High on Fire (12 Galaxies, 26 February 2005)

The whole point of Noise Pop weekend is to not only see the bands that you like, but to also try out new ones. Well, I did just that with Joanna Newsom on Friday night and now I'm going to try the absolute opposite of a sweet woman playing the harp - by watching three hairy, over tattooed men play death metal. Yeah, death metal.

High on Fire is a local Oakland band whose local following is anything but small. This is a band that attracts a legion of metal heads throughout the Bay Area and just cause mayhem at their shows. Mike once told me that during their sold out Bottom of the Hill show a few months ago, several non-ticket holders decided to jump the fence just to get in! Well, once again, we have a sold out crowd amongst us and the crowd itself was intimidating, a bunch of them being loyal followers of High on Fire and know every single move of theirs.

The band came on close to midnight at this rather horrendous venue they call 12 Galaxies, which is named after that crazy Asian guy who carries a sign with the same phrase. He was there, and he gets in for free apparently and begins making speeches. Which he did before the Fucking Champs came on. Rather weird.

Anyways, I was standing in the front, stage right just trying to catch a glimpse of this "life changing" band. When they came on, I didn't know what to expect. At first, I thought I couldn't possibly enjoy this band because I never really got into heavy metal or anyting of the sort. When they belted out the loud guitars and pounding drums, I was already impressed. These guys mean business and they ROCK hard! Matt Pike, the lead singer and guitarist, just impressed the crowd with his amazing guitar work and stage presence. His voice sounded demonic, and I have no idea what he is saying. Regardless, he sang sporadically, but the rock just came on hard. It was so damn good!

Then the crowd started moshing. A sight I haven't seen since The Offspring back in the mid-90s! I mean, this was serious mosh pit, with a bunch of shirtless dudes that look like they just came out of prison. This ain't no Blur or Yeah Yeah Yeahs dance pit by any means!

I don't know any of their songs, but the first song off their encore was just crazy! "Speed Wolf," off their "Lord of the Rings-esque album cover" record Surrounded by Thieves drove the crowd ape shit and they just started either jumping wildly or pushing each other. Even I wanted to be part of that, but opted not too since I do want to live past this show. Regardless, this was an excellent song and it just ROCKED!!

Anyways, a surprising show and a definite must see.

Beer Rating: 2 Beers

Rogue Wave (Slim's, 26 February 2005)

Noisepop is like playing musical chairs in an elementary school gym on a rainy day. Scenesters run around the city, hopping from venue to venue to experience the latest hype-generated bands, established independent music vets, and local faves. On this rainy night, however, we arrived to find that the scenesters weren't playing the game at Slim's. That's not to say that it wasn't a full house -- this was the most crowded I had ever seen it at Slim's. But what was unusual was the fact that the crowd was late 30s mainstream folk. This year has been pretty eclectic in terms of the crowds we homogenize with -- from the scenesters at The Bravery to the bloodied faces of the East Bay Rats to the fey pixies at Joanna Newsom, I thought I had seen it all. But seriously, was this a company Christmas party or a Dave Matthews concert? No -- it was indeed a Noisepop show, and Rogue Wave was headlining.

We arrived to the upbeat sounds of The Comas. We only caught one and a half songs, but judging from the crowd's reaction, they played a solid set of catchy melodies. During the set change, my anticipation grew as the large crowd maneuvered for position to catch a glimpse of what could be a great band to come out of Oakland. Surely a crowd this large must beget a decent performance.

Rogue Wave took the stage and played a song. I'm not going to pretend that I know which song it was, because really, all their songs sort of blended into each other in a goulash of mediocrity. In their defense, they had an uphill battle to climb for three reasons -- they were playing at the worst venue in San Francisco, I was not familiar with their music (nor will I ever be), and they had to follow a great performance from Joanna Newsom on the previous night. That being said, let me rant about mediocre bands. Is it me, or is everything on pitchfork these days a 7 or an 8? Is music really that great right now, or have our standards declined? I mean c'mon -- 8.3 for the Scissor Sisters? 8.2 for the Secret Machines? Rogue Wave was given a generous 7.8 by pitchfork for Out Of the Shadow, and judging from their performance, they must not have played anything from said album, because every song was more uninspiring than the last. The singer sounded exactly like Ben Gibbard from Death Cab/Postal Service, except he wasn't crying or anything. They played two covers - a Beach Boys song and a Buddy Holly song. I forget which ones, but I think the Buddy Holly one was Everyday. Their songs weren't really that horrible, but there was nothing about them that stood out from the rest of the crap that kids call music these days. The crowd seemed to agree with my sentiments, as they slowly dissipated throughout the set. By the end of the night, half the crowd had left. They probably went to the Holy Cow or something.

I had three beers that night, and didn't enjoy a second of it, so I'm going to give it a 4.

Beer Rating: 4 Beers

Joanna Newsom (Swedish American Music Hall, 25 February 2005)

I have to admit, when I first heard Joanna Newsom, I thought her voice was the most annoying thing in the world. This disdain for her voice was rooted in my first two years of working in New York where all the secretaries had that Fran Dresher accent from Long Island. Coming from California, I thought that such accents were an overexaggeration, but, hence, if anything, it was an understatement. From that point on, I found such accents annoying, although at times endearing. Thus, when I first heard of Joanna Newsom sing about bees and honey, it sounded like Fran Dresher with a harp.

Then, something changed. I think as more and more people started convincing me of how awesome she is, and after several articles, I decided to download her album. I listened to the entire thing and still found her voice somewhat annoying. The thing is, I started to like it. When I watched the Nanny on CBS, I hated it, but when I watched the syndicated versions, I liked it. Well, that's how Milk Eyed Mender was to me - it was annoying like the Nanny in the beginning, but I liked it after a few listens.

So, I went to this show with a bit of optimism that this is going to be a special show, but also with a bit of pessimism because this might be one of those annoying shows where I just want to chuck tomatoes at people.

This is the first time I have ever been to the Swedish American Music Hall (SAMH) and it was quite a sight! The SAMH is a very small venue, although slightly bigger than its sister venue, Cafe Du Nord. As you enter, you feel like you are in a Swiss Miss fantasy land. Of course, the first order of business when entering a venue is to get the liquids, but when I approached the concession stand, all there was was snacks and tea! Good grief, is this an elementary school recital or something?

Well, it certainly felt that way as I entered the venue. Folding chairs all around with a bunch of people standing about. The crowd itself looked like a bunch of elementary school teachers and proud parents, waiting for their prized pupil or offspring to play. The stage was rather small, with just a folding chair there for the singer.

We skipped the opener and opted to go to the rather brute Lucky 13 bar next door. We came back just in time for Joanna and there she was, pretty as a pixie with a doily on her head, playing that humungous harp. She was having trouble adjusting her seat at times, since, she candidly admits, "It's hard to find a good chair for a harp."

She opened up with a song that I don't know the title of and she encouraged the crowd to clap along - which we all did. At this point, I can barely hear her voice. The next song, which was a 15 minute epic, was just great! The voice came out of her, and it was so surreal. It was so amazing, yet I was bewildered. I asked, "Self, how the hell does a voice like that come out of her?" Then Self said, "I don't know. Shut up and listen to her singing, bitch!" Yeah, Self and I have issues we need to address.

I left Self alone and started listening to her some more. The crowd loved every single song she played and were just so in awe with her voice and her cute presence. She thanked the crowd often, acknowledged her dad and sister from Valley City being there amongst the crowd, and even dedicated a few songs.

Definite stand outs were "En Gallop," "Sproud and the Bean," and "Peach, Plum, Pear." Absolutely stunning performance! Her voice is still somewhat annoying, but it's just amazing to see a performer like her sing and play the harp.

A definite breath of fresh air from all the rock.

Beer Rating: 2 Beers

Hot Hot Heat (GAMH, 24 February 2005)

Remember back in the days where the band that you liked were not so popular with the in-crowd? That's my experience with Hot Hot Heat. I remember when they were just mere lads who opened up for The Walkmen at the Bottom of the Hill two years ago. And my, look at them now! Selling out the Great American and playing bigger venues than the Walkmen (who incidentally sold out Bimbo's which is a smaller venue than the GAMH). However, the Walkmen played The O.C. while Hot Hot Heat haven't.

I came in late to the show - partly because I was running late and partially because I knew that the opener will take a while. As I joined my friend at the front, on came Hot Hot Heat. The band looked refreshed and energized after what seems like a long absence. Steve Bays grew out his Jewfro and he looks fab! Kinda crazy like Carrot Top but still stylish enough to take on all the scenesters. Oddly enough, they started off with my favourite song, "No, Not Now" which quickly energized the crowd and a rather tired me. Amazing what a few strokes of the keyboard can do for the song. The band was full of energy, and Steve was bouncing around and playing with the audience.

Obviously, because of the new album, Hot Hot Heat played some tunes in their a little over an hour long set. "Goodnight, Goodnight," their current single, was played pretty early on in the set. The energy in that song was a lot more than I expected, and the crowd seem to love it. They also played a slew of other new songs, which I don't know the titles to, but were just excellent live. If the live versions of these songs are any indication of how the recorded ones will sound, I cannot wait to pick up their album.

Of course, they played the hits that made them the grown up boys of indie rock that they are. "Bandages," their biggest hit off of Make Up The Breakdown, was just amazing this time around. It was loud, boisterous, and the crowd ate it up.

Minus the douche bag that started pushing the crowd around, it was a flawless show.

Beer Rating: 2 Beers

Secret Machines / Moving Units / Autolux (The Independent, 18 February 2005)

I have to admit, my expectations were pretty low for this show. Although the bill was quite appealing, with all three bands being one of those "up and comers" in the scene, and with pretty decent record releases within the last year, I just didn't know what to expect. From the looks of the sold out crowd, appealing seems to be an understatement.

Let's start off with Autolux, shall we? I have never seen this band, although I think their album Future Perfect is quite good. I was only able to catch their last song, because of my friend and I eating some BBQ across the street. Autolux was very, very similar to Midnight Movies. Girl drummer, very attractive, two blokes on the side, and the girl was singing. However, unlike Midnight Movies, this girl from Autolux can really dish out the drumming. Probably one of the best female drummers I have seen in a while. I don't know which song they played, but they rocked out for a good long time and I dug it immensely. I hoped to have seem more, but I'm sure these guys will be back supporting very soon (yeah, like 3 times!).

Next comes Moving Units. Dubbed as one of the hardest working bands in the business by Filter, you can tell that these guys are professionals. Despite having problems with their equipment, with the singer being shocked once with his mic, they put on a decent set. The catchy disco/electronic tunes were all there with "Fearless," "Killer-Lover," "Birds of Prey," "Submission," "Anyone," "Between Us and Them," "Emancipation," "Melodrama," and "X and Y" being the more memorable ones. However, something left me empty with Moving Units. They were just flat. They weren't excellent, they weren't bad, but they were just flat. Dare I say it, they are like The Bravery: fantastic on MP3 but not so good live. They put on a valiant effort to engage the crowd, which did work at times, but other times it was just a futile attempt.

Finally, Secret Machines. At this point of the show, I couldn't care less about them since I was tired and annoyed with the crowd and the lack of good bands this year. The lighting was excellent, and they did churn out the tunes from their debut release. However, like the bands that preceded them, they were just flat in my opinion. The energy was there, but it wasn't enough to move me to be into it. It was not until "Nowhere Again" did I start to pay attention but that was the encore song by that time. They failed to grab me, and it shows with the other folks watching them since a good portion of the people have exited the building. Not that it's empty inside, but it was noticeably less people in there halfway through their set.

Overall, a show that is flat with a few highlights.

Beer Rating: 3.5 Beers

Calendar Improvements

Starting this week, and everyday thereafter, any show highlighted in green in the calendar means that it is a recent addition. So far, the following shows were just added:

15 March: Ian Brown @ GAMH
16 April: Q and Not U @ Slim's

Bright Eyes (Berkeley Community Theatre, 15 February 2005)

Me and my friends went to a party. It was a birthday party. It was Conor Oberst's birthday party, happy birthday Conor! And everyone at the party loved him very, very, very, very, very, very, very much. And then Conor started humming this little tune, and it was "At the Bottom of Everything," from the best album of 2005 thus far, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning.

Yes, it was Conor's 25th birthday today and it was celebrated by an uplifting and memorable performance at this high school auditorium in downtown Berkeley. The whole show felt like a birthday party . . . albeit a rather large one. After the second song of the set, someone from the crowd yelled and encouraged everyone to sing Conor happy birthday. Of course, we all did and Conor was enamored by the love.

Bright Eyes played pretty much all of Wide Awake, with a sprinkle of Lifted's "Method Acting" and Fever and Mirror's "The Calendar Hung Itself." Wide Awake has been heralded as Conor's finest work. The music press has been waiting for Conor to realize his true potential when he was a songwriter at 19, then 22, and now when he was 24. Wide Awake is a true indie rock/folk classic, some even comparing it as a true Dylan-esque album. Although that may be too high a praise, at least at this point in Conor's career, it was pretty damn close to it.

"We Are Nowhere and It's Now" was played with such emotion that you can really feel that you have been drinking wine until you are blind. "Old Soul's" keyboards were just blissful, with Conor belting out the high notes at the end that made the back of my spine tingle with pure excitement. "Another Travelin' Song" sounded like a true western hee-haw ho-down. All I needed was my cowboy hat and boots and I would have been all set. Then my anger at the current political regime was put into words with "When the President Talks to God." Although this song received mixed applause in Texas, it was received with open arms and loud applause in this Blue State. Speaking of blue, "True Blue" was played with sillyness and coy. One cannot help but laugh at the simplicity of the lyrics when Conor sings this song. Hell, even I wrote a song called "The Red Song" on my drive home, already completing three lines of lyrics.

However, the true highlight song of the evening was "Land Locked Blues." The whole range of emotions this song had was captured live. A bit of sadness when Conor describes a scene where a girl begs her partner to come back to bed, to a bit of comedy when Conor describes being shot by kids with a tree branch gun, and anger at our government's handling of Iraq and Afghanistan. All that was missing was Emmylou Harris' presence and backing vocals and this would have truly been an instant live classic.

After a string of O.K. shows, seeing Bright Eyes was a welcome relief.

Beer Rating: 1 Beer

Interpol / Blonde Redhead (The Warfield, 14 February 2005)

Besides the fact that they were playing on Valentine's Day, this is Blonde Redhead and Interpol's second stab in front of a Bay Area audience. Blonde Redhead played Bimbo's late last year and Interpol played this very same venue late last year as well. Now, Blonde Redhead and Interpol's first of a two night residency at the Warfield hope to improve on their past performances.

As previously mentioned in my 16 November review of the Blonde Redhead gig at Bimbo's, I gave them a 5 beer rating and proceeded to call them Blonde Shitehead yet again. However, I really think that they are a good band despite that show and was willing to give them a second look. I have to say, they were much, much better this time around compared to their Bimbo's gig just 3 months earlier. The sound was crisp and loud, and you can actually hear Kazu belt out her voice. The band pretty much played their most recent release, Misery is a Butterfly, and nothing else. The highlight song of the night was "Equus." During their Bimbo's show, "Equus" was really flat and lacked that dance element that was prevalent in the album. Now, thanks to the wonders of acoustics and expensive speakers, "Equus" finally got the live rendition it so truly deserved. Add to that Kazu looking hot in her low cut, backless custom made dress and the band being tight in their playing, "Equus" and the rest of the songs from Misery is a Butterfly were well done. A vast improvement from their Bimbo's show, and now I will call Blonde Shitehead their true name once again.

Where Blonde Redhead shined, Interpol was only so-so. When I saw Interpol on 26 October, I gave them a stellar review, mentioning at the end that I was looking forward to seeing them again. Well, I did but they seemed to fall flat at times throughout the show. They opened with the same song as before, "Next Exit," and surprised the audience when the song after that was their big hit "Slow Hands" from their second release, Antics. After those two songs were played, all the songs started to sound the same.

Other than the occassional antics (pun intended) of Carlos D., the band did not exert the energy that they did before. Although they were tight and sounded great, something in my viewing of the show left me unfulfilled. Were my expectations too high? Was my show ruined because of this ugly couple constantly making out right in front of me? Was it the loud teeny-boppers on my left side? Who knows. One thing is for sure though: Interpol was only so-so this time around.

Beer Rating: 3 Beers

Call & Response (Cafe Du Nord, 12 February 2005)

I was just about to write a one word review that can basically some up Call & Response's entire performance: boring. However, I feel that I need to justify this rather blunt and simple statement.

See, although Call & Response were boring, it was only 90% of their fault. I ate a 4 course vegan dinner at the fabulous Millenium Restaurant before going to the show. By that time, my stomach was full of flourless chocolate cake and tempeh based dishes. I was experiencing that bliss that all food lovers enjoy: food coma.

The night started off bad with a rather mediocre set by Bart Davenport. His songs were trite, boring, and flat. The only thing that made his set at least somewhat appealing were his stupid poses on stage. Poses so silly that it would make any 80s hair metal rock star jealous. What made his set worse was the addition of his friend with a rather complicated and long name. He played the flutophone for two of the songs. Unfortunately, the flutophone added nothing to the songs. Even the stage act of playing two flutaphones at once did absolutely nothing to save this set. If there were tomatoes at hand, I probably would have thrown some at them.

After another opening band, Call & Response came on. Don't get me wrong, I like their albums (I have both of them and the EP) and was somewhat excited to see them. Instead of them playing a mix of their discography, they pretty much stuck with their latest release, Winds Take No Shape, which would have been fine if it wasn't for the lack of stage presence of the band. The lead singer was dull. Even the rather boisterous and dancey bass player did nothing. When I saw them open up for Sing-Sing, they were a fantastic band, full of energy. Instead, they played their songs with no energy. It wasn't until they played "Rollerskate" or "California Floating in Space" did they get a noticeable reaction. I was not the only one not feeling this show. By the time the main set was over, a good amount of the already small crowd have left.

It's a damn shame that Call & Response did not put on a good show. They write great songs, but it just didn't translate live this time around.

Beer Rating: 6 pack and liquor

Luna (The Fillmore, 5 February 2005)

After fourteen years, Luna played their last show last night at a sold out Fillmore. This is my first and, unfortunately, the last time I'll be seeing Luna and I thoroughly enjoyed their set. I only have one album, the recent release Rendezvous, and I was satisfied with the night after they played tracks off that album. Little did I know that there was more in store for me.

"Malibu Love Nest" was done to perfection with Deans' voice being sharp and crisp. Although Britta's bass was too high for this song, and at some others throughout the show, I barely noticed it since I was really into the song. The guitars during "Speedbumps" were just absolutely amazing. I was very impressed with their guitar work and everything seemed to be in perfect sync. "Cindy Tastes of Barbecue" was a very entertaining track because the opening chords sound like Cornershop's "Brimful of Asha." Thus, I couldn't help but hum the Cornershop tune everytime I heard that chord sequence. I bet that would be a good mash up actually. But my favourite song of all out of Rendezvous is "Still at Home." It is such a beautiful song on the album, and is even more beautiful live because, well, it's live. Sean Eden's voice was surprisingly good, just because I thought such a voice wouldn't translate well live.

Most of the songs Luna played I didn't know, but there were two songs worth noting. Their rendition of Serge Gainsborg's "Bonnie and Clyde" was fantastic. Britta has big shoes to fill because Laetitia Sadier originally sang the female vocals, but Britta did well. I barely noticed the difference actually. Also, I didn't know this, but apparently Luna are famous for doing random covers during their encore. Well, they did a cover of a notable disco classic "Rock Me Baby" (Note: I think that's the title, but the chorus has those words so I just assumed). It caught me totally off guard and Dean's voice was perfect for the cover.

Overall, a good show and it is rather unfortunate that I was such a late bloomer to Luna. Like how I was with Dean's former band, Galaxie 500. However, at least I can say I saw them one last time.

Beer Rating: 2.5 Beers

New Show Added

Cat Power is playing at Swedish American Music Hall on February 18th. She's doing a solo set, so it's going to be acoustic. Make sure you have an iPod with you because she'll be constantly tuning her guitar and not remembering chords.

Details in the Music Calendar.

New/Updated Shows For Week of January 31st

The following shows were either added or updated in the Music Calendar. Most of these shows are going on sale this weekend:

1. March 8: Kings of Convenience @ GAMH
2. March 22: Kaiser Chiefs @ Slim's (conflicts with Decemberists - damn it!!)
3. April 3: The Soundtrack of Our Lives @ GAMH
4. April 28: The Fiery Furnaces / Dios Malos @ GAMH
5. April 29: The Fiery Furnaces / Dios Malos @ GAMH
6. April 30: Coachella @ Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
7. May 1: Coachella @ Empire Polo Field, Indio, CA
8. May 3: Raveonettes @ GAMH
9. June 1: Of Montreal @ GAMH