In case you were wondering, rap music is here to stay, but-regardless of what will.i.am. may tell you, it isn't all about that boom boom pow. Rappers are increasingly collaborating with live musicians, touring, and engaging in other "rocker" behavior, as proved by Kid Cudi's performance on Letterman with Ratatat, a string quartet, and backup singers:
Genre blending is the future. I read an academic paper that claimed hip-hop was the most postmodern form of music because of its basis in sampling and recontextualizing other material in our postmodern age. From Girl Talk's collage of pop samples, to M.I.A.'s Diplo-produced, Clash-sampling reggae/hip-hop "Paper Planes" (which was then sampled for T.I., Lil' Wayne, Kanye and Jay-Z's "Swagger Like Us"), to rappers' and popstars' current electronic obsession, the future of music is going to look a lot like Kid Cudi in front of an indie/electronica band, a string quartet and backup singers on late night TV.
Last weekend I returned to lovely Grantham, PA to see Iron & Wine at Messiah's main campus.
Roman Candle, the opening act for the evening, was an impressive Americana/rock'n'roll act playing with the kind of swagger that reminds me why some people (occasionally including myself) listen to country music. Catchy hooks and consummate musicianship combined with well-crafted and thought-provoking songwriting rewarded those in the audience who were initially drawn in by the band's excellent showmanship and confident stage presence. "Why Modern Radio Is A-OK" was the standout song of the evening-at least for my friends and I-with its ironically anthemic take on the quality and lyrical content differences between pop classics and contemporary tunes. You can find the mp3 for free here, but I strongly encourage you to support this band with your hard-earned ca$h, whether by attending a show or purchasing music. Their approach to the internet age is also admirable, maintaining an actual website rather than a myspace page and providing their music for the price of your choice.
Sam Beam (Iron & Wine's one and only member) began his return visit to Messiah College with his cover of The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" (made famous by its inclusion on Zach Braff's handpicked indie-tastic Garden State soundtrack). His amazing ability to command a crowd's attention fascinated me throughout the evening as his phenomenal voice and nimble fingers filled the room with sound. Though he made the occasional mistake, his unflappability and witty banter maintained an air of casual professionalism rare in the solo performer. Whether it was his liberated approach to Christianity or the fact that he'd been at Messiah previously, his playing-at-a-Christian-college jokes were the best I've heard in my 3 years of Messiah concert-going, including light-hearted jabs at SAB advisor Jeff Rioux, commenting on the exception to the strong language policy granted for "Trapeze Singer", and joking about being "caught" smoking. After a fascinating set, he obliged the audience's request for an encore with a rendition of "Jezebel" that drove home my growing impression that his vocals sound better live, without the processing applied on his many albums. Consider an evening with Iron & Wine a night well spent.
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*I realize of course that this is a video from his previous visit to Messiah, but the goal was to provide a glimpse of the live experience with high-quality audio to indicate the difference in his vocal.
Welcome week at Temple was filled with activities, including a free concert featuring The Dream and Keri Hilson.
