March 2009 Archives
Page of 3
Last time was the second time I have seen Glasvegas in DC and I have come away with the same feeling both times. I really like the album, but as far as the live show goes, there is just something about it that's a bit off. The band and their show both seem a bit contrived. I get that they think they are big rock stars and that they play to 3000+ each night in the UK, but if that's the case, they should totally own a gig at a cozy place like the Black Cat, but they didn't even come close last night. Thinking you deserve it is one thing, showing you deserve it is another. The band has attitude to spare but the songs (especially the lyrics) just don't hold up. Opening the set with "Geraldine" was a ballsy move, but it backfired on them because James Allan's vocals sounded very rough (and that's me being kind). He ultimately got it together about halfway through the set ("Flowers and Football Tops" sounded much better), but it wasn't enough to salvage the gig in my mind. I've seen plenty of sold out shows at the Black Cat, but this was one of the least exciting. But not as bad as this.
Last night turned out to be a bummer all the way around since Duke crashed and burned against Villanova. I DVR'ed the game and will go back and watch it later (caught most of the second half before they cut away to watch Mizzou shoot free throws) and will offer my thoughts then.
No rest for the weary tonight. Primal Scream at the 9:30 Club! The Scream have long been one of my favorite bands and I am super excited for this show. I fully expect my face to be melted off by "Shoot Speed (Kill Light)" or "Swastika Eyes." The set from their L.A. gig looks incredible. The club is running a two-for-one special on tickets, so there is no excuse not to come!
All sorts of stuff going on tonight, I don't even know where to begin.
I think the plan is to head to the Black Cat for the Glasvegas / Ida Maria show in the mainstage and then either head downstairs around 11 for Say Hi at the backstage or walk down to Bar Pilar to catch the Duke game. Should be a fun night either way.
I've been spreading most of my Dookiness around on my Facebook and Twitter accounts (ACC Tourney champs, bitches!) in an effort to 1) spare all of you and 2) rub it in the faces of all of my UNC loving high school friends.
Tonight's game v. Villanova should be a great game. On one hand, 'Nova is the exact type of team that gives Duke problems - quick on the perimeter with tons of great shooters - but on the other hand, they aren't THAT different from Texas, and we handled them just fine. "Nova's big guy is better, but hopefully Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek can contain him. My whole thing in the postseason has been if Nolan Smith plays well, we'll be fine. So far so good.
And as much as I hate the guy, you have to feel sorry for Greg Paulus. He's been jerked around royally this year and is basically out of the rotation at this point. Would love to know what exactly he did to get so far in the doghouse. Can't see him getting much burn against the quick backcourt of 'Nova.
Oh, and how great is it that UCONN IS A BUNCH OF FUCKING CHEATERS. Best.
Lastly, and on a completely different note, big ups to my boy Coolfer, who shut his blog down this week due to his new job at Billboard Magazine. Seems like only five and a half years ago that we were talking while on our way home from seeing Stephen Malkmus at the Prospect Park bandshell and I mentioned to Glenn that I had started a blog. He said he was thinking of starting one as well and I gave him a spare copy of Macworld that had a big feature on the three different blog platforms of the day (Blogger, Typepad and Livejournal). Man, how times have changed. Congrats to Glenn! He's worked long and hard at this blogging thing and there is no one more deserving. Hopefully he can change the machine from the inside out.
I've always been pretty meh about Longwave. All style and no substance. I would constantly hear people talk about how great they were but none of their recorded material did a thing for me. I remember being very excited to hear their 2005 album There's A Fire because the great and wonderful John Leckie produced it but it didn't do it for me. They piqued my interest again a few months later when they picked up former Sea Ray (RIP) keyboardist and all-around good guy Jeff Sheinkopf for a while, but he eventually left the band and my interest faded.
Anyways, I had still never seen them live so I thought I would give them a shot on Sunday at the 9:30 and I am so very glad I did. Not sure what has happened to them in the last few years, but man, they were straight fire. I was gobsmacked! Gone were the breezy pop songs I remembered, in their place was a wall of guitar effects that Ride or Spooky-era Lush would be proud of. And lead singer Steve Schiltz has the pipes to keep up too. They were amazing. Wikipedia says they put out a record at the end of last year. I'm going to have to track that down ASAP.
