Concert Review: Medium Cool, With a Larger Than Life Sound

The site of my first on location live concert review was the Cake Shop, on Ludlow Street in New York City. Down on the corner you may recognize Katz's world famous Deli, best known for the Meg Ryan "faking it" scene from "When Harry Met Sally," where the old woman famously stated, "I'll have what she's having." Well, what I was having on Friday night, would turn out to be an audible helping of fresh sounds in a unique venue, delivered at the hands of Medium Cool, a band that is sure to make some noise beyond the borders of the East Village very soon. As I walked into the Cake Shop, it had the look of a vintage coffee house and seemed more along the lines of a venue for an acoustic concert; not anywhere near what I would shortly bear witness to. Their vegan menu had some stand out items on it, and there was a nice mix of a blended crowd mingling about. The Cake Shop also offers up CD's and Records for sale, (Biz Markie was on the shelf, so I took notice) which goes nicely with the ambiance of tea light candles and white Christmas tree lights strewn about the walls; think Starbucks with a pulse and a soul to match.
Then, at the end of the coffee counter, is a sign pointing downward to a doorway that leads to the bar in the basement, where all the fun goes down. A fitting way to describe the upstairs in comparison to the downstairs would be "day and night." As you go down the long flight of stairs the lights dim, and as you go through the doorway, they darken even more as the bar emerges. Break on through to the other side. Resembling a Prohibition Era speakeasy, the stage sits at the back of the long room that's like a hidden basement. This post modern Cavern Club-looking establishment seemed to be a prime location for any show.

The room filled quickly towards the front of the stage and out past the bar as the band assembled. Showing the speed and persistence of a Nascar pit crew on lap number 475 of the Daytona 500 while setting up the stage, Medium Cool got right down to business. Their opening song, "Lovin' Arms," invoked memories of when pop actually popped, invoking emotion with an astoundingly catchy chorus that gives Weezer's best a run for their money. The crowd was embraced by the sound immediately and the band opened up to the warm reception. Having the opportunity to get in touch with the band earlier in the week, they were enthusiastic about the show leading up to it with much rehearsing. This really shined through from the moment they started playing. They came into this show believing they are now a better sounding band than the one on their first EP, and they proved this tenfold on Friday night.

The band is comprised of: (From Left to Right) Tim McCoy on drums and percussion, Casey Smith on lead keys, guitar and vocals, Mark Sanger on guitar and vocals, Marc Philippe Eskenazi on guitar and vocals, and Jonah Green on bass and vocals.Medium Cool's self-titled debut EP has great sounds on it with unique lyrics and melodies, and is the beginning of what should be an extensive catalog of great music. However, they didn't play any songs off their debut at this show. This was rightfully so, as they have now reached another stage in their career where they are really settling in to their musical skin naturally. Since having longtime friend Jonah Green join the group on bass after they recorded and toured with their debut, their evolved sound is what people will get to know Medium Cool by.

Throughout the set I was reminded that rock n' roll is still alive and kicking out there, and bands like this are the reason it's not on the ropes. "Arabesque" had a taste of solo George Harrison, with a touch of today, and was a brave tune to kick into the set's third slot. "Love For Sale" isn't a Beatles tune, (though the title sounds very Beatle-esque) but stood out with a millennium garage rock edge infused with 1960's rock. And speaking of the Beatles, I'm not sure if this was intended, but the guitar break towards the end of the tune was an originally fitting homage to the end of "A Hard Day's Night."On "Good Enough Babe," keyboardist Casey Smith took front and center ripping through the place with stellar harmonica breaks supplemented by brilliant harmonizing between the lead guitar and bass; so moving in fact, that a young woman in the front of the crowd fell over in excitement. Early Who influence was also evident in "No Relation," which had gripping rhythm and blues guitar highlighted by vocal harmonies that Daltrey and Townshend would never try. Medium Cool architectured this custom genre blending superbly, with the further musical freedom of today's scene creating a one of a kind sound. Their take on Lou Reed's "Make Up," was a fitting number for bassist Green, who can register low tones vocally as well as he played them, giving the song fresh signs of life and invoking Reed's presence. The guitar work matched with the softened keyboards to gel nicely with this number.
I'd have to say one of the high points of the night (though there were plenty) was when the band played a recent tune, "Die Another Day." The humming of the guitars layered with Mark Sanger's lead vocals on this number invoke the same kind of emotion great and memorable songs always do, and is sure to be a staple and crowd favorite in their shows to come. It's a great love song, that's got enough soul to not have to label it as such. McCoy's subtle backbeat kept the train rolling, and was underlying yet definitive throughout the set.

Following this song was "What You Came Here Fo'," which was fittingly towards the end of the set. Being another one of the newer songs they played, it contained gripping guitar and bass harmonies while infusing the acoustic guitar wielded by Marc Philippe Eskenazi. Moments like that one are what show you how far the band has come, as they are a very tight unit whose music comes through crisp and polished, yet naturally free flowing at the same time. Medium Cool is sure to catch fire very soon if they keep wowing crowds as they did on Friday night. The band returns to the stage on Thursday, September 18th, when they play at Rehab located at 25 Avenue B, between 2nd and 3rd Street in New York City at 9PM. Admission is $8, and if it's anywhere near the show I saw, it will be well well worth it. You can hear a couple tunes off of the band's debut EP, as well as a premix of "Die Another Day," on their Myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/mediumcoolmusic .


All the photos were taken by JohnnyBeBlogging Staff Photographer Nicole Brady.

Below is the show's Set List, as provided by Medium Cool, with new songs/cover songs labeled:

1.Lovin' Arms

2.Egyptian Tomb (New)

3.Arabesque (New)

4.Love for Sale (New)

5.Good Enough Babe (New)

6.No Relation

7.Make Up (Lou Reed cover)

8.Die Another Day

9.What Ya Came Here Fo (New)

Encores:

10.Just Don't Know if it's Real

11.The Losing End (Neil Young cover)