The Mighty Handful — photo by Rebekah Bassen (see more from this event>>)

Friday I checked out the For Absolutely No Reason Festival at Silent Barn, hosted by SleepWhenDead, Bodies of Water, showISmonster, and InfiniteLimbs. Though, I was a bit disappointed that the band I originally planned on seeing, Dinowalrus, had dropped from the bill, the rest of the lineup still warranted the 2 block walk.

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When did it become November? After missing all the Halloween fun, I’m back in the borough. And what a great weekend to be back! So many interesting things happening…

Tonight, “The Rusted Ruse Carnivale comes to The Bushwick Starr via a roving caravan of exiled performers from lands and times far, far away. Armed with nothing but a trunk full of dusty costumes and well-used props, the performers create a freak show cabaret, complete with a movement-based repertoire of reality-defying circus acts and tricks, plus a touch of burlesque.” Do check it out. Presented by RedWall Dance Theatre, choreographed by Mary Ann Wall, and featuring The Sideshow Sisters, the “roving caravan” will be in town through Saturday night. Reservations are recommended: redwall.dance.theater@gmail.com.

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Thinking about Crystal Stilts, by Jason Gaspardi

Last weekend we moved to a new apartment, a few blocks north of our old place. Since we’re now in the very upper reaches of Bushwick, and right around the corner from Silent Barn, we figured there was no reason not to stop by and check out Woods and Vivian Girls on Friday night.

When we got there the Beets were playing. I don’t know why, but I really don’t like the Beets. It’s short, recycled pop-rock, and all that I can think when I see them is that they sound like sloppy Beach Boys. After my third encounter, I’ve affirmed that I’m definitely not into it. I think my roommate, Jason, best summed up the vibe of a Beets show when he asked, “what’s with all the shaking and lurching?" Good question.

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MTV disclaimer and Mae Shi at Market Hotel, by Rebekah Bassen

It was definitely a strange sort of night at the Market Hotel on Monday, and it was more than just the heat. First, there was a street team from UCB there to hit up guests of the Hotel. I stumbled upon them re-grouping in Mr. Kiwi’s, with their leader telling them to work their way down the street to Goodbye Blue Monday next. More ominously though, my girlfriend noticed a sign when we entered saying, in short, that MTV is filming and can use your likeness in all media that exists, or may exist in the future, and by being there you agree to be filmed, if you don’t agree, leave. MTV?! Ugh. I suddenly became curious as to why Japanther dropped from the bill and if the filming had anything to do with it.

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Titus Andronicus, by Rebekah Bassen. See more photos from The Yard party>>

On Saturday I spent my first Saturday in Brooklyn in nearly a month, not in Bushwick, but along the Gowanus Canal, at misleadingly named venue The Yard, for the mid-summer outdoor party put on by Todd P, Derek Impose, and Lio Kanine. "Blasphemy!" you say. Why write about something not in Bushwick? Well, Todd P shows are a pretty regular Bushwick fixture, be they at Market Hotel or Silent Barn, as are a number of the bands who played. And since, more importantly, good times know nothing of neighborhood boundaries, it was onto the G (for Gowanus!).

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The Beets at Goodbye Blue Monday, by kustomkitten

On Saturday I decided I had to see what was going on at the Jamaica Bay Experimental Marsh Restoration show put on by sleepwhendead, Entertainment4Every1, and showISmonster. After an early morning change of venue and a rain delay, the So So Glos arrived to start the party, toting with them some acoustic guitars, hand drums, and what looked like a toy keyboard. They played a few songs on the platform to a good amount of onlookers and the occasional train full of confused/semi-amused/completely indifferent passengers that rolled through. Near the end of their set everyone piled into the train. Reactions on board were mixed. One older lady seemed angered at the lack of train etiquette, what with people standing on the seats and blocking the doors and all. The woman’s friend was trying to convince her that it was all in good fun, but she wasn’t having it. Another older woman remained unfazed in the middle of the party, silently eating her sandwich.

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Alushus at Goodbye Blue Monday, photo by jason gaspardi/clarabellafaire photography

I decided to check out the show at Goodbye Blue Monday last Thursday, since I’d be heading out of town on Friday for the long weekend. I won’t waste time going describing the venue in detail as Jeremy has already written an excellent review, but I will say it’s a pretty damn cool place. We arrived in time to catch the end of the first band’s set. I did not, however, catch their name. Sorry, guys! I didn’t really see enough of this band, so this probably won’t be a very fair review, but it was a pretty self-indulgent brand of jazz. Soon after I arrived they started into some seriously free-form improvisation. Like disassembling the drums and rolling them around on the ground free. Now, this can prove to be cool, but mostly impossible to pull off without losing the audience. These guys took it a bit too seriously for it to work. Like I said though, not a fair review; I didn’t see enough of what they did beforehand to form a real impression.

