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For the second year of L
Magazine's Northside Festival, QRO not only bumped up from
press to
presenter, but also doubled our manpower, with duties shared between Ted
Chase
& Mike Gutierrez. But even
though our badges came thanks to the QRO Mag/Ampeater showcase on the
final day
(QRO
event
page), we still
did
our journalistic duty to cover the festival:
After watching America at the World Cup, I was at Milk
Studio for The Creators Project (QRO recap), and thus missed all of Day Three of Northside.
- Ted Chase
Pop Tarts Suck Toasted Presents @ Glasslands
True Womanhood
Click image for full gallery
Pity the poor bands that had to compete against the US
soccer team in the second round of the World Cup on Saturday afternoon. Soccer (ahem, ‘football’) sucked the life out of most of the
early shows. And if you weren't
glued to the television, mimosa in hand, feigning an air of a certain je ne
sais quoi, you were probably over at the other heavyweight gig in town the same
day: The Creators Project. Tough
competition that turned great out-of-town acts like New Haven's EULA and
Worcester's Golden Girls into unwitting sacrificial lambs on the Northside
Saturday afternoon altar.
Insult to injury, the match went into overtime - I barely
made the last set of the Pop Tarts showcase (there he is again: the Duffster!)
at Glasslands (QRO venue review), a set
by the Washington D.C.-based True Womanhood. Unless you've got some serious momentum (or ‘relevance’ as
some say), the out-of-towners invariably get stuck into the afternoon slot that
everyone expects to be poorly attended, World Cup or not. True Womanhood - an arty three-piece
indie rock band - did their best to play to an almost nonexistent crowd, but
that's a hard thing. They sounded
good though.
I got some pictures and said hello to EULA, who played at a
Boston showcase that QRO hosted (QRO event page). I don't think the
frontgirl had any fucking idea who I was.
Maybe it's because I shaved my beard since then - or maybe I'm just a
forgettable asshole! By the way,
that new cotton ball backdrop they have up at Glasslands looks like a major
fire hazard.
Frestyl.com Presents ‘A Taste of Italian Indie Rock’ @
Public Assembly
Didn't have a real game plan for Saturday except that I knew
all roads lead to Tayisha Busay's showcase at the House of Yes. Also wanted to check out Shoney Lamar's
9pm gig at the Trash Bar, but until then the schedule was open. I headed north to Public Assembly (QRO
venue review) for a suitably random
pairing of showcases: ‘Taste of Italian’ in the front room and ‘Raven Sings the
Blues’ in the back.
The ‘Taste of Italian Indie Rock’ was being put on by
frestyle.com, a website I know nothing about. An Italian pop culture site? Fashion, art, music and so on? Anyways the girl who runs Frestyl and had booked the
showcase was feverishly manning the twitterwaves under the "#northsidefest"
hash tag, which was being used off and on by promoters and fans and journos to
document the festival. Never met
her in person but she re-tweeted everything good I had to say about the acts
and let the negative comments slide.
Naturally.
Serpenti
 Click image for full gallery
I had nothing but good things to say about the first act I
saw, Serpenti, a guy/girl duo that was mostly hard-edged techno spiced up with
live bass guitar and the girl emoting in a sequin dress. Maybe that's not the most attractive
description, but they really were a lot of fun. The girl gets the other half of the ‘Best Frontwoman’ prize
for Northside: super spunky with an exotic Italian flair to die for. There was sort of a beauty and the
beast dynamic between the girl and guy, and a devil-may-karaoke attitude
reminiscent of Brazil's Bando de Rolle.
It was a mistake to put them on during the day - this pair is
exclusively midnight fodder. I
heard they were playing a late show at the House of Yes the following night,
which was probably phenomenal.
Posi
I had nothing but bad things to say about the closer Posi, a
clubbed-out, peroxided blah-nde DJ whose apparent claim to fame was opening for
Warren G when she was 17. God, I
hope it was 17. When was Warren G
popular? Like 20 years ago? And someone better tell her that
America never took Warren G seriously.
"Regulators, mount up!" made more people laugh than it got on the dance
floor. You could have chalked that
all up to an adorable cultural disconnect, the same way American hipsters feign
more interest in soccer than is really appropriate, or the way white suburban
boys ‘act hard.’
Except that Posi did just about everything to make the crowd
dislike her, including: not learning a single phrase of English (at least a
"hello"?), showing a nonstop montage of ‘Posi looking cool in da club’ pics on
the white screen behind her, and arranging to have her own private photographer
ostentatiously take shots of the performer during the entire set, from every
angle, on stage and off, with an enormous hugely expensive camera. Not to mention the music was pretty
old-fashioned techno. It was all very
1980s wannabe strike-a-pose frippery.
Luckily there's a backroom to Public Assembly, so I made my escape.
Raven Sings the Blues Presents @ Public Assembly (back
room)
Viernes
The ‘Raven Sings the Blues’ showcase was put on by a blog of
the same name. I turned up in the
middle of a set by Viernes. There
was a decent crowd for a 7pm show, but the mood in the room was absolutely
depressing. Couldn't quite put my
finger on it. The music of Viernes
is kind of labored, touchy-feely guitar indie. You could tell these guys were ‘sensitive’. They would probably ‘cry’ if you
punched them in the face. Go
figure. I don't even remember if I
took any pictures [editor's note: he didn't]. I don't think I even
bought a beer. Even Posi was a
better show than the Viernes snoozefest.
I don't know if that's a reflection on Raven Sings... or not.
As a side note, this is one of the blogs riding Pitchfork's
jock with the new P4K subsidiary, the Alternate Drones ‘blog collective’ (a
genuine collective is an unsponsored partnership among equals, by the way, like
Strangers In Stereo). Apparently
Pitchfork wants to extend its influence into blogosphere niches. Judging from the Saturday showcase, it
was betting hard on the ‘shit ass music’ niche. Finally I gave up on Public Assembly altogether and hoofed
it to the southeast towards the Trash Bar for Shoney Lamar.
Northside Presents @ Trash Bar
The Trash Bar was putting on one of those unsponsored shows,
meaning the bands had to rely on strictly their own promotional networks to
draw fans in. Most of the time
that's what the numbers through the door amount to: the preexisting fanbase's
interest in the artist and the show.
PR is way overrated. And
from the looks of the crowd for the first act at 8pm, the bands' draw was just
fine. A nice crowd in your
prototypical dive venue. Dirty
walls, garish neon, cheap booze.
In fact, 8-9pm was open bar for the essential Pabst Blue Ribbon
(Heineken? Fuck that shit!). What a blessing. Free booze is the best PR: everyone
should know this already.
The Wicked Tomorrow
Click image for full gallery
The Wicked Tomorrow were about halfway through their set
when I secured my first PBR.
They're basically a less fun White Stripes (QRO live review) guy/girl combo, except the girl is better at drums
than Meg and the guy is worse at guitar than Jack. I saw Shoney (QRO interview) and we had a little chat before his set. He introduced me to a ravishing, dark
haired photog named Lara who had a kick-ass looking camera. I begged her to send me her Shoney
photos to use in the wrap-up, so we'll see what turns up.
[click below for all photos of Shoney; click here for Lara's photos of the following Doctors Fox,
and click here for
her photos of the subsequent Gypsy West]
Shoney Lamar
Click image for full gallery
Prize for the most adventurous set at Northside probably
goes to Shoney Lamar for pulling off a complete set of The National (QRO live
review) covers. Some people are crazy about this band. I'm not one of them. Sort of remind me of a soft rock Spoon
(who are already sort of soft rock - QRO live review), though rabid fans have instructed me to check out
earlier albums. Regardless I knew
Shoney Lamar would give an interesting spin to the proceedings. Plus he was working with two other
musicians in unfamiliar roles: a violinist and a backup male vocalist, Chris
Peck, who plays drums in Shoney's regular backing band the Equal Rights. Peck was rocking a kind of Bruce Willis
circa Moonlighting vibe with a serious 5 ‘o’ clock shadow and a
glass perpetually half full of whiskey.
