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Went to Rickshaw Stop last night and for the cost of a couple of beers, saw Back Door Slam which is this trio of kids from the Isle of Man who play amazing blues rock, reminiscent of SRV or perhaps John Mayer.
It's notable that the main dude, Davey Knowles, aside from being one of the most amazing guitar players I've ever seen, has this deep baritone, bluesy voice that belies his young age of 19 (maybe 20...he wasn't old enough to get served in the bar at least).
There's a ton of youtube footage of these guys around, but I also managed to upload a few videos that I took myself. It's just too much fun listening to this guy play and sing. Pretty nice and humble as well. Damn shame I missed him last month at the Utah...
There are other pics and video snippets as well, but I must apologize, but it seems as if vox limits uploads of videos to 50meg :(
Met up with glee and Justin to check out Van Hunt at the Independent on Thursday nite.
Justin was just in for the pre-show cocktails and so glee and I carried on to a show of someone neither of had ever seen. I kind of like going into new bands live before I hear recorded stuff. Kind of like wanting the recorded music to remind me of how cool their stuff is live rather than 'concerts' that try and replicate their albums.
Amazing good time. I don't see too much new music out there (is it just me?) in the funk/rock musical vein. Think of music influenced by Prince, Marvin Gaye and the Meters. So, basically, I want more :)
Hell...here are some video snippets to check out for yourself:
Great show last night! I figured out that it was somewhere between my 20th and 30th time seeing them live, and that the first time was over SEVENTEEN years ago. Jeez! Highlights:
- Full horn section for about a third of the show. These guys were awesome, and the amount of righteous wailing that took place during Istanbul was enough to practically knock me over. They also ripped through an amazing rendition of Doctor Worm, also utilizing the infamous confetti cannons (there are two now), which had previously been used mainly for James K. Polk (which was also played). I was bummed that they didn't play No One Knows My Plan, because that would have been killer with the horns, as would have been The Guitar, which I've almost never seen them NOT play.
- Mr. Me. I don't think I've ever seen them play it before.
- Ana Ng. I think maaaaaaybe I've seen them play it once or twice, but certainly not for a long time.
- Istanbul (Not Constantinople). As I said, the horns really blew up for this song. They started with a really long intro featuring just them, and then quickly built it up. The crowd was clapping and stomping so hard that it looked like the stage lights were just going to fall over. Reminded me of the time I saw the Pixies at the University of Arizona Ballroom and a huge crack developed down the middle of the floor from the crowd jumping up and down in unison.
- Finally heard them play a "Venue Song" about a venue that I'd not only seen them in, but was currently standing in.
- "Phone Calls From The Dead". No need for explanation.
- Looking around the room and marveling at the sheer volume of nerd sex that would be taking place later in the evening. I'll bet if you did a proper study, you'd find that the average child born in any given city nine months after TMBG plays there is smarter and/or has less social skills.
- It's Not My Birthday, followed later by Older. Genius.
- She's An Angel. Still one of my top favorite TMBG songs.
First of all, this was my first show at the Fillmore, and it's a great venue. We spent quite a bit of time just staring at all of the various posters. :)
Now, onto the show!
The Openers: Eisley
I'd heard of Eisley before, but had never seriously listened to them, despite the recommendation Carrie sent a while back. Seeing them live was a great introduction to them! I really am a sucker for harmonies, and they always stand out so much more when you hear them live.
This band is from Texas and has been around since 1997. Here's their own description of their sound:
Sounds like: a kind woods troll who was kicked out of his evil hovel (insubordination)... and, while wandering about the forest floor, he stumbled upon the one and only, very Keebler Elf tree. He knocked and knocked, but only heard a shout from above:"hey...don't you know there are grizzly's out there?" and just threw him a mint chocolate cookie. Afer eating the cookie, he felt safe...so he sojourned on - deep, deep into the forest where he wallowed out a beautiful little home (a pine bed for slumbering); but rest assured, he always kept his GrizBlade 6000 zirconium coated machette blade beside him...just in case ole Grizz came a paw-flashin' in the night. "with lightbulbs in our pockets, we light the darkened forest".
Here's some footage of one of my favorite songs from the concert last night:
The Main Event: Mute Math
Hell no! It seemed Mute Math put the poppiest songs in the beginning on purpose, leaving them time for the more chill songs that turn into 10 minute jam sessions in which everyone is switching roles and playing homemade instruments and doing head stands and handsprings off piano's and jumping from the highest thing they could climb up on.
