Okkervil River w/ Titus Andronicus & New Villager @ Belly Up- 06.24.11

Last Friday night the Belly Up was treated to a trio of exceptional performances from a relative unknown (New Villager), a tour-crazy act (Titus Andronicus) and an aural sensation (Okkervil River). More after the jump.


Originally formed as a band/ artist collective, San Francisco's New Villager kicked off the night with a sort of mini-meditation session before easing into a relatively brief set of their self proclaimed 'new pop'. Carried by dual vocal harmonies and guitar and keyboard rhythms (with some effects mixed in for posterity), their soothing tunes eased the crowd in to what was soon to be a much heavier sound. Odd stage antics aside, they definitely finished their set with more fans than they started with.

New Villager:

Full disclosure: I've now seen Titus Andronicus twice (the first being a sweltering mid-day set at this year's Coachella) and given their album The Monitor a fair shake and can definitively say that they are not for me. It's not for lack of musical skill or performance abilities, because they have plenty of both. I'll say that I just can't get into them. Apparently it's to each their own because I was definitely in the minority as evidenced by a packed house to begin their set with most of those in attendance singing along word for word. The New Jersey based quintet unquestionably has the chops and stage presence of a band that has been touring for the better part of a year (which they have)- frontman Eric Harm and singer/ guitarist/ violinist Amy Klein are the stars in a guitar swinging, pogo jumping, punk growling showcase. Eschewing the typical two-and-a-half-minutes-and-done punk rock template, their songs can carry into the seven minute+ range and include everything from the slow build to the blistering jams to the epic finale. There is no question that they leave it all on stage from the moment the first chord hits until the last note slowly fades away.

Titus Andronicus:

Having relied solely on reviews, friends' recommendations and their studio albums for what to expect from a live performance, I had no idea the treat I was in for when Okkervil River took their spots after a long set break. Some in attendance were likely questioning their position on the bill relative to Titus Andronicus (and even more were probably questioning the pairing of the two bands at all), but the six-piece from Austin undoubtedly deserved their spot as headliner. The Will Sheff- led folk rockers had the crowd wrapped around their finger within minutes as they dug their heels in to what would end up being almost two hours of pure ear candy. My familiarity with this band was limited pretty much to The Stand Ins (personal favorite) and the newly released I Am Very Far (quickly growing on me) which was unfortunate as I was unable to participate in what was almost a full night sing along. Leaning heavily on the new album while touching on older material and even some deep cuts ('From way back in '97', as it was put), Sheff and bassist Patrick Pestorius owned the front of the stage as they led the band through their paces. What really knocked my socks off though was the skill set of multi-instrumentalist Lauren Gurgiolo. Playing primarily an absolutely searing six string Gibson, she mixed in a healthy dose of electric mandolin and a bit of banjo with unbelievable ease and ability- my personal highlight without question. As the set progressed it became more and more clear that the band's happy place is playing to an enthusiastic full house and you could see that they fed off the energy of the crowd. The sole low point of the evening was after they finished their encore and headed off stage. Having now experienced Okkervil River in their full glory, I eagerly await their next trip to SD and if that doesn't happen sometime soon, I am more than happy to travel to them.

Okkervil River:

For more photos from the evening click here and the rest of my concert photography click here.
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Rosey's Diary: April 19, 2009- Coachella

It wasn't until just before the Cage The Elephant show that I decided to go to Coachella on Sunday. I had tweeted that I had a ticket for anyone willing to make the drive and Travis from Tape Deck Mountain took me up on the offer, so we convened at the Menomena show and made plans for pickup the next day.

San Diego was in the midst of a bit of a heat wave, so on Sunday morning as the temperatures climbed above 80 here, I knew it was going to be blistering in Indio. I thought I was prepared for it. I wasn't. It easily felt about 15 degrees hotter than it was on Friday, which might have been partially psychological as the once fresh green grass was more or less browned and trampled by day three. This had multiple effects on me. One was that I was a whole lot less ambitious about hurrying from stage to stage and I did a whole lot more sitting in the shade of other people. I also poured water over my head all day just to cool down.

Travis and I drove the regular route via the 215 and got there quickly but we left a little later than planned, so we got there as No Age was finishing, despite it being our goal to get there for their set. You can read the rest of my diary after the jump.




