I guess I’ve been living under a short bus, because I didn’t discover Jay Brannan until Wednesday night when I saw him at the Highline Ballroom with Chris Pureka (who I assumed was male when I saw her name on the ticket). In case you’re wondering what kind of music they play, Pureka gave a better description than I could when she said, “Jay Brannan and I are pretty similar. His songs are sad and depressing wrapped in joy and my songs are sad and depressing wrapped in sad and depressing.”*

It was my first time at the Highline Ballroom, a mostly seated venue, with some standing room by the bar. Pureka compared it to mystery dinner theatre, which again was a fairly accurate description. I always enjoy sitting at concerts, because that way I can actually see, but the $10 minimum should be stated on the tickets, as other venues do. Not that $10 is so much money, but if you’re not planning on drinking and you already ate dinner, it’s a small annoyance. Overall, though, it was the perfect venue for the show, intimate, yet spacious at the same time.

Pureka looked very young and small when she approached the stage, hunched over her guitar, but when she started singing, she commanded the room. She has a very relaxed staged presence, chatting casually to the audience in between numbers.

I didn’t know who Jay Brannan was until my friend told me about this concert a week ago. She told me I’d love him. When he walked out in an I Heart (actual heart, not the word) Guacamole shirt, I knew she was right. During the show, I became a total Jay Brannan fan, although I get the feeling most of the audience in the club already were. Brannan kept talking about how everyone had heard his stories before because he’s played in New York so many times. This wasn’t arrogance on his part. Most of the audience did seem to be repeat offenders, but I didn’t feel alienated. He told enough stories that I didn’t feel cheated. Not only does he have a beautiful falsetto voice and well-crafted songs, but the guy is hilarious, and pretty to look at. His asides were as entertaining as the music itself, but I won’t write those here, as he seems worried about running out of material.

He started the set accompanied by a cellist and violinist (unfortunately I didn’t have pen and paper to write their names down), then played solo, then brought them back out. He even asked for audience participation in the form of clanking glasses during “At First Sight.” Most were happy to participate, some a little too enthusiastic by trying to play throughout the song rather than just the chorus.

Jay Brannan “goddamned”

At this time last year, I was writing my master’s capstone on Scottish rock bands. I was hoping to never write about the Fratellis again, but here I am. At the time, I thought the Fratellis were going to be big, but the initial buzz after that iPod commercial seemed to die quickly and backlash followed (Los Campesinos! won’t even be your friend if you like the Fratellis). Then last week, they came out with what in my opinion is a brilliant sophomore album, Here We Stand, and played a sold out show at Webster Hall.

The Fratellis debut album, Costello Music, featured boozy singalongs about girls with catchy hooks. Here We Stand is a little more of the same, but more toned down. There are a few misses, like “Mistress Mabel,” the poor man’s “Chelsea Dagger,” but for the most part, the variety and maturity on the second album makes it superior.

At Webster Hall on Friday night, the crowd was pretty well mixed in age and gender. The venue had yet to fill up when openers the Airborne Toxic Event from Los Angeles took the stage, yet everyone in the front was already crowding together, trying to get as close to the stage as possible. The bright colored lighting made it hard to see the band.

The five-piece band plays indie rock infused with violin and a little bit of pretension. They sounded pretty good, but they played for far too long, probably close to an hour. I like to see opening acts because you never know when you’ll discover a great band, but I prefer the sets to be short enough to introduce me to the band but not too long that I get impatient for the band I actually came to see. That’s unfair, I know, but it’s just how I feel.

The Fratellis opened with “My Friend John,” one of my favorite songs on the new album, but it sounded off, the playing lazy. Earlier that day, they played an acoustic show at the Virgin Megastore (which many audience members were raving about, but I couldn’t attend, because I, you know, have a job), so maybe they were tired. But the concert got progressively better and towards the end, Jon admitted that he felt “shite” at the beginning and apologized that the first five songs didn’t sound great. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a band apologize for sounding bad, so that was pretty refreshing, even though it would have been better if they sounded awesome the whole time.

By this point, the 1,400-capacity venue was completely packed. The band did a good job of mixing up the set list with new and old, the hits and the more obscure songs (including “Cuntry Boys & City Girls,” which was not included on the American Costello Music). My friend and I were standing towards the front with all the other short girls near a large group of rather obnoxious drunk boys who were aggressively pushing everyone.

