Hoboken Update: Feelies & Speed the Plough Play Hoboken Sunday; Maxwell's Reopens (Sans Music)

Maxwell's, the day after it closed this summer.

We've been on an unintended hiatus for some time, but are picking up pretty much where we left off last time: with news of Hoboken club Maxwell's and the bands it gave rise to.

• As we're noted many times before, Maxwell's closed at the end of July. What we didn't know is that it would reopen a few weeks ago, but as a bar and restaurant only. It's got a new menu, but it seems that at least some of the long-time owners are still involved. Maxwell's is listed with real estate brokers, but we've heard that the owners have re-opened it to make some money until a new party can be found to lease the place.

• While Maxwell's no longer hosts live music, two of the bands who got their start there will be playing in Hoboken on Sunday. That's the day of the Fall version of the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival, and Haledon, NJ's The Feelies are headlining with a set at 4:30 p.m. Preceding them (and taking the stage at 3:15) are Speed the Plough, which features some members of The Feelies.

Other performers at the Festival include The Nerds, 17-year-old Jack Skuller, and regular Gene D. Plumber. Another notable artist appearing the the young singer-songwriter Brody, and if the name sounds familiar to area folks it's because he's the son of Don Brody, the much-loved Hoboken musician who died unexpectedly in 1997 (has it really been that long?).

The Festival runs from 11 a.m to 6 p.m. on Washington St. in Hoboken, and features many arts and craft stands as well as food vendors.

Don was half of the duo The Marys, and was in the band Cryin' Out Loud, but was known to many area musicians for his support and generosity in getting their music heard. (You can read a heartfelt essay about Don Brody here.) The essay says that Don Brody has a son, Perry, who was five when his
father died, so we're assuming that this now early-20s musician is him. For those who knew or remembered Don Brody, it'll be good to see his legacy carried on by a member of his family.

• And one final Maxwell's/Hoboken music note: when The Bongs played the final show at Maxwell's, they broke out some old tunes that were finally going to be issued soon on an album recorded in the 1980s but never released. That album, "Phantom Train,"will finally be released this coming week.

Listen to "My Wildest Dreams" from "Phantom Train" here:

Hoboken's Bar/None Records Pays Tribute to Maxwell's in its Final Week

If longtime fans of Maxwell's hadn't started feeling the impact of its impending closing yet, they certainly were after Tuesday night's gig, an all-star show by artists from Hoboken's own Bar/None Records.

Speed the Plough on stage at Maxwell's.

The label, which has been around since the mid-'80s, has put out recordings by a whole cast of musicians from Hoboken or associated with the town, and the club: The Feelies, the dB's, The Individuals, Freedy Johnston, Alex Chilton, Juliana Hatfield, Health and Happiness Show, They Might Be Giants, Speed the Plough, Kate Jacobs, and Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey, among many others. (See links to more articles about Maxwell's and its closing at the end of this post.)

The first band to take the stage was Speed the Plough, a band that grew out of the Trypes, which in turn was a spin-off of The Feelies. They played a solid set of a half-dozen or so songs, and were succeeded by acts that played anywhere from one song (Kate Jacobs) to 20 minutes or so (James Mastro's Health & Happiness Show).

Health & Happiness Show, with Glenn Mercer (left) adding vocals.

Guitarist and songwriter Chris Stamey, a member of Maxwell's staple the dB's, played a satisfying set backed by Gene Holder on bass and Anton Fier on drums. Freedy Johnston, who also has played Maxwell's many times, played one song early in the show, but fortunately appeared later to play his own set, finishing with his classic "The Lucky One."

Chris Stamey, with Anton Fier on drums.

With this gig occupying the middle spot between two other shows at Maxwell's (... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead on Tuesday, and The Muffs on Thursday, we left the show at 12:30 a.m., after Johnston's set. We heard that the show didn't wrap up till nearly 2 a.m. Like early days of the Hoboken music scene, the show was sprawling, chaotic, and full of great music.

Freedy Johnston.

More about Maxwell's from around the Web:
"Val Emmich, one of Maxwell's' most successful post-millennial alumni, returns for one more show," NJ.com
"Farewell Maxwell's: Remembering the Legendary New Jersey Venue," talk with co-owner Todd Abramson, Fuse.tv

"Remembering Maxwell's, New Jersey's Legendary Rock Club," videos, The New Yorker

"The Hoboken Sound: An Oral History of Maxwell's," New York Magazine

"Reliving Maxwell's glory days," Abramson notes the most memorable shows, New York Post

"Hoboken Moms Replace Maxwell’s Rock Fans in Housing Boom," Bloomberg

Concert Catch-Up: 4 Knots, Canada Day Concert, Ian Hunter at Maxwell's

Having fallen off the blog-posting wagon, we herewith present a round-up post of some recent concerts we've been to (two of them free, no less).

4 Knots Music Festival, South St. Seaport

Parquet Courts at the 4 Knots Festival.

The third edition of the successor to the Coney Island Siren Festival once again featured two stages with bands of varying styles. Most of the ones we saw at Saturday's festival were firmly in the indie pop/rock vein: The Men, Parquet Courts, The Babies, and White Lung (the latter having a punk feel to them). And then there was Marnie Stern, a New York singer/guitarist whose chops on the axe are impressive, but whose singing style resembles screaming too often for our tastes.

Sadly, we missed the two top-billed acts at 4 Knots, Reigning Sound and Kurt Vile and the Violators, because we had to head uptown for the next show..

Canada Day Concert, Central Park SummerStage

The Joel Plaskett Emergency at SummerStage.

The variety of styles at the three-act Canada Day concert was even more evident. The concert started with a performance by a First Nations group (native Canadians) group, followed by the roots-Celtic band Spirit of the West, pop-rockers The Joel Plaskett Emergency, and electronic pop star Lights.

Plaskett really got the crowd going with tunes such as "True Patriot Love" and "Nowhere with You," and then the teen girls moved to the front of the stage for the very popular Lights. Although she started out writing and performing her songs by herself on electronic keyboards, for her current live shows she performs with a full band, including a drummer and two additional keyboard/laptop artists (who also play guitar and bass).

It was a good night of music, and even the non-Canadians in the house had to be touched when all the show's musicians came out on stage to sing the national anthem, "O Canada," along with show host George Stromboulopolous.

Ian Hunter and the Rant Band, Maxwell's

Ian Hunter on stage at Maxwell's Tuesday night.

The final month of shows at Maxwell's is upon us, and the much-loved club is going out with a band with a schedule packed full of great gigs. Ian Hunter, who last year played the much-larger Highline Ballroom to launch his latest album, brought his six-piece band to the small stage in Hoboken for a sold-out out.

Hunter played songs old and new, from Mott the Hoople to his earlier solo works to a couple of tunes from last year's album "When I'm President." As with the Highline show, Hunter showed he can still rock, and his Rant Band is full of skilled veteran players (including former Hobokenite and Bongos member James Mastro).

The show was opened by the duo of Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric, two performers who have played Maxwell's many times over the years, together and individually. It felt nostalgic to see them on the stage for the last time, one of many such moments to come over the next few weeks.

One big moment (or rather, set of them) will be when The Feelies play their final year of 4th of July weekend shows at Maxwell's. The Haledon, NJ band formed just a couple of years before Maxwell's open, and it has played the club many times (as have its various spin-off groups).

Early Show Tonight at Maxwell's: The Return of NJ's Speed the Plough & The Trypes

Amid the flood of shows going on tonight in Manhattan and Brooklyn for the final night of CMJ, there's a good show over at Maxwell's that's received little notice: the reappearance of NJ favorites Speed the Plough and The Trypes. (Note: it's an early show, starting at 6:30 p.m., and tickets are still available at the door as of the writing of this post.)


"Lucky You" by Speed the Plough, from 2011's "Shine."

Fans of the much-loved Haledon, NJ indie rockers The Feelies will recall that during that band's hiatus members went on to play in other groups in the 1980s and beyond, most notably Speed the Plough and The Trypes. STP released several albums in the '80s and '90s before taking a break themselves of more than a decade. They reformed in 2009 with several original members and some new members. (In a development that will remind of all of how old we are, some of those new musicians are the offspring of the original band members.)

Besides working on a compilation, Speed the Plough is also recording new tunes.

Unlike Speed the Plough, The Trypes don't have of a recorded history, to say the least: in fact, they left just one EP behind. Fortunately, earlier this year Acute Records released "Music For Neighbors," which features that EP along with practice sessions and live sets from venues like Maxwell's and the long-defunct Haledon bar, the Peanut Gallery. Pitchfork gives "Music For Neighbors" a 7.5 rating.

The Trypes will be playing an acoustic show at Maxwell's.

If you're a fan of either of these bands or of The Feelies, you'll want to catch this early show at Maxwell's tonight. Lianne Smith is also on the bill, and tickets are only $10.

Tonight: The Feelies, Real Estate, & Times New Viking Play Celebrate Brooklyn

The Feelies perform "Too Far Gone."

The Garden State takes center stage at tonight's Celebrate Brooklyn show as the longtime indie band The Feelies headlines a free gig in Prospect Park. The band, which originated in the Passaic County town of Haledon, will be preceded on the bill by Real Estate (from Ridgewood, NJ) and the lo-fi sounds of Columbus, Ohio's Times New Viking.

The Feelies formed in the late '70s and their quirky sound was credited with influencing R.E.M. and other bands. The Village Voice was said to have named them "The Best Underground Band in New York" before their debut album, "Crazy Rhythms," even came out. (And that album was named by Rolling Stone as one of its "Top 50 Albums of the 1980s.) The band became dormant in the early '90s after releasing several albums, but has sporadically recorded and played out since then.

In recent years The Feelies have established a tradition of playing a run of a few shows at Maxwell's in Hoboken, the club they frequently played in their heyday. (See an article of one of this year's Feelies shows by rock critic Ann Powers. She also links to a review of the reissues of their first two albums, which explains The Feelies' sound.) The New York Daily News also has an article on The Feelies and tonight's Celebrate Brooklyn show.

The Feelies now have a new album, "Here Before," on Hoboken's Bar/None Records.

If you can brave today's sweltering weather and get out to Prospect Park, this will be a great show to see.

Details: The Feelies, Real Estate, and Times New Viking at Celebrate Brooklyn
7 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.), Prospect Park bandshell, 9th Street & Prospect Park West (See directions here)
Free, but $3 donation requested.

Free Summer 2011 Concerts: Celebrate Brooklyn

The free summer concert season is almost here, and I'll be posting info on the schedules for them as they become available. Celebrate Brooklyn recently posted its full schedule for the summer of 2011 on its website (it was previously only in a PDF of a press release). As usual, there's a strong and varied slate of musicians (I've posted some highlights below), as well as a few money-raising paid shows. (Most of the benefit shows have already sold out, although there are still tickets available for Sufjan Stevens on Aug. 2nd and for Cut Copy with Foster the People and Midnight Magic on Aug. 11th.)

The sad news is that Brooklyn is losing two fun, free events. The one-day Village Voice Siren Festival on Coney Island is no more; the Voice has announced that in its place is it starting up a similar all-day event called 4Knots, to be held in the South Street Seaport area.

Also in Coney Island, the Seaside Summer Concerts series is no more. It had been the focus of noise complaints by a nearby synagogue, and apparently it lost its right to use the park it had used. Brooklyn borough president Marty Markowitz has vowed to relocate the series elsewhere in the borough, though I'm not sure that will mean any free shows for this summer.

But to keep things focused on the positive, here's a listing of some of the rock/pop highlights from the 2011 Celebrate Brooklyn schedule. Some of the ones I'm most interested in seeing are the Freedom Rides Project with Rosanne Cash and others; Court Yard Hounds (Marty Maguire and Emily Robison, two of the Dixie Chicks); the Latin bill of Los Lobos, Hello Seahorse!, and Zigmat; the show featuring New Jersey bands The Feelies and Real Estate as well as Times New Viking; and Ra Ra Riot.

• Fri., June 10 - Andrew Bird (Opening Night Gala)
  
• Thurs., June 16 - Hal Willner’s Freedom Rides Project featuring Rosanne Cash, Toshi Reagon, Steven Bernstein & many more
  
• Fri., June 17 - The Books, Junip, and Doveman
  
• Sat., June 25 - The Heavy, The London Souls, and Superhuman Happiness
  
• Thurs., June 30 - Justin Townes Earle, the Punch Brothers, and the Hackensaw Boys
  
• Thurs., July 7 - Court Yard Hounds and the Abrams Brothers
  
• Fri., July 8 - Los Lobos, Hello Seahorse!, and Zigmat
  
• Sat., July 23 - The Feelies, Real Estate, and Times New Viking
  
• Sat., July 30 - Dr. John & the Lower 911, Chuck Brown, Red Baraat
  
• Fri., Aug. 5 - Ra Ra Riot, Delicate Steve, and Buke and Gass
  

Later on I'll have information for other free summer concerts in NYC including SummerStage, the downtown River to River Festival, and others.

Great Live Music in Hoboken: Lemonheads Tonight; Ian Hunter & the Baseball Project Sunday; Thermals & Alejandro Ecovedo Next Week; More

Ian Hunter and band playing "Cleveland Rocks" in London, 2004.

There's been a lot of good live music in Hoboken recently, and there's more to come. Here's a look at what's coming up, including some shows in the next few months (which I'm listing because they're in the small confines of Maxwell's, and may sell out well in advance of the show date). Note: there are many other shows at Maxwell's besides the ones I've listed here, which are shows that may be particularly popular because they are rare small-club gigs for some of the artists.

Tonight, April 28 - The Lemonheads/The Canon Logic - Maxwell's, 8:30 p.m., $20

Sun., May 1 - Hoboken Arts & Music Festival: Ian Hunter & the Rant Band (former leader of Mott the Hoople) - 4:30 p.m.; The Baseball Project (featuring Peter Buck & Scott McCaughey of R.E.M., Steve Wynn of The Dream Syndicate, and Linda Pitmon of The Pretty Babies) - 3 p.m.; The Pretty Babies (Blondie cover band) - 2 p.m.; Bern & the Brights - 1 p.m.

Sun., May 1 - The Thermals/special guests - Maxwell's, 9 p.m., $15

Fri., May 6 - Alejandro Escovedo and The Sensitive Boys/Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social - Maxwell's, 9 p.m., $22 adv./$24 day of show

Fri., June 3 - She Wants Revenge - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $22

Fri., June 10 - NRBQ - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $15 adv./$20

Fri., June 17 - James McMurtry - Maxwell's, 7:30 p.m., $15

Fri., July 1 and Sat., July 2 - The Feelies - Maxwell's, $24.99

Sun., July 24 and Mon., July 25 - Fountains Of Wayne - Maxwell's, $24.99

Crazy Rhythms: The Feelies Return to Maxwell's

The Feelies were one of the bands that helped cement the reputation of Hoboken's Maxwell's as a rock mecca in the early '80s. Their first album, "Crazy Rhythms," was named #49 in Rolling Stone's "Top 50 Albums of the 1980s," and it received acclaim from other critics as well. Someone hearing The Feelies today would remark that they sound a lot like early R.E.M., but R.E.M. has reported said that it was influenced by The Feelies, which makes sense since they were around earlier.

In any case, the band that originally arose from Haledon, New Jersey (that's HALE-dunn) is back and performed two shows at their old home away from home, Maxwell's. These two shows were billed on the band's Web site as a "warm-up" for their spotlight as the opening act for Sonic Youth in the big Fourth of July free concert in lower Manhattan, they were in fine form in the show that I saw, Tuesday night's gig at Maxwell's.

The Feelies made several more albums after "Crazy Rhythms" and then broke up for good in the early 1990s, though various members were reunited in a range of other bands, including Speed the Plough and The Trypes. (You can find more about Feelies history and spin-offs at their MySpace page.)

Last night's show revealed that they still had the chops and intensity that made them so acclaimed back in the day. And playing two 45-minute sets, they clearly have the stamina.

They played plenty of old favorites from their albums, of course, along with a few cover tunes and, surprising to me, a couple of songs that bassist Brenda Sauter referred to as new tunes. Is there a new Feelies album in the works, I wonder?