The Damned at the Stone Pony

It’s hard for people like me, who were born a couple decades too late, to actually get to see a band that was around when punk music was at its prime. Some of these punk bands that are still around now consist of just one original member and put on horrible shows and makes me wonder why they still use the original band name. Then there are bands that may have had a few line up changes, but allow fans to go back in time and enjoy a taste of punk rock bliss. The Damned did just that when they played at the Stone Pony yesterday.

The bands that opened up for them were Electric Frankenstein and The BellRays.

Though EF seemed to pump up some people in the crowd, others just stood around. They’re one of those bands that feel the need to turn up their scratchy guitars up way too much, when really; they could use a cleaner crisp sound and some more melodies. There wasn’t even a need for the singer to have a guitar honestly. It’s not that they’re a horrible band, they just sound like a lot of other generic bands that I’ve seen.

The Bellrays on the other hand, really blew me away. If the MC5 had a woman with a huge afro singing, that’s what the Bellrays sound is. Wayne Kramer himself has shared the stage with them in the past. They got the crowd energized with singer, Lisa Kekaula’s shrieks and soulful voice. They were really tight!

The place wasn’t that packed, but once Pinch came out to his drums, more people edged their way up to the front. Captain Sensible (guitar) with his red beret, Monty Oxymoron (keyboards) wearing a skull patterned shirt, Stu West (bassist) wearing his striped shirt, and Dave Vanian (vocals) in a suit, white button down shirt, and a black cravat.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, How do!”

The Damned put on such a great show. From fixing the light fixtures themselves, to the traditional stage banter, to Captain and Monty drum soloing, to Dave dancing with one of EF’s daughters during, “Little Miss Disaster;” it was a very memorable night.

Their set list ranged from early Damned songs like “Love Song,” to their infamous cover of “Alone Again or” (they sang the trumpet solo), to songs like “Dr. Woofenstein,” from their newest album, So, Who’s Paranoid? It’s nice to see a band that doesn’t just play their new album with one or two old songs. Though I wouldn’t mind a few more off the new album, it’s pretty good!

The Damned definitely made sure they hit different songs from the different decades they’ve been around for. Captain Sensible talked about being able to jump from decade to decade with songs and joked about how bands like Green Day couldn’t do that.

My only complaint was that I couldn't hear Monty that well, but it could’ve been because I was on the opposite side right up front by where Captain was.

My face hurts today because I was smiling all night long. I hadn’t seen them since 2002. I love seeing this band live, it gets better and better. I hope they come back soon!

SET LIST

Love Song
Second Time Around
Anti-Pope
New Rose
Alone Again or
Under the Wheels
There will come a day
Disco Man
Dr. Woofenstein
Eloise
Perfect Sunday
Neat Neat Neat
Dark Asteroid

Encore
Curtain Call
Noise Noise Noise
Little Miss Disaster

Melody Lee
Smash it Up

Bellrays photo by Mosieur J.

Damned Photos by Tim Bugbee
(Check out his awesome photography here and here)

(photos are actually from the Boston show, but the band wore the same thing)

Alex Chilton and the Box Tops at the Hoboken Arts and Music Festival

This show was amazing! The Box Tops played for a little over an hour and had a lot of people shaking their hips even on a rainy day... With hearing rumors of Alex Chilton being strung out, I thought this show wasn't going to be too great, but he totally washed those rumors away. He sounded great!

They played favorites like "Neon Rainbow" and "The Letter", but they also played other songs like "I'm Your Puppet" and "Cry like a Baby."

I was by the speakers for these videos, so the sound is pretty bad on them. Also the show was under a tent, so the image isn't so great either... Sorry!

photos and videos by me: Stina Jimenez

Camera Obscura... My Maudlin Career

Camera Obscura is a band that hasn’t changed much since 1996 and for once, that’s a good thing. From their echoing guitar riffs to their whimsical string arrangements, they’ve managed to keep their chipper soda pop shop melodies bound tightly to singer Tracyanne Campbell’s lyrics, which are full of calamitous heartbreak. After all these years and with the release of their fourth album on 4AD, their ironic tunes have yet to get monotonous.

The music on this album was a little predictable, but still is very haunting. The jangly guitar of Kenny McKeeve and the consistency of Lee Thomson’s drums keep the energy up through out the album. Carey Lander adds her piano, organ, and backup vocals on most tracks, which gives the album a ‘60s vibe. Sadly, Gavin Dunbar’s bass gets lost within some tracks due to things like Nigel Baillie’s trumpet and extra percussion.

It’s obvious that most of Campbell’s songs are about heartache, but she comes up with clever ways to express this without being cliché. Her voice executes her wispy feelings of love in “My Maudlin Career,” when she sings how a past kiss on the forehead is now giving her a concussion. In the upbeat single “French Navy,” Campbell takes listeners on a journey from seeing someone in a dusty library to being with them on a silvery lake only within the first verse of the song, showing how quickly she falls in love.

The rest of the 10 tracks have an early Sunday morning feel to them, but it’s hard to see the individuality between certain songs. The tracks that have a country vibe to them, like the song “Swans,” allow Campbell to become more like a modern day Patsy Cline with the sliding guitar in the background.

While hopeless romantic fans probably play Camera Obscura alone in their bedrooms, they depend on Campbell never to find her true love so the band won’t lose their morose charm they are known for.

My Maudlin Career is an album that couldn’t have come out at a better time than now. While spring pushes up life from dirt, Camera Obscura does the same thing; they make simple pop music, put some life into it, and make rich catchy songs.