Jennifer re-employs her uncanny ability to get killer shots of Pete Wentz as he broadens the current trend of bands with “Black” in their names. While my taste frequently diverges from Jennifer’s, and NTSIB would not have any Wentz-related content without her, I’m truly proud to be able to feature her great shots here.
Black Cards
Pete Wentz amid a forest of hands and cameras
Apparently I have some mysterious talent for taking reasonably good but yet oddly blown-out pictures of Pete Wentz. I took this a week and a half ago in a teeny-tiny club in Poughkeepsie. The occasion was the last night of a three-show mini-tour by Black Cards, which is his new band. Blown out or not I’m fond of it, though, because, well, look at his little grinny face. He was having fun, y’all, and I was glad I could be there to see it. (Also, that forest of hands and cameras? They were there ALL NIGHT. I was three rows back from the stage and that was essentially my view!)
As for the music: it was great. Their sound incorporates elements of reggae and dance-pop and is wholly different from Fall Out Boy, but is still definitely rock and roll. They don’t have a record out yet, but based on what I heard, I’ll be picking it up when it does appear. Meanwhile, you’ll find links to listen to and/or download the two singles they have on the internet here. Note: the singles are representative of their dance-pop side. They’re much heavier live, and the drums and guitars have a larger, more solid presence. I won’t make April’s head explode (today) by using any “sounds like” comparisons, but I will say: imagine what No Doubt might be like if they had Chicago grit and New York City glamour going for them.
Bebe Rexha, Nate Patterson, Pete Wentz
You might now be wondering whatever possessed me to take a two hour train ride to Poughkeepsie to attend a show in a teeny-tiny bar by a band with no record out and only two singles on the internet. The answer is: April has Greg (fucking) Dulli, I have Pete Wentz. Also, while I’m not going to get into the tedious gory details, suffice it to say, the tour and the music were and are the physical fruits of Wentz’s recovery from a rough year. And it was really, really good to see him happy on stage again.
Meanwhile, here is another one of my favorite pictures from the evening:
Bebe Rexha
This is Bebe Rexha (of Staten Island!), lead singer for the band. Her voice is delicious, and her stage presence is killer. I believe I used the phrase “hot reggae swagger” to describe it to people.
I’ll conclude now with an atmospheric shot of the alley next to the club, in honor of Halloween. And because everyone needs some spooky lights and shadowy dragons in their Wednesday, right?
