StereoactiveNYC

Check Out EULA

We first caught EULA at Matchless back in February, where they put on a great show, offering up a dynamic sound full of energy and the sort of female-led, rhythmic post-punk that calls to mind Delta 5 and their contemporaries — which is always welcome by us. We enjoyed it so much we invited them to play one of our shows at Fort Useless, back in April, where they impressed us once again.

We’ve heard plenty of post-rock outfits that have struggled to capture their live energy in recordings, but with their excellent six song EP from 2009, Language Of Threat, this power-trio translate their kinetic stage presence in a strikingly precise manner, leaving us happy to learn they’ve been working on a new album we hope to hear soon.

The band may be based in Connecticut, but they play in NYC/Brooklyn enough that they might as well be local. And your next chance to catch them here is tomorrow night at  Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where they’ll be playing with the Mess Around and the Hounds Below.

Here’s a track from the EP for your pleasure, along with a few photos from that long-ago Matchless show (with more available on Flickr):

mp3: “Housewolf” by EULA

Tags: eula, matchless, union hall

Show Preview: Bel Air + Mama Bear + Holy Moly at Fort Useless // This Saturday + photos

We’ve had a good run of shows lately over at Fort Useless. And we’ve got another one this Saturday we’re excited for:

Holy Moly will get the night started at 8:30pm. They play conuntry/folk-rock tunes that rely on extremely well-crafted songwriting and have become sort of a de-facto house band for the venue.

Next up at 9:30pm (after a slight schedule change — they were originally going to be on at 10:30pm) will be Bel Air. They play nicely twangy pop songs and occasional ballads with an interesting dynamic going on between Allison Langerak’s and Jeff Mensch’s alternating vocals. We featured a review of their most recent release, Into The Sea, back in February and are really looking forward to hosting them for the first time at Fort Useless.

Rounding out the night at 10:30pm is Mama Bear, making their second appearance at Fort Useless. The band consistently impresses us with their fun, bouncy live shows and ain’t too bad in the studio either — we reviewed their recently released EP, How We Go, last month.

You can RSVP for the show on Facebook here.

Also, because we’ve been so busy with various projects, we’ve had less time to devote to editing and posting photos, but we have some shots taken of Bel Air and Mama Bear in recent months:

Mama Bear at their EP release part at The Studio At Webster Hall (more on Flickr):

And Bel Air at Mercury Lounge (more on Flickr):

And here are mp3s from each artist:

mp3: “What You Get” by Holy Moly

mp3: “Into The Sea” by Bel Air

mp3: “Old Man Trouble” by Mama Bear

Tags: bel air, fort useless, holy moly, mama bear, stereoactivenyc presents

Tonight at Fort Useless: The Art Of Shooting Video Premiere, Listening Party, + Acoustic Show

We’re obviously big fans of The Art Of Shooting. Just check out the review of their new album that was featured on the site recently. Or the countless other posts we’ve done about them over the last few years. So, when we were asked to host a video premiere party for one of the songs off the new album that would double as a listening party and triple (is that an acceptable use of the word?) as an acoustic show, we were excited to help to be a part of it.

Please join us as we listen to the band’s excellent album, Traveling Show, and watch the new video for “Japanese.” The band will also play a few songs live, as will friends of the band: Quilty and Caitlin Cannon Eddins. Here are the details:

Friday, May 7th
at Fort Useless

36 Ditmars Street
Brooklyn, NY

8:00pm – DOORS

8:30pm – VIDEO

9:00pm – Caitlin Cannon Eddins

9:30pm – listening to the CD in full

10:30pm – Quilty

11pm – VIDEO AGAIN, followed immediately by The Art Of Shooting

RSVP on Facebook

And here are a couple of mp3s from the album:

mp3: “The Birdcage” by The Art Of Shooting

mp3: “It Goes (Home)” by The Art Of Shooting

Tags: caitlin cannon eddins, fort useless, quilty, stereoactivenyc presents, the art of shooting, traveling show

Review: Mama Bear – How We Go // Release Show Tonight!

Mama Bear is a band that came out swinging about a year ago with three or four very well/self-produced digital singles, followed shortly thereafter by live performances that proved their tightly, yet exuberantly, performed brand of twang-tinged indie-pop wasn’t just a trick of recording prowess. We dare you to watch them perform and not, at the very least, smile. They obviously have a great time playing together and, every time we’ve had the chance to see them, that infectious feeling has obviously caught on with their audience as well.

Now, the band is releasing their first official EP, How We Go, featuring a couple of those previous singles along with a few songs recognizable from their live shows.Victoria Sounthavong’s smooth vocal melodies and multi-tracked harmonies could easily charm the grinchiest of music fans on their own, but it doesn’t hurt that the rest of the band’s sound is made up of some of the most skilled musicianship you’ll hear in NYC/Brooklyn these days. The multiple guitar lines effortlessly weave in and out, together then apart — spare and restrained when needed, big and ebullient when appropriate. And the superb rhythm section — bouncy rhythms, with no shortage of tambourine and rim clicks, along with occasional horns and piano — offers the perfect backbone for all the rest to find its proper place.

Releases from relatively new bands tend to offer a snapshot of ongoing development — how a band may currently sound along with a glimpse of things to come. With How We Go, Mama Bear proves they already have plenty of skill while also showing promise for more excellence to come.

Here are a couple of tracks from the EP:

mp3: “Look Good Future, Part II” by Mama Bear

mp3: “Old Man Trouble” by Mama Bear

Or you can preview it via Bandcamp:

The band celebrates the release of How We Go tonight at the Studio at Webster Hall. Here’s the schedule:

8:00pm – Octant
8:45pm – Borrowed Eyes
9:30pm – Spanish Prisoners
10:15pm – Mama Bear

Tags: borrowed eyes, here we go, mama bear, octant, spanish prisoners, the studio at webster hall

Photos: Mama Bear w/ Jared Friedman + Jonathan Pilkington Kahnt at Fort Useless

(Mama Bear)

On Saturday, we hosted a show at Fort Useless featuring Mama Bear along with Jared Friedman and Jonathan Pilkington Kahnt. pow wow! was originally scheduled to play, but, unfortunately, had to cancel (we hope to set up something else with them sometime soon, though).

Jonathan Pilkington Kahnt is a songwriter who’s been playing somewhat regularly at Fort Useless since it first opened back in August. He’s performed there, playing upright bass, with El Jezel and has performed a song or three or four at the Fort Useless holiday party and at the Songwriters Salon series curated with the help of the aforementioned Mr. Friedman. This was Jonathan’s first time playing a longer solo set and he seemed to woo the crowd well with his effortless crooning. Interestingly, the room was nearly empty as he began to play and was almost immediately full within his first few songs. We think his performance was a pleasant surprise to the arriving crowd.

Jared Friedman, sort of the resident opening performer at Fort Useless, followed with his usual folky sound. We can’t say it often enough — his skills as a songwriter and performer only continue to grow with each passing performance.

By the time Mama Bear began their set — after a bit of an unavoidable delay — the energy in the room was palpable. This was our third time seeing the band live and we’d say it was their best set yet. They’re a tight outfit, able to transition easily from toe-tapping, bouncy twang-pop to acapella sing-alongs and back again like they’ve been doing it for years. So, that they’re still a relatively young band makes it all that much more impressive. We expect their skill will only continue to improve, making them a band to keep an eye on.

Here are a couple of mp3s:

mp3: “Look Good Future, Part II” by Mama Bear

mp3: “What You Get” by Holy Moly!

And a few more photos:

(Jonathan Pilkington Kahnt)

(Jared Friedman)

(Mama Bear)

(Mama Bear)

Tags: fort useless, jared friedman, jonathan pilkington kahnt, mama bear, stereoactivenyc presents

Photos: Shark? + The Whisperians + The Golden Kittens at Fort Useless

(Shark?)

We curated a show at Fort Useless on Friday night that ended up being just as much fun as we hoped it would be — if not more so. Shark? is definitely a young band on the rise in the city right now, playing slews of shows and putting out self-released and/or free EPs and singles seemingly every time they put pick to guitar and stick to drum. Kevin Diamond — lead singer and songwriter for the band — is apparently something of a dynamo, able to turn out high-quality pop gems encased in fuzz and crunch like most people brew coffee in the morning.

(Shark? + dancing)

(The Whisperians)

Chris Brunelle is another excellent songwriter who knows his way around a well-crafted pop song. With the Whisperians, he continues to build an oeuvre of 2-3 minute pearls of prowess that will surely stick in your head for days after hearing them.

(The Golden Kittens)

Even down a man, The Golden Kittens managed to bring their usual energetic zeal for building anthemic punk-pop ballads out of stabbing chords and pounded drums. They always put on a fun show that somehow manages a unique tone of boastful self-deprecation that gets the audience going.

Editor’s Note: above photos by Bryan Bruchman

Tags: fort useless, shark?, stereoactivenyc presents, the golden kittens, the whisperians

Photos: Raccoon Fighter + Boy Genius + Jared Friedman at Fort Useless

Our first show of the year was earlier this month at Fort Useless and featured co-headliners Raccoon Fighter and Boy Genius with Jared Friedman (of Holy Moly!) opening.

This was our first time seeing Raccoon Fighter live and we really enjoyed their set. The band, which seems to have a fluctuating number of members, played as a two-piece this particular night and really nailed it. Their energetic bluesy brand of rock was extremely entertaining and we look forward to hearing more from them in the future.

Boy Genius is a band we’ve covered in the past, but this was our first time actually putting a show together with them — a long time coming. They seem to get better each time we see and hear them and this night was no exception. It was our favorite set of theirs yet and we were extremely happy with how well their sound fit in at the new venue. They’ve got a new full-length coming out that we’ve been wrapping our ears around — a really nice piece of work produced with Mitch Easter, that we definitely recommend.

Jared Friedman is a close compatriot of ours that we’re always happy to hear and work with. We’ve had the pleasure of seeing and hearing him progress as a solo artist and with his country/folk rock trio, Holy Moly!, over the last couple of years and the guy just keeps getting better. He’s a gifted songwriter with an ever-growing voice.

Here are some photos from the night (with more on Flickr) and mp3s by the artists:

Jared Friedman
mp3: “What You Get” by Holy Moly!

Boy Genius
mp3: “Radio Silence” by Boy Genius

Raccoon Fighter
mp3: “Rollin’ Wheel” by Raccoon Fighter

Tags: boy genius, fort useless, holy moly, jared friedman, raccoon fighter, stereoactivenyc presents

Ear Farm Holiday Party Tonight With Great Bands! // StereoactiveNYC DJs

The Ear Farm crew has put together a great show at Spike Hill tonight for their holiday party, featuring a few of our favorite local artists. We’re really looking forward to seeing the recently reclusive Mancino (9pm) for the first time in well over a year in addition to the great Takka Takka (10pm) and Goes Cube (11pm). Also playing is Moser’s Gambit (8pm), who we’re not familiar with, but we’re looking forward to seeing for the first time.

We’ll be DJing throughout the night, and plan to play a mix heavy with favorites from the closing decade, as well as a few well-placed holiday jams.

Oh, and the show is totally FREE — and not only FREE, but those Ear Farm dudes are actually going to give you something for showing up.

We have a feeling tonight is going to be a memorable night, so thanks to Ear Farm for inviting us to be a part of it.

mp3: “L’amour (Or Less)” by Mancino
mp3: “Homebreaker” by Takka Takka
mp3: “Goes Cube Song 30″ by Goes Cube

Tags: ear farm, goes cube, mancino, mosers gambit, spike hill, takka takka