freeenergy52

Free Energy tour dates without the Rakes who broke up, a show w/ Small Black who play Brooklyn w/ Pictureplane too

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Diehard – Karaoke King (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Small Black – Despicable Dogs (MP3)

Free Energy
Free Energy

Philadelphia’s nostalgic party rockers Free Energy are playing The Bell House next Tuesday (11/10). This is the band’s first NYC show since a pretty successful CMJ run:

This group’s laser-guided desire to be the go-to Dazed and Confused house band makes their ultimate intent curious. Considering the caveman riffs, boogie bass, and lyrics like, “you can do what you want to do,” the question is: Are these guys kidding? The answer is (basically), “no.”

Because when Sprangers sings, “you can do what you want to do,” or, “never give up,” or even, “bang pop pop,” he means it– possibly more than a grown man should. So this is seriously fun music, the type of thing Weezer have attempted for the last few years except not as creepy or cloying. [Pitchfork]

After the Bell House show, Free Energy are hitting the road for a string of South West dates that were supposed to be with UK band The Rakes who instead decided to break up instead. (They announced it during CMJ, which somewhat explains why we’re only mentioning it now.) The Rakes will be missed, but here’s hoping singer Alan Donahoe finds a new band soon. He’ll need to do something with that nervous energy. The affected NYC date is November 12th at Highline Ballroom (“refunds available at all points of purchase”).

Free Energy are also playing Santos Party House on November 28 with Glint opening.

Back to the Bell House show though. Also playing are another band who had a good CMJ, Brooklyn’s Small Black. While they seem a little more song-based than most of the bands lumped in with this chillwave/glo-fi thing, there is a Washed Out remix of their (very good) current single “Despicable Dogs” So let’s just lump them in there too and make it easy on ourselves for now. Unlike Washed Out though, Small Black have already figured out how to make their live show interesting. So if you missed them during CMJ, here’s another chance. They play Market Hotel on November 7th too, with Pictureplane, Cale Parks, Grass Widow, and The Girls at Dawn. All dates below.

Also on the Bell House line-up are relatively new band Diehard who seem to be actively channeling mid-’90s American indie rock like Superchunk, Archers of Loaf and Pavement, and they do it very well. Check out their song “Karaoke King” at the top of this post, and if you like that they’ve got two more downloadable MP3s at their website.

Live videos of Free Energy and Small Black from CMJ, plus all tour dates are below.

Free Energy – “Something in Common” CMJ 2009

Small Black – CMJ 2009

Free Energy – 2009 Tour Dates
Tue 11/10 – The Bell House, Brooklyn, NY w/ Small Black & Diehard
Thu 11/19 – The Cavern Dallas TX w/ Deastro, Max Tundra
Fri 11/20 – The Mohawk Austin TX
Sat 11/21 – Spanish Moon Baton Rouge LA
Sun 11/22 – The Earl Atlanta GA
Mon 11/23 – Local 506 Chapel Hill NC w/ Mt Weather
Tue 11/24 – Ottobar Baltimore MD
Wed 11/25 – DC9 Washington DC
Fri 11/27 – Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia PA
Sat 11/28 – Santos Partyhouse New York NY w/ Glint

Small Black

Small Black – 2009 Tour Dates
Nov 5 – Vassar College w/ Pictureplane Poughkeepsie, New York
Nov 6 – BIG FUNG Boston, Massachusetts
Nov 7 – Market Hotel w/ Pictureplane Brooklyn – Bushwick
Nov 10 – Bell House- w/ Free Energy Brooklyn – Gowanus, New York