popwreckoning updates

Fat Cat Records Tour Featuring the Twilight Sad, Brakesbrakesbrakes, and We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Black Cat, Washington DC
We The Kings Music Video Trailer
Hanson @ the Beaumont, Kansas City MO
Stream Dashboard Confessional’s New Single “Belle of the Boulevard”
Kings of Leon @ Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO

Fat Cat Records Tour Featuring the Twilight Sad, Brakesbrakesbrakes, and We Were Promised Jetpacks @ Black Cat, Washington DC

Posted: 08 Oct 2009 12:05 PM PDT

The Fat Cat Records label is a Brighton, England institution; they have signed highly divergent, up and coming acts from across the globe, from Sigur Rós to Vetiver, from Frightened Rabbit to Vashti Bunyan. So I took much delight in hearing that the label was sending several of their signings over to North America for a tour. For the Washington date, the three acts being featured at the Black Cat were the Scottish bands We Were Promised Jetpacks and the Twilight Sad, and the English band Brakesbrakesbrakes.

Glaswegians We Were Promised Jetpacks were first up. The band recently put out their debut album, These Four Walls, and they've been garnering a lot of attention stateside. I loved their song “Roll Up Your Sleeves” the first time I caught their video online. Singer/guitarist Adam Thompson looks like a Boy Scout, but boy, he sure doesn't sing like one. They’re rock, they’re punk, they’re everything in between. They’re also very young guys, which probably explains band members joking with each other between songs and Thompson’s telling us about the stench in their tour bus when its generator broke down, leaving them without electricity or running water. In response to this, someone in the audience quipped, “Just like Scotland!” to which Thompson replied with a sideways laugh to bassist Sean Smith, “They think we run around in kilts back home, don’t they?" There was a collective laugh throughout the club and then the band launched into “Quiet Little Voices” with Thompson’s searing vocals: "In any which direction, call me / I will run for you! / I’ll come for you! / I’ll die for you! / I’ll come for you!"

With Thompson and Smith, Michael Palmer (guitar) and Darren Lackie (drums) are an explosive unit live. Sometimes you aren't sure how the first act of the night is going to be received; I’ve been to some gigs where you could hear people’s conversations clearly in between the songs because there are so few people present and most of them are not really paying attention, just taking up space and waiting for the headliner who comes on later. This was not the case with the Jetpacks’s set at all. Despite the band order, it appeared that many of people present were there specifically for their set and alighted as soon as they were done. A lot of people sang along, and Thompson was so happy with the reception and so many people showing up for their set, he lit up the room with his smile and said by far this was his favorite night in America so far on this tour. Mission accomplished, Washington.

After brief shifting of equipment and gear, the stage was set for the arrival of Brakesbrakesbrakes. In my head I’ll always think of them as Brakes because that’s what they’re known as everywhere in the world except America (courtesy of a Philadelphia band who had already called dibs on the Brakes moniker here in the States), so they will be referred to as Brakes for the rest of this review. Of the three bands, I’m most familiar with Brakes’s back catalogue, and they’ve never played Washington before, so I was excited to say the least. Their third and latest album, Touchdown, was released back in April.

They’re an extremely versatile band, with songs running the gamut from folky, country rock (”On Your Side”) to punk (”Porcupine or Pineapple”) to more straight forward rock ‘n’ roll (”Don't Take Me to Space [Man]“). Singer/guitarist Eamon Hamilton led Brakes (with Thomas White on guitar, Marc Beatty on bass, and Alex White on drums) on a rousing set of 16 songs across their three albums. “Hey Hey,” a raucous, guitar-heavy tune from Touchdown, was a joy to hear live finally, along with “Don't Take Me to Space (Man),” my favorite off the new album. One enthusiastic fan exclaimed that being that we were in D.C., the band had to play “Cheney,” a song from the band’s first album Give Blood; it’s a five-second tirade against our former not-so-beloved vice president. Hamilton rewarded the fan by asking him to “count in” the song for them. It went over so well that another fan was chosen to do the same, to even louder audience cheers.

