Tag: buscar photo

Post Punk Hits The Bowery Ballroom with Preoccupations, METZ, and FACS
A stellar post punk triple bill hit the Lower East Side’s Bowery Ballroom on Friday, December 10th featuring Preoccupations, METZ and FACS. The tour is actually a co-headline with Metz and Preoccupations switching each night with FACS providing the support. The tour hit Bushwick’s Elsewhere on Thursday night with METZ as the headliner, and Preoccupations took the late slot on Friday at Bowery.

FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

Support for the shows on the tour came from the Chicago based band FACS. The band boasts a robust rhythm section with the driving drums and bass being front and center and psychedelic and dark guitar tones filling the void. FACS have three LPs under their belts since making their debut in 2018. Void Moments was released during the pandemic in 2020 and their third record, Present Tense was released earlier this year; both of which are seeing their live debut on this tour.
FACS at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Canadian punk vets METZ took the stage next, in full support of their excellent 2020 LP Atlas Vending. Vocalist Alex Edkins spoke to the crowd between songs, explaining how weird it felt to finally be able to play the record live more than a year after it’s original release. The band played the first 5 tracks of the new album to start their set, with a couple more towards the end. Atlas Vending is METZ at their peak, and fans at Bower Ballroom on Friday were thrilled to finally experience it live.
METZ at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
Closing out the show on Friday was fellow Canadian band Preoccupations who are still touring strong behind their 2018 LP New Material. Preoccupations have been playing this record live for a while now, but this time around tracks such as “Antidote” were given a whole new live arrangement. A couple of new, unfamiliar songs were played during the set, indicating a new record may be on the way soon although nothing has been announced just yet.
Preoccupations at Bowery Ballroom, 12/10/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo
The tour continues this week with shows in Columbus and Chicago, before two hometown shows at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. Preoccupations, METZ, and FACS complimented each other so well at Bowery Ballroom and all have exciting new material either just out or on the horizon. It is certainly a show not to be missed.
December 14, 2021
Silverstein’s 20 Year Anniversary Tour Stops at Webster Hall
Silverstein brought their 20 Year Anniversary Tour to Webster Hall this week on Wednesday December 8th. A long time in the making, the tour was first announced back in October 2019 before being forced into postponement due to the pandemic. The revamped tour featured some larger venues, more dates, and the band’s longest sets to date. Support for the night came from New Jersey locals Can’t Swim and Ohio’s The Plot In You.

Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

The Plot in You are a classic screamo/hardcore band and were a perfect fit to open this tour with Silverstein. Vocalist Landon Tewers thrived in Webster Hall’s Grand Ballroom and plenty of their merch was seen on fans raging on the dance floor. Photos from their solid 10-song set below.
The Plot In You at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photos by Buscar Photo
Some shows on this 20 Year Anniversary Tour featured full performances of Silverstein’s iconic 2005 LP Discovering The Waterfront. While Webster Hall did not get this full album performance, fans were treated to a nearly two hour, 3-set performance. The first was a career spanning set of greatest hits featuring “Smashed Into Pieces,” the opening track from the band’s debut When Broken Is Easily Fixed. Vocalist Shane Told joked about fans complaining online about the band not playing their favorite songs live right before a lengthy medley featuring “I Am The Arsonist,” “The Artist,” and “Broken Stars.”

Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

The second set was a solo acoustic performance by Shane, featuring renditions of “Replace You” and “Aquamarine.” The rest of the band came out on stage afterwards and performed three straight Discovering The Waterfront tracks to close out the main show, including the band’s big hit “Smile In Your Sleep.” There have been a lot of anniversary tours in recent years but Silverstein took the concept to a much grander scale for these shows. The band has a long catalog full of great albums, but these shows showcased the band at their most creative and engaging.

Silverstein at Webster Hall, 12/8/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

The tour is nearing it’s end, with a show in Albany tonight, December 11th, at Empire Live and one final show in Toronto on Sunday. Silverstein played both of their brand new singles “Bankrupt” and “It’s Over” at Webster Hall so be on the lookout for the rest of the upcoming album in the near future and check out the video for the latter below.
December 11, 2021
Alex G Closes Out Tour with Two Nights At Webster Hall
Alex Giannascoli, a.k.a. Alex G, closed out his 2021 tour this week with two shows at Webster Hall. The tour served as a second leg of shows in support of the excellent 2019 LP House of Sugar (from Domino Records). With the release of this LP, Alex G also dropped part of his stage name; being formerly known as (Sandy) Alex G. NYS Music caught the last show of the tour on December 7th – scroll down for the full photo gallery below.

