January 31, 2008

[Photos] Buffalo Tom @ Black Cat

I'm a bit late on this but I would be remiss if I failed to go on record about how fucking awesome Buffalo Tom was last Friday night. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give the show a 15. Seriously. They destroyed my low expectations and put on what will definitely end up being one of the best shows I will see in 2008.

I can't for the life of me remember the last time I saw them play. I'm guessing 1997ish, which put Friday night's show at about 10 years overdue. But it was like they never left. Everything from Let Me Come Over and Big Red Letter Day sounded as vibrant and fresh as the first time I heard those songs. And the newer songs sounded right at home besides these "classics."

The best part of the show was how much fun the band was having on stage. Yes, to an extent this show was a trip down memory lane, but it was a welcome one. It was clear Bill, Chris and Tom were playing these songs because they love them and were happy to be performing them again. Their energy was infectious and the crowd more than reciprocated. They even took requests. The only (minor) downer was Chris's sore throat, which kept the band performing "Three Easy Pieces," one of the songs I was most looking forward to hearing. But he sucked it up for "Late At Night," so it's hard to complain about that.

Setlist: [via the BTMB]
Staples / CC and Callas / Sodajerk / Thrown / Summer / Treehouse / Mineral / You'll Never Catch Him / Kitchen Door / Scottish Windows / Tangerine / Velvet Roof / I'm Allowed / Bottom of the Rain / Late at Night / Taillights Fade
Encore:
Late At Night / Frozen Lake / Birdbrain / Wiser

I have serious doubts if I will see a better show this year. It was that good.

[mp3] Buffalo Tom | Larry (live)

Also, I finally saw Cloverfield last night. I liked it, but it felt like I was watching someone play a video game. I have some serious issues with the last 20 minutes of the movie, but overal...thumbs up.

**UPDATE** - Pygs In a Blanket nails one of my complaints.

Finally, Robbers on High Street have canceled their show at DC9 tonight.

Posted by Kyle at 12:33 PM | Comments (1)

January 16, 2008

[Photos] Editors @ 9:30 Club

Real quick...Editors were totally on point last night. When they came through town a few months ago they seemed a bit off. Maybe it was them, maybe it was me (Sky high expectations), I can't say. What I can say is they played an amazing set last night. Their collective energy level was much higher, and it showed through in their set. Ed Lay was straight-up attacking his drum set. I was up front for most of the night and had planned to go in the back and stand with Natalya and her friend when there was a lull in the show. Well, that didn't happen until around song # 9 or so. Great, great show. And a good way to start out the 2008 concert year.

Can't say the same for the openers. I detest Louis XIV, who have yet to write a decent song. And about 30 seconds into Hot Hot Heat's set, their tour manager came up to me and scolded me that my photo pass was only good for Editors and not his band. Oh really? If my band just released and was touring behind their third album, which was greeting with universally lukewarm reviews, and was in the process of playing a nine song set, seven of which were old tunes, I'd be begging people to pay attention to my band before they fall off the face of the fucking planet. But hey, you got it. I won't talk about or pay attention to them no more.

If you haven't read it yet, don't forget to check out my interview with Editors lead singer Tom Smith.

While we're semi-on-the-subject, there is an embarrassing amount of great shows in D.C. tonight. The 9:30 has Blonde Redhead, who I have yet to see (the 2 songs I saw them do at ACL Festival last year don't count). The Black Cat is hosting Yeasayer and MGMT in the backstage (locals read all about the brouhaha regarding the small venue yesterday) and The Red and The Black has my boys from GreenVegas, NC, the one and only Future Islands. I saw them last year at Whartscape and they were teh awesome. Normally I would be front and center at the Future Islands show, but I threw my hat into the Yeasayer ring last week. So if you're one of the "lucky" few with tickets, see you tonight.

Posted by Kyle at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2007

[Lists] Gigs of the Year 2007

Mew @ Black Cat - "The highlight of the night, however, was the encore performance of "Special," a song a few concert goers around me said they were waiting all night for. Madsen started riffing with the band's drummer while the rest of the band slowly took the stage, launching into the song's signature riff with a perfectly timed crescendo that had the audience going wild."

LCD Soundsystem @ 9:30 Club - "I wouldn't call myself a huge LCD fan by any means, and to be honest, the amount of hype they're getting from NYC was turning me off on the band a bit, but holy shit, they brought the noise last night. It was one of those shows where the band plays for over an hour and you're having so much fun it feels like only 10 minutes. And the best part of it was the usually stoic D.C. audience was totally letting their hair down and absolutely turning it loose. Most everybody in the club was dancing, even old men like me. I was proud to be from D.C. last night."

The Pipettes and Smoosh @ Black Cat - "The Pipettes are, as some are wont to say, the sound of one pan flashing, but no matter how you feel about the group, they put on a great show. There were plenty of choreographed dance moves to go along with the group's throw-back, doo-wop sound, and best of all, the girls seemed to be enjoying themselves. The crowd certainly did. Think of them as the female Art Brut. You either get it and totally love it or you don't."

The National @ 9:30 Club - "There were some outstanding moments, none of which I can remember directly because I was slightly to fairly drunk. There were quite a few songs that had me dancing around like no one was watching. One of the songs off of the new record got a new arrangement and it sounded great, but I can't remember which one it was. "Lit Up" and "Mr. November" got the chatty Cathy's standing all around us to shut the fuck up and actually watch the show."

Travis @ 9:30 Club - "Normally I absolutely abhor it when bands play "greatest hits" sets. But when it's been seven years since you've seen a band, those type of sets aren't exactly a bad thing. In fact, last night the set was perfect. Because they played "Back In Black." On a whim. As the last song of the night. It was INCREDIBLE."

Dappled Cities Fly @ Black Cat - "They played the Black Cat's backstage room last night and put on one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen this year. Their sound is a glorious blend of Mew, Supergrass, The Shins and Levy - art rock with perfect pop hooks occasionally sung in falsetto."

Kings of Leon @ 9:30 Club - "You know all those completely overrated bands like The Decemberists, Beruit, effing Sufjan, Band of Horses, The New Pornographers, Tapes N Tapes, Andrew Bird and the like? You can have them. Go ahead and take 'em. Just give me Kings of Leon. Give me a band with career ambition, building their fan base the right way - releasing albums that get progressively better while touring like crazy and playing bigger and bigger venues, but most importantly a band that fucking brings the rock live. Their set last night at the 9:30 Club was perhaps the best show I've seen this year. "

Voxtrot & The Little Ones @ Black Cat - "You know how I always say I love bands that do mainly verse-chorus-verse songs with a "do do do," "la la la" or "woo woo woo" thrown in there at some point? The Little Ones generally do all three in most of their songs. Think of an American version of I Should Coco-era Supergrass. Tons of energy, lots of smiles on stage and plenty of chances to clap along with their songs. And it's pretty impossible not to sing along with the "hey-oh"'s in "Lovers Who Undercover." I had a ball during their set."

Pela @ Historic Sixth & I Synagouge - "Holy hell. They were brilliant. Forced to do a 30 minute set due to the schedule, they wasted no time and pulled no punches, delivering one of the best sets of music I've seen this year. They were damn near perfect. The choruses were big and soared when they needed to and Billy showed a newfound talent for pulling back a bit and showing a bit of restraint during the slower songs."

Jen Lekman @ Black Cat - "I couldn't stay long at the Jens Lekman show last night and that turned out to be a real shame. He was brilliant. It was a cold, rainy night outside but this guy was just emanating sunshine from the stage. And he managed to turn a good show into a great show in just the second song of the night, when during the last little bit of "The Opposite of Hallelujah" he dropped in a sample of "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by The Chairman of the Board."

Morrissey @ DAR Constitution Hall - "We only got to shoot two songs and they went by in a flash(no pun intended). I had both of my cameras with me and would switch between the two whenever the buffer on a memory card would fill up. I had them placed on the stage in front of me, which was very handy. During the second song, while I was putting one camera down and picking up the other, Moz hit me in the face with the mic cord! Awesome."

