[Night Out] HONNE @ Bowery Ballroom (3/11/2016)

photo credit: Liz Morrison 

Oh hello there, HONNE fam! Nice to see you again. When last we met these huggable fellows they were keeping us warm on a cold cold night at the Mercury Lounge. Last night, however, Sprout and I witnessed them keep us sweaty on a semi chilly night in a sold out room that is more than double the size: my most favorite of spaces, the Bowery Ballroom. You can tell that they've been touring a good bit since November because they were a lot more at ease than previously witnessed. I guess once you conquer that first show crossing the pond it's hard to feel unstoppable.  

Amidst the collective booty shaking I was able to be reminded of how INCREDIBLY AWKWARD it is to accidentally make eye contact with a complete stranger while singing lyrics such as, "we could be getting frisky girl til 3 o'clock in the morning." I've joked previously about their music making me pregnant, but there's nothing like remembering what you're singing along to while making eye contact with a stranger and subsequently trying to visibly chuckle and glance away as quickly as possible. 

Near the end of their set the duo debuted their next single, "Someone Who Loves You", which they dedicated to [presumably] a fan named Ricardo who has apparently been having a rough go at it. The single, which prominently featured their fierce backup singer, is expected to be available for the rest of the world to hear in the coming weeks. 

I had a nice #rockmom moment during their final number, "All In The Value", when James went to perform his *ahem* HONNE-SOLO (sorry) which prompted an eruption of excited lady screams as he wailed on his guitar. Definitely not the same band I saw less than 6 months ago, that's for sure. 

Check out the photos Sprout snapped from last night below. The band has a handful of sold out shows left in North America, so hopefully you'll be at one of them. 

Get acquainted with the fellas if you haven't already courtesy of their latest EP. 

[Night Out] Jamie Woon @ Bowery Ballroom (02/05/2016)

It's been a long time coming, but last night New York City got the sWOONfest that they've been waiting for. Fresh off the heels of his sophomore release Making Time, which dropped back in November of last year, Jamie Woon was finally able to make it stateside and grace the Bowery Ballroom with his presence a few weeks back. Of all the crowds I've experienced recently, the fam who showed up for Jamie Woon were by far my favorite. Everyone was so wonderful to each other and so beside themselves to finally see him live. Adorable doesn't begin to describe how fun it was to watch. 

It was a memorable night for one and all for sure: in addition to singing us all into a sexy stupor, I'm fairly certain we witnessed Woon's first time having a fan throw their bra on stage. I was standing right next to this fan when completely unprovoked I saw her fumble around inside her shirt before tossing her bra in his direction. 

Please look at his face seconds into realizing what happened. I still can't believe I got this shot:

The most entertaining part about this whole ordeal is that the second he walked off stage before returning for the encore was that she was struggling to try and GET HER BRA BACK. Apparently it was a very nice bra. lol 

Ladies: if you want to toss your bra on stage, more power to you. I personally don't get what that does for you, but if you want an entertainer to know you think they're sexy or whatever. Cool. That said, COMMIT TO YOUR EXPRESSION. If you think you might try to pull this... maybe go get a less expensive bra so you're not anxious once you've flung it? I can't even believe I'm saying this right now, lmao. 

Anyway, after I convinced this fan to wait until the performance was done in case she knocked over his microphone in the process, she disclosed to me that she was a little embarrassed because she got caught up in the moment of it. Apparently this girl had flown in from Mexico City just for this show because he only had THREE North American tour dates. Props to you even with your minor lapse in judgement, girl. #RESPECT

If you have not heard Making Time yet shame on you. I'm still sorting out a copy of this on vinyl. Damn do I hate how expensive imports are. 

For those of you not in the US, Woon is making the rounds in the UK and Europe at the moment, so you best get on that. 

[Night Out] Miami Horror @ Bowery Ballroom (1/22/2016)

FIRST BOWERY BALLROOM SHOW OF 2016!!!! 

Thanks to weather dot com Sprout and I knew that the stupid blizzard was going to start taking a dump on the city during the show, so sadly first Bowery show was bffl-less. :( 

BUT! THE! PARTY! DID! NOT! STOP! Australia's Miami Horror could not have been a better band to catch last night before hibernating and riding out this shitstorm of a blizzard.

If it were possible to harness all of the energy inside of Bowery Ballroom last night I am fairly certain that we'd be dealing with flash flooding because all of the snow in New York would melt instantly. That's not even bringing the audience into the equation, who were equal parts dancing their asses off and trying to keep an eye on singer/guitarist Josh Moriarty, who couldn't hold still to save his life. He and fellow vocalist/keyboardist Aaron Shanahan made sure that all who were going to be enduring slushy snow covered streets left the show in such a happy hypnotic state that they'd barely be able to notice the unfortunate inclement weather. If Moriarty was climbing up on the upper balcony, then Shanahan was squatted down in the middle of the crowd literally commanding everyone to get down. 

As I sit here typing away I think of the girls in front of me that asked before the band came on if it'd started snowing yet because they wanted to go out after the show. I should've had my camera ready to record their reaction when I recommended going home to records, wine, and fuzzy socks. It was the most beautifully disgusted pair of faces I've ever seen. I don't blame them though. It was hard not want to keep the dance party going. 

Also, completely off topic: of COURSE Miami Horror are Australian. This explains my obsession with their latest album, All Possible Futures. Have you heard this 1 hour and 2 minute collection of non-stop party vibes? BEST GET ON IT! 

CATCH THESE GUYS ON TOUR ASAP. SERIOUSLY. DON'T BE STUPID. GO. GO. GO. Coachella is your last chance if you live in the US. 

You're welcome in advance. 

[Night Out] Sean McVerry @ CHCM Boutique (1/20/2016)

WINTER BREAK IS OVER. IT'S TIME TO GET BACK TO ROCKIN'! 

LET'S TALK ABOUT MY FIRST BABY BAND OF THE YEAR! 

I had the pleasure of attending an intimate preview of the debut EP from Sean McVerry, a one-man band of sorts hailing from Connecticut on Wednesday night. Squeezing into NoHo boutique CHCM, we did the stereotypically hip NYC thing - sipping our PBRs and chatting while the EP played in the background. When it came time for McVerry to perform cuts from Hourglass Switchboard I, the first of his three-part EP series, things got very real. 

I had spun the record a few times prior to arriving to the show. Based on my initial impression of the record, I assumed that by looking at his setup when I arrived that we wouldn't get the full experience. 

Boy was I wrong. We actually got more than that. As he was nearing the end of his set, there was a loud crackling noise and then the music stopped. The poor kid had gotten lost in the moment and stomped on the HDMI cable keeping everything together to the point that it was beyond repair. That's when the magic happened. Unfazed, McVerry stepped from behind his setup and climbed on a display that people were sitting on and proceeded to perform the last song acapella, stomping away throughout to keep time. As impressive as his instrumental abilities are, his voice dominated the room, shutting up every last attendee (which up until this point he was unable to do because New Yorkers are the worst at this as you know from our Son Little outing). 

If you need additional proof of his vocal talents, please see this Play Too Much performance of his single, "Kerosene". 

Yeah. See? Told you. 

Have to say, very anxious to hear the other 2 EPs that he's got up his sleeves. Something tells me I might have opinions about which songs belonged on which EPs, but regardless I suppose you could say Sean McVerry has made an amazing first impression on me in a MCVERRY BIG WAY. 

(#sorrynotsorry couldn't resist!) 

While he's not officially #SKOAfam yet (we've still gotta do an interview when he comes back to Mercury Lounge in March!), this rock mom is DYING for you to hear how talented this guy is. 

Have a listen to Hourglass Switchboard I in the player below. 

You can also catch him on tour if you don't live by me! 

[Night Out] Kate Boy @ Baby's All Right (11/14/2015)

One Friday night 2 years ago during CMJ I took a chance on a band with an interesting press photo and would forget how exhausted I was the day after because what I had experienced had completely blown me away. Last Saturday at Baby's All Right I was fortunate enough to relive an updated version of that night with Stockholm synth-[now] duo Kate Boy. I'm not sure what it is with NYC promoters and Kate Boy that they have the band go on at ungodly hours. I'm guessing it's to make damn sure that everyone present is there get their #posiparty on? Anyway, this 2nd time around had an additional hurdle that we all had to get past which can only be described as the guy who was next to me ever so eloquently put it: it was hot as BALLS in Baby's that night. I'm talking, like, the first 2 minutes of me snapping pictures I couldn't figure out why everything was coming out looking like garbage until I realized that the lens had fogged up from the rapid change in temperature. It was hottttt.

