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.
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