I neglected to bring my camera (as usual) but had a good time at the Fruit Bats show last night at the Echo. Unfortunately I'm way too busy to write a real review, but here are some observations/facts. I apologize ahead of time for engaging in gossip about who attended the show....
1) Eric Johnson is now a hippie - he grew his hair out way past his shoulders.
2) If you stand in the front row at a show and spend the entire time staring at your phone and texting people, you're an asshole.
3) The new Fruit Bats songs reflect Eric Johnson's new found hippiedom. The songs were less poppy and many featured prominent pedal steel. I approve and can't wait to hear the recorded versions.
4) The old Fruit Bats songs have gotten completely new arrangements for this tour. I'm not sure I completely approve, but it was fun to hear.
5) Eric Johnson has moved to Los Angeles - two days ago to be exact.
6) Eric Johnson is (still) tight with James Mercer of the Shins Mercer. Mercer joined the band on stage for a pretty enjoyable cover of Neil Young's "Helpless."
7) The Fruit Bats covered Dylan's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" - using the Byrds arrangement.
8) The Grammys are happening this week and Radiohead is in town to perform (members of their entourage were in attendance at last night's show).
9) Brian Joseph Burton (aka Danger Mouse) and James Mercer apparently know each other and spent a lot of time chatting at last night's show. Which begs the question - what might a Shins/Danger Mouse collaboration sound like?
10) If you're a smaller touring artist who wants to sell merch, sell the shirts for a reasonable price (the Fruit Bats were selling them for $10), make a tour exclusive CD and put in some face/autograph time after the show.
Showing posts with label concert review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concert review. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Five Observations About My Bloody Valentine Live
Just a few words about last night’s My Bloody Valentine show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
Observation #1: The surprising availability of tickets
I was completely on the fence about going until Jeff Weiss offered up a ticket (to buy) via text. So last night, after a stop at my favorite record store in West LA, Record Surplus, I ventured over to the show. Much to my surprise, I found a free parking spot right in front of the venue. Good start. Jeff wasn’t there yet, so I strolled over to the will call area. Within thirty seconds of standing there, I was offered my first (of three) free tickets for the show. Too late, I’d already agreed to the purchase.
Jeff showed, and half-heartedly tried to sell another extra ticket. No takers (not even for $20). So we started brainstorming for people we know on the Westside. He found a taker on his first call. One of the people I walked in with couldn’t even give away one of his tickets. Meanwhile, I hear that the Sigur Ros show at the much larger Greek Theatre is sold out for tonight (as is tonight’s MBV show). Guess that’s what happens when you don’t put out an album for 17 years (and charge $60 for tickets).
Observation #2: The line to get in was insanely long
The line was fucking ridiculous. At 9:00 PM it was about 500 people long, snaking completely around the parking lot. We decided to wait out the line and join Kevin Bronson for a margarita at the Mexican restaurant across the street. Turns out that Scott McDonald had the same idea. I will respectfully disagree with him on the drink prices though, Jeff, Jeff’s editor and I paid $32 for a very weak pitcher of margaritas. The service was incredibly slow, so by the time we made it over at 9:45, nobody was in line.
Observation #3: Earplugs are not optional
In both Randall Roberts and Kevin Bronson’s reviews, they have some great observations about the volume. I’m not used to seeing that many Marshall Amps on stage, so I reached for my earplugs as soon as they started. (I recommend the re-usable, musician-style earplugs over the foam). Scott McDonald mentioned that he really didn’t think it was all that loud. But that’s probably more of a statement about how loud it was the other times he’s seen them. During the 17 minute feedback finale, “You Made Me Realise,” I stood outside and listened to the windows rattle.
Observation #4: They don’t call it shoegaze for nothing
The crowd was completely sedate, even by Los Angeles standards. I left during the last song to hit the bathroom, and I saw a guy sitting in the front row of the seats sleeping.
Observation #5: The show was really good, but short of transcendent
I had a lot of fun and I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t pay $60 again to see them in that size of venue. I know the hardcore fans will totally disagree.
Observation #1: The surprising availability of tickets
I was completely on the fence about going until Jeff Weiss offered up a ticket (to buy) via text. So last night, after a stop at my favorite record store in West LA, Record Surplus, I ventured over to the show. Much to my surprise, I found a free parking spot right in front of the venue. Good start. Jeff wasn’t there yet, so I strolled over to the will call area. Within thirty seconds of standing there, I was offered my first (of three) free tickets for the show. Too late, I’d already agreed to the purchase.
