Rapzilla.com cites Th3 Saga as one of the primary reasons Christian Hip Hop is “back on the map.” The Queens-based MC has garnered a fair amount of attention in the national Battle Rap scene, and his faith is worn proudly on his sleeve. His tracks don’t push boundaries as far as the sonics are concerned, but provide a suitable backdrop for Th3 Saga’s lyircal praise and penitence. He rides beats with a sharp staccato reminiscent of Tupac, but lyrically keeps Christianity in the forefront rapping, “You sayin’ that I’m a pioneer, all I’m worried ‘bout is that the Messiah’s near.” From the Bronx’s BoogieMonsters to ATL’s Deepspace 5 to Philly’s The Grits, Christian rap comes and goes. Perhaps it will be Th3 Saga’s battle prowess which prevents him from becoming just another martyr.
NYC
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Hnry Flwr dances solo in debut video for “Down, in Carolina” + plays Shea Stadium on 02.10
In the late ’60s, Jim Morrison, in this interview, clearly predicted the future of music, envisioning something unimaginable at the time: a one person act, using tapes and electronic equipment as his or her band. We wonder if the psychedelic icon’s dream looked and sounded similar to HNRY FLWR’s video for "Down, in Carolina," which we are premiering below. Even though, in it, musical instruments are nowhere to be seen, David Van Witt, the psychedelic mastermind behind the project, doesn’t do anything to hide the fact that he has full control of his creative output: the video plays like a solo dance full of glam overtones and lush with sensual background projections, during which David seems to do its best to… woo himself – in a self courting ritual that’s synonymous with art. Those who, like us, love the the quirky and somewhat meditative psychedelic pop of Grandaddy may have found a new friend. Hnry Flowr will be playing in quartet setup at Shea Stadium on February 10.
NYC
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Artist of the Month: New Baboons
Congratulations to New Baboons, our first Artist of the Month for the new year! Take the sounds of foundational rock bands and add in a few groovy washes of ‘60s psychedelia and you have New Baboons, an up-and-coming contender in KC’s rock ‘n roll scene. Read our Q&A with a few of the members, and check out their music.
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music.
Elliott Seymour: We play rock and roll with melodies, hooks, and choruses.
Adam Scheffler: New Baboons are a supple pillow of influence dragging over 60 years of crumpled rock ‘n roll bedding.
Tom Livesay: I guess I would describe our band as sounding more like rock from the late ‘60s to the early ‘90s than it does to anything since then.
The Deli: Give me some background info on New Baboons. How did the band come to be? Also, you used to be called Vidal Baboon. Why the name change?
Elliott: We all work together. One day Adam and I got together to run through some old songs we had each written. We just asked Tom and Josh if they were interested and we spent a few days just playing for hours. It fit really nicely together, so we just kept trying songs that Tom, Adam, and I had written over the years. Shockingly, very few people seemed to get the Vidal Baboon reference, so Josh suggested New Baboons as an easy switch. It has a rather evolutionary sound to it, I think. I was outvoted on my choice: The Pelican’s Briefs…
Adam: We’ve been together for about 2 years, ever since we all talked about playing music together at Half Price Books where we all work. We changed our name because Vidal Baboon is a bad name for a band.
The Deli: What inspires your music and songwriting? What is your songwriting process? Does one person write everything or is it collaborative?
Elliott: Tom, Adam, and I write our songs individually. We then present them to the band and we all just bang them out. I am usually inspired by whatever music I happen to be obsessing over at the moment. I’ll just hear a progression or part of a melody or just catch a mood. I’ll just play something over and over until it starts to take shape. I’ll work with it until it finally sounds like a complete song. I usually come up with the lyrics as I’m going. I kind of dread writing lyrics.
Adam: Either Elliott, Tom, or myself write a song on our own, then we kind of come together and flesh out the parts. Then we play it to josh (ze drummer) who comes at it from a structural point of view, and then we flesh out tempos, mood changes, and vocal parts.
The Deli: What have been your greatest accomplishments as a band?
Elliott: I think recording an album in my basement on a little 8-track was pretty cool. It certainly isn’t perfect, but it has a sound that lends itself well to the type of songs we chose to record. They are all pretty melodic and classically structured, so I think the songs speak for themselves. I’m pretty happy that we were able to play recordBar a few times before it closed. That place was the coolest and I think we’re all pretty sad to see it go.
