There’s a very limited number of acts that I can endure seeing more than a handful of times within any given period. The Lisps fall directly into this noble bunch. Since January of 2007, I’ve witnessed the Brooklyn-based band’s magnificent live show on nearly a dozen different occasions. I’ve watched them perform for a mere handful of zealous fans on a chilly winter’s evening at Pianos & I’ve also observed the 4-piece wowing a sold-out crowd at Joe’s Pub for their record release party (circa this past Saturday night). For 70 minutes, The Lisps validated their buzz-worthy stamp with exuberance & poise. Opening with the acoustic TMS favorite, ‘I’m Sorry’, and closing with their equally brilliant, ‘Sidewalk Girls’, The Lisps delivered their strongest and most cohesive gig to date. Expect ’08 to bring the zany band universal adoration from coast to coast, mountain to mountain & river to river.

Read my review of Country Doctor Museum here. Visit The Lisps at their MySpace page.

MP3: The Lisps – I’m Sorry

Last night I stayed up well past my bedtime for a midnight soiree with the one and only, Nellie McKay. The show marked her second visit to New York’s Joe’s Pub within the past two weeks and it was incontestably glorious (albeit surely too brief at sixty minutes, flat).

Over the course of the evening, Nellie bounced back and forth between her debut, Get Away From Me, & her sophomore LP, Pretty Little Head, while jugging a handful of random covers, in-progress tracks + a taste of her forthcoming record, Obligatory Villagers.

This review would be incomplete if I didn’t provide a link to StopColumbia.org. As the site explains: “Columbia University wants to bulldoze 18 acres of West Harlem, displacing families and eliminating businesses and jobs, to develop a hazardous biotech research center, luxury housing and retail, and other facilities, in a cluster of high-rise buildings that it would exclusively control. All of Harlem, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights are at risk.” Nellie not only had a ‘Stop Columbia’ banner behind her last night, but also encouraged all in attendance to learn more about the injustices carried on by the college. She then gave away a book (see top photo) by a former Columbia professor who recently quit following a dispute with the Columbia bureaucracy regarding these issues. Nellie performed + dedicated an abrasive version of ‘Columbia Is Bleeding’ to him.

Other highlights of the evening included a ‘techno-bluegrass’ version of ‘David’ (per request), as well as a tip-top rendition of ‘Bee Charmer’. For the latter, Nellie was joined by a fan with a superb and hilarious Cyndi Lauper-esque vocal delivery (for those out of the loop, Cyndi duets with Nellie on the recorded version of the tune). The opening (Music Slut fave), ‘Toto Dies’, also brought many smiles to the Nellie faithfuls in attendance.

Catch Nellie McKay at a city near you at one of these forthcoming North American gigs.

MP3: Nellie McKay – David (live @ Joe’s Pub, circa ’03)

Last night I stayed up well past my bedtime for a midnight soiree with the one and only, Nellie McKay. The show marked her second visit to New York’s Joe’s Pub within the past two weeks and it was incontestably glorious (albeit surely too brief at sixty minutes, flat).

Over the course of the evening, Nellie bounced back and forth between her debut, Get Away From Me, & her sophomore LP, Pretty Little Head, while jugging a handful of random covers, in-progress tracks + a taste of her forthcoming record, Obligatory Villagers.

This review would be incomplete if I didn’t provide a link to StopColumbia.org. As the site explains: “Columbia University wants to bulldoze 18 acres of West Harlem, displacing families and eliminating businesses and jobs, to develop a hazardous biotech research center, luxury housing and retail, and other facilities, in a cluster of high-rise buildings that it would exclusively control. All of Harlem, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights are at risk.” Nellie not only had a ‘Stop Columbia’ banner behind her last night, but also encouraged all in attendance to learn more about the injustices carried on by the college. She then gave away a book (see top photo) by a former Columbia professor who recently quit following a dispute with the Columbia bureaucracy regarding these issues. Nellie performed + dedicated an abrasive version of ‘Columbia Is Bleeding’ to him.

Other highlights of the evening included a ‘techno-bluegrass’ version of ‘David’ (per request), as well as a tip-top rendition of ‘Bee Charmer’. For the latter, Nellie was joined by a fan with a superb and hilarious Cyndi Lauper-esque vocal delivery (for those out of the loop, Cyndi duets with Nellie on the recorded version of the tune). The opening (Music Slut fave), ‘Toto Dies’, also brought many smiles to the Nellie faithfuls in attendance.

Catch Nellie McKay at a city near you at one of these forthcoming North American gigs.

MP3: Nellie McKay – David (live @ Joe’s Pub, circa ’03)

Last night I stayed up well past my bedtime for a midnight soiree with the one and only, Nellie McKay. The show marked her second visit to New York’s Joe’s Pub within the past two weeks and it was incontestably glorious (albeit surely too brief at sixty minutes, flat).

Over the course of the evening, Nellie bounced back and forth between her debut, Get Away From Me, & her sophomore LP, Pretty Little Head, while jugging a handful of random covers, in-progress tracks + a taste of her forthcoming record, Obligatory Villagers.