Jeff showed, and half-heartedly tried to sell another extra ticket. No takers (not even for $20). So we started brainstorming for people we know on the Westside. He found a taker on his first call. One of the people I walked in with couldn’t even give away one of his tickets. Meanwhile, I hear that the Sigur Ros show at the much larger Greek Theatre is sold out for tonight (as is tonight’s MBV show). Guess that’s what happens when you don’t put out an album for 17 years (and charge $60 for tickets).
Observation #2: The line to get in was insanely long
The line was fucking ridiculous. At 9:00 PM it was about 500 people long, snaking completely around the parking lot. We decided to wait out the line and join Kevin Bronson for a margarita at the Mexican restaurant across the street. Turns out that Scott McDonald had the same idea. I will respectfully disagree with him on the drink prices though, Jeff, Jeff’s editor and I paid $32 for a very weak pitcher of margaritas. The service was incredibly slow, so by the time we made it over at 9:45, nobody was in line.
Observation #3: Earplugs are not optional
In both Randall Roberts and Kevin Bronson’s reviews, they have some great observations about the volume. I’m not used to seeing that many Marshall Amps on stage, so I reached for my earplugs as soon as they started. (I recommend the re-usable, musician-style earplugs over the foam). Scott McDonald mentioned that he really didn’t think it was all that loud. But that’s probably more of a statement about how loud it was the other times he’s seen them. During the 17 minute feedback finale, “You Made Me Realise,” I stood outside and listened to the windows rattle.
Observation #4: They don’t call it shoegaze for nothing
The crowd was completely sedate, even by Los Angeles standards. I left during the last song to hit the bathroom, and I saw a guy sitting in the front row of the seats sleeping.
Observation #5: The show was really good, but short of transcendent
I had a lot of fun and I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t pay $60 again to see them in that size of venue. I know the hardcore fans will totally disagree.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Recent Live Music Experiences (Jenny Lewis, Beachwood Sparks, Throw Me the Statue)
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.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Live Music Journal 6/16/08 - 6/21/08
As you can probably tell by now, I rarely get inspired to write about most of the live shows I see. There are a couple of reasons for that. For one thing, the internet has killed the element of surprise when it comes to seeing live bands for the first time. There are a lot of different reasons to deem a live band “good,” and some of the reasons can be a bit gimmicky. The first time you saw Trail of Dead destroy their instruments, it was exciting. By the third time, not so much.
By the time your favorite new band comes to town these days, there’s a good chance you’ve seen clips of them on Youtube, you’ve read multiple blog postings about them and you’ve already downloaded bootlegged MP3s. Takes the fun out of it, doesn’t it? Some other reasons I tend to avoid writing about live shows: I hate to pan a new local band before they’ve had a chance to find themselves; most bands just aren’t all that interesting; and most of the time, you just had to be there. I do get a perverse pleasure out of writing about it when somebody really disappoints me, but that’s another story altogether. And I tend to hate taking photos at shows. Nothing takes me out of it more than watching it through a camera.
All that said, last week was a particularly active week for me with live bands….
Monday: I hadn’t seen Everest since the release (and my subsequent absorption) of their new record, so Spaceland was the place. As usual, they didn’t disappoint. After a few weeks out on the road they were tighter than ever. Some of the arrangements were a little different than the album, they added a Byrds’ cover, and did some pretty heavy jamming at the end. They’re in Europe with My Morning Jacket right now, and I hear they might have a pretty cool tour coming up in the Fall. You can track their whereabouts on their new website HERE. I only caught a little bit of Afternoons, but plan to make it back next week to see more.
Tuesday: Again with Spaceland. I’ve seen Henry Clay People more than any other band in the past year (with the possible exception of Le Switch). Unfortunately I was with some friends watching the Celtics celebrate their victory and missed most of Tuesday’s set. I got there just in time to see Joey jump off the stage and hand his guitar off during their version of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” The crowd was a bit stiff and seemed a little confused, but I’m sure they made some new fans. Next up was the Deadly Syndrome, who I hadn’t seen since a few songs at SXSW. It was another really strong set. They’re another really fun band to see live. By the end of their set it was hot as hell and electricity was in the air for Airborne Toxic Event. Spaceland was packed with people who’ve heard them on KROQ and Indie 103. The next day they announced that their next local show will be a headlining gig at El Rey. They’ve got an appearance scheduled on Conan O’Brien too. Impressive.
