Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker, 1/14/12, Highline Ballroom, NYC

Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker, 1/14/12, Highline Ballroom, NYC


Yep, it's that time of year again!

First off-- Holy FUCK! Dinner at The Green Table in Chelsea Market was amazing! They feature a farm-to-table, seasonal market menu. Perfectly comforting and warming (necessary for one of the colder days thus far, this year) annnd a deliciously solid base to build the night on. This particular night seemed to call for the Market Soup of the Day, a Potato Leek Bacon Concoction that stuck to the bones. And of course, a Ginger Margarita (both for warming purposes, and, well-- Ginger Margarita-- why wouldn't you?). For an entree, I got their Chicken Pot Pie, cuz I'm like a slut for a good Chicken Pot Pie, and the Waitress said it'd be the best Chicken Pot Pie I'd ever have. It was. It was stocked with incredibly hearty and delicious Organic veggies & perfectly cooked free range chicken, and it magically targeted and infused itself directly into my bone marrow. Jesus Fucking Christ that was better than a flu shot! The Figgy Sticky Toffee Pudding with pomegranate and pistachio crumble was also pretty fucking awesome. Mr. Juan Grillo braved the girly drinks and got a grilled sunchoke (it's a tuber, y'all!) salad w/ olives & watercress-- YUM. Annnnd, the Duck Confit w/ buttered cabbage, celeriac puree, & sage jus. JUS! Shit. I don't even know if I should be telling y'all about this place, so I'm not even gonna link it. It's really small. You can't get a table.

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Piiiiiie!

Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker have been doing their NYC stop this same weekend for several years now, and that's super special for me, cuz it's right around my Birfday, so like, Happy Birthday To Me and stuff. It was an early show w/ a 7PM start. As per tradition, pregame/dinner landed us 10 minutes late for CVB's set-- we never get this right! We got to hear the tail end of Tania, which is better than hearing no Tania at all. The Highline was PACKED-- not quite moe.-packed, but about 93% of moe.-packed, so still, really packed. There was a lot of excitement in the air.

Camper sounded spectacular, they had a ton of energy, and the crowd was giving it right back to them. They played hard. Bass player, Victor Krummenacher, was my favorite to watch during this set, possibly because he totally ROCKED a bandana neckerchief. Mad Skillz. David Lowery's laptop was not onstage next to his mic where it usually is, which was great, cuz we wouldn't have to stare at the back of a computer the entire night (also, better pics!).

They played a Swedish Prog Rock Opera song or two. Okay-- but I like the faster stuff. CVB Highlights: (what we saw of) Tania, Eye of Fatima Pt. 1 & 2, Tina, Ambiguity Song, Balalaika Gap, Seven Languages, and of course, Matchstick Men. Awesome set. Wish it were longer!



During setbreak, I managed to get up against the stage, Sal side, but some dude decided to stay leaning sideways against the stage, directly to my left, which slightly obscured my view for most of the set. If there were any room to move centerstage, I might have gone for it, but there was what looked like a Staten Island Bachelorette party directly to leaning-dude's left, and I just didn't want any of that.

Cracker got onstage and lit up the Highline. They were having a lot of fun and sounded amazing-- like, SUPER amazing, kind of better than ever and ON FIRE. The crowd was going nuts. My one regret was that I never made it over to the Johnny Hickman side to watch him rock out close up, because that's always a highlight for me. He was playing the crowd, stomping the air, wearing sunglasses, shredding the hell out of his axe, being his awesome self, and I had to enjoy it from waaaay over on the other side. NYC Cracker Staple, Kenny Margolis, once again wowed us all with his mad accordion fantasticness.






Cracker Highlights: Seven Days, I See the Light, a huuuuge Mr. Wrong. Been Around the World & Gimme One More Chance had the entire room bouncing. Lonesome Johnny Blues, of course. A sweet Turn On, Tune In, Drop Out. Happy Birthday To Me-- that's a given. And then they positively killed it on Low. It was one of those electric shows where the band probably walked off stage and felt REALLY GOOD, cuz they fucking BROUGHT it… And then the Highline kicked us out so the Jersey Shore Dance Party could start.

The set was just flat out POWERHOUSE CRACKER. Their Rock appeal is more widespread than people realize, so do yourself a favor and download the set (link below). NYCTaper did another great job with the recording and you're about due to hear some new live Cracker anyways, aren't you?

