Overdue Recap: Crooked Fingers, Port O'Brien, Sarah Jaffe @ Casbah, 11.13.08

Last Thursday night, I decided to head to the Casbah and arrived early enough to see all the bands. Sarah Jaffe started the night off and had an incredible voice that ranged from sounding hard and with a heavy country tinge like Lucinda Williams all the way to a soft, sweet, haunting sound a la Hope Sandoval of Mazzy Star. She was great and had amazing range, and the standup electro-bass added just the right sount to her acoustic guitar. I could've done without the 3 drunks talking on the side of the stage, but she tolerated them.



Then, the reason I was at the show, Port O'Brien hit the stage. I cannot get enough of this band, and I was up front for the whole set, anticipating the audience participation for "I Woke Up To Day" which has become their signature way to end their sets, providing a box of pots, pans, and other cooking utensils for everyone to clang together. But it wasn't just the closing song that was great. The whole set, with their Alaskan fisherman themes are all gorgeous.

Port O'Brien "Stuck On A Boat"




Last was Crooked Fingers, and in spite of the drunks screaming for Archers of Loaf, Eric Bachmann and his band played a mostly quiet and delicate set of folky rock. I first saw Crooked Fingers a few years back at Belly Up, and though the band seemed completely different, the music still complemented the beautiful voice behind the music.



Admittedly, I missed the end of the set because Bob gathered a bunch of people at the back bar to toast Tim Mays' birthday, but the drunk Archers of Loaf fans were pleased that the encore included some Archers hits.

After the show, Jake and I joined everyone at the Turf Club to close out the night until the clock ticked 2 and I turned back into a pumpkin.

YouTube: Port O'Brien "Stuck On A Boat"

Opening for Crooked Fingers was Port O'Brien. I guess this was my third time seeing them and it was by far the best set yet, and the bar they had set was already pretty damn high.

This is Port O'Brien, "Stuck On A Boat" from the album All We Could Do Was Sing.

Port O'Brien, The Builders And The Butchers, What Laura Says @ Casbah 7.7.08

Yes, I'm only a week behind in posting. It's gonna be a busy week ahead so I don't know how much of last week I'll even get to, and admittedly, it's a little challenging coming home from a great show tonight from Joanie + Secretaries to try and write about what I was doing a week ago, but I'll do my best.

I arrived early to the Casbah for last week's Anti-Monday League because of Brooke's recommendation. She commented that she'd seen What Laura Says at SXSW and said they were not to be missed. Immediately upon my arrival I noticed one thing about the crowd- it was about 80% male and it seemed everyone had a beard. Thank god I've overcome by fear of beards (known as pogonophobia, according to Google), because all three bands were deliciously entertaining.

What Laura Says (Thinks and Feels) started off the night. Someone noted that they're 'a jam band for grown-ups'. Their instrumentation and harmonies were perfect. They even had a table of mixed tin cans and jars that they used as percussion. At times I thought that this was the band that Flight of the Conchords would be if they weren't a parody music act- if Brett and Jemaine took themselves seriously, they'd probably sound like What Laura Says. I was especially happy to meet them and their manager after their set, and then a few days after the show to get the promo CD in my mailbox. Love when that happens, and it's just as great as they were live. I just wish I had met them before and perhaps I wouldn't have been as shy as I was about taking pictures.

It was a really fun night at the Casbah (though when is it not for Anti-Monday League?) because I got to hang out with some people I hadn't seen in a while, like the guys from Transfer and The Silent Comedy. There's something infectious when really good bands appreciate the bands onstage, and I was feeling all the good energy at the Casbah.

The Builders and The Butchers took the stage second and though the singer was beardless, kept the vibe going from What Laura Says. A little more serious, perhaps, but equally full and rich sounding. I especially loved the banjo and mandolin. There was something about them that made me think a tour with Two Gallants might really work for them- that emotive shouting with a slight quiver in the voice fit right with them. Plus, it would only take a couple more shows for San Diegans to find the right sing along moments to their music.


While the bands changed over it was back to the patio. I am such a lucky girl to hang with the beautiful people. (Josh & Justin from The Silent Comedy; Cooper & Matt from Transfer)


Any of these bands playing alone would've made for a good show- the three put together made for quite a fabulous night. Port O'Brien closed out the night and they continue to impress me everytime I see them. As if their CD isn't perfect (which arrived in the mail shortly after their last show at Beauty Bar), their live show just blows me away every single time they're in town.

I've already uploaded the videos from the night, so click my YouTube link in the column for some (dark) videos of awesomeness, but here are some pics of Port O'Brien (and more after the jump).

Port O'Brien "I Woke Up Today" Casbah 7/7/08

I know I have a lot of writing to catch up on, but I couldn't resist posting why its not gonna happen tonight. Seriously, three amazing Anti-Monday Leagues in a row... Frightened Rabbit one week, Swim Party, Writer and Henry Clay People last week, then Port O'Brien, The Builders and The Butchers, and What Laura Says (Thinks, Feels) this week. How can one not look forward to Mondays?

Anyway, I'm going backward, but here's the last song of the night...Port O'Brien doing "I Woke Up Today," with the accompaniment of the entire bar.

Video: Port O'Brien "I Woke Up Today"

I heart Port O'Brien in a big way and am excited to see them for the third time when they play the Casbah on July 7. I was told to check my mailbox for their CD before their last show in San Diego at the Beauty Bar, but it must've gotten lost somewhere along the way, because it didn't arrive until the day before I left to Vegas. There was something special about blaring it in the surround stereo system in our hotel room while my family was out doing their thing.

Here's a video of "I Woke Up Today" the song that, when played live, involves a lot of audience participation.



You can also check out some live sessions on HearYa.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin & Port O'Brien @ Beauty Bar, 5.11.08

I was really excited to see Port O'Brien again. They're a little bit country and a whole lot of rock, and were the perfect band to get me in the mood for Langhorne Slim on Tuesday. I'm hoping the Beauty Bar, with all their recent changes, will do me the kind favor of adding a couple more lights for the stage, even just a couple small ones, because I really hated having to use my flash. This band is so good with such great energy during the performance, but also you get the sense that they're all good people, the kind you'd wanna just chill with at a park on a sunny Saturday afternoon. They played a lot of songs from their forthcoming album which I was supposed to have received in the mail last week. Gonna have to check on that. Anyway, they were great, particularly their last song of the night, where they pointed to a large wooden box set in front of the stage, and instructed the crowd to grab stuff. Inside the box were a bunch of pots and pans, spoons, a washboard, and various other metal pieces which the crowd banged together while also singing along with the band, who were joined onstage by Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.







I totally missed the boat when it comes to Someone Still Love You, Boris Yeltsin. Of course I read the blogs and heard their name, but I just never checked them out. After seeing them on Sunday, I'm very sorry I was so late to the game, because I was easily converted. SSLYBY is very pop-driven, and to me, they sounded like one of my all time favorite bands, Crowded House (minus the accents), which pleased my ears and I found myself bopping my head along throughout the set. It was only a bummer that their set was a tad shorter than it was supposed to be due to noise curfew, but hopefully these boys will come back through town soon.

Weekend Recap: Transfer, Delta Spirit, Port O'Brien, Morning Benders, After Party

It was quite a weekend and I just finished cleaning up my house that was looking pretty skanky after a late night after party, but I'll get to that in a sec.

Since Thursday was a big night, I came home from work and took a well deserved deep sleep. I was torn about what to do and where to go because there were quite a few great shows around town, but I slept a bit longer than intended, had a late dinner, and got sucked into Joe Scarborough being his usual obnoxious self on his appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. By the time all was said and done, I decided to just walk down the street to catch Transfer. I decided to leave my camera at home since I have a gazillion pictures of the guys rocking out the Ken Club from the past. This time I hung back because I lost my earplugs at Chaser's the night before, but the sound there is so good these days, I didn't need them anyway. Jeremy isn't playing bass anymore, so there was a new guy filling in but the band still sounded tight as ever. They played right up until the bar closed and I alternated between the band room and downing some red headed sluts at the bar. It was a chill time and I was in a good mood. I chatted with Lyn out front for a bit then walked home and unintentionally stayed up til 6:30 a.m. I somehow didn't realize that I'd missed two weeks of In Treatment on HBO so I watched until I was all caught up.

