Review: Lady Gaga in Hartford 9/16

A Lady Gaga concert is a theatrical experience from the moment you pull into the venue area. Lots of costumes. Wigs. Caution tape. Awesome. I got to the XL Center, formerly the Hartford Civic Center, a little before 7 after parking, and the scene was quite a spectacle. Then again, so was the show.

With just two albums under her belt, it was an excellent time to see Gaga. She played all my favorite songs, which means she played almost all her songs. She had intricate sets with light-up jungle gyms, a smoky car that was really a piano, neon signs, a religious statute dripping blood and lots of ways to drop into/pop out from underneath the stage. Between songs, screens would go up with house music playing for Gaga and her dancers to change costumes, and you'd expect nothing less.

The entire production was incredible, and Gaga is incredible live. Her vocals really shine through when she's performing live, and she's able to take her songs further, giving us an extended version of "Teeth" and really hitting the high notes, showing off on the piano during "Speechless" and a new, very dramatic "You and I" and adding some of her political views - voicing her support of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell. She thanked the fans for her recent VMA awards and asked for their approval, mainly for them to scream when she asked if she they thought she was sexy, several times, noting that she likes to abuse that part of the show because she was made fun of everyday in school. Playing both her gay advocate and "Mama Monster" roles, she said the Monster Ball was a place where you could be whoever you want to be and told her fans that they all belong and to celebrate gay pride.

Gaga had her heart ripped out and brought out the fake blood during "Monster" and left the stage to come out with her fire-sparking bra during "Paparazzi." That seemed to be the end of the show, but the lights didn't go on, and the cameras focused on the fans for some time in anticipation of the encore: "Bad Romance."

Here's the set list:

Dance in the Dark
Just Dance
Beautiful, Dirty, Rich
The Fame
LoveGame
Boys Boys Boys
Money Honey
Telephone
Speechless
You and I
So Happy I Could Die
Monster
Teeth
Alejandro
Poker Face
Paparazzi

"Encore": Bad Romance

Review: I Am Festival 2010

(We Are Scientists)

This was the 5th-annual I Am Festival, and even though I only went to one other, I'm willing to say this was the best one yet. Lots of really good bands, an extended event area, more vendors than last year and beautiful weather made this I Am Fest much better than last year's. And every year, it's been free. The Brooklyn-based We Are Scientists made for a great ending to the night with lots of indie dance rock tunes. Really good news: Manic Productions is bringing We Are Scientists back to Connecticut on Oct. 9 at Daniel Street in Milford. More information here: http://manicproductions.org/shows/455


(Mates of State)

I actually mostly went to I Am Fest this year because of Mates of State, who were amazing as usual, playing lots of their catchy pop tunes and filling in with heartfelt covers of Tom Waits' "Long Way Home" and Daniel Johnston's "True Love Will Find You in the End." Some songs included extra members with a guitar and trumpet, others were just the duo and at the end, with two songs left, they threw in some mixed beats for "Laura," a Girls cover, then "My Only Offer."


(O'Death)

O'Death was really good. I hadn't really listened to much of their stuff before the show, but they had one of those sets that had to convert new fans. Because they performed later in the day, the crowd was really filling in. According to the I Am Fest Facebook event page, O'Death was the first band to confirm, and this was their first show back in Connecticut after a hiatus. I'm glad they're back together because they rock. Really cool indie folk rock sound.


(The Hempsteadys)

Other band I was able to catch after I got there at 4 were The Hempsteadys (a big group playing some cool, reggae-ska), Fake Babies, Darlings (very true for their name, they had some nice, catchy but still raw, garage-sounding pop) and Eula (a neat band from Milford with steady surfer riffs and punk/noise sound).

Here's what I have of set lists for the two main acts.

We Are Scientists:
(Didn't catch the first song because I forgot I was keeping track. Please let me know if I missed anything else!)
Impatience
I Don't Bite
Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt
Rules Don't Stop
This Scene is Dead
Inaction
Chick Lit
Pittsburgh
It's a Hit
The Great Escape
Ambition
Jack & Ginger
After Hours

Mates of State:
Re-Arrange Us
Get Better
True Love Will Find You in the End (Daniel Johnston Cover)
Whiner's Bio
Think Long
You Are Free
Long Way Home (Tom Waits Cover)
For the Actor
At Least I Have You
Now
Ha Ha
Laura (Girls Cover)
My Only Offer

Review: Tom Petty and Crosby Stills and Nash at the Meadows 8/17

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Crosby, Stills & Nash gave great performances Tuesday night. Both played lots of hits, got the crowd going and showed why they've had staying power, churning out several classics over the years.

CSN got the concert started, and they really felt like a double headliner, not an opening act. The concert was a little later than usual - started at 8 - so there were a lot of people already inside, and it was dark, so CSN could feel like a headliner. They played "Bluebird" and went into "Deja Vu" and got more crowd approval deeper into the set with "Southern Cross" going into "Almost Cut My Hair."

