The Duke Spirit @ All Points West - 08/08/08

The Duke Spirit were just in town for a Webster Hall show and an instore at the Soho Apple Store but they turned it on again for a mid-afternoon performance at All Points West.

Lead singer Liela Moss draped in gauzy black over a pair of short shorts vamped it up - kind of a post 70's/new wave mix of Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks.

The U.K. alt rockers are out in support of their album Neptune(Artists First).

They have a handful of U.S. dates left before they head for home.

The Go! Team @ All Points West - 08/08

U.K.'s The Go! Team were the first act to hit the Blue Comet stage on Friday afternoon and they christened it well! .

Band member Ninja was rocking the rainbow knee socks and bouncing all over the stage.

All Points West - Day #1 - 08/08/08

The first annual All Points West kicked off yesterday in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, NJ and, despite a mid-afternoon downpour and a few gusts of wind that played havoc with those fancy APW banners, the fans showed up early and the band's were ready to rock.

The theme of the festival was overwhelmingly green and the buzz word was "recycle". Led by Jack Johnson's All At Once organization, there were plenty of booths that were ready to help you support whatever environmental cause floated your boat.

Sculptures imported for the festival were also eco-friendly and made from natural materials (the bamboo tower) or recycled materials. They also served a duo-purpose by providing a seat in some much-needed shade - which was definitely lacking in APW portion of the park.

Food was extremely $$$ but if whatever you're jonesing for - pizza, bbq, veggie, chinese - they have it. Just be prepared to sell a kidney.

Band photos to come but for now here are some of the general sites of All Points West - Day #1.

The Interiors @ The Knitting Factory - 08/04/08

Chicago's The Interiors played a raucous set at the Knitting Factory on Monday night.

The three piece are on the road in support of their self-titled debut.

Singer/guitarist Chase Duncan has the perfect rock and roll voice that sets the tone for the band's stripped down sound. For the most part, the group keeps things simple and concentrates on the building blocks of their sound - powerful bass lines and infectious grooves.

The Interiors have a few more stops to make so catch them if you can . . .

Tour Dates

Sat Aug 09, 2008 Rock Room Pittsburgh, PA
Fri Aug 29, 2008 The Frequency Madison, WI
Sat Sep 27, 2008 The Red And The Black Washington,DC

The Subways @ Blender Theatre - 7/25

U.K. garage rockers The Subways set off a mini-earthquake at Blender Theatre in NYC. The hard-playing three piece are currently on the road in support of their upcoming sophpmore LP All or Nothing (Infectious/Sire) due out September 9th in the U.S.

The album follows their promising 2006 debut Young For Eternity and WOW does it sound like the new one is going to be a keeper. Singer/guitarist Billy Lunn had vocal nodes removed in 2007 (ouch!) but, thanks to medical sciene, he made a full recovery and is wailing better than ever.

Last time the band rolled through town, bassist/vocalist Charlotte Cooper rocked the house but this time around - she's a force of nature - an absolute whirlwind in sequined black.

Some of the thrashtastic new songs the band tried out included "Kalifornia" and the absolutely irresistible "Shake Shake" which had the crowd mosh moshing. And of course, the evening ended with an over the top fierce rendition of their hit "Rock and Roll Queen".

The Subways are heading west for stops in Seattle, Portland and then a run of California dates before they head over to Japan and then back to the U.K.

Here's some pics from the show:

Mary Weiss @ South Street Seaport

It was one hot and steamy night down at the Seaport but that didn't keep a crowd from coming out to cheer on Shangri-La Mary Weiss .

Playing a headlining gig, the ex-girl grouper fired off some songs from her 2007 comeback album Dangerous Game (Norton Records) as well as some of her hit "Shang" songs "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" and "Leader of the Pack".

Mary is headed west next so you California people can catch her playing Mondo Hollywood on August 9th at Crash Mansion in Los Angeles, CA.

Tim Fite @ Mercury Lounge - 7/11/08

You may know Tim Fite as a singer/songwriter and all around out of this world performer. But the Brooklyn artist played host with the most when he invited a few of us blogger types to a pre-gig pizza party at Mercury Lounge.

Pizza and chatting was a great way to spend a Friday but Tim upped the ante when he pulled out some blocks of clay and told us that the theme of the party was Pizza vs. Monster with the goal being to sculpt your own monster and pizza and then decide who would win in a fight.

I went for a multi-colored shark but Tim won the monster derby hands down.

On the more serious front, his lo-fi genius is at work again on his new album Fair Ain't Fair (Anti). It's out now and has definitely gotten a lot of spin at the SWR lair.

Some notes on the disc . . .

According to Tim, who usually likes to record straight through, the process for this one was more of a stop-and-go affair since his gigs kept getting in the way.

I feel a bit guilty because I was at one of those gigs - Town Hall where he opened for Adam Green- and it's sure to land in our Top 10 shows of the year.

And how did Tim end up playing for Adam - they'd been "peripheral friends" for years and had always wanted to play together and this time around it just worked out.

Now that the album's done, Tim will be hitting the road hard to promote it but we already know how he'll unwind when the tour comes to an end.

Here's the 3 Day Tim Fite Unwind Process straight from the man himself . . .

Day 1 - Sleep
Day 2 - Unpack
Day 3 - Shave

You can catch Tim live in the following cities . . .

Tour Dates

- July 14 - Montreal, Quebec : Club Lambi
- July 15 - Toronto, Ontario : Lee's Palace
- July 16 - Pontiac, Michigan : The Pike Room at the Crofoot
- July 17 - Chicago, Illinois : Lakeshore Theater
- July 18 - St. Paul, Minnesota : Turf Club
- July 19 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin : Cudahay Pub at Pabst Theater
- July 21 - Denver, Colorado : Hi Five
- July 23 - Boise, Idaho : Neurolux
- July 25 - Seattle, Washington : Tractor Tavern
- July 26 - Portland, Oregon : Doug Fir Lounge
- July 28 - San Francisco, California : Bottom of the Hill
- July 29 - Los Angeles, California : The Echo
- August 7 - Salt Lake City, Utah : Gallivan Center (Twilight Concert Series)



Our attempt at a clay shark chomping down on some pizza