inTuneMusic

Brand New / Thrice / Crime in Stereo @ Philadelphia 11/14

November 14, 2009

Though Daisy was released just two months ago, tickets to Brand New’s fall tour went on sale early in the summer; both nights at Philadelphia’s Electric Factory sold out quickly. Long Island-mates Crime in Stereo opened much of the tour, with a few different bands as direct support. The second night, November 15, featured Glassjaw; the first night featured Thrice.

Crime in Stereo kicked off the evening set with a new song, but the mix was muddy and the vocals weren’t clear enough to make out most of the track. The band drew heavily from 2007’s Crime in Stereo is Dead on Bridge Nine Records, though the crowd seemed indifferent to the band’s performance. Drummer Scotty Giffin was powerful and clear during the band’s brief set, but vocals from Kristian Hallbert and guitarist Alex Dunne were unfortunately too bass-heavy and poorly mixed to appreciate or enjoy. The full set:

(new song)
Small Skeletal
XXXX (The First Thousand Years of Solitude)
Third Atlantic
…But You Are Vast
(new song)
Almost Ghostless/Above The Gathering Oceans
Orbiter

California quartet Thrice opened with Vheissu’s “Of Dust and Nations” and played a burly set of ten songs, heavily leaning on their excellent 2009 effort, Beggars. “Silhouette”, the oldest cut of the evening, was punishing, with frontman Dustin Kensrue’s brutal scream as strong as ever. Newer songs “All the World is Mad” and “The Weight” received excellent live treatment, and “Helter Skelter” was a welcomed surprise.

Shifting from lead guitar to keys, Teppei Teranishi provided the foundation to an excellent performance of “Doublespeak” before the band leaped into a new interpretation of The Alchemy Index’s “A Song for Milly Michaelson”. A spine-tingling performance of the 2009 title track, “Beggars”, closed the evening with frontman Kensrue pouring his heart into the song’s final moments: “Can you hear what’s been said? Can you see now that everything’s grace after all? If there’s one thing I know in this life: we are beggars all. “

With such an enormous collection across so many different genres, it’s hard to find the right ten-song setlist as a support act, but Thrice seems to have nailed it. Songs from Beggars were the night’s highlights, the region’s first chance to hear these songs live as Thrice rarely tours the Philadelphia or its surrounding cities. The band’s performance was spectacular, and with a longer set the band could have easily upstaged headliners Brand New. The full setlist:

Of Dust and Nations
Silhouette
All the World is Mad
The Weight
Helter Skelter (The Beatles cover)
In Exile
Doublespeak
A Song For Milly Michaelson
The Arsonist
Beggars

To a roar of three thousand eager fans, Brand New began with the familiar chords of “Welcome to Bangkok”. Daisy’s “Sink” was strong, and the back to back performances of “Degausser” and “You Won’t Know” sounded great. “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t” was a welcomed return to the band’s sophmore album, Deja Entendu, though the song suffered from frontman Jesse Lacey’s new found over-use of screaming instead of singing the song’s melodious parts.

“Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades” was surprisingly strong, as the band usually struggles through the song’s offbeat rhythm and Garrett Tierney’s bumpy bassline. “Jude Law and a Semester Abroad” and “Seventy Times 7″ went as songs seven and eight, respectively, with Lacey noting that it may have been the first time the band has played those songs without the crowd shouting to hear them.

A so-so performance of “Limousine” solo acoustic by Lacey preceded an excellent one-two punch of “Vices” and “Gasoline”. For the rest of the night, strange black and white footage played on the wall behind the band. “Sowing Season” was surprisingly strong; the penultimate “At the Bottom” was explosive before the quieting “Play Crack the Sky” finished the evening. The full set:

Welcome to Bangkok
Sink
Degausser
You Won’t Know
Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t
Sic Transit Gloria..Glory Fades
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Seventy Times 7
Limousine
Vices
Gasoline
Daisy
Sowing Season
Archers
You Stole
Jesus
Bought a Bride
At the Bottom
Play Crack the Sky

Despite the venue’s generally poor sound, Brand New performed extremely well and certainly put on one of their best shows in quite some time, up there with the stunning performance at The College of New Jersey earlier in the year. Guitarists Vincent Accardi and Derrick Sherman were tighter than normal, and drummer Brian Lane (and the guest percussionists that Brand New brings out on various songs) were rock-steady. Though Daisy may not be the band’s finest moment, after hearing seven of the album’s eleven tracks in concert it is clear that the album begs a live interpretation.

