There is a look a man can give you. A look that says, “I am going for your jugular. I will rip your soul-stealing heart from your chest. I am crazy, I will do what I want, and you will like it.” I saw that look from Peter Hayes of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club during the last song of their set last night at the Wiltern here in Los Angeles.

As the band played “Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll [Punk Song]“, Hayes looked me right in the eye, and as I was about to snap yet another picture he lunged into the crowd as he had done a second ago. With feedback screeching that has left my ears ringing worse today then they have in years, he reached, he grabbed and stole the camera from the young Asian hipster in front of me with the grace of a diving swan. He stuck the camera into the back pocket of his faded jeans, and a huge grin of satisfaction swept across his face as he worked his way across the stage looking for his next victim.

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New You R Here user DRIZZLE snapped some shots of Flo-Rida performing in — where else? — Florida during spring break.

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“Deer Tick’s the name. Strep throat is the game.”

Those were the words with which Deer Tick, a.k.a. Rhode Island alt-country singer/songwriter John McCauley, greeted the crowd at Mercury Lounge Sunday night.
I suppose when you go by the name Deer Tick, you ought to be thankful it’s not Lyme Disease that has stricken you. But no, apparently in McCauley’s case it was a mystery infection that turned into strep, and which, he promised, could make for a difficult set. “So we’re gonna take it down a step tonight. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

It went, in a word, well. So much so that you would have thought we were being hustled. As McCauley launched into songs from last fall’s War Elephant, he may have been in pain, but we weren’t feeling it. He sounded fine — “fine” being a relative term when the voice is one as distinctively pinched and nasal as John’s. But on tunes like the bright “Spend the Night,” the not-so-bright “Art Isn’t Real” and the rocking “Standing at the Threshold,” you would never have known he wasn’t in top form.

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Caribou put on a high-energy show Friday night in New York City’s Bowery Ballroom, providing the packed venue with a night of eclectic and solid musicianship.

It was my first time seeing Caribou, masterminded by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dan Snaith, in a live capacity. Even though I don’t fall into the category of die-hard fan, I was curious to hear how the music translated live. I’m happy to report that those of us attending the concert were not left disappointed.

The setup was simple enough. Snaith and three more musicians (Andy Lloyd, Ryan Smith and Brad Weber) played a set of approximately 90 minutes, rarely pausing to speak to the audience. Psychedelic graphics were projected onto a backdrop, mirroring the ’60s-inspired aspects of Caribou’s music.

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Living in New York City can really, really suck. A pint of beer sets you back six bucks, the traffic is hideous, and my rent is higher than my sister’s mortgage payments. But, despite the aggravation, I choose to live here, and every so often something happens that reminds me why I do.

Tuesday night I saw a musical called “Passing Strange” (that’s right, my hipster colleagues, I said “musical”), and, listen up: It’s fantastic. Hardly your typical theater piece, “Passing Strange” is an autobiographical story told through rock ‘n’ roll — and real rock ‘n’ roll, too, not some derivative imitation you merely tolerate. It’s the brainchild of singer/songwriter Stew, formerly of the L.A.-based band the Negro Problem, and his collaborator Heidi Rodewald.

Stew is the narrator of the evening, and with four other onstage musicians (including Heidi) and five actors, they take you on the journey of a young African-American teen as he becomes a man. And because this piece was written by and is fronted by an authentic, soulful musician, this theater actually rocks. You’ll be happy, you’ll be sad, and you’ll rock along with Stew. (If you’re the affable older couple next to me, you may cover your ears for all of Act Two, but still never stop smiling.) The music takes you to a place mere words cannot, which is what I’ve always understood that a musical was supposed to do.

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The Hotel Cafe Tour hit New York City Monday night to a standing-room-only crowd at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza. The night featured 15- to 20-minute rotating performances from Ingrid Michaelson, Cary Brothers, Joshua Radin, Meiko and Priscilla Ahn.

While Michaelson may have been the main draw, with her MySpace success and songs featured on “Grey’s Anatomy,” all the musicians featured throughout the night impressed the crowd. Whether it was Ahn playing the kazoo during one of her songs or all the performers accompanying Brothers on backing vocals for his song “Blue Eyes,” they kept the audience attentive.

I’ve never been to a concert that rotated performers every 15 minutes or so, but surprisingly enough the show ran extremely smoothly. Each performer played three to four songs every time they were onstage, sometimes bringing out previous performers to sing with them. For the most part, the musicians were a bit mellow — many playing acoustic guitars — but Michaelson’s set as well as Brothers’ livened up the audience.

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- “The Vampire Weekend show was last night in Portland and it was fantastic. … The band is just so fresh faced and talented and adorable … and they sounded great. I doubt they will be in such a small venue next time they come to Portland, and I probably won’t get to stand right up front near the stage like I did last night. ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’ is my favorite song, but my favorite from the concert was probably ‘M79′ or ‘A-Punk.’ ” (Rachel: Words & Things)

- “I’m so glad I decided to go for the [Maroon 5] concert. … Though it lasted only like 70 minutes and started late, every minute was jam-packed with their hits from both of their albums. It’s like Matt Flynn just started hitting the drums and everyone was standing, screaming and shouting like their lives (and mine) depended on it. Adam Levine’s falsetto was really exhilarating. The sound system was really blasting my eardrums off.” (mEnTaL bLoG)

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Editor’s note: Boston pop-punkers Lansdowne recently toured overseas military bases, entertaining U.S. troops. They’re back now, and still sharing their journey via photos, video and blogs right here on You R Here.

Back in the good ol’ USA, and it sure is good to be home with that dirty water (you know what I am talking about, Boston). We are about to kick off phase two of Operation: Lansdowne Loves the Troops (clever, huh?) with an East Coast base tour, and I am very excited to announce that we are the official and exclusive entertainment partner of USO NYC. What this means is that their amazing staff forgives us for being Red Sox fans, and we allow them to believe that 26 rings still means something. Nothing like living in the past ;o)

Seriously, though, we are stoked and you will be seeing quite a bit from both Lansdowne and USO NYC in the very near future (get ready for Fleet Week!)

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Downtown San Diego enjoyed a Tuesday night treat last week when Nada Surf visited the House of Blues. Sea Wolf kicked off the evening with an awesome opening performance; their soulful yet high-tempo sound showed shades of Bright Eyes and Arcade Fire. The band’s instrumental index featured a cello, xylophone, tambourine and one object I honestly had never seen before (it operated kind of like a typewriter but produced a reverberating twang). Strong vocals and a diverse array of songs combined for a hugely enjoyable show.

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- “The Hives came out in their classic matching suits and jumped right into a couple songs from their newest release, The Black and White Album. Throwing in a few songs from the previous releases Tyrannosaurus Hives and Veni Vidi Vicious, the Hives … played for almost an hour straight with a few minutes’ break and another 15-minute encore.” (Club King Snake)

- “I scored a front-row-center seat to the Pogues concert last night at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston. … I had a smashing time and can’t wait to see them again. The entire audience was focusing on them the whole time. Pogues fans are pretty damned happy during a show. I don’t know if it’s the music or the ambience of being in the room with those guys. Most likely both. There were all ages there: I saw people old enough to be my parents and couples with small children wearing Irish green.” (Meow House Theatre)

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