Week in Rock: Sorry About The Smell Edition
3 photos
<strong>Todd P's MtyMx Festival</strong><p>Back in late 2007, concert promoter <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/toddp">Todd P</a> <a href="http://gothamist.com/2007/12/07/todd_patrick_co.php">told us</a> he was stepping back from his DIY organizing duties in order to concentrate on some bigger events: "For now I want to work on putting together some shows that make a bigger splash for people who are not as savvy. I want to put on bigger festivals because I feel like it’s those kind of one-off events that pull in the people who most need to be turned on." Over two years later, he finally succeeded in putting on one of those bigger festivals with the incredibly ambitious 3-day MtyMx Fest in Monterrey, Mexico which took place last week, featuring artists such as Dan Deacon and Das Racist.</p><p>By all <a href="http://microphonememoryemotion.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/mtymx-grand-but-empty/">accounts</a>, the festival was plagued by over-zealousness and bad luck: Todd P took on every aspect of the fest, organizing the shows, the transportation, and even the accommodations, working with Mexican governmental agencies for funding, only to not receive most of the financial support. Many of the bands dropped out after an increase in drug cartel violence immediately preceding the start of the festival. Even many of the buses for transport didn't work out. As a result, only a few hundred people turned out. Despite the numerous problems, the Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/arts/music/24monterrey.html">saw</a> the upside: "Yet even though the festival didn’t nearly live up to its advance billing, there was a certain sublimity to its ramshackle shortcomings."</p><p>Photographer <a href="http://ryanmuir.com/">Ryan Muir</a> has more photos and a first hand account of the event over at <a href="http://stereogum.com/316201/todd-ps-inaugural-mtymx-festival-a-photo-essay/news/">Stereogum</a>.</p>
The Black Lips Play BoweryThe Black Lips love trashing the Bowery Ballroom, and Wednesday night during their sold out, sweaty headlining show was no exception. Looking straight out of Vice Magazine, the Atlanta-based garage rock band galvanized the crowd with their blurry, sloppily precise sound, storming through the set list as if smashing barrels in Donky Kong. Though primarily a three-chord group, equally indebted to 60's Nuggets bands as early british punk, they threw in some psychedelic touches (ever-mutating background screens) and girl-group backup vocals to add some different shades to an otherwise very consistant sound. Amidst whirls of reverb-y guitar, and antic-driven moments (guitar-tossing, beer chugging), each member took a turn singing lead vocals, a refreshingly democratic tossaround. The Black Lips unbridled enthusiasm was amongst good company with their incredibly elbow-friendly fans, who took turns moshing, stage-diving and beer-throwing throughout the evening, climaxing in a set-ending, everybody-get-on-stage version of "Bad Kids." It was fun, but it was also very messy. The band sufficiently summed it all up during some early stage-banter: "Sorry about the smell...but we are the shit." (You can see a video of such shit below)
<strong>LCD Soundsystem Return</strong><p>Everyone's favorite dance-punk band <a href="http://gothamist.com/tags/lcdsoundsystem">LCD Soundsystem</a> are releasing their as-yet untitled third (and possibly final?) album this May; the first single from the album, "Drunk Girls," leaked this week, and you can hear the infectious, repetitious single <a href="http://onethirtybpm.com/2010/03/25/listen-to-the-new-lcd-soundsystem-single-drunk-girls/">here</a>. They've also <a href="http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2010/03/lcd_soundsystem_16.html">announced</a> two shows at Terminal 5 in late May, and tickets are <a href="http://www.ticketmaster.com/search?tm_link=tm_homeA_header_search&q=lcd%20soundsystem&search_x=0&search_y=0&camefrom=CFC_BUYAT_brooklynvegan">on sale now.</a></p>