Wine Noodle Baby Marco Wine Noodle Casserole Weekend 2013

Wine Noodle Baby Marco Wine Noodle Casserole Weekend 2013:
God Street Wine, 1/24/13, Terrapin Crossroads, San Rafael, CA
American Babies & Bustle In Your Hedgerow, 1/25/13, Brooklyn Bowl, NYC
God Street Wine, 1/26/13, Terrapin Crossroads, San Rafael, CA



"Dan is pretty like a bitch" -A.F.P.
-------

"We're like licorice. Not everybody likes licorice,
but the people who like licorice really like licorice."- Jerry Garcia
Before we begin, I'd like to explore the above Jerry Garcia quote (thanks to Eliot for the quote) as an introduction for anyone who is unfamiliar with my stance on the Grateful Dead. I hate licorice. If I see a black Jelly Bean, I either segregate it into a separate pile, or avoid it entirely, leaving it in the bag, and watching as 1 black Jelly Bean turns to 2, turns to 4, 8, 16, causing me to dig deeper into the bag to avoid them as they slowly grow in population and become a total score for the type of person who is into that sort of terrible thing. Oh, I've tried. Maaaybe this time I'll finally like the dusty black Necco wafer or a quick sip of Sambuca-- maaaaybe I've finally grown into it. And then I invariably gag and sometimes vomit a little in my mouth.

But I do happen to love Fennel, and have always enjoyed Yonder Mountain String Band's cover of Althea.

My point is, and keep this in mind as you read on, Jerry was right. Are we good now?

THURSDAY, 1/24/13

For one reason or another, I was not destined to be at God Street Wine's 3 Terrapin Crossroads Rambles, and while it wasn't missing the Rambles part that saddened me (see above), missing the 3 opening sets of GSW would be difficult. However, technology is grand, and a well-produced webstream would help lessen the blow. YAY, ROBOTS!

Yay, GSW in my pajamas (now I know how Hidden Track's Scotty Bernstein felt on Jamcruise!)! Yay delicious gluten-free beer! Yay webstream! When the webcast began, the camera was set on a Chandelier for approximately 10 minutes of live, streaming, unedited Chandelier footage. Feel the excitement! It didn't take long before I became invested in the subject. What's gonna happen with the Chandelier? Will any glowsticks hit it? Will Budke do a one-armed Tarzan Swing across the screen on it? If I cross my eyes and look past the Chandelier, will Jerry appear in the crystals? So many possibilities, and yet, absolutely nothing happened with the Chandelier. It was one of the worst Reality Shows I've ever seen.


Which is why I was extra super psyched when God Street Wine finally came out and started to dust off the cobwebs. Since their shows are getting closer and closer together, the magic is catalyzed more quickly. I felt it kick in somewhere in the bounciness of Drive West. But I didn't get up to dance until Chop! Borderline was fun. Call It Love had some sweet Mookie Moments, Crazy Head will forever transport me to a basement in New Jersey-- this is either SuperWino Paul Ducharme's spirit, or there is still black mold in my lungs. Probably both. -> Gretchen, which was the end of the set. Too soon. Not fair. God Street Wine bumped for Chandeliers Gone Wild.





The rest of the evening featured members of GSW sitting in with Phil Lesh, Jeff Chimenti, John Kadlecik, and Bob Weir. Whenever things got excessively noodly (multiple times), or whenever I started to feel agitated (often), I would get up and walk away for a while. I played tug-o-war with the dog^, ate some crackers, got another beer, and watched the replay of John Kerry calling out Senator Ron Johnson for missing a classified Benghazi briefing that would have seemingly answered so many of the questions he keeps demanding answers to, and played out a little like flicking a mosquito off of your arm the second it tries to suck out your blood. "WTF?" *FLICK!*



There was some fun commentary happening over at facebook amongst many Winos that was helping keep my attention span focused, including the below gem that earned itself: QUOTE OF THE TOUR! Congratulations, A. F. P.! Your prize is endless pride and eternal bloggy glory!


I enjoyed whenever Lo or Aaron sang, especially on the Beatles covers. And Aaron on Into the Mystic. Swoooon. See? I can be Diplomatic.

1/24/13
God Street Wine: Waiting For The Tide > Driving West, Chop*, Borderline*, Call It Love, Crazy Head > Goodnight Gretchen
* – w/ Jeff Chimenti

Phil & Winos Set One: Here Comes the Sun, Dear Mr Fantasy, Into The Mystic, Let It Be, So Many Roads, Here Comes Sunshine, Ripple
Phil, Bobby & Winos Set Two: Help On the Way > Slipknot!, Golden Road, Bird Song > Days Between > Golden Slumbers > Not Fade Away, Eyes of the World > China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Sugar Magnolia
Encore: Box of Rain > The End > Imagine

FRIDAY, 1/25/13

Here's where I decided to mix it up. Clear my head, as it were. Missing God Street Wine would be painful, but missing American Babies and (All-Star Led Zeppelin Tribute Band) Bustle In Your Hedgerow at Brooklyn Bowl would have just been plain stupid. American Babies came out swinging and opened the show with a killer set of straightforward, honest-to-goodness, powerful, American Rock Music. It's so good. So so good. And Swimming At Night? I just. GAH. They were joined by previous & sometimes-bonus-member, Nick Bockrath (Nicos Gun), who was sporting a zazzy 3-Wolves-esque sweater, and whom they should just kidnap to go on tour with them all the time, forever.




