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

I Been Drinking To My Own Health Again

Jason Boesel (with Dawes as backing band). Cory Chisel and His Wandering Sons. Dawes.
The Crepe Place. 2/5/10.

The Crepe Place is kicking some major music-booking ass right now. Par exemplum: Jason Boesel, aka the drummer of Rilo Kiley and member of Conor Oberst's Mystic Valley Band, shows up with these two other excellent bands and they rock the night away.
I mean, I knew of all of these people before seeing them. They were all really fun live. Clearly Dawes was the main draw for most people, but I like the folksy-country twang of Cory Chisel, who is more interesting in person than on his album, and I like Jason Boesel's songs. None of these bands were really earth shattering, but they're all talented and they were having fun and that always rubs off on the crowd.
For Dawes' last song David Rawlings showed up and jumped on stage. I guess he'd played a show at the Catalyst earlier and headed over to the Crepe Place afterwards because he's friends with Jason Boesel and the dudes from Dawes. Actually I was standing right next to him in the crowd for awhile and didn't even realize it. Crazy.
At the end of the night I decided to ask Jason if I could take a picture with him. He was super sweet about it and we talked for a few minutes about his solo stuff and Outside Lands. And then he asked me if I had change for a twenty and I only had eighteen dollars, so he's like, "that's good enough," and I said, "are you sure? I feel like I'm robbing you," and he goes, "no, because you're really helping me out right now and I'm really grateful." So clearly we're now best friends. I have to admit that my aim, at first, was to use him to get to Conor and Jenny (I even tried to look over his shoulder to see if he was texting Conor at one point - I'm such a goddam stalker), but after chatting with him I sort of love him now. So yes, it'd be awesome if he told Jenny she should take me vintage shopping with her, and told Conor that he and I were soulmates. But I'm also just fine with the fact that he gave me two dollars and took a lovely picture with me. That's enough. I won't be greedy in these harsh economic times.





Clearly we are in love.







Cory Chisel and His Wandering Sons


Young The Giant (The Jakes). I the Mighty.
The Catalyst Atrium.

I the Mighty is not my kind of music. There. I said it.
This show was the day after Salinger died so I ordered a rum and coke in Holden's honor and tried to pick out the phonies. Everyone was a phony.
The artists formerly known as The Jakes (now known as Young the Giant) played and it was good. I mean, their music is very likable, and what's-his-face the lead singer has a nice voice, so they are enjoyable. I don't think I'll ever be obsessed with their music, but when they roll into town you gotta take advantage, ya know?
It was a pretty mellow show except that there was this crazy old homeless man who was clearly stoned out of his mind and he started stripping and everyone could see his tanned and tattooed old man body and that wasn't the greatest. At first it was kind of funny, but then...
All in all, this was a fun but pretty uneventful show.







Young the Giant







Young the Giant with Crazy Stoner Dude

Audience of One

COLD WAR KIDS. ALEC OUNSWORTH (of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah).
THE FILLMORE. JANUARY 23, 2010.

Have you ever seen Cold War Kids live? Have you seen them from the second row? Have you seen them at The Fillmore?
Do it.
So I had seen Cold War Kids twice before, and at the first show I only knew probably three of their songs. Then last year I won tickets from Soundcheck for a show in April at the Fillmore. By then I knew probably half of their canon of songs. But the quality of their live shows was INSANE. I just remember being totally annihilated by the symphonic noise of their shows. Like they invite chaos in and then somehow get a leash on it and make it do what they want. And the songs know exactly when to twist themselves into something new, and they hit you right in the gut. Brittany says it's like their songs already exist and they are just pulling them out of this place that we all know but have forgotten. I think that's a pretty accurate assessment.

I had been looking forward to this show since I first heard about it back in October. Thank my paranoia that I bought my tickets in November, because man did this show sell out.

And then when Britt and I got there we pushed our way to the front (right when doors opened, way before the music was going) and planted ourselves in the center of the second row.
The second row, you see, is the place to be. No neck aches from craning to see the band's faces, like you get in the front row. A perfect view.

So we got there and finally, after puzzling over which songs they would play (I had woken up with "Mexican Dogs" stuck in my head that morning and hoped I'd get to hear the real thing), the opening band came on. It was one of those side bands created by a bunch of members from other bands, and the main guy was Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. There was also a distinguished, mustachioed fellow who looked just like a younger Inspector Japp (of Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries). The band had a solid enough sound but I didn't like Alec's voice at all - it was that whiny, I'm-intellectual style of singing that just always gives me a headache. I was so anxious for the main event that I didn't really enjoy their performance. Also they kept having technical difficulties and various sound people were trying to fix it onstage, which was just awkward and distracting.
But I will say that I have never been so impressed by a bassist before. That guy could strum.