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Woods’ headphone-microphone.

This week I decided to change pace a little and check out a relatively mellower Todd P offering at Silent Barn. I first discovered Woods a couple weeks ago, and was compelled enough by what I heard to make the walk up into the Queens side of town.

I’m a bit ashamed to say that I was prepared to write off opening band Fiasco because of their age. My mistake soon became clear, however. These kids throw down. When the stage banter returned between songs (with jokes that predictably included dick, balls, and ass) I was reminded of how young these guys are. But really, it only made me all the more impressed when they started to play again.

Woods, up second, played a beautiful style of experimental pop and folk. Full of haunting melodies, drenched in reverb, and overlain with white noise and wall-of-sound effects, the music takes on an ethereal quality; like hearing music from another room while drifting off to sleep. Much of Woods’ otherworldly sound is achieved through the use of effect pedals and tape loops, with one band member acting as a sound manipulator while contributing occasional vocal harmonies by singing into a pair of headphones that are modified to act as a microphone. Being a huge music nerd, it was fascinating to me to see how the band constructs their sound in a live setting.

The wonderfully named Abe Vigoda took the stage third. A four-piece from L.A., these guys play an off-kilter brand of shouty post-punk, full of bouncy rhythms and bright, happy melodies. While retaining the energy and tension of post-punk they seamlessly blend in calypso melodies and island rhythms to create something that is completely new and consistently unrecognizable as any of the many styles from which it draws. Akin to Brooklyn’s Pterodactyl and Baltimore’s Ponytail, these guys are creating a sound that pushes post-punk way beyond the genre’s traditional boundaries.

Vivian Girls, sporting a moniker appropriated from the works of outsider artist Henry Darger, closed out the night. I went into this performance with only the briefest of introductions to the band, so I was not quite sure what to expect. What I got was some fuzzy, driving psychedelic-punk, often with droning 3-part harmony vocals. I really dug these gals’ style. They are on tour for what seems like the majority of the summer, with a handful of dates alongside fellow Brooklynites Japanther, but I definitely want to check them out again when they return.

Behold…the Arctopus, by コーヒーぶっかけ男

[Pete heroically steps in for Anna this week. Expect more from him in the future. –J]

I decided to check out the Behold…the Arctopus show at Silent Barn Friday night with a few friends. As it was a pretty long bill, we had planned on showing up around the conclusion of the opening band’s set, hopefully just in time to catch Animal. Thinking we could achieve this goal if we arrived at around 9:30, we headed up to Ridgewood and grabbed a slice at Henry’s Pizza on Myrtle (ever notice how the most nondescript pizza joints have the most amazing slices? I don’t have the data to prove it, but I believe it is a direct correlation.)

We arrived more or less at the hour we had planned, but the first band, Maw, was still setting up. Turns out it was a good thing our fashionably-late entrance didn’t work out, however. If it had, we would have missed out on an impressive set of some tight instrumental thrash metal. It’s always great to discover a new band, and after the set I grabbed the band’s 6-song CD-R for only a couple dollars.

Animal, up next, played an intensely complex brand of high-speed free-rock in the vein of Tera Melos, Don Caballero, or Hella. Remarkably (especially once you hear their sound) they are a two-man outfit, consisting of only a guitarist and drummer. They spent a lot of time in what appeared to be free-form improvisation, which I largely enjoyed; though the constant noodling bordered on tiresome at times. Dead Child was a change of pace from the first two bands, playing a relatively straightforward style of riff-based heavy metal. A bit of a throwback. (Think Master of Reality-era Sabbath.)

Krallice was by far the act that impressed me the most. Made up of members of Behold… the Arctopus and Orthrelm, they hit the crowd with a constant stream of fast black metal /screamo, full of tense melodies and sparse on vocals. I’m dying to get ahold of these guys’ debut when it comes out in July. By the time Behold… hit the stage I was a bit worn out, so my mental notes are a bit lacking, but I will say these guys are clearly masters of their instruments. They play some insanely technical stuff with what appears to be such incredible ease. All in all, a great show.