Led Zeppelin is one of my favorite bands of all time, so when a crew like Bustle In Your Hedgerow (Marco Benevento, Joe Russo, Scott Metzger, & Dave Dreiwitz) get together to mold the tunes into some strange shapes that only they alone are capable of formulating, I can totally dig into it. And I was totally digging into it, when someone said that the same exact crew + Tom Hamilton from American Babies would be doing two sets of Grateful Dead covers the next night as "Joe Russo's Almost Dead". That's when Caroline mentioned out loud to the wrong company that I don't like the Grateful Dead -> certain specific people were horrified -> the dreaded lecturing began anew -> attempted full-on Grateful Dead Intervention. I eventually squirmed my way out of the discussion with some bowling. Bustle were awesome, because Bustle are awesome. The big booty ass shaking dance competition that started at midnight was confusing and I wish I could erase those images from my mind. Please send Moonshine immediately.

For a 2nd day in a row, I was up until 5AM catching up with all the Wino Action on the West Coast. Missing Light My Candles and Hey Joe were a kicker. And the God Street opener seemed like an interesting choice cuz that song always feels a bit Wino-erudite, but the message is definitely clear: "Take me down, way down to God Street".

I didn't keep a Babies or Bustle setlist, and Big Freedia's Bounce Show replaced song titles with visions of a Post-Apocalyptic world I never want to live in.

1/25/13
God Street Wine Set: God Street, Light My Candles, Wall, The Ballroom > Epiphany > Bring Back The News, Hey Joe* > Get On The Train*
* – w/ John Kadlecik and Jeff Chimenti

Phil & Friends Set One: Viola Lee Blues, He’s Gone, Loser, Simple Twist of Fate, It Must Have Been The Roses, Pride of Cucamonga, Casey Jones
Phil & Friends Set Two: Slipknot! > Franklins Tower> Hey Pocky Way, Scarlet Begonias > Jam (wheel tease ) > Late In The Evening , Uncle John’s Band > The Wheel > The Other One > Fire on the Mountain
Encore: Tangled Up In Blue

SATURDAY, 1/26/13

Tired. Happy. And then a terrible flashback of Big Freedia that reminded me we are doomed as a society. Good for them, though.

I ate like 3 bowls of cereal. I don't know what happened the rest of the day. At 10PM I was pumped and ready for Lil' Chandy Boo Boo, the name I came up with for the 10 minutes of live Chandelier stream that was up while I waited for GSW to hit the stage. On this episode, Chandy Boo Boo's Mama Joon told her to quit sassin' her Elders, before cooking up some butter, ketchup, Hi-C, Lawry's Seasoning Salt, and the 500 year old Tortoise she had accidentally done run over with a forklift at the Animal Sanctuary the Producers arranged for them to take a trip to. I had some trouble following the plot, but the subtitles helped, and it was definitely better than the first episode about the bees, I'll give it that.

Epilog started the set, and it was gorgeous. Mile x Mile was clear and bouncy. And what happened during Cheap Utah Blues, is why God Street Wine should be required to play multiple days in a row, several times, every year. Goosebumps. Yummy. Fortress of Solitude was very deep and tasty as well, and then -> Other Shore!!! I finally got off my ass and started to dance! And then the stream crashed.

…

AND THEN, THE FUCKING STREAM CRASHED. The next few minutes were an angry struggle of troubleshooting, cursing at robots, switching browsers, threatening to kick Phil Lesh in the nuts-- but the only temporary immediate fix seemed to be refreshing the page, and getting a 15-30 second chunk, before the stream would shit out again for what seemed like FOREVER, until I could refresh and get another 15-30 second chunk, and just when my hopes would get up that the person responsible for this error had finally discovered and corrected it--- it would shit out again.

I am going to kick this stream in the nuts. #godstreetwine
— Lynn Kestenbaum (@lynnguppy) January 27, 2013

So, I knew they were playing Lighthouse, which made me even angrier, because I love that song, and was only able to enjoy maaaybe like 1 minute of it total, in 5+ separated chunks of various duration, each slightly longer than the previous chunk, just to twist the knife a little more each time. And all I kept thinking was, "They're not going to fix this until it's time for Lil' Fucking Chandy Boo Boo. Those fucking motherfuckers!" Eventually, the stream magically re-appeared for the very end of Imogene, which was the last song of GSW's last set of the January 2013 run. At least I got to hear the Imogene jam up to Aaron's last impassioned "YEAH!" to send me off.

FUCK YOU, CHANDELIER!!! ONE MORE SET!!! #godstreetwine
— Lynn Kestenbaum (@lynnguppy) January 27, 2013

Whatchoo Gonna Do About It? Well, I got a new beer, and Lil' Chandy Boo Boo won top pig at the County Fair. Thing is-- the pig was actually a nutria in a sassy wig the entire time! Hooooo-ey!