Finally they left and the anticipation was building. The girl in front of me was all excited because it was her birthday, and these younger guys who were front row, center were plotting how to give Nathan Willet this weird Valentine they had made. One of them grabbed the set list for Alec Ounsworth from the stage. Um, I wasn't jealous.

There were these four t.v. screens set up on the stage behind the band, and during the openers they were just blank and turned off. I started to get really curious about them and then...

It started with Nathan singing, in his thoroughly indescribable voice, "How's it gonna feel when summer ends?" and went uphill from there. The crowd, especially those of us in the first two rows, went nuts. I mean, singing along, dancing, just plain getting lost in it all. The band is so fascinating to watch because it's like they try to create this chaos, but it is theirs. They own everything that goes on on that stage, but barely.
The t.v.s played all these images that sort of matched the songs. For "Coffee Spoon" there was a black and white video of a girl who looked sort of retro. For "Hospital Beds" there was footage from what looked kind of like Vietnam. I don't remember what was playing during "Sermons" because I was too busy singing along.
There is just this magnetic energy running through them that is hard to describe and impossible to appreciate if you haven't seen it. SEE IT.

The boys got their Valentine to Nathan, who was pretty stumped about the whole thing. The girl managed to tell him it was her birthday, so he dedicated a song to her. After playing "Santa Ana Winds," he was like, "That song was about a town south of here, but now I'm gonna play one that's about YOUR town." I flipped through my mental catalog and immediately landed on "Golden Gate Jumpers," whispered the title to Brittany, and the birthday girl heard me and we all shared a moment of appreciation for this band together. Everyone cheered when he said that, but he was like, "Well, maybe you shouldn't cheer for it," and we were like, "Yeah, I guess it IS about attempted suicide..."

They played so much of their catalog and they played for a long time, but it went by so quickly. They didn't play "Mexican Dogs" or "Every Man I Fall For," but I'd seen them perform both before so it wasn't too sad. I swear, when they did "Hospital Beds" and "St. John," it was a religious experience. When it was all over and we were filtering out of the Fillmore, I said to Brittany, "That was like...church." And she shrugged and was like, "Not really. If church was like this, I would actually GO."

Amen.

We Cooked the Tilapia, Mama, Just Like You Showed Us!

Like WHOA.
Having pledged to save my money and limit the amount of shows I attend to perhaps one a month until it seems like I should start going to more, I didn't expect to have very much to add to this little blog for January.
Wrong.