Thanks to The Green Table for a fucking amazing meal!!! Thanks to Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker for a fucking amazing show!!! Birthday wishes out to my friend Heidi who couldn't make it at the very last minute, but at least we know we can do it again next year! Happy Birthday To Me, and to you! Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker, 1/14/12, Highline Ballroom, NYC: 9+ HUZZAHS!!!

Having nothing to do with the Highline show, but being incredibly awesome enough for me to embed it anyways-- here's One Fine Day, recorded recently at The Chicaco Music Exchange. It's Cracker Van Beethoven. It's badass. They shred. Watch it!

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN SETLIST
All Her Favorite Fruit
Sweethearts
Tania
Summer Days
O Death
Eye of Fatima Part 1
Eye of Fatima Part 2
You’ve Got to Roll
Sad Lovers Waltz
Tina
Ambiguity Song
Take the Skinheads Bowling
Balalaika Gap
The Poppies of Balmorhea
Too High For The Love-In
Seven Languages
Pictures of Matchstick Men

DOWNLOAD THE CVB SET! Thanks, NYCTaper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=8672

CRACKER SETLIST
Seven Days
Don’t Fuck Me Up (With Peace and Love)
100 Flower Power Maximum
Big Dipper
I See The Light
Mr. Wrong
Been Around The World
Gimme One More Chance
Wedding Day
Lonesome Johnny Blues
Turn On Tune In Drop Out
Happy Birthday To Me
Eurotrash Girl
Low

ENCORE
Teen Angst

DOWNLOAD THE CRACKER SET! Thanks, NYCTaper! http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=8685

SLIDESHOW & HI RES ALBUM

Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven, 1/14/11, Highline Ballroom, NYC

Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven, 1/14/11, Highline Ballroom, NYC



Annnd once again, the fabulous Tour Spirits brought Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven to NYC within days of my birthday (last year: 3 days after. this year: 2... and in 2009: CVB a few days before). Praise those spirits! This tradition is good! My tickets were purchased before it was announced that CVB would be performing their album, Key Lime Pie in it's entirety, & Cracker would be taking on all of Kerosene Hat. That's pretty cool, but I was a little afeared that this sort of completely limited the setlists. So much for getting to hear Guarded By Monkeys live this winter.

When my friend Heidi got wind of the gig, which fell a few days before her bday-- giant CVB fan that she is-- she decided to come all the way down from Ithaca for it! That's dedication! This created some sort of Lynn-CVB/Cracker-Heidi-Birfday Sammich if you will. The bacon is implied.

Pregame was at Park NYC, w/ many mojitos. I didn't take out my camera. "Too drunk, too drunk." - Pickles the Drummer

Only because it can be confusing (am I missing anyone?):
Camper Van Beethoven: David Lowery, Frank Funaro, Victor Krummenacher, Jonathan Segel, Greg Lisher, David Immerglück (sometimes)
Cracker: David Lowery, Johnny Hickman, Frank Funaro (since '96), Sal Maida (since 2006), Kenny Margolis (sometimes), David Immerglück (sometimes)

We got to the Highline a few minutes after Camper Van Beethoven hit the stage. The place was freakin' packed! Heidi and I abandoned the boys in the back to make our way up front on al.side (stage right). Heidi looked like a kid in a candy store. Key Lime Pie is one of her favorite albums, so she was glowing (with joy).

CVB moved masterfully through the tracks. Loud, live, rock. Great chemistry and sweet sound. I love watching them play! Highlights for me were When I Win The Lottery, All Her Favorite Fruit, & Pictures of Matchstick Men (because Jonathan Segel is awesome^). Eye of Fatima (also a huuuge highlight) and Take the Skinheads Bowling were nice bonuses to end the CVB set.







With at least a 10:1 ratio, there was no line for the women's bathroom during setbreak. Little known perks at a Cracker show.

We dragged our runnin' crew up front for Kerosene Hat. Cracker took the stage. Johnny Hickman was wearing all white and as always, owning it! All class! They rocked Kerosene Hat. A few tracks were swapped here and there, but they did it all- right down to the weirdness that is Hi-Desert Biker Meth Lab (played on a laptop).

(Mark took these first two awesome pics- thanks, Mark!)



David Lowery's glasses kept slipping down his nose throughout the show. When they would get down towards the bottom, with the big fuzzy beard, it kind of made him look like Jim Gaffigan and Wilford Brimley had a giant ginger love child. Aww.


