crackerCAM-mccarren pool, brooklyn

crackerCAM was on location at the mccarren pool, bk for the 4th concert in the pool parties series. hundreds then, by late afternoon, thousands of hipsters still hungover from bloc party (and maybe misshapes) ventured back to the pool to satiate their weekend indie music fix. at the mic were asobi seksu, irving, enon, and of montreal. as entertaining as each band was, my attention was often drawn to the dodgeball tournament the sidelines. i’ve seen countless concerts, but a primal battle with large rubber balls? scratch those water taxi beach plans… and hit the pool.

Read the rest of this entry »

crackerCAM-iron triangle, queens

crackerCAM was on location at the iron triangle, a stretch of land bordering shea stadium in queens. the area currently houses the city’s largest cluster of salvage yards and car repair shops with mechanics that could teach the a-team a thing or two. despite the gritty facade, unpaved roads, and non-existent drainage reminiscent of soweto, i was greeting by a number of characters eager to share their stories and pose for pictures. unfortunately, with redevelopment already planned, the days are limited for those who have called the area home for years.

you can check out the rest of the pics on flickr.

crackerCAM-erasure, crash mansion

crackerCAM was on location at crash mansion for the pop sensation erasure on saturday night. by the grace of our new wave gods above, my awesomist friend tara scored free tickets to the concert from jack fm and invited yours truly; best +1 ever! the concert was a sensory banquet where andy bell’s angelic voice was the centerpiece among a well arranged place setting of string instruments. for most who only remember their synthesizer beats, erasure’s acoustic performance was a comforting reminder of the lyrics underlying their beautiful ballads. maybe you’re thinking “oh l’amour” is so 1986, but listen to it’s acoustic evolution and be pleasantly surprised that what’s old is refreshingly new.

check out more photos at our flickr site.

erasure – oh l’amour (acoustic – shepherds bush empire)(wma)
erasure – victim of love (acoustic – shepherds bush empire)(wma)

crackerCAM-mellowdrone, knitting factory

crackerCAM was on location at the knitting factory for the mellowdrone concert earlier this week. it’s hard not to like this LA quartet; their songs embrace an array of pop categories including dreamy, melancholy, and new wave. maybe that makes their sound too safe or formulaic by reaching out to various audiences. while some songs like “beautiful day” hold potential with gripping beats and tension, but tease and fizzle (my nizzle?), others definitely stand out: “fashionably uninvited” floats with it’s whimsical piano element juxtaposed with jaded lyrics and “oh my” soars as a dance anthem. their album “box” is an easy-to-please package: fun, eclectic, passionate at times, but not exactly memorable.

crackerCAM-wolf parade, webster hall

crackerCAM was on location at webster hall for the wolf parade concert on monday night. honestly, it took a while to adjust to spencer krug’s uniquely undulating vocals and unpredictable keyboard strokes, but all the elements gelled to shape songs that worked with lyrics that stick. just stream “sons and daughters of hungry ghosts” or “i’ll believe in anything” through your ipod to get a taste of wolf parade’s oddly beautiful sound.

check out more photos at our flickr site.

crackerCAM-the subways, bowery ballroom

crackerCAM was on location at the bowery ballroom for the subways concert on tuesday night. the subways, a young band from the uk, delivered jaded teen punk-rock through loud garage riffs and rousing (sometimes trite) verses. at some moments it felt like an avril lavigne concert with all the prepubescent teen moshing, head banging, and crowd surfing, but in all honesty that’s what made the show exciting. the crowd reveled with fists pumping to the band’s charged anthems, charlotte’s extreme head torquing (and hotness), and billy’s stage acrobatics; the energy in that venue made it impossible to resist dancing and singing to the catchy hooks. billy couldn’t have summed it up better for the group when singing: “it’s all so rock and roll”.

check out the extra pics on our flickr page

crackerCAM-broken social scene, webster hall

crackerCAM was on location at webster hall for the broken social scene concert last friday. the 300 person collaboration of talented artists, from various bands, rolled deep with eclectic vocals and assorted instruments (e.g., guitars, drums… yawn, but a trombone, violin, and was that a chinese zither?). their musical sum produced the equivalent of a cohesive rock orchestra that often splintered beautifully into jazz, pop, and even country sounds. imagine over 2 hours of that? for those of you who missed out, which includes all the other crackers, then blast “ibi dreams of pavement” as you flip through the extra pics.