2012: A Year In Pictures: Dec. 2011- March 2012

A series of highlights, as well as a chronological accounting.

At the beginning: shows I went to after I had completed last year’s year-end roundup but before the end of the year.

 
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Naked Fiction, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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we are the Last Men On Earth, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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Pollux, Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco, Dec. 30, 2011
 
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Wounded Lion, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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White Fence, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, CA, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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Fresh & Onlys, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, Dec. 31, 2011
 
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Thee Oh Sees, Brick & Mortar, San Francisco, Dec. 31, 2011
 
And now, 2012, starting my first show of the year at the Lakeside Lounge:
 
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Mud, Blood & Beer, Lakeside Lounge, NY, NY, January 5, 2012
 
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Crown Jewel Defense, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Foxy Shazam, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Justin Hawkins, The Darkness, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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The Darkness, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 4, 2012
 
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Built By Stereo, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 17, 2012
 
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TESLA, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, February 17, 2012
 
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Iridesense, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, March 10, 2012
 
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Saw Doctors, Irving Plaza, New York, NY, March 10, 2012
 

Postcards from the Table By The Stage: Mud, Blood and Beer, The Lakeside Lounge, 1/5/2012

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Mud, Blood & Beer is: Stephen Swalsky (bass), Jon Glover (guitar / vocals), Stephen Sperber (drums) and Jess Hoeffner (guitar / vocals) and last Thursday I kicked off my 2012 concert season with their show at the Lakeside Lounge. (There is no lake anywhere near the Lakeside Lounge.  Except maybe in the gutters by Tompkins Square Park in the spring, after a hard rain.)

Anyway, they play good old-fashioned rock and roll lightly infused with country, or else good old-fashioned country with sturdy rock and roll underpinnings, depending on how you want to look at things. However you want to file them, their songs feature everything I like: strong rhythm section, bursts of fancy picking, and the occasional pedal-steel filigree. As an example: their video for Mine the Light, from their brand new record, Gone for Good:

 

Mud, Blood & Beer - "Mine the Light"

 

They’re playing a record release show on Feb. 4 at the Bitter End. If you’re in the NYC area that weekend, stop in and check them out. In conclusion, here are some pictures from the Lakeside Lounge:

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