SXSW 2019, Day 5 w Mike Krol, Spider Bags, Gymshorts, Bad Moves, Low Cut Connie, The Beths, CHAI, and Charly Bliss

Charly Bliss

The Ides of March

After our showcase at Hard Luck Lounge on Thursday, Chris Dickman and I surprised ourselves with how early we were up and out the door. We took the rented equipment back over to the good people at Austin's Rock n Roll Rentals (Again, can't recommend them highly enough), and then picked up the Yawn Mower dudes for a little blunch at P. Terry's Hamburger Stand.

Chris was looking to browse for some records, and I still hadn't caught a set from Mike Krol. The stars aligned on that one as Mike Krol and his band were playing the Waterloo Records Day Party. We hopped over there, and I got myself situated in the photo pit.

One of the things I often forget to do when shooting a show is format the card in my camera before I start. After about 16 shots of Mike Krol, I got the message that my card was full. Forgetting that I had my SD card case in my bag, I just re-formatted the one in the camera and pretty much missed out on my two-song allotment from the pit. Oh, well. I shot from the barricade, and still ended up with way too many.

Mike Krol

I've grown into a huge Mike Krol fan over the last several months. This set was good, but it didn't have the wild vibe of an indoor club at night with Krol's strobes giving me a seizure.

We left Yawn Mower at Waterloo so they could see Spiral Stairs, and I headed to The Side Bar where The Midgetmen's annual Jump Start showcase was going down. Chris and I took our sweet time, and I ended up walking in just as Dentist were breaking down from their set. Who knows if I'll ever get another chance to see them play?

There were plenty of other bands on the bill that I wanted to see, and I managed to catch sets from Spider Bags, Gymshorts, and Bad Moves. I've seen Spider Bags a bunch at this point. Friday's set took me back to that first time they blew me away at The Saint. I remembered Gymshorts from their opening set for Tacocat at Rough Trade a few months back. They're heavy and loud with a big dose of humor thrown in.

Gymshorts

Spider Bags

I've loved Bad Moves since their self-titled EP from a couple of years ago. 2018's Tell No One is one of my favorite albums maybe ever. It's a power-pop masterpiece. I'd never managed to catch a set from them before, though; so I was grinning like an idiot when they played "Spirit FM," "The Verge," and other songs I've been in love with for a while now. Both Gymshorts and Bad Moves played in the bar, and it was bordering on pitch black in there.

Bad Moves

The line across the street for The Current's showcase at Barracuda was around the block for most of the day. By the time I walked over there at 5pm or so, things had died down enough for me to get inside for Philly's Low Cut Connie. I was able to stake out a spot up front among the Low Cut Connie die-hards. Frontman Adam Weiner is a showman and a blast to shoot. He came down from the stage at one point and put a big bear hug on me as well as anybody else he bumped into in the crowd. It's impossible not to get swept up in the emotion and community of a Low Cut Connie set, and I was feelin it.

Low Cut Connie

Time for a dinner break, so Chris and I headed over to one of the many Torchy's Tacos that dot the city. I would eat at this place every frigging day if we had them here. Then, we drove over to Hard Luck Lounge just in time for me to walk in after another set from Dentist. Welp. Guess that was probably my last chance with them.

Anyway...

2/3rds of Dentist and I headed over to the Rolling Stone party at Native Hostel to catch The Beths and Charly Bliss; while Chris, Emily, and Yawn Mower headed over to Lady Bird Lake to see the big show from Big Boi, Cee Lo, and Dungeon Family.

Native Hostel was starting to pack out, but we got in early enough that I was able to worm my way up front. Taylor Janzen was playing when we walked in. In just the few minutes that we watched, the Winnipeg native blew me away with her voice.

Taylor Janzen

The Beths delivered another great-sounding set, but they were clearly a little more subdued than when I'd seen them earlier in the week. When I'm at South By Southwest, I'm kind of cut off from the news. It wasn't until after they'd played that I learned of the horrific terrorist attack that took place in their home country of New Zealand earlier that day. It stung to think about how they must all be feeling being so far from home on such a sad day. All I could do was silently will some peaceful vibes their way.

The Beths

In between The Beths and Charly Bliss was Japan's CHAI. What a wild set. Twin sisters. Everyone dressed in pink. Sugary, joyful, and a little bit subversive. Narduwar The Human Serviette was right next to me absolutely loving them. Judging from my Instagram feed, I think I'm the only person who was at South By Southwest who was too nervous to ask him for a picture.