I know, it’s a concert, I should relax and have fun. I can understand jumping and dancing, but I really don’t understand inflicting pain on others. If you must push people around, at least confine it to the songs that lend itself to that behavior, such as “Chelsea Dagger.” Don’t do it during every song, even the slow acoustic ones. That’s just silly. At least there was a duo of high school boys who took it upon themselves to try and block the girls so they wouldn’t be knock around. I guess gentlemen like the Fratellis too.

The show closed all too quickly with “Milk and Money,” an out of character piano ballad which progresses into a rock-out session. As the band left the stage, makeshift stars lit up the background, which were as cheesy as the annoyingly blinding lights.

The first encore was just guitarist Jon singing my new favorite, “Baby Doll.” I never thought the singers of “Chelsea Dagger” could make my heart melt, but I guess I’m just a sucker for a guy and his guitar wearing a “Come Together” shirt with a peace sign. It would have been an intimate moment had those same guys not been singing along loudly and dancing around, which was pretty rude to the band.

Then the rest of the band joined him for the crowd pleasers “Flathead” and “Baby Fratelli.” Though the show felt much too short, it ended on a high note–Mince (the drummer) threw his drum sticks into the crowd and I actually caught one, a concert first.

It gives me a warm, happy feeling inside to see headlining bands in the audience during opening acts. It shows me that they genuinely care about music and are probably nice people.

The members of Los Campesinos! not only watched both of their opening bands, but stood in the front, cheering and sometimes even singing along. In this way, Los Campesinos! forever endeared themselves to me before they even started playing.

Aleks (lead vocals/keyboard/melody horn), Ellen (bass/vocals), Gareth (lead vocals/glockenspiel/keyboard), Harriet (violin/keyboard/vocals), Neil (guitar/vocals), Ollie (drums/vocals), and Tom (guitar/vocals) Campesinos! (their adopted last name) met at Cardiff University. They have since graduated college (all but Aleks, who had to take a leave from medical school). Their debut album, Hold On Now, Youngster, was released in the U.S. on April 1 of this year. The band played at the Bowery Ballroom on Monday, May 19, for its fifth stop on its U.S. and Canada tour, continuing until the middle of June.

The first band, Flying, a trio from Brooklyn, did little for me, especially vocally. The three alternated on vocals and while a good voice is obviously not a requirement in rock ‘n’ roll, they did not make up for it with style, conviction, or stage presence, the way the other two bands did. They just sounded very shy and awkward and it was a little uncomfortable to watch. I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were probably nervous and maybe will get better as they become more comfortable around an audience.

The Jersey-based Titus Andronicus gets points for being named after an underrated Shakespeare play. I probably wouldn’t listen to this band at home–the music was a little too repetitive and, well, loud for my taste–but their energy was a relief after the previous set. There was a large group of friends or fans (I couldn’t tell which) in the audience who already knew the lyrics. During the band’s self-titled song, the lyrics evolved into an outcry of, “Your life is over.” There was something both disturbing and gratifying about a room full of people repeating this as lead singer Patrick Stickles jumped off an amp and mimed pointing a gun to his head. The power of rock does have a way of bringing people together.

This proved to be true during the final set by the band that made me allow the exclamation point as an acceptable form of punctuation. It was a good size crowd for a Monday night, maybe sold out, but I’m not sure. Everybody was cheerful and dancing (then again, how can you not dance to Los Campesinos!), and the crowd was one of the most polite I have ever witnessed. Everyone gave each other room and I saw no pushing or shoving. At one point, someone actually apologized for accidentally bumping into me.

Starting with the hyperactive screams of “One, two, three, four!” of “Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats,” the band launched into a set as joyous as the album. One of the best things about seeing a band with only one album is that they are pretty much gauranteed to play the song that you’ve been listening to on repeat all week (for me, that song was “We Are All Accelerated Readers”).

We are All Accelerated Readers

I barely noticed the issues with Gareth’s mic, or mics (at one point he was using two). The band members are all between the ages of 21 and 23 and their songs have a juvenile ADHD-like quality, yet there is a sophistication in the clever lyrics and arrangements. The band was as interesting to watch as to listen to, especially Gareth, who looked like a little boy (no disrespect intended) with his horse shirt and charade-like hand motions. In any case, they were having fun with each other (I’m pretty sure Gareth licked Neil at one point) and the audience.

They closed appropriately with “Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks” (not to sound old, but at close to midnight, it was past my bedtime) before coming back for an encore, “2007, The Year Punk Rock Broke (My Heart).” In 2008, though, punk rock shouldn’t break the hearts of anyone listening to Los Campesinos!

I’m a total Harry Potter nerd. I’m talking dressing up for midnight book parties kind of nerd. I was an English major in college, so I’m pretty much a nerd for literature in general. And since I write for this site, I obviously love live music. So, seeing a band sing about Harry Potter in a building full of books on a Saturday night is my idea of a good time. Add in the fact that it was free (did I mention I’m cheap too?) and there was no way I was going to miss this.

Boston-based Harry and the Potters are two brothers, Paul and Joe DeGeorge, who write all their songs from the point of view of Harry Potter. Paul represents the seventh year Harry, and Joe represents the fourth year Harry (although I never quite understood this because they both sing songs representing Harry from other years at Hogwarts).

The band is considered the frontrunners of the Wizard Rock movement. They mostly play in libraries, but this was their first time playing at the New York Public Library and they kept calling it a dream come true.

I wish more bands would hold concerts in libraries. Everything seemed so efficient. Tickets were handed out the day before so as not to go over the 500 capacity limit. On Saturday night, since the library was already closed, a line of mostly excited tweenage girls formed outside (I think I was the oldest person there who was not a parent). When they opened the doors, everyone went inside in an orderly fashion and staked out their spots, but there was plenty of room to roam around. I was surprised at how few people were dressed up. Some were wearing Gryffindor ties or Harry Potter related tees (full disclosure: I myself was wearing my homemade “Real Men Play Quidditch” shirt), but very few people were decked out in full Gryffindor gear. Although after everyone had a chance to visit the merch table, I turned around to notice a sea of green “Save Ginny” shirts.

The excitement in the room was infectious when Harry and the Potters bounced onstage in their trademark grey sweaters, white collared shirts, Gryffindor ties, and of course, glasses. They passed out foam fingers, but unfortunately there weren’t enough to go around, and two little boys might have killed each other for one had their parents not intervened. I’ve heard Harry and the Potters CDs before and while I’ve enjoyed their songs, they are not great musicians or singers.

Their songs are simplistic and repetitive. But they do know how to put on a great show. They had lots of energy, frequently jumping into the audience and pumping up the crowd with speeches about the power of love and rock. Towards the beginning of the show, they taught the audience a dance to a song with the lyrics, “Hagrid is fun to hug. Hagrid is full of love. Just don’t pull on Hagrid’s beard.” At various intervals throughout the show, they would go into the song. The first time, some were hesitant, but each time, more and more people would join in the silly dance. At one point in the concert, the drummer, known as “Bill Weasley” got offended that the Harrys called his brother Ron a weasle during the song “The Weasle.” He left and was replaced by a man dressed as a squid (I don’t know what that had to do with Harry Potter), but then they reconciled and Bill rejoined the band.

Inspired by being in the library shown in Ghostbusters, during “The Human Hosepipe,” they segued into the Ghostbusters theme (replacing, of course, the word “ghostbusters” with “Harry Potter”). They played crowdpleasers like “Save Ginny Weasley” and my personal favorite, which they said they don’t play often, “(not gonna put on) the Monkey Suit,” a song about sticking it to the man. For the final songs, the band was joined by the Dumbledore Army’s horn section, adding a more professional level of musicality to the evening. The concert seemed to end much too song, but all in all, it was an hour and a half well spent.

Currently my favorite thing about living in New York City is that when I learn of an impossibly amazing band, it is like guaranteed they will be playing in the city within two weeks. Most recently and notably, a little duo called The Dodos were brought to my attention about two weeks ago and I’ve been patiently obsessed enamored since. Thusly, The Dodos were handed to me on a delicious musical platter in the form of a show yesterday evening at Sound Fix in Brooklyn’s hipster mecca Williamsburg, preceding a show at Death By Audio.

The venue itself sucked as far as venues go, because it’s really a record store sutured to a quaint, candelabra-lit bar in the back. The stage? Not really. I claimed my spot along the side wall opposite the bar (poor planning), lined with benches and tables; I propped myself on the bench’s backing and still couldn’t really see much beyond the audience hovering over where the band seemed to be standing. I did, however, manage a sweet view of drummer Logan Kroeber who sustained impressive levels of enthusiasm for such a modest little gig.

The show was short but free, so no complaints—and bonus points for squeezing my favorite track on the recently released and Pitchfork-praised Visiter in their six-song set (that song being “The Season,” if you care). Plowing through the first three tracks on Visiter—beseeching no applause—Kroeber and vocalist/guitarist/other-of-two Meric Long (both supported by a third tour-hand and synth-xylo-enthusiast) erupted with energy by means of their respective instruments. They threw in a track from their debut album Beware of the Maniacs for good measure.

Normally I’d knock a band for playing too true to their recordings (and in chronological order, no less), but I’m still running on the novelty high, so bonus points all around! The Dodos are playing a full show (for $10 this time, the capitalists) Sunday at the Mercury Lounge. Check out their MySpace page to test the folksy waters.

The Dodos - The Season

I was excited about the Mika tour when I found out about it over a month ago. It was so far in advance that I figured I’d wait and get the tickets at the venue so as not to pay the ridiculous Ticketmaster fees. I stupidly thought Mika isn’t that popular yet, so it won’t sell out. I was obviously wrong and by the time I got to the box office, tickets were long gone.

I decided to try my luck at the venue. I’ve never gone to a concert without tickets, but I figured someone would have an extra that they’d be trying to get rid of.

I got there at about 6:45. Doors were set to open at 7. I could hear the screaming teenagers from down the block (I don’t really know why they were screaming). The crowd was very young, high school girls and a lot of small children, even families. Some fans came dressed up in crazy bright colored outfits, sparkly leggings, and headbands. Far too many of the girls were wearing tank tops and no jackets (it was at most 30 degrees outside).

I wasn’t really sure what to do at this point. I asked the security guards if they thought tickets would open up at the last minute and they sort of laughed at me. I asked a random people if they had extra tickets. A few other hopefuls were also looking for tickets and were just as clueless as I was. There were some scalpers but they were selling tickets for $80 which was over my limit since tickets cost $30. After maybe 45 minutes of no luck, I could no longer feel my toes and I realized that even if I got in, by that point, the venue would be almost full and I would not be able to see anything (I am very short). Plus, I’d already had enough of that crowd. I decided I’d probably have a better time listening to Life in Cartoon Motion on the subway ride home than being at the concert, surrounded by attention-seeking teenagers. I’m sure Mika will come back to New York and next time, I’ll just buy tickets from Ticketmaster. I did feel a little sadness as I walked away, especially as two girls who looked to be about 5 skipped past me singing, “We’re going to see Mika!”

Philly/Brooklyn rockers Marah have announced a tour starting this month in support of their new album Angels of Destruction!

The album was released on Tuesday. It’s the follow up to their 2005 album If You Didn’t Laugh, You’d Cry which Stephen King liked a whole lot. Really though, how could you possibly dislike a band that gives props to Mummers?

Marah’s albums tend to be heavily produced — banjos on top of carnival sounds on top of sports announcer voice overs. This album is certainly no exception. But it’s good. And their live shows are legendary for their intensity.

To quote the band’s blog: “P.P.S. – shows to follow will be mega!”

Marah - Angels of Destruction

Tour dates after the jump…

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Having a Tony award winning actor in your band probably doesn’t hurt your popularity, especially if you’re playing at a theater lover’s hot spot like Joe’s Pub or if the Tony winner happens to be John Gallagher Jr., who originated the role of Moritz in last year’s darling of Broadway, Spring Awakening. But Old Springs Pike is more than just that guy from Spring Awakening’s band. The media buzz around that musical has certainly helped the band’s exposure and since Gallagher left the show in December, teenage girls might have started attending the concerts to get their John Gallagher Jr. fix, but those who come in as SA fans leave OSP fans forever.

Old Springs Pike played a sold-out four-night engagement at Joe’s Pub starting on Jan. 2 and ending with two shows on Jan. 6 (yes, I can count, the band didn’t play on Saturday). Joe’s Pub, part of the Public Theatre, is a cozy venue with plenty of tables and couches. It’s a great space, even if there is a two drink or $12 food minimum. I attended Friday’s show, which had the early start time of 7:30 p.m. and actually started pretty close to on time.

