The Kooks - FM 94/9 Session

The Kooks are on a small promotional tour in support of their new release, Junk of the Heart, which means they're travelling to record stores and random spots to tease their new material. They played on Sunday for FM 94/9 at Bird's Surf Shed. The band performed a mere four songs, but judging by the amount of people who showed up (and were still showing up after it was already over), I'd say people have been waiting for this one for a while. I was just happy to hear them sing my name in the first song. As a kid, I was always sad at souvenir shops that the keychains and monogrammed tchotchkes never had my name, in adulthood this comes in a lack of song with Rosie, Rosey, or Rosemary. So thanks to The Kooks. I dig my new song.

Use the >| along the bottom of the YouTube window to see the rest of the videos.

1. Rosie

2. Junk Of The Heart (Happy)

3. Eskimo Kiss

4. Ooh La

The Kooks & The Morning Benders@ House of Blues, Jesse Nova @ Bitter End 5.18.08

After returning from the Inland Empire and taking a nap, Daniel picked my up at my house on Sunday night to go with me to see The Kooks and The Morning Benders. He had forgotten his wallet, so we had to drive back to his house down south, but when we arrived at the House of Blues by 7:30, we thought we had made good time. He dropped me off to get the tickets while he parked, but by the time I got to the window, The Morning Benders started their set. They were supposed to start at 8, but pushed it up to 7:45. Then I hit snag number two...some publicists always give a plus one when they reach out to offer tickets. Apparently I hadn't read my e-mail and there was only one ticket and a photo pass waiting for me. Mierda. I called Dan and told him I'd meet him in the bar, ran downstairs and made it in time to take pictures during the third song before they cleared the photo pit.

This really bummed me out, because I love these guys and they sounded full on this stage. After that song, I met Daniel upstairs. I didn't really know what to do, I figured I'd hang with him, then take 3 songs worth of pics of The Kooks then we could take off. Fortunately I ran into the stage manager- he also promoted The Melvins show where I worked the merch booth, so I explained the predicament and he made arrangements and got us another ticket. We entered the venue and were still able to catch about 20 minutes of The Morning Benders. Also bonus, we bought a couple beers at $6 a pop, but I found $6 on the ground, so it wasn't as painful.
It was really cool that the band acknowledged the all ages crowd up in the balcony.
He said they'd be at the merch stand to meet people, but if the kids couldn't come down he said, "hang tight and we'll come up to you."


Between bands, we went back upstairs and hung out on the patio of the restaurant for a quick beer. We reentered the venue about 10 minutes before The Kooks started and the sold out crowd had packed in. I went up for photos and waited a few minutes, running into a couple friends who were up against the railing. Once the show started, it was high energy all the way through. I pretty much just kept my finger on my shutter button and snapped away as fast as my camera would allow.

They played a lot of stuff from their new album, Konk, but as the set went on, busted out the older stuff with plenty of crowd singalong moments. For being so young and so small in stature, this is a band with huge personality and tons of charisma onstage. I really enjoyed this show a ton and was glad everything worked out with the tickets, particularly because the entire tour is sold out. I especially liked the slower jams when they busted out the acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, I didn't get to take pics of that because it was after the third song. I also didn't keep track of the set list, but here are the pics of the show. I cannot wait to see these guys again, though I'm afraid they're destined for larger venues so I feel honored to have seen them in this relatively small venue.








I wouldn't normally hang out in downtown, but a friend of mine was playing at the Bitter End at 10:30, so we had time to drop by. Jesse Nova played a mix of originals and cover songs, with a voice like Edwin McCain. They played downstairs which was a really cool room, though I'm not sure why there was a cover for the music being that the band was already playing and the opening bands had already played. There were tables and stools set up around the room so we hung on the side until we saw Laura Jane was there and had a table and allowed us to join her. It was a mellow show and was a good close for a busy weekend.

This Sunday- The Kooks & The Morning Benders At House of Blues

I'm gonna be at a wedding in Yucaipa this weekend, but fortunately I'll be back in town by Sunday to catch The Kooks & The Morning Benders at the House of Blues. The Kooks absolutely killed at FM 94/9's Holiday Hootenanny, and The Morning Benders were awesome when they played the Casbah and Beauty Bar.





The Morning Benders are touring in support of their release Talking Through Tin Cans and The Kooks latest Konk was #1 in the UK in the first week of its release. The show is all ages so it will be early and tickets are still available. Do not miss this high energy show of pop bliss.

Check out a video for "Boarded Doors" by The Morning Benders on Stereogum.

The Morning Benders "Crosseyed" Featured on YouTube

The Morning Benders have played their share of San Diego shows and not only are they immensely talented, but they're all sweethearts, too. I was happy to see their video on the landing page on YouTube today and thought I should repost for you.

The Morning Benders will be back in San Diego on May 18 when they open for The Kooks at the House of Blues.

The Morning Benders "Crosseyed"

FM 94/9 2007 Holiday Hootenanny

You might recall that I was looking for a "plus one" to go with me to the Hootenanny. I had VIP passes and was looking for someone who'd be willing to drive to UCSD. I was glad that my friend Adam responded, had I known he wanted to go I would've just asked him. We made sure to arrive early because we didn't want to miss out on the grub like I always seem to do for events. We got there as the gates opened walked right in. We made our way to the outdoor tent area and grabbed a couple beers while we chatted with the bartender and some random people who were confused about some things. FM 94/9 had a promotion during the last week before the show that anyone who bought a ticket at designated spots got a free lift ticket but a few people seemed to think they got one just for going to the show. Once we straightened that out, it was time to chill out, have a burger, and enjoy the show.

Adam used to work for 94/9, so he was chatting with friends when I went to watch Reeve Oliver, and O asked over the mic if I'd found a date. Thank god I don't embarass easily.






The field was set up like last year, with a full beer garden and plasma screens all over, so we ended up watching Rogue Wave from outside, though I'm hoping to catch the show at the Belly Up in January. We went into the venue for Mute Math and they were so entertaining, jumping all over the stage. Like an idiot, my battery for my camera was running low, so I was pretty conservative taking pictures, but I was able to snap a few throughout the night.





At one point the drummer dove into the crowd, then had his drum passed into the crowd, which somehow he managed to play as he and his drum were passed over the crowd. Pretty great showmanship, if you ask me, and it made their performance stand out above the others of the night.



Between bands we went outside once again, hanging with friends for a short while until it was time to catch The Kooks. I thought they sounded great, though they seemed to be pretty pissed, talking shit to the sound guys, but clarifying that they loved the crowd despite the technical difficulties.





After having seen Louis XIV and Pinback more than a few times this year, we opted to hang out in the VIP area which was packed with people for the remainder of the night. We went in for a little at the end of Pinback's set and somehow I managed to get a band pass, so I was in the dressing room area for a little while and then helped Rob Crow carry some gear to their van. Would you believe the guys are still unloading their own gear?



I'd never seen Queens of The Stone Age, and never really considered myself a fan, but I was really blown away by their energy onstage, and I guess I didn't realize that I am familiar with most of their material, so that was kinda cool. I managed to grab a couple setlists, too.


Queens of the Stone Age setlist, 12/15/07

After they finished we said our quick goodbyes and found our way to the parking garage and managed to get out with relative ease, though we did have to bust a u-turn to get out via Gennessee. The Hootenanny was a great night, and not just because of the bands playing, but to see so many old friends and to meet new ones, made for a nice holiday party. FM 94/9 took plenty of pictures of the night, too, which you can see here. For us, it was off to the Tower Bar.