video: Pocahaunted at Pianos

Not Not Fun

Sometimes the 4th dimension isn't so sublte. Advocates of the Spirit Molecule break down this artifical barrier daily, while the majority of others only ever witness a glimpse of what lays below the surface. Hunting and gathering, foraging, peeking under caves and ancient rocks, one gets the sense that what our eyes allow us to see is only a icing on an extremely lavish and incredibly dank cake. Pocahaunted, known for spell inducing rave ups and communal freak-funk, hinted at the nether world when they were recently in New York. Psychotropic visual artist Ray Concepcion, whose always working in the shadows, captured the group jamming inside the hyperdimensional helix.

mp3: SLEEP ∞ OVER "Outer Limits"

"Sun Spots"

The Austin trio SLEEP ∞ OVER, who may guide séances on the side, are releasing their vinyl debut on Forest Family later this summer. "Outer Limits," from what may be best described as a double A-side (my words not theirs) is the most sensual SLEEP ∞ OVER song to date, with harmonies that could seduce a vampire out into a high noon light. The girls will be playing all over the great island of Manhattan and Kings County this next weekend, (Philly too!) including a show at Pianos on Sunday night with LA psych-magnets Pocahaunted and Paw Track's newest signees Prince Rama. I'll be DJ'ing pagaen vibes all night too, if that's your thang. Taste SLEEP ∞ OVER's latest below.

SLEEP ∞ OVER- Outer Limits

video: Crocodiles "I Wanna Kill"

"Sing Along With Me"

Last Saturday night I sat down with retro-gazers Crocodiles to discuss Saturn station wagons, Kenneth Anger and the Manson Family before their headlining gig at Piano's, where Abbey Braden shot this bad ass video of the band raging the anthemic "I Wanna Kill" in front of a sold-out LES crowd. The band, whose sold out a pair of limited 7"s, will release their debut full-length, Summer of Hate, on Fat Possum (home to RL Burnside, WAVVES) on April 28th. Until then, head to RCRD LBL and grab a preview of the record.

PS-My chat will appear shortly on 'Sup.

Crocodiles- I Wanna Kill

we saw: Passion Pit & Sammy Bananas

"As Far As I Can Tell Everything Will Be Swell"
(Photo by Hooves on the Turf)

Last night we hit up Passion Pit's second show at Piano's, part of their Wednesday night residency at the L.E.S club. Despite playing for only an hour (maybe even less), and not having that much material to choose from, the Cambridge synthesized quintet brought the heat, as evidenced by my sweat soaked T-Shirt and glistening jew-fro. If you've heard just :30 of "Sleepyhead" you'd expect Passion Pit would have no problem getting the kids to throw their hands up, and you'd be right. When we arrived at 9:30 the show was already sold out, so Bill's hyperbole wasn't so much exaggerated as it was accurate, which I guess makes it the exact opposite of hyperbole. Needless to say, Piano's was sardine can tight and hotter than a Bikram yoga session on Khao San Road Bangkok (hyperbole), but that only made the booty grindin and disco finger pointing that much more fun. Obvious highlights were "I've Got Your Number", which features the ultra falsetto'd lyric "Have You Seen Me Cry Tears Like Diamonds" and "Sleepyhead", which effectively scorched the crowd with good vibes, although it was way too short for its own good.

While Passion Pit got the dance party started, things really heated up when the crowd cleared out and Fool's Gold crew member Sammy Bananas took to the decks. Dude spun a super funky set featuring the likes of Daft Punk, Depeche Mode, Kid Sister and, the still badass two years later, Kelis "Bossy" remix by Alan Braxe (Will this song ever get old?), while projecting Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain, one of the weirdest, most puzzling films I've ever seen, on the stage screen. Just think Christ-like figures pooping in glass bowls and people marching through the streets carrying skinned chickens. Yeah, it was weird...but really sweet considering there were only about 8 of us left in the Show Room, meaning we basically had our own private dance party, curated by Mr. Bananas. If you had fun and want to go back next week, definitely by tickets in advance. It's easy and you won't be disappointed.


Passion Pit- I've Got Your Number
Passion Pit- Sleepy Head
Sammy Bananas- Summer of Sam Mix

new: Passion Pit

"Tears Like Diamonds"

If you've attended a Bobka Mobile Disco or peeped the Rooftop Mix, then you should be familiar with Passion Pit. Truth is, "Sleepyhead" is just straight funking iLL, and easily one of the finest, funnest songs of the year. Not to mention that "I've Got Your Number" is pretty much off-the-heezy as well. Passion Pit play their second NYC show tomorrow at Piano's (part of a month long Wednesday night residency) and if it's anything like last week, it should be fucking bumping. I'll get the Sparks, you get the syzurp.

[Ed Note: NYC blogger Good Weather for Airstrikes just started a label called Neon Gold and will be releasing a Passion Pit 7" in September of "Sleepyhead" b/w "Better Things." The 7" will be limited to 1,000 pressings so keep your eyes and ears open.]

Passion Pit- I've Got Your Number
Passion Pit- Sleepy Head

we saw: Light Pollution

Hand Crushes The Wheel
Light Pollution rolled into Manhattan the other day for a show at Piano's. To be honest, I'd never heard of them until Wednesday morning when I got a press release that said "Light Pollution's music is kaleidoscope of sound, encompassing everything from backward tapes to dissonant piano rolls to even crunching leaves." Sounds good to me. Piano's was empty Wednesday night, as if no one had gotten the memo. Despite much of a crowd, Light Pollution performed an enthusiastic set of soul bearing Americana backed by life affirming instrumentation. From my count the band played accordion, guitar, violin, mandolin, trombone, bass, drums, melodica, glockenspiel, keyboards, and a smattering of percussion. Not only did the band bring the songs on their recently self-released (and self-titled) EP to life, but they did it with so much enthusiasm you couldn't help but rock out in the corner all by your lonesome. The Illinois based collective is currently touring the Northeast promoting its self-titled EP, available on vinyl (comes w/a CD), and will be back in New York Saturday for a show at Brooklyn's Union Hall. Get there early, their the first band on the bill.

we saw: A BIG YES... and a small no / American Babies / Ginger from the Wildhearts and Friends

"Guns shaped like crack-shaped prostitutes"

Last week Mort and I hit up Pianos for a Rocks Off triple-bill in which the only similarity between the bands were the members themselves.

A BIG YES... and a small no

With the above flyer not present, Pianos had signs around the bar implying that American Babies were first of the night. So when I saw Joe Russo and ex-Babies guitarist/vibraphone player Kevin Kendrick setting up, I thought just that. Mort turned to me and said, "I thought Tom Hamilton was in this band." You're quite right, Mort. In fact they used to be called Tom Hamilton's American Babies. So what's the deal? Two minutes later Kendrick introduced the band as A BIG YES... and a small no, a name that suits them perfectly. Our general reaction to them was in fact a big YES and a small no. Kendrick's songwriting was heavy on obvious rhyming, but in a purposefully cute kind of way. (check out "Composure" on their myspace page). The band played fun often-jazzy pop-rock remnant of the Violent Femmes and often striking at similar chords of humor and joviality. Carried mostly by Russo, keyboard-wiz Eric Deutch, and Kendrick's harmonies (pitty we didn't get any vibraphone action), it's clear they're a band-in-the-making, but keep an eye out for their record as it hits stores May 13th. Their CD release party is May 15th at Union Hall in Brooklyn.

American Babies

Next up was Brooklyn Americana "super-group" American Babies (we wrote about them way back in September) featuring Tom Hamilton, Scott Metzger, Jim Hamilton, and .... Joe Russo. The band delivered a set of tightly wound country-rockers with veteran instrumental precision. The Babies played through most of their self-titled debut, and would've played an unknown cover until Russo returned from his car having sprinted for more sticks. The group flexed their improvisational muscles once or twice, including the somber "Swimming at Night." I hadn't been a big fan of "Baby Don't Cry" until I heard it live. The mature delicate deliveries of each members respective parts was breathtaking. They closed the set with the album's uber-catchy party welcomer "Invite All Your Friends" (included on Bobka-friend Bill Stead's latest muxtape).

Ginger

Not knowing much about the Wildhearts it was easy to forget the Babies weren't the headliners. But as some old fat 30-something rock fans began shuffling in, we were soon reminded. Before they hit the stage I ran into RANA keyboardist Matt Durant, fresh from a two year stint on the West Coast. I figured Matt was there supporting his friends Russo, Metzger, and Rocks Off honcho Jake Szufnarowski but to my delight learned he was also playing with Ginger. Although the stage was fairly crowded (drums, bass, keyboard, viola, 3 guitarists) the group was humble and, as House of Pain Tried to put it back in 1996, on-point. The line-up had changed every week (this was the final Thursday) but always included Scott Metzger and .... Joe Russo.
What I took away from the show, besides the reaffirmation that Joe Russo isn't human, was the result of experience and sobriety. I can't speak for the bassist, viola player, and other guitarist, but Ginger, Scott Metzger, and Matt Durant all have been sober for a good deal of time, and have witnessed their fair share of destruction and indirection. The result was a monster set of crushing rock. These guys absolutely killed it. I didn't know any of their tunes, but that didn't matter; they brought the house down.

interview (sorta): The Acorn

"Sleep above the mango trees"

Last week I rang Rolf Klausner of the Bobk-approved The Acorn to chat about the band's Glory Hope Mountain, his mother and the bands first trek into the United States of America. What happened next is a mess of digital coding, computer meltdowns and bedroom freakouts. Let me tell you kids, it wasn't pretty. In case you didn't already know, always, and I can't emphasize this enough, always back up everything you do, immediately after you do it. Not an hour later, or a day later, or a week later, but immediately after you're done. Trust me, it'll save you alot of time and anguish. A lot.

Truthfully, I should take my own advice, because after re-listening to Rolf wax poetically on the extensive research he did into his Mother's life (the muse for Glory Hope Mountain, the organic writing process and the bands recent trip to SXSW, I somehow lost the file. I'd exported the track through audacity and saved it as an .mp3 and moved it into my Bobka desktop folder for safe keeping. Two hours later, my new MacBook Pro arrived and I began transfering all my files from my old iBook G4 to my new machine. Unfortunately, somewhere in the digital chaos "the acorn-rolf-interview.aud" and "theacorn-rolf-interview.mp3" were lost. After a week of searching for these files on my external hard drive, old computer and new computer, I have reason to believe they have vanished in a digital black hole. Never shall the world hear Rolf eloquently speak on the organic process of writing and recording Glory Hope Mountain, or how sad he was when the band lost their Speedy Gonzalez bobble head. It's sad, especially since The Acorn are already back in my hood. (Last night they played the first of four shows in NY/BK at Union Hall.) Honestly, I'm a bit saddened by this, mainly because it was by far the best interview we'd conducted for the Bobka so far (no offense Explorers Club, Ra Ra Riot and Someone Still Loves You...), but this was a genuinely fascinating interview and I can't thank Rolf enough for giving up his time to speak to lowly me. With that said, you should give up a bunch of your time this week and catch The Acorn in New York. Why? Because they're fucking awesome. Just go see them this week, you'll be glad you did.

