New article at PopMatters: “Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders: 6 May 2010 – New York”
June 15, 2010
in Ye Olde Writing Life
A live concert review I wrote last month is now available on PopMatters:
Hawkins imagined Red Light Fever as sounding like me having sex with my record collection, but delivered from start to finish with the same thrusts at the same speed with the same pressure, the music only humps the listener into numbness.
Photo credit (that sadly fell off the article): Lara Clifford. More of Lara’s photos can be found on her flickr gallery.
Tagged as:
Chris Chaney,
Dave Grohl,
Gannin Arnold,
Gramercy Theater,
James Maddock,
Lara Clifford,
live music,
Nate Wood,
PopMatters,
Taylor Hawkins,
Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders,
The Brought Low
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great article! I’m glad to see it in print.
Having seen the show and heard the CD, I agree with a lot of the points you make. There is certainly nothing wrong with the music, but there is just nothing particularly right about it either. After repeated listenings, it starts to sound like muzak for a very punk ass elevator.
Your analogy is perfect, particularly in my case. I only see a few live concerts a year, and I had a grand time at Taylor Hawkin’s show. When it occcurs that rarely, any humping is good humping.
HAHAHA. Nice point. I made it through the album 2 times, plus a pseudo-third in which I listened to each song’s first minute, then fast-forwarded. I couldn’t take the monotony. Your description of there being nothing wrong with the music but nothing particularly right about it either is quite apt.
And thanks, llady. The piece needed more editing as it itself humps on unnecessarily at a point (funny enough), which I’m not ashamed to admit on the internet. Its best state would have involved paring back a lot more, but alas, that’s what it is. Best I could do under the circumstances. It has a few good bits here and there.