2014: A Year In Pictures

A year of rock n’ roll, in pictures, including two shows from late December 2013, which I shot after I posted last years’ Year in Pictures.

Tonight I’m headed out to dance the New Year in with Erasure (!); have fun and be safe, y’all, and I’ll see you on the other side.

The Districts, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, Dec. 30, 2013

The Felice Brothers, Brooklyn Bowl, Brooklyn, NY, Dec. 30, 2013

Team Spirit, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, Dec. 31, 2013

Andrew W.K., Irving Plaza, New York, NY, Dec. 31, 2013

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 001, NGHBRS, Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ, Jan. 10, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 001, States and Kingdoms, Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ, Jan. 10, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 001, Frank Iero, Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ, Jan. 10, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 001, The Gay Blades, Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ, Jan. 10, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 002, Fred Mascharino, St. Vitus, Brooklyn, NY, Jan. 18, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 002, States and Kingdoms, St. Vitus, Brooklyn, NY, Jan. 18, 2014

Fadeaway Friends Benefit 002, Geoff Rickley, St. Vitus, Brooklyn, … Continue reading

Postcards from the Pit: The Used / Taking Back Sunday / tonightalive. / Sleepwave, Best Buy Theater, 4/15/14

Because better late then never, I guess?

Or just because this show took me a while to process.

Going in, I thought it might be an era ending, the last shot at getting near a pit before my janky spine forced me out into safer, less unruly pursuits. Or at least to attend shows in venues with chairs.

I say “near” because Best Buy Theater has three tiers, two stading, one seats, and there was no way I was getting on the floor for this show. I was still debating the issue with myself when I saw there was one last spot on the granny rail, between the seats and the real (soon to be constantly heaving) pit, and I took it.

Sleepwave were up first. Led by Spencer Chamberlain, formerly of Underoath, they’re so new they don’t have a record out yet – that’s coming later this summer – but they came highly recommended by the ladies at the front who had seen several shows on the tour already.

And they were indeed very good, playing the kind of gritty, grimy metal that is majestically uncomplicated, the kind of thing that makes the urge to bang … Continue reading

Link Session: Hurricane Sandy Relief Edition v. 2

Revised and expanded from last week, but by no means complete.
 
Studios and Labels in Need of Assistance:

Link Session: Hurricane Sandy Relief Edition

I’ve seen a lot of music and music-related hurricane relief efforts in my various feeds in the last week; I’ve gathered a bunch of them here for quick reference.

  • Web Aid is a benefit album assembled at lightening speed and featuring a wide variety of electronic music artists, including Staten Island native Udachi, Kicks n’ Licks, Disco Fries and Mic the Drums. Their goal is to raise at least $5,000 for the Carl V. Bini Fund.

    [Ed note: The Bini Fund is based on Staten Island, New York City’s smallest borough, and as all of you have probably seen on the news, they took quite a beating. What the news may not have mentioned is that Staten Island is also home to many, many of the first responders – police, fire, sanitation, etc – who were out in the howling wind and rain taking care of the rest of the city, and will be up to their necks in the wreckage for weeks and months to come.]

  • Portions of the proceeds for the NYC premiere of the Bobby Bare Jr. documentary Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost) on Sunday, Nov. … Continue reading