Last night I was revving to go, ready for some rock and a total party, but then I showed up at the Casbah. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the bands and their respective performances, but the music made me wish I could pull my cal king bed in the middle of the Casbah floor and bury myself under a hefty down feather comforter.
The first band was Minipop. They had told me via MySpace that I'd be on their guestlist, so I sold the ticket I had pre-ordered only to find my name absent from the list. Ben was cool about it, though, so I won't hold it against anyone. As far as the band goes, I know I need to get over my anti-chick bias, but another band fronted by a chick on keys singing in a breathy voice has become pretty cliché so I decided to listen to the band from outside while hanging with Lyn and Seth. Seth said something to the effect that the band felt molded specifically to write songs for Gray's Anatomy. He said it as a diss, but I am hooked on the show and the music that goes with it, so I guess I'm the sucker, but true that a lot of that music doesn't translate well to anything more than an super mellow live performance by those bands. As they played, the vox was less breathy but the band still just did not draw me in. Not to say the CD wouldn't be a good one for my rainy day music collection, but I was ready for the next band to wake me up.
I made my way up front for Esther Drang.
I was in the front near this guy.
I liked the initial vocals from the second song, it kinda reminded me of Tim Burgess of the Charlatans, but there was an amp nearby and the guy was playing and mixing and the sound coming from his amp sounded like he was in his own band doing his own thing entirely. I thought maybe my earplugs were tricking me by isolating the sound, but even when I took them out, it felt that way, so I decided to move to the back of the room.
From the back the sound was more blended but his playing still felt separate. It was a Sesame Street "one of these kids is doing their own thing" moment. I also realized the vocals were nothing like Tim Burgess. Tired of trying and also tired of being pushed by people passing through, I retreated to the patio once again. I think I would've really liked Esther Drang, too, but too much mixing, using delay pedals, etc. just lost the music for me.
Lyn and I decided that we would make our way to the front for the headliners, Midlake. When we went inside, there was the "too cool gap" so we just went right up front, pissing off all the people who were too cool to move forward. Sorry suckas. To further piss them off, four friends saw us up there and maneuvered up front with us. We're such assholes. There was plenty of time for the rage to build because Midlake literally has a boatload of equipment.
I knew I liked the band but only based on my listening to their MySpace songs. I like the layers to their music and the harmonies, and the dramatic piano/key parts suck me in.
I was trying to be polite with my camera since I was front and center...
but I wanted less fuzzy and more redeye! Just kidding, but redeye happens when you're using flash in the dark this close... so you just gotta get them when they close their eyes.
I stayed up front for 5 or 6 songs, then decided the people behind me probably really hated me by now, so I bailed for drinks/bathroom/patio. Oh, here's the rest of the band:
I was still enjoying Midlake's sound, but it's very consistent and there are no surprises, so I got swept into conversations in the patio for pretty much the rest of the show. The show ended around 1 and after hanging out a bit, I was on my way and in bed by 2. This is why I love my half day Fridays. I see, in fact, it is almost nap o'clock!
Blogger has been giving me problems the last two days, so I'll do my best to update this weekend, but if not, have a great weekend, everyone- don't forget to buy your poor blogger a cocktail.
Last night's House of Blues show was actually down in "The Delta Room" at the House of Blues. This is the room normally saved for private parties or used as a lounge area when there is a show in the main concert hall, however last night, it was the scene of quite a good time.
Princeton was the first band and a perfect fit to play with Kite Flying Society. They are a four piece from Santa Monica who plays loose jangly pop with sweet vocals. They use guitars, keys, sometimes drums, sometimes tambourine, sometimes horns (was that an oboe??), ukeleles, etc.
I liked the band and did before the SD show was even booked (see how cool MySpace can be?), but to be honest, there's was this feeling of the room of us vs. them, in a way. Being from LA, Princeton brought a crowd, and then there are all of us locals who are friends with KFS and were also celebrating birthdays, so the locals were all chatty (yes, me too) and scattered around the lounge, and Princeton's crowd were up front videotaping and dancing and having fun. Still, the band was good and I bought their CD for $6 to compensate for my sheisty maneuverings to get into the show and avoid ridiculous drink prices. Scoreboard: Rosey 2, House of Blues- Zero.
I don't understand how the House of Blues functions sometimes. If the mainstage shows say they're going to start at 8, they pretty much start at 8. The rest of their stages, they can say 9, 9:30, 10, doesn't matter, it's never accurate, which is understandable in the sidestage room because it is the same room used for restaurant seating, but there was no reason for delays downstairs. When people pay to go into the venue, they should be allowed to go into the venue, not left to sit in the patio for 30 minutes. And think of all the $9.50 shots you could've sold in that time! Anyway, my point to all of this whining is that because the show started later than people expected, people left early. Some left, presumably, to drive back to LA, but a lot of people who paid to see KFS left because it was late and they all work early and didn't get the pre-show nap in like I did. Or maybe they just got pissed that a shot of whiskey was $9.50.