SCISSORS FOR LEFTY, I THE MIGHTY

So first, there was Scissors for Lefty. Bryan very casually announced (via facebook) that, after a very long drought, show-wise, they would be playing at Bottom of the Hill the first week in January. My immediate thought was, "Oh man tell everyone to request Friday night off because we are GOING." But then I discussed the show with said everyone and we came to the (practical, boring) decision to skip this one and be responsible with our lives. I was totally at peace with this (practical, boring) decision when I went and checked my email. I'm on the Scissors for Lefty mailing list, you see, and they had sent out an email saying that the first five people to reply back would get on the guest list for the show. So of course I emailed them, saying "por favor" and all that jazz.
That night Brittany, Danielle and I went to trivia night, and then Saturn Cafe, and while at Saturn I checked my email, which said something along the lines of "sorry Jessica, you didn't make the cut.... BUT we really love you and want you to come so if you do tell the people at the merch table that Bryan has set a new t-shirt aside for you." Okay, they might not have said that they really love me. But it was implied. Anyway, I read the email out loud and Danielle was like, "we HAVE to go," and Brittany was like, "we can go after my shift," and I was like, "you will have to close fast," and it was decided that we would go.
So we left once Britt finished her shift, which was pretty quick for a Friday night, but I think we got on the road around 9 or so. And we got to Bottom of the Hill right at 10:30, which is when Scissors had said they would be going on. But as we got to the door I could hear a very distinctive voice coming through the walls, and was disheartened to see that they were already playing. So we ran up to the front and had to stand on the side of the stage, sort of in front of the bathroom and right along the walkway that everyone was using to get to the bar and back. It sort of felt like the B line Metro in Rome. Which is not a good thing.
BUT it was Scissors for Lefty and things were exciting and we started moving right away. It was an all ages show and it just seemed like there were a lot of high school kids who were either too self conscious or too sober (or both) to let themselves dance like you should for this band. I expressed my concern about the stillness of the crowd and the guy next to me was like, "they should have a thing where the floor opens up and all the people who aren't dancing fall into a pit and can't come out until the end" which was sort of a weird concept but also probably a good idea considering everything.
Anyway we sort of scooted into the front towards the last couple of songs. Bryan was a lot less engaging than usual, which probably had to do with the lameness of the crowd. But he only stepped out onto the speaker once, and he waited until the last song (which was a perfect "Mama Your Boys Will Find A Home") to come out into the crowd. I had tried to plot with the girls to stand on the left side of the floor, because it always seems like that's where he tends to wander, but it was too late for us to make our way over there. It was where Bryan headed, but we weren't there, so we missed out on most of the magic. It felt like such a short set (probably our fault for getting there late, but still) and they just didn't seem as energetic as usual, so it was sort of a let down. Plus, they were actually opening for the next band, who were called I the Mighty, because it was supposed to be I the Mighty's CD release party. BUT, when the I the Mighty dudes got up there, they explained during one of their many technical-difficulties-induced music lapses that they actually didn't have the CD ready and didn't really think they should've followed Scissors. These guys were really young and just didn't seem to have it quite together. The equipment kept failing and they didn't know how to engage the crowd in a way that would keep the whole thing moving. I think it takes awhile for bands to learn how to preserve the crowd's momentum in moments of crisis, but it's really such an important skill (see entry: COLD WAR KIDS).
I the Mighty wasn't really my kind of music, and the crowd by this point was almost completely high school kids. We embraced it though. Sometimes you just gotta rock out with it. Maybe someday they'll grow into their sound, but for now it's all a little bit awkward and predictable.
Then I went to the merch table to get my free shirt and it was SUCH a hassle. C'mon guys, get it together. The girls at the table thought I was lying, or something, and they made me wait until James the drummer came over, even though I had the email to prove that I was supposed to get a shirt. It was kind of annoying. But James was super nice about it. He is SO tall! I'm sure he gets tired of hearing about it, but seriously. He's like 7'2" or something. Part Dutch, obviously.
Anyway, the show was a little lackluster and I think our original impulse to stay home might have been a wise one. I'm hoping they were just getting their sea legs back and that their next shows will have the old spark. And I hope they come back to The Crepe Place!




Scissors for Lefty




I the Mighty and friends

WEST INDIAN GIRL, MOON CADILLAC

Honestly I don't have very much to say about this one. It was a spur of the moment, trivia-night-is-annoying-tonight-what-else-can-we-do kind of decision to go, and it was fun and I'm glad we went. Moon Cadillac had good energy and did a good job of playing the kind of music they play. Sort of a rock-blues something. I don't know. I'm really bad at classifying music genres and we only saw about three or four of their songs so it didn't really stick. But there was potential for sure.
West Indian Girl had three and a half vocalists, and two and a half of those were women, so I was waiting to hear with some trepidation. I know it's awful to be so anti-female-vocalist, but I'm always so picky about them. I think women just have a smaller range of ways to make their voices sound good, whereas men can do all sorts of funky things with their voices to make it work. It's not fair but it's how I feel.
There was some reason for me to be worried, because ehm, these girls were not the prettiest of voiced. Most of the time the sound of their voices worked for the music, even when it really didn't sound pretty, but there were definitely a few instances of screechiness.
The music itself was pretty fun, though. Very 1970's San Francisco. I read later that apparently West Indian Girl is a famous type of LSD, which is really fitting for them. It was all a little psychedelic.
I'm glad I saw them but I'm also glad that it was a cheap, $10 show at The Crepe Place. It was a fun way to spend an evening but nothing really exciting, so that was perfect.

I gotta update on Cold War Kids, but that show is something that I think should get its own post. So that's it for now!

