I'm Writing This To You In Reverse, You Are My Coffee SPOON, Welcome To The Crowd

BAH! I've been so delinquent in keeping this updated. I've been getting my live music on like no other in these past couple weeks. I have more updates, but for now:

BFD
Shoreline Amphitheater.
Sunday, June 6.

Ugh. It was HOT HOT HOT. I felt ANCIENT. It was $13 for a BUD LIGHT. WTF? Who pays $13 for a Bud Light???
The Temper Trap was good, and everyone knew that one song that always reminds me of Joseph Gordon Levitt, and it was a nice surprise how much I liked the rest of their music. Subsonic tent was like stepping into a gas oven, so we only managed to stay in there for a few minutes at a time. Saw Gaslight Anthem, and I was surprised by how many songs of theirs I knew. Then Against Me played on the opposite stage and we scooched up towards the front to see Spoon. I got to watch Britt Daniel watching Against Me (He later said they were one of the best rock n' roll bands in America today. Hyperbole much, Britt?). One of Spoon's roadies looked exactly like Russell from Almost Famous. Another was wearing a shirt that read "MERGE is Twenty." We were in the second row. Spoon played old songs, and new songs, and in between songs. They did "The Underdog" and "I Turn My Camera On" and "Got Nuffin." Britt himself was very charming and he remembered the name of this girl in the front row from when she got his autograph earlier in the day. "Jack!" he said, and she grinned for days. I saw Aaron Axelson, Miles the DJ, and DJ Omar lurking on the side of the stage, in the shade. I stopped worrying about reapplying my sunscreen and enjoyed the 40-some minutes of rock.
Then I wilted.
The options were to remain locked in the amphitheater for 4 hours before Matt and Kim came on, spending WAY too much money on half-thawed pretzels and liquified ice cream, or to head home. I voted for home. Britt concurred, so home we went, leaving the dream of seeing both trainwreck Courtney Love and falsified Sublime (with Rome) behind us.
I don't think I'll do BFD again unless they manage to book The Beatles.



Britt setting up for Spoon's set.


Cold War Kids.
Music In The Park, San Jose.
Thursday, June 3.

I almost missed this, because last minute Britt had to back out and then I was super tired when I got home from work on Thursday, and then I finally dragged myself into my car and hopped on 280, which was footloose and traffic free, and then like a nimrod I thought I'd be clever and transfer onto 101 and I hit the kind of stop and go traffic that keeps auto body shops in business. I ended up pulling off the highway and sitting at a Panera Bread (that place is depressing, let me tell you), trying to raise my blood sugar enough to figure out my next move. When I got going again, fueled by iced tea and a margherita panini, lo and behold (as my grandmother would say), the traffic had cleared. So off to see my beloved Cold War Kids I went!
For some reason I had this idea in my head (and I can't get it out....) that this would be some small little shindig, like the Music on the Greens thing I went to in Central Park in Davis a couple of years ago. Um, Jess? San Jose is not Davis.
I pulled up to the park and heard "Audience" coming from the stage. I immediately turned my music off and rolled all my windows down to let the loveliness pipe its way into my car. I also immediately parked, not paying attention to the kind of fees I was signing myself up for.
The park was huge, and people were meandering all over, and I had to sort of Sacajawea my way through all the drunks in order to get close to the stage. I ended up on the side of the stage (the musicians' right side), right in front. As I walked up they were playing "Dreams Old Men Dream." They went on to play a majority of songs from Robbers and Cowards, plus a few from Loyalty to Loyalty. They focused on the crowd pleasers, which makes sense for that sort of crowd. At the beginning of "Something Is Not Right With Me," Nathan goes, "C'mon San Jose, party with us," and everyone started jumping and clapping. They finished the set and some dude from the radio station pumped up the crowd to chant for an encore. I could see the guys chilling in the tent behind the stage, and I could tell they were going to come back. They did, for a rendition of "We Used to Vacation" and finally "Sermons," which is a song based on Franny and Zooey. Thus it almost makes me cry, especially when heard live.
The sound quality was pretty good and the guys were having fun like always, and they really don't disappoint when it comes to live performances. It was weird to see them alone, because every time I've gone to a show of theirs it's been with someone else who loved them as much as I do. But I'm glad I went, and I hope they come around to SF again soon, obviously. They're always worth the ticket price.



Cold War Kids boys. I really love them.


Lemon Sun. The Soft White Sixties.
The Red Devil Lounge.
Saturday, May 29.

It is a cruel world that makes me choose between an Audrye Sessions show and a Soft White Sixties show (Aren't you guys friends? Can't you schedule your shows so we don't have to choose?), but because the SWS show was in SF and the AS show was all the way in Berkeley, and since I had to work super early the next morning, and since Katrina was more interested in going to the SWS show, the decision was made and the Red Devil Lounge it was.
I was looking forward to the bill, which included Leopold and His Fiction. Their songs have been on Soundcheck recently and I was looking forward to seeing them live, but when we got there, the bill had changed, and they weren't on it. Bummer.
First let me say that the place scores zero points for bar quality. The bartenders completely ignored us for a good five minutes and we had to basically flag one down to get a beer. And it wasn't even busy, they were just too busy flirting with their friends or whatever. LAME.
This guy came up to us at the bar and took pity on us, saying that with how bad his luck was at attracting the bartenders' attention, we would probably get our drinks before him. Weird logic, but something about his presence did help us finally nab one of the bartenders' attention long enough to order a couple of Fat Tires. Ignored By Bartenders man asked us who we were there to see, and I told him the Soft White Sixties. He said Lemon Sun, who were up first, were really good, and from L.A. I decided not to hold that against them. The dude also informed us that, though the Soft White Sixties were headlining, they were actually playing second on a bill that had four bands. "Which is good for me," he said. "Because I'm an old man and have to get home before four a.m." Then he left us with our beers and went back to his wife.
I don't really know what the point of that last paragraph was, but that's what happened.
Lemon Sun started setting up and they were a pretty motley crew. The lead singer had long hair and vertically striped pants. The bassist was about 4'8" and looked like my dad's golf buddy. Same age range and everything.
The music was good. I have since found out that these guys are part of the same scene as Saint Motel, who I saw open for Band of Skulls at the Rickshaw a couple months ago, and Voxhaul Broadcast. I like all of these bands and hope they keep making names for themselves.
The best feeling was when the lead singer looked into the crowd and said, "what's up, San Francisco?" Why would such a thing stand out, you ask? It's just that I've been going to shows in the city for so long, at so many different venues and for so many different bands, and every time they acknowledged San Francisco I would cheer with everyone else because it was the closest thing to their being in my town. But it never felt like mine. Now San Francisco is mine, and it feels so good to be able to include myself as a citizen of this city.
When The Soft White Sixties started setting up we headed up to the front, to the left of that group of girls who always seem to be at their shows, singing along with every song (Side note: I think those girls are awesome and am in no way judging such behavior. I mean, I would be one to talk).
Katrina asked me what my trademark would be if I were a musician and I had no answer. She said she would hire a tiger to attack her face so she'd have a really sick scar to show off. I gave up trying to think of something after that. I mean, that's pretty much the best possible answer to that question, right?
So the set started and it was a party as usual. They have a new guitarist now who was all decked out in early 70's attire, such as a blue and purple tie-dyed shirt, bell bottoms, and sunglasses with one of those gold chains on them to keep them from getting lost. Klassy.
I love this band because their main influence is just so clearly that old soul music that always makes you feel good. They're fun to dance to and they put on a show. They covered "Instant Karma" again, which was fun, again, although I still don't think they know all the words to the song. When they finished the set the crowd demanded an encore, so they came back from the green room and the bassist goes, "Well if you're going to be like that about it..." They had the crowd cheer for Joey, the drummer, who had graduated from culinary school that week. The bassist goes, "and Octavio [the lead singer] just got back from New York City for the first time," and everyone cheered. And then the 70's man said, "well, Ryan [the bassist] just got ENGAGED," and the crowd REALLY cheered for that one. I think the last song they played was "Welcome to the Crowd," and everyone sang along, and it was great fun.
We left after their set because we had buses to catch and I had a job to show up for in the morning. On the way out I passed the bassist from Lemon Sun. 4'8" was a generous estimation.


Lemon Sun.




The Soft White Sixties experiencing instant karma.

Geographer. DJ Aaron Axelson. DJ Omar.
Popscene.
Thursday. May 20.

If it were possible, I would hire Aaron Axelson to follow me around my whole life, DJ-ing. Dancing at Popscene until two in the morning with two of my besties was something close to musical nirvana. Gorillaz, Blondie, Phoenix, Aretha, A-Ha, Passion Pit, Cut Copy. It was like a mashup of all the Radio Soundchecks I've listened to over the years, plus a bunch of '80's and a few Motown classics for good measure. Yes please!



Ueber Creeper photo of Aaron Axelson getting his DJ on at Popscene.

Still I Fall From Grace With This Microphone

BAND OF SKULLS. The 22-20's. Saint Motel.
The Rickshaw Stop.
4/19/10.

Best $15 bucks I've spent in months.

Saint Motel started it out way better than I expected. Kind of that LA, could've been featured on "The O.C." back in the day sort of thing. You know, Bait Shack material. They had a big screen behind them with images projected and that was a nice touch. I bought their EP (titled "For Play," the cheeky bastards) and chatted with them for a minute. They said they're working on an album (Do you like how it seems like lately all I do is badger the bands I like about when they're going to release an album? You do? So do I). I'll definitely keep tabs on them.



Saint Motel

The 22-20's were fun to start out with (I totally called the fact that they were British - something about their hair just spelled it right out), but they got kind of lame as time went on. Their songs were too long and they all sounded the same, and the band itself just had zero charisma. They were all well into their late twenties, and I just kept looking at them and thinking, 'aren't you ready to give up your rockstar dreams by now?' Which is funny, because most bands I love are at least in that age range. I guess the difference is that it just didn't feel too legitimate or something. Like they weren't doing it because they loved it as much as they were doing it to be cool. Give it up, boys.



The 22-20's

We wedged ourselves into the front row for Band of Skulls which was an AWESOME decision. Emma was on my right, playing bass, her arms and hands extremely veiny and strong. Matt was in the back, ignored by most as he drummed away. Russell, with his long, pointy beard, was far on the left. The best moments were when he or Emma would head towards the middle of the stage during one of their solos. For one song they sort of came together (right in front of me!) and leaned against each other, heads down. Very showy, but in a charming way.



Band of Skulls Gettin' Close

They started with "Light of the Morning," then moved on to a song that I didn't recognize but Danielle got excited about, so I knew it was the Twilight song. If you ever want to hear my rant about the evils of Twilight, let me know and I'll treat you to it. HOWEVER, I will say that the soundtrack for the second movie has its strengths, at least as far as artists go. I haven't heard a lot of the songs, actually, but I do like the Band of Skulls song. "Friends," I think it's called.
Before the show Britt and I had been saying (over and over) to each other which song we most wanted to hear. I was obsessing over "Fires," and she wanted to hear "Cold Fame." I mean, so did I, but "Fires" was a wee bit higher on my list, and vice versa. Those were the only two songs from their album that they didn't play back in December, which is why Britt and I were a little concerned about whether we would get to hear them or not.
About four songs in they did a brilliant rendition of "Fires." They followed it up with "Cold Fame." A-MAZ-ING.



Then Russell goes, "we're gonna play a song we haven't done in awhile, but someone asked us to play it and I'll feel bad if we don't. So please forgive us if we blunder."
The drummer pulled out a fancy guitar (apparently it was Russell's, and new, because Russell was like waiting for him to tune it, saying, "it's the first time it's ever been played; you can't play it out of tune"), and they played "Honest" (I call it the Fleetwood Mac inspired song - and I mean that as a compliment).

They performed every song on the album except "Dull Gold Heart," which is the only song I ever skip when I listen to the CD because I'm usually too antsy to get to "Cold Fame." When they did "I Know What I Am" the crowd got predictably and wonderfully rowdy and excited. SUCH a fun song.



