[live] Beirut @ the Republic

this friday evening, before heading to a sold out bonnaroo, one of my favorite folk bands of all time, Beirut, will be performing at the Republic in the CBD. the band is currently on tour to support their third studio album, the Rip Tide, which is set for release on August 30. Zach Condon and company will be share the stage with Twin Sister, a quintet from brooklyn who seems to open for personal favorites every time they play in Nola (last year they opened for Devendra at the House of Blues).

Don't miss out on this show, and get your tickets early over @ the Republics website; I predict a sell out.
check out a few Beirut songs below, including the title track from their latest single release,"East Harlem."

[preview] Brett Dennen @ the Republic

This Sunday night, following the conclusion of yet another New Orelans jazzfest, Brett Dennen will perform a show at the Republic in the CBD, hosted by Winter Circle Productions. This show is part of Dennen's tour to support his fourth studio album, Loverboy, which was released last month. The evening will begin with a set by local act MyNameisJohnMichael.

Presale $18, Door $25. For more info and tickets, visit the Republic's website.

Brett Dennen-Sydney (I'll Come Running) by Dualtone

[review] the raveonettes

The Republic was thick with sound from wall to wall last week. The Raveonettes, the Danish duo that burst onto the music scene in 2003 with their first album Chain Gang of Love, returned to rock New Orleans hard and roll it home.

I stepped outside before the show to have a smoke and kill some time. As I stood on the sidewalk, a taxi pulled up to the corner—an event to which, naturally, I paid little attention. I nearly dropped my cigarette when I saw Sharin Foo (bass, guitar, vocals) exit the cab and strut past the bouncer into the venue.

Just in time for sound check. These guys are pure fucking rock and roll.

Their distinct sound consists of a mixture of 50’s and 60’s rock and diverse instrumentation, as well as vocal harmonies that range from melancholy to ominous. The group finds its influences in groups such as the Velvet Underground and Jesus and the Mary Chain, and have in turn influenced acts such as Best Coast, Vivian Girls, and Dum Dum Girls.

In short, their style is something like a surf-rock noir genre—if I may take the liberty to coin such a phrase. Rest assured, these Danes really get you dancing.

Having accumulated nothing short of a cult following throughout the span of their career, it should go without saying that the energy in the crowd was phenomenal. They kicked off their set with “Recharge and Revolt,” the title track from their new album.

They made a point to play their earlier material as well as a polite nod to those in the crowd that have waited years to see them. I was especially excited when they played “Love In a Trashcan,” an aggressive track rife with sexual innuendo. If you listen hard enough, you can hear Martin Rev (of the 70’s electro-punk duo, Suicide) hypnotically hammering away on an old drum machine.

The duo switched back and forth between the guitar and bass, while two drummers added rhythm with electric kits. Every now and then they would hand over their instruments for one of the drummers to take over, freeing up their hands to add a little dramatic emphasis to their vocal performance. A system of thin, sleek lights flooded the stage and draped silhouettes over their instruments.

At the end of their show, the crowd goaded them back on stage for an encore performance. They left us dazzled with the song “Lust” from their 2007 album. Wistfully singing “I fell out of heaven, to be with you in hell,” they drew their set to a close.

- Article by Euan Patrick Wallace- Photographs by Joshua Brasted


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MEN - show review

Le Tigre side project MEN entertained an interesting but gracious and lively crowd at the Republic last night while James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem were busy ending their careers together in NYC at Madison Square Garden.

When gender accusations become a responsibility in honest journalism, things always get a little weird; being politically incorrect is more horrifying and embarrassing than waking up in a grocery store naked these days, but I’ll try my best to stumble through this one.

Aaron said it best in his Big Freedia post a week or two ago when he made the claim that bounce music “is New Orleans.” Big Freedia, accompanied by Rusty Lazer and two very ambitious young women shaking every inch of what their mommas gave them, opened for MEN and the message was the same as usual: “hands on the floor, / ass everywhere.”

