Chris Letterii is back...checking out the Antlers, rooftops and more...read on!

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The Antlers @ Rooftop Film Series, Friday 26th June 2009 Hello again, gentle readers -- I come bearing tidings from another show. I've been wanting to check out The Antlers for some time, especially having missed out on three great bills earlier this year which they opened (The Walkmen/Beach House, White Rabbits/Cymbals Eat Guitars and Au Revoir Simone). So when I heard tales of a $9 evening of rooftop Antlers fun, with a film screening and open bar to follow, I leapt on the next downtown D train, with nary a moment even to cop some O.E. I knew the weather forecast for Friday night was dire, but I have never been cowed by meteorological misgivings, and this night would be no different. As I popped out of the subway the sun was setting in all its scarlet splendor, and no drops fell nor did clouds loom. I was looking forward to conquering my deep-seated, irrational fear of seeing live music and a film on a roof in Manhattan. Alas, only the latter half of that phobia was to be allayed. The rooftop in question was at the Seward Park Educational Campus (350 Grand St. in Manhattan), so when the promoters were unable to set up in the rain, they were forced to move the music segment of the evening inside to the school's cavernous auditorium. The sound in the auditorium was odd; this is definitely not a space built for rock concerts, even those of the slow-building, ethereal variety. Last time, I talked about punky lo-fi bands like caUSE co-MOTION! -- the Antlers are about as far from that sound as you can get. Their songs typically begin with ambient keyboard soundscapes and emotive singing from frontman Peter Silberman, and build to throbbing, majestic climaxes with a density of sound impressive for a three-piece band. Silberman is not afraid of the falsetto -- perhaps a divisive move (see "Bear" to make your call), but I for one appreciated it, and not just for the fact that it makes my Bee Gees cover band a more acceptable hobby. He can sing up there, so why not do it? Some of the delicacy of his voice was lost in the too-heavy reverb of the auditorium, but as I got used to the sound I started to enjoy the wash of sound created by the unusual acoustics. For some reason, all of the sound seemed to be pooling somewhere in the upper corner of the room, stage left, and as each song built to its swirling peaks, that spot hummed and pulsed with energy. Odd, I know, but it was somehow comforting and relaxing. After about a half an hour, the Antlers finished up and the host announced the fantastic news that the screening was to take place on the roof. The film was called Humpday and it's about two best friends who decide to film themselves having sex. With each other. I thought it was well-made and very funny, so go on out there and see it while you're waiting for the Antlers to come back to New York (their next NY show is an album (re-)release party at Mercury Lounge on August 21st). And be sure to check out the upcoming Rooftop Film Series events -- hard to beat $9 for live music and a film screening on a roof. And it's really hard to beat when they throw in an open bar of Radeberger pilsner afterwards at Fontana's. The only way they could improve on that would be to put it in a 40-ounce bottle and a paper bag. Yessir.

M.E.A.N.Y. USA - The Johns @ Union Hall - June 11, 2009

Howdy Hi music lovers, Oscar D. Meany here with some video of The Johns, rocking out with M.E.A.N.Y. USA at Brooklyn's Union Hall. Please watch and enjoy! Oscar D. Meany

Introducing M.E.A.N.Y. Music's newest writer: Chris Letterii!!!!!

Hi, Everybody!!!! Oscar D. Meany here. We here at M.E.A.N.Y. Music are very happy to introduce you all to our newest writer, Chris Letterii!!! Hello everyone, my name is Chris Letterii and I'm new on the scene here at M.E.A.N.Y. I'm a junior at Fordam University and I live in the Bronx, so I weather many hours on the subway in order to check out the finest bands New York has to offer. I do it out of love of music and dedication to you, gentle reader, that I may share with you my findings. When I'm not on the D train, I make pizza and listen to Tom Waits, often at the same time. And I know you're all wondering, so let me get this out of the way now: my favorite malt liquor is Old English. I don’t know if 40 Skillman Ave is the next Market Hotel (unlikely), but it probably ought to be. Looking for a musical amuse-bouche before the Grizzly Bear show at MHoW last Sunday, I stopped by with friend for the Beets’ first anniversary BBQ celebration at this makeshift backyard venue. It was free, the sky was blue, and I couldn’t think of a single good reason not to go. I picked up a forty of O.E. (obviously) and headed over to a complete stranger’s house to a band whose set I would end up missing because I had to go to another show. Only in Brooklyn. Due to my customary tardiness, I missed the first band, Knight School, arriving instead mid-way through the awkwardly-capitalized caUSE co-MOTION!'s set. As long as you're not a curmudgeon, it's kind of hard to dislike this band. Their particular brand of noisy pop songs rattle along at under two minutes each of hooky, lo-fi bursts of energy, and I couldn't help but to get my toes to tapping. While caUSE co-MOTION! are far less divisively fuzzy than lo-fi bands like, say, Times New Viking, the next band, Air Waves, take an even less abrasive approach to the lo-fi aesthetic. Don't look for polish, but in this case that doesn’t imply a sheet of distortion on every song. Rather than the punky outbursts of caUSE co-MOTION!, they tend more towards a folk approach to songwriting, with a recognizably Brooklyn flair in the execution. Singer/guitarist Nicole Schneit, with a voice at once weathered and resilient, steers the band through melancholy, but (thankfully) stays clear of melodrama. The band shift tempo easily, and after the energetic preceding set, the lovely, 3/4 time amble of "Gems" was a welcome change. Unfortunately, I had to skip out before the Beets went on (had to get to that front row for Grizz!), but I'm sure the gravity of the occasion inspired them to reach hitherto unknown heights of shambolic musical bliss. Happy 1st, gentleman." You see? AWESOME... I wish I was THERE WITH HIM. Stay tuned. O.d.M.