2009 - The Music Was Fine

Thanks to this transition into a new decade, I've been thinking a lot about the shows I attended in 2009. I've read a lot of Best of the Decade and Best of 2009 lists online and in magazines, and all of them seem pretty well compiled. Apparently you are not a person if you don't love Kid A. That was the thing I've noticed most consistently in every list. BUT ANYWAY, I'm not writing a Best Albums of the Year/Decade. I think it's been covered and yes, I would have a few more to add, but most of them would be local music and the best way, I feel, to address this is by making a BEST SHOWS I ATTENDED IN 2009. So that's what I'm doing.
Let me start by saying that when we get to the top ten or so shows, it really becomes impossible for me to say which beat which for the best. So I'm ordering this from life altering to least exciting, and I want to be clear that even the least exciting shows were still wonderful in their ways. I just never regret live music. HOWEVER, sometimes shit got weird.
And then the other thing is that when it gets to the top ten, I'm not going to order them. I really can't choose the best among certain shows. My love is as deep for Jenny as it is for Jack.
The other thing is that this is a long list. I wrote out all the shows I attended in 2009 and it came out to about 30, which is basically to say that I spent the equivalent of a month out of the year going to live music. It's a tough life, but what can you do? Also, there are a lot of different shows for the same band, and I might condense a few of them, but for the most part I'm gonna address each show separately.
Okay, ready? Here goes.

TOP TEN SHOWS OF 2009
- in no particular order (allegedly) -

1. Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (surprise cameo by Jenny Lewis) – Outside Lands
-This one because it was so electrifying to see Conor, from the second row, and to spot Jenny Lewis backstage before she came on, and to anticipate her arrival on stage because I had seen her sitting in the back. And it was the most gorgeous day and the sun was going down behind the trees and I kept glancing at the clock that was posted on the side of the stage, trying to stop the minute hand from moving so that he could just play forever. Didn't work. But oh, this show.






2. Cold War Kids – The Fillmore
- You have not seen a band perform until you've seen Cold War Kids live. I can't explain it, but their songs just hit you right behind the heart. They're really powerful and synchronized and the music just pulls you in. Seriously. Buy your ticket for their next show NOW.

3. The Dead Weather – Outside Lands
- Um. Jack White. Alison Mosshart. And then Dean Fertita (total babe) and Little (creepy) Jack Lawrence. I think this was a little less than a month after they released Horehound, but Britt and I knew every song (except the new ones) and we were in the second row and Jack White Jack White Jack White. When he and Alison got really close to sing together at the mic for "Will There Be Enough Water" the wind started blowing, and it was this really gray day, and their raven hair was whipping around their faces, and it looked like they were about to make out, and it was all voodoo magic.





4. Jenny Lewis (with Jonathon Rice), The Sadies – The Rio Theater
- Oh Jenny. This woman has the most amazing voice and lyrics. I am also not so secretly envious of her hair. But anyway, oh this show. I had already seen her in October of 2008, so I knew the value of my ticket before I got to the show. I knew that she would sing for two hours, drinking Red Stripe and her voice never once showing signs of any strain. She sang the fun songs ("See Fernando") and the sweet ballads ("Sing A Song For Them" - although halfway through she forgot the lyrics and we had to shout them at her - "Shitballs," she said. "You guys don't know how weird this feels."). She did an acoustic version of "Silver Lining" without her band, and everyone in the crowd sang along, making it sound so achey and haunting. The band played "Handle With Care" (I love that cover!) and for the encore they all gathered around one mic, arms around each others' shoulders, and sang "Acid Tongue." And it was perfect.




5. Blind Pilot – Great American Music Hall/The Rio Theater
- I already wrote a review here for these shows, so I won't repeat myself. I'll just say that this band was better live than on the album, and the album is beautiful enough that that statement really has some meaning. They just released an EP with five of their songs performed live, and if you value good things, you should go download it.



6. Scissors for Lefty – The Crepe Place / The Uptown
- So I couldn't pick which of these two shows was better. The Crepe Place was a wonderfully small show, we were right in front of the Garza and Krimmel boys' faces, and we couldn't stop dancing and EVERYONE from work showed up for the show. By the second half of their set, Bittersweet employees outnumbered all the casual Crepe Place attendees. And of course it was the first time I had seen them live, so when Bryan came out into the crowd and stroked my hair and sang right into my eyes, it was a magical experience (it still is, mostly, but it's also expected, which kills the amazement just a little).
But then at The Uptown Bryan took his pants off. So it's really a toss up.




7. Monsters of Folk – The Fox Theater
- Conor Oberst. Jim James. Mike Mogis. M. Ward. Playing their songs for two and a half hours. In a beautiful venue that even had little floor vents to keep the audience cool. Did I mention it was Conor, Jim, Mike, AND Matt? Is that not enough to convince you?