I love Cracker the way Heidi loves Camper Van Beethoven. I crave Cracker shows and get positively giddy when they come to town. They were loud, brash, and awesome. Everything Cracker should be. Highlights: Movie Star, Infirmary, Goodbyes, Lonesome Johnny Blues, Loser...

I took a walk.

This was the part of the show where Johnny Hickman turned into a pure beam of energy.

and this is the part of the show where he reveals that he is either a dragon or it’s very cold onstage—check out the fog coming out of his mouth!

And by far the Best Rock Moment of the night was Ride My Bike -> a massively heavy, dark, & intense Interstellar Overdrive--- in which Cracker Van Beethoven^^ totally fucking KILLED it -> Ride My Bike. SHA-ZAM! Get these guys back to moe.down, because they are melting faces! Wow wow wow!



For the encore, David (on acoustic) and Johnny came out as a duo and twice attempted to play a song from Lowery's upcoming solo album (available in February-- download a preview, the song Palace Guards, on David Lowery's website) only to bail on it awkwardly. Apparently not quite ready for prime time yet. Lowery told the crowd to just buy the record (okay!) and quickly started the timeless bromance ballad, Friends. Many people in the audience were singing along. It was like ending the night with a warm hug from both of them. Aww, metaphorical rockstar hugs.


It was cool to hear both albums, cute theme/gimmick- but I'm really glad there were some bonus songs at the end of each set to mix it up a little bit. It would have felt kinda flat without the additions. Who doesn't like rainbow sprinkles, yah?

Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker, in a Lynn-CVB/Cracker-Heidi-Birfday Sammich. Awesome! 8.5 HUZZAHS!! Points deducted for no Guarded By Monkeys!

Thanks and high-fives to 4dice & Heidi for coming down from Ithaca for the fun! Hardcoooore! Blue Ribbon Award to Mark for making it through both sets! He was feeling tired but I knew he had the good fight in him!

**THE GOLD STAR AWARDS** to both Hern and Mark for picking a pile of garbage off my windshield, which is apparently what happens when you park right next to the PJ's in a perfectly non-trash-covered car. Chivalry ain't dead. Had they not been there, I would have used a combination of my wipers and a telescoping ice-scraper to fling it all aimlessly into the street, but Hern removed the yellow meat (chicken?) styrofoam and Mark picked up a white styrofoam cup by the rim- with their bare hands!! Luckily, The Gold Star Awards come with both handi-wipes & a tall boy of Cipro. Thanks, guys! Totes brave!

Meatwad got a chicken infection in his eye.

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, Key Lime Pie
Opening Theme
Jack Ruby
Sweethearts
When I Win The Lottery
(I Was Born In A) Laundromat
Borderline
The Light From A Cake
June
All Her Favorite Fruit
Interlude
Flowers
The Humid Press of Days
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Come On Darkness
Eye Of Fatima
Take The Skinheads Bowling

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW! Thanks, Barry Shoop! http://www.archive.org/details/CVB2011-01-14

CRACKER, Kerosene Hat (w/ NYC Cracker Staple Kenny Margolis)
Low
Movie Star
Get Off This
Kerosene Hat
Take Me Down To The Infirmary
Nostalgia
Sick Of Goodbyes
Sweet Potato
I Want Everything
Lonesome Johnny Blues
Let's Go For A Ride
Loser
Hi-Desert Meth Lab
Eurotrash Girl
I Ride My Bike ->
Interstellar Overdrive# ->
I Ride My Bike

Encore%:
New David Lowery Solo Song Attempt
Friends

# w/ Segel, Immerglück, Lisher, and Krummenacher (who traded out with Sal Maida)
% w/ David Lowery (acoustic) & Johnny Hickman

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW! Thanks, Barry Shoop! http://www.archive.org/details/Cracker2011-01-14

SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY!



^ In the words of our little Munsch friend last year, "Hey Violin Guy, play the violin!"
^^ Cracker Van Beethoven began with the -> Interstellar Overdrive, when Segel, Immerglück, Lisher, and Krummenacher (who traded out with Sal Maida) got back onstage.

Never Reviewed: early Aprilish - early Julyish, 2010

... Reviews that never were.

