There was a war baby, somewhere across the sea
Tomorrow night and Friday, I am anticipating two rather blissful nights with The Gaslight Anthem. Thursday surprisingly brings them to the Black Sheep in my neck of the woods, and the chance to see this raging powderkeg of a band play in a little cinderblock club out on the strip by the pawn shops. It’s $12, and I have a feeling this will be the last time you can see them in such an intimate venue — they are rumored to be the openers on Green Day‘s upcoming megatour. Friday brings them up the highway to Denver’s Gothic Theatre and I plan to be there as well. Notable openers are the Heartless Bastards.
The music of the Gaslight Anthem carries the urgency of youth mixed with the weight of decades past. On The ’59 Sound (one of my favorite albums of last year), sometimes it is hard to tell which generation they actually belong to. I have been enjoying this iTunes-only bonus track from the album specifically because it feels like it’s a story that’s coming to me from a long way off.
Once Upon A Time (bonus track) – The Gaslight Anthem
If my sources are correct, I think this is a cover of the band Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise from their 1996 album. Go figure.
[Thanks John! Photo credit Gaelen Harlacher. “live fast, die awesome.”]
Name: Heather Browne
Enjoy Heather! Hope you enjoy as much as I did last night here in AZ.
Pete — April 22, 2009 @ 11:11 pm
2 nights – awesome! I’m biding my time for their second Stone Pony show…wasn’t able to score tix to the first. If their show at the Troc in Philly was awesome, seeing them on those Springsteen-trod boards by the beach will be like heaven.
Nick — April 23, 2009 @ 5:35 am
Just ran across your blog by chance – love it! I share your enthusiasm for the Gaslight Anthem and the expectation that they will soon graduate to larger venues, probably with the release of their next album.
My 15 year old punk-rock son turned me onto the band last year and we just saw them here in San Francisco last week. I’m old enough to have been a Springsteen fan since Born to Run was new and, later, a huge fan of the Replacements. GA has that intangible quality that great bands have, that “…urgency of youth mixed with the weight of decades past…” as you put it. While I like a lot of the music my son is into, I find little of it so tightly connected to rock’s rich family tree as the GA.
Hope you have a great time at the gigs these next couple of nights and I look forward being a regular reader.
cv — April 23, 2009 @ 7:42 am
I missed the Gaslight Anthem at a small-venue show in Madison last fall, but I made up for it by seeing them earlier this month in Milwaukee. It was a spectacular show. Enjoy!
Bruce — April 23, 2009 @ 10:50 am
Gaslight’s Philly show was amazing! Wish i could catch the Stone Pony shows, but they sold out before I got a chance to grab a ticket… =( Enjoy!
Sara — April 23, 2009 @ 12:39 pm
Love, The Gaslight Anthem. I really can’t listen to them too much.
Stephen Kimball — April 24, 2009 @ 9:49 am
Love the band, too. They are opening for Springsteen in London in June at Hyde Park! Just can’t wait!
I think Heather’s right – grab ‘em at little shows before they go global!
Tony in England — April 25, 2009 @ 3:01 am
This is indeed a Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise cover. I’ve been a huge fan of RBBS since the 90s and was a bit leary of hearing someone cover their song. Turns out to be a pleasant surprise. I quite enjoyed it. Although, as a disclaimer I must say that the RBBS version is better. Just sayin’.
Nick — April 28, 2009 @ 11:49 am