Friday afternoon Willow Wood Music and Atypical Beasts Agency brought together British invasion-style punk with indie progressive rock. Rounding out the showcase, Taymir brought their Netherlands-originated pop punk call it what you will four guys in a band with long hair and slight accents making danceable but often times head-banging chunky indie rock. “What Would You Say” is an instant classic for ready-for-the-streets punk rockers, an anthem without being overblown or trite. At CMJ they filled their spot, overran, and unfortunately didn’t have enough time to really get the crowd roaring along with their antic-inspired songs.

And then there is the Brooklyn-based Gold Lake, whose debut album is preparing to drop on November 4^th. Their music is sensual with enough space given for keyboards, guitar, drums, bass, and vocals to coexist to create something that is tinged with electropop but isn’t quite, has prog rock guitar riffs but never approaches the absurdity, and leaves with just a little bit of a melancholy mellow vibe. Their keyboard was draped in gold, their singer was draped in gold, and the songs that came from her and her band mates were near effortless.

CMJ may as well have ended with Matthew Dear’s “NY awakens sleeping beasts” performance at the packed club/bar Verboten. His performance was a menagerie of whatever confusing genre descriptions you want to include from micro-house (as if his seamless blend of electronica makes his music bombastic club sweating without the club sweating) or electronic rock. The disco ball toured across expectant faces as he worked through familiar and unfamiliar versions of his songs, always hinting at the progression that his music takes, the next step in waiting that could be around the corner.

Late into the night on a Saturday, ending a week already filled with small bars, packed clubs, big bands, and friendlier sounds, it doesn’t get any better than that.

Image courtesy of the Willow Wood Music

The post Transforming small stages: the CMJ model appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Expect an arena-worthy light show and a solid live performance from ASTR, the newly formed pop-electric (and kind of hip-hop) duo that released their EP Varsity in January of this year.

ASTR (dropping the “O” of that famous family, Astor) kicked off their tour with The Knocks at the Bowery Ballroom on June 11. It was a great start for a very new band, but there are still areas for improvement as they embark on the 14 show Crystal Arcade Tour.

The duo is comprised of vocalist Zoe Silverman and multi-instrumentalist Adam Pallin. The self-described “picky band” showed their fastidious nature most prominently through their light design. The entire stage was washed in a wide range of images. Scenes were too temporary and effervescent, but they seemed to be nuggets of stories—of operations, of New York, of a girl running away on the beach. The footage is as random (“extensive,” if you’re feeling generous) as the scenes from their first music video, “Operate.”

ASTR is a sort of hip-hop electronic indie pop band; what genre they fall into seems to be a matter of what they’re playing at the moment. From an electronic perspective, they’re rather unique in that they don’t bring an outside vocalist to boost their tracks. They’re plenty moody and introspective to have strains of indie in their blood, and they clearly have a respect for, if not command of, hip-hop.

Silverman’s voice remained powerful and distinct within the set. She had some questionable dance move, questionable mainly because there was no plan as to what she would do on stage. ASTR was so good with light and sound, it seems like Silverman would show more control over what she did on stage. Instead of flipping and flopping around, she could have had something more compelling planned. Like Aaliyah, she may benefit from more choreography. Speaking of the late princess of R&B pop, Silverman dressed in a white tank and white bell bottoms with midriff to spare. She looked great, but now she needs to dance great.

Pallin brought an impressive live performance. He was not just beating a drum set, but gauging electric instruments. Adam was like Andy Samberg’s endearingly awkward cousin. He enjoyed bouncing around and keeping in time with the music. It would have been nice to hear more from him.

Though ASTR gave a strong performance with minimal transitions, there weren’t enough climaxes to make the crowd quit the chit-chat except for “Razor Blade” and their popular remake of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”

It’s a bit amazing that they’re touring with only an EP out. And it’s a bit disappointing that their stage time lasted only 30 minutes.

ASTR closed out with their favorite song, “Blue Hawaii,” a beautiful song, here accompanied by a beautiful background.  The workweek didn’t stop Silverman from declaring to the crowd, “Have an amazing night! Get drunk—stay up!”

The post In New York with ASTR appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The Dead Prez group established the slogan for hip hop: “One thing about music is when it’s real they be scared.” It was important of course for The Governors Ball to nod to how historic New York City has been to the creation of hip hop, even if the lineup was overwhelmingly from out of state.

In addition to social commentary, there’s something unique about starting out young. Day 1 saw the glorious return of Outkast in what has been their reunion tour of festivals this summer, Day 2 was the hailing of Childish Gambino the alt rapper turned James Franco of rap, and Day 3 was left to the young guns of Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator to explore what the scene means.

Tyler, the Creator is an outspoken kid. In 2013, the Museum of Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, had an exhibit on the history of the music video, and tucked away a section for controversial videos. The youngest entrant and the most up to date was Tyler’s video for “Yonkers.” A year earlier, he made homophobic comments about Tegan and Sara. There’s volatility and passion, but there’s also a lot channeled into creativity.

The two collaborated on their Governors Ball performance adding a needed touch of youthful insanity that was missing the previous two days. The audience was encouraged to participate, and Tyler and Earl were in full connection mode with the audience. Connecting with the audience and checking exactly where they were, Tyler called out the VIP attendees who got to fill in the stage early, performing his standout “Yonkers” for the “working class.”

Earl Sweatshirt was in similar form. Each of his songs was polished rapping over classic beats. It’s dismissive when critics argue against the stereotype that hip hop creates. Hip hop does not promote itself as the only path for success for black Americans. Hip hop isn’t perfect and battles with misogyny but it’s still the most American genre, and often finds its focus on social change.

If you arrived early enough to cop a view, Cayucas also broke away from the rest of the day’s performances. Whether name checking themselves in a song, or just thrilling the audience with light and danceable pop music, Cayucas are brilliant craftsmen of the summer jam. They round out the energy emanating from the hip hop thread.

In all three days there was something to look for and enough to dig into. If you’re not listening to more bands after Governors Ball, you aren’t listening.

See more photos from Governors Ball here.

The post Governors Ball day 3: It’s bigger than hip hop appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Music Festivals can be the perfect incubators for buzz bands to break through. With the intensity of the heat, and with passions running high, that band that fills in space on your lineup can easily transform into a band you love. Not only does that band receive your love, but they’re forever bonded to you, an entanglement that forces you to spew nagging phrases to your friends like “you have to check out this band. They’re the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard and don’t even try to tell me that they might not be perfect.” Picture Natalie Portman sneaking out and to Governors Ball one year, with her helmet tightly cinched, and just as the Shins launch into what will become her favorite song, her heart stops. In that moment she’s become their number one booster and places headphones filled with their music over everyone’s head.

Hunter Hunted have straddled that line. Born of the Los Angeles electropop scene, the band is further incestuously linked to other buzz bands such as Air Life and Body Parts. This is Lou Reed, David Byrne, and Patti Smith making music together to create something more unique than the Beatles playing undercover to escape their personas.

Their set at Governors Ball was the breakaway performance that will catapult them into more obsessive fans’ hearts. Their music is the perfect summer setting. “Keep Together” is optimistic pop with the tone of “Hey Ya.” It’s not vapid electronica if it makes you swoon just a tiny bit as you sway from side to side wondering if they’re maybe singing about your personal life. “End of the World” sucks your breath in as a listener, prompting a vowel sing along. Hunter Hunted’s vocals are invitational, they encourage singing along, and they encourage having a good time.

Before giving all the love to Los Angeles at a New York City music festival, the headliners were in force to defend their city. The Strokes provided a solid set in the way that you expect the Strokes to, and Childish Gambino took his act onto the main stage. The NYU grad has talent with schizophrenic execution. The early mixtapes were attempts to revolutionize and the latest Because the Internet is an attempt to bottle what mega hip hop stars like Kanye and Drake are able to accomplish with an all enfolding multimedia experience. Gambino needs to settle down, shake off what’s come before him, and do his own style.