Brand New and Thrice touring together isn’t new, and the combination is always welcome, but it would be nice to see Thrice playing a longer set in the near future on an East Coast headlining tour of their own. Catching two of rock’s best acts on the same bill is always a treat, though, and the night’s show was no exception.

inTuneMusic is very interested in any submissions/corrections from this event including photographs, setlists, and audio/video. Please contact us, you will receive complete credit for any submission.

Leave a Comment » | Brand New, Crime in Stereo, Electric Factory, Pennsylvania, Thrice | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

The Get Up Kids / Kevin Devine @ NYC 11/1

November 1, 2009

On their first full American tour since reuniting earlier in the year, The Get Up Kids approached New York City with a three-night stand across Manhattan and Brooklyn. On the heels of a special Halloween show that found the band performing all of Something to Write Home About, the Kansas City five-piece took aim at the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

At home in Brooklyn in front of friends and family, Kevin Devine opened with a solo performance of “Brooklyn Boy” at before being joined by The Goddamn Band for the rest of the set. A few older cuts were tossed into the mix (“Flatline Blur” and “Noose Dressed Like a Necklace” from 2003’s Make the Clocks Move); the set was fairly well spread across his discography.

Kevin Devine

Songs from Brother’s Blood were strong, including the enormous title track and the pointed single, “Another Bag of Bones”. Midway through “Carnival” Devine experienced guitar troubles, possibly reducing the forty-minute set from nine to eight songs as the crew struggled to get a working guitar and amplifier on stage. Nonetheless, Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band sounded as strong as ever and adequately warmed the crowd for the feature act. The full set:

Brooklyn Boy
Flatline Blur
Go Haunt Someone Else
Yr Husband
Carnival
Another Bag of Bones
Noose Dressed Like a Necklace
Brother’s Blood

The Get Up Kids sounded great, reaching across their entire discography from 1997’s Four Minute Mile to their 2004 farewell, Guilt Show. Older songs like “Coming Clean” and “Mass Pike” offered a glimpse into what set The Get Up Kids apart from their peers in their earliest days as a band; 1999 cuts like “Holiday” and “Out of Reach” hinted at the band’s more mature sound that would come full circle with 2002’s On a Wire.

The Get Up Kids

As highlighted on songs such as “Overdue”, Matt Pryor delivered a strong vocal performance throughout the night. The Cure’s “Close to Me” received quality treatment as part of an encore that even found Pryor stepping up to sing “Ten Minutes” for the first time ever, as the standard singer for the song, guitarist Jim Suptic, was unable to sing due to illness. Keyboardist James Dewees helped fill in on backing vocals where necessary, as well, injecting his more hardcore vocal approach into the mix.

By night’s end, it was hard to want more from The Get Up Kids (except maybe the Suptic-sung “Campfire Kansas”, one of their strongest songs). Held together by the Pope brothers rhythm section–bassist Rob and drummer Ryan–the band was incredibly tight and extremely energetic for more than hour. The band plans to record in 2010; if the night’s performance is any indication, the upcoming songs should sound phenomenal.

All photographs by the extremely talented Kenami.

Leave a Comment » | Blender Theater at Gramercy, Kevin Devine, Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York, New York City, The Get Up Kids | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

Thursday / Far / Midnight Masses @ NYC 10/25

October 25, 2009

Eight years ago, Thursday issued Full Collapse on Victory Records. The sing-scream-sing/soft-heavy-soft formula wasn’t new to underground music in 2001, and Thursday didn’t invent a genre, but the band’s near-perfect execution on Full Collapse and its widespread distribution through the Chicago record label caused an immeasurable impact on underground rock for the next decade, with hundreds of bands forming in basements across the country, each with their own take on the Full Collapse sound. Drawing on a spectrum of influences (from Joy Division to Lifetime), Full Collapse proved that it didn’t take a great singer (vocalist Geoff Rickly struggled to remain in key for most of the record) or incredibly complex song structures to create an astounding album. To celebrate Full Collapse Thursday grabbed newly reformed Far and local act Midnight Masses and headed to the Lower East Side’s Bowery Ballroom.

