Brian Jonestown Massacre - Concert Review

Maybe the Brian Jonestown Massacre's lunacy onstage Sunday at the Bowery Ballroom can be blamed on the night's full moon? Or perhaps band founder Antone Newcombe's hostility toward band, crew and audience alike was the result of having his beloved guitar stolen the eve before? More likely, there was no reason for the chaotic sold-out spectacle other than it was just an ordinary day in the life of the band's madcap musical visionary.

During lengthy lulls blamed on tuning problems, Newcombe took the opportunity to challenge the sincerity of those in attendance. Without provocation, Newcombe called out, "I will fight all of you." He yelled, "Your love sucks" at one well-wisher and called another fan "a dark little demon," saying, "My God will fucking kill you." He also threatened to wait another 20 minutes if anyone threw anything at the stage.

Then the band's lashing came, which explains why the group has had about 60 players course through its lineup over the years. This incarnation of the band, which included returning original member Ricky Maymi (guitar), Frankie Teardrop (guitar), Collin Hegna (bass) and Dan Allaire (drums), appeared unusually tolerant -- particularly Teardrop, who was asked to leave the stage and then ordered to return.

"I don't understand why you give me the worst amp," Newcombe said to Teardrop. "Is your guitar in tune? Give me your guitar. Why don't you ask your girlfriend's dad to fly you home?"

Dysfunction finally subsided long enough for the full band to strike a song, an extended jam of "Hide and Seek," where Newcombe's disturbingly peaceful guitar style and hazy vocals reminded everyone why they were still there. Next was "Nevertheless," where the band hit its stride, with all three guitarists playing essentially the same parts cooperatively through the same amps, with reverb on 10.

The rest of the set teetered between wonderfully impulsive, twangy guitars with a futuristic spin and temperamental sanity from bare-chested circus-master Newcombe. By the third song, "Swallow Tail," Newcombe had cautioned the audience, "I had a bad day, and I don't want your bullshit." By the fourth, "Nailing Honey to the Bee," Newcombe reminded the audience that he had a hard day but declared he was ready to play again.

And by the fifth tune, "Wherever You Are," finally the first sensible words were uttered by Maymi, who leaned to tune his guitar and said to the front row, "It's like a rock concert in the Twilight Zone."

Originally published in The Hollywood Reporter 10/20/05.

The Frames - Concert Review

The Frames

Irving Plaza, NYC

10/16/05

When a band that traditionally carries headlining festival slots back home in Ireland is bottled inside a more intimate setting, such as New York's Irving Plaza, the overflowing energy is bound to spill everywhere. And it did Sunday when The Frames, soaked with gentle sorrow and gut-growling dynamics, performed for a sold-out audience.

As adept at creating ale-house chumminess as they were navigating the stage, journeymen Glen Hansard (lead vocals/guitar), Colm MacConlomaire (fiddle), Joseph Doyle (bass/backing vocals), Robert Bochnik (guitar) and Johnny Boyle (drums) opened with "Keepsake" from the new album, "Burn the Maps." During the song, MacConlomaire's electric violin sensitively colored the quiet between Hansard's stirrings, and an odd-metered musical intensity built before the band dropped back into a mellow lull, an ebb and flow of feeling that was standard for the night. The Frames kicked up the show with a one-two punch of "Dream Awake" leading into "Finally," Hansard's Irish brogue coddling his pleas of "I want this so much.

Hansard's belief that people come to gigs to experience a moment pushed him to share transcendent ones. Inviting a sing-along in "Lay Me Down," he silenced all instruments to make room for fans to take over vocals as he grinned with satisfaction. Storytelling also personalized the performance. Hansard prefaced "What Happens When the Heart Just Stops" with a monologue about heartbreak that was so long it became humorous.

During "Fake," he pulled up his collar and swiveled his hips in a classic Elvis move as he pouted the line "You were always on my mind" with a snicker midsong.

Most effective, however, was the band's instinct for what the collective room needed at any moment, and they weren't too precious about their songs to miss the cues. When the line "I want my life to make more sense" came along in "Pavement Tune," Hansard and band followed the crowd's inclination to echo chants between chilly violin wallows.

"We can't tell you what it means to us to sell out a New York gig," Hansard said. "It's really important. The idea of playing Irving Plaza a couple of years ago was just a stupid idea, but now it makes sense."

Originally published in The Hollywood Reporter 10/18/05.

Kings of Leon - Concert Review

Kings of Leon
Roseland Ballroom
NYC
10/8/05

By Tina Whelski

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Kings of Leon already have been hailed in the U.K. There, mane-tossing brothers Caleb, Jared and Nathan Followill -- lead vocalist/guitarist, bassist and drummer, respectively -- and lead guitarist cousin Matthew Followill enjoy platinum status for their current album, "Aha Shake Heartbreak," and their first release, "Youth & Young Manhood." If their show Monday at Roseland was an indicator, the U.S. will soon throw the Tennessee family a similar coronation.

Home-schooled for the lion’s share of their formative years and traveling from church to church and town to town with their preacher father, the brothers formed a tight unit that’s reflected in their musical bond. Converting idiomatic phrases of 1960s garage sounds and ’70s spirit into their own concoction of 200-proof rock, Kings of Leon barreled through some of their best songs.

In "The Bucket," Kings of Leon demonstrated how easily they navigate changes in feel and arrangement. "Soft" evoked a summertime ’70s vibe, like driving in a Nova, windows down, listening to AM radio with all your troubles miles behind you. "Milk" gave away their Southern roots and showed how well they trim parts down to work together through rhythms.

Caleb’s burned, slurry drawl and gravelly toned scowl were featured most prominently on "Pistol of Fire" and "Taper Jean Girl." The band also performed "Rememo," a waltz with a hangover; "Four Kicks," a shuffle where Caleb played chords for Matthew to answer with a boogie; and "Trani," where the band’s chord progressions hinted at their church music influences. The line, "Lord’s gonna get us back," from "Holy Roller Novocaine," one of their encores, sealed their religious sentiments with an amen to their hard-living lifestyles. Kings of Leon said goodbye with the twangy guitar intro and very Who-like instrumentation of "Slow Night, So Long."

While the band sounds a little bit like everybody, it also sounds like nobody. Kings of Leon learned their classics well, and their arrangements move out of the ordinary. Someone in the audience captured the show’s mood perfectly when he shouted out a very pleased, "Whee!"

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter