TOC:
Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes
Hozier
Irrepresibles
Clairy Browne & the Bangin' Rackettes:
more bang for your buck
By: Eric Fager
I'll be perfectly honest with you – I'm attended my first Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes concert (CBBR, for short!), as only a semi-fan. A few months prior, a friend had posted the video for their signature song "Love Letter," and I happened to watch it. Musically, the song was just okay for me. I liked the genre (think Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, the Dap Kings, and Tina Turner), I liked her voice. The melody was a little more complex, a little more jazzy than I would have liked. So why buy a ticket? Because there was something about the style of the video, the sass – and reader, I married that sass. From the brassy voice and slightly suggestive, slightly challenging pursed lips of Ms. Browne herself, to the choreographed smirks on her backup singers, and culminating with a twinky diva vogueing down a Soul Train line in the middle of a prison, everything about CBBR absolutely screams "we're different, so just hold on for the ride!"
So I started the show slightly less than a fan, but I came out drenched in sweat. They opened the set with the languid, sultry, "Yellow Bird," and I thought I was hooked. I think I started tapping my veins around "Aeroplane" – a saucy ode to the Mile High Club (you know who you are blushing at your keyboard), but I didn't really understand the heights of my newfound addiction until "Vicious Cycle." Written about the recording industry; the track purrs, hums, and slithers along until striking into a progressive explosion of horns, drums, and soaring high above, Clairy's voice.
As the name alludes, Clairy Browne’s voice is without a doubt, the main thrust of CBBR. Her bawdy voice is a sheer force of nature, and one only she could tame. In some ways, Clairy is the epitome of 60’s Motown divas like Shirley Bassey if they had been crossed with Nancy Sinatra. And like those divas of Bond fame, CBBR brings to bear an instrumental line-up that gives them a unique sound and expansive range. Backup singers Camilla McKewen, Loretta Miller and Ruby Jones purr and claw like choreographed kittens alongside Ms. Browne lending an extra dash of sultry and sass wherever needed. If all this suggest opulent nightclub, the truth is that the band is far more at home in a dive bar on a cramped stage with the ceilings raining sweat. And this is where the band comes into play. Guitarist Peter Bee, Drummer Nick Martyn, bassist Jules Pascoe, keyboardist Gabriel Strangio and Saxist Darcy McNulty bring just the right mix of big band, jazz and grain alcohol to the stage.
So the music is excellent. Far better than any drug I've - I mean, any of my friends have tried. The choreographed dance routines, costume changes, and a friendly banter with the audience would give the best drag queen a run for her money, and all add up to an awful lot of performance for not a lot of money.
Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes just embarked on their third US tour, and I highly recommend you put on your red dress, come-fuck-me pumps and see them at the Casbah on September 25th if you can.
Still need a teaser? Here you go lovers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4XUmQ6Ck2s
Posted: 31 August, 2014 @ 1515 PST
more bang for your buck
By: Eric Fager
I'll be perfectly honest with you – I'm attended my first Clairy Browne and the Bangin’ Rackettes concert (CBBR, for short!), as only a semi-fan. A few months prior, a friend had posted the video for their signature song "Love Letter," and I happened to watch it. Musically, the song was just okay for me. I liked the genre (think Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones, the Dap Kings, and Tina Turner), I liked her voice. The melody was a little more complex, a little more jazzy than I would have liked. So why buy a ticket? Because there was something about the style of the video, the sass – and reader, I married that sass. From the brassy voice and slightly suggestive, slightly challenging pursed lips of Ms. Browne herself, to the choreographed smirks on her backup singers, and culminating with a twinky diva vogueing down a Soul Train line in the middle of a prison, everything about CBBR absolutely screams "we're different, so just hold on for the ride!"
So I started the show slightly less than a fan, but I came out drenched in sweat. They opened the set with the languid, sultry, "Yellow Bird," and I thought I was hooked. I think I started tapping my veins around "Aeroplane" – a saucy ode to the Mile High Club (you know who you are blushing at your keyboard), but I didn't really understand the heights of my newfound addiction until "Vicious Cycle." Written about the recording industry; the track purrs, hums, and slithers along until striking into a progressive explosion of horns, drums, and soaring high above, Clairy's voice.
As the name alludes, Clairy Browne’s voice is without a doubt, the main thrust of CBBR. Her bawdy voice is a sheer force of nature, and one only she could tame. In some ways, Clairy is the epitome of 60’s Motown divas like Shirley Bassey if they had been crossed with Nancy Sinatra. And like those divas of Bond fame, CBBR brings to bear an instrumental line-up that gives them a unique sound and expansive range. Backup singers Camilla McKewen, Loretta Miller and Ruby Jones purr and claw like choreographed kittens alongside Ms. Browne lending an extra dash of sultry and sass wherever needed. If all this suggest opulent nightclub, the truth is that the band is far more at home in a dive bar on a cramped stage with the ceilings raining sweat. And this is where the band comes into play. Guitarist Peter Bee, Drummer Nick Martyn, bassist Jules Pascoe, keyboardist Gabriel Strangio and Saxist Darcy McNulty bring just the right mix of big band, jazz and grain alcohol to the stage.
