Relatively New Stuff from LKFFCT, latewaves, Lunch Ladies, and Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son

Lunch Ladies at The Saint back in March.

Digging Out

I've got an inbox full of new EPs, LPs, videos, songs -- many from friends of the site and artists we discuss here often. I've got 100s of pictures to edit from last night's release show for High Waisted and The Coax. Taking the easy way out as I begin to comb through over a week's worth of new and interesting material by calling your attention to a few bite-size morsels from some of our Garden State neighbors.

LKFFCT, "Hatchling"

Montclair indie rock quartet, LKFFCT, just released the first single from their upcoming Dawn Chorus. "Hatchling" sounds like it's about growing up, specifically as it pertains to an increasing willingness to listen to and be educated by others. It's kind of swirling, kind of psychedelic and goes out on a bit of a freakout that probably makes for some wild moments during a LKFFCT live set.

Catch the band this Saturday at Montclair's Meatlocker and next week as part of the second installment of the North Jersey Indie Rock Festival.

Dawn Chorus is out on 10/6 via Sniffling Indie Kids.



latewaves, "Face Down"

I've been kind of behind on Asbury Park's latewaves ("late" you might say). I see them in the listings all the time and have never managed to catch one of their shows. That changes tomorrow when they play a set at the third annual Bond St. Block Party in their hometown.

The trio recently signed to Panic State Records; and their debut EP, Partied Out, is due on 9/22. Earlier this week, latewaves released a video for single "Face Down."

The Chris Shashaty-directed video depicts a ghost and the Grim Reaper moving aimlessly through life until they ultimately find each other. The song is big and bruising with stylistic callbacks to 90s alt rock and more recent post-hardcore.

I'm pretty excited to see latewaves tomorrow.



Lunch Ladies, "Pick Yourself Up"

Back in March, when Jersey Shore-based Lunch Ladies released Down on Sunset Strip, CDM contributor Stephen Stec had this to say about "Pick Yourself Up:"

"It sounds like what your Real Estate LP sounds like played at double time; an absolute bopper that's probably the most fun and light-hearted sounding tune off the album. It just might be the most heavily resonating, a song that feels like waking up and opening your window to a morning so sweet, you've got to take a walk or go running and just do something generally weird to better yourself while appreciating the little things in life."

I liked that then; and, now that Lunch Ladies have released a new video for the track, I like it even more. Director Ed Hellman captures the fun, retro vibe of the song as he documents the band doing band things like playing and eating at diners.

Down on Sunset Strip is out now on Good Eye Records and is quite awesome.



Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son, "Another Deadbeat Summer"

Remember Neon Indian's seminal chillwave track, "Deadbeat Summer?" Yeah. This isn't that. Bobby Mahoney and The Seventh Son are Jersey rockers through and through with a sound that draws from Springsteen, The Gaslight Anthem, and the brashness of our home state.

Originally recorded for the band's Friends in Low Places, the song has become a (if not the) highlight of the band's live set. Having grown up with the song, the band decided to re-record it and release it as part of a single to close out Summer of 2017, release details of which are forthcoming.



...OK. That's it for now. I'll get to more stuff in the coming days.

Thanks for a Great Weekend!

Natalie Newbold of dollys

Five More Years

Saturday night was truly amazing. The RocknRoll Hi-Fives, Smalltalk, Shellshag, and dollys constituted pretty much a dream line-up for me; and they all turned in great sets. As usual, it was fun to hang and talk to everyone. I think we even fostered a new best-band-friends relationship between The RocknRoll Hi-Fives and Shellshag.

The RocknRoll Hi-Fives

Smalltalk

People onstage and off said some really inspiring and validating things to me throughout the night. That had me tearing up a few times, and it also strengthened my resolve to keep going and to try and make CoolDad Music the best it can be -- whatever that is.