Superdrag @ 930 Club - "They didn't get to the good stuff, that being everything off of Head Trip In Every Key, until the latter part of the set but it was worth the wait. "Sold You An Alibi" killed. As did "Do The Vampire." "I'm Expanding My Mind" was every bit of the sonic godhead I make it out to be in my head. So yeah, this show was good."

Posted by Kyle at 10:50 AM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2007

What About Today?

Superdrag were brilliant last night.

Yes, they look a bit longer in the tooth but they still got it.

In spades.

John Davis can still sing his ass off.

Don Coffey Jr. still plays drums like a man possesed.

And Tom Pappas still wears leather pants.

So much awesome.

The set list (which I'm still looking for online) stuck mostly to the early EP's and first two records, with a few new Davis songs thrown in here and there. They didn't get to the good stuff, that being everything off of Head Trip In Every Key, until the latter part of the set but it was worth the wait. "Sold You An Alibi" killed. As did "Do The Vampire." "I'm Expanding My Mind" was every bit of the sonic godhead I make it out to be in my head. So yeah, this show was good.

The ungodly 11:15 start time meant I had to leave before their set was over, which is a real shame because I didn't get to hear "Destination Ursa Major," which is easily one of my 10 favorite songs of all time. But I was stoked to hear my faves from Head Trip.

I have no idea if the band will do something like this again soon (or ever again for that matter) but if it comes to pass, you need to go check them out. This band is the classic example of "these guys should have been HUGE!"

The ungodly start time meant no time for photo editing last night. So look for photos this weekend or Monday.

Completely unreleated:
A compilation: McSweeney's Rockist-oriented lists

Every NBA player from the 1980's has retired.

The Washington Wizard's new offense.

Dan Dickau. Who He Play For?

Seriously: All that for four shows.

Jimmy Carter, cat killer.

Posted by Kyle at 1:08 PM | Comments (2)

November 3, 2007

Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want

Last night I finally got to shoot Morrissey. I say "finally" because I was supposed to shoot three of the dates he cancelled back in July. Three! But it was not to be. And after the show last night, I think the wait was almost worth it.

I was incredibly nervous when I got to the venue. I was trying not to put too much pressure on myself to get "the shot" but it wasn't working. I had some serious butterflies in my stomach. About five minutes before Moz went onstage, the promoter led the photogs down to the front of the house. There is no photo pit at DAR, so we had to basically shoot from the crowd. However, the bouncers were nice enough to clear people out of the center aisle which was just enough space for myself and Ryan, the other photog. I was front row! Before I could even get settled, the lights dimmed and Morrissey bounded out across the stage. I took a deep breath and went to work.

We only got to shoot two songs and they went by in a flash(no pun intended). I had both of my cameras with me and would switch between the two whenever the buffer on a memory card would fill up. I had them placed on the stage in front of me, which was very handy. During the second song, while I was putting one camera down and picking up the other, Moz hit me in the face with the mic cord! Awesome.

When our two songs were up, I stored my camera in the production office and then went back out to enjoy the show. Even though the venue was just over half full, Moz was in fine form and looked like he was enjoying himself greatly. He played a great set (although he completely ignored any Ringleaders material - save for the b-side "Good Looking Man About Town") and the crowd was mad for it.

I got my hands on the second shirt that was thrown out but a mad scramble for it ensued and I gave up on it. Besides, what am I going to do with a 1/4 of a sleeve? Moz ended up throwing three shirts into the crowd and it seemed to rile everyone up. There were something like 12 stage invaders during the last song and Moz was loving it. he had the biggest smile on his face. Security was really cool about it, letting people jump up on stage and then back down if they didn't do anything crazy. They had their hands full. Boz threw out a set list right before he walked off stage and I just missed it. Dagger. Even so, I declare my 13th Morrissey gig a success.

Oh, and I got the shot.

Setlist: (via)
Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before / Irish Blood, English Heart / Interesting Drug / Death Of A Disco Dancer / Sister, I'm A Poet / One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell / Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself? / Billy Budd / Jack The Ripper / The Loop / Stretch Out And Wait / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want / Tomorrow / I Like You / Good Looking Man About Town / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / That's How People Grow Up / The Boy With The Thorn In His Side / Dear God, Please Help Me / How Soon Is Now? // First Of The Gang To Die

Posted by Kyle at 10:42 AM | Comments (2)

November 1, 2007

Moz in Baltimore*

Ok, real quick. Ram's Head live is like the 9:30 Club with a capacity more akin to that of the Black cat. Only much more sterile and without any charm or personality. House of Blues Lite if you will. Still, I had never seen Morrissey in such a small venue before. The opportunity was too good to pass up and I just put the ticket price out of my mind.

I grabbed a spot stage right about 7 people back from the stage. I had the perfect sightline to the middle of the stage. I chatted with some of the people standing around me, mostly couples, and everyone was nice. I was pumped and ready for a great show.

Then during the set changeover after Girl In A Coma (who were ok, but nothing to blog about), about 10 minutes before the Mozzer came onstage, this visibly drunk older (40+ - just trying to put things in context here) couple tried to push their way through the small group of people where I was standing. This big burly guy (Who was stocky as hell) was having none of that and wouldn't let them do it. They contiunued to fight to get in front of him and a drink got spilled on someone next to the burly guy. He was none to happy and said something to the lady that spilled her beer. She basically said "Fuck off you fucking fuck" which didn;t make burly guy or the other people in the are very happy. A few people said things to older, drunk couple who kept replying "Fuck you, we paid money to be in here too," etc. More words were exchanged in both directions, lots of "Fuck Yous" flying back and forth. Finally the drunk lady said something very nasty and one of the guys that was doing the talking got in her face. She threw her (full) beer on that guy, drenching him and the causing collateral soakage to the poor sap standing next to him (Me!). So the wet guy grabs her, then her boyfriend/husband jumps into action, they grapple and then older dude throws a punch. The crowd was moving all around at that point so I'm not sure if it landed but younger dude was having none of that and he just decked the older guy. Older guy was stunned, more drinks were tossed by the lady and everyone is on their case by now. After another 30 seconds or so, older dude came back at the younger guy but the big burly guy from earlier (now wet) gave him a very hard shove and launched him back about eight feet. Dude got rocked. At that point security came over and took younger dude away. I never saw him for the rest of the night although a few bystanders went over to make sure security knew who started it.

I say all of this because after the melee I lost my awesome spot and had to stand behind this obnoxiously drink girl who (seriously) shouted "OMG! I can't belieeeeeeve it" everytime Morrissey began a song. Every. fucking. time. She sounded like a sick poodle or something. It derove me crazy. After the fourth or fifth song reality has to set in right? At some point don't you have to recognize the fact that you are in a rock club and Morrissey is singing and sound is coming out of the speakers? You have to acknowlegde that at some point, right?

They finally left just before "Tomorrow" and I got to enjoy the rest of the set in piece. All in all, it was a good show, Moz came out dressed in a tux (looking very dapper), with the band clad soleyl in loincloths. Even Boz. It was pretty awesome. Everyone in the band also had something written on their chest in magic marker, Boz's was "Disco Dancer." Moz was in fine form, although "Jack The Ripper" kinda suck because Boz's guitar was turned up too loud and you couldn't hear anything else. Moz opened with "The Loop" and it got the night off to a fantastic start. "The Death of a Disco Dancer" and "Stretch Out and Wait," my first time hearing both, were great as well.

Moz wasn't as chatty as usual (he didn't even mention canceling the July show there) but one standout part of the show was when he opened the floor up for questions and gave the mic to a girl in the front row. She took her time and eventually said"Yes, I'm curious about.." and at that point Moz grabbed the mic back and said flatly, "Stay curious." Awesome.

Can't wait for D.C. on Friday.

The set (via):
The Loop / Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before / Last Of The Famous International Playboys / Sister, I'm A Poet / All You Need Is Me / London / Billy Budd / Girlfriend In A Coma / Irish Blood, English Heart / That's How People Grow Up / Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me / Why Don't You Find Out For Yourself? / The World Is Full Of Crashing Bores / I Like You / Shoplifters Of The World Unite / Tomorrow / Stretch Out And Wait / I'm Throwing My Arms Around Paris / Death Of A Disco Dancer / Jack The Ripper / How Soon Is Now? // First Of The Gang To Die

[MP3] Morrissey | The Loop

*dictated but not (proof)read

Posted by Kyle at 3:26 PM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2007

Bitter Hearts

You should take my absence from the interwebs (on a week where I have not one but two Morrissey shows on tap in addtion to the MLS playoffs coming to town and the NBA tipping off) as an indication at just how frigging busy I am at work right now. Lots of stuff to be said but no time to say it.