So the music is excellent. Far better than any drug I've - I mean, any of my friends have tried. The choreographed dance routines, costume changes, and a friendly banter with the audience would give the best drag queen a run for her money, and all add up to an awful lot of performance for not a lot of money.
Clairy Browne and the Bangin' Rackettes just embarked on their third US tour, and I highly recommend you put on your red dress, come-fuck-me pumps and see them at the Casbah on September 25th if you can.
Still need a teaser? Here you go lovers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4XUmQ6Ck2s
Posted: 31 August, 2014 @ 1515 PST
Hozier – Singing to the Choir (Amen)
By: Timothy P. Holmberg
Just as the echoes of Macklemore’s Same Love have faded from the airwaves, a new voice is quietly building to a crescendo. Hozier’s first break out hit, Take Me to Church, touches on the same issues of discrimination that propelled Macklemore to success, but the similarities end there. While this Irish songster has thrown an undeniably talented and morally challenging gauntlet down, his is fused heavily with gospel and American blues. The popularity of his lead-off track and its chilling video (which went viral with over seven million views) are the prelude to an upcoming album to be released September 5th along with two already released EP’s, the self titled Hozier and From Eden.
Preview Hozier here: http://www.amazon.com/Take-Me-Church-EP-Hozier/dp/B00GRCVMVQPreview From Eden here: http://www.amazon.com/From-Eden-EP-Hozier/dp/B00J5A166I
There is no doubt that the video for Take Me to Church has found deep resonance within the LGBT community as the video follows a young gay couple whose love has been discovered by a gang of youths. The scenes are largely inspired by hate groups in Russia who have been stoked into action by religious groups and green lighted by the Russian government. The emotionally gripping scenes will evoke memories of Mathew Sheppard and others who have been brutalized and left for dead. But Hozier, who hails from a country deeply steeped in Catholic tradition, goes beyond single issue gripes fires a broadside at religious double speak and its not so subtle wink-nod to lesser repressive instincts. As he recently stated in an interview with NY Magazine’s The Cut, “You grow up and recognize that in any educated secular society, there's no excuse for ignorance. You have to recognize in yourself, and challenge yourself, that if you see racism or homophobia or misogyny in a secular society, as a member of that society, you should challenge it. You owe it to the betterment of society.”
Take Me to Church hits the church doors as hard as a treatise, calling out the role of religion in repressing a broad group of human experiences and repressing the physical gifts of God in exchange for “salvation”.
Read the full song lyrics here (definitely worth the read):
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hozier/takemetochurch.html
Ultimately Hozier’s anthem stakes a claim for the redemption of human experiences as equally worthy of embrace, and poses the question of what salvation can come from a life not fully lived:
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life . . .
The above chorus is completely infectious and will have you parroting it for days. While the song starts with slow, hushed chords, the chorus marches in with an almost Elton John-esque inevitability and Hozier’s steel blue voice soaring over it all. As with most of Hozier’s works, Take Me to Church is layered both lyrically and instrumentally. His vocal style is drawn from his experiences with church choirs, and then mixed heavily with blues and gospel with distinct spices of gritty guitar. Hozier displays a mastery of his voice from near whisper to soaring aria combined with an instinctive sense of inflection much like Cold Play (but better).
The popularity of Take Me to Church and its attendant video would lead many to believe that Hozier will take up a place alongside many talented artists who could not reach past their first hit. Fear not. If his two EP’s are any indication, Hozier’s talent stable is full of many wild horses yet to be saddled. In an age of pop music that has been typically dominated by twerking superficiality, substance is making a comeback, and Hozier may be its new standard bearer. Like Johnny Cash, he is a musician’s musician who likely will defy easy categorization, and hopefully with as long a career.
Though it is clear from some of his early content that Hozier may have a few axes to grind with organized religion, it is also clear that he holds deeply to his personal faith and spirituality. It’s just that while many who sit in the pews look to the Virgin Mary for inspiration, Hozier clearly is looking more to Mary Magdalene.
Watch the Video for Take Me to Church here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw
Also recommended by this artist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax3qCW319nk
Posted 30 August, 2014 @ 2300 PST
By: Timothy P. Holmberg
Just as the echoes of Macklemore’s Same Love have faded from the airwaves, a new voice is quietly building to a crescendo. Hozier’s first break out hit, Take Me to Church, touches on the same issues of discrimination that propelled Macklemore to success, but the similarities end there. While this Irish songster has thrown an undeniably talented and morally challenging gauntlet down, his is fused heavily with gospel and American blues. The popularity of his lead-off track and its chilling video (which went viral with over seven million views) are the prelude to an upcoming album to be released September 5th along with two already released EP’s, the self titled Hozier and From Eden.