Midnight Masses setlist

Midnight Masses opened the evening with a harmonious, acoustic chant before reaching for their instruments. An incredibly talented New York collective lead by Autry Fulbright (Dragons of Zynth, Shock Cinema), the band’s take on indie and soul sounded great across their nine song setlist. Each of the six members provided vocal harmonies, providing a luscious sonic blast that was both soothing and readily inspiring. Clearly drawing influence from acts like Nick Cave and Nina Simone, the band’s soulful, Gospel-eque sound was delightful; the full set can be found below. The band is set to release Rapture Ready, I Gazed At The Body EP in mid-November.

Heaven
Apocalypse
Sound of Sirens
Burial Song
Debtor’s Song
Preacher’s Son
Walk on Water
I Was a Desperate Man
Redemption Rain

Far setlist

Far performed next, their first show in New York City in nearly a decade. Fronted by the legendary forty-year old Jonah Matrangra (Onelinedrawing, New End Original, Gratitude), Far’s blend of drop-D distortion and non-stop energy was warmly received by a crowd all too eager to hear singalongs like “Man Overboard” and “Bury White”. In fact, much of the band’s set came from Water & Solutions, with Far playing nine of the album’s twelve tracks. “Job’s Eye” and “In the Aisle, Yelling” were welcomed throwbacks that found the band digging into their 1996 major label debut, Tin Cans With Strings To You.

For “Mother Mary”, Thursday’s Geoff Rickly joined Matranga to provide additional vocals; just five years earlier, Thursday performed a cover of the song at Hellfest, with Matranga providing guest vocals on the track. “The System” finished the band’s explosive set; the full list below:

Wear It So Well
I Like It
Water & Solutions
Man Overboard
Bury White
In the Aisle, Yelling
Waiting for Sunday
Really Here
Job’s Eyes
Mother Mary
The System

The soothing melody of “A0001″ and it’s brief, repeating lyrics (“We’ll all look the same someday, and even now the robot starts to think–I wonder what it dreams.”) filled Bowery Ballroom as Thursday walked on stage, finding the entire room in applause. It was time for the veteran New Jersey six-piece to perform Full Collapse–an album written by a young band still wet behind the ears.

Drummer Tucker Rule kicked off “Understanding in a Car Crash” with quick drum patter, joined immediately by the winding melodies of guitarists Steve Pedulla and Tom Keeley. Fairly uncommon “Concealer” followed, with keyboardist Andrew Everding providing Rickly with supporting vocals. “Autobiography of a Nation” was especially powerful, with the crowd exploding in unison at the song’s introductory climax: “Write these word’s back down!”

The first of three truly rare songs came next in the form of an excellent performance of “A Hole in the World”. “Cross Out the Eyes” and “Paris in Flames” receive solid treatment; “I am the Killer” was the night’s most emotional effort. The second in the trio of rarities was “Standing on the Edge of Summer”, a beautiful track about Rickly’s final days with his grandmother. Frank Giokas, credited in the Full Collapse liner notes for the guitar on the song, temporarily replaced Pedulla for the effort.

“We’ve come to the point of the album with the first song that really sucks,” said Rickly, introducing the third and final rare song, “Wind-Up”. He continued to talk about the track, stating that it was written for their debut Waiting but considered too weak of a song; it ended up on Full Collapse, Rickly recounted with a wide grin.

“How Long is the Night”, a story about Rickly’s struggle with insomnia, finished the Full Collapse portion of the evening with a bang. Possibly the album’s strongest moment, the song also epitomizes the band’s sound in 2001, a fitting end to the record. “i1100″ played through the PA as the band walked off stage.

