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

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

Photos: The Jaguar Club at the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase

The Jaguar Club played perhaps the best set we’ve heard from them yet at our CMJ showcase. Above and below are photos from the show (with more available on Flickr):

• More photos from the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase are HERE
• More photos from CMJ 2009 are HERE

Tags: cmj 2009, stereoactivenyc presents, the delancey, the jaguar club

Photos: Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers at the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase

Shilpa Ray And Her Happy Hookers played a ferocious set at our CMJ showcase that pretty much blew everyone watching away. The photos above and below are from their set (with more available on Flickr):

• More photos from the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase are HERE
• More photos from CMJ 2009 are HERE

Tags: cmj 2009, shilpa ray and her happy hookers, stereoactivenyc presents, the delancey

Photos: Locket at the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase

Locket took to the stage on Saturday night at the Delancey to play what we consider the best set we’ve heard from them yet — that it was at our CMJ showcase made it all the more enjoyable. The photos above and below are from their set (and also available on Flickr).

• More photos from the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase are HERE
• More photos from CMJ 2009 are HERE

Tags: cmj 2009, locket, stereoactivenyc presents, the delancey