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.

Premiere: New Video from Michael VM

"Oh Susie"

At the end of last year, former Everymen frontman and our very good friend Michael VM, released his debut, solo album. the happiest man on earth traded the beer-soaked, sweaty rock of The Everymen for more subdued, more studied Americana. The album grew from the many changes that Michael had experienced in the preceding years, from marriage and impending fatherhood to his move to North Carolina to the loss of his mother.

It's that last, most devastating change that Michael VM addresses in the song "Oh Susie." Back in November, I wrote:

"Oh Susie" deals with Michael's despondency following the loss of his mother. The song itself, though, is a sonic party. It features handclaps, whistling, and a saxophone. It's possible to celebrate those we've lost even in our darkest moments of missing them.

Michael's partner in crime, Emily, has called the song "the happiest, saddest song there ever was."

Today, I'm happy to share Michael VM's video for "Oh Susie." The clip, shot by Madden Meiners, combines lyrics, live performance footage, and some joyful moments with friends and family into a montage that captures the idea of living the best life you can as a tribute to those you've lost.

Michael VM recently announced that he'd be playing a show back in his old NYC stomping grounds on Sunday, May 20th, at Mercury Lounge. It's an early show with doors at 5:30. Joining Michael VM on the bill will be Metal Mountains.



In other news, Michael's impending fatherhood recently changed to, simply, fatherhood as he and Emily welcomed a baby boy to the world. I'm sure, somewhere, Susie is smiling.

Michael VM, the happiest man on earth, 2017

Album Review

Beginnings, ends, loss, change, new beginnings. That's life. We don't move through all of those phases with the speed or ease that it takes to write them down, but they touch all of us at one point or another. Michael VM (neé Mike V) was the fearless leader of the New Jersey-born The Everymen for over six years. In the annals of rock music there have been few, if any, bands more appropriately named. The Everymen ground it out, releasing 3 albums and a slew of EPs, playing over 200 shows per year to both packed houses and empty rooms, and bringing it every night with the determination and abandon of a band that didn't have the powerful connections or big-money backing of some others. After doing their best to punch their way to that big break, The Everymen decided to call it quits sometime in 2016. The Everymen's farewell show this past May stands as one of the wildest, most joyful things I've experienced since starting this site.

Through all of that, Michael VM experienced big changes -- devastating loss, disappointment, and the elation of new beginnings. Thoughts and feelings piled up as he criss-crossed the country with his rock and roll band. Finally, Michael and his then-fiancé made the big decision to leave the Northeast -- the place where Michael had deep roots -- for North Carolina. The move opened up the floodgates of creativity, and the result is Michael VM's first solo album, the happiest man on earth.

In some ways, the happiest man on earth couldn't be more different than Michael VM's work with The Everymen. He trades wild, Jersey Shore-influenced rock and roll for mostly subdued Americana. He delivers his lyrics in a sometimes whispered drawl. In other ways, though, this is pure Mike V -- honest, straightforward, from-the-heart.

The album sets the scene with "His Name Is Jesus," a short, live recording of some gospel singers. Things then move into "Old Friend" and "Oh Susie," two tracks that -- atmospherically anyway -- remind me a bit of the work Cat Power did on The Greatest when Chan Marshall worked with The Memphis Rhythm Band. On "Old Friend," Michael VM speaks to someone (maybe himself) with whom he's lost touch over the years. "Oh Susie" deals with Michael's despondency following the loss of his mother. The song itself, though, is a sonic party. It features handclaps, whistling, and a saxophone. It's possible to celebrate those we've lost even in our darkest moments of missing them.

The middle section of the happiest man on earth becomes somber. Michael VM looks wistfully at his past on "Neon Light (A Song For Tuckerton)," addresses his decision to start anew in the South on "Chapel Hill" and "Nothing Good Happens After Midnight," and expresses anger and grief at the loss of his mother on standout track "Before The Moon."

Things turn hopeful in the album's final third.

"Handyman Blues" is a song with which I can identify. It features, simply, electric piano and Michael VM discussing how he's "a writer, not a decorator." "It may look like I'm just reading the paper, but these ideas I'll turn to gold dust later." "Before The Sun" uses the same lyrics as "Before The Moon," but the arrangement and the entire feel of the song convey a sense of acceptance and relief instead of anger and resentment. Both "A Girl Named Lou, Pt. 3" and "The Sinking Ship" feel darker, but both also give off the "you and me against the world" vibe that comes when two people are in it for the long haul together.

Michael VM headed to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record the happiest man on earth at Cypress Moon Studios with Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes), Albert Rothstein, and Jamie Sego. Joining him for the sessions were Joe Garner (bass), Jonathan Oliphant (pianos / organs), Jeremy Gibson (drums), Kimi Samson (viola), Caleb Elliott (cello / guitar), Scott Zillitto (sax / backing vocals), and Andy Baxter (backing vocals). The result sounds amazing. It's also authentic and honest, just like everything Michael VM (or Mike V) has done before.

the happiest man on earth is out now on Suah Sounds.