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Live Review: Pixies @ DAR Constitution Hall (2009.12.01)

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Ed. note: The photos from this review are from the first of two consecutive nights, while the review is based on the second.

All photos: Shantel Mitchell

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MP3: Pixies – Dancing the Manta Ray from Doolittle 20th Anniversary Live Sampler

The whole entire-album-in-one-concert trend has been derided as an attempt by artists to cash in or dumb down the concert experience to something as predictable as pushing play on your iPod. The Pixies had flashes of both at their show in Washington on Tuesday night, where they dusted off Doolittle and its B-sides. But then you remember, “Oh yeah, this is the f-ing Pixies,” and you count your blessings for being able to see what turned out to be an awesome show.

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Live Review / Photos: Numero Group’s Eccentric Soul Revue feat. Syl Johnson, the Notations and Renaldo Domino (2009.11.10)

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound @ 9:30 Club

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MP3: JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound – Baltimore Is the New Brooklyn

Editor’s note: This is fairly late because, well, I’m a busy guy.  But I think it deserves space and praise.

The merits of Numero Group’s mission, the compiling and reissuing of obscure soul, are apparent.  The burning question in my mind, however, is how bright an idea is it to drag these performers out of obscurity, and thrust them into the limelight.  Reports from the label’s first Eccentric Soul Revue performance in Chicago earlier this year garnered rave reports.  But after seeing their show at the 9:30 Club, I’d say the reality is slightly different.

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Live Review: Marduk, Nachtmystium, Mantic Ritual, Tyrant’s Hand @ Sonar (2009.11.23)

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All photos: Diana Lee, Special to MetalSucks.net

Last Monday was cold and rainy and depressing; perfect black metal weather. A decent sized crowd turned out for Marduk and Nachtmystium at Sonar, where they made a big circle, moshed, fought, gave each other dirty looks, made the sign of the devil and were violated in the ear-hole. I wear earplugs at metal shows: One of them fell out as I was head-banging. I did not replace it, and I paid for that decision.

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Photos / Live Review: The Cranberries @ Rams Head Live (2009.11.12)

What a pleasure it was to be able to see Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries perform for the first time in six years at Rams Head Live!  I was shocked to see that they were reuniting for a tour, and even more shocked to see that they were starting their tour in Baltimore!  The band played a 17 song set, ending with a 4 song encore that closed the show with classic single, “Dreams.”  Their performance and sound were both amazing; Dolores herself even commented that they had only rehearsed for a week prior to starting the tour.  Throughout the set, Delores interacted with several grateful fans, even accepting a few bouquets of flowers.  The evening was perfect!  Enjoy the photos!

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Live Review: Leila Josefowicz Gives John Adams’ Violin Concerto Total Depth (2009.10.29)

josefowicz10_high-croppedJohn AdamsViolin Concerto comes across like a melodic discourse on gravitational forces, but a touch more tender. Alien tensions built slowly from the BSO, with little far-off explosions. The center around which this Adamonic universe whirled was Leila Josefowicz.

She’s the personal champion for this concerto, making it her signature piece, a task only a Hilary Hahn could envy.  She plays entirely from memory, giving full impression of a piece taken within — the raw stuff of notes — spit out with unexpected expression. I’d have to think even Adams is surprised at what she finds in it.

Without hearing a single other play it, I’m willing to bet she’s the definitive interpreter of the work. Read the rest…

Live Review / Photos: Islands, Jemina Pearl, Toro Y Moi @ the G-Spot (2009.11.02)

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01. MP3: Toro Y Moi – Talamak from Well Tusked (2009)

02. MP3: Toro Y Moi – Human Nature (Michael Jackson cover) from CHUM ONAH: BxF celebrates the music of M. Jackson

03. MP3: Jemina Pearl – I Hate People featuring Iggy Pop from Break It Up (2009)

All photos: Greg Szeto | Full set

Toro Y Moi comes off initially like a variant of the whole indie dance shtick: solo artist pumping out insistent beats, synths and laptop samples while dancing around stage, the music is as fierce as any of his peers and leaves no 4/4 stone unturned. But there’s a twist.  What elevates him above the chaff and detritus is both the subtlety and execution; the fact that he actually sings the featherweight and often soulful vocals and plays the synth lines to his own music makes all the difference.  As a result, Chaz Bundick is downright intimate with his music: the payoff is much bigger, the riffs more electric, and everything overflows with funky heart and dance-worthy soul.  Foot-tapping pop couched in lo-fi swirls often sampled on the fly, his set was a good benchmark for meaningful indie pop. Read the rest…

Live Review: Three French Operas Meet Free Fall Baltimore (2009.10.19)

bannisterThe first up, Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Adonis took us as close as you can get to an evening in Versailles without the price tag.  My friend and I scored the last two tickets to be had.  This free-for-all packed the house as part of Peabody Opera’s tie-in with Free Fall Baltimore.

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Live Review: Lorin Maazel Guides NSO to Technical Glory

lorin maazelIf we were the National Symphony Orchestra, we’d ask the 79-year-old conductor, Lorin Maazel, back anytime. A lot of great things happen under the baton of a man who took his first conducting lesson at age seven.

From the moment Maazel took the podium to conduct Night on Bald Mountain (the Rimsky-Korsakov arranged, Fantasia favorite by Mussorgsky), you knew the highpoint of the evening would be tight control — no matter the piece.  A night of spot-on entrances and deft togetherness reigned in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

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Live Review: Bartók vs. Bartók – BSO trumps National, Harmonia Lends Hungary For the Night

Bartok-DSC_2150Last weekend, a wonderful conjunction took place among the Baltimore-Washington musical spheres: Bartók’s music overtook its two great concert halls on the very same night.

To compare Baltimore’s own playing Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra and the NSO’s take on Bartók’s The Wooden Prince is like pitting a Shakespeare tragedy against one of his comedies, and venturing that one is far better.

While it may not be fair to pit a concerto against a ballet score, we’ll give the BSO, under Maestro Marin Alsop’s baton, the upper hand. Both orchestras did fantastic things we’ve never quite heard before. Bartók brings out the best of an orchestra because he’s not something you can take for granted. You can take Beethoven’s “Pastoral” for granted. You might even take Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto for granted, but James Ehnes’ ample sprezzatura helped the BSO make a great case for Tchaikovsky, perhaps better than the composer himself when he called it “One violin concerto too many” – despite its being the only one that he composed.

Here’s what tips the scales in favor of B-more…

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Photos / Live Review: Future Islands, Lonnie Walker, Small Sur, Jared Paolini @ Zodiac (2009.10.01)

Jared Paolini @ Zodiac Jared Paolini @ Zodiac Andy Abelow of Small Sur @ Zodiac Austin Stahl of Small Sur @ Zodiac Bob Keal of Small Sur @ Zodiac Andy Abelow of Small Sur @ Zodiac Andy Abelow of Small Sur @ Zodiac Austin Stahl of Small Sur @ Zodiac Small Sur @ Zodiac Andy Abelow of Small Sur @ Zodiac Bob Keal of Small Sur @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Lonnie Walker @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Will Cashion of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac Sam Herring of Future Islands @ Zodiac

All Photos: Greg Szeto

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MP3: Lonnie Walker – Compass Comforts

A sweaty grower of a Thursday night show, from the blissful haze of expertly layered guitar loops to the serenity of nature, followed by big-riff country-fried rock and capped off with high-energy, soul-filled dance songs.

Jared Paolini’s measured performance matched his meticulous and painstaking live layering of guitars to produce vast and glorious escapist textures. Small Sur’s set was pitch perfect, some new cuts being played, while Andy Abelow often stole the show with his ever-improving, excellent sax work (nary a squawk or hesitant entrance in earshot, and rich, full tones abound). This is no small feat considering Bob Keal’s soaring vocal work and subtle, lyrical guitar, and Austin Stahl’s deliberate and expressive drumming. Future Islands provided the soulful dance party we have all come to expect, Sam Herring’s emphatic, raw vocals and uniquely theatrical delivery proving ever effective. Will Cashion’s bass work also proved spot on, providing a much needed, kinetic bass line you could feel, compensating for the somewhat hollow drum machine beats in the background.

But for me, the big find of the night was how much I absolutely fell in love with Lonnie Walker’s foot-stomping, knee-slapping, crunchy and rousing Americana rock. Building each song from rambling country riffs and vocals to huge guitar shredding payoffs, frantic vocals, and ramped-up, urgent tempi. So versatile was their approach that they even dropped one of their songs into something like a syncopated ska beat. Expect to hear more from them in these pages in the very near future.

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