(It's about music, opinions, and shows!)

4/1 - Adam Brodsky was like the Velvet Underground of AntiFolk.
"Adam Brodsky? Who's he?"
Exactly. Just like VU in their prime, Adam Brodsky's a non-entity, who has no sales and little rep. What rep he has, though, is stellar. Occupying the almost empty room in the back of the Sidewalk Cafe on Tuesday were fellow Philadelphians Mia Johnson and Hoagy, as well as spoken-word artist Wammo, Fort manager Lach, Mercury recording artist Hamell on Trial, former king of AntiFolk Lenny Molotov and AntiFolk publishing magnate Jonathan Berger. Shanachie and Fortified's own Brenda Kahn was late to arrive -- and was seemed quite depressed over it.
Brodsky's songs, on the funny tip, were made all the more joyous because of the enthusiasm of the crowd. His assertive guitar playing and self-deprecating manner seemed to contrast each other quite nicely, and the ten people in the audience all came away loving the plucky little act.
Curtis Eller -- just him and his banjo -- completed the bill, after Lenny Molotov's introduction, "No one can really be depressing with the banjo." Eller put the lie to that shit, as he played his nouveau blues to a tiny crowd of enthusiastic listeners.
- Stephanie Biederman

4/4 - Dan Emery covered for the Acoustic Halfbreeds at nine ten, when the band didn't show. Evidently, their audience didn't show either, so the group didn't put too much legwork in this NYU Indie Night. Emery played a short set to an interim crowd, which ended with the blistering "Scout's Honor." The song, which is about as danceable as Emery gets without his band backing him up, is, upon close inspection, about digital stimulation.
Hamell on Trial, fresh from an interview on Fordham Radio, was exhausted on stage, but said, "I'll still give out 110%." His set included "Mr. Fear," one of the most powerful numbers on his new Mercury album, and "No Delays," "The Meeting," and "John Lennon," some of which had to be rearranged as solo songs. They all sounded like they were made for Hamell to play, which is probably the case. Older songs included the incredible "Harmony," which is probably one of the few Hamell numbers that's a love song. Dan Kilian began his set with "Four Fingers of Fun," one of his best songs, which is about, presumably, digital stimulation. The rest of the set was cool, but nothing competes with that song. Muckafurgason played too short a set, which still included their waste-of-time 30-second songs.
Wammo, an Austineer and an old friend of that acoustic assassin, Hamell on Trial, came on at midnight, to play a series of poems with musical accompaniment. Watching the irrepressible Hamell on Trial as repressed backup for the equally irrepressible Wammo was eerie and entertaining. Highlight was Wammo's alcohol-induced rant "There is Way Too Much Light in this Bar." - Jonathan Berger 4/4 - Hamell on Trial and Muckafurgason played the same bill during the recent NYU Independent Music Fest. Muckafurgason has a new split single out on Edelstein, which is their label. Hamell is on Mercury, none of its minor labels. I can't imagine how that classifies him as Indie. Still....
These two impressive Antifolk artists call attention to one another because of the way each used to play.
Hamell plays straight-forward killer guitar, as he might call it, "acoustic kinda meanery," while the boys in Mucka play whatever they need to. Hamell will never be seen apart from his guitar. He plays in a singular style, which can be called "slam strumming," "aggro-acoustic," "hard-ass playing," or, more sympathetically, "shit, that poor guitar." Muckafurgason, three members strong, play guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, mouth harp, squeaky mouse, beer bottles, and so much more. What's more, all of the members switch off on instruments often in the set, making it difficult to hold attention, if not for the incredible range of material. Hamell plays fiercely, furiously, directly. Muckafurgason plays across the map in a myriad of styles. At least, historically.
What happened tonight was, Hamell played material from the new album, which, rumor has, is an eclectic mix of just about everything in the land of rock and roll. Meanwhile, Muckafurgason, despite the instrument changes, despite the numerous songwriters in numerous songstyles, played a fairly uniform pop-rock set. It was an interesting switch-up, and each act was good enough to keep the audience guessing, and undoubtedly coming back for more.
- Professor G Lesse II

4/5 - Rachel Sage is soft and plays with a full band. Her speaking voice is full of whine and nasal tones, but it doesn't stop her from singing like someone good. Desperate and adorably abrasive on stage, the AF veteran Paleface seems to continue to not know what the hell he's doing. Still, he does it with increasing charm and verve. He pulled out a cheap casio keyboard and played a jaunty little number while his guitar went through one of it's many retunings and restringing.
All the elements were there during the Rooks set, but different. Normally, the Rooks are great electric leads, excellent cute girl harmonies backing up Michael Mazzarella's Lennon-whine and a really adorable-looking percussionist, Patrick Yourell, backing the whole thing up.
Kristin Pinell, gorgeous long-time Rook, lead guitarist and back-up vocalist, had not been doing much singing, because of a sore throat, leaving Anne Benkovitz handle most of the harmonic coverage, but Pinell's guitar was as up front as ever. However, the biggest change was Yourell's rhythm work. He used drums, which showcased him in ways never thought possible. The entire Rooks string section seemed to have complex interplay going on between them for the longest time, but now... Patrick's drum parts finally keep pace, and improve the entire mix.
Lach finished up the evening. Ooh-yeh! Playing for a crowded room seemed to do something for the old boy. He had a large crowd at the start of his set, and, amazingly, maintained much of it through his performance. Zowie. A lot of newer material was in the mix, though standards "Drinking Beers with Mom," "Kiss Loves n Medley were in said set. He was quiet and obviously appreciative of the obviously appreciative crowd. Excellent energy levels and minimum of schtick, just a good honest presentation of good honest songs. The best Lach set in a long while.
- Stephanie Biederman

4/13 - Eletfa played their Hungarian folk songs, only they were really folk melodies, not like the usual poseurs at the club. A huge crowd, with some old people dancing near the end. Original for the scene, though clearly traditional in most every way. Check Eletfa out in the future, but be sure to get their early, or listen from the bar.
Dan Zweben debuted an entirely new band to a packed Sunday crowd. With the very Strange Folk Sunday line-up of funk guitar, pop piano and jazz drums, the show was really good. The audience loved it, and kept them playing until like nine in the morning. An experience to be had by all.
- Max Allen

4/19 - Gene and Mimi lead off the night by rocking the house off the floor. Their cover of "Stepping Stone," though I've heard it many times, is tonight one of those moments when the stage presence swells and permeates every inch of the room. Mimi is shaking the mike stand like it's a dense, belligerent boyfriend, and Gene is rocking without losing his subtlety (an extra not here, a low-profile harmonic there), Andy is beating up my favorite drum set in New York: a tambourine in the lap, a Turkish dumbek on the knees, and other toys within reach. And Lach is pumping the reverb into some kind of Greek chorus. Their songs grab us with pop hooks and pull us into narrative zones into which pop doesn't venture. You go.
Benjamin Wagner: A bass-guitar duo, which, I hear, is usually a band. Nice voice, sounds familiar, but not like a duplicate of anything I can identify. The bass player uses all the notes on his bass. Throughout the crowd are admiring comments on his doggy slippers. Benjamin's nail polish is nice too. The music should have a few more different rhythms. The ones they do hold together well.
The Humans: I was supposed to have left fifteen minutes ago. The Humans are finally starting; the underwater guitar sounds are flooding the room. Squirrelly keyboard peels along with it. It's hard to leave. Bye; no really, g'night.
Well, maybe a few minutes more...
- Jonathan Segol

4/20 - Peter Dizozza debuted an entirely new musical theater piece at eight o'clock. You'll only appreciate it if you see it, and then, you'll begin to understand the twisted workings of a very twisted mind. I came in late and missed too much to possible explain it, ever. Satellites, K-Mart, and Saudi Arabia all seemed to have prominent parts. You either get it, or you don't. Tammy Faye Starlight rocked the house with her band backing her on a variety of country hits, some traditional like "Stand By Your Man" and "Fist City," some original like "Daddy's Hands" and "God Has Lodged a Tenant in My Uterus." The show was high in laughs and chops, featuring the incredible Billy Ficca and Deni Bonet in her band, but low on vocal ability. Tammy Faye is known for her work with Jay and Tammy (she'd be Tammy) and the Kuntry Kuzzins (with Lauren Agnelli), and humor is obviously her high priority. The show, despite slight musical deficiencies, was hilarious. See, it's all ironic, and great fun, seeing as how it's so darned sincere. Ripe went on next. Ripe is a bunch of young women who switch instruments and play them inexpertly with a lot of emotion and really good songs. They are just like Muckafurgason when they started, only their girls, and Mucka's boys. The rudimentary understanding of their instruments defines the punk rock ethic perfectly. My most fervent desire is that, unlike Muckafurgason, Ripe never masters their instruments, and keep writing great songs.
- Professor G Lesse II

4/21 - I got there around 11 in time to see Rick Shapiro signed to Fortified. Bob Strain and Mary Ann Farley photographed it. It was an intimate crowd, considerably understated in that there was neither amplification nor lights, great conditions for Rick's explosive talent.
- Peter Dizozza

4/22 - Kamau played the best set of my life, and there was no one there to appreciate it, at least at first. People crawled in, few there to see the solo artist, temporarily estranged from his group, the Revolution Suns, but those that heard him were very enthusiastic.
Liz Brody with White Shirt of Mother played loud and fast and really loud. Each member of the band successfully played louder than the last, making each want to play louder. Luckily, soundman Lenny Molotov, who also has worked with most members of White Shirt o Mother, was there to keep things in check.
Interestingly, Liz Brody's songwriting sounds somewhat similar to that of Mr. Scarecrow. her electric guitarist and room-mate. Or maybe he sounds like her. Her "Crack in the Sidewalk" is pretty reminiscent of his "TV News" and a couple other numbers -- at least the vocals. Pretty interesting. Maybe they're starting to look like each other, too. Elizabeth Hummel, a San Diegan who was touring through the East, played a curt set with vocal assistance from Cindy Lee Berryhill, former AntiFolk bigwig and now architect of the Garage Orchestra sound. Her set was strong, her songs were good, and the audience was attentive.
Cindy Lee Berryhill came on later to play the shortest set of all time. Three piano songs from the artist, with harmonies from Hummel. The songs were new, and seemed darker anything else she's done. "This, by the way, is the new phase of Anti-folk," she said, right before her encore, "And I can make the trends, seeing as how I'm the one who came up with the phrase Anti-folk."
What?
- Jane Pawley-Lint

4/26 - Rita Owens: never seen her before. She has a great voice, but her band threatens to drag the whole bar to the upper East Side. Steve Espinola: early in the set Steve announces that he has hidden a piece of the afikomen (the matzoh that gets hidden at a Seder) somewhere in the Sidewalk. The one who finds it will get his drink ticket. Suspense.

"I need to talk to that alterna-chick
With the piercing in her tongue
My mouth has no holes in it
But I'm the one struck dumb."
Scenes from a subway platform.

A good part of the show is watching Steve do a new song. A cute smile creeps across his face as he manages to string the chords and melodies together, and a tumble of lyrics that sound like Shel Silverstein in a bar.
Dan Emery is keeping a low profile on this set. If you ask me, he should support Steve with some of Steve's toys, maybe some short-wave radio. It's the end of the set. I have the Afikomen! (actually Dan slipped it to me, thank you Dan) and Steve takes a piece of matzoh to play the electric tennis racket for a final encore.
- Jonathan Segol

4/28 - Monday night AntiHoot. You've heard of it. You've gone. You've played. You've loved it. You loved this one even more. It was one of the rare theme nights at the AntiHoot, and, for insiders and out, it was a blast.
AntiFolk center of attention the Fort at the Sidewalk Cafe hosted an evening featuring covers. Local artists covering local artists is what was going on, a theme that had been arranged two weeks prior. Included were:

€ Jonathan Segol starting out with a version of an Steve Espinola's "My Thesaurus," a song he has never done at the Fort. Somehow, Segol reached deep into Espinola's songbook to pull that one off. € Former King of AntiFolk Kamau Rucker playing a cover of everyone's favorite lines, including "My hair like Jesus wore it." A strange surreal experience, in itself a cover of a similar stunt pulled by Lenny Molotov, when he read off a list of Dan Emery's songs.
€ Dan Emery playing his bandmate Steve Espinola's "Love Song While Running Away." It was not the first time he'd covered the song. It was perhaps the best. € Oldtime Antifolkie Ross Owens covering Lach's "Coffee Black" as a psychedelic blues, mixing up distorto-electric guitars and straw hats. Smoky vocals, steaming guitars, performance hidden behind sonic mirrors & false starts; the song rendered thunderous applause, until Ross smiled slyly and said, "Fooled you, didn't I?" then completed the song.
€ Peter Dizozza -- with vocal assistance from former Queen of AntiFolk Estelle McKee, played Espinola's "You've Lost Everything," a second person rocker about a guy who takes too long to die.
€ Chris Dillon pulling out Lach's "I Love Them," which should really be called "I Love..." to establish appropriate suspense. Dillon had never been able to complete the song at an AntiHoot, but got through it this time by adding his own personal experience and list of women to the song. In the process, Dillon made the song his own.
€ Lach covering the recently arrived Zane Campbell's "Fucked Up on Jesus," on piano, as the revival style number it initially lampooned. Interesting ironic double-turnaround, from the master of...Antifolk.
€ Joe Bendik covering Lach's "Teenage Alcoholic," at double-time, with some different melodies peeping through. € Dina Dean thumping her poor microphone like she was Rick Shapiro. € Mr. Scarecrow covering a bit of Joe Bendik's "Inconsiderate," which he used to play on as a member of the original Heathens. The song morphed into Steve Espinola's "Love Song While Running Away," before finally landing on Lach's "America," which he did from beginning to end.
€ Steve Espinola, meanwhile, played two complete cover songs, in anticipation of his upcoming all-cover gig at the Sidewalk. He played Peter Dizozza's "Two Lovers," and then some song of Dina Dean's that was completely indescribable.
Very memorable, if I recall correctly.
- Stephanie Biederman

Death and Taxes: April 15 with Gustav Plympton

Scott Klein wasn't going on until 8.30, so I bopped out of the Fort and over to Arlene's Grocery, where the beautiful Amy Fairchild was playing. Rather, I should say, the presumably beautiful Amy Fairchild. I'd heard rumors of her and her incredible following in Western Mass, but had never had a chance to catch her homegrown talent. They grow 'em big up north. Fairchild had a beautiful voice, varied styles of guitar playing, and a pleasant enough demeanor. She seemed fairly folky, and the endarkened crowd at Arlene's clapped enjoyably. When I tried to make time with her, she blew me off. Who cares? She wasn't that cute...
I headed back to the Fort, where Scott Klein had already begun singing his often very eerie songs. He pulled up a falsetto, put on some wickedly insane look in his eye, and threw out this song about the beach that seemed very sincere, but sounded very scary. His set ended with that old sea chanty, "Brandy," which he made us sing along with, or else he wouldn't go away. We sang along, but it was tough. It wasn't an easy part he wanted us to handle, and he didn't direct us very well. Next time, Scott, just give us "Hey Jude," and we'll perform with flying colors. Scott Klein proved to be a distinct player with a lot of energy. I got the hell out of the club.
The Luna Lounge featured former Fort stalwarts Lot 49, who haven't been seen around those parts for some time. Led by Marc Dinkins, the group was very pleased to share their tax return status between songs. Between poppy songs. Between incredibly moveable poppy songs. Now, explain to me that a group with a name inspired by one of the densest, least consumable novels of any generation, could write such poppy, easily digestible tunes? I just don't get it. Their set was great, but their logic is clearly incomprehensible. Back to Arlene's Grocery for a nightcap of Hamell on Trial, who played somewhere around midnight to a less-than-packed house. His name had been handwritten onto the schedule, late, in a virtually unannounced fashion. "So," Hamell asked once on-stage, "Did anyone come because of the poster I put up? My wife wants to know. She's telling me, you know, advertising's a good thing." Mr. On Trial played a lot material from his first national album, Big As Life, though some cuts from the newer, huger, Chord is Mightier than the Sword were also there. Hamell usually plays a fairly set set, with the same beginnings, middles and ends, but this one was entirely different. Songs in new places, songs you expect never showing up, though the jokes were the same...
Well, most of them.
"So I asked the owner, Shane, I said to him, 'This place is great. What makes Arlene's different from the Mercury?'
"He said, 'They pay the acts'."
This got a warm reaction from the audience, and prompted some guy to pass the hat near the end of the Hamell show. Me, I was out some couple hundred dollars, thanks to the government, so I gave nothing.
By the time Hamell was done, it was past any solar-based lifeform's bedtime, and I had a trip home in front of me, but it was worth it. Seven blocks, six hours, five trips, four acts, three clubs, two strips, one guy, no charge... the numbers crunched.
(GP)