October « 2009 « inTuneMusic

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
A Hole in the World
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.

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.

1 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.

6 Comments | 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

Andrew McMahon @ NYC 10/12

October 12, 2009

At 9PM on a Monday evening, singer-songwriter Andrew McMahon walked onto the Highline Ballroom stage with a set of handwritten posters. Seemingly pulled from a Wes Anderson movie, the completely silent McMahon used the giant note cards to make introductions (“Hello…I’m Andrew”), define expectations (“Tonight you’ll hear lot’s of songs…some old..some new”), and lay out the evening’s ground rules (“singing-dancing-clapping…go for it!” and “requests are for karaoke bars!”)

Andrew McMahon's greetings, as told by a series of handmade signs.

The Glass Passenger‘s “Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)” opened the evening. Over luscious chords and a soothing melody, McMahon’s lullaby was a farewell to an old piano from his first days of touring. Jack’s Mannequin guitarist Bobby Anderson joined for “The Mixed Tape”, a pleasant surprise that added depth to the rest of the set.

Fulfilling his poster promise of “old songs”, McMahon reached back to 2003 to perform “As You Sleep” from Something Corporate’s North. Great performances of “Crashin’” and “Holiday From Real” followed, and McMahon took a break to tell the story of “Annie Use Your Telescope”, a song written during a tour in Australia. “She Paints Me Blue”, another cut from North, was preceded with a story about the song’s origins: McMahon moved out of his parents’ house for the first time and one of the decorations for his new apartment was a blue light, which painted his depressed mood during that time.

Audioboxer EP‘s “Walking By” received the lengthiest explanation of the evening, with McMahon explaining the song’s “Cheshire cat doorstep”, an actual brick doorstep that his older siblings dropped on his head when he was younger. A rarely performed ballad, McMahon explained that although the song is one of his favorites, its slow-paced structure didn’t fit into Something Corporate’s “punky” tours in 2001 and 2002 when it was released.

A charming cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like a Woman” preceded “21 and Invincible”, a song McMahon said he wrote after being made fun of by his older brother. “Dark Blue” and “Bloodshot” followed, the latter of which McMahon remarked is about “climbing a mountain”.

Andrew McMahon played a variety of covers throughout the evening.

Andrew McMahon on the piano.

“Moon River”, made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, received interesting treatment (the song is, despite McMahon’s best efforts, most certainly out of his vocal range). “West Coast Winter”, an older version of “La La Lie”, was the last song before McMahon walked off stage to take a breather.

“Heroine”, written for a girl whom McMahon took to a Face to Face concert, began the five-song encore which also included a cover of Bikelock’s “Olive”, a project between ex-River City High members Anderson and drummer Jay McMillan (both of whom now also play with Jack’s Mannequin). “The Astronaut” was dedicated to McMahon’s mother (in attendance with his sister); “Bruised” closed out the evening. The full set:

Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby)
The Mixed Tape
As You Sleep
Crashin’
Holiday From Real
Annie Use Your Telescope
The Resolution
She Paints Me Blue
Spinning
Walking By
Just Like A Woman (Bob Dylan cover)
21 and Invincible
Dark Blue
Bloodshot
Moon River (Johnny Mercer, Henry Mancini cover)
West Coast Winter (La La Lie)
Heroine (Punk Rock Princess)
Swim
Olive (Bikelock cover)
The Astronaut
Bruised

Taking six songs from the Something Corporate era, McMahon pleased old fans and new fans alike with his exhaustive twenty-one song setlist. With help from Anderson, the true beauty of McMahon’s songwriting became evident when songs with often over-the-top production stood well up to the stripped-down acoustic test. Certainly, McMahon excels when he’s with his band on stage in front of thousands, but sometimes a quiet intimate evening with the songwriter is a pleasant change of pace. A portion of the night’s proceeds went towards the charitable Dear Jack Foundation.

McMahon returns to the area a few more times in October, including a solo session at Bowery Ballroom, a Jack’s Mannequin concert at Rutgers University, and a Dear Jack screening at IFC Theater.

Photos courtesy of Cristina Velasco

1 Comment | Andrew McMahon, Highline Ballroom, Jack's Mannequin, New York, New York City | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

AFI / Gallows @ Sayreville 10/10

October 10, 2009

Since forming nearly twenty years ago, AFI has seen a wide variety of lineup, label, and stylistic changes. Beginning in 1991 as a California skate-punk act, the band routinely covered The Misfits and touched on topics such as mohawks. In 2009, AFI finds themselves long removed from their days of adolescent rebellion with more in common with Morrissey and David Bowie than Dag Nasty and Danzig.

Still, the band has their roots. In support of their most radio-ready album to date, the band brought emerging UK punk quintet Gallows as the band’s lone support. Selling out Sayreville’s 2200-capacity Starland Ballroom, AFI offered brief glimpses into their past throughout the evening but were clearly more interested in their latest material, most specifically 2009′s Crash Love and 2003′s Sing the Sorrow.

