Andy The Doorbum (Free MP3)

Andy The Doorbum is weird. The dude looks weird, his music is weird and releasing your album on cassette in 2010 is weird. I, however, have been known to gravitate towards the weirdos of the world. The tunes have a little bit of Tom Waits and maybe a little bit of Mellow Gold era Beck but mostly it's this maniac, hobo, meth-head folk punk sound. Needless to say, it's fucking fantastic. The insanity level is high and clearly not for show. And let me tell you, it's not easy finding pure, uncut insanity these days.

Link:

Andy The Doorbum MySpace

MP3:

Wallet - Andy The Doorbum

 Andy The Doorbum - Wallet  

It Could Be Worse

Stanley Creek

10 Steps Through MySpace Music (1st Edition)

I thought up this concept over a year ago and have just totally slacked on writing something up. The idea is I start on familiar bands MySpace profile and click on a random band in their Top Friends. I then listen to a track or two and click on one of their Top Friends. This goes on until I've listened to ten bands. I review each band and let you kids know if they're worth a listen.

For the first edition I've decided to start with one of my favorites, Bear Vs. Shark. Sure they broke up years ago but they do have a MySpace page so let's give it a go.

1. Fire When Ready: This band is from Birmingham/Syracuse/Brooklyn, which must make practicing a bitch. My initial thoughts are that they actually remind me of BvS a bit but more of a hipster indie thing going on. Fire When Ready sounds like they would be fucking killer live. Overall, I'm surprised that the very first band I give a try is a home run. I have a feeling this is a band half of you already know but oh well. Awesome, awesome stuff. Don't want to stop listening but I must... Should You Listen? YES!
   
2. The Trip Wilsons: Another New York band, in this case Bainbridge, NY. The first song started out with some soul and then jumped into some guitar driven rock n' roll. These dudes aren't doing anything new but they are making it exciting. Another band that seems like they would kick your scrawny ass live. Should You Listen? Yes
   
3. Onemanriot And The Underground River: Binghampton, NY. Dreamy, and kinda spooky, mostly acoustic music. The name is too damn long, I would just go with The Underground River. Anyhow, the music is mellow but awesome. I rarely can stay interested with acoustic music but this shit is badass. Something about it reminds me of O'Death or older NY Howl but more stripped down and enchanting. Should You Listen? YES.
4. Joe Brown Was A Patient Man: More fucking NY shit. This is just some dude diddling his guitar. No vocals or variety of instruments. Honestly, some of it is cool but nothing I could listen to for more then a minute or two. Should You Listen? No
5. Terrible Sparrow: Damn dude...more Binghampton. The only recordings these dudes have up are live and they sound like horse shit. Maybe they're good but I can't tell from this crap. Should You Listen? NO.
6. Swath: Guess where these dudes are from? This sounds like the side project the two stoner metal dudes in the band play before the rest of their indie band shows up for practice. No vocals, very moody. It's cool I guess but it's been done a thousand times over. Should You Listen? Not unless you REALLY like Isis and hate vocals.
   
7. Pelican: We all know Pelican so I won't even bother with a review. I planned on only clicking on unknown bands but I had to get the fuck out of the Binghampton hole I fell into and Pelican was my out...I hope.
   
8. Wolves In The Throne Room: Get those fucking horns up you pussies! I was not expecting to end up on Olympia black metal but yet here we are. It's not bad for what it is but you hipsters will not dig this at all. Should You Listen? Only if you think Gorgoroth rules.
   
9. Note: Wolves have no Top Friends so had to go back to Pelican and pick again. Canadian Rifle: I'm not going to lie. I like this band for their name alone, it's awesome. The music itself is somewhere between Minute Men, Husker Du, and Pixies but with more of a local band feel (that's a good thing). I bet these dudes rule the local punk scene. Punk house punk. Should You Listen? Maybe, it's probably way better live.
10. Daylight Robbery: More of that punk house punk vibe. Makes me wish I was back in Motown drinking 40's and jamming at crusty house parties. This is pretty damn good and if I lived in Chicago I would be at their shows all the time. Should You Listen? Yeah sure, give it a go.
    

So there it is folks, your comprehensive guide to Binghampton, NY (I'm sure have those bands have the same members). Maybe I make up a new rule that no bands from the same town can be back-to-back. Whatever. I'm actually pretty happy with what I heard, especially the first three. Listen to all of the above and let me know what you think.

Netherfriends Are Cool

A few days ago I got an email about a band from Chicago called Netherfriends. I decided to give them a listen and was pretty impressed. If you haven't heard of them yet then take a listen. Apparently they've made the rounds at SXSW and CMJ so I'm sure I'll be issued a late pass on these guys.

Link:
MySpace

MP3:
Nunya - Netherfriends

Tac Tac (Kitchen Jam)

TAC TAC
by cosignpresents

The Ponys, Black Lips, and Panthers @ Bowery Ballroom 3/26

On Monday I headed over to the Bowery Ballroom to see the Black Lips. The last time I saw them was the infamous gig which got them permanently banned from the Mercury Lounge. That show put the Black Lips on the map and made little places like the Merc no longer necessary anyway.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see the Lips again. I've also been meaning to catch a Panthers show so that was an added bonus.

I got to the Ballroom a little earlier then I should have so I sat at the bar downstairs and had a few beers. When I heard the band start I went upstairs and got a spot up front. The Panthers came out swinging, despite a non-receptive crowd. I was actually surprised that people seemed disinterested, it seems like Lips fans would dig rowdy rock n' roll like the Panthers deliver. One chubby girl was dancing around like crazy and got a shout out from the band. I think she might have pissed her pants - which I didn't notice until I looked at the pictures.

After the Panthers cleared the stage the Ballroom filled in fast. I had to fight to keep my spot up front as the rabid fans poured onto the floor. When the Black Lips started everyone went fucking crazy. There was a mini-pit going on up front, more akin to CBGB pogo pits then their more brutal NYHC cousin.

My "great spot" turned out to be kind of shitty. All I could hear was the one guitar and not much else. After about 4-5 songs I abandoned my post and took a few steps back where I could hear the whole band. Now that I could actually hear what was going on I was stunned. The sloppy garage punks cleaned up their act big time. They sounded like (gasp) a professional band...and they were fucking awesome!

The vocals, coming from all four members, sounded amazing and truly vintage to the 60's garage sound. The crazy fuck guitar player that drank his own piss last time I saw him kept the antics to a minimum. He did manage to self induce vomiting and left a little puddle on stage. Other then that and a brief make out session with the other guitar player things were pretty tame.

I really can't stress how much better the Black Lips have gotten since I last saw them a year ago. A band that started out using shock antics to draw crowds can now draw the people in on their musical merits alone.

After the smoke cleared I noticed that Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs was right up at the front of the stage. Apparently she was there the whole time bopping along to the Black Lips.

When the set was over the room cleared out and the Ponys set up. I really never listed to the Ponys much but I figured they would be something to stick around for. When they started the crowd seemed noticeably thinned out. Clearly the Lips were the main draw despite the Ponys claiming the headlining spot. Nevertheless, those who stayed seemed to be into the music.

I was a bit confused by the set they played. After two furious sets by the Black Lips and Panthers, The Ponys started with some mellow shit. This was a huge buzz kill for a lot of the people there. They did eventually get into some rocking tunes but they built up to it, instead of coming out with guns blazing like they should have. Ride the waves kids...ride the waves.

The Ponys were good but I would take a set by either of there openers any day. This was a Black Lips show through and through. Just like they stole Wolfmothers thunder a year ago tonight they stole the stage from the Ponys.

The Ponys






The Black Lips












Panthers









Link:
A whole lot more pictures @ BSC Flickr

People In Planes @ Merc Lounge

First of all, I want to make it clear that I do marketing for these guys so I may be a bit biased. If you want an unbiased opinion of the show check out The Music Slut.

So I show up at the Bowery Ballroom at 8:30 on the dot. Except the Bowery is completely shut down, at this point I realize that the show is at the Merc Lounge - fuck. So I hop in a cab and rush over to the Merc trying not to miss the beginning of the set. Of course when I get there the first band hasn't even gone on yet - so I just wasted six bucks on a fucking cab. Don't even let me get started on cabs.

When I got inside I grabbed a beer and hung out at the bar while the first act played. People In Planes were at the bar drinking. When the first act got done I waited until PiP left the bar and then I headed into the stage room and got a spot up front. After a few minutes the band hopped on stage and went right into thier first song.

The entire room was packed with people - I think this was an industry crowd (label peeps, bloggers, etc.). Either way it was hard to move - which is why all my pics are from the same angle. Anyway, the band tore through the set. They were very good, I wasn't really expecting so much. The singer has a fucking ridiculus voice. You know how most bands you see the singers voice is kinda weak compared to the album? Not this kid - it was sick how good he could sing. The bass player reminded me of Angus Young for some reason - I don't know why.

The last two songs were the highlights of the set. The first of the two was their single "If You Talk Too Much...", which I really dig. They tore that shit up and then went into a song called "Barracuda". This song was by far the most dirty rock n' roll tune they played. The riffs in the song were pretty badass.

I have to say - I was pleasantly surprised by People In Planes. I work with quite a few bands but you don't really see any of them on BSC - yet you're seeing PiP, that should tell you something. I honestly think these guys have the chops to please both the indie crowds and the radio rock heads - I see big things in their future.










Oh, I have two pairs of tickets for a People In Planes acoustic set tomorrow (Thursday) in NYC. The show is at 7PM and it's for Spin. Email me if you want a set. BrooklynSkiClub@yahoo.com