The Stationary Set @ The Studio at Webster Hall, 2.21.09

After B+TEC's amazing set, The Stationary Set hopped on stage to wow us once again! (For background info. on The Stat. Set, see my post below, "The Stationary Set @ Fontana's, 2.7.09").

First, it must be acknowledged that Gabriel Kubitz is a superhero for playing two sets with two different bands back-to-back. Here he is, rockin' out on bass, as per usual!

Second, it should also be stated that while playing, the band had almost NO sound coming out of the monitors (seriously). The audience could hear the band easily--but the band could not hear itself. Epic fail, Webster Hall, epic fail. However, not to be discouraged, the band played an UNBELIEVABLE set with really excellent attitudes! They looked like they were having a great time, and got the entire crowd (which, by this point, was drunk and chatty) totally engrossed in the music.












The set focused on songs from The Stat Set's new EP, which was made available for free download the day after this show. As a quasi-release party for said EP, the show was a HUGE success! Not only did they play all four songs from the EP to an ecstatic audience, but they also played other new songs that will likely be included on the upcoming album, to be released this fall.





It was great to see The Stat Set headlining (or sharing the headline with B+TEC) at Webster Hall. While the show had some sound problems, the audience was totally unaware and enjoyed every minute of their incredible set. As it should be.

Review and photos by Laura. More photos available here.

B+TEC @ The Studio at Webster Hall, 2.21.09

B+TEC, or Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion, is the ever-growing project of Bitch (Shortbus, Bitch and Animal), Gabriel Kubitz (The Stationary Set), and LeeFree (Inner Princess). Just back from their east coast tour, Bitch and Gabe reunited with Lee to play as B+TEC--and the crowd LOVED it.

A great deal of Bitch's name recognition tends to come from her earlier project, Bitch and Animal, which released two CDs on Ani DiFranco's label, Righteous Babe Records. Since Bitch and Animal stopped collaborating, Bitch has been in John Cameron Mitchell's film Shortbus, released a solo record, Make This/Break This, and produced Ferron's latest album, Boulder, released on Bitch's own label. While a great deal of Bitch's work has garnered attention primarily from the LGBTQ community, her work with B+TEC is accessible to a much broader audience.

B+TEC is a punk, alternative, indie band that mixes Bitch's poetry with innovative and compelling notes and rhythm. B's words are much more than mere lyrics: they are stand-alone poems that, when set to music, take on a life of their own. B's electric violin, acoustic violin, or bass, paired with Gabe's bass and Lee's rhythm, captures the intense emotions behind the words. The songs have a punk-rock feel but induce emotions that might be more akin to a folk-rock experience.

The band's sound is incredibly unique, but not inaccessible. B's background in theater is clear--she has a captivating stage presence that allows her to connect with each person in the crowd. B+TEC does an excellent job of bringing the audience into the experience, winning over an incredibly diverse, and constantly growing, fanbase.

Review and photos by Laura. More photos available here.

The Stationary Set @ Fontana's, 2.7.09

After a lovely evening with Jay Brannan, we headed over to Fontana's in the LES for The Stationary Set, a band composed of Andrew Lutes (Vocals/Acoustic Guitar/Piano), Josh Hoisington (Backing Vocals/Keys/Guitar), Josh Davis (Backing Vocals/Keys/Guitar), Gabriel Kubitz (Bass), and Logan Baldwin (Drums). Originally from Michigan, The Stationary Set (lovingly abbreviated as "The Stat Set" by fans) was formed by Andrew and Josh H. and grew to include Josh D., Gabe, and Logan upon arrival in NYC.

Since the New York transformation, The Stat Set has been writing songs about life as a twenty-something living in Brooklyn...but don't be afraid! These guys are definitely not hipsters; more Park Slope than Williamsburg, the vibe is low-key, relaxed, and fun.

The show at Fontana's was short but amazing. With only thirty minutes to wow the audience, The Stat Set played songs from their highly anticipated upcoming EP, including "Constitution," "A Promise and a Threat," "Method Actor," and "This is Our Nature." The songs, composed by the band with lyrics by Andrew, are catchy but also unique. The vibe feels like a mix of Panic At the Disco, The Clash, and Robin Williams. (For those of you in the know, or from Rhode Island, they're also a more New York version of Zox.)

The guys are hilarious, incredibly musically talented, and compliment each other in some great ways. Andrew sings his lyrics with conviction and really connects with those of us who feel somewhat left out by the hipster/Williamsburg community. Josh H. plays what seems like three instruments at once, while singing, and never stops smiling. Josh D. is quiet onstage but has amazing chemistry with his guitar--and, DAMN, does that kid know how to play! Gabe is an incredibly talented bassist who frequently climbs on amps and jumps into the audience, pulling everyone into the fun that they're all having onstage. Logan is perhaps the quietest of all, but certainly makes his presence known by giving the songs a great beat. Not only are the guys talented, but each of their strengths compliment the others, creating an incredibly powerful sound.

The audience laughed with them, danced like crazy, and applauded like mad. The crowd consisted of friends of the band, fans, and those who had heard the buzz. By the end of the show, the whole audience was begging for an encore--but, alas, Fontana's had to get the other performers on stage.

Review and photos by Laura. For more photos, click here.

Metallica - 'Master of Puppets' breakdown live @ Prudential Center, 2.1.09

Metallica - 'One' live @ Prudential Center, 2.1.09

Annuals - 'Sore' live @ Bowery Ballroom, 1.28.09

Jay Brannan @ Baruch College, 2.7.09

For those of you who are thinking, "Jay Brannan, who's that?", here's a basic intro: Jay Brannan was in Shortbus, an extraordinary film directed by the amazing John Cameron Mitchell (of Hedwig fame). In that wonderful film (let me just plug it one more time) Jay Brannan sang the poignant, honest, and absofuckinglutely hilarious song "Soda Shop." Since the film, Jay Brannan has released his first full-length CD, "goddamned," to critical acclaim--and by "critical acclaim," I mean that the hipsters, homos, radicals, internationals, and activists all love him. As I fall under several of those categories, I obligatorily listened to the CD--and, let me just say, I was not disappointed.

Since said "acclaim," Brannan has toured extensively, sold out shows at Joe's Pub in New York, and turned down marketing deals and record contracts that, in his own words, capitalize upon his sexuality. While Brannan is openly gay, sings about gay themes, and graphically discusses fucking men in the ass (FTW!), he's also much more than that. Brannan's songs are musically creative in their simplicity; he matches compelling, thoughtful, and challenging lyrics with somewhat "catchy" melodies, played on guitar or piano. He also updates a quirky-yet-hilarious blog, featuring many YouTube videos of him singing--frequently in foreign languages (http://jaybrannan.com).

Needless to say, I just had to see this kid in person.

The show was at a small (quickly sold-out) venue at Baruch College, with whom Brannan has some sort of previous relationship (he was recently on a radio program there as well). The audience was receptive, knew the material, and engaged with Brannan in a lighthearted, supportive way. Such support was needed, however, because JBran is adorably self-deprecating. Much like everyone's favorite Winnie the Pooh character, Eeyore, Brannan is endearingly (rather than "Good Charlotte"-annoyingly) emo. He likes his songs and he knows who he is; however, he also comments on his "spare tire" (?!), failure at relationships, and fear of audience disapproval. This tone, however, did not keep him from making the audience roll with laughter on several occasions--not always at his own expense. Brannan achieved a low-key-yet-nervous attitude, which actually made his music even more accessible!



His stage demeanor was welcoming, and he drew the entire audience, even new listeners, into his songs. While much of the audience was familiar with Jay's songs, familiarity with his music wasn't necessary to enjoy the set. Jay discussed the background behind some songs, explained the tone of the lyrics, and successfully interacted with the audience while playing. The songs themselves were even better live than recorded; he seemed comfortable playing--or as comfortable as an "Eeyore" ever could be!

A particular favorite of mine was a new song about the recent war in Israel and Palestine. Brannan has a keen way of humanizing the incredibly complex situation, simply calling for peace. Like John and Yoko's "War is Over," Brannan states the obvious in an emotionally captivating, yet shockingly simple way: peace is possible, if we make it so. . . Though not in those words. His words were better. (Buy his upcoming CD. Insert shameless plug here.)

After the show, Jay came out and spent over an hour talking to everyone there. He sold "cracked case" CDs for $10, and "pristine" CDs for $15. He signed as many CDs, tickets, and programs as you wished, and did so with his adorable smile. His immense thanks for our presence there was obvious; he clearly loves what he does and is glad that his audience does, too!


All in all, the show was a roaring success--though I'm sure that Mr. Brannan would argue with my assessment in his typical Eeyore fashion!

Review and photos by Laura, more photos available here.

Metallica @ Prudential Center, 2.1.09

Metallica is a legend. They are gods in the world of metal. Regardless of their mid-90s output (Load and ReLoad) and their more recent lackluster albums (St. Anger) anyone who goes to a Metallica concert knows that they are in for a show.

After the first two songs, both cuts from Death Magnetic, James went to the microphone and said, ‘You know what we found goes really well with the new stuff?’ and everyone screamed back at him, ‘THE OLD STUFF!!!’ And he was right: the new songs did fit in quite well with the old ones – because they sound almost exactly the same. Sometimes this was a good thing. Despite not knowing any of the new songs, I could anticipate the song structure and continue headbanging to the beat. They were familiar to my ears although I had not heard them. Of course, the downside was that the songs were predictable and even slightly cliché. Death Magnetic’s lead single ‘The Day That Never Comes’ is at its essence a combination of the ‘Fade to Black’ riff, ‘One’s guitar solo, and a simplified (read: pretty awful) version of the ‘Harvester of Sorrow’ lyrics. The song’s structures followed the Metallica template set forth in earlier albums (with some variables): intro, verse, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, (breakdown,) solo, (verse,) chorus, outro. I barely had to pay attention to know what was happening, which in retrospect was probably a good thing because the new lyrics are fairly dreadful.

Metallica balanced the song order by playing two new cuts followed by a few signature tunes. The way they presented them blatantly drew the parallel between old and new, highlighting the contribution of bassist Rob Trujillo in returning to their metal roots. A lot of press about Death Magnetic has mentioned that in striving to recreate their old sound, they ended up becoming a parody of themselves because they tried too hard. It seemed their attitude at this show was to demonstrate that the album was not just a fluke or a gimmick; Metallica’s return as a serious metal band was legitimate. The setlist reinforced this point, drawing heavily from the early records that represented quintessential Metallica. They attacked hard with ‘Master Of Puppets,’ ‘One,’ ‘Creeping Death,’ and ‘Seek And Destroy.’ The band played everything with extreme vigor to the point where they sped up a lot of their older songs. Perhaps they thought the songs sound better when played faster, but my inclination is to believe that they did it just to prove they could.

Metallica earned their reputation as metal gods partially because of their relentless touring and massive stage presence. This still holds true today. James Hetfield is one of the great frontmen of rock, and his towering figure is impressive even from the nosebleed seats. Bassist Rob Trujillo lumbers around in monkey-steps and seems to have taken over his predecessor’s role as chief crowd instigator. Kirk Hammett, lead guitarist, keeps a generally low profile until he solos though he does his fair share of energizing the crowd. Much maligned drummer Lars Ulrich is his usual animalistic shirtless self, sneering and grimacing all night. The stage itself was set up as a rectangular platform with microphones at each corner as well as two extra mics along the length. Lars’ drum set was on a circular disc in the middle that rotated each time they took a break so that he faced each side of the audience during one portion of the show. It was a simple set up that left plenty of room for both standard over-the-top pyrotechnics and stage-meandering. Kirk, James, and Rob wandered all around the stage interacting with the audience and each other. All the enthusiasm they put into their performance they received back from the crowd in equal measure.

With the band as a whole feeling more unified, a spirit of gratitude and camaraderie emerged that was absent from previous concerts. Metallica also showed off their playful side for the encore: James requested that the house lights be turned on so they could see the audience, and when they began playing ‘Die Die My Darling’ large black beach balls emblazoned with the Metallica logo came raining down on the stage. They bounced out into the audience where they were punched into the air and eventually found their way back onto the platform. Whenever a ball lay in a band member’s path he would kick it out into the crowd again to much cheering. This kind of rapport is what continues to draw fans to Metallica concerts even 25 years after they first began.

Going to any concert of a legendary band with high expectations can be dangerous, but there is no need to worry with Metallica. Metallica delivers everytime, everywhere. And that is why I love them.

setlist:

That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
Creeping Death
Harvester of Sorrow
One
Broken, Beat and Scarred
Cyanide
Sad But True
Sanitarium
All Nightmare Long
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Blackened
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
encore:
Die Die My Darling
Breadfan
Seek and Destroy

words and photos by Terror