Adam: Winning this here Deli KC thing and being able to play this long with everybody working at the same place.
The Deli:Tell us about your debut LP. What can listeners expect? What future plans do you have for getting your music out there?
Elliott: Our first album, New Baboons, is pretty representative of our collective influences—mainly rock and roll from the ‘50s and ‘60s, with a little ‘90s sensibility thrown in there. People tend to hear Velvet Underground and ‘60s psych or garage. I hear some Elephant 6 sounds, especially in Tom’s songs. We are going to record about 11 new songs at Temple Sounds recording studio sometime in the next month, so I think our next album will have a much different sound. The songs will still be the strength of what we do, but our production value should go up a few notches.
Adam: The first album is a collection of songs everyone had lying around, and then once we connected, we added new songs to the mix. Also, Paige Newcomer played keys on all that and she added a lot to the sound of that album. Expect well-formed rock n roll songs that people call “quite good.”
Tom: I think our first album has lots of variety, partly due to the 3 songwriters. I hear VU, Television, and Rolling Stones influences, plus some garage band psychedelia, disco, and Motown. Sometimes there’s some newer-sounding stuff mixed in there too.
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
Elliott: It’s about a sense of friendship and community to me. We share venues and audiences and often hang out in the same places, you know, it’s really cool. I use Bandcamp and Soundcloud to keep up with local bands, as well as patronizing local record stores and going to shows. Being part of something like that is really cool. I think only the most hipster of hipsters could be cynical about it.
Adam: Going to shows, buying things made locally, connected with other musicians through social media or one’s physical form.
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now? Non-local?
Elliott: Locally speaking, I love Thunderclaps. Those guys are friends and we’ve played a lot of shows together. I love rock and roll bands that are saturated in their influences. It just sounds so classic and pure. I’m also impressed with what I’ve heard from The Conquerors. They make songs with the ‘60s sensibility of singles, when singles still meant something. We’ve really enjoyed playing with SquidsKC—they are pros, and Dan Jones is a great songwriter. As far as non-local, I’m lately into rockabilly like Johnny Burnette, Eddie Cochran and Stray Cats. Also digging Dion and Buddy Holly.
Adam: I enjoy Phantom Head quite a bit and Thunderclaps has been one of our bad-boi backbones. Non-local I’d say U.S. Girls’ new album Half Free had tickled me lately.
Tom: My favorite bands are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks, but I’ve been inspired by Pavement, Cheap Trick, and The Pixies on certain songs. I don’t get out enough to know what local bands I like other than SquidsKC.
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
Elliott: I’d love to play with The Velvet Underground and The Kinks. Brian Wilson would play piano instrumentals between sets and David Bowie would do some miming.
Adam: Uh… I guess opening up for 10cc and Frank Ocean with Scott Walker closing it all up. Shit ya.
Tom: My fantasy bill would be opening for The Kinks and McCartney/Starr.
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?
Elliott: Lennon/Macca (one hybrid face), Lou Reed, Brian Wilson and David Bowie. The Beatles are my favorite band and their influence is incalculable. Paul’s bass lines and the way they used the studio and Ringo’s fills and George’s melodies and John being John, It’s all so brilliant.
Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground for the massive grooves that they were capable of—Sister Ray is still untouched in that regard. Brian for giving us such beautiful sounds and David Bowie for being the one-of-a-kind musical icon that he was and will always be. All of his characters and mythologies are so much of what got me interested in rock and roll to begin with. He is endlessly fascinating.
Adam: Lou Reed, ‘nuff said. Damo Suzuki from CAN. 1960s-era P.P. Arnold because I could listen to her voice all day. I guess last it would be Charles Mingus because I wanted to round this out nicely with some of my faves.
Tom: I would probably have Lennon, McCartney, Ray Davies, Jagger, and Richards. I know that’s one too many.
The Deli: What other goals do you have for 2016 and beyond?
Elliott: My goals are to have more band practices (always!) and play some different venues than we have. I want to get our second album out and listen to more music than I did in 2015. I think a split 7" with the Thunderclaps would be great.
Adam: Goals and rock n roll have nothing to do with each other. Just make music.
Tom: My hope is to get more shows, record a second album that’s better than the first, and just keep getting better.
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
Elliott: Buy a lot of David Bowie records and listen to them.
Adam: Please learn from the world’s wealth of point of views and catch yourself when you’re selfish, treat others better than you’d treat yourself, listen to New Baboons, listen to Frumpy Congo Love that’s me, and stop being cool or trying cuz you’re fucking everything up.
