Olympics in China, election in America, actors' strike, the Cubs & the don't-call-them-'Devil' Rays leading the majors - it's gonna be one long, hot summer.  If you're in the Big Apple, there's only one thing to do, and that's hit the big - and little - outdoor concerts, from the first year of All Points West (QRO Festival Guide) to the last year of the free McCarren Park Pool Parties (QRO Free NYC Schedule).  Here's our on-the-ground recap of where we're at, going from spring training to election day:

Friday, August 29: River-to-River Festival @ South Street Seaport, downtown Manhattan
 

 Oneida

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River-to-River and the Seaport Music Festival ended their 2008 season with local favorites Oneida.  Oneida's one of those local bands everyone tells me they love, but I'm just not that into them.  Their drone-rock jam kind of bores me (and there were some technical difficulties which made the singer/guitarist spend most of the time looking over to the soundboard people or at his monitor), but the healthy amount of listeners seemed to be pleased.

 ~

It was the end of an era as the last Pool Party ever graced McCarren Park Pool (okay, so Sonic Youth is 'technically' closing out the pool the following Saturday - but that's not free, and I saw Sonic Youth earlier this year at Battery Park (see below) and last year at McCarren (QRO live review), where they were playing Daydream Nation (QRO album review) - which is still better than what they've done recently...).  Thankfully, the weather was perfect, the Dewar's was flowing, and the line-up just got better & better:
 

 Yo La Tengo

Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

Pretty much an excellent choice to close out the Pool Parties, I do wish they'd played it a bit more fun (and more horns!) and less art-rock.  But that's a minor quibble with one of the best things ever about New Jersey.  Ira Kaplan joked that, now that Brooklyn's "over", New Jersey is the place to be.  And they ended in a jam with fellow Garden Staters Titus Andronicus, playing a New Jersey jam in The Misfits' "Where Eagles Dare".

There was also this Barack Obama fundraiser going on, hosted by David Cross, and I got a chance to see him, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants/ex-Joan of Arcadia Amber Tamblyn, and Third Watch/Law & Order: Trial By Jury (the one Law & Order that got cancelled) Amy Carlson - and this other guy: 

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 Video: "Stockholm Syndrome"

 ~

 Titus Andronicus

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Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage 

Pretty much straight-up punk-garage-rock, not the most inventive band, but definitely brought a ton of energy to the last party.

 ~

 Ebony Bones

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Opening up the day with a band from England for some reason, these folks were more interesting to shoot than to listen to.  But that's half the battle for me...

 ~

Friday, August 22: River-to-River Festival @ South Street Seaport, downtown Manhattan
 

 Grand Archives

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This band came out of Band of Horses (QRO live review) & Carissa's Wierd, but hewed away from alt-country of Horses (QRO album review) and towards more of a 'soft sound of the seventies' on their self-titled release (QRO album review).  But that kind of sound, while nice, can really get lost live - especially outdoors.

 ~

 Violens

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Another NYC-area band (I believe) that I've heard of, but never actually heard opening up South Street Seaport.  They were good enough, though had some technical difficulties and probably played on too long.

 ~

 Aesop Rock

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 ~

Sunday, August 17: Summerstage @ Central Park, Manhattan
  

 Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

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Heading up the 'Daptone Revue' at the last free Summerstage show of this year was the one and only Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings.  Sometimes I think The Dap-Kings don't get their due, but as great as they were in the first three songs, everything just went awesome when Ms. Jones took the stage.  The Brooklyn-based band's latest, 100 Days, 100 Nights (QRO review), is probably the most listened-to old school soul-sound record among indie fans (at least in New York), and the band certainly had a lot of psyched fans - no one more so than this one, who even dance from inside the photo pit for at least one song: 

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 ~

 Menahan Street Band

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Basically a 'rearranging of the deck chairs' at Daptone Records, the Menahan Street Band seems to be made up of various Dap-Kings and Budos Band (QRO photos) members.  They've got a record out this fall, and this, their inaugural appearance, was strong - but not a whole lot different than other vocal-less Daptone bands.

 ~

 Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens

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I arrived late for this band as well (MTA was really messing with me that weekend), but this old school even for this old school line-up had a lot of gospel/blues-like energy.

 ~

 Battles

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I think this instrumental tech wave is kind of overrated, and doesn't play so well outdoors, plus isn't interesting to watch - but Battles is totally the exception.  They bring such energy to their performances, and even if they aren't looking at the crowd, they exhibit such showmanship you don't really care.  And they've got their moments of flair, like the drummer hitting the way-too-high cymbal (totally there to show off), the stage-right guitarist/keyboardist doing little dance steps when he moves away from the keys, and the stage-left singer/guitarist/keyboardist beckoning to the crowd.  While not as wild as the South Street Seaport show last year (QRO photos), there was still the requisite crowd-surfer: 

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 ~

 Black Dice

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If Battles is the exception, then Black Dice is the rule - and then some.  Not interesting to watch, and kind of tiresome to hear.