8. Audrye Sessions, Hottub, The Soft White Sixties, Manatee – The Uptown
- I only saw Audrye Sessions a few times this year, mostly because they just didn't play as many shows as they have in years past. I'm kind of cheating by counting this one as 2009, because they actually came on right after the year changed to 2010. But I'm going to count it. The best thing about this show was that they played for so long, and The Soft White Sixties were openers, and I was DD so I didn't have a drop of alcohol but I still danced and loved every instant of it. Hottub was weird. But everything else was pretty much perfect.







9. Dave Smallen, The Soft White Sixties – The Rickshaw Stop
- SUCH a good night. I wasn't driving, but I was drinking, and when The Soft White Sixties came on I didn't know them at all but I was drunk and dancing and even through the alcohol I could tell that I was enjoying them because they were talented, not just because of the buzz. And then Dave played, and I think it was his first show since he'd started releasing the song a month deals. I remember singing along to "Waiting for the Pills," and him smiling at the end of the song, saying "That was the first time I've ever heard people singing along to that song. It feels really great," with his Dave smile. It felt great from the audience, too.


10.
Band of Skulls, White Rabbits – Bimbo’s
- This show was too short but Band of Skulls killed it live. White Rabbits did a tight, long set. We were right up front. I had new boots on. Things were good.


THE REST OF THE SHOWS I ATTENDED IN 2009
- which were also pretty awesome -

* Dizzy Balloon, The Jakes – The Crepe Place
* Audrye Sessions – Bottom of the Hill
* Scissors for Lefty – Bottom of the Hill
* Scissors for Lefty, The Lovemakers – The Catalyst Atrium
* The Expendables – The Catalyst
* Dizzy Balloon, The Cataracs – The Catalyst Atrium
* Donovon Frankenreiter – The Catalyst
* Dizzy Balloon, The Jakes – The Parish Publick House
* BFD – Audrye Sessions (~), The Limousines, Glasvegas, Mute Math, Metric, DJ Steve Aoki, Dizzy Balloon, Dead Confederate, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Shorline Amphitheater
* The Morning Benders, John Vanderslice – The Rickshaw Stop
* Dave Smallen, Dizzy Balloon – The Nickel Arcade
* MIA, The Black Eyed Peas, Modest Mouse – Outside Lands
* Zion I – Outside Lands
* Portugal. The Man, The Morning Benders, Atmosphere – Outside Lands
* Band of Horses – Outside Lands
* The Cave Singers – The Crepe Place
* The Matches, Judgement Day, Dizzy Balloon, Dave Smallen – The Fillmore
* Dizzy Balloon – The Catalyst Atrium
* White Rabbits – Slim’s
* Dave Smallen, The Soft White Sixties, Lite Brite – Bottom of the Hill

... and that covers it. I probably forgot a couple, actually. But still.

GOOD YEAR for live music. And you know what? I think it's getting better.

Everytime I Leave (I Leave for Good), New Year's Day, I Know What I Am.... Picking Up The Slack

Okay so I've really been slacking. I'm gonna go over all the shows I've been to from November to the end of the year, because I guess I just got distracted and haven't gotten to any of them yet. So without further ado...

WHITE RABBITS.

This show was on my birthday. A bunch of my friends and I went up to the city, stayed in a hotel that bordered the Tenderloin and Union Square, drank lots of vodka cranberries, and sometimes added a little champagne to them for good measure. It was TASTY, and by the time we left for the show Lindsley was trying on my shoes. If you knew Lindsley you'd know that this was a sign that it was going to be a good night.
Anyway we walked to the show, which was at Slim's and therefore not very close to the hotel. BUT it was in a familiar area, thanks to a couple of trips to the Rickshaw Stop earlier in the year. And I love walking in the city, and there were six of us, and it wasn't really dark yet, so all was well.
White Rabbits was already playing when we got there and they were killing it. We sort of pushed our way to the front (Brittany and I have a habit of letting people know that we will be in the front, and her cousin was already there right in front of the guitarist, so it was easy to act like we deserved to be there. Anyway it was my birthday and I'm pretty sure it's okay to force your way to the front when it's your birthday). So we were all right up there, dancing all over the place and taking lots of awesome close-up pictures of the guitarist and the (lefty!) bassist. I'm sorry if you're the guy whose feet I kept stepping on. It was worth it.
I really only knew their song "Percussion Gun," but the whole set was awesome. I mean, people kept buying me drinks because of the whole birthday thing (it's really nice to not be a Jehovah's Witness sometimes), so of course the show was fun. But the songs were very skillfully performed and they had SO many people on stage it was pretty amazing that they were as coordinated as they were. And then they left and came back for an encore, and after playing one of their songs, they did a cover of "Instant Karma" that just made me oh so happy. Everyone was singing and jumping and John Lennon is never a mistake in my opinion.
The show ended really quickly but they played a nice long set, really. Then the bouncer came around and told us they were closing (so early!) and we had to hike it back to the hotel (this time with some help from MUNI). I left feeling pretty impressed by those silly rabbits. It's not like they're necessarily my favorite type of music, but they were perfect for the evening and great when you're in the right kind of mood.
And tops when you're looking for a band that'll kick off your birthday evening with enough energy.




White Rabbits

DAVE SMALLEN. THE SOFT WHITE SIXTIES.

I was looking forward to this show for a long time. It was the day after Thanksgiving and a very welcome treat/celebration (it also happened to fall on the evening of my last day of work at a certain coffee shop, and I was ready to bring in that change with a little help from Mr. Smallen). The show was at Bottom of the Hill, which is always a good sign. I was there with Danielle, Britt, and Kristain, who had all come with me to another Dave show in like June or July (they are so trusting of me - I tell them it'll be fun and they're in, and I can't even express how much I love them for that).
We got there super early and ended up killing some time at Peet's before heading in. The first band, Lite Brite, started and it wasn't so great. I mean, they were really young, for one thing. I think the lead singer was trying to be Jack White a little bit, with his crazy curly hair and so pale it looked like he had face powder on. Usually I notice at Bottom of the Hill I end up loving the final two or three bands and never really appreciate the openers the same way. It wasn't so much that they weren't good, it was just that they were a different genre and didn't really seem to fit.
So then The Soft White Sixties came on and things got interesting. They had played at the Dave show over the summer, and I didn't really remember their songs specifically, more just that I had really enjoyed the tempos and influences of their songs. I remembered sensing a strong sixties influence - a definite plus for me. But during the summer show I had been - er - a little tipsy, and I really hadn't been paying attention to them. This time it was different. I was one drink in and the second they started playing I just felt super enthusiastic about their music. We were all really digging it, standing right up front next to a pod of girls who turned out to be related to someone in the band and knew every song. Kristain loved the drummer, who was full on grinning through the whole set. I was pretty partial to the lead singer, who would grab the mic and a tambourine and wander around the stage, dancing and singing and basically grooving. These guys were awesome. I mean awesome. I really can't wait for them to release an album of some kind.
Finally Dave started setting up. We were still in the front and got to watch all the little interactions on stage, which I kind of live to observe. Mike from Audrye Sessions was Dave's guitarist for the evening, and a couple of guys from Brilliant Red Lights were the bassist and drummer. All these guys from these Bay Area bands are friends, right, and you can usually spot at least three or four members from random East Bay bands in the crowd at these shows. The Dizzy Balloon boys are always at Dave's and Scissors for Lefty's shows. I've seen Alicia from Audrye Sessions and Scott formerly of Poor Bailey at Dave's a few times. Anyway, you become a fan of one of these bands and pretty soon you're going to know a dozen of them. And they're all super talented.
So finally Dave started playing his songs, starting with "Every Time I Leave (I Leave for Good)" - I think, but it's really been awhile. He played with the full band for about five songs, then he did some acoustic numbers by himself, then the band came back. One thing I love about Dave is that he's such a love - he smiles during a lot of his songs, and it's the kind of smile that reaches his eyes, and you can just see how good natured he is. Danielle and Kristain complain that some of his songs are pretty dark, and I get what they're saying. Sometimes it's a little bit of a downer - a few of his lyrics are just so dark. But I also am grateful to him for going there, even if sometimes he goes a little too far for my taste. A lot of his stuff attains some poetry. A lot of his songs have been released when I really needed to hear them. I think a lot of people probably need his brand of drama, even if it can sometimes tend to the self-indulgent. Still, my favorites of his songs are definitely the lighter ones, like "All My Life" and "I Think It's Getting Better."
Towards the end of the set, he stopped and just said that with the current economy it seemed like a lot of people were sort of losing hope and kind of giving up on their dreams, and that he thought they shouldn't do that. Which was pretty good timing personally, since I had just finished working at a place for which I really had no love in order to pursue a more enriching life. So thanks for the encouragement, Dave!
Anyway the set was really fun and then afterward I went and bought The Soft White Sixties' seven inch (which came with a digital download of five of their songs, mega score)and chatted with a couple of them. The bassist assured me that they'll be getting an album out, so that's definitely good news. Then I bought Dave's official CD, even though I've been buying his one-song-a-month songs and only had one left to buy to complete the collection. The actual CD is worth having, though. It has all of his block prints - one for each song - printed on the insert. And I like having a real CD, and I like supporting musicians who really work for what they love and are original and talented. Alicia from Audrye Sessions was selling the merch, so I mentioned that I was looking forward to their New Year's show. She seemed relieved to hear that someone was planning on coming to it, and was very sweet. "You better come say hi," she said, and I promised I would.
There was a huge line of (mostly girls) waiting to talk to Dave or get him to sign their CD's when I passed him on my way to the restroom (also saw Petros of Dizzy Balloon), which really isn't surprising. I would've been one of them but I figured I'd probably see him at another show soon enough.
So then we all piled back into Britt's car and didn't get home until like 2:30 in the morning, knowing that the lack of sleep was definitely worth a night of such great music and company.