Highlights of the Ramble portion of the evening: Althea w/ Lo on vocals (I'm not a robot, people). An energetic Won't Get Fooled Again (sick--- but not as sick as the one in August-- as if that could ever be topped). At some point Tomo started doing a drum fill (I don't know what song), and Lesh suddenly looked up and flashed this genuinely impressed and like, "WHO THE FUCK IS THIS GUY?" look right at Tomo while he's watching him play, and at that very second, Tomo looked up, saw Lesh watching him with aforementioned look on his face, and then Tomo burst into this glowing look of a 10 year old who just impressed his Hero, which was just REALLY FUCKING COOL to watch. And then everyone shredded out a killer I Am The Walrus (with Lo on vocals) for a truly great ending.







1/26/13
GSW Set: Epilog, Mile By Mile, Cheap Utah Blues, Fortress of Solitude (w/ John Kadlecik) > Other Shore > Lighthouse, Imogene

Ramble Set One (Lesh, Chimenti, Kadlecik, Faber, Maxwell, Osander and Crosby on keys except where noted): Alabama Getaway (JK), Althea (LF) %$, Brown-Eyed Women (JK) %#, Mama Tried (LF) %$, Ramble On Rose (JK) $, High Time (LF) $, Sugaree (AM)
Ramble Set Two (Lesh, Chimenti, Kadlecik, Faber, Maxwell, Osander and Crosby on keys except where noted): Bertha (JK), Don’t Ease Me In (JK) $, Jack Straw (LF) $, Shakedown Street (JK), New Speedway Boogie (AM) $, Wharf Rat (JK) $, St. Stephen (JK, PL, AM), Won’t Get Fooled Again (LF) > % Going Down the Road Feeling Bad (JK, PL, AM) $%
Encore : I am the Walrus (LF) %$

$ Jason Crosby on fiddle
% with Jon Bevo – keyboards
# no Jason Crosby

And like that -- *poof* -- they're gone. *CELLO STING*

THE AFTERMATH AND BEYOND.

It's been a couple of days. My brain is starting to feel considerably less scrambled, my body clock is slowly un-reversing itself, I'm becoming less curious about what the Chandelier has been up to, and the Adrenaline from coming down off such an emotionally charged live music happening is very slowly working it's way out of my system.

God Street Wine as God Street Wine was my favorite part of these shows. I wish they had more set time, because it's such a rare occasion that they can get together, and just as it was getting hot-- they had to stop. Anticlimactic. I'm really happy they got the invitation to participate in something so special, to have so much fun, play such intimate shows while collaborating with their musical heroes, and entertain so many people. Kudos to Lo, Aaron, Jason^^, and ESPECIALLY Tomo, for rocking out every single fucking song in the run. Watching Tomo grind it out was fantastic! I definitely missed Dan on Bass during the Ramble sets- it felt weird not having him up there at all (like, put dude on background vocals or give him a Triangle or something, amiright?). And while I absolutely love Bevo's new spinoff with Lil' Chandy Boo Boo, I don't think anyone has seriously considered his safety or well-being, and worry the massive Red Bull & Gogurt intake may actually kill him.


Thanks to GSW for playing! Thanks to Terrapin & Phil & Friends for asking them! Hey-- maybe next time they can arrange a Ramble with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin!  Lo on Tangerine!!! Tomo on Moby Dick!! ...  Anyone?  Someone get on it!

It's my blog and I don't have to assign a numerical amount of HUZZAHS if I don't want to, but truth be told, I can't do Math quite yet.

There are definitely ripped copies of the Terrapin shows floating around and you can currently find various resources to download them via the friendly Winos over at BBGSW: https://www.facebook.com/groups/godstreetwine/.  Hopefully they will also end up on etree or the archive very soon.

American Babies, 1/25/13, Brooklyn Bowl, NYC: DOWNLOAD THE SHOW
Bustle In Your Hedgerow, 1/25/13, Brooklyn Bowl, NYC: DOWNLOAD THE SHOW
Thanks, Taper Scott Bernstein!!!

The Aforementioned Joe Russo's Almost Dead, who also played on 1/26/13 at Brooklyn Bowl, and apparently crushed it. The clip I heard of Viola Lee Blues was pretty great, the guitars were shreddy, and Tom from the Babies did an incredible job on the vocals-- but a Spoonful of Sugar always helps the medicine go down. Long live the Fennel Clause!  DOWNLOAD IT: Thanks, NYC Taper!



^ Dog Training Tip: Never play tug-o-war with a dog, unless you plan on winning.
^^ Jason Crosby played on almost every single song. Close enough!

Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends -> They Might Be Giants -> American Babies, 7/29/11

7/29/11:
Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends -> They Might Be Giants, Williamsburg Waterfront, Brooklyn
-> American Babies, Rockwood Music Hall, NYC


Better late than never, eh? My sneakers finally dried from this episode, so I suppose that means it's time to write the review!

Well, I sure know where I like to head when there's a Tornado Watch hovering over the Tri-State area-- and that's the Brooklyn Waterfront! Why not, right? An open park on a slab of concrete with a giant stage full of electronic equipment seems like a perfectly reasonable destination as the newsradio Meteorologist announces the appearance of "definite rotation detected in the clouds" heading your way. I packed a change of clothes, extra shoes, and then remembered to go back into the house to grab SuperPoncho (holy shit!!! now on sale!!! ACT FAST!). I mean-- might as well try to stay dry? Maybe? Fucking Live Music.

