2008 Woodie Awards
Modest Mouse rocks out at... Radio City??
Dominic Delgardo
Issue date: 11/17/04 Section: Arts & Entertainment
"We'd like to welcome you to New York's premier punk rock venue....wait a tic," said the lead singer of the opening act band The Buff Medley's. As this underground, seemingly unheard of British punk-rock band kicked off their set, the house lights lowered making it somewhat more difficult to see the garland and enormous Christmas decorations around the stage.
Somewhat of a cross between such throwbacks as the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, and newer bands with the likes of The White Stripes, they started off with a cover of The Kinks. They blended a rough 1977 Brit punk feel with something more like today's neo-Brit invasion. Now do not get me wrong, just because their inspiration was from such great artists does not mean they are comparable.
The Medley's were definitely a fun band to watch. The three-man band came out on stage dressed as confederate soldiers, wielding a nice big bottle of whiskey. And rather than grabbing a swig of water between songs, they opted for the whiskey. At one point they even gave a shot to someone in the audience. Throughout the show the lead singer also kept the crowd laughing with his sarcastically humble quips. Looking up at the enormous theater he said, "Everyone give Radio City a round of applause for landing a band like this, huh."
Their set was surprisingly enjoyable for a band that I did not hear much of prior to the show. The only downfall was that they were constantly out of tune on the guitars, and spent several minutes trying to readjust them. But that was definitely made up for in their closing song, a cover of Hendrix's Fire, switching one of the famous lines back to "move over Jimi, and let rover take over." After the song was over, they gave a bow, took the last shot of whiskey from their bottle, and then a final curtsey and headed off the stage.
After about 45 minutes of waiting in between sets, Modest Mouse took the stage and the usually reserved atmosphere that is Radio City went wild. The band, formed across the pond in the U.K., is comprised of many different members. For most of their tracks, the usual five members were on the stage, led by singer Isaac Brock. It was by far one of the most talented bands I have seen. While singing, Brock also played guitar, banjo, bass, and keyboard. The band always has two drummers on stage with their own unique set, which is how MM gets their amazing percussions on all of their albums.
Somewhat of a cross between such throwbacks as the Sex Pistols and the Ramones, and newer bands with the likes of The White Stripes, they started off with a cover of The Kinks. They blended a rough 1977 Brit punk feel with something more like today's neo-Brit invasion. Now do not get me wrong, just because their inspiration was from such great artists does not mean they are comparable.
The Medley's were definitely a fun band to watch. The three-man band came out on stage dressed as confederate soldiers, wielding a nice big bottle of whiskey. And rather than grabbing a swig of water between songs, they opted for the whiskey. At one point they even gave a shot to someone in the audience. Throughout the show the lead singer also kept the crowd laughing with his sarcastically humble quips. Looking up at the enormous theater he said, "Everyone give Radio City a round of applause for landing a band like this, huh."
Their set was surprisingly enjoyable for a band that I did not hear much of prior to the show. The only downfall was that they were constantly out of tune on the guitars, and spent several minutes trying to readjust them. But that was definitely made up for in their closing song, a cover of Hendrix's Fire, switching one of the famous lines back to "move over Jimi, and let rover take over." After the song was over, they gave a bow, took the last shot of whiskey from their bottle, and then a final curtsey and headed off the stage.
After about 45 minutes of waiting in between sets, Modest Mouse took the stage and the usually reserved atmosphere that is Radio City went wild. The band, formed across the pond in the U.K., is comprised of many different members. For most of their tracks, the usual five members were on the stage, led by singer Isaac Brock. It was by far one of the most talented bands I have seen. While singing, Brock also played guitar, banjo, bass, and keyboard. The band always has two drummers on stage with their own unique set, which is how MM gets their amazing percussions on all of their albums.