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Newsday, New York, New York. Glen Gamboa.
Saturday, April 14, 2001
Music can be fun. Dancing can be easy. Concerts can be simple.
B52000 didn't need explosions or confetti cannons or vocal processors or roaring guitars or elaborate choreography to entertain the sold-out Bowery Ballroom crowd. Armed with only a handful of tunes, three primitive synthesizers, a drum kit and Beastie Boy Adam "Ad-Rock" Horowitz's mega-watt personality, the quartet rolled through an hour-long set of happy musical adventures that had the crowd begging for more.
We're going to play two more sones and that's it." Ad-Rock said, before slipping a high energy "Wait a Minute" into the set. "We're not going to come away and come back. We don't have any outfits to show you. We're not going to jam up here because we're not hippies. We're new. We don't know any more songs."
BS2000's debut "Simply Mortified," is a shaggy, lo-fi collection of new-wave-meets-hip-hop with Ad Rock singing / rapping / screaming on top of it-like "Rock Lobster" era B-52's remixed by De La Soul on a tight budget. When Ad Rock and Amery "AWOL" Smith aided by keyboard player Paul "Jazz" Thomoson and drummer Alfredo Ortiz, recreate the 'Mortitied' songs in concert, the enjoy-vour-self vibe becomes infectious.
"It's time for dancing." Ad-Rock said, breaking into a weird dance that was part swim, part frug. "And I don't mean moshing. It's time for you to come up with some new steps. That moshing .. is tired."
The big dance grooves of the drum-heavy "The Scrappy, which bears the most resemblance to a Beastie Boys jam, and the cheesy, smile-in-ducing groove lesson "The Side to Side" were
fun highlights along with a frantic cover of Blondie's "I Know, But I Don't Know."
Because the band has to wait for sounds to load into its '70s era synths, there's plenty of time to chat with the audience, mostly fielding requests for photos (posed once), removal of clothing (stayed clothed, saying "I'm kinda busy right now") and Beastie Boys songs (politely handled with, "You're at the wrong show," though the whole band was in the house.
Ad-Rock also uses the time to field requests to explain some of the songs, and is smart enough to toss some of his own philosophical beliefs in without messing up the good-time mix.
He promotes real "girl power" on the groovy "Save This for Davis"' and artistic integrity in "Dig Deeper." In "The Dilemma?" he calls on fans of certain unnamed homophobic, racist rappers to speak out against lyrics they don't agree with.
BS2000, as the beasties have over the years, proves fun doesn't need to be stupid and cool doesn't have to be cold.
The Need, the Olympia, Wash., trio led by drummer / vocalist Rachel Carns, opened with an enjoyable far-flung half hour set of unpredictable rock from last years "Need Is Dead" CD.
The unique combination of Carns' jagged vocals, emo-core guitar riffs, and catchy melodies sounds harsh at first, but eventually worked out well. |
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