Live Review: Bon Iver - Mountain Park, Holyoke, MA 8/6/2011

Wow, I'm such a slacker. I've been absent from the blog for a while...my last post was mid-July! But, I'm happy to say that my return is a live review of none other than Bon Iver.

Over the last year, Bon Iver has blown up. Between rolling with Kanye, having "Skinny Love" covered for a CW show, and being featured on the soundtrack for one of the Twilight movies, their music is everywhere. Oh, and their sophomore album reached #2 on the US charts. Naturally, when we heard they were performing in nearby Holyoke, MA, we jumped on the chance to get tickets for the performance. Here's what I've got to say about it...

Okkervil River, Titus Andronicus & Future Islands at Terminal 5

When I first saw this show announced, I had mini-orgasm at the line-up. I had never listened to Future Islands before but the thought of Okkervil River and the almighty Titus Andronicus on the same bill was enough to make my shorts sticky.

I showed up early to catch Future Islands' set and was very impressed with both their sound and energy. Their sound can be likened to fellow electronic artists like Gang Gang Dance or even Passion Pit but with one huge difference; the vocals. Sam Herring's deep growl wouldn't be out of place in a hardcore band but it seamlessly blends with the music as he hops around the stage thumping his chest and slapping his face to the beat.

I was really curious about seeing Titus in this sort of scenario. Every time I had seen them in the past, they were the headliner in a much smaller venue. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from their set or the crowd given that most people were there to see Okkervil River. Needless to say, Titus brought the house down and definitely gained quite a few new fans (at least my friends Bryant & Odin).

With Okkervil River, just having released their new album I Am Very Far, I was expecting a set full of new tracks but there were only 6 including albums highlights "Wake and Be Fine" and "The Valley". The rest of the set was full of fan favorites from previous albums Black Sheep Boy, The Stage Names and The Stand-Ins. The crowd was into it, the band was energetic and everyone was clapping and singing along. An all around great performance worthy of your attendance.

For Titus Andronicus' (short but sweet) and Okkervil River' set lists, Future Islands' video for Tin Man and the rest of the dates for this tour keep reading.

Holy Ship!

Literally, Holy Ship! In short, Holy Ship is what you get when you combine Electric Zoo and your standard Carnival cruise. It's a three day cruise, porting out of Ft. Lauderdale and making stops at Port Lucaya and some random, private white-sands island in the Bahamas. The twist is that some of the biggest names in electronic music will be on board the ship, providing performances each night, from 6pm til 6am. Sounds pretty exhausting. If I did my math right, the cheapest bed is going to set you back $574 ($449 for a bed in a four bed room, plus $125 in fees). And that's just to be on the boat.

Some featured artists are Fatboy Slim, Diplo, Steve Aoki, and Skrillex.

So if you've got money to blow and love electronic music, the dates for this excursion are January 6th-9th, with a pre-cruise kickoff party on the 5th. Tickets go on sale at noon on June 15th.

The Antlers at The Bowery Ballroom 5/20

Friday night The Antlers played the second of their two show stand in New York City. The Brooklyn band just released their album Burst Apart on May 10th and the crowd was treated with many of those new songs. In fact, the band played every song but the instrumental "Tiptoe" during their hour and a half set. Canadian Band, Little Scream opened the show with a very good set. I really dug their sound and energy. And then there was their flautist (or is it flutist?); stunningly beautiful, sultry voice and rocks the woodwind like a professional. What's not to love?

Fleet Foxes at United Palace, 5/18

Photo from: We All Want Someone To Shout For

Fleet Foxes put on a truly brilliant performance at United Palace last night. The group seamlessly blends traditional folk music with Beach Boys like vocal harmonies and the result is pure bliss. Last night's hour and a half set was a healthy mix of old and new as all in attendance were entertained to the fullest extent. Such was the case that after "He Doesn't Know Why," there was a spontaneous standing ovation to show their appreciation. Below is the set-list as well as a fan-video for closer "Helplessness Blues". See this band live as soon as possible, you will not regret it!