"We take you to Brooklyn". The line stretched for blocks up Kent Ave., but was definitely moving more quickly than the Faith No More line of summer 2010 (also, less angry energy). Hipsters Hipsters everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Except for all the Beer in the Beer Garden. And the tequila in the flask. Oh, and the massive shitstorm of water that eventually began falling from above.


Eugene Mirman, comic genius, and his magical group of Pretty Good Friends, opened the show. I'm not sure if its the cultural identification, but Eugene Mirman is one funny motherfucker. His MC work was fluid & smart. He brought along some new suggestions for Tanqueray Gin's "Tonight We Tanqueray" marketing campaign. Having officially banned Gin from my body years ago, I'm here to tell you that these catchy phrases were well-conceptualized and mightily appreciated by everyone with a similar background. My favorite was, "Tonight We Tanqueray… Tomorrow, we stop by Planned Parenthood on the way to work." Eugene Mirman RULES!

Kristen Schaal was working through her set, which included reading an excerpt from her book about her taint (the excerpt, that is-- as far as I know the whole book, The Sexy Book of Sexy Sex, covers more ground than her taint… *rimshot*) when the shitstorms began. Picture 3000 or so nerds with short attention spans, distracted, speechless, and looking upwards at 3 weatherfronts converging directly above our heads-- knowing exactly what is about to happen. Sets of swirling dark clouds, coming from 3 separate directions, and jumbo gumball sized (the 50¢ ones) drops of rain hurling towards us. The SuperPoncho was already on. My Festival Spidey Sense was tingling. "I should take off my shoes." I didn't take off my shoes. Please note: I should have taken off my shoes. Then came the flood. From the sky. A flood fell from the sky. On us.

Schaal tried to keep us entertained, but it would be a challenge. Maybe she was channeling Seth Herzog, I don't know, but Irene Cara's What a Feeling from Flashdance started blasting over the PA and Kristen ripped off her black dress, revealing a different, full outfit- a skirt and tank top, grabbed a folding chair, and re-enacted the famous dance scene from the film, which climaxed as she yanked on a piece of rope held by Eugene Mirman, who would immediately dump an aluminum pail of water onto her chair-splayed body. Then they did it a few more times, as the song is very long. Mirman was methodically opening and pouring one new plastic bottle of water into the pail for each take, as rain fell in sheets off the stage's roof. It was fucking awesome. They brought it. Thank you, Kristen Schaal & Eugene Mirman!

The rain died down for a while and we were treated to the very pale, Jim Gaffigan. Acoustics in the beer garden being what they are (terrible), I had some trouble hearing Jim's wonderful whispery comedic stylings. This was soon made impossible by the next set of torrential downpours. Enough rain accumulated on the cement and was pouring off towards the East River, that at any given moment you could look down and you were standing in no less than an inch of water.

I really should have just taken off my shoes in the first place and hidden them in Das SuperPoncho (it's got a giant kangaroo pouch). Did I mention the rubber boots in my car? There were rubber boots in the car. It was too hot to walk around in rubber boots. Todd Barry inherited a hell of a situation and I love the guy, but have no idea what went on during his set due to aforementioned volume of storm.

Hern: I think we're gonna get rained on at moe.down this year.
*THUNDER CRACKING* *RAIN POURING*
Lynn: WHAAAT??
*THUNDER CRACKING* *RAIN POURING*
Hern: I SAID-- I THINK WE'RE GONNA GET RAINED ON AT MOE.DOWN THIS YEAR!!
*THUNDER CRACKING* *RAIN POURING*
Lynn: GEE… (*THUNDER CRACKING* *RAIN POURING*) WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT?Oooooh, and as the storm subsided, we were treated to a fabulous surprise-- PATTON OSWALT!!! YAAAAAAY!!!! It was his turn to try and make 3000 drenched people happy. He reminisced about walking his dog one day in NYC and accidentally interrupting two crackheads mid-BJ. Patton is awesome and I heart him.


There was a musical comedy act, but I honestly have no idea what actually went on after Patton, because I'd stopped paying attention as I started getting drunk. Eventually the skies cleared, revealing the picturesque Manhattan skyline that had disappeared for the better part of an hour. The squishiness was unbearable, so I took off my shoes and socks. That's right. Williamsburg Waterfront, barefoot. Suck it, Hipsters! SuperPoncho fared me pretty well. It's weird the way it works though, you can still feel the weight of the wet, but you stay dry, though it's somewhat sticky with humidity on the inside. The majority of my crew (and the rest of the crowd) was unprepared, so they were soaked to the core. I would have taken a picture of Mern's hairy nipplage completely visible through his wet yellow t-shirt, but the taste of bile in the back of my mouth made reaching for a camera impossible.

Yes, tonight, They Might Be Giants would return to the site of their 1986-ish music video, Put Your Hand Inside The Puppet Head (which they did not play! BOO!!!)

Touch the puppet head.