CHAI

Charly Bliss came out and powered through a set marred by technical problems. They did their best with virtually no help from the on-site sound crew. Beths' guitarist Jonathan Pearce eventually came out and did some of the sound crew's work for them, dealing with the microphone that was shocking singer Eva Hendricks for the entire set.

Charly Bliss

For their part, Charly Bliss did what they could. The understandable frustration became apparent at points, but they didn't let it sap the fun from their set. I love Charly Bliss's debut, Guppy. I'm still not 100% sure how I feel about the band's new sonic direction; but, live, the new songs definitely had some edge.

Our two groups reconvened at Attabar to end the night. I did some designated driving and Uber'd back to the hotel to rest in preparation for one more go on Saturday.

Mid-Week Fun at The Asbury and House of Independents, 10/31 & 11/1

Titus Andronicus at House of Independents

Old Friends and New

This was a pretty quiet weekend at CDMHQ. CoolMom spent the middle of last week on a business trip to San Francisco, and the rest of us did our usual stuff -- swim practices, shows, trick or treating, that kind of thing. When CoolMom did get home, we decided to have some family time for a change. I did manage to get out to a couple of things while she was away, though.

On Wednesday, I hosted a Halloween show at The Asbury Hotel. That one featured The Rareflowers, Mike Chick, and our old friends Roy Orbitron. It seemed pretty laid back for a Halloween Night in Asbury Park, but I guess that's what happens when the big holiday falls smack dab in the middle of the week.

Mike Chick

We all had a good time. Mike Chick opened solo acoustic with some covers (including some Yawn Mower) and his original Halloween classic, "Ding Dong (Fill My Plastic Pumpkin)." The Rareflowers blew everyone away with their chimey dream pop. I encourage all of you to check out their self-titled EP on Good Eye Records. Finally, Roy Orbitron made a return to Asbury Park riding the high of the fantastic new 8 Million To One.

The Rareflowers

Roy Orbitron

Like I said, it was a weirdly quiet Halloween; but this was a fun show with some of my favorite people.

On Thursday night, Titus Andronicus played House of Independents for their first Asbury Park headlining date since, I think, their 2014 show at Asbury Lanes. This leg of their tour featured label mates Spider Bags; and, on Thursday, locals The Double Negatives started things.

The Double Negatives

The Double Negatives are difficult to classify. It's soulful and emotional rock. Lead singer, Rob Connolly, gives it his all; and the band put on a damn high-energy show.

This was my third or fourth time seeing Spider Bags; and their rambling, punk-tinged garage rock was on full display once again. Songs that start out as barroom-style, rootsy, punk veer off into extended jams and back again. My date for the evening, intrepid interviewer Matt Chrystal, remarked, "These guys rule."

Spider Bags

Patrick Stickles took the stage at about 10:20. After his usual instructions about keeping things peaceful and respecting one another's personal space, he did a solo rendition of The Monitor's "To Old Friends and New." From there, the rest of the band joined him for "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ;" and we were off.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

In the middle of the set, the band played several "covers" from a mysterious 1980 compilation album called Working Class Blokes that Stickles and guitarist Liam Betson had supposedly come across during their tour of the UK. Not only did they discover a treasure trove of second-wave Bristol punk rock; but they also made a killing on the record, having purchased it for a single pound only to discover later on Discogs that the comp was fetching 1,000 pounds.

Funny. But I haven't been able to find any trace of this record myself. Oh, well. That "TMLT Around the World" song -- from a later charity comp and written by the same folks who wrote the other songs -- is one I'd like to get my hands on eventually.

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

The crowd was a bit smaller than I expected, but that's the uncertainty of Asbury Park in the cooler months for you. It gave the show a loose, interesting feel; and there was definitely a lot less of the bro-y nonsense that can happen at the more tightly-packed shows. Also, the "Cool! Dad! Cool! Dad!" chant started by Patrick Stickles from the stage was pretty awesome.

After Wednesday and Thursday, I was a little physically and psychologically spent; so, as I said, the rest of the weekend was relatively quiet. CoolMom and I even got to go out to dinner together which was a rare and welcome development.

I posted the pictures from both nights over at the Facebook page. Flickr is going through some changes that leave me wondering if they'll be a reliable picture host down the road, so I've stopped uploading there for the time being. If any bands want a non-squished version of anything, feel free to get in touch.