Saturday I had planned on going to the skating event at the Clairemont YMCA, but my parents called and reminded me that it was my brother in law's birthday, so instead we all headed down to Point Loma Seafoods. (Why "seafood" is pluralized, I cannot say) The food was delicious and the day was beautiful. After food and cake, we went on a family shopping trip which was actually quite entertaining, then we all went back to my sister's to hang out and have a couple beers.

From there, my sister, Johanna and I went to Ray At Night. I've always planned on going, but something always seems to come up, so this was my first time and we had a good time strolling through the shops and galleries. From there, she dropped me at the Casbah.

I was glad to get there in time for The Morning Benders because they're a great band and I felt bad for them that the crowd was pretty thin when they played the Beauty Bar a couple months back. They're about to head out on tour with The Kooks, so I'm glad to have caught them at a venue I love, since I'll likely not be going to their Kooks show at HoB.




After the band finished, the patio was packed with people and we were enjoying the night hanging on the zebra bench just kinda people watching and shooting the shit, bouncing from the patio to the back bar, back to the patio. Before I knew it, Port O'Brien was onstage. I asked if anyone had heard of them and my friends had not, but from their first song, I had to see what was going on inside because they sounded amazing. The band rocked. Paco Diamante suggested that they had a Neil Young sound, but I was taking in with the sheer energy onstage and the banjo just added something really unique. At one point Van, the singer, got pretty pissed because he wanted his sound adjusted and the sound guy was nowhere to be found or he was on IM chat or some shit. He brushed it off and continued their set, but in talking to him after, he was upset, and I guess had some words with Chad. He was bummed that Jake wasn't doing their sound which seems to be a recurring theme with bands- Jake is in high demand these days and is going on the road with Delta Spirit and a couple other bands in the next couple months. Anyway, here are the pics:









Delta Spirit was up last and the venue was packed. I stayed on the patio for much of their set, talking to the Morning Benders and Port O'Brien.



I made my way in to try and take pics but all I could do was get a spot over near the side exit so they didn't really come out, and Natalie was up front taking photos, so check her site for better pics. Anyway, we were supposed to leave midset to catch Blackout Party at the Ken Club. Abraham was lagging, however, so Paco and I left without him. We stopped at my house, since I knew people would likely come over, I asked Paco to vacuum quickly while I straightened up a tiny bit.

We went to the Ken, did a couple shots, then made our way in to see the band. They sounded so clean and I was in a great mood. Seemed like everyone else was, too, so it made for a great time.






Abraham finally showed up and we all hung out until the bar was shutting down. I knew Abraham and Dan were coming over, but I didn't expect half the bar to come home with us. Not that I minded, of course, but we were up till the wee hours and the drinking didn't stop until it was all gone. And I mean ALL GONE. Every bottle and can of beer, a whole bottle of Jack, half a bottle of vodka, and any tequila I had...all gone. Eventually I went to bed and some people crashed in my living room. When I woke up on Sunday, my house was filthy. I'm hoping my recycling guy comes by soon because my recycle bins are to the max with bottles and cans. I was pretty lazy, however, and caught up with some of my other posting, so I saved the cleanup till tonight, washing every shot glass, digging cigarette butts out of my sink, dusting, vacuuming, and finding random glasses under my furniture, in my bathroom, in the bedroom. Someone left a shirt, which I think is pretty funny if someone went home shirtless, and I have someone's broken cell phone, too, so if you were here and lost a Verizon with no LCD screen, give me a holler.

It's nearing 10 pm on Monday and I can't decide if I should do my weekly listings or head out...it's Andy's b-day at Wit's End, there's mechanical bull riding at U-31 with Laura Jane, and Chaser's and the Casbah have good shows. dilemma...