Sunday May 4th- Sound Fix, Brooklyn 6PM (FREE!)
Monday May 5th- Pianos, NYC (with The War on Drugs, part of a Brooklyn Vegan Party)
Tuesday May 6th- Mercury Lounge, NYC (with The Cave Singers, Love as Laughter)

The Acorn comes to America!

we saw: Port O'Brien and Delta Spirit

"I Woke Up Today"

(Photo by IRockIRoll)
There was a good chance Pianos could've burned to the ground last night. And if Port O'Brien happened to lit the spark that burned down the Lower East Side, it's safe to say that anyone in attendance would've been cool with it. That said, Port O'Brien absolutely destroyed the minds of New York hipsters, who, as usual, stood around like nothing that important was going on. Truth be told, any band that works as hard as Port O'Brien is sure to make a name for themselves. Especially with songs like "I Woke Up Today", a ravaged shanty anthem that felt like a call to arms, a definite highlight of the evening.

While I'm not too familiar with the bands catalog, another undisputed highlight was "A Fishermans Son", which featured one of the most unexpected, yet utterly smooth segues I've heard in a long time. I caught a few songs of theirs back in October when they were supporting Rogue Wave and remember feeling a sort of Arcade Fire vibe. Truth is, Van Pierszalowski bears more than an uncanny resemblance to a Mr. Win Butler. But throw similarities out the door (like when you think of My Morning Jacket/Band of Horses/ Fleet Foxes) because Port O'Brien is a savaged beast of a band with the seemingly rare ability to "take ya to church." A blood wrenching assault of banjos, tin cans, Americana guitars and shout along vocals transformed Pianos into what felt like a Depression era labor rally in Hooverville. Working class punk rock for kids who don't get skinny jeans, neon t-shirts, and guyliner.

Throughout the evening Port O'Brien kept reminding me of the Pogues, which makes sense as Van Pierszalowski and Shane MacGowan share a similar blood boiled intensity and both bands bash through a ramshackle revival of traditional folk music. Drunken shanty town sing-a-longs for sure. Port O'Brien's blue collar spirit is real (Pierszalowski works on his fathers fishing boat in Alaska every summer) and would make Woody Guthrie proud. Robert Hunter once noted the best compliment he ever received was from a coal miner in the Cumberland Gap who actually thought the Grateful Dead's "Cumberland Blues" was a real miners tune. Something tells me that the fishermen in Alaska will one day be saying the same thing about a high percentage of the Port O'Brien catalog. Expect to hear about this band changing lives in the coming years (days, months).

(Photo by Pupkin)
After a short break, Delta Spirit took to what was left of the stage Port O'Brien destroyed for a set of their signature retro leaning Americana. The band, who seem to have miraculously bridged the time continuum between 2008 and sometime back before I was born, was in fine form, playing a host of new songs and selected gems from last years Ode to Sunshine. Things seem like their in full swing for Delta Spirit; their performance a lot tighter and, for better or worse, sleeker than when we caught them at Maxwell's last Fall. (Coincidently, not long after seeing Port O'Brien at the same venue.) The San Diego quintet treated the sold out (?) crowd to "House for Two", "Strangevine" and "People C'mon", amongst , including a few new tracks ("Oh Vivian", "Throwing Stones"). A very poignant show from Delta Spirit, who finished with their trademark social reform ballad "People Turn Around." Like the last time we saw the Spirit, we left wondering the same thing: Why the hell aren't these guys huge?

Port O'Brien is self releasing a new album, All We Could Do Was Sing, on May 13th. Needless to say, after last night, we are really fucking psyched about it. In the meantime you can feast your ears on a few tracks from their recent Daytrotter session, including an alternative arrangement of "I Woke Up Today" titled "Simple Way."A video of "I Woke Up Today", although incomplete, is a indicative of Port O'Brien's live show. It's bad ass.

Port O'Brien- Simple Way (Daytrotter Session)
Port O'Brien- From Port(Daytrotter Session)
Delta Spirit- French Quarter(Daytrotter Session)
Delta Spirit- House Built For Two(Daytrotter Session)

Port O'Brien "I Woke Up Today" Live in San Francisco