Titus Andronicus Played Warsaw with EX HEX and Spider Bags, 10/16/15

The Boys Are Back in Town

When I was a kid in high school, I went to a lot of concerts. My friends and I used to calculate how much money we spent going to see our favorite bands, and it was pretty much every dollar we had. That's something that's stayed with me for my whole life. Going out to see live music is pretty much my favorite way to spend an evening.

Back then, though, most of the concerts I went to were at big venues like Madison Square Garden or Radio City Music Hall or Beacon Theatre or the Garden State Arts Center. Even the, supposedly, alternative acts I went to see were at places like that. There was the occasional standing show at The Ritz or Lone Star Roadhouse, but I wasn't a punk kid at all. No VFWs or church basements or whatever. Almost every concert I ever went to was a seated in a theater / arena / stadium kind of affair, and my seats were never up front.

I've found it kind of funny, then, that -- as I've gotten older -- the experience of sitting in some theater 20 rows back from the stage doesn't really do it for me anymore. Standing at the back and watching a band onstage over a sea of bobbing heads just seems so distant and impersonal to me now. If I get stuck near the bar, I just get angry at all the people carrying on their conversations like nothing else is happening in the room.

Doors for the Merge Records CMJ showcase at Warsaw in Greenpoint were 6:30pm. I left at about 4 and made a stop in at The Gutter where a bunch of my friends would be playing the Little Dickman / Sugar Mama BK showcase that same night. I had a couple of beverages with them, apologized in advance for missing the gig, and then made the short walk over to Warsaw.

The place was pretty empty, so I had an order of pierogies and another beer before staking out my spot in front of the stage. I'd brought my camera; so, in my mind, that was my excuse for parking myself at the stage about 3 hours before the headliners were scheduled to hit. I took off my jacket and placed it neatly at my feet. I organized my lenses and my camera bag, formatted my memory card, and was good to go.

It was about 8:15 by the time Spider Bags took the stage. Things had filled in around me a bit, but I still had plenty of room to breathe. In the three previous times I'd seen them, Spider Bags had been impressive, quickly working themselves to a sweaty frenzy. I'll admit to finding their set in Philly on the first night of this tour a little less satisfying, but I was way in the back of the room where the band had to compete with conversations and a constant flow of traffic to the merch table or the bathroom.

This time I was right up front. Spider Bags did about a half hour's worth of material that included their originals like the always awesome "Eyes of Death" and a cover of D.C. Snipers' "Baby Don't Be Violent." SPIN had released their list of "Top 50 Rock Bands Right Now" earlier in the day; and, by the time their set was over, I honestly thought about how crazy it was not to have Spider Bags on it.

I missed out on getting tickets to the EX HEX show at Monty Hall in Jersey City last spring. Then, when I was covering Northside Festival in June, Spider Bags joined EX HEX for another Merge showcase. Like this past Friday night, it was also sold out. Not really sure that my badge would get me in and wanting to catch a show by some friends across the borough, I opted to pass. CMJ was finally my chance to see Mary Timony, Betsy Wright, and Laura Harris; and they, quite simply, blew me away.

Rips is one of my favorite records from last year, even though I came to it kind of late. Songs like "Don't Wanna Lose" and "Waterfall" have a pure rock and roll simplicity that I love and that translates amazingly live. Even with my feet aching after a couple of hours of standing, being right up front as Mary Timony braced herself against the monitor to reel off a guitar solo isn't a moment I would ever trade for a comfortable seat far away from the action. And... ...not that clickbait lists mean anything... ...but SPIN missed another big one by not including EX HEX.

At about 10:30, Titus Andronicus took the stage and the room was at capacity. Every void around me had been filled by a body, and I thought about what I'd witnessed in Philly. I'll admit to getting (justifiably, it turns out) worried as I extrapolated that experience out to the 5-times-larger-than-First-Unitarian-Church Warsaw. Patrick Stickles dispensed with his usual speech about not imposing one's will on others during the show, and the band dispensed with the Stickles solo number (the song choice varies) that had opened the last few Titus Andronicus shows I'd seen. Instead, the band opened by acknowledging their return to Brooklyn from the American leg of their tour with a cover of "The Boys Are Back in Town." That, incidentally, is the first thing I ever saw Titus Andronicus perform live and the first song I officially wrote about here at the blog.

As the set progressed with "Fatal Flaw," "Stranded (On My Own)," "Lonely Boy," and the opening two tracks from Local Business -- "Ecce Homo" and "Still Life with Hot Deuce on Silver Platter" -- the crowd heaved forward, crushing me against the stage. Beer spilled down my pants. Steve from YJY patted me on the back and we screamed into each other's faces. I tried taking pictures.

