The Shins @ Open Air Theatre, 9.30.2012

Last night I was treated to a great show featuring The Shins at the Open Air Theatre. It had been a long time since I even stepped foot on the SDSU campus, so it was interesting to see all of the construction and new structures around the OAT and Aztec Center. Unfortunately, if you bought your ticket through Gilt City or were on Will Call through LiveNation, Ticketmaster, or band guest list, the TWO windows they had open were nightmarishly slow and you had to guess which line was the correct one for your tickets. We guessed wrong and wasted 10 minutes in the wrong line before waiting another 25 minutes in the other, even though we pulled the punishable-by-public-scorn move of the chat & cut with Dave, who was closer to the front of the line. All this to say that (1), we'll avoid Gilt City at all costs in the future and (2), we completely missed Washed Out open the show.

That's enough whining though, so I'll skip my general annoyance at big shows and the kids in front of us because then I'm just a get-off-my-lawn crankasaurus and overall the show was pretty awesome and our seats were ideal-- center stage and 6 rows back in the terrace, which put us just about eye level with the stage.

I shot some photos and video from our seats, so though they're pretty unstabilized, they came out okay, so in the playlist below you can see Phantom Limb, Girl Sailor, Sleeping Lessons, Marisa, Fall of '82, and One By One All Day. I made the playlist slightly out of order because New Slang was easily my favorite of the night, so that one will play first. My photos aren't too great, either, so here are a couple, but you can see the rest on my Facebook page.

SXSW: Friday. The night Bill Murray Grabbed My Ass.

I got home so late on Thursday that The Heavy Guilt were all home and more or less in bed when I returned. The next morning, I awoke to everyone getting ready, closed my eyes for one more snooze and woke up over an hour later to an empty house. I probably needed the sleep.

When I finally got myself ready for the day, I navigated to a nearby bustop about a mile from the house. I am so glad I learned the transit system because I probably saved $200 from last year on cabs alone. While at the busstop, I met an older gentleman from Austin who was bussing to meet his wife downtown to partake in the SouthBy fun. It made for a fun busride as he and the driver pointed out Austin landmarks and architecture. Things like "the owl building". The driver said there is a building with the same rooftop design in every capitol city in the US. They also said this specific building was the most expensive per square foot in all of the history of Texas. An Aussie girl chimed in that the rumor is that the architect was from Rice, so when you look at it cockeyed, the owl looks right at the University of Texas at Austin. I'll have to factcheck all of that when I get home. They also pointed out the tower famous for a shooting in the 60s. Gonna have to look that one up, too. In return, I alerted them to the Mumford & Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Old Crow Medicine Show movie screening and concert as we past the LBJ lawn at the UT. This figures into my weekend, but I'll get to that later. (more after the  jump)

Thursday Recap: The Shins & Viva Voce @ Soma, 4/13/07

Well, I finally did it. For the first time, I went to Soma. So it wasn't really my FIRST time, considering I had been numerous times to the old location off Morena, and also to the downtown spot (where I was arrested at 15 before a Ned's Atomic Dustbin show), and I've even been to the Sports Arena location for a Sidestage show (love my Deccatree), but this was my first time in the main stage area for a show at Soma. And guess what?? It wasn't half bad. I mean, it probably would've been more fun if I'd snuck in some airplane bottles of booze like the 16 year olds did, but The Shins and Viva Voce were stellar and enough for me to have a pretty damn good time.

I arrived in the venue about 10 minutes before the show started and found my way up toward the front to meet up with Dave. We saw all of Viva Voce from relatively close to the stage though I had my eyes out for any opportunity to push forward. That opportunity never came.

Viva Voce were really good. They were supposed to play a show last year with Kite Flying Society but for some reason it got cancelled so it was nice to finally see them. They're a two piece outta Portland (married?). Anita (?) sings lead on most songs and plays guitar and her husband (?) plays drums, occasionally bringing out a guitar...but my friends and I agreed there was some sort of additional equipment because her guitar was more full than what she was playing and there was a distinct bass line ... maybe there was a korg back there that I couldn't see from my vantage point behind that 6'3" dude... I liked their set though I was bummed they didn't play the one song I know and love- "We Do Not Fuck Around." You should go listen to it on their MySpace page for a good feel of their sound...


My bad photo but at least gives you some perspective...


photo courtesy David Fennema


photo courtesy David Fennema

My other friend Dave found us up front and sent me some pics, but they're about as blurry as mine, so I'll just post this one because it's not terrible. Or maybe it is. Perspective. Anyway, it also represents how cool people were about letting us squeeze him in with us because we were sardines up front. I don't remember people being cool like that ever at the old Soma...instead I remember getting pummeled against the railing during a couple Lucy's Fur Coat and UJBOD shows.



This was my fourth time seeing The Shins and I honestly don't know what the hell people are talking about when they call them boring. It's so easy to read Pitchfork and regurgitate their opinions as your own but if you were bored at the show last night at Soma, then I'm sorry, my friend, it is you that is boring. My only beef with The Shins is that they should claim Albuquerque...not Portland. That's pretty cliché and boring...but everything else about them...fucking. awesome. Behind them they had a huge canvas backdrop similar to the artwork of the latest album which would've been a good photo backdrop if my camera didn't suck. Fortunately I was with superphotographer David Fennema and he took these tasty nuggets for your benefit...

photo courtesy David Fennema

photo courtesy David Fennema

photo courtesy David Fennema

photo courtesy David Fennema

We were up pretty close, and had I known how crowded the venue had become, I would not have budged, but I knew chances of getting a setlist were slim, even with two friends working at stagehands for the show, so I headed back and took a pic of the setlist for you, my loyal lovelies...

(they skipped the Pink Floyd cover in the encore. Looks like Soma is pretty strict about a 10:30 end time for shows.)

Getting through the crowd was a little tough, but it wasn't so bad because I managed to bump into my homies way in the back:

And let Tricia be your Guide To Good Parenting: The first concert I remember ever attending as a kid was Andy Gibb at the Wild Animal Park. I was probably five and still have vivid memories of his leather pants and feathered hair, but really, where is the street cred in that? No, be like Tricia and bestow upon your child the gift of street cred. "My first show was seeing The Shins at Soma. I was three." Yeah! That's what I'm talking about. And who knew there were baby earplugs??

The sound was great, even way back where I didn't need my own earplugs anymore. Maybe the sound is always great there, or maybe it can be attributed to the fact that this was a Casbah produced show, I'm not sure, but regardless, I was a happy camper. The show ended around 10:30 and the crowd slowly filtered out. Against my better judgment, I was ready to party so after stopping home, walked over to hang at the Ken Club for the rest of the evening, because sometimes, I guess, there's no place like home. I know I say it every week, but I am so happy that the weekend is finally here. My plans are always subject to change but today I will be at Kensington Vine (pre-show bevvies), The Whistle Stop (The Modlins, Ex-Friends) , and The Tower Bar (Punk Rock Karaoke for Sandra's Birthday); tomorrow at my sister's birthday BBQ, hopefully a stop at David Fennema's show at Kate Ross for Ray At Night, Vega4 and Augustana @ HoB, and then obviously close my night at the Ken Club, then Sunday, time for my favorite musician (and Viva Voce's labelmate) Rocky Votolato at the Casbah. Thank god I have HBO East and can watch Sopranos and Entourage on east coast time, eh? Have a fun a safe weekend, Party People!

Thursday Ramblings

You know what's even better than seeing "Arcade Fire" listed on the marquee on my way in to the office? Seeing it on my way home:

*****
If you missed the pre-sale (like I did), just a note that tickets for Damien Rice (Spreckels, 5/1) go on sale officially tomorrow at 10 am. Also onsale tomorrow- tickets for Regina Spektor. Also, on-sale Saturday, The Shins are playing Soma April 12. Screw you scalper bastards!
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I'm a huge fan of Google alerts ever since Troy turned me on to them. If you're not familiar, you basically set search terms and anytime something hits on the web, you get an e-mail with relevant links to those search parameters. One of my searches is "Coachella", so in addition to anything related to the festival, I get any article about news in the Coachella Valley. I just thought I would point out that yesterday I got one about high school soccer and I was kinda stunned to see that Coachella Valley High School is "Home of the Arabs". sheesh. And people had a problem with the Aztecs?

*****
If you're a Kaiser Chiefs fan, the new album will be released 3.27.07, but you can sneak peak the first single by clicking here for the e-card.
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I've been loving this song lately and I think you will, too.

Recap 3: 94/9 Holiday Hootenanny

I don't even know where to start with this show. I was asked by Owen what I was gonna say and I told him it was the single best radio station hosted show I've ever been to. When asked to elaborate I did, and so I will here for you now, too.

I picked Andrea up by 5 and we were on our way to the show. I grabbed a great spot but as we walked to the venue saw a huge line as the doors weren't opened just yet. We instead grabbed our 21+ wristbands and called Mike, the Facilities Manager who we'd met on Sunday. We met him by the box office and he let us enter the venue through the VIP badge entrance. Mike, you're the best!

We went through the venue into the beer garden area. UCSD is normally a dry campus for events so whatever strings were pulled to let this happen need to be pulled for future events. We quickly ran into Owen and Tim Pyles. Pyles had an extra VIP pass which he allowed us to use for some complimentary adult beverages. We chatted with Lyn Chickrawker for a while and then watched The Delta Spirit.

I have seen them before but let's just say I've always been a little less than sober, so this was my first time really taking them in. They have a great southern rock with a touch of gospel feel and it was clear why they are so tight with Cold War Kids. I really enjoyed their set, but some of their songs are a bit too Christian for me. I don't have a problem with a band being Christian, but I enjoy a bit more subtlety in lyrics. Like if you read the CWK lyrics, you have to understand the biblical undertones to even notice them. The Delta Spirit on the other hand are very much about "I can't wait, the Lord is coming" and that's just really not my thing. Still, the music is solid and a lot of people in the crowd were dancing and grooving to the tunes. I grabbed their set list so here's that(as it's written):

Tom G, People Come On,Street Walker, Around,I Am Waiting, French Q, Children Stay Away, Motivation, Time All You People

We stayed in the garden for some time. Pete Yorn was hanging out in the VIP area, so Pyles snapped a picture of us together. When I asked if I could snap a picture with him, he kinda looked at me like I was speaking Chinese and then he checked the pass around my neck. We snapped the shot and then he pointed to the "no smoking" sign behind us...I guess I annoyed him. Then he told me he wasn't really checking my pass but my Liar's Club sweatshirt...he has a friend in Chicago(or somewhere) who owns a bar by the same name. Getting the feeling he didn't wanna chat, I thanked him and bailed the tent. We talked a while with Beth from the Belly Up and her roommate John. Tim also introduced me to a couple other radio people including Garrett, the morning show host on 94/9. Tim is always really good about introducing people while it never occurs to other people to do so, so it is definitely appreciated. Andrea was getting well lubricated on the red wine, so I said my "see ya laters" and went in to catch Silversun Pickups. The show ran a little late...they were supposed to start at 6:30 but still hadn't hit the stage by 7. I maneuvered up toward the front side of the stage but decided to take a seat in the unmonitored VIP seating area. I sat in the second row until I smelled something. Turns out the guy two seats down barfed and bailed. Ew. I went back down to the floor to watch the show.

This is now my third time seeing SSPU. I never thought I would like a band better in an arena than in a small venue but that's exactly how I felt about their set. They only played for a half hour but it was great and while the floor wasn't exactly packed yet, a lot of people were into them. What is kinda funny to me is that "Little Lover's So Polite" is the single in LA, while 94/9 has been spinning "Lazy Eye", so obviosuly this crowd went crazy for Lazy Eye. (See Chickrawker's blog for set list)

As soon as they finished I made a bee line to the beer garden and managed to not be without beverage the entire time. A light drizzle started to come down and after 15 or 20 minutes in the garden, a heavy rain poured down. People get all crazy when it rains, why I will never understand. I mean, I guess I'm not exactly the sandals and dress wearing type, so my clothes can pretty much withstand the elements. I was trying to find where our pass had gone, but to no avail, so I headed into the venue to catch Pete Yorn back up in the front, this time with Andrea, Dustin, Andrew and Matt. Pete Yorn's cousin Westerns tours with him, sells merch, shoots videos and pictures, and always posts the set list on MySpace.

Here is his set list: life on a chain, for us, when you see the light, undercover, black, how do you go on, closet, georgie boy, for nancy

Again when the band finished, we headed to the Garden. Is it clear that I loved the Garden?On our way there, Dustin and I bumped into Nikki from SSPU and talked to her a couple minutes and complimented their set. In the garden, the station had equipment set up to play music and broadcast the concert on multiple televisions, but apparently the rain created technical issues. They had turned on the field lights, probably so people could see the wet grass beneath their feet and avoid mud. A lot of people seemed to be really enjoying the beergarden. We witnessed a guy pee out in the open trying to act like nothing was happening. I bumped into Nick Montes and Hellman and Troy Johnson so it made me wonder if every other spot in San Diego was completely abandoned.