 ~

 Gang Gang Dance

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I showed up late to shoot this band, but still caught some, and that was probably more than enough.  This kind of drum/beat-heavy instrumental tech is never fascinating to shoot - doubly so when you're under the hot sun...

 ~

 Dirty Projectors

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I've tried and I've tried to get into the Dirty Projectors, but I just can't say I like them.  Their finger-plucking electric guitar is completely beatless - like 'atonal' is tonal, their music is kind of 'arhythmic'.  Even when I realized they were doing a completely original cover of Black Flag's "Police Story" (from their cover record of all of Black Flag's Rise Above), that was more funny than good.  The weather, which had been dripping rain all day but was threatening much more, did give some incredible lightning strike backdrop over the East River - but also forced Seaport Music to close things down early.  Which was just as well - I was seriously considering leaving early anyway.

 ~

 White Williams

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I only showed up midway through, and this band that I've heard of a lot, but didn't actually know anything about, reminded me at Seaport of a cross between the exciting Battles there last year (QRO photos) and the unexciting Telepathe there earlier this year (see below).

 ~

 Electric Six

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Whoa - the boat was a-rockin' when Electric Six stepped aboard The Temptress.  I had an inkling that Electric 6 + H20 = trouble, after seeing how crazy the crowd got at a show last year at a regular venue (QRO photos).  But the confined stage floor - which was at the same level as the band - meant the crowd was spilling over into Dick Valentine & co. from the get-go - despite the $40 ticket price and rather expensive beers.  Security had to come out pretty quickly to hold the fans back (often focusing on the actions of one rather well-dressed fan).  The best bet was definitely to go upstairs and watch from above, even if that's not the 'true' Electric Six experience.

 Videos: "Dance Pattern", "I Buy the Drugs"

 ~

 Tragedy

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

"The #1 all-metal tribute band to The Bee-Gees in the Tri-State Area - and now, international waters..."  They were pretty funny, if the joke did wear off a little quick, and putting their female back-up singers off to the side and under a balcony wasn't a good move.  I'm not a huge metal fan, but I couldn't tell whether liking or disliking The Bee-Gees more would have made me like Tragedy more.

 ~

 Wilco

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A band I've long wanted to see (and trying to fit in as much action at The Pool as possible, before it closes), Wilco set the standard for alt-country.  I know some critics have complained their latest, Sky Blue Sky (QRO review), is too mainstream, even 'Randy Newman-y', but it's got some excellent tracks (if a few skippable ones as well...).  My only problem with the show was that I wasn't as familiar with Wilco's earlier work - certainly not as much as the crowd, who seemed to sing along with every song...

 Videos: "Far, Far Away", "Jesus, Etc.", "Hate It Here", "I'm the Man Who Loves You"

 ~

 Jennifer O'Connor

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The one problem with McCarren is that it can be too big, especially the stage: any band can seem small and kinda boring beneath the massive superstructure.  That's common with tech-instrumental bands at Pool Parties like Fuck Buttons or Black Moth Super Rainbow (see below), and Jennifer O'Connor got hit with a bit too, especially with the early start, as the crowd was only just filtering in.  Still, she sounded good, especially that song about Rhode Island, which really reminded me of southern New England in the late eighties/early nineties - like not being as cool as The Pixies.

 ~

Sunday, August 10: Metal Masters Tour @ Nikon Theater at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY

 Judas Priest

Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Certainly a band that's going to put on an impressive live show, the one-and-only Judas Priest didn't fail Gaelen.

 ~

 Motörhead

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Gaelen was able to score a pass to the ginormous Nikon Theater at Jones Beach for the Metal Masters Tour, and caught Motörhead, and I gotta admit, I'm jealous - I always love an umlaut...

 ~

Sunday, August 10: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

It was a rainy, rainy day - which translated to an excellent Pool Party.  The place was relatively empty, and that meant the free Dewar's lasted and lasted.  What's more, the weather enabled me to ask to shoot from on the stage, something I got to do the first two times I went to the Pool last year (Superchunk - QRO live review - and Illinois - QRO live review), but never since.  And, for some reason, they were enforcing a 'first three songs' limit on the photo pit, which meant that when I was done shooting from on the stage, and I couldn't shoot from in the pit - and thus had more time for drinking...

 The Felice Brothers

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A favorite of mine (QRO spotlight), this time I got to see a lot more of them then the previous day at All Points West (see below).  "Whiskey In My Whiskey" was a natural favorite, but "Radio Song" was ringing in my head for days afterwards.  But where was Farley's 'I Get Money' washboard from Mercury (QRO photo)?...

 ~

 Langhorne Slim

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Another solid, down-home act, Slim was really having fun, despite the rain only just having stopped.  I've seen him twice now, both times up close, in Brooklyn, & for free (QRO photos from Sound Fix Records).

 ~

 Eli "Paperboy" Reed & The True Loves

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Someone I'd heard of but never seen, I liked his big band style - but he's got members of Skavoovie & The Epitones in The True Loves, so how couldn't I?  Didn't get to see a whole lot, as I got there while he was on his third song, so was kicked out of the photo pit after that, and with the rain coming down, found shelter - and more - under the Dewar's tent.

 ~

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All Points West uncooly didn't provide photo passes or tix, so I had to 'slum it' with the crowds and buy a ticket.  However, that did mean I could pick what day & bands, as opposed to photographers who had to rush from stage to stage, only photographing the first three songs (and having nowhere to stand after that for Radiohead...).

Sold-out Saturday was the best day, and I was able to smuggle in my lesser camera and get a ton of shots: 

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 ~

 Radiohead

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Are there any superlatives left for Radiohead?  They're pretty much the biggest alternative band in the world, their 'pay what you choose' strategy for In Rainbows (QRO review) is revolutionizing music, they've got the best light show out there... oh yeah, and the music's pretty good, too... (even if the debates on what was their best album never includes their most recent ones...).

Only problem was the crowd - festival meant no seating (and these were their only dates in NYC - at least I didn't have to go through the W.A.S.T.E. rigmarole - QRO Feature), meant being squeezed and standing for four hours if you wanted anything close.  Plus, there were some annoying foreign fans around me, shouting their love for Jonny Greenwood in Spanish and shouting some sort of weird, pseudo-Asian, pseudo-Latin shouts for Radiohead... 

 ~

 Kings of Leon

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My second time seeing them, and while nothing could match shooting them from the pit last year at Roseland Ballroom (QRO photos), this time I had a place to stand for the whole set (and no weird "don't shoot directly in front of frontman Caleb Followil...").  And they're also a true outdoor band - plus someone threw a bra on-stage:

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(Radiohead's Thom Yorke on Kings of Leon: "If I was that good-looking, I'd be famous...")

Only by the Night, their follow-up to last year's Because of the Times (QRO review), comes out next month.

 ~

 Animal Collective

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Animal Collective were boring last year at South Street Seaport, boring on their latest, Strawberry Jam (I once heard a guy on the subway say to a friend that they'd peaked before that, and I had to but in & add, "You're not wrong..."), and yes, boring this time, too.  I only got up close so I'd have a spot for Radiohead & Kings of Leon - why The Onion said they'd be the best non-Radiohead live band on Saturday is beyond me...

 ~

 Sia

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If Animal Collective played down to my expectations, Sia definitely over-delivered.  Her soul-pop isn't quite my style, but she was well worth checking out instead of Animal Collective.  "Little Black Sandles" is still stuck in my head, and she was charming when she joked about camel-toe.

 ~

 The Virgins

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I'd skipped seeing The Virgins when I was at Mercury Lounge seeing Frankpollis open (QRO live review), and I can't say I made the wrong choice then.  Checking them out because they started right after Metric ended, I did get to see a slimmer Matt Pinfield (ex-MTV VJ) promote them as he pimped his new radio show.  The Virgins weren't bad, just not up to the hype in the least.

 ~

 Metric

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The main reason I chose Saturday over Friday (when Radiohead also played - who the hell was going to see Jack Johnson as headliner on Sunday?...), Metric is a great, great live band - and I should know, since I saw them the night before (or rather, that morning, at about 1 A.M.) at Highline Ballroom (QRO live review).  I was a lot farther away this time, but the crowd wasn't as full of douchebags.  The only real downside was that Metric played the exact same set as the night before, but Haines did admit to it - and seeing her on big-screen is always a sight to behold...

 ~

 The Felice Brothers

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 ~

 Cass McCombs

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8/8/08 was the same day as All Points West, 88 BoaDrum, and Olympics opening ceremony (not to mention a slew of Asian weddings), so the crowd wasn't exactly thick at Seaport, but did beef up when the music started and as the night went on.  I didn't know anything about Cass McCombs going in, but I have to say I liked his alt-country/surf style.

