Once in a great while, a new band comes out of nowhere that immediately demands attention. Many will say "I've heard it all before," but somehow this band manages to do it differently.

Back in January, I met a band playing under the name, Frankpollis. Although they received a bit of press attention from SPIN.com and abroad from NYLON Japan, they were still relatively unknown. A close friend, formerly of Columbia Records, signed on to manage them and invited me down for an early look. These guys were all in their young 20s, but performed with a maturity well beyond their years.

Immediately, I booked photos with their management. So rarely do I get to work with a talent this early in the game, and it's been exciting documenting everything — capturing their evolution.

In the few months that followed, they evolved into Your Nature, the Brooklyn band that promises to be one of the most sought after new acts this year. Their sound is a unique brand of Berlin-era Bowie proto punk gone psychedelic prog rock à la Dark Side Of The Moon-era Pink Floyd with a Pavement undertone — all without sounding the least bit retro and with a fresh approach and energy that is unmistakably now.

Your Nature booked a special residency at The Annex, each Wednesday in May. See these guys now and be in the know early.

The Annex schedule is as follows:

YOUR NATURE residency at The Annex this May
5/16 with Wildyaks
5/13 with The Extraordinaires and Invisible Hand
5/20 with Space Camp
5/27 with Real Estate
$7. Doors 8 PM.
Open Vodka Bar 9 PM till Gone.

Listen to Your Nature at myspace.com/yournature.

Labels: band, Brooklyn, music, New York, residency, The Annex, Your Nature

This building really sums up the feelings of many Americans right now. Ironically, the building is broken down, most likely condemned, standing tall in front of a field of waste.

Labels: Brooklyn, building, graffiti, recession, Wall Street

After two memorable years of some of the best summer concerts, festivals and film events (many of which were free), McCarren Park Pool is being shut down to be renovated into an actual swimming pool as part of many recent Brooklyn "development" projects. Sadly, like other recent "developments", this one obliterates more art and culture from the community.

At least this one closed out with a bang. Sonic Youth performed the final concert there on Saturday, with some amazing guests: Wolf Eyes, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls. The show was packed out, and I was happy to be a part of it (thanks friends at AEG!).

Here's a few shots from the event, but you should check out the full site on my site - daveywilson.com (click on "The Final Concert At McCarren Park Pool").

Labels: Brooklyn, final concert, McCarren Park, pool, Sonic Youth, Times New Viking, Vivian Girls, Wolf Eyes

In case you haven't heard, the Hot Snakes' singer, Rick Froberg, started a new band, Obits. Though I missed their first show at The Cake Shop, luckily I scored tickets for their sold-out show at Union Hall last night.

Put these guys on your "bands to watch" lists.

Also, check out the band that opened up, Pretendo. They are quite good.

Click any of the photos below to see larger-sized.

Obits


Obits


Obits


Pretendo


Pretendo

Labels: Brooklyn, Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes, Obits, Pretendo, Rick Froberg, Union Hall

Last night, I saw Liam Finn for the second time.

I first saw Liam last year when he toured with Pete Yorn and Crowded House. Pete said he was solid and told me to get there early for the opener, and I was glad I did.

What surprised me last night, however, was the energy level. When I saw him last year the show was solid, but the intensity has magnified tenfold since then. It's really rare you see someone who can captivate an entire audience without a full backing band.

As it turns out, Liam Finn is son to Neil Finn in Crowded House. Honestly, I was never a Crowded House fan, but I am familiar with their work and don't see any similarity between their sound, or Neil Finn's solo work for that matter, and Liam Finn.

To me, Liam Finn sounds like a less depressing Elliot Smith with more hooks.

As always, I happened to have my camera with me and took a few snap shots. Click on any of the photos to see the rest of the set.

Labels: Brooklyn, concert, Liam Finn, Music Hall of Williamsburg, rock, Yep Roc Records