Their setlist consisted of a few old favorites and then some of the newer stuff, including a handful off their new album Join Us. The new material was cute, but I (enjoy &) enjoyed the oldies more. Ana Ng fucking ROCKED the Waterfront. Ana Ng is the first TMBG song I'd ever heard, watching MTV at the age of 10. Look at me now! It gave the drippy crowd an obvious and well-needed energy boost. More of that, please! The Avatars of They (sock puppets-- their album drops in 2012) performed the song Spoiler Alert on the big screen. Puppet show under the stars. This is the weirdness TMBG fans have grown to love. It was a sweet treat. As was the FIIIIIINGERTIIIIIPS encore. I was totally into that. "What's that bluuuue thing doooing heeeeeere?"

The Avatars of They (who's album will be released in 2012) perform Spoiler Alert (footage courtesy of vvedge1138)

Seeing a show with wet bare feet at the Williamsburg Waterfront is kind of yucky-- I definitely wouldn't recommend it. It would have been nice to get situated closer to the stage, but that would have meant risking serious injury. Still, barefoot on damp cement is way more comfortable than waterlogged sneakers any day of the week. Even Tuesday. I had to put the kicks back on for the 5 block walk to the car. Despite the brilliant sound they made, it was totes bleeeah. Anyways, always listen to your Spidey Sense, kids. I should have taken my sneakers off before the rain. Let us all learn from my mistake. Look at this, I help people.


The last time I saw American Babies (7/16/11, Bearsville Theater), they asked that I use the word "fuck" more in my next review. Shit, I can do that. No fucking problem, boys!

Most of the crew were still soaked to the bone and desperately wanted to go home. Fucking lame. But there was one Trooper. One… El "Pukebutt" Herno.

Hern: I'm soaked.
Lynn: Yes, but you're coming to American Babies!
Hern: I'm going to get Pneumonia.
Lynn: If you're going to get Pneumonia, you've already got it! You're coming to see American Babies!
Hern: I am going to see American Babies.El Herno was in! He tried to dry his Smartwool socks by dangling them out the passenger window during the drive over the Williamsburg Bridge, which was pretty fucking pointless, as the humidity was about 100%, and it was a losing battle. I tried to talk him into getting those pretty little embroidered Chinese Slippers they sell in the bodegas for $3, or even just some fucking flip-flops, but he refused. My feet dried in the a/c and I put on my sandals.

Rockwood Music Hall was fucking PACKED. I quickly bought Hern a beer for his valiant efforts. We found a sweet fucking spot on the railing and the Behbies hit the stage running. They had an hour to seduce the room. Forget seduction, they fucking fucked our earholes hard, with sweet fucking rock music. NYC is full of entertainment on any given night. There's always a show that's an Insider's hot spot. Someplace the real shit is going down. You only know it's really happening when you feel that special tingly late-night NYC magic in the air. This was that special fucking place. This was that special fucking show… for at least an hour. And what an hour it was! THE FUCKING WORLD NEEDS MORE BEHBIES!!!! I totally didn't keep a setlist, but shit was fucking solid & tight-- TRUST ME. GO SEE THIS FUCKING BAND.


For me, seeing American Babies while wearing a pair of Birkenstocks was a little fucking weird (not just because the a/c was making my toes cold) and for some reason I felt the need to apologize to the band about it. Hern felt wet and cold. Despite that, he enjoyed the show and really liked the songs. Score one for the Grape Drink! Fearing he'd blame American Babies and never see them again (it was important to leave this on a high note) if he did in fact come down with Pneumonia (he did not), I promised him a ride home to try and minimalize any more exposure that might push it over the edge. Unfortunately (for me), I was not able to talk him into a pastrami sammich or hot dog at Katz's before we left. Hern never turns down meat, so it must have been pretty fucking serious.

I don't know, it was a short set, but I feel like I could still throw a few more fucks in here.
A great fucking band,
American Babies are.
Fuck, fuckity, fuck.


Wish I could have heard more comedy, but I'll just have to hit up Eugene Mirman & Pretty Good Friends next time they are in the area. They Might Be Giants-- I've seen 'em better, but they were still fun. As a 30-something year old who drinks her morning coffee out of the same They Might Be Giants mug that was purchased over 10 years ago (did I just jinx this?) every day, you know I'll see 'em again. And of course, American Babies-- FUCK YEEEAH!

The ceiling fan did nothing, so my grey Simples spent the better part of a week in the direct sun to completely dry out. On a positive note, the thick layer of brown dust they collected at the Gathering of the Vibes is now history in all but the sneakiest nooks of the tongue. HUZZAH!


Brooklyn Vegan has some awesome pics up from the night! http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/08/comedy_rain_mus.html

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS SETLIST
Birdhouse In Your Soul, Clap Your Hands, Can't Keep Johnny Down, Damn Good Times, Don't Let's Start, Judy Is Your Vietnam, The Mesopotamians, Never Knew Love, When Will You Die, Spoiler Alert%, Ana Ng, You Probably Get That a Lot, Cloisonné, Graveyard, Instanbul (Not Constantinople)

ENCORE
Fingertips

% The Avatars of They!

AMERICAN BABIES SETLIST
Total Fucking Awesomeness
NO FUCKING TIME FOR AN ENCORE

SLIDESHOW!

American Babies / J. Roddy Walston & the Business, 5/30/11, Brooklyn Bowl, NYC

American Babies / J. Roddy Walston & the Business,
5/30/11, Brooklyn Bowl, NYC


My friend Mark is sick of reading about American Babies. In fact, we spoke before this show-- I had to assure him that I wouldn't review it. And I really wasn't going to... but they were just SO FUCKING TIGHT, and their set sounded SO SWEET, I at least had to report that and share some fun pics of them rockin' out. I freakin' love this band.

SETLIST
Dance All Night, Streets of Brooklyn, Desperate Times, Want A Girl, Baby Don't Cry, Invite Your Friends, You Really Got a Hold On Me, Rocker, Telephone, Joeline, Winter War Games






Headliner J. Roddy Walston & the Business, were finishing up their month-long residency at Brooklyn Bowl and had a pretty solid turnout for any Monday night, let alone a Memorial Day Monday night. J. Roddy Walston (lead-singer, keys, & guitar) is clearly the Love Child of Gregg Allman and Leonardo DiCaprio, who apparently hired Jerry Lee Lewis as their Nanny. They played straight-up fun Southern Roots meets Green Day-ish Rock n' Roll and the room was stomping (or maybe it was just that one dude totally losing his shit directly in back of me.).







Earlier in the night, I was chatting music with a Totes Hipster who told me "I hate jambands" and partially because I enjoyed watching his skin crawl at the mere mention of the word "jamband", I asked him what "exactly" it was about "jambands" that he hated? He went on about noodling that goes nowhere, blah blah blah... To be honest, I kind of lost my attention span and tuned out after that, but I did prescribe to him some: moe. (he'd never heard of them). "moe. play Rock n' Roll. It's more Primus than Phish. The jams have purpose and a destination. Wow, you look disgusted at the thought. No, seriously-- you should really go see them." (insert Hipster Eye Roll here) Ha ha Hipsters.

via David Lowery's Facebook page:
dressing room graffiti at the Redstone Room, Davenport, IA

I got to bowl with the Babies, which is a statement I will be using out of context for my own amusement in the future. It also reminds me of one of my favorite jokes:
Q: What's the difference between unloading a truckload of bowling balls and unloading a truckload of dead babies?
A: You can use a pitchfork on the dead babies.Yes, a bowling ball joke! Hey Mark, aren't you glad I reviewed this show?

Awesome show, super fun night, frozen strawberry margaritas! MAD HUZZAHS!!!

Tom Hamilton teaches a Challenged girl how to bowl. He's a Saint.


Dave Butler's gnarly gash.


Adam Flicker says, "Dave fell down the stairs."

SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY!

American Babies, 5/13 & 5/14, Albany, NY & Wilkes-Barre, PA

American Babies
5/13/11, Red Square, Albany, NY
5/14/11, River Street Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre/Plains, PA


FRIDAY, 5/13/11

An added perk of American Babies fandom (besides being the envy of all your friends because you clearly have impeccable taste in music) is that they are incredibly easy to find on the iPod-- very close to the top, you see. Though, this wouldn't help on Friday 5/13, as I have a rule of not listening to the band I am going to see on the day of (especially on the drive to) a show. The same thing goes for the ride back, but that is more lenient, as sometimes I need to hear a specific song the band did not play, and in rare cases must appease that craving on a song-by-song basis. Anyways, in the days leading up to the Albany show, I was pondering what my soundtrack for the ride would be, because over the past couple of weeks I have been listening to the Babies excellent new album, Flawed Logic, & the 4/29 Mercury Lounge show constantly. The Yanks/BoSox game got me through most of the ride, but when things went sour, I turned to the Bad Livers. Seemed appropriate.

Grape Drink is awesome and American Babies are my Grape Drink. I was psyched to see 'em again so soon. Live Music OCD actually had me really worried that if I didn't see their Burlington Metronome show the previous night, I would miss something spectacular. Like David Bowie materializing out of thin air, Knighting Tom Hamilton, and presenting him with the Royal Goldfish for Outstanding Achievements in Rock Music. Which didn't happen, but still-- what if it did and I had missed it? Yes, Albany would do just fine.

Upon arrival, I chilled outside for Turbine's set. Sure, it was a beautiful night & there was plenty of good company out front. But additionally, I am still ever-so-slightly mad at Turbine after the 3-5AMish moe.down xi RV lot set, in which their PA system was set up about 50 feet from our heads, resulting in us wanting to gut their souls for depriving us of at least 2 really important hours of sleep. Moving on.

American Babies called everyone inside with Dance All Night, which began a 2+ hour set of rock awesomeness. The show was mainly comprised of Tom Hamilton's sickeningly sweet originals, but also sprinkled with phatty covers like Dark End of the Street (Percy Sledge), Fa Fa Fa (Otis Redding), Further On Up the Road (made famous by Eric Clapton), & a sweet You Really Got A Hold On Me (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles). Unconventional selections. Original covers, if you will.



But back to the Original Originals. At the core of American Babies are Rock songs that sound so right, they may have been floating around in the collective unconscious since the Dawn of Time until finally someone (Hamilton) was able to recall them. (Putting the bag of chips down.) If you are a fan of Bruce Springsteen, Elvis, The Beatles, Brian Setzer, Johnny Cash--- if you are a fan of GREAT ROCK MUSIC, you will quickly fall in love with this band.



