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Nada Surf - in game

Underground Railroad? Meh. Holly Miranda? Quite nice. I recommend. Waiting for Nada Surf. Front and center. Hey Sean: jealous! Ha! :-)

Nada Surf - Warmups

Since I got the pregame note done yesterday, and Andrew hasn’t appeared at the venue, I find myself with some time on my hands. I also find a Smuttynose Brown Dog ale in my glass. Score! The bar part of the venue is nice. Vintage wallpaper, tall bronze crown moulding over a well-stocked bar. The room is sepia-toned, in a good way. Hipsters? Yeah. But it’s Brooklyn. I’m settled in at the bar. Props to any bar that settles me in this quickly. Word is my boy will be here in 5, and then away we go.

Pregame: Nada Surf

*Note* - Pregame is a day early, since I don’t see when I’m going to be able to post this tomorrow.

First time seeing these guys. You know them from the 90s hit “Popular”. Then they disappeared from the mainstream airwaves. Which, of course, is a shame. You owe it to yourself to toss these guys a few bucks and download “Always Love”, “Hi-Speed Soul”, “See These Bones”, “Whose Authority” and “In the Mirror”. These are the soundtrack of my life these days. New venue for me, too - The Bell House in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Hipsters? We’ll see. Pictures on the website look great, and it’s run by the Union Hall guys, so it should have a homey vibe. Pictures will be taken. Let’s see if I can get Andrew to stand up front.

The 35mm Weekend

Ok, well, it was more than that.  There were Blackberry pictures too.  Lots of them.  But on Saturday, we took my dad’s old AE-1 and two rolls of film with us to document the day.

I taught Emily how to look through the lens and focus - no auto-focus on that camera.  And she learned what “film” is, and how on some cameras you can’t just turn it around and see the picture.

We went to a birthday party, where she got her face painted and an elephant tattoo on her hand.  We went to the beach, where we had all of D beach (Seagull’s Nest) to ourselves.  We got a hot dog, root beer, and ice cream at Stewarts.  And we did some projects around the house.  All recorded for posterity.

Sunday was another birthday, but that’s about it.  Today we rested, we cleaned-up, we cooked ourselves a delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs.

Last week was a tough week.  And before she left for her well-deserved weekend away, Liz told me that Emily needed my attention above all else.  I’m pretty beat now…I got all of my projects done, and ran her ragged to boot.  But it was worth it.  We had a great time.

What's this 12 Bands 12 Months thing?

So last year, as 2007 melted into 2008, I decided that I should get back into the habit of making a New Year’s Resolution.  I considered the usual ones — more time at the gym, less swearing, giving up on soda, etc.  But I wasn’t really “feeling” any of them.  Then, I hit on one that I could get into: get to one live music show per month.

Of course, me being me, that fell apart in April or May.  It didn’t help that Marah, my go-to-the-well band, had imploded.  I was also in a bit of a rut…after starting the year off strong with a Jay Farrar show at Northsix, I found myself listening to the same old bands, and seeing those same old bands.  It didn’t help that the Arts Center lineup was less-than-inspiring.  And while I’ll never complain about getting to a few Springsteen shows a year, I knew there was more to it than that.  I like the outdoor gigs, but I missed the clubs.

Then, last fall, I felt a resurgence.  We Are Scientists at the Wonder Bar, Everest/Wilco/Neil Young at the Garden.  I felt it coming back.  I had new music, new energy.  And so, I had a new resolution:

12 months, 12 bands.

The project was kicked off, fittingly, with Slo-Mo at World Cafe Live to ring in the New Year.  Saw Adam and Dave in January at the Saint.  February was Marah at the Mercury, and March was The Gaslight Anthem at the Troc.  And the whole thing…the going, the blogging, the actually thinking about what I just saw…it’s invigorating.  And so on it goes.

What does the rest of the year hold?  Well, I’m only booked as far ahead as May, but I feel like I’m picking up steam.

April 15: Nada Surf, The Bell House, Brooklyn
April 21: Bruce Springsteen, TD Banknorth Garden, Boston
May 9: The Gaslight Anthem, Stone Pony, Asbury Park
May 15: Bruce Springsteen, Hersheypark Stadium, Hershey

Ok, maybe that’s a little sparse.  And repetitive.  But there are prime targets on the horizon:

May 22: Mike Doughty, Stone Pony, Asbury Park
June 12: Avett Brothers, Irving Plaza, New York
August 1: All Points West, feat. Tool/My Bloody Valentine/Gogol Bordello/Neko Case/etc., Liberty State Park, Jersey City

Anyway…so here’s the deal.  I’ll be posting a pre-game blog post, quick post-show notes, and a full review.  I’ll keep as good a set of notes as I can for each show, but I’m no professional journalist.  And really, I’m only telling you this because I’m telling me this.  I’m making the commitment.  I’m going to do this.

Lets go!

12 Bands 12 Months: The Gaslight Anthem, March 28, Philadelphia

Everyone was there. The punk kids. The skaters. Suburban moms in sweater sets. Men in sportsjackets. 30-somethings wearing their best “rock and roll” clothes. I saw a guy who had to be pushing 60. I saw a 7 year-old on her mother’s shoulder. Everyone was there.

Because of this we were in the back, way in the back, up against a bar that thankfully wasn’t serving. We could see the stage, could see the band, could see the sea of people between us. We could see bodies tumbling across outstretched arms. We could see heads bobbing in unison, hands raised, fists clenched.

We could see joy. And Goddammit, we could hear it to.

The Gaslight Anthem brings everyone together. I can’t verbalize why, or how. They just do. These four guys from Central Jersey, including singer/guitarist Brian Fallon from right here in Red Bank, do nothing but bring the rock and roll. They brought it to the legendary Trocadero Theatre on Saturday night, fulfilling a dream of Fallon’s — “I’ll never play here, God do I want to play here,” he reminiced to the adoring crowd.

Drawing heavily from their current album The ‘59 Sound, the foursome ran through a tight set that was short on chatter and long on rock. Their live sound, stripped-down rock with punk urgency and pop sensibility, stuck close to the recorded material, so much so that at times I could swear it was playing from my iPod. But that’s far from a negative. Rather, it’s a testament that they’re able to capture the energy of the live set without any undue production “tricks” in the studio. The familiarity of their short canon — two LPs and a couple of EPs — also meant that every song was a singalong, the crowd echoing Fallon’s introspective words of heartbreak and loss, infusing them with defiant joy.

The only downside to the live show, and it’s a minor one, is that while it was packed with enery and gusto, it lacked adventure and surprise. Once they played the opening bars, it was clear which song was up and how it would go, and the band poured themselves into each one. But a side trip now and then, an extended coda, or maybe a mashup with a cover, would have been welcome. I can chalk that up to youth — these guys have great songs, and clearly want to play them.

Overall, though, the operative word of the night was “joy.” From the punk kids to the moms to the prepsters, every single person in the theatre felt the energy and enthusiasm of the band wash over them. The Gaslight Anthem, at the end of the night, sent its faithful out into the Philadelphia night far more alive than when the night started. They’re coming to your town soon. Go see them.

March 31: Agora Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
April 01: St. Andrews Hall, Detroit, MI
April 02: Turner Hall - Headline Show!, Milwaukee, WI
April 03: The Bottom Lounge - Headline Show!, Chicago, IL
April 04: The Varsity Theater - Headline Show!, Minneapolis, MN
April 07: The Warehouse - Headline Show!, Calgary, ALB
April 08: The Starlite Room - Headline Show!, Edmonton, AB
April 10: Commodore Ballroom - Headline Show! - ***NEW VENUE***, Vancouver, BC
April 13: Berbati’s Pan, Portland, OR
April 15: The Boardwalk - Headline Show!, Orangevale, CA
April 16: Slim’s - Headline Show!, San Francisco, CA
April 17: The Underground - ALL AGES, Reno, NV
April 19: COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL, Indio, CA
April 21: The Clubhouse - Headline Show!, Tempe, AZ
April 22: Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
April 23: Black Sheep, Colorado Springs, CO
April 24: Gothic Theatre - Headline Show!, Englewood, CO
April 25: The Beaumont Club , Kansas City, Missouri
April 28: Granada Theatre, Dallas, TX
April 29: Antone’s Nightclub, Austin, TX
May 02: State Theatre, St. Petersburg, FL
May 03: The Social - 18+, Orlando, Florida
May 06: Cat’s Cradle - Headline Show!, Carrboro, NC
May 07: Recher Theatre - Headline Show!, Baltimore, Maryland
May 08: The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
May 09: The Stone Pony **SECOND SHOW ADDED**, Asbury Park, New Jersey
May 23: Sasquatch Festival, Quincy, Washington

Quick take: The Gaslight Anthem

Props to Jon and Dana for the great dinner spot. If you ever leave your tickets at home, all is not lost. Heartless Bastards will get my 10 bucks. I miss punk shows. Mental note: get to the Stone Pony early. Maybe its me, but crowds seem so much nicer than when I was in my 20s - no alcohol on the main level probably has something to do with that. The GA is probably the nicest, most clean cut band of tattooed punks you’ll ever meet. Every song was good; the vast majority were great. I lit a fire that wouldn’t go out…

Pregame: The Gaslight Anthem

On our way to Philly for the Gaslight Anthem show. Tonight’s plot points: Dinner in Chinatown with the Poets. Back at the Troc! Liz is concerned about it being a “punk” show. Word is that the Heartless Bastards are better than the GA.