» 2012 » January

Jan
27thThey Might Be Front Bottoms and Black Taxi Rides

They might be the next They Might Be Giants or perhaps they’ll follow punk icons like Blink 182, and yes I hate calling that latter band “icons.” Their best bet, however, may be becoming the first ever Front Bottoms. That’s a good thing. The quirky duo of Brian Sella and Matthew Uychich have been playing shows throughout New York City and New Jersey rigorously in support of their recently released self-titled album. Getting back to the “first ever” part, the Front Bottoms are hard to pigeonhole into one genre because their pop-meets-rock-meets-punk-meets-everything-else sound sets them apart from others you’ve seen perform live at a low-dough show in Manhattan. Nothing against Uychich, who drums like a madman — usually shirtless, the uniqueness of The Front Bottoms comes mostly from Sella, who admits he’s not the best singer ever nor the best songwriter. Watch below as the Bergen County duo, who’ve known each other since grade school (they even played in crappy talent shows together), along with a third member you can Google after watching them perform “Mountain” The performance was filmed within a practice studio at the Music Conservatory of Westchester in White Plains, NY last month. “Mountain” Live and Interview: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHxOe77ZP70&w=460&h=315] We leave the New Jersey Turnpike, and travel to Brooklyn courtesy of a Black Taxi. How’s that for a terrible segue? The band of that name are currently touring in support of their second full-length album We Don’t Know Any Better which was released earlier this month. The [...]
Jan
23rdPortugal. The Man & This Is The Now

We travel from Alaska to Brooklyn for this edition of A-Sides, but not literally. That said, it’d be cool if I could somehow transport people via a blog post. Get on that, Google. All John Baldwin Gourley wants is to work hard on his craft and make music on his terms. Fame is so secondary for him and his band Portugal. The Man. That said, the frontman realized that by signing with Atlantic Records, the fame monster may rear its head now and again. While he understands it, it doesn’t mean he’s necessarily cool with it. “I never had any aspiration or goal to be a singer in a band. I never liked going up to people — I have social anxiety. I couldn’t even order food four or five years ago. When we did the Conan O’Brien show and it threw me back into it. He came up to me after the set, and thanked us. I couldn’t say anything. I think I just walked away. I was like ‘are you serious?’ We did the show because he’s a hero to us.” Ginger anxiety aside, Gourley said he has made peace with the success (he noted it helps that the label is extremely supportive and doesn’t “play mind games”) that has come to him and his Oregon/Alaska native band. It’s a good thing he is, because the band’s stature in the business has continued to rise since the release of their third album In the Mountain in the Cloud [...]
Jan
6thSharon Jones & the Dap-Kings: Some Funk and Soul Food for Your Ears

Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, and always will be. Ditto for Michael Jackson and his King of Pop distinction. Sharon Jones made that abundantly clear in a recent “A-Sides” interview. Having said that, there’s still room for another queen in the worldwide music castle. Jones is the self-professed “Queen of Funk.” The lead singer of the appropriately named Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings is as good as it gets when it comes to soul and funk dominance. Whether you jumped on the bandwagon after seeing them perform at a festival show, caught on after the Dap-Kings backed the late great Amy Winehouse, or followed them since their debut LP Dap Dippin’ the band can make any hips shake and your ears dance along with your pants. I caught up with Jones backstage before her sold-out show last month at the Tarrytown Music Hall in Westchester, and spoke to her about her evolution (she bloomed late — having worked as a corrections officer and bank guard early on), and her anticipation of joining other “divas” on stage for a VH1 special. Oh, and she also performed an impromptu performance of “Mama Don’t Like My Man” and made it look so damn easy. A great way to start “A-Sides” in 2012 methinks… [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e32dd_iLCiE&w=460&h=315] [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGU_2DUxX7M&w=460&h=315] About A-Sides with Jon Chattman Jon Chattman’s music series features artists (established or not) from all genres performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist [...]