At Natalya's behest, I saw Jimmy Eat World last night at the 9:30 Club. They were good but not great. Actually they are great at what they do but I'm not really a fan of that. They tend to have two types of songs: shouty and sing-alongy. The set was more the former than the latter. Although "The Sweetness" was pretty bad ass. Always secretly liked that song. Due to the dreaded ticket snafu(it eventually got sorted), I missed 90% of Viva Voce's set, which is a shame because I really wanted to check them out. But I loved what I did get to see. I had to sign a photo waver for the headliners, so head over to DCist to see a few photos from the show.

After the show I came home all ready to watch some NBA only to have my cable and internet go on the fritz. Thanks Comcast. Also, I'm going to have to pull a Sports Guy and run my NBA preview over the weekend or next week. I got my Washington Wizards press credentials renewed this year so (assuming he's not traded for Kobe) expect more leaf v. Agent Zero posts in the very near future. Best.

Morrissey at Ram's Head (capacity 600) tonight. I decided just to shoot photos at the D.C. show on Friday (still waiting on confirmation). I hope I don't end up regretting that one.

Here's an mp3 to make up for this lame post:

[MP3] UNKLE | War Stories (The Psychopab Def Mix)

Posted by Kyle at 2:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2007

Sports or Concert? Concert!

I couldn't stay long at the Jens Lekman show last night and that turned out to be a real shame. He was brilliant. It was a cold, rainy night outside but this guy was just emanating sunshine from the stage. And he managed to turn a good show into a great show in just the second song of the night, when during the last little bit of "The Opposite of Hallelujah" he dropped in a sample of "Give Me Just A Little More Time" by The Chairman of the Board. The crowd went crazy, as well they should have.

I'll put it to you this way. The show was so good I had no problem missing all of the D.C. United playoff loss to Chicago and most of Boston's 2-1 Game 2 win to see it. I immediately downloaded his new album from eMusic when I got home. Think of The Housemartins with a little more bossanova thrown in. Best.

[MP3] Jens Lekman | The Opposite of Hallelujah

[MP3] Jens Lekman | Into Eternity

Posted by Kyle at 11:10 AM | Comments (3)

October 16, 2007

Photos: Stellastarr*, Pela & Exit Clov

I am super swamped at work today so I'll have to keep this semi-short. Saturday was my third time "seeing" Stellastarr*, a band I really do not care for at all. But I absolutely love it when they tour!

Why?

because they have this cunning knack of bringing along opening bands that totally blow them off the stage. To wit:

Oct. 6th, 2005 - I helped get Cedars on the bill for this show, so I went early to see their set. The middle band? Giant effing Drag, who totally blew me away and quickly shot up to "my new favorite band" status.

March 30, 2006 - I go to see this opening band from England called Editors. I walk out with my jaw on the floor. They were that good. Also worth noting, that was my very first gig with my then brand-new Canon Rebel XT.

October 13, 2007 - They play again and Pela is on the bill with them. Now, I've obviously seen Pela a few times by this point, including the year before at a DAM!Fest show. I liked that performance so much that I booked the band to play Unbuckled for DCist. That was another great show, but while it was easy to see that while the band had all the tunes they needed, they were more energy than anything else at that point. The chops still weren't there. More of the same when I caught them in San Fran a few months ago, although they showed improvement. Then the gig on Saturday. Holy hell. They were brilliant. Forced to do a 30 minute set due to the schedule, they wasted no time and pulled no punches, delivering one of the best sets of music I've seen this year. They were damn near perfect. The choruses were big and soared when they needed to and Billy showed a newfound talent for pulling back a bit and showing a bit of restraint during the slower songs. Nate supplies and endless supply of killer riffs and hooks while Eric and Tomislav keep it all in check. That was a fucking good show.

The venue certainly added a bit to the atmosphere. It was at the Historic 6th & I Synagogue, which has fabulous acoustics and and superb soundsystem. I'd go see another show there in a heartbeat.

I spoke to Nate for a minute before they went on and he said after that festival thing in NYC this week that I've promised not to mention, they'll be going into the studio and the band plan to have a new record out by middle of next year. I, for one, cannot wait.

I did stick around a bit for a few Stellastarr* songs, but I just couldn't get into it, so I split and caught a bit of Craig Wedren at the Rock n Roll Hotel. I got my "Red House" fix after a while (props for playing it mid-set) and went home and crashed. Not a bad Saturday night in D.C. Not bad at all.

Overall, attendance at this year's DAM!Fest seemed spotty at best, which I assume doesn't bode well for the future. Not sure why that was. Seemed like a lot of people were out of town last weekend, but the ones that were here didn't show up.

Posted by Kyle at 1:25 PM | Comments (1)

October 10, 2007

Photos: Klaxons & Washington Social Club

I made my way down to the 9:30 Club on Monday night to check out this "Nu-Rave" thing the kids are going on and on about. The Klaxons are the torch bearers of the movement I suppose, seeing as how they won the 2007 Mercury Music Prize for their album Myths of the Near Future. The verdict? Let's just say it's not my thing. All the kids (and there were a lot of x's on hands around me up front near the stage) were totally into it though, so I was in the minority. I had a hard time getting photos of the band because the people in front were jumping around so much.

D.C.'s own Washington Social Club scored the opening spot for the gig after Sh*t Disco was forced to cancel due to visa issues. I missed them last time they played the 9:30, so it was nice to get to see (WSC bassist) Olivia Mancini do her thing. She is quite possibly my favorite local musician. She and the Social Club played an energetic set of clever, Stones-inspired pop nuggets to the late arriving crowd. So score another one for the openers upstaging the headliners. At least in my book.

[MP3] Klaxons | Atlantis to Interzone

[MP3] Washington Social Club | Diamond Hipster Boy (via TWF)

Posted by Kyle at 10:18 AM | Comments (0)

October 9, 2007

Photos: Voxtrot & The Little Ones

Two songs into Voxtrot's set Saturday night at the Black Cat lead singer Ramesh Srivastava told the crowd he was feeling unwell, so if the band was less than stellar that night, that was why. Turns out he wasn't kidding. He had some sort of surgery after the band's gig in Philly on Sunday and the band has had to cancel at least two shows in Canada this week, although Frank says all the Canadian dates are off. As for the show, yes, the band was a little off, but they gave it their all and they get nothing but respect for that.

For me, it was the openers that stole the show. Ms. Smith has been a fan of The Little Ones for a while now and I'm finally catching on. I saw them late last year at a museum in Orange County, CA and liked them, although they didn't blow me away. That changed Saturday night. I guess it took a proper gig at a proper venue for everything to click. You know how I always say I love bands that do mainly verse-chorus-verse songs with a "do do do," "la la la" or "woo woo woo" thrown in there at some point? The Little Ones generally do all three in most of their songs. Think of an American version of I Should Coco-era Supergrass. Tons of energy, lots of smiles on stage and plenty of chances to clap along with their songs. And it's pretty impossible not to sing along with the "hey-oh"'s in "Lovers Who Undercover." I had a ball during their set.

[MP3] Voxtrot | The Start of Something
[MP3] Voxtrot | Trouble

[MP3] The Little Ones | Lovers Who Undercover (via MFR)
[MP3] The Little Ones | Face The Facts (via IA)

Posted by Kyle at 10:47 AM | Comments (1)

September 24, 2007

Photos: KoL & BRMC

Let me just go ahead and put this out there so you can marinate on it for a minute.

You know all those completely overrated bands like The Decemberists, Beruit, effing Sufjan, Band of Horses, The New Pornographers, Tapes N Tapes, Andrew Bird and the like? You can have them. Go ahead and take 'em.

Just give me Kings of Leon.

