I went and saw Jeremy Enigk last night, June 11, 2008 at the Cafe du Nord and it was much better than I expected. I guess I didn’t really know what to expect because I had heard some rumors that he had found religion or something of that sort. Well, he was quite the entertainer. His guitar style is sort of classical and his voice is quite different than most singers - a mix of like Rod Stewart, John Lennon and Baby Huie (or some cartoon character - I don’t mean that as an insult, it’s actually very intense). He also played piano on a few songs and he impressed me as a fairly accomplished pianist. All and all it was a cool show, though I didn’t really dig a lot of his newer songs and I also didn’t really dig the audience (of course, I was one of them). That is all.
I saw Crystal Castles on Tuesday night June 10, 2008 and they were pretty darn good. It was sort of like weird rave music with a goth singer on acid. The crowd was mostly (but not entirely) young. They had a strobe light going the whole time, which made watching the show tedious at times. They played a very short set; it was less than an hour and they didn’t do an encore, even though the audience was going ballistic. It was a strange and unusual sort of ripoff. I think the audience was just getting warmed up for an all night dance party and then, at around 10:30, their dreams were shattered when the lights came on and the techs started taking down the equipment.
Yes, I went to the reunion show of Swervedriver down here in Los Angeles at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. Unfortunately we arrived too late to see Film School, but we saw the whole Swervedriver set. I have to say that it took them a few songs to really get things going, and they certainly did. It seemed to me, however, that as soon as they got the wah-wah shoe-gazing groove going, they were saying “good-night.” Then they did a short encore that was really mellow, leaving with a slow song that left us feeling like we didn’t get a proper ending. It true, when the curtain came down, people were looking around in confusion. I spoke with some people in the lobby afterward and they all said the same thing as I was feeling. To their credit, Swervedriver played a lot of the songs I wanted to hear and their music sounded good. They certainly switched guitars a lot. All and all it was a good show, but I wish they had played longer and ended with a more rockin’ tune.
Yeah, so I’m in Los Angeles taking a nice (and well needed) vacation. I went to a cool show last night that I thought I’d share my experience. I saw Ladytron last night at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. It was pretty cool. The opening band was Data Rock and though I’ve heard of them, I had no idea what to expect. They were funny - in a sort of ridiculous way - and they played a wide variety of stuff. Much of their music was indie rock, but they were having fun doing it and not trying to adhere to any fashion or popular ideas - at least none that I could detect. Ladytron came on next (and last) and they were pretty damn good. They were a six piece instead of a four (added a drummer and a bass player) and it worked. The two lovely female singers were belting out the tunes and chatting with the audience. I dug it. I was expecting them to play only newer stuff but they surprised me by playing a lot of their older tunes. I admit that some of the songs didn’t sound as good to me live, but it didn’t matter because I was having a great time being there and enjoying the music. After the show we went to a late night restaurant called Fred’s (or Fred 82) in Silverlake which is a haven for hipsters. What else to say? Nada.
Last Friday I dropped by Amoeba to pick up a gift certificate for a friend of mine who graduated college - DJ Nobody from KUSF - and I saw that the Dirtbombs were playing for free. Since I already had a ticket to see them that night, I thought I might as well stay and watch them twice. They were cool. They played about 6 songs or so - all from the new record - and the band was interesting to watch. The drummers became more and more complex with each song (there are two drummers) and the “fuzz” guitarist is interesting to watch too.
Then I went to the show later that night at the Independent and it was much better. They rocked me out of my skull. It was crazy. I was dancing and moshing and having a great old time. They played for a couple of hours and did two encores. During the second encore, one of the drummers came out into the audience where I was standing and got us all moshing and moving. It was cool. I highly recommend seeing them live.
Okay, so I have to admit that I was really not sure what to expect with Bob Mould when I went to see h im last Wednesday night (March 26, 2008) at the Great American Music Hall. I mean, I was really into Husker Du, sort of into Sugar (but not much) and I only heard one song from his solo stuff (Black Sheets of Rain or something like that) and it didn’t move me much (but that was a while back). However, someone recently told me that Bob put on a tremendous live show and that I should go see him. So I did. And, by golly, whoever it was that told me that was 100% right! Bob does put on a great show.
He has a very distinct guitar style and it spills out of every song he plays - be it punk, power pop or a gentle ditty. But for this show he mostly rocked. According to the Great American website, Bob Mould is 47 years old, and he looks it: balding and a bit of a grey beard. But he also looks tough, like he could kick your ass without much effort. He moved around the stage calmly with bursts of fast, unpredictable gyrations. The bass player seemed to only come near him when he wasn’t doing a song, probably out of a heightened sense of self-preservation. Bob was the perfect balance of “friendly” and “menacing.” And that’s just what you’d expect from a punk legend.
Bob Mould played a variety of songs, but he seemed to save the most hard rockin’ ones for the end. I only stayed for the first encore (I’m not actually sure there was a second - but the lights didn’t come back on while I was exiting and the crowd was desperate for more), and that was two super rockin’ tunes. I can only guess that the next one blew the roof off the joint.
The band was solid, good drummer, good bassist and a keyboard player that was not very prominent to my ears. I was standing up near the stage and, even though there were VERY tall people standing in front of me, I could see everyone but the keyboard player (no great loss). The only person worth watching, however, is Bob Mould. If you ever get a chance to see him, I highly recommend that you do.
Last night I saw the Boredoms at the Fillmore and it was freakin’ amazing.
