A great night of music, rowdy fun and ice-cold PBR cans
Maxwell’s (1039 Washington St, Hoboken) certainly has the reputation it needs to keep it going as one of the hottest rock clubs in the country. There really is no urgency to keep up any appearance other than that of rock filth. Other clubs have done it, like CBGB in its later life. They held on tightly to glory days gone by, fell into ‘shitty chic’ and coasted thru. Maxwell’s hasn’t done that.
After 30 years, they continue making improvements. Such as always tweaking the sound system, not to mention the royal red drapes hung behind the stage tonight. And they recently gave the outside a new facelift. They also have the advantage of being a favorite restaurant in town. So continued upkeep is a downright necessity. Where it stands out among other classic NYC area venues is in bookings.
Of course nationals and signed bands come thru here all the time, and why not? But it’s the clubs willingness to book indie bands that keeps it high on a much deserved pedestal. And they don’t rely on a ‘first come, first serve’ cattle-call booking style. Booker Todd Abramson actually listens to submissions. Tonight I was hearing one of my favorites as well as discovering new music.
Roger Bryan and The Orphans are from Buffalo, NY. I met them at the start of the night thanks to an introduction from Dan Dwyer from CirclePerfect (he and his wife Gina are Stand’s management). I joked about how I like to write recommendations and tend not to write about things I don’t like. “So,” I teased, “Don’t get mad if you don’t see anything about you on my site.”
Since I’m writing about them, you can assume I liked what I heard. Well-crafted indie, folk rock. As the crowd grew, so did the band’s energy. Roger’s songs are catchy and the band rocks. I love their use of three electric guitars. Each part just enough askew from the others to create a nice, full sound.
Taking a break at the bar with Dan, we ordered up a couple of cold cans of PBR. Every so often, Maxwell’s gets paranoid about having any glass in the back room. Fear of a rowdy crowd perhaps. This makes ordering a Guinness unpleasant. Sure they have draught bottles that they pour into plastic cups, but if I have to explain all that is wrong with that statement … well …
Someone handed us each a shot. Never ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, we shoot. Argh!! The unexpected unpleasantness of cheap vodka. Still, it was a nice gesture. And it made the cold PBR taste that much better.
After the set, I got to hang with Roger and the gang while Stand set up. Roger mentioned that they had to drive straight back to Buffalo tonight. Guitarist Erik had to make a showing at his fiance’s bridal shower the next day. So the band joked that his punishment would be having to take the first leg of the long drive.
Running into Erik later, I asked him what he thought of the pending punishment. With a drink in his hand he smiled and said, “Nope, not gonna happen.” The rest of the band laughed knowing full well that their scheme didn’t have a chance.
Up next came Stand after successfully navigating their way in from Manhattan thru the PATH. It was their first time on the train and were surprised that, when they got out in Hoboken, no one knew where Maxwell’s was. Of course, those of us who live here know that, those people you run into outside of the PATH station are most likely not Hobokenites. Yes, we have our own ‘bridge and tunnel’ type crowd on the weekends. And they rarely migrate north of Third street.
I’ve seen Stand a couple of times and I have their two CDs in heavy rotation on my iPod. It’s safe to say … I’m a fan. Their music evokes an imagery and atmosphere that fits well in swanky-type venues like Joe’s Pub. But I’ve always liked the underlying grittiness that gave their sound such force. So it was great to see them in this classic, dark, hot, black box of a rock club.
The crowd tonight was wild. Voracious Stand fans, many of whom came from NYC via a large party bus. Bursting near capacity, the room jumped, swayed, drank and sang in joyous commotion. The only disturbing part of the night for me was when the question was tossed out from the stage, “Where are all the people who live in Hoboken?” and only three of us raised our hands.
Still it was fantastic to see this place packed with folks supporting, not only two fine bands, but two fine bands who are living the DIY, indie life.
See Also:
Photo Gallery
Stand (website)
Stand (myspace)
Roger Bryan & The Orphans (myspace)
Maxwell’s (website)
Maxwell’s (myspace)