Shellshag

dollys

Thank you to everyone who helped put the show together: the bands, Angie, MJ, Jenn, The Asbury Lanes Family, and everyone else behind the scenes. Thank you to everyone who showed up to the show; and, even if you couldn't make it, thank you for five-years' worth of support. Thank you, of course, to CoolMom for putting up with CoolDadMusic and for putting up with my increasing stress levels as the day got closer. Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out about the show including YouDontKnowJersey.com, Makin Waves, BlowupRadio.com, Babez In Boyland, Speak Into My Good Eye, Mike, and any other outlet or individual who shared out the info. And thank you to anyone I forgot to mention.

I was pretty much dead for most of Sunday, but there was no resting. Little Dickman Records and I had our re-scheduled date with Kino Kimino at The Saint. It was TARRAlicious as Tarra Thiessen played with Kino Kimino, Ex-Girlfriends, and Sharkmuffin for what must have been her 298th, 299th, and 300th shows in the last two or three months. EVL MOMMZ made their Asbury debut. Lunch Ladies closed things out. Tarra got two cakes in honor of her 27th birthday, which is today.

EVL MOMMZ

Ex-Girlfriends

That one also had a nice turnout, especially considering it was Sunday night; and it was fun to introduce Kino Kimino and Asbury Park to each other while watching Sharkmuffin and Ex-Girlfriends let loose on the last night of their long tour.

Kino Kimino

Sharkmuffin

Lunch Ladies

I'm going to take it easy today. Edit some pictures. Maybe put up a guest post. I'll be back after it post-SXSW / post-Anniversary in the next day or two. Stay tuned. I'm in the process of putting pics up into the Flickr galleries, so check there for everything.

And, as always, thank you for giving me any of your precious time.

Lunch Ladies, Down on Sunset Strip, 2017

Album Review

by Stephen Stec

Perspective is a funny thing. It's the reason why Lunch Ladies just released a debut album with seven of the best songs that anyone in New Jersey has written this year. The reason is as clear to see as their music is hazy to hear. Down on Sunset Strip is life-affirming because of the way the record interacts with the people listening. It's a record of seven songs with a range of pace and emotions that revolve around your own world, whirling with the listener as new meaning warps around the ways life changes every day alongside every new spin of these songs.

The band make that easy to see as the first sound on Down on Sunset Strip marks the first box off the checklist with the signal of every great pop record from 1964 onwards: smashing out the "Be My Baby" drumbeat over drenched and dreamy guitarwork, much in the same way as like-minded, noise pop forebears, Deerhunter and the Jesus and Mary Chain. A clear letter of intent for the sonic assault via pop bliss to come, "Sunshine" is a song that should inspire a few kids to pick up a guitar. One of the most intense and swelling intros of the year soars close to the heavens with perfectly accompanied vocals knowingly cooing what the listener hears as obvious, a song full of otherworldly radiance.

"You're Not There" might be the best song on the record and would feel right at home as probably the best song on any Beach Fossils record too, which is always nice; but things really start to take off again with "Love Is Overrated," another tune with that cinematic sound. And the band is at it again by absolutely nailing the intro, building one of the best and most interesting opening grooves anyone has heard in a long time with interlocking guitar and bass play that continues to swell to the point of pop perfection and a chorus that should soundtrack the haunted VHS of a 1950s prom night gone wrong. Exactly what you'd expect from the best American shoegaze band to come from the States since the Swirlies.

"Lazy" jolts open with boy and girl vocals that rush and whirl around distorted and driving chords and super fun sections that feel like a nice progression within the record and maybe even a sign of things to come. What was the biggest song of last year, "Hotline Bling" or something? "Pick Yourself Up" is going to be the "Hotline Bling" for the shoegaze kids in 2017. It sounds like what your Real Estate LP sounds like played at double time; an absolute bopper that's probably the most fun and light-hearted sounding tune off the album. It just might be the most heavily resonating, a song that feels like waking up and opening your window to a morning so sweet, you've got to take a walk or go running and just do something generally weird to better yourself while appreciating the little things in life.

The words and sounds of these songs take on new meanings and connotations when evoking your own distant memories wrapped in the gauze of your own Sunset Strip. These seven songs rush and revolve around the way your own world turns. Lunch Ladies are like the Byrds of shoegaze, with some of the most talented individual songwriters to come out of their respective scene coming together to combine their efforts on a record where somehow, thankfully, the sum IS more than the parts. Seven songs that could only come from a place with four seasons, Down on Sunset Strip leads the pack for one of the finest albums of the year and deserves to be added to the canon of the greatest alternative albums to ever come out of New Jersey.

An Interview with the Artist: Cynthia Rittenbach on Creativity, Punk, The Scene, and Her Three Favorite People

Stephen Stec: At the advent of Lunch Ladies, you cited the influential 80s Glasgow band The Pastels as a major influence. On the liner notes of their best album, they wrote "Please don't think of us as an Indie band because it was never meant to be a genre." If you worked at a record store, what genre would you file Lunch Ladies under?

Cynthia Rittenbach: (tons of laughter) This is a tough question! It's a question I don't like asking myself… Everyone says that we're dream pop but I don't like that term at all because I don't think of us as a dream pop band.

Cynthia Rittenbach

SS: What does dream pop mean to you?

CR: They all kind of sound the same!

SS: You feel that you have aspirations and influences that are maybe, a bit more far-reaching?

CR: Yeah! I think of my music as a sum of all the influences that I listen to and then I try to make music that I enjoy, so to just call that "dream pop" sort of feels like...

SS: A cop out?

CR: Yeah!

SS: Would you take the "dream" off of it? Would you just call Down on Sunset Strip "pop" music?

CR: I would call it pop music because I want it to be enjoyable to many people. I want it to be popular. I want to write catchy songs that people listen to.

SS: So, the basis of Lunch Ladies music comes from pop music, like Pop with a capital "P?"

CR: Not necessarily! We're rock, we're shoegaze… I GUESS a little bit dream pop because our guitar sounds are quite dreamy. It technically is dreamy music.

CDM: I think everyone who knows you or has personally spoken to you over the years, they all know how big of an influence Joan Jett had on you during your formative years. Has anyone else been a big influence on the person or writer you are right now?

CR: Well, recently, Lizzy Mercier Descloux. She's definitely the most recent and a big influence in a lot of ways.

SS: What about a littler deeper into the past? What did you listen to growing up?

CR: Hmm, I'd have to think about that… (doesn't think too long). The Smiths! Obviously… I remember my first Smiths album, I was in middle school. It was the first record I ever put on my record player and I just really liked that one, Meat is Murder. I can't remember if that was before or after Joan but yeah, the Smiths and Morrissey. Morrissey really shaped who I am. I'm a lot like Morrissey, you know?

SS: That makes a lot of sense. It feels like the influence of The Smiths pops up time and time again throughout Down on Sunset Strip, both in the overall tone of the music but also in your vocal delivery. The Morrissey influence is absolutely apparent, but I'd say it even goes beyond that. Just the way Johnny Marr would take little bits of old Motown tunes or Chic songs, stuff that people wouldn't really expect him to be influenced by.

CR: Yeah, absolutely! I was in the car the other day listening to the bass really loud because I play bass now, and even the drums, they were just really powerful but REALLY reminded me of the way that Peter drums.

Photo: Daniel Topete

SS: Who is responsible for how Lunch Ladies songs begin? How does the creative process of Lunch Ladies transpire?

CR: Matt Whitley and I work very well together over the internet. He has his Bandcamp and is always posting stuff to his Bandcamp. He actually writes a lot quicker than me and freely. He has a demo like every other day.

SS: He's a bit more prolific than you, yeah?

CR: Yeah. I write when I can get myself to sit in the basement for a while, then every once in a while, I'll write something I really like. When I do, I send it to Matt or the band. Every once in a while we have something that we want to bring to the practice and work it out. When we have a song, one is leading the songwriting because that's what we started, and then everyone brings their own part to it.

