Jen Bloom is a regular at this corner Pleasantville lounge, as evidence by the fact that some dude at the bar told me he’s seen her play 16 times, mostly there.
And it’s clear that she’s comfortable playing for the relaxed crowd.
Her aura couldn’t be more adorable as she sits behind her keyboards and sings, playing a mix of originals and covers — from Neil Young to Oasis to the Divinyls (they’re the band that does “I Touch Myself,” which, of course, got people singing along for a bit).
Matty and I shared a few pints of the Captain (Lawrence, of course) with some friends and I personally enjoyed the scene tremendously.
My one complaint would be that Jen’s first set was way too short. Would have liked to hear her play a few more tunes before taking a set break, to help loosen up the crowd a bit. Also would have liked to hear “Universe God Burst,” one of the tunes Jen played in the Listening Room way back when, but maybe she played it after I left? I don’t know. Had to call it a night at about 11:45 or so in order to function today.
But all in all, Jen is a tremendous talent, there’s no doubt about it. Looking forward to the next one.
(And oh yeah, sorry, I forgot my camera and borrowed my friend’s, so as soon as she sends me the pics I’ll post some.)
This went up on LoHud.com last night, so I apologize for taking so long to post it here. Johanna was an absolute Joy to work with here her show. The interview turned out great (if I do say so myself). Thanks to The Crew for all there hard work and Johanna for her super performance.
Was just scrolling through the JamBase calendar off on the right rail and noticed that Alex Nackman will be playing the Bowery Ballroom on Aug. 15. He’s opening for Kill the Alarm. (Click here for tickets.)
What a great venue. In case you’ve never been there, the Bowery Ballroom is a great little spot on Delancey Street right off Bowery. (Sorry, gotta throw in a befitting Wayne’s World scene… Tiny: Wanye! How you doin’? Wayne Campbell: Hey Tiny, who’s playing today? Tiny: Jolly Green Giants and the Shitty Beatles. Wayne Campbell: Shitty Beatles? Are they any good? Tiny: They suck! Wayne Campbell: Then it’s not just a clever name.)
When you first walk into the Bowery, you enter the downstairs bar, which to me always feels like I’m hanging out in a really nice cave or something. Dim lighting. Rugged walls. Candlelight. Got the vibe? What I especially love about this bar is that it’s a place where people who are there to chit chat can do so without blabbering over the music.
Upstairs is the main concert space, all general admission. There’s the floor level and then a balcony level, which sometimes has reserved seating. All told, the venue holds about 550 people.
I’ve seen everyone from Steve Winwood to Railroad Earth to Umphrey’s McGee at the Bowery, plus many more. Always a good time.
The Bowery Ballroom is owned by the Bowery Presents guys, who also own Mercury Lounge (fits about 200 or so people), The Music Hall of Williamsburg (fits about 550), and Terminal 5 (capacity about 3,000). Bowery Presents is a major promotion machine, and any band worth their weight wants to get in with these guys. What I love is that having all these venues of various sizes really gives a band a chance to grow up in the city.
Naturally, seeing Nackman on the bill for a Bowery show got me excited. But then I realized—very unfortunately—that I will not be in town for the show. Boooo me, I know. I’ll be up at my friend’s place for CABINFEST V – ALIVE. Suffice it to say that CABINFEST is a weekend of musical mayhem not to be missed, HIYA!
But I hope some of you can make it out to the Nackman show. I’ve seen him live in the city before and he’s a great entertainer. Oh, and if you go, you better send me some photos to post!
The Breakfast concluded its acoustic residency with a bang last night at Daniel Street in Milford, Conn. Sure I’m a bit tired today, but man, seeing these guys is worth it every time!
Joining the band were special guests Christian Horgren and Marcus Hogquist, musicians touring all the way from Sweden with singer Sofia Talvik. The group will finish up its U.S. tour at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago on Friday.
Christian sat in on electric cello on the song “Question Mark and the Mind.” Marcus ripped up the electric guitar on “The Vermont Song.”
It turns out this was the first time The Breakfast ever played with a cellist, according to guitarist Tim Palmieri. (I, for one, hope it isn’t the last!)
“It was great,” Christian said. “They’re good guys to play with — they love to play so to do a jam session was great fun.”
Another twist to the night was drummer Adrian Tramontano wailing on the trumpet while simultaneously banging away on the drums. I have one question: Are you ser??!
Usually, I post the individual tracks from a Listening Room show a couple days after the show airs, this time I was able to pull it together and get them up now. Check Johanna’s music from her Listening Room concert below and peel back tomorrow for the real deal.
One more thing … The Listening Room is booked until the end of 2008 — crazy, right? — but don’t stop submitting and don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back from Diana or I right away.
We’ll be booking next month for 2009 and we’re also trying to get our Holiday Show off the ground.
Thanks to everybody for all your suggestions and wanting to take part in the show. Diana and I are so fired up about it we’re shaking snoglobes all day.
