How the Notes All Bend : Erick ARC Elliott "Plane" 4/15/10

I've spent much of my two years in New York City trying to figure out what the "local scene" here is. I read a quote from the boys of MGMT once that talked about the "Brooklyn" sound that said, "My least favorite part is that is doesn't exist. My favorite part is the myth of it."

That's when I find a "local" artist, it's all the more refreshing, and Erick ARC Elliott is one of them. He's 100% New York, not just a "Brooklyn" artist whose from Ohio or something like that. He's pounding the streets just like any other artist in any other town and it's nice to be reminded of art in a city so overrun by industry.

Check out his performance of "Plane" this week at Cameo Gallery. It was pretty dark in there and I haven't quite mastered the sound on my camera, but it's a really excellent song. Check out the official video here: http://vimeo.com/10213875

Yes, it's supposed to be dark at the beginning. It's art, yo!

Erick ARC Elliott "Planes" 4/15/10 from Seven Watt Media on Vimeo.

How the Notes All Bend : Monotonix @ Brooklyn Bowl 4/14/10

I go to A LOT of live shows. I've joked around that I have very few social skills outside of music, but it's kind of true. I live in a candy store of live music and find myself out seeing music up to 6 times a week. I've finally gotten a hang of NYC shows, coming from a much smaller touring market (Phoenix)

However, despite how many dozens of times I've seen certain bands, there are a handful that I can honestly say put on a different show every time I see them, and Monotonix is one of them. I honestly spent a good amount of time thinking how to tee this video up, but honestly, you just need to watch it to fully understand. Pretty good video considering I spent most of the show dodging drinks being thrown. Also : band members.

Monotonix @ Brooklyn Bowl 4/14/10 from Seven Watt Media on Vimeo.

How the Notes All Bend : Midlake "Acts of Man" 4/7/10

Last night I caught Midlake's first night at Bowery Ballroom (oddly enough night #2 sold out long before this show did) It's been a very long time since Midlake has done a proper tour, not to mention bring the follow up to their critically acclaimed record, The Trials of Van Occupanther. Not only was the crowd last night restless because of the several-year lull from the band, but it seems they were restless in general, perhaps a result of an 85 degree day in a city that has been abused by winter. Unfortunately it meant A LOT of talking from the room, as you'll hear in the video below.

The band put on a great set, but I'm the first to admit that I'm not totally sold on The Courage of Others. While Van Occupanther had such dramatic shifts throughout the record, it feels like Courage is just linear. Fortunately, when it comes to playing live, the band managed to pull all the dynamics into the performance, pulling in some serious jam moments that I didn't remember from the last time I saw them. Lined up across the front of the stage, they had harmonizing flute duets and, as my friend admired in amazement, a guy with a recorder (Almost as cool as a melodica . . . ALMOST)

It's an on going fight for (as my friend Chad from The Via Maris coined) "quietXcore" to pull in the attention of a short-attention-spanned crowd, especially in a period of music where everyone seems to need to be sold on a song or an album immediately. It's clearly something this band has gotten used to, because they didn't let any of the static over their show deter them from playing a great one. Hopefully someday the tides will turn and the active listener will prevail.

I shot this from the very very back of the venue, resting my arm on the wall in order to keep it somewhat stable. The noisy crowd sort of takes over but you can dull them out if you listen closely to the band (which is the theme of this post, yeah? Metaphors-n-stuff)

Midlake "Acts of Man" 4/7/10 from Seven Watt Media on Vimeo.

How the Notes All Bend : The Temper Trap "Science of Fear" 4/5/10

I caught the second New York-area show for Australia-based band The Temper Trap. They've followed a natural progression as far as NYC shows are concerned, selling out Mercury Lounge last year, shuffling through a literal marathon of shows during the CMJ Music Festival and now selling out two shows in their own right after the US release of their album Conditions. The song "Sweet Disposition" has been the soundtrack a lot of our American subconsciousness, and the soundtrack to their steady rise to notoriety. The show itself proved that they are hardly under the radar anymore, with a seriously impressive light show and some avid fans from a usually "too-cool-and-mostly-indifferent" Brooklyn crowd. I finally got a good view for their last song, "Science of Fear", capturing yet another from-the-balcony video. The sound is a little bass-ier than I was hoping, not sure if it's the fact that I have to compress the file down (tech nerds? advice?) I was less zoom-crazy which I think looks nice, plus the sweet light show made it awesome. The best part? Hearing my friend Alex talk responding to the band's rhetorical "Thanks for having us" and also commenting on the mysterious guy-in-a-suit who seemed to be their roadie/towel manager. Seriously, who was that guy?

The Temper Trap - "Science of Fear" 4/5/10 from Seven Watt Media on Vimeo.

How the Notes All Bend : Manchester Orchestra - "Now That You're Home" 4/2/10

So I'm starting a new blog series (or section, or whatever you wanna call it) I recently purchased a fairly good digital camera with HD video recording and I thought maybe this is a cool next step in how to experience music differently yet again. I'm calling it "How the Notes All Bend", because that line (from Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea") is the single best way of describing something as seemingly intangible as music as a verb. In a lot of ways, that's the purpose I feel live music serves, which is why I'm such a junkie.

At any rate, here's my first shot. Not sure if I'll do any fancy intros or how this "series" will take shape, but enjoy the video below. It's not HD because I didn't have the paitience, but maybe down the line I'll suck it up for better quality. This is Manchester Orchestra performing their song "Now That You're Home" from their first album at Irving Plaza on 4/2/10:

Manchester Orchestra "Now That You're Home" 4/2/10 from Seven Watt Media on Vimeo.

Listography : List the Places You've Seen Live Music

This is just off the top of my head (really). My very first show I went to was at Phoenix First Baptist Church and the last show I went to was tonight at Joe's Pub. It's insane to see this all in one big list. I feel aged.

1) The Nile Theatre - Mesa, AZ
2) Bash on Ash - Tempe, AZ
3) Modified Arts - Phoenix, AZ
4) The Trunkspace - Phoenix, AZ
5) Phix - Phoenix, AZ
6) Chyro Arts - Scottsdale, AZ
7) Venue of Scottsdale - Scottsdale, AZ
8) Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
9) The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
10) The Real Bar - Tempe, AZ
11) The Sets - Tempe, AZ
12) Nita's Hideaway - Tempe, AZ
13) Yucca Tap Room - Tempe, AZ
14) The Loft - Tempe, AZ
15) Peace Tree House - Tempe, AZ
16) Four White Walls - Phoenix, AZ
17) Paper Heart Gallery - Phoenix, AZ
18) Orpheum Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
19) Dodge Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
20) Celebrity Theatre - Phoenix, AZ
21) Jobing.Com Arena - Phoenix, AZ
22) US Airways Center - Phoenix, AZ
23) The Old Brickhouse Grill - Phoenix, AZ
24) Minder Binders - Tempe, AZ
25) Neckbeards - Tempe, AZ
26) Arizona State University (all over!) - Tempe, AZ
27) Mesa Arts Center - Mesa, AZ
28) Women's Club of Mesa - Mesa, AZ
29) Mesa Amphitheatre - Mesa, AZ
30) Cricket Pavillion - Phoenix, AZ
31) Peoria Sports Complex - Peoria, AZ
32) Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
33) Webster Hall - New York, NY
34) Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
35) Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
36) Joe's Pub - New York, NY
37) Le Poisson Rogue - New York, NY
38) Cameo Gallery - Brookyn, NY
39) Knitting Factory - New York, NY
40) Glasslands - Brooklyn, NY
41) Matchless - Brooklyn, NY
42) Terminal 5 - New York, NY
43) Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
44) The Bell House - Brooklyn, NY
45) Grammercy Theatre - New York, NY
46) Highline Ballroom - New York, NY
47) Irving Plaza - New York, NY
48) The Wellmont Theatre - Montclair, NJ
49) Hammerstein Ballroom - New York, NY
50) Nokia Theatre Times Square - New York, NY
51) Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
52) Jones Beach Theatre - Long Island, NY
53) Nassau Memorial - Uniondale, NY
54) Stubbs - Austin, TX
55) Emos - Austin, TX
56) Austin Music Hall - Austin, TX
57) La Zona Rosa - Austin, TX
58) The Parish - Austin, TX
59) Red Eyed Fly - Austin, TX
60) Maggie Mae's - Austin, TX
61) Schuba's - Chicago, IL
62) Union Park - Chicago, IL
63) El Rey - Los Angeles, CA
64) The Mayan Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
65) Staples Center - Los Angeles, CA
66) Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
67) Central Park Summerstage - New York, NY
68) Coney Island - Brooklyn, NY
69) Cake Shop - New York, NY
70) The Living Room - New York, NY

... more to come!

Listography : List Your Guilty Pleasures

1) Party in the U.S.A. - Miley Cyrus
2) The entire Ke$ha album
3) On the Way Down - Ryan Cabrera
(Once upon a time, when my brother and I hosted our weekly radio show called "Team Awesome", I went out of town one week and left him my iPod. He then played a game of "let's find the most embarrassing thing on Ashley's iPod and this was it. I retaliated by taking his freshly washed underwear and throwing it all over his car in front of the house. Win.)
4) Tomorrow, Fire Burning and Face Drop - Sean Kingston
5) Most pop punk (specifically, as of late, The Maine)
6) For You I Will - Teddy Geiger
7) Jason Mraz
8) Ska music
9) No Air - Chris Brown / Jordin Sparks
10) I'm With You - Avril Lavinge
11) Single Ladies and Halo - Beyonce
12) Sick Cycle Carousel - Lifehouse
13) I'll Be - Edwin McCain
14) Paramore
15) Imma Be - Black Eyed Peas
16) Taylor Swift
17) Coldplay (sometimes, the old records, and that's not just a line)
18) 3 - Britney Spears
19) The All American Rejects
20) Dashboard Confessional