Black Lips @ Detroit Bar 2/10/08

Ok so tonight was similar to last night and they pretty much played the same song selection. What a fucking party! Everyone was wasted off their ass. It was another wild and crazy night!

The main difference was, this club is 21+, and they only allowed girls on stage this time. Smart men. I got on stage and security pulled me down in half a second. My shins still hurt from being smashed against the stage which was only about two feet from off the ground. The band was shooting silly string all over the place all night. Other than that, it was fairly tame, by Black Lips standards. My friend drove us over 40 miles to get to Detroit Bar, but it was damn worth it.

Black Lips @ Glass House 2/9/08

Wow. I don't even know where to start. What a great fucking venue for the Black Lips to play at! The music was loud as hell, they looked like they were having more fun than ever, and the crowd was absolutely out of fucking control. Non-stop pit action. I got hit in the eye with someone's head, and fell on my back at least 3 times. The crowd at a Black Lips show is usually more wild than any show I've ever been to.

When they were setting up stage, a young Mexican girl in front of me screamed out and asked singer/guitarist Cole Alexander if she could have some of his beer. He shrugged and gave her his Tecate and kept on walking. She didn't look a day over 18. Ahahahaha. She later ended up being the first person to jump on stage, and rocked out with the band for a couple songs.

This started a trend of people constantly going on stage, and Black Lips were super cool about it because they don't get mad and they seem to really like the chaos of it all. One short bald guy jumped on stage, screamed, ripped his t-shirt off right down the middle, and then did a front flip into the crowd. All that happened in less than 4 seconds. And after the band was done with the show, grillz guitarist Ian Saint Pé asked the crowd "Who's not old enough to drink?" and everyone yelled and he gave his drink to a young girl up front. Classic.

And that is what a Black Lips show is like.

Songs played throughout the night (not in this order):

Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah
Buried Alive
Dirty Hands
Cold Hands
O Katrina
Veni Vidi Vici
Boomerang
Bad Kids
Sea of Blasphemy
Not a Problem











The Black Lips are the most fun live band I've ever seen, and the Glass House is a blast in itself (even if I have to drive 45 miles to get there). If you haven't seen them yet, you're missing out! I already bought tickets to see them again at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa tonight. I've never seen a band two nights in a row until now, so stay tuned for yet another Black Lips review!

Super Furry Animals with Abe Vigoda, Holy Fuck @ Echoplex 2/8/08

Unfortunately I missed most of Abe Vigoda's set at the Echoplex last night. I did however catch a couple songs, and I was really into it! They sounded better than ever!!! I'm so glad to see these guys doing so good. They're really nice and down to earth, and have been playing local shows forever at everywhere from the Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach to The Smell for quite some time now. Be sure to check them out at this year's SXSW! and at The Smell on March 25th.

Abe Vigoda:


"HOLY FUCK!" people started screamed from the audience. "HOLY FUCK!" "HOLY FUCK, it's hot in here!" I yelled before the band went on. I felt like I was at fucking Coachella, although there was no occasional breeze.

Toronto electronic group Holy Fuck, which has been heralded for performing live shows without the use of computers or pre-recorded backing tracks were up next. These guys fucked everyone in the face with their loud and nonstop electronic blasts of melodic noisy beats.

With two tables full of all miscellaneous guitar pedals, effects, and electronic gadgets looped to various cheap keyboards (which they switched rapidly through the night), they look like mad scientists who have been staying up all night in their labs, drinking lots of coffee and tweaking everything within arms reach and shuffling and experimenting with things.

They played songs such as The Pulse, Royal Gregory (my favorite), Frenchy's, Super Inuit, and Lovely Allen.

Holy Fuck:

I was fortunate enough to catch Welsh band Super Furry Animals at a venue like the Echoplex where I was able to get right up front. This band sounded big enough to play the fucking Dodger Stadium. They opened with psychedelic electronic experimentation of Slow Life where after a couple minutes of buildup, frontman Gruff Rhys walked out on stage with an oversized full face red Power Ranger helmet on his head. This was such a funny and memorable moment in live music history, similar to when Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips walked in the giant bubble at Coachella 2004.

Throughout the night, they played a handful of hits such as Rings Around the World, Golden Retriever, Receptable for the Respectable, Into the Night, Juxtapozed With U, The Gift That Keeps Giving, Run-Away, etc. One thing I really noticed was how the singer made lots of eye contact with the audience and seemed very friendly and super happy to be playing for all of us.

My favorite moments of the night was during the heavy guitar explosion at the end of Receptable when Gruff Rhys, Gibson Goldtop guitarist Huw Bunford, and other unidentified guitarist all ran to center stage where they clashed guitar necks like Star Wars characters clanging light sabers. Too bad I failed to capture this moment on film; I was too far away getting water since it was so fucking hot at the Echoplex. Anyway, this was so fucking cool, and it reminded me of when Sonic Youth did the same thing at the Greek Theatre in 2007 when they played Daydream Nation in it's entirety.

SFA sounded amazing live and it was a show I won't soon forget. I can't fucking wait until they play again. Hopefully next time it's at the Greek where it's not all hot and cramped.

Super Furry Animals:

Blood on the Wall, Afternoons @ Spaceland 2/7/08

Sometimes you go to a show only to discover an opening band that is actually better than the headliner. Tonight was one of those nights. Rock septet Afternoons really did steal the show! They may be hard to google, but thankfully they're easy on the ears. Live, they reminded me of the first time I ever heard Arcade Fire and Mercury Rev. There were horns, incredible male/female harmonizing, an amazing presence of joy...music that just makes you smile. The presence of female "Tiki Room"/Opera vocalist Claire McKeown really makes their music complete, and that part especially brought Mercury Rev's haunting saw harp whistling sound effects to mind.

They do it incredibly well, and none of them seem uptight or stuck up. Must be because they are still unsigned! Hopefully not for long with such talent. Please go to their myspace page and check out the songs "Line 'Em Up" and "Say Yes".

Be sure to catch these guys at The Echo with The Duke Spirit on March 5th.


It's already a known fact that headliners Blood on the Wall sound like Pixies, Gordon Gano of Violent Femmes, and Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth, so I'm not going to bother mentioning it. Oops. This is crunchy and loud 80s-early 90s college revival rock.

Philip Seymour Hoffman lookalike Brad Shanks and Courtney Shanks share the stage as brother and sister vocalists, with a drummer whose name I am unsure of because it wasn't the same guy that I saw when researching them online. Live, I wasn't really that into it. Not that they weren't incredible at reproducing the album sound onstage, but this is music that you should probably be listening to for at least a month before seeing live, and I'll admit I just got into them and hadn't listened to them much yet.

Well I'm listening to all three of their albums while posting this, and they're finally sinking in. Give this Brooklyn three-piece chicken dinner a taste. It may be greasy and taste just like something you've been eating for years, but that doesn't mean you won't still love the taste.

Midnight Movies, Dead Meadow @ Echoplex, 2/5/08

Midnight Movies were better than ever at the Echoplex on Tuesday night. Too bad the sound wasn’t. The vocals were just not loud enough and some of the distorted sounds clashed with each other, but I blame it on the sound guy and not them; I’ve seen them a few times and they’ve always sounded stellar.

Bearded guitarist Larry Schemel wore all black as usual and sounded better than ever with loud shrieking power and the sharpest playing I’ve seen from him. The beautiful Gena Olivier displayed more vivacity and confidence than ever as well, stomping and dancing around on-stage and exuberating a definite boost in energy.

They fully utilized the large backing wall with projections of psychedelic kaleidoscope-like visions which also combined real time live video of the Ms. Olivier singing. I was expecting them to do a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit, as they looked and sounded similar to 60s flowerpower acid tripping music on Tuesday night.

The vocals weren’t loud enough, and neither was drummer Sandra Vu's flute on the breathtakingly beautiful "Mes Rêves De Satin (Nights in White Satin)", where singer/keyboardist Gena Olivier gives up front position to Sandra to take over on drums, yet still sings. A cool jazzy flute solo really moves the song along but gets washed away when the song gets really heavy and chaotic with distorted guitars and banging drums. This song is virtually perfect as a bonus track on their latest album Lion the Girl.

The grand finale was a new track titled "Should Have Known" which featured duel drummers Sandra Vu on the main set and Gena standing and pounding on a bass drum. It was an amazing way to close out the shows…I don’t remember Gena ever rocking out that hard since they got mummified and opened for Ladytron at the El Rey on Halloween 2006!

I see good things coming for the band as are slowly changing their live performance…stay tuned for their next EP "Nights EP" featuring "Should Have Known", scheduled for a digital release of March 11th.

Here is Midnight Movies' set list of the night:

1. Parallel Paramour
2. Coral Den
3. Persimmon Tree
4. Wolf
5. Mes Rêves De Satin (Nights in White Satin)
6. Lion Song
7. Souvenirs
8. Should Have Known

I barely started listening to Matador Record's Dead Meadow a week before the show. They are a pretty good band; I enjoyed some tracks on their albums, but I feel like they’d be much better if they cut out all the filler songs that sound the same and maybe had just released two albums instead of five.

They went on stage after making us wait a little too long and jammed out with what they’re good at and what they’re known to do--slow and sludgy, psychedelic, bluesy, stoner rock. Similar in sound to The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Brian Jonestown Massacre, but not as distinctive or engaging. Singer/guitarist Jason Simon shreds the shit out his Telecaster, and he pumped out jams mostly from the fresh new LP Old Growth all while making it look all too easy.

All in all, the vocals aren’t distinctive enough, nor do they sound that memorable, and the band is pretty good but didn't really stand out that much, although Jason Simon's guitar tone is definitely something to be envied. Two words--“Big Muff”.

HEALTH Interview

Here is an interview with the bassist John Famiglietti of the band HEALTH.

B-Ex: There's been lots of experimental noise rock bands that come and go but never really make it. What makes you so special?

//JOHN: Wait...we made it?? I think a big difference between us and other similar bands is the tempo, we play a lot faster than the average abrasive group, but um I don't really know. We dont think of ourselves as niche artists and that has influenced a lot of the way we are presented to the music world at large and maybe that perceptual shift makes it special...I have no idea.

B-Ex: You guys have been getting a shit-ton of buzz lately and all the Smell kids fucking love you. Have you considered filming a live DVD at the venue where you recorded your self-titled debut LP? If not, can you please consider it? Pretty please?

//JOHN: Havent thought of it yet....Might be really cool if we could limit the number of people and do it on the floor in front of the stage, still my favorite place to play.

B-Ex: I'm not going to ask you guys why you chose the name HEALTH because I'm sure that everybody already asks you that. I've read in various places that "Medicine" was already taken, and you wanted an everyday type of a name. What I will ask, though, is have you tried to google HEALTH before? People with short attention spans may get sidetracked looking for rash remedies on WebMD.

//JOHN: Yeah we get fucked on google and file sharing networks etc. If we had thought of that at the time, we should have given the album a title so its easier to download, cuz the downloading kids arent gonna buy the album no matter what, and might not take the time to find it on whatever file sharing network.


B-Ex: I just saw you open for Autolux at the El Rey. Quite frankly, I was more into you guys, and I've been a fan of Autolux longer than you've been around. If you could tour with any band that you've never met nor played with, who would it be?

//JOHN: Animal Collective

B-Ex: Can you please recommend another up-and-coming Los Angeles local band that I need to see live before I die?

//JOHN: Captain Ahab. A two-man rave party. Amazing tunes too, the music is great and the live show is insane, kids going crazy dancing jumping, taking their clothes off (literally) and getting on each others shoulders, sweat, sweat, sweat dripping off. Hype man Jim,
running through the audience in a speedo and soaking wet individually grabbing and humping anyone he comes into contact with, while Jonathan singing like a rock god over catchy rave music.


B-Ex: Your album is very visual and chaotic. As I mentioned in my review, the track "Triceratops" sounds like the soundtrack to a hellish post-apocalyptic video game themed rollercoaster with dinosaur shaped oscillating sprinkler-heads that shoot liquid acid onto the
screaming passengers. What kind of imagery does your music give you?.

//JOHN: Thats some crazy shit son.


B-Ex: What instrument(s) that you've never recorded with would you like to use in your next album (that is, of course, my fingers-crossed assumption that you guys want to make another one!)

//JOHN: That super amazing noise generator thing on youtube that costs millions of dollars. Synths.

B-Ex: Is their anyone you would love to collaborate with in your next recording? If so, who?

//JOHN: Musically, Johnny Jewel, Pictureplane, and Dan Deacon. Recording wise, an amazing engineer.


B-Ex: Favorite spot you've played only once:

//JOHN: A tie between Heco's in Oakland and Rhinoceropolis in Denver. Both are amazing diy venues of the perfect size and amazing show culture. Its like if the il Corral was a franchise you would open in different cities, sans rope swing.

B-Ex: Last great movie you've seen:

//JOHN: There Will Be Blood.

B-Ex: Thanks for your time man!