Whatever the reasons, the crowd thinned out a little but all those peeps missed out because Kite Flying Society were great. The sound wasn't perfect, but boatloads better than the sidestage. The carpeting (made to look like layered persian rugs) and sofas lended to the feeling that you were at a house party and hanging with friends and for a second you could forget that you were at the House of Blues. Well, at least until you had to order a drink. (Yow, another zinger. I will keep whining about those damn expensive measured pours.) They also played some stuff from the new album (release date: July?) which sounded good.
This picture was actually taken while the band was still playing. That's Todd the drummer on the left:
And then leaving the show, who can resist a photo in front of the Everything $5 store?
After the show, the whole venue, restaurant, and bar were shut down. Way to make us feel welcome, House of Blues! Really glad I parked on the 6th avenue side and had to walk the sketchy walk past the trolley station (aka crack alley) at midnight.
Andrea and I headed up to the Sports Club to try to catch Republic of Letters but they were already finished. We did hang out for a bit to finish celebrating Kara's b-day, but everyone has to sleep eventually, so we hit the road, but not before the mandatory tacos from La Fuente. Mmm, love that heartburn...
I'll get to my show pictures in a sec, but sometimes it's more fun just to post pics of friends. Happy Birthday Kara and Seth, and thanks everyone for making last night so much fun. We will not let the House of Blues spoil the fun.
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! ***** 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. ***** I've been loving this song lately and I think you will, too.
Kite Flying Society, Princeton @ House of Blues Sidestage (9pm. 21+ - this show is no longer an all ages show!)
Republic of Letters, The Infants @ San Diego Sports Club (Pussy Galore)
Jezebel, Punk Bunny @ Beauty Bar
JD Twitch & Optimo @ Modus for Dos Tres
Staring at the Sun CD showcase: Berkley Hart, Scott Wilson Band, Blizzard, The Grams, Anna Troy @ Belly Up
Ghostland Observatory, Boomstyler @ Casbah
Texas Songwriters, feat. Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, John Hiatt, Guy Clark @ Viejas
Appleseed, Longstay, James Drive @ Dream Street
Thursday, March 1, 2007:
Midlake, Ester Drang, Minipop @ Casbah (If you're going, I will sell you my ticket at cost for $8)
Firethorn @ San Diego Sports Club
Los Abandoned @ Beauty Bar (1st anniversary party, hosted bar 9:30-10:30)
Brennan Green @ Modus for Dos Tres
Pato Banton, The Mystic Roots Band @ Belly Up
Jac, Dropjoy, The Rhythm and The Method @ Brass Rail
The Who, The Tragically Hip @ iPayOne
The Barbwires, Monsters From Mars @ Tower Bar
Free! TNT @ Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego: Taking its cue from the exhibition Morris Louis Now: An American Master Revisited, TNT gets kitschy with a showcase of all things post-war American chic. Dress up in vintage attire and lounge at a swingin' '60s party. TNT, in collaboration with Orange Kiss Productions (Merge Events), presents DJs Gage and Sergio; mod Orange Kiss a Go Go Girls; fashion styling by Grammatique; and retro visuals. Wax nostalgic with "Avant Garde and Kitsch" paint-by-number activities in the galleries. Plus, tap your feet to live jazz music by Todd Davidson's Club 33, tap dancing by Groove on Tap, and psychedelic electro breaks by Frik & Frak.
This is from Fred of the Postals and also bartendar extraordinaire at the Ken Club:
To all of those who received bulletins from the Atoms saying that Friday's show was cancelled IT IS NOT!!! They may have cancelled the show but they are not the end all be all of this particular bill. So just cause the mystifying Atoms will not be there you can still come on down to the Kensington cluband see a great show.
It will be the Postals, Dissimillars, and the Rich White Males and possibly another band for fun. So don't be discouraged, the show is still happening. See you Friday in all of your glory. And this will be the second of 57 bulletins I will be sending during the course of the week.
OK, so maybe not Heavy Vegetable, but the members of Heavy Vegetable now called Other Men. Story here on Stereogum.com.
...Only, Other Men has roots deeper than any of Crow's other acts; the trio was once Heavy Vegetable, a band prone to "hyper spastic mood-swings" that released two records before their breakup in '95.
The resulting story's a good one: Drummer Manolo Turner became a gardener; bassist Travis Nelson took up residence in a monastery in Thailand with silent monks, disappearing for years (you can't make this shit up); and Rob went on to become our hero. Eleven years later, they got the band back together for Wake Up Swimming, the first release on Rob's label Robcore Records -- and yes, we absolutely adore it.
Ooh, I can feel it now. Other Men Headline MayDay, San Diego. fingers crossed.
Tonight's Kite Flying Society Show has been changed to 21+. I heard that instead of playing the sidestage (where they have to wait for the restaurant to clear out), that tonight will be downstairs in that fancy lounge with all the comfy couches, so the show will really start when its supposed to...9pm for Princeton and 10pm for Kite Flying Society. Might still make it to Sports Club for Republic of Letters!
Also, if you plan on going to the Albert Hammond, Jr. show on Monday but don't yet have a ticket, a friend of mine told me that if you pre-order his album from Lou's Records, you get a free ticket to the show. Sweet deal...
Last night was another night of extended sleep for me as I refuse to succumb to the flu, and I feel a thousand times better today, so I will be at the House of Blues sidestage tonight for sure for KFS and Princeton, then heading over to the Sports Club in hopes of maybe catching a piece of Republic of Letters. Both late shows, though, dammit. Anyway, not a whole lotta news but here's a couple things of interest I found:
If you were planning on seeing Sick of It All at the Dropkick Murphys' show on Monday, you are shit outta luck. They have had to cancel their west coast dates. This from Sick of It All:
We have some bad news to announce. Our singer Lou has had very bad back problems for the last week, and yesterday he had to be taken to the hospital because he couldn’t move without being in a lot of pain. He was released a few hours later, but isn’t in the kind of shape that would allow him to perform on stage. We’re really sorry, but we can’t make the trip out to California to start the tour with Dropkick Murphys.
Our friends in Dropkick have been very cool and understanding, and although we’re leaving them in a bind without the main support act they planned the tour with, they aren’t canceling our spot just yet. We’re going to take this day by day and see if we’ll be able to meet up with the tour at some point, but it looks like we’ll definitely miss the Western part of the Dropkick tour. If we can join the tour, the place and date will both depend on Lou’s recovery time.
We were all really looking forward to this tour, especially after having such a great time touring with AFI. It's always an awesome show with Dropkick, so each night that we miss will be a difficult pill to swallow. If all goes well, we’ll be back on the road soon.
Once again, our deepest apologies to our Western US fans who were excited to see us and the great Dropkick Murphys together.
***** Another story of another band getting robbed. Eastern Conference Champions were robbed in LA. I'm posting this because it's another warning to bands to take the time to unload your gear and also if you're ever buying equipment on Craig's List, chances are it belonged to someone else.
We just played the last night of our February residency on Monday to a packed house at the Silverlake Lounge, and then all of our gear gets stolen. The van was parked overnight on Sycamore, just east of LaBrea, between 4th and 6th streets. The next morning, our buddy, the green sherrod aka '94 Ford Econoline, was discovered with the passenger side window smashed and all the equipment gone. Everything. Guitars, Drums, Amps, Computers. Everything. The fuckers wiped us out.
***** I never really went into why I was so pissed about the House of Blues Pete Yorn show last week, and since I've been asked about it, I will make a brief point. I have always had issues with the sound, both in the concert hall and the sidestage, the overpriced 1.5 oz measured pour drinks, and the crowds that I've experienced more often than not who talk through the entire $20-$40 shows, but on this particular night, I was treated like shit when I was supposed to have been on the list...no, I'm not lying or trying to cheat you in some way, I was told my name would appear on a list. If it's not there, I'll deal with that, but you don't have to be a dick behind that window. Also, on this particular night (Monday) there was supposed to be all night happy hour in the bar in Salvation Alley. Andrea actually chewed out the restaurant manager who told her they weren't doing that tonight since the concert downstairs was sold out (what one has to do with the other, I do not know). If you advertise all night happy hour Mondays and publish it in your monthly calendar that you have sitting on every table in the restaurant, you better damn well honor it (just like if you have sidestage shows advertised as "free with college ID" you need to honor that, too.) It is no surprise to me that HoB is having a hard time with business, and even less surprising that they are owned by Live Nation which is a spin-off company of ClearChannel. It is, to me, unfortunate that local venues can't compete with the booking that the HoB might can get. As long as bands I like will play there, I will begrudgingly fork over my money. Sometimes it be that way. ***** Have I mentioned how excited I am, shitty seats and all, about the Arcade Fire show at Spreckels? You can still stream the album at NME.com, catch the listening