A lovefest, in a totally non-physical way. Pics by Georgia, more below.

​Evan Dando & Juliana Hatfield
Mercury Lounge
Thursday, September 30

Better Than: A perfect reunion show without drama.

It shouldn't come as much of a shock that last night's Juliana & Evan show at Mercury Lounge, the second in a two-night stint, was a bit more like therapy than a straight reunion. Anyone who has followed the career of these two '90s alterna-babes knows that their relationship has always been tumultuous and somewhat undefined, at least in the public eye. Rumors about their relationship have persisted for more than two decades; here, they at least tried to lay them to rest.

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Merzbow, looking deceptively non-threatening. All photos by Georgia Kral

​Merzbow
Issue Project Room
Thursday, September 23

Better Than: Not knowing what noise feels like.

Listening to extremely loud, abrasive noise music is an exhilarating experience because while you're in it, there's nothing you can do but give in, and endure--just ask the more than 50 people crowded into Issue Project Room last night for the first of a two-set night with Merzbow, Japan's preeminent sonic terrorist. When it's over, you're just a little bit stronger. (Though our eardrums may beg to disagree. The music was so loud even the most die-hard fans were sporting earplugs, which the venue was handing out like candy.)

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Emeralds' Mark McGuire, pushing buttons. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​Emeralds
Glasslands
Tuesday, October 22

Better than: Unaccompanied daydreaming

A certain kind of music begs for a collective experience, one in which everyone in the room vibes together in harmony. Other music is more private, best experienced at home or walking around alone, wearing headphones. And then there are acts like Emeralds, the three-piece experimental band from Ohio. Live, they ride the line between public and private so closely you forget where you are. This was the case last night when each member of the band played a solo set at Glasslands.

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Coasting crack a smile. All photos by Georgia Kral

​Fluffy Lumbers and Coasting
Dead Herring
Saturday, September 11

Better Than: Your usual house party.

Dead Herring is a first floor loft apartment located next to the Williamsburg bridge on-ramp. It's an odd experience--if not completely un-surprising one (this is Brooklyn)--to see a show there, because the bands play in front of a window looking out onto the street and the bridge. Every few minutes a J-train goes rushing by, inching up or down not far from where you stand.

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This is something that happened within city limits. All photos by Georgia Kral

​Todd P's 2010 Unamplified Acoustic BBQ
Raptor Point
Sunday, September 12

Better Than: Being dry.

When two shirtless men playing bongos tell you to clap, you clap--even when the sky is pouring rain, even when you're all the way out in Jamaica Bay, even when you're one of only 25 or so people at the show. Yes, Todd P's second annual unamplified, acoustic BBQ took place in the rain. We all know that Brooklyn's most prolific promoter likes a challenge (MtyMx, anyone?), so his decision yesterday to forge ahead--and say to hell with what was forecast to be a 30 percent chance of rain--was not hugely surprising. But the earth does what it wants: It rained a ton, pretty much all day long.

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Happy Birthday's Kyle Thomas battles The Matrix. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​Happy Birthday
Brooklyn Bowl
Tuesday, September 7

Better than: Actually bowling.

Ever seen a show at Brooklyn Bowl? Ever seen a free show at Brooklyn Bowl, when many people are there with no interest in seeing the band(s)? It's a bowling alley, but it's hard to say that bowling is the number one activity. The constant crashing of pins may make you believe it is, but don't let that distract you. There's also, inside the massive barn-like structure on Wythe in Williamsburg, the fried chicken mecca Blue Ribbon, scores of leather couches, The Matrix on more than four big screens, and absinthe cocktails. It's basically like a giant funhouse. And while Tuesday night's FADER Bowl featured the Brattleboro, VT trio Happy Birthday--who did their best to entertain with their weirdo-pop--the setting makes tuning in at 100% impossible.

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Cassie Ramone says hi. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​The Babies, Pygmy Shrews, and Unnatural Helpers
Shea Stadium
Monday, August 30

It's been a year since the Babies begged listeners to meet them in the city. In the time that's passed since, songwriters Cassie Ramone and Kevin Morby have toured extensively and released new material with their main bands, Vivian Girls and Woods. Last night, though, the Babies headlined a gig at Shea Stadium--one more step in the band's evolution from side project to full fledged New York presence. Indeed, just after the show Force Field PR, which handles both Woods and Vivian Girls, tweeted: "full length soon via Shrimper, fyi."

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Mountain Man at Rooftop Films. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​Mountain Man
Old American Can Factory
Friday, August 13

Friday night was chilly, cold even. But that didn't stop Mountain Man from projecting their spine-tingling folk songs in three-part harmony across the deep Old American Can Factory rooftop in Gowanus. Mountain Man was performing at a Rooftop Films screening, and mostly sang songs off their debut album, Made the Harbor. Hundreds of people were in attendance, and while some sat far away in the rows of chairs set up for film viewing, others heeded the band's call to come closer. Though the setting was hardly intimate, especially with the huge projection of the singers directly behind them, the three women told stories and jokes as though they were in a living room with their closest friends.

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Not the bathroom, though we obviously have a picture of that too. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​Bathrooms at DIY clubs are notoriously nasty--as they should be. The Market Hotel? There's rarely any toilet paper, the stall doors don't close, and the stench of urine is enough to make you forget you have to go at all. Silent Barn? Conditions are a bit better. Monster Island's bathrooms are actually OK. That's why the restroom experience last night at a new space in Williamsburg, Live at the Pyramids (also known as South 1st Studios and formerly known as Glasshouse), was so pleasantly jarring. There have only been a few shows so far, so cleanliness was a given. But tampons, candles and hand sanitizer? Above and beyond.

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Keepaway's Mike Burakoff. All photos by Georgia Kral.

​The Music Slut began posting five years ago, and to celebrate, the localish pop blog invited some of its favorite bands to play to a captive audience on the Marco Polo Cruise boat Half Moon. And we must admit: cruising down the East River, past Governor's Island and right up under the Statue of Liberty, was pretty lovely. The Music Slut doesn't cater to any particular niche sound, so the diverse line-up wasn't surprising: I Love Monsters, a pop-punk band from New York; Keepaway, the darlings of the post-MGMT, young Brooklyn scene; and Javelin, the dance and beat-box duo known for their eclectic sample recreations and intricate compositions. Thank god the show gods decided to take the humidity down a notch.

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