Jonathan Toubin Benefit

Discovered in the wake of the Strokes' popularity and the subsequent garage rock revival, New York's art punk trio the Yeah Yeah Yeahs comprises singer Karen O, guitarist Nicolas Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. O met Chase at Ohio's Oberlin College and met Zinner through friends after she transferred to N.Y.U. Zinner and O formed the band in 2000 and recruited Chase when their original drummer bowed out. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote a slew of songs at their first rehearsal and soon wound up supporting the Strokes and the White Stripes, earning a significant buzz for their arty-yet-sexy take on garage punk. In late 2001, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs released their self-titled debut EP, which they recorded with Boss Hog's Jerry Teel, on their own Shifty label. Early the next year the band stepped into the international spotlight, appearing at South By Southwest, touring the U.S. with Girls Against Boys, Europe with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, and headlining their own U.K. tour. Wichita Recordings distributed the group's EP in the U.K. and Touch and Go reissued it in the States. In between tours, the group put the finishing touches on their full-length debut, which was expected to have a fall 2002 release. American dates with Sleater-Kinney, The Liars and The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion followed throughout the rest of the year, with the Machine EP tiding over fans before their first full length.

Heavy Trash is an American band based in New York City formed by Jon Spencer of The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Matt Verta-Ray, formerly of New York bands Madder Rose and Speedball Baby. The band’s music draws from an eclectic mix of genres, including Americana, blues, alternative rock, rockabilly, and punk.
They are currently signed to YepRoc records, having released three albums. Their 2005’s Heavy Trash. In support of that album, they embarked on a tour of small venues throughout the United States. Their second album, Going Way Out With Heavy Trash, was released on September 4, 2007. The third album Midnight Soul Serenade was released in 2009.

If the Velvet Underground were to take a dark depressing trip down a rabbit hole, then they might end up sounding like Royal Baths. However, Royal Baths have risen from said hole and bring with it an aggressive edge that keeps their tunes from being anything but melancholy. Their recent offering, Litanies, came out on the New York Label Woodsist late last year and has been generating headlines. A lengthy listen is recommended, as it is one of those rare gems that stand heavily on not one song, nor two, but the complete set.

CHAD MITCHELL