I've been terrible about keeping up with my show reviews, so instead of going back and writing a handful of terrible mini summaries, I'm just gonna make one post about the last few I've been to and then try to start up again with the more recent ones.
Apparently the oldest one I never wrote about was Limbeck with fun. and Hellogoodbye, which saddens me because that was a spectacular show. I showed up as Limbeck was setting up, and I'd never seen them before despite living in the same damn town, so I was pretty excited. They played a ton of great songs and I loved their set. I'd really like to see them again. I was most excited to see fun. though, and my excitement was more than rewarded. Their name suits them so well and anyone who hasn't yet heard Aim and Ignite really needs to do so, hopefully in time to fall in love and catch their upcoming tour. I've already got my ticket for their next show at Chain and I can't wait. I wasn't even planning to stick around for Hellogoodbye, but their set was very enjoyable as well. I'm a sucker for cutesy pop music, so it worked out nicely. Chain pretty much turned into a dance party for the last half hour of the show and I loved it. Great show.
Next up was Polar Bear Club with Four Year Strong and Set Your Goals at the Glass House. That show was pretty insane. I forget what the name of the tour was but it was sold out and we spent the whole show upstairs watching the pits get crazy. The entire floor of the venue was packed with little circle pits and ridiculous fights kept starting. The show itself was a lot of fun though. Fireworks and some other opening anarchy band played, but the three I mentioned stood out by far. I'd definitely recommend seeing any of them.
I also went to see Cruel Hand with Ceremony and Have Heart at Chain, although I don't normally listen to any of those bands. Cruel Hand was alright, but Ceremony was definitely not my kind of music. I don't go to many of those kinds of shows, but I don't think I've ever seen Chain get that crazy for anyone. Have Heart's set was pretty intense too. People were jumping over the side partition onto the stage and then into the crowd. Blah blah you get the idea.
The next show I went to was to see The Ataris play at Chain with I Am Ghost and The Sequence. There was one other band whose name I've forgotten, but they were more in the vein of I Am Ghost than any of the others. The Sequence did well, though it was weird to see Craig on stage with anyone other than Nick and Jonny, and especially to see him performing anywhere other than center stage. I don't really listen to I Am Ghost but they were decent. The Ataris were sweet. I had already seen Kris Roe play acoustic, but it was nice to get the full band experience.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
one hundred and twenty seven
August 15th at Chain Reaction - Close But Not Quite, A Cursive Memory and Eye Alaska.
Being the fashionably late people that we are, Ashley and I showed up as CBNQ was starting (no idea who opened before them) but caught their whole set. Despite hearing some unpleasant things about certain members, their music is quite enjoyable. They have a sort of eclectic rap-rock sound, not in the vein of mainstream rap-rock though, because most of that is terrible. Im no good at describing genres, but for a bunch of kids in high school, they're not bad.
As it was extremely hot inside the venue and neither of us really knew anything about A Cursive Memory, Ashley and I stood outside for their set. We went back in while Eye Alaska was setting up. It always awes me to see local bands gain notoriety. I've been watching Brandon and Cameron play shows with Ashley for a few years now, since they were still Dead Letter Diaries, and it really is such a cool thing to see a local band succeed like they have. It seemed to happen so fast after they became Eye Alaska that they got signed and started touring, and now they're huge. I'm being slightly redundant, but it's just a really neat thing to see happen.
Their set was great, as usual. They're so energetic and everyone (especially at the home shows) gets so into it. It's practically impossible not to enjoy their sets. I was particularly excited to hear "Miles Don't Mean Anything" again, but slightly disappointed that they didn't play "Divorce." It was still a sweet show either way.
Being the fashionably late people that we are, Ashley and I showed up as CBNQ was starting (no idea who opened before them) but caught their whole set. Despite hearing some unpleasant things about certain members, their music is quite enjoyable. They have a sort of eclectic rap-rock sound, not in the vein of mainstream rap-rock though, because most of that is terrible. Im no good at describing genres, but for a bunch of kids in high school, they're not bad.
As it was extremely hot inside the venue and neither of us really knew anything about A Cursive Memory, Ashley and I stood outside for their set. We went back in while Eye Alaska was setting up. It always awes me to see local bands gain notoriety. I've been watching Brandon and Cameron play shows with Ashley for a few years now, since they were still Dead Letter Diaries, and it really is such a cool thing to see a local band succeed like they have. It seemed to happen so fast after they became Eye Alaska that they got signed and started touring, and now they're huge. I'm being slightly redundant, but it's just a really neat thing to see happen.
Their set was great, as usual. They're so energetic and everyone (especially at the home shows) gets so into it. It's practically impossible not to enjoy their sets. I was particularly excited to hear "Miles Don't Mean Anything" again, but slightly disappointed that they didn't play "Divorce." It was still a sweet show either way.
Friday, August 21, 2009
one hundred and twenty six
August 6th at Chain Reaction
Ashley and I went to see Scarlet Grey. We made them cookies and got all dressed up and she even curled my hair. :) We showed up in time to catch the last few songs of the band before SG but I've gone and forgotten their name. I remember thinking the music was decent but the vocals and the band's image was entirely cheesy.
Scarlet Grey was quite wonderful though. Our "new friend" and most of their other fans were annoying as usual, but some bands make it easy to ignore all that. After their set we hung out outside the venue with Pete for a nice long while and laughed non-stop because he's hilarious. I saw them in December but it had been over a year for Ashley so it was really nice catching up and just being around them. For local shows with bands I've seen before, I almost enjoy the hanging out and talking more than the show itself. At the same time, I feel bad for the bands because of all the crazy they have to deal with. It always amazes and impresses me how patient they can be.
Anyway, there's another short review because we only really watched one whole set. The end!
Ashley and I went to see Scarlet Grey. We made them cookies and got all dressed up and she even curled my hair. :) We showed up in time to catch the last few songs of the band before SG but I've gone and forgotten their name. I remember thinking the music was decent but the vocals and the band's image was entirely cheesy.
Scarlet Grey was quite wonderful though. Our "new friend" and most of their other fans were annoying as usual, but some bands make it easy to ignore all that. After their set we hung out outside the venue with Pete for a nice long while and laughed non-stop because he's hilarious. I saw them in December but it had been over a year for Ashley so it was really nice catching up and just being around them. For local shows with bands I've seen before, I almost enjoy the hanging out and talking more than the show itself. At the same time, I feel bad for the bands because of all the crazy they have to deal with. It always amazes and impresses me how patient they can be.
Anyway, there's another short review because we only really watched one whole set. The end!
one hundred and twenty five
On July 18th I drove to West Hollywood to see Brand New play a small, sold out show at the Troubadour. I met up with some girls who had waited six hours total by the time we went inside the venue so I got to be super close to the stage for most of the show. The band that opened (I think they were called Dios but my memory isn't very reliable so don't take my word on that) wasn't terrible but they didn't wow me either. The anticipation of waiting for Brand New probably wasn't a helpful factor, but they actually bored me.
By the time Brand New took the stage it was extremely hot and the crowd was packed in pretty tight. I only lasted through a few songs before I had to move back for fear of passing out. That was only the third show I've had that happen at but I was furious that it happened for Brand New, especially in such a small venue when I'd been so close to the stage. I couldn't even remember most of the set because I couldn't concentrate on anything for a while. I know they played a lot of songs that I liked and a few I was surprised to hear but I wish I'd been able to enjoy it more. Luckily I'll be seeing them again in October. :)
Sorry about the short and terrible review. I've been way behind on this blog so it's hard to remember details. :(
setlist:
1. The Shower Scene
2. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
3. Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades
4. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
5. Sowing Season (Yeah)
6. The Archer's Bows Are Broken
7. Jesus Christ
8. Flying At Tree Level
9. Mix Tape
10. Seventy Times Seven
11. Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
12. Bride
13. Gasoline
14. Bed
15. Jaws Theme Swimming
16. Degausser
17. You Won't Know
18. Soco Amaretto Lime
By the time Brand New took the stage it was extremely hot and the crowd was packed in pretty tight. I only lasted through a few songs before I had to move back for fear of passing out. That was only the third show I've had that happen at but I was furious that it happened for Brand New, especially in such a small venue when I'd been so close to the stage. I couldn't even remember most of the set because I couldn't concentrate on anything for a while. I know they played a lot of songs that I liked and a few I was surprised to hear but I wish I'd been able to enjoy it more. Luckily I'll be seeing them again in October. :)
Sorry about the short and terrible review. I've been way behind on this blog so it's hard to remember details. :(
setlist:
1. The Shower Scene
2. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
3. Sic Transit Gloria...Glory Fades
4. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
5. Sowing Season (Yeah)
6. The Archer's Bows Are Broken
7. Jesus Christ
8. Flying At Tree Level
9. Mix Tape
10. Seventy Times Seven
11. Jude Law And A Semester Abroad
12. Bride
13. Gasoline
14. Bed
15. Jaws Theme Swimming
16. Degausser
17. You Won't Know
18. Soco Amaretto Lime
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
one hundred and twenty four
I'm way behind on the last three shows I've been to, so these reviews/summaries are probably going to be horrible due to my terrible memory.
Show 124 was the Ace Enders/Dangerous Summer/Gay Blades/Person L Barbecue Across American Tour and it was utterly wonderful. I ended up going alone but I saw a friend from school and one from Absolutepunk, so that was nice.
I'm not even sure I remember the correct order of the bands, but I want to think the Gay Blades played first. I'd seen them before and been impressed by their crazy energy and stage presence. The two-piece band is highly entertaining and their sets never contain a dull moment.
Person L was the band I was least excited for, but seeing them live made the music so much more enjoyable. Watching Kenny on stage is kind of incredible. It's musicians/performers like him that make me really love going to shows because there wasn't a single moment in his entire set in which he looked bored or even the least bit tired of playing. You could tell he absolutely LOVED every second of it, and that kind of passion makes every bad thing about shows completely worth dealing with.
I was really anxious to see The Dangerous Summer, possibly more than any other band on the roster that night, mostly because I'd never seen them before. Reach for the Sun has been in pretty regular rotation for me lately and hearing those songs live was pretty great.
As for the headlining set, there are hardly words to explain how wonderful Ace Enders is, live or otherwise. From what I hear, he's not a bad cook either. (I didn't eat at the barbecue.) He's another musician that always seems so genuine in everything he does. He and Sergio both have an insane amount of energy when they perform, too, and I love that they bring back old Early November songs. Off the top of my head I remember hearing "I Want to Hear You Sad," "Ever so Sweet," "Decoration," and "The Best Happiness Money Can Buy" from I Can Make a Mess.
Fantastic show overall. Anyone who misses this tour missed out on something great.
Show 124 was the Ace Enders/Dangerous Summer/Gay Blades/Person L Barbecue Across American Tour and it was utterly wonderful. I ended up going alone but I saw a friend from school and one from Absolutepunk, so that was nice.
I'm not even sure I remember the correct order of the bands, but I want to think the Gay Blades played first. I'd seen them before and been impressed by their crazy energy and stage presence. The two-piece band is highly entertaining and their sets never contain a dull moment.
Person L was the band I was least excited for, but seeing them live made the music so much more enjoyable. Watching Kenny on stage is kind of incredible. It's musicians/performers like him that make me really love going to shows because there wasn't a single moment in his entire set in which he looked bored or even the least bit tired of playing. You could tell he absolutely LOVED every second of it, and that kind of passion makes every bad thing about shows completely worth dealing with.
I was really anxious to see The Dangerous Summer, possibly more than any other band on the roster that night, mostly because I'd never seen them before. Reach for the Sun has been in pretty regular rotation for me lately and hearing those songs live was pretty great.
As for the headlining set, there are hardly words to explain how wonderful Ace Enders is, live or otherwise. From what I hear, he's not a bad cook either. (I didn't eat at the barbecue.) He's another musician that always seems so genuine in everything he does. He and Sergio both have an insane amount of energy when they perform, too, and I love that they bring back old Early November songs. Off the top of my head I remember hearing "I Want to Hear You Sad," "Ever so Sweet," "Decoration," and "The Best Happiness Money Can Buy" from I Can Make a Mess.
Fantastic show overall. Anyone who misses this tour missed out on something great.
Friday, June 26, 2009
one hundred and twenty three
Tuesday, June 23rd at Chain.
Three Date Theory, Takota, the Photo Atlas, Runner Runner and the Audition.
For the first time in a long time, I showed up early enough to actually park IN the Chain Reaction parking lot. Three Date Theory was decent, but nothing special. The free demo they handed out didn't do them any justice - they actually sounded better live.
Takota's set was far too short for my liking - only five songs, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable. I recognized a few of the ILTC girls before the show but saw very few people singing along during. They hadn't played at Chain in quite a long time so I'm not all that surprised, but it was so incredibly good to see them again. They played two news songs as well as "Lioness," "Satellite" (for everyone who had seen them before), and the new staple song, "Turn Up the Radio." I barely talked to any of the guys except for Grant, but it was great to see him again. I really hope they do keep scheduling more shows.
The Photo Atlas was actually a little difficult to watch. I usually try to be nice in my reviews, but the singer's "vocal style" could only described as entirely too vibrato. The music was great - fun, dance-y rock stuff, but the vocals were just irritating.
Runner Runner was next up and, thankfully, far easier to endure. Dance rock with more of a pop edge and lots of group vocals, they held my attention very well. I only stuck around for a few of the Audition's songs but they were somewhat similar. Fun, danceable rock music with somewhat unique vocals. Takota was, by far, the high point of the night.
Three Date Theory, Takota, the Photo Atlas, Runner Runner and the Audition.
For the first time in a long time, I showed up early enough to actually park IN the Chain Reaction parking lot. Three Date Theory was decent, but nothing special. The free demo they handed out didn't do them any justice - they actually sounded better live.
Takota's set was far too short for my liking - only five songs, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable. I recognized a few of the ILTC girls before the show but saw very few people singing along during. They hadn't played at Chain in quite a long time so I'm not all that surprised, but it was so incredibly good to see them again. They played two news songs as well as "Lioness," "Satellite" (for everyone who had seen them before), and the new staple song, "Turn Up the Radio." I barely talked to any of the guys except for Grant, but it was great to see him again. I really hope they do keep scheduling more shows.
The Photo Atlas was actually a little difficult to watch. I usually try to be nice in my reviews, but the singer's "vocal style" could only described as entirely too vibrato. The music was great - fun, dance-y rock stuff, but the vocals were just irritating.
Runner Runner was next up and, thankfully, far easier to endure. Dance rock with more of a pop edge and lots of group vocals, they held my attention very well. I only stuck around for a few of the Audition's songs but they were somewhat similar. Fun, danceable rock music with somewhat unique vocals. Takota was, by far, the high point of the night.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
one hundred and twenty two
Thursday, May 28th at Chain.
Brave Citizens, Playradioplay, Eye Alaska and Lydia.
I arrived too late to see Brave Citizens, but early enough to see the three bands I was really interested in. PRP played some really good new stuff that I'm looking forward to hearing finalized versions of. It was just Dan and a drummer, but I was pretty impressed with their set. As were the many squealing girls in the crowd. lol.
Eye Alaska killed it, of course. I'm glad I get to see their hometown shows still because, especially with Brandon, you an always tell what a great time they're having. I'm sure he always puts a hundred and ten percent into his performance but you can just see how much he absolutely loves it at Chain. They played some new stuff as well, and a really pretty acoustic song with just Brandon and Mindy from Lydia. It was called "Miles Don't Mean Anything" and I kind of loved it a lot. They ended with "Walk Like a Gentleman" and didn't play "Divorce." :( Still a great set though.
Lydia blew me away. I knew they were gonna be great because they're music is entirely beautiful and just ridiculous, but they were ten thousand times better than I'd expected. Somehow they took music that I'm already in love with and made it even more incredible. I was really hoping to hear "All I See," and I really thought they were going to play it during their encore, but no such luck. Still a spectacular set. Great show.