The Soft White Sixties



Dave Smallen

THE LOVEMAKERS. BAND OF SKULLS. WHITE RABBITS.
(LIVE 105's SOUNDCHECK HOLIDAY BALL)

The main draw of this show was Band of Skulls, whose album I had bought after getting easily addicted to "I Know What I Am" and acquiring a substantial gift certificate to Streetlight Records for my birthday. And then discovering that the rest of the album was at least as good as that one addictive song.
It was the same group - Britt, Danielle, and Kristain - and the venue was a new one for us - Bimbo's in North Beach. We got there a little on the late side, completely missing the openers The Downer Party, which was fine with me because I wasn't too in love with them from what I'd heard on Soundcheck. We walked in during The Lovemakers' last song, Lisa in lingerie and dousing herself with a water bottle. It was pretty comical because we'd been talking on the ride over about how showy The Lovemakers were, and how none of us were really a big fan of Lisa and her overexposed underwear. It just feels like such an obvious ploy. So we sort of laughed about that and then Britt and I led the way to the front for Band of Skulls.
Ugh, they were so good! The girl seemed slightly nervous, maybe, but they sounded so much like the album. There are only three of them, and they've only been a group for a little over a year I think, but they really know what they're doing. It was sort of disappointing to see the guitarist/vocalist, Russell, in person though, because from his voice Britt and I were convinced that he had to be hot. Um. Not so much. But still yes because of the music. The only bad thing about their set was that it was really short and they didn't play either of my two favorite songs, "Cold Fame" and "Fires." They sort of stuck to the really upbeat songs and did an awesome job with them. It was just a bit unsatisfying and I've definitely resolved to see them when they come to town for a tour that's focused on them specifically. The holiday shows are just a different experience.
White Rabbits came on and it was like a deja vu of my birthday except it was more memorable without all the vodka cranberries. So many members in the band! It's kind of nuts. But they can handle it.
That was the last show I went to before Christmas and it was lovely. Bimbo's, by the way, is really beautiful and you sort of feel like you should be hanging out with Frank Sinatra and drinking martinis when you're there. I mean, there's an attendant in the restroom. Classy.



The Marquee



Band of Skulls



White Rabbits

MANATEE. THE SOFT WHITE SIXTIES. HOTTUB. AUDRYE SESSIONS.
NEW YEAR'S EVE SHOW.