Photo By Buscar Photo

Alex G played career spanning sets at Webster Hall over the two shows, hitting tracks off all his past LPs plus a heavy dose of House of Sugar. Both nights opened with the psychedelic and groovy single “Gretel,” a quintessential show opener. Swirling acoustic guitar arpeggios transition into a psychedelic jam with heavy hitting drums perfect for setting the tone for the night.

Both nights also featured surprising covers. On night one fans got a very different version of Trans Siberian Orchestra’s “Christmas Eve Sarajevo” while night two saw a very true to form version of Coldplay’s “Clocks.”

Photo By Buscar Photo

Tuesday night was the finale of the tour, and there is currently only one more show scheduled next year on February 24th at August Hall in San Francisco. Keep an eye out for more shows and possibly new music in the near future from Alex G.
December 10, 2021
Roosevelt Brings The Polydans Tour To Webster Hall
German born singer, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist Roosevelt brought his Polydans Tour to Webster Hall last Wednesday, December 1st. Polydans, Roosevelt’s third LP, was released back in February of this year on Greco-Roman / City Slang Records. The album was previewed with the infectious and groovy lead single, “Feels Right.”

“Feels Right” by Roosevelt. Via YouTube

Roosevelt attracted fans from all over the US and the world to Webster Hall. The group front and center sported fans who traveled from Idaho and LA for the show, while plenty of German and European natives were also in attendance. New York City has always been this way, especially when international artists play here. Now with travel restrictions from Europe easing, more and more people are coming back to New York for the music scene.

Roosevelt at Webster Hall, 12/1/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

Roosevelt played six songs from Polydans as well as a cover of Stardust’s “Music Sounds Better With You” as part of the encore. While that song is the only one released by Stardust (featuring Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk), it is a fundamental inspiration for Roosevelt’s sound. Containing groovy guitar riffs and catchy vocals, the sound pure fun in universal way.

Roosevelt at Webster Hall, 12/1/2021. Photo by Buscar Photo

Roosevelt and the Polydans Tour continue on in December with several west coast and Canadian dates. Then the band makes their way back to Europe in March, including six shows in Germany. Check out the full tour schedule HERE and see NYS Music’s photo gallery from Roosevelt’s show at Webster Hall below.
December 6, 2021
Caribou Brings The Club To Brooklyn Steel
Canadian multi-instrumentalist and producer Caribou (a.k.a. Dan Snaith) made his way to New York this past weekend for three shows over two days at Brooklyn Steel. Sandwiched in the middle of a 20-night run of another electro-rock band at the venue, these Caribou concerts were two years in the making. Originally scheduled for March of 2020, the Caribou shows were some of the first to be postponed in the city due to the incoming pandemic. Snaith attested to that after the opening song, admitting to the crowd how weird it felt finally being able to play a gig planned so long ago.

Caribou at Brooklyn Steel, 11/27/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The concert calendar right now is a very strange mix. The entire live music industry came to a halt for a year and a half; postponing or cancelling shows throughout 2020 and 2021, many of which have been rescheduled and are now in progress. On top of that, there is a backlog of tours that were being planned at the time of the pandemic, and are just now trying to be scheduled for the first time. Tickets are being sold for shows more than a year in advance. Some of these artists have released albums two years ago and are now getting their first opportunity to perform the music live. This is the case with Caribou and his fifth LP under the moniker, Suddenly. The record was released back in February 2020 on Merge Records.

“Never Come Back” off Caribou’s LP Suddenly. Via YouTube.

Caribou’s music is a bright blend of electro-house elements and indie rock. The songs are stretched out on the live stage into deep jams with distinct movements and very high energy, techno-style percussions. A heavy strobe style lighting arrangement gives off a club type atmosphere ripe for the dance floor. The concerts took place this past Saturday and Sunday, with a matinee performance Sunday afternoon before a second show later that night.

Dan Snaith (a.k.a. Caribou) at Brooklyn Steel, 11/27/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

This leg of the tour is nearing its end; Caribou plays three more shows in the Northeast leading up to a set at Mexico’s TrÃ³pical Festival the first weekend of December. A lengthy second leg of the tour kicks off in February and takes Caribou across the UK and Europe with some west coast and Canadian dates mixed in. Find the full tour schedule HERE. Check out NYS Music’s photos from the first show on Saturday night below.
November 30, 2021
Chvrches Return to New York For Two Sold Out Shows at Terminal 5
Scottish synth-pop trio Chvrches returned to New York this weekend with two sold out shows at Manhattan’s Terminal 5. The band is in the midst of a North American tour in support of Screen Violence, their fourth LP and first on Glassnote records. NYS Music was there to catch the first night on Friday, November 26th.

