In a packed room on Monday night, Andy Shauf brought The Party and all the characters from his 2016 release to DC9.
Chris Cohen and his band opened things up with some jazzy melodies. Psychedelic guitar riffs intermingled with bass. A keyboard phrase, aptly substituting for a horn or saxophone in the piece, ran through a persistent minor key while the former Deerhoof band member’s lo-fi guitar chords brought “Drink from a Silver Cup” together in a slow swing piece with dramatic drum fills.Continue reading “Andy Shauf @ DC9”→
Jeff Rosenstock, the DIY music legend and prolific artist, played DC9 Thursday night for one of the last days of a tour with Hard Girls and Katie Ellen.
The Long Island frontman has been a part of many successful bands and has an extensive discography tied to his name. But, his solo career has not gone unnoticed either. With the release of his third solo LP, Jeff Rosenstock has been selling out shows and continuing to spread compassion and love in dark political times. The new album, Worry, is reflective of the disillusioning environment Rosenstock sees today, releasing emotion to every listener who plays it.Continue reading “Jeff Rosenstock @ DC9”→
Paradise Fears performing at The Studio at Webster Hall, 1/2/2016
Before describing the evening, it’s important to understand Paradise Fears and their incredibly dedicated fans. Beginning back in high school in Vermillion, South Dakota, lead singer and writer Sam Miller and his friends Cole Andre, Jordan Merrigan, Marcus Sand, Michael Walker, and Lucas Zimmerman released two EPs before taking a gap year to work in order to fund their first full length LP. This album, 2011’s Yours Truly, sold 24,000 records, peaking at number 9 on Billboard’s “Uncharted” chart. After gaining traction opening for All Time Low and The Cab in 2011, they began releasing covers on YouTube, launching them to further acclaim with videos amassing millions of views. When asked what makes fans of Paradise Fears love them so much (enough to wait outside on a frigid New York evening for hours, which I’ll get to), so many said “relatability”. The lyrics and moods captured in the sounds of Paradise Fears accurately portray the, well, fears really, that we all face at one time or another. The music is incredibly personal, a fact which Sam alluded to myriad times throughout the evening.
Dawes has found a comfortable home in New York City’s Central Park, returning to SummerStage for the third time this past Monday. The energy of the evening seemed to evolve in sync with the performances, as singer-songwriter Andy Shauf began with relaxed acoustic folk tunes which played well with a crowd just beginning to recover from a long day of heat exhaustion. As the night progressed the temperature slowly dropped, creating a more welcoming environment for the joyous dancing that accompanies any First Aid Kit performance.
First Aid Kit’s Johanna and Klara led the crowd through their beautifully woven harmonies and heartwarming ballads while surprising and exciting everyone with covers of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America” and Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”. In a fun bit of 6 degrees of separation, Taylor Goldsmith (of Dawes) joined First Aid Kit’s Johanna and Klara on their song, “King of the World”, which had been recorded with Dawes’ previous tour and SummerStage mate, Connor Oberst.
Following her success with Aquarius and the remixes spawned from “2 On,” Tinashe released her fourth mixtape, Amethyst, yesterday. It’s an appropriate followup to her February birthday, astrological sign, and birthstone. She enlists a crew of artists, including Ritz Reynolds, Dominic Angelella, and Legacy, whom she all worked with on Aquarius, to craft an overall good mixtape, however it leaves something to be desired. One can only look forward to her next release or tour to satisfy oneself. A track-by-track review follows after the jump.