Here's the CSN setlist:
Woodstock (Joni Mitchell cover)
Military Madness (Graham Nash cover)
Long Time Gone
Bluebird (Buffalo Springfield cover)
Deja Vu
Ruby Tuesday (The Rolling Stones cover)
Our House
Southern Cross
Almost Cut My Hair
Wooden Ships
Encore: For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield cover)

It took Tom Petty just about an hour to go on after CSN ended, which felt like a really long time. As the crowd grew restless, though, the crew kept sound checking, and I think they may have changed the camera for the big screens because the stage - Tom Petty, mainly - had a soft glow and looked almost holy in the screen picture. It was a pretty cool effect. If it wasn't on purpose, it worked. The set list worked in that it included the more popular, crowd-pleasing hits - I think I felt the cloud form on the lawn during "Last Dance with Mary Jane" - but saved room for some stuff off their new album, Mojo, which sounds like classic Tom Petty except maybe a little jammier, with more guitar riffs and fewer catchy choruses. After the Mojo interlude, the band went right back to playing their hits with a light version of "Learning to Fly," complete with a singalong toward the end. Then they brought the pace back up with "Don't Come Around Here No More" and ended with "Refugee before coming back to an encore of "Running Down A Dream and "American Girl."

Here is close to a complete Tom Petty set list:
Listen to Her Heart
You Don't Know How It Feels
I Won't Back Down
Free Fallin'
(Not sure what song was after this. I was getting really into the concert and didn't know the song off the top of my head and didn't catch lyrics to look it up.)
Mary Jane's Last Dance
(Also not sure on this next song.)
Breakdown
Jefferson Jericho Blues
Good Enough
Running Man's Bible
I Should Have Known It
Learning to Fly
Don't Come Around Here No More
Refugee
Encore: Runnin' Down a Dream
American Girl

On a side note from the concert, I have to say that the worst thing to happen after a concert - with tons of heavy traffic - did. There was a fire right behind the parking lot at the Meadows, now the Comcast Theater in Hartford. Luckily, I got out of the concert pretty quickly and pretty much ran to my car. Strangely enough, there was another fire in Hartford at a three-family house, and that was in the news, but not this fire. So I don't have any other information on this fire. If anyone who reads this finds more info, I'd be curious to know what exactly happened.


(Picture of the fire)

After running to my car, I drove from my parking spot to the line of cars trying to get out and noticed a pretty big fire toward the back of the lot. Nervously, everyone was pushing to get out. Still no sign of fire trucks or sirens, I got to the traffic light and main road by the time the first fire truck came. We opened our windows to ask the other cars in traffic if they were near the fire and could see what happened. One guy said he was two rows away from it and it was on the tracks. Imagine how scary it must have been for people parked in that area. I'd be terrified the fire would spread to my car. Also, it formed a pretty big cloud of smoke, so it was probably hard to breathe right next to the fire. I was glad I got out of there, too, because with the fire trucks coming in, cars would definitely be blocked. I hope everyone who attended the concert had a good time and got out safely without too much delay.

Review: Film Night at Tanglewood with John Williams and the Boston Pops 8/14

Movie music is epic. It brings emotion and momentum to countless scenes, and it's fun to hear live while listening to narratives about how the music added to great movies. That's what Film Night at Tanglewood is. This was my second time going to one (I went two years ago), and it was fantastic. We had John Williams conducting the Boston Pops and Robert Osborne of Turner Classic Movies hosting. Two years ago we got surprise Steven Spielberg, but no such luck this time. Still, Osborne was very informative and extremely engaging. As the Pops performed, movie clips played on the screen, and in-between songs, Osborne would give us some tidbits on the movie music was from or about movie music in general. For example, there was a time when movie music wasn't really respected among composers, and people who wrote music for movies were looked down upon. Also, music in movies used to come from a source within the movie, like a player piano or a band in the background, not from no where like it is today. Today, you wouldn't imagine a movie without music.

The Pops played a set of "Hollywood's Golden Age" with music by different composers from and about movies and after an intermission played "Celebrating Steven Spielberg" with music by Williams. They sounded great and as they flowed through each movement, I felt like I was experiencing the movies themselves.

List of what each set included:

"Hollywood's Golden Age"
Hooray for Hollywood - Whiting (arr. Williams)
Suite from "Sunset Boulevard" - Waxman
Scene d'Amour from "Vertigo" - Herrmann
Forest Meeting and March from "Spartacus" - North
Chinatown - Goldsmith
Lawrence of Arabia - Jarre

"Celebrating Steven Spielberg"
Two Selections from "Jaws" (Theme and Barrel Chase Sequence)
Excerpts from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind"
Two selections with the Buti Young Artists Chorus (Exultate Justi from "Empire of the Sun" and Dry Your Tears, Afrika from "Amistad")
March from "1941"
Theme from "Schindler's List"
A Tribute to Steven Spielberg (Medley with music from "Close Encounters," "Jaws, "Jurassic Park," "Munich," and "ET."