Gallows setlist

Lone opener Gallows started the evening with their British blend of punk rock. Fronted by the charismatic Frank Carter, the five-piece played material from their debut, Orchestra of Wolves, and 2009′s Grey Britain. Though I missed the band’s full performance, the ten-song setlist follows:

Leeches
London is the Reason
Come Friendly Bombs
The Great Forgiver
Abandon Ship
Gold Dust
Misery
I Dread the Night
In the Belly of a Shark
Orchestra of Wolves

“Torch Song” began things for AFI, who for the first time in a decade opened their set without a specially tailored intro (such as Sing the Sorrow‘s “Miseria Canteria” or Decemberunderground‘s “Prelude 12/21″). Without much suspense, the band kicked into their biggest single, “Girls Not Grey”. “The Leaving Song Pt. II” followed, and the crowd responded with a floor full of dancing.

AFI frontman Davey Havok (photo by GLK Creative)

Shoes and other items were lost during the frenzy, prompting frontman Davey Havok to inquire about an estranged sneaker. Both playful and thoughtful, Havok tried his best to return the footwear to its barefooted owner, but the item ended up in the hands of a fan who was creepily thrilled just to have something that Havok had touched.

Winona Rider-inspired “Veronica Sawyer Smokes” was a welcomed change of pace from the aggressive “The Leaving Song Pt. II”, offering Havok his first chance of the night to showcase his excellent range. “Ever and a Day” found the band jumping back to 2000′s Nitro Records effort, The Art of Drowning, exciting everyone in the crowd who has been following the band for some time.

Sick of it All’s Lou Koller came on stage to provide additional vocals on “Kill Caustic”, transforming a mediocre song into a powerhouse. The audience reacted appropriately with a giant pit, even if most of the crowd was entirely too young to understand or appreciate Koller’s influence on not only AFI but also punk music across America. The radio-ready “End Transmission” calmed things down, offering no indication of the excellent surprise just minutes away.

AFI guitarist Jade Puget (photo by GLK Creative)

Dedicating the song to Gallows, the band exploded into “Love is a Many Splendored Thing”, a hardcore-punk romp originally appearing on 1993′s Eddie Picnic’s All Wet EP. The glimpse back into AFI’s past was unexpected and absolutely phenomenal, albeit short-lived.

“Dancing Through Sunday” was excellent, with guitarist Jade Puget tearing through the song’s finger-tapped solo. A few quiet numbers followed, with “The Leaving Song” and Decemberunderground b-side “On the Arrow”, the latter featuring drummer Adam Carson for the first time stepping out from behind the skins to provide percussion in the form of a hand shaker.

The Refused-like “Death of Seasons” was one of the night’s highlights, and single “Medicate” received a solid performance. A strong rendition of “Love Like Winter” closed the set and the band walked off stage.

AFI returned on stage to loud applause with a cover of The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven”. “Miss Murder” followed, with the crowd exploding on Hunter Burgan’s opening bass notes. The wintery “Silver and Cold” finished the evening. The full set:

AFI setlist

Torch Song
Girls Not Grey
The Leaving Song Pt. II
Veronica Sawyer Smokes
Ever and a Day
Kill Caustic
End Transmission
Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Beautiful Thieves
Dancing Through Sunday
The Leaving Song
On the Arrow
Death of Seasons
Medicate
Love Like Winter
Just Like Heaven (The Cure cover)
Miss Murder
Silver and Cold

The band’s setlist was disappointing, with just two songs from 1991-2002. Black Sails in the Sunset, possibly the band’s best work, was entirely absent. Longtime staples from the era (“Totalimmortal”, “God Called in Sick Today”, “The Days of the Phoenix”) were questionably missing. One third of the set came from 2003′s Sing the Sorrow. Crash Love contributed five songs, a fair number considering the album’s recent release. The Cure cover was well-performed but unnecessary, as the band performed the song during their previous trip to Starland Ballroom.

AFI bassist Hunter Burgan (photo by GLK Creative)

Disappointing setlist aside, the songs AFI did select to perform sounded excellent with few exceptions (“Girls Not Grey” is a weak live cut; “Miss Murder” is a weak song). Havok has never sounded better, and Crash Love tracks like “Beautiful Thieves” sounded much better than they do on the album. Burgan’s vocal harmonies–a new addition to AFI’s live repertoire–sounded great.

AFI continues on their tour with Gallows into December, including a November stop in New York City at the 3200-person Roseland Ballroom. New fans of AFI (2003 to present) will find much to love in the band’s excellent live show and major label-heavy setlist, while old fans cannot help but feel disappointed in knowing that buried underneath every bland “Girls Not Grey” and uninspired “Miss Murder” sits a dusty catalog of some of the greatest goth-punk songs ever written.

4 Comments | AFI, Gallows, Sayreville, Starland Ballroom | Permalink
Posted by Anthony Charles Ambrose

inTuneMusic

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

Andrew McMahon @ NYC 10/12

AFI / Gallows @ Sayreville 10/10

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