Give me a band with career ambition, building their fan base the right way - releasing albums that get progressively better while touring like crazy and playing bigger and bigger venues, but most importantly a band that fucking brings the rock live. Their set last night at the 9:30 Club was perhaps the best show I've seen this year. And I think we all know it's no easy feat to impress me. I have been waiting three years to see KoL live and I built it up so much in my head I didn't think there was any way the band were going to be able to live up to my expectations.

Boy was I wrong.

They were so on point, so tight, so perfect. They made a sold out 9:30 crowd do things I've never seen before. There was a palatable energy in the room last night. The crowd gave it and the band returned it in kind.

Let me throw this out there while I'm at it. Is there a more underrated band in the land right now? A band more deserving of admiration and praise but yet gets so very little?

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club played a decent set to warm up the crowd for the headliners. Actually, they came out blazing on their first five or six songs and had the crowd (including me) eating out of their hand. But then they broke out a slow song that went nowhere and then followed that up with a song where the lead singer played trombone. At that point everyone went to the bar or outside for a smoke. I have never seen a crowd go from "Yes! Fucking Rock!" to "Wait, is that a trombone? Time for a beer" so fast.

In contrast, KoL played "Arizona" about 45 minutes into their set and instead of boring everyone, the guys in crowd busted out their air guitars and the girls kept on openly drooling at the guys on stage. Oh, I should also mention that the crowd at a KoL show is not exactly hard on the eyes ifyouknowwhatimean.

Stand out tunes last night included "Fans," "True Love Way," pretty much everything off of Aha Shake Heartbreak and a show stopping version of "Knocked Up" that seriously gave me goosebumps and induced a giant sing-a-long with the backing "ohwoah ohhhhhhh ohh ohhhhhhhhhhs." Full set list here.

So yeah, the show was pretty good. You need to go see it. They're at the 9:30 Club again tonight and then they continue touring through October and into November.

Posted by Kyle at 12:51 PM | Comments (3)

September 6, 2007

Tired and Wired

Despite being pretty beat, I went to see The National and The Rosebuds last night at the 9:30 Club, hoping that the underwhelming show I saw in June was an aberration. Friend of information leafblower R.D. came down from NYC for the June show, but caught The National recently at South Street Seaport and said the show was so good his "trust in the decency of the common man had been restored." Yes please.

Unfortunately while playing a very good show last night, the band and venue still highlighted their collective weaknesses more than their strengths. Boxer, grainy, emotional and gorgeous on CD, lacks a bit in the pacing department live and I just couldn't get past this. Matt was also battling a bit of a cold, which didn't help things.

It almost seemed that the band was holding back last night. On the few occasions they put their guard down and let 'er rip ("Abel" and "Squalor Victoria" for instance) it was truly a thing of beauty that made you think "I am so glad I'm here rather than at home watching Andy Roddick lose to Roger Federer in straight sets." But any momentum would soon be lost when they would follow up with a slowie that brought the energy in the room down again. Alligator worked because "Mr. November's" yin evened out "Daughters of the Soho Riots" yang. And "Daughters" sounds all the better because of it. Boxer lacks the songs that punch you right in the gut (sorry for the horrible pun).

That said, they played "All The Wine" (YAY!) with a wonderful new arrangement and did the slow-then-fast tempo for "Apartment Story" that worked so well back in June. The highlight of the show was definitely the venue-wide singalong to all the words of "Fake Empire."

Similarly, try as I might, I simply cannot get into The Rosebuds. They've garnered all sorts of praise on blogs far and wide, but after seeing them twice, I just can't get into them.

The Washington Post Express is going to run a few of my photos today, which is why there's no photo gallery here. Head over to Flickr for more photos.

Midlake are at the Black Cat tonight, and although I do want to see them, I need a night off. If you go, tell me how it was.

Posted by Kyle at 12:51 PM | Comments (0)

August 2, 2007

New Favorite Band Alert

And that would be Australia's Dappled Cities (also known as Dappled Cities Fly). They played the Black Cat's backstage room last night and put on one of the most enjoyable shows I've seen this year. Their sound is a glorious blend of Mew, Supergrass, The Shins and Levy - art rock with perfect pop hooks occasionally sung in falsetto.

Two songs really stood out for me "Color Coding" - which has this insane coda that sounds like the Clash doing their best Mew impression - and "Fire Fire Fire," one of the best out-and-out pop songs I've heard this year. I was quite impressed with their show. They said they'll be back in the area in about a month or so, so keep an eye on those concert calendars. Go see them if you have the chance!

Donewaiting has "Fire Fire Fire" available for you to download. Don't forget the awesome remix that I've been obsessing over for the last two weeks.

My Old Kentucky Blog recently had Dappled Cities in on his Sirius Radio Show. Go there to download some live tracks (including a not so great version of "Color Coding").

And you can always peep them on Teh Hype Machine.

Posted by Kyle at 1:37 PM | Comments (0)

July 17, 2007

Travis is Back In Black!

Wow.

Yesterday I told Ms. Smith that I was "stupidly excited" about going to see Travis last night, but at the same time I was worried that I was setting my expectations too high. I shouldn't have. They put on one of the best shows I have ever seen that the 9:30 Club. I had trouble sleeping last night because I was so energized by the show. I'm still pumped now as I write this.

Normally I absolutely abhor it when bands play "greatest hits" sets. But when it's been seven years since you've seen a band, those type of sets aren't exactly a bad thing. In fact, last night the set was perfect.
Because they played "Back In Black."
On a whim.
As the last song of the night.
It was INCREDIBLE.
Someone in the crowd shouted it out as a request just before they played "Why Does It Always Rain On Me" as what was supposed to be the last song of the night. So when they were done with that song, Andy started doing the AC/DC riff. The crowd was unsure if this was for real or not, and then Fran started doing his best Brian Johnson impression and it was on from there. I'm not sure they played it as well as AC/DC could, but they definitely had more fun doing it. We got the full rockstar poses and everything. It was awesome.

Other highlights from the show:
- The band entered from the back of the venue and wandered their way through the crowd wearing silk boxing robes while the "Theme To Rocky" played over the PA. Once they hit the stage, they were soundtracked by James Brown's "Living In America." Best.
- They played "Pipe Dreams," my favorite Travis song other than "Writing To Reach You."
- Fran asking the crowd to chant the touring keyboardist's name, Claes, while he was playing the piano solo in "Good Feeling."
- While instructing the audience to do so, telling everyone that Claes was Swedish and Swedish people are anal. But not in the porn way. But wait, yes. Maybe in the porn way too. Although Fran couldn't speak for Claes in this particular matter.
- Fran played "20" solo on the acoustic. It's been years since I've heard this song. It's a b-side from the "All I Want To Do Is Rock" single and I had totally forgotten about the song until he played it.
- Speaking of "All I Want To Do Is Rock," when it was time for his "big solo" Andy climbed the PA stack trying to get to the dressing room balcony above. He almost didn't make it. He pulled himself up from the PA onto the balcony just using his arms while his guitar was slung over his back. No mean feet. Also, when he finally got up there, he flopped over the railing like Nick Frost "leaps" over fences in Hot Fuzz. Hi-lar-ious.
- The new songs from The Boy With No Name all sounded great, especially "My Eyes" and "Eyes Wide Open."
- Playing "Flowers In The Window" like a barbershop quintet. Only with a guitar. Fran was wearing it, but Andy hit the notes on the frets and Dougie did the strumming. It was like a great, big Travis reach around! "This is so close to something else," Fran laughingly said during the song. Indeed.
- Fran instructing the crowd that he wanted each and every person the venue to pogo during the last chorus to "Why Does It Always Rain On Me." And you know what? We all did. Everyone. It was brilliant. I've never seen a D.C. crowd do anything close to that before. This was a show where you left your pretensions at the door and just had fun. More concerts need to be like this.
- Nigel Godrich was in attendance!
- Back In mother-effing Black!

Plain and simple, that was one of the best shows I have ever seen in D.C. Maybe in the Top-10 Best Concerts Ever list. My mind grapes were thoroughly and completely squeezed last night.

But wait! Here's the best part. NPR webcast the show last night so you can enjoy all of this for your very own. Go here to check it out. You can also see Joel's photos from last night, which unlike my own, are actually in focus.

