Sea Of Bees Descend On Brooklyn

It's a rarity that an up and coming band like Sea of Bees will make such a strong showing so far from home. Given that, consider yourself lucky: the San Francisco natives will be making not one, but five stops in our fair city this weekend (dates below). All the stops are in Brooklyn, which, while maybe slightly inconvenient for some, fits well with the band's place in the current music scene.

Their debut record, Songs For The Ravens, is an eclectic mix of dreamy vocals, well composed electronics, lumbering folky guitars, and classic rock and roll. The end result is a sound that is utterly unique, and well worth more than a few minutes of your attention. While we've never seen them live, the sounds on disc are more than enough to convince us to get out there before we're stuck behind 500 hipsters who have just discovered the "next big thing".

Our advice? Hit up one of the shows early in the weekend, and if you love it as much as we think you will, you have a chance for another taste.

mp3: Sea Of Bees - Skinnybone

Sea Of Bees Summer 2010 New York Dates

July 9 - Spike Hill
July 10 - Rockwood Music Hall
July 11 - Union Hall w/David Dondero
July 12 - Pete's Candy Store
July 13 - The Rock Shop w/Matt Bauer and Feather and Folly

Plants and Animals Played Union Hall: Pictures, Review, Setlist

Last night at Union Hall, we were lucky enough to drop in on a last minute, super intimate show from Plants and Animals. Seeing the trio in such a small room was really a blast, and their energy (and noise) seriously threatened to overflow the small underground room. As the band hammered through a one hour set, they not only got us even more excited for their new record, but also demonstrated why we continue to keep talking them up as one of the most dynamic live bands today.

The set was a quick one, and consisted almost entirely (save for "Faerie Dance") of tracks from the band's second full length La La Land, which drops next Tuesday. Hearing the songs live definitely served to enhance their dynamics considerably, and really drew attention to how solid the songwriting is on the tracks. Moreover, hearing some of the live arrangements (particularly the transition from "Swinging Bells" to "American Idol") served to give the songs context outside of the scope of the record.

More importantly, the set thoroughly illustrated that the band has been anything but lax since the release of Parc Avenue. They have managed to craft a set of songs that have their own identity, and a life that goes beyond the (admittedly awesome) sounds of their first records. Specifically, the band have further embraced their rock influences, and crafted songs that are more straight-ahead in their tone and demeanor, yet still contain the eclecticisms that made the first record so fantastic.

All the songs in the world won't do anything without live chops, however, and Plants and Animals are unquestionably a live act to the core. Put simply, they deliver so much energy and enthusiasm in the live environment that it's almost impossible not to be completely engaged with the music making that takes place on stage. The trio has continued to become more and more musically connected, and at this point they interact less like individuals, and more like a single musical organism.

As the band wrapped up "Faerie Dance", there was clear audience demand for another tune, but the venue (sadly) turned up the house music and left everyone in attendance slightly confused. Luckily for us, this show was just the tip of the iceberg, and the band will be playing another show at the Bowery Ballroom on June 9th. We would be remiss if we did not tell you, dear reader, that you really, really, should be in attendance.

Setlist

--

Tom Cruz

Undone Melody

Swinging Bells->

American Idol

Fake It

Celebration

Game Shows

Jeans Jeans Jeans

Faerie Dance

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive

Evangelicals Played Union Hall - Pictures, Review

The last time we saw Evangelicals, they were awash in a sea of black lights and caped costumes, so it was quite the surprise when we stumbled into Union Hall on Wednesday night, and discovered the band as close to clean cut as most rock bands tend to get. Their new look, however, did little to affect the band's awesome live sound: if anything, the band has become a tighter unit since we last saw them, and is even more dynamic to boot.

The band kicked the set off with a blazing cover of David Bowie's "Be My Wife". As huge Bowiephiles here at HAD, we were more than a little excited to hear the band dive into one of the Thin White Duke's lesser known singles. More importantly, the band did a killer, fuzzed out, job with the song, and it led perfectly into the body of their set.

And the set was, in short, stellar. As we mentioned above, the band has significantly tightened up their sound since we saw them last year. The instrumentation felt tighter, the vibe was more succinct, and it felt far more like a well established band mutually contributing to their set and songs.

As we mentioned previously, Evangelicals have a new record in the works, and after seeing the Union Hall show, we're even more excited than we were before. The fact of the matter is that this is a band that was already making fantastic studio albums. If they can manage to supplement that with even more tightly knit interplay, there's really no telling what might be in store. Rest assured, we'll be eagerly awaiting whatever it might be.

Many more pictures at the HAD Archive
mp3: Evangelicals - Skeleton Man

Port O'Brien Played Union Hall - Pictures, Review

It's no secret that we've been digging on Port O'Brien's latest, Threadbare, so we were pretty amped up for their show this weekend at Union Hall. Suffice it to say, we were not disappointed. The band, sporting a brand new SF-heavyweights lineup, delivered a show that was packed with energy, delved skillfully into the new material, and most importantly left the audience begging for more. In short: totally killer.

The show, as is often the case with the band, started out on the mellow side. The band (as we mentioned) has a new lineup, but you wouldn't have known it: they were totally tight and on the mark, even in spite of a smallish amount of space on stage. The band's new lineup is nothing if not experienced: Tyson Vogel of Two Gallants has taken over percussive duties, and Gram Lebron of Rogue Wave has taken over a multi-instrumentalist role. Combine that with the band's existing lineup, and you have yourself a damn solid live act.

The really nice thing about the show was that the new material integrated extremely well with the old material: there was no vibe of "old song-new song" in the set. Rather, the set had a natural momentum of its own that built over the course of the hour or so that the band played. It also wasn't hurting things that they were playing to a crowd that was clearly packed with fans of the breadth of the band's material.

One of our favorite moments was "Calm Me Down", from the new record. The tune had a gradual buildup that was simply stunning. Apparently the band hasn't played it that much live. Well, HAD pro tip: they should! It's a brilliant tune on record, and even better live.

The band wrapped the show with their classic "I Woke Up Today" group participatory act, and we have to say it really worked. The last time we saw them it had been feeling a little tired, but on Friday it had a vitality and newness that felt completely exciting and fresh. To our ears, that vibe was indicative of a larger renaissance for Port O'Brien. With their new record and new lineup, this is a band that went through the wringer and came out on the other side the better for it. If you haven't seen them live (or even if it's just been a while), now is clearly the time to do so. Take our word for it.

More photos at the HAD Archive. Port O'Brien is on tour now.

mp3: Port O'Brien - Calm Me Down

Ambulance LTD Working With John Cale, Mercury Lounge And Union Hall In August

Here at HAD, Ambulance LTD's debut LP has long held a high spot on the replayability scale. The record is such a fantastic mix of genres and songwriting, combined with fantastic production, that it simply begs to be listened to on repeat. Given that, we've been a bit downtrodden about the fact that the band has experienced so much tumult over the past few years. The lineup has almost completely changed, apparently there were record company arguments, and most importantly, the band has only released one EP of new material. Well, apparently that's all about to change.

Not only has the band been recording in LA with rock heavyweight John Cale (see video, above), but they've also lined up two shows in mid August that we're guessing will feature some of that new material. The two shows, on August 17th and 18th, will take place at Union Hall and Mercury Lounge, respectively. While it's been a number of years (five, to be exact) since we last saw the band live, we can tell you that their live show is well worth your time. We'll see you out there!

mp3: Ambulance LTD - Arbuckle's Swansong