Show Reviews 9/29/2011 - 10/7/2011

9/29/2011 @ The Happy Dog

Herzog / Dirty Beaches / Frankie Rose and the Outs

Herzog was great. They opened with "Publishing" and hits just kept on coming. Look for Cartoon Violence to be out soon. Then the night took a 180 degree emotional ollie with Dirty Beaches. I guess there's a chance that the songs would sound a lot better live if they hand some more band members and less pre-recorded stuff, but in their present state the live show was awful. Of course, it's really hard to follow Herzog. Frankie Rose and her band were pretty solid, but I remember them being a lot more enthusiastic when I saw them this past January. Since then they've been through a line-up change and penned a new batch of tunes of which they played with more gusto than the rest of their set. Perhaps everyone was too blown away by the awesomeness of Herzog or the complete crap in a hat of Dirty Beaches that there was just not enough energy left in the room for Frankie Rose and the Outs. It's interesting how shows can have their ups and downs. This one certainly did.

9/30/2011 @ Bela Dubby

Cassius Blair / Extra Medium Pony / No Pony

Cassius Blair played cute little songs on his ukulele. It was good. I like the basslines of No Pony's songs. Extra Medium Pony are for real.

10/7/2011 @ Happy Dog

Extra Medium Pony / 28 Degrees Taurus / Village Bicycle

Extra Medium Pony killed it again. I hope their full-length surfaces sooner rather than later. 28 Degrees Taurus make me think of my first car, a royal blue 1994 Ford Taurus featuring a classic Stop 'n Shop Cleveland Indians bumper sticker. The band is from Boston and they had a few really solid tunes. I would bet they sound pretty good recorded and perhaps being familiar with those recordings would make the live show more interesting. Though they had a few stand out tracks, the others seemed to blend together into one reoccurring song. My first show with Village Bicycle was a shit load of fun. For those unfamiliar with the term "shit load" its nearly equivalent to eight times the size of a "whole bunch."