 ~

 Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

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But the real reason I was there was for the ubiquitous Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, who's seemingly playing everywhere in New York this August.  Luckily, he deserves to - and I did get to see this amusing old guy who was spinning during the show:

 Video: "The Ongoing Debate Concerning Present vs. Future"

 ~

Thursday, August 7: McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
  

 The Black Keys

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It was a full, full day - first an open bar RSVP party at Rehab with O'Death (QRO photos) and TK Webb & The Visions (QRO photos), then I'd won tickets to The Black Keys/Tapes 'n Tapes at McCarren.  Unfortunately, the party at Rehab started late, and by the time I'd gotten to McCarren, Tapes 'n Tapes were already done, and The Black Keys' three-song opening window for photo pass was past.  So all I could get were some far-off shots of the two (did get to hear "Your Touch"), and see an acoustic set of Tapes 'n Tapes at Sound Fix Records afterwards (QRO photos).

 ~

Tuesday, August 5: Rocks Off Concert Cruises aboard The Temptress, Hudson River
 

 Apollo Sunshine

Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

This time, it was the Rocks Off Concert Cruise I missed, as I'd won a ticket mere hours before send-off, and had already agreed to go to see White Lies at Mercury Lounge (QRO photos).  I was actually more disappointed about missing the openers, Drug Rug (QRO live review) and, of course, Sam Champion (QRO spotlight), who the fates seem to always be pushing me towards (I even ran into their bassist on the street the next day...).  Dese'Rae was able to catch the cruise, though seasickness reportedly limited her photographing ability.

 ~

Monday, August 4: Summerstage @ Central Park, Manhattan
  

 The National

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Dese'Rae was able to catch The Nationl as they go higher and higher ever since Boxer (QRO review), from South Street Seaport last summer (QRO photos), to opening up Terminal 5 & playing back-to-back dates at Music Hall in Williamsburg last fall (QRO live review), to Virgina EP (QRO review), to opening for R.E.M. at Madison Square Garden (QRO photos of R.E.M.), to now headlining a benefit concert for Central Park Summerstage (QRO venue review).

 ~

 Yeasayer

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Another Brooklyn band on their way up, word is the early start and über-professional Summerstage hindered their more tech-friendly set.

 ~

Sunday, August 3: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

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Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

I missed Black Lips last year at Siren (QRO photos), when they brought a live chicken on stage, and while there was no poultry involved this time, there was a chihuahua guitar solo (see second video) - and a battle of toilet paper rolls being thrown on stage and into the crowd (King Khan handed them out early on).  The whole day was way fun, from start to finish.

 Videos: unknown, unknown (with chihuahua)

 ~

 Deerhunter

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Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

Unfortunately, Deerhunter got kind of overshadowed by the Lips and The Shrines.  The best band musically of the three, they've added a new guitarist since last year at South Street Seaport (QRO live review) - and she did dress up like a cheerleader for the Pool...

 Video: "Strange Lights"

 ~

 King Khan & The Shrines

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Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

Oh my dear sweet Lord...  At the best Pool Party so far, opener King Khan & The Shrines stole the show with some amazing stage antics: encouraging the crowd to throw trash on the stage (and throwing it back at the crowd), doing the same with bananas, Khan running into the crowd for "I Wish I Was a Girl" (and showing the fellas how to put their penis between their legs before), ripping up dollar bills, ripping up a picture of Duffy on Spin and turning it into a mask, wearing a trash bag & biker shorts, later playing his guitar like a violin - and that's leaving out everything the rest of the band did, like their own runs into the crowd and battling, saxophone vs. guitar, bass vs. keyboards.

 Video: "Stone Soup"

 ~

Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Gaelen was able to catch Flogging Molly at the one big outdoor venue I haven't been to this summer, Hudson River Park.

 ~

 O'Death

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Certainly an outdoor band, O'Death have a new record, Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin out in October.  I got to seem them a week later indoors at Rehab (QRO photos).

 ~

 The Long Winters

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Another Thursday, another nice show by a band I'm not too familiar with at Castle Clinton.  I've progressively known less and less about each Castle Clinton band before going in, which has just made it more and more of a pleasant surprise.  What I most liked about The Long Winters, though, was the humor from the singer/guitarist - when there were technical difficulties, he kept the crowd amused by making jokes about the War of 1812 (the war that brought about the building of Castle Clinton), and when things were fixed, he added, "If you're blogging this show, I suggest start blogging... now."

 ~ 

Sunday, July 27: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

This was a tough one - rainy, drizzly weather, massive wait to get in, out of everything in the VIP section, packed photo pit that was closed down in like the fourth song, at-capacity McCarren (that's like 5,000 people...), and a band I didn't really know.  Yet the crowd was super into it, and, by the end, I was pretty revved up, too.  I had no idea MGMT was so big, but they delivered a seventies stadium-anthem-rock-like set.

The real story is how big the Pool Parties have gotten - in this, their final year.  Rumor has it Kirsten Dunst & Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand were among the celebrities in the way VIP area back stage...

 ~

 Black Moth Super Rainbow

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Similar to main opener last Sunday, Fuck Buttons (see below), Black Moth Super Rainbow sounded good, but were uninteresting to watch.  The crazy, packed, hectic situation at the pool, plus the weather, didn't help, either.

 ~

 Ting Tings

Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

I completely missed Ting Tings, as I spent their entire set in the VIP line, and Gaelen was only able to get three photos.  I was in Italy when they played Bowery Ballroom - thank goodness I saw them earlier this year at Mercury Lounge (QRO photos).

 ~

Saturday, July 26:  Celebrate Brooklyn! @ Prospect Park Bandshell, Brooklyn
 

 The Jealous Girlfriends

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My third time seeing The Jealous Girfriends - and the first without Sam Champion (QRO live review of both), though Champion bassist Jack Dolgen was in the crowd (and they played there last month - see below), this was undoubtedly the best.  I also got some of the best shots I think I've ever taken - the flowing locks of singer/guitarists Josh Abbott & Holly Miranda certainly helped.

(unfortunately, I had to skip Ghostland Observatory, the headliner, as I was going to She & Him at Terminal 5 (QRO photos) and wanted to make opener The Rosebuds - only to find out everything starts early & quick at stupid Terminal 5 (another reason to hate that place), and I completely missed a personal favorite in The Rosebuds (QRO spotlight))

 ~

 Bear Hands

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For some reason, Bear Hands are constantly opening for bands that I'm going to - Ra Ra Riot (QRO photos of Bear Hands), Ambulance LTD (QRO photos of Bear Hands), Matt & Kim (QRO photos of Bear Hands), and now The Jealous Girlfriends.  Luckily, they're sounding better & better every time I hear them.

The only problem was that I once again got off the subway at the wrong end of Prospect Park - and different wrong end, this time, and missed a few of their early songs.

 ~

Friday, July 25: River-to-River Festival @ South Street Seaport, downtown Manhattan
 

 Atlas Sound

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This was certainly different.  I'd see Atlas Sound before (QRO live review), but that time, Bradford Cox had had a whole band, where as this time the Deerhunter frontman was just doing his side-project solo.  It did sound a lot more like Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See but Cannot Feel (QRO review) this time, but it lacked the hilarious interplay between Cox and the rest of the band - no "[guitarist] Forkner, take it to the field!", no 'Leather & Wood', no discussion of seeing your older brother finger his girlfriend and her mouthing to you, "Fuck... off...".  Still, he sounded really good, especially new song that ended things out, "Logos".  South Street Seaport + Bradford Cox = great, as I discovered last year when Deerhunter played there (QRO live review).

 Video: "Logos"

 ~

 Crystal Stilts

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That Barnard College show (see below) made a real comeback, with the return of MegaFaun the day before, and now Crystal Stilts.  They seemed kind of nervous on stage, especially the singer (shorn of his stereotypically-Williamsburg dark glasses), and the guitarist spent nearly the whole time with his back to the crowd.  But maybe a loss of ego helped them (or at least made me less predisposed to dislike them), as they sounded better (better sound system probably helped, too).  Though I have to admit I was influenced by the drummer, who let her hair down and switched from sweats to a sixties-ish dress, and looked like Claire from Lost (Emilie DeRavin) when she was a brunette in a flashback.

 ~

Thursday, July 24: River-to-River Festival @ Castle Clinton, downtown Manhattan
 

 Akron/Family

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Castle Clinton keeps over-delivering - I knew next to nothing about Akron/Family going in, and they were great, really exciting (I also made it on-time - barely...).  Their Americonic rock 'n' roll stretched nicely without ever getting too serious.  I was also really pleased to see they were joined by MegaFaun, from the Barnard College show (see below).

 ~ 

Sunday, July 20: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

 Liars

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After the fun, fun times the previous day at Siren, this Pool Party was kind of a let down.  While Liars had a funny, gangly, too-tall Australian singer, their music was kind of a grind, and I ended up leaving early.

 ~

 Fuck Buttons

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Fuck Buttons had the reverse problem: they sounded great on Street Horrrsing (QRO review), and did live as well, but were utterly boring to watch.  Two guys standing at a folding table, messing with electronic stuff can make some great sounds, but isn't that interesting to see - even when one does the 'holding the mike by stuffing it in his mouth' and the other plays music from an old-fashioned Game Boy

 ~

 Team Robespierre

Click image for full gallery from F Yeah Tour

Unfortunately, I got there too late to catch Team Robespierre, who were great when is saw them very up-close & personal at the F Yeah Tour at Highline Ballroom (QRO live review).

