Well, Chippy B and I (and later, Paul) had a great Williamsburg Sunday yesterday despite tons of rain. We actually timed the day out perfectly and avoided being poured on. Once we saw the scary clouds rolling in right about the time they were ready to open the gates to McCarren Pool, we bolted a couple blocks over to the Brooklyn Record Riot at Warsaw. There we were able to get some great lunch for only $5…badass Polish grub (pierogies, kielbasa)…and also get our first couple beers in us…badass Polish beers (Zywiec, I forget how to pronounce it though). We watched the first 10 minutes of the European Championship football game (Spain v Germany) and browsed some records, although it was a bit of a tight squeeze to really do some good bin-diggin’.
I noticed that the weather had broken and that it was nice and sunny again, so we booked it back over to McCarren Pool, where the first opener was just getting started. They were J Roddy Walston and The Business and they totally rocked it, good-ol’ Southern boy classic rock style. Check ‘em out. After J Roddy and The Biz’s set, we hacky-sacked a bit…until it started drizzling again and more scary clouds rolled in. That’s when Chip and I booked it back over to Warsaw for more beer and more shelter.
After clearing up again, we ventured back out for a slice and then headed straight back to the Pool, where The Hold Steady were a few songs in. It was clear right away that The Hold Steady is its best as a live band. They were rockin’ it, guitars turned up, vocals loud and clear, and lots of fun being had on stage. I really liked seeing this band, and I’m now quite interested in checking out their sophomore album, Stay Positive, when it comes out in a couple weeks. Their fans were going nuts too, with arms constantly in the air and kids singing along to every word…and there are a lot of words in The Hold Steady’s songs. Check out awesome pics from the Pool on Brooklyn Vegan (picture courtesy of Kyle Dean Reinford)…
Paul met us in the middle of the Hold Steady show, and then we bowled a couple games and drank a couple pitchers over at The Gutter. I had a pretty damn good second game…tied Chip for first! After trying to hacky-sack under a street light at 10:00 pm and then watching a few minutes of a kickball game in McCarren Park, we called it a day…a great Brooklyn summer day, in my book! As a matter of fact, the whole weekend was a fantastic Brooklyn summer weekend. I don’t care how humid it gets…I love me some summer!
Did any of you’s guys go to McCarren or the Record Riot on Sunday? Buy any records?
June 30th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
And I just found these pics of J Roddy and the Business… http://www.flickr.com/photos/subcow/sets/72157605896251980/
And for bonus fun, be sure to read the Brooklyn Vegan comments from their show post… a true “who do I hate more, myself or those whose fashion sense does not match mine” session. Can’t we middle-upper white class midwest-raised, transplanted to NYC, white folk just get along.
July 1st, 2008 at 3:08 pm
And here’s more on next year’s Jelly NYC Pool Parties, since McCarren Pool will actually be becoming a pool again… http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/07/free_pool_parti.html
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Thanks for the awesome Brooklyn day recap. Man I miss that. My last weekend in Brooklyn was one I’ll never forget – hanging out with some friends on Court St during a festival watching the 10 plus members of Scott Kettner’s Nation Beat pounding drums and playing some great Brazillian Music (which normally isn’t my thing). Something I certainly won’t have the opportunity to see this weekend in the ‘burbs of Maryland.
Also, I just read some of the funny Brooklyn Vegan comments and unfortunately, that’s exactly why the sentiments in your “What Can I Say About Music” post (which was really great by the way) will never be shared by everyone. There’s just too many “cooler than everyone else” music snobs out there to join the fun that exists when your (or specifically my) iPod contains everyone from Boston to Prince to The Roots to Slayer, etc., as well as anything new that seems interesting. I love music. I hate music snobs.
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:28 pm
I love RobbyP!!! Thanks, man. I miss you guys being around to do that kind of stuff with. Thanks for reading the ‘What Can I Say’ post…I can’t believe someone did besides Franny!
Yeah, it’s weird to see all those hateful comments in these Brooklyn music blogs…hipster this, trust-fund that, Williamsburg is stupid, that band sucks. People really can be ugly.
Keep a rockin’, Robby. Tell the fam ‘hi’!
July 4th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
Newms, I read a little more about the Hold Steady and found out that their new LP Stay Positive is in fact their FOURTH album, not their second, like we thought. Holy pierogi!
What I liked best about seeing this band was that they honestly looked like they were having a blast up there and relished the opportunity to interact with fans while rockin’. I really can’t stress enough how important that is for me as a concertgoer–to feel like the band is not only present but is getting off on the fact that they’re living out the dream of many, many young dudes like myself who grew up listening to music and fantasizing about a rock n roll lifestyle. I’m reminded of this Modest Mouse show I saw almost two years ago. I love that band and it was my first time seeing them live, and couldn’t have been more excited (especially to see Johnny Marr play live, who had just joined the band). But they turned out one of the most anemic, too-cool-for-school performances I have ever seen, and it was a total disappointment. May the Hold Steady never get that famous, and continue to rock it hard.
Side note: the Shins were their opening band, and played with that same fervor, intensity and love, and frankly blew MM away in retrospect. And if a band who was once heralded as the “new Beach Boys,” a band that rocks about 25% as hard as Modest Mouse at their craziest, ended up blowing them away, that’s saying something.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Cheers, brutha-man! Good stuff.
July 13th, 2008 at 2:55 pm
[...] Steady’s New Album Streaming at Imeem Jump to Comments I just saw the Hold Steady at McCarren Park Pool a couple weeks ago, and they put on a really good show…although I’m pretty sure Paul [...]
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