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Rounding the corner of the Stillwell Stage for the 4:30 set, one thing became clear to me: Earl Greyhound is immediately awesome.

Lithe lead guitarist Matt Whyte looked like Anthony Kiedis from the “Under the Bridge” video; long scraggly hair blowing in the beach breeze while he shredded the most delicious licks into the band’s funky blues rock songs. Contrasting him on bass was the psychedelic Kamara Thomas. The way she dressed was an appropriate synecdoche for the band’s overall sound: flowing, 70s style wrap dress with vintage Native American inspired feather earrings; a giant, pulsing girl-power afro; and a block of space-age silver face paint on her forehead.

While she was grinding her bass into the ground and howling a loud “Why-yi-yi-yo” in their opening song, “Sea of Change,” a second thing became clear to me: Earl Greyhound is pure sex.

I picked my jaw up off the pavement just in time for them to play “Ghost and the Witness” off their new album Suspicious Package. Whyte and Thomas’ echoing harmonies were the best I’d heard all day, and the song’s pelvis-injected, spine-winding goodness was hypnotic at least. Thomas’ bass pumped through the rest of the set, carried by Ricc Sheridan’s R&B inspired drums, smoothing it out during the melodic moments and pumping like an anti-war shotgun when things got more militant.

The trio was light-hearted about their overt sexuality, promising the crowd a “’Suspicious Package’ in a special place,” if they so desired. The band was selling the new album for however-much-of-a-donation people were willing to pay, and you could meet and chill with them after the set. Again, they are awesome.

Earl Greyhound – “Ghost and the Witness” [MP3]

More photos after the jump. Continue reading Earl Greyhound @ Siren →

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Surfer Blood @ Siren

By Brittany Borghi

It was hotter than West Palm Beach balls underneath the Cyclone, but the crowd was still amped for Surfer Blood to take the stage. Sadly, their sweat was shed in vain. Surfer Blood may have spouted that they were “stoked” to be on Coney Island for the first time, but they couldn’t have seemed more nonplussed.

John Paul Pitts’ energy hit an all time high during “Take It Easy,” when he paraded around the stage, flamboyantly presenting himself in front of the monitors for the drooling photogs (see: Jamie Hale) to snap a quick picture before retreating behind the mic stand. I kept waiting for things to escalate, but the band couldn’t seem to get past poking fun at their Toyota commercial success and flippantly dedicating their set to Metro PCS. I mean, I know, they’re like, SO over all that corporate jazz, but c’mon man, we’re on your side!

I have to make one concession: keyboardist Marcos Marchesani’s flowing black fro was wonderful to watch, and he actually seemed like he was happy to be there. The rest of the band acted like your 14-year-old brother and his gang of friends who have an inside joke that you’re just not in on.

Maybe if I had seen SB on their own, the set wouldn’t have been so “bleh,” but sandwiched between some truly amazing sirens (Apache Beat, Screaming Females, Earl Greyhound), they just came up short.

Surfer Blood – “Swim” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

Continue reading Surfer Blood @ Siren →

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Ted Leo and The Pharmacists @ Siren

By Brittany Borghi

Siren veterans Ted Leo and the Pharmacists brought it big time to the Main Stage last Saturday, ready to prove that they can still shake up a crowd. No stranger to the free festival, they made their first appearance at Siren in 2003, and came back to show off to a new generation.

And ya know what? They sounded great. The band is undoubtedly tight, and they had no shortage of energy onstage, stomping around and genuinely having fun. Most notable is the fact that Ted’s voice still sounds uh-MAZING; from his punctuated hisses and shouts to his ability to let it all out and wail, the guy’s pipes are a well-oiled oracular delight. It’s clear that these guys still love what they do.

The only downside is that the crowd didn’t quite share that sentiment. And I tend to agree with them. The band is impeccable live (I promise I’m not about to contradict myself) but their new stuff played back-to-back, well, it just falls flat. The sound they’re putting out is just a little too generic rock, like all of the satirical heart they had got popped by The Man’s pin. And no matter how much feedback they bled into the speakers, the crowd just wasn’t getting into it. Was it too much to ask for a little “Me and Mia”? A little “Counting Down the Hours”? I hate to hate on Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, especially for going in a new direction, but it seems like they burned the map and just landed in a dead end. They have a fever, and the only prescription is more music that sounds like what they used to sound like.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists – “Biomusicology” [MP3]

More photos after the jump. Continue reading Ted Leo and The Pharmacists @ Siren →