Pop Tarts Suck Toasted + AWE Present @ The Cup 5/2

When Ben and I first began planning our multi-borough, monthly shows we had nights like Friday in mind. Sure, we had a few dozen more people packing into the room in mind, but we have to start somewhere and I just hope we didn't blow our load in front of 20 or so completely changed individuals. I'm not just saying that either. I've been told that it was; "a great show", "the most fun I've ever had at a show on Staten Island", "mind opening", "completely offensive", "dangerous", and "what rock should be like". I've been kind of floored by those responses, but I have to say I agree with all of them to some extent. I think a lot of the photos will begin to prove my point, and we had a video camera crew in there (unsolicited, but very much welcomed) that should be sending even more proof of what went down Friday night.
The Cup may never be the same after Friday's show, once a fairly normal cafe with a bar and band room in the back, we kind of altered it's landscape on Friday night and it all started with Chicago's Black Ladies. The instrumental duo had been added to the show only the day before and kicked things off by absolutely rocking the joint. With just a bass and drums the duo pounded ouot propulsive rhythms that would have felt awkward if they were constrained by a normal verse-chorus-verse structure. Instead, the duo soared amidst near chaos of pounding skins and humming strings. It was tremendous, a surprisingly welcome addition to the show, and a brilliant way to kick things off. I only wish I had thought of it myself, but some of the best things in life come to you from out of nowhere and such was the case with Black Ladies.Screaming Females followed the propulsive energy of Black Ladies with a set that wasn't quite the greatest thing I've ever seen, but wasn't far off. Sure, that may be a bit of hyperbole, but this New Brunswick based trio is probably the best band you've never heard of in the whole United States. Considering they've been thriving on the DIY scene, playing small basement shows for months now it's not all that surprising that you haven't heard of them but one listen to their music and you'll wonder why you hadn't heard it before! And live it kicks twice as hard as any of the recorded stuff I've heard so far. Their pixie-like lead singer and guitarist is an absolute master of her craft and I don't think she could be a day over 20 (and even that's pushing it). The girl flat out rocks, between crazy guitar solos, screaming out lyrics, and being so coy with her onstage banter, she is an indie dude's dream woman. Trust me. And the band is absolutely perfect together. While she wails and screeches, the bassist and drummer are playing along perfectly, keeping a steady rhythm going that is impossible not to like.The sheer ferocity and talent of the young band is something to marvel at. They are absolutely swimming with talent, yet they stay down to Earth and rock for anyone who is in attendance. The people in attendance were raving about them after they were down and haven't stopped since. Even my extremely hard to please brother loved them, which may not mean shit to you, but means a hell of a lot to me. And please don't doubt me on this, but don't just take my word for it either. Seek out the Screaming Females, listen to their music, venture to one of their shows and I guarantee you will fall for this band. Going into the night I knew that We Are the Seahorses would take the cake for sheer insanity and they did not disappoint one bit. The group is as much a performing art quartet as it is a band, with music blaring, videos playing, shouting coming from everywhere, jokes being made, nudity being encouraged, and crap being tossed everywhere. They are a mess, they make a mess, but it's something you can't peel your eyes away from. Like a horrible car accident, We Are the Seahorses are something for everyone, though they may really infuriate certain people (like a couple of girls that came for the show). It's both ridiculous and highly entertaining at the same time and it's difficult to describe all that they do as it's still a bit hazy for me. I spent the better part of the Seahorses set giggling away, wondering what they would do next, but at every turn there was another bit of unpredictability. As their synthetic music blared from the PA the group danced, pranced, twirled, stripped, and obliterated the entire venue. Confetti was strewn about, instruments were played by everyone in attendance, there was just so much happening that I'm having ridiculous trouble conveying all of it in a simple blog post. I think your best bet would be to see them live, their recorded music is nothing compared to the live show, and I think for most of us it's something that needs to be experienced. The only problem with We Are the Seahorses is that it is absolutely impossible to follow the band and we had another one set to play after them.

The Delay did their best though, playing some killer rock, but We Are the Seahorses had effectively removed the roof from the building and I don't think anyone was set for it to come back on. Hell I didn't even get my camera out after Darren's photogenic self had owned it. I'm sorry to the guys in The Delay. We should have realized that they would have been better suited going on before the Seahorses, but we planned it poorly and we'll have to get them back real soon.

Thanks to everyone involved in the show Ben, The Cup, Tim Duffy for DJing, Rachael for working the door, all the bands, patient bar keeps, the Mighty Ducks and all the people that came out! It was a blast and we'll be doing it again real soon! We promise!