Posted by Kyle at 10:19 AM | Comments (3)

June 21, 2007

A Mistake!

After The National played their first song at the 9:30 Club last night, they did the headlinerly thing and thanked the opening bands for playing with them. And then Matt Berninger said "Happy Birthday Kevin." Who the fuck is this Kevin dude and why is he ruining my birthday? No buzz.

Seriously though, I've had a rough last week and a half or so at work (for reasons I won't get into) and on the way to the show last night I told Ms. Smith that I hoped I would feel better at the show, watching the band play. I was wrong. I was in a much better mood before the show even started after hanging out with everyone that came out to help me celebrate my birthday and eat cupcakes. Chatting and hanging with my friends was just what the doctor ordered. So thanks everyone. I needed that.

As for the show itself, it was very good but not great. Loyal readers know that I heart The National and their new record, but it seemed last night their weaknesses outdid their strengths. Through most of the set, they just seemed like five guys onstage playing instruments. Their sound was very thin and they had problems filling up the room. The pacing of the set was a bit suspect as well. Most of the more uptempo numbers were held back for the latter half of the set, which made for a low key start to the show. The new record - full of slow, brooding numbers - certainly contributed to that effect. Also, no "All The Wine." WTF?

There were some outstanding moments, none of which I can remember directly because I was slightly to fairly drunk. There were quite a few songs that had me dancing around like no one was watching. One of the songs off of the new record got a new arrangement and it sounded great, but I can't remember which one it was. "Lit Up" and "Mr. November" got the chatty Cathy's standing all around us to shut the fuck up and actually watch the show.

Other than this Kevin fellow "ruining" my night, I hereby declare my 33rd birthday a success!

NPR streamed last night's show on the web and you can go to their site to hear the show in it's entirety.

Posted by Kyle at 8:12 AM | Comments (1)

May 14, 2007

Stay For The Week

I had the most amazing weekend, mostly because I got to sleep in MY OWN BED for three consecutive nights. Bless. I also saw some killer shows.

Saturday was the DC101 Chili Cookoff, which was a nice primer for the upcoming summer festival season. Silversun Pickups, who seem to be playing D.C. once a month lately, played another great set, playing a few different songs than when they opened for Snow Patrol. If we're not careful, "Lazy Eye" could very well be the song of the summer, even though it's a year old.

The Bravery were next and I was excited to hear some of their new stuff, but sadly, most of it was fairly meh. It seems like all the new songs are a big fat chorus wrapped around some flimsy verses, like they wrote the songs backward or something. I liked the new single "Time Won't Let Me Go" better live than the recorded version, so it wasn't a total loss. They played a few "hits" from their last album too. "An Honest Mistake" still sounds great to my ears.

Buckcherry were next, and they were all flash and no substance. They look awesome but have no songs, except for "Lit Up" which brings back fond memories of the late 90's. Catherine said she had never heard of them, so here is their big hit if you're in the same camp:

[MP3] Buckcherry | Lit Up

Jet were Jet. I hate them and find them terribly derivative, but got a few good snaps of them all the same. The slideshow above is just a sampling of what I got on Saturday, so if you want to see all my photos, check out the Flickr slideshow.

I was supposed to finish up Saturday by seeing The Kooks at the 930, but upon arriving at the venue, they only left one ticket and no photo pass, so I gave the ticket to my DCist compatriot Abby and let her have at it. I went home and went to bed. I was beat.

Sunday I grabbed Ms. Smith and we headed over to Artomatic to take it all in before it closes this weekend. However, after about two hours, we gave up after only seeing the sixth floor. There's alot of art to see over there. Hopefully we'll make it back this week before the show closes. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry and watching my DVR (Paul Rudd on Veronica Mars was teh awesome!) before taking in the LCD Soundsystem show at 930 later that night.

I wouldn't call myself a huge LCD fan by any means, and to be honest, the amount of hype they're getting from NYC was turning me off on the band a bit, but holy shit, they brought the noise last night. It was one of those shows where the band plays for over an hour and you're having so much fun it feels like only 10 minutes. And the best part of it was the usually stoic D.C. audience was totally letting their hair down and absolutely turning it loose. Most everybody in the club was dancing, even old men like me. I was proud to be from D.C. last night.

The only bad part of the night was the guy standing next to me, who felt the need to provide commentary to his friends through the first few songs, dropping gems like "It's like punk AND disco," along with "It's crazy. Rock and roll YOU CAN DANCE TO," like this was a concept never before introduced to society as a whole before last night. Jeezy Creezy. But I digress...Believe the hype about LCD Soundsystem, the live show anyways. Can't wait to see them again at Virgin festival in August.

[MP3] LCD Soundsystem | Daft Punk Is Playing At My House (live)

Also, they dropped "Daft Punk" with the third song last night. I love it when bands play their hits early in the set. Best.

Posted by Kyle at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

March 15, 2007

The Pleasant, The Better Live Than On CD & The Dude From The Clash!

Last night I was lucky enough to have my first ever (somewhat informal) photo assignment for a non-DCist media outlet (actually it was probably my second if you count this), that being photographing The Good, The Bad & The Queen at the 9:30 Club. The show was sold out, but as far as I could tell, there were a lot less people there than there were at the (insanely packed) Scissor Sisters show the week before.

As for the performance, it was...pleasant. Not amazing, not boring, mostly middle of the road. The music isn't exactly upbeat and merry. That said, the band sounds much better live than on record, but with this lineup, you'd kind of expect that. The album, to me, sounds like a band playing a bunch of Gorillaz b-sides. Not much energy or hooks to be found, just Damon whinging about whatever he's on about. Live, the backing vocals take more shape, the sound fills out nicely and you honestly can't help but get into a little groove while you're watching Paul Simonon bound all across the stage. Man, he was great. He was full of gusto and looked like he was waiting to bust into "Death or Glory" or something like that at any second. You could tell he's enjoying being back on stage. Not so for Simon Tong. He mostly stood there, looking down at his guitar the whole time. I was waiting for him to wow me, but then I remembered that was always Nick McCabe's job. Damon was/is Damon. I want to like him, but I just can't. I do give him credit though. He gave me two good shots during the first song, staring right at me in-between verses. His gaze was all like "Get your fucking photo now and leave me alone," but props for doing that. I got a decent shot the first time but my second one was too blurry to use. Also, he was ducking behind his piano every once in a while to hit his bowl and he has droopy eyes in most of the photos I took of him. Just saying.

Sadly, we didn't get their cover of "Guns of Brixton" at the end of the encore, instead we got some less-than-stellar b-side sung by some random dude named Eslam. Not the best ending to the show, but other than that, not bad overall. I still think Damon's a ponce though. There, I said it.

But hey, don't take my word for it. Thanks to the magic of the internerd, you can listen to the show and decide for yourself. You can either stream it or download it from NPR. Joel was there taking photos and they packaged his photos into a cool slideshow you can watch, so check that out too. My photos of the night are here. Some of them should be up on Read Express fairly soon. I'll update the post when that happens.

**UPDATE** - Here it is. Click through and read it, Mike wrote a GREAT review.

No rest for the wicked. I have to DVR the Duke game tonight since D.C. United are taking on Mexican power Chivas at RFK.

Posted by Kyle at 12:47 PM | Comments (0)

December 17, 2006

The City Is Here For You To Use

Three concert reviews for you in 75 words or less.

Saturday
Middle Distance Runner @ Black Cat

Another great set from what is quickly becoming D.C.'s finest. MDR has a tendency to play it too cute in front of their hometown fans, it would be interesting to see how that part of the show works on the road. The played "Naturally" late in the set and it was a nice change of pace from the delicious drone-rock that preceded it. Probably the first of many shows at the Cat for them.
Click here for more photos of Middle Distance Runner at the Black Cat.

Sam Champion @ DC9

Walked into this show having no idea what these guys sounded like, but whoever described Sam Champion as Tom Petty meets Pavement is spot on. Their live show is tight, but rough around the edges (that's a good thing) and makes you wonder why the NYC bloggeratti aren't burning up bandwidth talking about them. The lead singer's slow drawl puts you at ease, letting you listen and rock out with abandon.
Click here for more photos of Sam Champion at DC9.

