Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall 1/23/10

Two years ago I attended an Anti-Valentines Day themed party with my cousin at the now defunct Le Royale.  Toward the end of the night, in walked a blonde wearing sunglasses, heels, a huge white fur coat…and not much else. We snickered “Who the hell does she think she is?” and continued checking out the scene. Shortly after open bar we were on our way out but stayed to check out The Lady Gaga Revue at the insistence of the bouncer. As the set began we soon realized that the show was being spearheaded by that female with the questionable wardrobe from earlier in the night…

Our initial reactions were “What the hell is this?” along with chuckling at the naughty choreography and silly, innuendo-heavy lyrics of Boys Boys Boys, Paparazzi, LoveGame and Beautiful Dirty Rich. However a few minutes into the show, we were hooked fans dancing and singing along to the mega-catchy songs that we’d never heard before. That night I described The Lady Gaga Revue as a strange breeding of Missy Elliott’s Supa Dupa Fly (lyrically), guilty pop, S & M and girl on girl burlesque. At the time of the show Gaga’s debut album The Fame had not yet  been released and Just Dance (which went on to be her debut single) was omitted from the live performance but played by the DJ as a preview after the performance. From that moment on I had no doubt that Lady Gaga would blow up but I had no clue HOW FAST!

Two years later I found myself at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday night for the third of four SOLD OUT Lady Gaga shows, a feat preceded by a monstrous string of record-breaking hits, nominations, awards and her overall domination of the industry. As I walked into the madness that was Radio City Music Hall, not only was I totally excited for the show, but I felt really proud of Lady Gaga’s coming full circle.

The venue was packed with people of all ages and mostly consisted of teenage girls and older gay men, many of which dressed in some form of Gaga incarnation and ridiculousness. It was what I always imagined going to a Madonna concert in the 80′s would have been like. At 9:30 PM the venue darkened and a transparent screen flashed visuals in front of Gaga whose outfit comprised of strategically placed lights for the fitting opener Dance in the Dark. For the next two hours Gaga delivered a non-stop kick in the teeth with every performance from the set.

Personal highlights from the show (to name a few) include the avant-garde S&M performance of Paparazzi, the steamy Alejandro, the stunning downtempo piano medley and the showstopping Pokerface. Visual backdrops, about 10 costume changes, unpredictable crowd interaction and video montages (including a surprising use of Mobb Deep’s Shook Ones) kept the show fresh and concertgoers on their toes.

It’s amazing to see how much Gaga has evolved in 2 years and how she has crafted her performance: from a small stage in the West Village on a random weeknight with 2 backup dancers and backing tape, to having the hottest sold out tour at Radio City Music Hall in 2010. The Monster Ball was an impressive headlining tour and a strong vantage point for Lady Gaga, which in turn set the bar high for 2010′s pop stars to follow suit.  An arena tour including a show at Madison Square Garden will follow the wrapping of The Monster Ball, which will surely bring  a polished show to a much larger audience. Can’t wait!

Enjoy a few pictures below, many more: FULL GALLERY HERE.

mp3: Lady Gaga – Eh Eh (Frankmusik Remix) [alt]
mp3: Lady Gaga – Bad Romance (Starsmith Remix) [alt]
mp3: Lady Gaga – LoveGame (Space Cowboy Remix) [alt]

Fans came far and wide for the 5 song show that included She-Wolf, Loba (She-Wolf in Spanish), Hops Don’t Lie and Give it Up to Me albeit Lil’ Wayne. Shakira put on a fantastic, eccentric and eclectic set. It was a great send off into the weekend post-work, pre-partying. The iheartradio mobile application can be downloaded to your iPhone, Blackberry or streamed online and features some of today’s top artists, check it out HERE.

More pictures from the set HERE.

MP3: Shakira – She-Wolf (Peter Rauhofer Remix) or zShare

MP3: Shakira – Give it Up to Me (Featuring Lil’ Wayne) or zShare

Sleigh Bells photographed 10.30.09 by anthoNYC

Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss have managed to cause quite a bit of noise on the internet, having gone from amateurly recorded obscurity to booking sought after gigs and rolling with the likes of M.I.A. and Spike Jonze.

Sleigh Bells: What is the method to their mayhem? Who are they? What kind of music is this? These were all questions that plagued us and we decided to get to the bottom of this two weeks ago, the day before Halloween. We met up with the duo at Derek’s Brooklyn apartment and left no question unanswered.