It was a busy few months at work, folks. Most of you think there is tons of money being wired to me by shady corporate donors in support of this blog because of our heavy influence on today's youth culture, but the truth is, it's not enough. I floss my teefs with Grey Seal whiskers and Neti with White African Rhino tears. Knee-deep in the basic cable trenches for a few months and the bloggies did suffer, it's true I'm afraid. Ignored in exchange for small portions of sleep* and satisfactory portions of direct-deposit US currency. My sincerest apologies.

Here's a quick recap of some shows I never reviewed.

Leroy Justice, 4/9/10, 92Y Tribeca


Dear Leroy Justice, I owe you a real review.
Important Points: Soulful southern blues rock meets Blind Melon and they go out drinking which is all-classy-like, until they start swigging from a bottle of Jim Beam that one of them snuck inside and someone gets punched in the face (figuratively). Lead Singer Jason Gallagher is a rockstar. Bass player Bradley Wegner sports an absolutely spectacular handlebar mustache.


Thanks to Scott Bernstein for taping- DL THE SHOW: http://www.archive.org/details/leroyjustice2010-04-09

Cracker & the Reverend Horton Heat, 5/27/10, Highline Ballroom



Important Points: Cracker can do no wrong for me. I will continue to take pictures of David Lowery in horribly low-lights and Johnny Hickman in his badass cowboy shirts, because I love them.



The Reverend Horton Heat was high-energy, totally rockin', and really really fun. His bass player, Jimbo Wallace is a mad-man. It was an eclectic co-bill that brought with it a mixed crowd in their 30's and 40's-- mostly dudes, many nerds with hippie tendencies, dark rockabilly types in bowling shirts, and the Sideburn Alert Level was elevated all the way to Black Watch Plaid. It was also Fleet Week, so there were a handful of Navy folk rockin' out and some sort of Tila Tequila lookalike in a slutty Andrews Sisters outfit determined to serve her country.




Got a parking ticket. Fuck you, Bloomberg.

Les Claypool, 6/5/10, The Wellmont Theater, Montclair, NJ


Important Points: Weird backdrop posters of cross-bred animal species in tuxes, matching masks/tuxes on the band, and surely inspired by poisonous mushrooms. Les Claypool brought his dark conceptual 2010 stage-show to the Wellmont Theater in Jersey. Pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig pig. Les, you're a nut. Don't change.

Phish, 6/13/10, Hershey Park, PA


Important Points: The last time I saw Phish in Hershey Park, I was in HS. This was a spectacular opportunity to re-rock Hershey. Let's see... Phone died in the lot, found friends -> found juice -> found more friends -> rocked out.




It was a really good show, nice to see Phish on Summer Tour and get some fresh air. Some highlights, some meh-lights, yada yada yada. (Yeah, I yada'd the Phish show). Sunday night shows are rough, especially when you get stuck in 1am NJ construction projects, and have to work in NYC the next day. It destroyed me for the rest of the week and I ended up skipping out on SPAC because the idea of getting into a car was upsetting.



COMPLETELY OUT OF ORDER:
Faith No More, 7/5/10, the Brooklyn Waterfront

Hot. They were *AWESOME*. If only the set were longer!!! I'll bet those guys could put on a sweet 4 hour show if they wanted. Mike Patton is amazing. Slightly limping from previous week, I hung out in the back and was way too far away for any decent pictures... Then kind of sort of deleted all the pics before uploading them, which is a shame cuz the skyline shots of NYC and the kayakers watching the show were pretty, and the 5 block line to get into the venue was a freakin' great photo. Whoops.

Stay tuned for a mountain of rapid-fire reviews... Up Next: 4 moe. shows! And Then: God Street Wine!


* and Yankees Butts

cvb & cracker, 1/15/10, highline ballroom, nyc

Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker: The Traveling Apothecary Tour, 1/15/10*, highline ballroom, nyc


Around this time last year, I hit up Camper Van Beethoven's stop through the Bowery Ballroom. Happily, they returned in 2010. Even more happily, they brought their Cracker Pants along and landed in the beautiful Highline Ballroom.

The night started off with some antics around the corner at The Park NYC, where when I arrived, some friends were already knee-deep in the first of what would be three pitchers of sangria. I don't like migraines, so I stuck to the mojitos. Once again, our timing couldn't have been more perfect. We were finished with our pregame at the same time as all the douchebags started to roll into that place. Highline Pregames at The Park NYC: MANY HUZZAHS!

Walking in during the Ambiguity song and missing the first 15 minutes of Camper Van Beethoven's set: NO HUZZAHS! It happens.