Thursday: It was time to finally see one of the newer venues in town, so I Google’d Crash Mansion for the address. We were on the list for the show, but were informed that unless we were buying tickets, we had to wait in a long line to get in. Something seemed backwards about that. You make the customers who planned ahead wait? We walked up a very steep set of stairs and were greeted by Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off to Have a Good Time.” An odd DJ selection given that we had tickets to see the Old 97’s. We discovered that there are two rooms at the Crash Mansion. One lounge (home to the bad 80’s music) and the venue. The venue was a large rectangle with a very wide stage. Hayes Carll was on stage and sound in the room wasn’t bad. I’d heard good things about him at Stagecoach, but couldn’t really get into it. It was the kind of thing that probably sounds a lot better at a bar in Texas. The drawl seemed exaggerated and most of the music fell somewhere between early Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt. I know he’s worked with Guy Clark, so I’m wondering if I’d like his earlier stuff better. We ordered some $6 beers (reasonable I suppose) from one of the four bars in the venue (not counting the bar in the lounge) and watched guys pass around plates of wings. They don’t have any beer on tap. Next up was Old 97’s. They started off with some newer songs and it took a while for the sound guy to get it right. Eventually it sounded good. The highlight of night for me was when they brought out Ricky Jackson from Carll’s band (and Brothers and Sisters) to play pedal steel. It seemed to bring a new energy to the show. Jackson played on about six songs before heading back off stage.
Saturday Day: I needed to see Explorers Club and opted for the daytime show at Little Radio’s Summer Camp. The band took the stage in shorts and t-shirts and I was instantly engaged. Lots of great harmonies and they seemed to be having so much fun up there. Obviously they adore the Beach Boys, and invited Darren from the Tyde onstage to sing lead on a cover. They followed that up with a smoking version of “Johnny B. Goode.” Bonus points for the member who did the backflip off the stage. Next up was the Deadly Syndrome. Two shows in a week and they still impressed. Last was No Age. After a few songs, it was nap time at home.
Saturday Night: My third trip to Spaceland in a week. I needed to see The Broken West to hear songs off their forthcoming record, Now or Heaven, due September 9th on Merge. I caught a little bit of opener Dead Confederate who, by the way, sounded a lot better than they do on their Myspace page. The Broken West was loud. The sound man had it turned way up. And they sounded great. Really looking forward to that new record…..
It was a great week, but I’m totally burnt out on live shows, although it hopefully won't stop me from hitting the Bowl on Saturday and All Star Lanes and Spaceland on Sunday.
By the time your favorite new band comes to town these days, there’s a good chance you’ve seen clips of them on Youtube, you’ve read multiple blog postings about them and you’ve already downloaded bootlegged MP3s. Takes the fun out of it, doesn’t it? Some other reasons I tend to avoid writing about live shows: I hate to pan a new local band before they’ve had a chance to find themselves; most bands just aren’t all that interesting; and most of the time, you just had to be there. I do get a perverse pleasure out of writing about it when somebody really disappoints me, but that’s another story altogether. And I tend to hate taking photos at shows. Nothing takes me out of it more than watching it through a camera.
All that said, last week was a particularly active week for me with live bands….
Monday: I hadn’t seen Everest since the release (and my subsequent absorption) of their new record, so Spaceland was the place. As usual, they didn’t disappoint. After a few weeks out on the road they were tighter than ever. Some of the arrangements were a little different than the album, they added a Byrds’ cover, and did some pretty heavy jamming at the end. They’re in Europe with My Morning Jacket right now, and I hear they might have a pretty cool tour coming up in the Fall. You can track their whereabouts on their new website HERE. I only caught a little bit of Afternoons, but plan to make it back next week to see more.
Tuesday: Again with Spaceland. I’ve seen Henry Clay People more than any other band in the past year (with the possible exception of Le Switch). Unfortunately I was with some friends watching the Celtics celebrate their victory and missed most of Tuesday’s set. I got there just in time to see Joey jump off the stage and hand his guitar off during their version of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World.” The crowd was a bit stiff and seemed a little confused, but I’m sure they made some new fans. Next up was the Deadly Syndrome, who I hadn’t seen since a few songs at SXSW. It was another really strong set. They’re another really fun band to see live. By the end of their set it was hot as hell and electricity was in the air for Airborne Toxic Event. Spaceland was packed with people who’ve heard them on KROQ and Indie 103. The next day they announced that their next local show will be a headlining gig at El Rey. They’ve got an appearance scheduled on Conan O’Brien too. Impressive.
Thursday: It was time to finally see one of the newer venues in town, so I Google’d Crash Mansion for the address. We were on the list for the show, but were informed that unless we were buying tickets, we had to wait in a long line to get in. Something seemed backwards about that. You make the customers who planned ahead wait? We walked up a very steep set of stairs and were greeted by Jermaine Stewart’s “We Don’t Have to Take Our Clothes Off to Have a Good Time.” An odd DJ selection given that we had tickets to see the Old 97’s. We discovered that there are two rooms at the Crash Mansion. One lounge (home to the bad 80’s music) and the venue. The venue was a large rectangle with a very wide stage. Hayes Carll was on stage and sound in the room wasn’t bad. I’d heard good things about him at Stagecoach, but couldn’t really get into it. It was the kind of thing that probably sounds a lot better at a bar in Texas. The drawl seemed exaggerated and most of the music fell somewhere between early Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt. I know he’s worked with Guy Clark, so I’m wondering if I’d like his earlier stuff better. We ordered some $6 beers (reasonable I suppose) from one of the four bars in the venue (not counting the bar in the lounge) and watched guys pass around plates of wings. They don’t have any beer on tap. Next up was Old 97’s. They started off with some newer songs and it took a while for the sound guy to get it right. Eventually it sounded good. The highlight of night for me was when they brought out Ricky Jackson from Carll’s band (and Brothers and Sisters) to play pedal steel. It seemed to bring a new energy to the show. Jackson played on about six songs before heading back off stage.
Saturday Day: I needed to see Explorers Club and opted for the daytime show at Little Radio’s Summer Camp. The band took the stage in shorts and t-shirts and I was instantly engaged. Lots of great harmonies and they seemed to be having so much fun up there. Obviously they adore the Beach Boys, and invited Darren from the Tyde onstage to sing lead on a cover. They followed that up with a smoking version of “Johnny B. Goode.” Bonus points for the member who did the backflip off the stage. Next up was the Deadly Syndrome. Two shows in a week and they still impressed. Last was No Age. After a few songs, it was nap time at home.
Saturday Night: My third trip to Spaceland in a week. I needed to see The Broken West to hear songs off their forthcoming record, Now or Heaven, due September 9th on Merge. I caught a little bit of opener Dead Confederate who, by the way, sounded a lot better than they do on their Myspace page. The Broken West was loud. The sound man had it turned way up. And they sounded great. Really looking forward to that new record…..
It was a great week, but I’m totally burnt out on live shows, although it hopefully won't stop me from hitting the Bowl on Saturday and All Star Lanes and Spaceland on Sunday.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Photos/Review: Dr. Dog @ Hotel Cafe
I just got back from the Dr. Dog show at the Hotel Cafe. Before they'd even played a note, Tables (the bass player) asked the crowd if we all felt like we were crazy, because that's how he feels when he's in LA. Somebody responded that it's something in the water and he said "I guess that's why I'm not thirsty." I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but luckily it didn't matter after they started playing...
We All Belong was in my top 10 list last year, and I still love it when I hear it. Dr. Dog's not on a full scale tour right now, so I assume this was a showcase of some sort. If you haven't been to the Hotel Cafe, let me start by saying that it's at Hollywood and Cahuenga (home of Cinespace, Beauty Bar, Star Shoes and other lots restaurants celebs invest in). Let me follow that by saying, that the Hotel Cafe had a second show of the night starting at 9:00 PM (so a one hour set was the absolute best case scenario). And let me follow that by saying that although the venue is tiny, stage right of the venue is cluttered with tables. Not the best environment for a Dr. Dog show. Not surprisingly, the band felt a bit stiff at first (also note that I've been fighting a cold and stayed in last night to try to preserve my health).
After a few lower energy songs, it was the Dr. Dog that their fans know and love. Great, melodic rock 'n' roll. The band toys with the classics (Beach Boys and Beatles) but bring a fresh and fun perspective. The handful of new songs from their forthcoming record, Fate (out on July 22nd), sounded like a natural progression beyond We All Belong. The familiar tracks from We All Belong still sounded fresh and fantastic. About 8:50 the sound guy informed them that they only had time for one more. Bummer. They finished on a high note to huge applause. They made us all anxious for the album release on July 22nd (and the show at El Rey on August 8th).
All photographs were taken by Sylvia
For more of her photos check out my Flickr set
Friday, May 09, 2008
Stagecoach Day 3 Journal - Sunday
Stagecoach journal continued….
Getting up on Sunday was much easier than getting up on Saturday. A good night’s sleep is such a relief. We didn’t have anybody in particular we wanted to see until Charlie Louvin at 4:40, so we figured we’d relax and take advantage of the house rental. A couple of people invited friends over and we did some grilling. I took advantage of the pool a little, but it was overcast and cool out.
Around 4:25 we headed over to the festival grounds for day three. Charlie Louvin was already on stage. Most people don’t have the good fortune of being healthy enough to tour when they’re 80 years old, and I really enjoyed seeing him up there. He kicked it off with “Great Atomic Power” which was a Louvin Brothers’ song. I actually heard Uncle Tupelo’s cover before I ever heard the original. Between songs Louvin was cracking jokes and completely charming. His voice has aged, but it really suits his songs. Another highlight was “The Christian Life,” which he introduced by telling a Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris anecdote. I only wish more people had ventured into the tent to enjoy the performance. Instead, we were forced to hear the sound bleed from Trace Adkins on the Mane Stage. Great start to the day anyway. By the way, The Louvin Brothers’ album cover for Satan Is Real is one of the best of all time.
Before the festival I was really looking forward to seeing the Carolina Chocolate Drops and then quickly dismayed by the fact that they were on at the same time as Louvin. Fortunately the stages were close so we were able to wander in and catch the end of their set. The Drops are a relatively young African-American stringband who play traditional fiddle and banjo music. It sounded fantastic on paper. When we walked in, the crowd was very enthusiastic and engaged. Unfortunately it came off as a little shtick-y to me. They totally lost me when they did a cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit Em Up Style” and one of the dudes was beatboxing. I was in the minority, because when they finished their set, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
We wandered back over to the Palomino Stage and Billy Joe Shaver was performing. Shaver’s an outlaw country performer in the vein of Waylon Jennings (who covered a lot of Shaver’s tunes). You youngins might be familiar with Shaver’s voice from the theme song to Squidbillies. Anyway, Shaver’s a tough son of a bitch. I thought he sounded damn good and enjoyed seeing him play, but we decided to mosey on down the road.
We peeked our heads back into the Mustang Stage tent for a little bit of Michael Martin Murphey. Murphey’s a well respected songwriter who once had a band with Mike Nesmith and wrote some tunes for the Monkees. He did time in Austin and was active in the outlaw country scene. He’s written songs for Kenny Rogers and tons of others. You’ve all probably heard his hit song “Wildfire” without even realizing it was him. It was just him and an acoustic. His voice sounded nice, but being rocked that gently wasn’t holding our interest so we mosied on.
After a drink and a snack, we made our way back to the Palomino Stage for Jack Ingram. Ingram’s made his name playing Texas bars in mid-90s. After touring with Brooks and Dunn, he’s gotten a lot more famous. He was a good entertainer, but not necessarily my thing.
Poking our head back into the Mustang tent, we sat down for some Jerry Douglas. Douglas is an absolutely stunning dobro player. According to Wikipedia he’s played on over 1600 records - and it shows. Backed by a full band, it was like watching an amazing jazz band. I just sat down and enjoyed seeing a master at his craft. It was mostly instrumental, but completely engaging. Douglas is also a part of Allison Krauss’ band.
The act I was most looking forward to all weekend was George Jones. If pressed, I’d have a pretty tough time deciding if Jones or Merle Haggard is my favorite country singer of all time. I saw Haggard a number of years ago, and he was fantastic. I’d been warned to set my expectations a bit lower for Jones. At 76, Jones is no spring chicken (although he is four years younger than Charlie Louvin) and he’s abused the shit out of himself. The set was still pretty good. He didn’t do all the songs I wanted to hear, and cuts some of his best songs short, but I was still happy to see him.
We ended up leaving a couple of songs early to peak our head in on Ralph Stanley. All in all, Stagecoach is a superbly run festival. Attendance figures were reported at around 120,000 for the three days and everything seemed extremely smooth. I just wish the schedulers wouldn’t have put so many legends against one another. The way I figure it, you’ve got people there to see the modern stuff and people there to see the legends and less commercial stuff. Don’t make the people there to see the legends make such tough decisions.
Getting up on Sunday was much easier than getting up on Saturday. A good night’s sleep is such a relief. We didn’t have anybody in particular we wanted to see until Charlie Louvin at 4:40, so we figured we’d relax and take advantage of the house rental. A couple of people invited friends over and we did some grilling. I took advantage of the pool a little, but it was overcast and cool out.
Around 4:25 we headed over to the festival grounds for day three. Charlie Louvin was already on stage. Most people don’t have the good fortune of being healthy enough to tour when they’re 80 years old, and I really enjoyed seeing him up there. He kicked it off with “Great Atomic Power” which was a Louvin Brothers’ song. I actually heard Uncle Tupelo’s cover before I ever heard the original. Between songs Louvin was cracking jokes and completely charming. His voice has aged, but it really suits his songs. Another highlight was “The Christian Life,” which he introduced by telling a Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris anecdote. I only wish more people had ventured into the tent to enjoy the performance. Instead, we were forced to hear the sound bleed from Trace Adkins on the Mane Stage. Great start to the day anyway. By the way, The Louvin Brothers’ album cover for Satan Is Real is one of the best of all time.
Before the festival I was really looking forward to seeing the Carolina Chocolate Drops and then quickly dismayed by the fact that they were on at the same time as Louvin. Fortunately the stages were close so we were able to wander in and catch the end of their set. The Drops are a relatively young African-American stringband who play traditional fiddle and banjo music. It sounded fantastic on paper. When we walked in, the crowd was very enthusiastic and engaged. Unfortunately it came off as a little shtick-y to me. They totally lost me when they did a cover of Blu Cantrell’s “Hit Em Up Style” and one of the dudes was beatboxing. I was in the minority, because when they finished their set, the crowd gave them a standing ovation.
We wandered back over to the Palomino Stage and Billy Joe Shaver was performing. Shaver’s an outlaw country performer in the vein of Waylon Jennings (who covered a lot of Shaver’s tunes). You youngins might be familiar with Shaver’s voice from the theme song to Squidbillies. Anyway, Shaver’s a tough son of a bitch. I thought he sounded damn good and enjoyed seeing him play, but we decided to mosey on down the road.
We peeked our heads back into the Mustang Stage tent for a little bit of Michael Martin Murphey. Murphey’s a well respected songwriter who once had a band with Mike Nesmith and wrote some tunes for the Monkees. He did time in Austin and was active in the outlaw country scene. He’s written songs for Kenny Rogers and tons of others. You’ve all probably heard his hit song “Wildfire” without even realizing it was him. It was just him and an acoustic. His voice sounded nice, but being rocked that gently wasn’t holding our interest so we mosied on.
After a drink and a snack, we made our way back to the Palomino Stage for Jack Ingram. Ingram’s made his name playing Texas bars in mid-90s. After touring with Brooks and Dunn, he’s gotten a lot more famous. He was a good entertainer, but not necessarily my thing.
Poking our head back into the Mustang tent, we sat down for some Jerry Douglas. Douglas is an absolutely stunning dobro player. According to Wikipedia he’s played on over 1600 records - and it shows. Backed by a full band, it was like watching an amazing jazz band. I just sat down and enjoyed seeing a master at his craft. It was mostly instrumental, but completely engaging. Douglas is also a part of Allison Krauss’ band.
The act I was most looking forward to all weekend was George Jones. If pressed, I’d have a pretty tough time deciding if Jones or Merle Haggard is my favorite country singer of all time. I saw Haggard a number of years ago, and he was fantastic. I’d been warned to set my expectations a bit lower for Jones. At 76, Jones is no spring chicken (although he is four years younger than Charlie Louvin) and he’s abused the shit out of himself. The set was still pretty good. He didn’t do all the songs I wanted to hear, and cuts some of his best songs short, but I was still happy to see him.
We ended up leaving a couple of songs early to peak our head in on Ralph Stanley. All in all, Stagecoach is a superbly run festival. Attendance figures were reported at around 120,000 for the three days and everything seemed extremely smooth. I just wish the schedulers wouldn’t have put so many legends against one another. The way I figure it, you’ve got people there to see the modern stuff and people there to see the legends and less commercial stuff. Don’t make the people there to see the legends make such tough decisions.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Open Letter to Neil Young
Dear Neil,
I hate to say it, but you’re just another greedy hippie. Yesterday I tried to place most of the blame on your overpriced tickets on the concert promoter, but as I reflected, there’s nobody to blame but you. When you’re the headliner of a show that charges $257 for tickets (and tickets that are 100 feet away from the stage) you’re setting expectations incredibly high. I have a feeling that you despise a lot of your fans (and after listening to them drunkenly shout at you between songs and watching them play air guitar all night long, I can understand why) but that’s no reason to take it out on the rest of us.
I’m willing to bet that you and I had the same reaction when we walked into the Nokia Theatre LA Live (or whatever it’s called). From the giant corporate logo on the side of the building, to the bombardment of the senses from the giant TV screens outside and in, to the new carpet smell (oddly mixed with some weird shit/barf smell), the place ain’t got no soul. It’s basically a 7,000 capacity, cold warehouse with corporate boxes and cramped seats. The big selling points from the developers are the state of the art sound, the fact (?) that no seat is more than a couple of hundred feet from the stage and the giant TV screens next to the stage. But when you saw those TV screens you probably went apeshit. “If the fans want to watch me on TV they can rent one of my fucking DVDs,” I imagine you said (or thought). So, for better or worse, those TV screens were dark last night.
And your performance? Starting off with the acoustic set and then having an intermission before the electric part was a good idea. “From Hank to Hendrix” isn’t my favorite song off of Harvest Moon, but a decent kicking off point (your fans cheering and applauding throughout the song was distracting, but not your fault). “Ambulance Blues” = great choice. I never thought I’d hear it. “Sad Movies” = interesting and obscure, but maybe a non-essential choice. The story about the Norwegians from the cover band was fun. “A Man Needs a Maid” sent a couple of chills up my spine when you started. The lyrics have always felt a little misogynistic, but it’s also autobiographical and honest and a classic. People were chuckling around me when you switched over to that organ to simulate the overblown strings. “No One Seems to Know” = good obscure choice. “Harvest” = great choice. It was another one that gave me some chills when it started. “Campaigner” = ok choice. Substituting George Bush for Richard Nixon (and the crowd’s reaction) was pretty obvious. “After the Gold Rush” = great choice. The old dork behind me who tried to clap and couldn’t keep time distracted me the whole time, so I didn’t get chills. “Mellow My Mind” = good choice. “Love Art Blues” = another good obscure choice that I didn’t think I’d hear. “Love Is a Rose” = good choice. And that concluded your acoustic set. It was an interesting and obscure set list that I can get behind. Unfortunately your fans distracted me and took me out of the moment during most of the songs.
I’ve never seen you electric, so I was excited but apprehensive for the second half of the show. Coming out of the gates with “The Loner” was a great choice. It’s one of my favorite early songs. When you followed it up with “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” I was preparing to be blown away. But then you played “Dirty Old Man.” It’s kinda fun in spirit, but wouldn’t make a list of my top 100 Neil Young songs. And then you played “Spirit Road.” Bleh. When you followed it up with “Bad Fog of Loneliness” I thought we were back in business. And then “Winterlong” = great choice. I was happy with “Oh, Lonesome Me” too. “The Believer” is another OK song from the new album. Whatever. But then you lost me for good when you stretched out and jammed on “No Hidden Path” for about 25 minutes. Why Neil? If you wanna jam, pick a classic. Then you left the stage and the first song of your encore was “Cinnamon Girl.” It’s a classic and a crowd pleaser. Fine. And then you ended with “Tonight’s the Night” and finally lashed out. “If Bruce Berry was here he would have fixed this fucking speaker by now.” All in all it was a pretty good show, but not worth the cash. I would have walked away happy if the tickets had been $200 cheaper (each). I won’t be going back on Friday.
By the way, we missed your wife’s set. The line to get beer was so slow moving that it took over a half hour to get through it. We let some dude cut in front of us at the front because he offered to buy us whatever we wanted (2 Buds for $12.50 and a champagne for $12.50). At least that made me feel better about paying $25 to park. As for the “state of the art sound?” There was a distracting surround sound effect and I kept hearing the high end (mostly the high-hat) over my right shoulder. And there was an annoying buzz in the front speaker for more than a couple of the acoustic numbers. For your fans who are used to seeing shows at the Staples or Forum, it was probably an improvement over that.
Your fan,
Duke
P.S. In case you’re kicking back in your pickup getting high and thinking to yourself, “I wonder what Duke would like hear” I’ve got some ideas (granted, you’ve worn a few of these out): “Lookin’ For a Love,” “Birds,” “See the Sky About to Rain,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Helpless,” “Tell Me Why,” “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Are You Ready for The Country, “Old Man,” “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “On the Beach,” “Roll Another Number (for the Road),” “Danger Bird,” “Cortez the Killer” or “Like a Hurricane” (to jam on), “Long May You Run,” “Hold Back the Tears,” “Will to Love,” “Peace of Mind,” “Already One,” “Comes a Time,” “Pocahontas,” “Unknown Legend,” “You and Me,” “Harvest Moon,” “Old King,” “Good to See You,” “Daddy Went Walkin’,” “This Old Guitar.”
P.P.S. I still love you.
I hate to say it, but you’re just another greedy hippie. Yesterday I tried to place most of the blame on your overpriced tickets on the concert promoter, but as I reflected, there’s nobody to blame but you. When you’re the headliner of a show that charges $257 for tickets (and tickets that are 100 feet away from the stage) you’re setting expectations incredibly high. I have a feeling that you despise a lot of your fans (and after listening to them drunkenly shout at you between songs and watching them play air guitar all night long, I can understand why) but that’s no reason to take it out on the rest of us.
