Joe

The whole show had a very casual party vibe about it. Lily Mastrodimos's Long Neck kicked things off with a very loose and amiable set that featured songs from the band's fantastic Will This Do? released early this year. Make sure you check it out. Albums that come out in January have a tendency to be forgotten as the year rolls along, and Will This Do? deserves to stay on your radar.

Long Neck

What can I say about The RockNRoll Hi-Fives? I've seen the Centenos more than my own family over the last month or so (This is 100% true.), and my heart fills to bursting every time they play. They had friends in the audience, and I'm sure they won over some new fans as well. The big stage at White Eagle Hall was a change from the smaller spaces the band played in Japan, and the jumps and high kicks were back. No confetti cannons this time, but they did bring celebratory beads that they tossed to the crowd.

The RockNRoll Hi-Fives

I don't know what it is about piano players, but they seem to make for the wildest and most animated frontpeople. Will Wood lived up to that in spades. During the set from Will Wood and The Tapeworms, Wood stood atop the keyboard to better elicit crowd participation, bounced high off of his bench, slammed the keys with his feet. At one point, the sax player wound his way through the crowd. The music and the performance were theatrical, and Wood is a charismatic and sardonic emcee.

Will Wood and The Tapeworms

Rye Coalition took the stage as celebratory balloons poured down from the balcony. They're a hard rocking five-piece who don't play that often anymore, and the crowd up front went pretty nuts for them. Singer Ralph Cuseglio spent a good portion of the set at the edge of the stage doling out hugs and kisses. The rest of the band and the crowd fed off of each other. The band lost themselves in a few extended jams, and Cuseglio passed around a bottle of whiskey only to exclaim, "You motherfuckers!" when it came back totally empty.

Rye Coalition

Saturday felt like not only a celebration of White Eagle Hall, but also a celebration of all that's been going on in Jersey City over the last year or more. I find myself up there more and more as venues like White Eagle Hall, Monty Hall, FM, and Pet Shop JC have been drawing me back up to Hudson County. I'm starting to recognize lots of the faces that I see at these shows (Rose told me she recognized me from a few places) over and over again.

Since starting this site, it's always been kind of strange to me that Monmouth and Hudson Counties could be in the same small state but still feel so far removed from one another. Hopefully, with more places for bands to play and for fans to meet, we'll see a little more cross-pollination and become closer neighbors.

Happy birthday, White Eagle Hall. I'll be back soon.

All of my pics from the evening are at the Facebook page and will be in the Flickr galleries when I get around to uploading them.