 ~

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Click image for full Astroland gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Ah, Siren...  Maybe my longest-standing indie-rock love in New York, I've been going for many years now, but this had to be the best line-up yet.  It was better-timed than last year (QRO Siren 2007 recap), though I still missed a few acts, including one of the headliners.  Coney Island's Astroland Amusement Park is supposed to be torn-down for 'redevelopment', so people were saying this might be the last year The Village Voice holds Siren.  Of course, they were saying that last year, and The Cyclone, The Wonder Wheel, Shoot The Freak, and The Freak Show still stand - and so do the long, thin, jam-packed twin stages at the ends of West 10th Street and Stillwell Avenue.  Three cheers for the property market collapse! 

 ~

 Broken Social Scene

Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

This is a terrible way to lead this off, but I completely missed Broken Social Scene...  I heard the show was amazing, and that they invited some random woman who they'd just met to do the female vocal parts (and not the Victoria Legrand from Beach House, which they'd originally planned on).  And, unlike Stephen Malkmus, who I was at instead, BSS plays all your favorites.

However, I did get to interview Brendan Canning (QRO interview) the day before, and there was no way this set could have been as good as seeing their entire, massive ensemble at the much smaller Mercury Lounge (QRO live review) - where you got 'Broken Social Scene Presents: Brendan Canning's Something For All Of Us...' (QRO review) in the package.

 ~

 Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks

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Malkmus giveth, Malkmus taketh away.  He was in one of the greatest bands of all time in Pavement, solo he gave one of my favorite songs of all time, "Church On White" (I went absolutely nuts when he played it at Bowery earlier this year), and hanging out 'backstage' at Maxwell's after a Jicks show there (QRO live review) ended up being one of my all-time indie-rock moments (here's a hint: Hoboken heroes Yo La Tengo were involved...).

BUT... Malkmus also never plays Pavement songs (he did do a Silver Jews song at Maxwell's - because Silver Jews bassist Mike Fellows was in the crowd shouting for it...), played almost exclusively off the new album, Real Emotional Trash (QRO review), and his excessive guitar soloing met I missed Broken Social Scene completely.

(I guess I was really just disappointed that Pavement - and now Sonic Youth - bassist Mark Ibold was in the pit, with a woman I met at that Maxwell's show, and not only did I not meet him, but didn't even get a photo - and my friend in the crowd got a PERFECT pic of Ibold, with Malkmus in the background...) 

 ~

 The Helio Sequence

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

I'm not really that into drums-and-guitar two-pieces, or at least like bands like The White Stripes less than everybody else, but The Helio Sequence are the exception.  Keep Your Eyes Ahead (QRO review) was a great record, taken above the usual limits of two-man operation thanks to heavy effects.  But live, the best thing to watch is the funny faces always made by drummer Benjamin Weikel.

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 Islands

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I can't say I was much of a fan of Islands' Arm's Way (QRO review), and I can't say I was that into Islands live, either.  I did really prefer violinist/synthesizer brothers Alex & Sebastian Chow to singer/guitarist Nick Thorburn, and there were some nice tropical songs in the set.

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 Beach House

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The second band I missed, I can't say I was particularly disappointed by it - especially since their singer ended up not singing with Broken Social Scene. 

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 Ra Ra Riot

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher 

Oh, Ra Ra Riot, I called you early on (QRO live review), and look how you've grown - just please don't forget about us little people now that you're on Barsuk and have the same PR firm as Beck & Radiohead (that's what Tokyo Police Club seems to have done - and you guys opened for them way back when - QRO photos).  Thankfully, singer Wesley Miles (QRO interview) seems as fun-loving as ever, running through the photo pit, over the barrier, and into the crowd:

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In a day filled with lovely indie-rock ladies on stage, nothing was funnier than noticing that the tight photo pit wasn't tight all over, just tight in front of cellist Alexandra Lawn (whom I was as guilty as any of planting myself in front of her and taking photos - but I did move to the other, wide-open side of the pit halfway through...).  Their first full-length, The Rhumb Line, finally comes out in exactly one month from Siren.

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 Jaguar Love

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Wow!  Matador redeemed itself for Times New Viking with the incredible Jaguar Love.  Their upcoming album, Take Me To the Sea, sounded a little rough on first listen, but Chris presciently said they were probably better live - they were amazing live!  Totally out-of-control energy, singer Johnny Whitney looked like an emo kid but rocked like nobody's business (also my first-and-only sighting of a mosh pit & crowd-surfing).  I was especially happy because I'd interviewed drummer Jay Clark and guitarist Cody Votolato (QRO interview) the day before, and it would have sucked if they'd sucked.  But they totally didn't - when they hit up "Antoine and Birdskull", I was enjoying Siren more than I ever had up to that point.

