The Twees Live at the Knitting Factory by Leah Marchesano*
This past Friday I headed out to The Knitting Factory to catch one of my favorite NYC bands, The Twees. Also on the bill for the night was Eytan and the Embassy, Wild International, Chappo, Not Blood Paint and Sister Helen. The lineup for the night was in a word, exciting. When I walked into the venue, Wild International had taken the stage and within the one minute of me being in the room, I could tell that they had the complete attention of the crowd. Not only were they energetic but at one point they poured a basket full of various instruments into the stretched hands of their audience. They couldn't have made their performance any better, they held your attention, their songs were fun and the crowd interaction topped it off. Next up, Chappo. I was blown away. I had never heard their music before so I didn't know what to expect. When they started playing it was engulfing. The absorbed you in every way possible. Their songs made you dance, adorned in feathers you couldn't take your eyes off of them. It was an absolute pleasure for all of your senses. Usually when I'm waiting for the band I want to see to take the stage, I couldn't care less about who goes on before them. Wild International and Chappo were more than a thrill to watch, I don't think the night could've started out any better. As The Twees started to take the stage and set up their gear, I decided to position myself in awkward dead center, right up front. I wanted to be close enough to catch it all, really focus in on what makes The Twees such a great live band. As soon as they started playing you couldn't help but throw down your bag and dance. The energy that The Twees give back consumes you and you feel it being passed to everyone in the room. Everyone watching is having fun, you can see it on their faces and you can see it in the way they move. Though Jason Abrishami is the band's frontman, bassist David Kaplan and guitarist Jon Zuckerman each had their share, with Kaplan singing 'Hepburn Shades' and Zuckerman, 'Fan Fiction'. All three boys have their own distinct way of performing, you enjoy watching each of them equally, the rotation between them is one of the aspects that makes a Twee show so captivating. The highlight of the night was when we were beckoned on stage by the band to dance while they played, 'Wishful Thinking Youth'. Now, I feel I should point out, the stage at The Knitting Factory isn't the easiest to get up on. It takes an effort to jump and pull yourself up but plenty of people were more than willing to climb up and dance with the band. Even though you have a countless number of eyes on you, you don't at all feel awkward or self conscious. As soon as The Twees start playing you don't care to think of anything else. You're on stage. You're dancing. You're having fun. I was truly jealous of the bands drummer, Dan Edwards, who got to watch us all from behind his drum kit. I think if the band would have let us, we probably would've all stayed up their for the rest of their set. As soon and you hop down you spin around faster than ever, as to not miss a single second of the remainder of their set. The Twees know how to hook you. Whether it's through their songs or the amount of energy they're giving off, they have you. It's impressive. You see the ambition in their eyes and can only hope to see another one of their shows so you can get that same alluring feeling, again.
*Leah Marchesano is a contributing writer to Officially A Yuppie. She is one half of the dynamic duo of The Leah & Melissa Show.