“The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (Of Control)” kicked off the encore, and it became clear that bassist Tim Payne was enjoying the more complicated song structures of their material. Three Common Existence cuts followed beginning with “Beyond the Visible Spectrum”. The band offered a vote between lead-single “Resuscitation of a Dead Man” and should-be-single “Friends in the Armed Forces”, with the latter narrowly winning. “Circuits of Fever” was complemented with more than twenty giant balloons (last seen on the band’s Taste of Chaos tour) that continued to kick around for “Jet Black New Year”. “War All the Time” finished the evening. The full set:

Thursday setlist

Understanding in a Car Crash
Concealer
Autobiography of a Nation
Cross Out the Eyes
Paris in Flames
I am the Killer
Standing on the Edge of Summer
Wind-Up
How Long is the Night
The Other Side of the Crash/Over and Out (Of Control)
Beyond the Visible Spectrum
Friends in the Armed Forces
Circuits of Fever
Jet Black New Year
War All the Time

Thursday had been together (with some lineup changes) just a couple of years before releasing Full Collapse, an album that is largely a varied collection of power chords, simple octaves, drop-D tuning, and cranked distortion. The band has grown tremendously since album, but Full Collapse’s lyrical beauty and stellar execution have allowed the album to age gracefully. In a live setting, few Thursday songs produce the immediacy and energy of Full Collapse’s cuts, a testament to the record’s staying-power.

Thursday is set to tour briefly through the early part of the winter, culminating in a hometown holiday performance at the end of December in Sayreville, New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom. These annual holiday shows tend to bring out the best in the band, as they reach back into their catalog for older cuts and generally play their longest sets of the year. If the Full Collapse show was any indication, then the holiday show should be an incredible event not to be missed.

Leave a Comment » | Bowery Ballroom, Far, Midnight Masses, New York, New York City, Thursday | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

Jack’s Mannequin @ New Brunswick 10/21

October 21, 2009

In between Andrew McMahon’s solo tour and Dear Jack charity screenings, Jack’s Mannequin is performing one-off dates at various colleges across America. In late October, the band rolled into the Rutgers University gym on College Avenue in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Jack's Mannequin guitarist Bobby Anderson

“Crashin’” kicked the set off right, with the band’s debut single, “The Mixed Tape”, on its tail getting the crowd involved early in the night. “Spinning” followed, and the song was noticeably stronger and fuller with the addition of guitarist Bobby Anderson providing lush vocal harmonies. In fact, the entire night was enhanced with not only Anderson but also bassist Jon Anderson providing harmonies to many of the songs.

The pop quartet stuck closely to their first (and more widely known) album, Everything in Transit, with the next five songs coming from that effort. “Holiday From Real” began with a quieter introduction, and “Kill the Messenger” was spiced up with a bit of The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”.

“Bruised” found the crowd jumping around for the first time before “La La Lie” put friends and lovers in the crowd in each others arms during a noticably extended harmonica solo. Current single “Swim” was cynically dedicated to the students working out in the pool below the gym. An abrasive and discordant introduction began “Bloodshot”, catching most of the crowd off guard during an otherwise melodious night.

Jack's Mannequin frontman Andrew McMahon

Something Corporate’s “Watch the Sky” became the night’s highlight, the first time Jack’s Mannequin has performed the song in a headliner role in New Jersey. McMahon explained some of the song’s origins about it being written in Seattle, Washington, before the entire band joined in for an excellent performance of the North b-side.

