The month of February was a great month for me and my love for music. During this February, I was able to see five bands perform live. Two of those bands are my favorite in their respective genres. Those two being Infected Mushroom in the house/psy trance genre, and mewithoutYou in a genre of their own which includes influences from post hardcore, emo, and folk rock. Concerts for me, are the equivalent of going to a house of worship. For me, they are sacraments where I cherish how I am able to move my body to the music, interpret its meaning, and share in the camaraderie that inevitably takes place at these smaller concerts held in smaller, intimate venues.
Earlier this month, on February 9th, New Jersey's Indie/Punk label, "Don Giovanni" held their annual Brooklyn Showcase at The Music Hall of Williamsburg. The show had openers 'California X', 'Nude Beach', and 'Priests' perform before headliners 'Screaming Females.' The crowd was very unresponsive to California X, a NJ skate punk band, which is usually the case for the opening band of a headlining band most people have no clue exists. That did not stop the band from performing a solid half hour set, which included some pretty funny jokes made by the bands front man, about the bands interesting journey from Trenton New Jersey, through the snow, to Williamsburg Brooklyn. Nude Beach took the stage next, playing their style of what I can best describe as, with no exaggerations, "stoner-doom-jam-metal". Their set was very heavy, devilishly psychedelic. It embodied evil and bliss, with one depressingly heavy guitar underneath trippy ten minute long guitar solos. Picture Black Sabbath and Iron Butterfly mixed with Kansas and Phish. After Nude Beach basically brought the crowd close to their death on a musical heroin overdose, Screaming Females took the stage. Screaming Females is a three piece indie band from New Jersey. Led by front woman and guitarist Marrissa Paternoster, the band put on one of the craziest shows I've ever seen. From what I can gather from Paternoster, she does not like to be in your face as a front woman, unless during a song. When she addressed the crowed each time, it was done in such a humble way, that it was hard making out what she had to say during her short speeches thanking the venue, Don Giovanni records, and the sound team. This was incredibly surprising to see, since the moment she finished her sentence, her and her band would break into a loud, fast song with Paternoster practically eating the microphone as she sang, bending words pronunciation as she sang. Paternoster ended the bands set by continuing strumming on her guitar as she jumped into the crowed, carried away by a sea of arms. As the music became more noise due to the crowds hands taking over her guitar, which she did not seem to mind one bit, rather enjoying it, she was carried back onto stage, where she concluded the set by smashing her guitar, an iconic act first started by Pete Townshend of The Who.
I had seen Screaming Females once before during the summer at the same venue. This time, I ended up seeing a guy who remembered me from the last show. We are now Facebook friends, and are planning on going to shows in the future together.
On February 22, I was able to see my favorite house/psy trance electronic group, Infected Mushroom, live at The Paramount in Huntington Station. "Duvdev" and "Erez," the duo behind the Israeli psychedelic house group, usually play with a full band live, with a studio drummer and guitarist. However, it is not unheard of for the group to do smaller shows with just the two of them, and since The Paramount is a smaller venue, that is just what they did. With both remixing their music live, and Duvdev doubling on vocals, the two put on a killer rave, complete with a mind blowing light show, with each sitting inside giant orbs on stage. While the crowd was not as large as it could be, it condensed itself, forming a shoulder to shoulder psychedelic dance party. The show was a beautiful congregation of lazer lights, odd imagery displayed on the stage behind the band, trippy techno music, and everyone dancing together.
February 26th, I went into the lower west side of Manhattan to Le Poisson Rouge to see three bands that dominate the indie/posthardcore/emo genre from the past two decades to the present. The evening opened with 'Caravels,' an alternative/indie/emo band from Pennsylvania. I could not understand the words that the bands vocalist was saying, aside from him being very monotonous with the tone of his vocals. Just like with how California X opened for Screaming Females, Caravels received a very minimal reaction from the crowd, which must be a tough thing for touring openers like California X and Caravels to face. Seahaven took the stage next, and really wowed myself and the rest of the crowd from what I could see. I've been listening to Seahaven since they started getting around on the internet more, but seeing them live really solidified how talented they are, especially their lead and backing vocals. Their lead singer had a beautiful voice, which makes me think they could get more mainstream success. The other groups vocalists were primarily screamers, where as he sang, and extremely well too, something I wasn't sure was going to carry over from the songs I've listened to online to the live stage. mewithoutYou, co-headliners with Touche Amore, performed after. The longest band in existence on the nights bill, mewithoutYou started off as a heavier post hardcore band with their first album "(A) to (B) to Life" and went more folk with their albums "Catch For Us The Foxes" and "Brother Sister." They are my favorite band of this emo/indie/post hardcore genre, and they put on a crazy live show. I wasn't sure if the front man was possessed, on drugs, or just being goofy as he hid under his sweater to sing whole songs, jumping into the crowed with his sweater over his eyes, and throwing himself into the drummers drum set, all while singing. Needless to say, they put on a nuts performance, that left me wanting a lot more. After mewithoutYou, came the headlining band Touche Amore. Touche is a posthardcore/hardcore/emo band that has been redefining the term 'emo' for the past five years. On a side note, I'm sure most readers of this are familiar with these bands, but for those who aren't, these groups are 'emo' but not in the sense that you may be thinking of. They do not dress in all black, write about suicide, and cut themselves as mascara runs down their faces. That was a short fad faze of emo that took place after the genres founding by bands like "Sunny Day Real Estate," more influenced by new wave and 'emotional lyrics' then goth and its depressing lyrics, and before where the genre is now, which is closer to its origins with bands like "Brandnew." That is not to say that the short fad faze of all black, suicidal lyrics etc, in emo is bad, it is just not the same type of emo as bands like Touche Amore and mewithoutYou display. Back to Touche's set, the band had the support of the entire crowd. It was as if the entire crowd could take over for the singer. The bands music resulted in a very violent moshing session which included slam dancing and hardcore dancing, fancy terms that mean ramming into one another, which I enjoy, and kicking and punching the air around you, without regard for who may be within striking distance, which I don't enjoy. A little more than halfway through the set, the singers mic went dead, which made him mad enough to throw it on the ground, but pumped up enough to keep going without it, thanks to the support of the crowd.
The month of February, 2014, was month full of camaraderie, emotions, and beautiful music for this member of Revolution In The Records, Tim Reilly.
-rEvolution In The Records
http://www.examiner.com/review/review-infected-mushroom-electrifies-the-paramount
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/02/touche_amore_me.html
http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/02/don_giovanni_sh_2.html
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