Cowboys everywhere. Boots, hats, shirts, jewelry, all in the loudest colors (and rhinestones) imaginable. Walking into Music Hall of Williamsburg for CMAT’s sold-out performance was like watching the campiest fashion runway from the first row.
Hailing from Dunboyne, Ireland, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, also known by the acronym CMAT, jokingly asserts that she is “an international pop sensation,” a “very big celebrity,” and a “global pop star.” However, with two successful LPs, sold-out shows in both Europe and America and a very…cheeky (https://www.instagram.com/p/C4BkcaPMtZH/?img_index=1) nomination for the Brit Awards, she’s not far from the truth.
With her wild fashion sense, it was no wonder the audience took a cue. That’s the thing about a CMAT show; her fans, multiplying by the minute, are wholly devoted to her. Whatever CMAT does, her fans follow.
Prior to her set, Sheena Easton’s “Morning Train (Nine to Five)” blared over the speakers as a spotlight swept the stage. CMAT noted that this song helped inspire her latest LP, 2023’s CrazyMad, for Me. Inviting her fans into her world is something CMAT effortlessly does, an open book with communal pages. It’s this rapportthat undergirds her fanbase and connects them not only to CMAT but to each other.
After the song ended, the cheers began as the band, followed by CMAT, entered the stage. Beginning with “California,” the first song on CrazyMad, for Me, the venue erupted.
A CMAT show is more than a concert; it’s instead a circus, a musical merry-go-round of infectious spectacle. CMAT herself is a born performer, a live wire sheathed of its skin, dramatically writhing around the steps and crawling all over the stage. Her voice astounds, hitting every note both high and low, never once faltering. She adds her sense of humor as well, often striking theatrical poses and holding them until the audience thunderously applauds.
CMAT effortlessly worked the eager crowd, peering into the audience and checking out everyone’s clothing choices. She was especially enthused by a shamrock crop top worn by one of the male audience members in honor of her country. She made sure to note a fuzzy pink cowboy hat, and, of course, the Irish flag some attendees brought. It was striking to see how attentive she was to her fans, an attentiveness that they in turn gave back.
Judging by how cohesive the set was, one might have thought CMAT was a band as opposed to a singular artist. Each member brings their own personality to the table, most notably Colm Conlon, CMAT’s keyboardist. He joined her on vocals and silly, synchronized dancing. Conlon added so much fun and breathed even more life into the performance, which was, prior to his entrance, unthinkable.
CMAT puts all of herself into a performance. She gives every bit of energy she has. During one of the best parts, she performed a hit song off her first record, If My Wife New I’d Be Dead. “I Wanna Be a Cowboy, Baby” is the song that inspired most of the fans’ sartorial choices. CMAT requested that everyone in the venue do the two-step, issuing a mock warning that she’d stop the song if she spotted an audience member not dancing along.
No one in the New York City area would likely be caught dead if found engaging in such an act. But in Williamsburg, where weirdness abounds, the crowd enthusiastically obliged her, cowboy boot heels clicking rhythmically across the floor.
Saving one of the best for last, “Stay for Something,” CMAT instructed the audience to get as close to each other as possible. Everyone took their cue and immediately piled in as she reminded them to get their cameras out towards the end. Aided by a smaller venue, a massive contrast to her usual gigs in Europe, CMAT crowdsurfed to fans’ delight. Sailing on their hands, lifted up for all to see, was a dream. High-kicking off the stage, the night sadly ended.
CMAT is a star, a person who values oddness and fun, yet makes serious (though at times funny) music about life’s ups and downs, all the hope, joy, and despair. Her music has something for everyone, spanning country, rock, and pop.
A note from the writer/photographer: That night, CMAT became one of my favorite artists. I went into the show not knowing who she was. I left with unbridled bliss and exhilaration and was tasked with a self-imposed mission to see her the next night at the Bowery Ballroom. Unfortunately, I came down with Bronchitis and regrettably missed it. I eagerly await CMAT’s return to America, and I hope everyone reading this does, too! You don’t want to miss out on her, I assure you.
As openers for Animal Years, they single-handedly managed to grab the attention of the entire audience at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. Not only are they talented musicians, but they’re hilarious, as well. Based on their experiences working on Wall Street, Mobile Steam Unit has crafted lyrics that hit home for anyone who’s worked in business. For those in New York City, this was an extremely relatable topic that resonated with crowd, who immediately broke into cheers when frontman Sam Huntington asked if anyone in attendance had ever worked on Wall Street.
Solemnly filing out in requisite business attire, the band began their set. Interestingly, Mobile Steam Unit has the uncanny ability to deftly span genres; they can do anything from rock to country to soul and beyond. With lyrical topics ranging from everything such as texting, Microsoft Office, and commuting, to name a few, they document the daily minutia of American life while keeping the crowd in hysterics. And during the last song of the set, Mobile Steam Unit surprised the audience by bringing out yoga dancers who tried, as best they could, to keep straight faces while striking poses throughout the song. It was an epic finish to their performance, rivaling that of Animal Years. Mobile Steam Unit is undoubtedly a tough act to follow.
Work takes up a good portion of our lives. By giving focus to this specific, and usually lamented, chore, Mobile Steam Unit has set themselves apart from other bands. By examining the workday through the lens of humor, Mobile Steam Unit is able to give rise to daily frustrations while enjoyably expelling them at the same time.
WhenPhoebe Bridgers announced a tour date at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, it sold out. So she added another. And that sold out, too.
At just 23 years old, Bridgers released her first record, Stranger in the Alps, in September of 2017 to critical acclaim. Musicians such as Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, and Julien Baker have sung her praises; Adams produced Bridgers’ EP, Killer, which preceded Stranger. Oberst has brought her out on tour with him, as has Baker. Oberst also sings on “Would You Rather,” a track on Stranger that Bridgers wrote about her brother.
Despite such preeminent musical relationships and accolades, Bridgers stands on her own. Her soft, expressive voice can hush a crowded room. Her lyrics, revealing an introspection well beyond her years, can bring listeners to tears.There’s an innate intimacy to Bridgers’ work, a seemingly effortless evocation of raw human emotion. She has an inexplicable ability to connect with others in a way that most artists don’t, one that seamlessly translated from Stranger into her live performance.
The stage was dimly lit save for a string of yellow lights wrapped around Bridgers’ mic stand, often giving her face the appearance of a soft glow, a sharp contrast to the dark of the room. As she began her set with “Smoke Signals,” the audience burst into thunderous applause, welcoming her to Brooklyn before immediately quieting, a note they would hold for the rest of the evening.
The show was momentous: during “Would You Rather,” surprise guest Conor Oberst delighted the crowd by joining Bridgers. It was also drummer Marshall Vore’s birthday, and he was given a cupcake with a single lit candle and a joint chorus of “Happy Birthday.” The end of the night, however, was undoubtedly the best: at the end of “Motion Sickness,” Bridgers’ most musically upbeat song, massive black balloons filled with confetti were thrown into the audience to cheers. The penultimate song prior to the encore, “Scott Street,” immediately followed, and Bridgers was joined once again by Oberst, as well as openers Soccer Mommy.
In-between sharing a mic with Bridgers, Oberst set himself to work lobbing balloons off the stage and into the expectant crowd, whoeagerly batted them around. As the balloons often managed to make their way back to the stage, Oberst continued to promptly pick them up and hurl them back, playing a reciprocal game of catch-and-release that went on throughout the majority of the song.
After everyone exited the stage, Bridgers and Vore then sang “You Missed My Heart,” by Mark Kozelek, a heartrending cover that appears on Stranger. Bridgers sank onto the floor of the stage holding a microphone as her vocals and Vore’s harmonies soared in their own still way. All the chaos and noise of the prior song was suddenly forgotten and the audience found themselves suddenly muted and rapt.
For the encore, Bridgers covered Sheryl Crow’s “If It Makes You Happy” as the entire audience sang along. Making their reappearance was Oberst and Soccer Mommy, providing a triumphant end to an incredible night.
Ohio-bred indie folk outfit Oliver Hazard swooped through Kansas City last night, lighting up the stage at recordBar — quite literally, with their backdrop and Edison bulbs. The trio brought their melodic magic to a captivated crowd.
To note, it was an audience of mostly Gen Z, carrying Nikon point-and-shoot cameras to capture their memories in a wholesome, “old-fashioned” way. It was a delightful way to spend an otherwise uncomfortably warm Wednesday evening, as the band rolled through their catalog and spoke of singing the national anthem at a Royals MLB game. (You know, as one does.)
Catch Oliver Hazard on one of the upcoming tour dates!
Oliver Hazard Tour Dates: Headline dates June 27 – St. Louis, MO – Blueberry Hill Jul 26 – Jul 28, 2024 – Newport Folk Festival* August 2 – Bozeman, MT – Sweet Pea Festival* August 16 – Huber Heights, OH – Rose Music Center^ Aug 17 – Waterville, OH – Oliver Hazard Day*
w/the 502s Sept 3 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground Sept 5 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount Sept 6 – Portland, ME – Aura Sept 7 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage Sept 8 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Sept 10 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom Sept 14 – Charleston, SC – The Riviera Theater Sept 15 – Charleston, SC – The Riviera Theater Sept 16 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel Sept 18 – Athens, GA – 40 Watt Club Sept 19 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
Headline dates Oct 16 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern Oct 17 – Syracuse, NY – Funk ‘n Waffles Oct 18 – Concord, NH – Sound and Color Festival* Oct 19 – Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom Oct 20 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair Oct 22 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live Oct 23 – Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg Oct 24 – Washington, DC – Union Stage Oct 26 – Lexington, KY – The Burl
Porches (aka New York-based musician Aaron Maine) has just released the video for “Back3School,” the fourth single from their fifth studio album All Day Gentle Hold ! out Friday, October 8.
The visuals for the ecstatic, synth-driven track observe Maine as he glides around an all-white soundstage while performing the song for a teacher wearing a transparent nylon mask.
Over the runtime, the video evolves from having straight-on shots of Maine singing to producing sweeping camera angles and rapidly flashing lights as he draws the audience into the crashing conclusion.
This song is a mystery to me, impending doom mixed with total bliss,” Maine said about the single. “The ‘back to school’ trope, but with an underlying anxiety that something might be terribly wrong, or maybe everything is just fine.
Watch the video for “Back3School” below!
Porches 2022 Tour Dates Mar 21 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz PDB Mar 22 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace Mar 24 – Detroit, MI @ El Club Mar 25 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues Mar 26 – Saint Paul, MN @ Turf Club Mar 28 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater Mar 29 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Mar 31 – Vancouver, BC @ Fox Cabaret Apr 1 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos Apr 2 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Apr 4 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent Apr 5 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater Apr 6 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar Apr 8 – Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues (Cambridge Room) Apr 9 – Austin, TX @ Scoot Inn Apr 10 – Houston, TX @ House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room) Apr 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West Apr 13 – Nashville, TN @ Exit/In Apr 15 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle Apr 16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage Apr 18 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom Apr 19 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg Apr 21 – Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club Apr 22 – Philadelphia, PA @ The First Unitarian Church May 13 – London, UK @ Lafayette May 16 – Paris, FR @ La Maroquinerie May 17 – Amsterdam, NL @ Bitterzoet May 18 – Cologne, DE @ Artheater May 19 – Berlin, DE @ Privatclub
English singer-songwriter AnnaCalvi has just released Hunted, a re-working of seven of the tracks off of her 2018 critically acclaimed album, Hunter, where she explored sexuality and breaking the laws of gender conformity. The album earned her a third consecutive Mercury Prize nomination and made her the first solo artist to achieve this feat.
In between touring, Calvi revisited her original recordings for Hunter and was drawn by how she found they offered “an intimate and private view of the songs’ initial intentions”. “These recordings capture the very moment I first wrote these songs, and recorded them on my own, in my attic studio,” she said in a statement. Calvi wanted to build on that feeling, and thus, Hunted was born. For the re-working she stripped the songs from the record back to their bones, letting the focus be on vocals, guitar, and contributions from a cast of talented artists that she recruited to help her on the acoustic project.
The companion album brings a new element of rawness and allows the songs to shine in a different patch of light. Bringing focus to the delicately-crafted composition from Hunter, Hunted lets the work of past and present meld together, creating something new and beautiful.
“Swimming Pool” opens the project with ethereal light. A siren song from another world, this version, like most on Hunted, exists in the same vein as the original but relies more heavily on vocals to craft and carry the track, trading polished for raw. Julia Holter joins Calvi on this one and is responsible for the heavenly choral arrangement that lifts it into another dimension.
“Don’t Beat the Girl Out of My Boy” serves as the lead single and features Australian singer Courtney Barnett. Barnett contributes grounding harmonizations with her trademark deadpan vocals and adds a new level of savvy style to the song. This version sees the instrumentation scaled back but loses none of the energy present on the original, letting the masterful guitars battle with the women for the limelight.
Charlotte Gainsburg helps gently breathes new life into “Eden” with her whispery vocalizations and Joe Talbot of IDLES does the opposite on “Wish”, channeling fire and fury to amazingly take a stripped back version of the track to a new level of intensity.
Calvi manages to take an artful record and let her fans consume it in a completely different way. She brings quiet elements from Hunter that could have easily gone unappreciated and overlooked out of shadow and into focus and remains open, honest, and unafraid to let other artists paint her work with their own colors while keeping its essence intact. While the threat of overworking their material could have been an issue for other artists, it’s just not present in this case. Calvi isn’t stuck holding onto the past; she’s just re-writing it.
Hunted is now out everywhere via Domino and will be supported by a new stretch of North American tour dates.
AnnaCalvi 2020 Tour Dates:
01/31 – London, UK @ Windmill Brixton (Independent Venue Week)
On August 10th, the Mountain Goats gave a free outdoor performance in East River Park at sunset, in the shadow of the Williamsburg Bridge. The amphitheater quickly filled with fans as the day’s heat burned off and the night became cooler.
Largely playing tracks off this year’s In League with Dragons, the Mountain Goats also peppered their sets with even more impassioned versions of fan favorites like “This Year” and of course, “No Children,” which had everyone standing and singing along in the dark.
The most poignant moment was “Going Invisible 2,” the very last song of the encore. Singing near the edge of the stage with only a microphone, frontman John Darnielle lead the crowd in a chorus of “I’m gonna burn it all down today” over and over again, in a moment of communal sound.
