Showing posts with label pink elephant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pink elephant. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Long & Short of It, Bar Pink Elephant, 5.15.08
The Ghostland Observatory show ended relatively early at the House of Blues, so after the show I said my goodbyes to my friends and made my way to Bar Pink Elephant in North Park to catch Ben and the guys of The Long and Short of It. A couple friends were there and told me that the bar was packed with people and when the band started there was a bit of a mass exodus. Most bands would be bummed out by this, but in this case, it's almost a sense of pride because the bar was cleared of the hipster element. It might also explain why when I passed, the line outside U-31 was 30 deep. Of course, I feel sorry for those people, because The Long and Short of It kicked ass, and when Ben is at the helm, like a minister speaking in tongues delivering a sermon, we get to bear witness and are made believers.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Weekend Snapshots
I have a lot of catching up to do with everything I did over the past few nights.
Like Thursday night, after seeing Ghostland Observatory, I saw The Long and Short of It at Bar Pink Elephant.
Friday, I went to X-fest (but only stayed for MGMT and Jimmy Eat World). Below, MGMT.
After X-Fest, I went to see Lucy's Fur Coat at the Casbah.
Saturday and Sunday I was in the Inland Empire for a wedding. This is my mom, my cousin, my niece and my God-sister.
And there was Sunday night at the House of Blues for The Morning Benders and The Kooks followed by Jesse Nova at The Bitter End, but I didn't bring my camera cord, so no preview of those pics. I'll try to get these up when I can find the time.
Like Thursday night, after seeing Ghostland Observatory, I saw The Long and Short of It at Bar Pink Elephant.
Friday, I went to X-fest (but only stayed for MGMT and Jimmy Eat World). Below, MGMT.
After X-Fest, I went to see Lucy's Fur Coat at the Casbah.
Saturday and Sunday I was in the Inland Empire for a wedding. This is my mom, my cousin, my niece and my God-sister.
And there was Sunday night at the House of Blues for The Morning Benders and The Kooks followed by Jesse Nova at The Bitter End, but I didn't bring my camera cord, so no preview of those pics. I'll try to get these up when I can find the time.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Saturday, 5.3.08...the rest of the night
Saturday was a marathon night for me, and after Roots Fest and the Belly Up, Daniel and I were all over the place. He picked me up as soon as Natalie dropped me off and our first stop was at Chasers for Fkenal who were really kick ass.
They're all instrumental and the room was dark with all the lights out that allowed their projector to provide some video to their music. Definitely high energy and really smart song structures made for an entertaining set.
After they finished, we picked Natalie up from her house, but before U-31 we stopped at the taco shop across the street because I needed a quick taco, and the three of us were quite amused by the misspelling of "fajita".
We went across the street to U-31 and saw the Antic guys from Filter Magazine who were silkscreening t-shirts on the spot, but ain't no medium tee gonna fit these boobies, so I passed on the swag. While waiting outside for Natalie and Daniel's shirts to be made, we found out we'd already missed Wallpaper, and also that they were not gonna do the planned pop-up concert at La Posta, so I'll have to see Wallpaper some other time. We went in the bar and had a round, but we weren't really feeling the tijuana-esque scene and the bumping and grinding and people making out everywhere we looked, so we slurped our drinks and went to Bar Pink Elephant.
On our way, we were sad to see that Big Lots has closed down. Boo.
We got there before Two Sheds hit the stage and the bar was full of friends, and of course, my $4 stoli & tonic, so I was happy to be there. Two Sheds was pretty awesome and were a nice backdrop to us hanging in a couple booths with some friends. The vocals were beautiful and this style of music sounds better in the bar than the hard rock of Birds of Avalon, so maybe I wrote off Pink Elephant as a venue prematurely.
After the show, we swung by the Ken Club for one final bevvie and were greeted by my neighbor, Kittyhead who followed us home.
Then of course, we stayed up super late watching silly YouTube videos until Saturday turned to Sunday, putting the seal on another great San Diego weekend.
They're all instrumental and the room was dark with all the lights out that allowed their projector to provide some video to their music. Definitely high energy and really smart song structures made for an entertaining set.
After they finished, we picked Natalie up from her house, but before U-31 we stopped at the taco shop across the street because I needed a quick taco, and the three of us were quite amused by the misspelling of "fajita".
We went across the street to U-31 and saw the Antic guys from Filter Magazine who were silkscreening t-shirts on the spot, but ain't no medium tee gonna fit these boobies, so I passed on the swag. While waiting outside for Natalie and Daniel's shirts to be made, we found out we'd already missed Wallpaper, and also that they were not gonna do the planned pop-up concert at La Posta, so I'll have to see Wallpaper some other time. We went in the bar and had a round, but we weren't really feeling the tijuana-esque scene and the bumping and grinding and people making out everywhere we looked, so we slurped our drinks and went to Bar Pink Elephant.
On our way, we were sad to see that Big Lots has closed down. Boo.
We got there before Two Sheds hit the stage and the bar was full of friends, and of course, my $4 stoli & tonic, so I was happy to be there. Two Sheds was pretty awesome and were a nice backdrop to us hanging in a couple booths with some friends. The vocals were beautiful and this style of music sounds better in the bar than the hard rock of Birds of Avalon, so maybe I wrote off Pink Elephant as a venue prematurely.
After the show, we swung by the Ken Club for one final bevvie and were greeted by my neighbor, Kittyhead who followed us home.
Then of course, we stayed up super late watching silly YouTube videos until Saturday turned to Sunday, putting the seal on another great San Diego weekend.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Recap: The Silent Comedy & River City @ The Stage
Tuesday night was really awesome for me. I decided to lay low, and Natalie and I met at the Ken Club for some wi-fi and cocktails. We caught up since we hadn't had the chance to really talk since before she went to Coachella and I wanted to hear all her stories. We hung out there for a few hours before she decided to take off, but Scott and Todd were there, so once she left, they took me to Zombie to catch a couple bands, but mostly the two of them just liquored me up until we called it a night.
On Wednesday, I thought I was going to stay in, but The Silent Comedy were playing a free show and it was at a new venue that I wanted to check out, so it was a win-win. Since I'd changed my headlight, I decided before I left to check my car and my taillight was out, too, so luckily the Auto Zone in City Heights is open until 10, and I stopped by to make sure my car was in good shape. Luckily, the show was later than I'd been told so I had plenty of time before the bands started.
The Stage is next door to the Bitter End in Downtown. Apparently the owner, Eric, used to be in a bunch of original local bands, but he traded in the scene to be a part of The Disco Pimps. He saw the need for a live music venue downtown and decided to open The Stage.
When you enter the bar, you're right in the venue...there are a few tables on the left, the bar on the right, and the stage in the back. There are two upstairs areas. One is directly above the entrance and has a few more tables, the other one is above and behind the stage, and there's another bar there that is open when there's enough people to require it. There is also a small lounge area in the basement where the bathrooms are.
The room is cool, had pretty brick walls and high ceilings, but personally I'm really over the red lighting in every bar, and of course, the stage was lit with red lights as well . I knew going in that a bar downtown probably wasn't gonna have cheap drinks, but when I ordered a vodka tonic and was told that they'd run out of the well, I was annoyed that I paid $7 for a Ketel tonic. It's not my fault they're out of the well and most places will charge the well price if that's the way you order it. I was also annoyed because the bar serves food. The chick bartender said they stopped serving when people stopped ordering, but then Jaime had an appetizer, which was like a spinach artichoke dish of some sort that was damn good, but there were too many chips left over so she wanted to order more of the dip and the guy bartender said the kitchen closed at 10. Not major issues, but small details the bar is gonna have to work out.
River City opened up the show and I particularly like their songs that are heavy on the harp, but sometimes the vocals get a little off key, but all in all I enjoy their sound. The sound in the room was pretty good, though the crowd was pretty chatty. Some really hammered guy came up front to dance and was falling all over himself, so he was a little distracting, especially when he fell into some girl. After the set he was tossed from the bar.
Between bands, I heard a woman calling out $3 wells next door, so I went over to have one. I went into Xavier's where there was really bad karaoke and ordered and my drink was $6. Confused, I asked about the $3 wells and the bartender didn't know what I was talking about. Turns out I went in the wrong bar. Lame. I try not to hate downtown, but it is really hard sometimes.
Back at The Stage, the bar was packed. The Silent Comedy has enough fans who love them, but there were also a significant amount of people who seemed to come into the bar because there was no cover.
They played a set a little different, since they were tired of the same old songs after having just toured. They were pretty crowded on the stage but still put on a raucous show and they played the longest set I've even seen them play which was cool.
I recorded the band performing a new song called Victory and the violin just sounds incredible, so here's the YouTube of that.
The Silent Comedy "Victory"
Toward the end of the set, I went to the bar to get a drink. The bartender said something like, "Let me guess...a glass of water?" I mention this because it tells me that I wasn't the only one unhappy with the prices, and wouldn't it be better to have a room full of drinkers if the drinks are $4 or $5 instead of a room full of people ordering water?
Anyway, the show ended and I bailed and hit up Commune Wednesday at Bar Pink Elephant and it was good being back in the hood. I hope The Stage survives, but I think it will have to work hard to get people who typically support local music to make the trek downtown because for me, I'd rather stick to North Park, Kensington, City Heights, and The Casbah then deal with parking, high drink prices, and downtown peeps.
On Wednesday, I thought I was going to stay in, but The Silent Comedy were playing a free show and it was at a new venue that I wanted to check out, so it was a win-win. Since I'd changed my headlight, I decided before I left to check my car and my taillight was out, too, so luckily the Auto Zone in City Heights is open until 10, and I stopped by to make sure my car was in good shape. Luckily, the show was later than I'd been told so I had plenty of time before the bands started.
The Stage is next door to the Bitter End in Downtown. Apparently the owner, Eric, used to be in a bunch of original local bands, but he traded in the scene to be a part of The Disco Pimps. He saw the need for a live music venue downtown and decided to open The Stage.
When you enter the bar, you're right in the venue...there are a few tables on the left, the bar on the right, and the stage in the back. There are two upstairs areas. One is directly above the entrance and has a few more tables, the other one is above and behind the stage, and there's another bar there that is open when there's enough people to require it. There is also a small lounge area in the basement where the bathrooms are.
The room is cool, had pretty brick walls and high ceilings, but personally I'm really over the red lighting in every bar, and of course, the stage was lit with red lights as well . I knew going in that a bar downtown probably wasn't gonna have cheap drinks, but when I ordered a vodka tonic and was told that they'd run out of the well, I was annoyed that I paid $7 for a Ketel tonic. It's not my fault they're out of the well and most places will charge the well price if that's the way you order it. I was also annoyed because the bar serves food. The chick bartender said they stopped serving when people stopped ordering, but then Jaime had an appetizer, which was like a spinach artichoke dish of some sort that was damn good, but there were too many chips left over so she wanted to order more of the dip and the guy bartender said the kitchen closed at 10. Not major issues, but small details the bar is gonna have to work out.
River City opened up the show and I particularly like their songs that are heavy on the harp, but sometimes the vocals get a little off key, but all in all I enjoy their sound. The sound in the room was pretty good, though the crowd was pretty chatty. Some really hammered guy came up front to dance and was falling all over himself, so he was a little distracting, especially when he fell into some girl. After the set he was tossed from the bar.
Between bands, I heard a woman calling out $3 wells next door, so I went over to have one. I went into Xavier's where there was really bad karaoke and ordered and my drink was $6. Confused, I asked about the $3 wells and the bartender didn't know what I was talking about. Turns out I went in the wrong bar. Lame. I try not to hate downtown, but it is really hard sometimes.
Back at The Stage, the bar was packed. The Silent Comedy has enough fans who love them, but there were also a significant amount of people who seemed to come into the bar because there was no cover.
They played a set a little different, since they were tired of the same old songs after having just toured. They were pretty crowded on the stage but still put on a raucous show and they played the longest set I've even seen them play which was cool.
I recorded the band performing a new song called Victory and the violin just sounds incredible, so here's the YouTube of that.
The Silent Comedy "Victory"
Toward the end of the set, I went to the bar to get a drink. The bartender said something like, "Let me guess...a glass of water?" I mention this because it tells me that I wasn't the only one unhappy with the prices, and wouldn't it be better to have a room full of drinkers if the drinks are $4 or $5 instead of a room full of people ordering water?
Anyway, the show ended and I bailed and hit up Commune Wednesday at Bar Pink Elephant and it was good being back in the hood. I hope The Stage survives, but I think it will have to work hard to get people who typically support local music to make the trek downtown because for me, I'd rather stick to North Park, Kensington, City Heights, and The Casbah then deal with parking, high drink prices, and downtown peeps.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Everyone's Got A Boner for John Reis
Good lord, you RFTC fans are a rabid bunch. You certainly loooooove your John Reis.
I mean, I get it, but I don't really get it. Anyway, as I announced a few weeks ago (courtesy of the Adam via the Swami board) John Reis has a new project. They're called The Night Marchers, their debut will be at Bar Pink Elephant on February 8, then they're playing the next night at the Casbah. This is going to be the ticket to get your hands on, since if you read the boards, diehard RFTC fans are flying in from all over just to see it all; some fans even plan on getting to the Pink Elephant at noon the day of the show just to make sure they get in.
Anyway, Adam is all over this situation and informed me that you can now hear three tracks from the debut album from The Night Marchers on their MySpace page here.
Stop hyperventilating; it's all going to be ok. Sheesh. And you scoff at the 12 year olds who love Hannah Montana.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Weekend Fun Recap
I'm just gonna bundle the last few days into one post since it's past my bedtime and I didn't go quite as camera crazy as I sometimes do.
My Thursday started with some old friends at happy hour at Acapulco's in Old Town where we ate, drank, and caught up with each other's lives since we haven't all been together at the same time and place since we worked together 5 years ago. Imagine one of those Sex and The City moments with the four girls in their regular diner and you've got some idea how it went. We even got silly laughing about the phallic tequila bottles.
From Happy Hour, I stopped home to check on my dog, then headed out to Bar Pink Elephant to see Douglas Lee, but I only caught the end of his set. I'm glad he got a few gigs in while he was in town because I think people were blown away by his craft.
After that, I decided to take my laptop to the Ken Club and hang out with my neighborhood friends until it was sleepy time. It was a good night.
Friday, I got back into my Friday night napping and somehow slept much longer than I'd planned. By the time I got ready and had some dinner, stopped for gas, and made it to the Casbah, it was almost midnight. Fortunately, Greg Laswell played a very long set and I was happy he saved some of the 'hits' for later in the set which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately for me, the Casbah was sold out and packed to the gills, so I didn't attempt any photos, but I got to see Greg a little in the back bar when his set was done.
From the Casbah, Abraham and I went to Saul's birthday at U-31. I actually liked the place a lot, and the DJs(Kid Lightning and others) played a great mix of new stuff, dance club stuff, some oldies, and some 80s and 90s stuff. Gabe told me the bar would be working on building a stage this weekend so I know I'll be going back for shows. The space is huge and allows for a spacious dancefloor and the drinks prices are reasonable. The room felt like a dance club...hot and moist and sweaty, but it made a kinda cool effect with the couple of pics I took.
After U-31, Abraham and I went to Saul's house. His brother told us there would be an after party and told us how to let ourselves in. There wasn't, in fact, an after party, but it was nice having a beer on the stairs looking at the palm trees against the dark night sky, until we called it a night.
Saturday was a lazy day of internetting and laundry and taking down my tree, organizing my shed, and finally getting rid of the TV that was taking up so much space, all the while watching football. By nightfall, I snoozed a bit then headed to the Casbah for Black Heart Procession. I missed Calico Horse, and the bar filled up a ton, so I spent most of the time with friends in the back bar, catching a bit of Fantastic Magic, but mostly catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while.
I had originally planned to just stay local and go to the Ken Club, and when I got a text from Matt, I couldn't not go..."Ken Club without Rosey is like smokes without a lighter." Black Heart sounded amazing, but I had to get back to the hood. Fortunately I made it in time to catch most of Hotel St George's set, and get some good drinks in before we were ushered out of the bar at the end of the night.
By that point, more friends from the Casbah had arrived at the Ken, so we had another little after party at my house. A great night indeed.
Of course, getting up early enough for the Chargers game was challenging, but my parents called and picked me up at halftime and we watched the game at my sister's house. Or, really, they watched the game, I watched pieces of it while I played with my niece. We spent most of the day there, and when I came home, I lost any motivation to go out or to do my things to do listings, so I guess I'll get to them tomorrow. Hope everyone else had a fun weekend and I hope everyone turns out for The Roman Spring at Monday's Anti-Monday League at the Casbah. Till then, sleep tight...
My Thursday started with some old friends at happy hour at Acapulco's in Old Town where we ate, drank, and caught up with each other's lives since we haven't all been together at the same time and place since we worked together 5 years ago. Imagine one of those Sex and The City moments with the four girls in their regular diner and you've got some idea how it went. We even got silly laughing about the phallic tequila bottles.
From Happy Hour, I stopped home to check on my dog, then headed out to Bar Pink Elephant to see Douglas Lee, but I only caught the end of his set. I'm glad he got a few gigs in while he was in town because I think people were blown away by his craft.
After that, I decided to take my laptop to the Ken Club and hang out with my neighborhood friends until it was sleepy time. It was a good night.
Friday, I got back into my Friday night napping and somehow slept much longer than I'd planned. By the time I got ready and had some dinner, stopped for gas, and made it to the Casbah, it was almost midnight. Fortunately, Greg Laswell played a very long set and I was happy he saved some of the 'hits' for later in the set which I thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately for me, the Casbah was sold out and packed to the gills, so I didn't attempt any photos, but I got to see Greg a little in the back bar when his set was done.
From the Casbah, Abraham and I went to Saul's birthday at U-31. I actually liked the place a lot, and the DJs(Kid Lightning and others) played a great mix of new stuff, dance club stuff, some oldies, and some 80s and 90s stuff. Gabe told me the bar would be working on building a stage this weekend so I know I'll be going back for shows. The space is huge and allows for a spacious dancefloor and the drinks prices are reasonable. The room felt like a dance club...hot and moist and sweaty, but it made a kinda cool effect with the couple of pics I took.
After U-31, Abraham and I went to Saul's house. His brother told us there would be an after party and told us how to let ourselves in. There wasn't, in fact, an after party, but it was nice having a beer on the stairs looking at the palm trees against the dark night sky, until we called it a night.
Saturday was a lazy day of internetting and laundry and taking down my tree, organizing my shed, and finally getting rid of the TV that was taking up so much space, all the while watching football. By nightfall, I snoozed a bit then headed to the Casbah for Black Heart Procession. I missed Calico Horse, and the bar filled up a ton, so I spent most of the time with friends in the back bar, catching a bit of Fantastic Magic, but mostly catching up with people I hadn't seen in a while.
I had originally planned to just stay local and go to the Ken Club, and when I got a text from Matt, I couldn't not go..."Ken Club without Rosey is like smokes without a lighter." Black Heart sounded amazing, but I had to get back to the hood. Fortunately I made it in time to catch most of Hotel St George's set, and get some good drinks in before we were ushered out of the bar at the end of the night.
By that point, more friends from the Casbah had arrived at the Ken, so we had another little after party at my house. A great night indeed.
Of course, getting up early enough for the Chargers game was challenging, but my parents called and picked me up at halftime and we watched the game at my sister's house. Or, really, they watched the game, I watched pieces of it while I played with my niece. We spent most of the day there, and when I came home, I lost any motivation to go out or to do my things to do listings, so I guess I'll get to them tomorrow. Hope everyone else had a fun weekend and I hope everyone turns out for The Roman Spring at Monday's Anti-Monday League at the Casbah. Till then, sleep tight...
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Thursday: Bleu Boheme, Bluefoot, Casbah, Pink Elephant
Thursday night when I got home after the casino, and after finishing off the day at work, my car died. Not completely, but it was overheating, so I had to deal with it. By the time that was taken care of, Adam was on his way since we'd made plans to go to dinner at Bleu Bohome before going out.
Dinner was perfect; I'm really liking that place a lot. Matt, from Emery Byrd, is a bartender there and made some killer drinks. One was like a mojito but with vodka instead of rum, and the other was like a capirinha but the sweetness was offset with fresh lime juice. They were delicious. Dinner was excellent as well.
From there, we went to Bluefoot to get our Christmas compilation CDs. If anyone didn't get a copy, let me know. It's so good and I'm so impressed how Peter worked to pull it all together. Hopefully they can pull it off again next year and get even more contributors. I like the traditional Christmas covers, but am especially into the originals by Drew Andrews, The Soft Places, Dr Robert Kent and Microphone Mike are all definitely making it on my Christmas mixes in the future.
After that we went to the Casbah and caught about half of Reeve Oliver's set though I didn't pull out the camera at all. Then when they finished, we were off to Pink Elephant. A long night, for sure, but a nice way to ease into the weekend...Friday was a half day at work, so I had my projects to focus on but when there were done, it was into the weekend, kicking off with a glass of champagne with my coworkers.
Dinner was perfect; I'm really liking that place a lot. Matt, from Emery Byrd, is a bartender there and made some killer drinks. One was like a mojito but with vodka instead of rum, and the other was like a capirinha but the sweetness was offset with fresh lime juice. They were delicious. Dinner was excellent as well.
From there, we went to Bluefoot to get our Christmas compilation CDs. If anyone didn't get a copy, let me know. It's so good and I'm so impressed how Peter worked to pull it all together. Hopefully they can pull it off again next year and get even more contributors. I like the traditional Christmas covers, but am especially into the originals by Drew Andrews, The Soft Places, Dr Robert Kent and Microphone Mike are all definitely making it on my Christmas mixes in the future.
After that we went to the Casbah and caught about half of Reeve Oliver's set though I didn't pull out the camera at all. Then when they finished, we were off to Pink Elephant. A long night, for sure, but a nice way to ease into the weekend...Friday was a half day at work, so I had my projects to focus on but when there were done, it was into the weekend, kicking off with a glass of champagne with my coworkers.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Birthday Recap: The Pink Elephant
After the show at the Casbah on Thursday, I came home and was up till beyond sunrise like the internet junkie that I am. The result of that meant that I slept late and awoke to my family outside my apartment after they had lunch at Ponce's yelling at me through my window to wake up, despite that they were, in fact, 3 hours earlier than they said they'd be. We all decided to go our separate ways...my parents taking my niece with them to Chula Vista, and me with my sister to go shopping and be girls, then watched some movies at her house until my parents came back with my niece, and we had pizza and my birthday cake and all that sort of good family stuff. Before I knew it, time had slipped and I got anxious to get to Old Town for my car (still there from the night before) and headed home, got myself cleaned up and headed to the Pink Elephant.
The Pink Elephant was a good time overall, and I was happy that several friends dropped by to hang out for a bit (no pics to show for it), and the drinks and shots all night long were great, too. But part of the reason I chose to go there was because it's been relatively quiet compared to a lot of other places and for some reason, they have joined the DJ bandwagon. I guess the jukebox isn't working, but I'd rather listen to a bartender's iPod on shuffle as background noise than listen to a DJ who was playing dance music (like VNV Nation). I thought the Pink Elephant wasn't that kind of bar. Had I known conversations would still have to be shouted, I would've been loyal and stuck close to home at the Ken Club. Lesson learned.
After the Pink Elephant, my neighbor and friend Bryan, was taking me to an after party but Stef had told me she'd be my desig driver, and she called, so she came to pick me up instead. I think it was a good call to end the night there. All in all, a good mellow 31st.
The Pink Elephant was a good time overall, and I was happy that several friends dropped by to hang out for a bit (no pics to show for it), and the drinks and shots all night long were great, too. But part of the reason I chose to go there was because it's been relatively quiet compared to a lot of other places and for some reason, they have joined the DJ bandwagon. I guess the jukebox isn't working, but I'd rather listen to a bartender's iPod on shuffle as background noise than listen to a DJ who was playing dance music (like VNV Nation). I thought the Pink Elephant wasn't that kind of bar. Had I known conversations would still have to be shouted, I would've been loyal and stuck close to home at the Ken Club. Lesson learned.
After the Pink Elephant, my neighbor and friend Bryan, was taking me to an after party but Stef had told me she'd be my desig driver, and she called, so she came to pick me up instead. I think it was a good call to end the night there. All in all, a good mellow 31st.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Tuesday Recap: Ra Ra Riot & Modernstate at The Casbah
With the fear of getting sucked into shitty fall tv previews, I decided I needed to head out on Tuesday night. I was fortunate enough to catch modernstate a few months back when they played at Scolari's and I was impressed so I headed to the Casbah in hopes of catching them again. Though I arrived a little later than I'd hoped, I still had plenty of time to go because apparently, because of some miscommunication between bands and their booking agent, two of the bands listed on the bill (Kennedy & The Vacation) didn't show up. It was unfortunate because modernstate had already set up in the Atari Lounge and could've been on the main stage. No problem for Sam and Jesse, however, because their sound and equipment is very self contained. By the way, I keep saying "they" but Modernstate is the project of Sam and his recordings are his alone; Jesse just plays with him live on occasion and has his own solo project called gulls. Jesse will be with modernstate tonight in Tucson, but then Sam heads out on his own across the country.
Modernstate impressed once again. The music is experimental with lyrics that are at times political and other times philosophical (and at times, both) and the trumpet, guitar, keys and drums are played live and then amazingly looped to make it sound like there's a larger band making the accompanying sounds.
Unfortunately, I was beard shy once again, so I didn't take very good pictures while they played, but talking to the guys after, they let me take a pic of them and turned out to be really great guys. I know I need to get over the beard=band of horses=bastard association, but I guess I'm still a bit scarred.
After modernstate, Ra Ra Riot hit the mainstage. I never thought I would say I'd rather see a band at the Beauty Bar instead of the Casbah, but if Ra Ra Riot comes through town again, that is where they should play (and I told them so after the show). They have this great indie rock sound complete with electronic violin and electronic cello, occasional keys with the standard guitars and bass, but the guitar and drummer keep a very New Order dancey pop beat throughout.
Ra Ra Riot Setlist, Casbah, 9/25/07
The band is a 6 piece from Syracuse, New York and the crowd was thin, but I know I don't speak for myself by saying they were great. This was the band's first time to San Diego and they finished their tour here before they head to Europe for an opening spot with the Editors. They've also toured with Tokyo Police Club. The band looks relatively young, but they are all skilled musicians and seem to have already been through a lot as a band, including the tragic loss of their drummer this summer.
The band seemed a little crowded on the stage because they're all so high energy and they bounce all over the stage, and at times, into one another. "We're not usually like this," Wes told the crowd, "but it's the last night of our tour." They busted through their set and just as quick, their set was over. The band has 4 days to get back to Syracuse. "We're stocked on RedBull and we're gonna drive non stop for two days." Crazy, crazy kids.
It seemed like the bands liked San Diego and hopefully keep us in mind next tour around, when surely their buzz will be guarantee a larger audience.
After the bands finished and after the Casbah scooted everyone out, it was still pretty early. The modernstate guys were staying with a friend near Scolari's, so I suggested checking out the Pink Elephant. As I was leaving the Casbah, I saw they were jumping the engine of Ra Ra Riot's van, so hopefully those guys got on the road safely and don't encounter any problems in their marathon drive across the country. They showed up at the Pink Elephant shortly after me and it was fun hanging out to close out the night. The pink elephant parade came on and signaled the end of the night so we said our goodbyes and I was on my way to reflect on another great evening in San Diego.
Modernstate impressed once again. The music is experimental with lyrics that are at times political and other times philosophical (and at times, both) and the trumpet, guitar, keys and drums are played live and then amazingly looped to make it sound like there's a larger band making the accompanying sounds.
Unfortunately, I was beard shy once again, so I didn't take very good pictures while they played, but talking to the guys after, they let me take a pic of them and turned out to be really great guys. I know I need to get over the beard=band of horses=bastard association, but I guess I'm still a bit scarred.
After modernstate, Ra Ra Riot hit the mainstage. I never thought I would say I'd rather see a band at the Beauty Bar instead of the Casbah, but if Ra Ra Riot comes through town again, that is where they should play (and I told them so after the show). They have this great indie rock sound complete with electronic violin and electronic cello, occasional keys with the standard guitars and bass, but the guitar and drummer keep a very New Order dancey pop beat throughout.
The band is a 6 piece from Syracuse, New York and the crowd was thin, but I know I don't speak for myself by saying they were great. This was the band's first time to San Diego and they finished their tour here before they head to Europe for an opening spot with the Editors. They've also toured with Tokyo Police Club. The band looks relatively young, but they are all skilled musicians and seem to have already been through a lot as a band, including the tragic loss of their drummer this summer.
The band seemed a little crowded on the stage because they're all so high energy and they bounce all over the stage, and at times, into one another. "We're not usually like this," Wes told the crowd, "but it's the last night of our tour." They busted through their set and just as quick, their set was over. The band has 4 days to get back to Syracuse. "We're stocked on RedBull and we're gonna drive non stop for two days." Crazy, crazy kids.
It seemed like the bands liked San Diego and hopefully keep us in mind next tour around, when surely their buzz will be guarantee a larger audience.
After the bands finished and after the Casbah scooted everyone out, it was still pretty early. The modernstate guys were staying with a friend near Scolari's, so I suggested checking out the Pink Elephant. As I was leaving the Casbah, I saw they were jumping the engine of Ra Ra Riot's van, so hopefully those guys got on the road safely and don't encounter any problems in their marathon drive across the country. They showed up at the Pink Elephant shortly after me and it was fun hanging out to close out the night. The pink elephant parade came on and signaled the end of the night so we said our goodbyes and I was on my way to reflect on another great evening in San Diego.
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