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Cold Cave (and a lot of bands) played free shows @ Solar One (for NYU) & in Barnard's LeFrak Gym (WBAR-B-Q rain location)

by Andrew Frisciano

WBAR BBQ 2010

The on-again, off-again rain on Sunday didn’t cancel the 17th annual WBAR-B-Q, but it did move the show inside to Barnard’s LeFrak Gym, a bit different aesthetically from the lush spring greenery outside but serviceable enough. It helped that the lineup had a focus on experimental noise and noise-inspired acts – every act I saw had the reverb and distortion keyed up, so the added resonance of the hall wasn’t really an issue.

The show kicked off with Prince Rama, U.S. Girls and Think About Life, all of whom went on before I got there a little after 2pm. By then the free food was gone too, but the cotton candy machine and sno-cones were stocked all day.

On the center stage, Baltimore’s Lower Dens (with guitarist Jana Hunter) played floating, moody distorted rock; drone violinist and loopmaster Burning Star Core/C Spencer Yeh serenaded (with huge bass drops) along the back wall; and Blues Control performed effects-heavy keyboard-and-tape jams.

The room looked fairly empty for most of the day (being a huge gym), but by the time Cold Cave went on people were on their feet and dancing. New member Jennifer Clavin (ex-Mika Miko) played keys and stepped in for vocals, and the band was off after a short-ish, no-encore set. Twin Stumps and their crazily enthused frontman set up on the floor across the gym and kept the show going with dissonant, pointed punk. Liturgy closed the show, but I took off before they played.

It was the second free show of the weekend for Cold Cave, who played the HEALTH-headlined NYU Solar One show the day before (which I heard also had plenty of room for people to move around). They play (Le) Poisson Rouge on Thursday with Cult Of Youth, Beaut, Max (reading), Mike Goodstein (WFMU) and DJ Mike Simonetti (Italians Do It Better). Tickets are still on sale.

More pictures from Barnard and a video of HEALTH at Solar One are below…

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Lower Dens…

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Burning Star Core…

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Blues Control…

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Cold Cave…

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Twin Stumps…

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HEALTH – We Are Water Live at Solar One. Stuyvesant Cove, East Village NYC. 4/24/2010.