Music festivals offer intimate connections to bands that you see for the first time. It’s magical when something falls into your ear when you’re listening to Spotify on random, but it’s even more magical when it happens in person, and in this case Hunter Hunted is love at first sight.

See more photos from Governors Ball here.

The post Governors Ball day 2: for bands about to break appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The rain is in the past and it’s a beautiful day to head to Randall’s Island for Governors Ball. Friday’s lineup is less intense than the next two, but contains the explosive Janelle Monáe and the returning southern gods, Outkast. In a lot of ways Governors Ball is the music festival that acts like the returning best friend to New York City. Instead of throwing a million indie bands that you have to sift through or just a couple large stadium fillers, Gov Ball carefully curates a musical experience that will charm anyone.

After last year’s mud debacle, it was nice to feel the sun politely shining down as I took the bus across the RFK Bridge to catch Janelle Monáe and everyone else. Because at this point (and if you aren’t paying attention) Janelle is already the real deal. Two years ago she was headlining Afropunk Fest with TV on the Radio, and brought a preview of her electric lady routine. At 3 pm, in the middle of the day, she was equally electric with the expanded repertoire of her third installment in the Cindi Mayweather chronicle. Her outfits are a testament of her devotion to both fashion and her solidarity with her upbringing. She wears a uniform because working professionals wear uniforms and her art never forgets that.

“PrimeTime” was stunning, from the soft spoken lyrics that begin the song to the slow jam instrumental building into the explosive and passionate chorus. Baking under the sun and just starting to feel the buzz of day drinking, the romance wafts around the edges and lets the audience take a moment to appreciate the musical, to appreciate what’s being created together. In usual fashion, Janelle was feisty and energetic, encouraging the crowd to get as deeply into her performance as possible. Sometimes offering stage directions to keep the flow unified. If Janelle was the star of Friday, it was an all female showcase.

Neko Case and Jenny Lewis wowed with their girl fronted, girl named acts. But it was Little Daylight that impressed with their blend of shoegaze vocals and nostalgic rock-pop instrumentals. This little Brooklyn band is captivating. “Overdose” is unsettling in the best of ways. The choral vocals that back the lead singer add substantive depth, the drums are pervasive and groovy, and the occasional bass line that slips to the surface is a ripple. Fresh off their television debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Little Daylight is a band that needs more attention. They’re fun and grooving, a unique blend of Blondie and the anthemic Imagine Dragons.

Friday at Governors Ball was like returning to an old friend and catching up over coffee. There is the initial awkwardness of getting together, and then trying to decipher what’s the most important thing to talk about first, but then when things start to connect it’s a magical experience. Remember when you listened to The Strokes in high school and now Julian Casablancas is playing with a new band? Or El-P moving in a new direction with his group Run the Jewels? New York City may change, but there are things that you can come back to if you feel overwhelmed, and there will always be musicians who will love you as much as you love them. And that’s what Governors Ball lets us experience.

See more photos on our Facebook page here.

The post Making friends with Governors Ball appeared first on Quip Magazine.

New York City music has thrived by creating supportive enclaves. In the 1970s musicians moved into lofts in broken and burning parts of the city and turned them into performance spaces. Whether it was the Happenings that brought in visual artists to shock and awe, or the classical artists who were attempting to minimalize their product and expand their sound at the same time. Music and art was assaultive, supported by friends and like-minded creatives who enabled the scene to expand from nothing.

Captured Tracks is a Brooklyn label that promotes local bands. In addition to a supportive label that works with musicians to finish the product the way they want to, the label has opened up a record store to push their bands and their obsessions, and started an annual showcase. In a conversation with John Pena of Heavenly Beat last year, we talked about the aesthetic behind his vinyl records and how closely he worked with the label artist to achieve his personal vision. When major artists are creating their own labels and complaining about the majors that they do have to sign on with, the music industry needs the feeling you get in a small town where everyone knows your name and where people care.