After the set we hung around for a bit as almost everyone filtered out to go home. Emma showed up at the bar so I asked her to sign the poster I'd picked up, which she did. "The boys'll be out in a bit," she said, so we waited and they signed it too. They were a little awkward/British, and Russell is SHORT (well, maybe my height or an inch shorter, but it just feels like he should be taller, the way he kills those guitar solos), but it was cool to get a chance to tell them how much we enjoyed the set.
Which I really, really did.

We're Getting On

This is the first post I'll make that's completely unrelated to the live music I've attended.
I'm interning for this really awesome little publishing company called Flatmancrooked, and yesterday we launched this insane, amazing, unprecedented book.
The cover will sprout into a tree if you plant it.
Zero emissions. It's crazy.
You can go to the website and check it out. If you participate in the launch program, you support the author, the publishing company, and you get some special privileges. For the basic launch, you get a copy of the title novella in the plantable book format. If you do the super launch, you get that, plus the book, plus a postcard written to you from the author while he's on tour, plus your name listed in the second edition. Plus a tour poster and some music.
This is such a rad and revolutionary project, and I'm so happy to be involved in even a little part of it.
Check it out!

We All Grow Old, Use Your Life

I've got two shows to write up and another one coming tomorrow. God I love living in this city.

MANATEE. THE SOFT WHITE SIXTIES. THE TROPHY FIRE. RYAN of AUDRYE SESSIONS (sort of with the full band).
Blake's on Telegraph, Berkeley.
4/16/10.



This was Manatee's CD release party and quite a nice line up of Bay Area talent, if I may say so myself. I was excited to see The Trophy Fire, as I've heard a few of their songs (their cover of "White Christmas" on the Foggy Holiday album is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever, insomuch as it makes Christmas music tolerable) and I wanted to hear more of them. It's always nice to hear Audrye Sessions, obviously, and I'd seen Manatee once before and thought they were pretty solid. Danielle and Britt and I were most stoked for The Soft White Sixties, though. They're just so much fun, and their music WILL make you dance.
Ryan from Audrye Sessions was first, and it had been billed as a solo acoustic show, but he actually played with all of the band except Mike, who he said was in London. Alicia didn't play for every song but mostly she was there. And they had a dude playing trumpet and keyboard (at the same time!) who I later found out is named Graham Patzner (he looked a lot like Anton so I'm assuming they're related). The mood was really light and it was a pretty short set, but they played some new stuff that I had heard at Bottom of the Hill and one song that was pretty unfamiliar, but lovely. Very In Rainbows-y. Solid set as always. I talked to Ryan for a minute after the show and he said he thinks he's in this phase of writing prettier songs. I told him I thought the band's sound was maturing, and he said he felt like that was true. I like the prettiness of these new songs, and he said he does too. So I hope the pretty songs keep coming.


Audrye Sessions

The Trophy Fire was up next. There were only three dudes in the band, and they all looked like they could be related. The music was good, not really something I would listen to for a whole album, but definitely good for a song or two at a time. We were enjoying ourselves in the crowd for sure.



The Trophy Fire

The Soft White Sixties started setting up and you could sense that the crowd was getting excited for them. We tried to get towards the front but it was pretty crowded. They played a lot of songs that they haven't yet released, and they were awesome. There's something so retro and soul-ish about their music, something that I don't hear a lot in most bands' influences. I love it. They finished their set and you could tell they wanted to play more, and the crowd didn't want them to go, so they sort of had a mini-conference and then they came back and did a cover of "Instant Karma." I got really excited because a) I love that song a lot and b) White Rabbits did a cover of the same song at the show we saw on my birthday, so it felt kind of like a personal gift. I sang along and everyone was into it and it was an awesome way for them to end their set.



The Soft White Sixties

While Manatee was setting up I found the Soft White Sixties' bassist and told him that they really needed to release an album, and he assured me that they were working on it. Deja vu, because we sort of had the same conversation in November, but oh well. Then he told me I could steal a poster of theirs from the wall and I did. Then I went on to pull one off of the bar and one off of the door to the ladies' room for Britt and Danielle. They were being all shy about it so I just ran up and ripped them down. Reminded me of taking the Live 105 sign at Not So Silent Night last year.
Manatee was up next and I'm bummed to say that I wasn't paying a lot of attention to their set. Britt made the comment that each of their songs is completely different from the one before it, which I guess I could agree with. I did enjoy the set, I just didn't really soak it in the way I normally would.



Manatee

When they finished we hung around for a little while as the DJ started going all dance music-y and the black lights got more intense. People ran down from the bar upstairs. It was a weird kind of party.
Blake's is kind of a strange venue, and all ages shows always have a different vibe than 21+ shows do, but I enjoyed it a lot. I also enjoyed the fact that Berkeley is SO much closer now. It's a little crazy.


JÓNSI.
Amoeba on Haight.
4/17/10.

I walked to this show from my flat (I WALKED TO THIS SHOW FROM MY FLAT). I just strolled right through Golden Gate Park and there it was, in all its Record Store Day glory: Amoeba Records.
I got there around 2 and the show started at 2:30. There were already a pretty good amount of people milling in front of the stage, so I found a spot in the fourth aisle down and tried to save Kirsten and Zack some space (they didn't end up getting there until just after the show ended, so that was unnecessary).
Everyone in the crowd was so friendly. I think it's a comment on the kind of people who are drawn to Jónsi's music, maybe, or maybe its a comment on the kind of people who would go to Record Store Day, or maybe it's a comment on the kind of people who live in San Francisco and frequent Amoeba. Maybe it's a combination of all of those factors. Anyway, people were really chatty and it was quite lovely. The group to my left said they had seen Jónsi the two previous nights, at both the Berkeley and the San Francisco performances. Whoa.
I definitely feel like it was a score to get to see him perform for free, especially when his shows were like $30 at least, but I HAVE heard that they're really amazing, like they have these really intricate sets that do a good bit to enhance the whole experience. If Sigur Rós comes to town someday, I'll probably shell out to see them. But it wasn't in the stars for this week.
The set felt really short, and the fact that I was standing in the CH-DE rock section of Amoeba, with an Amoeba employee standing right next to the stage trying to spot people who were breaking the rules by using the flash on their cameras or taking videos, sending intel into his walkee talkee like some hotshot cop, made it a little hard to immerse myself in the music. Add to that a severe lack of sleep, and the fact that I was REALLY hungry. I just wasn't in the best space to really appreciate the experience.
But even under those circumstances, the music was beautiful. He played with three other members, all of them on acoustic instruments. Jónsi himself was super cute and bubbly, jumping all around and talking in his little Icelandic accent. He thanked us a bunch and seemed really overwhelmed by the size and positive reaction of the crowd. When they finished their set and left the crowd demanded an encore, and when they came back on stage he goes, "Thank you. I was not... expecting... this... so we have not prepared anything, but we can play... one more song." It was so endearing.



Jónsi

I should have bought the record because it was only $13.95 and I could've gotten it signed, but the line was SO LONG. Also, I didn't realize it was so affordable; I just assumed the vinyl would be at least $20. Ah, well. I'll get it eventually.
"Boy Lilikoi" was probably my favorite song of the set, but they were all very simply beautiful and expansive and emotional. With Sigur Rós there are songs that I hear and think, 'I could die to this song' (I've been told that's really morbid and not at all a good recommendation for a song, but I think it's a compliment). Jónsi's solo stuff is a little more light and playful, but with that same sort of soft build that really grabs you in the pit of your stomach.
I feel super lucky to have gotten to see him for free, and I'll try to check him out the next time he comes into the city. He's probably playing right about now at Coachella. As is Thom Yorke. Oh god I can't think about this.
Ha ha, I'm listening to Soundcheck right now and Aaron Axelson just dedicated this [Gorillaz] song to his "fellow Coachella orphans" who were left behind. "It's like me and the janitor here in the studio," he said. I feel your pain, Aaron!
Seriously though, good stuff, San Francisco. Tomorrow is Manchester's own Band of Skulls. I wanna see them in the light of the morning!

My Poor, Bored Eardrums

Darlings, I'm positively wilting from my recent lack of live music experiences.
There are reasons, I can tell you, for the barren weeks that have passed, leaving my eardrums unscathed and un-titillated.
Mainly, I AM NOW LIVING IN SAN FRANCISCO! The past few weeks have been an insane whirling mass of things to do, boxes to pack and then unpack, jobs to find, and life to sort out. But now I'm in San Francisco and believe me, the live music opportunities are pretty much endless here. So basically, prepare for the jump into hyper mode. I have some serious show-going to take care of, now that I'm in the city that spurred my love for live music in the first place (Bottom of the Hill, I'm looking at you).
It breaks my heart a little that Coachella doesn't lie in my immediate future this year, but from a practical perspective it just didn't make sense. Lucky for me, about half of the bands I wanted to see at Coachella are making a point of stopping by this fair and foggy city on their way to Indio.
Which is awesome, but also painful. Tonight, for example, The Dead Weather are playing at The Fillmore. And tomorrow night. And I am not going to either show. Jónsi of Sigur Rós is playing in Berkeley tonight. I am not going. Passion Pit, MGMT, and Portugal.The Man have all made pit stops over the past week. BAH HUMBUG. I'm being practical, spacing it out, planning my time and money as responsibly as I can.
I got some insider information, too.
Mainly, Mr. Jónsi of Sigur Rós is NOT ONLY playing two shows in a row, but on Saturday, which happens to be RECORD STORE DAY (is it planned on this weekend deliberately as a kind of parting gift for those of us who couldn't go to Coachella? Side note: when I was little and watched Wheel of Fortune with my Grandma, I always thought Pat Sajak was saying "Party Gift" and I pictured things like Pin the Tail on the Donkey kits and those ugly cone hats with the uncomfortable strings that go around your chin, and I thought how cheap the Wheel of Fortune people must be to give their contestants such lame ass gifts), he is playing a FREE IN STORE CONCERT at Amoeba on Haight St. Free music? Yes please! In the Haight? Even better. Oh, and I can WALK to Amoeba in about 20 minutes, taking a shortcut through Golden Gate Park? Um, okay. This is my life?
I hope Jónsi's not too emotionally distraught about the volcano in his homeland to play, though. Poor Iceland is going through some rough times.
Anyway, look forward to some new posts over the next few days. Friday I've got a show in Berkeley, Saturday is the Record Store Day extravaganza, and Monday is Band of Skulls (!). SWEET.
In the meantime, I think tomorrow I'll wander through the city looking for Jack White. Hopefully my hair is red enough that he would actually be willing to let me have his autograph. That'd be all that I needed.

Where Your Shadow Goes When You're Asleep and Each Heart Beats In Symmetry

AUDRYE SESSIONS. DAVE SMALLEN. POOR BAILEY.
Bottom of the Hill. 3/13/10.

also

AUDRYE SESSIONS. WORKER BEE. ACID TAPESTRIES.
The Crepe Place. 3/12/10


Yeah, I saw Audrye Sessions two nights in a row. Which pretty much equals bliss for me. Seriously, watching my favorite live band two nights in a row, without even needing to make a long drive out of it (obviously the Crepe Place is close, and I was going to San Francisco on Saturday anyway) equates to a great weekend, no matter what. I bought the ticket to Bottom of the Hill way before they announced the Crepe Place show - and what a bill, with Dave Smallen and Poor Bailey too. I mean, that is some solid Bay Area talent right there. So yeah, I was looking forward to that one for a while.

I'm gonna say this: sonically, the Bottom of the Hill show kicked the Crepe Place's ass. Experientially, the Crepe Place beat SF.

