Setting the (Manhunt) Scene at 1:30 AM on the 2 Freeway Recent Live Music Experiences:
With the exception of a Radiohead review, I haven’t written much about my recent live music experiences. So here you go….
Jenny Lewis @ Spaceland on 9/11/08
Damn it was hot last night at Spaceland. By the time I got there at 10:30, the valet parking was pretty much full and there was still a line around the building. I peaked over as Jonathan Wilson but a six foot wall of guitars was obscuring my view of the stage. Jenny Lewis took her sweet time taking the stage. It was right around midnight by the time she finally went on. Her backing band included Wilson, along with boyfriend Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Blake Mills and somebody else (her Myspace page indicates that it’s Barbara Gruska, but I never really got close enough to see that well – plus there were too many balloons blocking the view).
Before the show I was worried that she wouldn’t be able to pull it off without the Watson Twins. But with that band, the songs off the first solo record still sounded great. There was one false start on the piano, as Lewis forgot the lyrics to a new song. Overall, most of the new songs lacked the energy of the stuff from Rabbit Fur Coat. I haven’t heard Acid Tongue yet (the publicist sent it to me, but it’s so copy protected it won’t even play) but several of the new songs wouldn’t have been out of place on an older Rilo Kiley album (although several others have a pronounced Laurel Canyon vibe to them). I’m just listening to the new stuff on Myspace and I remember them playing “Black Sand,” “Pretty Bird” (which was a nice song), “Badman’s World,”
It was so hot downstairs that I had to get some relief by going upstairs (it was at least 10 degrees cooler up there). I made it back down for an acoustic version of “Love Hurts” done by Lewis and Rice in the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris tradition. Not sure if there were any surprises at the end, because when she announced “this is our last song” I hit the exit. All in all, it was a pretty good show.
Unfortunately my haste to get home was not rewarded. There was a manhunt on the 2 freeway and I got stuck for 45 minutes as the cops searched the ditch with flashlights. Couldn’t they have at least opened the left lane?
Throw Me the Statue / Bodies of Water @ the Echo on 9/10/08
As I’ve mentioned, Throw Me the Statue’s songs just keep growing on me. Live, they came off like Seattle’s version of The Deadly Syndrome. Both bands have really good energy, well constructed pop songs with very prominent keyboards. All the songs from Moonbeams came off really well. A couple of the new songs were more introspective (and not as fun live) but they’re a new band well worth keeping your eye on.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m not a Bodies of Water fan. I gave them another shot on Wednesday night (probably more of a shot than I’ve ever given them). It’s just too much. Seeing the lead singer in her black unitard, with her eyes in back of her head and staring/reaching towards the sky. As my friend said, “it really is a bit Jesus Christ Superstar, isn’t it.”
Marching Band / Radar Bros. / Dios (Malos) @ Spaceland on 9/8/08
This was billed as the US debut of Sweden’s Marching Band. It was nice, pleasant indie pop. Nothing more to say really. Probably not your new favorite band, but a good band if you’re into that sort of thing.
This was the debut of the Radar Bros. featuring Stevie Treichel from the Movies on drums. He’s a great addition to the band. He speeds up the tempo a little, but stays true to the Radar Bros. sound. Really good shit, I never get tired of seeing them.
It’s been a few years since Dios (Malos) has put out a record, so a lot of the songs were oldies but goodies. I’m curious to hear what they come out with next.
Really old stuff I never got around to writing about:
Trans Am / Polvo @ the Echoplex on 8/31/08
I got there late and only caught a few Trans Am songs. Too bad, because what I heard sounded really good. I was a huge Polvo fan back in college, so I was excited to see them again. It got really jammy and the set list was kind of weird. There were a few really great moments, but there is a reason I haven’t written about it until now.
Beachwood Sparks @ the Echoplex on 8/22/08
Starting in the late 1990s I saw the Beachwood Sparks a lot. From their early days as an energetic six piece, all the way through the final days when they sat down on stage and sounded stoned. They were one of the bands that got me really interested in the Byrds (and one of the first I heard talking about Gram Parsons and Dennis Wilson).
The show at the Echoplex was imperfect, but really promising. It was a return of good energy and joy to be playing. And it’s always good to see Farmer Dave Scher back in the mix as well. The stage was packed with old school B.S. (original members) Chris Gunst, Brent Rademarker and (early member) Aaron Sperske and new school B.S. members: Ben Knight, Jen Cohen-Gunst and Dan Horne. The sound was muddy and mixed poorly at first, but improved by the middle of the show. They played all the songs I loved off the first record and added some rarely played songs as well (including “Ponce de Leon Blues” with Mia Doi Todd).
With the popularity of bands like Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Bon Iver, it’s obvious that Beachwood Sparks bring something very relevant to the table. I didn’t make it out the Junction this year, but I’m sure they’ll get better and tighter with each appearance.
