KEPLER REPORT

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2007

Phosphorescent's Matthew Houck is living in Brooklyn these days but he still has the countenance of a Southern gentleman. It radiates off of him as he plays, and it is very, very charming. If the opening band is there to warm up the crowd, he couldn't have been more perfect - loose, visibly relaxed, strolling slowly around the room, totally in his element bantering easily with the crowd and treating us to songs from his sophomore effort Aw Come Aw Wry, as well as a handful of new tunes from the up-coming Pride (due out on October 23rd on DEAD OCEANS/ MISRA / WARM). If the songs we heard are any indication, it may just be his best work yet.

For those of you who missed this show, Phosphorescent will be playing one last NYC show at the Glasslands Gallery in Williamsburg Brooklyn this coming Thursday (10/4) before embarking on a long tour (more details about that here), so if you like pretty, soulful music, come on down.

I still associate Jonathan Meiburg (and Shearwater in general) with Okkervil River, and by extension Will Sheff, even though Sheff hasn't been a guiding force in Shearwater's music for some time now. I tend to forget until I'm listening to Shearwater that Meiburg's aesthetic is more esoteric than Sheff's and so his songs, equally beautiful to be sure, are less accessible. This is partly to do with Meiburg's falsetto, which can can be unnerving at first, moving around unpredictably and making the words almost impossible to decipher. So experiencing it in a setting as intimate as Monkeytown, with only Meiburg and Okkervil River trumpet player Scott Brackett (who is amazing), made for an intense show and it took me a little while to be able relax and get into it. Most of the songs they played were from Palo Santo, which I think is an amazing record, and by the end of the set I was happily hypnotized by the combination of the swirling sounds and the Busby Berkeley synchronized swimmers, who were executing ornate routines on the video screens. It will be very interesting to see what sort of record Shearwater puts out next - with their talent and Matador behind them the sky is the limit.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2007

As soon as you walk into the back room of Monkeytown you're struck by two things: the smell of delicious food (table service + rock show = awesome) and the giant screens hanging on the walls, upon which wonderfully random shapes and images were being projected. There are couches and chairs lining the room's perimeter and, because there is no stage and the musicians play smack dab in front of you, every seat is a great seat.

New Jersey's finest journalist rock'n'roller Tris McCall started the evening off right, with just him and his piano and then for the latter half of the set he was joined by members of Overlord. Tris is totally unpretentious and his sense of the sublime, informed by simple pleasures like a sunset over the Jersey highway, is reminiscent of David Bryne's. It's a charming combination on his albums but even more so live, because you get to watch his energy in action. "He's got to be one of the best lyricists I've ever heard!" my friend Chris, who was hearing Tris for the first time, whispered in my ear. I smiled. It's true - to say that Tris has a way with words is an understatement. He is almost unbelievably witty - if you're not familiar with him yet remedy that posthaste.

Tris is a member of Overlord as well, so he stayed onstage for their set. It was frontman George Pasles' birthday, which lent a celebratory and lighthearted feeling to the proceedings. I had never seen them before but I was totally won over from the first note on. Their songs are expansive, someimes fuzzy pop, with Sarah Brockett's driving bass laying the perfect foundation for George's voice. His singing, warm and resonate, reminds me of what I used to love about Michael Stipe's voice. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for their next show.

Last but not least was Charles Bissell (of the Wrens), who did like he does and rocked the fuck out with his guitar, a couple of mikes and a fair number of effect pedals. His set positively flew by and as always, left me wanting more. He's a consummate performer; I've never seen him put on a bad show and this was no exception. For his finale he brought the crowd to its knees with his cover of Okervill River's "It Ends with a Fall."

All in all it was quite an evening--the indie rock equivalent of theatre in the round--by far the most intimate show I've seen since moving to New York. It felt luxurious to be sitting down so comfortably for a show I had paid $7 to get into, the food was as tasty as it smelled and the ambiance created by the flickering light of the screens was lovely. The bands were clearly all happy to be there and I think everyone in the audience felt the same way - I know I did.

This was the first in what's going to be a series of such shows, so make sure you're on Monkeytown's mailing list to get the latest information about what's coming up next.

TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 2007

Clearly her fans know this. A crowd I'd estimate of about 1000 people braved about 40 minutes of torrential downpour on Tuesday Night to see her perform at the World Financial Center on Tuesday Night. My friend that I was going with were deterred by the rain, but I trudged on and was rewarded with an excellent show. Her band featured an adept musicianship on bass, synthesizer/organ, and a drummer who doubled on sax for some of her older songs.