We got to the Crepe Place in the middle of the first band's set. I guess that was Acid Tapestries. The lead singer's voice was kind of annoying so Danielle and I basically ignored the music and observed the weird black and white Godzilla rip off movie that was playing above the bar. The members of Audrye Sessions were already there, chilling on the other end of the bar, so I went over to say hi and tell them how happy I was that they were playing in Santa Cruz. Ryan, the lead singer, was so friendly and sincere. I think the thing about most of their shows in the Bay is that they're sort of surrounded by their friends and it's hard to get a chance to say more than, "awesome show!" This show gave me the opportunity to really talk to them.
The second band, Worker Bee, was better than the first, but I honestly don't remember much about them. I think they're local, so that's cool.
When they finished their set, we sidled up to the front and stood right in front of the microphone. The Crepe Place is so weird because there's no stage, so if you're in the front row you're really right up in the musicians' grills. But I was actually pretty stoked about that this time.
They started with a bunch of new stuff, Ryan on the keyboard. The other thing is that they're back to their old drummer Alex, who was their drummer back when I first saw them years ago. Oh the mystery - what happened to James?
Ryan took up the guitar and they played some more new ones, including "Hands Full," which just hits me so hard. I love it.
They were sort of disorganized and arguing over what to play. I really liked that atmosphere. It was so relaxed. At one point you could see them discussing which songs to play and Alicia was looking unhappy. Ryan's like, "Alicia's pissed at me. She's always pissed at me." Finally they decided on "Where You'll Find Me," and Ryan's all, "does anyone know what this song's about?" and I was like, "Well, there are a bunch of Beatles references." He asked if I knew what references, so I said, "'The Fool on the Hill' and the Walrus," and he goes, "and 'the girl's eyes will blow your mind,' and I was like, "yeah. 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds.'" He said he was impressed, and Mike goes, "Sounds like someone's been reading Wikipedia". They played it but his mic got turned down or something so it was sort of hard to hear. Then they did "Turn Me Off," which they said they hadn't rehearsed, but it sounded good. And we badgered them to play more, so they did this slow one with Mike on piano and Ryan singing, no drums or bass at all. Alicia was like, "don't play that! It's boring!" Ryan said, "Alicia doesn't want us to play this one, but her boyfriend wrote the lyrics, so you'd think she'd be like, 'Yeah! This song's awesome!'" The boyfriend to whom he was referring was Scott of Poor Bailey, who is a pretty amazing lyricist. It's funny to know that he wrote the lyrics, because I can't imagine him singing the song the same way.
Anyway they finished their set (it went so fast!) and I ran to the restroom. Mike was standing in line for the men's room when I came out so I just told him what a great show it was and he was very gracious. Kristain told him I hadn't found the lyrics on wikipedia, and he was like, "Yeah, I know. That stuff's not even on Wikipedia." Ryan came over and was really sweet and inclusive. I told them how long I've loved their music. I was probably gushing. Eh, well. What are you gonna do?
Kristain decided she wanted another beer so we sat at the bar for a little while. Ryan came over to us and was hanging out with us while the rest of the band loaded up in the van to leave, I guess, because they started honking. Ryan's like, "What do you think that means?" and I said, "I bet it means, 'Ryan get your ass in the van before we leave without you,'" and he seemed to think I was right because he dashed off.
I looooved getting the chance to talk to the band, and hear so much new stuff, and it just felt like everything aligned perfectly. Seriously, the Crepe Place is quickly becoming my new favorite venue.




Audrye Sessions
The Crepe Place


BOTTOM OF THE HILL.

I got to the venue right at the end of Poor Bailey's set. I was disappointed to miss them, but oh well. Ryan and Mike were both playing as a part of his band, it seemed.
Then Dave started setting up. He played a pretty familiar set, and it was really enjoyable because the crowd was so into it and a bunch of people were singing along and everyone "sha la la" -ed to "I Think It's Getting Better." Dave was in top form, saying how he was sharing the stage with a bunch of his best friends, and that he felt like he knew everyone in the audience. The backup band was the same as the one from his album release back in November, I think. They called themselves "The Serious Commitments." Cute.
Audrye Sessions followed with a set that was almost exact to the one from the Crepe Place, with the added quality of a real venue's sound equipment, a cellist, trombone player, trumpet player, and Scott from Poor Bailey noodling on various instruments. They sounded amazing and I just can't get over the fact that they are always developing into something better than they were. They were really good three years ago. They're maturing into a more interesting sound, though. It seems like there's more collaboration going on.
I basically can't wait until they release something new.
The crowd was totally electric and it was clear that I'm not the only one who gets how wonderful they are. We all clapped along to "Turn Me Off" and demanded an encore (the same slow song that Mike and Ryan played last at the Crepe Place). Before the encore they finished with a song called "Bad Day" ("about a bad day," Ryan said), and the crazy thing about that song is that it starts out really quiet and slow and sad and then swells into this expansive, melodic force. It's something to witness, trust me.
After the show I went over to say hi to Dave, and after awhile I found Ryan and got to chat with him for a minute. I so admire them for doing what they love, and for doing it well, and for knowing who they are. It shows in their music and in their live shows. I hope it never diminishes. I don't see how it could.



Dave Smallen and the Serious Commitments
Bottom of the Hill





Audrye Sessions
Bottom of the Hill

I Never Felt Gray, Even On A Rainy Day

DAVE SMALLEN. KEVIN SECONDS. KEPI GHOULIE. GREG ATTONITO.
The Crepe Place. 02/21/10.

Like I said before, someone at The Crepe Place is kicking some major music booking ass. How excited was I that Dave Smallen was dropping by our little town by the sea? Pretty excited, because I have travelled up to San Francisco and the East Bay a time or two to see him, and it was SO nice to just have to go a few freeway exits to see him perform.
I really wanted to help fill the place up, and a bunch of friends did come, because they are awesome and also because they knew the Bouncing Souls, so the incentive was doubled. Kirsten even drove down from Union City, which was most certainly a barge. I'm glad she did because no one can quote Arrested Development with me quite like my old roomie.
Dave was first and as soon as he got up to do his set I grabbed Danielle and Brittany and we went up front. It was pretty early and not very packed and we were definitely the only ones in the audience who were familiar with his songs. I decided almost right away that I was just gonna rock out with it, because you can only worry about people judging you for so long. He was singing the upbeat songs, too, so I was not just gonna stand there with my arms across my chest, nodding my head with the beat. He played this song, which is lovely. Kristain came up and joined us and we were all really enjoying it. I sort of sang along with "With the Sky All Blue" and as he was singing Dave noticed me singing along and kind of laughed. Hey, your songs are good and they make me happy, so I'm gonna sing along. Then as his last song he did "I Think It's Getting Better," which is one of my favorite driving songs of 2009, and before he sang it he was like, "There's a little part where I'm gonna need your guys' help. It goes 'sha la la la...'" and he looked over at us and was like, "I think maybe you guys know it already," and Kristain goes, "Yup. Seen you once or twice before, no big deal" in her funny Kristain way. We sang along and it seemed like by the second round of sha la la's some of the people at the bar and in the audience were singing along too. That song just makes me smile!

As the next guys went on I hung back with my friends and talked to Dave for a minute. It was cool to chat because I really have so much respect for him and that whole group of Oakland musicians who basically introduced me to how great live shows can be (so long ago...). I also told him that "America" was really meaningful to me and how grateful I was for it. He said he wrote it in 2006, and I think my response was "that sounds right." What I meant was that 2006 was the year that I started to get really angry about the way this country was headed, and it was also the year that I really started paying attention to what it meant to be American - the good things and the bad. Some of that probably has to do with the fact that I went abroad in 2006 and spent the last four months of the year learning about what Europeans thought of Americans. But anyway, I was incredibly grateful to get to talk to him a little bit about his music and just to let him know that it really means something to people. I mentioned that I thought it was great that he's done as much as he has so far and he said that with the record industry on its way to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean everything is pretty unstable for musicians right now. "But I'll always do it," he said, and I could totally relate because it's how I feel about writing: it's not what I do, it's who I am, and if there were no more publishing companies on the entire planet I would still be writing. That's how I relate to it, anyway.

The third band came on and they were pretty entertaining. Kristain wanted to dance so we went up and enjoyed the music. They went a little bit country towards the end, but we appreciated the Smurfs references (they had a song called "Hair of Gold, Skin of Blue").

The last band had the frontman from the Smurfs band playing the drums. There were two vocalists (a girl and a guy) and the girl had a really nice voice. My favorite things that happened while they were singing were: Lindsley singing along to their songs, and when they did a really nifty cover of "Livin' On A Prayer," a song that I love with little to no apology.

We finished up the night at Saturn Café, which is always a good decision when it's almost midnight on a Sunday. Most excellent night, I'd say.







Dave Smallen







Kepi Ghoulie