It looks like another year in concerts has concluded for me. I made it out to 19 shows (22 in 2010) at quite a few different venues around Boston/MA (including more basement/non-traditional club shows than ever) and three non-Massachusetts shows (all Black Lips).
1. Black Lips, Night Beats @ Bowery Ballroom – July
2. Black Lips, Vivian Girls @ Paradise Rock Club – April 3. Black Lips, Davila 666, X-Ray Eyeballs @ Webster Hall – October 4. Nobunny @ Church – June 5. Mark Sultan @ Magic Room Gallery – December
Favorite Bands That I Saw For The First Time In 2011: Atlantic Thrills, White Wires, Peach Kelli Pop, Sara Lee, Night Beats, and Davila 666.
Artists: Girls, Nobunny, and Papa (we missed :( ) Venue: Paramount Theater @ Emerson College, Boston Date: Saturday, September 24, 2011 Comments:
Act I (That KLYAM saw): Nobunny: Welly, welly, welly, well, look what we have here. That horrible monster, Nobunny is back in Boston, ready to burn the place to smithereens. And, he brought with him his co-conspirators Elvis Christ (on drums AND backing vocals) and Touchy Tony (on bass); he rocked on the gee tar himself. But y’all pussies don’t have to worry, before the set Mr.Bunny apologized to the city of Boston, assuring that he will not attempt to set it ablaze again. Despite, the absence of Danimal, the three piece still rocked hard, sounded better than ever and they have seriously come into their own as a full rock band, not just a backing band for Nobunny. For all involved this was a bizarre experience: seeing Nobunny in a rather large theater and in the balcony to boot! It seemed like the KLYAM and merely a few other devotees in the house were aware of the bunnyman and his music. To fuck with the people’s sense of rigt and wrong even further the band opened with “Your Mouth,” one of the creepiest (and sweetest too!) tunes in their catalog. The rest of the set consisted of various classics including “Nobunny Loves You,” “I Am a Girlfiend,” “Chuck Berry Holiday,” “Live It Up,” as well as two songs I had never seen live in previous Nobunny shows; First Blood (2010) essentials, “Ain’t It a Shame,” and “(Do the) Fuck Yourself.” The set also featured two incredible covers: Hunx and His Punx’s “U Don’t Like Rock and Roll” and the Sneaky Pinks’ (of which Nobunny has lineage) “Can’t Wait.”
Act II: Girls– I’m not sure which is freakier. Seeing Nobunny in a theater setting period or seeing Girls in the nosebleeds? Either way, like Nobunny, Girls sounded better than ever. I thought they were solid at the dise in April ’10, but they defintely have ameliorated their live show in the time since. Album (2009) stand outs included “Lust For Life,”- probably still my favorite Girls song, “Laura,” “Ghost Mouth,” and “Hellhole Ratrace,”- always a strong, epic live anthem. In general, with the new LP Father Son, Holy Ghost (2011), Girls have upped the ante, becoming more ambitious and adventerous. The music just hits you harder. This is certainly reflected in their live set and best represented in the new song, “Vomit,” especially when it gets really heavy. Live, this was exhilerating, Girls definitely impressed me beyond my expecatations. Other recent classcics from the new album included, “Honey Bunny,” “Magic,” and “Saying I love You,” amongst others. All in all, Girls have become a powerhouse live.
Two years ago today was one of the most incredible days of my life. Jay Reatard and his Shattered Records Tour came to town and being a huge creep I was naturally in attendance. At the time, I had never heard of any of the supporting bands: Useless Eaters (a Jay side project), Box Elders, Hunx and His Punx, and Nobunny. This show served as the perfect introduction to those bands and the last three have gone on to become some of my all time favorite artists. Jay put on an amazing show (sadly, one of his last as most of you know), the best I saw from him and one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. I can honestly say I have never experienced anything like the Shattered Records show before or since.
This video is a terrific example of what made Jay a unique live experience and on top of that this interview nicely illustrates his attitude toward live shows.
It’s that time of the year when all the kiddies (including myself) are heading back to school and what better a way to make the transition than KLYAM Motivational Songs!
Black Lips– “Go Out and Get It” (2011)
Nobunny– “Live It Up” (2010)
Black Lips– “New Direction” (2011)
That should give you all the inspiration and motivation you need to conquer this school year.
Yeah, this is about the only time the words Black Lips, Nobunny, and school will come together in one nicely packed sentence.
@ Paramount In Boston On Sat. Sept. 24and…the rest:
September
14 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse*
13 Asheville, NC Orange Peel*
16 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge*
17 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle*
19 DC 9:30 Club*
20 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts*
22 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
23 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
24 Boston, MA Paramount Theatre*
25 Montreal, QUE Corona Cabaret*
27 Toronto, ONT Mod Club Theatre*
29 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall*
30 Madison, WI Majestic Theatre* October
01 Minneapolis, MN First Ave Nightclub*
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 