Here’s a common predicament: you’ve exhausted the number of times you can listen to “Africa” by Toto on your Hall and Oates Pandora station. Or maybe that’s just me.
Whatever the case, you’re in dire need of a musical metamorphosis. This may come as a shock, but in Brooklyn a new band plays about as often as you want to punch the G train. But who can keep track of them all? That’s why we put together this broke-ass-friendly fall band swap—to introduce you to some of the noteworthy new and not-so-new acts playing around Brooklyn (and one in Manhattan) this fall, by likening them to big names you already know and probably can’t afford.
Lo-Fi Synthy Post-Punk Band Swap
The Name Brand: Echo and the Bunnymen at Hammerstein Ballroom, November 22, $46.50
The Budget Band: Silk Flowers with Former Ghosts at Monkey Town (58 N. 3rd St.), October 13, $12
Problem: You’re fiendin’ for some 24 Hour Party People-esque, gloomy synth-rock but don’t exactly have 50 bones to shell out to see Echo and his 50-year-old bunny-bros. Solution: Silk Flowers brings both the gloom and the synth doom and you’ll still be able to afford some Schlitz to assuage your authentic hipster heartaches.
Self-Aware Ironic Hip-Hop Swap
The Name Brand: Snoop Dogg at Nokia Theatre Times Square, October 29, $49.99
The Budget Band: Das Racist at Public Assembly (70 N. 6th St.), October 23, $5
Okay, so Snoop Dogg probably isn’t the most self-aware, ironic rapper but Das Racist have that shtick on lockdown. The BK duo’s break-out jam “Pizza Hut Taco Bell” has been all over the blogosphere, so check it out if you haven’t already. And while you’re at it, listen to “One Dollar Can,” an ode to Arizona Iced Tea. Now that’s Brokelyn savvy.
Fan-Folking-Tastic Band Swap
The Name Brand: Monsters of Folk at United Palace Theatre, November 6, $40.50
The Budget Band: Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson at Knitting Factory Brooklyn (361 Metropolitan Ave.), October 22, price tba
Instead of having to suffer both Conor Oberst’s voice and a huge dent in your wallet, head on over to Billyburg and hit up Dude with the Longest Name ’09. Mr. Robinson’s sound has been compared to both Bob Dylan and David Bowie and there’s a hint of Bon Iver in some of that warbling as well.
Alt-Country Songstress Band Swap
The Name Brand: Neko Case at the Wellmont Theatre, November 15, $32
The Budget Band: Laura Cantrell at 92YTribeca (200 Hudson St., Manhattan), November 14, $15
Ms. Cantrell has a pretty enviable resume: Influential UK DJ John Peel described her 2000 LP “Not the Tremblin’ Kind” as one of his favorite albums of the last ten years and possibly his life, so take that into consideration when you’re bitching and moaning about the trek to Manhattan. Plus, she covers New Order’s classic “Love Vigilantes.”
Metalocalypse Band Swap
The Name Brand: Metallica at Madison Square Garden, November 15, $54
The Budget Band: Krallice at Union Pool (484 Union Ave. #A), November 13, price tba
Um, so black metal comes from Norway and not Africa and that’s where my knowledge of the genre begins and ends, so here goes… Krallice has been compared to black metal progenitors such as Gorgoroth and Burzum, whose sole member did time for the murder of another metal guitarist and the arson of several churches. If that’s not cred enough to make you forgo Lars “I Hate File Sharing” Ulrich, I don’t know what is.
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True story: my first four concerts ever were 3/4 dominated by Metallica shows. Just thinking of the the money I spent on those tickets and associated souvenir t shirts makes me weep into my Modelo. Then Metallica started making wuss rock and shut down my Napster account. Thanks guys.
Any band who sings a song about a combination pizza hut taco bell, SIGN ME UP.
I’d be hittin all these up (except for the metal one, I get enough of that crap in Quito) if I weren’t south of the equator missin the mother land.
sweeeet!this is really cool. ive been looking for new muzzak
kudos on the africaaa