Preview Hozier here: http://www.amazon.com/Take-Me-Church-EP-Hozier/dp/B00GRCVMVQPreview From Eden here: http://www.amazon.com/From-Eden-EP-Hozier/dp/B00J5A166I
There is no doubt that the video for Take Me to Church has found deep resonance within the LGBT community as the video follows a young gay couple whose love has been discovered by a gang of youths. The scenes are largely inspired by hate groups in Russia who have been stoked into action by religious groups and green lighted by the Russian government. The emotionally gripping scenes will evoke memories of Mathew Sheppard and others who have been brutalized and left for dead. But Hozier, who hails from a country deeply steeped in Catholic tradition, goes beyond single issue gripes fires a broadside at religious double speak and its not so subtle wink-nod to lesser repressive instincts. As he recently stated in an interview with NY Magazine’s The Cut, “You grow up and recognize that in any educated secular society, there's no excuse for ignorance. You have to recognize in yourself, and challenge yourself, that if you see racism or homophobia or misogyny in a secular society, as a member of that society, you should challenge it. You owe it to the betterment of society.”
Take Me to Church hits the church doors as hard as a treatise, calling out the role of religion in repressing a broad group of human experiences and repressing the physical gifts of God in exchange for “salvation”.
Read the full song lyrics here (definitely worth the read):
http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/hozier/takemetochurch.html
Ultimately Hozier’s anthem stakes a claim for the redemption of human experiences as equally worthy of embrace, and poses the question of what salvation can come from a life not fully lived:
Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins and you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life . . .
The above chorus is completely infectious and will have you parroting it for days. While the song starts with slow, hushed chords, the chorus marches in with an almost Elton John-esque inevitability and Hozier’s steel blue voice soaring over it all. As with most of Hozier’s works, Take Me to Church is layered both lyrically and instrumentally. His vocal style is drawn from his experiences with church choirs, and then mixed heavily with blues and gospel with distinct spices of gritty guitar. Hozier displays a mastery of his voice from near whisper to soaring aria combined with an instinctive sense of inflection much like Cold Play (but better).
The popularity of Take Me to Church and its attendant video would lead many to believe that Hozier will take up a place alongside many talented artists who could not reach past their first hit. Fear not. If his two EP’s are any indication, Hozier’s talent stable is full of many wild horses yet to be saddled. In an age of pop music that has been typically dominated by twerking superficiality, substance is making a comeback, and Hozier may be its new standard bearer. Like Johnny Cash, he is a musician’s musician who likely will defy easy categorization, and hopefully with as long a career.
Though it is clear from some of his early content that Hozier may have a few axes to grind with organized religion, it is also clear that he holds deeply to his personal faith and spirituality. It’s just that while many who sit in the pews look to the Virgin Mary for inspiration, Hozier clearly is looking more to Mary Magdalene.
Watch the Video for Take Me to Church here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYSVMgRr6pw
Also recommended by this artist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax3qCW319nk
Posted 30 August, 2014 @ 2300 PST
Irrepressible Bitter-Sweet Tears
By: Eric Fager
The following is a list of things you're going to need before sitting down to listen to The Irrepressibles:
Box of Kleenex
A bottle of wine (a 10 year old tawny port will do)
Bar of 70%, or better, dark chocolate (for licking and rubbing)
Some candles
A full-length mirror
And a box of razor blades (metaphorical brand only)
I mean, I guess something to play the music would be cool, too . . if you're into that.
As much as it sounds like all the fixin’s for a party, I'd recommend you listen alone. The genre-defying music – a juxtaposing of orchestral and synthy sounds; sweeping and sharp; haunting and joyous are mixed with nakedly personal lyrics. That combination being broadcast loudly in your apartment may be just a little too intimate to let yourself feel everything with people present. Kinda like the musical equivalent of porn.
It‘s accurate to say that Jaime McDermott, aka Jaime Irrepressible, is the main force behind the "art-pop collective". McDermott (Jaime, I'm gonna call you Jaime from now on; it's just more convenient; and also, we're BFF's, right?) also provides the vocals, which are undoubtedly the most distinctive aspect of The Irrepressibles. He's brilliantly talented and classically trained; deftly weaving his haunting androgynous vocals through synthesizers, piano notes and strings alike. There was a brief, inspired moment in the 80's when gender-play and androgynous voices hit the main stream – Jimmy Sommerville, Andy Bell, Boy George come to mind. This period gave way under the influence of Reagan's "spiritual rebirth" that gripped the nation, and growling grunge became the dominant vocal form. Jaime provides a refreshing return to those more adventurous times.