The place was jam-packed and officially SOLD OUT! Fortunately, at the Highline, it's all about location- and I knew exactly where there was space. But if I tell you where that is, then in the future that space may not be there for me. So, unless you're clever enough to deduct the secret location from the pictures I took- you Sir, are S-O-L. I said "Good Day, Sir." Suck it.


CVB were loud, brash, articulate, and wailing. The crowd was eating it up. There was so much nerdage going on, the Mars Rover became unstuck. Highlights: Take the Skinheads Bowling, Eye of Fatima (1 & 2), Turquoise Jewelry (so dark). Joe Stalin's Cadillac is always fun and David Lowery pronouncing the words "General Pinochet's Cadillac" in his slowest Valley drawl kind of rules. Pictures of Matchstick Men with it's haunting violin riff-- good stuff!


Erika wanted to take a pee break mid-set, but I wanted to wait til the break. She was worried it'd be too crowded, until I made her take a look around and pointed out that we were practically the only girls there. At setbreak the men's room line went past the soundboard and there was no wait for the women's. Fucking suh-weeet!.

After a short setbreak, Cracker formed and hit the stage. Johnny Hickman wore a white suit and he wore it well. They started off with Friends, a tender ballad about Bros Over Ho's. I See the Light was Beautiful. Cracker Soul was dirty in an awesome way. Earlier in the day, Cracker's facebook status asked for Highline requests and I threw a Sweet Potato out there. Can I claim responsibility for them playing it? No, but either way I dug it. Lonesome Johnny Blues always rules, but most especially when Johnny Hickman is wearing a white suit. Hickman also sang on Bob Dylan's The Man In Me, which was sweet.



Lowery told a few stories. One was about an old woman requesting he "play the song about the whore" (Eurotrash Girl). Another about their trip to Iraq, where one soldier told them his "parents are going to freak out" when they hear he met Cracker.

For the encore, Cracker came out and played I Ride My Bike (YAAAY). Then the remaining Camper Van Beethoven members got onstage**, Sal Maida the bass player left, and they kicked into a HUGE Interstellar Overdrive (Floyd).




Loud, abrasive, succinct, twangy, punchy, massive, dimly-lit, great fucking show. When these two bands get together for one night of music, they fucking bring it. Camper Van Beethoven & Cracker: The Traveling Apothecary Tour, 1/15/10, Highline Ballroom, NYC: 9 HUZZAHS! Fuck yeah, fuckity-fuckers!

CVB SETLIST
[Total Time 1:16:17]
Abundance
White Riot (Clash)
Wasted (Black Flag)
Shut Us Down
RnR Uzbekistan
Ambiguity Song
Take the Skinheads Bowling
The Long Plastic Hallway
All Her Favorite Fruit
Tania
Eye Of Fatima
Eye Of Fatima Part 2
When I Win the Lottery
Turquoise Jewelry
Joe Stalin’s Cadillac
Mao Reminisces About His Days In Southern China
The History Of Utah
New Roman Times
One Of These Days
The Day That Lassie Went To The Moon
Club Med Sucks
Pictures of Matchstick Men
Seven Languages

CRACKER SETLIST
[Total Time 1:57:33]
Friends
I See The Light
Sweet Potato
This Is Cracker Soul
Eurotrash Girl
Lonesome Johnny Blues
Wedding Day
Yalla Yalla
Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now)
Merry Christmas Emily
Happy Birthday To Me
Been Around the World
Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is)
Gimme One More Chance
The Man in Me (Bob Dylan)
Big Dipper
Low
Seven Days

Encore:
I Ride My Bike
Interstellar Overdrive (Pink Floyd)^

^Cracker and Camper together (minus Sal)

DOWNLOAD THE SHOW: STEREO MATRIX MIXES FROM NYCTAPER (thanks, nyc taper!)
Camper Van Beethoven DL
http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=2313

CRACKER DL
http://www.nyctaper.com/?p=2338

QRO Magazine has an extensive fanboy review w/ great video.
http://www.qromag.com/reviews/concert_reviews/cracker_&_camper_van_beethoven/

SLIDESHOW & HI-RES GALLERY




* I very nearly went to Revolution Hall in Troy, NY to see them with the Old(er) TP a few days before on our bday.
** Erika began harassing Jonathan Segel, "Hey, Violin Guy!! You're the BEST! Play the violin!"