Stickles then announced more songs from the band's most recent effort, The Most Lamentable Tragedy; and they ripped through most of "The Magic Morning" section of the punk opera. The crush was getting serious now. Pain as the stage felt like it was becoming one with my ribcage. The friction of moving bodies had pulled my jeans about halfway down my thighs. As Titus Andronicus finished "Fired Up," I braced for the violence that would accompany "Dimed Out." I know the set was planned, but I like to think that Patrick Stickles spotted me down front; called an audible; and gave me an ever so slight break by choosing to play "A Pot in Which to Piss."

"Dimed Out" did follow that, and it was everything I knew it would be. I stopped taking pictures for a few minutes and just tried to exert some ownership over my little plot of floor. Someone actually reached in and knocked my left hand off of the stage where it was bracing me. Things remained at a fever pitch through the second half of "Four Score and Seven" and "A More Perfect Union." When the band left the stage after concluding with "Titus Andronicus" just before midnight, the crowd screamed for more until the lights came up and security started shooing us out.

I was covered in sweat and imagining the art project of bruises that would dapple my torso in the morning as I hobbled back toward The Gutter to see if my friends were still there. "Maybe I'm getting too old for this," I thought. "Maybe I should just stand in the back like the 45-year-old dad I am and save my body."

I don't think I can do it, though. It's two days later, and I'm still sore; but I can't trade the connection, the feeling of... ...euphoria... ...exhiliration... ...anger... ...frustration... ...SOMETHING... ...for the comfort that comes from standing in the back of the room and watching things unfold from afar.

Pics at Flickr. Links below.

Titus Andronicus

EX HEX

Spider Bags

Titus Andronicus Kicked off Their Tour w/ Spider Bags and Baked at First Unitarian Church, 9/11/15

I took a few pics of Baked before I decided that this wasn't the best venue for photos.

#TMLT Across America

Following a five-night residency at Brooklyn's Shea Stadium for the release of The Most Lamentable Tragedy and an in-store performance at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ, Titus Andronicus officially kicked off their 2015 fall tour in the basement of Philadelphia's First Unitarian Church on Friday, September 11th. Joining them for most of the U.S. leg of the tour are Merge labelmates Spider Bags and Shea Stadium paisanos Baked.

As we left my house, Gentleman Jim sent me back inside to change into shorts and suggested I bring a second shirt for the ride home. I, reluctantly, listened as far as exchanging my rock and roll jeans for my suburban dad cargo shorts; but I ignored his advice regarding a dry shirt. As soon as we walked into the dimly lit church basement, I knew I'd made a mistake.

I'd never seen a show at First Unitarian Church before, and I thought it would be some former house of worship converted to a rock venue. Instead, the building is a functioning Unitarian church with occasional shows in the basement. That basement looks exactly like you'd expect: small recessed light fixtures in the drop ceiling and wood paneling on the walls.

I'd seen Baked open for Titus Andronicus at Asbury Lanes last year. They play around with lots of sounds I love: some droning noise, guitars strummed with the tremolo bar, etc. I've been on kind of a Creation Records kick lately, and Baked play right into that with maybe an updated Brooklyn version of the sound. It became clear during their set that picture-taking would be futile for this show, so Gentleman Jim and I headed back to the car to stash my camera bag.

We stayed outside the building, breathing oxygen, for as long as we could but headed back inside when we heard the start of Spider Bags' set. I caught Spider Bags at The Saint a while back, and they pretty much blew me away. This time, I made the mistake of waiting too long to head inside. We got stuck way in the back of the room, and I felt a little detached from the whole thing as tall guys wearing backpacks continually had to walk or stand right where I was. From what I could see, the band looked as wild as ever; and I definitely perked up for songs like "Japanese Vacation" and "Eyes of Death."

I wasn't going to make the same mistake for Titus Andronicus; so, after filling my lungs up with air outside, I made my way back in just a few minutes before their set. A precariously perched set of monitors was right next to me as I stood safely outside the scrum at stage right.

Patrick Stickles took the stage with a few members of the band. He made his introductory speech, which I always appreciate, laying the ground rules for not letting your own good time infringe on anyone else's good time during the show. People mostly listen to that, but this audience would end up being a little drunker and more aggressive than the one I experienced at a packed-out Shea.