The Dream is a genius in pop music, producing Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Beyonce's "Single Ladies", along with many other smash hits, having written for Mariah Carey, B2K, J. Holiday, Usher, Yung Joc, Jesse McCartney, Ciara, and Mary J. Blige. His performance career has also been filled with hits, included "Shawty is a 10", "Falsetto", "I Luv Your Girl", features on LL Cool J's "Baby", Gym Class Heroes' "Cookie Jar", and his own more recent hits "Rockin That Thang", "My Love" with Mariah Carey, and "Walking on the Moon" with Kanye West. This success has led to marriages to Nivea and more recently Christina Milian, as well as a vice presidency at Island Def Jam Records. Having seen him live, I think perhaps the Dream should stay more behind-the-scenes. Though he (surprisingly) managed to replicate his famous high notes live (for the most part), his stage presence was less than mesmerizing, with little to no dancing, only brief moments of crowd interaction, and a lack of light show or backup dancers for most of the performance to distract from his onstage inactivity. It would have been more interesting if they'd simply played a collection of his music videos on a large screen. To prove my point, here's his clip for "Rockin That Thang":
Keri Hilson, on the other hand, took the stage with an actual DJ backing her up like a rapper would, hyped up the crowd frequently, and was almost constantly joined onstage by backup dancers WITH whom she performed carefully choreographed and actually interesting routines. I had to leave because my friends weren't being allowed in due to late arrival and there was no re-entry, but Keri-for me anyway-lived up to the hype of her early work singing hooks for Timbaland on "The Way I Are" and other songs, writing and singing backup on Britney Spears' Blackout album, and playing the lead role in Usher's "Love in This Club" music video. Her debut album has spawned several hits including "Energy", "Turning Me On", and "Knock You Down". Her willingness to perform some of her early non-solo material and even a cover or two set her apart even more than her entertaining performance already had. If you're into pop/r&b, Keri Hilson is an excellent performer.
Hey kids, It's time for another monthly show schedule. As of now my internet is still a bit weird, but I'm in Philly at Temple now, so that situation should be rectified in the near future, at which point you can expect more regular posting. I still owe you Warped Tour and Purple Door photoblogs, as well as possible guest reviews of Bob Dylan and Dream Theater from summer. There will also be a forthcoming post on Temple's welcome week concert featuring The Dream and Keri Hilson. Peace, love, and rock'n'roll, Foxy
Wednesday 9/2 The Love Language @ B-sides FREE Thursday 9/3 Four Year Strong, Fireworks, Crime In Stereo, Title Fight @ 1st Unitarian $12 OR Between the Buried & Me, My Children My Bride, Texas In July, ventriloquist, Below the Tide @ Chameleon $13 OR The Wallflowers, Butterfly Boucher @ 9:30 Club $25 OR Pet Shop Boys @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall $55-75 Saturday 9/5 Alice in Chains @ TLA ? (possibly sold out) OR Flood The Gates, A Century Collapsed (Homeboy Music), Life In Ruin, TBA @ Hangar 84 $14 OR Counting Crows, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Augustana @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $35-75 Sunday 9/6 The Right Coast, Racing Kites, Boys of Summer, The Fervour, Darry Miller (Homeboy Music) @ Chameleon $9 Tuesday 9/8 Kings of Leon, The Features @ Merriweather Post Pavilion $36-46
Wednesday 9/9 Punchline, Farewell, Between the Trees @ Hangar 84 $14 (or @ Ottobar 9/7 $12) OR Mucca Pazza @ B-sides FREE
Friday 9/11 Absolutepunk.net Next Favorite Band Tour: Between the Trees, Farewell, Punchline, Action Item, Changing Leaves, Fast Track Romance, The Movement, Always Second Favorite, The Sandlot Heroes @ Croc Rock $12
Saturday 9/12 Texas In July, Circus Circus @ Croc Rock $10 OR Trivium, White Chapel, Dirge Within, Darkest Hour @ Croc Rock $20 OR Iron & Wine, Roman Candle @ Messiah College $25 (non-students) OR Cedric the Entertainer @ Academy of Music $70-80 Sunday 9/13 Perez Hilton presents: Ladyhawke, Ida Maria, Frankmusik, Semi Precious Weapons @ TLA $29.50 (or $20 @ 9:30 Club 9/12) OR ZZ Top @ 9:30 Club $75
