Big History at The Republic, New Orleans, April 15, 2011

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Throwback Night at the Republic, like the Eighties Dance Party at One-Eyed Jacks, is a local favorite, and the people of New Orleans are more than happy to turn out to see which up and comers they need to pay attention to in the coming weeks and months. When I first moved to NOLA from Baton Rouge, I knew that the Republic would be the place I'd find myself frequently; New Orleans is renowned for its rhythm history, and is, of course, widely known for being the birthplace of jazz. Unfortunately, this has meant other genres, including local bands that fall on the more independent side of the spectrum, get pushed into a corner. Not so at the Republic, which has hosted such beloved fixtures of the genre as Rilo Kiley, and the first show I saw in my new town was local legends Glasgow, playing for Throwback Night, with The Little Mermaid as the theme.

Show Review: Prom Date with Big Rock Candy Mountain at the Spanish Moon, Baton Rouge, April 8, 2011

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Big Rock Candy Mountain is a band based out of New Orleans, with a heavy influence from the louder side of indie rock. Theirs is the kind of unity that you love to see in a band, operating in perfect harmony, with crashing drums and cymbals intermingling with cluster bells and epic bass lines, all over incomprehensible lyrics that prove that the voice is an instrument, and you don’t have to hear the words to feel the power of them. They are well beloved in New Orleans, as is obvious from the musical royalty that makes a presence at the show: Sam Craft of New Orleans’ premiere indie dance band, Glasgow, is front and center at the base of the stage, dancing like there’s no tomorrow and playing air violin when the music moves him to do so. Their set is comprised of just a few songs, but the performance is memorable; the lead singer and keyboard player, who looks like Sean Lennon if his mother was Susan Sarandon instead of Yoko Ono, performs with the kind of energy that some bands only wish they had, clambering up onto his bench to jump down and slam the keys of his Casio with all his weight, while the guitarist slings his axe back and beats a cluster of bells, arranged on a handle like flowers on a foxglove plant. And through it all the drummer works himself into a frenzy that Animal from the Muppets would watch with jealousy. After the show, I ask Mr. Not-Lennon when the band will play next in their hometown, and he tells me that they are working on laying down a new album that they hope to have ready for this summer, and don’t have any more live shows planned for the next few months, but that they never know when they’ll be called upon to play again, so I should keep my eyes open. I’m passing along this information to you, because I whole-heartedly concur: if you get the chance, Big Rock Candy Mountain is a band that you want to see.

Show Review: Pains of Being Pure at Heart, One-Eyed Jack's, New Orleans, April 7, 2011

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Empty bottles that once held Miller High Life and translucent plastic cups litter the front of the stage at One Eyed Jack’s, remnants of the last set, played by Twin Shadows. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart clamber on stage to their instruments, and though an awed hush fails to fall over the crowd, the dissonant distant sound, like an orchestra just beginning to hum, refuses to let up. The locals, confused, crowd the stage, and as the first song begins, they move with practiced efficiency: side-to-side, small dance-like movements, timid at first.

Boomer: Secret Origins

This is a repost from a friend's Facebook Wall. It came up in conversation that my nickname was tangentially related to Battlestar Galactica (or, more correctly, was derived from said television show in a very roundabout manner). After some time, I felt it appropriate to share the whole story with her, and now you, dear readers.