The whole show rocked. Highlights of the highlights: Streets of Brooklyn, Desperate Times, Joeline, Rocker, Swimming at Night, Brooklyn Bridge, Fa Fa Fa, The Sin, Baby Don't Cry, Winter War Games, and both encores-- Restless Heart and a dirty/sick/gritty version of Dylan's Tonight I'll Be Staying Here w/ You. Shit yeah.




New bass player, Mark Karwan^ is fresh off the National Tour of the Broadway musical, In The Heights. This was his 2nd show with the Babies and he's quickly finding his spot in The Beat-Down Equation, which during show #2 was him pointing and laughing at you. What I mean by that is: Adam Flicker's keys will throw sand in your face before Dave Butler's drums kick your ass and Tom Hamilton's Zazz puts a cigarette (or two) out in your eye. And you'll fucking beg for more.

As always, thanks to promoter Greg Bell, for all that he does to keep the Live Music scene thriving in Albany.

5/13/11, Red Square, Albany, NY
Dance All Night
Streets of Brooklyn
Desperate Times
I Want A Girl
Dark End of the Street
Joeline
Telephone
You Really Got a Hold On Me
Rocker
Swimming At Night
Brooklyn Bridge
Fa Fa Fa
The Sin
Night Has Fallen
Invite Your Friends
Baby, Don't Cry
American Babies
Weight of the World
Further On Up The Road
California's Calling
Winter War Games

E:
Restless Heart
Tonight I'll Be Staying Here w/ You

SATURDAY, 5/14/11


I was awoken around 7AM by the faint aroma of Cheetos that seemed to be emanating from the carpet of a shitty hotel. Since there were no Cheetos to be found in the vicinity, my only guess as to it's origin was that this carpet was haunted by the ghost of a murdered Cub Scout trying to make contact from the afterlife in order to avenge his death. That, or Britney Spears had recently stayed there.

No matter. I had said "why the fuck not?" the night before and decided to see American Babies at the River Street Jazz Cafe in Wilkes-Barre, PA on Saturday too. It was kiiiind of on my way home anyway. So-- fuck it. I was already psyched to hit a Pilot Truckstop (of course there'd be one). It's the little things.

The River Street Jazz Cafe is a cool little venue in a little office-type complex & when I arrived, some locals (it's a safe assumption) were ATV'ing around the parking lot. Welcome to Pennsylvania.

This video covers some bloggy ground, so watch the damn thing.
This is why the kids call it "interactive multi-media".

What was most bizarro to me on this day was that American Babies were opening for a Jeff Beck tribute band. Mad respeck to Jeff Beck, but my head asplode. After drenching the room in bourbon-honey-bacony goodness with a delicious Streets of Brooklyn soundcheck, at showtime the Babies took the stage and blew the crowd away straight out of the gates. There was a great energy in the room and all eyes & ears were on the band... Except for in my peripheral vision, where I was trying to stop watching the Yankees have their asses handed to them... again^^.

Eventually, I turned my back to the total shit-show on the bar's TV and took comfort in the music I had traveled to witness. Annd focus: American Babies. Sweet Rock. They had the crowd eating out of their palms by the end of these 90 minutes. Winter War Games, pushed it way over the edge. Holy fuck. The audience was excited and the room was abuzz.

In Bassist Mark's 3rd show with the band, he sounded more relaxed and confident in exploring the material. He and Dave were laying the rhythm down thick. It's a great combo. Perhaps he is beginning to pour salt into the burnt eyes of your sorry ass. Adam Flicker was again, a shit-ton of fun on keys. Tom Hamilton shredded on Lead Guitar while simultaneously wearing the fuck out of some suspenders. The chemistry up there is magic. More, please!


I skipped out on the Jeff Beck tribute band to get a head-start on my 2 hour drive, which went swimmingly-- and I even saw my very first coyote!! Freakin' bonus!!

A giant thank you to Tom, the owner of River Street Jazz Cafe, who was super awesome, hospitable, and I couldn't find to thank in-person on my way out. Another huge thanks to the American Babies who kept me entertained while on mini-Grape-Drink-Tour. Totes awesome. Can't wait for the next show, but come on back to NYC, willya?

No tapirs. You'll just have to go see American Babies for yourself! Check their website for the most updated Tour Dates!

American Babies, 5/13/11, Red Square, Albany, NY & 5/14/11, River Street Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre/Plains, PA: 9 HUZZAHS!!! If you don't love American Babies, the Terrorists have already won.

5/14/11, River Street Jazz Cafe, Wilkes-Barre/Plains, PA
Dance All Night
Streets of Brooklyn
Desperate Times
I Want A Girl
Dark End of the Street
Joeline
Telephone
You Really Got a Hold On Me
Rocker
Swimming At Night
Night Has Fallen
Fa Fa Fa
Invite Your Friends
Weight of the World
California's Calling
Winter War Games

SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY


^ Jim Hamilton is currently way too busy serving his family, City, and/or Country full-time, to hit the road even part-time. Understandable.
^^ As a total aside, I'd like to add here how completely doomed my fantasy baseball team is and that a head-to-head league format this year may actually destroy me. Last week Kendry Morales was sentenced to season-ending surgery (before his season even began), Jason Heyward lost all feeling in his right hand (awesome), Cano has dropped into a slump like it's '08, Ian Desmond and Mitch Moreland (who I picked up to replace Kendry) are suddenly sidelined with tight hammies. Hughes was a bust from the start, Bailey's been on the DL since opening day, CC just blew another game, and then a few songs into this set I got a news alert that KC had spotted a flaw in my elite closer Soria's delivery-- I don't even know if that's good or bad news anymore. *breathes* (picks up bag of chips.)