Like most people, I was much less excited about the lineup for Day 3 in the first place, but after the incredible sets from Paul McCartney, Leonard Cohen, and pretty much EVERYONE I saw on Friday, I knew I couldn't have high expectations. The band I wanted to see most that day was Okkervil River, and with a 2:35 set on the mainstage, everything else was just me wandering, enjoying the sights and sounds of Coachella, hanging with Natalie, and staying hydrated. I was so far from the stage during their set, I didn't bother with photos, and that kind of was a lasting theme all day. But I love Okkervil River, so I watched and listened and sang along with Will and thoroughly enjoyed the music.

After the set, I followed Natalie to the Outdoor Theatre for Gaslight Anthem who were probably my biggest surprise of the day- I didn't know anything about them but I really enjoyed their set. It didn't surprise me later to find out they're a SideOneDummy band. Being from Jersey they get a lot of comparisons to The Boss which I could hear quite a bit, but they really reminded me of labelmates Fake Problems, which I've already proclaimed is my favorite-band-of-2009-that-isn't-new-but-is-new-to-me. That's the beauty of a festival. Some bands might disappoint, but sometimes it is the unexpected ones that stay with you.



This was pretty much the scene all over the festival that day. People had to be inventive with ways to keep cool.



Jake told me that our friend Pete was doing drums for Sebastien Tellier, so I decided to go check him out. If you've read this site for a while, you might remember Pete was the drummer for Z-Trip at SoCo Music Experience a couple years ago. It's always good to see him play no matter who he's with. Sebastien was great and I ran into Catdirt and CDW. They love their French musicians. And I know it's gross, but how can you not feel bad about whatever chick lost this?





The rest of the day was kinda meh for me. I watched Peter, Bjorn and John for a while from the far west side of the stage where the VIP area was as I waited for Pete to come hang out. He did for a bit but then went to attempt to get me a backstage pass and a few missed text messages later and I was wandering, listening to Yeah Yeah Yeahs (who sounded tons better than the last time I saw them), finding food, finding Natalie and Travis, and before I knew it, I was laying in the grass waiting for My Bloody Valentine, at which point the sun had dropped enough that I was suddenly freezing in my water soaked jeans. Fortunately I had taken an extra shirt but my thin hoodie didn't cut it and I fell asleep as the murmur of MBV attempted to penetrate my super deluxe earplugs.



I wasn't ever much of a fan of The Cure, but having never seen them in concert before I figured I had nothing to lose. Travis and Natalie and I met up once again and laid on the grass while we watched. Instead of commentary, I'll just end this post with my tweets from during The Cure's set:

21:56 Robert Smith's fingers look like vienna sausages. Sound is great, though. And talk about committing to a look. #coachella

22:28 Sorry, but lack of stage banter makes me feel like I'm just listening to a CD. #coachella

22:48 Additionally, lack of stage banter feels like you're only here for the paycheck. Not a bad performance, just anti-climactic. #coachella

23:49 The Cure gave me a once in a lifetime performance. Once because I would never watch them again. Goodbye, Coachella. Maybe next year. #

Travis and I left mid-set, exhausted and anxious to get home. I learned my lesson about writing off Coachella, because all-in-all it was a great experience and I might actually do it all over again next year.

Overdue Recap: Okkervil River, Sea Wolf, Zykos @ Belly Up 9.24.0

It had been quite some time since I'd seen a show at the Belly Up. It is one of my favorite venues in town, but when you drive a car as temperamental as mine, sometimes I have to skip out on shows I'd otherwise like to see. After seeing Okkervil River at the Casbah, there was no way I wanted to miss the show, and Jake was kind enough to offer me a ride to north county since he had a nearby gig the same night, leaving my plus one for him at the window so he could come back when he was done.

The bill was an excellent one: Okkervil River, Sea Wolf, and Zykos, and I was glad to arrive early enough to see all three in their entirety. Click 'Keep on Reading' for full post.



I was unfamiliar with Zykos before the show, but was instantly captivated by their set. It didn't hurt that the singer was absolutely swoonworthy. Apparently they're an Austin based band (as is Okkervil) and their sound was kind-of all over the place, in a good way. They have a country tinge at times, catchy pop at others, and they rock out hard at still other times. I would love to see the band again, however we were told the band was calling it quits. Hopefully that is not true. I tried to buy an EP but they were sold out, so instead got a shirt...American Apparel for $5! Natalie and I were up front; I hope she got better pics than I did.

