It’s such a fine line between persistence and nagging, and I have to say these guys have been very . . . proactive (and this will seal my doom inbox-wise I suppose). But all of this comes to nothing if we don’t find you interesting. I finally got around to giving them a listen and this is some wildly original stuff. I found this amusing mention from a year ago in The L Magazine under ‘8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear’,
Thanks to Arcade Fire and a smattering of other bands that have bought into this idea that it’s perfectly acceptable to have every single one of your friends join you on stage, it’s no longer terribly rare to come across a band like Emanuel & the Fear, a mostly Brooklyn-based band boasting eleven members. What sets them apart, though, is that each and every one of them is there for a reason. You won’t find anyone standing around lightly tapping on a tambourine — they’re a massively ambitious rock and roll orchestra incorporating everything from violin and cello to trumpet and trombone, not to mention the standard guitar, bass, drums and piano that are represented as well.
Ain’t that the truth, but how are all these musicians (and that guy’s hair) going to fit into this club? I can’t wait to find out. I don’t think Emanuel et al. have to worry about competing with Foo Fest. This should be a completely different experience and may well attract a large number of Foo-ed out fans from up the street. So give a listen to some of these songs, and kudos to ‘the 201’ who have been booking some very cool nights of music. (photo credit: chris becker)
8pm, Saturday, Emanuel and the Fear, 201 Westminster Street