With the exception of a Radiohead review, I haven’t written much about my recent live music experiences. So here you go….
Jenny Lewis @ Spaceland on 9/11/08
Damn it was hot last night at Spaceland. By the time I got there at 10:30, the valet parking was pretty much full and there was still a line around the building. I peaked over as Jonathan Wilson but a six foot wall of guitars was obscuring my view of the stage. Jenny Lewis took her sweet time taking the stage. It was right around midnight by the time she finally went on. Her backing band included Wilson, along with boyfriend Johnathan Rice, Farmer Dave Scher, Blake Mills and somebody else (her Myspace page indicates that it’s Barbara Gruska, but I never really got close enough to see that well – plus there were too many balloons blocking the view).
Before the show I was worried that she wouldn’t be able to pull it off without the Watson Twins. But with that band, the songs off the first solo record still sounded great. There was one false start on the piano, as Lewis forgot the lyrics to a new song. Overall, most of the new songs lacked the energy of the stuff from Rabbit Fur Coat. I haven’t heard Acid Tongue yet (the publicist sent it to me, but it’s so copy protected it won’t even play) but several of the new songs wouldn’t have been out of place on an older Rilo Kiley album (although several others have a pronounced Laurel Canyon vibe to them). I’m just listening to the new stuff on Myspace and I remember them playing “Black Sand,” “Pretty Bird” (which was a nice song), “Badman’s World,”
It was so hot downstairs that I had to get some relief by going upstairs (it was at least 10 degrees cooler up there). I made it back down for an acoustic version of “Love Hurts” done by Lewis and Rice in the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris tradition. Not sure if there were any surprises at the end, because when she announced “this is our last song” I hit the exit. All in all, it was a pretty good show.
Unfortunately my haste to get home was not rewarded. There was a manhunt on the 2 freeway and I got stuck for 45 minutes as the cops searched the ditch with flashlights. Couldn’t they have at least opened the left lane?
Throw Me the Statue / Bodies of Water @ the Echo on 9/10/08
As I’ve mentioned, Throw Me the Statue’s songs just keep growing on me. Live, they came off like Seattle’s version of The Deadly Syndrome. Both bands have really good energy, well constructed pop songs with very prominent keyboards. All the songs from Moonbeams came off really well. A couple of the new songs were more introspective (and not as fun live) but they’re a new band well worth keeping your eye on.
As you’ve probably figured out by now, I’m not a Bodies of Water fan. I gave them another shot on Wednesday night (probably more of a shot than I’ve ever given them). It’s just too much. Seeing the lead singer in her black unitard, with her eyes in back of her head and staring/reaching towards the sky. As my friend said, “it really is a bit Jesus Christ Superstar, isn’t it.”
Marching Band / Radar Bros. / Dios (Malos) @ Spaceland on 9/8/08
This was billed as the US debut of Sweden’s Marching Band. It was nice, pleasant indie pop. Nothing more to say really. Probably not your new favorite band, but a good band if you’re into that sort of thing.
This was the debut of the Radar Bros. featuring Stevie Treichel from the Movies on drums. He’s a great addition to the band. He speeds up the tempo a little, but stays true to the Radar Bros. sound. Really good shit, I never get tired of seeing them.
It’s been a few years since Dios (Malos) has put out a record, so a lot of the songs were oldies but goodies. I’m curious to hear what they come out with next.
Really old stuff I never got around to writing about:
Trans Am / Polvo @ the Echoplex on 8/31/08
I got there late and only caught a few Trans Am songs. Too bad, because what I heard sounded really good. I was a huge Polvo fan back in college, so I was excited to see them again. It got really jammy and the set list was kind of weird. There were a few really great moments, but there is a reason I haven’t written about it until now.
Beachwood Sparks @ the Echoplex on 8/22/08
Starting in the late 1990s I saw the Beachwood Sparks a lot. From their early days as an energetic six piece, all the way through the final days when they sat down on stage and sounded stoned. They were one of the bands that got me really interested in the Byrds (and one of the first I heard talking about Gram Parsons and Dennis Wilson).
The show at the Echoplex was imperfect, but really promising. It was a return of good energy and joy to be playing. And it’s always good to see Farmer Dave Scher back in the mix as well. The stage was packed with old school B.S. (original members) Chris Gunst, Brent Rademarker and (early member) Aaron Sperske and new school B.S. members: Ben Knight, Jen Cohen-Gunst and Dan Horne. The sound was muddy and mixed poorly at first, but improved by the middle of the show. They played all the songs I loved off the first record and added some rarely played songs as well (including “Ponce de Leon Blues” with Mia Doi Todd).
With the popularity of bands like Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses and Bon Iver, it’s obvious that Beachwood Sparks bring something very relevant to the table. I didn’t make it out the Junction this year, but I’m sure they’ll get better and tighter with each appearance.
No comments:
Post a Comment