On June 13^th as part of Northside Festival, Captured Tracks is bringing up five of their bands at Warsaw (261 Driggs Avenue) in Williamsburg. Your best way of approaching this show is by arriving early to Williamsburg and just wandering around, getting lost, until you find Driggs Avenue and stumble upon the haven that will be the CT showcase.

Beach Fossils will bring you back to DIY punk with a touch of lo-fi shoegaze in the vocals. Their summer melodies wrap pleasantly through relaxing nights and contemplating failed relationships in a post-acceptance glow. The band will soothe and glide you to a satisfaction of your place. Their lo-fi charm removes distance and helps form that supportive enclave. The music is all enveloping and comforting.

The showcase continues the shoegaze vocal trend, a minor quirk that can be seen running through other Brooklyn identifying bands such as Small Black and Little Daylight. This shoegaze showcase continues with Craft Spells’ melancholic dancing rhythms, as if in appreciation for the somber reality of twenty-something existence but the acknowledgement that entertainment and outlet need to exist.

Queens based musician Juan Wauters mixes English prog-pop rock from the early ’70s with American melody driven surf. His songs are nostalgic numbers with psychedelic vocals. If Beach Fossils and Craft Spells often defer to the contemplative dancing mood, Wauters finds himself borrowing from the truth-telling punk tradition, spouting lyrics of impact. Self described as garage folk, Wauters is a front man waxing philosophic.

The night rounds out with the bands Axxa/Abraxas and Donovan Blanc. A year after holding their fifth anniversary festival, this Northside showcase highlights Captured Track’s commitment to presentation and remaining a part of the community. There is a special music scene around the label, and it can be a music scene that includes you.

The post Captured Tracks anniversary showcase preview appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Halfway through CMJ and I’ve found myself going with the flow of things, discovering what could be and probably will be a new favourite band. But first, let’s meander together through other bands you’re going to discover here.

First stop for anyone short on cash or looking to crash the scene is the glorious three stages at the Rockwood Music Hall in the Lower East Side. All through CMJ the venue is hosting three simultaneous musicians each half hour or hour, bringing in a new set to blow you away, and it’s all free. Tuesday night I caught a set from the English band Duologue who were charming enough to mention that all they were drinking that night was “honey and lemon.” The band is electronic rock, the kind you may have never heard before, an excuse to put aside your disdain for dubstep and see how incorporating elements can make a song deeply melodramatic, overwrought but in a pleasantly dark and ethereal way. The band draws comparisons to a more avant-garde U2, no not all bands from England sound like U2, this one actually nails the vocals.

Fast forward to Santos Party House in Chinatown on a wet night. German band Claire takes the stage with bravado, a female lead singer who authoritatively leads her band. Can you imagine what it would sound like if Kelly Clarkson was the lead of an actual band with heavy guitars, thumping drums, and evocative synths? Add on top of that a group dynamic that understands how to blend pop vocals with aggression. At one point the lead singer broke into a punk rap shouting with her fists shacking “Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge.” The band just released their EP – Broken Promise Land, and though this was their first bunch of North American shows, it won’t be their last.

Suddenly, The Preatures were on stage. The Preatures are that too cool for school girl who everyone had a crush on, who discovers cigarettes before everyone else, wears clothes that are out of fashion, but wears them with attitude, and despite this standoffish cool, they just don’t give a fuck either way. Your unhealthy obsession will never be reciprocated, The Preatures will never love you as much as you do them, but they will give you the best times of your life. And they’ll do it with an intriguing accent. Instantly the songs are sexually tense, shoulder rocking tunes. They evoke Elvis Presley dancing with David Bowie, Joan Jett whipping the crowd into a frenzy. The female lead singer of the band is the only important person in the room, effortlessly exuding her music. As the heat increased, she took her shirt off, leaving only a white sports bra underneath, and the photographers all rushed to snap her picture. As the set climaxed in the perfect “Is This How You Feel?”, the lead singer upended a water bottle on her head and destroyed the room with a single glance. The audience was wet for The Preatures.

