Aug 28 : Kyle & The Silkboys

I really liked the opener at Silk City on Wednesday and want to see them again, but this appears to be another band of "secret agents", where they don't have any website and they don't even have a Facebook page! The mystery was deepened when the powers that be had the show listings separately as "Kurt & The Silkboys" and "Kyle & The Silkboys". But no Facebook page for either. (I'm doing a duplicate writeup of this on an adjacent "Kurt & The Silkboys" posting, because I'm not sure which they are.)

I got to the venue a little late and was able to hear the last three songs the band did. I was impressed. Interesting covers, including a Beatles track. Nice instrumentals, well-defined and fairly crisp, but with some engaging fuzz around the edges. I'm going back and would recommend you check them out as well. However, with no Facebook or web presence, their whereabouts are for them to know and for us to guess!

Aug 28 : Kurt & The Silkboys

I really liked the opener at Silk City on Wednesday and want to see them again, but this appears to be another band of "secret agents", where they don't have any website and they don't even have a Facebook page! The mystery was deepened when the powers that be had the show listings separately as "Kurt & The Silkboys" and "Kyle & The Silkboys". But no Facebook page for either. (I'm doing a duplicate writeup of this on an adjacent "Kyle & The Silkboys" posting, because I'm not sure which they are.)

I got to the venue a little late and was able to hear the last three songs the band did. I was impressed. Interesting covers, including a Beatles track. Nice instrumentals, well-defined and fairly crisp, but with some engaging fuzz around the edges. I'm going back and would recommend you check them out as well. However, with no Facebook or web presence, their whereabouts are for them to know and for us to guess!

Aug 21 : "'Freak Scene' Live @ Arlene's Grocery" - Red Datsun (New York)

Off the charts! Tuesday night I saw New York punk rock outfit Red Datsun do a show at Pianos. This was my first time seeing them. On a scale from zero to ten their stage presence is somewhere around eleven. Front man and vocalist Dave Miller is a powerhouse who keeps the show fired up every minute the band is on stage.

Red Datsun has been around for about ten years. They've played mostly in Manhattan and at many famous as well as infamous spots. They have a loyal following; the show Tuesday night brought an enthusiastic crowd. And that crowd was introduced to some of the band's newest work.

So when it comes to the part where I tell you to go out and see this band, even though the band is busy writing, I don't have a lot of recent music to show you as samples. The band has some videos on You Tube, but they were recorded several years ago. As a sample below, I'm featuring "'Freak Scene' Live @ Arlene's Grocery". This was recorded at a show in 2011, almost five years ago, but, for a band that is ten years old, that could be considered the halfway point from its inception to where they've arrived today.

So what is the band like today compared to then? ... There have been changes. The sound of the instrumentals Tuesday night was more cohesive than what we see in the videos from years' back. And Miller's performance front center, while way more polished, still retains some nice over the top. :)

Here is "'Freak Scene' Live @ Arlene's Grocery" from "back then" :::

So if you want to have the real Red Datsun experience, you'll just have to go out and actually see them live! Here is the click to their Facebook page where you can find out about their next shows ::: Red Datsun on Facebook (CLICK HERE)

Jul 31 : "Glasgow" - Milan to Minsk (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Released

A third exciting band I heard on my Alphaville trip was Brooklyn band "Milan to Minsk". As with the previous two bands I talked about, the web music bears little resemblance to what they did live at their show, so there's not much I can play as a sample. Again, the music on their page is quite a bit more mellow than what they did live. Another example of two different bands! :) Milan to Minsk's live performance was a lot more raucous with both a trumpet and a sax as part of their lineup. And even a "ewi", which I had never heard before! What a great wind section! Yes, I'm gonna go back!

An interesting song on their Soundcloud page is "Glasgow". This is track #3 of their "Milan to Minsk" EP, which was released in January ::::

Milan to Minsk put on a great show, but unfortunately they don't have any upcoming shows in our area. However, here is the click to their Facebook page so you can keep up with them and not miss them the next time they play: Milan to Minsk on Facebook (CLICK HERE).

Jul 29 : "Yoga Video Music for Alicja" - Ann Driscoll (Brooklyn)

New Music / Freshly Written & Recently Posted

One of the qualities that all the bands playing that night at Alphaville seemed to have was that there was not a whole lot of resemblance between their music on the web and what they would present to listeners at the live show.

I was a little shocked when Brooklyn artist Ann Driscoll got up on stage with her band and started to play. The music was quite different from the web music; I felt like I was hearing a completely different outfit. While the music on the web page is a little more laid back and mellow in its expression, the live band was full-force rock with pounding and heavy drums. Ann Driscoll herself not only did the forceful vocals but also alternated between playing keys and guitar.

One of the songs I like on the web page is "Yoga Video Music for Alicja". It's an unusual title. After the show I asked Ann "Who's Alicja?" She said that Alicja is a close friend who lives in Germany and who is passionate about yoga. So here is "Yoga Video Music for Alicja". :::

A number of the artist's songs are written around themes or concepts. Here is "Woman (Instrumental)". Some interesting chords in this!

I've listened to all the music on the web page several times, and I think the track that comes closest to what I heard at the Alphaville show (maybe the only track) is "Breed". It has the heavy and fast beat of a lot of the work I heard at the show, but vocals way more powerful at the show. :::

I recommend that you try to catch one of Ann Driscoll's shows. Actually Songkick lists another show coming up for her in the next few weeks. She'll be playing on August 17 at Rough Trade. In the meantime, if you'd like to follow her on the internets, here is the click to her Facebook page ::: Ann Driscoll on Facebook (CLICK HERE). ================================

7/5/20 ::: OOPS. Ann's new name is "Stunt Casting".

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9/26/21 ::: OOPS. Looks like Yoga Video Music for Alicja is history. But looks like Ann is back being Ann again! :)