Show Preview: Sea Wolf @ Belly Up Thursday June 20, 2013

Photo courtesy of Sasquatch! Festival

LA based indie folk band Sea Wolf are basically the brainchild of Alex Church. Having formed the project back in 2007, one can fast forward to the present day and realize just how far the band has evolved. Dangerbird Records recently released Old World Romance, their third full length. A natural progression has solidified the band as a full touring band. Sea Wolf are currently playing festivals and medium sized venues. The end of their current tour brings the band to the Belly Up this Thursday. Having witness their live performance at the onset of the tour, I can honestly say the band has become more confident and polished in the live setting. The songs have a wonderful flow, with the introspective lyrics revealing much about Mr. Church. If you have never seen Sea Wolf, I highly recommend catching their performance this Thursday at the Belly Up. Be sure to arrive early for Brooklyn based Savoir Adore and locals Trouble in the Wind. Tickets can be purchased here.

Watch a video of Old Friend (Bing Lounge) below.

Videos: Sea Wolf & Sara Lov at Belly Up, 11.5.09

Last night was busy. We started at M-Theory, went to dinner at Urban Solace (delicious but next time I'm getting the chicken), swung by Queen Bee's to say hi to the boys in Holy Rolling Empire, then went to Belly Up for Sara Lov and Sea Wolf. Not to mention after the show, catching the end of the Bloodflowers set at Bar Pink and me finishing my night with my friends at the Ken Club and then doing the weekend listings till 6 am. So there. Please don't ever tell me you're tired...but back to the Belly Up.

Sea Wolf always delivers a solid performance and I guess I've seen them about 4 times now and they're the kind of band that I may not listen to all the time around the house, then I see them and remember all of my favorite songs and then go back into a Sea Wolf phase. A reviewer said they were like Arcade Fire and I totally don't get that vibe at all. Alex reminds me more of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco circa- A.M. but maybe that's not entirely accurate either. Regardless, I love the band, and opener Sara Lov didn't disappoint either. She was actually pretty hilarious because she wasn't able to bring a backup band on the road, so she explained that she had them record their parts and then pressed them to vinyl. So aside from a couple songs with a couple Sea Wolf members, she played along with a record player. I'm a little bummed I didn't record her Arcade Fire cover of "My Body Is A Cage", but you can listen to it on her MySpace page.

Anyway, this was actually the last Sea Wolf video I recorded of the night, but I imagine there are gonna be a bunch of Twi-hards looking for this song, as it appears on the Twilight: New Moon soundtrack...(and I have to say, I haven't seen the 1st movie or read the books, but the soundtrack stands alone as a killer compilation of music). The rest of the videos from the night if you 'keep on reading'.

Sea Wolf "The Violet Hour"

















(This was my favorite song of the night)

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.

Sea Wolf, Jealous Girlfriends, Patrick Park @ Casbah, 6.20.08

Despite loving the EP and full length album by Sea Wolf, the past few times they played San Diego I wasn't able to catch them so I had to make the decision to skip some of the really good local shows happening around town and made my way to the Casbah. I arrived just as Patrick Park started. He was backed by a full band and they sounded amazing. I know I should care about credibility here, but whatever. I just have to mention how incredibly hot Patrick is. I'm such a groupie sometimes.


Jealous Girlfriends were next up and the singer's voice was gorgeous, but I didn't stay up front for all of their set. I guess I wasn't feeling the hiding behind the hair thing going on. I like a band to engage the crowd, not hide from it. Still, their music was good and I'll definitely check them out again were they to come to town.


Last up for the night was headliner Sea Wolf and I waited a little too long to try and grab a spot up front. The show was a sell out and it was packed. Fortunately Jeff was near the front center and allowed me to take a few pics, but honestly, my past 3 weeks or so of photos at the Casbah have all really sucked. Those blue and red gels on the lights are killing me and force me to use flash which I was trying to ween myself from doing. The set was great and pretty much sounded exactly like the recordings. I really enjoyed the show, but it was a little too crowded for me so I retreated after about half the set, watching from near the bar most of the night.


I ended up hanging out on the patio for part of the night and took some pictures of Patrick Park and his band. Yes. Like I said. I'm a total groupie at times. Swoon.




I left after the show and was happy to have absolutely nothing to do on Saturday. Vacations aren't supposed to be so exhausting, are they?