What a fucking fun day! I drove with my sister to a random parking lot on Laurel and Sunset Blvd. just before 2 PM, where a shuttle bus took us for at least a 15 minute ride up into the Hollywood hills. We arrived at a giant gate that was the entrance to the most amazing mansion that felt like it was on the top of the world. The view was incredible and I could not spot anywhere else that was higher than us.
There were two giant inflatable slip 'n slides, a dunk tank (where you could win free Nike dunks if you knocked the big black guy in the water), tether ball, delicious BBQ that consisted of veggie patties, BBQ chicken, BBQ beef sliders, BBQ baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, etc. and to drink there was iced tubs of various soda and mini Fiji water bottles. There were also two bars serving up Belvedere vodka mixed drinks and some type of expensive rum (that I hadn't heard of nor do I remember) and mojitos. The bartenders were smoking hot and super friendly with the crowd.
First up on stage was a hip hop orchestra conducted by Double G. Now I would definitely not consider myself a fan of hip hop or rap, but these guys were really good and it was pretty amazing to see an actual orchestra conducting hip hop instrumentals on stage. There were flutes, trompones, trumpets, bass, saxophone, keyboards, etc. They sounded terrific and even toyed with some jazzy sounds as well. I was really blown away.
Next up were Chicago's "The Cool Kids" who have been getting a decent amount of buzz lately. They looked young. I bumped into Mapi of KXLU radio, and she told me one of them were only 20 years old. Cool Kids consists of two rappers and a dj behind the table in the background. I think they sounded okay, but again, i am not a hip hop fan, so if you are, please check them out!
About 30 minutes after Cool Kids, No Age took the stage. They had just been picked up from LAX after returning from Dublin. Guitarist Randy Randall wore an Atlas Sound t-shirt (if you like Deerhunter check them out, they're fronted by singer Brad Cox). Drummer/singer Dean Spunt sported a walking cane, which he explained to the crowd he acquired after injuring himself when trying to sneak into a children's bathroom at a show in Germany, because they charge people to use the restrooms there. Maybe he should change his name to Dean Cane. Haha. Get it?
Anyway, they played a set that didn't change much from when I saw them open for the Liars at the El Rey a couple months ago, although this time, the crowd was a much more tame. They also played a few tracks off the more melodic and rhythmic new album "Nouns". A lot of people were there for the hip hop stuff so they left when all that was done, but I spotted a small group of The Smell regulars who were there to support Dean and Randy, and everyone was soaking up the rays and enjoying there drinks in the mid 70 degree ridiculously comfortable and clear sunny weather. They ended right around 6 PM and the crowd cleared slowly thereafter.
Be sure to catch No Age next Sunday, June 8th, with breakfast at The Smell with Mika Miko and Abe Vigoda! It's only $5, and they're going to have pancakes! Please join me and don't be afraid to stop by and say hi! The syrupy madness starts at 11 AM.
NO AGE - TEEN CREEPS live @ BE TRUE:
Pray to Jesus and Mary...
WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!
Random + Crowd Pics...
Stay tuned for Double G + Hip Hop Orchestra vids, No Age live video, and The Cool Kids pics!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Nike / Filter Present: NIKE BE TRUE FAMILY REUNION 2008 w/ Cool Kids & NO AGE, 6/1/08
Friday, March 21, 2008
The Voyeurs @ Comic Bug, Manhattan Beach, 3/21/08
Rockin'? Absolutely. Poppy? For sure. Catchy? Hell yes. South Bay music giants John Hylander (lead vocals, keys, guitar), his cousin Joe Hylander (guitar), Jesse Hoffman (bass), and Sean Johnson (drums) make up the quintet "The Voyeurs", which includes 3/4 of "E>K>U>K" (which was forced to disengage after Raymond left the band).
The Voyeurs are here to serve you up generous garage sized pop portions of harmonious crunch and just enough Big Muff to leave you wanting more. They play short shows because they are still a fresh new band. How do they differ from E>K>U>K? Well, they're less jangly, less explosive, and more mature. The vocal harmonies are much more up front, there's more balance between uppers and downers, there's more of a folky psych loungey vibe on some tracks, and they sort of have that 60s British Invasion sound. Think The Kinks and The Zombies. Also, I don't recall keyboards or acoustic guitars on many or any E>K>U>K songs.
This band definitely has a lot more early 20's talent than most bands in the South Bay (not that there's many to choose from). Sean Johnson (the only great local drummer that I know besides Maxwell Demon's Martin Avelar) pounds through each song with extreme energy, and his facial expressions and arching eyebrows definitely make drumming look exciting as hell. It's no wonder he's been in so many great bands since the days of high school: local surf giants from the past "From", "E>K>U>K", and currently, the jazzy Zappaesque "Vaudeville". Now, I'm not going to lie, I don't know much about drums, but I do know that in some bands, the drummer goes completely unnoticed and serves little help to the band besides being a human metronome. Not Sean Johnson. When you're good, you're good...this guy is fucking incredible.
Jesse Hoffman and Joe Hylander of the mindblowing "Fragments of an Imagination" (formerly known as "JH and the Squares" both stand near each other as if channeling
each other's confidence and statute skills on bass and guitar; they may be the youngest in the band, but that doesn't mean they don't know what they're doing. They both make their tasks look extremely easy. I've seen these guys improvise jamming before, and they definitely know their shit.
The Voyeurs - Things That People Say, 3/21/08Stay tuned for these guys...they all have the skills to backup success, the friendly personalities to keep you hanging out after the show is done, and a dedicated local fanbase. Keep the scene alive, and go check them out at Charlie O's in downtown LA on May 8th, Mariposa Cafe in LA on May 17th, All Star Lanes on June 29th, and the 4th of July at
Mr. T's Bowl in Highland Park! They will be sharing the stages with The Henry Clay People, The Rolling Blackouts, and The Monolators!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Neon Neon @ The Viper Room, 3/18/08
Neon Neon is a collaboration between Gruff Rhys (frontman of Super Furry Animals) and musician/producer Boom Bip. They are probably the most convincing 80's throwback band I have seen, and they sound just amazing live. Full and fat synths, keytars, cowbells, double necked bass and guitars...they've definitely got the instrumentation down.
Neon Neon got everyone (yes, EVERYONE!) shaking their hips and bobbing their heads this St. Patty's day at the Viper Room. They played tracks off their debut Stainless Style, including "I Told Her On Alderaan", "I Lust U", "Belfast", and "Raquel".
The biggest surprise of the night was the amazingly entertaining and overweight Har Mar Superstar, who raps on a couple album tracks, but I had no clue he'd actually be touring with them. He sweated the night away with his performance of "Sweat Shop" where he apparently freestyled most of the song because the lyrics weren't the same on the album.
Outside the Viper Room were a couple DeLorean's, just chilling. They had to be on tour with Neon Neon because people were taking pictures in them and they were open to the public.
Go catch Neon Neon while you still can; the two frontmen are extremely busy with other main projects, and this band may not be around for long.
I couldn't help but go crazy with the effects on this one:
Friday, March 14, 2008
Beach House @ Echoplex, 3/13/08
This show was originally scheduled for The Echo, but when they pushed the early show from 6:30 to 8:30, and then realized the amount of people that were in line, they moved it downstairs (literally) to the Echoplex.
Balitmore's Beach House is consisted of singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand, and guitarist Alex Scally (who has only been playing guitar for 4 years, when the band formed!). Together they craft tranquilizing tunes and melancholy melodies that have been known to produce an opiate like effect on listeners. This ain't your Friday night jamz (don't click on that, and don't say I didn't warn you!); these are downer songs...but everyone needs a downer sometimes, right?
The Echoplex filled up with a room full of scenester zombies, who didn't talk much, didn't move much, hell, I don't even know if they were breathing. But that's the way it goes when you're the living dead, I suppose.
They opened with album opener "Wedding Bell" off their amazing recently released sophomore LP Devotion. WOW! This isn't shoegaze, I don't understand why they needed the volume so damn high! It did not help their sound at all!
They went on to play tracks such as "You Came to Me", "Apple Orchard", and Devotion's first single "Gila", which is indie's answer to that really fucking Rihanna song "Umbrella". God I hate that shit so much.
Highlight of the night? Answer: THE DAILY DOUBLE! What is: a very drowsy cover of Daniel Johnston's "Some Things Last"!
Beach House sounded just as good live as on their two albums, which I absolutely fucking love, by the way, and highly recommend going to pick them up RIGHT NOW! I would not rush to see them at a standing venue again, however, as this is music best suited for mopy midnight mattress melt-aways (what a great band name!). They are about to embark upon a large European tour with some Washington's finest Fleet Foxes, one of my favorite new artists of the year!!!
Beach House - Gila
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
The Ting Tings @ Rec Center Studio, 3/11/08
The Ting Tings are a serious Myspace buzz band. They hail from Salford, Northwest UK, and have been hitting the hipster shit fan like crazy lately (with over 350,000 hits to their song "That's Not My Name" . They follow in the footsteps of other British female-fronted hip-hop dance artists (Lady Sovereign comes to mind). But Lady Sovereign tries too hard, and she has anxiety attacks on stage. Not The Ting Tings' frontgirl Katie White.
The entire show, she exuberated copious amounts of sass and energy in her music. She's very skinny and small, but it doesn't mean she can't take charge with arms flailing, a sharp tongue, and a serious talent for some mean and poppy dance rhythm guitar (à la Modest Mouse's Float On on a couple songs).