Live Review: Kevin Devine at UAlbany 4/27

The mood was set, after some fooling around with the lights from the previous band, and the 60 person strong crowd at the Campus Center Ballroom at the University of Albany swarmed the front of the stage as Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band appeared to be ready to go. Front man Kevin Devine, if it wasn’t already obvious, welcomed the rush to the stage, waving them in closer. Sure, this was going to be an intimate show, but that doesn’t mean the band wasn’t ready to burst the crowd’s collective eardrum.

But they started it off slow, nursing everyone into what would become a sonic explosion with the opening song “She Stayed As Steam,” off of the EP Devine released last year, quickly reminding everyone in the crowd that it would not be a solo set. (I mean, come on. There was a full band setup!)

Devine was there to please everyone. It’s just in his nature. He played songs from his entire catalogue, which is six full lengths, some EPs and several 7”s, giving the crowd at least a taste of what they came to hear. He even started taking requests at the end of the show to make sure he covered all of his bases and everyone was attentive and tuned in to what the underground wordsmith had to say.

This was my first time seeing him hold the coveted headliner’s position and it was clearly something he took full advantage of as he played for nearly an hour and a half, overjoyed as he bounced around the stage, which was impressive, because the man was plagued by a cold. He still was able to tear through the hard rocking and socially conscious “Time to Burn (Another Bag of Bones)” and sound swelling “Cotton Crush.”

And the other musicians weren’t just simply there as a backing band. They sometimes took the spotlight as guitarist Mike Strandberg showed off fiery solos on songs like the explosive “Buried by the Buzz.” Brian Bonz also made himself known by not just the guy who was rocking the keys and the Mac laptop, but also as quite the beatboxer. After Devine introduced his goddamn band, Bonz tried getting the crowd going by asking them to make some noise before he started laying down the beat for “I Could Be With Anyone,” the single off of 2009’s Brother’s Blood.

It fit right in with the carefree attitude of the entire show as the crowd knocked around small beach balls, sometimes landing up onstage only for Devine to accidently kick directly at a person in the crowd. He did get a kill, though, after serving a ball into the crowd without any return volley. That is also because he missed the crowd entirely. Chalk one up for the Devine, I guess. There was also a surprising cover, as Devine began playing the opening of Metallica’s classic “Enter Sandman,” a song which the entire band actually followed suit as he attempted to sing the first verse and chorus. Then, oddly enough, Strandberg began playing the riff from Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My way,” perfectly melding the two songs together.

UAlbany was also treated to several new songs off the just finished, but still being tinkered with, full length Between the Concrete and the Clouds, which will be released by either late August or early September. The title track features an ominous aura only because it is set in a minor key, but it has the sound of a great next step from the stellar release that was Brother’s Blood.

The highlight of the night came with the brazen barnburner “Brother’s Blood.” It comes at the end of the set for a reason; it is his strongest song to date. And it shows in the performance as Devine seems to give his all, wildly jerking his body, hunched over his guitar and banging his head. The song builds to the point of where Devine’s voice comes to a shrill. In person, this display of raw emotion is all the more captivating.

Expecting that to be the final song, the rest of the band walked off the stage. But Devine remained, and accommodated the previous requests of “Tapdancer.” And the intimate show became a little more personal with complete silence from the crowd. Devine’s delicate voice washed over the room as most sang quietly to themselves as not to be heard over the performer. After a rendition of “Brooklyn Boy,” he closed the show with the vulnerable “Ballgame” off of 2003’s Make the Clocks Move, and hopefully satisfying those that were expecting a solo set.

Opening the show were Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned and Lights Resolve. Unfortunately, I missed Sgt. Dunbar, but Lights Resolve was certainly an entertaining group to watch. Lead singer Matthew Reich was quite the showman, commanding the stage with a certain swagger and even wiping his sweat on whoever was at the front of the stage. At one point, he even left the stage, walking around the room, throwing beach balls at people and attempting to steal a woman’s Blackberry. Each song started off intriguing, giving you something you’ve never heard, but then unfortunately slipping into unoriginal and generic rock music. Still, they did a pretty great cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Head Like a Hole.”

