Woods

It happens very infrequently that I go to a show that is a 4-band lineup of not only all bands I know, but all bands I like and/or really want to see live. For that reason, I was so pumped for this show Saturday night (8/13) at Bowery Ballroom that was just that; with Widowspeak, White Fence, Ducktails, and Woods.

Widowspeak

Widowspeak I saw back in May at Mercury Lounge when they opened for Dirty Beaches. I wasn’t super impressed with their show then, as I left thinking their set was “less interesting than what they are probably capable of.” This time around they did show what they are capable of, and I was impressed. Their sound was definitely much better, but aside from any possible technical issues, they looked and sounded like a cohesive band. They looked like they were actually having fun. Lead guitarist Robert Earl Thomas is still the most fun to watch, because he’s even better at that blue-tinged noodling he does, but singer/guitarist Molly Hamilton is really coming out as the frontwoman. She doesn’t need to try hard, as her soft and sultry voice already adds depth to their moody atmospheric sounds; she just needs to find her groove. Maybe they just had an off-night the first time I saw them, or maybe they just needed to play some more shows and work out the kinks. Either way, their set on this night proved that they really do deserve all the buzz they’ve been getting, and I expect more good things from them. They played their much blogged about “Harsh Realm,” and ended on a great little jam.

Molly Hamilton

Robert Earl Thomas

White Fence was a big highlight for me. It’s essentially one man, Tim Presley, who is also in a number of other bands and also an extremely talented musician. Presley had some of the guys from Woods back him, and together they played fantastic psychedelic jam-out set. Presley would count them off, shouting “1, 2, 3, 4!” before diving into a crazy rock feedback-soaked movement that could then switch to beautiful and melodic on a dime. Presley wore his guitar high, above his waist, so he could go wild on his lead licks and crescendo to the highest notes while holding the body close to his head.  When the band hit hard he would swing around and thrust his guitar out in front of him, not only putting on a great performance but also showing his impressive technical skills through it all. It was clear these were his songs, but combined with Woods musicians the energy reached a rapturously intense level that had people jumping and dancing.

Tim Presley

I also caught Ducktails previously, when they played 285 Kent Ave. I had nothing but good things to say about that show, when Matt Mondanile had a full band that completely rocked it. Having had that pleasure, I expected something similar, if not even better. Because of that precedent, I have to say I was bummed when Mondanile came out solo and stood in front of a console. His set was almost entirely electronic, with ambient samples so loud I regretted not having earplugs. Mondanile picked up a guitar for a couple songs, but overall it just wasn’t that interesting visually or aurally. People still dug it, and clapped after every song, but after the bar White Fence set the vibe went way down. When Mondanile played his single “Killin’ the Vibe,” it was a bit ironic. He may have noticed the crowd becoming slightly sleepy and so towards the end of his set randomly blasted out some club music. This, however, seemed more like a non-sequitur than a mood lifter.

Ducktails

Ducktails’ set was unsurprisingly short. Since the band is the solo project of Matt Mondanile, I did think it was good to have this perspective of the origins of his music. He basically played his songs the way they sound recorded, but as a live set this came off as more self-indulgent than entertaining. As much as I wanted to appreciate this solo performance for being the entire reason the band I previously saw even existed, it was just so lackluster in comparison that I couldn’t help but be disappointed. Sorry, Ducktails. I still believe in your musical capabilities, but the live band is just so much better. Later, Mondanile showed more musicianship when he came out to drum for a few songs during Woods’ set. In this context, he was much more exciting and fun to watch.

Jeremy Earl of Woods

Woods was, to say the least, incredible. Most of the time I was totally lost in one of their jam interludes that seemed to extend time and space. Singer/guitarist Jeremy Earl’s vocals were occasional in comparison, lightly floating about these beast musical soundscapes that harkened back to Neil Young & Crazy Horse jams. I’ve probably already overused the word “jam” in this review, but that was the base of this show as a whole, in every capacity. With the exception of the members Widowspeak, every musician that played this night was part of Woods’ set, with almost all the members switching around on different instruments. The bassist would jump on drums, the organist would switch to bass, Earl would switch between acoustic and electric guitar. The instrumental expanses of the songs stretched out for great lengths at a time, varying between droning feedback that sounded like abrasive cricket chirps to clean and melodic pop.

All throughout there were hoots and hollers emanating from the crowd, as people looked like they were entering a trance state where nothing else outside of this experience existed. I’m assuming there was a good amount of improvisation going on in the songs, as almost all of them were jams (there it is again) of epic proportions. And I’m hardly exaggerating. What was maybe even more amazing was that the band could go on for what seemed like forever on an instrumental journey, with everyone focused on their individual part, and then suddenly look at each other and bring it all back together for the same chorus that originally happened what seemed like 12 minutes ago. The chops these guys possess is just amazing, and Woods is going on my list of best live acts to catch.

This was Woods’ last US date before heading to the UK, but their latest album Sun and Shade is out on Woodsist Records, where you can get it in all from digital download to cassette tape. This show looks like a one-off for Ducktails, but you can keep up with the latest on their Twitter. This was also the last east coast date for White Fence for awhile, but Los Angeles locals should look out for a show August 20th. Widowspeak are blowin’ up a little bit right now, and are continuing to tour in September with Vivian Girls.