StereoactiveNYC

Live This Week: March 8-14 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

mp3: “Go” by Gold Streets (Monday)
mp3: “Over the Balcony” by Quiet Loudly (Monday)
mp3: “Filthy And Free” by Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers (Wednesday)
mp3: “Blame Love” by Boy Genius (Thursday)
mp3: “Future Tense” by Diehard (Thursday)
mp3: “Summer Jam” by Miniboone (Thursday)
mp3: “Rest For Now” by Scrambler Seequill (Thursday)
mp3: “I Am New Yorker” by Aldenbarton (Sunday)

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Also playing this week:

Drink Up Buttercup on MySpace (Friday)
Magnetic Island (Saturday)
Dust From A Thousand Years (Saturday)
Calves (Saturday)

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Visit our SHOWLIST for more information about these and other upcoming shows.

Tags: aldenbarton, boy genius, calves, diehard, drink up buttercup, dust from a thousand years, gold streets, magnetic island, miniboone, quiet loudly, scramblersequill, shilpa ray and her happy hookers

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

Live This Week: Mar 2-7 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

mp3: “51 Weeks, 7 Days” by Bottle Up And Go (Tuesday, Sunday)
mp3: “Sleepwalking” by The Jaguar Club (Tuesday, Friday)
mp3: “Summer Jam” by Miniboone (Wednesday)
mp3: “Kiss The Lawn Goodbye” by Spanish Prisoners (Wednesday)
mp3: “Over the Balcony” by Quiet Loudly (Thursday)
mp3: “I’m An Animal” by Shark? (Thursday)
mp3: “It Goes (Home)” by The Art Of Shooting(Thursday)
mp3: “Katsopolis” by Serica Ux (Friday)
mp3: “Vendela Vida” by Dinosaur Feathers (Friday)
mp3: “Goes Cube Song 30″ by Goes Cube (Friday)
mp3: “No Blood” by The Beets (Friday, Sunday)
mp3: “Call Me” by The Naked Hearts (Saturday)
mp3: “Rest For Now” by Scrambler Seequill(Saturday)
mp3: “Shape of Your Head” by The Binary Marketing Show (Saturday)

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Also playing this week:

Coyote Eyes on Myspace (Friday)
Libel on Myspace (Sunday)

Visit our SHOWLIST for more information about these and other upcoming shows.

Tags: bottle up and go, coyote eyes, dinosaur feathers, goes cube, libel, miniboone, quiet loudly, scrambler seequill, serica ux, shark?, spanish prisoners, the art of shooting, the beets, the binary marketing show, the jaguar club, the naked hearts

Live This Week Feb 22-28 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

mp3: “You Can’t Do Much” by Bel Air (Monday)
mp3: “Rollin’ Wheel” by Raccoon Fighter (Monday)
mp3: “Shape of Your Head” by The Binary Marketing Show (Tuesday)
mp3: “Particle Beam Dream” by Jeff The Brotherhood (Tuesday)
mp3: “Bell” by Screaming Females (Tuesday)
mp3: “Go” by Gold Streets (Wednesday)
mp3: “I’m An Animal” by Shark? (Thursday)
mp3: “Developing Active People” by Via Audio (Thursday)
mp3: “Keep It To Yourself” by The Sundelles (Thursday)
mp3: “No Blood” by The Beets (Thursday)
mp3: “Pregnant Again” by Knight School (Thursday and Friday)
mp3: “Champagne And Cold Coffee” by El Jezel (Friday)
mp3: “Lovely Weather” by The Vandelles (Friday)
mp3: “Highway Scratch” by Sisters (Friday)
mp3: “Over the Balcony” by Quiet Loudly (Friday)
mp3: “Summer Jam” by Miniboone
mp3: “James’ Katie Mae” by Gabriel Miller-Phillips
mp3: “You Make Me Feel Like Hips” by Mama Bear (Saturday)
mp3: “No One’s Gotta Know” by pow wow! (Saturday)
mp3: “Know Too Much” by Turbo Fruits (Sunday)
mp3: “Beating St. Louis” by Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers (Sunday)

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Also playing this week:

Telltale on Myspace (Friday)

Visit our SHOWLIST for more information about these and other upcoming shows.

Tags: bel air, el jezel, gabriel miller-phillips, gold streets, jeff the brotherhood, knight school, mama bear, miniboone, pow wow!, quiet loudly, raccoon fighter, screaming females, shark?, shilpa ray and her happy hookers, sisters, telltale, the beets, the binary marketing show, the sundelles, the vandelles, turbo fruits, via audio

Review: Bel Air – Into The Sea

If you are looking for a new soundtrack to heartbreak, look no further than the just released (on 7″ vinyl) 2 song EP, Into The Sea, by Brooklyn-based band Bel Air. The twangy pop instrumentation underneath the melodic, easy vocals of Allison Langerak on “You Can’t Do Much” reminds us of the cruel paralysis of a broken heart and the hope that they still might come around: “Baby, Rescue Me/ You Know Where I Am”.  The song is accompanied by a Mazzy Star sort of arpeggiated guitar, but is driven by Langerak’s powerful sentiment. Hers is a bold, ready voice — more like Neko Case than Sandavol’s shy coquettish whisper.

Jeff Mensch’s title track, “Into the Sea,” sounds like an homage to early 90s REM, circa Life’s Rich Pageant and Out of Time, that narrates a story of wanting. The song sweeps you in and along for a languoring ride in folky woefulness, but with rays of hope that grab you in the belting of the chorus and throughout the harmonies. “I never thought this night could mean so much,” “Fall on Me/ Into the Sea” calls to mind that perfect night that maybe only happens once a lifetime.

Into The Sea, a successful and extremely listenable EP with an unashamed alternative college radio sound, reminds us of making out with our first love back in school. It was in a tree-house, there were braces, and we wore long sleeves to cover our hands. And now we can listen to Bel Air whenever we want to think of things that are true and beautiful like that magical night.

The band has graciously allowed us to offer both tracks here as mp3s:

mp3: “Into The Sea” by Bel Air

mp3: “You Can’t Do Much” by Bel Air

The band is playing tonight at Mercury Lounge in NYC; they’re on at 8pm.

Editor’s note: this is our first post by new contributor, Lora Grillo. Thanks, Lora!

Tags: bel air, into the sea

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

Scrambler Seequill Release New Album / Show Tonight + mp3s

Whereas many bands seem to be concerned with taking something pretty-sounding and making it dissonant, Scrambler Seequill has an interesting way of taking dissonance and making it sound pretty. They’re adept at mixing different textures and sounds — big drums, electronic bits and blips, thoughtfully-played spaghetti western guitars, dreamy reverb vocals, string orchestration — as if assembling a collage made up of sounds they’ve torn apart and recomposed to their distinct liking along with whatever interesting outside fragments they’ve discovered in the process. There’s a certain sense of curiosity built in to much of the music, like they were constantly just trying things out as they went, that makes it all seem somewhat lighthearted even as there’s a sense of interesting murkiness that seems to come from the knowledge that maybe the chance they’re taking might not work out. But they try things out anyway and are better for it.

Scrambler Seequill is playing tonight at Littlefield to celebrate the release of the album. And here are a couple of preview tracks for you to sample:

mp3: “Rest For Now” by Scrambler Seequill

mp3: “One Design” by Scrambler Seequill

You can also get a couple of more free downloads and preview the entire album via bandcamp.

Tags: littlefield, scrambler seequill, secret passageways