In short, it was awesome.
Mute Math's description of themselves:
The four piece (originating from New Orleans) has scattered influences that are apparent without being obvious, and touch on everything from DJ shadow styled beats, moments of beauty and grandeur a la Bjork, and vocals that pay legitimate homage to Police-era Sting. When asked about this vast expanse of musical territory that we are asked to find them dwelling within, Meany replied, "I blame it on the past forty years of music". They act on the idea that their magic is to be found in the mixture of countless thoughts. Their live show thrives on this random energy too involving homemade instruments, live sampling, a junked-out keytar, and the kind of freak-outs that keep any given performance worth the price of admission.
Onto the videos! Here's a video of the intro with all the flashing lights:
And one of the closing song. You see that instrument the frontman is holding? Yeah, he made that. And yes, the audience plays it.
Once I split the Break the Same video into parts (it's too big) I'll post that too. Also, they played a new song: Clockwork, and I have the video of that too. :)
To view everything I have up so far, check out this collection:
Going to see these guys tomorrow night.
Here's a clip of them performing semi-live on jimmy kimmel...backwards.
Yeah, you heard me. Watch it.
Your Favorite Shirt had a fantastic debut at Blondie's last night. The boys sounded great – it was wonderful to see them out there gigging again!
Earlier in the evening, we listened to Paperclip play a set – they are from Denver Colorado, on their first West Coast tour.
We're going with the Sommers to Stern Grove this Sunday! Love the idea of spreading out on a mat with a picnic, enjoying wine, and listening to music with friends.
Details: Os Mutantes and Los Amigos Invisibles are playing at Stern Grove this Sunday, July 15. Check out link to hear their music.
The concert last night was *amazing.* Beautiful day, beautiful venue, beautiful artists.
The opener was Ceu, from Brazil. She had kind of a jazzy, samba-y, afrobeat feel to her. Very chill and very relaxed. We bought her CD, as well as two copies of Rodrigo y Gabriela.
Unfortunately, almost all of the videos I took of Rodrigo y Gabriela are too big to upload, so you'll have to deal with this one. I'm telling you, words cannot express how awesome these two are. If you *ever* get a chance to see them in person, take it. I promise you, you will not regret it.
I believe these two have the potential to single handedly introduce an entire generation of people to honest talent and instrumental genius. This is a far cry from the manufactured pop that most people listen to today. But it has an appeal that I think transcends all age brackets and all genres. Absolutely incredible.
The energy was fantastic. Everyone was excited and cheering, and there wasn't an empty seat in the house.
I really wish I could share more of the video I took, but this is all that would fit. I even have one of Rodrigo playing Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here with a beer bottle! This video is rather pitiful, but at least you get the idea.
I hope you like it!
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes were pretty awesome tonight. I can't recall the last time I saw Fat Mike that sober. They still forgot how to play the songs and Spike forgot a lot of the words, but they rocked it hard anyway, and played a lot of my favorites. Super gigantic thanks to Barry for the guest list hookup and letting me watch the show from the sound booth, which offered the best view in the house and the best sound as well. There were beers as well, which was a little sad because I forgot to eat dinner. I grabbed a blueberry muffin from the store across from the club, and ate that just now, and I'm gonna drink a big ol' glass of water, so I can be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a very special someone's birthday tomorrow today.
So, thank God for Aaron Axelsen, and that wonderful Soundcheck he hooks up at Live105.
I was recently complaining to a friend of mine that I needed some new synthpop. However, I happen to be somewhat picky when it comes to such things. It's probably unfair to say I like synthpop, when really if a song incorporates a synthesizer, I tend to be pleased. Even AFI's Love Like Winter made a fan out of me just because of one little bit of synth in it. Which is unfortunate, considering the epically bad turn that group has taken. Whatever happened to East Bay Hardcore?
So, what do I like when it comes to the synth-driven sound? First out the door is Depeche Mode, but that's just cheating. If you don't like them, then you probably just don't like the genre. Others high on the list are Apop, Shiny Toy Guns, Ladytron, Fischerspooner, I believe you get the idea.
If you like those guys, check out Client. Hopefully I'll be able to get my ass over to Popscene to see them.
Anybody else out there like synthpop enough to hit the city with me and see them?
