Even though I just got the Cloud Nothings CD in the mail last month it felt like I had been waiting forever to see this band live, and this past Saturday I finally got the chance.

Another wonderful show put on by Chocolate Bobka (if you didn’t know Chocolate Bobka is the little sister to Underwater Peoples, big brother of Ray Conception, and the girl scout troop leader of Pitchfork’s Forkast) and this time he teamed up with the budding record label Group Tightener (maybe that means they are now cousins with Bobka?  If you didn’t check it out already…Jamie from Group Tightener contributed his best of 2009 list to the Great Pumpkin).

Both Chocolate Bobka and Group Tightener throw really fun shows whether it’s at a church or at Monster Island…and this time it was at Monster Island.  I got to the show right as Nude Beach ended, and Cloud Nothings took the stage.

Dylan Baldi and company put on an impressive live show for such a young band.  They played an extremely tight set, and seemed to complement each other very well.  In this bands short time playing live (the first time being about a month ago here in New York) they have already had one line up change, but that has not slowed them down.   I was particularly impressed by the fact that the guitar solos on songs like “Can’t Stay Awake” sounded as good, if not better, live.  It seems like there are only good things to come from Cloud Nothings, and I’m very happy I got to experience them this early stage.

My video camera is back in action, and I was able to capture a handful of what I’m already considering Cloud Nothings classics as well as two new songs.  I actually took a whole lot more video than I thought….here they are:

Cloud Nothings- “Can’t Stay Awake”

Cloud Nothings- “Hey Cool Kid”

Cloud Nothings- “Turning On”

Cloud Nothings- “”whaddya wanna know”

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Whaddya Wanna Know”

These four songs are off of Cloud Nothings album Turning On. Buy it here on tape or cd.  Keep and eye out for the vinyl here.

Cloud Nothings- “Morgan”

Cloud Nothings- “strummin”

On a slightly less exciting note I was not able to get close enough to Alex Bleeker and the Freaks to actually see them play.  They sounded amazing, and I can’t wait to get another opportunity to see Bleeker with a full band.  It was a little disappointing that most of the crowd found their conversations more important than Bleeker’s music because I would hav really like to be fully emersed.  Mr. Bleeker…I look forward to seeing you again.

Links:

• Buy Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more on Alex Bleeker and the Freaks here.
• Buy the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks LP from Underwater Peoples here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.
• the photo above  was taken by klk and I on a holga in the Calvary Cemetery in Queens.