New Amazing Baby: "Bayonets" mp3

[mp3]
Amazing Baby: "Bayonets"

Brooklyn's Amazing Baby are almost done recording their debut album, but they just couldn't wait to let the world hear what they've been working on. We've got an exclusive mp3 of "Bayonets," a titanic, gleaming rocker from the forthcoming LP, which at the moment is nameless and surely anticipated by someone (but definitely not Matt.) The debut comes on the heels of last year's Infinite Fucking Cross E.P., which hit at the same time their buddies in MGMT started blowing up. The foursome is currently making believers out of Europeans this month, but will be back stateside in the spring to support Cold War Kids, including a Terminal 5 date on April 3. Hopefully they'll have dialed down all the cliches by then.

Ben Nichols Solo Album - Lucero Tour Dates

Yesterday, we received our first taste of Ben Nichols' (of Lucero) mini-LP The Last Pale Light in the West. Pale Light is based around stories culled from Cormac McCarthy's blood-filled, epic Blood Meridian. There are few out there whose gruff intensity could match the rawness and desperation found in most McCarthy novels, but for the most part, Nichols hits it right on the head. Sam Baker does a damn good job of it as well. Using a stripped-down band set-up (Accordion, Guitar, Pedal Steel, Cowboy boots and floor) Nichols attempts to conjure the desert landscapes, violence, and lonesome Mexican villages McCarthy describes in his novel. Oh yeah, don't forget about the ear necklace - that's in there too.

For big news about Nichols' band Lucero and to see when they are coming to your town - click that little continue reading button right below this sentence.



Good things do happen to small bands. Yet, for bands like Lucero it takes a LONG time. Lucero, through relentless rocking, has managed to score themselves a record deal with Universal Music. For all the cred being on an indie gets you, you can't deny the power of a major label's marketing campaign. (See Black Kids and My Morning Jacket). So I say, godspeed Lucero go forth and bring your rock to the people. Speaking of that: Lucero is opening for The Black Keys, see tour dates below. They play two nights in NY at Terminal 5 Feb. 6 & 7 and a show at the Mercury Lounge Feb. 8. The last time we saw Lucero at the Bowery, we left covered in spilled (and thrown) beer and did whiskey shots with Nichols at the bar downstairs. Trust us, they are worth the $10. Lucero's Universal debut is scheduled for summer '09.

Lucero - 2009 Tour Dates
Jan 23 - George's Majestic Lounge (18+) Fayetteville, Arkansas
Jan 24 - Brickhouse Grill Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jan 29 - The Lyric Theatre (18+) Oxford, Mississippi
Jan 30 - Mercy Lounge (21+) Nashville, Tennessee
Jan 31 - Mercy Lounge (21+) Nashville, Tennessee
Feb 5 - Ottobar (All Ages) Baltimore, Maryland
Feb 6 - Terminal 5 (w/ The Black Keys) NYC
Feb 7 - Terminal 5 (w/ The Black Keys) NYC
Feb 8 - Mercury Lounge, NYC
Feb 20 - Bottletree Cafe (18+) Birmingham, Alabama
Feb 21 - Barleys Taproom Knoxville, Tennessee
Mar 4 - Sluggos Pensacola, Florida
Mar 5 - Big Daddys Tallahassee, Florida
Mar 6 - New World Brewery (21+) Tampa, Florida
Mar 7 - Langerado Music Festival Miami, Florida
Mar 8 - Harvest of Hope Festival Elkton, Florida
Mar 10 - The Social (18+) Orlando, Florida
Mar 11 - The Pour House Charleston, South Carolina
Mar 12 - Rhythm and Brews Chattanooga, Tennessee
Mar 13 - Variety Playhouse Atlanta, Georgia

The Raconteurs - Terminal 5 - NY - 5/30/08

CONCERT REVIEW by Tara McCarthy

Meh to you, Jack White.

So here it is. I didn’t think the Friday Raconteurs show at Terminal 5 was that good. Don’t get me wrong—it was good. It just wasn’t that good. I left feeling disappointed. Perhaps it’s because the past two times I’ve seen them, I’ve been blown away. Or maybe I’ve just never seen a show at Terminal 5 before. Really though, the bottom line, at least for me, is that Jack White makes or breaks a Raconteurs concert...

The first time I saw them, Jack White was practically shitfaced off the crowd, giddy, grinning, ripping into every solo with nearly-carnal appetite, looking expectantly at the other four as if encouraging them to dig in. On Friday, it felt like he was going through the motions. The solos were lackluster. The vocal distortion on “Steady As She Goes” was depressingly superfluous. They didn’t even play their sick live arrangement of “Store Bought Bones”. They essentially stuck to the studio recordings, presumably relying on their characteristic energy to carry the day, and for me, it didn’t.

The second-worst part was the bizarre mirror set up on stage presumably just for Jack White; the worst part was how he kept gazing into it. I’m praying there was some sort of intended irony there? Or maybe he was more in the mood to noodle around in his bedroom in front of the mirror, playing with his new toys and practicing his rock face, than to actually play a rock show. (Wouldn’t blame him.) Either way, I found it utterly baffling. If you think I’m being harsh, I am. The concert had moments of greatness. The keyboardist’s fiddling on “Old Enough” gave me rockshow goosebumps. Brendan Benson nailed “Shades of Black” with that voice of his. I even managed to find my 5’2” self a step by the bar to stand on, so I could actually see. It just could have been better. I love the Raconteurs, and they’re a kickass band. Is there really anything so wrong with expecting the world?

Tara McCarthy Contributing Writer to Stark

Photo Credit: Ryan Dombal, Play Vicious.