Alexis and Derek are two really cool kids who make kick ass music and know how to rock any stage, just read on to find out for yourself! Make sure you check out Sleigh Bells this Saturday night at Webster Hall with Kap Bambino and again on November 19th at Le Poisson Rouge [tix]!

Pictures I took at their CMJ shows can be seen here: Hype Machine/Babelgum at Santos AND Quiet Color‘s Anti-CMJ Showcase at The Market Hotel.

MP3: Sleigh Bells – Beach Girls [EP Version] or zShare

> Where are you both from?
AK: I’m from NJ, the Jersey Shore.
DM: I’m from Southern Florida.

> How long have you been in New York?
AK: I’ve been here for about 7 years.
DM: I’ve been here since March of 2008, pretty new.

> How did you meet each other?
DM: My restaurant where I worked up until 2-3 weeks ago.
AK: He was my waiter, I was out to dinner with my mom. He was talking about why he was here and mentioned that he was looking for a vocalist and my mom nominated me. Sent him an email then we met up. So yeah..that’s the short version.  [all laugh]
DM: I just started talking to her mom who also grew up in South Florida, and she was like ‘So what are you doing in New York?‘ I told her that I was looking for a female vocalist or a girl to work on music with.

[ Audio: How they met and the reason behind having a female vocalist on Sleigh Bells. ]

> Did you always have it in your mind that you wanted a female vocalist?
DM: Yes, for like almost 5 years.

> Any particular reason?
DM: I just prefer female vocalists, it’s just more interesting for me.  A lot of times I’m just less interested in what guys are singing about for some reason. I’m much pickier with guys, I guess it just depends on the genre. In hip-hop they’re usually less vulnerable sounding, but if it’s something rock oriented then feelings get involved. I just get a little weird like…guys talking about their feelings. [all laugh] I don’t wanna sound like an asshole but it’s just harder to get into it.

> I read that you’re a teacher is that that true?
AK: No I’m not teaching anymore, I did a program called Teach for America for 2 years.

A lot of times I’m just less interested in what guys are singing about for some reason… I just get a little weird like…guys talking about their feelings. – Derek Miller

> What did you teach?
AK: I taught fourth grade bilingual [Spanish.]  Most of my kids were new arrivals to the country so I was in the Bronx. I did that right after I graduated, then met Derek in the summer between my two years. I kinda made the decision in January of this year that I was not going to go back, but instead pursue other things and just work on Sleigh Bells full time.  And here I am.

Sleigh Bells at Market Hotel 10.23.09

> That’s awesome! I actually learned about you from a friend who put on the Hype Machine showcase at Santos…
DM: Abbey?

> Yeah, do you guys know her?
DM: Yeah we just met Abbey through Sasha Frere-Jones (Music writer for The New Yorker) who is friends with her. He was pretty much our very first interview, first dude we talked to, first guy who contacted us and was into the band. So yeah we met up with him and he asked if we had any reference photos for the New Yorker. We were like “We don’t have anything, we just have an  illustration of Alexis with a bandana that wont help.” He was like “Maybe my friend Abbey can come,” so she came to a show and that’s how we met.
AK: She’s been amazing, she’s been there like every step along the way…
DM: She’s super-cool.

> So we’re among friends! When she first told me about Sleigh Bells, I was like “is it S-L-A-Y Bells or…?” [all laugh]
AK: That’s a popular question!
DM: That’s the first thing people ask and they’re kinda let down when I’m like “Sorry it’s S-L-E-I-G-H.” The joke is when  you say it, phonetically it sounds like S-L-A-Y. That woulda been too much.

> How many shows have you played together so far?
AK & DM: 6 or 7…
AK: We didn’t start playing until I finished teaching until…we started practicing all through the summer. Our first show was September 2nd at Union Pool. It was nice, a benefit show with the Midnight Masses.

[ Audio: Sleigh Bells on CMJ ]

> Having just started in September, were you a little overwhelmed about being a buzz band at CMJ?
DM: Honestly I wasn’t thinking it in terms of…I know with CMJ that’s the purpose, we just randomly booked these shows. Abbey offered us to play the Santos thing–
AK: A week before.
DM: I was just like “Oh I guess all these bands are playing CMJ. We’ll play a show or 2 shows.” I didn’t think it’d be significant, it sounds like bullshit..if that was the case I’d tell you but it really seemed like it’d come and go. Our friend Kristen put on the ABC Amplified thing. It’s not like we were there playing the Fader Fort, they were just smaller, off to the side showcases not the big time showcases.
AK: I definitely did not go in thinking “buzz band.” We literally got those shows a week before and we were shocked like “what!”

> Did you see any shows at CMJ or did you just play and that was it?
AK to DM: You went to some shows…
DM: My friends from Florida are in Surfer Blood, so I saw them a couple of times.

> They played a million times!
AK: I think 2.5 was like the average shows per day. But yeah, just the bands we really played with, I didnt really go out. I was simultaneously planning this teaching workshop so I was a bit stressed out. It’s kind of the last thing you wanna do after being in a venue all day.

> I was curious after hearing your songs, are those mastered tracks or rough cuts?
DM: No, we actually just put up a thing on our MySpace. There have been so many people asking if they could buy them somewhere or if they’ll be on iTunes. They’re not now and will never be for sale because they’re just demos, they’re not mixed properly. I mixed everything on headphones which is rule #1: You never mix on headphones. I don’t even own monitors. So yeah we’re gonna definitely re-record everything plus a bunch of new songs for a full-length. Either late this year or early next year.

> We saw M.I.A. and Spike Jonze at your show. How did you get noticed by such renowned creative luminaries?
DM: Our friend Molly wrote for Spike Jonze’s blog for Where the Wild Things Are, and wrote about the music there. So that’s how Sasha got it and then Spike Jonze got it as well from her and played it for Maya. And then Maya wrote us and then since we’ve just…

> You just got an email from her? Was it all in CAPS like her blog? [all laugh]
DM: Yeah! [laughs] She’s a friend now, she’s just cool. It’s just very odd because it was not expected and I’m just a huge fan.
AK: It’s crazy. She’s so likable and you get this comfortable feeling around her, she’s a friend.

> Yeah she’s very friendly. Before we talked to you at Market Hotel I told her I was going to interview you guys.
AK: Yeah that’s who she is consistently.
DM: She’s definitely a very real person.

…Every time I’m singing on a track or anytime I do something I’m no longer me. I’m more of a character of myself. – Alexis Krauss

> So what kind of music did you listen to before pairing for Sleigh Bells?
DM: We definitely don’t have a reference genre, whatever I can dig up from whatever decade that sounds good…that’s the only criteria.
AK: It’s pretty diverse. I was on a whole soul, 60′s kick.
DM: I listen to a lot of Motown, current stuff, hip hop. Probably the same thing a lot of people are listening to now, people are no longer restricted to regions because of the internet.

> Ring Ring has a lot of soul elements, but then Beach Girls …I just love that song! –
AK: We’ll play it next show! [all laugh -- I previously bugged them for not playing it at Market Hotel.]
DM: There’s going to be a new version. It’s definitely going to have all of those same elements but I have all these other ideas…it’s just going to be so heavy and so great. I’m putting these horns on it, it’s still going to have those lazer annoying [white noise] but I’m really stoked to do that one.

> How true to the current sound do you plan to be?
DM: We’re going to retain a lot of the blown out aspects of the sounds for sure. Musically or instrumentally and vocally it’s going to be a lot cleaner, I don’t want the vocals to be quite as distorted.
AK: Because that was done out of necessity, we really want that sort of shiny clean feeling.
DM: I had trouble mixing it. With Crown to the Ground for example, the music is so distorted and the vocals were so clean that it wasn’t sitting in the mix. A quick solution was to put some distortion on the vocals so it would gel, but that’s just sort of a cheap fix. The answer is just mixing it correctly.

> Did you have any formal training in production/recording?
DM: None whatsoever, I don’t and still don’t know what I’m doing. The vocals for Infinity Guitars [were recorded with Alexis] yelling into the internal mic [points at his laptop.]
AK: Very bare bones. [laughs]
DM: With a lot of bands the method is supposed to be a statement but not for us, those were just the resources we had available to us. I just can’t wait to get into the studio and see the songs through.

> Going back to Beach Girls, when I listen to it I can barely understand anything you’re saying. Was that intentional or was that too done out of necessity?
DM: The delay just added an eerie quality to it that worked, but yeah I wish that people could could hear the lyrics
AK: There’s a story to it..
DM: There’s a narrative and it sounds vapid like “Did I forget my sunglasses? Got ‘em!” But the story is this: She’s at the beach and it’s horrible. There’s like kids drowning and getting nosebleeds. I keep using David Lynch as a reference for that because it’s slick and shiny like Blue Velvet or something. Thinking of the opening sequence. But it’s just…something’s really –
AK: OFF! [all laugh]
DM: This is a weird reference but like the Soundgarden video Black Hole Sun. The smiles are really fucking big.
AK: Yeah I totally pictured that with Beach Girls.
DM: You can’t hear the fucking lyrics so it’s our fault, I like that one live when the bass drops I’m like “YEAH!”