That was all that was listed in the program, but Williams and the Pops gave us one more, which I was very excited about: "Indiana Jones."

Review: MGMT at Mountain Park 8/11

Compared to the Flaming Lips show last month at Mountain Park, which left behind globs of confetti, MGMT was a much smaller, less festive occasion. It might have felt smaller because of the smaller and younger crowd, and because we could still see those globs of confetti, but it was very fitting. Not counting the 15-year-olds trying to mosh next to me during MGMT's more popular dance hits "Electric Feel" and "Time To Pretend," this concert atmosphere was a bit more relaxed, perfect for MGMT's newer, dreamier, songs, where we could just stand back and enjoy the sound. They started with "The Youth," which was a very good choice, and went into a more upbeat, surfier "Flash Delirium." They alternated between the slower, more ambient songs we could sway to and the fast-paced songs we could dance to, playing pretty much everything off Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations. We even got "Kids" at the end of their set.

Seeing a band when they only have two full albums out is the perfect time to see them. Think about it. You know a lot of their songs, and you know they'll play your favorites. And you know they'll have a longer set than when there was only one album out (cough, Ting Tings with their 40-minute album when I saw them last year, cough). MGMT gave us two fake endings, saying that "Kids" was the last song then leaving us with "Congratulations" and coming back with "The Handshake" and ending finally with "I Found a Whistle."

I tried to keep track of the set list so I could make set lists a regular part of my blog, but there were some lyrics that were difficult to hear or understand, and it's pretty much imperative that bands jam during live performances, so some songs kind of blended together. The blending together was very MGMT, though, so the crowd kept swaying and dancing. I included what I think is a complete set list at the bottom of this post, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know. I think it's mostly complete because we got most of Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations on this list.


The Violens opened and met everyone at the merch table after their set with handouts for a download of "Summer Mixtape," which is literally a mixtape, on their website: http://violens.net/. I actually just downloaded it and am listening to it as we speak. Definitely give it a listen. The Violens were really fun to watch, and I was able to recognize some songs from their Myspace page including "Acid Reign and "Already Over." They're an excellent band to pair with MGMT on a tour because you kind of get that MGMT psychedelic dance feel with their stuff. There's lots of cool sound effects, dreamy backup and leading vocals and interesting piano overtures. And they're really nice guys. Violens: A group of pretty nice guys.

Here's what I think is a complete set list for MGMT since I'm trying to post set lists now. If I missed something, please let me know. (I'm trying to keep track of songs, but bands jam out when they perform live, and songs blend together, so it's kind of hard. If you can help, please do!)

"The Youth"
"Flash Delirium"
"Of Moons, Birds & Monsters"
"Weekend Wars"
"Song for Dan Treacy"
"Time to Pretend"
"It's Working"
"Future Reflections" (I think)
"Something's Missing"
"Electric Feel"
"Brian Eno"
"Pieces of What"
"Siberian Breaks"
"Destrokk"
"Kids"
"Congratulations"
Encore:
"The Handshake"
"I Found a Whistle"

Review: John Mayer and Train at the Meadows - 8/7

(Blurry cell phone picture of when Pat Monahan joined John Mayer to sing "The Boys of Summer")

Toward the end of his set, John Mayer admitted that "money sucks" and "there's not a lot of it floating around," so he gave a heartfelt thank-you to the audience for buying tickets. "I hope it's worth every penny," he said.

It was.

I know some people spent $80+, but I got lawn seats, so including fees, it came to $40 a ticket. John Mayer and Train were a perfect combo, and really, both are pretty big acts, so it was worth it.

Both pulled out most of their hits, and Mayer and his band jammed for some longer interludes, showing off the musicianship of the band members, including a pretty incredible saxophone player. Mayer even said that it makes a big difference when you have a good band, which is very true. He started with "Bigger Than My Body" and went into "No Such Thing." On top of playing a lot of his more popular songs like "Gravity," "Waiting on the World to Change" and his newer singles, "Heartbreak Warfare" and "Half of My Heart," he also had a lot of audience interaction, talking directly to a couple with a sign that they were just engaged and showing the girls and guys exactly how they dance to jam music. Being from Fairfield, he gave shout-outs to girls from Westport, Easton, Milford, Avon, Cheshire, Groton and Fairfield, places where a good chunk of the audience probably came from. Mayer noted that it's August and the summer's winding down, so he said it's up to you to make a good time. He played on the theme of keeping summer alive as he brought back Pat Monahan from Train to sing " The Boys of Summer." Mayer played for about 2 hours, and Train played for maybe an hour.