New Baboons are:
Elliott Seymour – guitar, vocals
Adam Scheffler – guitar, vocals
Tom Livesay – bass, vocals
Josh Klipsch – drums
Your next chance to see New Baboons live will be at Josey Records on February 26 with Braggers and The Red-Headed League. Check them out!
—Michelle Bacon
NYC
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All Them Witches are The Deli Nashville’s Best Emerging Artist of 2015! 2nd Savoy Motel, 3rd REMMI!
Deli Readers,
Our Best of Nashville Poll for Emerging Artists has been – as usual – a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense, (mostly) joyous rain of music, but we have finally arrived at destination: we can announce the final results. This year we heave a very eclectic chart – at least for the top positions.
Once all the votes were tallied (you can find out more about our methods below), All Them Witches emerged as the clear winner. Winning the contest will earn them not only serious bragging rights, but also a nod in our SXSW print edition. We first covered All Them Witches way back in the long-forgotten year of 2013, and we’re thrilled to see them getting some love from our jurors. Their 2015 Sweet Release EP is a journey and a half filled with long jams and tasty riffs that’ll have you doing that weird air guitar impression people do where they wiggle their fingers in front of their nipples for a couple seconds. The band shows no signs of slowing down in 2016, having already announced an overseas tour as well as a handful of US festival appearances.
Coming in second are local 70’s groove revivalists Savoy Motel, though to place them in a neat genre like that is a bit of a disservice. Their music is less of an old style in a modern context and more like an alternate universe, "what could have been" trip into uncanny valley. It’s all kinds of groovy and catchy, but there’s a certain unease that separates it from the pack. These guys don’t have a lot of material online yet, but we encourage you to dig on what’s available.
In third place is electro-pop songstress REMMI. Her recently released New America EP is up there with the best of what you’ll hear on any top 40 station with its crisp production and sad-dancing overtones.
Check out our poll’s top 15 below, and don’t forget to get even deeper, exploring all the finalists organized by genre:
ALT FOLK – ALT ROCK – AMERICANA –
ELECTRONIC – INDIE POP –INDIE/PSYCH ROCK –
REVIVAL ROCK – SINGER-SONGWRITER
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If you wonder how this chart came into existence, here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ Nashville scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each (3 points for the top choice, then 2 and 1). Then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music Nashville produced in the year 2015, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
Many Thanks to our Jurors: Ron Brice (3rd and Lindsley), Brendan Donohue (Pureform Media), Staff, (Lockeland Springsteen Music Blog), Staff (Grimey’s), Jay Gregory (Sad Spaceman Promotions), Steve Cross (Concert Photographer), Jared & Kristen Corder (East Nashville Underground), Robert Bragdon (Break on a Cloud ), Andrew Minske (Show This ), Brian Waters (DJ/Lightning 100), Tyler Walker (Queens Art Collective), Michael Eades (We Own This Town), Stephen Tragdser (Nashville Scene), Wes Davenport (Mercy Lounge), Crying Wolf, Christopher Paxton (Event director), Mistaa Gattii ( ACME Feed & Seed), Jesse Baker (Exit/In), David Oakleaf (The Building). Many other jurors were asked to send us their preferences but chose not to do so.
Hope you’ll find some awesome new artists you weren’t aware of!
The Deli’s Staff
NYC
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Rebellious rockers Punch The Unicorn release new single, White Noise
Shredding their way from Alexandria, VA, Punch The Unicorn released their first single, White Noise, last month and it’s built on the most badass parts of punk and hard rock. Vocalist Lindsay Collette has a very anthemic presence on the track, reminiscent of rock legend Joan Jett, belting out lyrics with an entrancing range. The guitar work blasts in perfectly, replete with ungodly solos. I suspect the fretboards surely caught fire from the friction. Head-bangingly brilliant, PTU is working on a second single and looking for a new drummer, so keep an eye out for developments! -Jonathan Goodwin
NYC
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Workman Song Unveils New Single ‘O, To Be In Love Again’
Sean McMahon, lead singer and guitarist of local Brooklyn/Boston band Workman Song has unveiled a brand new single with a distinctly different sound from his previous material. Recorded at The Hangar in New Jersey and produced by MGMT’s Will Berman, ‘O, To Be In Love Again’ (streaming) is a fast paced, rhythm driven song, laden with intricate guitar lines and soaring, soulful vocals. Though the song still honors McMahon’s penchant for storytelling, it is a far cry from his April 2014 release ‘Lamb‘.