“Dark Blue” received the biggest response of the evening, and “The Resolution” sounded great. The first part of the set finished with a rousing rendition of “MFEO”, including pieces of “With or Without You” (from U2’s brilliant 1987 album, The Joshua Tree) and a tremendous performance from drummer Jay McMillan. The full set:

Crashin’
The Mixed Tape
Spinning
Holiday From Real
Kill the Messenger
I’m Ready
Bruised
La La Lie
Swim
Bloodshot
Watch the Sky (Something Corporate cover)
Dark Blue
The Resolution
MFEO
Rescused
Into the Airwaves

Jack's Mannequin drummer Jay McMillan

The two-song encore began with McMahon walking on stage wearing a shirt in “honor” of the Twitter trendy “balloon boy”–appropriate attire for a song entitled “Rescued”. Everything in Transit-closer “Into the Airwaves” finished the evening, a befitting end to a solid sixteen-song setlist that drew from ten of the album’s eleven tracks, likely designed to please a college crowd less familiar with The Glass Passenger. To an audience filled with fans and fratboys alike, Jack’s Mannequin put on an excellent show likely to convince the casual college student to pick up at least one of the band’s albums — fulfilling the night’s goal.

Leave a Comment » | Jack's Mannequin, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Rutgers University | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

The Gaslight Anthem / Murder by Death / Jesse Malin @ NYC 10/15

October 15, 2009

With a handful of excellent opening bands, The Gaslight Anthem’s final tour on The ‘59 Sound tour arrived in New York City on a cool Thursday night. Poised to release their third full-length next year, the New Jersey four-piece set their sights on Terminal 5 to give a proper sendoff to their 2008 smash LP.

Broadway Calls opened the evening, but the first act I caught was Jesse Malin. A forty-year old rock veteran, Malin began writing songs and founded hardcore band Heart Attack in the early 1980s. Since disbanding, though, Malin has worked on his solo career. With a full band behind him this evening, Malin played fairly long set, drawing largely from 2007’s Glitter in the Gutter.

Murder by Death began their set with In Bocca Al Lupo’s “Sometimes the Line Walks You”. The next three songs came from their latest effort, Red of Tooth and Claw–the album actually made up half of the band’s set. A nice cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” broke the set into two parts, with a solid performance of “Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue” from Who Will Survive and What’s Left of Them beginning to wrap things up. The final song of the evening was the instrumental “Those Who Stayed” from the band’s first album, Like the Exorcist, But More Breakdancing.

Sometimes the Line Walks You
‘52 Ford
Ball & Chain
Rumbrave
A Masters In Reverse Psychology
Fuego!
Steal Away
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Sonny Bono cover)
Brother
Comin’ Home
Until Morale Improves, the Beatings Will Continue
One More Notch
Those Who Stayed

The Gaslight Anthem frontman Brian Fallon

Tributary “High Lonesome” began things for The Gaslight Anthem who raced through most of The ‘59 Sound (sans “Meet By the River’s Edge”). “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” was particularly strong, and “We Came to Dance” is always quite well-received. A brief bit of “Stand By Me” was inserted into”I’da Called You Woody, Joe”, and 2007’s “Angry Johnny and the Radio” had the entire crowd singing, “we always loved the sad sad songs!”

inTuneMusic has reviewed The Gaslight Anthem many times over the last year, so please check out our other reviews for detailed comments about particular songs. The hour-and-a-half setlist:

High Lonesome
Casanova, Baby!
Old White Lincoln
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
The ‘59 Sound
We Came to Dance
Film Noir
Miles Davis and the Cool
The Patient Ferris Wheel
I’da Called You Woody, Joe
Angry Johnny and the Radio
Great Expectations
Here’s Looking At You, Kid
The Backseat
Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts
Drive
The Navesink Banks
We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner

“Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts” began the four song encore, with three songs from Sink or Swim closing out the night. That album’s final track, “We’re Getting A Divorce, You Keep The Diner”, was a great way to end the show. Fallon’s vocals were top-notch through the evening, and the rest of the band sounded excellent as well. The Gaslight Anthem return to the area with a December 11 performance in Montclair, New Jersey.

1 Comment | Jesse Malin, Murder by Death, New York, New York City, Terminal 5, The Gaslight Anthem | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

inTuneMusic

Brand New / Thrice / Crime in Stereo @ Philadelphia 11/14

The Get Up Kids / Kevin Devine @ NYC 11/1

Thursday / Far / Midnight Masses @ NYC 10/25

Jack’s Mannequin @ New Brunswick 10/21

The Gaslight Anthem / Murder by Death / Jesse Malin @ NYC 10/15

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