The only pity - if you play Siren, you can't play New York one month before or after, and that means Jaguar Love is going to miss opening for The Faint next month at Terminal 5 (some bands get around that by doing 'unannounced' shows, special shows like Broken Social Scene's, or calling themselves something else (see Annuals)).  However, they're going to be playing Southpaw the next day, and not only do they like headlining more than opening, but one can get a lot more up-close-and-personal at Southpaw (QRO venue review) than at the massive Terminal 5 (QRO venue review).

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 Times New Viking

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Ugh.  My pick for 'second worst band at Siren', Times New Viking weren't particularly bad - but they weren't particularly good, either.  I can't believe some - or maybe just someone - called them 'the next Pavement' (a claim that's thrown around a whole lot - I can remember when Los Campesinos! were called that).

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 Annuals

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Easily the best yet by that point in the day, I'm not as big a fan as Chris is of Annuals (QRO live review from Boston), but I've always really like them live.  They always give a 110%, like when they dressed up as characters from Deadwood for a Halloween show (QRO photos).  Annuals was original a spin-off from Sedona by keyboardist Adam Baker (QRO interview), apparently he believes bands these days need to reinvent themselves every year (thus the name), and it looks like Annuals are doing it, by morphing into Sunfold.  While this does give them the opportunity to play New York within a month of playing Siren, I do worry Sunfold just can't be as good as Annuals...

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 The Dodos

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At first, I was really not into these guys, just because the volume was so low (and I was all ear-plugged up), and the fact that the singer/guitarist was sitting, plus a packed pit, made them seem really far away.  But I got to like them more and more - and how can one not appreciate a band that has a xylophone & trashcan? 

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 Film School

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The first of many Beggar's Banquet/Matador bands, these guys were good, more rocking, less haunting than on Hideout (QRO review).  There were too many shirtless mooks in front of the the female bassist, but the guitarist was really having a blast.

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 Parts & Labor

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Me & Brooklyn were redeemed after the first two acts by Parts & Labor.  I loved Mapmaker (QRO review), but the band was even better this time than when I saw them last year (QRO photos) - and not just because they've got a new female guitarist.

In fact, Parts & Labor provided maybe the best sequence at Siren when singer/bassist BJ Warsaw first threw his bass up in the air at the end of their set, then chucked it into the photo pit.  With fans stretching over the barrier, pleading for the bass, what the security guard do?  He handed it to a fan:

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And that fan followed it up by holding it aloft, making rocker poses to the sudden horde of photographers, shouting in great sarcasm, "Woo-hoo!  I'm the center of attention!" 

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 These Are Powers

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My immediate pick for 'worst band at Siren' as soon as they were put on the bill, I hated These Are Powers when I saw them last year at CitySol (QRO photos).  They have changed their sound from the definition of band noise-rock (with an Asian female singer, of course...) to a sort of rap-tech (with a new drummer who's also on turntable) - and they still suck.  At least I got that out of the way first... 

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 Dragons of Zynth

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First I missed them at Central Park Summerstage last year, then I missed them during CMJ, and now I showed up at Siren just in time to see Dragons of Zynth end their set.  The one band to end on time and it was them... 

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 Mary Weiss

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After the craziness of the prior night at Mercury Lounge (QRO venue review) with Broken Social Scene (QRO photos), and the craziness coming up the next day at Siren (QRO Siren Festival Preview), Mary Weiss was kind of a relaxing brake at a relaxing South Street Seaport.  No moshing or crowd-surfing, lots of parents with their kids, the ex-Shangri-La girl-grouper from the sixties had a nice old-school sound, especially on "Leader of the Pack".

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 Thursday, July 17: River-to-River Festival @ Castle Clinton, downtown Manhattan
 

 Ted Leo & The Pharmacists

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Click image for full gallery - Veronica Hoever

After just making it on time to Castle Clinton last week, I showed up two songs in for Ted Leo & The Pharmacists (where you can only shoot for the first three songs).  Weird thing - before getting there, I was at a pharmacy...  Extra weird thing - when I was making my way over I could hear the band playing, and I said to myself, 'I hope they play long, like Rush'; and what did Ted Leo do later in the set?  Play a few licks of a Rush song...  I'm not the hugest Ted Leo fan, but he definitely sounds better live than on record, and the packed crowd at Castle Clinton was certainly into it.  But the big news was that I discovered the guitarist in The Pharmacists is James Canty, formerly of one of my favorite bands of all-time (and, pound-for-pound, maybe the best band ever), The Nation of Ulysses!.

