by Kevin McGann | Aug 3, 2022
Frankie and the Witch Fingers at Mercury Lounge (photo by Kevin McGann)
This past weekend Frankie & the Witch Fingers brought their funky, fuzzy, reverberating, psych rock sounds to a packed house at NYC’s Mercury Lounge. And whether people were dancing, moshing or surfing the crowd, the joint was jumpin’ from the first chord.
Kicking off the night was GIFT who, like FATWF, have a retro vibe but more like they’re taking you on a trip to outer space. Dreamy vocals and sci-fi keyboards float over a propulsive beat and some serious guitar work on tracks like ‘Gumball Garden’. Named as one of SXSW 2022: The Coolest Things We Saw list from Rolling Stone, it’s not hard to see why.
Before FATWF even took the stage the audience was ready to rock and you could feel the energy in the room. Once it kicked off that energy was infectious, from the stage on out to the bar. Dylan Sizemore and Josh Menashe who bookend the stage traded off guitar licks and vocals while Pickle and Nick Aguilar laid down a groove from the middle that alternated between rock, funk, punk, prog, jam and beyond. They somehow manage to incorporate so many disparate influences into a unique sound as evidenced in songs like “Reaper,” “Pleasure,” “Dracula Drug,” and “Cocaine Dream.” And set closer “MEPEM” really demonstrates that blending of sounds with a progressive, hard hitting, groovy beat, topped off with 70’s funk guitar, brass instruments, distorted vocals, and a workout for any drummer.
FATWF are currently on tour so grab any chance you can to see one of the most fun, funky, and hard rocking bands out there today.
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kevin McGann)
GIFT
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS
by Kevin McGann | Aug 2, 2022
White Hills at Knitting Factory (photo by Kevin McGann)
It’s taken me the better part of 20 years to discover White Hills but I’m glad I finally did. I caught a show earlier this year at Saint Vitus and was left wondering how the hell two people create such an intense wall of sound. This past week’s show at Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory left me feeling the same way as founding members Dave W and Ego Sensation slammed my head with their guitar and drum assault.
Their self-described sound is ‘industrial fuzz for art rockers’, and I’ve seen them more broadly described as psych rock. But the truth is that there’s so much genre bending style in their songs I don’t think any label would stick. It can be noisy, frenzied, rhythmic, experimental, trippy, electronic and guitar driven….and that’s in one song. I’ve just started digging into their catalog and it’s maybe even more impressive than their live shows as they’ve released an insane amount of music since 2003.
One of the other things I really appreciate about Dave and Ego is seeing them at their shows out in the crowd, watching and supporting the other bands. And not that it’s hard to spot them as they’re as style is as unique as their sound. Make sure to catch them on their current tour with Mississippi’s doom heavy Telekinetic Yeti.
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WHITE HILLS
by Kevin McGann | Jul 31, 2022
- James Vincent McMorrow at Bowery Ballroom (photo by Kevin McGann)
Around 2016 I started getting back into vinyl and one of the first new albums I picked up at the time was James Vincent McMorrow’s We Move. A mix of pop, soul, R&B and 80’s sounds, it was unlike anything else in my collection at that time. But from the moment I heard that falsetto I was pretty much hooked and worked my way back through his earlier albums, Post Tropical and Early in the Morning.
In mid-2017 I first had the idea to sneak a camera into a gig and James’ Brooklyn Steel show was one of my first attempts. My pics were a total fail but the show was anything but—a full band, lights, video and that beautiful voice. I didn’t know that would be the first and last time I would see him until this year thanks to that period we shall not speak of. During that time everyone’s tours were canceled, and new albums were either shelved or went largely ignored without live shows to promote them, and McMorrow’s were no exception.
Fortunately, that’s the past and he’s hit the road with two albums worth of new music including songs from his just released album, The Less I Knew. Unlike the last tour I had seen, this was a stripped-down solo gig with James front and center. No band, no stage setup other that a few guitars and keyboard on stage. As he would explain, this was a back to basics where he could reconnect with both his music and his audience. It also meant a chance to tell the stories behind the songs, none more touching than “Steven.” Highlights included “We Don’t Eat,” “Cavalier,” “Get Low,” new song “Hurricane,” and the cover that took a life of its own—Steve Windwood’s “Higher Love.” At times funny, at other times emotional, this was a show that showed the broad range of music and emotions that James brings to his craft.
Opening the night was the excellent Izzy Heltai. I wasn’t familiar before the show, but I’ll definitely be following his career going forward. Like McMorrow, Heltai also has a strong stage presence that’s at times funny, at other times reflective, but always appreciate of the love that was pouring over him from a very receptive crowd. Fans of acoustic driven music and introspective lyrics should definitely check out his 2021 EP Day Plan (5 Songs Written 4 the End of the Word) and look for future live dates.
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IZZY HELTAI
JAMES VINCENT Mc MORROW
by Kevin McGann | Jun 23, 2022
Stuyedeyed at Purgatory (photo by Kevin McGann)
Brooklyn’s Purgatory bar was home to the musical onslaught of local bands Weeping Icon and Stuyedeyed last week for an amazing sold-out show.
First up was Weeping Icon who literally spilled off the stage and into the crowd with half the band playing on the floor. The dimly lit atmosphere of Purgatory perfectly fit the doom heavy experimental rock vibe they’ve built a reputation around. But this was also the first show for Heather Elle who was mixing/tweaking sounds, and Kate Mohanty who added sax to the overall sound to help close the set.
I’m not sure how, but Stuyedeyed managed to fit the full 5-piece band, complete with 2 drum kits, on the stage along with their own light rigs but they did. Having seen them recently at Bowery Ballroom I knew it would be a challenge to contain them and sure enough it was, spilling out to the floor. The floor itself was of course a frenzied pit for most of the set. Stuy definitely puts on one of the best live shows out there right now and people would be wise to check their tour schedule and catch a show wherever they can.
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WEEPING ICON
STUYEDEYED
by Kevin McGann | Jun 18, 2022
Fortezza at TV Eye (photo by Kevin McGann)
Last week, Ridgewood’s TV Eye was host to a killer triple bill that most likely reverberated to the other four boroughs and beyond. Music that ranged from garage rock, punk, psych, experimental and jazz, and performances that were as wild as the sound.
First up was Tahiti Syndrome and from the first wail of the saxophone I was hooked. More bands lately, from Black Country New Road to Squid to Glashow’s Kaputt, are using sax and trumpet and really expanding the range of the broadly used post punk and psych rock labels. For me there was an element of Bowie’s final masterpiece, Blackstar, with a jazz rock feel thanks to Tahiti’s skilled players. Imagine my surprise to find out this was their first show!
Next up was Pons who never disappoint. They’re one of those 3-piece acts that’s leaving you wondering How the hell are only three people doing this?? It’s a rhythmic, percussive assault with a frenetic guitar and vocal style that creates a sound all their own. I’ve read that their influences range to Bowie to the Stooges to Suicide but there’s no denying that a Pons song sounds like no other. They put it all out there too in their performance and leave nothing on the stage (or on the floor where they sometimes end up).
Headlining the night was North Carolina’s Fortezza. And while this was my first time catching a show it won’t be my last. Like Tahiti and Pons, Fortezza also combines various styles of music to create a sound that they themselves describe as ‘garage punk to avant-garde jazz’. Performance-wise it was off the wall intense with Tristan Smith (guitar/vocals) bouncing off the stage, rolling on the floor and beating the hell out of his guitar. Rounding out the band is Maddie Kendrick on bass/vocals and Matty Garau on drums/vocals, and also like the Pons, it’s crazy to fathom how three people can create such a wall of sound.
Both Pons and Fortezza are currently out on separate tours and people should catch them wherever they can.
Scroll down for pics of the show (photos by Kevin McGann)
TAHITI SYNDROME
PONS
FORTEZZA
