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.

The Messthetics Played Monty Hall with The Royal Arctic Institute, 7/11/19. They Play APYC with SHUT UP This Sunday, 7/21.

The Messthetics by Rose Lamela

Lyricless

Words and Pictures by Rose Lamela

Last Thursday I decided to stay local and hit up WFMU's Monty Hall. The Messthetics and The Royal Arctic Institute were the lineup on a rainy night in one of my favorite cities. I am not a big fan of instrumental music or anything related to jazz; but, after listening to The Messthetics' album, I was drawn by the fast drums and noisy guitar. I figured I would try them out live. Then I found out they were Brendan Canty and Joe Lally of the band Fugazi along with guitarist Anthony Pirog.

It was raining as if the world was coming to an end, which seems to be a constant in Jersey these days. I got to Monty Hall, and I was the first one there. My punctuality sometimes gets on my nerves. The paranoia of not getting a good spot takes up way too much of my brain. It was not crowded which is a preference these days. It was the perfect amount of people for what would be a super chill show.

The Royal Arctic Institute opened up the event. I had forgotten that they are also lyricless. The audience was very attentive which made the transference of their notes more open for reception. Their music is very peaceful; and, even though they have plenty of jazz sowed into their music, it didn't turn me off. I do prefer more upbeat music, but sometimes you need to take a step back and breathe. This is easy to do while they perform. I mostly enjoyed the tune "The Grubert Effect" which takes you out of their trance for a moment.

The Royal Arctic Institute

The Royal Arctic Institute

The Royal Arctic Institute

The Royal Arctic Institute

The Messthetics came out next to headline the show. I was drawn to the silver bell that drummer Brendan Canty has as part of his kit. After they started, I was just drawn to Canty, as he is fun to watch. The Messthetics consider themselves "Jazz Punk Jam," and I'm not quite sure what that means; but it was definitely jazz with a lot of noise. Whatever it is they or others describe them as, I found their music to be creative and original. Something that could not be played off if they weren't so connected as a band.

The Messthetics

The Messthetics

The Messthetics

The Messthetics

The Messthetics

The rain stopped, and I was able to walk to my car and not have to run for cover. I went into my car and blasted some Fugazi. It's great to get out of your comfort zone when it comes to going to see live music. For me, I'm back to the basics as soon as I turn on the car and take a minute to pull up something on Spotify for the way home. I'm always back to the noise and passion of rock and roll as I cruise out of Jersey City.

The Messthetics play a free show this Sunday, 7/21, at Asbury Park Yacht Club with SHUT UP. Check out all the pictures from last Thursday in Rosi's Flickr gallery.

Swearin' Played Monty Hall with Dark Thoughts, Long Neck, and Soft Center, 12/7/18

Swearin' by Rose Lamela

End of the Week

Words and Pictures by Rose Lamela

If there is one thing I have learned this year it is this; the best thing to do after a rough week is to hit a show with my cameras. Jersey City, my prefered destination, was where I was headed. I can get in the car, swirl my way through the confusing one ways, blast some Long Neck, and get a good parking spot.This time the parking spot was a bit rough as I might have jinxed my constant praise to the parking gods; but, because of my crazy parents with their punctuality lectures, I was early.

I sat in the car and did a rough Spotify browse of the bands I'd never heard before that were on the bill: Soft Center, Dark Thoughts, and Swearin all at WFMU’s Monty Hall. Long Neck, of course, didn’t require any browsing. Due to my show hopping earlier this year, I was already hooked.

It was exactly 8pm, and I walked a few blocks in the cold December air over to "The Old Monty." There was a ticket waiting for me, and I was one of the first listeners there. I chatted with a few people I know on the video crew and waited for the music to seep through my ear plugs.

Soft Center started us off with a very mellow flow, and I was particularly surprised that this was their second live performance. They sounded like a seasoned band and were very unified in their sound. Gina Pensiero's voice stood out to me. Her voice seemed different in a world of voices coming out of the indie world. It was refreshing. They played songs off their new album No Pattern. "The band is Gina Pensiero and Sean Lango," the bassist told me at the end of the set. "We are part of the live band," he said with a proud smile.

Soft Center

Soft Center

Soft Center

Soft Center

The next band to hit the stage was one of my favorite bands I have had the opportunity to see live this year. I have had the pleasure to see this native Jersey City band three times. This was the first band I covered for the blog, so I am very biased. Oh, and they kick ass live which might be another reason to be biased. They came on board with tons of energy as this was their last show of the year.They opened with the song "Elizabeth" which has become one of my favorite tunes. Deep down I always think Lily is singing about Exit 13 on the turnpike. Just a little wishful thinking. Or am I right?

Long Neck

Long Neck

Long Neck

Long Neck

Dark Thoughts came a-blazin' with some down and dirty punk. The three piece band from Philadelphia sped up the show, and it filled me up with something I've been missing. They have an authentic punk flavor to their songs that had me feeling like I didn't quite miss out on the 80s punk scene. It was happening now, and didn't matter that my ears would shatter if i didn't have my ear plugs on.

Dark Thoughts

Dark Thoughts

Dark Thoughts

Dark Thoughts

Next up was the headliner, and I could't help but notice the lead singer. She seemed familiar. I didn't realize it was Allison Crutchfield which a quick search later that night made the old light bulb go off. They brought the shy crowd closer to the stage, and the music rang. I love Allison's voice and stage presence. It was great that this band reunited so I can be a part of their nostalgic  musical gathering.

Swearin'

Swearin'

Swearin'

Swearin'

Swearin'

After the show all the anxieties of the week seemed to leave me. It's all in the experience of feeling the bass in your body, hearing words from the heart, and seeing music lovers come out in the cold. As I rode through one of my favorite Jersey locations and off into dark Route 7, I jammed out to "Elizabeth" for the gazillionth time. The week was finally over.

All of the pictures from the evening are in Rosi's Flickr galleries. Also, maybe give her a follow on Instagram at @rosi_music79.