Rewards & Warpaint at The Studio 12/1

Writer's Note: Sorry for the lack of photos but the lighting at Webster Hall isn't very good with my camera. Also, while I'm not fond of giving this type of review, I think it was necessary. I need to be honest. I think Rewards are rad but the show just wasn't up to par. Hopefully they're better at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight. All the best!

Last night I went to the Studio at Webster Hall to see Rewards open for Warpaint. Doors were at 8pm, but Rewards, a band featuring Aaron Pfenning of Chairlift, didn't perform until 9:30pm. Naturally, I was annoyed because it made more sense for them to start at 9pm, there was already a bunch of people there. No need to wait. But then again the band only played a 23 minute set. What annoyed me was the way the sound check was handled. Aaron wasn't even there to do a mic check. No one even bothered to check his stage left mic either, which would prove to be a bad  idea later. 

The band starts playing some nice music, then Aaron comes out and attempts to sing but you could barely hear anything. Obviously. There was no mic check. So I think the sound guy is trying to adjust levels during the performance. Aaron seemed unsure of what to do. It may have been nerves, the poor sound check or the fact that I was too close to the stage (sometimes you hear too much or don't hear enough when up close), but the sound did not do justice to the band. Throughout most of the set Aaron's wonderuflly breathy vocals could hardly be hard. This was a disappointment. From the songs I've heard, "Two Cardinals" and "I Used To," the vocals were almost mesmerizing, not in that breathtaking way, but in a way where coupled with the music you can be taken to a different place and get lost in the music. Rewards has a calming yet upbeat sound which by the end of the set turned out nicely, but then all of a sudden it was over. So when it got good, it was over, far too quickly. If Aaron is to garner any attention he needs to be more moving, practiced, and comfortable. Tonight the band fell short of evoking the aliveness their recorded music brings. Sadly, Rewards earned no prize tonight.

Here's some advice for new bands:

1. INTRODUCE: You want to introduce yourself before an audience member yells "Who are you." If you introduce yourself, fucking introduce your bandmates, too. Okay?

2. SOUNDCHECK: Sound check with all the members or at least have someone sound check for whoever is not there. There was 1.4 hours the band could've sound checked up waited until 10 minutes before the performance to. The guitar and drums were fine, but no Aaron's mic and guitar.

3. SPEAK: Talk about your band a little. Get people interested in your band. If your a new band this is extremely important. You need to show some personality. All I remember hearing was Aaron lowly saying "We are Rewards" and thanking Warpaint. That's all well and good but introduction your band, tell us there's merch, tell us a joke, tell if you have music out, where your from. Something. Otherwise the set will prove to be the big B.

Live Review: Warpaint @ The Whitney Museum of American Art

You might not imagine what Warpaint sound like by simply looking at them. Most bands that make you dance have a keyboardist. Not Warpaint. They're different. They use the traditional guitar, bass, and drums to effectively make your body move. They have more of a jammy-dance feel. But their music spills elements of post-punk, magical melody, dream pop, psychedelic, and rock. They play beautiful, delicate, and may I say pretty sexy music.

The drummer keeps a steady beat and the almost noodly guitar is magical. They remind me of Brooklyn instrumental band, Each Other's Mothers. It was hard to see the band being amongst hundreds of others. Though I was only a few feet behind the band I couldn't see over the crowd. There were several amazing views of the band though. The folks who were in the front, the folks who were outside looking at the band through the glass and those on the second floor looking down. Though the band was playing a museum the vibe felt just right. They performed on the floor, a rather intimate affair, and there really wasn't anything around them make you think it was a museum.

Many of the Warpaint's songs are ones you can get lost into. "Beetles" is the prime example. The seven minute jam showed off some great guitar and the band's ability to flawlessly shift to a lighter sound. The lyrics are sensual:

Let's get naked and rip down the wall that makes me crazy/ tell me how/ Someone hold my hand and give me lessons 'cos I wanna

It was nice to see an all female fronted group playing this type of music. Something different in the indie world where bands are either to loud or too soft. I think Warpaint is just right. They don't overdo it. The band closed with "Billie Holiday,"  half of a cover, many of the lines are taken from Smokey Robinson's 1964 song "My Guy," (a hit for Mary Wells, also performed by The Supremes). The song is a much slower version of the original. I was nearly in tears it was so beautiful. Couples could be seen holding each other and locking hands. It was easy to close your eyes and just fall in love with the song. What a way to close off a set.

See the video footage below for proof. 

Warpaint (from Los Angeles) announce June Tour Dates, 3 NY shows

L.A's Warpaint have announced some tour dates before and after their June 11 appearance at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The band will play three New York shows. The first is June 14 with Sherlock's Daughter at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, June 15 at Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, and June 16 at Mohawk Place in Buffalo with The Phenomenal Handclap Band.

Warpaint is an all-girl quartet from Los Angeles. They weave intricate guitar lines, hypnotic vocals, and driving post-punk rhythms into gorgeous, sprawling songs that skirt the line between the soundscapes of psychedelia and intimacy.

Onstage, Warpaint’s disarmingly authentic package can shake a room into a dance frenzy, while simultaneously holding it in a trance-like dreamworld. Playing to many captivated audiences, Warpaint has opened for Yeasayer, Black Heart Procession, and The Slits to name a few. Warpaint took on a hectic 2009 fall touring schedule including a series of shows opening for Brooklyn-based trio School of Seven Bells, followed by numerous performances at CMJ Music Marathon, a series of headlining shows, and an opening spot for Band of Horses.