And another thing … you can leave comments with your show dates on this blog and they are automatically e-mailed to The Big D and I, so please do so rather than e-mailing me directly … although I really don’t mind.
I think that’s it. Get psyched for Johanna .. she’s up tomorrow.
Former Listening Room guest Tim Palmieri just sent out this link to a news report about him on News3Online. Apparently he’s gotten swept up in the presidential campaign. God help us…
Johanna of Yonkers stopped in to the Listening Room today and I’m still searching for my socks. Wow! What a voice.
Here’s the thing, most people who come in love music and love to play and love the whole singer-songwriter bit. I get it.
But very few of the artists drip joy when they sing. When you listen to Johanna, she makes you psyched, because she’s so psyched. In fact, I’m still psyched.
Johanna — That’s it. No last name like Milton or Madonna or Marc Von Em (well, except for that last one) — told us a really lame joke about a bear we caught on tape … so we’ll have a little bit of extra footage for the next show and of course she signed the Brick!!!
Yeah, so I have to bail on hosting tomorrow’s Listening Room performance. And let’s just say I’m not happy about it at all! I’ve really been looking forward to having Johanna join us, and doesn’t it just figure that I have to cover something else for the paper?!
I first saw Johanna on a random Thursday night at Opus in Armonk, where she was playing with two of her band mates in the cozy bar area. I immediately was drawn to the soft yet confident vocals she brought to the mic, and the guitar and percussion set a perfectly chill vibe.
Thing was, they were playing mostly covers (which is typical of a weekday performance at Opus). So I went over and asked if they played any originals, and they immediately lit up.
“That’s what we love to play,” Johanna responded. (Well, it was something like that… It’s been a while now…)
It was then that I really saw the magic of the music. Loved it instantly. And I knew I had to get them into the Listening Room – pronto!
While I can’t be there in person tomorrow, I certainly will be there in spirit.
Be sure to check back here for the video and the podcast, which should be posted some time this week. Or visit Johanna’s MySpace page for a preview and let me know what you think.
Oh yeah, and they’re playing a free show at Opus again this Saturday, so you can certainly go show some love. You may just see me there!
If you are wondering what’s going with all the weird Michelle DeAngelis tracks below. … it’s how Diana and I send up the Tracks to iTunes. I don’t know why we do it like this … Diana explained it all to me with a dry erase board but I got all bleary eyed after she said RSS feed. Any way, that’s the deal. Check back much later for more on Johanna.
Diana just dropped out on hosting the show tomorrow, so y’all are stuck with me again. It’s Johanna and I hope she rocks. The Big D is holding out on her info on what I’m sure will be a stellar show.
Phil Lesh & Friends will celebrate Halloween in the Big Apple this year, plus a string of other dates to follow at the Nokia Theatre Times Square.
The band will perform October 31 plus November 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18 at the
Mailorder presale with postmarks runs from 7/18 through 7/24. Phil Lesh Online Ticketing presale runs from 7/18 at noon EST through 7/24 at 6 pm EST. Ticketmaster sales start 7/26 at noon EST.
Did you know they were on the Colbert Report last night?! It was their first U.S. television appearance in 33 years! After a really hard-hitting interview, they played Tom Sawyer.
Been going to Rush’s Jones Beach shows for the past few years now, and each time it’s an absolute blast. We usually start the day chilling out on the beach, but this year we took a little excursion to Coney Island to ride the Cyclone and eat some Nathan’s hot dogs before the bands blew our minds.
Yup … that’s Diana Costello and myself at the Pleasantville Music Festival last weekend, where we helped handout the Listening Room compilation CD and glad handed the crowd.
Michelle DeAngelis of Yonkers stopped into The Listening Room yesterday and dropped some power pop on our heads. It was one of my typical book-and-book operations where we weren’t sure what we were getting until Michelle walked in.
Michelle was out at Chat 19 last week and here is her post: “Chat 19 in Larchmont has got it all! Cute bartenders, great drinks and DJ Sebastian every other Friday! The place to see and be seen in the LoHud area.”
I was blown away when I heard what this kid (And I do mean kid!) offered up in The Listening Room. The guy’s 17 years old, is touring nationally, opened for Dan Bern in Tarrytown a few weeks back and if you can’t see a little young Bobby D. here, well, we ain’t drinking the same water. Steve Kirkman and Fred Gillen Jr. sit in on the first track.
The Tribes Hill member and Hope Machine singer-songwriter rocks out for a set in The Listening Room. With guest stars Fred Gillen Jr. (of Gillen & Turk) and Anthony da Costa.
July 5, 2008 – Who can refuse being serenaded by a strolling mariachi band? Stop by Tequila Sunrise in Larchmont for an experience not to be missed. They offer an extensive menu of mixed drinks, over 100 brands of tequila and a large assortment of Mexican beers.
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