Posted by The G on May 6, 2012 under Encounters with G, G Reviews | 
Photos by G.
Brendan Benson
Singer/Songwriter Brendan Benson packed the house at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on May 5, 2012. To say the show was a family affair is putting it mildly. Brendan’s manager greeted fans as the doors opened and Benson was seen in the crowd before the show mingling with fans, rocking out to the music and guesting on drums during the opening band’s (The Howling Brothers) set. Though Brendan Benson is not a household name, his musical resume is very impressive with over 5 solo albums, he’s a member of The Raconteurs and is a frequent collaborator with rock god Jack White.
Brendan Benson's Band at Bowery Ballroom (say that 10 times fast!)
Brendan’s hour long set was a nice introduction to his music, for those that were unfamiliar with his catalog, and he played tracks such as “Good to Me” from his 2002 album “Lapalco,” which brought some of the loudest cheers of the night. Brendan’s latest album “What Kind of World” was released at the end of May 2012 and he played many tracks from the new album to the delight of his fans. You can see the full set list after the jump. Thanks for a great night Brendan!
Brendan Benson
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Posted by The G on April 30, 2012 under G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Hanni El Khatib
There’s no other way to say it – Hanni El Khatib rocks! He packed the house at New York’s Mercury Lounge on April 28, 2012 for a night of rock, punk, soul and doo-wop! Yes, doo-wop! Hanni’s music seamlessly blends all these styles of music together and I make sure to see him every time he tours because I think he is a great performer. I talked to him before the show and pleaded with him to release a live album, because I don’t think studio recordings can capture the raw intensity of his sound.
Hanni El Khatib
Speaking of the studio, he mentioned that he’ll be hitting the studio very soon with an A-List producer. I won’t mention any names, but let’s just say this band recently sold out two nights at Madison Square Garden. Stay tuned! Hanni El Khatib added another member to his band (guitars, keyboards), so their live sound is even fuller now. Hanni played songs such as “Dead Wrong,” “Come Alive,” “Build. Destroy. Rebuild.,” “Garbage City” and “I Got A Thing” during his hour long set. The show ended at 1 am, but time stands still when you are rockin’! Thanks for another great show Hanni!
PS. I am loving Hanni El Khatib’s new logo!
Hanni El Khatib logo
Posted by The G on April 28, 2012 under Encounters with G, G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Willis Earl Beal
Willis Earl Beal had me at his opening line, “I am gonna sing you some songs and then I am gonna get off the Goddamned stage!” Chicago native Willis Earl Beal opened for Britsh rock band Wu Lyf at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on April 27, 2012, and it was one of those cases for me where the opening act blew away the headliner. If you don’t know Willis Earl Beal, get to know him. He’s a born performer and for the duration of his hour long set, he sang like a man possessed! Think of the vocals of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put A Spell on You” and add a whole lot of soul with an addictively entertaining stage presence and you’ve got Willis Earl Beal.
Willis Earl Beal
His debut album “Acoustamatic Society” comes in a DVD-sized package that includes a slip case and a book filled with illustrations and text from Beal and when I asked him about the cool packaging after the show, he said that he wanted fans to get the most for their money. Beal is also infamous for not being on-line and in fact, at the merch table, they were handing out postcards with Willis’ phone number and if you call him, he will sing you a song! The post card also offers that if you send him a letter, he will draw you a picture and mail it back to you. Guess who is totally going to do that?!
Willis Earl Beal
It was really hard to top Willis Earl Beal’s set as well as the great experience I had chatting with him, so I ducked out early from Wu Lyf’s (pronounced “Woo Life”) set, but since the lead singer is super cute, here’s a photo for you, my dear readers.
Ellery James Roberts of Wu Lyf
Willis Earl Beal and Geoffrey Dicker. Photo by Willis' friend
It was really great chatting with you Willis, and we’ll be speaking on the phone soon! 
Tags: 2012, April 27, Bowery Ballroom, Ellery James Roberts, Geoffrey Dicker, Lead Singer, New York, Photo, Review, Willis Earl Beal, Wu Life
Posted by The G on April 27, 2012 under Encounters with G, G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Richie Follin of Guards
On April 26, 2012, New York (via California)’s Guards packed the house at Manhattan’s Mercury Lounge. Lead singer Richie Follin is from a very talented family. His sister is Cults lead singer Madeline Follin, but sonically their music is a completely different sound. Self-described as “pop-wave-doom,” their hour long set was a lot more rock than it was doom! At times, their songs blended into another which was great as it felt like watching a concept album being performed.
Guards
I enjoyed what I heard and while the band did not have albums for sale, there is good news – for a limited time, you can download Guards’ EP for FREE from their Bandcamp page. Link will open in a new window. Highly recommended, according2g and I’ve been continuing the groove all morning. Good luck to Guards and I am excited for their next show! On a side note, I am putting it out there that I think it would be really cool if Cults and Guards toured together. Fingers crossed!
I also must post a photo of Guards’ band logo as you know I love all “G Things” and this is a good one!
Guards band Logo
See the set list after the jump.
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Tags: 2012, April 26, Band, Guards, Lead Singer, Mercury Lounge, New York, Photo, Review, Richie Follin, Set List
Posted by The G on April 26, 2012 under G Reviews |
Photos by G.
Chris Glover of Penguin Prison
On April 25, 2012, New York was treated to a double bill of great dance music as Penguin Prison and Miike Snow played their second of three sold out shows at Terminal 5. I’ve seen Penguin Prison perform quite a few times and to date, this is the largest venue I’ve seen them play. It worked perfectly to see close to 3,000 people shaking their bodies to the infectious dance pop of Penguin Prison’s music. Despite a photographer pit and a huge barricade, lead singer Chris Glover still found a way to jump into the crowd and dance with the audience. One of the highlights for me was their cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Blue Jeans,” of which Penguin Prison recently remixed. The track got no introduction and when the lyrics began, you could hear the audience squeal with delight. Hearing 3,000 people shout out “Don’t Fuck With My Money” was also one of the pinnacles of the night. For those attending tonight’s 3rd and final night, the show begins promptly at 8:00 PM, so don’t miss Penguin Prison’s set!
Andrew Wyatt of Miike Snow
An hour and a half later at 9:30 PM, Miike Snow took the stage. They must have taken my suggestion from their previous tour, which consisted of nearly the same light display for the duration of the show, as each song had a different and even more wild light show than the previous track. Like their last tour, the band emerged from behind a smoke machine wearing masks. They removed the masks after the first song and the audience was loving every second of it. Lead singer Andrew Wyatt moved all over the stage and often sang at a keyboard towards the rear of the stage. In the center of the stage, there was huge pod-like device that had lights, keyboards and a projector contained within it (see photo below). I’ve never seen anything like that before. Highlights of the show were the excellent new songs “Paddling Out,” (of which Penguin Prison recently remixed and is great) as well as “Devil’s Work.” Classics from their debut album such as “Sylvia,” “Animal” and “Sans Soleil” were also played.
Miike Snow - Terminal 5
Thanks to Penguin Prison and Miike Snow for a great night of lights and dancing!
See both set lists after the jump.
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Tags: 2012, Andrew Wyatt, April 25, Band, Chris Glover, Lead Singer, Miike Snow, Penguin Prison, Photos, Review, Set List, Terminal 5, What Time Do They Go On