Brave Citizens, Playradioplay, Eye Alaska and Lydia.
I arrived too late to see Brave Citizens, but early enough to see the three bands I was really interested in. PRP played some really good new stuff that I'm looking forward to hearing finalized versions of. It was just Dan and a drummer, but I was pretty impressed with their set. As were the many squealing girls in the crowd. lol.
Eye Alaska killed it, of course. I'm glad I get to see their hometown shows still because, especially with Brandon, you an always tell what a great time they're having. I'm sure he always puts a hundred and ten percent into his performance but you can just see how much he absolutely loves it at Chain. They played some new stuff as well, and a really pretty acoustic song with just Brandon and Mindy from Lydia. It was called "Miles Don't Mean Anything" and I kind of loved it a lot. They ended with "Walk Like a Gentleman" and didn't play "Divorce." :( Still a great set though.
Lydia blew me away. I knew they were gonna be great because they're music is entirely beautiful and just ridiculous, but they were ten thousand times better than I'd expected. Somehow they took music that I'm already in love with and made it even more incredible. I was really hoping to hear "All I See," and I really thought they were going to play it during their encore, but no such luck. Still a spectacular set. Great show.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
one hundred and twenty one
April 4th at USC. (Springfest Event)
Most of the bands that I caught were horrendous or just boring. We got there too late to catch Run Doris Run, sadly, and walked around campus for a while after that. Watched the last few minutes of The Summer Set's performance and they were just as sugary sweet as I remembered them. Not bad or anything, just very VERY pop-esque. I don't remember who all played or in what order, but some band called The Lovemakers played and were not very good. Iglu and Hartly were horrendous, almost like listening to 80s power pop infused with rap rock, but somehow everyone there loved it. Their set literally turned into a dance party.
We caught a little of Miniature Tiger's set in passing and they sounded good. Portugal. the Man was rad, but after sitting around all day in anticipation of Brand New, their mellow sound was not helping our moods at all. I'm glad I got to see them live though. Pinback was alright. I probably would've liked their music better had it not been for the overly-outspoken and entirely obnoxious guitarist. He insulted Reggae music and pointed out the Psychic/Fortune Teller's booth by saying, "Oh look, a psychic. Fuck you! FUCK you!" After they played, some guy came out to talk about the event and the stupid guitarist took his mic and kept talking. He just came off as rude and kind of trying too hard to be funny or contraversial, and that just completely turned me off of their music. Plus there was the fact that I'd been waiting eight or more hours to see my favorite band play.
Of course, Brand New had to take a good half hour to set up, but no care ever once they started. It was only a ten-song set, and after seeing Jesse play a ton of my favorite BN songs solo & acoustic, that no song-combo could beat that, but just seeing Brand New at all is always a treat. I told Spencer after the show that it won't ever matter how many times I've seen them before. It's always thrilling for me. Jesse came out wearing a crown of leaves on his head (?) and they played You Won't Know, Sowing Season, Jaws Theme Swimming, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows, Tommy Gun, Archers, Bride, Degausser, Jesus, and Welcome to Bangkok, but that was a little out of order. I was really pleasantly surprised by Jaws Theme, Quiet Things and Tommy Gun. Degausser and Jesus were both wonderful, and I'm not usually a huge fan of instrumental songs, but when they had the two drumsets finish off Welcome to Bangkok after Jesse and Vin both played the shit out of their guitars, it was pretty fucking epic. They had three sets going when I saw them in November '07 at the Wiltern, but this was still very rad. Vin is crazy, by the way. That guy puts so much energy into their sets that it's kind of mind-blowing. He's hard not to watch the whole time haha.
Anyway. Not the greatest festival I've been to, but Brand New made everything worth it. :)
Most of the bands that I caught were horrendous or just boring. We got there too late to catch Run Doris Run, sadly, and walked around campus for a while after that. Watched the last few minutes of The Summer Set's performance and they were just as sugary sweet as I remembered them. Not bad or anything, just very VERY pop-esque. I don't remember who all played or in what order, but some band called The Lovemakers played and were not very good. Iglu and Hartly were horrendous, almost like listening to 80s power pop infused with rap rock, but somehow everyone there loved it. Their set literally turned into a dance party.
We caught a little of Miniature Tiger's set in passing and they sounded good. Portugal. the Man was rad, but after sitting around all day in anticipation of Brand New, their mellow sound was not helping our moods at all. I'm glad I got to see them live though. Pinback was alright. I probably would've liked their music better had it not been for the overly-outspoken and entirely obnoxious guitarist. He insulted Reggae music and pointed out the Psychic/Fortune Teller's booth by saying, "Oh look, a psychic. Fuck you! FUCK you!" After they played, some guy came out to talk about the event and the stupid guitarist took his mic and kept talking. He just came off as rude and kind of trying too hard to be funny or contraversial, and that just completely turned me off of their music. Plus there was the fact that I'd been waiting eight or more hours to see my favorite band play.