The show was put on by UAlbany’s radio station WCDB and was wonderfully organized by General Manager Nicole Dellarocca. So, congrats to you guys for putting on an amazing show because there need to be more headlining shows with artists like Kevin Devine.

Top 5: Reasons Why You Need to See Titus Andronicus Live

This last Saturday, the majority of the "staff" here at A Brief Intermission went to The Music Hall of Williamsburgh to see blog favorite, Titus Andronicus, live. This wasn't a first time for any of us, and we all agree that The Monitor was one of the best albums of 2010, if not the best. That said, it would be impossible for any of us to give an objective review, so I decided to take on this writeup from a different angle. So here you go, the top five reasons you need to see Titus Andronicus perform in the flesh.

5. Patrick Stickels' Beard: For such a pale, skinny person, Stickels has a beard that any lumberjack, viking, or Civil War general would be proud of. Consider this: he had the best beard in Williamsburg that night, and that speaks volumes of its magnitude.

4. Screaming "Fuck You" with everyone in the opening of "Fear and Loathing in Mahwah, NJ": Free group therapy, and much more fun.

3. Amy Klein: While Stickle's may be the brains and voice of the band, guitarist/violinist Amy Klein is the heart and soul. Her stage presence is up there with the best of them, and I don't think I've ever seen a musician have so much fun on stage...including Andrew W.K. If the music itself isn't enough for you to enjoy yourself, watch Klein for all of 30 seconds and you'll most definitely start dancing and smiling; her passion is contagious. Furthermore, not only can she absolutely rip on the six-string, but when she took over vocals for the cover of "Oh Bondage, Up Yours", it was electric.

2. The riffs of "A More Perfect Union": Simple, they will melt your face.

1. The sing-a-longs: To me, my favorite moments of a show nowadays are when you belt out those memorable lyrics with your friends, along with the rest of the crowd. Brilliantly so, Titus Andronicus' songs are filled with these moments. There are so many choice instances: from the repeated shouting of "Your life is over" in "Titus Andronicus", and the frantic screams of "The enemy is everywhere!" for most of the duration of "Titus Andronicus Forever", to the epic closer, "Four Score and Seven", which will have you bellowing, "It's still us against them!", long after you walk out of the venue. Though, my personal favorite has to be the anthemic "You will always be a loser...", followed by a single, deafening "...and that's okay!" How can someone not love this band?

Moral of the story, if you are a human and you enjoy fun, go see Titus Andronicus at your earliest convenience. Or even if it's not convenient. Just go see them.

PS - One of the opening bands, The Suzan, was absolutely killer. They are an all-female punk band hailing from Japan and judging by crowd reactions, they made a lot of new fans that night. I haven't been so blown away by a band I knew absolutely nothing about in a long time.

Kid Cudi & Chip Tha Ripper at Roseland Ballroom, Friday 4/22

Pictures taken from datnewcudi.com. Click the link to check out some more pictures as well as some videos from the event.

Let me start by refuting my earlier Cudi trashing. Scott Mescudi has significantly chilled out his rock-star lifestyle (he’s apparently completely off the ganj) and has a newfound work ethic as a result. In the past, Cudi was often tardy to the stage, too drunk to perform and a generally disrespectful musician towards his fans. Last night, none of this was the case as he was energetic, on point and played an excellent set list. I will say that his recent tree-free lifestyle makes performing songs like “Marijuana” and “Ashin’ Kusher” a tad awkward but I’ll take the good performance over song authenticity.

Last night, we ended up running a little bit late to the venue(drinking tends to have that affect) and only caught the second half of Chip Tha Ripper’s set. I was initially disappointed that we were missing him but quickly forgot as Chip strutted about the stage rapping about being “the coldest”, chicks and of course, weed. I was grabbing my first beer from the bar when Chip asked the crowd “How ya’ll feel about Nate Dogg?” He commanded his DJ to “kick that shit”, the beat from “The Next Episode” came on and I knew it was going to be a good night. He followed that with more feel good tunes like “Plural”, “Feel Good” and “U.A.F. (Ugly as Fuck)” and did his job of getting the crowd ready to see Cudi. I would have liked to see what he did earlier in his set and would have loved to hear a verse from “Fat Raps” or “Check Please” but he had a job to do and he did it well.

In between sets we got some drinks and began to notice just how young the crowd around us was. As we stood there, we began to look around and realized we were comfortably the oldest people at the show, except for the parents that accompanied their kids as chaperones, of course. Soon after, I was asked to buy an underager a drink and could only scream “NOOOOOOOO” in her face a la Ryan Reynolds in Van Wilder. Next, I witnessed a young man no more than 16 puking his guts out in a trash can and being escorted by security and after another request to buy a high schooler a beer I was just about ready to say “fuck it” and leave. Kid Cudi was soon on stage and all of the in between set awkwardness was alleviated. I took up a spot towards the back of the floor with a good view of the stage and got ready for a bumbling, stumbling, ranting performance. But as I stated before Cudi was on fire and he ripped the stage apart. His stage presence was excellent, his delivery was emotional and he worked the crowd like a pro. It was long and fun-filled set including, an appearance of his collaboration with David Guetta, “Memories” which was immediately followed by the Crookers remix of “Day ‘N Nite”. Those two tracks really got the crowd jumping but he also threw in some songs for the die hards. He brought Chip Tha Ripper back out to do their song “All Talk” which goes over “Dance Yrself Clean” by LCD Soundsystem and he also brought back “Man on the Moon” from his mixtape “A Kid Named Cudi” (my personal favorite in the Cudi catalog).

Even with the excellent sets from Cudi and Chip Tha Ripper, I will not be attending anymore all ages shows at the Roseland Ballroom. What are these parents thinking sending their kids to a show where the man performing just released an album entitled “The Legend of Mr. Rager”? I started attending shows at the age of 14 (much to my chagrin, my dad had to be in attendance) but I was seeing pop-punk bands like Midtown and Brand New, who sang about break-ups and girls. My parents were not sending me to a hip-hop show where the artist’s songs celebrate the use of weed, cocaine and having to get dragged out the club. I might sound like an old fart here, but there’s a time and place for everything and 14 year olds puking at a Kid Cudi show is just excessive. I hope those parents had to endure a significant amount of stress and discomfort as a result of this ordeal. Parents sort out your fucking kids and quit sending them to events for adults.

The most desired item by many of Friday's guests. The holy drinking wristband. Fuck all ages shows!

Live Review - Bassnectar: "Glow sticks are so 1990s"

There really isn't too much detail that goes into a description of last night. I woke up this morning with my entire body aching, ears still ringing. But here's a summary for you: wobble, wobble, wobble, womp, womp, womp, flashing lights, lots of movement, even more sweat, and just obscene amounts of fun. Bassnectar supplied his sonically delicious brand of dubstep to the sold-out crowd for roughly two and a half hours. When the set was finished, everything on my body was completely soaked through with sweat, including the dollar bills I handed to the cashier at Shun's Kitchen after the show (should've seen her reaction). What made Bassnectar so great? Fifteen minutes into the show, my friend declared, "I have never completely let go like this before in my life". I agreed. And we, as well as the rest of the crowd, continued to completely let go for over two more hours. Phenomenal show, phenomenal night.

Again, more amateur cell phone photography:

Lights and music...

This kid is having his mind blown, clearly.

The back half of the 4500 strong crowd.

Aaaaaannnddd, the aftermath.

Live Review: Trophy Scars at Putnam Den 4/21

One thing was made perfectly clear to me last evening: more people need to pay attention to Trophy Scars.

Since 2006, with the release of Alphabet. Alphabets., the band has ended up on my top ten list, and mainly as my favorite album of the year. Not that it should mean anything to any of you, but I’m merely mentioning it to let you know I hold this band in very high regard. As many might not know, Trophy Scars lead the post-hardcore movement as being one of the most dynamic in the genre. And with hints of it in Alphabet. Alphabets., they started to cross over into to playing more bluesy riffs, and adding piano and string arrangements to their songs with their 2009 release Bad Luck. The best part is, they’re fucking great at it.

As per my discussion with Mike, maybe that’s why there were only 40 people at their show last night at the Putnam Den in Saratoga Springs. But the band didn’t miss a beat as they were all smiles throughout the set. Jerry Jones still displayed a vast amount of swagger as he commanded the stage and continued to grab the fans he saw screaming along by the back of their head, bringing them in close so they could share the mic. John Ferrara made jaws drop on the floor with his incendiary blues guitar solos, playing with a different energy then I’ve ever seen in the past. Andy Farrell, with his (apparently) classic neon orange bass strings, displayed his fervent energy and the always fun the watch Brian Ferrara blasted through his impressively calculated drum work.

There was some skepticism, though, when the band did appear on stage as a quartet instead of a five-piece. I imagined it would be hard to make some of the songs on Bad Luck and Darkness, Oh Hell work in a live setting.

Dear lord, I was proved wrong.

The songs still held their weight as, and this is the first time I’ve ever said this, I could feel Brian Ferrara’s kick drum pounding me in the forehead. “Geneva,” my favorite track off of Bad Luck, eerily crept along as Jones’s veins were nearly popping out of his neck from growling. They even did their best to recreate the piano when John Ferrara tried recreating the hitting of a piano chord by slapping his guitar strings as the rest of the band laughed at the failed attempt. But they excelled on songs like the fiery and raw “El Cowboy Red” with everyone screaming along “I don’t, give a fuck.”

One song in particular I thought would suffer from the lack of instruments, which includes a horn section, was “Nausea.”

Again, wrong.

Ferrara built up the anticipation as he repeated the opening riff. The crowd clapped along to the beat as they exploded into the track. The band exerted high octane energy as they ripped through the song, with Jones, as he did at many points during the evening, turning his back to the crowd and head banging ferociously and John Ferrara’s bending guitar notes rained down on the crowd. And honestly, that’s one of the great things about the band. Still only playing to a small crowd at a $5 show, they were still giving it their all. Thrashing their bodies about and commanding the stage as they showed they are veterans of the road.

During the show the band explained for their tardiness, explaining that they had just got done with putting the finishing touches on their new full lengths. So what did that mean for the crowd at Putnam Den? That’s right, new songs!

All of them hold the blues mindset the band has been in the past two years, showing the band is comfortable with their direction. Throughout the night, I also couldn’t keep from shifting my gaze towards John Ferrara as he proved to me he is a master of the blues guitar. This seemed to have been lost on me in past performances since there had always been one and sometimes two more guitarists on the stage. Honestly, he proved that evening that he doesn’t need them.

The end of the night came and the band solicited the crowd for requests. Shouts of “Assistant. Assistants.” were heard and Jones did the only thing he could do… He checked with the rest of the band to see if they all remembered it. Right before they got into, Jones admitted that he’s tried to remember the words over the past five years. But just when he gets the hang of them, well…

“I do drugs,” he said.

But no one noticed. And the crowd lost its mind. Flashes of old Trophy Scars shows came to mind as the diehard fans circled around Jones and screamed along the chorus, “Remember when we were just 16 and dreaming/Drinking in the basement just shouting and screaming.” Of course, Mike and I had to get ourselves into the mix.

The crowd demanded one more song, though, and Jones assured the crowd this had to be their last one. And it was no surprise when the blast of “Everything you do/Will make you separate from the lovers that you choose,” of Goodnight Alchemy’s “Jerry’s the name, Sociology’s My Game.” And after that, all I could do was smile.

Kid Cudi & Chip Tha Ripper at Roseland Ballroom (Preview)

Kid Cudi & his main man from Cleveland Chip Tha Ripper have played a run of dates at Roseland Ballroom in New York City this week and tonight is the last of those shows. I'm really excited to see Chip perform tracks of his new Gift Raps mixtape because a) he absolutely murks those beats and b) Gift Raps was produced by Chuck Inglish of The Cool Kids so you know them shits is going to hit hard.