SS: The song starts as a sketch or fragment then everyone just sort of paints it in with their own personality and colors? Does everyone write their own part?

CR: Yeah, but for the next album, we want it to be even more collaborative. We'll probably write stuff at home and bring it still. That actually works pretty well because that's what we have to do. We start with an idea, we each individually have any idea for a song; and, usually, we're not at practice when it happens. Unless we start jamming a little bit.

SS: Does that slowly revolve and snowball a little bit?

CR: Sometimes we'll get a groove we like and start a song off of that. It's either one of those.

SS: Is there anyone making music that you're jealous of?

CR: I'm a little jealous of Sunflower Bean! They're a bit of a big inspiration to me, mostly because I think they're really cool. They're very smart, they did so many shows.

Photo: Daniel Topete

SS: What was your favorite band you ever opened up for?

CR: Paper Streets.

SS: This is an interview, not a joke.

CR: Let me think of all the bands I've opened for in my life… Nicole Atkins, the Lonely Biscuits, SWMRS, White Reaper… we're opening for the Garden but that doesn't count. Oh, when I was younger, I opened up for Cherie Currie! We took an awkward picture with her… she hated us.

SS: That's a good one. You get so many gigs these days that I feel like I see Lunch Ladies playing shows around New Jersey every weekend, but is there any scene you feel particularly aligned to?

CR: Well first, I feel very close to Asbury Park. Always. But also, even more than Asbury Park these days, it's New Brunswick. We play there so much. We've played like twice in Asbury Park this year. It's a lot easier playing in New Brunswick.

SS: Why do you think that is?

CR: Proximity, basically. I think because of how close everyone is. In New Brunswick, especially just starting out, bands don't really have a big draw or the ability to bring many people but it doesn't matter there. Even when you're a new band, on the right night, you could really play to a packed room of people.

SS: That makes sense. Certain spots in New Brunswick sort of have a built in crowd. Could you talk about some of the NJ bands that you're really excited about that you get to play with sometimes?

CR: We've played with Spowder and they're at our album release show. I mean the few times I've watched them… we've played with them at the Meatlocker, I remember that. Their guitarist, I really like their style. They've got a girl on bass and a girl on drums and then their lead singer is this like badass guy. He just has so much attitude! I mean, they're not really like the Germs but just like…

SS: That same vibe, sort of the same feel...

CR: Yeah, just that feel to it that they're so punk! It's like, so much punk spirit. It's cool to see in 2017.

SS: It stands out a bit.

CR: It's cool to feel that in the present-day.

SS: If you could tour with any band, it doesn't have to be one you know personally, who would it be?

CR: Right around the time Lunch Ladies started, I had told Marissa Paternoster (Screaming Females) that I wanted to tour with her. (folds hands) I went up to her and told her, "Marissa, I really want to tour with you," and she was just like, ".... oh. Okay. Here's a tater tot." (Laughs) It was at the Asbury Lanes stage. She signed her Rose Mountain record for me, I have it right here! (stops the interview to grab it)

Photo: Daniel Topete

SS: Very cool. Just like Marissa, just like Cynthia! What would be on your rider for that first tour?

CR: Hopefully I'm not drinking too much, but beer. A Red Stripe, please.

SS: How are relations with the record label?

CR: Good, we have a group chat.

SS: Are you goth?

CR: People at my job think so.

SS: You have a job. So what are some things other things that you do outside of the band?

CR: I've been reading a lot more lately. I have friends that have been giving me books.

SS: What was your favorite book growing up though?

CR: Probably like 1984.

SS: What's on your record player right now?

CR: A KD Lang record.

SS: The dinner table question is typical but requisite. In a slightly altered state, dead or alive, with you in the driver seat, what three people would you take to fill out your car for a drive?

CR: Morrissey, Nicole Atkins, and Joan Jett.

SS: What do you do for fun in your hometown?

CR: Nothing, fuck everyone here

SS: What is one place that you'd want to visit?

CR: Berlin.

SS: Who is the funniest person in Lunch Ladies?

CR: Well, Matt and Matt are pretty silly but I'd say I am! (laughter ensues, for no reason)

SS: What's your favorite Lunch Ladies song to play live?

CR: Well, we've been playing the songs we have for a year, for quite a while, so I can't really tell which is my favorite to play…. Oh! Probably the noise jam at the end because we just get to rock out and it's like totally different every time.

SS: Is there a song on Down on Sunset Strip that surpassed your expectations after it was recorded?

CR: All of them! But "Sunshine," I was really excited to hear it mixed / mastered because I had all my vocal harmonies on it and… it was just meant to be mixed. I was very excited to hear how it would sound a bit more produced, some reverb on it and stuff.

SS: Any big plans for Lunch Ladies coming up throughout the rest of the year?

CR: Well, we're playing with the Garden, so I'm really looking forward to that. I'll keep you updated!

Down on Sunset Strip is out now via Good Eye Records.

Lunch Ladies play a release show tonight, March 10th, at New Brunswick's J House with Whiner, Spowder, Professor Caveman, and Sunflower.  The Band are in Philadelphia tomorrow, March 11th, at Falafull House with Ellen Siberian-Tiger, Brackish, and Whiner.

On March 26th, Lunch Ladies are part of a bill presented by CoolDad Music and Little Dickman Records at The Saint that also features Kino Kimino, Ex-Girlfriends, Sharkmuffin, and EVL MOMMZ.

New Lunch Ladies Single

Photo: Daniel Topete

"Love Is Overrated"

Lunch Ladies released the second single from their upcoming Down On Sunset Strip yesterday. In a bit of mind-blowing marketing brilliance, the band gave us "Love Is Overrated" on Valentine's Day.

The song exudes a retro-, 50s-ish vibe. The guitars sway and weep as Cynthia Rittenbach croons, "Love is overrated, and I'm happy in my room." It's a feeling we've all had at one time or another, and Lunch Ladies capture it with beautiful simplicity.

Listen to "Love Is Overrated" and then check out Lunch Ladies at one of their upcoming dates, which I have dutifully listed for you below.

Down on Sunset Strip is due from Good Eye Records on March 10th.



Lunch Ladies Dates:

2/15 (uh... TONIGHT) - Shea Stadium - Brooklyn, NY
3/9 - The Footlight - Ridgewood, NY
3/10 - The J House - New Brunswick, NJ (release show)
3/11 - Falafull House - Philadelphia, PA
3/26 (Little Dickman Records / CoolDad Music Present) - The Saint - Asbury Park, NJ
4/14 - Brighton Bar - Long Branch, NJ

New Track from Lunch Ladies. Playing The Saint Tonight, 1/23, w/ Kino Kimino, Fruit & Flowers, EVL MOMMZ.

Lunch Ladies released a new single today and return to The Saint in Asbury Park tonight.

"Pick Yourself Up"

A couple of weeks ago, I told you about the upcoming debut album from New Jersey's Lunch Ladies. Down on Sunset Strip is out via Good Eye Records on March 10th; and, today, Lunch Ladies released the first single.

"Pick Yourself Up" is a soaring bit of dream pop featuring some slightly overdriven and jangly guitars from Matt Whitley and Matt Ramiz along with some upbeat drum... ...well... ...beats from Peter Gargano and an ethereal, crooning vocal from Cynthia Rittenbach. The song includes a swaying outro that lends to the dreamy, retro vibe.

Lunch Ladies are braving the elements along with Kino Kimino, Fruit & Flowers, and EVL MOMMZ tonight, January 23rd, to play live at The Saint in Asbury Park. That show is just $5 and brought to you by Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music. Check out "Pick Yourself Up" below, and come see the band play it tonight at The Saint.

Lunch Ladies Announce Debut Full-Length on Good Eye Records

Photo: Daniel Topete

Down on Sunset Strip

New Jersey dream pop quartet, Lunch Ladies, have announced that they'll be releasing their debut full-length with Good Eye Records. Down on Sunset Strip is due on March 10th, 2017 via digital release.

Whenever I've had the chance to see Lunch Ladies live, their sound has taken me back to hazy memories of my own past growing up here on the Jersey Shore. Matt Whitley (vox, guitar), Cynthia Rittenbach (vox, bass), Matt Ramiz (vox, guitar), and Peter Gargano (drums) fuse shoegaze, dream and jangle pop, painting images that roll by like old, faded photographs. The guitars create a cinematic backdrop as each of the three singers takes their turn at lead vocals. I've always been impressed at the way a young band is able to conjure such familiar images in an old guy like me.

Anyway...

You can check out the tracklist for Down on Sunset Strip below along with Lunch Ladies' current list of upcoming shows. And, would you look at that? One of those upcoming dates happens on January 23rd at The Saint in Asbury Park when Little Dickman Records and CoolDad Music bring you Kino Kimino, Fruit & Flowers, Lunch Ladies, and EVL MOMMZ for the very friendly price of just $5.

Give Lunch Ladies a like on Facebook, follow Good Eye Records on Soundcloud, or keep it tuned right here for continued updates on Down on Sunset Strip. Congrats to our friends in Lunch Ladies and at Good Eye Records. May you have a long and fruitful relationship.

Down on Sunset Strip tracklist:

01: Sunshine

02: You’re Not There

03: Love Is Overrated

04: Sad Jeans

05: Lazy

06: Bumming Too Much

07: Pick Yourself Up

Lunch Ladies dates:

1/23 - The Saint - Asbury Park, NJ

1/28 - Blackburn Hall - Watchung, NJ

2/07 - The Meatlocker - Montclair, NJ

2/15 - Shea Stadium - Brooklyn, NY

3/10 - The J House (Album Release) - New Brunswick, NJ

4/14 - Brighton Bar - Long Branch, NJ

Shellac, Shannon Wright, Ghost Camp, Frontyards, and Lunch Ladies, 10/21-10/23/16

Shellac by Ken Geiger

Broken Pipes and Steve Albini

by Ken Geiger

Ghost Camp, Frontyards, Lunch Ladies at Paradise: Lost, 10/21/16

Without any plans on Friday night, I realized that I was in New Brunswick and there is always a show to attend. So, after a few scrolls through various event invites, I noticed that Lunch Ladies would be playing at Paradise: Lost with Ghost Camp and Philadelphia natives Frontyards. I knew about Lunch Ladies' music and had heard good things about the latter two bands, so my Friday night plans were settled then and there.

First band I caught for the night was Lunch Ladies. I remember seeing these guys starting out early on and skipping out on them, because they simply were not in my musical spectrum of interest at the time. But seeing them now, I could tell their evolution to a full-on shoegaze / dream pop type band has been paying off for them. They sounded tighter as a unit, the songs are pretty catchy now; and I hope that the album they have been working on for some time drops soon. It's the curiosity over how they will be able to contain their reverb-soaked sound within the confines of a studio that draws me to that. I recommend checking them out if they roll into your area for a show.

The next time I ventured back down to the confines of the Paradise Lost basement, Frontyards were on.  All I can really say is that this is a band you just have to see live in order to kind of understand what they are all about. Sure, they had some moments where they messed up whatever song they were playing. Yes, the audience was crashing into them at some points (and even broke one of the water pipes, too). But these guys reveled in that crazy environment with the upbeat nature of their music. Perfection is not everything in a live setting, and Frontyards showed that sometimes the most fun you can have at a performance is when things do not go according to plan.

