The Tris McCall Report

Calendar, September 24 - September 28

Wednesday, September 24

The Negatones @ Sin-e, 8 PM (with The Double, Kid Dakota, Black-Eyed Sam & Pink Noise)

Another early Wednesday night, another close engagement with the Negatones. I'm not sure if they'll be showcasing any new material, but I know for a fact they've got some in the hopper. Beset by technical problems at the Mercury Lounge on the tenth, they nonetheless managed to slash their way through memorably spastic takes on "Carbon Freeze" and "Paused Upon The Rewind". I'm looking forward to hearing them attempt it with all their gear in working order. The Double were also on the bill that night, but I missed too much of their set to be able to weigh in with an articulate opinion. Since I can't be caught dead without a take on a hot city band, I'm going to make the most of my second chance. Kid Dakota's album cover is, er, kinda disturbing, but then you're not sticking around for Kid Dakota; you're heading over to the West Village and an inauspiciously-named club for...

Milton & Benjamin Cartel @ Finally Fred's, 10 PM (with Hip Ripper)

At Makor last month, Milton overcame the early start-time and the faux high-culture vibe of the room to play one of his finest shows yet: showy, sentimental and smoking with definitive versions of "Let You In" (moving, heartbroken) and "Winter Of '39" (palpable, vivid). It helped that his assets were in order -- he had his Gibson SG in tow, and its shrill, ringing sound perfectly complements the sweet rasp of his voice. Backed up by brother Benjamin and Sami Buccella of the Beeps, Milton dispensed with his occasional cheekiness in favor of a direct and open-handed address that had the audience hanging on every word. I don't know what Finally Fred's is, or what (if any) music is usually at the space, but I can give you the locus: the corner of Washington and 12th. It's a nice neighborhood and the show is free. If you're wondering why I'm not discussing the Benjamin Cartel here, well, that's because I need to save my comment for the next paragraph.

 

Thursday, September 25

Benjamin Cartel @ Knitting Factory, 7 PM (with the Wayward Saints, Blacklights, Courtney Kaiser, & NYC Smoke)

Benjamin Cartel always sound bright, wistful and achingly melodic; on Thursday night, expect a heightened experience at this important performance for the group. Hey, even at a low-key event, Ben is among the most exuberant of singing drummers; it's anybody's guess how amped he'll be back there in the deep recesses of the Knitting Factory mainstage. Whether or not you can get out early on Thursday night, I encourage you to click the link above so you can play the Cartel's own trivia contest, posted on their website. For instance, which member of the group is a newly appointed reverend? No, I don't know, I'm wondering, too.

High Speed Chase @ Continental, 11 PM (part of the MEANY fest)

You know you've attained legendary status when you've got your own Palooza. But even if the Gibbypalooza event (at Maxwell's this year, no less) didn't exist, Gibby himself would still have as good a claim as anybody to Hoboken's rock title. Having put in years of tireless work as engineer/owner/mentor at Upstart Studios, Gibson's aesthetic sensibilities have helped to shape a generation of North Jersey groups. High Speed Chase is Gibby's aggressive, energetic, popular and populist rock group, and the superficially grubby but surprisingly decent-sounding Continental is a good match for the band. I don't know what the MEANY fest is, but damn, it's bound to be superior to the Hoboken Street Fair, right?

 

Friday, September 26

Mike Tichy, Tris McCall, Hero Pattern & Pilot To Gunner @ Maxwell's, 9 PM

If you only know Mike Tichy from his brief sojourn in Mooney Suzuki, you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by his self-titled debut: a tuneful, charming, and occcasionally delicate indiepop song cycle sweetened by Tichy's elastic guitar and whispered vocals. His "Bottom Of The Hill" is the early favorite for the great self-deprecating Jersey love song of 2003. This show is also a release event for the emo-pop Hero Pattern; no strangers to the Maxwell's stage. The Pattern was last spotted on a split EP with Val Emmich, and fans of Slow Down Kid will certainly want to pick up a copy of the not-dissimilar Cut You Out. Pilot To Gunner closes the night with angular post-punk and ferocious guitar. As for McCall in the middle, well, we've prepared a more Jersey-centric set for this show. And if you were there at the Mercury Lounge two weeks ago, thanks for making that launch even the enormously successful night it was.

 

Saturday, September 27

Ex Models @ Maxwell's, 9:30 (with Fiery Furnaces & Don Juan Destroyer)

Well, I finally got to hear Ex Models' Zoo Psychology. It was over a crappy house sound system at an unnamed store in Brooklyn, and it wasn't identified, and nor did it really sound anything like Other Mathematics. Nonetheless, certain warped intelligences that are immediately identifiable, and Shahin Motia has one of those. The new-waviest band in New Jersey has officially completed its transformation into the no-waviest band in Brooklyn. Rumor around Melody Lanes has it that Toshi "Gene Dreamy" Yano has been playing with the Fiery Furnaces lately; I don't know if he'll be going to Europe with them for their incipient tour with the very amusing Hot Hot Heat, but if he's just an area replacement, Maxwell's is surely in the area.

Happy Birthday to Robin van Maarth!

 

Sunday, September 28

Fresh Kills @ The Mercury Lounge, 9:30 PM (with Made Out Of Babies, Soltero, & Steve Shiffman)

Though my experiences there have been uniformly positive, I'm not changing my tune on the Mercury Lounge -- I still find it impersonal, and strangely un-rock for Manhattan's premier non-commercial indie-rock stage. But that's just to say there's something arty and bow-tied about the venue, and the long, shallow stage seems to invite performance pieces and elaborate presentations more than tightly-configured rock throwdowns. As an art-rock project themselves, the Fresh Kills felt destined for the Mercury Lounge. I think they've played there before -- but even if they haven't, it was probably inevitable that Zach Lipez would be again framed by that famous red brick backdrop that probably means to suggest the Performing Garage but instead conjures memories of comedy clubs in East Orange. At Rare, the group offered a snarl of barbed guitar lines, brittle and nervous rhythms, memorable choruses and tag lines, and Lipez's candor, good humor and vitriol. It'll all be bigger and better at the Merc.

 

Got my insides out, and it feels all right to e-mail me.