Two Towns From Me

BLIND PILOT.

Oh man can I tell you. This show was like three weeks ago and I'm still in awe of it. So a couple Wednesdays ago I drove up to the city with Kirsten and we saw Blind Pilot at the Great American Music Hall. I was pretty familiar with their album, but it hadn't gotten a lot of rotations until the week before, when we had that record rain storm and I realized that they were the perfect music for such weather.

I don't remember the opening band very well, they were called Mimicking Birds and I wasn't very impressed by the clarinet or the female vocalist. Yes, I'm really harsh on lady singers. I'm sorry, I am. But just wait...

So then Blind Pilot came on and it was pure awesomeness. Israel, the lead singer and guitarist, had such a clean, pure voice. The band was super tight, even with six people on stage: the upright bassist (I think his name was Luke), the trumpet/weird acordian thingy guy, the drummer (Ryan, who founded the band along with Israel), the guy on the glockenspiel (or vibraphone?), Israel, and the girl, who played banjo, ukulele, and sang backup. Now this chick could SING. Her voice was the perfect complement to Israel's, and the whole band just melded so perfectly, and cleanly, and the result was this awesome crispness that you don't always get at live shows.

The songs themselves glimmer so prettily, too. They always seem to transition in the right way at exactly the right moment, and there's this poetry behind them that hits you really quickly, right behind the eyes. It's kind of the same aching beauty as Iron and Wine, but more upbeat.

The crowd was totally digging it, too. There was a section on the right side of the floor that the banjo girl referred to as "the Portland yellow pages," which I guess meant they were a bunch of friends from Portland, since that's where the band is from ("well, we don't own a house there but our mail goes there and a lot of our friends live there," said Luke the Bassist).

There was also a guy behind us who kept whooping at the band. We talked to him before the show, actually, because we were trying to figure out how to get closer to the front, and he was encouraging us to go forward, like "I've seen these guys twice before and they're AWESOME, you're going to love them." He was right, and also definitely a leader in getting the encore going.

The band played all the songs from their album, and they tuned a lot in between. You could tell they felt kind of awkward about it because there was a lot of silence and giggles from them as they tuned. But it was cute and you could definitely hear the reason for the tuning when they started playing again. Before he started "3 Rounds and a Sound," Israel went up to the mic and was like, "I wrote this song when I had just broken up with a girl and was really torn up and broken hearted about it. And now people play it - pretty frequently - at their weddings." Everyone laughed and as he said it I knew what song he was talking about. Hearing them play that song live earned the price of the ticket right there. It's so beautiful and sad and - to use a Salinger word - heartrending.

Then as their encore they played a song called "We Are The Tide" which featured the girl banging on steel drums and this awesome build up. Oh! Also, earlier in the night they did a cover of Gillian Welch's "Look At Miss Ohio" that was absolutely marvelous. Check it.

The night was amazing and it was worth driving a little more than two towns from me and working the next morning on only three hours of sleep to hear them.

But then, of course, I realized they were playing in Santa Cruz the next night, so I dragged Brittany along with me to the Rio Theater and we caught the last half of their set the next night. It was just as beautiful but the crowd was radically smaller and less energetic. It was cool though because they actually came out afterwards to the merch table and I got to talk to the girl and the bassist for a second. Such sweet folks!

See this band if you get the chance. And look up their album. And that should sell you on the whole thing.

Monster of a Night

MONSTERS OF FOLK.

So this morning has been insanely stressful, but in spite of all the weird worrying I've been doing, I'm still determined to record what my experiences at each concert I attend have been. So...

Treasure Island was a pass this year, mostly because yesterday I had the Monsters of Folk concert and it just wouldn't work logistically - at least, not if I wanted to see MGMT and Passion Pit, who I was most excited about - because the festival doesn't end until like 11pm and Monsters started at 8. And then I have work this afternoon so it was a no go on the Flaming Lips day. Also I'm trying to save money (ha!).

So Brittany and I got to the Fox Theater at around 7:30. The hipsters were swarming and the creepers of Oakland were ogling. Walking down the alley towards the theater we passed their two tour buses, which were protected by an iron fence and a big bouncer dude who probably works as an amateur wrestler on the side. I sort of gasped when we passed the buses and would have suggested staking them out for a minute, but Big Mike or whatever the bouncer's name was just kind of glared at us, clearly used to this reaction and somewhat amused, but also annoyed. So left leg, right leg, one leg at a time we kept on walking... until we got to the theater.

That place, first of all, is this really wonderful mix of art deco and Indian kind of style, with ornately patterned ceilings lit with purple lights, these golden ikons on each side of the stage, and (in a feat of engineering genius) these little floor vents that sent just enough chilly air up to those of us in the sweaty crowd. We spent the time before the set just admiring everything and trying to ignore the couple behind us, since the man was totally evoking an Annie Hall "excuse me, you know nothing of my work" kind of moment. WHY does that always happen to me at all the best shows??? Ugh this guy was at least better than the dude in front of me at The Dead Weather... but let's focus here, right people?

So finally they started playing behind the curtain and everyone started cheering but it was really frustrating because they clearly weren't playing any real song but they just let the build up go on for so long... and then the plush red curtains drew back and there they were, the four gentlemen of Omaha, Portland, and Kentucky, plus a drummer who was just so a part of it all. They were all wearing suits, and M. Ward looked kind of like either Mr. Toad or a Victorian doctor. Mike Mogis is so adorable! People kept cheering for him, which I love - when people acknowledge the silent genius behind it all - and he just sort of held his hand up in a wave with a smile. They started with "Say Please" and then I think it was "Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.)" and I was put into a trance right there. I mean I almost cried when Jim and Conor sang their Dear God verses. And then M. Ward did some of his songs - I really appreciate the depth of his voice, but personally his music doesn't really reach me in a very striking way - and then they did a couple more of their Monster stuff, and then Jim did a few My Morning Jacket songs, including "Look At You" which was really beautiful. Also, M. Ward sang backup on "Wonderful (The Way I Feel)," and it was just so simple and warm, like your mom's grilled cheese. Well, see for yourself. Vocally, there is just no question that Jim is The Man. His range is ridiculous.

So then they flipped back to some more Monsters songs, and after that Jim, Matt, and the drummer disappeared and I was so excited to see Mike Mogis and Conor together, alone, on stage. They started with "Lime Tree," even though the guitar intro definitely sounded like "When the President Talks to God" (Brittany thought so too when I asked her later). He did a couple of earlier songs and then it was back to the whole band.

A few things here. I loved how each man got to shine some light on his own work, and to focus on whatever he wanted, old or new. I loved how they worked with each other, so one Jim song was sung with the drummer on backup vocals and the next was with Matt. I loved how I kept thinking they were gonna focus on one of them too much and then they didn't. I loved how the crowd was excited for every song. I loved how every time they did a Monsters song it was with all of them on stage. I loved how Conor and Matt both played keyboard when they were needed, and how Conor played bass even though you could tell he wasn't the most comfortable with it. I loved how Mike Mogis played the triangle. I loved how Jim sang when the spotlight was on him, and when it was off how he sang just as amazingly. I loved it when Conor took of his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves like things were getting serious. They were.

A definite musical highlight for me would be the three songs from I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning that Conor and Mike played. They did "At the Bottom of Everything" (without the intro) and "We Are Nowhere and It's Now" first. Towards the end of the encore Conor went over and playfully straightened Mike's tie - it was so cute, and from their interactions you could see how long and how well they know each other. And then as one of the last songs the whole band kicked out a fantastic rendition of "Another Traveling Song." Conor was jumping up on the drum kit and they were all trading guitar riffs and it was just euphoric. The last song of the encore was "His Master's Voice," and even though that song doesn't do that much for me on its own, they just really made it shine.

Also, "Temazcal" makes me shiver, and did even more so live.

After a solid three hours of this unrelenting rock-out session, they finished their encore and the curtain drew closed. And then it opened and they took a bow and waved and were so gracious. Photos weren't allowed, but everyone seemed to be sneaking a few, so I risked it, but only during the last few songs when I felt less in jeopardy of being thrown out. I always feel really torn about taking pictures; I want to have documentation of this fabulous experience I'm having, but I also want to keep the focus on the experience instead of on documenting it. The nice thing about the picture ban was that I wasn't constantly having to duck below people's cameras just to see the stage. But there were a few moments that I wish I could have captured. Oh well, hopefully there will be something official online or something.

We filtered out with everyone else, I took a picture of the marquis, and as we turned the corner we once again headed past the tour buses and Big Mike. There was this couple lurking over there, seemingly waiting for the Monsters to leave their cave, and in a sudden rush I realized it was Alicia of Audrye Sessions and her boyfriend Scott, who basically is the band Poor Bailey. It was trippy to see them but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to seem like a stalker (which is kind of ironic, if you think about it, because they were definitely acting like mega-stalkers themselves). Then this homeless dude followed us to our car and spit on the passenger window because we wouldn't acknowledge him (gross). I had a random mix playing in my CD player, and as we drove down the alley back towards the theater, the song changed. And right when we got to the tour buses a Poor Bailey song started playing really loud in my car. Ha ha I wonder if Scott heard it and was like, "hey, that's me!" It was just funny because it was so unintentional.

Anyway, it was an amazing three hours of music and I am just so grateful that these guys decided to hang out and jam together all those years ago. And I'm pretty much resolved to see each of them live whenever I can, from now on.

Especially Jim, who I am pretty sure silently stole the night away with his honeyed howls.

All in all, I don't think I could find a better way to spend 45 dollars in one place.

Dear Monsters of Folk (Sincerely JEI)

Wilting from a week without music... until SATURDAY, the day when I get to see my beloved Conor Oberst along with three other madly talented men at the Monsters of Folk show in Oakland. So excited... and trying to convince myself that a last minute trip to Treasure Island would NOT be a wise decision, despite the fact that I have the whole day off and could head to Oakland for the MOF show after a day of MGMT, Passion Pit, The Limousines, and many others. No, I have to save money. I have to conserve. I have to... see if I can convince Brittany to go.

Anyway, on the live music schedule for the week:

Friday: A coworker's friend's band is playing at The Crepe Place and she really wants me to go, so if I get off of work in time I'll probably scoot on over...

Saturday: Treasure Island (?), MONSTERS OF FOLK

A week from today: Blind Pilot

Good stuff, good stuff.

So the point of this blog is for me to record my experiences of the live shows that I attend, mostly so that I don't forget those little details that you pay the $14 at the door for in the first place. Like how Bryan from Scissors for Lefty jumped up on a table while singing "Wandering Arms" and your friend folded up a dollar and stuffed it in his pocket. Like how Jenny Lewis forgot the words to "Sing a Song for Them" and you helped her out with the lyrics. Like how three vodka cranberries highlight the enormity of emotions in the Cold War Kids' "Every Man I Fall For."

Anyway, I don't want to forget those details anymore. So here comes the record...