Monday 9/14 Emmure, Evergreen Terrace, Stick To Your Guns, Oceano, For Today, Action Plan Process @ Hangar 84 $14 OR ZZ Top @ 9:30 Club $75
Wednesday 9/16 Batida @ B-sides FREE Thursday 9/17 And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, Secret Machines, The G @ 1st Unitarian $12 (or 9/16 $20 @ 9:30 club) OR Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica, Medina Green, Black Landlord @ Electric Factory $37 (or $35 @ Sonar 9/16) OR Streetlight Manifesto, Outernational, Broadway Calls @ The Troc $17 (or 9/19 $14 @ Chameleon) OR Ingrid Michaelson, Greg Holden, Johnny Marnell @ TLA $23 (or 9/18 @ 9:30 Club $20) OR Yo La Tengo, Endless Boogie @ 9:30 Club $20 OR Matt & Kim, Amanda Blank, The Intelligence @ Sonar $15
Friday 9/18 SOLD OUT Thursday, Fall of Troy, Young Widows, Moving Mountains@ 1st Unitarian $17 OR Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique, Reef the Lost Cauze @ The Troc $22 (or 9/19 $20 @ Recher Theatre) OR Mercy Mercedes, Stereo Skyline, The Readyset, Tina Parole @ Hangar 84 $14 (or $12 @ The Note w/ Sommersault Sunday) OR CI Records 14th Anniversary: Open Ravine, Consumer, Motionless in White, This or the Apocalypse, Palermo, Oceans in Love, Adam Taylor, Albert React @ Chameleon $12 OR Owl City, Kate Havnevik, Unicorn Kid @ The Note $16 OR Dave Matthews Band @ Susquehanna Bank Center $42 OR Secondhand Serenade, Parachute, Evan Taubenfeld & The Bust @ Recher Theatre $18 Sunday 9/20 Moby, Kelli Scarr @ Electric Factory $35 (or @ 9:30 Club 9/18) OR Stryper (25th Anniversary), Manic Drive @ Croc Rock $20 (or w/ Flight Patterns @ Chameleon 9/23) OR Family Force 5, Breathe Carolina, Cash Cash @ Chameleon $15 OR Dave Matthews Band @ Susquehanna Bank Center $40-77 OR Gwar, Job For A Cowboy, Mobile Death Camp @ Sonar $23
Monday 9/21 Craig Owens (of Chiodos), Automatic Love Letter (acoustic), The Scenic @ 1st Unitarian $14 (or $12 without The Scenic @ Croc Rock 9/22 or Ottobar 9/20)
Wednesday 9/23 victor victor Band @ B-sides FREE
Thursday 9/24 Regina Spektor @ Electric Factory $37 (or @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall 9/30 $45) OR She Wants Revenge, Kill Hannah, New Medicine, Six O'clock Saints @ The Troc $20
Friday 9/25 All That Remains, Lacuna Coil, Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, From Sword to Sunrise @ The Troc $20 OR Mutemath, As Tall As Lions @ TLA $27 (or $23 9/24 @ Sonar) OR SOLD OUT Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ 9:30 Club
Saturday 9/26 Shwayze, B.O.B., Cold Flamez, Beardo, Tabi Bonney @ The Troc $19 (or 9/29 $18 @ Sonar) OR Mat Kearney, Diane Birch @ TLA $23 (or 9/24 @ 9:30 Club $25)(or $20 9/22 @ Recher Theatre) OR Parkway Drive, Gwen Stacy @ Hangar 84 $14 OR Mae (show review here), Locksley, Deas vail @ Chameleon $14 OR Snow Patrol, Plain White T's @ Tower Theater $30-43 (or 9/25 $35 @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall) OR The Prize Inside, House Exit (Homeboy Music) @ The Champion Ship $8 Sunday 9/27 A Day To Remember (show review here), Parkway Drive, In Fear and Faith, I See Stars @ Croc Rock $20 Monday 9/28 The Bled, Alesana, Broadway, Asking Alexandria, Madina Lake, Where The Ocean Meets The Sky @ Hangar 84 $14 (or 9/26 without opener @ Croc Rock)(or $17 with Carousel Kings @ Chameleon 9/27) Tuesday 9/29 Wavves, Ganglians, Reading Rainbow @ 1st Unitarian $10 (or w/ Popo [Mad Decent] instead of Reading Rainbow @ Ottobar 9/30 $12) OR Lady GaGa @ D.A.R. Constitution Hall $25-150
Wednesday 9/30 Arctic Monkeys @ Electric Factory $27 OR Texas in July @ B-sides FREE OR SOLD OUT Sunny Day Real Estate, The Jealous Sound @ 9:30 Club
Back in June I went with some friends to a hardcore show featuring And Then There Were None, Before Their Eyes, He Is Legend, and Drop Dead, Gorgeous . Though we were mostly there for ATTWN, a hardcore-turned-techno outfit on Tooth and Nail Records, we were still able to have a great time with the more aggressive bands in the lineup. It was my friends' first hardcore show and our first time at the venue. The Note, a bar in West Chester, PA, seemed a bit incongruous to its surroundings. While West Chester has a bit of charm, the Note has a bit of grunge, with attitude to spare. Wrought iron railings and light fixtures gave it a Gothic atmosphere, and the balcony had leather couches that seemed well used…but still, it’s about the music.