[ Audio: Sleigh Bells' Alexis discusses her singing background ]

> It comes back like four times in that song! Alexis, what is your experience like being onstage?
AK: I spent a lot of time doing session singing so I used to think of myself as an actress when I would sing. I almost like thinking of singing as being that, every time I’m singing on a track or anytime I do something I’m no longer me. I’m more of a character of myself. I feel like I could turn it on *snaps* whenever.
DM: As opposed to it being deeply –
AK: Some people are like “Oh but you should [take it deeply]“ but that’s just my experience with being a singer. My dad is a full-time musician so I started doing theatre at a young age. I had tons of vocal lessons but because my father is such a good pop and R&B soul singer, it was important to me that I didn’t become a Broadway-singing voice. I’ve been singing pop since I was 13 and for me it’s just been my sound and what I like singing. This neighborhood breeds so many projects and you just get too many people who have no idea how to use their voice –
DM: Having to switch from shouting to singing falsetto, it wouldn’t work without someone who knew what they’re doing.
AK: That’s another thing I love about his ideas because it’s incredibly versatile, as a singer I get to explore different options.
DM: Blushing.

The only other band I was in was this girl teen pop group, it was my 13-16 year old life! – Alexis Krauss

> Do you plan on touring more, or are you gonna focus on making new music?
DM: The next month or 2, we’ll just play around here a bunch and write new songs. We’ve talked to some people about touring next year already but nothing’s confirmed. It’s great to have people come [to our shows] because they want to hear the music as opposed to just our friends.
AK: We feel like we got that at The Market Hotel, it was really exciting.

[ Audio: Sleigh Bells discussing performance styles and the necessity to be versatile ]

> The Santos show was really different than The Market Hotel one.
AK: [The Santos show] was super fast and it was 3:15 PM, it was mostly industry people. I mean you have to be able to do both be able to give a good show either way, but when you have that interaction and energy we had on Friday night it brings it to a whole new level.

> Your performance was so different, you were like going crazy!
AK: You just get this like [flails around]
DM: We kept saying it felt like a hardcore show. She grew up going to hardcore shows and I played in a hardcore band forever. It felt like very natural, kind of like what I imagined it to be. With the first show we were so stiff and it was just terrifying really.
AK: We’ve come along way! [laughs]

> Were you in other bands before this, Alexis?
AK: The only other band I was in was this girl teen pop group, it was my 13-16 year old life! [all laugh]
DM: Awesome actually, for real.
AK: From there I went onto college and started doing session singing, but I really built my performance chops doing weddings. I worked for a big wedding company as cliche and funny as it sounds, with a big band. I sang everything from standards to Beyonce to AC/DC. A huge range and I’d just get out there and have fun. I also used to perform with my dad and his bands.

> Last question, do you plan on touring Europe?
AK: We’d love to!!
DM: We’re talking to booking agents but I’m not sure what we’ll end up doing.

> London will love you guys!
DM: Oh really? I can’t wait to go back to the UK.

> Have you ever been?
AK: No I haven’t unfortunately, can’t wait.

> Well I think that’s all we have for you. Is there anything you’d like to add…put out there?
DM: Just the thanks for coming, thanks for talking to us.

We had quite the busy Friday night, stopping by Terminal 5 to see Gossip, MEN and Apache Beat deliver a spectacular show before heading up to the Museum of Natural History for One Step Beyond.

The crowd put on their best outfits for a star-studded night with appearances from Santigold, Nick Zinner, Karen O., Spank Rock, and the lady of the night Amanda Blank!

Having seen Amanda perform three times this year, we expected the same old short and sweet set but were dumbfounded by the nearly 45-minute awesome performance that was like no other we’d seen from her. Next up Amanda joins Peaches and MEN on tour with a stop at New York’s Terminal 5!

MP3: Amanda Blank – Gimme What You Got (feat. Spank Rock) or zShare

Gossip at Terminal 5, 10.9.09

Although The Gossip released their fourth album Music For Men earlier this year, it wasn’t until the band’s third album Standing in the Way of Control (2006) that Washington State’s Gossip really got the world talking. Standing spawned some of my favorite songs of that year including Fire with Fire, Listen Up!, Your Mangled Heart, and of course the title track!

