Annie, Rothko, 12.3.05

Ah yes, another concert. I've made a concerted (har har) effort to devour as much music as possible over the last 6 months or so, and it's been lovely, but I don't really want to think about how much of my money lines the pockets of Eddie Argos, Sam Beam, Britt Daniel, James Murphy, and, now, the love of my life, Annie Berge-Strand. I have photos to share, comments to make, snark to levy, so let us begin. (Note: I'm writing this while listening to Annie's DJ Kicks album, which rocks.)

Rothko is the sketchiest venue I've ever been to, but I suppose that speaks more to the type of establishment I frequent than Rothko's vibe. But it's a dark little labyrinth of a place in a dark* little corner of the Lower East Side. So. First up, Spank Rock.


Here's this rap outfit from Baltimore, who, much to my surprise, brought with them a small but loud contingent of frat-boy loyalists. Also appearing onstage for a couple songs with Spank Rock was some hot chick named Amanda, whose naughty freestyling made me blush. She's not pictured here because she also made me very scared.




Next, Kudu.



Kudu I quite enjoyed. Let's call it synth lounge-hop with a nice beat. Worth checking out, fo sho.





At last, Annie. Now, a lot of the above photos were cropped and/or doctored, and nothing against Kudu or Spank Rock, but Annie's shots didn't need any of that, save for some red-eye touch-ups. She's a bit on the photogenic side, for one thing (which would also explain why I have so many pictures), and for another I found myself quite close to the stage by the time she came on, by no fault of my own. So, take it away, Annie.



Back in April, her show at Tribeca Grand received mixed reviews. Not having been there, I can't compare, but I still add a cent or two. I wish she'd had more of a band rather than an fx guy and a drummer who mostly played guitar. Hearing Anniemal translated into live instruments had been something I was looking forward to, but instead I saw the equivalent of...I don't know, I don't think technology has reached a fitting analogy as of this post. Annie herself sounded great, was charming and coy (especially when she hid behind the DJ booth). "Come Together" is one of my favorite songs and was among the highlights of the evening (I shot a 12 second video during "Come Together", but the sound sucks so I won't post it. Holla if you want to see it). She played a song called "Crush," penned when she was 16 sez she, which sounded good. "Me Plus One" was I guess the encore, but I missed most of it because I was in the bathroom. Helluva way to end a review






Annie's guitarist/drummer



Annie's fx







Packed house.



Broadway at night.



It snowed Saturday night. The snow looks fake on this statue.


* - At night.