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Posted in CMJ | music | pictures on October 22, 2007
Trail of Dead, Yo Majesty & Thunderheist @ Highline Ballroom
by Klaus Kinski
DOWNLOAD: Trail of Dead - Worlds Apart (MP3)
Trail of Dead (CRED)
On Thursday (Oct 18, 2007) I (Klaus) went to the Highline Ballroom for the first time to check out the Thunderheist/Yo Majesty/Trail of Dead/Islands/Enon/The Octopus Project CMJ showcase. Unfortunately I was only able to stay for Thunderheist, Yo Majesty, and Trail of Dead but these three acts packed such a punch that I left very satisfied.
Thunderheist (CRED)
I have to start by mentioning that I've never been to the Highline, but I was pretty impressed with the quality of the sound and the sightlines. It did have an all-too-polished, almost sterile look and the numerous security guards on hand made it feel a bit confined, but overall I dug the place. Thunderheist was up first at 8pm sharp and blasted through an absolutely phenominal set to an unfortunately empty and impotent room. As an old fart, I'm not prone to too much movement at shows these days, but this two-piece's agressive vocals, overwhelming stage presence, and superb beats almost had me moving. There was a 5-minute period in their set when I felt that the wind had been taken from their sails, and I thought they might be one of these bands that tend to start strong and fizzle out. However, they cranked it right back up and ended the set with a bang.
Yo Majesty (CRED)
Next up was Tampa's Yo Majesty and they absolutely blew my mind. The DJ kicked things off solo, spinning a fantastic up-tempo beat to get the crowd in the mood for what was about to begin. Then Shunda K & Jwl. B came out and tore into a set that was explosive, aggressive, and relentless. By this time, the room had filled up a lot and Yo Majesty completely had us all in their power. And as has happened in the past, toplessness ensued. I cannot recommend them enough; see them live, buy their records, download their tunes, just do yourself a favor and acquaint yourself with them. I am so glad I did.
The third and final band up was Trail of Dead. People nowadays seem sort of wishy-washy about how they feel about Trail of Dead. Some people think they've still got it, others think they're not as good as they used to be. But last night's set of anthemic, powerful tunes put them back on my list of bands one must see live. In addition to being totally on top of their game, they were so goddamned loud my shoes came untied.
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RELATED: Islands played this show and the BrooklynVegan party at R Bar. Yo Majesty didn't play R Bar, but did play Irving Plaza the next day. Thunderheist played the BrooklynVegan afterparty at 205 on Saturday night. Trail of Dead play Bowery Ballroom on November 23.
Posted on October 22, 2007 9:11 AM
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Comments (3)
Were ToD really that good? Can anyone compare the show to their previous legendary shows (Madonna-era)? I wanted to go, but they were slotted for only 45 minutes, so I decided against it in favor for the Dirtbombs are the Mercury Lounge.
How many drummers? Who was the bassist?
Posted by Anonymous | October 22, 2007 9:36 AM
Bassist was Jay Leo Phillips from Apollo Up. Formerly of Forget Cassettes. Drummer was Aaron Ford, also formerly of Forget Cassettes, replacing Doni in ToD, formerly and currently (again) of Forget Cassettes, which Jay and Aaron are no longer in. Confusing, right? Both awesome Nashville bands, by the way.
Posted by Bryan | October 22, 2007 12:22 PM
Trail of Dead were TERRIBLE at Highline... I'm a fan, and thought their performance at Irving Plaza last November was awesome, but they were really bad during CMJ. The new stuff was just lame AC/DC-esque riff-rock, and the golden oldies even sounded lame compared to the album or the other times I've seen them. I really have no idea what merit this reviewer saw in their set, incredibly disappointing is how I felt about it.
Posted by Listen to Kate Bush | October 22, 2007 3:12 PM