12.07.23 Dinosaur Jr with special guest JG Thirlwell performing The Stooges song 'TV Eye' on their seven-night run at Music Hall of Williamsburg, celebrating the 30th anniversary of their classic album 'Where You Been'.
Hurray for the Riff Riff Bring New Album to Sold-Out Music Hall of Williamsburg
Hurray for the Riff Raff – Music Hall of Williamsburg – March 5, 2024
“It’s so good to be home.” That was Alynda Segarra beaming in front of a sold-out Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday night, the Bronx native and band Hurray for the Riff Raff feeling right at home in Brooklyn wearing matching black vests and big smiles. With a brand-new album — The Past Is Still Alive — out for barely a week and already gaining critical acclaim, the set leaned heavily on the new material, opening, as the record does, with “Alibi,” Segarra with one foot in personal folk, the other planted in fuzzy rock — one in a sandal, one in a black boot. “Buffalo” showed off deft songwriting skills, the rhythmic singing and catchy chorus underpinned by the evocative, dreamlike lyrics.
The songs were beefed up by the backing band: slide guitar on that “Buffalo” adding atmospherics, a propulsive beat from drummer Yan Westerlund on “Hawkmoon” driving a straight rocker, and Nnamdï (who opened the show) coaxing a groove with his urgent bass playing on “Rhododendron,” off the 2022 LP Life on Earth. Segarra’s voice was the centerpiece, delivering one captivating lyric after another: lines like “I know that it’s dangerous, but I wanna see you undress / Wrap you up in the bomb shelter of my feather bed” in “Colossus of Roads.”
Saxophonist Lynn Ligammari joined the band midway through, turning “Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)” Springsteen-esque as Segarra belted out the refrain, “Nothing will stop me now,” the crowd believing every word. Hurray for the Riff Raff also played selections from older releases, including the rawer bluesy energy of “Good Time Blues (An Outlaw’s Lament)” and Ligammari adding mournful soul to the weighty “The Body Electric,” which Segarra said “started it all” for the musician. The set ended with “Ogallala,” the band building to a triumphant swell, Segarra singing, “To watch the world burn / With a tear in my eye,” everyone in the room feeling right at home. —A. Stein | @Neddyo
(Hurray for the Riff Raff play The Sinclair in Cambridge, Mass., tonight.)
Live Concert Photography: Wild Nothing with JW Francis at Music Hall of Williamsburg 11/11/23
Live Concert Photography: Wild Nothing with JW Francis at Music Hall of Williamsburg 11/11/23 @WildNothing @shorefire @JWFranfran
@capturedtracks @MusicHallofWB @bowerypresents
Live Concert Photography: Wild Nothing with JW Francis at Music Hall of Williamsburg 11/11/23
I’ve been busily attempting to catch up on my photo editing and a few other things before the close of 2023. Late August through a couple of weeks ago was among the busiest periods in recent JOVM history. In fact, I caught Wild Nothing play a crowd-pleasing headlining set at Music Hall of Williamsburg.…
Rachael & Vilray were on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to perform "Is a Good Man Real?" from their new album, I Love a Love Song!, out this Friday. You can pre-order the album here. The duo will perform music from the new album live at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn on February 24.
We Went There: Altin Gün + Sessa at Music Hall of Williamsburg
We Went There: Altin Gün + Sessa at Music Hall of Williamsburg
Altin Gün rocking the crowd
Even in the city that never sleeps, there is always the concern that a Wednesday night show, following a gloomy, chilly day, will struggle to find it’s footing.
This seemed a distinct possibility as Sessa, backed by drums and two backup singers, started off his great opening set but was met with low energy and an annoyingly chatty crowd. His warm, tropicalia-infused…
Half Moon Run – Music Hall of Williamsburg – November 17, 2023
Half Moon Run’s fourth studio album, Salt — “a slow burn that will grow on you, with each listen revealing a new dimension to its sound” — dropped back in June, and they’ve been out on an extended North American tour in support of it since October, which brought the Montreal ethereal-pop trio to a packed Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday night.
Photos courtesy of Ken Grand-Pierre | www.kenamiphoto.com