One of the sweetest boys I’ve met in the past year is Meik Strapp. He comes out to all the shows I promote and is always up front taking photos and sharing them with the world. He’s like a cheerleader with a camera and a sweet wife. When he asked if he could contribute to Almacks, I was like “Duh!!!” So Meik went to the WBAR-BQ to check out a bagillion bands despite being under the weather. I think I might have to check out a few of these bands next time they play.

[review and photos after the jump]

Well, I’m writing this already knowing that Saturday morning will be beginning with a massive hangover. So let’s just recap a fun filled day that was spent at the Campus of Barnard College in NYC. It was very beautiful day that would eventually turn pretty cold a breezy, probably should have brought a jacket with me. I headed over to their 117th street campus right near Columbia. It’s a bit of an oasis of trees. A bit of a hike from JERS to the upper west but no problems. I was not sure what I was getting myself in to if the show was going to be packed or empty. Festivals or big shows are always tricky especially if you are not familiar with all the bands or they don’t introduce themselves. You’ll be asking the person next to you or running up to a band member after that finish their set saying “Hey great show, What’s your band called?”

WBAR, the Barnard College Radio Station, celebrated it’s 15th anniversary with another WBAR-BQ. And they delivered with Chicken, Ribs, burgers, veggie patties and so much more. I’m just still miffed by the fact they had 2 proper mobile PA’s. That’s some high-end audio action going on there. The crowd was a unique blend of college kids. There was probably a bunch of randoms like me thrown in to the mix. At times it felt like a Ray-Ban convention. I’m surprised that I didn’t lose my Fred Flare Knockoffs. Kids were dressed part BK, with a dash of Mary Kate and a sprinkle of Rivers Cuomo. You see I have this really creepy quality that my wife and I share. We visit college campuses all over the country and get either jerseys, shirts, or hoodies. I may at times take this one step further by pretending that I am actually a student at said at university or at least someone of the surrounding community. I think I’ll get arrested though if I actually step foot in a classroom and I’m not an official paying student. I don’t know if I want to find out.

The college and station delivered on the BBQ side of the show with plenty of food to chomp on. WBAR was playing tunes in-between sets and even had a couple of their DJ’s trying to mix during the interludes. I swore I saw a couple boss foot pedals hooked up to the mixer and even a drum machine. It was a little daring for them to take the Ed Banger route but it worked at times. Slowing up and speeding down the tracks or distorting vocals of very interesting loops from film or TV. I saw one of the DJ’s chain smoking like XAVIER de ROSNAY from Justice. I think it’s goes left right left right, inhale, inhale, cross-fade, inhale inhale, cross-fade back and exhale. But here’s a look at some of the bands I went to see and others that randomly caught my ear’s attention.

Early on during the day we saw some campus bands and interesting music projects. One notable project, Liturgy was this long haired kid with stacks of amps and plenty of pedals.

He wielded a Gibson SG and played some disgustingly sick metal riffs. For not having a drummer he put on a sick show that grew some big attention and response from the students. During one of the songs he did a Gregorian-esque chant for which he recorded and looped 5 or more layers which made his sound grow stronger and stronger. Once the loop was tight he just started thrashing away. He was actually overpowering the sounds of jackhammers from the nearby construction site. I was having trouble trying to sum up the sound. I think I called it Algebraic metal. Since he was dealing with constants, variables, and fractions. Some comparisons could be made between Liturgy and TV on the Radio. Though Liturgy is just a 1 man project. If he only had a drummer, wow!

Les Sans Coulettes were a fun set for the day as it was starting to get cloudy.

A band with some high energy and glam. Their sound was Britty French pop and layers of vocals familiar to the Pipettes. Some where between the Scissor Sisters and Fleetwood Mac. I know that’s going out on a limb but I’m ready to tussle. They had me when they performed “My Sharona” and “These boots are made for walking” in French. They were a group with unique style in scarves and leisure shirts but the vocals stole the show. Their bassist was kinda cut too. If I wasn’t married I probably would have gone up to her after their set and re-enacted the French Song” Foo Do FA Fa” from Flight of the Conchords. Sometimes I consider myself to be a miniature version of Jemaine especially because Kebabs are just so delicious. Les Sans Coulettes can always share a bottle of wine with me.

Some time around 4:15pm the bearded southern boys of MegaFaun took over the cement stage.

They played folky rock with a sound similar to Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. They infuse elements of bluegrass, country and rock that meld together nicely. During their set their singer/banjo player shocked himself a couple times by leaning on the mic stand. This lead him recall a SXSW story in which that happened and shocked his arm so bad it sprung off the neck of his guitar mid solo.

They had some fun stories along with unique ways of getting the audience involved wether it was handing out shakers, started a crowd sing-a-long or even unplugging and playing in the crowd. The only thing creepy about them is that I have friends from school who look exactly like them but without beards. Quite Bizarro. I usually pair bands with a bevy, so MegaFaun would go good with some Sour Mash or some tobacco infused moonshine. Bonus points for just walking off the stage during the middle of the last song and carrying it in to the field. See!

Tickly Feather was so cute and amazing.

If Bjork and Imogen Heap were the same person it would be her. I think I called her the female Dan Deacon but better looking and not sweaty and also a girl. Drum machine, Casio keyboard, and a bunch of effects. Her performance incorporated some 8-bit elements and even had some sounds that would resemble DNTEL or the Postel Service. She probably said one of the funniest quotes of the show. She said “I felt glad about those two songs cause the heroin just kicked, just kidding” She was also very happy to be playing the ditch stage.

I missed half of her set due to allergies and a need for afternoon pick me up. So I galloped off to the drug store and returned..

5:30 pm-ish Takka Takka walked on to the cement and played a very impressive set.

Being that it was on the campus quad some of the kids paid no mention and just passed through the stage. This led to some great eye contact conversation between Takka Takka members when one student missed knocking over an amp and pedals by inches. But they cheered up and marched on during their set. I believe their name is a reference to the Final Fantasy video game. No mystery in the music which was very clean and I think the lyrics even had a focus on life and relationships. I would definitely see these guys again. I give them credit as well since Gabriel Levine, lead singer-guitarist, was strumming the guitar and playing the keyboard with the middle finger of his right hand in a splint. Ouch. Well you couldn’t tell if you were just listening. Their singer Gabriel reminds me a little of Justin from Motion City Soundtrack in looks and how he can start off quiet and just explode during a song. A good band with no gimmicks. I like that a lot.

Crystal Stilts was another band I planned on seeing but had no idea what they looked liked.

Had I known they had a Dylanesque front-man it would have been much easier. They played 60ish brit pop. Full of echoes and psychodelic vocals. It’s probably more of a Doors sound that they bring to the stage rather than Dylan but it’s pleasing no matter what.. They had a standing drummer just like one of my favorite bands Art Brut.

She was feisty and beat the drums like they were dough. I didn’t catch their whole set but what I saw I was impressed with. Good music to get mellow with.

Cause Co-Motion! was the nerd-punk band of the day.

I don’t mean that to be insulting in anyway. Especially because I almost got my skull cracked by getting to close to their bass player who likes to move around on stage. They have a sound similar to Elvis Costello and some late 80’s punk. They play fast but mix the sound up with clean and distorted tones. I also really wanted to write about this band because of their drummer.

He reminded me of Rob Hitt back in the early Midtown days. You know the look short hair, glasses, and zip fleece vest. I am gonna get beat up by rob the next time he sees me By the way his kit was unique only consisting of a tom, snare and cymbal. I guess minimalism works. “Which way is up” was one of their songs that had me hooked during their set.

Awesome Color went on sometime around 7:30 pm.

A 3-piece group that was coming at you straight ahead with fiery drums, bass and guitar. They were very aggressive but tight with their movements. Their guitarist as shown here used an additional amp to force feedback through his guitar and use it kinda like a slide as you would in blues or jazz. So there is a practical use for mini amps after all. The drums and bass were in time and constantly pounding. They had energy that was explosive even with some of the new songs they played during the set. Think Local H meets Sebadoh and hangs out at BBQ . I just love the fact that their guitarist was wearing a Mighty Morphin Power Rangers t-shirt.

The Amp trick.

Around 8 pm-ish the Hawaiian styled group with a Magnum P.I. vibe called The Skaters took a kneel upon the cement stage.

I think they only played one really long song but the kids enjoyed the set as it was growing darker and later in the day. They used a pretty simple set up of Casio keyboards, pedals and a couple tribal drums. You don’t really miss the Skaters as they kinda look like they were ripped straight out of Napoleon Dynamite. The vocals were lo-fi and a bit spooky while they made their keyboards have sitar sounds which felt trippy and a bit spooky. I think there were even some beats that felt simple and gradually built up. I was definitely feeling my Redbull and Benadryl during their set. I adapted to the afternoon pick me due to my allergies. I have a feeling these guys either played Studio B or a High Voltage recently. If I’m wrong may I be demolished by the hand of Dimitry in another round of Guitar Hero online.

At 8:30 pm-ish Video Hippos took the ditch stage. Think back to the old days of warped tour before they had those proper stages. One stage was on cement, the other was to the right on a big mound of dirt. VH gave a slight vibe of an Art Band meets a multi-media powerpoint presentation.

2 guys, a drummer and guitarist, playing over a track of riffs, loops and weird informercials. One of the clips was showing how you needed to be responsible and aware when hypnotizing someone. It was high tempo music that felt weird outside on a college campus but worked. The guys used a giant screen projector which showed distorted and surreal images while playing some catchy tunes that at times could be considered jammy. The easiest comparison of their sound would be to some of the most recent breakdowns or interludes from Queens of the Stone Age all mixed together. For a duo their a sound that was very strong and they played with the crowd inches away. I always love drummers that play so hard you’re waiting for the snare drum to crack.

The only problem during their set was noise complaints started. Video Hippos had to keep turning down their volume and back track during the set. You can’t really turn down the drums when they’re not mic’d and the drummer beats the crap out of them. Oh and this is kind of how their set ended.

Seeing Japanther was one of the experiences that I have been waiting for the past two years. This Motley duo have their own PA and pay-phone receivers which they use instead of traditional microphones. It creates a crazy show that would make any ELKS lounge or VFW jealous for the amount of moshing or jumping around that is caused when any one of their songs begin. Japanther stared 1 minute after Video Hippos since they set up a secret stage to the side since they have all their own equipment. They started their set with a 6 or 7 minute spoken word piece with one of their older gentleman friends. For a couple moments I felt like I was going to be born again or what not. At least he didn’t yell out “I’ve a abandoned my boy”.

Fighting off complaints from the neighbors Japanther roared on even at times taunting security who kept having VIdeohippos turn down the music during their set. I think Japanther would nod their heads when asked and then turn the volume up. That did not stop the kids from getting rowdy and even a bit crazy. They packed in so tight that I was pretty sure my camera was going to be thrown to the ground and smashed. Taking that note I decided to peel off to the side as one kid tried crowd surfing 7 or 8 times.

So apparently these kids must have been building up some massive stress for finals at Barnard.

For a campus that has a no smoking policy, there was frantic energy and a smoke cloud surrounding the Japanther stage.

Did the show feel completely out of place? Yes. But was the vibe of the audience 100% sincere, you bet.

The day started off a little too early. Actually before I even arrived. But there was plenty of BBQ and sweat tunes to be tasted all day.

Time to rest.

Tags: , awesome color, barnard, cause co-motion, crystal stilts, japanther, les sans coulettes, liturgy, megafaun, meik strapp, takka takka, the skaters, tickly feather, video hippos, wbar-bq

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at 7:42 pm and is filed under Barnard College, Live Shows. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.