The Emery Street Records crew have been busy since Seb Black’s official album launch at the end of May. At the end of this month, fellow label mates Eddie Paul and Les Tavarneux will be releasing their new singles ‘Dig Myself A Hole’ and ‘Musique la Juge’ respectively. Seb Black just released a new video for his single ‘Go Out In Style.’ Get ready: badass dogs chewing on raw meat, lovely Burlesque dancers, a bathtub full of milk and FrootLoops, and a nice collection of taxidermied animals:
If you missed him in May, you can catch Seb Black perform August 24 at Divan Orange. In the meantime, here’s a review of his last show:
Seb Black has more than just one trick up his sleeve. His signature smoky rasp is definitely the real deal but was by no means the only star of the show, which took place May 30 at a full-to-bursting Katacombes. The performance served to officially launch his new album ‘On Emery Street’ and the band obliged by playing the album in its entirety, with the exception of one song (‘Lil’ Boomer’) from start to finish.
A piece of the atmosphere that Black and the Emery Street musicians have created back at their record label HQ follows them onto the stage. The show had a vibe reminiscent of an old-timey carnival mixed with a punk rock funhouse, all with just a touch of sophistication. Girls were dancing and guys were raucously singing along as Black’s hideously mesmerizing stuffed monkey, used as a stage prop, gazed at the crowd from its perch.
Black is a great showman and his raw energy is contagious. Guitarist Eddie Paul, bassist Guillaume Besnier, drummer Marc-Antoine Sévégny, and keyboardist Matthew Shefler are all very talented musicians with their own distinct stage presence that compliment Black’s charisma well.
The songs as they are performed live differ slightly from the recorded work. Many of the electronic elements present on a few of Black’s songs (‘On Emery Street’ and ‘The Rich Kids’) were hard to pick up on live. The same goes for the brass sections on ‘Got No Twist.’
Nonetheless, hearing the songs a little stripped down did not take away from their essence, style and spirit, which is really what makes Black’s music so interesting in the first place. You could throw these guys on a street corner with homemade instruments and they would probably still sound good.
Photos by Chris Zacchia
