New Jersey. Jersey Shore. Asbury Park. Covers, baby!
10. Yawn Mower, "Margaritaville" (Jimmy Buffett)
The first time I heard the guys do this one, I think, was at Trenton's Millhill Basement. It had to be a nod to Jimmy Buffett superfan, Chris Dickman, who was there because Little Dickman Records and I were co-presenting the show. The song was barely recognizable then. Now, it's recognizable as both Buffett and Yawn Mower. It has that Yawn Mower drone that's, weirdly, doomy and fun at the same time.
9. SLEEPiES, "I Wanna Holler" (Gary U.S. Bonds)
I love SLEEPiES. Jersey loves Gary U.S. Bonds. This one is from about 20 years before he started collaborating with The Boss, and SLEEPiES give it a western-y vibe for 2017.
8. Jonathan Rado, "Thunder Road" (Bruce Springsteen)
C'mon. This had to be here. It's a pretty faithful rendition of a song for which I have every little vocal inflection from the original committed to memory. It comes from Rado's full-album cover of Born to Run.
7. Low Cut Connie, "Controversy" (Prince)
This one falls into that category of a cover that's a perfect match for the artist (See below). Prince is a clear influence on Low Cut Connie's Adam Weiner, and this is a fitting tribute.
6. Well Wisher, "Teenage Dirtbag" (Wheatus)
Well Wisher, the project of former dollys drummer Natalie Newbold, has been covering this one since they began. The song is like an O. Henry story with that cool twist ending. You can find the studio version featuring Newbold (vocals / guitar), Erik Kase Romero (bass), and Mike Lindardi (drums) over at Well Wisher's website. This is a video shot by YouTube user Nathen Hutchison.
5. Sharif Mekawy of Looms, "Hummingbird" (Wilco)
"Hummingbird" is, by far, my favorite post-Jay Bennett Wilco song. Mekawy did this as part of the I'll Be Around Wilco tribute album (on which, amazingly, nobody covered "Jesus Etc.," the song from which the comp takes its title) to benefit The Project Matters. I could listen to this version 1000 times, and I probably have.
4. dollys, "The Way You Make Me Feel" (Michael Jackson)
I first heard dollys do this one at the Indie Pop Winter Formal I threw at The Saint to start 2016. To kick off 2017, they released this on the Covers tape they put out with Little Game Records to benefit Planned Parenthood. dollys do an amazing job here of translating this very 80s pop classic into their own three-piece format.
3. Charly Bliss, "Steal My Sunshine" (Len)
I went to the release show for Charly Bliss's Guppy back in May, and they busted out this cover of Len's "Steal My Sunshine." I remember thinking back then that the combination of bubblegum pop and 90s nostalgia was a perfect match for Charly Bliss. I guess it was an easy choice for them when they went in to do an A.V. Undercover session.
2. Daddy Issues, "Boys of Summer" (Don Henley)
This is a great, great song. I went to the second or third ever concert of my life (Don Henley / Katrina and The Waves) on the strength of this song alone. Daddy Issues dirty up the pristine, 80s cool of the original.
1. A Giant Dog, "Angst in My Pants" (Sparks)
Confession: I didn't know this was a cover until after I'd been listening to Toy for a while. That's kind of inexcusable considering that I think it's on the Valley Girl soundtrack. Anyway. I loved this one even before I knew it was a cover. It's done kind of double-time when compared to the original, and the building tension and release are cathartic.
Here are two kinda newish things that I've spent some time with while doing all of that super-important stuff.
SLEEPiES, Melt To You
SLEEPiES are a favorite of mine from the early days of CoolDad Music. It's been almost five years since I glommed onto their Weird Wild World, and that album is still one I find myself going back to even to this day.
About a month ago, SLEEPiES released the four-song Melt To You on Mirror Universe Tapes; and it reminds me of the things I've always liked about this band. "Barf Haus" and "Detective Behavior" are both high-strung, brittle, jittery. Vintage SLEEPiES. "Hive Shadow" trades some of SLEEPiES' manic energy for darker, more bass-heavy post-punk. Melt To You closes with kind of a surf / spy rock / western take on Gary U.S. Bonds's "I Wanna Holler."
