Cass McCombs @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 7.21.2011

If I said there was a weird vibe at the Cass McCombs show Thursday night at The Music Hall of Williamsburg I'd might be understating the fact. The show began with a set from Lower Dens whose ethereal sounds led by Jana Hunter’s deep vocals seemed right at home with the crowd but the tone changed as Cass and crew hit the stage even amid a packed house of adoring fans. McCombs opted for darkness throughout his set with no stage lights aside from backlighting derived from light boards against the rear of the stage which resembled Modrianesque honeycomb shapes which occasionally fluttered as they blinked.

Playing in darkness seemed to fit McCombs mellow musical style but for some reason things just did not jive as the band played some of their notable songs such as “Dreams Come True Girl” and “County Line”. The band’s sound wasn’t hitting the mark and their playing seemed almost confrontational at times as McCombs continually asked for his vocals to be increased even though they were already painfully loud, additionally the occasional Ray Manzarek vs. Nirvana keyboard solos seemed downright angry. A good portion of the crowd tried hard to buy-in to McCombs vision as rolling “shh”ing erupted through the crowd in-between songs but it became almost laughable at times. By the time McCombs hour-long set concluded without an encore the audience was already pouring out into the sweltering heat of the night wondering why the band seemed to hate them.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Film Review: Conviction

A sister’s love and attachment to her imprisoned brother is put to the test as she works to put herself through law school in an effort to free him while raising a family in Tony Goldwyn’s new film Conviction. The film, which stars Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, is based on the remarkable real-life ordeal of Betty Anne Waters and, at its core, is an untraditional love story between siblings.

Conviction is really an actor’s film and Goldwyn, the actor-turned-director (best known for his role as the corporate villain in Ghost) does a wonderful job of eliciting great performances while using the plotline to pull at the heartstrings without ever feeling corny. Sam Rockwell’s Oscar-worthy performance in this film is captivating as he balances rage and misery with charm and charisma into the truly fleshed-out character of Kenny Waters. The supporting cast is also well-seasoned as it features Minnie Driver, Peter Gallagher, Melissa Leo, and notably Juliette Lewis, who is truly dynamic in her brief appearances onscreen.

The film’s depiction of families and the modern justice system is quite reflective of the times we live in. While the film has a Hollywood feel, it manages to retains some real grit to it and should appeal to both men and women.

For: Short&SweetNYC

Back from Japan and in the Thick of It

Magical, ancient, strange, wondrous, modern, and occasionally very nude- those are the descriptive terms I find myself referring to most often when talking about my nearly month-long trip to Japan but without question it was life-changing and most certainly a positive experience. I spent the last weeks of the summer vacation organizing my thoughts and photos and trying to digest the moments I had on the other side of the world and it turns out all the octopus and eyes and such don't digest quickly but I did put together 3 new travel journals of my trip to share. Here they are enjoy them and feel free to comment back on anything. I'm well into the swing of life as a slightly over-reaching teacher, writer, artist, etc. now so life quite a bit different than it was a few weeks back but it great to reminisce.

Vampire Weekend @ Terminal 5 (with Fiasco & Air Bombay) 12.06.2008

With one of the best albums of the year, New York’s own Vampire Weekend concluded their 5 night sold-out run Saturday night at Terminal 5 with a spirited hour long set. The first snow of the season didn’t slow down the crowd a bit and the venue was packed for the two warm-up local bands which the audience seemed very familiar with- Air Bombay and Fiasco. Vampire Weekend took the stage around 10pm and their performance was energetic and vibrant. Their upbeat sound which mixes together off-beat percussion with bright guitar rhythms was even more fun in person and the eclectic crowd danced along with exuberance throughout the show.

The foursome started off their set fittingly with “Mansford Roof”, the single that started it all for them and they continued with tracks off their freshman album including: “I Stand Corrected” and their hit “A-Punk”. Midway through the show the band welcomed out a string quartet which added an interesting spin to songs like: “M79” (about the uptown bus line) and “Ottoman”, their cut off the Nick and Nora’s Soundtrack album. They also mixed in two very diverse but interesting covers songs- Blondie’s “X-Offender” and Fleetwood Mac’s late 80’s hit “Everywhere” which they pulled off with verve. They closed the show with their fan-favorite “Walcott” and thanked the crowd for all the hometown support.

The New Yorker's Eustace Tilley

EUSTACE TILLEY byTim Needles 4b
Originally uploaded by needlesart

Here's one of my Eustace Tilley submissions for The New Yorker's 85th anniversary issue.