It Doesn't Take No Sherlock Holmes... An Arctic Monkeys Review

It Doesn't Take No Sherlock Holmes... An Arctic Monkeys Review

Sometimes I think to myself that, at the ripe age of twenty, I might be too old for intense concerts. In between Modey Lemon and the Arctic Monkeys sets, my surroundings at Highline Ballroom began to overwhelm me. I’m already accustomed to the amount of pushing and overcrowding within a rock crowd. For some reason, I couldn’t handle the teenagers last night. It’s a known fact that high schoolers are kind of annoying. The combination of someone’s lack of personal hygiene, another girl’s Rapunzel-like hair ending up in my mouth and the wave of those needing pictures of the roadies setting up the stage made me a bit enraged. I was oh-so close to losing it and moving towards the back of the venue. Just in the nick of time, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs parted the crowd like the Red Sea.

Who would’ve thought that Diddy would redeem an entire concert for me? We’ll get to that part in a bit.

The opening band, Modey Lemon, set the mood for the Monkeys with their high-energy performance. Appearance wise, they were a bit mismatched. Singer/synthesizer Jason Kirker was wearing a sweater vest, while guitarist Paul Boyd resembled a 90’s grunger and drummer Paul Quattrone looked like he was soaked in blood. What lacked in their lack of coordinated outfits was forgotten with their strong garage-based set. They were naturals on stage, and they knew exactly where to position their fingers on their instruments with their eyes closed. While it wasn’t entirely necessary to have their final song become a 15-minute jam session, seeing how much effort they put into their craft is much appreciated.

Arctic Monkeys’ twenty-song set was full of instrumental highs and technical lows. They had some sound and guitar difficulties scattered throughout their 80-minute set. Lead man Alex Turner jokingly brushed off the troubles. Playing a good assortment of songs from past and present (their latest release, Humbug), surprisingly muscular Turner, guitarist Jamie Cook, bassist Nick O’Malley and drummer Matt Helders brought their ‘A’ game to the states. Crowd-pleasers such as ‘Brianstorm’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ made the floor shake, and lighters and cell-phone lights were brought out during slower tunes such as ‘My Propeller’. However, the rambunctious crowd reminded me of piglets running amuck in their pigpen. The crowd was a mess, and it made me a bit sick. I thought that they could possibly ruin this experience, the night I’ve been anticipating for at least a month, for me.

Cue to Diddy splitting the crowd with his sumo bodyguard with him. When he first appeared in the balcony with his posse, I expected him to stay put up there all night. However, I don’t know what provoked him to get into this crowd, but it was like he wanted to experience the music that night. He got in deep and plopped himself next to me. It didn’t hit me that I was touching arms with him until I looked over and literally saw his Proactiv-treated face right next to me. I had to embrace the moment. I moshed with him until I lost him during ‘Potion Approaching’.

With people lining up in front of the venue since the morning (luckily, the kids who got to Highline at 5 AM managed to score some last minute tickets), this show was the concert of the summer for some. While both Arctic Monkeys and Modey Lemon had extraordinary sets, the crowd was on the verge of ruining my experience. I can thank Mr. Combs for redeeming my night and making it an experience I’ll never forget.

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Jenny's Coming After You - A Stellastarr* Review

Jenny's Coming After You - A Stellastarr* Review

There are two components in the music world that have begun to become very stale to me lately; post-rock and Brooklyn-based bands. While both have gained notice and some credibility, they also have become worn and weary to my ears. While post-rock bands such as The Album Leaf and Talk Talk now sound all the same, the majority of Brooklyn bands such as Dirty Projectors and The Antlers have been overplayed and over hyped all over the internet and within the five boroughs. However, there is hope for both genres, thanks to Stellastarr*. The band performed a great set at Highline Ballroom on July 16^th, and proved that there are still bands in these specific genres that deserve the hype.

 

Opening for the quarter were The Postmarks and Wild Light, and the results were hit-and-slightly-mediocre. The Postmarks have been hyped as one of the acts to follow in 2009 by many credible sources such as Spin, Pitchfork, and Stereogum, and have even been featured in an episode in the popular Nick Jr. show, Yo Gabba Gabba! It comes as no surprise that this threesome didn’t disappoint. Performing an eight-song set, the band managed to get the small-but-growing hyped for the acts to follow using a combination of popish keyboards and strong, powerful guitars. As for the talented vocalist Tim Yehezkely, my friend summarized her sound as a “female Ian Curtis”.

 

While I personally enjoyed Wild Light for shallow reasons (their tight jeans were sexy! and oh, look at that guitarist’s sleeve tattoos!), their music was atypical pop rock. The band was clearly talented, seeing how three of the four switched off with playing the guitar, bass, and keyboards during their thirty-minute set. However, this did not redeem them from how much every song sounded the same, in terms of instrumentals and lyrics. This set taught me a lesson that sometimes hotness does not always equal quality work.

 

Stellastarr* recordings’ don’t do them justice. Their music comes alive from the moment the first guitar string is strummed. Consisting of vocalist Shawn Christensen, guitarist Michael Jurin, bassist Amanda Tannen, and drummer Arthur Kremer, the band outdid my wildest expectations of how I imagined them being live. The band performed a majority of their latest album, Civilized, and a handful of their greatest hits, including My Coco and closing with my personal favorite, Jenny, where Christensen also managed to belt the final verses while sprawled on the floor. Jurin was also on floor for a few songs, and it seemed it was practically second nature. Their actions seemed like they would get the crowd rowdy and excited, but the nature of the crowd seemed more relaxed that amped. There were the hardcore fans that belted every verse of every song and danced their arses off, but a good majority of the crowd stood there, bobbing their heads with beer in hand. I imagined the crowd being a little more rowdy, since this was their hometown show. Still, I’m glad I didn’t have to uppercut a touchy-feely drunkard.

 

Hometown shows are usually supposed to make nights to remember, where nothing could go wrong. Or…things go wrong, and fans are too overwhelmed to notice. In terms of this Stellastarr* show, I walked out impacted, and yet a bit disappointed. I blame Wild Lights’ tight pants and the crowd’s stubborn attitude towards dancing for this slighty ajar feeling in my heart. Stella didn’t disappoint, though. Instead, they rekindled and reignited my heart for them, and I desire more material stat. 

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Step Into the Realm

Step Into the Realm

Ever since I picked up one of The Roots’ earlier albums, “Things Fall Apart,” in eleventh grade, I was determined to catch them perform live at least once in my life. The way the group (consisting of lead MC Black Thought, drummer ?uestlove, guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas, bassist Owen Biddle, keyboardist Kamal Gray and percussionist F. Knuckles) has managed to combine hip-hop with other forms of music, such as jazz, soul and rock, in their long careers is truly unique and unlike anything else in the hip-hop world today. After many failed attempts within the past four years to see them, I became a little hopeful when I heard they were hired to be the house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I imagined that The Roots would perform semi-regularly around the city during this new stint. Luckily, a few weeks after they announced their long-term TV gig, they also announced that they would be hosting a three-month, late night residency at Highline Ballroom for only ten dollars a ticket. How could I not take advantage of this opportunity?  

When first walking into the Ballroom, The Roots’ personal DJ, DJ Birdbrain, is spinning old school hip-hop tunes with hints of new school technology. The music immediately put the bass speakers to work, and it got the diverse crowd dancing in no time. I managed to get up to the front of the stage, noticing behind me all sorts of people. Frat boys were to my left, overdressed party girls to my right, and hipsters, bohemians, hip-hop heads and bookworms were right behind me. Noticing that such a vast array of people could come together to experience one band was surreal, since it’s rare to see all these people in the same room. The lingering smell of overpriced booze and marijuana snuck into the venue were signs that a good show was coming my way.

The Roots casually strutted on stage at about 11 p.m. They looked ecstatic and grateful about the crowded venue, and lead MC Black Thought immediately thanked everybody for coming out and “partying” with them. The six-piece band began playing, and the crowd was taken on a trip.

The show, entitled The Jam, had two main purposes: to exhibit the talents of the band’s instrumentals, and showcase the band’s many friends. One of the special aspects of The Roots is that they refuse to sample other artists’ songs, so they have the additional challenge of being wholly creative. However, the band managed to show their true talents, playing such musical genres as neo-soul, funk, pure rock, smooth jazz, and the blues during their set. Their jam sessions would last for a good ten minutes, then would be connected to a new song by a simple guitar riff or drum solo. Within these jam sessions would be solos of epic proportions, as they highlighted the immense talents of Douglas, Biddle and ?uestlove. Douglas, in particular, set the stage on fire with his one-handed guitar solos and soulful showmanship, modeling such guitar legends as Jimi Hendrix and Muddy Waters.

Along with The Roots, their posse of friends and colleagues put on a great show, which made the event into a family affair. While most of the artists who performed with The Roots are fairly unknown, their musical contributions made the concert more like a family get-together than just an ordinary concert. Up-and-coming rapper Wale made friends with the audience as he passed around his camcorder to record audience reactions to his songs, while fellow rapper Truck North reminded me of a younger Biggie Smalls as he free-styled for about five minutes, a feat that is difficult for almost any rapper. Funk metal singer and guitarist Corey Glover brought down the house with his raw, soulful voice and emotion seeping out of his guitar. Legendary jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater also strutted out with a ferociousness that showed that an old timer like she could entertain a younger audience. Along with all of these singers and rappers was a Brooklyn-based African band Antibalas, who, with their saxophones and bongos, added an eclectic international flare to an already diverse show.

By the end of the night, The Roots and Company had played for two hours. Although the show ended at one in the morning, I could barely feel the passage of time because I was dancing the whole time. The Roots definitely know how to throw a great party, along with performing a great show. Should one dish out their money for this residency? Absolutely. Anyone with an open-minded appreciation to music shouldn’t, and have no real excuse to miss this residency. I know I’ll be taking advantage of this distinctive opportunity; I already bought my set of tickets for next month.

The Roots Present The Jam will be presented on April 1, 6, 14, 21, May 5, 13, 18, 26, June 2, 10, 16, and 23 at Highline Ballroom on West 16th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenue. Tickets are ten dollars in advance and twelve dollars at the door. A limited number of tickets are sold the day of the show. Doors typically open at 11 PM, unless otherwise noted. Guest artists vary from show to show.

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