50 shows in 50 days for free

Nick and Katharine at the end of a long journey

Mission Accomplished! 50 days of free music in the city wasn’t an easy task, but our awesome team was able to get it done!  Last night they closed out the marathon with Yeasayer at Pier 54.  Under the threat of rain (again) and the weight of just plain old exhaustion, Team 50/50 ran their final lap at this great show.  Check out how it went:

Nick: “After enduring a rainy summer and witnessing both mind blowing and mediocre performances, we reached the end of the journey last night when Yeasayer and Amazing Baby played at Pier 54. As on many evenings this summer, the sky was overcast with the threat of rain (literally) hanging over our heads.”

Katharine: “The ominous clouds overhead actually made for the perfect mood for Yeasayer to play in, because it leant an element of the dramatic to the already over-the-top-in-a-good-way music we were hearing from the stage, where the theatrically colored lighting was giving us a contrast to the muddy skies behind the band.”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

Cain and Annabelle @ Pianos

Team 50/50 has seen a lot of rain this summer and it seems only fitting that on the last few days of our challenge, it starts raining again. Though disappointed about the turn in the weather, we still got a show in!  Check out what happened.

Nick: “Last night I was supposed to see Small Black a Brooklyn duo at McCarran park on Day 49 of the 50in50 quest. I was looking forward to hearing band members josh y ryan and juan y jeff play their intriguingly titled songs “Weird Machines,” Despicable Dogs,” and “Bad Lover”, but unfortunately raindrops derailed my plan. Although the skies became clear shortly after a brief drizzle, the threat of rain was enough to convince Small Black to cancel their set… Scrambling to find a musical replacement, I ended up at Pianos…”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

Care Bears on Fire @ Cake Shop

With a cutesy name but a hard edge, Care Bears on Fire rocked Cake Shop’s foundation.  Ready to share in the fun, Team 50/50 stopped by and was blown away by their punk stylings.  Their cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody wants to Rule the World” didn’t hurt either.

Katharine: “The one cover of the night that they did was something “near and dear to [their] hearts, Everybody Wants To Rule The World,” a Tears For Fears cover that they hardened and sped up into a really interesting punk take on the song. I think these girls have a lot of talent and a lot of support, and they can go really far if they keep it up. They’ve certainly got the attitude for it: rock star, but sweet.”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

Borrowed Eyes @ The Studio at Webster Hall

It was a busy night of multitasking for the lead singer of Borrow Eyes.  Luckily, Team 50/50 was there to show their full support on their last night at the Studio at Webster Hall.  Check out what they thought about this show:

Nick: “The notably tall, heavily tattooed Danny Wood had a busy night last night. He not only provided vocals and guitar for his own band, Borrowed Eyes, he also stood in as a bassist for opener Midnight Massive. The extra work didn’t seem to dampen Wood’s spirits any, and at the night’s end the sweat soaked singer appeared exultant.”

Katharine: “I loved the set that Borrowed Eyes played for us; they gave us true Americana folk rock, with amped-up guitars and lyrics about coal mine struggles, the slave-mentality of the everyday working man, and struggles to fight your demons (with one song literally being about Satan).”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

Dark Meat's Streamer Processional

Sunday at the Williamsburg was once again on the brink of rain (that’s three Jelly weeks in a row). But there were no cancellations this time around and a rather bizarre lineup of artists took the stage to perform their own brand of music. The headliners, Simian Mobile Disco, delivered with a high energy, 2 hour plus set.

Nick:”…several musicians from Dark Meat (including their trombone player) joined the fracas with the DJ’s fading the beats in and out to give the analog musicians ample opportunity to be heard. After their guests departed, SMD continued pumping out their set; some songs contained short addictive, catchy vocal samples and others were purely instrumental.”

Katharine:”Dark Meat also tends to include theatrical elements into their stage show, which we saw in spades: face paint, crepe paper processionals, you name it. Whether or not it was my type of music, they were certainly rocking out on stage and definitely had fun with it. “This next song is called ‘Everyone In Our Band Is On Drugs,’” they yelled at one point, and, yeah, I could see that. But it definitely made for an interesting show.”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

Alexander Ridha dishes out the beats at Summerstage

Drop the Lime and Boys Noize turned Summerstage into an afternoon dance party with infectious dance and house beats.  The huge crowd came to party and oh did they.

Nick: “Price’s atmospheric voice (an unused recording from Thriller) was a bit of a cliché in a summer that has seen innumerable tributes to Michael Jackson. Cliché or not, the song did build anticipation, and when the the robotic, prerecorded vocals and hard hitting electro of “Come with Me” kicked in, the music mesmerized the crowd.”

Katharine: “I think something switched when he (Boyz Noize) stepped on to perform, and the crowd must have all of a sudden realised that it was time for rave mentality. People were going nuts around me — jumping, dancing, flailing, and, very prevalently, lighting up their cigarettes and joints… When the person on stage is having fun, you can’t help but try to yourself.”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.

The Pedrito Martinez Project boogying to their own grooves

The Pedrito Martinez Project gave New Yorkers a taste of Cuba at Central Park SummerStage.  Backed by a large talented band, he worked hard to entice the crowd to join in the rhythm.  After his set, the film “I am Cuba” was shown, shedding light on the living conditions of Cubanos before the revolution.  Here are some of 50/50’s thoughts about this great night:

Nick: “Pedrito did most of his work last night as a vocalist, patrolling the stage in a white linen suit and hat, singing and dancing as the band’s funky horn lines and infectiously syncopated congas blared behind him. Not content to play only traditional fare, the band integrated some hip-hop elements into the performance with one of Pedrito’s backup singers rapping a spanglish verse on song.”

Katharine:  ”Pedrito Martinez has a beautiful voice, and he talked to the crowd a little bit about his band, his music, and the fact that he believed that Africa was the greatest country in the world… it was lovely music for a humid summer night, and gave us just a glimpse into what the Cuban culture might be like.”

Read their full recaps and share yours at SuperGlued.