Pub Crawler
So my friend John has parlayed his little music blog into a real job. His new gig is at Joe's Pub. And one of the benefits is that he is turning me onto some really great live music that I would never see otherwise.
My first show in the cozy intimate atmosphere of the pub was an Argentinian/American pop band called Contramano. I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I didn't even know they were a pop band. I was imagining some sort of cattle-herding folk music. Which would have been fine, cause I dig on that kind of stuff. Really.
What I discovered is a band that captured a critical thing that's been missing from the pop rock genre for a decade. Fun.
Contramano is a three piece outfit- Eugeni Camcho on drums, Dave Wallin on bass, and Pablo Cubarle on vocals, guitar and electric cello. But the show is all about Cubarle, who has reclaimed the showmanship that was once inherent in the term "front man". As the group bubbles through upbeat catchy songs, Cubarle sings, plays and performs with the rousing flair of your ambiguously gay 15 year old neighbor boy who belongs to the drama club. That's a compliment. I promise. He's light, pretentious, and silly, and engages the audience in his shenanigans. He made his way through the crowd sitting on laps and hugging the shoulders of anyone and everyone he encountered. And how could I not be enchanted by a man wearing a Napoleon Dynamite "Flipping Sweet" t-shirt? (Turns out he's married to woman. Huh.)
Thankfully, Cubarle's antics are not a distractionary ploy. Because Contramano's songs and musical talents are solid. Their style is reminiscent of mid 80's to early 90's pop and rock music; they evoke bands like James and Modern English. But theirs an entirely contemporary sound. Songs like "Checking U" and "New York Face" have incredibly catchy hooks that I've found myself humming over the last few days. The cello riffs contribute to the overall mood in an uncharacteristic way, smoothing things out and creating nice transitions, but not sounding overly dramatic or somber.
For the most part, their fast and frolicsome songs are better than the slower numbers. With the exception of "A Mess", Contramano seems less self-assured when they quiet the pace. Not to say the songs aren't good, they just aren't as memorable. Cubarle's vocals meander on all of the songs moving from a Robert Smith pout to a Bono self-righteous growl with ease. While most of the lyrics are in English, Spanish punctuates certain moments, often political ones, in a subtle way.
Contramano is Brooklyn based, so chances are good that you might be able to catch them in NYC area. And you should.
Here are a couple of songs from the self-titled album, Contramano, released July 8
Buy it here or here!
Checking U
The Disposable Song
My first show in the cozy intimate atmosphere of the pub was an Argentinian/American pop band called Contramano. I had no idea what to expect. In fact, I didn't even know they were a pop band. I was imagining some sort of cattle-herding folk music. Which would have been fine, cause I dig on that kind of stuff. Really.
What I discovered is a band that captured a critical thing that's been missing from the pop rock genre for a decade. Fun.
Contramano is a three piece outfit- Eugeni Camcho on drums, Dave Wallin on bass, and Pablo Cubarle on vocals, guitar and electric cello. But the show is all about Cubarle, who has reclaimed the showmanship that was once inherent in the term "front man". As the group bubbles through upbeat catchy songs, Cubarle sings, plays and performs with the rousing flair of your ambiguously gay 15 year old neighbor boy who belongs to the drama club. That's a compliment. I promise. He's light, pretentious, and silly, and engages the audience in his shenanigans. He made his way through the crowd sitting on laps and hugging the shoulders of anyone and everyone he encountered. And how could I not be enchanted by a man wearing a Napoleon Dynamite "Flipping Sweet" t-shirt? (Turns out he's married to woman. Huh.)
Thankfully, Cubarle's antics are not a distractionary ploy. Because Contramano's songs and musical talents are solid. Their style is reminiscent of mid 80's to early 90's pop and rock music; they evoke bands like James and Modern English. But theirs an entirely contemporary sound. Songs like "Checking U" and "New York Face" have incredibly catchy hooks that I've found myself humming over the last few days. The cello riffs contribute to the overall mood in an uncharacteristic way, smoothing things out and creating nice transitions, but not sounding overly dramatic or somber.
For the most part, their fast and frolicsome songs are better than the slower numbers. With the exception of "A Mess", Contramano seems less self-assured when they quiet the pace. Not to say the songs aren't good, they just aren't as memorable. Cubarle's vocals meander on all of the songs moving from a Robert Smith pout to a Bono self-righteous growl with ease. While most of the lyrics are in English, Spanish punctuates certain moments, often political ones, in a subtle way.
Contramano is Brooklyn based, so chances are good that you might be able to catch them in NYC area. And you should.
Here are a couple of songs from the self-titled album, Contramano, released July 8
Buy it here or here!
Checking U
The Disposable Song
3 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
After reading only your sidebar and first paragraph of this post, I've decided on daily visits. Freaking hilarious.
Thanks for commenting...I dig your fetus.
Post a Comment
<< Home