I'm not nearly as excited to see Kid Cudi for one main reason; the dude is an asshole. He's capable of making some awesome music and when he actually makes it to the stage he puts on a pretty good show but the last time I saw him I was waiting around for at least an hour for him to come out and actually perform. Apparently that wasn't a one off sort of situation either; its happened many a time. I'm just not a fan of that kind of attitude in a musician, especially if I'm shelling out dough to see them live. Anyway, here's to a hopefully better experience.

For now you can enjoy the excellent Chip track "Plural" off of Gift Raps : "That's two going at once, I like my girls like, I like my blunts."

Plural [Co. Prod. By Blended Babies] by Chip tha Ripper

Eenie, meenie, minie, moe...

The last time you heard the titular children's rhyme, most likely you were on the elementary school playground, either participating in a game of tag or watching children run around, enjoying their youth. Where was I? I was nestled comfortably in my seat in the theatre at EMPAC, RPI in Troy, NY. What was I doing? I was watching Jaroslaw Kapuscinski, a Polish pianist and composer, tickle the ivories while various images were displayed on the back wall of the theatre.

The performance was a compilation of five different works, covering 18 years of Kapuscinski's career. First was Mondrian Variations, where the artist used five pieces from Piet Mondrian's collection. Tied in with musical and sonic cues when lines would collide and cross, the video took the works of Mondrian, modified them, deconstructed them, but ultimately displayed them as the pieces Mondrian created. Next up was Catch the Tiger! 2.0, which was the first time the audience got to see Kapuscinski on the piano...which isn't just any piano, as was explained to us by the artist. The piano actually was tied into a computer, which listened to the piano and used the aural cues to manipulate the images on the screens. While Kapuscinski played, the images on the screen were a series of numbers and letters, and in the background, the voice of a child was chanting "Eenie, meenie..." in repition, putting the viewer in a trance. After Catch the Tiger! 2.0, the audience was treated to Juicy (and no, this has nothing to do with Notorious B.I.G.). This time, instead of letters, numbers, and children's rhymes, the images accompanying the music were those of fruit, with sound effects used to fill in the small voids left by the notes of the piano. At one point in the piece, a kiwi was spinning on the screen, while the notes ringing out from the piano could've been mistaken for being part of Clint Mansell's score for the The Fountain. With the music, it was almost as if the fruit, in it's size and darkly lit environment, took on a celestial presence. Following this peaceful sequence, the viewer was abruptly woken up by blueberries being crushed to the piercing sounds of gun shots. The last piece before the intermission was Oli's Dream. In this segment, the piano became a typewriter and the music became the poem spelled out on the screen for all to see. The scrolling of the words, along with the music and typewriter sound effects, made for a visually and sonically mesmerizing experience.

Before Kapuscinski proceeded to the final piece, he explained to us what we were about to see and the effort that went into creating it. He traveled all over the world for a month straight, staying for two or three days in any given country. At each location, each day, he would play for several hours, broken up into 30 minute sessions for the individuals he was performing for. As he mentioned, this process was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting. More than 150 people and 12 countries later, the material was ready. The final piece was titled Where is Chopin?, and it capped off the incredibly unique, intimate performance. As our master of ceremonies played an original composition based on Chopin's 24 Preludes, faces of the people he interviewed were displayed on the screen. The purpose of this piece was to identify the emotions and thoughts of people of all different cultures as they listen to music, in this case, Chopin. The faces ranged from authentic to acted, running the whole spectrum of human emotion. As the people faded in and out, it was impossible to not feel a connection to them, for the reactions you were watching were filmed in a very similar environment, listening to the same music. Though the experiences of the audience and those on the screen occurred between massive gaps in time and physical distance, we were all part of one experience...so I guess you can say Where is Chopin? transcends time and space. When the final note rang out and the images of the faces transitioned to images of the cities where Kapuscinski visited, I couldn't help but smile, knowing I had just experienced something truly special and sincere.

