I love Lower East Side’s Cake Shop. It’s not because of any amazing acoustics, but simply the atmosphere: part dungeon, part basement-you’ve-always-wanted, with a stocked bar along the wall, Christmas lights and a tiny stage for your band. It’s kind of an ideal venue for a band to get their start…

When Apache Kid took the stage around 9pm, the venue downstairs was pretty empty. In fact, I could count everyone in attendance on both hands. Consisting of just two members–Casey Feldman and Gil Sunshine–who were no older than seventeen, eighteen at most, Apache Kid rocked. They sang about tree houses, about sitting in their bedrooms, and about how they didn’t know they could be “so sentimental:” they were simply darling. Reminiscent of Conor Oberst and Ben Lee, Apache Kid had all the innocent melodrama and honesty you’d want in your first love…along with that awkward-hands-in-pockets sort of stance of true indie rock stars in the making.

The wait between Apache Kid and Cale Parks was excruciating. I’ve never seen anyone take so long to get himself set up on stage. After close to an hour, Cale Parks got started.  Clearly raised on a very healthy dose of 80’s new wave and pop, Parks is somewhere between Gary Numan and Talk Talk, with a voice that ranges anywhere from falsetto to the deep baritone of Joy Division’s late lead singer, Ian Curtis. Long and lean, with a mop of dark blond hair, Parks was quite a presence with his keyboard and drumsticks (that he used on a drum machine). While I can appreciate Cale Parks for the kind of music he puts out, the basement of Cake Shop is not the greatest spot for this level of synthasization (yes, that’s a word, I just invented it). I think he would sound best at an outdoor venue with lots of space and sky to absorb his electronic fascination. I actually saw Cale Parks years ago when he was in Aloha…I think that’s where I most prefer him.

Finally it was time for the headliners: Brooklyn’s Bear Hands–and they are fun! From the moment they took the stage, Bear Hands had the crowd dancing. In a matter of two hours the crowded swelled to ten times its original size, and it was clear that the majority of the show-goers were not just dipping their toes into the loveliness that is Bear Hands, but were full-fledged, sing-along-to-every-song type of fans. Lead singer Dylan Rau’s voice is raw, yet velvety, and made for songs like “Long Lean Queen” and “Golden.” It’s been awhile since the 2007 release of their EP, Golden, but Bear Hands more than made up for it with both old and new selections (their MySpace page says they’re recording).

After the show, I picked up Golden while I was there, and it’s been on repeat, off and on, since I got home. I’m nowhere near being over it, but I am ready for more from these guys…like right now. I’ll also be waiting for Apache Kid to release something new.

Both Bear Hands and Cale Parks will be making the rounds at the end of October for CMJ. As for Apache Kid, they don’t seem to have anything else lined up…hopefully, that will change.

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New York