My current pedal chain (Taken with instagram)
IMG_3391 on Flickr.
On Saturday night I went into Philly to see one of my favorite bands playing at one of my favorite venues: fun. playing at the TLA. I’ve been a fan of fun. since I found out Jack Antonoff, the genius behind Steel Train, is their guitarist. When I got their first album, Aim and Ignite, I think I played it at least twice a day for about two weeks. It really got into my head.
Well, fun. came out with a new album last month, Some Nights. The big hit off it seems to be “We Are Young,” most people I know have heard it. I’m very glad to see fun. getting more exposure, I can’t think of any band more talented or deserving at their age. I don’t like Some Nights as much as Aim and Ignite - it’s a little more calculated, a little more engineered, a little less honest - but I was still pumped to go see them live.
Opening for them was the band Miniature Tigers. I’d heard the name before, and a song or two sounded familiar, but nothing I could name or distinguish. They were a good opener, very solid, and built the energy up for fun. Check ‘em out, their most recent album is called Mia Pharaoh.
Then came the moment I was waiting for, and fun. practically exploded onto the stage. The whole band was so young and hip, in their skinny jeans and chuck taylors, they made me lament my own lack of success - although most of the band is closer to 30 than 20.
With only two albums under their belt, there weren’t a lot of surprises. There were, some highlights that served to distinguish fun. and serve as a foundation for my belief that, next to Steel Train, they have the most promise of any contemporary pop rock band.
The energy was fantastic, of course. I’d seen Antonoff perform once before with his band Steel Train at the Barbary, so I already knew his stage presence was phenomenal. I wasn’t let down by the rest of the band - frontman Nate Ruess was unable to restrain his enthusiasm, and didn’t seem to be trying to. He just had that huge, genuine smile on his face, both during songs and when addressing the crowd, that let everyone there know just how happy he was to be on stage, preforming for us.
His touring band is also fantastic. His drummer - whose name I sadly forget - is a Philadelphia local, and was perfect. Their keyboardist switched between keys and trumpet, adding perfect texture, and their rhythm guitarist played acoustic guitar and saxophone. I may be missing some details, but I was incredibly impressed with the group as a whole. Not only were they unbelievably tight, they had that too-rare ability to perform and make it seem un-rehearsed. Moments of genuine improvisation were woven into songs without a single member missing a beat.
I suppose that should be the standard for live shows, but too often have I seen live bands either play songs exactly as you hear on the album, down to the solo being pitch-exact, or do lazy live versions, with attempts at audience participation/call and response. This was the genuine article - a band not just feeding back on the energy of the audience, but on each other as well.
An especially memorable moment was when Jack Antonoff, in a fit of passion, rushed towards the edge of the stage. I only partially saw it, but I did see him slip and go feet first into the audience. Everyone gasped, but soon he was back on his feet, and people were helping him back on stage. With his guitar strap dangling uselessly, and his strumming hand gushing blood, Antonoff swung right back into the song without missing a beat - the rest of the band just kept on going. He finished the song out alternately clutching his guitar in a death grip to his chest to strum, or playing it on bended knee.
When the song ended, there was a brief interlude where audience members provided Jack with both a band-aid and, from some hypochondriac’s bag of holding, a tube of neosporin. Antonoff and Ruess kept up the patter while he patched himself up, and the show continued.
One other moment stood out as extraordinary - their cover of the Rolling Stone’s “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” When I first realized that was the song they were launching into, I was shocked. Not that a popular pop band would pay homage to the rock greats, but that they would be able to cover it with such respect.
It was not a particularly original cover, if I have to fault it for something. However, I have never heard anyone do justice to Mick Jagger’s vocals like Nate Ruess. I hold Jagger in my top 5 best rock vocalists of all time, and I can imagine Ruess someday being legendary. At 30 his voice is already unbelievable, I cannot wait to see how the temperance of time treats it. I would not have believed before that night that anyone could make me feel something along the lines of…”Maybe I’ll never see Jagger play this live, but maybe, because of this, it’s okay.”
Antonoff is also proving himself to be the most promising rock guitarist of his generation. His work with Steel Train, especially their first album, Twilight Tales from the Prairies of the Sun, is remarkable and noteworthy, especially considering it came out seven years ago. He is happy enough knocking out solid rhythm licks for a song, and then unleashing a dazzling solo - never flashy, never showing off, but a genuine display of musicianship, inventiveness, talent, and joy.
I am very excited that I will be getting to see fun. perform again this summer at Bonnaroo, and I bought tickets for their next show in Philadelphia at the River Stage on August 2nd.
Here Comes The Sun; the lost solo guitar (by lucasbandeira01)
Haven’t posted anything in forever, so here’s my latest demo hot off the presses. It’s called, “It’s Fine, I’m Fine”
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Every once in a while, an artist opens their books for the world to see. Like Uniform Motion, a group that just published a comprehensive breakdown of their album earnings (not revenues) across multiple formats. In most cases, the best way to compensate an artist is to buy direct, though Uniform Motion tossed a wildcard with a name-your-price download on their site. The following measures one full album play on Spotify, one LP purchase, etc. (euros translated to US dollars)… (via What an Artist Really Gets Paid, Continued… - Digital Music News)