Sunday
Aberdeen City @ 9:30 Club

Every time I see Aberdeen City they are playing a better set in a bigger venue than the last time I saw them. Brad, the lead singer, was playing so hard he had to take a deep breath before "In Combat" to take it down a notch. By the end of the gig, Chris was playing the cymbals with his guitar, Combat Rock steez. Keep in mind they were playing to a seated audience.
Click here for more photos of Aberdeen City at the 9:30 Club.

Posted by Kyle at 10:57 PM | Comments (2)

December 6, 2006

Them, Grass and I

What Grambo said. (Comment #5)

Best digicams of 2006. I want a 30D bad, real bad.

Hey, here's the one Top 40 copycat list that I can totally get behind. Nice work.

Torr has a new Moz B-side.

New Radiohead.

Apple iPhone?

Sox lock up JD Drew and Julio Lugo.

Go download Noel live on XFM.

From Chromewaves, The history of Pulp and the genius that is Bandwagonesque.

Last night I took in my first concert in what seems like forever, as I dragged Mike Grass with me to the Rock N Roll Hotel to check out The Changes, whose album Today Is Tonight is one of the best things I've heard all year. I got it two weeks ago and haven't listened to anything else since. To say I was looking forward to this show is a huge understatement. Unfortunately the band's live show hasn't yet reached the heights of their recorded output. They started off strong, with two of their catchiest tunes, "When I Wake" and "Water Of The Gods" but things went downhill from there. They played "On A String," a slower, twee-leaning momentum stopper that took them forever to start because everyone had to switch instruments. Then they followed that up with another song in the same vein and never really got their momentum back. The worst part was the band's (lack of) stage presence. The drummer seemed to be the only person into the show. The other three had this nonchalant, uninterested air to them that I just couldn't get past. Their lack of charisma really sucked the energy out of the show.

Locals Middle Distance Runner have a similar sound and tunes, but they ooze energy, charisma and charm onstage and when you see them play, you can't help but be drawn in to the show and have a great time. I'm not sure how many shows The Changes have played, but they're not there yet. A little work (switch up the set, talk to the audience more, less time in between songs) would go a long way for them.

All that said, I'm still a fan. "Modern Love" and set closer "Her, You And I" were uniformly awesome. "The Machine" had some of the best drumming I've heard in quite some time. The songs are there, and hopefully the live show will catch up soon. I'm definitely going to check them out next time they come through D.C.

Here are some MP3's from The Changes that I posted a while back:

[MP3] The Changes | When I Wake

[MP3] The Changes | Water of the Gods

[MP3] The Changes | Such A Scene

Posted by Kyle at 1:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 29, 2006

Gettin' Lucky In Kentucky

First of all let me say My Morning Jacket are a great live band. They are insanely tight, Jim James' voice is other-worldly, they're incredibly loud and absolutely pulverize their riffs when they feel like it. They've obviously worked many long hours on their live show. They're ready for amphitheaters right now. They wouldn't have to change their show at all, just get a few more lights and maybe a big backdrop. I'm not going to be able to say anything about their live performance that you haven't already read somewhere else. Oh wait, here is something you probably haven't read anywhere else. Those cool boots that Jim James wears? They're held together by clear plastic tape.

That said, they're really not for me. I like carefully crafted four minute, verse-chorus-verse pop songs. MMJ obviously don't play this game. I really enjoyed the few songs I recognized, "The Way That He Sings" - a complete surprise - was borderline incredible, but they really lost me when they would veer into improvised-instrumental jam land. And that's not really their fault, they just really reminded me of every one of the hundreds of truly shitty "jam bands" I was forced to endure while going to college in Eastern North Carolina. When I hear that type of music, I start grinding my teeth and looking for sharp objects to stick in my ears. Ms. Smith and I ended up leaving just before the end of the regular set.

The Slip were the perfect opener for this tour. They're like a lo-fi Secret Machines that wear funny hats. I enjoyed their set, especially the "Baba O'Reilly" cover at the end. If you're heading out to this show, go early and check them out.

I had a hard time really enjoying the show for other reasons. It was really effing hot in the venue and it was easily one of the most crowded shows I ever been to in the 9:30. It was shoulder to shoulder from the stage barrier to the sound board and from bar to bar. I did score a photo pass and after wading through the sea of people on my way up front, I was jump-up-and-down-happy when I found out there was a barrier in front of the stage. The lighting for The Slip was great. I got some good shots during their set. The lighting during MMJ was another story. They were almost entirely back-lit and when not running around the stage and head banging everywhere, JJ just stood at the mic and sang while his hair was falling down into his face. And when he did step away from the mic for a break, it was always in the corner of the stage where there was no light. For my purposes, the lighting for The Slip was much better. Oh well. I managed a few decent shots I think. Still, hooray for MMJ for the photo pit. I wish more bands would have them at the 9:30.

Posted by Kyle at 12:33 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

November 2, 2006

Lady Sovereign @ 9:30 Club

Last Saturday, because of the DAM!fest and some lucky scheduling I got to see five bands in three venues over a matter of a few hours. Lady Sovereign was playing the early show at the 9:30 Club so I started my night there. I arrived to see the last two songs of Young Love who were not that impressive. They're what Junior Senior would sound like if they spent all their time trying to write theme songs for all the teen dramas on the WB. Or is it the CW now? Let's move on.

I've heard not so good things about Lady Sov's live show, but I have to say I enjoyed myself. She definitely skews toward the TRL crowd and most of the people in attendance still watch MTV on a regular basis. On stage Sov is more silly than gangsta, but she can work the crowd. Her hits, "Random," "Love Me Or Hate Me" and "Public Warning" all came late in the set but they were on point.

I don't think Sov is going to radically change hip hop or anything like that. The "Feminem" tag she's been getting on this side of the pond is apropos if only because her fanbase is going to be mostly young and white. I can't see it appealing to serious hip-hop heads, but that's not a knock on her. She's tight on stage and really know how to work the crowd.

For more pics of Lady Sov at the 9:30 Club, head on over to Flickr. Be sure to check out Lady Sov on AOL's Interface if you haven't done so already.

After Sov was done, I headed over to DC9 and caught Pela (who were really amazing and totally rawked out) and Forget Cassettes (I already did). Since FC were boring me and the DC9 shows was running waaaaaay late (the second band of the five band bill went onstage at 11 p.m.) I drove out to Arlington to the Iota and caught Middle Distance Runner's set. They were tons of fun and continue to impress. They're playing The Black Cat in December with Forward Russia and Snowden, so if you haven't seen them yet, there's your chance.

Posted by Kyle at 10:21 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

October 27, 2006

The Motorocade Will Have To Go Around

Ever go to a show thinking you're on the list and you aren't? Ever have that happen twice in one night? I did last night.

Ms. Smith and I made our way to the Black Cat just after 9:30 and waited in line for a bit, where we were met by Martin and Nora. When I got up to the ticket counter I was all like "I'm on the list."
[list guy checks the list] "Umm, no you're not."
Me: "Sure I am, check again."
Him: "Nope. Don't see it."
Me: "Check again. I'm on there. Is there a label list?"
Him: "You're. Not. On. It."
Fuck. Alot of good interviewing the band did me. Still, it's not like I'm not going to go, so I went to the ATM and ponied up for two tickets and went upstairs and got a spot up front.

My beloved Nethers played a new song early in the set but their show was kinda up and down from there. They stuck to their straight up folk tunes, as opposed to the catchy, hooky goodness of "Mir Ill" and "Hung Herself In A Birdcage." That said, my love for their epic track "Migratory Birds" knows no bounds. I lovelovelove it. I think I've heard them play it at least eight times this year. It gave me goosebumps the first time and it did again last night. So, so good.

You can stream Nethers' album In Fields We Will Lie right here.

Nethers didn't finish up until about ten till 11, so Ms. Smith and I decided to rush over to the 9:30 Club to see the first few songs of The Rapture before coming back to the Cat to finish up the night with The National. So we hightailed it up U Street and ended up running into Mike Grass, Heather and Sommer at different points along our trip. Small town, D.C.