Workman Song has recently evolved from a solo folk project into a fully fledged ‘art folk rock’ band – a label created by McMahon himself. While his previous EP’s (specifically Lamb and Ion Zelig Vol. III) are often compared to Cat Stevens, solo Neil Young and Dylan, his new sound sits far more comfortably next to Kurt Vile & The Violators, early War on Drugs, Jefferson Airplane and Springsteen. On Wednesday 02/03 McMahon debuted the new single at Mercury Lounge alongside local songstress Katie Von Schleicher, Lip Talk and Alexander F of Rubblebucket. The set was perfectly executed in front of a packed venue and was just a taste of what is to come in the very near future for Workman Song. With a full length LP in the works as well as a national tour, Workman Song is one to watch.
NYC
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Rebuilder is The Deli New England’s Best Emerging Artist of 2015! 2nd Horse Jumper of Love, 3rd Ruby Rose Fox!
Deli Readers,
Our Best of New England Poll for Emerging Artists has been – as usual – a lengthy and painstaking journey which took us through prairies of numbers, horizons filled with band names, and a dense, (mostly) joyous rain of music, but we have finally arrived at destination: we can announce the final results. This year we heave a very eclectic chart – at least for the top positions.
We are happy to announce that Boston’s pop punk band Rebuilder, thanks to an accumulation of jurors votes, is The Deli New England’s Best Emerging Artist of the Year, and will therefore be featured in our upcoming SXSW print issue (check out last year’s one digitally, here). We have been following this unstoppable power-quartet since their beginnings in 2014, and it’s been great to see them grow and mature with each release.Their 2015 album ‘Rock’n’Roll in America‘ blends the melodic punk tradition of pioneers Husker Do with a more modern and epic sound, without ever letting the BPM slow down. Don’t miss them live!
Thumbs up also for weirdly named, slow core trio Horse Jumper of Love, also hailing from Beantown, who placed second. Their sound – from what we can hear from the two songs available online – channels the slacker rock of the 90’s in rather seductive and chilled ways. They have a full release coming up on March 11th, from which first single ‘Ugly Brunette’ (streaming below) was premiered by Stereogum just about two weeks ago. We found another of their tracks on Soundcloud, here. Promising band indeed!
In third place we have a truly unique artist – and yes, she is a Bostonian too. Her name is Ruby Rose Fox, and we are really, really tempted to label her as THE (or some kind of) new Nick Cave, an artist we regard as one the best of all times. As you may have gathered though, Rosy is a lady. Gifted with an incredibly deep and expressive voice, and confidence aplenty, Ruby plays slow to mid tempo noir pop that flirts with Americana – and trouble. You definitely want to keep an ear and an eye out for this one – check out her stunning latest video for single "Dance of Frankestein."
Check out our poll’s top ten below, and don’t forget to get even deeper, exploring all the finalists organized by genre:
ALT ROCK – ELECTRO/OTHER GARAGE/DIY – INDIE POP –
INDIE ROCK – PUNK ROCK –ROOTS/SONGWRITERS
| BEST OF 2015 POLL FOR EMERGING NEW ENGLAND ARTISTS ****** FINAL RESULTS – TOP TEN ****** |
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If you wonder how this chart came into existence, here is how it all went down: first, we let the local bands submit their music (for free), and got our Deli editors to pick the nominees. Then we polled a list of 15+ New England scene expert (our jury) and asked them to nominate 3 more bands of their choice each (3 points for the top choice, then 2 and 1). Then we polled our readers. We tried to keep things open for each single genre, from Indie Rock to Roots Music to Hip Hop.
If you are a geek interested in all the subtelties related to how this poll works, you can read its rules here (happy reading!). But if all you care about is the awesome new music New England produced in the year 2015, this list is all you need. Enjoy!
Many Thanks to our Jurors: Aaron Gray (Gray Skull Booking), Adam Blye (Mutiny on the Microphone), Adam Morgan (Surviving the Golden Age), Adam Parshall (Do617), Alyssa Spector (Lysten Boston), Dan McMahon (Deli NE Editor), Dave Crespo (WEMF Radio), Deep Thoughts (Deep Thoughts), Ellie Molitor (Allston Pudding), Erich Hagan (John Fleming Entertainment), Jacob Nathan (AS220), Jake (Boston Ska), Joseph Graham (NE Music Awards), Knar Bedian (Sound of Boston), Kristin Nicholls (Bishop & Rook), Lance Tobin (Brighton Music Hall), Lionel Train (The Middle East), llya Sitnikov (I Heart Noise), Malcolm Tent (Trash American Style), Paul Mayer (Cafe Nine), Perry Eaton (BDCWire), Radio Bean (Radio Bean), Ryan Agate (O’Brien’s Pub), Salty Speakers (Salty Speakers), Samuel Potrykus (Boston Hassle), The Space (The Space), TJ Edson (Out of the Blue Too).
Hope you’ll find some awesome new artists you weren’t aware of!
The Deli’s Staff
NYC
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Dream pop duo Tiny Deaths unveils ‘The Gardener’ from upcoming ‘Night Flowers’ EP
Dream pop has exploded in the NYC scene in the last decade, and the feeling we have is that the genre is slowly gathering more and more attention (also thanks to artists like Lana Del Rey, not exactly an indie scene dear, but nonetheless responsible for introducing a mellow and uber-dreamy pop sound to many new music fans). Tiny Deaths, who sound nothing like Lana, and whose name is a translation of how French people call sexual peak, is a duo based in Minneapolis and Brooklyn. They released their debut, self titled EP last year, and recently unveiled a new, four track release entitled ‘Night Flowers’ (two singles streaming below). They seem to specialize in sparse, mostly electronic midtempos highlighting singer Claire de Lune’s celestial melodies drenched in otherworldly reverb. Looking forward to see them in NYC – no shows scheduled here at this stage.
We added "Ever" to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!
NYC
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Westend Recording Studios Presents Amplify KC Vol. 1
(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
“Heavier punk or metal is aggressive and comes from a need to tap into that primitive feeling inside of you,” says Justin Mantooth. Mantooth is the house engineer at Westend Recording Studios, a state-of-the-art recording facility tucked into the West Plaza area of town. Westend boasts professional recordings from some of KC’s most well-known rock lineage, from Shiner to Frogpond to Season To Risk, and current groups like Shy Boys, Radkey, and Making Movies. On Monday, the studio released a compilation called Amplify KC Volume 1, featuring some of the city’s heaviest acts.
Eleven forceful tracks make up the album, ranging from noise rock to punk to metal to hardcore, skillfully recorded, produced, and mixed by Mantooth and mastered by Mike Nolte (Eureka Mastering). Read our Q&A with Mantooth and get it as a free download here.
The Deli: One of the goals of this compilation was to highlight heavy-minded artists. Why do you think these artists tend to be overlooked?
Mantooth: It’s not for everyone. It’s less approachable than your electro-pop hipster thing might be to a casual listener.
The Deli: This compilation also showcases the production quality from Westend. Tell us more about the facility.
Mantooth: Westend owner Mike Miller has built a professional environment that has a vibe of a time before streaming and MP3s. A time when it was more about the music and not YouTube views. We try to push for "real"-sounding records rather than slick overly produced ones. I take full advantage of new digital tools, don’t get me wrong, but my goal isn’t to quantize performances into robotic perfection. One thing that may set us apart from other studios is that we still use analog tape often, something that isn’t really happening in most studios today.
The Deli: How did you select these particular artists? Highlight a few of them.
Mantooth: We put the word out that we wanted to do this compilation and had bands submit to take part. From there I chose the bands I thought I could make a solid production with in a day’s worth of studio time. That wasn’t easy to narrow down! I wish I could have recorded 20 bands, but you know it’s a lot of work. I’ll just highlight the first 3 tracks on the comp because I enjoy everyone on there.
Hyborian: These guys can play and write very slick songs yet keep it heavy. The mix of smooth vocals over raging guitars and big drums is just excellent.
Walking Oceans: Just listen to their entire track. It is a rollercoaster ride of badassery. Instrumental music that doesn’t leave you wondering when the vocal section is going to start. Really good band.
Bluehealer: These dudes are young and they play like it. With no fear at all. They throw down. Taking somewhat simple chords and ideas and just thrashing them hard. They remind me of some of my favorite bands and I enjoyed getting that sound for them.
The Deli: What can we in the KC music scene do to support bands in the hardcore/metal/punk/heavy rock scene? What should bands do to get their name out there?