The equation of sold out show + apparent possibly malfunctioning air conditioner normally = showgoers to rage quit a performance early. Not this crowd.

Since the fateful day that the band upped the first song that they ever wrote together, "Northern Lights," and the internet fell in love with their uniquely vibrant and energetic sound, fans have been hankering for more music, which the band attempted to churn out as quickly as they were able to. With their debut full-length, One, only being out in the universe for a week when we all congregated at Baby's, you could tell that the high of hearing songs like, "Human Engine" or "Lion For Real" for the first time hadn't worn off. If anything, it had people practically vibrating with excitement to see them (myself included). I should also add that as I hinted at earlier, recently the band went from a trio to a duo, so the anticipation to see what the change in lineup would be like added another layer of suspense for the evening.

I'm actually starting to think that the heat source was actually Kate Boy. If you thought they were fire when they were a three-piece, they are a force to be reckoned with as a two-piece. Kate and Marcus clearly took on the extra duties that came when the group went from 3 to 2 head on. The energy they threw into their set was addictive. It was almost as if the warmer the room got the harder everyone would dance. Everyone did the best they could to lose as many layers in an effort to not dance until they quite literally dropped. That said, the second the room realized that the band was over everyone poured out onto the street to cool off. If you looked hard enough you could even see steam rising off a handful of people.

If you have not listened to One yet I worry about your ability to make good decisions. You can also be cool like me and grab it on vinyl.

[Night Out] BOOTS @ Rough Trade (11/13/2015)

Since the day that Rocko slid "I Run Roulette" in front of me a back in February I had been practically drooling all over myself to experience BOOTS in the flesh. I was basically been counting down the days until the album release party at Rough Trade last Friday. The week that Aquaria dropped it was like going down the side of a mountain on a bike, especially when I got an advance of the album and got to taste what would be washing over me Friday night.

Then, for about a minute that day before we made it to Rough Trade, I briefly considered not going. It was about an hour before I got out of work when Twitter lit up with what was happening in Paris, specifically what transpired at The Bataclan. The hesitation mostly stemmed from trying to decide if it was disrespectful to rock out while there were people suffering on the other side of the ocean. It's hard to know how to proceed in situations like these without feeling like you've either moved on too quickly or conversely letting it take up so much of your head space that the people who did the awful things essentially accomplished what they set out to do. With that in mind, I focused my attention on dedicating my night of dancing to the ones who should have had the freedom to do the same in Paris.

And danced we did.

BOOTS brainchild Jordan Asher and I were clearly on the same page. Prior to performing, he had us collectively send love out to Paris with our fists raised in unison before instructing us to raise our middle fingers to the people in the world that thought they could take our community away from us.

Also, just so we're clear, all my preemptive drooling was not done in vain. Seconds after paying our respects, Asher and his accompanying band launched into a powerful set that immediately annihilated any potential jitters about being at a show in a major city that night and reinforced in all of us the power that we realize in ourselves and each other when we go to shows. The ability to exchange glances with a complete stranger and nod knowing that both of your minds are collectively being blown by what is happening a few feet in front of you. The chance to make friends with fellow showgoers before/after a set because you can infer that you've surrounded yourself with fairly like-minded individuals. These are things that I took for granted until that night when I had to stare fear in the face and quote White Stripes lyrics at it ("there's no home for you here") because it is when people gather together in the name of a single cause that change happens.

I sincerely hope none of you have hesitated for a second about stepping foot inside a venue since last Friday. If my schedule were more open right now I'd be defiantly going to 2 shows a night right now. Music is one of the most powerful forces on the planet because it has the power to bring people from a multitude of backgrounds together and get along, even if it's just for an hour.

On a lighter note, Sprout and I have bragging rights because we were able to snag these at the show:

A photo posted by [stephanie] kibbe (@heylookitskibbe) on Nov 15, 2015 at 6:03pm PST

Yep. I got 2/100 and Sprout got 22/100. It must be said that once you listen to this record on vinyl it will be incredibly hard for you to listen to stream/downloads of it the same way again. Wow. For those of you who weren't able to make it to either release shows (he also did one in LA) you will be able to pick up a vinyl copy on December 4th when the full vinyl run will be available. For now, familiarize yourself with the wonders of Aquaria:

[Night Out] Son Little @ Baby's All Right (11/09/2015)

Sprout and I had been waiting for this show for quite awhile. Every time the homey Aaron Livingston aka Son Little had come to town the last few times something always came up and we couldn't make it out. That night we were pumped because it had been close to 2 years since last Aaron had made us weak in the knees. Anyone with a brain who has been following him for awhile knows what I'm talking about. From his Icebird project with RJD2 to his recent self-titled full-length that dropped last month, he's just got this voice that can either break your heart or glue it back together within a matter of minutes.