Venue hopping is more than half the experience. For maximum efficiency Ludlow street offers three venues sitting right beside each other. Much like the expansiveness of CMJ, you can pop in and catch a guitar Americana virtuoso, head into the groggy cellar of a venue to discover the straight edge punk you thought you left behind in high school, or over to the appropriately named Tween tearing up a set with the crowd still ecstatic at midnight on a Thursday.

These are bands you should be paying attention to. Make them your favorite band, go out and see them in concert. There’s still more CMJ to come, and even more amazing music to discover.

The post First Impressions at CMJ Fest appeared first on Quip Magazine.

That sound is dominated by post-rock influences but cleft in places where lighter and brighter things have made their mark – such as the warmth of Oasis. There’s a swirling, droning quality to the upper ranges that is fed and supported by a brisk and invigorating rhythm section. The Darcys will playfully entertain pop song structures and tonality before ultimately revealing a different and more oblique harmonic disposition (remember, this is a band that released a track-for-track homage to Steely Dan’s Aza). The songs are like constellations in that you could trace the outline of a pop song but in reality it’s just a collection disparate stars.

In the age of Youtube I often wonder about the usefulness and audience for live show reviews. So far, at CMJ I’ve seen a handful of bands where the YouTube clip would’ve sufficed. What can I tell you about a band’s live show that two or three minutes of streaming reality can’t? In the case of The Darcys, only this: go. You can catch them tonight, Friday October 18^th with Flagship, Duologue, Misun, Claire, and The Ceremonies at Spike Hill in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The post The Darcys at CMJ Music Marathon appeared first on Quip Magazine.

Music festivals are gluttonous and famishing at the same time, you get plenty of bands and tunes to feast on, your hungry soul scooping them up with glee—“Is that a supergroup composed of members of Captured Tracks’ best musicians? What? Why would they do this to me, it’s too much for my stomach to handle, such rich delicacies” — and then your bitter and tired body trying to persuade you that the things inherent to all music festivals are specific to this one and make it a bad one. You can’t bring in your own water because they want you to be so thirsty that you will pay three dollars for a water bottle, and all you can hope for is that somehow that extortion makes its back to the musicians. That’s normal ,though. The summer is beautiful, except when you’re standing in the sun and New York City decides to be muggy and unforgiving, and the waves of Brooklyn hipsters are either a) too cool to sit down between sets or b) too cool to move forward up to the stage.

Heavenly Beat opened the first day. This is a band that should be further down the set list, but the lead singer, and band genius John Peña, seems to be the type of person who doesn’t care about when his band plays. The heat got the better of the band. While Heavenly Beat is known for their alluring dance rock, more R&B than electronica, the crowd—previously mentioned at a cautious distance—didn’t pay them enough attention. Peña began by tucking in his inside-out black t-shirt and then proceeded to enjoy his music… until the sound went off. They skipped through their set, being cut short one more time—where a crowd heckler told him to “dance for us” to which he responded, “You sound just like my mom.”

That night, with the sun finally set and the temperature at a manageable place, DIIV took the stage and proceeded to rock out to their brand of heavy boisterous garage rock. The festival was a celebration for Captured Tracks, an independent label started in Brooklyn five years ago, now heavy with a roster of bands making it onto the scene. DIIV are a good example of that. Lo-fi enough to catch the attention of the hip youth, but talented enough to break it open. Their music was a welcome jar to the previously static crowd, sitting comfortably in the surroundings of The Well.

The Well feels like a converted warehouse, all open spaces. The interior is cool and dark and it opens up to a large backyard with cement floors. The stage sits comfortably outdoors. Aside from the summer concert series in parks in New York City an outdoor stage is what is lacking in the city – Austin has Stubbs’ BBQ and, hopefully, now Brooklyn has The Well.

The celebration withstood the summer NYC weather, and now, two weeks later, sits nostalgically as a collaboration of brilliant musicians and warmer climates. Captured Tracks is definitively local, recently opening a record store to promote their bands, but also to celebrate the vinyl record.

The post Captured Tracks anniversary concert appeared first on Quip Magazine.

