Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Webster Hall, NYC, 8/7/07by Daniel Michael Alleva

Karen O. pranced, pogoed, and howled, while Nick Zinner and Brian Chase provided an explosive backdrop to her antics, as New York City's Yeah Yeah Yeahs crashed through Webster Hall last week, performing in support of their latest release, The Is Is EP. O., dressed in fishnet stockings and little more, draped herself with what appeared to be christmas tree tinsel, and throughout the performance, donned several props, including a bowler hat, and a mask that made her look strikingly similar to one of the "party guests" in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

The Yeahs, consummate performers of bare-bones retro-punk, ran through their catalog with splendid detail. Highlights of the evening were "Cheated Hearts" and "Phenomenon," both from the Yeahs last full-length release, the fantastic Show Your Bones, as well as the gems from their breakthrough release Fever to Tell, such as "Tick" and "Black Tongue." The coy sexuality of O., combined with her penchant for jamming the microphone into her mouth and screaming, crept over Chase's snap-from-the-wrist pounding, and Zinner, now certified as the most innovative guitarist in rock today, held command over the melodies along with touring guitarist, Imaad Wasif.

Tiny Masters of Today, the group consisting of pint-sized siblings Ivan and Ada, along with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion drummer Russell Simins, opened the show, and closed their set with a humorous cover of House of Pain's "Jump Around."

Photo by Rebecca Smeyne, courtesy of The Village Voice

Siren Festival, 7/21/2007, Coney Island, BK by Daniel Michael Alleva

Despite technical difficulties, the Village Voice-sponsored Siren Festival was a hit yesterday, with fourteen bands spread out over two stages, along side the Cyclone roller coaster at Coney Island's Astroland Park.

As far as set-up is concerned, the Siren Festival is everything a festival should be: laid-back and open without the daunting presence of "The Man" over your shoulder; I couldn't help but be reminded of the Lollapalooza festivals of the mid-nineties at Randall's Island, and the ecclectic line-up featured reinforced my nostalgia.

The Philadelphia-based Dr. Dog played one of the more inspiring sets of the festival on the main stage, which was located on West 10th Street. It is always good to see a band from Philly or Boston come to New York and play a good set, but it's even better when the crowd is fully receptive, as they were for Dr. Dog's crispy-fried, bounce-fest.


Later on, The Detroit Cobras tore up the Stillwell Avenue stage with their rock 'n' roll-infused, R & B wallop. Led by vocalist Rachel Nagy and rhythm guitarist Mary Ramierez, the Cobras ran through a 40 minute set full of ass-shaking thunder, and Nagy joked about the early time slot by asking, "What's that huge glowing thing in the sky? I've never seen that before."







Keeping it weird was Atlanta's The Black Lips, who turned in an interesting - if not completely confounding - set that included mock-vaudeville, chickens, and country bop that was reminiscent of The B-52's early work.



But the day belonged to Maya Arulpragasam, a.k.a, M.I.A. The Sri Lankan-born MC ran through a set of her signature electro-dancehall hip-hop, featuring tracks from her upcoming release, Kala, as well as her remarkable debut, Arular. Between songs, M.I.A. hipped the crowd to her recent legal struggles. After being refused a visa to enter the country by the United States government, M.I.A. was forced to cancel several performances, and in the weeks leading up to the Siren Festival, her performance there was still up in the air.



Also featured throughout the day were The New York Dolls, We Are Scientists, Cursive, The Noisettes, and Glasgow's The Twilight Sad. Many local acts were featured on the Stillwell Stage, like Brooklyn's own The White Rabbits and Matt and Kim.