American Babies, 4/29/11, Mercury Lounge, NYC

American Babies, 4/29/11, Mercury Lounge, NYC


(Please note: this is bloggy #211 which is supercool, cuz it's an important one.)

*NOW WITH SETLIST & ARCHIVE LINK*

After the Tres Heteros crowd cleared out of Mexicali back in January, American Babies got onstage and played a late night set of relentless balls-out Rock music that left me hooked. I've been super pumped to see them again since that last note hit my eardrums. Very rarely does a band immediately grab me like that. The same thing happened the first time I saw God Street Wine, roughly 18 years ago. It's like being captured, in a good way.

American Babies have an Old Soul. The songwriting is smart & seductive, with brilliant hooks at every turn, and hints of Elvis, Johnny Cash, The Beatles, (classic) Elton John, David Bowie. Rock. Gritty & shredding guitars, ripping keys, a powerful driving rhythm section, and Tom Hamilton's howling vocals delivering the package. They're fucking awesome.

Who's in?

Anyways-- it's exciting. I get excited about getting excited about music.

Their new album, Flawed Logic, came out a couple of weeks ago-- it's very excellent (get it here). Last week, I bugged The Babies' brainchild, Tom Hamilton, with some questions & got some answers. And I fiiiinally got to see them live again last Friday at the Mercury Lounge, for one of their star-studded cd release parties. Totes sweet.

Core lineup: Tom Hamilton (guitar, swagger), Jim Hamilton (bass), Dave Butler (drums), Adam Flicker (Holy keys, though no light in his corner = no pics!). This night, Nick Bockrath sat in on guitar for all but one song.

The Babies kicked off the show with a romping Dance All Night and worked through songs both new and old. After a handful of songs, Joe Russo (played on the albums) came up to play a 2nd drumset next to Dave Butler for the duration. Yes!







Highlights (in no particular order):
- Joeline. Gorgeous, raw, honest. "When they knock your dick in the dirt, will you get right up?" ... "Oh Joeline / I think we got dealt the shit hand."
- Rocker. Who doesn't love Badass Rockabilly?
- Desperate Times. "I got a girl in mind and she knows that it can be such a drag, it can be such a drag."
- Streets of Brooklyn. It's *all* true.
- Weight of the World. Catchier than the catchiest song you know.
- Brooklyn Bridge. Solid. Vivid.
- Winter War Games. There are so many things going on in this song and holy shit, it is absolutely beautiful.
- Dark End of the Street. Great freakin' cover!


Oh, and then you know, almost the entire B-side of Abbey Road, featuring Dave Dreiwitz from Ween on additional bass & Ryan Thornton on percussion (both guests on American Babies albums). Yah. Just that. Jebus. They were having a blast and the place was raging.






They capped it all off with a loud and lively Winter War Games for an Encore (see above, re: Highlights). Beautiful.

What a Scorching Rock Show. Hot damn, I love this band.

To those who haven't yet heard these guys yet--- I've run out of ways to describe how great American Babies are, because I can still only barely comprehend it myself. It's time you take the next step and listen to them (this very post contains linked options). And/or, since their tour just started- go see them!!! Until you do, I've got no choice left but to brazenly insult you (I have a hard time expressing my feelings) for being so fucking ignorant, you Ignorant Fuck. GO SEE THEM.

American Babies^, 4/29/11, Mercury Lounge, NYC: 9.8 HUZZAHS^^!!!


Salvo ran a matrix mix. The second it goes up on the archive, Das Salvo Signal will flood the night's sky, blinding migrating birds, spooking carriage horses, upsetting the ISS Crew, and alerting you. It's shaped like a Tapir. You'll know. Or you could just check back here in a few days.. It sounds great & the archive link is below! DO IT!

SETLIST
Dance All Night
Desperate Times
I Want a Girl
The Sin
Invite Your Friends#
Joeline#
Baby, Don't Cry#
Dark End of the Street# (Percy Sledge... but you have to say "Percy Sledge" like Joey from the Commitments... "Perrrcy sLEHdge.")
Brooklyn Bridge#
Rocker#
Restless Heart#
Streets of Brooklyn#
Night Has Fallen#
Weight of the World#
Hey Bulldog#%
You Never Give Me Your Money#%
Sun King#%
Mean Mr. Mustard#%
Polythene Pam#%
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window#%
Golden Slumbers#%
Carry That Weight#%
The End#%

ENCORE
Winter War Games#

# w/ Joe Russo on 2nd drum kit
% w/ Dave Dreiwitz (Ween) on 2nd bass & Ryan Thornton on percussion

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW! Thanks to Salvo! http://www.archive.org/details/ab2011-04-29.salvo

Marc Whitman over at livemusicblog.com posted some video in his review, so you can check that out too. Though I'll warn you right now, he doesn't seem to use the word "fuck" nearly as often as I do. Brace yourself.

SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY!



^ Let's just leave Jounce out of this, shall we?
^^ Gotta give wiggle room for flexibility.