After a version of "Upon Viewing Oregon's Landscape with the Flood of Detritus" with just Stickles and keyboard player Elio DeLuca, the rest of the band climbed onstage for "The Magic Morning" section of The Most Lamentable Tragedy. From "Lookalike" to "Dimed Out," it appeared that most of the people up front knew the lyrics. Things, as expected, got particularly crazy during "Dimed Out;" and I kept one eye on the monitors rocking back and forth over my head. Later in the set, Stickles climbed the scaffolding for a moment that "rocked but wasn't safe," and I thought the whole thing was coming down.

Someone who obviously hadn't listened to Stickles's opening speech jumped up on the stage and tried to stage dive into the crowd at one point. Stickles restrained him and had security eject him. There were a few boos, and I wasn't sure if they were aimed at the offender or the band; but they quickly dissipated as the show progressed. I'll admit to having someone ejected myself who had managed to get so drunk at the BYO venue as to pose a danger to himself and a puke risk to those around him.

The rest of the show was a pretty rowdy but respectful affair, the crowd in front of the stage heaving forward and backwards at all the right times. There were a few more TMLT selections -- "Fatal Flaw," "C'mon Siobhán," "No Future Part V: In Endless Dreaming" -- as well as old favorites including "legendary hit song, A More Perfect Union." It got pretty steamy; and I was grateful to, for once, be unencumbered by my camera bag. I did ready my apology to Gentleman Jim for ever doubting his dry shirt advice.

Titus Andronicus usually throw a cover or two into their sets, and it's often a Bruce Springsteen song. On Friday, they did a version of "Born in the U.S.A." -- complete with iconic keyboard riff. The song's disaffected and bitter lyrics famously contrast with its anthemic and patriotic-sounding chorus; and, in my opinion, it was a good choice for the day. Things ended just before midnight with "Titus Andronicus" from The Airing of Grievances. The speakers never fell on me.

Heading up the stairs into the evening felt like emerging from underwater, and my lungs took in all the clean Philly air they could. My shirt stuck to me during the ride back home. I wondered what I'd do for a post without any pictures, but I figured I'd just have to write around a thousand words. Hopefully, I'll get a few pictures when I see Titus Andronicus at Warsaw in a few weeks. I remember the light there being pretty good.

Weekend Recap: Northside, Softball, Asbury Park, and Swim Meets, 6/11-6/14, 2015

Hot Blood at Asbury Park Yacht Club

Life Is Pretty Good, I Guess

I had big plans for the number of bands I'd see at Northside Festival this year. You can check out the previews I did if you want to see some of the bands I had on my radar. Things didn't go quite that way, though.

After getting to Brooklyn on Thursday and catching the free sets from Chris Forsyth and Luna, I did manage to see Sharkmuffin, Beverly, and Ludlow ejacula. I sweated it out in McCarren Park and at Alphaville., met up with some people I hadn't seen in a year, and had a great time.

Philly's Chris Forsyth opened Northside Fest with his band, The Solar Motel Band.

On Friday, I headed up to Pet Rescue for the Hearts Bleed Radio showcase featuring Vomitface, The Rizzos, The Planes, Warn The Duke, and Dentist right after softball practice. I thought about maybe

The Rizzos at Pet Rescue

trying to hit The Paper Box for The Battery Electric or Aviv for Sleepies, but a mix-up on The Battery Electric's set time and just the good time I was having hanging with Dentist kept me parked at Pet Rescue.

On Saturday, CoolDaughter #2's softball team had their final game of the season followed by a pizza party. I helped out with the coaching duties all season, and I'm not joking when I say that I welled with pride over how much our first and second graders had improved over the course of the year. They downed about 6 pizzas and an endless flow of Sierra Mist at Luigi's after the game.

Good hangs with the Dentists at Pet Rescue.

Asbury Underground was happening, but I was tired and wanted to spend some time with CoolMom before she left for her business trip. We sat out by the pool as CD2 swam with her friends from the neighborhood. I worked and worked to get CoolMom to join me in Asbury for the evening, but she wouldn't go for it. She wanted to get to bed early.

Working on about 3 hours of sleep, I headed out to Asbury Park where the sold-out Third Eye Blind show made parking a nightmare. After finding a spot in front of Asbury Tower, I walked south along the boardwalk toward Convention Hall as the sounds of The Ribeye Brothers got louder and louder. I caught the last several songs from their set and noticed Spider Bags' Dan McGee, who was up next, bouncing along to the music and enjoying himself.

The Ribeye Brothers

I told the bunch of friends that I ran into at Anchor's Bend that they would enjoy Spider Bags who were visiting from Chapel Hill. The reviews I got back after the band's set were unanimously positive. The wild and sweaty set ranged from short garage pop nuggets to extended jams. McGee called it the best show they played all year, and damned if I didn't believe him.