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Sunday, July 13: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

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Click image for full gallery - Gaelen Harlacher

Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

I wasn't that much of a fan of Mountain Battles (QRO review), The Breeders' latest, or really any album of theirs except for Last Splash - but Last Splash did rock, and thankfully, they played a lot off of it.  The Battles tracks were better than on record (and they only played the one good song on the otherwise-lame Title TK), but still cleared the photo well when they went back-to-back.  And a veteran indie-rock band is the kind who should be headlining a Pool Party.

 Videos: "Divine Hammer", "Pacer" (The Amps), "Saints"

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 Matt & Kim

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Click image for full gallery - Dese'Rae L. Stage

Man, ya gotta give it to Matt & Kim - right when I think I'm starting to get tired of them, after the previous night's F Yeah Tour show (QRO review), last week's at Hugs (QRO photos), and last month's at 70 Greene (QRO review), right when I think I'm all "Yea Yeah"ed out, they go off and recruit the Rude Mechanical Orchestra to take it up many more notches...  Kim busted out her own choreographed dance routine (Matt warning that she wanted to leave the band and become a dancer - "Don't take her away from me...), along with dancing on the photo barrier with the crowd.  Their album will eventually come out, but please, please, keep doing crazy free shows like this!

 Video: "Yea Yeah"

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 No Age

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I wasn't as bowled over as others were by No Age's Nouns (QRO review), but I still liked it, and this show definitely made me like them more.  However, it made me like their fans a little bit less: very young (even for free, all-ages Seaport), lame mosh pit, crowd surfing, and pushing forward of the barrier - not to mention bugging photographers for set lists, even to ask the security guards for the set lists.  There was a reason they weren't willing to ask the security people themselves, as the hard-working security folks spent most of the show holding the barrier, and being pretty even-keeled, despite the occasional instigation by someone in the crowd.  They even let crowd surfing fly - but not surfing into the photo pit, thank you very much - something they didn't last year at Battles (QRO photos), where they also ended up clearing the pit of everyone.

 Videos: "Teen Creeps", "Eraser", "Ripped Knees"

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 Telepathe

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Another band I knew little about going in, and seemingly know even less coming out.  Their pseudo-dance, pseudo-trance sound is certainly unique, but wasn't that impressive live - and I was probably more positive than most.  The photo pit cleared out very quickly - only to fill up again when another singer joined them on stage, threatening to give them some more oomph.  They did pull it together a bit more by the end with "White Rain".

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 Abe Vigoda

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Not a band I knew a lot about going in, and I can't say I know much more about them coming out.  Loud, lo-fi-ish indie-punk-ish - not amazing, but I've heard worse, and they seemed like nice guys who are still working out the kinks.  Plus, they fit well with No Age, with whom they'll be going on tour.

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Thursday, July 10: River-to-River Festival @ Castle Clinton, downtown Manhattan
 

 St. Vincent

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I've already seen St. Vincent (QRO spotlight) twice, and I can't say this was as good as when I saw her in Music Hall in Williamsburg (QRO live review), but she was still good, as funny as ever - and this time she had some new songs.  Also, she was well suited for Castle Clinton Monument (QRO venue review), playing outdoors to a seated crowd.  I only just made it in time, and it's always a little frustrating when they don't let you photograph past the first three songs, but it does give one time to appreciate the music on its own - plus chat with other, similarly jonesing photographers.  And the early, on-time start - with no opener - meant I could catch Matt Keating (QRO photos) & Tony Scherr (QRO photos) later that night at Living Room (QRO venue review).

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Sunday, July 6: Pool Party @ McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn
 

 Ronnie Spector

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The charming Ronnie Spector was full of life for a crowd that was an odd mix of young Brooklyn hipsters and older fans of this older music.  It might have been a little early in the Pool Party series to have the 'odd man (or in this case, woman) out' show, the classic Americana amidst all of today's indie-rock (especially when you add in the lower-than-expected turnout the week before, thanks to the rain), but it was a bright way to end the Fourth of July weekend.  Plus, any chance to see the ex-Mrs. Phil Spector is worth taking...

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 Rabbit Factory Soul Revue

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I get there at 5:15 PM, and the opener is still on - yep, it's the laid-back McCarren Park Pool Parties.  After all of the action of the past two days, I was a little spent by the time I made it to McCarren (and it was so hot my camera fogged up a bit).  Thankfully, the Rabbit Factory Soul Revue had a ton of energy, making it reminiscent of the good times last year at McCarren with the Ponderosa Stomp (QRO photos).