The songs I heard on Myspace before the show didn't catch my ear that much, but live, the Ting Tings put on a really tight show with a great pop. And now after going back to hear some of their tracks again, they really grew on me.
They opened with the dancey "Great DJ" and played only 7 songs total the entire night. Too bad the set was so damn short. It's hard to judge a band that is still in such an early stage of infancy, but once these guys come out with a new album, I'm sure they'll be huge.
I also highly recommend the Rec Center Studio in Echo Park. It's literally a block or two from the Echo (with free parking in the same lot), and is a very cool and modern artsy spot with a ultra chic and refreshing vibe.
Sarah White was super friendly outside the Rec Center after the show. She talked with fans about how happy she was to be in LA, received many compliments on her performance, and hung out for a while.
5/8/08: The Ting Tings' Shut up and Let Me Go was recently featured in a new iPod commercial:
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Raveonettes / Be Your Own Pet @ the El Rey Theatre, 3/4/08
Nashville four-piece rockers Be Your Own Pet opened for The Raveonettes tonight. I had previously seen them at the Troubadour a year or two ago around the time their first album came out, and they were good for what they are. I honestly cannot say I am a huge fan. I do appreciate their youth and raw energy and all that stuff, but there are just too many bands out there today, and I've been to too many amazing shows in the past year for these guys to leave much of a mark in my memory.
However, their new album Get Awkward just came out and it's been getting pretty good reviews. Also, it doesn't hurt that they were discovered by Thurston Moore and are under his Ecstatic Peace label...so check them out! They sing songs about high school crushes, popping pills, food fights, taking it in the ass, and sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll! Very original lyrics.
Danish duo The Raveonettes are so rad live. I previously saw them at Spaceland last year, and they have so many new amazing songs since then. It was really great to be able to catch them at such a small and intimate venue like that, but a band with such a fucking huge sound really feels at home at the El Rey.
Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo (with a fresh haircut) came out to a full house at the El Rey, and true to form, they were of very few words, extremely sexy and stylish, and confident as hell. Some uber Euro chick with a short haircut joined them, standing up the entire time, and pounding on two electronically altered snares. They opened up with "Hallucinations", and continued with more tracks off their newborn baby Lust Lust Lust.
I have to point out that the lighting at this show was among the best I have ever seen in my life. I will not soon forget the transitional shifts from blue to green to violet. I'm no expert in stage lighting, but I do know that they definitely put a lot into their lighting. It really makes for a hypnotizing show.
Lust Lust Lust is hands down (my pants) one of my favorite albums of the past 12 months. It's their heaviest, loudest, and lustiest album yet. These songs transfer to the stage amazingly, and it doesn't hurt that they look so damn good on stage.
The Raveonette's setlist:
Lust
Red Tan
Black Satin
Blush
French Disko
Here are a few videos I managed to capture at the El Rey:
Lust:
Let's Rave On:
Dead Sound:
Love in a Trashcan:
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The Magnetic Fields @ The Henry Fonda Theatre, 3/3/08
I arrived to the Henry Fonda much too early only to discover rows of high school graduation white plastic foldout chairs covering the floor, with people scattered scarcely watching the overly dramatic and annoying theatrics of “Interstellar Radio Company” performing an inappropriately whimsical and jubilant seated musical version Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart”. It looked and sounded like they were voicing and scoring a really bad Disney movie. That stuff really bothers me, I’m sorry. I just always hated the overly enthusiastic drama kids from high school; the ones who were always so loud and whimsical and in your face that you wanted to kick them in theirs, and this reminded me of just that. What a disgrace this was to Edgar Allan Poe.
When they were done, Magnetic Fields played an entirely acoustic set. No percussions. Claudia Gonson played piano, John Woo strummed the acoustic guitar, Sam Davol was on cello, and Stephin Merrit was on a bouzouki. This show was in support of their latest LP “Distortion”, yet the show didn’t have any distortion to speak of. How terribly ironic. They honestly sounded great for what it was but when you’re in the mood for the full and lush and occasionally abrasive everchanging sound of their albums, you don’t want to hear the stripped down versions of all night. And if you’re going to play an acoustic set you should fucking advertise it. Ultimately upsetting. I went to the patio upstairs and watched the concert projected onto the wall from a couch while I drank more than I usually do at a show to help numb the pain of disappointment.
Thank you Stephen Merritt for letting me down
The Magnetic Fields performing "I Don't Believe You"
Here is a playlist of GOOD Magnetic Fields songs...the last one "I Die, You Die" is a Gary Numan cover (Which I have included as well!)
I'd have to say the highlight of the night was leaving early to go to Cha Cha Lounge in Silver Lake, where my friend Sean decided to sing Tears For Fears' "Shout" on karaoke. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