Brakesbrakesbrakes set list:
The Most Fun
Shut Us Down (Camper Van Beethoven cover)
Hey Hey
Ring a Ding Ding
On Your Side
All Night Disco Party
Porcupine or Pineapple
Hold Me in the River
Worry About It Later
Why Tell the Truth (When It's Easier to Lie)
What’s in It for Me?
Isabel
Don’t Take Me to Space (Man)
Cheney (2x, counted in by two different audience members)
No Return
Jackson (Jerry Leiber/Billy Edd Wheeler cover)

Two hours after we started, it was now time for the Twilight Sad. We Were Promised Jetpacks cite the Twilight Sad as one of their influences, so it’s quite appropriate to have them on the same tour. The band just released their sophomore album-length effort, Forget the Night Ahead, here in the U.S. last month. Singer James Graham decided to begin their set with a decidedly-toned down mood compared to the acts that came before: he clutched his mike as if his life depended on it, and knelt down on the floor as “Reflection of the Television” chugged to life thanks to his fellow bandmates Andy MacFarlane (guitar), Craig Orzel (bass), Mark Devine (drums), and touring keyboardist Martin Docherty. They remind me a bit of the Horrors, with their swirly guitars and keyboards set off by moody, pensive lyrics; “The Room” and “I Became a Prostitute” are good examples of this. I didn’t felt the same kind of energy from them that I did from the previous bands. Maybe it was because it was a Monday night, it was late, and it was Washington, but they just didn’t set me alight.

Stay tuned for an interview with Marc Beatty and Eamon Hamilton of Brakesbrakesbrakes coming soon!

We Were Promised Jetpacks: myspace
Brakesbrakesbrakes: website | myspace
The Twilight Sad: website | myspace

July 19, 2009 — BrakesBrakesBrakes Announces October North American Tour, Plans for Single and Live Album (0)
September 19, 2009 — Monolith Festival: Sunday, Sept. 13 @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver (3)
July 21, 2009 — Mercury Prize Nominations Announced (2)
October 2, 2009 — The Pains of Being Pure at Heart with Cymbals Eat Guitars and the Depreciation Guild @ Black Cat, Washington DC (0)
September 20, 2009 — Bite Sized Reviews (2)
September 17, 2009 — Art Brut Announce Big Fall North American Tour (0)
September 14, 2009 — Noah and the Whale Announce Short North American Tour for October (0)
August 19, 2009 — Stages of Dan “Gary” video (0)
August 17, 2009 — Friendly Fires with the xx @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC (1)
August 17, 2009 — Friendly Fires with Phenomenal Handclap Band @ le poisson rouge, NYC (5)

We The Kings Music Video Trailer

Posted: 08 Oct 2009 10:00 AM PDT

A music video so big it needed its own trailer…

Pop rockers We The Kings are debuting their new music video for “Heaven Can Wait,” but the trailer was just was too funny to not share it now.

Catch the full video on MySpace on Oct. 13, 2009.

We The Kings: myspace | interview with: Travis | trailer

December 16, 2008 — New Music Tuesday (1)
December 6, 2008 — The Bigger Lights – Fiction Fever (1)
August 19, 2008 — Dance Across the Country Tour: The Morning Light, Steel Train, The Cab, The Hush Sound (0)
July 7, 2008 — Interview with: Travis Clark of We The Kings (1)
July 4, 2008 — Warped Tour 2008 Rundown – Kansas City (Part One) (3)
July 3, 2008 — Interview with: Adam Siska of The Academy Is (0)

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Hanson @ the Beaumont, Kansas City MO

Posted: 08 Oct 2009 09:00 AM PDT

I must confess the first thought that went through my head when I arrived at the Beaumont was “Damn. I’m old.”

Hanson’s “Use Your Sole” tour, which featured Steel Train, Sherwood and Hellogoodbye, attracted a crowd of girls, aged 12 to 16, and women aged in the early 20s to mid-30s. There were a few dudes at the show, too.

The ladies in the crowd were in high spirits through the entire show. The girls’ hair flailed, and heels clomped as they shouted and cheered in sheer joy. The fans’ screams reached an all time high when Hanson took the stage.

Now, I’m not a fan of Hanson’s music, but I must admit the band earned the loud adulation it received from the crowd.

I was a bit shocked when Hanson walked on stage.

I mean, they were all grown-up.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised by the band’s mature look, but the last time I saw a photo of Hanson, the guys’ were much younger and grungier.

