StereoactiveNYC

Fri, 4/9 – Locket + Miniboone – Fort Useless

Sat, 3/13: Magnetic Island + Dust From A Thousand Years + Calves @ Fort Useless (STEREOACTIVENYC)

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)

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

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

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

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

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

Photos: Mama Bear & The Power Bottumz at the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase

Mama Bear got things off to a great start on Saturday night at our official CMJ showcase at the Delancey. Their energetic, spirited set of twang-tinged rock got the sizable group of early show-goers moving with ease. Above and below are photos from the show (with a few more available on Flickr):

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

Kittens Ablaze // StereoactiveNYC CMJ Showcase Preview

Kittens Ablaze are five musicians that equal one giant ball of energy and enthusiasm. Every time we’ve seen them live, we’ve wondered about how much coffee they must consume to put on their raucous brand of slightly-folk-inspired, slightly-punk-inspired rock. We think they’re a little bit like goldfish in that they grow to the size of the space they’re in — except they don’t stop growing as they hit the glass of their bowl, they just keep expanding and bust through it. So watch out for flying glass and water…

They’re playing the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase at the Delancey on Saturday at 1am. Here’s an mp3 for your preview enjoyment:

mp3: “This Machine Is Dying” by Kittens Ablaze

And here’s what CMJ says:

“Punk-rock songwriting with alt-country instrumentation and pop sensibilities.”

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The Binary Marketing Show // StereoactiveNYC CMJ Showcase Preview

The Binary Marketing Show has been a real favorite of ours lately. They were first recommended to us by a friend earlier in the year and we finally saw them live in September. If forced to compare them to another band, we’d first mention Animal Collective just because most people have a sense of what they’re about, but Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 is probably much more apt. The way they weave live guitars with loops and other effects, as well as some perfectly placed live percussion (including floor tom, snare, and lone cymbal) is both musically impressive and entertainingly captivating in a way many other groups with similar live set-ups fail to achieve outside a studio. We think they’re going to make for an excellent close to the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase at the Delancey on Saturday when they go on at 2am and hope you’ll join us to perhaps close out your CMJ experience. Here’s a particularly great track from their excellent album, Patterns:

mp3: “Shape of Your Head” b y The Binary Marketing Show

And here’s what CMJ had to say about them:

“Experimental rock strengthened with electronic polyrhythmic percussion and off-kilter vocals.”

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The Jaguar Club // StereoactiveNYC CMJ Showcase Preview

The Jaguar Club is on a hot streak of late with a well-received and excellent album recently released and a successful tour they just recently returned from. And it’s all well-deserved. Here’s what we said about them when we first featured them last year:

“The Jaguar Club is a three-piece — wait, now a four-piece — Brooklyn band that plays New Wave-inflected, forward moving rock. The guys put on a fun and energetic show…”

We’re excited to have them play the StereoactiveNYC Official CMJ Showcase at the Delancey on Saturday — they’re on at 9pm. Here’s a track from their recent full-length release:

mp3: “Sleepwalking” by The Jaguar Club

And here’s what CMJ had to say about them:

“Rough garage rock with jangly guitars,thumping drums, and charisma. Confidence in rock form.”

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