LOCAL / a l l o y Night at Matchless: Paula Valstein, Machines Aren't Loud, The Undisputed Heavyweights

Local / a l l o y is a collaboration between the Local Correspondents series and Alloy Radio.

Host: Jeff Schram of Alloy Radio

Featured Musicians: Paula Valstein, Machines Aren't Loud, The Undisputed Heavyweights

Stalled in traffic on the BQE and can't be angry looking across the river at the sparkling jungle- manhattan skyline. Still arrived in time, Jeff Schram is there with everything under control & Niko's behind the sound board so I have nothing much to do but hand out drink tickets and sip my jack on the rocks.

This is my first time seeing Paula, and she blew every single one of us away with her performance. Metropolis is projected in the background and seems to coincide visually with every emotional and aural climax in the songs. The band is very tight and sound amazing despite sound limitations. Paula's voice is strong and passionate and still pitch-perfect. Even managed to win over the pool players, who came up and sat in the front to watch attentively for the rest of her performance.

Two of the guys in Machines Aren't Loud are from K9 Photography, which has rapidly become one of my favorite new acoustic groups. I know Dan going back even further to Iggy's Keltic Lounge, the queen of Irish dives on the lower east side. Despite it being a pit, I met both Tanya and Dan there. Sorta makes you want to stop believing in coincidence. Machines Aren't Loud is a very different project from K9. I loved hearing a new side to Dan's music, and the collaboration between all three members was spot-on. One song in particular had some really funky bass and drum parts. I gotta learn the words so I can sing along next time. Dr. Strangelove was on the projector, and I got to catch up with Boxwood for a little bit.

Finally, the Undisputed Heavyweights! My admiration for these guys is endless. Casey Shea can sing like an angel, or scream like James Brown. There were sound issues from the start, but the Heavyweights took it all in stride. Casey's mic chord kept coming loose, so he just grabbed Jeff's mic and wouldn't allow anything to stop the song. This was the first time I heard these boys with a drummer, and it was excellent. In fact, I enjoyed myself so much I almost felt guilty. But the "Amen"s and "Sweet Jesus"es were flowing like wine, the band was tight, and I couldn't help singing along to 'Bitches Be Trippin'.

In the midst of all this, Jeff Schram was a tip jar god, convincing patrons to part with their money for the sacred cause of music. He also recorded the performance to podcast. Oh, and did I mention how he did all the hard work and I just had fun all night?

Ok, so I did have to defend myself and my friend from a couple drunk polish men, "you like to dance? you like to dance?" and "tee-hee-hee. polish boys, polish boys. hee-he-heee." Don't even ask. But other than that, it was just about as perfect as a night can be.

Later back on the BQE, can see the outline of my face in the window, painted phantom on the manhattan skyline, going home, satisfied.

~jessi