Entertainment - Monday, December 1, 2008 7:02 - 0 Comments
Three Bands and Two-Thirds Charmed at Minsk/Coliseum/Baroness
Poor Coliseum. They gave a perfectly serviceable show: high energy, tight, loud as hell. The sound emanating from their Coliseum brand amps (the band’s namesake) was dutifully crusty, the EQ pushed to red. Their songs were short and catchy, in a post-hardcore-meets-Motörhead kind of way. But this Louisville, KY band, with their monotonous, genre-bound songs that meld into each other two minutes at a time like a formulaic beat poetry reading, had nothing on the bookends surrounding their set—bipolar acts who both sit at the very forefront of heavy music today. Continue…
Entertainment - Wednesday, November 12, 2008 14:45 - 0 Comments
Lifehouse Stay Comfortably Numb on the Intrepid
The most unique thing about Friday night’s Lifehouse show was the venue. Surrounded by back-lit globes and historic space vessels in a cavernous, warehouse-like chamber aboard the newly refurbished USS Intrepid, this understated AOR-radio band threatened to be upstaged by its surroundings.
Luckily, between the tepid sing-along singles and painfully earnest near-acoustic ballads, they occasionally let some surprising influences shine through, filling the makeshift auditorium with lengthy instrumental passages and washes of reverb-soaked distortion. These moments, accompanied by banging heads and stage acrobatics, showcased Lifehouse at their most absorbing—and demonstrated a rawer, jam-influenced side of their sound that’s rarely heard on their overproduced studio albums. Continue…
Entertainment - Tuesday, November 11, 2008 1:55 - 4 Comments
The Gutter Twins Darken Brooklyn for a Night
Twins in the Lemmon and Matthau sense, The Gutter Twins are longtime buddies Mark Lanegan (of Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age fame) and Greg Dulli (of Afghan Whigs and The Twilight Singers). ‘90s rock fans will eat this stuff up: an indie act with purebred Seattle grunge pedigree and an unlikely pairing that works because it operates in stark contrasts, rocking out with hard-hitting fuzz one moment, hushing down to ethereal shimmer the next.
Lanegan possesses the voice of God, if God chain smoked and had a penchant for single malts, and his gravelly, rumbling baritone—capable of dipping so low you can feel it in your chest—is The Gutter Twins’ single best asset. But Dulli’s melancholic, chameleon-like vocals complicate the texture, frequently layering over his partner’s voice in thick harmony. This complex sound—like a slab of dangerously black marble with a beautiful sheen—is what transforms this band’s otherwise pretty generic grunge rock songs into something special. Continue…
Entertainment - Monday, November 3, 2008 1:32 - 1 Comment
World/Inferno Friendship Society Head to Hell and Back on Halloween
When I signed on to follow the World/Inferno Friendship Society through the Halloween parade and into their annual Hallowmas concert, I had no idea of the fanaticism—bordering on mania—that I would encounter. No. Idea. The World/Inferno fans trump all.
About fifty devotees of all ages gathered in costume at the Webster Hall float, some arriving hours before the Halloween parade began. The day before, several hardcore supporters, led by the band’s web designer Brian Carter, had painted a giant banner, proudly displayed on the side of the float and proclaiming, “WORLD/INFERNO F.S. HALLOWMAS”.
As the band trickled in, rather than rush their idols, the Infernites continued to coolly chat amongst themselves. They shared covert swigs of rum. They smoked cigarettes. They seemed totally normal. I was naive.
Entertainment - Monday, September 22, 2008 5:09 - 1 Comment
Al Franken Pwns John McCain From Behind
Behind the scenes, of course.
Political hopeful and renowned funnyman Al Franken took some time off from his campaign for a Minnesota Senate seat in order to reprise his role as an SNL writer for Saturday’s opening skit. The bit features Darrell Hammond as John McCain, recording his approval message for some less than accurate campaign spots. Truly hilarious and terrifyingly accurate, Politico has more on Franken’s role and the problems comedy has posed for his own political career.