Zykos


Zykos


This was my third time seeing Sea Wolf and I've been a fan since I got their promo CD early last year. Dangerbird Records has yet to disappoint me with a release, by the way. I have a hard time reading the band; the singer Alex rarely smiles or chats up the crowd, so it's easy to wonder if he's enjoying himself onstage, but the set is always beautiful regardless.

Sea Wolf


Sea Wolf "Middle Distance Runner"


Sea Wolf "The Promise"


There is little for me to say about Okkervil River except that I love this band and can get completely lost in their set. Paired perfectly with the Belly Up's $3 Beer of the Month and the night was perfect. The crowd was packed in and singing along and Will seemed happy and the whole band was on point.

Okkervil River




Okkervil River "On Tour With Zykos"


Okkervil River "Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe"


Eventually, as all things, the show came to an end and I was on my way happy and inspired and I was glad the bands got the turnout they deserved.

Monday Recap: Okkervil River & Damien Jurado

I hate posting about something two days after it happened, but between my interview yesterday, time with my family (no internet) and having a major allergy attack that felt like someone kicked me in the back of the head 15 times, I was not in the mood to internet much yesterday. And now I'm sick and I don't understand why.

I did go to the Casbah show on Monday and it was a great night. I had purchased a ticket ages ago, specifically for Damien Jurado and it was only later that I realized the strengths of Okkervil River.

Damien Jurado is a musician from Seattle. He's on the Secretly Canadian label, which is another of those labels that will never steer you wrong. I've been a fan of Damien's for some time now, since 2003's "Where Shall You Take Me?", the follow up in '04 of "On My Way To Absence" and last year's "And Now That I'm In Your Shadow", not to mention the ep's released in between. Damien's powerful voice is usually backed by a band, but he joked that they were "cheapskates" and wouldn't be meeting him on tour until S.F.


Being a fan for a while, I've seen him several times in the past, both solo and with the band and this time around was as good as any, though he had to compete with the fan by the stage that had a constant hum while he played. He kept apologizing to the crowd and talked about his rough day in San Diego, having to haggle with the people at Alamo. The guy looked like he could use a hug, frankly, and somehow that feeling made his already melancholy music feel even heavier, even more cathartic for him to sing and for the crowd to be there along with him.



As it often is, there were people at the bar chatting, and as Damien played louder, that seemed to be their cue to talk louder over the music. Damien paid no mind, but I would've liked to share some choice words with them. It is so easy to go outside to talk. Why do people insist on doing it during performances?

After Damien finished, I chatted with some friends outside for a bit then headed toward the front with Natalie in hopes of getting a couple good snapshots. It seemed like a really long time before Okkervil River hit the stage because the room was insanely hot and full with the sell out crowd.






I lasted only a couple songs up there, then moved and realized that really loud fan? Well, it actually works! I found a nice spot on the side of the stage where I could enjoy the show and actually breathe. I was quite happy about that. This was my first time seeing Okkervil River and as I watched, I couldn't put a finger on what this was making me think of...then I realized that there is a quality to the music that reminds me a lot of Rhett Miller from the Old 97's. Vocally they are definitely different, but the composition of the songs, and there's a way the emphasis on the syllables that one wouldn't think should be emphasized that makes them stand out as great songwriters. There were even moments when Sheff moved kinda like Rhett, though with less booty shaking.

I definitely loved this show. The band had 6 guys, and aside from Sheff sticking to vox and guitar and the drummer sticking to his thing, the other guys mixed up keys, guitars, mandolin, trumpet, maracas, accordion, lap steel, and other instruments that made the music feel really alive.






I grabbed the setlist after the show, but it was on a tiny piece of paper, so here's the Okkervil River Setlist and the adjacent translation (as best I could decifer):



1. King and a Queen
2. Song About a Star
3. A Hand To Take Hold of the Scene
4. No Key, No Plan
5. Latest Toughs
6. Red
7. Plus Ones
8. You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock n Roll Man
9. Unless It Kicks
10. Black
11. A Girl In Port
12. Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe
13. For Real
14. Westfall
(encore according to Natalie- not listed):
John Allyn Smith Sails (Sloop John B)
?
?



It was a great night at the Casbah, but it was a non-drinking night for me and as soon as the show ended I was out the door to get some sleep before my interview and all the stuff I had to do before the interview. Unfortunately I tossed and turned until 5 am, so maybe I should've just hung out after all. Ah well, it's a beautiful day in SD today and life is back to normal. I'm listening to a whole bunch of new music today so I'll make some recommendations at some later point this week.