Jezebel Music Presents Via Audio, Man in Gray, Mancino, Hexa @ The Delancey - 29 September, 2006

The standard post-show operating procedure here at EAR FARM is to offer a write-up of each band with pictures and links to MP3s of each band. However, due to the current issues I'm having with my file host I'm going to have to do things a bit differently here. As a result, I also won't be posting an EAR FARM monthly mixtape for September but instead will be working towards a new hosting solution. Stay tuned, this is something I've been meaning to address for some time now. Changes are on the way.

So, first of all I'd like to thank Jezebel Music and D for putting together such a fantastic lineup and asking me to be a part of it (by way of DJing...more on that in a bit). Via Audio was on first and they brought a nice sized bunch of fans (so many that I didn't dare bother trying to leave the DJ booth to snap a picture) with them. "Excellent," I thought to myself, "these guys must sound pretty sweet." Uh, hello clueless - you've seen them before!!! Seriously, it's very very embarrassing to admit it but I didn't really connect the dots on this band for some reason. Apparently, when I'm DJing I sometimes zone out during the last band and think of what songs I'll be playing to close out the night, or I think of shoes and ships and sealing wax or something. Something other than the band that is playing (and yes, it happened again, sorry Hexa). Who knows what the deal is but I remember liking Via Audio the first time I saw them and I guess that's as far as it went. This time, luckily, they played first and I took it all in and loved it. I loved the country/rock sound, loved the personality of the band, and I was amazed by Jessica's voice. I really would like to see these guys sometime when I'm not "working".

I sensed something a bit askew with Man in Gray (above) during their performance. I can't say it was anything real, could've just been my screwy intuition playing tricks on me, because I didn't find their set to be bad, or lacking, by any stretch. Still, afterwards a conversation with one of the members of the band got me wondering if they might've thought it wasn't a great show. Does this mean I should start a psychic hotline blog?? Nah. They roared through their songs, had me rocking out/singing along (a bit too loudly), and made new fans out of a few of my friends who had never seen them before. Seemed like a successful show to me and I was made happy once again by hearing their songs performed live.

Mancino's sound is a study in duality (or perhaps triality). It's complex yet catchy, mellow yet rocking, full of harmony yet dissonant. This is music for you to sit down and nerd out over yet also music that'll make you want to dance. Notions such as these used to be what Mancino hinted at with their sound but they've recently recorded a bunch of songs for a debut LP. At the show this past Friday they played lots of these new songs to the enjoyment of the crowd and I'm here to let you guys know that what you heard live is but a teaser of what their debut album has in store for you. It's going to be a sonic adventure. More on Mancino in the near future.

Oh Hexa (above), I'm sorry. I listened and watched and enjoyed your songs but I...well, I already kind of told you. I mean, I guess I have this thing (sometimes) where I'm not exactly all "paying close attention" to the final band when I'm on DJ detail. This is something I clearly need to work on but this past Friday night I was too busy using my free drink tickets, talking to my friends in Man in Gray and Mancino, and taking requests, to fully take in your set and offer any kind of coherent response to what I saw. Hey, I'll say this much - I saw people dancing and enjoying themselves and I dug the two songs I was really paying attention to enough to say that I'd like to see Hexa again. It seemed like perfect throwback funtime music for a party. I like parties.

In case anyone is interested, below is a listing of the songs I played as DJ of the event:

"I Feel Free" - Cream
"I'm Coming True" - The Muggabears
"East West" - Herman's Hermits
"(Marie's the Name of) His Latest Flame" - Elvis Presley
"That's Entertainment" - The Jam
"88 Lines About 44 Women" - The Nails
"Benzi Box" - Dangerdoom w/ Cee-Lo
"Unreliable Narrator" - Strip Squad
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Saint Etienne
"Dance Hall Days" - Wang Chung
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"Sometimes a Pony Gets Depressed" - Silver Jews
"24 Hour Party People" - Happy Mondays
"Good, Not Great" - Mission of Burma
"Unfair" - Pavement
"Land Lovers" - The Auteurs
"Crystal Gypsy" - Sebadoh
"Kissability" - Sonic Youth
"Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey)" - The Feelies
"Natural's Not It In" - Gang Of Four
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"Youth Gone Wild" - Skid Row
"Baby C'mon" - Stephen Malkmus
"Did I Step On Your Trumpet" - Danielson
"The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" - Cyndi Lauper
"O'Malley, Former Underdog" - Deerhoof
"Requiem For O.M.M.2" - Of Montreal
"The Good Life" - Weezer
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"Remember Me" - British Sea Power (request)
"Wolf Like Me" - TV On The Radio (request)
"Mistadobalina" - Del Tha Funky Homosapien
"This or That" - Black Sheep
"Officer" - The Pharcyde
"Stand Together" - Beastie Boys
"Champs" - Wire
"Upon This Tidal Wave Of Young Blood" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
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"Electioneering" - Radiohead
"This Month, Day 10" - Cansei De Ser Sexy
"Hi How Are You" - Brakes (request)
"Sister" - Prince
"People Who Died" - Jim Carroll
"I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar" - Jonathan Richman
"Thomas Window Paine" - DraculaZombieUSA
"Let the Music Play" - Shannon