Also, the band said they were recording the gig for future use. There were quite a few video cameras set up around the venue. Hopefully they share that with all of us before too long.
[Photo Gallery] Longwave @ 9:30 Club
I wrote up a quickie review on DCist earlier int he week, but here are a few other thoughts on the Bloc Party show from Sunday.
- It was way sold out. Shoulder to shoulder all the way to the back of the venue.
- They didn't play "Waiting for the 7.18" Boo!
- "Ion Square" was pretty mind-blowing. The slinky keyboards from Gordon provided a nice respite from a very guitar heavy set. Definitely my new fave song.
- The seamless segue from "Song for Clay (Disappear Here) into "Banquet" was pretty awesome.
- Best lighting and best sound I've experienced from a 9:30 show in a long time.
- I love it when headliners go on before 9:30. We stayed through the firt encore and still got home a little after 11. Yes, I'm old.
[Photo Gallery] Bloc Pary @ 9:30 Club
Got some killer shots of Longwave. Will post those tomorrow.
At the Makomanai Ice Arena in Sapporo Japan!
Fuckin' In The Bushes
Rock 'N' Roll Star
Lyla
The Shock Of The Lightning
Cigarettes & Alcohol
The Meaning Of Soul
To Be Where There's Life
Waiting For The Rapture
The Masterplan
Songbird
Slide Away
Morning Glory
Ain't Got Nothin'
The Importance Of Being Idle
I'm Outta Time
Wonderwall
Supersonic
Whatever (!!!!!!!!!)
Don't Look Back In Anger
Falling Down
Champagne Supernova
I Am The Walrus
First time they've played that song live in 12 years! Liveforever.us has the details.
Bloc Party put on a killer show at the 9:30 Club last night. Kele came out onstage wearing a Clinton Portis jersey! Pretty awesome. Head over to DCist for a short review and more photos. I'll have the full set up in a few days. Loving my new 5D, BTW.
Last Thursday I swore of basketball for the night (I more than made up for it over the weekend) and headed down to the Black Cat to check out Pree and Meredith Bragg. As I've mentioned a few times in the last week or so, Pree is the new group formed by May Tabol, formerly of Le Loup. Her new group put on a great gig showcasing her quirky folk-pop. Definitely worth checking out if you are curious about them. I was surprised at how polished they were.
Local boy and fellow Kora Records artist Meredith Bragg opened the show. Somehow I had never seen him before, despite him gigging locally all the time. The two names thrown around when describing Bragg, Elliott Smith and Ben Gibbard, are right on the money. If intelligent, sparse acoustic folk is your thing, Bragg is your man.
[Photo Gallery]
Pree w/ Meredith Bragg @ Black Cat
When it's all said and done, I think this is my favorite Oasis tune. Total fucking classic.
I found this pretty funny. My twitter feed wasn't too bad yesterday, hopefully it stays that way.
Truth be told I considered going to SXSW this year, but by the time I checked for flights they were $600. Plus, I would probably go insane not watching the first weekend of the NCAA Tourney. I think I'll do all of my networking in Chicago in July.
Luckily, there are plenty of great shows around town this weekend and beyond that will keep my busy.
Tonight:
Pree w/ Meredith Bragg & Birdlips @ Black cat.
Pree is the new group from May Tabol (formerly of Le Loup). I've heard good things and I've never seen Meredith Bragg, so it sounds like the opportune time to go test out my new toy.
[mp3] Pree | In the Parlour
Friday:
The Ting Tings @ 9:30 Club
Not a huge fan of the record, but I bet they're fun live. But I'll probably end up at the bar watching basketball.
Saturday:
Watching basketball.
Sunday:
Bloc Party @ 9:30 Club
Obvs. I interviewed bassist Gordon Moakes for DCist.
Monday:
Cut Copy w/ Matt and Kim @ 9:30 Club
Somehow I have never seen either of these acts. V. much looking forward to this show.
Tuesday:
White Lies w/ Friendly Fires & Softpack @ Black Cat
Apparently White Lies are all the rage in the UK. We'll see.
Wednesday:
A glorious night off.
Thursday:
Glasvegas @ Ida Maria @ Black Cat (mainstage)
Say Hi @ Black Cat (Backstage)
Can't believe I have to choose between these two shows. I wish Say Hi could just get added to the Glasvegas bill.
Friday:
Primal Scream @ 9:30 Club
Should I wear my KILL ALL HIPPIES t-shirt or my PRML SCRM MTHR FCKR t-shirt to this show? Could not be more excited to see these guys.
Saturday:
Middle Distance Runner w/ Eulogies & Payola Reserve @ Iota
Haven't seen the MDR crew in ages, so I am determined to make this show. Checkout MDR's awesome new video!
Whew. And it doesn't stop from there. Lots of great stuff in April.
It occurs to me that I failed to mention the great start I had to this week. In addition to the Morrissey photos they ran online on Monday, I had a photo of Estelle on the front page of the Style section in the print edition of the Washington Post on Tuesday.
On an unrelated note, had I known that my hastily written review for Dark Days / Light Years would be in the top five Google search results for "dark days light years review," I would have spent more than 10 minutes on it. Still, I hope it will convince a few people to go out and buy it.
I interviewed bassist Gordon Moakes (not pictured) in advance of their show at the 9:30 Club on Sunday. Some excerpts:
So the new record, Intimacy. It was co-produced by "Jacknife" Lee and Paul Epworth. You've worked with each of them in the past. How do you get a cohesive sound out of two different producers?
For us, in terms of a cohesive record, we were hoping for the best really, but we wanted two separate elements. It was kind of part of the idea to have two different producers to work on two completely different ends of the record and trust in them that it would come together and not sound disjointed. And I think it worked in that sense.
This record has a more electronic sound. Is that something you worked on prior to entering the studio or was that something that came about while you were recording?
It was a blueprint, in a way, for the record. The main thing being on a certain number of songs (lead singer and songwriter) Kele wanted to not write in a traditional way--you know, instruments in a room, turn up and play--but actually building that from scratch with software on a computer. We found actually that the two do complement each other, that there were times when we did need a live drum sound. But we were approaching music slightly differently for us. To not think of a band in a room playing music. You have to strike a balance. If we approached a whole record like that, then you are in danger of losing that spark of what we are as a band, collectively. The ideas come when we play together, so you don't want to lose all of that organic quality.
Go read the full interview over at DCist.
Writing psuedo-songs for Colin Meloy over Twitter apparently. Or something like that.
Sheer brilliance!
I had no idea what to expect from the new Super Furry Animals album. Would it be wandering and unfocused with occasional moments of clarity like LoveKraft? Would it be powerfully poppy but ultimately a bit shallow like Hey Venus!? Actually it appears that the Furries took the best elements of their last two records and combined them.
DD/LY is very psychedelic at times, but the band never loses focus on the sugary pop that they do best. "Cardiff In The Sun," their love letter to their home town is as epic and moving as anything they've ever done. "Inaugural Trams" is one of the best singles they've ever released. Yesterday Lane Brown rightfully asked "Have Super Furry Animals Written the Definitive Krautrock Song About Railcars?" A rhetorical question for sure, because the answer is obviously YES. I can't think of another band that can write such a catchy tune about the monumental progress that a new integrated transport hub brings, much less make lyrics like "I will design a town in the image of your face / Around the wrinkles of your eyes my footsteps you can trace" sound so sincere.
Bunf contributes the best song he's ever written with "White Socks/ Flip Flops" (Well, he sings it so I assume he wrote it). It sound like a glorious b-side from Tusk, or an album from that era. The song's chorus is "Switch it off and start again," advice the Furries seem to have taken to heart this time around.
Also, there is a song called "The Very Best of Neil Diamond" that has a tabla on it. Bonus.
Hear me now, believe me tomorrow, this is one of the best albums you are going to hear this year. When it's all said and done, this album will be regarded as one of the band's best.
The physical album won't be out until April, but you can head over to Superfurry.com and buy the MP3s right now.
Right? Video, audio, something...Right?
I'm a few days late on this (more on that later) but I would be remiss if I didn't comment on Saturday night's show. I was very excited about seeing Morrissey at the Warner, it's one of D.C.'s oldest concert venues, styled like a junior version of Radio City Music Hall.
Strangely, I was not nearly as nervous to photograph Moz this time around. I was pins and needles two years ago at DAR, but was strangely calm this time. That is, until the rush of people crowding the front of the stage when the lights went down. I don't think security at that venue was used to crowds like that. There was a lot of pushing and shoving at first but eventually everyone got a spot they were happy with and it was somewhat bearable.
I ended up stage right and in retrospect, it was too far from center. And due to the crowds, I couldn't move around. The lighting was coming from the sides and back of the stage with a spotlight on Moz, so I got mostly profile stuff. Overall I got some good photos, but nothing as iconic as last time.
The show itself was better than I was expecting. I'm still not a fan of Years of Refusal and I wish he would have played some songs off of Ringleader of the Tormentors (I am still bitter that he was over playing those songs by then time his tour got to the East Coast two years ago). I still don't like the alt-rock version of "This Charming Man" but "Ask" was quite nice. It was a thrill of hear Morrissey sing about the buck-toothed girl in Luxembourg. He also played a Buzzcocks cover and broke out "First of the Gang to Die" for the first time on this tour (Reader Ken notes that Moz played this in Myrtle Beach. Don't forget to fact check, kids!). Moz hearts DC, he always breaks out something new here. I was hoping for "Reader Meet Author," but oh well. Also, "Best Friend on the Payroll" sounded surprisingly great, and "The Loop" is still BEST.
Oh, and I'm glad I wasn't the only one that noticed the heart-shaped sweat stain in Morrissey's shirt.
Setlist:
This Charming Man / Billy Budd / Black Cloud / Let Me Kiss You / How Soon Is Now? / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Ask / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / Something Is Squeezing My Skull / Death Of A Disco Dancer / You Say You Don't Love Me / It's Not Your Birthday Anymore / The Loop / Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself? / Best Friend On The Payroll / I Keep Mine Hidden / Sorry Doesn't Help / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / I'm OK By Myself // First Of The Gang To Die
Lastly, I would highly recommend checking out David Malitz's Washington Post review (with more of my photos!) and Chrs Klimek's review for DCist.
PS - I have now photographed Morrissey, Radiohead and Oasis for the Washington Post. Jarvis, you're next.
What I am assuming is the cover for the new Super Furry Animals album, which is being released today! Details below.
Super Furry Animals brand new album Dark Days/Light Years will be performed in its entirety on Monday March 16th, at Noon PST/3pm EST/8pm UK time in an exclusive 'once only screening' gigcast hosted at superfurry.com filmed in conjunction with MusicBox, Cardiff, and graduate filmmakers from Central St Martins College, London.
The album is available to buy immediately as a download from the start of the gig on Monday!
Full Tracklisting for Dark Days/Light Years as follows:
1. Crazy Naked Girls.
2. Mt.
3. Moped Eyes.
4. Inaugural Trams.
5. Inconvenience.
6. Cardiff In The Sun.
7. The Very Best Of Neil Diamond.
8. Helium Hearts.
9. White Socks / Flip Flops.
10. Where Do You Wanna Go?
11. Lliwiau Llachar.
12. Pric.
Here's the setlist from the Durham Performing Arts Center:
This Charming Man / Something Is Squeezing My Skull / Black Cloud / Billy Budd / How Soon Is Now? / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed / Ask / That's How People Grow Up / Let Me Kiss You / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / The Loop / Best Friend On The Payroll / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself? / I Keep Mine Hidden / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / Life Is A Pigsty / I'm OK By Myself // Irish Blood, English Heart
Other than "The Loop," "Ask" and "Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself," not terribly exciting. But maybe I'll take a liking to the new material more when I hear it live. The good news is that those in attendance said Moz was in pretty good form.
Now if only someone could do something about the hundreds of emails I have in my Gmail trash that have "SXSW" in them. I need to learn how to make filters.
I love this song (and the accompanying video), and not just because both of them remind me of "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. Love it.
Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction are touring this summer. I would be lying if I said I wasn't incredibly exciting about this show. NIN was straight fire at the Virgin Festival last year and I've never seen Jane's. Hot.
Fri-May-08 West Palm Beach, FL [Cruzan Amphitheatre]
Sat-May-09 Tampa, FL [Ford Amphitheatre]
Sun-May-10 Atlanta, GA [Lakewood Amphitheatre]
Thu-May-14 Albuquerque, NM [Journal Pavilion]
Fri-May-15 Phoenix, AZ [Cricket Wireless Pavilion]
Sat-May-16 Chula Vista, CA [Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre]
Mon-May-18 Las Vegas, NV [The Pearl]
Wed-May-20 Irvine, CA [Verizon Wireless Amphitheater]
Fri-May-22 Mountain View, CA [Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View]
Sun-May-24 George WA Sasquatch Festival [The Gorge Amphitheatre]
Tue-May-26 Englewood, CO [Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre]
Wed-May-27 Kansas City, MO [Starlight Theatre]
Fri-May-29 Chicago, IL [Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island] * NIN only
Sat-May-30 Noblesville, IN [Verizon Wireless Music Center Indianapolis]
Sun-May-31 Clarkston, MI [DTE Energy Music Theatre]
Tue-Jun-02 Toronto, ON [Molson Amphitheatre]
Wed-Jun-03 Darien Lake, NY [Darien Lake Performing Arts Center]
Fri-Jun-05 Camden, NJ [Susquehanna Bank Center]
Sat-Jun-06 Holmdel, NJ [PNC Bank Arts Center]
Sun-Jun-07 Wantagh, NY [Nikon at Jones Beach Theater]
Tue-Jun-09 Columbia, MD [Merriweather Post Pavilion]
Wed-Jun-10 Burgettstown, PA [Post-Gazette Pavilion]
Fri-Jun-12 Charlotte, NC [Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte]
Semi-related: Check out this NIN concert video shot on the Canon 5D MKII. Obviously the audio is from another source, but still! *Jaw drops*
NIN: Burn Live from on stage, Melbourne 2.25.09 [HD] from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.
You already heard me blather on and on about how amazing this show was. Now, check out the visual evidence.
[Photo Gallery]
Dead Confederate @ Black Cat
How do you know when Morrissey is on tour? When he starts canceling dates.
Rumors are flying fast and furious over at Moz-solo.com. After canceling the first few dates of his US tour (all of them in Florida), Morrissey released the following statement:
"I have survived the interrogation of Atlanta's Immigration officials and Myrtle Beach shall have me tomorrow nite (Friday), and the world from then onwards ... if the world can take it. One of the many penalties of being human is that tours often take a military push to start, well, all of our answers will be in our songs tomorrow night. The bloodbath starts at 7.30. Life is testing you out. Be ready for anything."
He then goes on to play the Myrtle Beach show. Here's the setlist:
Something Is Squeezing My Skull / Mama Lay Softly On The Riverbed / This Charming Man / Black Cloud / Best Friend On The Payroll / First Of The Gang To Die / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel? / Seasick, Yet Still Docked / Ask / Sister, I'm A Poet / All You Need Is Me / I Keep Mine Hidden / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / Life Is A Pigsty / How Soon Is Now?
Someone in the forums noted that there was a very abrupt end to the show (three other songs were on the setlist and were not played) and there were fears Atlanta would be canceled. Sure enough, that's what happened. The anonymous tipster also said "this tour is in serious trouble." Not the first time a Moz tour has been in jeopardy and it likely will not be the last.
I hope Mozzer gets it together before he plays D.C. next weekend.
The other day I was thinking to myself that I might be suffering from seasonal depression. I generally like winter and the cold, but all the gray days were throwing me off a bit. But now I think I was wrong. It had just been too long since I had my face melted off at a big rock show. Well, after seeing Dead Confederate open for The Whigs, I am cured.
I did not know much about Dead Confederate going in to the show. I gave their MySpace tunes a quick listen before the show and generally liked what I heard. But I was unprepared for the sheer force and heaviness of their live sound. They are this weird sonic mix of Kurt Cobain fronting Mogwai trying to play Primal Scream's Vanishing Point. It certainly didn't hurt that I planted myself front row and had the lead singer basically spitting on me for the entire set. It was intensity in ten cities!
The band wasted little time setting up and plugging in following a decent set by Trances Arc. After a quick soundcheck, we were off. Their drummer was a dynamo, he was hitting the snare and toms so hard he had the drum platform wobbling all over the place. The loud/quiet/loud thing is very overdone these days, but Dead Confederate made it all sound brand new. Seeing them brought back memories of the very first time I saw ...Trail of the Dead, at the Knitting Factory in NYC. They were this incredible ball of energy, wound up and ready to let loose, wreaking large scale havoc on a small stage.
Every so often there is an opening band that comes out of nowhere and blows me away, becoming my new favorite band in the process. Welcome to the club Dead Confederate!
If you want to give them a listen, I highly recommend these two songs.
Dead Confederate - The Rat
Dead Confederate - Wrecking Ball
I'll have the full photo set next week!
Tonight! At the Cat! The Whigs! and lots of exclamation points!! I am pumped! Rock!
[MP3] The Whigs | Right Hand On My Heart
Metric are back with a new album entitled Fantasies, and it will be available in the US April 14. Hear the first single "Help I'm Alive" below.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart just announced a new tour. I missed them a few weeks ago when they played D.C. but I heard good things about the show.
[MP3] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | Everything With You
Papercuts is a band I have a few MP3s from and would like to hear more of. They just announced a new tour with Vetiver and they will be playing Iota in Arlington in early May.
[MP3] Papercuts | Future Primitive
[MP3] Vetiver | Everyday
The Black Lips are at the Black Cat on Thursday. They are touring behind their new album 200 Million Thousand. Here are the dates for the rest of their tour.
[MP3] The Black Lips | Starting Over
[MP3] The Black Lips | Short Fuse
Pree, led by May Tabol (formerly of Le Loup) has a new five song EP on the way and is playing the Black Cat on March 19th with Meredith Bragg. DCist interviewed Pree a few weeks back.
[MP3] Pree | In The Parlor
Here is some Pree video goodness:
AON Sessions: Pree, "In the Parlor" from All Our Noise on Vimeo.
Been hearing alot about Extra Golden lately. I think I might have to check them out at Comet Ping Pong if I am free on April 14th.
We've been rehearsing: 'My Big Mouth', 'Half The World Away', 'Bag It Up', and the alternative version of 'The Turning' (the one on the bonus CD from that box-set thing). Unfortunately, as Romeo doesn't do sound-checks, it's almost impossible to change anything. I'm guessing it'll probably fall to me to try some acoustic numbers. We'll have to wait and see.
Noel is one smooth so-and-so. Blame it all on Liam. No one will ever ask him.
See more of his interview with StopCryingYourHeartOut here.
Hi Everyone. Sorry for being a bit M.I.A. so far in 2009. Work's been very hectic and Mrs. Leafblower and I just moved into a new apartment. Basically shit has been crazy. But we're out of the old apartment and settling in to our new one and hopefully things will return to normal soon. I have 16 concerts on my calendar for March, so things should be picking up. I am doing most of my daily blogging over at my Tumblr, so check there to see what I am reading on a daily basis.
Obama having a beer at the Phone Booth.
The Sports Guy calls out Tracy McGrady. And rightfully so.
Safari 4 is 42x faster than IE7.
Hitsville was all over the LiveNation/Ticketmaster merger hearings.
Getty Bullies Photographers After Buying Agency.
I'm a sucker for any Singles reset.
18 of the best music tumblelogs.
Confucius on the Mikki Moore deal.
And on a completely unrelated note, iTunes just served up Radiohead's "How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found" and I had forgotten what a beautiful song it is.
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