Photography by Amelia Trask
Check out more photos from this show and others HERE.
This past Sunday, Californian quartet
Princeton played a charming set of sunny melodies at the
Knitting Factory's new incarnation in Brooklyn. The boys played selections from their new album
Cocoon of Love that dropped this past September as well as tracks from their 2008 EP
Bloombury. Frontmen (and twins)
Jesse and
Matt Kivel traded vocals and guitar/bass duties while
Ben Usen manned the lithe keyboard hooks and
David Kitz kicked back on the drums. The show started off with some sound difficulties on the vocals and a few groupie hecklers, but the boys rode out the bumps with relaxed poise and got the crowd moving and clapping with tracks like "Shout it Out" and "Calypso Gold". Princeton also highlighted their unique propensity to pull the unexpected tempo shift with songs like "I Left My Love in Nagasaki" and "Show Some Love When Your Man Gets Home" underlined by Jesse and Matt's low, flat vocals. All though their sound is sprinkled with impressions of everything from doo-wop to calypso, the real backbone of Princeton's music is their quirky spin on late 60s baroque folk/rock doused in a fresh coat of southern California surf and sun.
Laura Stevenson and the Cans opened the night, and
Maps & Atlases closed out with a really rocking set that made everyone feel a little less guilty about pulling a late one on a Sunday. -
Amelia Trask
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Princeton on Myspace
ALBUM REVIEW: Princeton - Cocoon of Love
PHOTO ALBUM: Princeton Live at the Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY.