Scene and Heard

Hawnay Troof + Teengirl Fantasy at 92YTribeca

Photos by Nate Dorr » Second new-ish venue of the week: 92YTribeca. (Have you read about the other venue? It's called the Jackson). Not exactly new, this branch of the actual 92nd Street YMCA has been around for a while, but it's nonetheless new to the DIY circuit.

Text by Nate Dorr
Posted on March 03, 2009

The space seemed a little swanky for bands I'd normally be seeing at Death by Audio with a High Life in hand (as opposed to whatever people were getting from the stylish and well-stocked bar) but Todd P, looking to the new generations of concert goers (that all ages-only thing isn't just for show), explained that here was a spot that even the NYC teens with especially over-protective parents would likely be allowed out to. As opposed to some basement in Bushwick in the middle of the night. I admit I can see his point. And the space was well outfitted with broad stage, projections, mood lighting, tables around the periphery. As long as I can see great bands from out-of-town who don't visit nearly enough (Hawnay Troof and Teengirl Fantasy, in this case), I'm happy.

I've written extensively about those bands elsewhere, but the re-cap: Hawnay Troof is the rap project of Vice Cooler from noise legends xBxRx and the guy really knows how to work a crowd. Costume changes, leaps down into the audience, breathlessly-recounted nightmare tour stories, and generally getting everyone shouting along with seconds-ago-unfamiliar choruses, fists pumping, etc. Cooler also produces all his own beats,striking a perfect balance between punchy percussion, weird little glitch moments, and huge, irresistible hooks.

Oberlin lo-fi dance duo Teengirl Fantasy, on the other hand, present a relatively restrained stage presence, focused behind the boards and synths and spilling wires to finesse their pop-collaged anthems from the circuitry. Things never quite hit critical mass for a lot of dancing to break out, but I attribute that more to the space; the show was sold out and at capacity, but still with unfamiliar quantities of elbow room, and a generally more conservative atmosphere. Regardless people should have been dancing like crazy too this stuff: early-90s trance hooks, bits of garbled, truncated hip-hop, thumping beats, all swirling and building as a cohesive whole much more than the sum of the independent elements.

blog comments powered by Disqus

Weird, I had always collapsed them into a single organization in my head, but I stand corrected.

— Nate D on March 05, 2009

the Y and the YMCA are totally different things.

— jenforcer on March 03, 2009

But both social clubs are loosely tied to the same all mighty being in the sky right?

— Joey P on March 03, 2009

One is for the Jews, the other is for the gentiles. Can't we all just get along?

— jay diamond on March 03, 2009

Definitely an odd setting for most of the bands that play here. The entire crowd sat on the floor (some plugging their ears with their fingers) at 92Y during Eric Copeland's set on Friday. It was definitely more of a White Magic crowd. I advised some friends who went to Psychic Ills on Saturday to bring a flask of something strong. They do have an interesting yet expensive selection though. I'm still on the fence about this place, gotta check out a more balanced lineup than Friday's.

— Joey P on March 03, 2009

so true. thanks enforcer.

— jeremy on March 03, 2009

I thought Kenny Millions was Child Abuse at first glance.

— Joey P on February 25, 2009

kenny millions is a legend

— disagreeful on February 25, 2009

c'mon Nate, you couldn't even stand for that last photo?

— Always Right on February 25, 2009