Central Village

Voxtrot

I would have guessed that I hadn't much left to say about Voxrot these days. But I realized last Friday, as I was walking around a nearly full Webster Hall, that it had been a really long time since I've seen them live. I didn't see them at South By Southwest this year and missed their Bowery shows...had it really been since last April? At those 2 shows at Merc? I'm sure there was another show since then? I can't think of it.

Regardless of when the last time was, I do remember the first time time I saw them, at a surprisingly packed Rothko on a Saturday night, where I showed up a song late and they played a short set that ended with a cover of Just Like Heaven.

What's remarkable about this is how long it took a band I knew was going to someday make it big to actually...make it big. And big is of course a relative term, as nearly selling out Webster Hall, signing to an established indie label and getting some MSM attention does not quite make them the Rolling Stones. But it's been 2 and a half years since that first Rothko show. 2 and a half years! How many bands have come and gone since then? Beirut formed, blew up, broke down, broke up and got back together in half the time. Some bands seemed to come out of nowhere overnight to become massive successes, and with the internet as an vehicle, it seems like every week some unknown band is atop the elbows chart. But it is clearly not so automatic, even today. Those are still the exceptions, even as they encourage band after band to try and make their impression felt within the first 3 months of forming.

No matter what your manager or your label or your PR team tells you, you don't need to be overaggressive and pushy to get your name out there. You just need to be good. The blogs and the critics and, lest we forget, the fans will find you. At the very least one person will, and it can grow organically from there. Slowly. And only if you're got something worth talking about. But there's really no need to force it. Voxtrot is proof. You've just gotta be patient. And have a lot of talent.

(pic via Ryan Tomorrow's Flickr)

Please take me off your email list

I just got an email from a promotional company for a band, I shit you not, that wrote:

"I got a chain letter from a friend today and it made me wonder if I tried it for promoting a band in the same manner, if this you tube viral thing could  really work."

Are you kidding me? Why on EARTH would you send something like this? Was the line between unsolicited band promotion email and just straight-up spam not fine enough? You felt the need to blur it even further? Leave me alone.

Sorry, this was supposed to be a post about the gaining respectability of mainstream R&B in the circles I frequent, but I got sidetracked there. Long story short, I like finding my music my own way (not through unsolicited emails, hint hint.) And this girl just kind of started popping up here, there and everywhere. Even if she's a huge star and mainstream, I never really get that side, as I rarely listen to the radio or watch MTV or anything. So I finally tracked down a copy of the album, and while it's really not all that great, there are some excellent songs on there. Been a fan of Umbrella for a bit now, but this is the jam:

Rihanna - Don't Stop the Music (mp3)

And somewhat related, this is amazing:

T-Pain vs Cloud Cult - Collide you a Drank (mp3)

(via The Hood Internet, whose latest mixtape is very enjoyable.)

The Triumph of the Maccabees

I'm not sure if I can chalk it up to me not paying close enough attention lately, but shouldn't The Maccabees be a really big deal? Yes, I know that there have been a lot of MP3s posted and Hype Machine is full of em, but that's no longer really the indicator it once was, is it? So what if their sound is a bit 2005. It's really well executed. Better than most bands that try to do this thing. They have some really good songs and they played them well at the Knitting Factory last night, brought energy, responded well to the ultra-excited group in the audience and carried themselves with this hesitant, nearly confident swagger which is perfect for a band in their position. I hope they return soon. Preferably with Hot Club de Paris in tow.

By the way, can't say enough good things about the new Knit lighting system. Makes a high energy show even better. The Black and White strobe during the opening guitar riff of X-Ray was perfect.

Check out some nice pictures here and here. I left my camera at home. Also, PunkPhoto made a video, too (below).