She opened with a number of songs from her great new blues album, INTO THE BLUES, including opener "A Woman in Love", "Something's Gotta Blow" and the title track, "Into the Blues" which flowed seamlessly into her classics, "Show Some Emotion", "Tall in the Saddle" and the highlight of the evening, an other worldly acoustic performance of "Love and Affection" that had her rabid fans screaming for more. She followed this up with "All the Way to America", then back to the blues with "My Baby's Gone".

The ever flexible River to River producers allowed her to play some extra songs since the show started late because of the rain. The audience was rewarded with "Me, Myself, I" and then two encores, "Willow", a definite crowd favorite and finally, "Drop the Pilot". The crowd was a nice microcosm of New York itself... There were old people, young people, men in suits, and hipsters all lucky enough to have braved the rain for this moving performance.

This show was part of the River to River Festival. The rest of the (free) events at the World Financial Center Plaza are:

• DATE: June 19, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm
  JOHN SAYLES presents
  THE HONEYDRIPPER ALLSTAR BAND featuring Keb Mo' and Ruth Brown

• DATE: June 26, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm
  THE LIVING ROOM featuring Martha Wainwright, The Bees & Jim Thile

• DATE: July 10, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm
  SambaSunda

• DATE: July 12, 2007
  TIME: 11:00am
  Strange Fruit

• DATE: July 17, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm
  Marc Ribot ­ Musical Portraits

SATURDAY, JUNE 2, 2007

Back in 1989, Daniel Johnston put out the song "I Met Roky Erickson" on his album length duet with Half Japanese's Jad Fair. In that song young Daniel meets the other famous Austin eccentric at a True Believers show. Yes, True Believers was Alejandro Escovedo's band so this bill brought two of Austin's more noted exports under one roof once again.

Alejandro Escovedo kicked off the evening with an incredible set. His band featured two cellists, an acoustic guitar player, violinist Susan Voelz (Poi Dog Pondering) and Alejandro himself on guitar and vocals. The band turned each of his country rock songs into Astral Weeks-type soulful journeys. The music soared above the audience indescribably, each musician spotlighted in turn on some of the most immaculately arranged live performances I've ever heard. What an incredible kickoff to this series. On a more humorous note, Alejandro Escovedo admitted that George Bush had listed one of his songs in the New York Times in his top ten. He wondered what horrible things he had done to deserve such bad karma and stopped playing the song for the past eight years. He then broke into the song to celebrate Bush's leaving office only to lament that he's moving back to Texas.

Roky Erickson & the Explosives were the perfect foil to Alejandro's Escovedo's intensity. Witnessing this set of purely entertaining and relaxing 60's garage rock, I can't help but thinking that seeing him live was like seeing Syd Barrett years later if he had lived. He's primed for more spotlight as there's a film coming out about him soon, "You're Gonnna Miss Me".

Don't miss the rest of the Castle Clinton shows this summer. Tickets are given out at 5 PM at the venue:

• Shearwater
  DATE: July 5, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm

• Ron Sexsmith
  DATE: July 12, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm

• Drive-By Truckers
  DATE: July 19, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm

• Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
  DATE: July 26, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm

• The Flatlanders
  DATE: August 2, 2007
  TIME: 7:00pm

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2007

The National is very subtle and perhaps underwhelming band. If you want to get into their music it takes patience. Their records grow more addictive with each listen. Thus is it not surprising that the song they played off of 2005's ALLIGATOR including Lit Up, Mr. November and Secret Meeting were better played and received than the newer material from their recently released BOXER. I was surprised at how much the band has moved from sounding like Bruce Springsteen to sounding like Wilco and at time their tourmates the Arcade Fire. Time will tell if the new material garners beauty the way the songs from Alligator have and the National form a more distinct identity. Regardless, this show had some very high peaks and they'll remain a band worth checking out.

FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007

If you've always thought standing around a crowded room trying to hold onto your plastic cup while more enthusiastic fans step on your toes is the only way to watch a band, you should have been at The Castanets show on Friday, May 25th. The official launch of Kepler Music, which incidentally coincided with the birthday of its founder, Steve Matrick, was held at Monkeytown in Williamsburg. The back room, outfitted with four wall-sized screens and lined with low tables and futon couches, provided an intimate setting for the show. The audience sipped and nibbled at soba noodles and tuna tartare while the band played in the center of the room, like a few friends jamming in the middle of your (outlandishly cool) living room. The hypnotic, atonal sound of the banjo and oboe combined with the trippy video installation provided by Guillaume Clave of Eye Wash created a feeling of full sensory satisfaction.

Sufjan Stevens lent his multi-instrumental talents to The Castanets, who share his label, Asthmatic Kitty. Together, they played mostly new songs off The Castanets' upcoming album, due out this fall. The evening started with an ambient buildup so slow and ominous it felt almost restrained until it mushroomed into a sort of orchestral resonance. Fronted by Ray Raposa, the band delivered its signature brand of psychedelic Brooklyn bluegrass. Raposa's raw and haunting vocals creaked their way through his Noah-length beard, filling the converted industrial space and rising above the dreamy din of the band. The reverie induced by the music and visuals, not to mention the winning menu, led to an easy banter with the audience, many of whom kicked off their shoes by the end of the night. And when the audience talked back, in that intimate space, you could tell they were loving it. Especially the birthday boy, who got Raposa to break his no-requests rule with "A Song Is Not The Song of the World," off their sophomore album, First Light's Freeze.

THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2007 & SATURDAY, MAY 19, 2007

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 2007

The Imposters are the Attractions minus Bruce Thomas, whom Elvis Costello must have tired of dealing with after many years. His replacement Davey Farragut, is a competent bassist and an excellent backup singer. Steve Naïve and Pete Thomas were incredible as always. Steve Naïve is simply jaw dropping to watch and it was probably the best I've ever Seen Elvis Costello sing and play guitar.

What made this show so jarringly unbelievable was the setlist:

Setlist:
• Welcome to the Working Week
• Shabby Doll
• The Beat
• Lover's Walk
• Secondary Modern
• Strict Time
• Bit Tears
• Either Side of the Same Town
• Clubland
• Beyond Belief
• Alibi
• Watching the Detectives
• Let Em' Dangle
• American Gangster Time
• Lipstick Vogue/American Girl
• Riot Act

Encores:
• No Action
• Man Out of Time
• High Fidelity
• (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea
• Uncomplicated
• Radio, Radio
• The Imposter

Acoustic Encore Set:
• Allison
• Kid About It
• Bizarre
• The River in Reverse
• Hey Bulldog
• Pump in Up
• (What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding

We were treated to a substantial portion of all of Elvis Costello first five albums including a bunch of songs of 1982's Imperial Bedroom that I'd never heard live before. It occurred to me that when you have one of the best back catalogues in the history of Rock N' Roll Music, it must be incredibly fun filling out the setlist every night. Song after song was recognized by the crowd with sheer joy. Also, seeing Elvis Costello while not touring in support of his latest record is simply a must for me from now on. Ironically the absolute highlight of the evening was the newest song they played, "The River in Reverse" off of last years album with Alan Toussaint. It was performed with passionate rage setting up the crowd later for a night ending "(What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding" in which Elvis Costello incited the crowd to chant "Bring Em Home Now, Bring Em Home Alive". Their cover of the Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" was one of the best covers I've heard.

P.S. Despite its Mall-like environment, I have seen consistently all time great shows at Nokia Theater. It has the best sound system in the area. Don't let the escalators and strict beverage policies scare you away.

FRIDAY, MAY 11, 2007

If you want a quick laugh, check out their news section on their website. Then plan on seeing them June 16 at Luna Lounge or June 20th at Maxwell's with Beat the Devil.

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007

Gary Olson - singing, trumpet,
Ben Crum - guitar
Kyle Forester - organ, piano
Julia Rydholm - bass

Ben Crum is a particularly accomplished lead guitarist and Kyle Forester added a lot of spark and backup singing on piano/organ. Both are in the group the Great Lakes. Gary Olson has a particularly distinctive voice and whenever he moved to trumpet, the band really locked in on his excellent alt. country leaning songs. It is always a pleasure to watch a group of accomplished musicians really enjoying themselves playing music and Maxwell's sound system does a better job at letting each instrumentalist shine than any other venue I've experienced. Check out their upcoming album Can't Wait Another Day which comes out in June.

Next up were labelmates the Clientele who hail from London. The Clientele are a really distinctive sounding band. Allistair McClean has a circularly strummed guitar sound that is heavily coated in reverb that in combination with his unique voice, creates music that is at once innovative yet routed in the sixties. Billboard compared them to Simon and Garfunkel this week and while that could never be construed as an insult, I'd liken them more along the lines of the Zombies and Love via Galaxie 500. Regardless, watching them play live is a magical experience. Again, Maxwell's time and time proves itself the best live venue on the planet and the Clientele but on an extraordinary show. They've recently augmented their lineup with a violin/piano player which is still a work in progress live, but a welcome presence on their new album God Save the Clientele, which drops this week. Don't miss their Bowery Ballroom show with the Rosebuds on June 8.

FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2007

I've seen Kapow! five or six times and they are markedly better each time I see them. Their rhythm section, which features Justin (The Negatones) on bass and Josh Fleischmann (ex-Beat the Devil) on drums, might possibly be the best rhythm section currently playing nyc regularly. Justin was particularly incredible tonight and Josh does Keith Moon and Nick Mason justice. Add in Justin's brother Jay Braun (the Negatones leader) and Chris Isom (the Psymatics) on dual lead/rhythm guitar and synth wiz Tris McCall and you have a smoking group. Their two minute songs like "Girl" and "Make U Mine" are so easy to digest, that their set flits by before you know it.

Kapow! was followed by the Psymatics which guitarist Chris Isom fronts backed by three Negatones: brothers Jay & Justin Braun and drummer Jesse Wallace. They too are a band too watch. Chris Isom's songs are excellent and the band meshed together surprisingly well for a new enterprise. I'll gladly see them again soon.

SUNDAY, APRIL 22, 2007

Cut to thirteen years in the future. Pulp peaked with their excellent 1998 album THIS IS HARDCORE, only to disband in 2001 following the somewhat impenetrable WE LOVE LIFE. Jarvis Cocker reemerged at the end of last year with his somewhat uneven first solo album JARVIS, featuring the hidden track "Cunts Are Still Running The World" which appropriately closed Alfonso Cuaron's wonderful film Children of Men.

Jarvis and his band took the stage with utter glee. You could tell he was thrilled to be back in New York. He continually joked about the fact that Webster Hall's website advertises women in cages and reminded the crowd that it used to be the Ritz, something I had forgotten about. He played his entire solo album, clearly refusing to play and Pulp songs. While he remains one of the more entertaining frontmen in music, his backing band sounded a bit flat. Pulp's brilliant guitarist Richard Hawley's absence was tangible. They did rise to the occasion at certain times, especially on rousing set closer "...Running the World" and on their two encore covers, the Talking Heads "Heaven" and Black Sabbath's "War Pigs". Jarvis Cocker will always be worth seeing but lets hope his next record provides some better material for his live show.

Here are a series of reports I did as a monitor for the Next Brooklyn Music Festival:

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2007:

Le Grand Dakar is a family type restaurant. It had a really warm nice vibe to it and I felt honored to be there. The band was amazing: Full Drummer, Bongo drummer, flute player, bassist, guitarist and a wonderful African female singer. There was no line and no charge for entry. I could have watched that band for hours. The venue wasn't very populated but considering it was tables at a restaurant and they were all full, it really didn't need to be. The sound was great. There was a bar in the outer room where some people were hanging out. I met the owner and thanked him for having me and he said to say hello to the Producers. He was an incredibly friendly and great guy. I'd say the venue was at about 40% capacity but it was early in the evening and the band was playing two sets. I'd love to go back and eat there some night and see more music. I'm not sure how regularly this place has music, but if it does, I'd guess only about a quarter of the crowd knew a festival was going on.

My friend Ramona was gracious enough to pick me up and drive me to Sputnik. We arrived at 9:30. There were posters on the way in and brochures at the point of entry. It was $10 to get in. Sputnik is a hipsterish rock club much like the many rock venues on the lower east side with some really nice wrinkles to it. You can definitely feel the presence of Pratt. There was a really excellent art opening going on when we arrived that was very well attended throughout the night. The other room had a bar and a nicely sized area where the band played. The band was Pagoda, which I hadn't even noticed on the schedule but was very happy to see. Pagoda is Actor Michael Pitt's band (Last Days, Hedwig, the Dreamers), and I've heard their music before and had heard they were great live. The irony here being that Michael Pitt played Kurt Cobain in Last Days and the band sounds exactly like In Utero era Nirvana. The venue was 70-80% full through the night and the band was excellent. It was really nice going from African music to hard rock. When I told the venue I was monitoring the night and having an awesome time, they gave us free drinks. The people that worked there were really cool. I thanked Michael Pitt for playing the festival and he invited me to Pagoda's record release party. Next up was DJ Premiere who I tried to stay for but as of about midnight he hadn't come on. I mentioned my friend Ramona because she stayed until 1:30 and he still hadn't come on. Of course, that is quite common at hip hop shows when legends perform. It is a standard thing to keep the audience waiting for you for some odd reason. After Pagoda, there was a hip hop DJ and everyone was dancing and having a great time. My guess is that most people knew the festival was going on.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2007:

I had various transportation issues getting out to Williamsburg to go to Pete's Candy Store to see my friend Jaymay play. Jaymay is the most talented performer I've ever seen cold. Meaning I booked her to play one of my poetry nights at the Gershwin Hotel a couple of years ago and she blew away the audience. Her album is dropping in March meaning that seeing her at a very small venue like Pete's absolutely requires that you get there on time. I got there at 9:30 and she had gone on close to 9 which meant that I couldn't even get into the front room where she was playing. The entry room was full of people screaming at the top of their lungs. From what I could see of the stage, the crowd was really enjoying her show and listening with rapt attention. The manager told me that they removed the chairs to fit more people which is something they never do, so the capacity was actually more than 100%. There were a lot of posters hung and brochures stacked at more than one position. There was no line at the door and no cover. There were no banners. I don't know if an announcement was made. Lastly, I deserve a medal for the walk from Pete's Candy Store to Zebulon (about a mile in unbelievably freezing cold wind). Hah.

Second Venue: Zebulon (258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn)

Zebulon is a really comfortable place. A restaurant with table service and a nice sized area for bands to play in the back. There was no cover or line to get in.. I met the band, Caveman, in the bathroom line and said hello on behalf of the festival (the clipboard I was carrying around made this happen throughout the night. Zebulon was a space rock jam band very much Wetlands circa 1990. I arrived at 10:00 and the band which was supposed to go on at 9:00 went on at about 10:15. The crowd was made up largely of people there to see them. There was an announcement! Caleb had met me at that point and we high fived because it was the first one we'd both heard thus far. The crowd very enthusiastically applauded the festival which was really good to hear. There were brochures out and I saw just about everyone who walked in pick one up. There were posters hung as well. The venue was 80% full, but all of the tables were full so if more people were to be there, they would have had to stand against a wall. Unfortunately, I'm not that into jam band space rock so we didn't stay very long.

Third Venue: The Double at Monkey Town (58 N. 3rd Street, Brooklyn)

Monkey Town blew me away. It is absolutely the best live music venue in the five boroughs. There were brochures there but no posters hung, the interior was so beautiful and well decorated that there wasn't a proper place to hang them. I arrived at 10:30 and the Double went on around 11. There was no line to get in. The cover was $8. The room that the band plays in is the amazing part. It has four very long white leather couches that seat about 15 people on each one (the capacity is 50). The band plays in the middle and there are four huge video screens opposite each couch. The Double were a really good indie rock band and the crowd was grinning from ear to ear throughout the show. I missed their first song so I don't know if there was an announcement. I met and spoke with the booker for a while and am hopefully going to start promoting events there. Probably the best place to have a record release party out there. The food was amazing as well. I am going back to Monkey Town to catch Excepter who are a political dub/electronica band with an audio visual component, and this is a great venue for that sort of thing.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2007:

I got to Monkey Town at 7:30. There was a line in the form of the entire audience waiting to be seated... Which happened very quickly at 7:30. The cover was $7. The band Excepter was a dub industrial band that sounded a lot like background noise. My friend Ingrid and I didn't realize that the band was actually playing until about 20 minutes into their set. There were two people sort of moaning into a microphone and various drum machines and synthesizers being played with. There was no announcement and no brochures and posters there. The show was at 100% capacity. We left the show and hung out with the owner at the outer bar for a while, he is a very friendly and great guy. Monkey Town screens films that did not find distribution which is an excellent idea. My favorite venue of this festival.

Second Venue: Galapagos (70 North 6th Street, Brooklyn)

Galapagos was a real scene. I don't frequent the place but you could really feel that a festival was going on. There were posters and brochures hung everywhere. The night was a Circus Party. The admission was $13 but $10 if you dressed in beach clothing so many of the people were wearing bikinis and there was a sand box in the outer room. We arrived at 10:15. There was a slight line to pay the admission. The staff was very friendly to us. Galapagos is very big and it was about 80% full. The show started at 10:30 and was written as 9 so it did not start on time. The first band the Crash Moderns was a very bland and typical pop punk band. At that point I got a text that an amazing Mali band was playing at Zebulon so off we went.

Third Venue: Zebulon (258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn)

We arrived at 11 PM. Zebulon was beyond 100% capacity. There were brochures and posters everywhere. There was no cover. It was packed to the rafters which I found very surprising since it was pretty empty the night before. The Mali band Baye Kouyate was amazing. Most of the audience was dancing and the vibe of the place was amazing. It was a fitting ending to three nights of great music.

Overlord at Luna Lounge (361 Metropolitan Avenue, Brooklyn)

I should add that I also went to the new Luna Lounge that moved from Ludlow Street to Williamsburg to catch a friend's band, Overlord - and the owner expressed interest in participating in the festival next year...

{KEPLER MUSIC}