Two Gallants/Sam Champion/Cold War Kids @ Bowery Ballroom, NYC 4/24/06
Every so often, a band you think you have pegged will evolve from a plain old "good act" to an absolute force of nature. And for some reason, you'll beam like a proud papa. Last Monday, Bowery Ballroom's lineup featured three bands worth knowing ... but there was really only one set to remember. Meet Sam Champion.
These local boys straight up rock. Drawing on Neil Young -- with moments of Malkmus and Levon Helm -- Sam Champion feel fresh in the face of post-punk plenitude. Their tunes are the type to drink to, but even the sober set will see a glimmer of greatness stirring in these simple chord structures. There's the Crazy Horse dramatics of "Mexican Rags," the bombastic major-chord rock of "Jealous Shakes," and the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain nod of "TV Fever." Distorted guitar jangles, driven by a disarmingly tight rhythm section and Noah Chernin's affected alt-country twang. The band's live show feels loose, but it pounds with precision. Nothing they've set to tape quite captures the Sam Champion experience, but a new record is slated for early '07. And it's gonna be a killer. If you're in New York, take any chance you have to see 'em (next NYC date is 5/18 @ Southpaw). If not, be patient. They're young, and they're coming to you soon.
California's Cold War Kids made their NYC debut with a promising early set. I like their MP3s more than I did their Bowery gig, but I have a feeling they're gonna burn down Pianos this week. Two Gallants headlined the show, and the last time I'd seen their indie folk-punk was at a day party down in Austin. Faces were melted and scotch was swilled. They were burning, they were hungry, and they sounded like a two-man wrecking crew. Can't say the same for the Bowery show though, where nothing felt quite right. The songs came off as formulaic -- only the capo settings and lyrics seemed to change. "Long Summer Day" was real (and justified the brutal pit) but the rest of the night felt forced. Or, maybe just a casualty of following an opening band on fire. I walked into Bowery with hopes for a trifecta. I walked out a Sam Champion fan.
After the jump, pics of all three bands, and a Champion MP3.
TWO GALLANTS
SAM CHAMPION
COLD WAR KIDS
Sam Champion - "TV Fever" (MP3 Link Expired)
Posted at 3:05 PM in Concert, MP3
Tags: Cold War Kids | Sam Champion | Two Gallants
hey, one outta three ain't bad.
and i guess i'm gonna have to jump the N&R out to brooklyn in a couple of weeks. sounds like sam champion's worth the trip
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I got the Two Gallants a long time back and I wasn't super impressed. Sam Champion & Cold War Kids, however, are very good. Can't wait to see them live.
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i saw two gallants and cold war kids last night in providence, ri.
both were really good. two gallants set was far too short.
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interesting - I actually came away with quite the opposite impression. Two Gallants & Cold War Kids = yes. Sam Champion = meh. But I guess that was just me.
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Sam Champion was the only band whose set I left halfway through during SXSW. They bored me.
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sam champion.
rock.
yes.
duh.
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Sam Champion is one of those bands that just get better and better as time goes on. My only reservation about them is that they couldn't possibly keep up the trajectory at which they have developed. I've seen them about 5 times over about 1.5 years and they just keep getting better. My friend referred to the drummer as a little monster, he packs a lot of rock in that small frame.
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funny how you can see a show and have a completely different impression than another attendee. I agree with Taylor's comment: Cold War Kids and Two Gallants were in great form while I found Sam Champion to be a bit staid. Not sure where the Pavement references are coming from...
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Saw Sam Champion at CMJ last year -- it was complete Pavement worship (Paul, listen to "TV Fever" for just a hint of the Malkmus-ness of their sound then). I've seen them since though, and they're definitely growing into something great. And Two Gallants are boring.
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There is a full 45-minute performance that Sam Champion did last fall at WOXY that is pretty damn great. You can stream or download it here:
http://woxy.com/music/loungeacts/index.php?id=40
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wowzah i like TV Fever!! good call. more mp3s stereogum!!
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anyone seen the video they did for TV Fever?
just awesome!
http://www.samchampionband.com/av/index.php
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Two Gallants are coming to Iowa later this month. I'm really looking forward to it.
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CWK are very good, ab out to blow up in a big way. Two Gallants played Atlanta, they sounded awesome, the show did get a little boring though. Good crowd. First two tracks on the album are amazing.
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CWK are very good, about to blow up in a big way. Two Gallants played Atlanta, they sounded awesome, the show did get a little boring though. Good crowd. First two tracks on the album are amazing.
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I saw Sam Champion play their first gig a while back when they were called Ass Traffic Control. They were so totally amazing. I think that scuzzy guitarist was in Verbal Assault or something a long time ago or some shit like that. Anyway, I think they could be really good some day, like a more Natalie Merchant version of Six Finger Satellite or something like that.
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Saw Two Gallants last night in Toronto. It's true the set was too short, and they didn't really seem to want to be there, but they used that intensity to play a solid set. Definitely recommended...
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Sam Champion has come a long way. I remember them when Noah didn't really know how to play guitar yet and they had a rotating cast of bass players and no second guitarist. The songs were there even if the performance wasn't yet. But in the past year they've grown into quite a force as a live band, and the new songs are phenomenal. I make an effort to see them whenever I can. Cold War Kids were able to work up quite a fury but I thought they were a little too heavy on the hipster affectations. I didn't stay for Two Gallants but my friends who did told me they sucked.
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I live at 77453 Commonwealth in Seattle. Been up here before?
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Cold War Kids packed the Church here in Philly a few weeks back, you can check out my review here if you've a mind to:
http://quinnchannel.typepad.com/tfh/2007/03/cold_war_kids_t.html
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