Jaime on his own is wonderful – he's done a few solo live shows that really demonstrate his artistry. But for the full experience, he's usually accompanied by a rotating cast of orchestra members and back-up vocalists. We'll call them The J'aimettes, because I love them. More than just musically, they lend themselves to the theatricality and emotion of the group's shows.
To fully enjoy that theatricality requires you to watch the critically acclaimed short film by the Israeli production company PAG titled "The Lady is Dead" which is set to The Irrepressible’s track "In This Shirt”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2AgaZJWro
It cannot be overstated just how much of a visual tour de force this film is. If the music alone sounds a bit pornographic, the film is even less shy on that note. It graphically explores issues of gender, sexuality, the innocence of youth and the tyranny of age. In particular, it is a remarkable exploration of the dynamics of age in the gay community. Through costuming and make-up, the film shows us the corset that many older gay men grew up to accept, and how that contrasts with the freedom that today’s gay youth are able to take for granted. It is also brutally honest about the role of money in fusing the lives of younger and older gay men. There are shining threads woven through the film lend that lend it a victorious glow amid undeniable sorrow. I’ll leave it to you to interpret the rest, but it quite simply is a must see.
Finally, like the lingering legs on the port you've poured yourself (and maybe just a small smackrel for your good friend who tipped you off to this group), there's the artists that they've inspired. Their worked has been remixed by notables such as Iamamiwhoami; Röyksopp; Hercules & Love Affair and Zero 7.
So when you're done drinking wine and lip-synching an interpretive dance through the maelstrom, maybe share some of your own Irrepressibility.
By: Eric Fager
The following is a list of things you're going to need before sitting down to listen to The Irrepressibles:
Box of Kleenex
A bottle of wine (a 10 year old tawny port will do)
Bar of 70%, or better, dark chocolate (for licking and rubbing)
Some candles
A full-length mirror
And a box of razor blades (metaphorical brand only)
I mean, I guess something to play the music would be cool, too . . if you're into that.
As much as it sounds like all the fixin’s for a party, I'd recommend you listen alone. The genre-defying music – a juxtaposing of orchestral and synthy sounds; sweeping and sharp; haunting and joyous are mixed with nakedly personal lyrics. That combination being broadcast loudly in your apartment may be just a little too intimate to let yourself feel everything with people present. Kinda like the musical equivalent of porn.
It‘s accurate to say that Jaime McDermott, aka Jaime Irrepressible, is the main force behind the "art-pop collective". McDermott (Jaime, I'm gonna call you Jaime from now on; it's just more convenient; and also, we're BFF's, right?) also provides the vocals, which are undoubtedly the most distinctive aspect of The Irrepressibles. He's brilliantly talented and classically trained; deftly weaving his haunting androgynous vocals through synthesizers, piano notes and strings alike. There was a brief, inspired moment in the 80's when gender-play and androgynous voices hit the main stream – Jimmy Sommerville, Andy Bell, Boy George come to mind. This period gave way under the influence of Reagan's "spiritual rebirth" that gripped the nation, and growling grunge became the dominant vocal form. Jaime provides a refreshing return to those more adventurous times.
Jaime on his own is wonderful – he's done a few solo live shows that really demonstrate his artistry. But for the full experience, he's usually accompanied by a rotating cast of orchestra members and back-up vocalists. We'll call them The J'aimettes, because I love them. More than just musically, they lend themselves to the theatricality and emotion of the group's shows.
To fully enjoy that theatricality requires you to watch the critically acclaimed short film by the Israeli production company PAG titled "The Lady is Dead" which is set to The Irrepressible’s track "In This Shirt”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_2AgaZJWro
It cannot be overstated just how much of a visual tour de force this film is. If the music alone sounds a bit pornographic, the film is even less shy on that note. It graphically explores issues of gender, sexuality, the innocence of youth and the tyranny of age. In particular, it is a remarkable exploration of the dynamics of age in the gay community. Through costuming and make-up, the film shows us the corset that many older gay men grew up to accept, and how that contrasts with the freedom that today’s gay youth are able to take for granted. It is also brutally honest about the role of money in fusing the lives of younger and older gay men. There are shining threads woven through the film lend that lend it a victorious glow amid undeniable sorrow. I’ll leave it to you to interpret the rest, but it quite simply is a must see.
Finally, like the lingering legs on the port you've poured yourself (and maybe just a small smackrel for your good friend who tipped you off to this group), there's the artists that they've inspired. Their worked has been remixed by notables such as Iamamiwhoami; Röyksopp; Hercules & Love Affair and Zero 7.
So when you're done drinking wine and lip-synching an interpretive dance through the maelstrom, maybe share some of your own Irrepressibility.
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Comments should include name and general area of residence. Comments are posted as-is other than correcting minor spelling errors.
Comments should include name and general area of residence. Comments are posted as-is other than correcting minor spelling errors.