Unfortunately, Train felt like an opening band because there wasn't anyone on before them. We got into the venue just after 7:30, which was when the ticket said the show would start. There wasn't another opener listed, but I figured they might throw someone else in. They didn't, so unfortunately, a lot of people were still coming in while Train was playing. Train wasn't even listed on the ticket, and the only way to find out they were playing was by reading articles or looking at Train's website, which listed Hartford on its tour. Train's been around for a long time, and they have a lot of big songs (How 'bout "Hey, Soul Sister" playing non-stop on the radio for the past year?), so it was weird that the promoters didn't include them on the ticket or highlight them more. Even still, they played a great set, with "Marry Me" going into "Hey, Soul Sister" and ending with a big "Drops of Jupiter."

I'm always looking for ways to improve my blog, and a friend said that people want set lists. So, this show I kept note of songs, and I present to you, the set lists. (Note: We missed the beginning of Train, so the first songs aren't there.)

Train (Note, again: We missed some songs in the beginning):
"I Got You"
"If It's Love"
"When I Look to the Sky"
"Calling All Angels"
"Save Me, San Francisco"
"Marry Me"
"Hey, Soul Sister"
"Drops of Jupiter"

John Mayer:
"Bigger Than My Body"
"No Such Thing"
"Clarity"
"Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"
"Perfectly Lonely"
(Jam session with "Ain't No Sunshine")
"Gravity"
"Who Says"
"Waiting on the World to Change"
"Heartbreak Warfare"
"Do You Know Me"
"The Boys of Summer" (with Pat Monahan)
Encore: "Edge of Desire"

Review: The Flaming Lips - 7/24

The Flaming Lips concerts are worth every penny spent, and ever mile traveled. This show at Mountain Park in Holyoke, Mass. was my fourth Flaming Lips show - the other three I've experienced were in New York City, Boston and Madrid - and this was probably top two because we were so close to the stage. Also, it was the first time I'd seen them in three years, so it was even more awesome.

Wayne came out in the space ball, as he had promised before the show started, and with the epic, loud music in the background and technicolor background images, it was a great start. Add confetti and balloons and you've got yourself a party, which is what Flaming Lips concerts are like. They played all their big songs including "Race For the Prize" and "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" and got the audience to sing along to a heartfelt "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" and add animal sound effects to "I Can Be A Frog." After a crazy rendition of "The W.A.N.D." complete with lots of fog and flashing lights. I was having a little trouble dealing with the strobe lights, so I closed my eyes for some of it, but apparently someone in the audience had bigger problems. The show ended for some time, and Wayne came out and said they would wait for that audience member to recuperate before coming out again. When they were ready, they came out with a riveting "Do You Realize."


The coolest part of the show, for me and my friends at least, had to be watching what I will call "The Sage Saga." It was Sage's 9th birthday, and her dad drove her to the show from Rhode Island. She even painted a colorful picture telling the band that it was her birthday. We were near them during the opener and Sage's dad said she loves Yoshimi. Nice. Coolest 9-year-old ever. When Wayne checked out the stage after Fang Island's set, Sage held up her poster and got a nod from Wayne. Her dad had two words for his daughter: "Mission Accomplished."

Halfway through the show, I noticed Sage and her dad had moved from their spot to stage right. Awesome. I was really hoping she'd get a "Happy Birthday" from the band, and she did. Wayne brought her to the center of the stage and the band plus audience sang "Happy Birthday" to her and a guy on the tour named Terry. Best birthday ever. I only hope that when she goes back to school and shares this story as part of what she did on her summer vacation, at least one classmate will know how cool it is.



Fang Island was the opener, and they were very fitting for the Flaming Lips. We had seen them just a few weeks before at a Brooklyn Pool Party, and they rocked it with their building riffs and overall progressive rock sound.

Review: Janelle Monae - 7/23

This was our third free show in a row, and it was by far the best. It pouring, but we had our ponchos and braved the rain at Bushnell Park because Janelle Monae is definitely worth it.

Monae came out as energetic as usual and played for what felt like an hour even though it was much longer. Her sets fly by because they're so fun and get everyone dancing. This was the perfect time to see her, too, with just a full album and an EP out. So we knew a lot of the songs. Also, I think she's getting bigger having played both the BET Awards and the ESPYs this year, so seeing her for free now is pretty fantastic. She performed an extended version of "Tightrope" complete with lots of runs and a fake ending and came out for an encore with "Many Moons." (I totally called that one since she didn't play it during the regular set.)

It was really cool seeing such a diverse crowd - with both 20-somethings from all over and area residents setting up their lawn chairs and giant umbrellas. Even the Hartford mayor came out and said this was what Hartford was all about. It was the city's 375th anniversary, and this free show was to celebrate it. It was presented by the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Hartford Party Starters Union. (Thanks, Hartford Party Starters Union, for starting so many parties!) Bushnell Park was the perfect location for a Hartford celebration because you could see a lot of the city, and the Capitol was beautiful lit up in the night.


Other performers included Cubic Zirconia, who were really cool with their dance music and spoken-word lyrics. DJ Rizzla played between some sets. Tobacco had a pretty fun DJ set. Maluca was OK with their singing and rapping over sampled music, and Holy Ghost was a really cool precursor to Janelle Monae.

Review: Daryl Hall - 7/16

We're getting really good at finding and going to awesome free shows in our area. Daryl Hall was part of the Hamden Arts Commission Free Summer Concert Series and the show was really cool. It started at 7:30 on a Friday night, and the crowd gathered in their lawn chairs with their picnics and families at Town Center Park. Sure, we didn't have Oates, but Hall still played lots of classic Hall and Oates songs, including "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes" and "You Make My Dreams." After a fake ending, he came back for an encore including "Rich Girl." It was a whole lot of fun - and free!

Review: Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu play Joy Division 7/11

Traveled to Brooklyn on my first Sunday not working at the Bristol Press and it was a pretty good day. This was my first Brooklyn Pool Party - I wanted to go last summer and back when it was actually at a pool but was always busy or working on Sundays - and it was a nice setup with a big stage facing the waterfront and a pretty big beer garden with good views of the stage on the side. Also, it was free.

I'm a big Deerhoof fan, and I've heard that Xiu Xiu is pretty good, so I was hoping they would play some of their own songs. Unfortunately, they didn't. Playing Joy Division was cool for the classic 80s feel that all these bands are trying to capture again today, but it kind of felt like a waste that those two bands were there and didn't play any of their songs. Also, when the guy from Xiu Xiu was singing some songs, it sounded like he was trying too hard at points to imitate the guy from Joy Division.

Fang Island was one of the openers, and they were pretty epic. That's probably how you'd describe a lot of their music. It's just epic with the music constantly building. It was cool to see them before seeing them open for the Flaming Lips a few weeks later. I also really liked Why? who was really fun with their hip hop, indie feel.

While I left a little disappointed after Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu's set, I couldn't complain because the show, overall, was pretty good. And I didn't pay anything for it. And because we were in New York, we went to Katz's for lunch.

Review: Jack Johnson at the Meadows - 7/9

Rapid fire blogging - GO!

After giving back my Bristol Press laptop I have been sans computer and sometimes sans internet because my home internet provider is awful and has a monopoly on Meriden. So I haven't blogged in a while and the shows have backed up. I think I have enough time to get all these done this afternoon, so here goes:

Jack Johnson on July 9. This was my last day at work and a pretty cool way to celebrate it. The show was pretty chill. Above is a photo of the tailgating area before the show. The entire experience was pretty relaxed, and you wouldn't expect anything else from a Jack Johnson show. Inside, he played all his hits including "Bubble Toes," "Better Together" and "Upside Down" as well as new stuff from "To The Sea."

After a pretty chill show, getting out of the parking lot was pretty bad, though. We ran into some obnoxious cars with not-so-chill people yelling from their drivers' seats and traffic even after leaving the Meadows. There were fewer people here than other shows we'd been to at the Meadows, but we realized what the problem was: They crammed all of us into the upper lots because the lower lots were taken up by Cirque tents. So it took us over an hour to get out of the parking lot and then even more time to get to the highway. I hope they never do that again, but we'll see next summer.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat at Cafe Nine

Everything's better with puppets.

I was pretty excited when I first noticed the shiny aquamarine blue puppet stage with orange curtains set up in the corner of Cafe Nine Tuesday night. As the lights dimmed down and epic opening music started, Miss Pussycat's head appeared over a puppet's body and the show began. The puppeteers, I'm assuming Quintron and Miss Pussycat and maybe an additional friend, swapped a bunch of puppets ranging from a striped cat with wacky eyes to police officer monkeys, spinning a tale about "secret pizza," which appeared, all holy and illuminated, at the end. They even turned the stage set into a giant puppet with hands. Yes.

Quintron and Miss Pussycat started playing right after the puppet show and it was awesome. I caught part of this New Orleans-based band's set at B.O.M.B. Fest last month, which is why I decided to catch this show, but this show was definitely better. Quintron said this was their third time playing Cafe Nine, and my immediate thought was, where was I? It's a more intimate setting, and the sound and lighting just work.


(Quintron and Miss Pussycat standing on the bar)

They played their catchy, electronic, out-of-this-world dance music with Miss Pussycat's wacky outfit and crazy maracas. And they went for over an hour before running to the back of the room and jumping on the bar to rock out. Right where I was standing, as you can see from my photo above. (Note: I'm still taking photos with my cell phone. It works for me.)


(The Goodnight Loving)


The Goodnight Loving, a band from Milwaukee, opened, and a few songs in, I decided I really liked their sound. They were definitely different from Quintron and Miss Pussycat, but the two together for a show was a surprisingly good fit. The Goodnight Loving alternated between a country twang and fun surfer rock, which was pretty cool. Grabbed a vinyl from them on the way out.

The Machine at Toad's

The cover band is a pretty funny concept when you think about it. The more you can play a song like the original band, the more audience approval you get. Depending on what band you cover and how long it's been since they've been on tour, you can actually make some good money playing other people's songs. Also, everyone knows that any good cover band has to know every song by the band they cover.

I've seen The Machine twice now, and they're a pretty good Pink Floyd cover band - I mean, tribute band. They're not Australian Pink Floyd with the crazy show recreations, and they don't always sound exactly like Pink Floyd (though sometimes they do), but they really fill that live music void for Floyd fans. At Toad's Place on Saturday night they played "The Wall" and then a pretty long encore of additional songs. It was pretty cool, and it was also cool that we knew what was going down because they played some of "The Wall" then let us know they were going on break then coming back to play the rest and then maybe playing some more.

They started around 9 and ended just after midnight because Toad's Place was turning into a night club for two hours. Tickets were $15, which wasn't bad, and I guess the "Gold Circle" up front was $30. I think people were getting more into The Machine's set when I saw them at The Webster in Hartford, but the seating setup at Toad's could have been to blame on Saturday. That was the first time I ever saw those chairs at Toad's, and it was kind of weird. Anyway, there were definitely people into it, even though most were sitting. Even though you could tell the band could have played for at least two more hours, I was glad it ended after three because it was just enough. A little more would have been too much - like that time Shakedown played until 2 a.m. That was cool for the big fans, but for those of us who got to the show when they started playing (which is later than doors), it got tiring.

My old band director used to tell us that his band director told him to always make the audience leave wanting more. People were definitely getting tired toward the end of The Machine's set, and a good chunk of the people up front had left already. Any more than three hours, and they would have gone way too far past that point.

The Bohemian Quartet - a pretty cool work assignment

I attended a performance of the Bohemian Quartet at the Sloper-Wesoly Immigrant Heritage and Cultural Center, the home of the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut, Inc. in New Britain, Sunday afternoon, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good - and actually fun - this group was. I wasn't expecting much, honestly. I cover a lot of local events for my job, especially on Sundays when I run back and forth between Bristol and New Britain, but this was actually a great group of professional musicians. They're a string quartet made up of a violin, viola, cello and bass, and all the musicians live and work around Rhode Island. The director and violinist is Stan Renard, a Ph.D. music student at the University of Connecticut who arranges all the music the quartet plays.

According to their program, "The mission of the Quartet is to create an awareness of, and love for, 'Romany' music."

I think they do. You definitely get the gypsy, Eastern European flair with their music, and even though the set-up at the Sloper-Wesoly house was more of a seating than a dance, they played a lot of celebration music that you would want to dance to. I think I also liked them because they were like what Gogol Bordello does - except with just strings and less shouting. (There was still shouting - a few "Hey!"s here and there, but not as much as you'd get with Gogol Bordello's gypsy punk.) I really appreciate groups like the Bohemian Quartet that help spread an appreciation for more worldly music. One of the members of the Polish American Foundation of Connecticut said that he and other immigrants in the area often miss their traditional music, so it's nice to hear it here. I agree. I grew up listening to Laotian music with my parents, and they still play it in our house every once in a while, and I think it's important for people to keep ties to their heritage.

You can find my full story on the New Britain Herald here: Bohemian Quartet brings Eastern Europe to city.

You can also find out more about The Bohemian Quartet and listen to stuff on their website here: http://www.bohemianquartet.com/

(Photo credit: Rob Heyl, New Britain Herald Staff (That's my foot in the left corner!))

Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Magic Man and All The Friends - Tuesday night at The Space

I love Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, so I was really psyched for this show on 4/20 at The Space in Hamden. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. Thao rocked it with her raw vocals and interesting ways of playing the guitar (she used a toothbrush for a bit), and the Get Down Stay Down owned it with their skills and use of crazy different instruments. The whole band just had fun with their set, and it was contagious. Before they started "When We Swam," Thao said Adam had a special dance that was kind of provocative. It wasn't that provocative, but the song kind of is, which I love. Then they went into "Swimming Pools," which was cool because people knew these songs, and this part of the show was more like a singalong. During "Beat Health Life and Fire" and a few other songs, they gave us some cool beats to clap to - not just your usual 4-4, and it was a lot of fun. At some points, Thao turned around and started drumming, and Adam started hitting the cymbals with these tambourine-like pieces. Willis on the drums looked like he was using different instruments - or maybe just drinking from a camel back water bottle. They just have a really unique, upbeat, indie rock sound, and it makes me want to be more interesting. i.e.) I wish I thought of playing the guitar with a toothbrush!


Before them was Magic Man (pictured above). I'd been listening to Magic Man a bit before this show because their album is available for free download here: http://magicman.bandcamp.com/. It's a really good album - you should download it - but Magic Man is actually much better live! I think it was because they got to improvise more, and the lead singer got to show off more vocals. He also had a lot of stage presence - very Ezra Koenig mixed with Brandon Flowers - and he looked like Zac Efron mixed with Tim Urban. (I'm totally cool with how creepy I sound.) You could tell that all the musicians in this Boston-based band are talented. You can hear it on the album, but the sounds of the drums, guitar and bass really stick out from the background MacBook-composed music when it's live. The repeating back beats are ridiculously catchy, and that combined with their stage presence and musical talent made for a great set. Magic Man started with "Daughter," which is my favorite song off the album, and they kept the good vibes going through the set. They also had a pretty heated performance of their song "Monster." You could tell that a lot of people were hearing them for the first time, and I think they made a good first impression. They also gave a shout-out to Manic Mark for booking them, which was really nice because he does deserve credit for all these great Manic Productions shows.


All The Friends (pictured above) went on first. They were really chill and a pretty sweet start to the night. About half the audience was sitting on the floor, which is why my picture is kind of dark and far away - I didn't want to step over anyone, and it was a pretty relaxing, but fun set. They had a clarinet and trumpet on top of the usual rock band instruments, so it was like if my marching band friends and I got together and made a prog rock band. (I stole that line from Garrett.) They gave out sampler CDs with two of their songs, which are also available on their Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/atfband. We got to talk to some of them after their set as we picked up a CD, and they were really cool - they were such friends!

On a side note, I also got a chicken pesto sandwich - my first sandwich from The Space - and it was delicious. I got some pesto on my dress, but my Tide-To-Go pen took the stain right out! Yep. Pretty good night.

The Thermals at The Space

We had to go to a show on Record Store Day. Didn't realize this until halfway through The Thermals set, but it was really the perfect end to a pretty awesome day. I'd never seen The Thermals before, but I listened to some of their stuff and really liked their sound, so I decided to check them out on Saturday night at The Space in Hamden. Good decision. They rocked it! Being the headliner, people were pretty excited as they started to play, but they really got the crowd going a few songs in as more people started dancing, singing along and just getting into it. The Thermals have this raw, indie, garage punk sound that just makes you want to rock out. Kind of expectedly, they ended with "Now We Can See," but it was an awesome ending - complete with a clap-and-sing-along.


Past Lives (pictured above) went on right before The Thermals, and I thought they were pretty cool. They also rocked out (you could tell because they got super sweaty), and I think that enthusiasm was contagious. The Coathangers - an all-girl shouting punk band - went on first, before Past Lives. They reminded me of Bikini Kill, and while it's not my favorite kind of music, I couldn't help but like them. You could just tell that they always have fun, and they were especially adorable as they were watching The Thermals and cheering their tour mates on.

Wilco at the Bushnell

(Hooray for blurry cell phone photos that I get yelled at by ushers for taking!)

You know when you're pretty tired once you get to a show because it's the end of the long week? Yeah, that happened to me, but I got my second wind during this show.

This was Wilco's first appearance in Hartford, and my second time seeing them, and it was awesome. The first time I saw them was at Tanglewood, and I couldn't really see, even with seats because I had really tall people in front of me. This time I got an aisle seat and normal-height people in front of me. It was much better. This show in general was a lot better too - and it took me about 20 minutes to get there! My boyfriend read up on Wilco's set lists from recent shows, and we were expecting maybe two sets and an encore. About two and a half hours into the show, we realized they were just playing one long set. They pulled out all their old favorites and stuff from all of their albums. According to the Courant's Eric Danton, they played 36 songs for over three hours. (I'm glad he kept track because I didn't.)

"Wilco the Song" was a great start to the night, and then they went straight into "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" - two songs we listened to in the car, I might add. Basically, every song we thought they would play or were hoping they'd play, they did. My favorite part was toward the end after we had a sing-along to "Jesus, etc." They really rocked it toward the end, especially with "Heavy Metal Drummer" and then "I'm the Man Who Loves You" - two of my favorites. It was one of those cases where I could tell they played a long time and appreciated it, but I also couldn't believe they played for so long because it was so fun.

Matinee shows are awesome!

Just a few updates all rolled into one blog post.

Went to the Mates of State and M.T. Bearington matinee show at The Space on Saturday afternoon, and it was tons of fun. (I was really close and could have gotten a photo, but my phone died because I forgot to charge it the night before!) Anyway, because it was a home show for Mates of State husband-and-wife duo Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, they were able to bring their kids, and lots of friends and family made it out. We got there around 3 and noticed there were a lot more kids than usual. We also couldn't help but gush over an adorable kid in a Mates of State shirt enjoying his root beer. Then we realized the home show/matinee atmosphere was perfect for friends and family, both young and old, to come. Aha! The show was awesome. M.T. Bearington rocked it. I bought one of their CDs at a Toad's Place show, but I only thought of this on Saturday: They kind of sound like Modest Mouse, except not as wacky. I like it. Then the Mates of State definitely had fun, playing lots of familiar stuff and some new songs that as danceable as ever. For a new dance song, they even brought up their daughter Maggie on stage and some of her classmates, including the one who enjoyed his root beer. Another bonus? It wasn't even 7 by the time we left! It felt much later because we had already done so much that day and went to a concert, but we still had so much time left in the day. Sweet deal.

And I never reviewed the Girl Talk show. We didn't end up in the general admission pit, but the balcony wasn't that bad. Sure, we were dancing in our seats and really far away, but there were some good parts. I never heard of Black Violin before, but they were the perfect openers for Girl Talk. They played violins over some hip hop and pop songs, and it was pretty cool. They also showed off their classical violin skills. Then Girl Talk came out with a lot of variations of his old mixes and some new stuff. Interesting point: Girl Talk is limited by the music that's out already. He doesn't call himself a DJ, but he "composes" music by mashing up songs. I saw him over a year ago, and I have two of his albums on my iPod, but those are kind of older. Seeing him live last week was pretty cool because he could play some Lady Gaga songs and mix Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA" with Snoop Dogg. We weren't dancing in the pit, but it ended up being for the better. We didn't get hot or faint, and we could get drinks without trudging through a thick crowd. (A lot of people snuck in/pushed through to the downstairs after the opener.)

Next stop: Bela Fleck - The Africa Project at Jorgensen this Thursday.

Mark Mulcahy Tribute Concert (12/11)

This was one great show. As the Connecticut release party of "Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy," a CD that came out two months ago, I wasn't really sure what to expect. I bought the CD, and a lot of the bands at this show were local, ones that didn't appear on the album. However, the bands rocked it that night at Toad's Place, and they played some great Mark Mulcahy covers as well as their own songs.

The lineup was as follows: The Furors, Frank Critelli, Spike Priggen, Dumptruck, Mr. Ray Neal, The Zambonis, Senator, Peacock Flounders, Boy Genius, Jounce, School for the Dead, Winterpills Chris Collingwood, Elvis Perkins, The Reducers, The Butterflies of Love, Chris Harford.

Frank Critelli (representing my hometown of Meriden) did a great cover of "She is Staggering," one of my favorite songs from Polaris, the house band of The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which Mulcahy was a part of. The Zambonis came out later in Whalers jerseys and other hockey attire - they are a band that plays all songs about hockey - and were a lot of fun. I was actually excited to see them because we stopped in for a quick dinner at Yorkside Pizza next door, and they were right near us. Jounce came on later, which was exciting because the lead signer is Daniel Tamberelli, the kid who played "Little Pete" in Pete & Pete. They were actually really good, and we bought their CD afterward.


Highlight of the night: Mark Mulcahy came on stage with Jounce and Michael Maronna, who played Big Pete. I tweeted that it was a dream come true to see Big Pete, Little Pete and Mark Mulcahy all on stage. Mulcahy sang, and Maronna played guitar as they performed a Miracle Legion song. I made my way up front to take some pictures.

Some bigger names that played included Chris Collingwood, of Fountains of Wayne, and Elvis Perkins. Both are on the actual tribute album.

The crowd at the show was a little older - it was mainly made up of the people who were part of the New Haven music scene in the 1980s, back when Mulcahy was part of Miracle Legion. There were also people there my age who remembered Mulcahy from The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which was, and still is, one of my favorite shows. I went into Toad's Place around when doors opened, and there was like no one there. However, it quickly filled up, which was really nice because it meant there was a lot of support for Mulcahy, whose wife died and left him with two young twin daughters. The tribute CD and show were to support Mulcahy and make sure he can keep doing what he does best - make music. The merch table was filled with CDs, all donated from the local bands, where proceeds went straight to Mulcahy. There was also a cool silent auction with things like a signed Ramones poster, again with the proceeds going to Mulcahy.

For more about the "Ciao My Shining Star" project, check out the CD review I wrote for this blog a little while ago: "Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy."

Mastisyahu (12/1) Review

This show could have been called "Matisyahu and friends" because it seemed like one big party on the Webster stage Tuesday night.

The Jewish reggae artist, who is known for his uplifting songs about unity and peace, put on an awesome concert, showing off his rapping and beat-boxing skills. An added bonus: During his performance, he let a bunch of guest rappers came on stage to show off their own lyrical skills, some even pandering to the audience by mentioning the Hartford Whalers and UConn Huskies. I couldn't really keep track of them, but they were all pretty cool, and they came in during a lot of good, fun, upbeat songs.

The opening band, Soja, was also good with the same funky reggae feel - and they got even better after they offered their CD to everyone in the audience for however much we wanted to pay for it. I paid $5.

The lead singer from Soja even came onto stage with Matisyahu to do a Bob Marley song together.


(Yes, I took these photos with my cell phone.)

Matisyahu fake ended with a long, really emotional version of "One Day," but then came back for a kind of weird encore. It was exciting at first that everyone came back, but then it turned into a long jam session. Then some guys left the stage while others kept playing. Then the last two guys left, and it just sort of ended. I think the people who stayed were waiting for a big finale, maybe a real song, but they didn't get it. I think the Webster was even confused because it took a little while for the lights to go off.

On the brighter side, Matisyahu's friends were wayy cooler than Arlo Guthrie's family.