party at the Whistle Stop next Monday, and if you work where I work, you can get excited when you get to work every day because you get to see this:
Indie 103 has been leaking info about "shows in the vicinity" of Coachella, so keep your eyes peeled for a couple shows at the Greek Theatre in LA as well as a "secret" show in Palm Springs on Friday before Coachella. ***** Oh, and one last thing. I get a lot of shit from my local radio peeps that I am not kind to local radio. So let me say here that local radio is like dating. There are things about a guy that make you love him, but then those very same quirks or habits start to get on your nerves, but you have to remember that he's loyal and faithful and deep down you will always love him. So 91X, I grew up with you. We have history and definitely had our ups and downs, but you will always have a place in my heart. KPRi, you're like the sugar daddy I always wanted, if only I were ready to settle down. I'm not quite ready for the mini van, but you're like the one who treats me to a nice dinner every once in a while and gives me a glimpse of me in 5 or 10 years. And 94/9. You're like the hot foreign guy that shows up to high school during senior year. Mysterious and new, but when you get to know him the edge is dampened but not gone, and he only has to say something in that cute accent to get you all turned on again. While I'm always comparing the three to one another and putting Indie 103 on a pedastal as the guy that is way outta my league, let me say congratulations to 94/9. We all know Big Sonic Chill is one of the best specialty shows on radio, and now Indie has incorporated it into their schedule, known as "Big Sonic Heaven". So San Diego radio, I heart you all. We may fight a lot, but you're here for me and I am here for you, constructive criticism and all. *****
Sorry for my overuse of exclamation points lately, but you can stream the entire new Arcade Fire album, "Neon Bible", at NME.com. You have to register first, but I think it's worth it.
Also, Insound has a pre-order sale price right now of $9.99. Use my coupon "SXSW_Insound" for an additional 10% off and we are talking bargain. Click the Insound logo in the column to the right.
I am fighting a cold so I decided I had to stay in last night with just me and my nyquil. Not much in the way of news today, not even good new releases...if anything comes up I will update later... ***** James Cameron found Jesus! And Mary! And his WIFE Mary Magdelene! And their son! Wow. All the mysteries of the world have been solved by a movie director. Who knew? OK, he didn't really FIND it himself, but there will be a documentary about it. Obviously the Catholics are pissed. *****
Here's a pic of my old Mayday shirt from the 1994 event. I actually met an ex-boyfriend in the pit while we were against the railing getting kicked in the head by people stagediving during Lucy's Fur Coat. What a rad event that was.
If you take a look back a few months at my post here about The Starlight Bowl and here about how cool it would be if MayDay was to return, then you will be as happy as I am that it's happening! I can't believe I forgot to post about this earlier. Anyway, in an effort to let San Diegans know that the Starlight Bowl is back, the venue/facilities fees are being waived, and apparently equipment rentals have already been secured. The two-day festival hopes to book many San Diego bands. There will be a per ticket charge that will cover expenses like security, etc, but it will be well worth it. I don't think this information was "NFB" (not for blogging), but Bart will let me know if it is. (I tried to call you, Bart...)
Click on that second link up there for some of the bands I would like to see considered for the two day festival (though many more would be included now, just 3 months later)...and you can bet I'm gonna find some way to get involved in this. Also an awesome precursor to the music awards, if you ask me. I believe the scheduled dates are May 5th and 6th. I'm gonna work on a vendor license for some Cinco De Mayo yummies!
It's been a bit rough here in my *very* *important* *the world will fall apart without you* day job, so when I got an e-mail from Andrea about The Altar Boyz, I decided to go check them out because as someone pretty much kicked out of Catholic Church, there is nothing I like mocking more than Christianity. But to my surprise, I'm not the only one making fun of Christianity...
The Altar Boys is a show playing at the Civic Theater March 6-11. The show is "a spoof about a fictitious Christian boy band on the last night of their national 'Raise the Praise' tour." The boys: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan, and Abraham sing songs like with lyrics like "Jesus Called Me On My Cellphone" and the back handed "Girl, You Make Me Wanna Wait" which continues "At least until our wedding date...until then, I'll just have to master--... my own fate."
It was actually pretty funny (though very Broadway if you can handle that.)
They arrived on the Amtrak and they even had women with signs to greet them. Here are a couple more shots.
In typical Rosey fashion, I won a pair of tickets to the show on March 7th by answering a trivia question. (What boy band was Justin Timberlake originally a part of? It was such an obvious question, I actually knew they'd ask it.) Anyway, if you're into shows, hit me up.
This Saturday is the Snow Patrol, Silversun Pickups, and OK, Go, show at the Open Air Theatre. I bought two tickets in pre-sale in hopes that I'd have a boyfriend by now.
