Listen to METZ... start to get excited about METZ

Toronto-based trio METZ, who recently signed to Sub Pop Records to release their debut LP in October, are heading to New York City for a pair of shows at Pianos (8/31) and Death By Audio (9/1). My advice? Get really fucking excited and grab a pair of ear plugs. The band, who over the past three and a half years have opened for Mission of Burma, Archers of Loaf and Mudhoney, sound like an amalgamation of all those bands, that is if you were to push all their levels in the red and drench their vocals in a huge bowl of reverb. It's quite an exciting ride indeed.

Their self-titled release will be available on Sub Pop on October 9 in North America, and you can stream the lead single "Headache" via the embedded player below. Be sure to get tickets to the Pianos show, as Death By Audio hasn't yet made tickets available. You can also check out their tour dates below to find out where they'll be playing near you. Godspeed...

Future Nostalgia: Doe Paoro @ Pianos

Doe Paoro @ Pianos - March 7, 2012
Photos: Chris

It’s quite telling when the talent of a band shines through in a live setting even when their set is plagued by sound issues. Such was the case last night for Doe Paoro, a Brooklyn band who played an overbearingly packed Pianos last night to a crowd that was eagerly anticipating their set. When I was asked what they sounded like before they came on, the only thing I could come up with was, “R&B... I think.” I don’t know if that’s exactly an inaccurate description. That label has really just diminished in the past thirty years, but there’s clearly still a literal use for it when a band’s sound is comprised of… well, rhythm and blues.

When lead singer Sonia Kreitzer took the stage (after a lengthy turnover from the previous band), the crowd quickly fell silent as she began singing the intro to her recently released album Slow To Love, and then went right into “Born Whole”--an extremely addictive and soulful song that is as beautiful as it is haunting. Unfortunately the drum pads her drummer was using were just not working, and was unsuccessful in getting the sound guy’s attention for the entirety of the song. As a drummer, I felt his pain, but the rest of the band (a standup bassist and keyboardist) did not miss a beat and plowed on with the song. Luckily, the band revisited the song, full drum sounds intact, at the end of their set.