I'm still trying to figure out where the majority of the audience thought they were during his set. Did they think they were they at a networking event? Their favorite brunch spot? The weirdest looking coffee shop on the planet? Either way, they talked.....and talked....and talked....AND TALKED basically throughout the entire set. About what? I have no idea because I was too busy doing my best to focus on experiencing songs from the new album that I hadn't heard live yet but kept getting distracted.

At one point I'll admit I lost my cool and in between songs and sort of yelled to myself hoping people around me would hear, "WOULD YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP PLEASE?" which garnered some shade thrown my way, Apparently the people up in the front were insanely rude as well by Sprout's account of the night, too. In addition to the incessant chattering they made it a point to block her from getting any shots where they were standing directly in front of Aaron taking selfies and the like.

To make matters worse, I found out a few days later that Sprout and I weren't the only ones who felt this way about the show, which makes me all the more frustrated:

I used to think people just always talk through shows but that's just not true

— Son Little (@SonLittleMusic) November 15, 2015

Every show I've played in France you could hear a pin drop in the crowd

— Son Little (@SonLittleMusic) November 15, 2015

Audiences in the Midwest

— Son Little (@SonLittleMusic) November 15, 2015

Crowds in the south are hyped but respectful and attentive

— Son Little (@SonLittleMusic) November 15, 2015

I love NY, love Philly, etc but shows here are frustrating because I feel like I'm competing with the conversations in the room

— Son Little (@SonLittleMusic) November 15, 2015

Folks, just because bands are on a stage 2 feet higher than you doesn't mean that they can't see and hear every single thing that you're doing. Please be respectful of the time, energy, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and sacrifices that talented individuals have made to try to earn a living off of their craft. I want to believe your parents raised you better than that, but if not, this is your final warning from this Rock Mom.

if you haven't heard Son Little's debut full-length, please spend the next 52 minutes of your life to solve that problem.

[Night Out] Big Data @ Warsaw (11/08/2015)

It's yah boy Big Data looking bawse as hell at Warsaw (11/08/2015)

So, um, a lot can happen in 7ish months.

Wow. 

I knew that touring pretty much incessantly was going to be good for broadband bud and mastermind behind Big Data, Alan Wilkis, but I did not realize just how fast he would accelerate once it was all set in motion. Inertia is a crazy thing, man. It only took somewhere around 45 seconds of their opening number before I grabbed Sprout's shoulder and disrupted her snapping to exchange delightfully astonished glances and mouth, "OH MY GOD!" to each other. 

When last we met our hero, Wilkis was still feeling out how big to go as a performer, which I know has to be tough considering his backstory hasn't really ever been performance based. What I witnessed on Sunday night was what happens when someone takes the time to actually cut and polish a diamond in the rough. That mofugger **SPARKLED**. It wasn't just his stage presence, which has been updated (nerdy pun intended). *Someone* has also obviously been taking singing lessons because dare I say I didn't miss Jamie Lidell's vocals on "Clean" this time nearly as much as I did back in March. 

Highlight of the night for me was what transpired behind me at what was happening in front of me that inspired me to tweet this: 

Love hearing people in the crowd at Warsaw yell at each other "Aren't they SO GOOD!?" re: @BigDataBigData 😊

— kibBAE (@kibbe) November 9, 2015

Considering his current momentum I just keep wondering to myself if he's ever going to slow down. My guess (and hope if I'm honest) is that he won't. 

You're right, Alan. I didn't know that you were dangerous. 

Catch Big Data on tour with RAC and see what I saw. You can peep dates over on Facebook. 

If you haven't listened to Big Data's debut album, 2.0 you better bump it via the Spotify player below before I shake the stupid outta yah. 

For proof of Big Data's newfound badassery, you can relive our night courtesy of Sprout's snaps below: