The Virgins with Lissy Trullie plus Anya Marina
Host: One Eyed Jacks
Start Time: Friday, May 29, 2009 at 9:00pm
End Time: Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 1:00am
Location: One Eyed Jacks
City/Town: New Orleans, LA

The Virgins are an American rock band. They have toured with Jet and opened for Sonic Youth and Patti Smith and played at the All Points West Festival in 2008. They also performed at the 2008 SXSW festival, and toured in the United Kingdom with The Pigeon Detectives in November and December 2008. The song “Rich Girls” was number 68 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.

Frontman Donald Cumming began writing music by himself in his New York apartment. Looking for a band, he recruited friends, and fellow native New Yorkers, Wade Oates (guitar) and Nick Ackerman (bass). Almost immediately they produced a five song EP titled The Virgins ‘07, compiled of the trio’s recordings, and songs Donald had already recorded himself. Upon completion, Donald passed out the EP to friends and DJs causing the music to pervade the New York club scene. Soon after, the demo came across Atlantic records who signed Donald before the band was fully formed.


“With a tomboy growl and Television–ish guitar hooks, her first EP brings enough attitude to put art stars in their place. ‘The notches in your belt make your pants tight!’ she taunts. Then she makes those tight pants move to a bruising cover of Hot Chip’s “Ready for the Floor.” The girl can rock an after–after party.” -ROLLING STONE

“Andy Warhol would have loved Lissy Trullie: Not only does she boast deadly downtown looks — striking, model thin and with a penchant for bowler hats — she’s got the attitude and serious songwriting chops to match. Her dangerously cool tunes, which mash up dancey new wave, ’60’s girl-group sounds and the softer side of the Velvet Underground, hit upon the core aloofness that typifies most great New York rock. Simply put, Trullie’s magnetism is the kind that can’t be learned.” -TIME OUT NEW YORK

“Last night’s show felt like a big deal, with a massive mob clamoring for the door-girl’s attention outside Le Royale before prettier-in-person fasionista-cum-songwriter Lissy Trullie took the stage. There was an elegance about Trullie’s simple aesthetic, from the unadorned guitar work to her coy but monosyllabic lyrics, and she exuded a captivating vulnerability when her boyish voice grasped at higher pitches. Guitarist Eben D’Amico, formerly the bassist of New Jersey emo legends Saves the Day, colored Trullie’s straightforward tact with clever but careful lead work. Pre-selected CMJ fave “Self-Taught Learner” was a highlight, as was a brisk take on Hot Chip’s “Ready for the Floor.” -SPIN.COM


“I get weird songs in my head and putting pen to paper is kind of like a diuretic,” Anya Marina says about why she writes songs. “If I didn’t get them out, they would probably make my mind feel very bloated. And no girl likes to be bloated.”

Perhaps that’s why Marina’s new album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II, feels like a skillful embodiment of that old storyteller’s adage “less is more.” The album is a tightly honed collection of winking pop gems and slyly sexy rock and roll that showcases this newcomer’s deft melodic sensibility and wryly humorous lyrical point of view. As sassy and seductive as its title suggests, it’s also keenly heartfelt, thanks to the intimacy of Marina’s appealingly conversational vocal style and the personal nature of her lyrics, which Marina says chronicle a relationship. “It’s about how you pick yourself up and dust yourself off after a break-up, and realize how fun it is to be on your own again — that all the negative stuff happened for a reason.”

$12

Doors at 9