And Then There Were None took the stage first, surrounded by pre-pubescent girls with dyed black hair, TWLOHA tees and Converses. The band only performed five songs, the best of which (“Hospital”) soon had me dancing in my usual nerdy way. With a surprisingly clear and earnest vocalist and melody driven lines, their switchover to the pop side of things was complete. They had a lot of energy, jumping along to bright synth beats and driving guitar riffs. However, the crowd was not impressed. Apparently, dancing is still a sin in West Chester, and my friends and I were the only ones to make an attempt to shake things up. We had a great time, and continued to cheer on the very loud, very computerized ATTWN. To give you an idea of their sound, here's a fan video of their cover of Imogen Heap's "Hide and Seek":
After our favorite band left the stage, we were treated to Before Their Eyes, a seemingly inexperienced screamo band in the vein of Hawthorne Heights and the like. I found it humorous that they opened with the dialogue from Willy Wonka during the steamboat scene (“There’s no earthly way of knowing, what direction we are going” etc). They compensated for their youth and inexperience with energy and unexpectedly powerful vocals from their “compact” frontman, and shared the mic with a rabid young fan in the audience who gave the vocalist a run for his money. NOTE: during this time, a circle pit started to form, but it was promptly broken up by security members who take their job entirely too seriously.
He Is Legend took to the stage about 20 minutes later, with flippant and erratic frontman Schuylar Croom making his presence known. The unique “stoner-metal” quality that emanates from the band is simultaneously laughable and respectable. The flannel and long hair of all members contributed to such a label, but their music sets them apart from the other acts that evening. Playing songs from “Suck Out the Poison” and newest release “It Hates You” (ignoring their first, more hardcore album "I Am Hollywood"?), the crowd moshed (as much as security would allow) and screamed their approval in harmony to the powerfully driven metal guitar. It was clear that they were the crowd favorite. Here's a video of them from the show:
The final band of the evening, Drop Dead, Gorgeous, had a sound that was almost entirely too loud for me to decode. Yes, I understand that hardcore shows are raucous, loud, and rightfully so; however, when volume prevents even basic comprehension of what the heck is being played, there may be a problem. This post-hardcore act was not as energetic or definitive as the other acts on the tour, but they were clearly engaged in their music, with focused performances from a skillful drummer, and pounding guitars. The front man took an arrogant stance on the stage, demanding the audience’s attention with deep guttural vocals, and the audience responded semi-positively. However , with not-so-remarkable breakdowns and an audience clearly more interested in the bands that preceded, Drop Dead, Gorgeous marked the end of the evening well. With all hardcore shows, a key element is the audience experience. I was extremely put off by the needless insistence of security on ruining the night for so many members of the crowd. Though the crowd was small, and the number of people who actually started to mosh was smaller, they were denied their right to such expression. I enjoyed myself, and my friends did too, but I was not impressed with the management of the venue. As a bar, I thought The Note served its purpose, but as a music venue, especially for hardcore shows, it was not very hospitable. The music was still excellent, but the venue needs to loosen up a bit-it's rock'n'roll.
