Live Review: Blood on the Wall at Music Hall of Williamsburg [02.22.08]

This is what I want Blood on the Wall to be: a brother and sister, Brad and Courtney, playing music together with their friend, Miggy Littleton, a drummer. Eventually they come up with a bunch of songs in their practice space, they don't have the usual aspirations to take the indie rock scene by storm, they barely promote themselves, they could care less about Bonnaroo.

At first they're just playing around... reflecting everything they grew up on, their live original mix tape. Some of the songs eventually get released on a 7'", next thing they know they're opening for Sonic Youth. They tour the country and the pressure is on to record an even bigger record this time in the studio. This pretty much is the actual story.

But there's more to Blood on the Wall than just 90's low-fi references and Pixies comparisons though, they're playing with these conventions, the whole time seamlessly working their way through punk, and the genre-less 90's with nods to acts like the Dead Milkmen, or They Might Be Giants. Not that they can be compared musically, but they are in the same weird undefinable world all their own. Any number of influences are applied in a kind of self absorbed serious fun they jump between styles, surprising every track.

It was cold and rainy, but that was an improvement over the half foot of snow that made walking impossible that morning. The Music Hall of Williamsburg is unrecognizable as the former Northsix and I have no idea how this enormous balconied space could have existed before in this warehouse building. It's the same Bowery Ballroom configuration of walking downstairs to around the bar to go back upstairs and into the main space. I guess it works, but it's like some weird casino. The sound however is perfect, thanks to an out of control small apartment size mixer in the center of the floor.

Blood on the Wall opened with the first track from Awesomer, "Stoner Jam," which is a great example of how BOTW takes the standard conventional power chords and bass lines and twists it with a high hat burst that's interesting enough to be that cover song from a long lost band or b-side we never heard, but influenced everyone. I think they succeed because they're really familiar, the best version of a band you already know, all the half good indie bands with a few good tracks, all part of the same movement, compiled here on Awesomer, easily the greatest hits album. In the rest of the set they ran through most of all three of their albums, with little pause the rock being separated by drum stick count off's. Of course with 2 minute tracks it's all over ridiculously too quick.

"Let's all go to Enid's later," Brad laughed, pointing at someone in the front row, "that guys DJ-ing." Everyone laughed and I thought, "Did Brad just make my favorite brunch place uncool? What's wrong with me that I have a favorite brunch place?" I need to reevaluate.

Part of the familiarity is in the Kim Gordon/Kim Deal influence in Courtney's whispery low voice, inviting you to come closer, to turn it up for a second to catch the lyrics and then get bashed over the head on the next quick punk track sung in Brad's uncanny impression of Frank Black. The kind of track where you can't even start to understand the lyrics and it's under a minute and a half verse chorus verse, who can get away with that in a sincere way anymore?... and make me question my failed stereotyped life.

[Photo by Kid Swinging]