Photos - FEVER RAY - Night One @ Webster Hall

-photos by Phoebe K. Waterson link

CMJ 08 Thursday CRYSTAL CASTLES FUJIYA & MIYAGI WHOMADEWHO

Crystal Castles delivered a spellbinding set last night, headlining a CMJ showcase at Webster Hall. And though lead singer Alice Glass doesn't have a great voice, her spastic energy and demonic-like presence are what rock stars are made of. Swigging from a bottle of red wine and screaming into her echoed mic, Glass stomped around the stage like a caged animal. At times, she even kneeled on the hands of the crazed fans up front, creating the illusion of floating above the crowd like an evil princess.


But the real star of this show was the amazing lighting design, perfectly in tune with the Nintendo-On-Acid chaos of the music. This show was highly entertaining and Crystal Castles had the packed house in the palm of their sinister hands. This was every bit the spectacle I had hoped for.


Fujiya & Miyagi sounded really good, though the set seemed to grow redundant after awhile. I love their albums and they definitely have talent, but live it came across a bit boring and not entirely engaging. I don't mean to say they were bad, but I was expecting a livelier show from these guys.

WhoMadeWho were superb. The trio (two of which were decked out in hysterical black and white skin-tight bodysuits) played a fantastic set full of great tracks, anchored by the band's infectious charisma. They really got the crowd moving. I am so glad I made it in time to catch these guys. I am definitely a new fan.



-All photos by Scot Bowman

CMJ 08 Tuesday An Open Letter to Stereogum

What the F***!!!???

Your CMJ party at the new Studio at Webster Hall, was an RSVP-only event (via stereogum.com), to be held from midnight to 4AM on a Tuesday night. I RSVP'd. I made my way out in the cold. I waited outside in the cold for nearly 40 minutes. I got inside. I got a beer at the bar on the DJ level - bad dance music, hardly anyone was interested in dancing, or even hanging out in this room. In fact, Leo Fitzpatrick (of "Kids" fame) was standing at the bar next to me and uttered to his friends, "Guys, I'm out of here. If I wanted to hear music like this, I'd have stayed home and DJ'd myself."

I went downstairs to see the live bands I had come out for - Crystal Stilts, Ponytail, Marnie Stern, Gang Gang Dance. While letting random pockets of hipsters in, the security guy at the door to the "live" room was insisting that a sound check was in progress, so he couldn't let the rest of us in - "Come back in 15 minutes!" This happened at about 12:40AM.

Cool.

I went back upstairs to the empty dance floor and got another beer. Loitered around a bit. Then decided enough time had passed and headed back downstairs. The crowd surrounding the door had at least tripled. I made my way down, nearing the door, watching as the doorman again let random pockets of people into the coveted "live" room. When I finally got to the door, he barked, "Where's your wristband?" Shocked, I said "What wristband?" He started shouting over my head at the masses behind me, "VIP only! Only those with wristbands get past me!" Now, there is no mistake here on my part. I checked in at the door, stating my name on the list. The girl quickly found it and told me that I was all set.

What the living f***!?

I stayed put at the (second) door for a minute, wondering what I should do. Someone muttered, "Wristband? For what?" Another complained, "This is the worst thing ever, I don't even care." Another guy, growing increasingly impatient, "No one got wristbands!" In all fairness, that last one wasn't true. I saw a couple of folks with wristbands on, though many without wristbands had just been let in. Anarchy!

After another 5 minutes or so, another security guy yelled, "We're doing soundcheck! Come back in 15 minutes!" Again! This was at 1:05AM. Feeling completely at a loss, I decided "f*** this s***. I have better things to do with my time. I mean, the very concept of "VIP-only" to see the only show billed is outrageous!! No offense to the artists involved, but it's not like David f***ing Bowie was performing Ziggy Stardust on the other side of those doors! I commend you on your line-up, but the vibe was foul.

The overall organization and treatment of the crowd at Webster Hall Tuesday night was borderline detestable. And why in God's name are you performing a soundcheck after one in the morning for a midnight show on a Tuesday night? If you wanted to throw a private party for you and your select VIP friends, why not do so in private, at say, your house? Your avid readers who RSVP'd via your site mean nothing?

CMJ can only get better from here.

Best,
Scot Bowman
TheSkyReport

PS: When I got home from this debacle I listened to the live stream on eastvillageradio.com. And I should give credit where it is due. Ponytail sounded great, though the audience seemed lost. Marnie Stern didn't go on until nearly 3:30 in the morning, but also sounded pretty damn awesome. Crystal Stilts, who played until well after four in the morning, got off to a fairly rough start (sound issues), but seemed to gain footing for a rather hallucinatory and engaging set, though they really started to fall totally apart toward the end (exhaustion?).

THE GOSSIP Played Webster Hall

The Gossip! played Webster Hall in NYC on Tuesday night, a celebration of sorts for the release of their new live CD/DVD. One could say it was all about the music, which was fantastic, but there was a vehemently political tone to lead singer Beth Ditto's performance. Not only did she speak out, ostracizing media monsters like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Spin Magazine; she led the sold-out wild crowd in an encore chant of Patti Smith's 'People Have the Power'. She also raised her voice concerning the ongoing Democratic primaries, stating that we, the left, should come together and be as one. "No McCain", Ditto repeated in one of the many political interludes between the potent and raucous renditions of tracks like the pre-encore closer 'Standing in the Way of Control', the rockin' cover of Wham's 'Careless Whisper', 'Listen Up' which was preluded by a brief cover of Dolly Parton's '9 to 5', and the infectious sing-a-long version of 'Coal to Diamonds'. And that doesn't even cover the highlight of the evening when Ditto, seemingly impromptu, launched into an acapella cover of Cat Power's 'Metal Heart'.


With all the politics in the air, my friends and I couldn't help but launch into a political arguement of our own. Just months ago Ditto was pimping herself with the Devil of all media, Perez Hilton. A couple of weeks ago, Perez stated that "Justin Timberlake, The Gossip, and Adele" were dead to him. Could Ditto's media tirade be in part a reaction to Perez's actions? Whatever the case, she makes a good statement. I only wonder why she ever saddled up to Perez in the first place.

Drama and gossip aside, The Gossip! are an incredible live band and will become even bigger superstars in the future.

-photos by Scot Bowman

JOSE GONZALEZ Played Webster Hall

Jose Gonzalez turned in a gorgeous performance at Webster Hall on Sunday night. The packed house was thoroughly engaged. When Jose took the stage and played a quiet instrumental intro, the crowd hushed itself, bringing total silence to the hall. The entire performance was deeply stirring, sounding as good, if not better than the records. It was a magical show.

The performance clocked in at just over an hour, but he filled it nicely. Jose touched heavily on his latest album "In Our Nature" with stirring versions of the title track as well as 'Killing For Love' and 'Down the Line'. Definite highlights from the set included his stellar covers of The Knife's 'Heartbeats', Massive Attack's 'Tear Drop', and my personal favorite, Kylie Minogue's 'Hand on My Heart'. Amazingly though, he boldly avoided 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' despite the hungry requests of the crowd.


Jose didn't talk much, but he did manage to sneak in a funny story while tuning his guitar. It went something to the effect of this:

"I was walking down the street and I found a bullet. I put it in my [shirt] pocket. Then later I saw an evangelical and he threw his Bible at me. It almost hit my heart. But the bullet was in the way."




-All photos by Scot Bowman, Tatiana Devere