| |
Space Trash, Vacation, Tenement & Swearin’ - Brooklyn
Fireproof, 119 Ingraham St., Brooklyn - September 12, 2012
by Noah W.K.
Growing up in New York, I’ve been spoiled. Spoiled with
all of the great local bands and all the great bands that
make New York a marquee stop on their tour routes. Like most
blessings, there is a negative effect that comes with this:
Jadedness. It is impossible to go to every show in NYC, so
picking your battles is key; but growing up and being able
to see bands such as The Ergs! on a regular basis makes it
sometimes feel that no show can ever eclipse that experience.
And then, out of nowhere, a show on a Wednesday night in an
art space hidden behind a coffee shop/ bar in Brooklyn gives
those memories a run for their money.
 The
crowd outside of the venue was a hefty one, a surprisingly
great turnout for a Wednesday. As per tradition the show was
running late. The venue was a weird one. The front room was
a bar that seemed to not only serve beer and any other alcoholic
concoctions craved but also a variety of coffee, teas and
breakfast items. Through a door to the far left of the bar
lead you to where the bands would be playing, an open room,
painted white which I suppose is used as an art space. Not
your ideal room to see bands in but it’ll have to do.
The first band was called Space Trash, a local band, playing
their first show. I was excited to watch their set because
I really liked their band name and from hearing them play
a quick set I would imagine the band name came from a Mean
Jeans song title. The music was fun but a little predictable.
They were loud and tight and it was a great set for their
first and a great start to the night.
Next up was Vacation from Cincinnati, Ohio. If you haven’t
heard this band yet do yourself a favor and pick up their
self-titled album immediately. From the day I got it, it has
been in steady rotation and I’m better for it. I had
been looking forward to seeing them and they did not disappoint.
Aesthetically they had two things going for them that I always
seem to be keen on; they were a three-piece and the drummer
is the lead singer. The songs have a lo-fi element to them
and the choruses are so poppy and catchy that it’s hard
not to get hooked. They played an energetic set that included
one of my new favorite Vacation songs that was recently released
on “The Thing That Ate Larry Livermore” comp called
“No Mercy” as well as tons of other great tracks
from their full length and numerous 7 inch records.
And now for the band that most people were there to see, Tenement
from Appleton, Wisconsin. The easiest way to describe this
band (which in no way does them justice) would be to say they
have the poppy elements of early Green Day and the Midwestern
melody of Husker Du, they are one of the biggest sounding
three-piece bands I have ever heard and they are all masters
of their instruments. They opened their set with “Stupid
Werld” and the crowd went nuts. My one complaint about
Tenement is that they are notorious for playing super short
sets, which I somewhat understand because they put every bit
of themselves into each beat of each song and look drained
after about 7 songs, but they simply have too much great material
and they crowd always wants more. So as they finished the
crowd was begging for more, yelling out song titles in hopes
they would continue on. The drummer seemed reluctant to keep
playing but he was convinced to play one or two more, including
one of my favorite songs “Earwig”. Tenement are
an unstoppable force and soon enough they will get the credit
that is due.
As if all this wasn’t enough, there was still one more
band to top off the evening. This was Swearin’ formerly
of Brooklyn but now I believe they call Philadelphia home.
Swearin’ are a band that take their name from one of
the best Big Soda songs and follow in the same vein of indie
punk rock, however doing so with interchanging male and female
vocals. They opened with my favorite song of theirs called
“Here To Hear” which has a guitar riff very similar
to that of Superchunk’s “Learned To Surf”
and it is obvious that Superchunk is a big influence on their
sound… which is a good thing. The night came to an end
people seemed hesitant to leave, everyone remained outside
smoking cigarettes, catching up with old friends and making
new ones. No one wanted the night to be over, however all
good things must come to their end.
JerseyBeat.com
is an independently published music fanzine
covering punk, alternative, ska, techno and garage
music, focusing on New Jersey and the Tri-State
area. For the past 25 years, the Jersey Beat music
fanzine has been the authority on the latest upcoming
bands and a resource for all those interested in
rock and roll.
|
|
|
|
|
|