Oh, Oakland. You are not always sketch, but it always feels like you will be. At least on New Year's there were cops everywhere. I've never felt so good about seeing police cars on every other block.
This show was at The Uptown, and it was 21 and over, so little Britt and Kristain couldn't come, which was sad. I went with Danielle and probably would've gone alone if I'd had no other options. That's how excited I was about this one. I would've taken on an extremely drunken Oakland by myself for it.
Since it was New Year's everybody put their best suit or dress on... no, not really. You pretty much couldn't tell from looking at people that it was an occasion. I mean maybe there were a few more dresses than usual, but no stilettos. I had new boots that I bought with some Christmas money and was very excited about that. Is there any clothing item more wonderful than a pair of new boots?
So Manatee was the first band and we went in and sat at one of the tables for them. It was pretty empty at that point and freezing - the smoking patio is behind the dance floor and the door is always open, so yeah. Teeth were chattering.
Manatee was fine, definitely kind of a newer band. Kind of the perfect openers, because they were just good enough to get the evening going and not so exciting that you'd cry if you missed them. I expected The Soft White Sixties to come on third, but the lead singer for Manatee said they were up next, so once Manatee left Danielle and I headed to the stage and got pumped.
The Soft White Sixties were awesome again. Their family fan club was there again, singing all the songs with them, and this time I was completely sober and still enjoyed every song. So I can officially say, from personal experience, that The Soft White Sixties kick ass whether you're sober, tipsy, or flat out drunk. Which is true of a lot of good bands, but not all of them. I noticed that one of their songs has a really similar opening riff to Rilo Kiley's "Silver Lining" and another of their songs sounds so much like a Kinks song I can't quite identify, but the familiarities are definitely not imitations. It's more like influence, and I just appreciate that they choose some awesome people as their influences.
Okay, so that brings me to Hottub. Um. There are no words.
Danielle and I went to the bar after TSWS, which is in the other room. You can see what's going on in the main room on a big projector screen they have set up in the bar. I watched the initial set up for Hottub, which looked like two DJ's. I had read a description of them somewhere that I thought had said "electronica," so that's what I was prepared for. They took forever setting up and then... these three chicks come on stage... in leotards... and crazy hair... holding microphones... and start, um... rapping? Oh god, it was the weirdest thing ever. One girl had crazy medusa hair and was wearing one of those full body leotards from American Apparel, but it was made of lace and had spaghetti straps and you could tell right away that if a strap fell it was all gonna be over. And with the way they were bouncing around the stage, I was sure a strap would fall. And oh boy it did. Twice. And they were shouting "M-A-N B-I-T-C-H, man bitch man bitch," and one of them was like, "is there a man out there who can handle 180 pounds of woman? I wanna sit on someone's FACE!" and then they brought a bunch of the audience on stage and they were almost all girls and all dancing and Danielle and I were cracking up but scared for our lives. Danielle kept being like, "Really, Audrye Sessions??? Why??? How does this fit with the other bands?" But then of course we were in Oakland. So the people were digging the hip hop.
Hottub was on stage for so long. It was kind of painful. But finally they left, and a bunch of people filtered out, and once we were sure they weren't coming back for an encore and they weren't gonna start scooping people onto the stage again, we made our way to the front for Audrye Sessions.
Oh Audrye Sessions. How I love you.
They started setting up just before midnight, and they were all on stage for the countdown. Mike was with his girlfriend (who looked a lot like Alicia) and the Judgement Day brothers, Anton and Lewis, were there, and Ryan started looking forlorn, searching for someone to kiss and finally landing on James (seriously! I thought it was hilarious. They're such a little family). And we all sang along with "Auld Lange Syne" and you could tell Lewis didn't know the set list because he was taking pictures of it with his camera phone. When everyone was finally set up, and tuned, and on stage, there were the four official members: Alicia (Bass), James (Drums), Mike (Guitar), and Ryan (Guitar, Lead Vocals, Occasional Keyboard), plus Anton (Violin), Lewis (Cello), Scott (Washboard, Acoustic Guitar, random things), and the lead singer from Manatee for a couple songs (he looked a lot like he and Mike could be brothers) playing the bongos or something.
It was awesome to be in the front row, and awesome to see my favorite live band as the first thing of the new year, and awesome that they were sort of disorganized and chatty and goofing off. They played at least four new songs, probably more. I'm a little obsessed with the song "Hands Full" so please release that one as soon as possible, Audrye Sessions, okay? And of course they played "New Year's Day," which may not be the most upbeat song but it's so pretty and I remember when I first heard it when they played it live on Soundcheck, and I remember listening to it on New Year's Day in '08 and '09, always along with "The New Year" by Death Cab. Anyway they played a really long set and when the crowd demanded an encore Ryan came back on stage and said "I don't think they're going to let us, but I guess we could try..." and we cheered enough that they decided to try. Screw the noise ordinances. And he played "a little tiny baby song" that Alicia and Lewis had only rehearsed once before: "Our new year's resolution is to practice this song more," Mike said. It was this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSBF0WEdURM and it sounded really good with all of them playing it. So the set finished at around 1:30 and then everyone dispersed.
We passed Dave Smallen on the way to the Ladies Room, ran into Alicia at the door to said room, where I told her they played a great set and she told me she had to pee (well, not quite, but basically). Then we decided to leave because we wouldn't get home until like 3:00 in the morning and some people (not me) had to work at 6:30 that same morning. Not fun. Believe me, I've done it. We passed Ryan talking to James on the way out so I told him it was a great show and wished him a happy new year, and then it was a quick walk back to my car and a loooong drive home.
And worth it, oh so worth it.
It's always, always worth it with them.



The Soft White Sixties




Hottub


Audrye Sessions


Happy New Year everyone! If it's as great as its start was, things are looking up...