Nov 04 : "Every Night" - Walker Lukens (Austin)

When I was checking what music I would be going out to see this week, a couple things attracted me to Walker Lukens' music that made me want to go hear him.

Song structures and arrangements were what caught my attention. Songs not necessarily smooth all the way through, but choppy in the right places, where the instrumentals or vocals would stop with other components kicking in for a dramatic burst. While you can hear some of this on his web page's music, these were much more pronounced in the great show he did at Milkboy last night. The best way I could describe it is that I felt like I was riding along in a car that did some quick stops and starts, with some dramatic spins and then go off on a surprising unexpected road. I like the unexpected in my music.

The band has a lineup of five people, consisting of Walker Lukens front center stage, drums to the rear, two guitars to our right as we watch, and keys to our left. The keys player did a good amount of backup vocals with the other members joining in at various points.

Walker Lukens himself played an additional set of keys for most of the show, while he occasionally switched over to a guitar. A lot of the music played last night had arrangements where Lukens' set of keys played sharp beats which simultaneously reinforced the drums' rhythm and the bass' melodic line. A very interesting effect. I liked it.

Here is "Every Night", by Austin artist Walker Lukens and his band :::

You've got to go out to see these people. While the band is from Texas and is on a national tour, they will be doing a show at Sunnyvale tonight and Berlin tomorrow night. In the meantime, if you would like to check out his Facebook page, here is the click ::: Walker Lukens on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Nov 01 : "West End Supermarket" - The Above (Brooklyn)

6-packs of PBR for only $3.49? Well, at our west end supermarket, not until Gov. Wolf, the legislature in Harrisburg, and PLCB say it's ok. And even then I'm not sure we'd be able to get it for $3.49! This song was written several years ago, and they haven't updated the price of PBR. I want to live in that world! haha.lol.

I first saw The Above live sometime around 2007; I don't remember exactly. I remember seeing them do a couple shows including a really great one at Bell House. At that time I picked up a copy of their then-current EP, "Act Your Age". An older version of "West End Supermarket" is on that EP. I just checked the date: 2003!

I was hoping to be writing this post saying what a wonderful time I had at The Above's show at The Gateway last Friday. However, a change in work schedule meant that I was not going to be up in New York on Friday night, so I missed the show. (Wah!) ... BTW most of my concert attendance is determined by my work schedule and transit schedules, so I do miss some shows that I otherwise really want to see. The Above does not do a large number of shows in the area. That plus my work schedule have meant that I haven't caught any of their shows in way too long!

So here is the newer 2010 version of "West End Supermarket".

The Above has several albums on their Bandcamp page. Here is the click ::: The Above on Bandcamp (CLICK HERE). And here is the click to their Facebook page ::: The Above on Facebook (CLICK HERE). And the band has another show coming up next week at Monty Hall, where they're opening for The Long Ryders.