Of course, Brand New had to take a good half hour to set up, but no care ever once they started. It was only a ten-song set, and after seeing Jesse play a ton of my favorite BN songs solo & acoustic, that no song-combo could beat that, but just seeing Brand New at all is always a treat. I told Spencer after the show that it won't ever matter how many times I've seen them before. It's always thrilling for me. Jesse came out wearing a crown of leaves on his head (?) and they played You Won't Know, Sowing Season, Jaws Theme Swimming, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows, Tommy Gun, Archers, Bride, Degausser, Jesus, and Welcome to Bangkok, but that was a little out of order. I was really pleasantly surprised by Jaws Theme, Quiet Things and Tommy Gun. Degausser and Jesus were both wonderful, and I'm not usually a huge fan of instrumental songs, but when they had the two drumsets finish off Welcome to Bangkok after Jesse and Vin both played the shit out of their guitars, it was pretty fucking epic. They had three sets going when I saw them in November '07 at the Wiltern, but this was still very rad. Vin is crazy, by the way. That guy puts so much energy into their sets that it's kind of mind-blowing. He's hard not to watch the whole time haha.
Anyway. Not the greatest festival I've been to, but Brand New made everything worth it. :)
one hundred and twenty
March 25th at Chain. Versa Emerge, the Gay Blades, Ace Enders and Craig Owens.
Versa Emerge was pretty good, though nothing groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. Comparable to Paramore, not only because they had a female singer, but because of the style of music. To be honest, I haven't listened to them since the show, but I did like them. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing them again.
The Gay Blades on the other hand were very original and different and highly entertaining. I liked them A LOT. They were kinda funky at times, but every song literally sounded like a completely different style. They covered a Rage Against the Machines song and killed it. Most of the set was just two guys but they definitely never lost my interest.
Ace Enders was wonderful of course. He played his whole set acoustic and I don't think I saved the setlist, but I know he played "Reaction," "Bittersweet Symphony," "When I Hit the Ground," "Ready Ankles," two I Can Make a Mess songs, "I Want to Hear You Sad," "Ever So Sweet," and more. He is so ridiculously talented and it makes me happy I've been able to see him twice, though I never got to see his previous projects. He's a super nice guy too; we said hi to him outside the show and got a picture (ridiculously blurry because no one in the world knows how to use Ashley's camera properly). Great set from Ace, as always.
Craig Owens headlined and we only stayed for a few songs of his set, but it wasn't bad. The only song I really recognized was "Umbrellas and Elephants" from the Cinematic Sunrise record.
Versa Emerge was pretty good, though nothing groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. Comparable to Paramore, not only because they had a female singer, but because of the style of music. To be honest, I haven't listened to them since the show, but I did like them. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing them again.
The Gay Blades on the other hand were very original and different and highly entertaining. I liked them A LOT. They were kinda funky at times, but every song literally sounded like a completely different style. They covered a Rage Against the Machines song and killed it. Most of the set was just two guys but they definitely never lost my interest.
Ace Enders was wonderful of course. He played his whole set acoustic and I don't think I saved the setlist, but I know he played "Reaction," "Bittersweet Symphony," "When I Hit the Ground," "Ready Ankles," two I Can Make a Mess songs, "I Want to Hear You Sad," "Ever So Sweet," and more. He is so ridiculously talented and it makes me happy I've been able to see him twice, though I never got to see his previous projects. He's a super nice guy too; we said hi to him outside the show and got a picture (ridiculously blurry because no one in the world knows how to use Ashley's camera properly). Great set from Ace, as always.
Craig Owens headlined and we only stayed for a few songs of his set, but it wasn't bad. The only song I really recognized was "Umbrellas and Elephants" from the Cinematic Sunrise record.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
one hundred and nineteen
March Third at the Knitting Factory.
Only Chandeliers played and I wrote a different sort of synopsis for this one, so I'm just gonna copy and paste that over here.
I had a really good night and I wanted to share. :)
So once upon a time there was this sweet piano rock band from San Diego called Pistolita and Caity was a big fan. I actually saw them quite a few times at Chain Reaction in Anaheim and they quickly became one of my favorite semi-local bands. They played at the very first show I went to in '04 and I believe the last time I got to see them was in December of '06. (Last time with the original lineup was the first Bamboozle Left in October '06) After the original bassist, Alex, left the band they had a varied line up for a short while and eventually called it quits and I never had the chance to see them again, to my extreme dismay.
Each of the guys ended up doing different projects for a while; Alex has been in a few different metal bands in SD I believe and Cory Stier, the drummer, was in Weatherbox until recently. Justin Shannon has his own solo stuff going on and Conor, the singer/pianist actually moved to Texas and eventually joined up with or formed the band Chandeliers. I think that started sometime last year, but it was only very recently that they left Texas and headed for the West Coast to play some shows.
Tonight (er last night?) I got to see Chandeliers play at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and it may not seem like a big deal because very few people know them and it's not the same, but for me, this is the closest I will probably ever get to a "final show" or any kind of Pistolita reunion. I got to say hello to Conor for the first time in over two years and Justin came out for the show too. Anyone who knows me knows how terrible I am at talking to people and bands are no exception so it was exciting for me that they each knew who I was and actually came up to me. Conor gave me a cd and I enjoyed the set very much, even if I'm still biased towards Pistolita and seeing Chandeliers made me miss them that much more.
In comparison, I'd have to say Pistolita seemed a lot more tight and comfortable together on stage. Chandeliers is still a fairly young band so far as I know, so of course it will take time for them to leave that semi-awkward phase and really fit together. Some of the songs still sounded a little rough, but I really loved hearing "Ceiling Stars" live. "Window Seat" sounded the best to me from their set, however. Everything just seemed to come together perfectly for that one song and I think those few minutes were my favorite of the night. They reminded me the most of what it was like to see Pistolita and how much I always loved watching them. It sounds ridiculously cheesy but there were a few times throughout the show that I would just close my eyes and pretend I was back two or three years ago seeing them at Chain again.
Anyway. Long story short, I had a wonderful night and it was very cool to see a few guys from a band I once loved for the first time in years. I highly recommend checking out Chandeliers, and maybe even looking up Pistolita's CD as well because it's definitely still one of my favorites.
www.myspace.com/wearechandeliers
Only Chandeliers played and I wrote a different sort of synopsis for this one, so I'm just gonna copy and paste that over here.
I had a really good night and I wanted to share. :)
So once upon a time there was this sweet piano rock band from San Diego called Pistolita and Caity was a big fan. I actually saw them quite a few times at Chain Reaction in Anaheim and they quickly became one of my favorite semi-local bands. They played at the very first show I went to in '04 and I believe the last time I got to see them was in December of '06. (Last time with the original lineup was the first Bamboozle Left in October '06) After the original bassist, Alex, left the band they had a varied line up for a short while and eventually called it quits and I never had the chance to see them again, to my extreme dismay.
Each of the guys ended up doing different projects for a while; Alex has been in a few different metal bands in SD I believe and Cory Stier, the drummer, was in Weatherbox until recently. Justin Shannon has his own solo stuff going on and Conor, the singer/pianist actually moved to Texas and eventually joined up with or formed the band Chandeliers. I think that started sometime last year, but it was only very recently that they left Texas and headed for the West Coast to play some shows.
Tonight (er last night?) I got to see Chandeliers play at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood and it may not seem like a big deal because very few people know them and it's not the same, but for me, this is the closest I will probably ever get to a "final show" or any kind of Pistolita reunion. I got to say hello to Conor for the first time in over two years and Justin came out for the show too. Anyone who knows me knows how terrible I am at talking to people and bands are no exception so it was exciting for me that they each knew who I was and actually came up to me. Conor gave me a cd and I enjoyed the set very much, even if I'm still biased towards Pistolita and seeing Chandeliers made me miss them that much more.
In comparison, I'd have to say Pistolita seemed a lot more tight and comfortable together on stage. Chandeliers is still a fairly young band so far as I know, so of course it will take time for them to leave that semi-awkward phase and really fit together. Some of the songs still sounded a little rough, but I really loved hearing "Ceiling Stars" live. "Window Seat" sounded the best to me from their set, however. Everything just seemed to come together perfectly for that one song and I think those few minutes were my favorite of the night. They reminded me the most of what it was like to see Pistolita and how much I always loved watching them. It sounds ridiculously cheesy but there were a few times throughout the show that I would just close my eyes and pretend I was back two or three years ago seeing them at Chain again.
Anyway. Long story short, I had a wonderful night and it was very cool to see a few guys from a band I once loved for the first time in years. I highly recommend checking out Chandeliers, and maybe even looking up Pistolita's CD as well because it's definitely still one of my favorites.
www.myspace.com/wearechandeliers
www.myspace.com/pistolita
P.S. Another mini brag for anyone who's been to a record store with me in the past few years. Just for the hell of it, I usually check the aisles for Pistolita's old CD (which came out in early '06) and whenever I find the Artist tab with no albums left, I'm very tempted to ask the store if I can keep it but I've never had the balls to actually ask for fear that I'll get a no. Tonight at the Virgin Megastore on Hollywood Blvd I finally asked and now I've got my very own Pistolita tab. :) Kind of a silly thing to be excited over, but I am. So there that is.
P.S. Another mini brag for anyone who's been to a record store with me in the past few years. Just for the hell of it, I usually check the aisles for Pistolita's old CD (which came out in early '06) and whenever I find the Artist tab with no albums left, I'm very tempted to ask the store if I can keep it but I've never had the balls to actually ask for fear that I'll get a no. Tonight at the Virgin Megastore on Hollywood Blvd I finally asked and now I've got my very own Pistolita tab. :) Kind of a silly thing to be excited over, but I am. So there that is.
Monday, February 23, 2009
one hundred and eighteen
February 16th in Victorville
I saw the Say No to Neon tour two nights in a row, so most of this night was the same as the last show I wrote about. It was AVP's last night on the tour so they were pretty silly. They intro'd one song as "We All Need a Reason to Believe" and dedicated something else to Wapner I think. And instead of "Lisa Marie," they called it "Joshua Marie." Cute. While they were playing, George and Hodge were jumping around on light boxes off the side of the stage. Also amusing.
During Houston Calls' set, the AVP jumped back on stage with masks on and their shirts pulled up to mess with the HC guys. I think some of them had silly string as well. It's always fun to see tour-end antics.
Valencia dropped "Away we Go" and played "Head in Hands," but everything else in their set was about the same. The crowd was much smaller in Victorville than it was at Chain so all the bands were struggling to make the crowd energized, but Valencia made it happen for their last few songs so that was nice to see as well. Once again, a wonderful show.
I saw the Say No to Neon tour two nights in a row, so most of this night was the same as the last show I wrote about. It was AVP's last night on the tour so they were pretty silly. They intro'd one song as "We All Need a Reason to Believe" and dedicated something else to Wapner I think. And instead of "Lisa Marie," they called it "Joshua Marie." Cute. While they were playing, George and Hodge were jumping around on light boxes off the side of the stage. Also amusing.
During Houston Calls' set, the AVP jumped back on stage with masks on and their shirts pulled up to mess with the HC guys. I think some of them had silly string as well. It's always fun to see tour-end antics.
Valencia dropped "Away we Go" and played "Head in Hands," but everything else in their set was about the same. The crowd was much smaller in Victorville than it was at Chain so all the bands were struggling to make the crowd energized, but Valencia made it happen for their last few songs so that was nice to see as well. Once again, a wonderful show.
one hundred and seventeen
Sunday, February 15th at Chain.
Lucky for me, I arrived just after Eudora's set was done so I didn't have to suffer through that. :) Not a big fan of them, I'm (not so) sorry to say. The Break Up played shortly after I walked in and they weren't horrible or anything, but not really good either. They had a chick drummer and singer, so right on to that, but everything from their lyrics to whatever the singer said between songs was mega cliche. One of their songs literally went, "Dance dance dance on a Saturday night." Awesome. They were alright though, just nothing special.
Artist vs Poet played third and I really really liked them. Honestly, I probably would've compared the singer, Tarcy, to the Jonas Brothers if you gave them a few more years to really get control of their vocal styles or whatever. He sounded like he could've been the older older brother, and I totally don't mean that as an insult. I nabbed their EP after the show and have been playing it non-stop lately. It's just good, fun pop rock. My favorite. :)
Houston Calls was up next and I only really had heard two of their songs before seeing them so I didn't have any crazy expectations. I noticed that the singer's voice sounds a little different live than recorded to me, but they put on a pretty good set and were all very entertaining, especially him and Okie, the key boardist. He actually dislodged his keyboar from its stand during their last song and almost dropped it on the floor. That was amusing, but all throughout the set they were calling people out for not being into it and just having a good time. I liked them a lot.
Valencia headlined (first headlining tour for them on BOTH coasts, very exciting) and it just reminded me why they are one of my absolute favorite bands. They put on such a great live show it's ridiculous. I got really excited during the soundcheck because Hodge pulled out an acoustic and I thought maybe I'd get to hear "From the Second I Wake Up," but no go. I did finally get to hear my new favorite, "Listen Up," which was wonderful. They played "Holiday," "Safe to Say," "3000 Miles," "Better Be Prepared," "Where Did You Go," "The Good Life," "Away We Go," "All At Once," "Listen Up," and "The Space Between." I was very pleased overall. :D
Lucky for me, I arrived just after Eudora's set was done so I didn't have to suffer through that. :) Not a big fan of them, I'm (not so) sorry to say. The Break Up played shortly after I walked in and they weren't horrible or anything, but not really good either. They had a chick drummer and singer, so right on to that, but everything from their lyrics to whatever the singer said between songs was mega cliche. One of their songs literally went, "Dance dance dance on a Saturday night." Awesome. They were alright though, just nothing special.
Artist vs Poet played third and I really really liked them. Honestly, I probably would've compared the singer, Tarcy, to the Jonas Brothers if you gave them a few more years to really get control of their vocal styles or whatever. He sounded like he could've been the older older brother, and I totally don't mean that as an insult. I nabbed their EP after the show and have been playing it non-stop lately. It's just good, fun pop rock. My favorite. :)
Houston Calls was up next and I only really had heard two of their songs before seeing them so I didn't have any crazy expectations. I noticed that the singer's voice sounds a little different live than recorded to me, but they put on a pretty good set and were all very entertaining, especially him and Okie, the key boardist. He actually dislodged his keyboar from its stand during their last song and almost dropped it on the floor. That was amusing, but all throughout the set they were calling people out for not being into it and just having a good time. I liked them a lot.
Valencia headlined (first headlining tour for them on BOTH coasts, very exciting) and it just reminded me why they are one of my absolute favorite bands. They put on such a great live show it's ridiculous. I got really excited during the soundcheck because Hodge pulled out an acoustic and I thought maybe I'd get to hear "From the Second I Wake Up," but no go. I did finally get to hear my new favorite, "Listen Up," which was wonderful. They played "Holiday," "Safe to Say," "3000 Miles," "Better Be Prepared," "Where Did You Go," "The Good Life," "Away We Go," "All At Once," "Listen Up," and "The Space Between." I was very pleased overall. :D
Monday, February 2, 2009
one hundred and sixteen
January 31st at Chain.
I showed up just in time for Hello Hollywood, a sweet-as-candy pop rock band from Arizona. The music was alright, but the vocals didn't impress me at all. Plenty of people (mostly pre-teen girls) seemed very excited to see them though. I didn't realize until I got there the the majority of the lineup was literally the closest thing to boy band pop rock you can find. Not that I'm complaining necessarily; I enjoy pop rock, I really do. I'm just not a fan of the crowd at most of those shows anymore, mainly because they make me feel old. :(
Anyway, moving right along. We Are the Arsenal was up next, and really didn't fit well with the roster at all in my opinion. Them and Run Doris Run were both much harder/darker rock than the rest of the bands playing, but for me that was sort of a relief factor so maybe it was a good thing. So WATA was swell, everyone looked and sounded great. It makes me a laugh a little to notice how much more comfortable Alan is on stage than anywhere else, but it also makes me very happy for him to have finally found a band again. Also, Peter is the sweetest and way too cute for life. :)
Run Doris Run was up next, and I was actually very much looking forward to FINALLY seeing them play. I met them once four years ago outside of another show at Chain, when they were still going by Blank Label, and I've always wanted to see them live since then and I just never had a chance to, or it was never under good circumstances. It's been so long and they've changed so much that I actually didn't recognize them while they were setting up, but I was quite pleased with their set. They've grown out of the pop rock sound a little bit and gone somewhat edgier and more in a hard rock direction, but it was still pretty light and a lot of fun to listen to. I'm glad I finally got to see them.
This Century, another Arizona pop rock group, was up after that. Their music was interesting, a bit more funky than the opener, but still very pop-sounding as well. Not bad. The lyrics sounded a little cheesy at times, but nobody's perfect. Other than that, their set really didn't stand out that much. After the show I was sitting outside waiting to see the WATA guys and I guess the This Century singer was not too far behind me because I got sucked into one of those groupie circles of girls waiting for pictures and autographs. :puke: I'll admit, I totally used to be one of them, but at least when Ashley and I waited around those, we were polite and not just standing around waiting to be able to say we had met some band member. And we KNEW who we were talking to too, but I'll get back to that later.
The headliner was yet another Arizona band, but this one I could actually see myself getting very hooked on. The Summer Set ended the show with a very sweet set, including two covers - Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and Usher's "Love in This Club." Very amusing. Good sound, good vocals, they seem to be pretty talented so I'll definitely be looking into their music a bit more in the future.
As for feeling old at shows, good lord, it's annoying. I realize with the music I listen to, I'm totally asking for it, but I can't help that. Pop rock is too much fun, but the fans are so obnoxious hahah. I was talking to Alan after the show and two girls came up and asked him to sign some stuff, and then proceeded to ask if he was in We Are the Arsenal.. AFTER asking him to sign something. Not only that, but they had to ask him which of the people behind us were also in the band so they could get autographs from them as well. Good lord, people are ridiculous.
Band Links:
www.myspace.com/hellohollywoodband
www.myspace.com/wearethearsenal
www.myspace.com/rundorisrun
www.myspace.com/thiscentury
www.myspace.com/thesummerset
I showed up just in time for Hello Hollywood, a sweet-as-candy pop rock band from Arizona. The music was alright, but the vocals didn't impress me at all. Plenty of people (mostly pre-teen girls) seemed very excited to see them though. I didn't realize until I got there the the majority of the lineup was literally the closest thing to boy band pop rock you can find. Not that I'm complaining necessarily; I enjoy pop rock, I really do. I'm just not a fan of the crowd at most of those shows anymore, mainly because they make me feel old. :(
Anyway, moving right along. We Are the Arsenal was up next, and really didn't fit well with the roster at all in my opinion. Them and Run Doris Run were both much harder/darker rock than the rest of the bands playing, but for me that was sort of a relief factor so maybe it was a good thing. So WATA was swell, everyone looked and sounded great. It makes me a laugh a little to notice how much more comfortable Alan is on stage than anywhere else, but it also makes me very happy for him to have finally found a band again. Also, Peter is the sweetest and way too cute for life. :)
Run Doris Run was up next, and I was actually very much looking forward to FINALLY seeing them play. I met them once four years ago outside of another show at Chain, when they were still going by Blank Label, and I've always wanted to see them live since then and I just never had a chance to, or it was never under good circumstances. It's been so long and they've changed so much that I actually didn't recognize them while they were setting up, but I was quite pleased with their set. They've grown out of the pop rock sound a little bit and gone somewhat edgier and more in a hard rock direction, but it was still pretty light and a lot of fun to listen to. I'm glad I finally got to see them.
This Century, another Arizona pop rock group, was up after that. Their music was interesting, a bit more funky than the opener, but still very pop-sounding as well. Not bad. The lyrics sounded a little cheesy at times, but nobody's perfect. Other than that, their set really didn't stand out that much. After the show I was sitting outside waiting to see the WATA guys and I guess the This Century singer was not too far behind me because I got sucked into one of those groupie circles of girls waiting for pictures and autographs. :puke: I'll admit, I totally used to be one of them, but at least when Ashley and I waited around those, we were polite and not just standing around waiting to be able to say we had met some band member. And we KNEW who we were talking to too, but I'll get back to that later.
The headliner was yet another Arizona band, but this one I could actually see myself getting very hooked on. The Summer Set ended the show with a very sweet set, including two covers - Katy Perry's "Hot n Cold" and Usher's "Love in This Club." Very amusing. Good sound, good vocals, they seem to be pretty talented so I'll definitely be looking into their music a bit more in the future.
As for feeling old at shows, good lord, it's annoying. I realize with the music I listen to, I'm totally asking for it, but I can't help that. Pop rock is too much fun, but the fans are so obnoxious hahah. I was talking to Alan after the show and two girls came up and asked him to sign some stuff, and then proceeded to ask if he was in We Are the Arsenal.. AFTER asking him to sign something. Not only that, but they had to ask him which of the people behind us were also in the band so they could get autographs from them as well. Good lord, people are ridiculous.
Band Links:
www.myspace.com/hellohollywoodband
www.myspace.com/wearethearsenal
www.myspace.com/rundorisrun
www.myspace.com/thiscentury
www.myspace.com/thesummerset
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