The Last Show of the Summer

It has been a truly excellent summer for concerts. I have probably taken more full advantage of the myriad of free shows available to us locals than ever before. It all came to an end this Friday however. On the eve of September The Seaport played host to two of the buzziest bands of the years.

Deerhunter 86% - This show with newly sanded down line up and as a result a newly stoic Bradford Cox was not even close to as engaging or revelatory as their show at Mercury Lounge a few months back. But that is nit picking. The music did the talking here and it was a wash of familiarly disorienting art-pop. Voyeurs might have been disapointed, fans were quietly pleased to say their band was more than a side show.

Battles 54% - If there was ever to be a break through of "math rock" this band is probably it. With good reason their album Mirrored is the finest bit of prog ambition and tight musicianship a fellow can ask for. However, if you know me you'll know complimenting musicianship is as good as complimenting the lighting design of a play. I don't care for flash. I want personality and impact and alas there wasn't a whole lot of that on display during Battles' set Friday.

Is This Goodbye McCarren Pool?

Let's hope that some compromise allowing for a pool and some sort of performance structure is arrived at in the coming months. If not Sonic Savvy New Yorkers will forever look back at two summers where the best place to spend your Sunday was an empty pool filled with the sounds of the buzziest bands of the time. In celebration of possibly the last Pool Party I've listed the ten best shows I've seen at their.


10. Walkmen
9. TV on the Radio
8. The Thermals
7. Oxford Collapse
6. YACHT
5. Ted Leo/Pharmascists
4. Beirut
3. Les Savy Fav
2. Deerhoof
1. Man Man

Justice, People Don't Blog About Them Enough

So I've decided that I am very eager to see the much ballyhooed Justice on October 20th. They've put out the best straight dance album of the year (Dan Deacon falling somewhere between quirk-pop, noise rock and dance is out of the running) and post Daft Punk I'm really terribly excited to have a more directly engaging French electronic experience.

The other thing is of course the defining buzz. How can one possibly not want to be at this show?!

Tickets go on sale today. The show is at the brand new Terminal 5. They cost $25. It starts pretty early for a Saturday night dance show(7pm).

P.S: This show is sadly a Ticketmaster event. Echk.

Musicians for Obama?

Hey, I'm trying to get some bands together for a concert in support of Barak Obama. The only money would be donation only and it would only cover the cost of the show or possibly go into the Staten Islanders for Obama group I'm involved with. We are trying to get permission to use one of Staten Island's many parks however if that doesn't happen we will surely find an accomodating venue.

Mostly we want this to be a rally and a good place where we can try and get more people politically active. If you're interested in getting involved please email me at: timduffyster@gmail.com