I stumbled upon  Seth Glier‘s performance at Rockwood on CMJ Friday. Starting with a soulful tune involving only a shaker and footstomps, his outstanding falsetto carried every note to the rafters. I was most impressed with his honesty, especially in his tune ‘Walk Katie Home,’ an adoring memoir of lost love. Not only is Glier’s music soulful, but he’s giving all proceeds from his tour to charity Feeding America. Right on… – Mike Levine

Yesterday found me back in the lower east side. It was time to check out what was happening in the acoustic realm.

First I saw Avi Wisnia light up Rockwood Music Hall’s outstanding sound system with his smooth baritone and tight quartet. The Philadelphia artist put so many quotes into his breezy bossa nova tunes, from Stevie Wonder to Cee Lo, it was almost impossible to keep count. But his gifted songwriting made the riffs all his own.

Next was the folk gospel of Massachusetts’ Seth Glier. Starting with a soulful tune involving only a shaker and footstomps, his outstanding falsetto carried every note to the rafters. I was most impressed with his honesty, especially in his tune ‘Walk Katie Home,’ an adoring memoir of lost love. Not only is Glier’s music soulful, but he’s giving all proceeds from his tour to charity Feeding America. Right on…

After that it was time to hit up The Living Room. But first I took a quick stop at Deli’s Stomp Box Exhibit at Ludlow Guitars. It had been a couple years since I’d last been here, and I’d forgotten how many rare guitars they have in this shop. You could take your pick from vintage Fender mustangs to Les Pauls and plug into a large array of effects pedals for as long as you wanted. It was a lot more fun (judging by how much time I ended up spending there) than I had thought and was a great way to add some important items to my ever-growing Christmas list.

After finally making it over to The Living Room’s upstairs stage, I saw a set from Now Now. A band that features two petite young ladies playing two large guitars. The Minneapolis duo traded vocals back and forth along their drummer Bradley Hale, pulling double duty on kit and keys. Even without a bass, this group brought a very full sound together with most of the crowd sitting on the floor and soaking it all in.

Back downstairs, Austin’s Look Mexico was one of the loudest bands I’ve seen yet at this year’s festival. The four-piece would quiet down only to allow singer Matt Agrella time to sing a couple quick lines, then it was right back to thrash. The band just released a new record, and I can’t wait to check it out later. I should also mention that bassist Tyson Kuhlhoff sported an impressively full beard, the kind that’s been eating now for awhile. So all you Brooklynites have got some work to do on this front.

Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

At CMJ, Austin’s Look Mexico was one of the loudest bands I’ve seen yet at this year’s festival. The four-piece would quiet down only to allow singer Matt Agrella time to sing a couple quick lines, then it was right back to thrash. The band just released a new record, and I can’t wait to check it out later. I should also mention that bassist Tyson Kuhlhoff sported an impressively full beard, the kind that’s been eating now for awhile. So all Brooklynites have got some work to do on this front. – Mike Levine (@goldnuggets)

Annapolis, MD based hard-rock band the Cheaters unleashed a new single this week called "Hey Hey Rock’n’Roll" which you can check out below. This is their first single since 2009, and plans to produce a full LP have been announced and should be out by Spring 2012.

From Montauk Music: "’Hey Hey Rock N’ Roll’ really depicts who we are,” states Jason Morton (vox/guitar). “We all pay our dues and this song is about what we live for; it’s a statement that we’re committed to the rock n’ roll lifestyle. There is no alternative for us, and it’s not about fame or attention. There’s many twists, turns and trials in this life – if you really want all of it, rock n’ roll is what you have to love. ‘Hey Hey Rock N’ Roll’ is real to our lives”

Catch the Cheaters next at Nabb’s Creek in Glen Burnie, MD on Nov. 5.

The Cheaters-Hey Hey Rock’n’Roll

DC based alt punk band the Technicians were recently tied front runners on our Band of the Month poll, with tons of fans showing up for support. So we got a hold of Navid Marvi (vocals/guitar), Nick Glover (guitar/vocals), Ryan Hobbs (bass/vocals) and Steve Smith (drums) to find out more about the awesomeness that got them to the top of our poll. Here they fill us in on their biggest influences, what their band’s name almost was, and  the return of post-punk dominance in DC.  On to the interview...