HAHAHA. Ok, I'm totally kidding, but I did buy a pair assuming someone I know would want to go. Anyway, if you wanna go with me to the show, the ticket is $42.
The show is Saturday, doors at 7. I'll post the actual seat location when I have my tickets in front of me. E-mail me if you're interested.
Every time I see The Colour, I like them more and more. I don't know if that is particularly because I like their sound or that their sound has totally grown on me, but in music sometimes, what is the difference? (by the way, the first sunset session was held indoors because it was raining outside, so these were inside the ballroom)
This will be almost a pure picture post because I am lazy. The show at the Casbah was fun last night and the food was yummy. Way to go, Tim Pyles! And thanks for the drink tickets, Bart! Everyone in attendance last night to the FREE show also received a FREE Staring At The Sun Compiliation, so if you were home watching the snoozefest that was the Oscars (at least according to every report I've heard), I'm very sorry for you.
I have to admit, for Tim Pyles events, they're as much fun for the bands as they are for seeing friends old and new, so I caught a little bit of each band's sets but also spent time catching up with friends in the patio and the Atari lounge.
Anna Troy's bluesy rock started off the evening:
The Shambles were up next and had a ton of support in the room. The Shambles have been a part of San Diego music for many years and it was cool to see them. I especially liked the song in Spanish.
Buzzkills were next, but alas, no pics.
Finally Vinyl Radio played. This was their first local show with their new drummer and I was able to sneak through the maniacal dancing up front to snap a couple photographs. They played some stuff off the forthcoming 8 track disc and people seemed to be loving it. While it was in the patio, Matt thanked the crowd for staying late and this man near me excitedly said, "It was worth it!"
Matt is such a rock star:
I thought I got pics of the new drummer and Keith but these are the best of what I've got. Sorry. More pics from the weekend to come.
I have a splitting headache right now which I why I'm home at 10 pm on a Saturday night. If the aspirin kicks in, I might venture out, but it's not looking good. As I've mentioned, it's been a busy music weekend for me.
Friday's Sunset Session started off with a band called No More Kings. I was expecting a very vanilla band, but I was really actually impressed. After a million songs about love, it was fun to hear about other stuff in a band's lyrics. They have a song called "Michael", written from the perspective of Kit from Knight Rider. They also have a song called "Sweep The Leg" which is an apology to Danielson from Johnny in Karate Kid.
I thought they were kinda fun and original, and yeah they're a little cheesy but they don't really take themselves too seriously. At moments I could hear influences like Living Colour or twinges of Maroon 5, but that's what a AAA showcase will bring you.
Tyrone Wells was second and played a set shorter than most of the artists for whatever reason. As far as singer songwriters go, I either love the voice or don't, and I'm not crazy about his sound, but a lot of people are, so I'm not saying I'm right, he just didn't do it for me.
Josh Kelly was third and we were right back to vanilla. In the first song he introduced each band member by letting them jam out solos which to me was over doing it and should've been something to close with, not do in the first song. I couldn't place what his voice sounded like and then a Michael McDonald song popped in my head and after I barfed in my own mouth a little, I decided Josh Kelly is not for me...
Thankfully there was more to look forward to. Joss Stone finally came onstage to close the session. She is absolutely amazing. First of all, she's gorgeous, her hair is dark with reddish pink streaks in it and curly and bouncy as she dances all over the stage. Her voice is amazing and I'm not really even into her music. She's really flirty onstage, making eye contact with the audience and even jumping into the crowd to serenade people in their seats. Her new single is called "I love how you love me" and could've segued right into "Midnight Train to Georgia." She played her hits amongst other new tracks and closed with "Got A Right to Be Wrong" and the crowd was totally into it. She performs with a full backing band as well as 3 backup singers who only increased the power of her performance.
After the set, I was on my way to home base and walked over to the Ken Club for Zerox, The New Motherfuckers, and Fifty on Their Heels. Zerox is a sloppy punky band from Chula Vista that reminded me of the bands my friends used to play in back in the day. I could see them being the kids that hang out at Just Java like we once did, and occasionally venturing up to Café Chabalaba or the Ché. People complained that they were too loud but I had my earlove earplugs and was just fine. Seriously, they are awesome and only $10 on Insound. Buy them! (You can still save 10% by typing in "SXSW_Insound")
The New Motherfuckers were second and I loved them. I was feeling a David Byrne crossed with Devo sound when CatDirt tells me "they sound like the Talking Heads". Since everyone is being compared to the Talking Heads these days, I wish I could be more specific, but nobody suggested I have any depth in these recaps. All I know is I loved them and hope they come down again for Sessions Fest.
Fifty on Their Heels closed the show and played some new tracks. They have controlled their sound a lot which is excellent because I've seen them before where my ears felt blasted. Punk is cool, but if you can sing, you should let people hear the vocals, and Junior did just that. He jumped into the crowd several times and climbed chairs and whatnot. I had kinda taken a break from their shows because I had seen them so many times, but they are evolving which is great for them.
I closed the bar down and managed to get up this morning to buy my Arcade Fire tickets, which I was disappointed about but now I'm just thankful I got a pair at all. And to all you ASSHOLE scalpers who were already posting on Craig's List today, FUCK. YOU. ALL. I sometimes wish ticket sales were like the old days when you'd line up and the only place you could buy tickets was at the venue because a show in San Diego should be for San Diegans, not for the hordes of people flocking to our region for Coachella. Bitter much? Yes, and so what?
Today's Sunset Session was a fun one. Since I didn't wanna piss anyone off by disclosing the location, I will now since the thing is over. It was held at Paradise Point resort. The first night was inside a hotel ballroom because of the weather, but last night and tonight were on a lawn with probably about 150-200 attendees, maybe less.
I was sitting up front when Joshua Radin played. Here's what I'm talking about with singer-songwriters...some bore me to tears, and some, like him, I just love. The first time I heard "Star Mile" I probably played it 15 times in a row. That's why I was so happy that it was the first song he played (and that his album was included in the swag bags). His band consisted of a second guitarist, a standup bass, a violin, a cello, and a percussionist with just a single drum and cymbal, and a wood box seat that doubled as an instrument. He played Star Mile, The Fear You Won't, These Photographs, Closer, and Only You which is the new single and a cover. Schuyler Fisk was singing backup for Joshua and the two together sounded beautiful. If you're a sucker for all things Zach Braff, i.e. Garden State, you already know Joshua Radin.
Malea McGuinness was second and I was happy that I bumped into my friend David because for me it was a snoozefest despite a full band. There are some musicians that I like who will probably never make it big, some that I'm not surprised when they do, and some you just wanna tell to get a gig in a bar in a casino in Vegas. Every song the band played to me sounded like another song and when one seemed like a total rip of "Don't Cry Out Loud" I was over it. Soccer moms would probably go apeshit over this stuff. Not me.
Willy Mason was the next singer. Another guy with just a guitar, but I was really impressed. His first couple songs were sung in a deep monotone so it took me a while to get into him, but his voice is very unique. I don't wanna piss off Johnny Cash fans by making the comparison, but how about if I say his voice is like Joaquin Phoenix doing Johnny Cash? He's from Massachusetts but you'd think he was from Missouri and could fit right in singing old coal miner songs. His lyrics were really smart, too, and more thoughtful than the standard ripping your heart out stuff. In Save Myself, for example, his lyrics are thought provoking and touch a nerve like "when the old religion becomes the new greed- save myself, gotta save myself". He is playing the Belly Up next month and I highly recommend checking him out.
Last to hit the stage was Ozomatli. Having 9 people in a band makes it impossible not to feel like they are always a party. Imagine them showing up in your living room, your first impulse would be to grab a bottle of Patrón. Seeing them here was no exception, and they got pretty much the entire crowd on their feet. They played City of Angels, Can't Stop, America, Magnolia Soul, When I Close My Eyes, After Party, La Segundo Mano, and Saturday Night. They are a fun party band and the perfect band to end that part of the evening.
Afterward, David and I had dinner at the Barefoot Bar and his favorite band, The John Butler Trio, was seated nearby. My headache prevented me from staying for their 11pm performance, but I'll get the full report later.
By the way, I have been using so many different cameras this week, but I finally bought one today, so I will get to posting all the pics tomorrow when I have a little more energy. nighty night...
This is not really a recap post, but more of a pre-recap post. I had an amazing day of music, most notably seeing Joss Stone and her seducative set down on the harbor. I will write about all of it soon ( just not tonight after uncounted vodka tonics). I am so looking forward to the last Sunset Session with Joshua Radin and Ozomatli and trying to map out my morning to buy my Arcade Fire tix. Whoever says San Diego is boring should seriously just move to Phoenix.
It's been a really fucking great day...
and I'm sorry for being without digital camera this weekend, but I will be developing my film tomorrow and hope to have photos of the Sessions up soon...maybe even an illegal post of Josh Radin's new single until I get a C& D letter....
I had big ambitions last night to make 4 total stops but only made 2 of the 4. Still, it was a great night and I'm thankful I'd planned ahead and taken today as a vacation day from work.
