StereoactiveNYC

Sun, 8/1 – Songwriters Salon #7 – Fort Useless

Sat, 5/15: Bel Air + Holy Moly + Mama Bear @ Fort Useless

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

Live This Week: May 11-16 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

mp3: “History Lessons” by Dinosaur Feathers (Tuesday)
mp3: “Stand Where I Can See You” by She Keeps Bees (Wednesday)
mp3: “I’m An Animal” by Shark? (Thursday)
mp3: “L’amour (Or Less)” by Mancino (Thursday)
mp3: “Fifty Fourtenners” by Milagres (formerly The Secret Life Of Sofia) (Thursday)
mp3: “A Dream” (Lou Reed & John Cale) by Magnetic Island (Friday)
mp3: “Short Name” by Pet Ghost Project (Friday)
mp3: “Supernova” by Quilty (Friday)
mp3: “Summer Jam” by Miniboone (Friday)
mp3: “Doggy Head” by Drink Up Buttercup (Friday)
mp3: “What You Get” by Holy Moly (Saturday)
mp3: “Look Good Future, Part II” by Mama Bear (Saturday)
mp3: “Into The Sea” by Bel Air (Saturday)

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Also playing this week:

Hank And Cupcakes (Wednesday)

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

Wed, 4/14: Mama Bear (RELEASE SHOW) + Spanish Prisoners @ The Studio At Webster Hall

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

Live This Week: April 12-18 /// mp3 Mix

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Here are mp3s by some artists playing live this week:

mp3: “Future Tense” by Diehard (Monday)
mp3: “Go” by Gold Streets (Tuesday)
mp3: “Look Good Future, Part II” by Mama Bear (Wednesday)
mp3: “Kiss The Lawn Goodbye” by Spanish Prisoners (Wednesday)
mp3: “51 Weeks, 7 Days” by Bottle Up And Go (Wednesday, Thursday)
mp3: “Highway Scratch” by Sisters (Thursday, Saturday)
mp3: “Goes Cube Song 30″ by Goes Cube (Friday)
mp3: “Blame Love” by Boy Genius (Friday)
mp3: “Short Name” by Pet Ghost Project (Friday, Saturday)
mp3: “Developing Active People” by Via Audio (Saturday)
mp3: “Over the Balcony” by Quiet Loudly (Saturday)
mp3: “No Blood” by The Beets (Saturday)
mp3: “I’m An Animal” by Shark? (Saturday)

Also playing this week:

Bridges And Powerlines on MySpace (Tuesday)

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

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)