I’m willing to bet that you and I had the same reaction when we walked into the Nokia Theatre LA Live (or whatever it’s called). From the giant corporate logo on the side of the building, to the bombardment of the senses from the giant TV screens outside and in, to the new carpet smell (oddly mixed with some weird shit/barf smell), the place ain’t got no soul. It’s basically a 7,000 capacity, cold warehouse with corporate boxes and cramped seats. The big selling points from the developers are the state of the art sound, the fact (?) that no seat is more than a couple of hundred feet from the stage and the giant TV screens next to the stage. But when you saw those TV screens you probably went apeshit. “If the fans want to watch me on TV they can rent one of my fucking DVDs,” I imagine you said (or thought). So, for better or worse, those TV screens were dark last night.
And your performance? Starting off with the acoustic set and then having an intermission before the electric part was a good idea. “From Hank to Hendrix” isn’t my favorite song off of Harvest Moon, but a decent kicking off point (your fans cheering and applauding throughout the song was distracting, but not your fault). “Ambulance Blues” = great choice. I never thought I’d hear it. “Sad Movies” = interesting and obscure, but maybe a non-essential choice. The story about the Norwegians from the cover band was fun. “A Man Needs a Maid” sent a couple of chills up my spine when you started. The lyrics have always felt a little misogynistic, but it’s also autobiographical and honest and a classic. People were chuckling around me when you switched over to that organ to simulate the overblown strings. “No One Seems to Know” = good obscure choice. “Harvest” = great choice. It was another one that gave me some chills when it started. “Campaigner” = ok choice. Substituting George Bush for Richard Nixon (and the crowd’s reaction) was pretty obvious. “After the Gold Rush” = great choice. The old dork behind me who tried to clap and couldn’t keep time distracted me the whole time, so I didn’t get chills. “Mellow My Mind” = good choice. “Love Art Blues” = another good obscure choice that I didn’t think I’d hear. “Love Is a Rose” = good choice. And that concluded your acoustic set. It was an interesting and obscure set list that I can get behind. Unfortunately your fans distracted me and took me out of the moment during most of the songs.
I’ve never seen you electric, so I was excited but apprehensive for the second half of the show. Coming out of the gates with “The Loner” was a great choice. It’s one of my favorite early songs. When you followed it up with “Everybody Knows This is Nowhere” I was preparing to be blown away. But then you played “Dirty Old Man.” It’s kinda fun in spirit, but wouldn’t make a list of my top 100 Neil Young songs. And then you played “Spirit Road.” Bleh. When you followed it up with “Bad Fog of Loneliness” I thought we were back in business. And then “Winterlong” = great choice. I was happy with “Oh, Lonesome Me” too. “The Believer” is another OK song from the new album. Whatever. But then you lost me for good when you stretched out and jammed on “No Hidden Path” for about 25 minutes. Why Neil? If you wanna jam, pick a classic. Then you left the stage and the first song of your encore was “Cinnamon Girl.” It’s a classic and a crowd pleaser. Fine. And then you ended with “Tonight’s the Night” and finally lashed out. “If Bruce Berry was here he would have fixed this fucking speaker by now.” All in all it was a pretty good show, but not worth the cash. I would have walked away happy if the tickets had been $200 cheaper (each). I won’t be going back on Friday.
By the way, we missed your wife’s set. The line to get beer was so slow moving that it took over a half hour to get through it. We let some dude cut in front of us at the front because he offered to buy us whatever we wanted (2 Buds for $12.50 and a champagne for $12.50). At least that made me feel better about paying $25 to park. As for the “state of the art sound?” There was a distracting surround sound effect and I kept hearing the high end (mostly the high-hat) over my right shoulder. And there was an annoying buzz in the front speaker for more than a couple of the acoustic numbers. For your fans who are used to seeing shows at the Staples or Forum, it was probably an improvement over that.
Your fan,
Duke
P.S. In case you’re kicking back in your pickup getting high and thinking to yourself, “I wonder what Duke would like hear” I’ve got some ideas (granted, you’ve worn a few of these out): “Lookin’ For a Love,” “Birds,” “See the Sky About to Rain,” “Cowgirl in the Sand,” “Helpless,” “Tell Me Why,” “Only Love Can Break Your Heart,” “Are You Ready for The Country, “Old Man,” “The Needle and the Damage Done,” “On the Beach,” “Roll Another Number (for the Road),” “Danger Bird,” “Cortez the Killer” or “Like a Hurricane” (to jam on), “Long May You Run,” “Hold Back the Tears,” “Will to Love,” “Peace of Mind,” “Already One,” “Comes a Time,” “Pocahontas,” “Unknown Legend,” “You and Me,” “Harvest Moon,” “Old King,” “Good to See You,” “Daddy Went Walkin’,” “This Old Guitar.”
P.P.S. I still love you.
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