The afternoon started off by picking up Andrea from Downtown and heading up to the new music showcase which we were told would start at 5:30 sharp. Obviously "sharp" loosely means a half hour late, because the first musician took the stage at 6:05. The "Sunset Sessions" are a music showcase that happen all over the hemisphere, usually in tropical places like the Bahamas. This year, San Diego plays host and for the first time, a station hosts as well. KPRi is unique in the fact that it is one of very few privately owned stations in the county. Bob Hughes is a co-owner and also a PM Drive dj and very involved in the programming of the station. So this showcase is aimed at people like him, responsible for formatting Triple A stations (that's Adult Album Alternative to you) as well as music supervisors of TV shows. Think of the music you hear or used to hear on shows like Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Felicity, and Gray's Anatomy, and you catch the music these people are looking for.
Unfortunately for a zillion good bands I know, the showcase left a lot to be desired. Paige Aufhammer is this young sweet girl with a guitar who sounds pretty much exactly like a cross between Tristan Prettyman and Mindy Smith. She was really cute and was backed by a bassist, a violinist, and a drummer who also contributed back up vocals. Sweet songs about love and hearts and basically you could take any page from my 7th grade journals when I thought I was a poet, and turn it into one of Paige's songs. Perfect for One Tree Hill but nothing that gripped me.
Ten West was the second band. A group from Orange County, I'd listened to their MySpace profile and tried to give them a chance but when the first song started with "Baby" my stomach turned. Not about to spend 8.75 at the bar for a cocktail, Andrea and I split to the nearest liquor store to spike some Sobe drinks. A friend at the showcase joked, "This next song is called Everything's OK, Everything's Great from our new album This Is Totally Awesome!" And that's pretty much Ten West. And might I add that the bassist had a faux hawk and sunglasses on in a hotel ballroom, and the singer and rhythm guitarist were wearing flip flops. On stage. Yay. Can't wait to hear them on the next episode of The Hills. yawn.
Christine Martucci was the third performer. Indigo Girls minus the other girl, she had a guitarist onstage with her and then busted out one of her own, if I've ever heard anyone try harder to sound like Melissa Etheridge my mind is blanking on who it was. Snooze fest.
Last up was the Colour who I have actually gotten into over the course of a couple months. They were a Monarchy Band and opened for Cold War Kids at the Belly Up in January and also played at the Beauty Bar. At their shows they sell their CD for $5 so while they aren't one of my favorite bands, I like them and am ok with that asking price. I actually kinda felt sorry for them on this night, however. All these stiffs who are in positions as tastemakers sitting in a hotel banquet room (where I had my high school Girls League formals, by the way) and this rock band onstage just kinda trying to do their thing with no audience reaction whatsoever. When a meat carving station is getting more attention than the band onstage, to me, that says more about the crowd than the band, at least in this instance. I think when I go to the showcase tonight, crashing of course, I'll bring a resumé and tell these corporate stiffs that they can go order room service in their hotel rooms while I actually pay attention to the performances.
The showcase finally ended around 8:30 and we zipped down to the House of Blues to see my friend AM and Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe perform on the sidestage. He told me doors were at 8 but I knew better. I don't think it was until 9:30 or so that they finally took the stage. There were rows of seats in front of the stage which I'd not seen there before.
AM is really just good music. He should've been in one of the showcases, in fact. But he's already had all his songs on TV shows and now just really needs radio support to get to the next level. I was supposed to be selling merch but this crowd just wasn't ready to spend $20 on a shirt or $15 on a CD. I did get a sheet's worth of people on the mailing list, however, so I at least did that much. While AM played, Brian's wife(?) held their daughter who was tossing her Elmo all over the place... a beautiful little family.
When Brian played, I was kinda sent right back to high school and my Verve Pipe listening days. His voice is so unmistakable and for the limited crowd in attendance, it was a great performance.
I had to miss out on Fifty On Their Heels doing a Pyles Session and also didn't make it to the Beauty Bar, but sometimes I feel a little punk rock and sometimes I just need my singer songwriters. And so it was last night. You will definitely see me tonight at the Ken Club for Fifty on Their Heels, Zerox and the New Motherfuckers, and all I can say is thank god I have my new EarLove Earplugs...