This review would be incomplete if I didn’t provide a link to StopColumbia.org. As the site explains: “Columbia University wants to bulldoze 18 acres of West Harlem, displacing families and eliminating businesses and jobs, to develop a hazardous biotech research center, luxury housing and retail, and other facilities, in a cluster of high-rise buildings that it would exclusively control. All of Harlem, Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, and Hamilton Heights are at risk.” Nellie not only had a ‘Stop Columbia’ banner behind her last night, but also encouraged all in attendance to learn more about the injustices carried on by the college. She then gave away a book (see top photo) by a former Columbia professor who recently quit following a dispute with the Columbia bureaucracy regarding these issues. Nellie performed + dedicated an abrasive version of ‘Columbia Is Bleeding’ to him.

Other highlights of the evening included a ‘techno-bluegrass’ version of ‘David’ (per request), as well as a tip-top rendition of ‘Bee Charmer’. For the latter, Nellie was joined by a fan with a superb and hilarious Cyndi Lauper-esque vocal delivery (for those out of the loop, Cyndi duets with Nellie on the recorded version of the tune). The opening (Music Slut fave), ‘Toto Dies’, also brought many smiles to the Nellie faithfuls in attendance.

Catch Nellie McKay at a city near you at one of these forthcoming North American gigs.

MP3: Nellie McKay – David (live @ Joe’s Pub, circa ’03)

TMS fave, Nellie McKay, will be sampling tunes from her upcoming LP, Obligatory Villagers (more info here), as well as sprinkling in some old favorites at Joe’s Pub on August 8th and 22nd, respectively (with possibly more shows to be announced).

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here!

Check out a live Nellie track below from her Joe’s Pub appearance nearly 4 years ago, supporting her debut, Get Away From Me. More MP3s from that show can be downloaded via this link.

MP3: Nellie McKay – Food (live)

TMS fave, Nellie McKay, will be sampling tunes from her upcoming LP, Obligatory Villagers (more info here), as well as sprinkling in some old favorites at Joe’s Pub on August 8th and 22nd, respectively (with possibly more shows to be announced).

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here!

Check out a live Nellie track below from her Joe’s Pub appearance nearly 4 years ago, supporting her debut, Get Away From Me. More MP3s from that show can be downloaded via this link.

MP3: Nellie McKay – Food (live)

TMS fave, Nellie McKay, will be sampling tunes from her upcoming LP, Obligatory Villagers (more info here), as well as sprinkling in some old favorites at Joe’s Pub on August 8th and 22nd, respectively (with possibly more shows to be announced).

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased here!

Check out a live Nellie track below from her Joe’s Pub appearance nearly 4 years ago, supporting her debut, Get Away From Me. More MP3s from that show can be downloaded via this link.

MP3: Nellie McKay – Food (live)

Despite illness, Kristoffer Ragnstam made a great effort earlier this month at Joe’s Pub in New York. I have been waiting quite a while to see the Swede in person, and though Joe’s Pub isn’t the ideal place to see a show, I still had to reign myself in from absolutely losing my shit on those sleep inducing velvet couches during ‘Breakfast by the Mattress.’ A big thanks to Kristoffer for braving a nasty sickness, he was in the hospital the night before, and making my night.

Kristoffer has a unique sound that bounces from pop, dance, to slower Elliott Smith type music. On stage, the Gothenburg born singer has the distinct swagger of fellow Swedish musicians The Hives, but with a laced bashfulness that perhaps reveals his beginnings as a solo drummer, crashing in the studio he worked at after long nights spent alone perfecting his music. April 4th’s set was short and sweet and bound with the promise of larger audiences.

MP3: ‘Breakfast by the Mattress’

Despite illness, Kristoffer Ragnstam made a great effort earlier this month at Joe’s Pub in New York. I have been waiting quite a while to see the Swede in person, and though Joe’s Pub isn’t the ideal place to see a show, I still had to reign myself in from absolutely losing my shit on those sleep inducing velvet couches during ‘Breakfast by the Mattress.’ A big thanks to Kristoffer for braving a nasty sickness, he was in the hospital the night before, and making my night.

Kristoffer has a unique sound that bounces from pop, dance, to slower Elliott Smith type music. On stage, the Gothenburg born singer has the distinct swagger of fellow Swedish musicians The Hives, but with a laced bashfulness that perhaps reveals his beginnings as a solo drummer, crashing in the studio he worked at after long nights spent alone perfecting his music. April 4th’s set was short and sweet and bound with the promise of larger audiences.

MP3: ‘Breakfast by the Mattress’

Despite illness, Kristoffer Ragnstam made a great effort earlier this month at Joe’s Pub in New York. I have been waiting quite a while to see the Swede in person, and though Joe’s Pub isn’t the ideal place to see a show, I still had to reign myself in from absolutely losing my shit on those sleep inducing velvet couches during ‘Breakfast by the Mattress.’ A big thanks to Kristoffer for braving a nasty sickness, he was in the hospital the night before, and making my night.

Kristoffer has a unique sound that bounces from pop, dance, to slower Elliott Smith type music. On stage, the Gothenburg born singer has the distinct swagger of fellow Swedish musicians The Hives, but with a laced bashfulness that perhaps reveals his beginnings as a solo drummer, crashing in the studio he worked at after long nights spent alone perfecting his music. April 4th’s set was short and sweet and bound with the promise of larger audiences.

MP3: ‘Breakfast by the Mattress’