I've always been drawn to SLEEPiES' attention to detail. A quick listen to a SLEEPiES track, and you may come away thinking that this is lovably messy punk rock. But just an extra minute reveals a deep well of influences -- from 80s punk / post-punk / hardcore to the aforementioned surf sound -- deployed in all the right spots.
Let's stay with the idea of 80s influences for a minute, but we'll move on to a slightly different set of sounds: The Cure, Cocteau Twins, Lush, The Sundays (first single, 1989). Early dream pop / proto-shoegaze. Whatever you wanna call it, it's a big influence on Austin's Blushing.
Blushing formed in 2015 when Michelle Soto (guitar, vocals) shared some songs with her friend, classically-trained vocalist, Christina Carmona (vocals, bass). They fleshed out Soto's ideas and filled out the band with their spouses Jake Soto (guitar, keys) and Noe Carmona (drums).
Back in January, the four-piece released their debut EP, Tether. Earlier this week, they announced that their second EP, Weak, would arrive on January 26, 2018 via Austin Town Hall Records. Blushing also shared the EP's title track.
"Weak" goes all in on that combination of swirling and explosive that shoegaze nerdlings (a phrase I stole from a tweet by SLEEPiES, funnily enough, and still use often) like me swoon over. The intertwining vocals, all the delay, reverb, chorus, whatever. It's just my thing. What can I say?
You can stream "Weak" over at Blushing's Bandcamp page.
I'll be covering Brooklyn's Northside Festival as press again this year. The music portion of the festival goes Thursday through Sunday, June 11-14.
It's exciting because I saw a lot of really good bands and met some really cool people last year. It's a little scary because humping it back and forth to Brooklyn on a late spring weekend isn't the easiest thing in the world logistically when you're a suburban husband and father of two. We've got guitar lessons, bat mitzvah tutoring, birthday parties, and softball practice. And that's just Thursday and Friday nights. Saturday involves softball games, post-game ice cream, and a swim meet. On Sunday CoolMom leaves for a business trip. I'll make it all (well, some of it anyway) work somehow.
Anyway, today I present the first of probably two previews with what I hope to see on Thursday and Friday evenings, June 11th and 12th. Like last year, I'll probably generally shy away from the big headliners in order to focus on some of the smaller bands playing. There are some headliners I won't be able to bring myself to miss, though.
Thursday, June 11th Luna at McCarren Park
Here's one headliner I probably won't be able to miss. 1990s dream pop band Luna have reunited for a few dates, and one of them is the Thursday night free show in McCarren Park. Dean Wareham's guitar and vocals will be a beautiful way to ease myself into the craziness to follow.
Expert Alterations / Beverly at Alphaville
The first thing I saw at last year's festival was the Kanine Records showcase at Cameo Gallery. This year, the Brooklyn dream pop / pop label will host their showcase, along with Culture Collide and Terrorbird, at Alphaville. I'm not sure when I'll be able to make it over there, but I hope to get there in time to catch the late sets from Expert Alterations and Beverly.
I just received my Expert Alterations 12-inch EP, and I've been loving their REM / Feelies-inspired jangle pop. I wasn't able to head up to Brooklyn for NYC Pop Fest a couple of weeks ago, so I'm happy to get another chance to catch this Baltimore trio.
Beverly, the project started by Drew Citron and Frankie Rose (since departed), was the secret headliner at last year's Kanine Records showcase. By the time I figured that out, I'd already made my way across the borough and missed them. In keeping with the overall Kanine aesthetic, Beverly are another group that trade in the sounds of dreamy garage pop.
The Muscadettes at Living Room
Another band that do the reverb-heavy, female-fronted, dreamy garage thing are Montreal's Muscadettes. Fronted by twin sisters Chantal and Kathleen Ambridge, The Muscadettes are a band that I stumbled on when they showed up as a last-minute opener for Dead Heavens at Wonder Bar.
They put out the 6-song Side A back in April, and I've listened to it pretty regularly since picking it up with the last few bucks I had on me at that Asbury Show.
Fort Lean at Echo
Fort Lean, who have made a couple of trips to Asbury Park, look poised to blow up at any second. Their debut LP, Quiet Day, just came out on June 2nd. On the singles I've heard so far, it sounds like the band have added a bit more of an electronic / synth-y sound to their jangly guitar pop. "Cut to the Chase" has worked especially well for me. I'll be interested to see how the band have evolved since I last saw them a little more than a year ago at APYC.
Ringo Deathstarr at Grand Victory
I haven't decided if this band have the worst or the best name in the world. It doesn't matter, though, because their combination of influences -- from My Bloody Valentine to Dinosaur Jr. -- make theirs a sound that I can't get out of my head.
They're kind of playing at prime time on Thursday, scheduled for 10:15; so I'll have to sacrifice something to check them out. It is their only scheduled show of the festival as far as I can tell, though.
Sharkmuffin at The Gutter
Sharkmuffin were one of the revelations for me at last year's Northside Festival. Their sound drenches short, catchy pop songs in a swirl of grungy, surfy dirt making the ferocious sweetness of their name wholly appropriate.
They've also just announced that they'll be working with our friends at Little Dickman Records for the release of their debut LP, Chartreuse. I've gotta make to one of their sets to say hi and congrats. Like Ringo Deathstarr, they've got a prime time slot on Thursday; but I believe I've got multiple chances.
Friday, June 12th Neko Case, Rhye, Magical Clouds at 50 Kent
I'd say Neko Case has a beautiful voice -- and she does. But I feel like that doesn't fully capture the way she puts it to use. It's almost like a weapon, like a superhero's special power. She plants her feet firmly on the stage and -- when she's not playing guitar -- tenses her arms at her sides and just unleashes it on you. All you can do is stand there with your mouth open as it washes over you and maybe even musses your hair a little bit.
Dentist, Vomitface, The Planes at Pet Rescue
Our friends over at Hearts Bleed Radio are holding their 2015 showcase at Pet Rescue on Friday. That show was the source of a lot of fun and new friendships for me last year, so I don't want to miss this one.
Stephen Perry's The Planes, whose single "Evacuation Route" we premiered here a while back, and Jersey City's Vomitface were both standouts for me at last year's festival. And Dentist make their way to Brooklyn for this one. I can't miss Dentist. I love them way too much.
Dead Stars, Slonk Donkerson at The Gutter
Will it finally happen? Will the stars finally align so that I can see noisy / fuzzy / Dino poppers Dead Stars? We'll see. If I miss out -- again -- I think I've got another chance on Sunday, but Sunday's iffy with the CoolMom trip and all. Ugh.
If I do make it to this one, I'm excited to catch Slonk Donkerson as well. Like Ringo Deathstarr, their so bad it's good name is just part of the appeal for me. Their loud, sludgy, guitar-based pop is the real draw.
The Meaning Of Life at Bar Matchless
Matchless. The Meaning Of Life. I could relive one of my favorite moments from last year's festival, Marta DeLeon's smoky vocals filling up the little cave of a performance space in the back of the bar. We'll have to see how geography, logistics, and set times play out for this one.
Mitski at St. Vitus
Unbelievably, I missed Mitski both times she came to Asbury Lanes this year. I've gotten reports from friends that the Don Giovanni artist's sets have been amazing and transformative. This is one I'd really like to make work.
Spider Bags, Ex Hex at MHOW
Spider Bags are heading out on tour with Titus Andronicus. They're also playing at Saturday's Asbury Park Night Bazaar at The Anchor's Bend. I saw them at The Saint last year; and their all-out, southern tinged garage punk blew me away.
I've been kicking myself for the last couple of months for missing Mary Timony's power trio, Ex Hex, when they played WFMU's Monty Hall. I'd love to see them, but it would mean giving up on a few sets I already listed. Decisions.
SLEEPiES at Aviv
SLEEPiES' Weird Wild World is pretty much a masterpiece of intelligent, quirky punk rock. They were one of the first bands to reach out to me in the early days of CoolDad Music, and I've never been able to catch one of their sets. This is a late one, so the only thing that could stand in my way this time is whether I can still stand. I'll make it.
OK. So this list is beyond aspirational. I'm sure that it's physically impossible to do all of this, but in an ideal world... Well, in an ideal world, there's even more stuff I'd like to see. There will be those surprises that happen too, bands I happen upon by accident that could end up as highlights of the weekend.
Back tomorrow with a list of stuff I'd like to see on Saturday and Sunday.
I got pretty excited yesterday when I saw that NYU, my undergrad alma mater, will be hosting a "Pre Finals Punk" show on December 5th featuring Ceremony, Perfect Pussy, White Lung, and Sleepies. Tickets are just 5 bucks. Now I have to figure out when I can go get them from NYU Ticket Central and if I'll actually be able to make the show.
I've seen Ceremony, and I'm definitely interested in seeing Perfect Pussy and White Lung. The big draw for me here, though, is Sleepies. I've really loved everything this Brooklyn band has done since their 2012 single "Seriously" ("I take this all verrry seriously.") became kind of my personal corporate drone theme song. Yesterday's announcement reminded me that I'd been spending a lot of time with the band's recent four-song EP, More Humans (GODMODE).
"Big Rip," "Dig," and "Plant Life" illustrate well the band's meticulously crafted, innovative, and intelligent punk. The songs all feature the band's driving basslines, frantic guitar work, and sneering vocals. Together they take the listener on a jerky, jittery ride.
The EP closes with an homage to an obvious influence on the band, a blistering cover of Public Image Ltd's "Annalisa" that spends its last three minutes or so careening and creaking to a close.
I'm going to do what I can to get to that NYU show. If you can't make it, then you should check out the EP either via GODMODE's Soundcloud or by picking up one of the limited cassette copies from the GODMODE store.
Now, to figure out how to get Sleepies to come to Asbury Park...
For my money, Brooklyn's Sleepies produce some of the most interesting and intelligent punk rock you can get your hands on right now. Listen closely, and you'll be able to tell just how much care and work go into achieving what I've seen referred to as their "don't give a f*ck" aesthetic. Nowhere is that more evident than on the band's Ben Greenberg (The Men) produced 2012 LP Weird Wild World.
Sleepies are back with a cassette (limited to 100, electric blue, hand-stamped copies) called More Humansout now on GODMODE. The A-side contains three new Sleepies tracks, while the B-side is a ferocious cover of the Public Image Ltd classic "Annalisa."
Over at Noisey, they've got the full album stream of Sleepies, Weird Wild World. I've been waiting for this one since being introduced to the "Evil Radio Edit" of single "Seriously."
Produced by The Men's Ben Greenberg, Weird Wild World is smart, funny, slightly off-kilter punk. Songs like "Cool Boy," "Strange Feelings," and "Waste Water" show a level of creativity and an attention to songcraft that make you think that maybe this isn't a typical punk band. Thomas Seely's guitar and, especially, vocals are front and center, but the virtuoso rhythm section of John Intrator (bass) and Max Tremblay (drums) -- particularly on songs like "Got a Way" and "Terra Firma" -- is a huge part of Sleepies' unique sound.
And the instrumental break in the unedited, album version of "Seriously" does a good job of summing up the personality of Sleepies in about a minute and fifteen seconds.
Weird Wild World will be available next Tuesday via GODMODE and on vinyl from 16oh.
CoolDaughter #2 is home sick, and I've had way too many conference calls this week.
When on my calls, though, I like to hit the mute button and play this track by Brooklyn-based Sleepies (produced by Ben Greenberg of The Men). It pretty effectively sums up my whole attitude in under three minutes.
The full length, Weird Wild World, comes out on August 21st via Godmode/16oh, and I can't wait to hear it.