My sweet friend Mitch Wilson (of No Knife) is selling part of his record collection this Sunday. Here's his MySpace bulletin (re-posted with permission, of course):
from noon til 5pm i will be selling my record collection. i am selling roughly 700-800 records of many genres. i have alot of underground 80s stuff, alot of indie rock, goth, country, reggae, jazz, etc. bands like AC/DC ADAM & THE ANTS ALICE DONUT BAD BRAINS BAUHAUS BOWIE CAPTAIN BEEFHEART CONTORTIONS CHROME COCTEAU TWINS CHRISTIAN DEATH DURUTTI COLUMN DIE KREUZEN DIE HAUT WITH NICK CAVE ECHO AND THE BUNNYFARTS ELO EMINEM THE FALL FELT FAD GADGET GANG OF FOUR GET UP KIDS THE GRAVEDIGGER V NINA HAGEN HALL & OATES HIS NAME IS ALIVE INK AND DAGGER IAMSPOONBENDER INNOCENCE MISSION JAPAN JESUS LIZARD JUNE OF 44 KILLING JOKE KRAFTWERK KOMMUNITY FK LIARS LOVE AND ROCKETS LYDIA LUNCH MARS VOLTA MOVING UNITS MUM GARY NUMAN THE NOTWIST NINENINENINE OZZYOKO ONO OUTKAST THE POLICE PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED PRINCE ROBERT QUINE AND FRED MAHER QUEEN Q AND NOT U ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT ROXY MUSIC ROLLING STONES SCREAM SOFT CELL SCRAPING FOETUS OFF THE WHEEL SIOUXSIE SISTERS O' MERCY! DAVID SYLVIAN TELEVISION TORTOISE TUXEDO MOON ULTRAVOX URGE OVERKILL VICTIM'S FAMILY ALAN VEGA VISAGE TOM WAITS JAMES WHITE AND THE BLACKS WIRE X XTC XANADU SOUNDTRACK YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA YAZ NEIL YOUNG FRANK ZAPPA
There are many more records to choose from... the address is 3340 bancroft street one block east of 32nd st between upas st. and thorn st.
see you there
PS- i'm not on crack; i'd like to buy some pro audio gear- preamps, compressors, mics, etc. for the recording studio that will be opening up soon in university heights that i will be working in. also, i'm not selling ALL my records, just 700-800 of them to finance this gear lust. i'm selling music to make more music- maybe with you and your band someday... but thanks to everyone that wrote to voice their concern!
Just hoping that by sharing this info, a little good karma will come my way and I'll end up with good seats for Arcade Fire, but just wanted to share that tickets go onsale on Saturday at 10 am. I was going to go to the box office, however it is not open until NOON. Save the gas and suck up the service charges and buy them online. I have not been able to find out the per ticket cost, so if you have info, cough it up.
Well, I pulled it off. I managed to get to see both shows that I wanted to see.
I started Tuesday night with a shirt nap so I would be ready for the night ahead. I arrived at the House of Blues at 8pm on the dot, Ben Kweller came on moments later. I didn't think I'd like him but I really did, in the same way that I like Ben Lee. Quirky simple lyrics, nice harmonies with his drummer and bassist, and just having a good time onstage. Because they were co-headliners, they played close to an hour. Good for fans, bad for someone hoping to get to the Casbah. The sound guy gave me a copy of the setlist.
After close to 30 minutes of stage breakdown and setup, Gomez took to the stage around 9:40. I was kinda surprised how into it the crowd was because it didn't seem like they were the last time Gomez played at the House of Blues. I'm a huge fan of How We Operate, but this show definitely covered a broader spectrum of their material, going back to a lot of their older stuff. I love that vocal responsibilities are split by the 3 guys because it makes every song sound fresh. After an hour, the band went into the slowed down version of We Haven't Turned Around, and I thought that was a good song to end my night being that it was the first song I'd ever heard by Gomez and it's the one that made me a fan in the first place.
It was about 10:45 and I jogged to my car and raced to the Casbah, parked in my secret spot, and Cold War Kids were already onstage into their 4th song, according to Ben the door guy. I grabbed a drink and squeezed my way up toward the front side of the stage and hung out with Porter. Here are some photos...
Being that this was my fifth time seeing the band, I didn't feel the need to be up front and part of the craziness. Instead I hung out with Troy, Scott, Porter and Jason. We were having fun shooting the shit when the show ended and everyone began to clear out. It was only 11:55. wtf? There should've been a third band as far as I was concerned. We decided the night wasn't ready to be over and ventured to the Sports Club for a bit. My friends are bad, bad influences.
Wednesday turned out to be a day of letting my body rest, so I'm sorry to say that I missed Kite Flying Society and Oh No! Oh My! Today I'll be heading to the new music showcase at 5:30 then catching AM and Brian Vander Ark at the House of Blues sidestage and then the last Powder Room at the Beauty Bar. I surrendered my ski trip tomorrow because I had no takers for driving to LA at 4 am. boo hoo. It's gonna be another full weekend, though, so I'm not that concerned about it. See you all on the town...