After the show, the audience was given the opportunity to participate in a documentary that Kapuscinski is currently working on. While Where is Chopin? focused on the emotions on those listening to Chopin, the next step is to focus on the emotions of people listening to Chopin while they are focusing on the emotions of people listening to Chopin. Confused? Ask Chris Nolan, he knows a lot about "Inception"-ing someone. Jokes aside, I feel so grateful to have seen this performance and even moreso to have the chance to participate in the art of such a humble man. Through conversation between the audience and Kapuscinski , it was abundantly clear that his motives come down to the love of music, art, and the human experience.

Thank you, Jaroslaw Kapuscinski for the memorable evening. And thank you, EMPAC, for providing that Capital District with access to art and music that no other venue can offer.

To learn more about Kapuscinski, click here.

If you want to see what's next at EMPAC, click here.

Live Review - Steve Aoki, DJ Capital, B. Martin, DJ Prophet

So last night was the Steve Aoki show at the Washington Avenue Armory. My expectations going into this show were really obscenely high, almost to the point where I was wondering if they could be met. Here's how it all turned out...

We got dropped off by the cab right outside the venue and were instantly greeted by an ambulance, and about half of the Albany PD. Not much of a shock considering the recent events taking place, mainly thanks to SUNY bros.

DJ Prophet was in the middle of his set when we went inside and it was subpar, at best. His mixes were weak and the music was not loud enough, at all (which can't really be his fault, to be fair). Also, compared to the massive space available in the Armory, it felt like no one was there. So overall, this made for a very lackluster environment. The only redeeming quality of the performance was that the main hype man looked just like Frigo from Adventureland. Next act, please.

I was really excited to see B. Martin. He's an Albany rapper who has recently started to make a name for himself by winning a national rap contest hosted by T-Pain. I was hoping to really hear him rap, but he played to the type of show he was at and his DJ (anyone catch the name?), seemed to be the focus. I can only recall him actually laying down a verse twice. I liked what I heard though, definitely the best out of the three local openers.

DJ Capital (who I'm told is the house DJ at Figure 10 on some weekend night) was the last local. He had some moments of brilliance, but several times, it seemed that once he had something good going, and the crowd was feeling it, he would switch to a new beat and just kill everything he had built up. Not knocking the guy though, I can see his sets at the local clubs being a blast.

At the stroke of midnight, finally, Steve Aoki graced the stage. By this point, the crowd was significantly larger, though the place still was not packed (side bar - I don't think the Armory can ever get packed). From the first drop to the last, the crowd was going absolutely nuts. Aoki had great energy and knew how to keep the crowd amped. Multiple bottles of champagne were sprayed over the crowd, in addition to a pool float being given to the crowd as a crowd surfing device. Also, probably some of my favorite moments were when Aoki would step out from behind the booth, grab the mic, and scream along to the song, bringing a new, primal level of intensity to the music. It was hard to pick a highlight from his set...about two-thirds in, he played his remix of Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness", straight into "I'm in the House"...two huge crowd pleasers. Directly after those, he played a new song, and unfortunately I didn't catch the name, because this song was a straight-up banger. The conclusion of the regular set saw Aoki break out some of his dubstep material. It was a welcome change of pace to the constant assault of house music. The encore was epic, simple as that. First was his "Lion King" remix...try to picture a huge crowd of twenty-somethings screaming the African opening to that song. It was a sight to behold. He closed the whole night with an absolute treat, at least for me...and judging by the reactions throughout the crowd, I think the majority agreed. Out of left field, Aoki dropped "Bulls on Parade" by Rage Against the Machine, and every ounce of testosterone in that room was going off the wall. He attempted to have the crowd pull off the "wall of death", which was only a mild success, but it still ended in just a mass movement and well, raging. When all was said and done, it was 1:30am when the Armory lights were turned back on. I couldn't hear anything, I could barely feel my legs, and I couldn't wipe the stupid smile off my face...that is, of course, until some SUNY bro got all aggro on me for asking if Beam and I could share the cab with him and his friends. Nice life.

Here are a couple blurry pictures I took with my phone: