Event Calendar

28 November 2004

Pinback, The Album Leaf, and The Advantage (Bimbo's, 27 November 2004)

It could be the tryptophan, the result of a Thanksgiving weekend that exposed us to more of this amino acid than usual but tonight's shows were relatively sedate, some would say boring. However, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone to share this sentiment among the Bimbo's crowd: all tables were taken well before the opening band The Advantage came onstage, and the floor was already packed when The Album Leaf made their appearance. From where I sat, the small stage appeared to be cluttered with various instruments and equipment to be used/shared by the three bands on the bill. I had never seen any of them live before and my anticipation was based on my appreciation of their recent albums and friends' recommendations. The glut of instruments hinted at musical impressiveness. Erm, read on.

The Advantage strolled onstage sometime after nine and my immediate reaction was their resemblance to CCR. They were not what I expected from a cover band that hails itself as an "8bit Nintendo band--serious dudes that rock with good nintentions." Pullover sweaters and thick-rimmed glasses, yes; long hair and beards, no. Hirsuteness aside, The Advantage launched into a series of songs that I did not recognize. At all. Well, the only one that I remembered was Castlevania and only because one of the band members announced it beforehand. The re-interpretation of songs originally dominated by synthesizers by a live band that featured none was novel at first. But I'm thinking that the novelty only works if you have a frame of reference. I obviously suffered from a Nintendo-deficient childhood, and I could feel the tryptophan kicking in.

My friends and I decided to leave the comfort of our table to check out The Album Leaf from the crowded floor. Primarily a one-man outfit consisting of Jimmy Lavalle, tonight featured additional musicians on drums, bass, guitar, and even xylophone. The set opened with "Window," the first track from the album "In a Safe Place." It was a lovely bit of lap-pop that set the mood for the rest of the set, one of serene beauty. To supplement the calming effect of the music, images such as autumnal scenes and birds' silhouettes were projected on the screen behind them. Jimmy never strayed from behind the keyboards and he offered only one song with vocals, "TwentyTwoFourteen" which features the line "You whisper to make a sound." After witnessing the delicacy in their set, it seems appropriate to say that any sound above a whisper would be jarring.

The night would have ended nicely if we closed with The Album Leaf, but I insisted on staying for Pinback, a band fronted by fellow San Diegans Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith IV. I like their recent release "Summer in Abaddon" and figured it would translate well live. Well, whatever calmness that The Album Leaf lulled into me became indifference as their set wore on. I can't recall what the first couple of songs were, quite possibly drawn from their earlier material that I'm not too familiar with, and it could also be that I was ready for something rousing after the first two bands, but Pinback's brand of sometimes moody guitar-pop wasn't delivering tonight. A monotony set in early on and they just started to sound the same after a while. Eventually we reached a consensus and left not long after the fifth (?) song, the title track of the new album.

So while the night at Bimbo's wasn't a complete bust, with moments of nostalgic amusement for some and calming loveliness for most, there was no arguing the lack of interest by the time Pinback rolled around. Maybe I'll take the easy way out and claim the turkey defense to justify our early exit. Or maybe not.

BEER RATING: 4 Beers

25 November 2004

Tribute to our Corporate Sponsors

I'm reviewing these two shows as a tribute to our generous and lovely 'corporate' sponsors. God bless them. This sponsorship lets us go to shows by bands we have not heard about and big name shows we wouldn't pay a republican cent to see. So a big shoutout to Thomas Lee LLC fine purveyor of disillusionment and doom and She Who's Name Shall Not Be Spoken.

Dresden Dolls (Great American Music Hall, 17 November 2004)

The Dresden Dolls falls under the category of never heard before the ticket was in my hand. Walking up to GAMH the crowd was a mixture of goths, metal heads, and theatre kids so my low expectations dived and I prepared to do some serious hating. Two songs later I knew a gem had been discovered and my withered heart heated a little. The duo of Amanda Palmer on piano and vocals and Brian Viglione as mime and drummer creates a lushness that's suprising coming from only two. They are self described as 'Brechtian Punk Cabaret' and with full makeup are visually a cross between dolls and 1920's German cinema actors. Brian put on a n energetic and theatrical performance with timely comic effects perfectly supplementing Amanda without ever upstaging her. Mrs. Palmer vocals were nothing short of mesmerizing during her high points; with a vocal range and discipline not often seen at concerts. I have a feeling she has a formal theatre background as the show often times seemed more like a musical.

The base of musicianship combined excellently with intelligent lyrics and dramatic stage presence. For a second I was reminded of Tori Amos but the surreal topics and sexually playful lyrics made clear this band did not take itself too seriously took them in a completely different direction.
Coin Operated Boy
Sitting on the shelf he is just a toy
But I turn him on and he comes to life
Automatic joy
Coin Operated Boy is one of their most beloved songs and you can check it out for free on the MySpace site. The low points came more frequently later in the show as they slipped into a heavier sound and Amanda's vocal's seemed a little tired. They pulled it off in the end with a rousing rendition of Jacques Brel's Port of Amsterdam a song that seems to be gaining in popularity. Overall this show was the best and freshest surprise I've had in a long time.

Beer Rating: 4 Beers

Green Day (Bill Graham, 24 November 2004)

Green Day oh Green Day. I must say that I carry mixed emotions to this "influential" band. Their music is mostly lacking but they do have a number of good songs and quite a few pieces that have been drilled into our heads so unmercifully that they are sure to provide a certain kind of nostalgia. I again went in prepared to hate but this time the band fully obliged my inclinations.

The music was crisp clear and the effects were grand and expertly applied, the budget for this show did not skimp on the details. The high point was toward the middle as twenty foot towers of flame erupted out of the stage. I've seen this on footage from the glory days of heavy metal and it was just as great as I imagined it would be. Inherent in a tower of flame is a promise and a duty to fucking rock and Green Day was seriously derelict in delivering.

First off, Billie Joe would not shut up he found it appropriate to speak to the audience more than sing he felt he needed to perform Green Day's songs. Second, crowd involvement is good but we came to see you perform. At one point they picked three members of the audience to perform one of their songs and they performed really well, maybe too well cause it made one wonder. This debacle took a lengthy amount of time. Usually, Green Day is described as Pop Punk to my understanding a punk song is usually under three minutes and a pop song is under five. For attention span reasons this is a formula that seems to work and they should have stuck with it. Thirdly, a cover of We Are the Champions combined with Billy Joe's constant crowd exhortations made me seriously question if I was at a rock concert or a Special Camp.

It was not pretty until a strong showing on Minority towards the end made me question if I was hating irrationally. This question was left open until I had my Itunes on shuffle later in the evening(there is a weird sort of super-natural intelligence built into this software). Anyway, it played Anarchy in the U.K. Here is a lyrics comparison.

I want to be the minority
I don't need your authority
Down with the moral majority
Cause I want to be the minority

I am an antichrist
I am an anarchist
Don't know what I want
But I know how to get it

There was a little outrage but no fire, no braggadocio, none of the swagger that would have made an entertaining show.

Beer Rating: 10 Beers.

So once again let us thank our sponsors. And we'd like to remind any readers that you too can be a 'corporate' sponsor. All you have to do is get us into shows. In return we'll give you a shoutout and depending on your generosity maybe some 'extras'.

21 November 2004

Gravy Train!!! (Mile High Club, Oakland, 20 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 3 Beers

This was definitely a feminist punk-rock electronic music weekend.

After seeing a fantastic show with Le Tigre in a venue of over 1,000 people, another band that is hailed by the Beastie Boys was playing for over 100 over at the Oakland Mile High Club. Gravy Train!!! (yes, those exclamation points are part of their name with each exclamation point for each member of the band) is a local Oakland group who, according to All Music Guide, plays a "distinctive fusion of old school rap, queercore, and theatrical new wave." The member names are pretty cheezy, with singer/songwriter Chunx, keyboardist/dancer Funx, and dancers/singers Hunx and Drunx.

Sometimes, a good show need not be about the music. Certainly, I didn't understand one damn word these guys said, especially since the sound system wasn't all that great. This show was good because of the band's theatrics.

The black member of the group (I don't know who's who) was going crazy. This guy was enticing all the gay boys in the audience by stripping down to his not-so tidy whities. Now, it wasn't a pretty sight. However, him stripping down to the bare minimums is actually a blessing in disguise because it was able to deflect the long standing belief that all African-American men are fully endowed. Clearly, this guy was not fully endowed. I would raise my pinky to describe this. Needless to say, it gave men of other ethnicities hope. So, thank you Mr. Gravy Train!!!! dancer!

These guys were fun, with the entire crowd hopping to their songs. I was motivated to join them, but their set ended rather quickly despite being the headliner. Afterwards, I bought a t-shirt that says "Mile High Club." Yeah, a cheezy way to end a cheezy night.

Le Tigre (Fillmore, 19 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 1/2 Beer

This must be the show of the year. If not, pretty damn close to it.

Le Tigre played a sold out show at the Fillmore on Friday night and it has to be one of the most entertaining shows of the year. From the first song to the last, Le Tigre kept the crowd stimulated with song, dance, and slides. This was especially a good show for me because I just learned earlier that evening that I passed the California bar exam. Add free drinks throughout the night, then it was only inevitable that this was going to be a fantastic show.

Though Le Tigre's subject matter is often heavy - ranging from the consequences of war, sexual abuse and harassment, police cruelty, clueless journalism - the band knows how to put on a party by wowing even the most fair weather of fans. Like their previous shows, their set-up at the Fillmore included an array of videos with a backdrop - from a karaoke like listing of lyrics for "FYR (Fifty Years of Ridicule)" to film creator Elisabeth Subrin's meditation on desire and office supplies. However, what sets Le Tigre apart from most bands I have seen is their stage presence. Their choreographed moves would make 'N Sync or S Club 7 look like poseurs.

The setlist spanned their entire three album discography, with a good majority taken from their latest release, This Island. Yes, the band left the indie recording industry and has sold out to Universal, but you would have never known it through their songs. "Viz," "After Dark," "On the Verge," and "TKO" seemed like songs that were on the previous two albums, Le Tigre and Feminist Sweepstakes, but that's not a bad thing (if it ain't broke, why fix it?).

Kathleen Hanna definitely took my breath away. Her stage presence was just absolutely amazing and I instantly fell in love with this woman. You know she was out there because she was in your face the entire time. Her screamy style of singing definitely caught my attention, and her constant dancing and jumping made want to take her home with me. What was also surprising was how pretty Johanna Fateman is. In her promo pictures, she really doesn't exert any sort of "sexiness" but on stage, she seemed like a full blown diva. JD Samson, the most masculine of all the members, was very entertaining with her pants, workout shirt and headband.

The highlight of the set were the last two songs. "Deceptacon" was played with so much intensity. You know the crowd was wanting to hear that song and once the opening riff let out, the entire place let loose. I was berserk, dancing like crazy. Even my friend Randy, who barely shows any emotion during shows, was smiling and tapping his beer glass in perfect rhythm.

After that song, Murray Hill, Le Tigre's MC and a one-of-a kind character that reminded me of Hardy of Laurel and Hardy, encouraged the crowd to yell louder. After we did our homecoming pep rally rendition of spelling of L-E T-I-G-R-E, the band came out and did the ever so good cover of "I'm So Excited." At that point, I was dancing even more crazily. And everytime Kathleen Hanna would sing parts of that song stacatto, it drove me mad!

The only thing that would have given this show a perfect rating is if they played my second most favorite song off their first album, "My, My Metrocard" and played at least one more song in their encore.

The old saying goes that the best shows are the ones where the band leaves you wanting for more. Randy put it this way, "Le Tigre were so good that I would never want them to leave! I want to take them home with me!"

Well said.

17 November 2004

Blonde Redhead (Bimbo's, 16 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 5 Beers

Blonde Redhead. I used to call them Blonde Shitehead. Here's why.

Back in the dark ages of 1996, I saw them for the first time at the Che Cafe in fabulous U.C. San Diego. The university radio station was excited to have them at their venue, and they were pretty demanding people wanting a fruit basket, assorted beers, veggies, and spending cash. And this is before they were pitched by the Gap people to appear in their commercial. Anyways, I thought that the show was absolute crap. I hated their music, and I hated everything they did. I was so pissed at this show that I went inside my car and popped in my Marion tape. They must have been really crap because who the fuck would listen to Marion? A Marion tape nonetheless! In a crap stereo system with one speaker blown? Yeah, that was a fucked up night with a fucked up band.

It's amazing what 8 years can make. After much resistance, I finally bought (mind you, I bought this album!) Misery is a Butterfly on iTunes after hearing it. I also bought Melodie Citrionique and thought that was a great EP. I thought this band has matured a lot since their "Love Machine" days, with songs that actually have structure and good lyrics rather than arcane noise. So, I decided to buy a ticket to this show and give them another shot. I even stopped calling them Blonde Shitehead just because I thought I was over their previous noise.

Well, I was excited to go to this show, as well as my other friends. I walked right in while Helio Sequence was playing. They were actually pretty good. So good that I bought their album Love and Dance today. They were a two piece but their sound seemed like they were a 5 piece band. There's something to be said about distorted sounds in guitars. I wish I can describe them more, but I only heard two songs. But I like what I hear. Even Randy commented that their first song really caught his attention. So, it must be good.

Then Blonde Redhead came on. A majority of their set list consisted of tracks from Misery is a Butterfly with a handful of other songs from past albums. The band looked good, although they seem tired on stage. They are really good musicians, but the stage presence was seriously lacking. Kazu looked great, but she lacked the charisma that she had when I first saw them in San Diego. Yes, I hated the San Diego show, but Kazu at least kept me mildly entertained. Her boyfriend, Amedeo, also was a great musician, a much stronger voice than I gave him credit for, but also lacked the enthusiasm and the "umph" to be on stage.

That's why this show wasn't that great. All the songs they played are awesome on their records. "Equus" and "Magic Mountain" are great, but it just didn't grab me while watching them at the show. I can't really pinpoint why this show was lacking. There was definitely something missing in their performance. Randy and I were trying to figure it out, but we couldn't. We were so bored throughout most of the show that we decided to go back and chat, in the hope of regaining our energy to go watch them again.

It might also be all the 7 ft. tall men in front of us. Or not being familiar with their discography. Or it could be my lack of energy. However, all of these are mere tick marks in a long list of factors as to why this show was so disappointing.

They ended their encore with "Magic Mountain." They didn't even play "Love Machine" so that I can at least give the song another chance. The song was fitting, because this show was a roller coaster. They started off strong, climbing up and me wincing with anticipation. Once they hit their peak, they suddenly just became flat. And it remained that way. The show was a long, flat experience, ending with a sudden freefalling "THUD!"

So, I'm going to call them Blonde Shitehead again.

11 November 2004

The Faint (Bimbo's, 10 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 1 Beer

Was it just me or were the Faint amazing last night at Bimbo's? OK. Probably it was just me, since all of my friends thought that the show ranged from "unconvincing" to "it made me dance." There are a number of reasons why I thought the Faint show was one of the best of the year. First, and probably the most correct explanation, is that I’m a sucker for synths, visuals, and skinny guys from the red state of Omaha, Nebraska. The other, and somewhat likely reason, is because I was in desperate need for distractions to get my mind off of my inevitable fate on November 19th. I don’t want to talk about November 19th so I’ll just focus on the former reason.

First off, let's talk about the visuals. The Faint put forth two screens, side-by-side with one another, and the effects in those screens, along with the lighting, added so much "umph" to the music. The displays range from rather abstract animation likened to the photographic works of Maholy-Nagy, Man Ray to just plain funny effects similar to Conan O’Brien’s monologue where a still photo of a famous individual is interposed with someone’s moving mouth. For example, the images for "Erection" was Regardless of what was on the screen, it gave the audience an added sense to the show. The Faint’s stage presence was also amazing. Not one member was still for the entire show since they were constantly dancing or encouraging the crowd to participate.

