Photos by G.

Casey Spooner

Casey Spooner, half of the electronic duo Fischerspooner, received a call from Jake Shears of the Scissor Sisters a few days ago. Jake asked if Casey would like to open for the band on their North American Tour.  Casey was up to the challenge even though he had no rehearsal time.  He had just finished recording a batch of songs for an upcoming solo CD called “Adult Contemporary” and decided to treat these shows as a rehearsal.  Well, he could have fooled the sold out crowd at New York’s Terminal 5 on August 24, 2010.  His songs were great and they sounded well polished.  Hitting the stage at 8 pm, he performed in front of a white sheer curtain with a spotlight on him and he wore a suit that made him look extra gorgeous.  Some of the songs he sang included “Cinnamon Toast,” where he professed that everything is ok as long as he has it.  He also sang a track called “RSVP,” that basically dealt with the fact that he wants to be included on every guest list – just in case – but he’d prefer to stay in, with his cats, eating Thai food and watching “True Blood.”  Sometimes, you can’t argue with that logic.  He also sang a song that Jake Shears will be singing on for the studio version, but we were treated to Casey’s solo version tonight.  I met Casey prior to the show and he was extremely nice.  More on my encounter with Casey Spooner coming soon.  His solo album should be released in the fall and based on the live renditions, it’s going to be great!

"How much do I love According2g? This much!"

Before and after Casey Spooner rocked the crowd, we were treated to DJ sets by the one and only Sammy Jo.

DJ Sammy Jo

Photos by G.

Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters

2010 is the year of the Scissor Sisters.  The band released an amazing album called “Night Work” earlier this year and it has already secured a spot on my best albums of the year list.  They previewed the as yet unreleased tracks earlier this year at 2 very intimate shows in their native New York and I was there to catch all the action.  The songs sounded great then when nobody had ever heard them and now that they are available for all to hear and sing along to, each track has turned into an anthem.  I’ve seen Scissor Sisters live at least ten times and I don’t know how they do it, but every show is better than the last one and I find it impossible not to have the time of your life at one of their shows.  After Casey Spooner and DJ Sammy Jo played great sets, the band hit the stage at 9 pm at New York’s Terminal 5 on August 24, 2010.

Ana Matronic

From the second the band hit the stage until the closing notes of the last song, Terminal 5 was a non-stop dance party and it was so much fun!  Jake Shears has more energy than almost every performer around and he sings, he dances and he’s an absolute pleasure to stare at for 2 hours!  The band played every track off their new album “Night Work” except for “Sex and Violence,” my favorite song off the album, but it makes no difference because hearing the new songs mixed with classics such as “Paul McCartney,” “Take Your Mama,” and “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing,” will leave me with a great feeling for days to come.  I met the band before the show and aside from making great music, putting on a hell of an entertaining show time after time, the band is one of the nicest in all of Rock and Roll.  They’ll be happy to pose for pictures, sign autographs and answer any questions you might have.  What did Ana Matronic tell me about working with Duran Duran?  What did Jake Shears say about the original version of Night Work and if the songs will ever be released?  Find out soon.

See pictures of the filthy and gorgeous Del Marquis and Baby Daddy as well as the set list after the jump.

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Photos by G.

MGMT

MGMT is a great case study for a time when the music industry is seconds away from crashing and burning completely.  They made an extremely radio friendly debut record, which pretty much made every top 10 album list that year and soon after pictures of the band from Brooklyn became affixed to the walls of every teenage girl in the land.  The record companies found their new golden boys.  Then they jumped the shark by making a nearly hook-free sophomore record which features surf inspired psychedelic tracks, one of which clocks in at 12 minutes, thus sending hipsters and label executives who know nothing about music but only about the bottom line into a panic!  Their live premiere at the legendary Radio City Music Hall in New York on August 18, 2010 continued their trend of challenging their listeners and freaking out the record company.  It was very clear the band wanted the 4,500 person crowd to pay attention to the music and not the individual players as MGMT performed a dream set list – almost entirely in the dark!  They were lit from behind with a backdrop that resembles their latest album cover. Since it was nearly impossible to see them, the visuals projected on the screens behind the band were as trippy as MGMT’s latest album.  All ticket prices were the same, no matter what section, so for once, having good versus crappy seats didn’t make one bit of difference.  That actually lucked out for me, because I was not pleased with my seat location. 

When “Congratulations,” came out earlier this year, I think I was so shocked by the dramatic diversion in the band’s musical direction that I didn’t comprehend it at first, but as I continued to listen to it, it quickly became my favorite album of 2010.  It was so amusing to me watching the audience not know how to react to songs, such as their epic “Siberian Breaks” a track that goes through multiple genre changes in its 12 minute length.  At first people were standing, and looking around the crowd for direction, the people decided to sit.  The crowd clapped as the song went into its next part, but they were obviously not clapping for the complexity of the music, they just thought a new song was about to begin.  So people stood again.  MGMT played nearly every song off both of their albums (except ”4th Dimensional Transition” off “Oracular Spectacular” and the instrumental “Lady Dada’s Nightmare” off “Congratulations.”)  The band even dug deep and played, “Destrokk,” a song off their hard to find first EP.  The flow of the show was also great as they mixed in hits with their spacey new tracks.  Aside from the lack of stage lighting, I thought the band sounded great and performed the best set list you could possibly dream of.  I’ve seen the band twice before and the extremely drunken crowds both times pushed, shoved and body slammed to the music.  Not exactly needed for this type of music, and perhaps MGMT is trying to shake those people from their fan base so they can continue making some of the most interesting music that is around today, without feeling compelled to make the sequel to their debut album. I met the band prior to the show and I’d like to thank them again for keeping music alive by keeping it real. Videos of “Congratulations” and “I Found a Whistle” are coming soon, so stay tuned!

Nothing to see here. MGMT.

View the set list after the jump.

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Photos by G.

The Envy

Canadian rockers The Envy played their first show ever in New York by opening up for Kiss at Jones Beach on August 14, 2010.  What a way to make your New York debut!  The band has been signed to Gene Simmons’ label, Simmonsrecords, and their first full length album is due this fall.  Their music is upbeat, rockin’ and lead singer Shaun Frank’s voice has a bit of a Steven Tyler (from Aerosmith) vibe.  That sounds like a winning formula to me.  By going to their official site (link is above) and signing up on their mailing list, you can download a free mp3 of their soon to be hit “Don’t Let Go.”  This offer is only good while supplies last.  Best of luck to The Envy!

Shaun Frank (lead singer) of The Envy

Photos by G.

Matthew Vlahovich and Jake Palahuk of Young Empires.

It’s not very often when you don’t want to slash your wrists watching an opening band.  It’s even more rare when you fall in love with the opening act immediately.  It’s also uncommon when the band keeps you entertained throughout their set to the point where you don’t want them to ever stop playing.   Such was the case when I saw Canadian electro group Young Empires open for Dragonette at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on August 13, 2010.  This was the first show the group has ever played in New York and based on the crowd reaction, you’d think they’d been around for years!  The crowd was dancing and grooving throughout the band’s 30 minute set.  Lead singer Matthew Vlahovich’s voice reminded me a bit of Kele from Bloc Party mixed with Trent Reznor and when you put that on top of some hard hitting dance music, I was in heaven!  I think this band has the potential to be huge and I am already a huge fan! 

Young Empires

I couldn’t wait to meet the band so I could tell them each how awesome they were and they were all extremely nice guys.  More on my encounter with them coming soon.  Here’s a piece of wonderful news that lead singer Matthew Vlahovich told me – if you go to the band’s myspace page (link is above), by signing up on their email list, you can get 4 demos and 1 remix the band has done for free!  I’ve already downloaded and I am loving their studio work as much as their performance!  I wish them all the success in the world and I hope they make it quick so I can go see them live again. 

"Please let me meet G after the show. Amen."

Photo by G.

Shy Child

Prior to Dragonette hitting the stage at New York’s Bowery Ballroom on August 13, 2010, the electro-pop band Shy Child played a 35 minute set.  I liked their set a lot.  The band consists of just two members and they produced some sounds that got the crowd dancing and warmed up for Dragonette.  Their latest album “Liquid Love” is out now and if you go to their official website (link is above), you can download a free mp3 of their song “Criss Cross.”

Photos by G.

Martina Sorbara of Dragonette

On August 13, 2010, Canadian electro-pop band Dragonette played a sold out show at New York’s Bowery Ballroom.  The band took the stage around 11:30 PM after sets by Shy Child and The Young Empires (who I absolutely loved).  More on both bands coming soon.  Dragonette was really great.  They had a nifty light show for the crowd and lead singer Martina Sorbara danced around the stage and played guitar on some of their more rockin’ numbers.  Their music is a nice mix of electronic and pop/rock and I loved every second of it.  The crowd was loving it too as every song turned into a sing-a-long with most of the crowd throwing their hands in the air.  I met the band after the show and they were all beyond nice.  More on that encounter coming soon.  They played a nice mix of songs from their albums “Galore” and “Fixin to Thrill.”  One of my favorite moments was when Martina told the crowd how she once did guest vocals at a show at the Bowery Ballroom and afterwards drank as much of the band’s vodka as she could get her hands on.  Needless to say, she ended up on the floor puking her guts out as audience members walked by her lifeless body and commenting “great job tonight.”  A video of “We Rule The World” is coming soon, so stay tuned for that as well.  See a few more pictures as well as the set list after the jump.

Dragonette

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