Gallagher, James Cleare (the crazy red-haired guitar player), Heather Robb (the one girl who can hold her own in this boy’s club), and James Smith (the sweater-sporting percussionist), are four childhood friends from Delaware. Their closeness is apparent from the way they interact onstage, not just when they sing in four-part harmony, but in the sense of humor they share. They invited the audience to be part of their conversations, which included Cleare’s recap of the sponge episode of Seinfeld, a discussion about ’80s movies, and a story involving Smith’s Cosby sweater and the Weezer’s “Undone (the Sweater Song).” When Gallagher joked that he didn’t remember the ’80s, then admitted that he did, it occured to me that many of the audience members probably didn’t actually remember the ’80s, but if they didn’t get the references, they didn’t let on.

The band’s website describes the shows as not just a concert, but an “event.” The amusing banter is part of this, but what keeps the audience coming back night after night is the unique (I hate that word, but sometimes it does actually fit) brand of music. If you want to get technical, the music is some combination of barbershop quartet, acoustic, indie rock, folk, a capella, country, experimental (one song involves water bottles), and probably any other adjective you can stick in front of the word “rock”, but it pretty much defies categorization. Highlights included the beautifully melodic “Still Sixteen,” the bluegrass-y “The Great Escape,” and a Beatles medley which brilliantly included the somewhat obscure “Run For Your Life.”

The band members had a contagious energy as they stomped their feet and jumped around the stage which was actually reminiscent of (I hate to go here) Spring Awakening. Those thoughts are fleeting as these four equally talented musicians are quite seperate from Gallagher’s past, but it is fair to say that this band may be reinventing the live concert experience in a way similar to what Spring Awakening did for the musical.

When the band started to say their goodbyes about an hour after the show started, it felt like only 10 minutes had passed. After the show, what looked like half the audience or more braced the cold to wait for the band, who showed their generosity by chatting with each and every person. While I wish only the best for this band, it is sad to think of a time when their audiences may get too big to continue this process.

I bought the three-song EP (I know these songs are available on iTunes or MySpace, but there’s something about buying it from the band) and while I’m sure I’ll be listening to it often, it does not quite capture the experience of a live show. So if you are lucky enough to live in Boston or New York, try to catch Old Springs Pike. If not, be patient. I’m sure they’ll be traveling around soon.

Old Springs Pike “The Drink in my Hand”

Upcoming Shows

Cake is ramping up for another run of the Unlimited Sunshine tour. This is the fourth incarnation of the traveling festival of eclectic acts headlined by the always quirky Cake.

The tour kicks off at the end of this month and runs through the middle of December with 12 stops, mostly along the West and East Coast corridors. Accompanying Cake will be Brazilian Girls, Oakley Hall, Detroit Cobras, King City, and Agent Ribbons.

After mentioning this tour to a few ladies, it became clear to me that the ladies are not so much into the Cake. Is it just that the ladies I know are Cake haters? Or is Cake a dudes-only kinda band? Let us know in the comments.

But enough chit-chat, tour dates and details after the jump …

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I didn’t do too much CMJing this year. The throngs of drunken college music directors and super, super late showtimes- (yes Blender, I’m talking to you) are wearing thin. I love Spoon and Band of Horses, but it’s hard to keep me out for a 2:30 a.m. start during the week.

I did however, make it down to The Tank on Thursday evening for some free peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and the Pretty Activity showcase. PA is a local label with some talented young folks on their roster. The Subjects hail from Brooklyn and the band is comprised of two former teachers, and two of their former students. The guys have a new record out called with the ease grace precision and cleverness of human beings and they’ve just scored an opening slot with the Walkmen on the west coast next month. Check out The Subjects in a recent Daytrotter Session right here.

Also on the bill was a band called The End of the World. The name’s a little dramatic, but I was intrigued…there was pedal steel and a cute bass player. This is one of those bands where the singer is also the drummer. Typically, if you’re not Phil Collins, this is not my bag. But, they pulled it off. So check them out. They’ve got a record out called You’re Making It Come Alive and they got a some local NYC dates coming up as well.