On Friday evening, Isaac Hanson (guitar, bass, piano, vocals) wore a white shirt with a slim, black vest and tie, and Taylor Hanson (piano, guitar, drums, vocals), wore a fitted, black shirt. Although I wasn’t able to see what Zac Hanson (drums, piano, guitar, vocals) was wearing, I can report he had a mass amount of energy. He got up from his drum kit a few times during the performance and ran around the stage to get the audience moving.

Hanson started off its set with “Worlds Of Fire,” then “Blue Sky.” Both songs were upbeat, and elicited thoughts of bright, crisp aired mornings and happy times.

During the third song, “Where’s The Love,” many of the girls in the crowd began to dance (and push through the crowd, bumping into whoever blocked the path they choose. Grr). Whenever the band sang the lyrics “round and around,” many females made swirly hand motions and jumped up and down.

The band then began playing the sweet “Strong Enough To Break,” which incorporated light, airy guitar sounds.

After playing “A Minute Without You,” the band launched into “Great Divide,” which had a Maroon 5 groove.

Hanson’s music has changed a bit over the years. While they’re still very pop on some tunes, many of the band’s new songs have a bluesy feel. The musicians seem to be writing more passionate lyrics, too.

During the last half of Hanson’s set, the band played “Been There Before” and “Hey.”

“Hey,” which came from the band’s 2004 album Underneath, had a light country rock feel, while “Been There Before,” which came from the 2007 album The Walk, had John Mayer guitar influences, and was filled with rich keyboard chords.

Hanson ended the show with its big pop hit, “MmmBop,” and the feel good, “If Only.”

So, what did I learn after attending a Hanson show?

1) The guys in Hanson are talented musicians, and are still able to write fun, rompy music.
2) The band has a loyal fan base who enjoyed the new and old material.
3) The band is doing a heck of a lot of good for the world.

Set list:
Worlds On Fire
Blue Sky
Where’s The Love
A Minute Without You
Great Divide
Carry You There
Strong Enough To Break
Cecilia
These Walls
Watch Over Me
Waiting For This
Crazy Beautiful
Hey
Been There Before
Hard To Handle ?
MMMBop
Lost Without Each Other
Something Going
If Only

Hanson: website | myspace
Take the Walk: website

Photo by: Joshua Hammond

August 24, 2009 — Interview with: Zac Hanson (8)
August 10, 2009 — Interview with: Anya Marina (0)
July 31, 2009 — Interview with: Adam Schlesinger of Tinted Windows (0)
March 21, 2009 — Tinted Windows @ Pangaea, SXSW, Austin TX (3)
February 18, 2009 — New Supergroup Tinted Windows Announce Album, SXSW Debut (2)
August 24, 2009 — fun. – Aim and Ignite (1)
August 3, 2009 — Tinted Windows @ the TLA, Philadelphia (5)
July 9, 2009 — Audiovox – Audiovox (0)
July 2, 2009 — Nightmare of You @ the Bottleneck, Lawrence KS (1)
June 13, 2009 — Bonnaroo Update Day 1: Thursday, June 11 (4)

Stream Dashboard Confessional’s New Single “Belle of the Boulevard”

Posted: 08 Oct 2009 08:00 AM PDT

Dashboard Confessional is back with new release Alter The Ending due out November 10th via Vagrant Records. While waiting for the album’s release, check out the first single “Belle of the Boulevard.”

Dashboard Confessional: website | myspace

August 18, 2009 — Brendan Benson – My Old, Familiar Friend (1)
April 15, 2009 — Under Cover: The Violent Femmes â€œGone Daddy Goneâ€ (1)
April 8, 2009 — SXSW Interview With: Lights Resolve (0)
September 8, 2008 — Matt Pryor @ the Trocadero Balcony, Philadelphia (0)

Kings of Leon @ Scottrade Center in St. Louis, MO

Posted: 08 Oct 2009 07:00 AM PDT

Kings of Leon, currently on a run of headlining the biggest festivals throughout the states, announced a headlining tour to carry throughout the end of October which featured an excellent headlining performance on day 1 of Austin City Limits when they were joined by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, but PopWreckoning was lucky enough to catch up with them before ACL. In regards to their St. Louis show, their show presence and abilities continue to grow as they become one of the bigger names in rock today. They showcased material both new and old for thousands of screaming St. Louisans who packed the Scottrade Center. Photos below.