Throw in a beaten up acoustic guitar into the mix and that's pretty
typical ambience for a Shoney Lamar show.
He's a throwback a-la Tom Waits, real black midnight voodoo folk with a
bent sense of blues.
Another stalwart of a Shoney Lamar show is the inevitable
broken string, which, surprisingly for a vet gigger, he didn't seem prepared
for and had to borrow a stranger's electric guitar to finish out the set. Put that in your pipe and smoke
it. It's not like he's switching
models of guitar, a Strat for a Tele.
The guy moved from acoustic to electric; that would've sunk the entire
set for some acts, but he didn't seem to bat an eye.
The crowd was generally lukewarm to The National
covers. I'd have to say, if you're
going to martyr yourself over material, at least make it originals. And Shoney is no cover jockey. The guy spits out more songs than Old
Faithful spits out water. But
artists fall in love with ludicrous projects all the time... I much preferred his
closer; a solo number, with smart, cutting lyrics, and a bluesy howl that
reminded you why he was put up for best male vocalist in Boston by the local
press.
After the set I made off for the House of Yes, stopping on
my way at Bruar Falls to ask what happened to the Jack ‘Skippy’ McFadden
Presents showcase. The interior of
the bar was pretty glum: one couple at the counter and an unhappy looking
bartender behind it. Turns out the
entire gig got botched. Skippy's
been somewhat out of sorts lately, having just lost his regular spot booking at
Park Slope's Union Hall (QRO venue review)
and Bell House (QRO venue review),
under mysterious circumstances.
New York gossip.
Tayisha Busay & The House of Yes Present @ House
of Yes
Another long hike to a venue, another bus route I probably
should've known about. House of
Yes is located at a significant distance east of the main festival hotspots, in
an area that's, frankly, a bit worse for wear. The sort of neighborhood where a mother can't let her kids
play in the street without watching them nervously from the frontsteps. Sources (Ted) report House of Yes is a
relatively new venue. The feel of
the place is more speakeasy than music hall. It's tucked away on a backstreet with no significant foot
traffic; there's no bright, shining marquee above the door; nothing at all
except a hand-painted sign standing in front of a door along a dark industrial
sidestreet. But that was
appropriate enough for a Tayisha Busay showcase. The group has got a touch of that old skool Warholian
louche. Case in point, wearing
glitter got a discounted ticket and the bartender was rocking the shirtless
look. Most importantly of all the
stocked open bar lasted the entire night.
PBRs and SoCo all around.
I had the Tayisha Busay gig marked on the calendar since the
day it was announced. This group
is all about throwing down a good time - it was a no-brainer for an awesome
night. Even better, they scheduled
the entire bill, so the gig would be a nice sustained look into the bizarro
world of Tayisha Busay. When I
arrived a futuristic, skinny Robocop-type DJ, complete with silver visor and
exposed biceps, was spinning a dance-friendly set that had people moving on the
floor. There was a nice party vibe
going on throughout the whole night.
Unlike some of the Northside gigs where the crowd felt like strangers to
each other (resulting in the ever awkward ‘deathly silence’ between songs)
there was a boisterous, conspiratorial quality in the air at the House of
Yes. The artists were really
playing it up, and the audience wasn't far behind.
Chappo
 Click image for full gallery
The first band up was a three-piece glam ensemble (though
possibly DJ Robocop was providing an extra layer of sound - it's hard to tell
sometimes whether DJs are playing or just grooving to the beat). Chappo has a queer sort of Native
American aesthetic going (probably more accurate to just say Indian here) with
the headbands, feathers and sparkles.
I read an early review of the show that took issue with the political
correctness of their look. Give me
a fucking break. This isn't the
‘90s. We don't need to cry bloody
murder every time a subjugated people are referenced in pop culture. When the frontman for Chappo donned an
enormous feathered headdress the allusion was more Village People than Sioux
nation.