Mantooth: That’s a good question. The biggest thing is go out and see bands live. Buy their merch. We live in a time when there are a million reasons to just stay home. We don’t have the same attendance at shows that was the norm 15 to 20 years ago. I think one good idea is having more diverse lineups at local shows. We don’t need to see 5 similar metal bands at 1 show. I played a show on NYE with Jorge Arana Trio, Sharp Weapons, Sundiver, and Bummer. All very different, but it went really well. People like to hear diversity and sometimes bills are stacked with too much of the same. And usually half of the lineup is terrible just to keep the genres the same.
The Deli: Name a few must-see KC bands that people may not know about. It doesn’t have to be limited to bands on this compilation; perhaps even some that didn’t make the cut.
Mantooth: All of these bands are bands I want people to know about. Bummer is a must see. They always bring the beef. Hammerlord didn’t work out as far as being on the compilation, but they are great.
Check out Amplify KC Vol. 1 on Bandcamp!
–Michelle Bacon
NYC
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Show review: The Band That Fell To Earth at Uptown Theater, 1.31.16
David Bowie is a god of artistry, performance, and music. We are all created in his ever-changing image. Cool in our uncoolness, beautiful awkward outcasts, only appreciated and understood in our circles of the same. May it be Bowie as a distorted, sexy, sci-fi, glam-rock angel, or toying with the absurdity of gender and sexuality and what belongs to it, or Bowie as a poetic confrontational storyteller, or merely the voice of a collective us who seeks guidance and shelter from the normal; David Bowie changed the world.
On Sunday night, Bowie fans all over the metro came to pay tribute to our god. Upwards of 850 people showed up at the Uptown Theater, some with painted faces and all ready to do their part. This show was originally booked for Knuckleheads Saloon but moved when the demand became too great for it to handle. Our local musicians leading us in praise, calling themselves The Band That Fell To Earth, played more than 2 hours of Bowie—25 songs. And still left us wanting more. Always more Bowie.
Michelle Bacon, editor and writer for our very own Deli along with 90.9 The Bridge and Ink, on her cooler days plays bass for The Philistines and drums for Chris Meck and The Guilty Birds. She handpicked this very talented group of her friends and peers and coordinated a masterpiece of a tribute. Ultimately presented by The Deli KC, this performance was all created from the depths of her Bowie fandom. Kansas City thanks you, Michelle.
Michelle with her shiny hair, tight red pants, and perfectly played funky bass lines, wasn’t the only star onstage that night. Stephanie Williams was the other half of the rhythm section; she and her beautiful bangs play drums in Katy Guillen & the Girls. Kyle Dahlquist, of The Hardship Letters and Amy Farrand and the Like, took care of the synth and keys. Alex Alexander of Drop a Grand and SquidsKC melted faces with his lead guitar. Rich Wheeler, who plays with The People’s Liberation Big Band and Son Venezuela, was the brass section. Betse Ellis and Clarke Wyatt of the folk duo Betse & Clarke were the string section. Andrea Tudhope, Lauren Krum (The Grisly Hand, Ruddy Swain), and Rachel Christia (Hearts of Darkness) were personality and backup vocals. The main vocals were handled by Nathan Corsi of Not a Planet, Michael Tipton of Kodascope, and Steve Tulipana of Roman Numerals.
Besides the talent, the key to this tribute was the huge video screen behind the band (provided by XO Blackwater). It played clips of videos and live performances that went along perfectly with the set list all night. It gave us a needed tool to fully reminisce. It allowed us to compare dance moves between Bowie and whoever was taking on the vocals at the moment, which was a very fun element. The screen started the show with the “Lazarus” video—it sobered the crowd right up and we all remembered that we were in mourning.
The Band That Fell To Earth started their first set with “Let’s Dance.” The seats cleared and I became fully aware of what a special night this was going to be. Steve Tulipana carried the brunt of the lead vocals. I have been lucky enough to catch him in a couple of tribute projects, one being a Joy Division tribute. He became Ian Curtis that night and blessed us with the transformation into David Bowie on Sunday night. Steve brings icons back to life, just for one day. His moves, his vocals, and emphasis were captivating. He was David Bowie and the crowd loved it.
“Heroes” has been such a covered and loved track for so long. I’ve heard it recorded and covered live so many times. But something felt different about it on Sunday. This anthem, professing love and proclaiming individuality and how truly heroic these things are, is who David Bowie was. It is an anthem to me. It means so much. And Rich’s horn during this song was everything. Bless him and his contribution to this project.
