El Ten Eleven @ Bug Jar

Ten, no, make that Eleven questions answered on the El Ten Eleven show from the Bug Jar.

1. First rule of live music in effect? Indeed, got there at 9:40 for an 8pm list, first band of 3 didn't come on until 10:05, El Ten Eleven on after midnight. Sunday night, ugh.

2. Black and Tans? $2! More please.

3. Sounds like? Um, Ratatat or a west-coast guitar-led Benevento Russo Duo maybe...

4. Effects pedals? 6' worth. Carried onstage in a large silvery guitar case. Oohs, aahs, and audible gasps heard throughout upon opening of the case.

5. You know those guitars that are like, double guitars? Approved!

6. Guy in crowd singing along to entirely instrumental music? Check.

7. Radiohead cover? Paranoid Android of course. A little too obvious, and little too short, still very good.

8. Ass? Shaken.

9. Soul? Stirred.

10. Crappy Youtube video? Right here:


11. Encores? 3. One was free, the final 2 were earned. Great crowd for a Sunday night, and we got rewarded. The band was very appreciative, and pretty damn surprised, many kudos thrown Rochester's way.

Download some tunes:
K10 (from RCRD Label)
Full show from 5 June 2008 (courtesy of iamserio.us)

Portugal. The Man @ The Club at Water Street

I was pretty annoyed Tuesday night. Now, in the long view, it turned out to be a night for the ages, but this here being a live music blog, I will say that the live music side of my brain was rightly peeved. Earl Greyhound was in town and I have been wanting to catch them for quite a while. They were to 2nd on a 3 band bill with Wintersleep opening it up and Portugal. The Man finishing the night. I had never heard of Wintersleep but my vetting of them over the internet got me fairly interested in what they had to offer. Ditto that for PTM, plus the added bonus that they were from Wasila, AK was too good to pass on. But really, in the end, all I wanted to see was Earl Greyhound. Everywhere that the show was listed said doors at 7, show at 8. All things going perfectly I figured Earl would be on around 9 at the earliest. I walked in at 9 on the button and heard the last flourishes of what was Earl Greyhound's set. WTF?! Was there an opener? Yep, both bands were done, and the closer was quick on their heels.

This is absolutely RULE #1 of live music. If you get to a show on time, you will be way too early, if you get to a show fashionably late the show will have started right on time. True every time, I cannot get around this fact. Once you become a regular at certain clubs you get the hang for their schedule and how it jibes with their listed schedule. I had only been to this venue one other time and remember waiting and waiting and then having to sit through an awful and unlisted opener, and then waiting some more. This freaking show apparently started earlier than the list time. I can only hope Earl Greyhound will make it back to town soon, even through those closing bombastic notes I could tell they would have kicked my ass.

As for Portugal. The Man, the were pretty good. Reminded me a bit of Cold War Kids with their vocals and their live energy and concentration on rhythms. Though they were much heavier and more psychedelic, with an occasional tendency to stretch the songs out to some pretty interesting places. The crowd was fairly small, very young, and the club was lit better than the stage. Add that to the fact that the sound was distant and poorly mixed and it was tough to get swept up by the music. I stuck around for about 45m and headed home in time to watch history happen.

Apollo Sunshine, Wax Fang @ Beat Kitchen

I managed to make it out for Apollo Sunshine one night on my business trip out to Chicago a couple of weeks ago. I felt pretty lucky that one of my favorite bands, and a band that doesn't seem likely to hit upstate NY anytime soon, was playing in town while I was there. There were actually quite a few, as in many many, good shows going on the few days I was there. This show was a good bet because it started late enough that I knew it would not be a problem making the show, and also a show I was sure would not sell out so I wouldn't need to worry about advance tickets or anything.

I arrived at the Beat Kitchen (a smaller version of NYC's Mercury Lounge, I thought) shortly into Wax Fang's opening set. They not only share a hometown with My Morning Jacket, but their drummer was very similar to Patrick Hallahan, both hair-wise and playing-wise. I dug most of what I heard from these guys, definitely a band I would like to check out again and will keep my eye on. A trio, they aren't afraid to include some subtle electronics and looping into the mix, and and they execute it very well. Good energy, good tunes, and some great playing from all three. Glad I made it in to see them.



Apollo Sunshine are a band that just grows and grows and grows on you. The better you know them, the better the experience gets. They are a ton of fun live, and are amazing about keeping it fresh. Even if the setlists don't change up too much, even when you know what to expect, they still come out and grab you, and shake you, and knock you silly. Riding high off the release of their new album, Shall Noise Upon, they came right out of the gates and played the first 3 songs off the album in order. Sounded good, but definitely needs some more road deconstruction and distressing. They don't necessarily jam all that much so much as devolve the music into straight up noise. Albeit beautiful beautiful noise. (Shall noise upon?) At one point, birthday boy (who shared his vegan birthday cake with the crowd--see video below) and most-of-the-time bass player Jesse Gallagher played nearly an entire tune with effects knobs.
He shows he can hold down a bass line but chooses more often to fly off the handle, off-beat, off-kilter, a bass-popping madman. Even during their funky cover of William Onyeabor's Better Change Your Mind, he can't help but untie the tightness of the funk knot and let loose. Sam Cohen doesn't fare much better in keeping to the script. They just throw the rules of a rock show out the window, and it sounds oh so good. Meanwhile, the under-appreciated Jeremy Black is keeping it all together somehow on his kit. I imagine Apollo Sunshine is not for everyone, but give them a chance or three, and hopefully it sticks.



Stage list is below, though Bach definitely got moved to after Lord, and Phyllis closed the set. They came back on and encored with Brotherhood of Death. Might have been a couple of others not listed in there as well.