Spider Bags

Then it was a brisk walk down to Asbury Park Yacht Club where I managed to catch the last three songs from Hey Anna. They closed with infectious recent single "Don't Talk Stop" and sounded great. Afterwards, it was a 180-degree turn from Hey Anna's pristine, beach-tinged pop to Hot Blood's hardcore punk.

Hey Anna

Hot Blood's set was as wild as The Battery Electric's from the previous week. The scrum in front of the stage pulsed and heaved from the first song. Crowd surfers bumped up against the surf boards that decorated the ceiling. Mat Kiley jumped off the bar and landed on top of the crowd during the band's last song.

When Hot Blood were done, I was pretty physically spent. With a 6am wakeup call ahead of me for CoolDaughter #1's Princeton swim meet in the morning, I reluctantly had to call it an evening before We're Ghosts Now took the stage. I've seen the band a few times now, and you should make it a point to catch their set the next time they pop up in the listings. I did get to meet bassist Max Resnick and chat a bit, so that was cool.

Things got crazy for Hot Blood.

The next morning, I got to watch CD1 swim a couple of personal bests. Even though I was kind of in a daze, it still made me smile. Once we got home, it was a couple of hours with CoolMom before she left us until Friday.

I always get a little sad at the prospect of a week without CoolMom. The moment she walks through the door each night really is one of the highlights of my day, and I miss it when she's gone. The girls and I will manage. Maybe do a little breakfast for dinner or just swim in the pool following their half days this week.

As I lay in bed with a drink last night, though, I thought about happier things than missing CoolMom. I thought about how many really good friends I've made over the last few years, and how much I enjoy seeing them when I head out to shows. I thought about how, when certain local bands are playing, it's just as much fun for me to hang around and laugh with them as it is to see their show.

It's not all about seeing as many bands as I can and accumulating pictures and content for this site. If I wanted to to that, I'd have driven back and forth to Brooklyn for four straight days. Instead, it's about discovering new things and new bands, spending time with family and some of the other people I've grown to genuinely love, and being able to balance it all with the rest that life has to offer. That's not always so simple; but, unlike most of the other "work" I've done in my life, it feels like work that's really worth doing.

Check out Flickr for some more pics of the weekend. I still have a few to get through, but they'll all show up there eventually.

Northside Festival Preview: June 11th & June 12th

Thursday / Friday

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.

Pics of Spider Bags at The Saint, 8/18/14

Waking Up... ...Tired, But Happy

Spider Bags have been at it as a band since 2007. I first encountered frontman and guitarist Dan McGee through the verse he sang on Titus Andronicus's (now retired from the TA repertoire apparently) "Theme From Cheers" from 2010's The Monitor. Following that, I heard Patrick Stickles repeatedly refer to McGee's band as "The World's Greatest Rock Band."

I checked out Spider Bags and definitely noticed an affinity between their emotional, country-inflected garage rock and the more shambling entries in the Titus Andronicus catalog. I've got a live version of Spider Bags' "Waking Up Drunk" that features Patrick Stickles -- on one of the Titus mixtapes from a while back, I think -- that I really enjoy. Spider Bags kind of do a thing I like, in other words; so when I saw that they were playing The Saint, I had to go.

The North Carolina via New Jersey trio did a set that was like the raw energy of a live wire sparking in the road. McGee gave a visual approximation of that a few times, breaking strings on two guitars before having eventually to resort to "The Peanut," a homemade-looking instrument that resembled... ...well... ...a peanut. That guitar made it most of the way through the final song before its E-string succumbed as well.

I've spent the most time with Spider Bags' most recent release, and Merge Records debut, Frozen Letter. The band's live set more than did justice to the tracks on that fantastic record including "Chem Trails," "We Got Problems," the band's cover of "Summer of '79," and the epic "Coffin Car." The band played until a little after midnight, but the show was worth getting up a little tired this morning.

Spider Bags play Brooklyn's Union Pool tonight and are in Philly at Boot & Saddle tomorrow. If you're near either of those places -- or can get there -- do yourself a favor and go see this band.

I hadn't been to The Saint in a while, and the lighting there inspired me to take tons of pictures. Here are highlights of Spider Bags' set. The rest are up at Flickr.

I'm still working my way through shots from the opening sets by Ba Babes, Microfossils, and free-form instrumental ensemble From Kettles to Cloaks. Stay tuned for those.