Frontyards by Ken Geiger

After that pipe broke, I did not think the show could possibly carry on. But the owners made sure to give Ghost Camp the performance they were promised. And the band made every second count. Growing up a kid that was raised on new wave by his father made me appreciate that influence that Ghost Camp brings into their music. It fits in with the tinges of jangly pop and shoegaze they add into the mix. Does this sound make up the “witch-punk” genre of which Ghost Camp claims to be a member?  Who the hell knows honestly?  I am listening to their new album Great Lakes as I type this out in hopes of figuring out the answer. Maybe that's a question they can answer sometime. For now, I will label it as "good music."

Shellac and Shannon Wright at The Bell House, 10/23

After spending Saturday inside, I spent my Sunday going into New York City to see Shellac and Shannon Wright at the Bell House. Shellac had sold out two shows at this venue, and the fact that they even let one of them be 18+ was a blessing for a young fan like myself to witness. When I made it to the area of the venue I was greeted by a familiar face in Killer Waves bassist / Halicarnassus mastermind, Joe Manginelli, waiting, like me, for doors to open.  It's always great to have friends at shows, especially if it is in a bit of a sketchy area like Bell House is (They make NYC tour buses here. I'm convinced this area was just the birthplace of all the scum in the city.).

First act of the night was Shannon Wright, who at first appeared to be the polar opposite of the type of music Shellac does. Her songs were intricate in structure. She made some busy work of her guitar with a great finger picking style and had a much more melodic singing voice than Steve Albini or Bob Weston usually have. As the set went on though, I realized that they had a lot more in common than I originally conceived. Her chord choices were very interesting; and often, at times, quirky, almost reminding me of some Primus bass slapping (which can be a little hard to believe, I know). Her stage presence also was nothing extravagant, just straightforward. It was all about the music for Shannon, and in that sense, I can tell why Shellac picked her to open. She definitely made a few new fans with that set.

Shannon Wright by Ken Geiger

Then came the moment many of us were waiting for: Chicago's own Shellac. Although Albini and Weston are more known for their vast producing work, Shellac is nothing to sleep on. These guys have not played in quite a few years, but their precision in tackling their material is second to none. The fact that they never counted in for any of the songs is extremely impressive. Along with the music, though, there are several parts of a Shellac show to marvel at that I must touch upon as well.

First of all, is Steve Albini and Bob Weston's gear. Aside from the fact that they play very rare aluminum guitars from Travis Bean, they also managed to build their own custom amps. Those are just as essential to their sound as the guitars and songwriting. Those things are LOUD. Warning to anyone who wants to see this band live: You should stand center stage by the drums, or you will only hear Albini or Weston playing. The amps are THAT commanding. Along with the impressive gear though, is also the humor the band injects to their shows. Whether it was Q&As with the audience (I was lucky enough to ask Steve about discussing beef jerky with Neurosis), Steve talking to his "roommate" Jesus about hummus, or drummer Todd Trainer infamously yelling out "hard rock and pussy," the band knew how to keep the the audience laughing in between their manic tunes. I do not know if I expected to be riddled with laughter that much by the end of that show. I guess that’s another reason why Shellac has garnered such a great reputation over the years.

Shellac have a few more shows on the East Coast before they go back into hiding for God knows how long, so I suggest going to see before them before it's too late. Who knows the next time we will be blessed with great music AND great comedy of this caliber?

High Waisted Played Brighton Bar with Teenage Halloween, Lunch Ladies, and Trans Charger Metropolis, 7/14/16

High Waisted

Party in the Back

Back in April, I wrote about my then obsession with High Waisted's On Ludlow. That really hasn't subsided. The album has been one of my goto records for late-night drives back from Asbury Park or Brooklyn, and it is just solid solid from front to back. I caught the second half of one of High Waisted's sets at South By Southwest; but, since then, the stars have never aligned so that I could see them again. On Thursday night, they finished up their recent tour at Long Branch's Brighton Bar and were even better than I could have expected.