For Music For Men, Beth Ditto and company tapped super-producer Rick Rubin for 12 tracks of love gone loud. Continuing the themes of equality from Standing, Music exudes the message of fighting for love in adverse times via Beth Ditto’s soulful and gritty voice over a disco backdrop. However, listening to Gossip from my iPod in no way compares to experiencing the show live!

At the last minute on Friday we were lucky enough to catch Gossip for the first time ever at Terminal 5, along with stellar supporting sets by Apache Beat and MEN.

We unfortunately had to leave halfway through the set due to prior commitments but the 9-song set (of 16) we experienced was phenomenal. Beth Ditto’s live voice, stage presence and energy is absolutely insane!

We’re bummed in having missed the cover of What’s Love Got to Do With It in the encore, but I find solace in having heard showstoppers Love Long Distance and Your Mangled Heart live! Looking forward to hopefully seeing them in full soon!

MP3: Gossip – Love Long Distance (Fake Blood Remix) of zShare

MP3: Simian Mobile Disco Featuring Beth Ditto – Cruel Intentions or zShare

Mew at the Music Hall of Williamsburg, 8.24.09

My first time seeing Mew live was in 2006 when they supported Bloc Party at McCarren Park Pool (R.I.P.). It was a fantastic set that thankfully put the unique Danish band permanently on my radar.

Mew’s 5th album, No More Stories (released on Tuesday in the US) pushes the band into new “art rock” terrain with an upbeat twist to their signature dark buildup musical formula. Mew did just that on Monday night, combining interesting/peculiar images and sounds into a solid hour long set.

The band rounded out their New York stop at Terminal 5 last night opening up for Nine Inch Nail’s Farewell Tour.

Setlist via Brooklyn Vegan Reader:
new terrain// introducing palace players // apocalypso // special // the zookeepers boy // repeater beater // sometimes life isn’t easy // 156 // am i wry? no // hawaii // snow brigade // encore: comforting sounds

MP3: Mew – Introducing Palace Players or zShare

Friendly Fires at Music Hall of Williamsburg, 8.13.09

Honestly, Friendly Fires’ gig at Le Poisson Rouge last Wednesday is one that I’d like to wipe clean from my memory. There was no air conditioning, the crowd was terrible (see Concertgoer Wall of Shame), the set times were delayed hours, all of which took it’s toll on the band. With this said I will move along to the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Fresh off of their triumphant set on the final day of Lollapalooza on August 9th, Friendly Fires brought the fire back to New York! The polished set complete with a brass section was identical to that of Lollapalooza and Le Poisson Rouge, but the energy was at an all time high fueling the flames that were the audience.

Friendly Fires at Le Poisson Rouge, 8.12.09

Thursday night’s crowd sang and danced along like I’ve never seen, including a crazed fan who literally fought with security to dance onstage and steal a kiss from frontman Ed MacFarlane!

As one of TLC’s favorite live bands we can both attest to being a bit down after the LPR gig, but Friendly Fires went above and beyond the following night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg! We left the venue astonished at the madness we’d just experienced and feel that this is just the beginning of a new chapter for Friendly Fires!

Stay tuned for a special feature on The xx who supported Friendly Fires Music Hall of Williamsburg and played The South Street Seaport this past Friday!

MP3: Friendly Fires – Your Love (Frankie Knuckles Cover) or zShare

Friendly Fires at Music Hall of Williamsburg

Le Poisson Rouge

Black Lips at East River State Park 7.26.09

Almost a year to the date, the Black Lips destroyed McCarren Park Pool for one of the final shows before The Pool Parties were relocated to the East River State Park.  Jess and I finally made it out to the Pool Parties’ new picturesque location at the Williamsburg waterfront yesterday for the packed bill consisting of: Grupo Fantasma, HEALTH, Black Lips, and headliner And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead.

We caught the end of Grupo Fantasma but their tropical salsa-infused tunes seemed to be  a hit with the crowd who tried their best attempt at salsa dancing on the lawn. Shortly after, HEALTH crashed onstage powering through a danceable yet heavy and substantial set. HEALTH yanked everyone out of their sun daze and into a riotous dance party, a proper preview as to what was next in store.

Health at East River State Park, 7.26.09

Last year there was no photo pit at McCarren so this year the Black Lips live set was an entirely different experience!  From the first drum hit the crowd went nuts. Fans that ranged from tweenagers to the kids you see at every damn show surprised/amazed me with their ability to overpower security and practically crush anyone in the photo pit — it was pretty awesome/overwhelming.

To watch the crowd that Black Lips draws in is a big part of the overall experience, but the true energy and focus always remains on the band who revels in this. They gave the show that everyone hoped for and/or may not have expected.

As soon as their set wrapped however, the sky drew dark and the Manhattan skyline disappeared in a heavy cloud of fog followed by thunder and lightning. JellyNYC made a smart yet hard decision by cancelling And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead’s set — barely missing the heavy downpour that followed shortly after. Bummer!

We’ll be at All Points West and Lollapalooza for the next two weeks but make sure you catch the remaining shows at the East River State Park, click HERE for the full schedule. I highly advise you to attend the Simian Mobile Disco DJ set with Fiery Furnaces.

MP3: HEALTH – Die Slow or zShare
MP3: Black Lips – Drop I Hold (Featuring GZA) or zShare

The Teenagers at the South Street Seaport, 6.17.09

As you all know I’m quite fond of the French trio The Teenagers and have been writing about them for quite sometime (and interviewed them at CMJ.) They’re just 3 French dudes onstage with a whole lot of personality and love to have a great time, who could hate on that?

I was really excited when I found out they were returning to states to play the South Street Seaport after having been in Europe for so long. However, I felt kinda bad for the guys who are not used to playing an outdoor show with a stage so disconnected from the crowd…during the day. But, they did what they could and had fun with it.

Quentin spent most of the set time shoeless in the crowd connecting with fans and passing the mic to those singing along (myself included of course.) I was hoping for some new tunes but unfortunately we’re going to have to wait on that. Check out some pics from the show at Brooklyn Vegan including pics of myself and Sheena Beaston onstage for  Homecoming.

The Teenagers DJ Set at Studio B, 6.17.09

After the show we took a brief intermission then stopped by The Teenagers DJ set at Studio B where they dropped the bangers! Very cool guys and a DJ set definitely worth checking out! THE TEENAGERS will be DJing the Peaches afterparty at The Annex tomorrow…we’ll be there right after rocking out to the Peaches gig!!!

MP3: The Teenagers – Starlett Johansson (Rory Philipps Remix) or zShare

MP3: Thieves Like Us – Drugs In My Body (The Teenagers Remix) or zShare

Will Hoge at Bell House, 4.30.09

Being a native Georgia girl, I’ve long been a fan of Will Hoge’s down-home, gritty, Nashville-infused Southern rock. His concerts never fail to impress, from his growling, passionate vocals to the connection he makes with every audience member. His stop at The Bell House in Brooklyn on 4/30 did not disappoint.

Hoge has a Bruce Springsteen-meets-Hank-Williams vibe, and with songs like, Dirty Little War, This Highway’s Home, and Pocket Full of Change, you might think he’s another run-of-the-mill country western singer. However, his clear influences from Motown and blues music peek out on his studio albums in tunes like The Man Who Killed Love’s Woman, Be Strong, and Draw the Curtains’s When I Can Afford to Lose, and the Hurricane Katrina ode Washed By the Water.

Hoge seems more interested lately in going the sensitive, acoustic, country rocker route, which is fine by his fans–some of whom are passionate enough to sing along at 100-decibel volume and others who would skin those fans for doing so. Welcome to Brooklyn, bitches!

Katie Herzig (best known for her Fritos commercial jingle, Two Hearts Are Better Than One) opened, and her innocent, Feist-y voice pared with country acoustic music and whistling made for a great lead-in to Hoge’s powerful set.

The tone of the main show started out more somber than Hoge’s usual concerts, as he’s still recovering from a terrible scooter accident in August, and had to sit through the whole show. Witnessing his now-limited mobility could have turned the night into one of those fall-of-a-titan moments, but he immediately started the set by cracking jokes and putting the audience at ease. He then proceeded to rock out on his guitar (and later the keyboard) and wail into the mic like the Will we all remembered, kicking ass and taking names all night. Then, to top off the evening, he manned his own merch table and took a picture with every single fan. A true trooper, a great musician, and a class act. His latest studio effort (a follow up to 2007’s Draw the Curtains) will be out on Rykodisc in the Fall.

MP3: Will Hoge – Lover Tonight or Zshare
MP3: Will Hoge – Washed By The Water or Zshare