The music itself was beyond belief. I stood in the back of the dance floor and I couldn’t believe how great they sounded. Bimbo’s is notorious for having sub-par acoustics, but tonight’s show was an exception. Every single noise oozing out of their synthesizers, every beat of the drum, and every dissonant noise made by their guitars were accentuated. All of this taken together made for great dance music. New songs such as "Desperate Guys," "I Disappear," "Paranoiattack," and "How Can I Forget" were so much better live than in the album. My personal favorite, "Worked Up So Sexual," almost made me want to rush up to the front and dance with the other audience members. They also did a cover of the Talking Head’s, "Psycho Killer," which was a good cover, but sounded too much like the original. I was expecting some sort of Faint-ish touch to the song, which they sort of did towards the end, but that was about it.

Finally, the crowd was really active and dancing throughout the whole show. With a few exceptions, everyone in the crowd was dancing like crazy. Like myself.

Overall, it was such an amazing show! Definitely one of the best of 2004.

08 November 2004

The Delgados (El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, 7 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 3 Beers

So, the final installment in The Delgados series of shows. For a band that I am not entirely devoted to, it's amazing that I've seen them this many times in three days.

I haven't been to the El Rey Theatre since Brett Anderson of Suede toured with support from The Longpigs. Yes, it was that long ago. I totally forgot how wonderful of a venue the El Rey was. The glass chandeliers accompanied by the nice art deco design in the backdrop of the stage made the venue a pleasure to look at and a joy to see a show in.

Similar to the San Francisco show, the crowd was small but they were boisterous enough. So much so that Stewart said he enjoyed playing to a vast crowd. When I looked back, it didn't seem that vast.

It was a disappointment to hear that them play the same exact set as their San Francisco show. Even Alun wore the same outfit as their San Francisco show and the in-store. The only diference is that they played a semi-acoustic rendition of one of their Great Eastern songs from the in-store. Otherwise, same exact order and songs. The L.A. crowd was a bit more tame and quieter than the San Francisco audience. There were no ecclectic hecklers and there was only one mention of the election (after Hate, which is the same thing Stewart did in San Francisco!). The band seemed tired from their back-to-back-to-back shows up and down California (from S.F. to S.D. to Hollywood then to L.A.), but they seemed to enjoy themselves up on the stage and the crowd loved every minute of their presence.

After the show, Elaine was still in her "Cloud 9" phase and decided to chat it up with Stewart as he was outside the venue. Like the in-store, he was very nice.


The Delgados (Amoeba Records, Hollywood, 6 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 0 Beers

After seeing an excellent electric show with the Delgados on Thursday night, they now arrive for an afternoon acoustic in-store set at Amoeba records in Hollywood. They arrived a little late, but not a moment too soon. A star studded audience was at hand, even Haley Joe Osment (yes, that guy from the Sixth Sense) and his little friends were there.

So, the Delgados arrived a little after 2:15pm and they took around 20 minutes to set up. It was Alun and Emma doing an acoustic set along with two other members, one a cellist and another with a violin. Talkative Stewart was amongst the crowd and the other roadies, cheering on Alun and Emma.

It was a very excellent in-store. Despite only 5 or 6 songs, they played a fantastic set and the string section was a perfect compliment to the acoustic guitar. From what I remember, they played 2-3 songs from Universal Audio, 1 from Hate, and another from Great Eastern. Sorry I can't remember the exact songs.

Afterwards, they signed autographs. My partner in crime, Elaine, brought all her album booklets and each member was nice enough to sign each and every one of them. I wasn't there to witness this event (since I was putting quarters in the meter), but Elaine tells me that they were all very nice and Stewart said that she has more Delgados albums than he does!

Great acoustic show. Thank Haley Joe for making it a perfect rating.

