The cool Alexandra Baker of High Rise PR emailed me last week asking if I wanted to go see The Historics being filmed for an Encore! Sessions show at Le Baron, the latest NYC nightspot opened by Andre Saraiva. Including members of The Vietnams, Amazing Baby and Maroon 5 at different points in time, this deeply underground supergroup sounded like they could be good, so I emailed her back and later that evening slung my camera in a bag before wandering the four blocks down the road from my place to Le Baron.
The Historics at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
I was hanging around outside smoking a cigarette (I really must quit again soon) when I saw a cab pull up and a dirty boot appear when the door opened. It looked interesting, so I watched to see who would get out. To my surprise it was Mark and Melody Demos, who I hadn’t seen for a while. He’s an excellent painter and she’s a superb designer and they’re totally in love and pretty much the quintessentially perfect NYC couple. We greeted each other before they stepped inside the cool environs of Le Baron. A couple of minutes later I heard the band start up, so I got out my camera and followed them into the darkness.
The Historics at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
I made my way through the crowd to the front of the stage and started snapping images. The band were making a ferocious sound on stage and I couldn’t stop my feet tapping. They used to make a dubby electronica lounge kinda sound mixed with some shoegaze and breakbeat but now they are all about the noise. But not just any noise. More like a finely tuned Rolls Royce engine opened up to full throttle powering it’s way across a soundscape previously inhabited by wannabe shoegazers and garage pop merchants. And The Historics make this sound entirely their own. They are fresh and fine.
Don De Vore at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
Don De Vore at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
Don De Vore at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
About a third of the way through their set I noticed my friend Jen Armstrong, co-proprietor of the excellent Dove in the West Village and Night Of Joy in Brooklyn. I hadn’t noticed until she pointed out that her boyfriend Don was singing. And then it made sense why I’d bumped into Mark And Melody outside as they are all part of the same very cool crew and hang out together a lot.
Jeff Knutsen on keyboards at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
Jeff Knutsen on keyboards at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
Opening with Kill Me Ronda, The Historics moved rapidly onto Every Common Ill and followed that with Coco and Fill In The Ocean. Living At Home and Sometimes preceded Candlelight and their short but superb set was rounded out by I Know You’re Cold!
David Daniels at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
David Daniels on drums at Le Baron © Andrzej Liguz/moreimages.net. Not to be used without permission
As far as I understand they are in the process of recording their next album. Go buy it when it comes out. And in the meantime, watch out for them on the Encore! Sessions youtube channel.