Popular favorites “China Girl,” “Young Americans,” and “Modern Love” turned the crowd into a dance party. Old and young dancing and singing every lyric wildly at each other. But the real shock was the last song of the first set, where Nathan Corsi captivated the crowd with his vocal interpretation of “Life on Mars.” No one around me spoke. Some had tears in their eyes. Dressed in suspenders with his beautiful brunette mane, Nate was not Bowie. He was a fan. He was paying tribute. His voice represented how we all felt. He left his crowd blown away. We all needed an intermission to gather ourselves.
We came back from intermission with “Fame” and the stripper moves came pouring out. Michelle and Kyle became Nine Inch Nails on “I’m Afraid of Americans” and I cannot stress enough how spot-freaking-on this was. During “Suffragette City,” the screen above showed clips from Labyrinth and everyone took notice.
“Sound and Vision,” which is one of my personal favorite tracks, was done justice by Kyle on the keys. He was a vision (see what I did there?). “Space Oddity,” was taken on by Nate and Andrea. Andrea was center stage and ready to do her part to pay homage with Nate to her left. I felt nervous as these vocals felt like maybe they would be a stretch for anyone to take on. I was so wrong. They, along with the string and horn section, took us to church and made us all believers. It was one of many “WOW” moments of the show. But, not to be outdone, “Moonage Daydream” produced its own stars. Alex seemed to have been taken over by some sort of rock guitarist demon and Clarke broke his bow. Now THAT is rock ‘n roll.
The Band That Fell To Earth played an encore of “Rock n Roll Suicide” and “Under Pressure.” Michelle began the last song of the night with that bass line we all know so well. We prepared ourselves for the grand finale. The backup vocalists danced. All performers of the night graced the stage. David and Freddie took over the screen and we all celebrated, together.
David, thank you. Thank you for the music. Thank you for the courage. Thank you for instilling the belief that we are all ok as we are, no matter what that might be. Thank you for changing us and the world. RIP.
—Jess Barrett
Haver of sweet dance moves and stealer of t-shirts
NYC
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Boston’s Celebrity Look-Alikes play Middle East on 2/6
Back in September, Boston "psych dance-rock" quartet Celebrity Look-Alikes released its unabashedly mellow self-titled EP. Starting with the bass-zipped “Gargoyle” (streaming below), its loose yet controlled keys as chimerical as its titular beast, and ending with the swirling guitars of the existential musing “Revolving Door,” the effort shows a young, undeniably talented band searching for meaning while having fun along the way. Celebrity Look-Alikes play at Middle East in Cambridge MA on Saturday (2/6). – Zach Weg
NYC
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Bands playing Market Hotel: Show Me The Body, Uniform, and LODRO
Now that Brooklyn’s Market Hotel is back, we can finally have a clear picture of which local artists in the NYC DIY circuit have the necessary following (or whatever you want to call it) to play a venue that’s considerably larger than any other "DIY" venue. We used quotes when referring to DIY because it must be noted that the term has lost most of its original meaning, since most of these places, from Aviv to Palisades, and also Market Hotel, are perfectly legal venues: we guess DIY, today, is all about attitude, all ages shows, DIY decor, and – most imprtantly – about the style of the bands booked, veering from punky to psych to experimental or wildly creative, but never over produced. Maybe they should just rename this the "no frills" Brooklyn scene.
Anyway, not that many bands – besides DIIV (too big for us to cover) – are playing Market Hotel in the next few weeks, but we dig the few ones that are. We blogged quite a lot about Show Me The Body and their insane blend of Post Hardcore, Noise Rock and… Hip Hop maybe? Stuff that won’t climb the charts, but that might very well be remembered as what was relevant and new in Brooklyn in the mid ’10s – they are playing the Bushwick venue tomorrow February 5th.
We’ve always been big fans of Lodro, a noir, tense as f**k trio that will be opening for DIIV’s second show on March 3rd.
A band we never covered before, Uniform (pictured), will perform on Saturday February 13th as an opener to SF electro post punkers The Soft Moon. The Brooklyn duo’s music also blends electronic sounds (drum machine and droney bass synth) with punky and industrial elements. Definitely a band to see while wearing earplugs and your good old mosh pit shoes on – oh, right you wear those all the time… you are good to go then!