So we get to the 9:30, I go up to the window, give them my ID and tell them "I'm on the list." And I know I am because I can see my name. Whew. Then the list guy asks me, "Do you have a ticket?"
Me: "No."
Him: "Because you've got a photo pass here but no tickets."
Me: "Seriously?"
Him: "Yeah, there's a zero in the tickets column."
For fuck's sake. He was nice enough to show me the list so there wasn't much I could do. I might have thought about buying a ticket if I hadn't already bought two concert tickets I didn't plan on spending money for. But I did, so my portfolio will go without Rapture photos for the time being.

At that point we headed back to the Cat. I was even more pissed off at this point because we gave up our spot up front and I was sure we would miss "Secret Meeting," which The National generally open with (at least they did the one time I saw them previously). Fortunately that wasn't the case. They were midway through their first tune when we got back there and then they played a positively lovely version of "Secret Meeting." The night got considerably better from there.

Let me be the 3,476th blogger to go on record as saying The National are really fucking good. Transcendent at times. Last night I was struck by how U2-y their sound is. I mean Unforgettable Fire U2 (i.e.good U2), not "One, Two, Three, Fourteen" U2. I couldn't get over how beautiful "All The Wine" was. It's really understated on Alligator but live, it packs a wallop.

I'm really glad the band made the effort to come to D.C. and give us another show. It was (almost) worth the wait. And late in the set, Matt said "Oh yeah. Someone reminded me to make sure we say we definitely don't hate D.C. We spend every weekend here." So yeah, that was pretty awesome.

Some goodies I found online today:
[mp3] The National | All The Wine (live)
[mp3] The National | Cherry Tree (live)

I got home late so I didn't get many photos up on Flickr today, so watch for those sometime in the near future.

Posted by Kyle at 12:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

September 29, 2006

Clearly, Out Of Body Experience

If you asked me to name the bands on the top of my "Still Haven't Seen In Concert But Am Absolutely Dying To" list, depending on the day, it would probably look like this:
1) Massive Attack
2) Mylo (obvs)
3) The La's (are they back together or not?)
4) Underworld (I saw them at Field Day but that didn't really count)
5) Kings of Leon

Well, last night I finally (FINALLY!) got to see Massive Attack. I got screwed on tickets last time they toured eight long years ago (long story) and just couldn't justify going out to Coachella to see them last summer. So being patient paid off as they played the first of two shows at the 9:30 Club last night.

I'll be honest, my expectations were sky high going into this show. The group was touring with Horace Andy, Lis Fraser and Deborah Miller but, unbekownst to me until the band took the stage last night, without Daddy G who is home on paternity leave. Not having G on stage was a huge loss for the band (speaking as someone that has never seen him live) but I feel like he would have added alot to the vibe and his absence also limited the set list a bit. However, the other singers and 3D himself made up for it. Horace Andy and Deborah Miller in particular, really shined last night. Andy's voice was magnificent, better than any of his recorded output. And Miller brought down the house with her vocals on "Safe From Harm" and "Unfinished Sympathy."

Fraser, above, didn't fare as well. She sounded horrible on "Teardrop," which was a real letdown, but made up for it during the set closer of "Group Four." The band itself, two drummers, a bassist and a few guitarists, was super tight and really breathed new life into the Mezzanine material. I've always considered myself a Blue Lines kinda guy but I may have to rethink that now. All in all, a great, but not mind-blowing, show.

Dammit Moz, quit fucking with me!

I've been waiting for the official announcement before saying anything, but it looks like WOXY is back. But what does this mean for Barb?

Speaking of returns, Jay Will is (almost) back.

Are you ready for the Doug Christie reality show? I sure as fuck am.

Last, and certainly not least, lets all wish Ms. Smith a very happy birthday!

Posted by Kyle at 10:31 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 25, 2006

Virgin Festival Recap

Quite a few people were a bit derisive about the line-up for the first ever North American version of the Virgin Festvail Saturday at the Pimlico Raceway outside of Baltimore, myself included. I'm glad I thought better of it and went anyways because it was one hell of a day. I was on assigment for AOL Music. The mission: get some kick ass photos for their new music blog, obvs. Go here to see all of my best stuff.

Thanks to some fantastic directions from the Virgin crew I arrived at Pimlico around 11:45. I quickly got my passes and tickets sorted and hurried up the main stage just in time for Kasabian. I was bit bummed not to be able to see them play a local club show but I think I enjoyed seeing them in a festival setting even more. They have a huge sound and, well, it sounds great on a huge sound system. They opened with "Reason Is Treason" and just tore into their set. I was down in the photo pit and we were allowed to shoot each band for the first two songs. I'm still a bit new at shooting festivals so I was taken aback at the height of the main stage. It must have been at least seven feet tall. At this point in the day it wasn't crowded at all so there was plenty of time to move around. That wouldn't last very long.

Kasabian was on at noon and The Mountain Goats were on at ten after, so rather than rushing down to the second stage I walked around a bit and made eventually my way over to the dance tent where RJD2 was spinning. I'm so glad I did, because he was flat out tearing shit up. I am totally jaded when it comes to the DJ scene but RJD2 made a believer out of me. He was straight killing it. There were about 120 people in the dance tent at the time and they got to hear one of the best sets of the day. As I made my way back to the main stage for the next act I made a mental note to seek out as much RJD2 as possible.

Wolfmother were next on the main stage and while their sound, a mix of The White Stripes and Black Sabbath, isn't exactly new, they were still alot of fun. Big afro guy is a good frontman and he had he is very good at delivering the rock, so hey, more power to him.

Next up on the second stage were The New Pornographers, the source of so much music blog bandwidth. I have yet to download their records from eMusic, so I wasn't that familiar with them. I found them decidedly OK, but nothing really jumped out at me.

After that I made my way back to the dance tent for 2MANYDJ's but they were running late (a rarity for the day) and after waiting around for 15 minutes I made my way back to the main stage for The Raconteurs. I have their CD and thought it was catchy but a bit unremarkable, but they really impressed me Saturday. They sound like CCR on amphetamines, perfect following Wolfmother's White Sabbath stylee retro-rock. I now have to take another listen to their CD.

After my quick dose of Brendan Benson I made my way back to the Second Stage for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. I really, really hate this band but was perfectly willing to give them another chance, hoping they'd improved since last time I saw them in D.C. No such luck. They took the stage with pouty faces and acted like they didn't even want to be there. And everytime the lead singer opened his mouth to sing I wanted to stick sharp pencils as far down my ear canal as they would go. They are that bad. Truly a horrible band, they laid the first egg of the day. And to make matters even worse, four of their five members have a worse hairline than I do. The next time the blogosphere goes apeshit over them, I'm posting all of the unflattering photos of them I took during their set. You've been warned.

Hot shit hip-hop/soul outfit Gnarls Barkley and their kooky outfits were up next, and while they didn't blow me away, I have nothing bad to say about them. Sure, Dangermouse is a bit over-rated but Cee-Lo has been the best thing on the last few Outkast records and far be it from me to complain if the kids these days are listening to some Earth, Wind and Fire type shit. More please. I should note here I have no idea if The Raconteurs or anyone else on the bill covered "Crazy." Oh, Gnarls were dressed as Romans and Cee-Lo called the band "Chariots of Fire."

I'm starting to drag at this point but luckily The Brazlian Girls provided me with a quick energy boost. I was a bit freaked out by the lead singer's white face mask, but now I see why Coolfer has been telling me to drop whatever I'm doing and go see them. They are the complete opposite of Zero 7. They can pull off the trip-hoppy, world music vibe and not seem the least bit lame.

Brandon Flowers and The Killers were next on the Main Stage and even though I think they're incredibly lame, I hoped they would put on a performance that would clue me in to why they are even remotely popular. Again, no such luck. Flowers' Bono complex must have been visible from the farthest reaches of the infield because it was being thrown in my face down in the photo pit. I just can't take this band seriously. Their new album is shaping up to be a giant turd and I, for one, can't wait for them to come crashing back down to Earth. But then again, what do I know, I like The Bravery.