Lauren Mayberry of Chvrches at Terminal 5, 11/26/21 – Photo by Buscar Photo

One week before Chvrches’ opening night at Terminal 5, the band announced that multi-instrumentalist Iain Cook tested positive for COVID-19. Instead of postponing any shows, the band was poised to have touring and studio tech Dave Simpson as well as Lo Moon guitarist Sam Stewart step in and fill Iain’s shoes for the shows in Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg and Columbus. Iain was able to make his comeback to Chvrches for the New York shows, receiving copious “We Miss You Iain!” chants from the crowd throughout the night.

Screen Violence single “How Not To Drown,” featured The Cure’s Robert Smith. Via YouTube

Screen Violence was released back in August but the band recently issued the expanded Screen Violence: Director’s Cut last month featuring three bonus tracks. The tour continues with a handful of east coast dates before heading west, including a show at Las Vegas’ Brooklyn Bowl on December 11th. The tour concludes a week later with a final show at the Hollywood Palladium.
November 29, 2021
Protomartyr Return To The Live Stage For Three New York Shows
Detroit based post-punk vets Protomartyr are back; on tour for the first time post-COVID and giving their excellent 5th LP Ultimate Success Today the live treatment. The band made their way to Bushwick’s Elsewhere Hall this past Thursday, November 18 followed by two more sold out shows upstate at Tubby’s in Kingston.

Protomartyr at Elsewhere 11/18/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The night opened with a fiery punk rock set from the Philly based band TVO. After a short changeover, Poughkeepsie native and free jazz legend Joe McPhee took the stage for a deep and abstract saxophone performance. The crowd was quite taken back by the significant change of pace, but McPhee stepped up to the microphone and performed a 20 minute set consisting of three distinct movements. Bits of distinguishable jazz rhythms kept popping up, surrounded by layers of breathing and speaking (inaudibly) through the instrument as if an entire story was being narrated. You could hear a pin drop in the room while McPhee was performing, but he concluded with a thundering applause from an audience truly shocked and in awe of what we witnessed.

Joe McPhee at Elsewhere, 11/18/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

Protomartyr have been a cult success for their first couple of albums and their stature has grown quite a bit with their more recent releases. LPs such as The Agent Intellect and Relatives in Descent solidified the band’s sound; a solid post punk backing fronted with deep vocal style reminiscent of Nick Cave. Ultimate Success Today, released in July of 2020, stayed true to that sound and provided another pillar to the band’s catalog. One of the singles from the album, “Processed By The Boys,” came along with a comical video featuring the band in 80s era TV game show form.

The short tour started earlier in November and after the three New York shows, the band has one final stop in Pittsburgh to close out the run. Photos from the Elsewhere show are below and stay tuned for more updates from the band as the tour wraps up.
November 20, 2021
The Flaming Lips Battle The Pink Robots at Brooklyn Steel
The Flaming Lips returned to Brooklyn last night for the first of two shows at Bushwick’s Brooklyn Steel. Only the second stop on a world tour, the band returns to the live stage following the pandemic with dates across the US, Canada and the UK into next summer. Special guest and Flaming Lips collaborator Particle Kid provided opening support, featuring a guest appearance by Sean Ono Lennon.

The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The tragedy of the Astroworld festival last week has not only shocked so many people, but has also changed the mindset of performers and venues alike. Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne began the show with a long speech on the topic, urging fans to look out for everyone around them, promising that they would stop the show in the event someone needed help. He addressed the desire of so many to let their emotions run loose at shows, and he reminded us all that we can still “go crazy” in a good and positive way. This motif continued through the show, with breaks between songs and bright house lights to make sure everyone was safe.

The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The Flaming Lips released their debut record Here It Is in 1986, and have cultivated an extensive discography ever since. Back in 2020, the band released their sixteenth studio album, American Head via Warner Records. For Record Store Day 2021, the band released The Soft Bulletin Companion on vinyl for the first time ever. The rare recordings are B-sides and early mixes that accompany the band’s early breakthrough record The Soft Bulletin.

The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

One surprise nugget for the evening was the live debut of deep cut “Assassination of the Sun” off the band’s 2003 EP Ego Tripping At The Gates Of Hell. Afterwards, Wayne addressed the crowd, telling them about his ecstasy seeing a room full of fans enjoy a song they’ve never heard played live. Other essential tracks played included the epic “Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots, Pt. 1,” “Do You Realize??,” and “She Don’t Use Jelly.”

The Flaming Lips at Brooklyn Steel, 11/8/21. Photo by Buscar Photo

The tour continues with another show tonight at Brooklyn Steel, plus two more New York shows. They’ll be playing on November 12th in Syracuse at Crouse-Hinds Concert Theater, and then in Albany on November 13th at The Palace Theatre. Check out the full run of dates on Song Kick and see our Brooklyn Steel night 1 photo gallery below. Wayne Coyne also has his own cannabis brand, Love Yer Brain, available now.
November 9, 2021