Check out some tracks from their S/T EP below, and catch them live at Jaxx Nightclub in VA on November 5.

First stop was NYU’s Kimmel Center for the College Radio Summit, where I understand they had a full day of industry discussions hosted by some fairly big names. I however stayed there long enough just to grab a free lunch and check out the music.

First up was one of Australia’s finer indie imports, Clubfeet. As smooth as Air and harmonious like Hall and Oates, I can understand why they’ve gotten so much ink recently. Kimmel Center’s large 10th Floor Pavilion was the perfect space to host their dreamscape synth pop, but after hearing a couple tunes, it was time to head across the pond to Brooklyn where I could hear some good old-fashioned American bands.

Catching Brooklyn’s Spirit Animal‘s set at Spike Hill was a perfect way to jump back into the race. The funk-ready four-piece gave us lyrics on topics ranging from counting dance steps, to bizarre parenting advice, to frontman Chef Cooper’s (yes, he is a gourmet chef) fear of ants, and all placed strategically on top of massive shakedown grooves. Not as many people are ready to get down this early as I was hoping, but for those making the effort, it was well worth the sweat.

A quick trip down North 6 Street landed me next at Public Assembly’s front room for some more groups and an interesting roast beef concoction called ‘The Smoked Beat.’ Here I saw Montreal based Tops. A four piece rooted firmly in the endless summer, lead singer Jane Penny carries the spirit of The Shirelles and Karen Carpenter together in her cozy vocals and Roland key steadiness. Not afraid to throw in a strong instrumental when the moment called for it, this band cooled things down tremendously from the dance party I’d just left.

Ready to heat things back up, I headed down again to Spike Hill, where Kansas City-based Capybara played their first ever NYC show!
Lead singer Mark Harrison, who sounded somewhat like Wolf Parade singer Spencer Krug, harmonized with his band through driving jams sprinkled with enough delay to make The Edge break out in sweats, and peppered the group’s anthem-ready tunes with keys primed to lift things off the ground. The Beat sandwich from Public Assembly was pretty good, but this group was definitely the main course. Once again at Public Assembly (ok… one more sandwich then I’m done), I once again strolled through the long entrance to the back room, and thought I was listening to a sizable band covering New Order. Miracle Fortress in fact contained only two members, unless of course you count the zillions of roller rink lights transforming the venue to a disco. Essentially a solo project with a drummer added for the festival, Fortress is a testament to the sustaining energy of dance punk; reminding me of The Rapture at times, he let the music control the focus of the event and shoegazed his lyrics through all the right emotions for this micro-genre: the dangers of romance, the power of dance.

Next up was classical guitarist/crooner Christopher Paul Stelling (again at Spike Hill), who finger picked his way through intimate confessionals most of us wouldn’t talk about outside of our bedrooms and Facebook pages. Running solo today, Christopher was the only band he needed. Painful and hopeful at once, Jonathan held the audience enrapt with his stories from the road and stories of the afterlife. He also seemed like he was pretty happy to be performing again in his new hometown of Brooklyn.

Christopher didn’t have to travel here nearly as far as Soft Reeds, who came over from Chicago and gave us some new tunes off their forthcoming record out later this fall. Lead singer Ben Grimes looks somewhat like Joel McHale with a hipster haircut. The three piece resurrected the spirit of Echo and the Bunnymen with high energy wails and uneffected guitars, building a wall of fuzz from Grimes’ nasal vocals and the well-cued string samples from their one absent member stuck home dealing with a legal settlement. He missed a great show!

After Soft Reeds, I figured I might as well round out the day with one more Chicago band. Originally a five piece, not everyone from Unicycle Loves You was able to make it up from the band’s hometown. In fact, this wasn’t the only of the band’s issues. From their kick drum’s wobbly frame, (successfully held up by their first CD) to bassist Nicole Vitale’s cold, these musicians were troopers who still sounded great despite these handicaps. Every song they played today will be released on Valentines Day next year, on a full-length called of all things ironic, "Failure."

So there you have it. Overall, as much as I love NYU and Australia, I was a happy camper seeing music back again in Brooklyn. Thank you to all the bands traveling all this way to make it such a fun day!