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June 20, 2008
A Planner's Guide to After the Jump! (Or, Let Me Tell You How to Spend Your Saturday)
So after weeks of planning in smoky back rooms, tomorrow is finally the day that the second annual After the Jump Fest offers its free wares to the music loving citizens of Brooklyn. With 36 bands spread out over four stages within a two block radius, it's confusing even for someone who did a bit of the booking. With such a carnival of over-stimulation to tend to, my individual schedule for the day is likely of my own control. But, for the baffled I can provide some guidance. The best course of action is to peruse the full schedule at the festival Web site yourselves and then make some informed decisions. But for the time-impaired, I offer my would-be plotted course of action were I a simple music fan wandering on to North 6th street. As it stands, I'm a simple music fan with tons of shit to do. Live free, children, and I will live vicariously through you...
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Noon: (Galapagos)
Bell
The day's events kick off around noon, with the winner of our sponsor Sterofame's band search, L.A.'s Evil BBC, taking the stage on No. 6th street to reap their reward. As Monday's profile foreshadowed, though, my heart belongs to Bell. Sure, you'll be shaded inside Galapagos instead of basking in the mid-day sun, but there'll be swoon-inducing swell of music to provide some heat in your chest, anyway. Also, and I'm not promising anything, but she did sort of hint that she unveil a Bell Biv Devoe at any moment. This could be that moment, friends.
Bell - "Brown Bear"
Bell - "It's Oh So Quiet"
12:30: (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Captain Ahab & the Sea Crackens
Once Bell has rung their last, you can soak up a half-block's worth of sun on your way into the Music Hall to catch Staten Island surf rock mateys, Captain Ahab & the Sea Crackens. I'd be lying if I claimed that I was intimately familiar with the band, but I think sailor's caps and Dick Dale riffs can only help shake off whatever trouble you got yourself into the night before. Salt air in your lungs, sea legs granted, um, energetic rock music played. All of it. Check.
Captain Ahab & the Sea Crackens - "Runnin' Late"
1:00: (Galapagos)
the Bloodsugars
Once, you've gotten your fill of the shore, you're perfectly welcome to go see if big brother Joaquin has come out to check his little sister Summer's band the Papercranes on the outdoor stage. Despite the draw of powerful Hollywood genes, I say saunter back over to Galapagos to catch the sharp songcraft of Brooklyn's own synthy popsters the Bloodsugars. It's decisions like this that have left me a man close to thirty, at home writing about underground rock music on the internet, and not attending some gala premiere right now, but I'm just gonna own it. Indie-pop over celebrity sightings, 4 eva!
the Bloodsugars - "Purpose Was Again"
1:40: (Metromix No. 6th Street Stage)
Lissy Trullie & the Fibs
And now a nod back to the gods of glamor, to excuse my previous apostasy. Lissy Trullie is already a bit of a fashion star but with songs as infectious as "Self-Taught Learner" lying low for an impending debut, her fame is likely to cross a few mediums. To dissuade any skepticism Lissy's pin-up status might breed in your cynical heart, here's her greatest hit to date soundtracking a promo vid for a recent gig. Theeere's partial nudity...
Lissy Trullie - "Self-Taught Learner"
2:45: (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
the Austerity Program
OK, at this point, I know what you're thinking. "I appreciate the pretty girls, I'm secure enough in my own self-image to fully enjoy the pop parade, but man, I came here to be rocked! Why won't you rock me?!" Fair enough, back to the Music Hall, metalheads! The Austerity Program awaits. The Astoria band's 07 album Black Madonna forced Pitchfork pull out the old "skull-crushing" adjective, so you don't want to miss that. Your skull had been waiting to be crushed all day, right?
the Austerity Program - "Song 17A"
3:30: (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band
As your skull has now been crushed, my suggestion is that you park it right there for a second and take in Copenhagen import, Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band. Always in search of personal balance, I just like to follow my metal with goofily-suited Scandinavians rocking out at sharp angles. Here, on the television programming of their native land, you can gauge whether or not that's a prescription that might work for you as well. The Antlers should be warming up outdoors, if you'd prefer the more soothing option of ambient shoegazing...
Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band - "Favorite"
(live on Danish TV)
Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band - "Ten Cities Beyond"
4:15: (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Chairlift
The stay-in-one-venue party continues as art-pop trio Chairlift next take the stage. Accessible and interesting both, the band has been steadily accumulating high profile gigs and plaudits in reputable publications, also the NME.
Chairlift - "Planet Health"
Things are really accelerating now, there's the option to go soak in some tribal drone menace with Cursillistas over at Galapagos, or wrapping your head around the piano prog overkill of Bryan Scary and the Shredding Tears, but I think you want to soak in the Chairlift set, and then book it over to Glpgs to catch the evil ends of...
4:45 (Galapagos)
Monotract
Now, I know that these mighty lady-fronted Thurston Moore cohorts (whose songs actually have a bit more Lee Renaldo to them) can absolutely shape their experimental leanings into sharp compositions, but live there's always the possibility that they'll just say the hell with that and try to make sounds that no one's ever thought of before, pretty or not. Monotract is a bit of a live wire, sparking erratically the middle of the Festival day.
5:00 (Galapagos)
Extra Life
5 o'clock brings a grave decision for art-rock aficonados. Do we give greater trust the affiliated project of TV on the Radio or the Dirty Projectors. If it was a straight up brawl between those two bands, I'd give the nod to TVOTR, but that's not the contest, and I'd have to counsel you towards ignoring your instinct to hop towards the Music Hall for Power Douglas and just staying put for Extra Life. The complex dynamic shifts ex-Dirty Projector Charlie Looker brings to his band prompted Stereogum to publicly keep an eye on them, and confusing or no, you have to admit that the below clip's got a compelling edge to it...
Extra Life, live @ Silent Barn, Queens
5:30 (Galapagos)
Fiasco
Poking your head into Galapagos' second room will let you witness the charming teen rambunctiousness of Fiasco. These underage hellions have played shows with some of the underground's elite, most recently opening for High Places and No Age at the famed Bowery Ballroom. Their affection for the high water mark of the good old fashioned ragged indie rock of my own teen years is endearing enough to push the fact that one of the members is Steve Buscemi's baby boy towards the bottom of any explanatory paragraph.
Fiasco - "True Story (the Aquarium)"
6:00 (Music Hall of Williamsburg)
Ponytail
If you follow a single direction I give you in this entire post, it's this one. For fuck's sake, be at the Music Hall for Ponytail! Their rep as one of the finest, most energetic live bands in Baltimore and beyond has been repeated so many times that it's become documented fact rather than subjective judgment. Hermetically tight shredding from the boys, ridiculously unhinged female vocals from pint-sized Mollie. A sight to behold, at the very least...
Ponytail - "7 Souls"
Ponytail - "Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From an Angel)"
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HEALTH - "Heaven"
Once the sun sets, your options decrease, it's true, but it's not like you'd want to be anywhere other than the Music Hall of Williamsburg come 8:30, anyway. The line-up is sick, the ticket is cheap, and proceeds goto help city school music programs. I think it's an airtight case...
HEALTH - "Crimewave"
Titus Andronicus - "Arms Against Atrophy"
Project Jenny, Project Jan - "320"
Pattern is Movement - "Right Away"
Santogold - "LES Artistes" (XXXChange remix)
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And hey, let us know you are coming! RSVP here ny@metromix.com for your chance to win a free Ipod Shuffle courtesy of Metromix.com.
After the Jump would like to thank its sponsors for helping make this year's festival possible:
Metromix.com
Stereofame.com
Snoozer Loser
Gen Art Pulse
Brooklyn Brewery
Vitamin Water
Snoozer Loser
Uncensored Interview
Blog Fresh Radio
CMJ Music Marathon
The Musebox
Rize
After The Jump is Organized By:
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Posted by Jeff Klingman at June 20, 2008 11:30 AM
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