Sometimes I think I should just re-title this site "Late to the Party", but such is the life of a married, father of two in his early 40's...
One thing you should know about me (besides my awesome and eclectic taste in music) is there are two types of shows I don't watch:
1. Most reality shows (excluding "The Biggest Loser", "The Amazing Race" or anything starring washed-up musicians from the '80's/'90's)
and 2. Anything featuring Jay Leno.
Well, worlds collided about a month ago, when "Biggest Loser" star Jillian Michaels was a guest on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"....guh. Anyway, the Mrs. set the DVR and there it was on our queue. Jillian was entertaining enough despite Leno's lame attempts at humor. She hawked her book and we were done with it.
Or so I thought.
The musical guests that night was The Airborne Toxic Event. So being the married, father of two in his early 40's, I immediately assumed they were some odd death metal act...so of course, I HAD to watch.
Needless to say, I was WAAAAY off...and very pleasantly surprised. They had elements of early U2 and The Alarm, but looked more like an indie band (they were part Arcade Fire, but less serious than Interpol, I thought) that I'm positive everyone under the age of 35 knew about long ago - and I was right. Upon hearing/watching "Changing" on Leno that night (video here: "Changing" - The Airborne Toxic Event on Jay Leno), I liked it enough to check them out and learn some more about them.
Founded roughly 5 years ago, The Airborne Toxic Event (TATE) released their self-titled debut in 2008. The first single "Sometime Around Midnight" generated tons of buzz and was named "Best Alternative Song of 2008" on iTunes (check out the video here: "Sometime Around Midnight" - The Airborne Toxic Event). A few months after its release TATE saw themselves headlining and appearing on Leno, Letterman, and Jimmy Kimmel's shows as "Sometime Around Midnight" quickly moved up the Alternative charts. They seemed to come out of nowhere, pretty impressive. Exposure at huge festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella surely helped them garner an even larger audience.
Soon signed to Island Records, the band had released some other songs as well that kept escalating the interest in their music:
"Does This Mean You're Moving On?"
"Happiness is Overrated"
"Gasoline" (acoustic)
So, basically, I'd only really missed their first album. Earlier this year, TATE released "All At Once", continuing to expand on their sonic, yet strongly acoustic roots and rustic, yet hip, songwriting skills. So far, "Changing" is the only official single they've released, but there are plenty of great songs on this disc as well - my faves right now are: "Strange Girl", "Numb" (video here), "All For a Woman" and "Welcome to Your Wedding Day".
But don't take my word for it; check out the entire album on the band's website: http://aao.theairbornetoxicevent.com/
Since the evening of that fateful Leno airing last month, I currently have both of TATE's CD's in heavy rotation on my iPod and thanks to a lengthier commute, I've really come to admire this band all the more. Of course, the same week I "discovered" them, they played the last of 3 area shows in NYC - so hopefully, I'll be able to catch them when they come 'round here again. I just hope they're still playing intimate shows like Bowery Ballroom or Terminal 5 and not opening for U2 at MSG or the New Meadowlands Arena. If you get the chance to see them, please share a review, and feel free to share your thoughts on their music.
Lastly, I'd like to add one more show to that earlier list: "Gossip Girl". However, TATE will be appearing on the season finale tonight (5/16)...I still won't watch. That's what the interwebs are for, right?
No comments:
Post a Comment