Tayisha Busay
 Click image for full gallery
My recollections grow hazier as the night progressed, which
is a sign of a great party and a terrible reporter. I remember Tayisha Busay coming onstage, two gorgeous girls
and a handsome man, clad in spandex favoring the pastel end of the
spectrum. Glitter exploded. The trio had an impossibly athletic
choreographed routine that had them rolling around the stage like day-glo circus
seals. In the mix were all their
hits, including the irrepressible "WTF You Doin' In My Mouth", which sounds
dirty as hell, but is probably a reference to junk food. The lyrics, the entire approach,
constantly straddles the line between naivete and insouciant filth.
 Personally, I think Tayisha Busay's fucking genius. They've appropriated the madcap thrills
of the gay dance club scene and reinterpreted it through a glitter aerobics
aesthetic that is just absurd enough to make it palatable to a more mainstream
audience. This band could open for
Hannah Montana one night and Marilyn Manson the next without missing a
beat. Their set was infused with
weirdo innocent thrills. Like
Britney Spears was trying to force herself into an old Mousketeer uniform. I'm not sure if it feels right, but is
so, so wrong. Or if it
feels wrong, but is so, so right.
Either way, Tayisha Busay are highly recommended. They played other sets during the
festival, including an opening spot for the Crush showcase, but you've really
got to see them as a headliner so that their night builds up to their hotpants
absurdist glory.
Bad Brilliance
Click image for full gallery
Bad Brilliance was the last band of the night, followed by a
DJ set from Planet Rump. Nearly
blacked out at this point, but I distinctly remember a guy in a red suit with a
huge yellow balloon head. I had
been fishing for some harder chemicals for Northside but hadn't come up with
anything. Likely just as
well. That big balloon head would
have sent me over the top. Almost
zero memories of the music - possibly hip-hop flavors?
By this time the circus atmosphere was bugging me out. Blue gym mats lined the walls. Someone told me that House of Yes is
normally used to train circus acrobats, trapeze artists, and clowns. I can believe it. The vaulting ceiling above the stage
extended at least three stories with white metal girders crawling up the wall
on either side. The only thing
that was missing was the tightrope.
A small staircase led up to a narrow corridor at a second level where
racks of clown uniforms were kept.
I snuck up there to get a good photog vantage point at various points
during the set but the hangover from the smoke machine clouded up the long
distance shots. So I concentrated
less on photos and more on dancing, and that's pretty much how the rest of the
night went.
Unfortunately Missed:
-Golden Girls, 5:00 PM - 5:00 PM @ Glasslands, EULA, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM @ Glasslands, Male Bonding (QRO album review) & Cults, 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM @ Newtown Barge Park: all victims of the World Cup.
- Mike Gutierrez
-(almost) Everything,
but more specifically:
-Titus Andronicus (QRO
album review) & Male Bonding, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM @ Newtown
Barge Park. Jersey pride!
-Liars (QRO album review) @ Newtown Barge Park, 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM.
-Paul & The Patients (QRO live review) @ Cameo (QRO venue
review), 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM.
-BRAHMS (QRO
photos) & Savoir Adore (QRO live review), 10:00 PM -
12:00 AM @ Brooklyn Bowl (QRO venue review). Already ran into Savoir Adore drunkenly on Day One (QRO Day One recap)
-Twin Sister (QRO album review), 10:30 PM - 11:30 PM @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (QRO
venue
review).
-The Apples in Stereo (QRO live review) @ South Street Seaport (QRO venue review), 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Okay, not Northside, but is the kick-off of the River-to-River Festival - complete with fireworks afterwards!
- Ted Chase
Fortunately Missed:
-Fucked Up (QRO album review) @ Newtown Barge Park, 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM: These dudes are clowns, right?
Hardcore poodles that the indie world is dragging around on a leash.
- Mike Gutierrez
-The Shivers, 3:15 PM - 4:00 PM: There would be forty-five minutes I could never get back.
-Fucked Up, High Places (QRO live review) @ Newtown Barge Park, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. Both are overrated.
- Ted Chase
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