Despite the unsettling in my stomach from watching The Killers, I decided to skip Thievery Corporation in order to get some food, recharge my camera battery and rest my weary feet. Sure taking photos all day is alot of fun, but it's also hard work. By this point the photo pit was becoming increasingly more crowded and good spots in the pit were getting hard to come by. Moving around was really hard by the main stage because the bouncers kept insisting we crowd into the stage as far as possible so they could pull kids over the barricade.

I'm a bit ashamed to say that up until Saturday, I never really "got" The Who. Sure I liked them, but I failed to see why Eddie Vedder spontaneously blows a load whenever anyone so much as mentions their name. Well, after seeing them live, I get it. I was really nervous about taking photos of them and don't really remember much about the first song they played, but "The Seeker" was second in the set and it made me step back and just take it all in. I was about 4 feet away from Bee Thousand while he was windmilling around everywhere. Wow. I stayed around for the next four or five songs and discovered a newfound admiration for a band that everyone already loves.

I almost didn't want to walk all the way down to the other end of the infield to catch Scissor Sisters, but ultimately, I did, and by doing so I caught what might have been the best set of the day. Scissor Sisters had the advantage of being the first band on after dark and they really took advantage. They were incredible, infectious and flashy. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone better than Jake Shears and Ana Matronic to front this band. My jaw was on the ground the whole time. So much fun! And, as a bonus, they were the only band that let everyone shoot three songs instead of two. So I got a boatload of great pics from them. This one might be the single best photo I have ever taken. I walked away a new fan. Their new record comes out tomorrow.

I had half a mind not to fight the crowd in the photo pit and just skip the Red Hot Chili Peppers altogether. I last saw them on Lollapalooza in 1992 (was that really 14 years ago?) and feel like they've gone downhill ever since. In retrospect I should have because they went on 20 minutes late (the first band on the two main stages all day to do so) and then started with some wack instrumental "funk" jam before Anthony Keidis decided to grace us with his presence. I positioned myself on Flea's side of the stage, figuring he'd be a better subject to take pictures of than John Frusciante, who generally has his hair in his face like Cousin It. By then the pit was so crowded with photogs, other media types and random people trying to get shots on their camera phones that I got stuck right up on the front of the stage which made taking pictures almost impossible because the band was standing a bit back from the stage lip. The results were a bunch of head shots and me trying furiously to dodge Flea's sweat when he was twirling around.

And here's the kicker. Since the stupid Chili Peppers went on late, I missed the start of The Flaming Lips set. You know, the giant ball, all the balloons, etc. I fucking ran from one photo pit to the other but couldn't make it. I was seriously pissed by the time I got to the Second Stage and was even more so when they told us we wouldn't be getting an extra song to shoot even though the Chili Peppers went on late. So I snapped as many frames as I could for the last half of that song before the ushered us out. I did get one keeper though. All this unfortunately put a damper on my first ever Lips performance and I ended up leaving after watching the next few songs. I was dead tired and drunk teenagers kept coming up to me asking for cigarettes, so I decided to beat the traffic and head home.

All in all, a good day. I got to see some great sets and have another festival shoot under my belt. I met quite a few of my fellow photographers and got tips from alot of them. My new lens was up to the task and I took some of the best photos of my life. I was downright giddy going through them all yesterday. Good thing because it takes a very long time to edit down 1300 photos. Obviously a few are included here, and more are over at Flickr. As I said earlier, I was shooting on assignment for AOL Music, so check out their coverage for the best stuff.

Posted by Kyle at 1:39 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 11, 2006

There Is No Point Saying This Again

I saw my favorite DC band again last night. Nethers went on late and I was a bit cranky because I haven't slept very good this week (even though I bought a new bed last week) but Nikki West and company never fail to put me in a good mood. They played another new song which I quite liked, but I think they are dropping the wrong songs out of the set to make room for the new stuff. I need (want) to hear "Mir Ill" and "It's An Islaind" dammit. Luckily for me, they played yet another great version of "Migratory Birds," easily my favorite song of theirs. After seeing the band six or seven times already this year (I'm too lazy to look it up in the archives) this song never fails to give me goosebumps. Love love love it. Here's the recorded version.

(MP3) Nethers | Migratory Birds*

NYC peeps, they are opening for Josh Ritter tonight at South Street Seaport. Go check 'em out!!

* Dot Mac seems to have changed their file naming structure, which is news to me. Please leave a comment if you have problems with the MP3. Thanks. Or just go buy the record from Insound.

Posted by Kyle at 3:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 7, 2006

Common Reactor

Ah Monday. I did nothing over the weekend. Absolutely nothing. And it was good. I spent a majority of Saturday and Sunday lounging by the pool, reading my new copies of Q and MOJO and trying not to get too sunburned. So much awesome, especially after the hectic July I had.

I did, however, get my shit together long enough to go see the Silversun Pickups last night and I am glad I did. They were pretty amazing, especially given the venue. The Black Cat's backstage really isn't designed or configured to deal with a band like that. And that's not neccesarily a knock on the room as much as an observation wondering what a band as accomplished as this was doing in such a small room with its junior PA system. I knew we were in for a good show when the SSPU's wheeled their amps onstage. They were as big as the stage was.

Let me go on record now saying this band is going to be huge huge huge in a very short amount of time. They have a big sound made for large venues. They'll be blowing away the bands they're opening for soon enough. The set they played last nigth could have easily gone over like gangbusters at the 9:30 Club. The songs are fast, LOUD and tight, propelled by their drummer, a dead ringer stylistically for Dave Grohl. He was just punishing his snare drums. The band has tons of hits; "Kissing Families," "Lazy Eye," "Dream At Tempo 119," "Well Thought Out Twinkles," etc. I was most impressed with the lead singer's voice. On record it sounds uber-processed, but he has the live pipes to back it up. Bottom line: go see this band when they come through your town. And get ready for a big rock show, even if it's on a small scale. I still stand by my Smashing Pumpkins comparison, but I mean it in a good way. Gish-era Pumpkins, before Billy disappeared up his own ass. Sorry for the craptastic pictures, the light in that room is pretty much nonexistant.

Crackers United has better pictures and a smiliar review from their recent NYC show. Check Myspace for some SSPU sounds.

"I'd rather poo in my mum's Sunday roast than have Danger Mouse produce a Portishead record." I second that emotion.

Posted by Kyle at 1:15 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

August 1, 2006

Pitchfork Wrap Up

In lieu of actual content today, I will instead provide more links to the event I attended over the weekend, which you are no doubt already tired of reading about.

Leafblower's Day One Recap
Leafblower's Day One Photos

Leafblower's Day Two Recap
Leafblower's Day Two Photos

Favorite photos:
The Walkmen
Ted Leo
Mission of Burma 1
Mission of Burma 2
Aesop Rock & Mr. Lif
Devendra Banhart
Yo La Tengo

Some recaps from other folk:
Fluxblog
Marathon Packs
Good Hodgkins
Gorilla vs. Bear
Gapers Block
Rolling Stone
VIllage Voice

PS - The National @ Black Cat on Oct. 26! I am so rerquesting an interview from them. Thanks for the heads up Ryan.

Posted by Kyle at 12:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 28, 2006

Open Your Arms

Sorry for the lateness of today's post. I was on a plane most of the day (more on that later). First things first.

Much has been said (rightfully or not) of Editors and their sound, i.e. it's not that original, etc. And I'm not arguing that. I'm the first person to admit they aren't exactly reinventing the wheel. But they do what they do very well and they are, simply put, an amazing live act. They have poise and stage presence beyond their years. Last night was the second time I had seen them this year and they were just brilliant. No matter what you think of the record, you owe it to yourself to go see this band in the live arena. They sound huuuuge. Whatever they're paying their sound man, he deserves a raise. Last night was, sonically, one of the best sounding shows I've ever heard at the 9:30 Club. My only complaint is that they played "Open Your Arms" a bit too fast and it kinda lost its slow burn feel/appeal. That song was a big standout for me last time I saw them and this time it just got lumped in with the rest of the set. On the other hand, "Camera" which was the quintessential, "Time to go to the loo" tune last time out was much, much better due to some lively drumming. It sounded very "Columbia," one of my favorite Oasis tunes (and likely another song left of the upcoming compilation). Editors rock, go see fo