Make Me Dance Tonight

How I Became Invisible - the third Robots and Racecars sideproject - finally added two original songs on the myspace and I need to link them to the world right this minute. It's sweet indie rock with densely layered lyrics - like Dashboard with a lot less melancholy - and the production is deftly handled.

I'm not saying that these songs are better than the other R&R sideprojects... but maybe I just did.

No, really!

( Read more... )

For twenty minutes Tuesday night, Angels and Kings - aka Pete Wentz's NYC bar - was a church basement. Team Goldie played a short set in the middle of Trainwreck Tuesday - Rob Hitt's (former drummer of Midtown) contribution to AK's entertainment schedule. Rather than a crowd of secretly drunk 16 year olds, this time Goldie shook what his momma gave him for a crowd of openly drinking 25 year olds.

(Can I just say that it is very strange to be the only people singing alone while someone like Rob Hitt watches approvingly from the DJ booth? It was weird. That bar is very tiny and Goldie came to dance with us a lot.)


While appreciative, the crowd was largely baffled by the performance, which was kind of expected. However, there was one number that night that got the whole bar singing at the top of their lungs: A-Ha's classic, "Take on Me." Thanks to Rob Hitt for playing all the songs I hadn't heard in eight years, but still somehow knew all the words. He is an excellent bat-mitzvahs DJ circa 1994 (for the record, that's not a knock. Mr. Hitt spins a superb set. I've also had the pleasure of hearing him mix at the Cobra Starship Highline Ballroom show in January. He knows the songs that work the crowd). All in all, a great night.

Guys, let's talk about how much I love Reggie and the Full Effect. James Dewees may have current possession of my soul. Reggie's going out on his final tour - I wonder if that's Michael Jordan final or actually final - with Frank Iero's Leathermouth as an opener and I've already bought tickets to two shows.

(The dates:

Aug 20: Orlando, FL @ The Social
Aug 22: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Studio
Aug 23: Austin, TX @ Emo's
Aug 25: Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse
Aug 26: Hollywood, CA @ Avalon
Aug 27: San Luis Obispo, CA @ SLO Brew
Aug 28: San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
Aug 29: Sparks, NV @ New Oasis
Aug 30: Salt Lake City, UT @ Avalon Theater
Aug 31: Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Sep 2: Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
Sep 3: Chicago, IL @ House of Blues – Chicago
Sep 4: Detroit, MI @ The Magic Stick
Sep 5: Pittsburgh, PA @ Diesel
Sep 6: Buffalo, NY @ Club Infinity
Sep 7: New York, NY @ Highline Ballroom
Sep 9: Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East Club
Sep 10: Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey
Sep 11: Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
Sep 12: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Sep 13: Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club
Sep 14: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore at the TLA

You can score presale tickets HERE)

I'll be at the Lancaster and Philadelphia shows, and maybe the Sayreville date as well, even though I don't really like the Starland. I can't resist Reggie.

He also shot a video for "J Train," definitely my favorite song off the new album Last Stop: Crappy Town - my review of the album is here - and ( check out these amazing pictures from the shoot. )

This evening's plans include awesome drink specials and Team Goldie. Be there - if you are of age, obviously - or be square.

So, let's say a band you like has some fugly merch - but not fugly enough to come back around to awesome, just really kind of fucking ugly - or maybe it's just not something you would wear, but you still want to support them. Bands make the most of their money from merch sales.

What to do?

( Make a pillow! )

Last Stop: Crappy Town, the latest album from Reggie and the Full Effect - a.k.a. James Dewees, My Chemical Romance's touring keyboard player - is more than a departure from Reggie's usual tone. There's less identity hopping and the sounds of Fluxuation, Common Denominator and Reggie - RATFE's usual "collaborations" and some of Dewees' alter egos - have all blended together into something that is both equally intriguing and harsh.

( Read more... )

So I went with two of my friends to Get Heard Fest '08 at the Marlboro Rec Center in Marlboro, NJ on Saturday. It was brutally humid and gross out, but the rec center was nice and cool inside. Not so cool was the No Re-Entry rule for a 10-hour festival, or the lack of food - hot dogs, water, chips and candy bars is not enough of a "concession stand" to last all day. We weren't planning on staying for the whole time anyway, but that didn't make us want to stay any longer than necessary. There were three bands we really wanted to see and they were all playing right in a row, which gave us time to head over to Tijuana Flats in Bensalem for a free Robots and Racecars acoustic show and some Mexican food. A++ day, would trek across New Jersey again.

The Scenic - I just saw these guys not that long ago, so I don't have that much new to say. They were tired after a long morning drive but still put on a strong set. We did find out who does their merch: Applicant Apparel. Really really sweet merch. Up next for The Scenic is a new album on July 22nd and a tour all up and down the east coast with Lannen Fall and Go Radio, so head out and see them if they come by you.

The Appreciation Post - Like The Scenic, I've blogged about these guys before, but it never hurts to see a band twice (or three or four or eleven times). They're just as fun as I remember, now with a new song or two. They just finished a tour with 2*Sweet and are booking an August tour with Vega Under Fire.

2*Sweet - I was really looking forward to finally seeing 2*Sweet's live set. They'd been eluding me for a while, booking shows either across the state or on nights where I already had tickets for other shows, but I listened to the album stream and hoped for a show close by. I wasn't let down. They're lively on the stage and Justin's stage presence is so different from most frontmen these days. It really suits their sound. Sleep Without Dreams is their new album - I picked up a copy myself at the show - and they're going on tour with This Time Next Year and Fireworks at the end of the month.

Robots and Racecars acoustic - Maybe you're wondering why I keep going back to see Robots and Racecars time and time again - sometimes I wonder too. But after this show, it's obvious. Their shows are always fun. I never laugh and smile more than during their sets. They want you to have fun and they do a great job of getting it done. Sometimes - or okay, most of the time - we are laughing at their expense, but they're good-natured dudes who just can't remember the lyrics to their own songs. Or Britney's for that matter. Yeah, they covered "Baby, One More Time."

And Bruce and Diana were there, which meant we got a taste of the Robots sideprojects, plus a bunch more covers, including the Misfits, Taking Back Sunday and Say Anything. "Wow, I Can Be Sexual Too" is an interesting singalong in a Mexican restaurant when there are innocent diners walking in the door.

( Pictures from Get Heard Fest )

What do you do when you're a a local band with some musically talented friends and a bunch of down time? Start some side projects of course!

Stay Sweet: They sound like "drunk unicorns" or maybe just two guys and an acoustic guitar. The lone song that's up, "Even Unicorns Say I'm Sorry," has some interesting dynamics and Frankie's voice especially is worth a listen. It definitely avoids sounding like something crappily recorded in a basement, which I appreciate.

Fully Operational: Listed as "blacker than the blackest black times infinity" is maybe a bit misleading. Their song, "The Crane Game" has a sweet and poppy indie vibe, this time with Diana's keys adding some depth to the sound. If I have any complaint it's that the song is just too short.

(And also Nicholas Reed Music, which only has a Sweet Avenue cover up right now, but it's a free download which is always worth a plug.)

If you want to see their regular bands, check out Robots and Racecars acoustic at Tiujana Flats 6PM on Saturday in Bensalem, PA, or North Farwell tonight at the CLC in Levittown, PA - and on a short tour next week - and Boy Girl Sleepover at Middletown Community Park in Langhorne, PA on the 21st.