Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra at the Pearl Street 9.30.2011

On September 30, Canada’s Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra returned to the Pearl Street in Northampton, Mass. Their last visit to this venue was in 2008, shortly after the release of 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons. They were phenomenal then, and tonight’s performance was equally stunning.

Lead by guitarist and vocalist Efrim Menuck, SMZ also features Jessica Moss and Sophie Trudeau on violins and vocals, Thierry Amar on bass (electric and double), and David Payant on drums. Their intense, mesmerizing sound, accented by the group’s vocal harmonies, is captivating. Their hour-and-a-half long set passed by much too quickly.

After a great opening performance by local duo Giraffes? Giraffes!, SMZ launched their set with “BlindBlindBlind” and “13 Blues for Thirteen Moons," both tracks from the 13 Blues album. Next up was "Horses in the Sky" (from the album of the same name) before returning to 13 Blues with “Engine Broke Blues.” Then they played “Take These Hands and Throw Them in the River” from Born Into Trouble as the Sparks Fly Upwards. They closed the set with a new song called “What We Loved Was Not Enough.” According to Efrim, tonight was the first time the band has performed “What We Loved” for an audience.

Curiously missing were songs from 2010’s Kollaps Tradixionales, the band’s most recent album.

Efrim kept the college-aged crowd entertained with his on-stage antics, coaxing them to call out questions. He shot out the answers:

What was the name of the song you just played? 
"Whole Lotta Love". No actually, "Every Breath I Take."

What’s your favorite dinosaur? 
The Stegosaurus.

What’s your favorite color? 
Spring!
  
Diehard fans take note: if Efrim played D&D, he would be an elf. He also thinks you should read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Catcher in the Rye, and The Electric Koolaid-Acid Test.

And finally...

When will Godspeed record another album? 
I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Next question!

If you missed Thee Silver Mt. Zion folks this evening, you can catch them Wednesday, October 5, at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT. Tickets are $15 ($12 in advance) and are available here.

Tigers Jaw / Kite Party / Three Man Cannon / The Guru / Suns @ The Space 8.2.11

On Tuesday, August 2nd, Hamden's The Space hosted PA-ers Tigers Jaw, Kite Party, and Three Man Cannon and locals The Guru, and Suns.

CT-based Suns opened the show with their friendly take on pop-rock. Their infectious rhythms inspired several audience members to play air drums. Check out their brand new e. p., Be a Good Boy.

Connecticut favorites The Guru played next, minus their lead guitarist, Kyle McEvoy (who was reportedly home with a 105* fever). Shirtless, long-haired, donning a sailor’s cap and early 90’s-style spectacles, and constantly cupping his nonexistent breast, drummer and vocalist Eddie Golden III jokingly referred to the band as “The Fluru”. (The Guru’s other guitarist, Dan George, was also reportedly ill.) Dan Barry, of the New Haven Advocate, recently compared The Guru to Modest Mouse (among other bands), and ain’t that the truth: Golden sounds just like Isaac Brock. His zany on-stage antics were warmly received by the audience, and it’s obvious why locals can’t get enough of these guys.

Scranton’s Three Man Cannon (sharing bassist Dennis Mischko and drummer Pat Brier from Tigers Jaw) took the stage next. With heavy punk and grunge influences, their style of rock’n’roll is really down to earth. They played their best song of the evening midway through the set. I wish I knew what it was.

Next up was Philadelphia's Kite Party who played through much of their new album, Baseball Season.

Last, but not least, Tigers Jaw, also from Scranton, rocked out to a very excited audience. Attempts at crowd-surfing commenced (at such a small venue, this adventure can be difficult), and there was much rejoicing. They were even called upon to play an encore.

With the amps blaring during Kite Party and Tigers Jaw, the vocals were impossible to hear, but aside from a few mutterings, the audience didn’t seem to mind.

Tigers Jaw, Kite Party, and Three Man Cannon hit the stage locally again Thursday, August 4th at The Waterfront in Holyoke, MA (with Avely and High Hopes).

Wye Oak 7.15 & 16, 2011

Southern New England was lucky enough to host two live performances by Wye Oak last weekend: one at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, CT on Friday, July 15th, and one the following night at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA. It’s not the first time this Baltimore duo, consisting of Jenn Wasner (guitar and vocals) and Andy Stack (drums, keyboard and vocals), has graced us with their presence. Both Manic Productions, who booked the Hartford gig, and the IHEG, responsible for the Iron Horse show, have welcomed Wye Oak before.

I first caught this duo when they played at Cafe Nine in 2009. At that time, they were playing songs from 2008’s If Children as well as a few from their upcoming release, The Knot, which dropped in July 2009. They returned again in 2010, both at the Daniel Street Club in Milford, CT and the Iron Horse.

In March 2011, Wye Oak presented us with Civilian, a beautifully crafted record whose sound wraps us in its melancholy, nostalgic embrace. Songs like “The Altar”, “Holy Holy”, and “Civilian” are why we love Wye Oak. The record closes with “Doubt,” a solo piece by Wasner, and she ended both shows with this song last weekend.

Though not obvious during last weekend’s performances, Wasner admitted to the audience that she’s been struggling with medical issues which affect her voice. Needing to rest her vocal chords for Sunday night’s live performance on the Jimmy Fallon Show (they played "Holy Holy"), she was not able to greet fans after last weekend’s shows. Stack graciously took over this duty, chatting with the audience after both performances. (Thank you, Andy and Jenn, for singing my vinyl!)

Wye Oak has been touring extensively, and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. They opened for the Decemberists this past winter, and will play with bands such as The National, Okkervil River, and Explosions in the Sky this fall. Then, they're off to Europe in November. It seems that the Oaks’ popularity will only continue to grow.

Marissa Nadler, a local folk singer, opened for Wye Oak at the Wadsworth. Her cool, crystal clear voice hums like a lullaby. She just released a brand new record, Box of Cedar, in June. Check out her bandcamp page.

Wielding an autoharp, Apollo Sunshine’s Sam Cohen took the stage Saturday with his solo side project, the Yellowbirds. Performing as a duo this night, the Yellowbirds are an act to follow. Reminiscent of 60’s folk-rock, the they released The Color this past February. They’ve already been plugged by Pitchfork and Daytrotter and have a couple of sold out shows with Josh Ritter this week.

The Gay Blades at The Space 2.3.2011

Wow, I really dug The Gay Blades this evening. They were spectacular. The opening bands were actually all good as well. It's typically par for the course to endure a couple of crappy bands at any given show, but this one honestly had no duds.

Those Mockingbirds were reminiscent of a 90s rock’n’roll band and the lead singer had the locks to make it so. They played vigorously despite the small audience of about twenty. Their cover of Fleetwood Mac’s The Chain was killer.  

Vuvuzela’s instrumentation consisted of an upright bass, electric harp, keyboards and drums. It was an interesting mix and they were really together.  Their sound is rather eerie and I was left feeling as if I had just witnessed the soundtrack to a Tim Burton film.

Despite the absence of their two drummers, Slam Donahue kicked it with only a bass and lead guitar. With a drum machine, dance beats and high-pitched vocals, they sound a lot like MGMT.

The Gay Blades ended the night with a bang. Their stage presence is something to be witnessed. The keyboardist used his entire body to tackle his instrument and left no doubt that a piano is, indeed, a percussive instrument. He also occasionally wielded a tambourine and megaphone and often threw things at the drummer (including his sweatshirt, tambourine, and water from his mouth). I’m almost at a loss for how to describe the antics of the lead singer. Commenting directly to some, muttering lyrically, and contorting his body into unusual poses, he held the audience in the palm of his hand. The band also forced the group into awkward, silent pauses before once again unleashing its fury of sound. 

If they ever come our way again, you should kill yourself if you miss them.

Well, it’s 1AM and I have work in the morning. I hope this post was relatively coherent. Too bad you all missed the show. Next time!

|k|