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| Kimya Dawson, et
al @ The Tralf (Buffalo, NY) 4/10/08 On
the wave of the recent movie Juno, its soundtrack's main
contributor, Kimya Dawson, has been on a tour of the nation and will
soon head to Europe upon the wave of attention she's been getting
because of the movie. Check
out Kimya Dawson on |
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| Christine Fellows
& The Weakerthans Christine Fellows was the pleasant surprise of the evening as The Weakerthans brought their latest "Reunion Tour" to a close in Buffalo. Opening the show at keyboard, backed by a cellist, and Fellows own remarkable voice, the audience was treated to a stellar 40 minutes set that covered most of 2007's Nevertheless. Her ability to tell stories in song mirrors that of Jon K. Samson of the Weakerthans. Haunting and beautiful, a friend remarked "I love the way she can make me smile and want to cry all at the same time." Christine Fellows music is a must for fans of the somehow uplifting macabre; stories of pure emotion and genuine human interaction - Weakerthans fans take note! The Weakerthans themselves were in rare form. As this was the last night of the tour, fans were treated to some stage antics, including windmill guitar, and a jump into the crowd from guitarist Stephen Carrol. The Weakerthans played for just over an hour, a set that spanned all four LP's. Having seen the Weakerthans a handful of times, I can honestly say they never disappoint, and this was no exception. Christine Fellows sitting in on the set at the keys offering vocal support was a nice touch! A great show, for one great city... SET LIST: 1)
Bigfoot 10) Aside Check out Christine
Fellows on |
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| Murder By Death @ Valentine's (Albany, NY) - 04/02/08 Regretfully,
I missed part of this show. I had returned from an apocalyptic roadtrip
in need of rest before continuing on. That was a mistake. I had heard
reviews of other MBD shows being somber and boring events, this one
was far from that. They played heavily from “Red Of Tooth And
Claw”, their latest record, but also sampled from the rest of
the catalog over the hour long set. Vocalist Adam Turla’s conversational
stage presence was genuine and engaging. He is a master storyteller
and spun tales of the “moustache party” he attended the
last time they played Albany as Sarah Balliet repaired her bow. Turla’s
attitude is like a brilliant but bratty little brother. An audience
member shouted “Play ‘The Desert Is On Fire’!”
“YOU play “The Desert Is On Fire’! I DARE you!”
Their humor and wit is a great contrast to the grim murder ballads perform.
Perhaps another homage to Hitchcock (aside from their name) and gallows
humor, Turla’s pedal board is decorated with a large raven. Their
merch booth has a sign on a bucket that reads “I NEED YOUR TIP
MONEY TO PAY FOR MY INSATIABLE BLOODLUST!” Check
Out Murder By Death on Review By: Rev. Doktor Alejandro Fruitbat |
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Stars
@ The Tralf (Buffalo, NY) - 04/01/08 Montreal's Stars' first Buffalo appearance was met by a packed international crowd (Buffalo is a border city to Ontario, CA). Frontman Torqull Campbell gave a stellar high-energy performance, trumpet in hand. The harmonies between Campbell and guitarist Amy Millan were a joy to hear live, and the band on the whole was increibly tight. Stars perfromed most of 2007's In Our Bedroom After The War, and a great deal from 2005's Set Yourself on Fire. I couldn't ask for a better performance, the show gets a 9 out of 10. Stand out songs were: "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", "Soft Revolution", and the latest single, "Take Me To The Riot". Check
out Stars on: Review & Pics Submitted By: Joseph |
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| Sunset
Rubdown @ Soundlab (Buffalo, NY) - 03/30/08 Quebec's Sunset Rubdown made a pit-stop in Buffalo, NY on their way to a full European tour. Feeling more like a practice than a legit gig, Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade) led the band through a mediocre set that included a handful of mistakes. All in all, fans didn't seem to mind the stop-start set, and the high-energy crowd made for an overall enjoyable show, but I'd give the performance a 6 out of 10. Check
out Sunset Rubdown on: Review & Pics Submitted By: Joseph |
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Neko
Case @ The Egg (Albany, NY) - 01/31/08 Neko took the stage at The Egg as part fo a six piece band armed with cello, steel guitar, banjo, electric guitar, drums, and a backup vocalist. The band played a nearly 2-hour 19 song set spanning most of Case's catalogue, including a few new songs. With the exception of the tite track, she played all of 2006's Fox Confessor Brings the Flood. The problem with releasing two stellar live albums (The Tigers Have Spoken, and Live from Austin, TX) is that your fans now have a point of reference, a certain set of expectations that they want you to meet when going to see you perform live. Neko did not meet those expectations tonight. The band was incredibly tight, but Neko herself seemed tired, simply going through the motions for most of the set, and even making a few mistakes along the way (at what point she forgot she was supposed to play guitar on "Durty Knife"). Overall it was well worth it to be there and hear her amazing voice live; and when she really showed up, she was phenomenal ("Maybe Sparrow" & the closer "John Saw That Number" were really stand out performances). Part of me wants to blame the venue, it's a cold egg-shaped theatre that as Neko commented, looks like the Vince Lambardi trophy. The setup stifled any energy from the crowd necessary to really appreciate a rock show. Sitting in the audience was almost uncomfortable, and I can only imagine what it must have felt like from the stage. Regardless, the evening did not meet my expectations, but a disappointing performace by Neko is still better than most. Overall the show gets a B-. Eric Bachman opened the show. Check
out Neko Case on Itunes:
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Set
List: Review By: Joseph M. |
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Ra
Ra Riot @ The Mohawk Place (Buffalo, NY) - 01/27/08 Keys, synth, guitar, bass, drums, eletric cello and violin - Ra Ra Riot has something for everyone. An incredibly tight band, RRR took the stage for a 10 song set of dancable pop songs that bring to mind a meld of Matt Pond PA and early REM in the best way.
Ra Ra Riot are on tour through April
4th - Ra
Ra Riot on Myspace |
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| Jason Anderson @ Chum's Coffeehouse (Brandeis University) - 01/18/08 So last night i went to see Bohemian Sunrise, Bigger Thomas, and Jason Anderson at the Chum's Coffeehouse at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA. The first two were awesome ska bands, and everyone was dancing like crazy. They had bongos and saxes and all different instruments, and then Jason came out last with just his guitar. He grabbed a chair and stood on it in the middle of the room, saying to all of us, "so i'm gonna stand on this awesome chair here, and if you guys get as close as you possibly can, i feel like we can make something amazing happen here tonight." He ended up standing on the ground in the middle of this group of about 35 people. We were all standing so close to one another that we ended up belting out all the songs right into someone else's ears. For this one song, we all had our arms around one another and were rocking like nobody's business. It was a free show, but i would've paid good money for such a good time. I've never gone to a show where the crowd just felt like a family to me. By the time 2 am
rolled around, we had been going to a while, but they wanted to close
the venue, so we all went outside to sing some more. When we couldn't
stay there, everyone walked to the student center together. This
is what a love about jason. he has such energy. He made eye contact
with everyone and we all sang together and it was fucking amazing. God
damnit, everyone should see jason anderson perform once in their life.
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