Wrap Up: StereoactiveNYC/Hot Rocks Official CMJ Showcase — PART THREE
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<<< READ PART ONE
Up The Empire
(photo by Bryan Bruchman)
Somehow, even after six bands, as Up The Empire took the stage at midnight, the night still seemed young. Every band to this point had played among the best shows we’d seen and heard from them to date, and Up The Empire kept that trend going with a set that perfectly showcased their power trio talents. Not only did every song of their own shine, but for the second night in a row we heard them play a really amazing cover of Dinosaur Jr’s “Feel The Pain” that just killed.
Make sure to catch Up The Empire at Union Pool in Brooklyn on November 15th.
El Jezel
Jesus, we cannot wait for the new El Jezel album. Every time we hear them play the new stuff live, we get more excited about it. They were in top form on Saturday night in pretty much every way — even played frisbee with the audience (thanks to our sponsor, DigitalFredom.org, for providing all those free frisbees, by the way) and played their excellent version of The Breeders’ “Do You Love Me Now?” Another excellent set from an excellent band. What more could you ask for at 1am on a Saturday night?
The Vandelles
The Vandelles‘ mix of wall of sound and surf rock vibes with more modern distorted fare was an excellent way to close the night out. After the eight previous hours of rock, the rush of distorted sounds and projected video grabbed that last bit of energy everyone had left and put it to great use. We also snagged their just released self-titled EP and have been enjoying it since the weekend and suggest you do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy.