Men donned the stage wearing awkward pink helmets all connected to one another, forming a triangle with their heads at each angle. The group lived up to the dancy standards that they hold themselves to when performing live and the set was energetic throughout. It showed in the crowd and a friendly little mosh pit even formed at several high points during the show.

Some of these high points include several well-known tracks from this year’s release, Talk About Body, like “Credit Card Babie$” and “Who am I to Feel so Free?” For the encore, the group shared their own version of a Bikini Kill song, and that was definitely a treat.

Overall, the music side of things was pretty good. Maybe I was just tired from a long day at the New Orleans zoo but it did seem a bit generic at times. Don’t let that turn you off though, because one should never underestimate just how entertaining and goofy JD Samson is running around on stage dishing out sweet high kicks in a onesy with that cute little mustache.

The Republic really has a really impressive line up this spring for those of you that haven’t already taken notice. Warpaint, the Raveonettes, Cut Copy, and Beirut are a just a few big names that I’m excited to see in the next couple of months. For a complete live calendar and tickets visit their site.

MEN- Credit Card Babie$

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Yann Tiersen: A True Virtuoso

I love fancy dinners. I don’t even need to eat with anyone, I will literally cook myself a meal, turn off the lights and light a candle pretty much a few days a week. The best part is, and what made Yann Tierson so special, is that after the food is cooked I queue up the soundtracks to “Good-bye Lenin” and “Amelie” and proceed to enjoy myself just a bit too much.

            With the release of his newest album “Dust Lane,” Tiersen embarked on his tour of these great United States. This last Saturday, with a very small turnout due to the unfamiliarity with the artist here in the U.S. (and a high ticket price couldn’t have helped), Yann Tiersen played New Orleans nightclub and venue Republic. It’s a shame not too many people knew who he was though, because this certainly proved to be a very special evening.

            S. Carey, supporting vocalist and drummer for Bon Iver opened the show. Though he played a very ambient, cooled set, the crowd really seemed to enjoy it. And just as I was beginning to zone out S. Carey's band mate stands and plays an epic floor tom and keys combo that brought the energy back up quickly. While it held my attention temporarily, after twenty-five minutes I got bored and anxious for Tiersen to start.

            Tiersen opened his set with a slow mandolin intro that he looped twice before the rest of the band came in with guitar, bass, drums, and keys. Eventually the phrase “Dust Lane,” the name of his newest album, echoed through the speakers and the set truly started. Tiersen played a mix of music new and old. I had hoped to hear mostly his music that makes me feel like I’m driving through the European countryside—his soundtracks, that is, which is mostly solo stuff—but his band joined him for nearly all the songs. In his fourth song “Kala” I got that feel as soon as two members of the band picked up melodicas that, if you go by the crowd’s reaction, was the best of the night. As he moved into “Amy” the sounds of his newest album began to emerge and the show took an interesting turn. I began to feel like I was watching—wait for it—Radiohead. Five of the six members harmonized vocally, and then abruptly paused to allow the keyboardist a chance to show off his Thom Yorke impression.

            Tiersen switched instruments with ease. At one point he played a violin solo so beautiful no one dared to speak. Well, expect for this one guy in the back who clearly thought he was at a club night and started screaming calling a girl a bitch after she didn’t agree that the music was “gay.” For those of us in the back, it was a strange, but funny, addition to the solo. Tiersen finished his set strongly with his hit “Fuck Me” off the newest album, which included him playing a twelve-string guitar. Tiersen ended the show with a three-song encore concluding with the track “Amelie.” I left The Republic glowing.

           Republic has definitely gone through some sort of mid-life crisis, and I like it. The venue has become home to many great shows.  A short list includes Designer Drugs, Glasgow, MEN, Cut Copy with Holy Ghost, Menomena, and Class Actress as well as others. Be sure to check out their site at http://www.republicnola.com/ and get your tickets to all these great shows soon.

Article by Aaron Saltzman

Photos by Joshua Brasted

For more pictures from the show,

check out Joshua's Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brasted/

STARS

This past Sunday the indie pop band STARS played a packed show at The Republic in New Orleans. The opening act, Geographer, was a surprising last minute addition to the night; a three piece from San Francisco comprised of a vocalist/keyboardist/guitarist, a bassist, who often played an electric cello, and a drummer. Their music was perceptively arranged and they were, at very least, an appropriate opening act for the main attraction.


After a relatively long wait, the Canadian band STARS took the stage, throwing the pedals of red and white roses, to open with “He Dreams He’s Awake” from their latest full length, The Five Ghosts. The energy of the crowd reached a high at the very beginning that was maintained throughout the entire performance. While it never seemed to bother other fans, I felt as though the band did a poor job of diversifying their set at times; the majority of the first half was comprised mostly of only new material. Therefore I had to wait almost to the very end to get a taste of the STARS I loved during my seventeen-year-old high school days.


One of the nights highlights came with a medley of The Smiths “Half a Person,” flowing into “Take Me to the Riot” from STARS 2007 effort, In Our Bedroom After the War. The band closed with one of my all time personal favorites “One More Night;” a slower tune from their breakout album Set Yourself on Fire. It was obvious though that they were having just as much fun as the crowd when came back out for an encore that was four songs long.

Though the performance was over all very strong, I felt at times as if the band members were more like showmen (as opposed to musicians), relying on their clever behavior and bubble machines for success. And while this bothered me, along with the dynamic of their set list, none of it ever seemed to bother other fans in the crowd. Everyone had an unusually exciting Sunday night, including the band; if you missed them this time around, don’t worry. They’ll be back.



** As we mentioned in our Bonobo review, The Republic has definitely changed directions lately and has been hosting a plethora of great music. Be sure to check out their upcoming schedule at www.republicnola.com!
 -Article by Justen Cheney-Photos by Josh Brasted

For more pictures from the show,

check out Joshua's Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brasted/

God I love flute... BONOBO LIVE!

Here in New Orleans we lack a lot of basic things that most cities have: decently paved roads, city wide recycling, and adequate public transportation. To make up for it... we have lots of booze and music! After being gone for a year, it was nice to see so many new places hosting musical acts. One of the more suprising venues on that list has to be The Republic in the CBD.

When the Republic opened it was my place to go dance; because New Orleans doesn't seem to have too many night clubs dedicated to that purpose, it soon became a lot of peoples place to dance and the uniqueness of the parties quickly faded. However, things have lately seemed to turn around. Between Mumford and Sons, Beats Antique, STARS this evening, and most importantly for this review, Bonobo, the Republic has been successfully drawing a diverse crowd once again. In fact, I have spent more time seeing music in the Republic this year than New Orleans's legendary Tipitina's.



As already mentioned, last Wednesday Bonobo (live set) came to impress. I had only heard good things, and since I could not afford the $50 price tag on a ticket in London, I was ecstatic to finally see them. As they took the stage I took note of the six man band led by a flute! The energy built in the crowd as they began their second song "Kong," an obvious favorite. Quickly moving on, Bonobo introduced the vocalist, Andrea Tryanna, who's voice brought tears to my eyes. This blend of music that I would typically only expect to hear from a laptop producer was incredible in the context of a live performance with real vocals.
The set flowed seamlessly and the crowd really seemed to get loose, especially when the last song, "Kiara," hit it's first note. The short set flew by, but I loved it nonetheless. Those who were lucky enough to catch them on their last pass through Nola expressed a desire for more intimacy, but bands change; especially with the coming of popularity. For those who missed this show, get on the train soon because I sense very good things to come for these guys.

-Article by Aaron Saltzman -Photos by Josh Brasted

For more pictures from the show,

check out Joshua's Flickr.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brasted/