05 November 2004

The Delgados (Bimbo's, 4 November 2004)

Beer Rating: 2 Beers

The Delgados are one of those bands that have not gained the hype that they so readily deserve. While most Scottish bands have been basking in the limelight and have gained a solid base of fans (see Belle and Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand, and Mogwai), it seems like the Delgados are content with their low key presence in the Scottish music scene. Instead of churning out the hype machine, they continue to make fantastic songs and release solid albums year after year. Their recent release, Universal Audio, continues that trend that started 7 years ago with Domestiques (see Universal Audio review below).

Last night, the Delgados continued their low key attitude by playing a low key show at Bimbo’s. Unlike their more popular counterparts, the show was not sold out and an overwhelming majority of the crowd were true Delgados fans. This was made apparent by everyone around me (except for two guys) singing or humming to each song they played. There were some playful hecklers, which Stewart, Emma, Paul, and Alun were very entertained with. There were also several mentions of the election, with Stewart dedicating "Hate" to our current commander-in-thief and a fan, responding to Emma saying "we’ve been watching a lot of horror movies lately," saying "the election?" Of course, Emma acknowledged, "there’s really no way I can top that response, can I?" Emma also showed her love to the crowd by proclaiming San Francisco’s Bimbo’s to be her "most favorite venue" to play in (so much so that she wanted to do the entire set over again). Alun proclaimed his love for wine, while Emma matched it by saying that she loves Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

The band were spot on with their songs. Tight musicianship is always a nice thing to see and hear, especially in a venue as intimate as Bimbo’s. Despite their fey appearance, the Delgados rocked hard. Songs like the new single "Everybody Come Down" and "Coming in From the Cold," although poppy, made the venue shiver and tremble. Of course, they played even louder with some other songs, but since I’m a horrible person when it comes to remembering track names, I’m not going to mention them here. I can hum them to you if you like.

Overall, it was an excellent show. Also, the crowd was really pleasant, a sheer joy to be with. There were no hippy chicks (see Interpol), no farters (see Concretes), and the Marina contingency were kept at a minimum. It would have received an almost perfect rating if they played more songs. Well, I’ll be seeing them two more times, so we shall see.

04 November 2004

The Postal Service Settles with . . . the Postal Service?

Interesting article from Pitchforkmedia.com:

It was just about this time last year that we heard that The Postal Service (aka the collaborative musical efforts of Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello) had received a cease-and-desist letter regarding their bandname from the United States Postal Service (aka the giant government-controlled entity that delivers your mail). Now, with a year of negotiations-- and no doubt, a little grumbling-- behind them, the war is over. According to advertising industry observer AdAge.com, Sub Pop executives, conjuring the amazing powers of persuasion they invoked during Nirvana's signing to DGC in the early 90s, have managed to turn the potential lawsuit into a mutually beneficial cross-promotion campaign. Like magic!
Says Sub Pop co-founder Jonathan Poneman: "We found a place in the middle where all our interests can be served... There's a real spirit of cooperation." With the Postmaster General? Of course! The USPS is no stranger to cross-promotion, with animated characters like Shrek, Daffy Duck, and the Cat in the Hat making regular appearances on stamps and USPS advertising materials. Those brands, however, are owned by super-studios that virtually hemmorhage cash and lawyers, not an (admittedly sizable) independent record label whose band was biting the USPS's precious trademarked brand. But that may be precisely the point: "It's a great way for us to extend our brand into new areas," remarks USPS's manager of communication services Gary Thuro. "They reach a young audience that's very important to our future, and music is such a powerful medium."
To that end, part of the deal involves the possibility of Postal Service tunes being used in USPS ad campaigns and promotions. In turn, Sub Pop is considering, under the auspices of their newly minted licensing deal, using local postal outlets as distribution points for Give Up. Additionally, Tamborello and Gibbard will be tapped to play a gig at an annual USPS conference. No, we are totally not kidding. Stop laughing. If you're somehow fortunate enough to legitimately attend this conference, or crafty enough to impersonate one of the 800 senior executives who will be present, please do us a favor and bootleg that sucker. Surreal events like this one don't happen every day, and they must be documented for posterity.