the simple mission

Watch This! NOU!

Thanks FMU!  "And kids be trynna say they have a band..."

Tonite! Come Out!

Mike Wexler

Since we last wrote about Mike Wexler, the Brooklyn-based psych/folkster has been crafting his debut LP, Sunwheel for the ever-cool Amish Records label.

Wexler is a unique talent His songs can undulate and flow with delicate guitar parts and fugue-ish piano runs and in that regard, he's a treat to the ears, but his real secret weapon is his vocal stylings. Wexler doesn't project his voice so much as he draws up it and pushes it out from a region somewhere between his throat and stomach. The result is a haunting, yet sweet sound that (to these ears at least) totally puts this cat in his own lane.

Tonight, Sexy Wexy will be performing tonight at Union Pool in BK to celebrate the release of Sunwheel with his friends PG Six and DJ's Call The Doctor.

If you want a preview of the Wexler experience, you can check out his song "Cipher" right here. Consider yourself recommended.

Mind Your Own (Big) Business 06.19.07

Without mincing words, Big Business, a group that features ex-members of two rad ’90s bands, Karp and Tight Bros From Way Back When, can best be described as a balls heavy band. Live, their music comes in two basic, bass-driven flavors. One is a guttural, low as you can go crawl and the other is a punishing, faster-paced barreling attack. In both instances, Big Business' singer can't sing worth a fuck, but chances are, if you're into music like this (and face it, you either are or you aren't), you probably aren't in the market for some pleasant chirping anyways. You could say this group is awesome, punishing, crassly loud or just plain nasty. You'd be right on all accounts—if you like to go out and experience live dude music. Last night, I did. For about 25 minutes.

A quick note on openers Panthers, another group which features members of some of awesome ’90s bands (Pitchblende and Orchid), those dudes know how to throw down! Their guitarist Justin Chearno made his custom Telecaster sound like a motherfucker and didn't waste any time getting down to some serious shredding. Watching him play is always a highlight for me and last night was no exception. Let's get serious indeed!

Alberto's Banditos 06.18.07

A friend of mine pinged me at 7PM last night with news that he had two tickets to see the Albert Hammond Jr. band at Webster. Seeing that Alberto plays a mean guitar and dresses very well, I decided to go.

Albert swapped out the lo-fi trappings of his hit or miss solo LP and opted to go with a full-on, glam and power-pop tinged set—lots of solos and stop/start bits where the drummer hits the floor tom and the kick and so on. The best thing I can say is that the performance had a lot of personality. And when you're a rock star touring for your solo LP, that's pretty much what you're selling anyways. Not a bad way to spend a Monday night.

Big Boys

Hey I know there's a really rad rolling skating party tonight, but how about getting your face melted by watching this before hand?

The Direction Is Home: White Magic at Bowery 06.12.07

Brooklyn's White Magic are an exceptional and important band for many reasons. Tonight, I determined that one of them was that they are able to draw such power from their songs regardless of the tone, mood, weirdness, seriousness or playfulness of a particular tune. Or even who's playing in the band for a particular show or tour.

After opening with the first track on their LP, the group surprised us old White Magic heads by launching into "One Note", the standout track from the first EP. I wasn't moved by it so much because it reminded me of the old line up and the finer points of 2004, but rather because it was so loose and rickety the song's DNA of rolling piano and that haunting vocal refrain "we can/we can/we caaaaaaan" sounded so vulnerable and raw. Also, it's just a great song. And White Magic have many of those. You can tell even if you're hearing them for the first time.

Most of the set was new songs, but that didn't stop the kids from trying to sing along once they get the main idea.

And remember, it's what comes out from the inside that really counts.

Late Blondes: Virgins/Long Blondes 06.09.07

Around the city, the Virgins are better known for their it-kid connections than their music and that made me very skeptical about taking them even sorta seriously. But at the end, they take a good natured stab at fractured Jonathan Richman-isms, fall short of the mark and wind up being a pretty decent off-kilter power pop band. They're not trying to be anything they're not. And it's not that serious.

As for the Long Blondes, I was very, very impressed. Truth be told, I was lukewarm about their show at Tribeca Grand two years ago and thought they were a Kleenex meets Heavenly rip off, but I was wrong. And at the end of the day, you can do a lot worse than knicking bits from those two bands. More to the point, this band has pretty much everything I'm looking for in a UK guitar rock band. 

Their lyrics turn the frustrations of the everyday into kid-powered anthems (see "Only Lovers Left Alive"). And even if they're just writing songs about girl/boy friends, they sound like they're making grand statements. And because of the power of the music, they really are. It's nice to see a band that's actually saying something and that can deliver it with the full package—poise, sass, honesty and swagger. The real deal.

Shake A Fist

Time-tested Simple Mission faves Hot Chip just posted up a brand new stunna on their Myspace page today. If you saw them last fall, you'll totally remember it as the one that goes "I'm ready to show you...", and has all the hand drums and shiz. If you snoozed on the shows, the shorthand is that the track is one half Latin-styled call and response tings with a few dollops of electro bump and grind. I'm not sure what the other half is just yet, but this band basically forces us dudes to create new genres all the time when trying to jot down their sound. So much music coming out these guys. One of the best in the game these days. Easy.

Enter Entrance

When I wrote a feature on Entrance three years back, the Baltimore based outsider electric warrior described what he did as "hardcore blues". At the time, he was mostly playing self-penned acoustic tunes that borrowed liberally from old blues standards and covers of old blues standards shot thru layers of lite fuzz and low grade moonshine. But as they say, it used to be like that, but now it goes like this. 

Last night, the recently electrified Entrance visited NY with his new band, The Entrance Band, a confident three piece consisting of Blakeslee, bass and drums. As a guitar player and a band leader, Entrance's sound is very distinct, a mix of near eastern drones with slippery licks and stabbing rhythmic attacks. He plays his guitar upside and strung in reverse, with the low E on the bottom, rather than the top.  One song in, anyone at the show last night could tell he could make a living off of playing guitar alone if it were not for the fact that he wants to take things further. If something should be a crackle, he tries to make it into a firecracker.

Entrance's excellent new LP Prayer Of Death has just been re-released on Tee Pee Records