Eventually it was time for the Shins. We sat up in the seating area for their set and were kinda surprised that people were crowd surfing. Really? For the Shins? Weird. Anyway, it was a good set though the band commented that it was clear a lot of people already had their new album, not to be released until Jan 20. I am guilty myself but I feel like if I'm gonna buy the actual album anyway, what's the diff if I have a bootleg now and talk about how much I love it? They played a good mix from all their albums and if my neck wasn't killing me from bad sleep, I would've been even more into their set.

We went back outside but the garden was closing. We still hung around a while as people filtered into the venue for Modest Marr. We went back to our spot near the front but this over eager idiot seemed to not notice anyone around him and was bumping me. It was either move or punch the guy in the face, so Dustin, Andrea and I sat in the front row behind the soundboard. I have never seen Modest Mouse live but I was really impressed. They had two full drumsets on stage which made for a really rich heavy sound. Still, it was late, and while I'm not the kind of person who leaves a ballgame in the 7th inning to avoid traffic, it had begun to pour outside and my old beater doesn't have a defroster.

Dustin laid on top of my bike in the back of my car while Andrea slept in the front seat as I drove while wiping my windshield with a towel most of the ride. We went to the Beauty Bar, but only in time for a couple Vinyl Radio songs. Bobby, the drummer, was soaked from the rain leaking in on the edge of the tent. Puddles were forming in the back patio. I had no cash on me and decided I'd rather spend my dinero at the Ken Club than open a tab and have to spend $20 at the really crowded Beauty Bar, so I made sure everyone had a ride home, and I headed to my house, put on some dry socks and shoes, and headed to the bar, hitting the ATM across the street.

I hung out on the bar side for a bit but one of the tv's had this horrible Rodeo World Championship on that I just couldn't stomach, so I went to see who was playing and it was Dan Padilla (the band not the man). Gene was on drums on the stage (topless, I might add) and the guitarist and bassist were playing on the floor in front of the stage. I've seen them a few times and never get over how much they remind me of old Fluf crossed with some of the old faster punk like early Pennywise (though that probably is completely unflattering to the band). Definitely check them out when you get the chance. Oh, except keep and eye out, because even though there weren't a whole lot of people watching the band, several beer bottles were shattered, there was pushing and shoving that looked like a fight but was really among friends, and some extremely trashed patrons talking shit.

I hope it is clear why today I really, really, slept in. Time to go watch the Chargers clinch #1...

the shins are biters!

just kidding, but look at this shins picture:



and then look at the flyer i made for the vinyl radio show:



By the way, when I miss my company holiday party for the 94/9 Hootenanny, does someone have a job for me? The interoffice political ramifications of not showing up might be bad. However, I am not missing that show. (despite the lukewarm response to 'marrdest mouse')

94/9 Holiday Hootenanny announced

And better than I thought! I was really excited on Monday and enjoyed scouring the net for tours to see who would be making their way to San Diego but by Tuesday had lost interest only because I knew people knew but were afraid of being outted here. But the waiting is over:

Modest Mouse with Johnny Marr. I saw Neil Finn a few years ago with Johnny Marr playing in the band and he was amazing. I think he can only help MM with what they do.

The Shins. I've heard people say the Shins are boring onstage, but I saw them at Cane's what? 3 Years ago? And again at Street Scene and for me when I hear songs they trigger little sweet memories of random moments in my life. And the new album (at least what has been leaked on the net) is good. Consistent, but good. Indie 103 has already added Phantom Limb to their regular rotation. I personally love "Turn On Me" and "A Comet Appears".

Pete Yorn. I can't believe I didn't see this one! Pete is playing the KPRI private listener show and we were skipped on his regular tour dates but I should've known! Sweety Petey never skips San Diego because we were so good to him early in his career. (Were you at his 4 o clock Friday?) Plus his last show here was at the Casbah when we all know he could've easily played a larger venue.

Silversun Pickups. I felt this one coming but thought it wouldn't happen once I saw the Snow Patrol tour announced, but I'm happy to see them again. Last night the Stereotypes said "they're kinda local" being from Silverlake, and I guess I hope they accept that mentality because San Diego loves SSPU.

So there ya go, I'm happy. And now that Garrett and Owen have been directed to my page, you guys wanna hook me up? ;) Going to as many shows as I do is gonna make me broke.