As most of you know, CMJ rocked
Manhattan in September, making September a very
crowded month with CMJ, the IFP Conference and Fall
Fashion Week. What most of you don’t know
and I do, is that CMJ stands for College Music Journal.
Since college music is supposed to be the apex of
coolness and since I was looking for the coolest
of the cool to review for New York Cool (that was
a mouthful), I picked Four Volts at Pianos (part
of the Kanine record showcase).
For those unfamiliar with CMJ, it runs for four days every fall. All sorts of bands wreck havoc on music venues throughout the city, drawing all sorts of press from indie magazines such as Deli and Rollingstone. It is sponsored by SPIN, Tower Records and even Lincoln Center. CMJ is the place for a band to compete to be christened the “band to look out for” by some music journalist.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Danny Tiennan, BradCantour |
Greg Pymed |
I have seen Four Volts play a handful of shows is the past year, and have become close with a couple of the band members. I have been steadily listening to their debut album “Triple Your Work Force,” ever since I bought it at a show back in the early spring. It has since worn out my I-pod, in fact I had to get a new I-pod because I played it so much. Four Volts music is like your first coed party in a musty basement, so sweet yet so dangerous.
Recently, however, there has been a change in the Four Volts line-up - just a new drummer and bassist, no biggie. I will avoid mentioning that this band was almost sued by Jim Henson’s people, or that there is a virgin among them, or a budding GQ model, or that their latest record was produced by the great Martin Bisi. No, I just want to tell you what is truly important. They rocked and then almost fought! They hit the stage after a band or two and played a solid set. They got all their fans singing the “Oh, Oh, Oh’s” and of course there was the required playful banter back and forth with friends and family. Hey, they even broke down and played a love song. Then they were cut off by the shows organizers, which made them so mad that they almost got in a fight with the owners who had to calm the band down by giving them a bunch of free drink tickets.
Getting a crowd to boo a venue (and not you) makes for an impressive first stint at CMJ. But what makes this band kick-ass at a live stage show is their pure fire and energy. Four Volts is certainly loud; screams are utilized and the guitars wale. But they also harmonize and carry off melodies. They are like one of those really big colorful gumballs from the quarter gumball machine. You may crack your teeth trying, but once you get in, it’s all soft and chewy and it tastes and feels so good. |
