Garbage Returns to NYC with Terminal 5 Show

It took more than a decade and a half, but I finally saw Garbage live on Friday night at Terminal 5. Not my favorite venue, but Shirley Manson and the band put on a great show that included plenty of tunes from their catalog of albums spanning 17 years.


Garbage performing "Only Happy When It Rains" at Terminal 5. This and following video via Hellspawn3000.

The band kicked things off with "Push It" and rocked hard during most of the show, which ran close to two hours. (See set list below.) Things slowed down a bit only for a couple of more mellow tunes, such as "The Trick is to Keep Breathing" and "Cup of Coffee" (which Manson called the most depressing song in the Garbage catalog).

Manson looks great, and mentioned several times how glad they were to be back in New York, playing at the beginning of the last leg of their North American tour to support their latest album, last year's "Not Your Kind of People." (They opened this stint at Montclair's Wellmont Theatre on Wednesday night.)

No doubt she and the other band members appreciated that, in a world where there's a hot new band becoming the next "it" thing practically every week, Garbage was able to get fans out to see them on tour despite the band being on hiatus for seven years—an eternity in the modern pop music landscape.

There were a couple of false starts on songs, which Manson blamed on technical problems, but other than that Garbage performed like a well-oiled machine. Manson didn't hit the higher notes like she does on their records, which may be a result of age and vocal wear and tear, or maybe she never hit those notes live anyway. Nevertheless, it didn't detract from what was a fine show.



As with the Wellmont show, Garbage was joined onstage by Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females for a cover of "Because the Night," which the two bands recorded as a single for next month's Record Store Day. Paternoster's voice was a good contrast, but not an unwelcome one, to Manson's, and Manson let Paternoster bask in the limelight by performing several blazing guitar solos, even walking to the back of the stage while Marissa played her licks.

The show ended with guitarist Duke Erickson performing a solo rendition of "Thank You Honey Bun," an old-timey sounding tune that I'm not familiar with (and which was definitely a contrast with Garbage's set).

The stage for opening act IO Echo featured Japanese shoji screens and a paper fan in front of the bass drum, but the sound was more goth than Asian. The band's Facebook page uses the term "Pastel Doom," which seems to fit.

Singer Ioanna Gika spun around the stage in kimono for most of the set, and though I didn't hear any Asian influence in the music, the aforementioned Facebook page describes their music as "Made with both organic and synthesized instruments from the far east. Japanese koto harps, one passed down to me from my grandmother + Chinese Violins + Pastel Romance."

I didn't hear any harps or violins but I liked their sound. After playing a number of shows at the recent SXSW, IO Echo seems to have a gained lot of new fans. Although their first full-length album doesn't come out for a couple of weeks (their set Friday night was only 25 minutes), their EP sold out at Terminal 5.

Setlist: Garbage at Terminal 5, March 22nd (via Setlist.fm)
Push It
Queer
Automatic Systematic Habit
Hammering in My Head
Blood for Poppies
Special
Why Do You Love Me
#1 Crush
I Think I'm Paranoid
The One
The Trick Is to Keep Breathing
Cherry Lips
Cup of Coffee
Stupid Girl
Only Happy When It Rains
Vow
Beloved Freak
   
Encore:
Because the Night (cover of Bruce Springsteen/Patti Smith tune), with Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females
When I Grow Up
You Look So Fine
Thank You Honey Bun (Duke Erikson solo performance)

It's Record Store Day 2011! - Events, Special Releases, More - Sat., April 16th

Today the third Saturday in April, and that means one thing to music geeks: Record Store Day, the time for you to head out to your local independent music store (if you're lucky enough to still have one). As usual, there will be plenty of special vinyl releases as well as live events at many of the 700 or so indie music stores in the U.S. and hundreds of others worldwide.

At the Record Store Day website you can get the location of your local store(s), see what special RSD releases are available, and more. Some of the releases are available only on Record Store Day, others will be at additional stores in the future, and some will be sold only in certain stores or regions. (Note: The Beastie Boys had a single out to benefit the Red Cross Japan Relief Fund, but that now sold out before Noon.)

Besides the usual vinyl-gasm, Record Store Day will include live performances, giveaways, and more. (Find the full list of Record Store Day releases here.) And the RSD website has a number of contests in which you can win a variety of goodies. And as I mentioned last month the Foo Fighters will be driving around to different indie music stores in the white limousine used in their video, "White Limo."

If you're in the NYC area, check out Brooklyn Vegan's guide to Record Store Day events. Here are notes on a few releases and specials for your RSD enjoyment, as well as some random notes:
* Regina Spektor will perform at NYC's Other Music (but you had to be one of the first 100 people to buy her vinyl single there to get access, Brooklyn Vegan says). If you didn't make it, there will be a screening of Spektor's "Live in London" film at Lincoln Center tonight, along with "Sound It Out," a documentary about a record store in the northern English town of Teesside
* Lez Zeppelin, the all-female Led Zep cover band, appears at J&R Music World at 3 p.m. for an in-store performance and signing. J&R will also have a number of special releases including Nirvana's "Hormoaning" 12" EP, Pearl Jam's "Immortality" 7", and R.E.M.'s "First Three Singles From Collapse Into View"
* Utne Reader looks at some of the interesting collections, compilations, and collaborations among today's RSD releases, and offers free streams of the tracks from Sub Pop's collection, "Terminal Sales Vol. 4: Please to Enjoy"
* Bern and the Brights will perform an acoustic set at 4 p.m. at Tunes in Hoboken
* Joan Jett will have a clear-vinyl version of "I Love Rock N' Roll," to celebrate the album's 30th anniversary. See where to find it here
* Billboard looks at Record Store Day and how it has grown in its three years (2011 is the fourth year), and mentions some of the notable musicians who'll be out performing today

And, you can listen to Radiohead's exclusive Record Store Day 2011 songs here.

You can find the latest Record Store Day updates on Twitter at @recordstoreday.

It's looking like rainy weather here in the NYC area, but that won't deter me from visiting my local indie music store for Record Store Day 2011. Get out there and support your local independent music retailer (while it's still there)!

Foo Fighters Takeover on Fuse TV Today; Listen to "Wasting Light" Free Online

Fuse TV having a Foo Fighters takeover all day today, with an all-Foo schedule that features the new singles "While Limo" and "Rope" from their brand-new album "Wasting Light," which came out on Tuesday (the channel says it will premiere 11 new Foo Fighters videos, one at the top of every hour). You can see the band in an interview with Mark Hoppus (11 p.m. Eastern), watch their debut concert at Madison Square Garden, see a history of the band, and watch plenty of Foo Fighters videos. Find out more and see the schedule at www.fuse.tv/foofighters. (In the NYC area, you can find Fuse at these channels: Time Warner 132, Cablevision 56, Comcast 148.) Speaking of "Wasting Light," you can listen to the whole album free online at Spinner.com. It may only be up for a few more days, so head over there now if you want to make sure you catch it. As I mentioned last month, the Foo Fighters will be celebrating Record Store Day (tomorrow) by driving around to different indie music stores in the white limousine used in their video, "White Limo." (I'll post more info on Record Store Day later today or tomorrow; in the meantime you can go to their website at the link and find out your local independent music store, along with what special events or vinyl releases they'll be carrying.)

Record Store Day 2010 - Events, Special Releases, More - Sat., April 17th

Record Store Day 2010 is Saturday, April 17th, and stores throughout North America (and the world) are holding special events, including live bands, DJ sets, one-day-only sales, and more. (See the complete list of stores participating in Record Store Day.)

Some artists really get into the event; a Flavorpill article on this year's festivities notes that Excene Cervenka, frontwoman of X, is going on a tour of free events in California in honor of Record Store Day.

One of the big draws of Record Store Day is the many exclusive releases that artists put out, including previously unreleased versions, live tracks, limited-edition packaging, and special vinyl editions. You can find a list of Record Store Day 2010 releases here.

What's happening in New York for the occasion? Other Music in Greenwich Village, named one of the 17 best record stores in the country, will be celebrating with giveaways, special Record Store Day releases, and live music and DJ performances at night. The store will have special hours of 11 a.m to 8 p.m. Saturday. (Listing of Other Music Record Store Day events.)

J&R Music World, the sprawling city of music, electronics, and computer shops in lower Manhattan, will be having a busy day of events for Record Store Day, including musical performances and signings, giveaways, and more. See their Web site for a list of J&R's Record Store Day events.

Another NYC shop participating in Record Store Day is midtown's Rock & Soul, which sells recorded music but whose main business is DJ and recording equipment. They say they'll be releasing hundreds of rare and discontinued records, and have DJs playing on Saturday.

Happy Record Store Day! Go out and show your local shop some love... and business.