we saw: The JOIN

If you can't beat them...

The question mark in the above photo can be traced back to Dan Kurtz, bass player for "live.progressive.breakbeat.house" pioneers and longtime Bobka-faves theNEWDEAL. When Kurtz moved to London a few years ago to focus on his new electro-pop project, Dragonette, he left a massive void in theNEWDEAL sound and created an air of uncertainty over the future of the band. To keep busy during the tND hiatus, Jamie Shields (keyboards, blue shirt) and Darren Shearer (drums, white shirt) came up with The JOIN, "a musical unit that host[s] a revolving door of musicians depending on what area of the world they're in as well as what show setting they find themselves a part of."

This past Saturday night in Brooklyn, Brother's Past members Tom Hamilton (guitar) and Clay Parnell (bass) took over the role of question mark and turned it into an exclamation point. For a band that rarely practices, The JOIN lived up their expectations and then some, providing a sound that was similar to theNEWDEAL (there were lots of trippy synth lines and energetic beats and breaks to be had), but featured a few different elements (most notably vocals, provided by Mr. Hamilton) that kept things fresh. Given the amount of improvisation that goes into any given JOIN set, the band was remarkably ON, hitting all the right key changes and playing together in a seamless and group-oriented fashion that kept the kidz dancing all night. It wasn't theNEWDEAL, but at times it sure felt like it.

Those who missed the throwdown at Studio B will have another chance to catch The JOIN this coming Saturday (Feb 23) at one of our favorite venues, Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ. Next week's show will feature the same lineup as Brooklyn, with the addition of Sir Joe Russo on a second drumkit to make things even more frantic. Check out a track below.

The JOIN - Let's Dance > Improvised Jam (encore from Studio B in Brooklyn, Feb 16)

supergroup: American Babies

"Broken English keeps pushing us back to the start"

Before I get going there's a few things I'd like to clear up...

su·per·group
Pronunciation: 'sü-p&r-"grüp
Function: noun
: a rock group made up of prominent former members of other rock groups

Basically, if you've ever been in a band and found any level of success, by joining or starting another band with members with similar backgrounds you've automatically become a supergroup. I bet half the bands you listen to are supergroups and you might not even know it. With that aside, every member of American Babies has played in a band, well, a few bands, and, well, plenty of side-projects. By definition American Babies is a supergroup, but I will never again mention them as one.

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Here's the skinny:

American Babies is:
Tom Hamilton (Brother's Past)
Scott Metzger (RANA)
Sir Joe Russo (Fat Mama, The Duo)
Jim Hamilton
Kevin Kendrick (Fat Mama)

[conversation between my 5-disc and American Babies CD]

5-Disc: Whoa. Where do you think you're going?
American Babies: In the cd player.
5-D: Your name?
AB: American Babies
5-D: Never heard of you. What's your genre?
AB: Alt country I guess. Americana perhaps.
5-D: Hmm. I've already got the new Ryan Adams cd. What do you sound like?
AB: Wistful, at times bluesy, and often rockin'. Why don't you see for yourself?

The above conversation took place 10 days ago....American Babies hasn't left my 5-Disc since.

American Babies, despite it's band size, has a very compact country sound. Their debut is excetional, and should pleasantly surprise any alt-country fans. "Invite Your Friends" is a super-solid track, opens the album, and in essence, introduces you to the band. American Babies is touring all month long, so check out their dates.

American Babies - Invite Your Friends