sharp

I'm spinning at SHARP tonight! The cool party takes place at Red and Black in williamsburg, expect drink specials, go-go dancers, every good song ever recorded, sharp people, and no cover!

let them wait

The show at the Knitting Factory on tuesday that gothamist.com put together was excellent! Lots of people came, the sound of the venue was great, and the bands i caught (all but the first one) were a fantastic fit on the bill for each other. Listen to what you missed and go see each of them next time they play:
The Sons of Sound :: Take me (MP3)
Snowden :: Good News (MP3)
Asobi Seksu :: I'm happy but you don't like me (MP3)

I hope you'll join me tonight at ATOMIQUE, which from now on takes place every thursday at the downstairs lounge of bar Eleven!
Tonight, Filter Magazine is sponsoring The Beatles: The Capitol Albums Vol. I (box set) listening party and giveaway tons of cool stuff! Guest DJ Oil will be spinning after midnight, and as always, we're doing the blue light special where you get free drinks for 15 mins every hour or so!

:: Party starts at 10pm
:: Beers and Well Drinks 1/2 off for the first 2 hours!
:: NO COVER! - 21+
Eleven (Downstairs Lounge) :: 152 Orchard St. between Stanton and Rivington St.

If you're looking for a good show to go to prior to the party, check out local band Knife Skills as they go back to school!

the hidden track

I'm surprised i don't hear or read about Earlimart more than i do. To me they're one of those quintessential soft melodic indie rock bands that everyone loves. And i'm sure a lot of people do, i just don't hear about it. The interesting thing is that wednesday night was the first time i saw them live (at the mercury), and in addition to being that soft indie band i just talked about, they also showed this loud and rocking side that i did not expect and that certainly appealed to me and their devoted audience. They played most of their new album, Treble & Tremble, mixed up with older tunes, as well as a cover of Bruce Springsteen's State Trooper.
Performances like these, when i show up expecting something and leave with a complete different impression, are the ones that make me want to go back to the band's albums and uncover the nuances i didn't catch before. And indeed, after the live experience, Treble & Tremble sounds so different. It's not so soft anymore, and is proving to be a really great record. I recommend listening to The Hidden Track, one of the stand out songs on the album.
If you want to know more about Earlimart, read this great interview i was eavesdropping on when it happened.

Earlimart at the Mercury Lounge.

I also saw Interpol at Hammerstein twice last week... and i admit it, i didn't feel the need to go back the second night, but i'm glad i did. Why? Mostly because, they sounded so much tighter than their last Bowery show, and because let's face it, no matter how much i dislike those big venues, Interpol's sound in such an environment is hugely stunning. Both nights, the band played through both albums with no surprises. The one new song they played i hadn't heard live was Public Pervert, which along with Not Even Jail, are very impressive with all their intricacies and build-ups. On the second night, instead of coming back for their second encore with Stella, they came back with Untitled, an unsettling but great move.
I missed the openers for the second night, however, on the first night, On!Air!Library! played a great set that was quite short, but just enough to give a taste of what they're about, while Secret Machines pounded and surrounded the audience with their incredible sound.

Tonight, no ATOMIQUE because it's moving to thursdays! Tomorrow, great show at the Knitting Factory presented by Gothamist.com, featuring Asobi Seksu, Snowden, The Sons of Sound and The Fresh with DJ-ing by The Tarts of Pleasure.