Tag Archives: The Babies

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On the same day their fantastic new record “Our House on the Hill” was formally released, The Babies kicked off a long tour in Brooklyn Tuesday night at the Knitting Factory.

While life for many in the city and region remains difficult because of problems with still unresolved infrastructure damage, the near-full restoration of public transit has brought some normalcy to many neighborhoods away from the water.

The crowd that turned up to see The Babies for this show didn’t fill the place but it was a good turnout. There was some breathing room, which is nice. You could move around. There was definitely a real good party atmosphere in the room. The new record was a long time coming and it’s a major achievement. It’s great top to bottom. My favorite record of the year for sure. Many of the songs are old hat to the fans who’ve seen the band’s pretty regular shows here but there were some real nice surprises. “Wandering” is the final cut and it’s an impressive shift in vocal style by front-man Kevin Morby. The softer projection and authentic crackle in his vocal chords as he contemplates his current place while on the wander versus where he was is a dimension that underscores his versatility. It’s a gorgeous song. Dylan-esque.

A large amount of credit for how well House turned out should probably go to Rob Barbato too. He oversaw creation of the recordings. It sounds to me like he found clear-cut sweet spots contained in the material’s live renditions and made sure they were loud and clear without over-doing it. For example, Cassie Ramone’s guitar line on “Mess Me Around” jumps out of the speakers while you’re listening at home with the same punch you get at the gig.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise is how Barbato and the band transformed the “More Stage” demo from the “Cry Along with The Babies” EP into the new gem “On My Team.” What an incredible song! Catchy as they come. And if they ever play it live, it’ll bring the house down. Unfortunately, The Babies didn’t do it Tuesday night. After the show, Morby said On My Team is not yet ready for prime time but is on the practice docket for a show rollout down the road.

The Knitting Factory doesn’t possess many of the embraceable quirks found at a handful of the more modest venues down by the river but it’s a fine place to see a show. Five dollar bottles of Bud are available only at the main bar outside the performance space. They’re poured into a plastic cup if you take them into the show.

Friend of The Babies Alex Bleeker and his great band The Freaks warmed things up. Bleeker’s heavy involvement in the local scene and loyal fan base added to the excitement of the night. His sweet-sounding voice and affable stage presence meshed perfectly with the celebratory feel of the gathering.

Bleeker ended his band’s wonderful set with a cover of Sweet Virginia by the Stones. Morby came on stage for shaker duties. Bleeker also called on a sax player he said he had only met that day. What unfolded was a warmly received Brooklyn music memory that was special because of its real feel of spontaneity. Bleeker said he hadn’t revealed to Morby what song he’d play ahead of time and it was clear Morby struggled a bit to recall the opening verse. He laughed. So did Bleeker.

Both Jarvis Taveniere and Jeremy Earl were in the crowd to support their Woods bandmate. It’s Earl’s Woodsist record label that put out Our House on the Hill. When electricity was finally restored to Woodsist headquarters in Warwick last week, Earl started shipping orders for the LP, cassette and CD.

Pitchfork’s review of House has yet to be released. That influential music web site’s unfair review of The Babies’ debut full-length still sticks in the craw. The addition of writer Jenn Pelly to the Pitchfork staff since then makes a more even-handed take on the new record a pretty good bet.

This Babies tour is ambitious in its reach. The band has gigs in 37 cities across the US and Canada over a stretch of 40 days. A show booked at the Riot Room in Kansas City a week from Friday conveniently puts Morby and the band near his family for Thanksgiving day, one of only three off days on the tour.

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Among the many unexpected rewards of last month’s Woodsist Fest was meeting Jacques from Toulouse. My pal Dave struck up a conversation with Jacques between sets on day 2 of the Festival after recognizing him from the Woods show in San Francisco two nights earlier. Dave learned Jacques was a huge Babies fan and oddly enough, a huge Mets fan.

Fast forward to last Tuesday. Jacques is in New York City as part of a lengthy vacation to the US so we went to go see the Mets lose at Citi Field. That was fun.

A week and a half later, me and Jacques hit a conveniently timed Babies show Friday night at Death By Audio in Brooklyn.

As we approached the venue’s entrance, two New York City police officers were on the scene. They appeared to be issuing summonses to people on the sidewalk consuming cans of beer wrapped in brown paper bags. One of the subjects in trouble was probably at least a few ticks shy of age 21. Those who reside in a building across the street from Death By Audio would be the only party with a valid interest in what’s mainly a quiet and harmless activity outside a rock show. Unfortunately, this is exactly the kind of attention that can put a live music venue in peril should instances of police involvement accumulate.

It was seven bucks to get in. The woman collecting money at the door appeared nervous about the law enforcement activity outside.

The temperature inside the venue was 90 degrees plus when we first walked in. Eventually, somebody got the bright idea to import some of the cool outside air so people wouldn’t melt.

I have no recollection of time but it was pretty late when The Babies went on. The set list was consistent with what what’s been rolled out at shows here since just before Christmas. What was different and exciting about this performance was the crowd. It was really jacked up. There was moshing from the get-go. Those participating in good-spirited push, shove and surge consumed nearly half the room. The show didn’t sell out but it was near full for a solid triple bill.

Kevin Morby made band mate Cassie Ramone laugh early in the set after going off script with some of his guitar lines. Morby said after the show the sound deviations came from deployment of a new pedal.

The frenetic churning motion in front of the stage didn’t register much with the Babies one way or another while they played. They don’t pay much attention to it. They certainly don’t encourage it beyond taking the lid off the music. I picture myself up on stage worrying about a body surfer falling to the ground. Or a smaller-sized human getting trampled by the bigger, more aggressive participants. The Babies all seem to look at nothing in particular in the back half of the room while focusing on their responsibilities. It’s not detachment. It’s a level of stage professionalism not unlike you see when Woods plays. There’s not a lot of horsing around up there.

The Sundelles and K-Holes played opening slots. The K-Holes are pretty intense. There are lots of layers to their output. We missed the Sundelles.

After it was over, me and Jacques hit the nearby Woods bar for a round. This was a mistake. The scene there has turned south. It’s like a bad wedding reception in there.

The Bedford bus took me to Queens Plaza for a ride on the E. It was after 2 AM. Jacques walked back to his rented room in Greenpoint. He has walked everywhere on his stay here. Miles at a time. He goes back to France in a few days. He’s hoping the Babies play Toulouse sometime next year.