The first event of the day is on Emerson place. Upon entering you see food trucks lining one sidewalk, Kimchi tacos the popular item, a blending of Korean and Mexican food that fits well with the attitude of the festival. On the other side of the street you see a group of Hispanics selling freshly grilled corn still in the husks.

The bands are set up in two locations: one is performing on the street, the other in a backyard, reducing the set up time to almost nothing. Pow wow! Is the first band I see. They’re an eclectic group that blends 50s rock with Pacific Northwest grunge. Their vocals are soft under the heavy guitar and floating keyboards. This is their third performance of the day and they are off to one other after finishing up. During the performance and blowing through songs that should be danced to—there is some shuffling, there is some dancing when newcomers and friend approach but only to show appreciation for the music—one of their amps gives up and they fiddle with it trying to bring sound back to the rhythm guitar. The drummer makes small talk, noticing what the audience notices. At Hillstock the performances are intimate and the distance between performer and musician is marginal.

Later in the day, the performances head to an after-party at The Bishop, a pop up art space. A unique thing happens during the first set, a band called Slothrust brings their heavier-than-thou punk and Zola Jesus operatic vocals to the space. At first they are illuminated by lights that run along the ground, but as the set begins they quickly wink off and are told by a technician: “you’ll just have to play without lights or vocals.” They trudge along producing their sonic sludge. The lights were eventually regained. The tension in the crowd grows. New Yorkers are generally not a mobile audience, they appreciate the music in their own ways and don’t succumb to mob mentality. (A week earlier in Thompkins Square Park, a place notorious for being a hotbed of punk activity, I stumbled upon an outdoor concert with high mohawked people wearing piercings standing around. The bands were playing full volume, but they stood. No skanking was had that day.) As the songs grew louder and more discordant, the crowd finally erupted and began moshing, those who were laid back gravitated to the left, the moshers pushed and shoved at the right. And New York City produced the most polite mosh pit I’ve ever seen.

Then came the SPECIAL EVENTS, an enigma. The two hype men started their music on their laptop and began walking through the crowd warming up: “How many raps do you think I’ve done? Just go ahead and say a number… that’s way too low.” They asked the crowd to unlock their butts, pulling people in closer and closer. The SPECIAL EVENTS were certainly the most interesting music event of the festival, although their beats were prerecorded and quite possibly not their own. They have elements of Das Racist without the later development of racial conscious. What instead they seem to rely on is appropriating the “bro” culture and putting a spin on it. Their samples include Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Brittney Spears, the first two pop vixen’s songs are spun at an increased tempo and higher tone. The groups antics include bringing a ladder into the dance circle they’d created and shouting “We are America; we do it big.” Humor in hip hop has steadily increased the past few years (Lonely Island, Turquoise Jeep, Childish Gambino) and SPECIAL EVENTS make their own humor without sacrificing the drive to have a party. I’m suspicious of this band, suspicious that what I find as humorous and fun is really just an attention-grabbing stunt, but SPECIAL EVENTS for now get credit for re-appropriating pop music and finding small jabs they can get in, all in good fun.

Cover image courtesy of Hillstock Festival

The post Hillstock Music Festival is in your backyard appeared first on Quip Magazine.

All you have to do to win one of the two pairs of tickets for this super awesome NYC show is to tell us why you want to go on Twitter or by commenting on this post if Twitter is not your thing.

Hard details: to enter the contest tweet us why you want to go, follow us on Twitter and mention “@IrvingPlaza @QuipMag #C2CNYC” in your Tweet; if you are not on Twitter you can enter by commenting on this contest post, make sure to use your valid email address.

Contest is running starting Monday, March 25 at 10am and ending on Thursday, March 28 2013 at 10pm Eastern Time.

Winners will need to be able to show photo ID at will call to pick up their tickets. One entry per person.

The contest is open all residents of the United States, please read full Rules and Regulations.

Show details:
Irving Plaza powered by Klipsch,
17 Irving Place,  New York,  NY  10003
Thursday, Apr 4, 2013 08:00 PM
To just get tickets now, go to Live Nation

The post Contest: See C2C live in concert in Irving Plaza, New York appeared first on Quip Magazine.