It was an eclectic bill featuring the GBV-inspired rock and power pop of Trans Charger Metropolis, the shoegaze / dream pop of Lunch Ladies, and the heartfelt pop punk of Teenage Halloween in addition to the headliners. All of the openers turned in fine sets, Trans Charger Metropolis not showing any of the rust of an extended layoff and the two younger bands playing to an enthusiastic crowd of friends.

Trans Charger Metropolis

Lunch Ladies

Teenage Halloween

High Waisted played almost all of the songs from On Ludlow, including surf instrumentals "Shanghai Spy" and "Kitchen Safari." At the end of "Hey Hey," Emily from Dentist turned to me shaking her head and just said, "That is a great song." Singer Jessica Louise Dye made all of her demanding vocal parts seem easy -- even after a 3-week tour of singing night after night -- and she and guitarist Stephan Nielsen squeezed some of the most amazing tones out of their rigs. They closed with an aggressive cover of classic "Miserlou" that was just amazingly fantastic.

High Waisted

Pics of all the sets are in the Flickr galleries and on the Facebook page. High Waisted return home to New York tonight with a show at Knitting Factory Brooklyn that also features Total Slacker and Lionlimb.

Ringo Deathstarr Played The Saint for Little Dickman Records' FUZZ FEST w/ Dentist, Dan Waszay and The Blackouts, Dinowalrus, and Lunch Ladies, 4/8/16

Ringo Deathstarr

Austin In Asbury Park

There wasn't any parking right on Main as I pulled past The Saint on Friday night. I made the left onto Monroe and parked there. A rumble of sound shook the car, and it took me a second to realize that what I was hearing was Ringo Deathstarr's soundcheck from inside The Saint, across the street. Oh. This was going to be good.

Little Dickman Records have been trying to bring some new sounds to Asbury Park. In the past, they've gotten some bands from NYC / Brooklyn who don't play our area very often to come through: Dirty Fences, BOYTOY, Lost Boy ?, Sharkmuffin. They've put on shows with bands from out west like LA's Girl Tears and Tuscon's Burning Palms. On Friday, the label had put a show together around Austin's Ringo Deathstarr and the UK's Desert Mountain Tribe. Dinowalrus from Brooklyn, Dentist, Dan Waszay and The Blackouts, and Lunch Ladies filled things out. Unfortunately, visa issues prevented Desert Mountain Tribe from making it to the show; but it still ended up being an evening of music where every band were on their game.

While calling the event FUZZ FEST may have given the impression that all of the bands would be coming from similar sonic places, things ended up being extremely eclectic. There wasn't much very fuzzy about the first two acts. Lunch Ladies kicked things off with a set of jangly dream pop. Dinowalrus brought some synth-infused post punk. Both bands had a pretty large early crowd and play around with different sounds that always draw me in.

Dan Waszay and the Blackouts were playing their first show under that name, I believe, and were very impressive. The band expand Waszay's dark, expansive, alone on a desert highway rock into a full-band format that also features Amy Malkoff, Frank Calabrese, and Sarah Smith. Dentist were playing their first show back from Austin and sounded as good as ever. The increased confidence they acquired over a few weeks of touring shone through in their performance, and the crowd could feel it.

Austin's Ringo Deathstarr closed things out with a wall of noise worthy of some of the shoegaze legends I love so much. Unlike those bands, though, Ringo Deathstarr bring some other influences to bear on their sound, even including things like hooks in many of their songs. The band engaged the audience throughout the set and included a pair of impromptu and improvised covers of System Of A Down (couldn't tell you the title of a single song) and Metallica (an interesting take on "Enter Sandman"). Once I finished taking pictures, I just took everything in and became a forever fan of this band.

It's pretty rare for a bill that's five bands deep to deliver during every, single set. There really weren't any weak spots on Friday; and Little Dickman deserves kudos for putting together something so solid and fresh for the area.

You can check out pics from the evening in either the Flickr galleries (full rez) or on the Facebook page (squished rez).