I was so tired after not really sleeping too well the night before and getting up at like 4:00 a.m. to do my radio show (6-9) and then going to work the whole day. I got home from a busy work day, took care of some paperwork, had a quick dinner and then jumped on a 38 Geary, getting to the club around 7:45. The first thing I did was check out the stage, which was set up in the middle of the auditorium floor. It was nuts, all drums and guitars mounted to shelving units. It looked like a post-apocalyptic art installation created by someone who found the remains of a semi-destroyed Guitar Center Store.
I went upstairs to the lounge area where I found the KUSF table. DJ Schmeejay was manning the turntables and Jet and Noella were sitting at the merch table. I felt like a zombie standing there, and then Jet invited me to sit in one of the chairs at the table. I managed to sit in that same spot through the first two bands. I wasn’t very chatty, so I just kind of spaced out until it was time for the Boredoms to start. I did see a lot of other KUSF Djs there including Momo, Lenode, Brad, Adam, Nicole, 6th Degree and Cactus.
I went back down to the auditorium right before 10:00 (when the Boredoms were supposed to start) and tried several spots until I hit paydirt with a bench to stand on in the southwest part of the room. The Boredoms came out and walked right past me - and they were all short like me.
The band moved through the crowd solemnly - like a funeral procession or something - and Yamantaka Eye was on crutches. The audience was going crazy with anticipation, but the musicians took their time getting to their positions on the stage. Yamantaka Eye was definitely running the show and he looked like a madman with his long, ratty dreadlocks and wild movements. It was completely dark when they started, Yamantaka Eye was twirling lights and screaming. Then the three drummers kicked in and roller coaster ride began.
How to describe it? A rhythmic frenzy that was one part noise, one part rave, one part acid trip, one part drum circle (but not the lame hippy kind you see at Golden Gate Park) and one part living art performance. The rave part is not like a dance party on ecstasy, but rather my observation and interpretation of the crowd’s reaction. It was fun. It was loud. It was mind bending. It was an intricate wall of sound. It was a visual spectacle. It was menacing. It was entertaining. It was intense.
Afterwards - though my ears were ringing - I returned a phone call to my friend Jamie and had to try to explain the show to her while I walked home. It was about 11:30 p.m. and it was a lovely night for a walk. I thought that I would have trouble falling asleep, but I think I fell almost immediately into a deep sleep until the alarm when off at around 6:15 this morning.
Last night I went to the El Rio to see Dolorata. Dolorata is an all-female garage rock band from the Bay Area - two of the members were previously in the band 4 Non-Blondes.
First of all, my friends flaked on me - I mean they didn’t return two phone calls. So I decided to go it alone and I jumped on the 24 Divisadero bus and rode all the way to Mission and 30th reading my book. Then I jumped on a 14 Mission bus to Precita (pretty interesting reading, eh?).
I got to El Rio at about 9:45 pm and the first band was just doing a sound check. I sat down in a chair on the porch outside in the cold and waited patiently for the show to begin. It started a little after 10:00, and the first band was not very memorable - I can’t even remember their name. It was a duo, both on acoustic guitars with female vocalist singing sappy songs in two chord progressions.
Dolorata came on about 11:00 and they rocked from start to finish. Their songs are gritty, well performed and the musicianship is great. The violin player - who is fantastic and very interesting to watch - uplifts them from a good garage rock band to something sublime or (in the least) it adds a unique twist. I really enjoy their live show, I have seen them twice now. I am curious how their record - which is supposed to come out in the Summer (I think) - will compare. If it is as powerful as their live show I will definitely play it the radio.
The audience was a good crowd and really into Dolorata. I was standing in the back and I see and feel the energy flowing through the place. It was a fun show.
Afterwards, I had an uneventful ride home, following the same path which led me there. The busses were quite empty for a Saturday night at midnight.
I saw the New York Dolls last night. They were good, but the majority of their set was new material and, in my humble opinion (and compared to the old stuff), it sucks. They did, however, play Lonely Planet Boy, Personality Crisis, Jet Boy, Trash, Looking for a Kiss and Babylon that I recall. The new guitar player didn’t really play the Johnny Thunders parts the old way, and that was a let down. I’ll say this: David Johanson’s voice sounds great - but he is thin as a rail, except for his beer belly. I hope I don’t sound too judgmental. Their encore of Personality Crisis was amazing.
I saw an interesting show last night at Café du Nord: Crime, Rock & Roll Adventure Kids and Top Ten. It was a night of surprises, I’ll say that much.
Top Ten came on first and they were good, but not what I expected. The band was interesting to watch, but the lead vocals were too loud. My guess is that when they did the sound check the singer spoke into the microphone, but when they started performing she raised her voice to a significantly higher level.
The Rock & Roll Adventure Kids were a duo (which is not always the case, I have been told) consisting of two brothers, one on drums and the other on guitar. They started sloppy and progressively got better and better. I started out not really liking them and ended up digging them in the end.
Crime came on last and they were cool. They were all wearing black shirts with white suspenders and the lead guitarist had a vampire cape on. They rocked from beginning to end and I was impressed because my expectations were low. They played some covers (I can’t recall what right now) and also some of their great songs such as Hot Wire My Heart and San Francisco’s Doomed. They played a short set (less than an hour), but it was really good. They only did one song for an encore, which pissed off the audience. I wasn’t planning on staying for the whole set because I was tired, but I ended up staying because their energy was infectious and crowd was going wild.
Right on.