zola jesus @ knitting factory

best urban gospel gig: zola jesus at knitting factory, brooklyn.  friends, nika can sing.  she's got pipes in a bellowy, enchanting tone. gurl can dance too.  she even jumped into the crowd to sail through her fans.  she almost tripped on my neighbors briefcase. ahmazing, ahmazing.  this pint size dynamo can really pack a punch.  she's at lpr tonight, if you can get tickets.  better yet, stream the concert live via npr. amen.

antlers @ soundfix

best cmj in store: the antlers at soundfix. shar's second cmj freebie gig. i was expecting to see the antlers at the soundfix lounge, but it's been closed for some time. proof that shar has not been to billyburg in a while. i loved the space. that's where i first saw bon iver.

in any case, i walked the block to the new space. the performance was cozy against the racks of cds and vinyl. i first learned about the antlers earlier this year when they put excepts of hospice online for first listen. i'm also just realizing they opened for lucinda black bear when i saw them in early january at cake shop.

fast forward nine months later...

peter proclaimed that this set would be a mellow one for those recovering from their cmj hangovers. darby confessed he wasn't hungover, and mike teased him about his argyle socks. they didn't sort out a set list, so the impromptu set included "shiva", "two", darby's choice "kettering" and audience requested "bear". the crowd was mesmerized, and even peter had to comment on the silence.

"it's so quiet when people aren't drinking."

very true, peter. here's to more intimate gigs at soundfix sans clanging bottles. hurrah! here's a vid of the antlers at dc's all our noise since i was lame a forgot my camera to document the set.

AON Sessions: The Antlers, "Two" from All Our Noise on Vimeo.

fanfarlo @ rebel nyc

best cmj warm up: fanfarlo at rebel nyc. shar got an invite to the syndicate showcase, and she sure couldn't pass up a good free show with a swede frontman. simon and the gang hit the stage a bit late from their scheduled 11pm set time. cathy seemed perturbed by the sound check, but all was well in the end. she was clad in a levi's zippy and bespectacled. that's her on mandolin below.

i was ahmazed at a simple unzip revealed a fem blouse and no glasses.

saki made a good comparison of fanfarlo to beirut, but i think they are more upbeat with a little less slavic gypsy influence. you can decided for yourself and listen to their latest album, reservoir below.

fanfarlo plays lots of instruments to produce a jubilant party of whimsy. check simon out on the clarinet.


for those who haven't see them live there is a black cab sesh in london and one stateside. sorry i couldn't embedded i don't have vimeo plus. since i suck at getting you embedded black cab sessions, here's a segment they just did on atc for npr.



best giveaway:

jealous? i know you are.

cmj goodness

must cmj line-up: rosebuds, ladybug transistor, crystal stilts, wye oak and dj jens lekman. the later two were late additions and quite the surprise. i was already thrilled with the original line-up so the bonus acts cause me to cuss with excitement on g-chat. here's how it played out.jenn's soothing voice lulled over andy's drums and keys magic. so magical he can sometimes play them at the same time. they are playing a daytrotter gig today. here are some sweet tunes.

i fell in love with brad's garbly marbly voice. i had a hard time deciphering what he was singing but it's sorta the point i think. garagey new york goodness. that's kyle from ladybug on keys. he was everywhere last night.here was my crazy angle of gary singing. i saw them last year with a slightly different line-up but they sound the same - upbeat and fancy free. i was revisiting the daytrotter session they did and reread the article on them. they are friends with chris deaner, who i actually met through tobin. six degrees of ladybug!
shar hearts kelly because she gives high fives before performances and asks if we are going to dance. uhh, eff yeah we are dancing. we had a sing along with "nice fox" with great crowd vocals seranding "and it don't mean nothing at all".
man crush come true: mike has a crush on jens. so last night, or rather earlier this morning, his wish came true. i was just there for the ride. thanks saki for being photog.

i asked jens how long he was deejaying. he said one of the cd trays was not opening. i think he was a bit flustered about the situation and the transits were not pretty. we still love you jens, especially when you sing along to your set. as if you couldn't get more adorable, you do.

mirah @ highline

belated (by 6 years) show: mirah @ highline. i've wanted to see mirah forevah but she doesn't tour a whole lot and i was always in the wrong place when she was in my
hometown. no one wanted to come out because they were conserving energy for other cmj shows. losers! mirah didn't hit my fav album you think it's like this but really it's like this. no "sweepstakes prize" or my all time fav "la familia". she did play "look up!" and "jerusalem" from c'mon miracle. anyhoot, still a great show. i forgot my camera but this dude took some pics.

missed friend: adam. i went to the show alone - my first in nyc. i later found out my buddy adam was there too. golly gee! this happened another time in sf when i went to a turin brakes show at gamh and months later found out my pal kristin was there. it's kooky how that happens and really it shouldn't because friends shouldn't let friends concert alone.