September:
6: The Redwalls @ Cafe Du Nord
9: The Hacker @ Mighty
17: Paul Weller @ The Warfield
22: Stellastarr* @ Popscene
October:
5: M.I.A. @ The Grand
8: Download Festival @ Shoreline Ampitheatre
23: The Go! Team @ The Fillmore
29 July 2005
26 July 2005
Kaiser Chiefs / Brendan Benson / The Cribs (The Fillmore, 25 July 2005)
For the first time in a long time, I was actually interested in seeing a show from start to finish. All three bands are huge in their own right. The Cribs are one of those big NME bands, Brendan Benson is popular amongst the indie elite and the Kaiser Chiefs are getting so big that Liam Gallagher of Oasis feels somewhat threatened by their ascent into the UK rock scene.
The Cribs came on first although they should have been on second. The trio from Yorkshire, England provided a strong and solid set full of songs from The New Fellas. I missed the opener, but it was apparently "Hey Scenester!" which is appropriate since most of the people who like The Cribs fall into that category. Although, disappointingly, there are no scenesters in the crowd here at the Fillmore tonight. More songs were played, and more drunken banter was given by Gary while his brothers, Ryan and Ross, provided more theatrics. They even did a cover song - but the title escapes me at the moment. An amazingly short set, but it packed a punch.
Speaking of punches, the next band didn't have the punch that was needed. Or, to put it another way, I would have liked to punch these guys out so they can hurry up with their set. Local boy (Berkeley) Brendan Benson started off right with a really good indie pop rawk tune but afterwards everything sounded the same. There was no "umph" in most of the songs, and this is coming from someone who has never heard of Brendan Benson and was open to the idea of possibly liking his tunes. Their sound reminds me of Ambulance Ltd. although Ambulance is much better. Even when Mr. Benson played an acoustic guitar, I still couldn't tell much of a difference from one song to the next.
Then the Kaiser Chiefs came on. They had the lighting and they have the background (the largest football towel ever created with the Kaiser Chiefs' album cover on it) to show that this band definitely has arisen from indie stars to arena rock. The high powered, high energy, heavy clapping and yelling set featured all the hits off their debut album with a few new songs (or were they b-sides?) mixed therein.
Ricky Wilson was as jumpy and energetic as ever. I swear the guy must be on speed everytime he comes on. His jumping scares me sometimes, especially since that's how he broke his ankle the last time they were in the U.S. They opened up with "Na Na Na Na Naa" amidst the glow of disco lights that nearly blinded me. "I Predict a Riot" was played about 4 songs after that, with the crowd going hog wild over it. Then the Chiefs mellowed it down for a bit with the beautiful "You Can Have It All." Ricky says that if you don't like that song, then you don't have soul. Apparently, everyone in the crowd had soul, including lucky audience member Elizabeth joining Ricky on-stage for a dance and a serenade.
My favourite track from the album is "Oh My God!" I had to restrain myself from jumping up high at some point. Even stop myself from running to the front and join the merry people hopping like bunny rabbits. A similar reaction happened during "Modern Way."
After the main set, the crowd wanted more. And they yelled out "Kaiser Chiefs!" ad nauseum and did the clap that we so often hear at shows. They came back out with a thunderous ovation from the crowd. They closed with "Caroline, Yes," which is a weird way to close out the set.
Overall, the Kaiser Chiefs were spectacular. The Cribs are very promising and I will check them out when they headline the smaller venues here. Brendan Benson is alright, but at least I can say I checked them out.
The Cribs came on first although they should have been on second. The trio from Yorkshire, England provided a strong and solid set full of songs from The New Fellas. I missed the opener, but it was apparently "Hey Scenester!" which is appropriate since most of the people who like The Cribs fall into that category. Although, disappointingly, there are no scenesters in the crowd here at the Fillmore tonight. More songs were played, and more drunken banter was given by Gary while his brothers, Ryan and Ross, provided more theatrics. They even did a cover song - but the title escapes me at the moment. An amazingly short set, but it packed a punch.
Speaking of punches, the next band didn't have the punch that was needed. Or, to put it another way, I would have liked to punch these guys out so they can hurry up with their set. Local boy (Berkeley) Brendan Benson started off right with a really good indie pop rawk tune but afterwards everything sounded the same. There was no "umph" in most of the songs, and this is coming from someone who has never heard of Brendan Benson and was open to the idea of possibly liking his tunes. Their sound reminds me of Ambulance Ltd. although Ambulance is much better. Even when Mr. Benson played an acoustic guitar, I still couldn't tell much of a difference from one song to the next.
Then the Kaiser Chiefs came on. They had the lighting and they have the background (the largest football towel ever created with the Kaiser Chiefs' album cover on it) to show that this band definitely has arisen from indie stars to arena rock. The high powered, high energy, heavy clapping and yelling set featured all the hits off their debut album with a few new songs (or were they b-sides?) mixed therein.
Ricky Wilson was as jumpy and energetic as ever. I swear the guy must be on speed everytime he comes on. His jumping scares me sometimes, especially since that's how he broke his ankle the last time they were in the U.S. They opened up with "Na Na Na Na Naa" amidst the glow of disco lights that nearly blinded me. "I Predict a Riot" was played about 4 songs after that, with the crowd going hog wild over it. Then the Chiefs mellowed it down for a bit with the beautiful "You Can Have It All." Ricky says that if you don't like that song, then you don't have soul. Apparently, everyone in the crowd had soul, including lucky audience member Elizabeth joining Ricky on-stage for a dance and a serenade.
My favourite track from the album is "Oh My God!" I had to restrain myself from jumping up high at some point. Even stop myself from running to the front and join the merry people hopping like bunny rabbits. A similar reaction happened during "Modern Way."
After the main set, the crowd wanted more. And they yelled out "Kaiser Chiefs!" ad nauseum and did the clap that we so often hear at shows. They came back out with a thunderous ovation from the crowd. They closed with "Caroline, Yes," which is a weird way to close out the set.
Overall, the Kaiser Chiefs were spectacular. The Cribs are very promising and I will check them out when they headline the smaller venues here. Brendan Benson is alright, but at least I can say I checked them out.
24 July 2005
Ashbury (Cafe Du Nord, 22 July 2005)
Ashbury is a band from Los Angeles whose music is akin to Joy Division and Interpol, with a hint of The Killers (sans the pretty boys). This five-piece band is opening up for The Lovemakers, who has a week long residency at Cafe Du Nord. I arrived early, by show standards, at the venue and was surprised to see how full it was.
Ashbury consists of Jesse B. at vocals, Raul Martinez on guitar, Erik Hernandez on synths, Andy Magallon on bass and Greg Fierro banging the drums. As they were playing their first song, I immediately realize Jesse B.'s stoic stage presence. It seems like he is either just standing there looking at the ceiling or the floor after each song. This is not a band thing, since I think it adds to the dynamic of the band.
Another observation is that this band is ridiculously tight -- meaning these guys can rock. Especially Andy Magallon's bass. The bass sound was predominant throughout the night, and it would have been disappointing if I had to hear anything else. Erik's playful and cheerful demeanor on the keyboards was also evident, with several of the ladies around me commenting on his "cute shirt."
"Doubt Remains" was a definite highlight of their set. I was very impressed with the synths and bass, and it is definitely one of the better tracks on their new single. Jesse B.'s voice was so creepy during some of the songs, that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear Ian Curtis never died.
There was a good sized crowd that came in to see Ashbury and Ashbury entertained them from beginning to end with their great instrumentation and conflicting, yet appropriate, stage presences.
Ashbury consists of Jesse B. at vocals, Raul Martinez on guitar, Erik Hernandez on synths, Andy Magallon on bass and Greg Fierro banging the drums. As they were playing their first song, I immediately realize Jesse B.'s stoic stage presence. It seems like he is either just standing there looking at the ceiling or the floor after each song. This is not a band thing, since I think it adds to the dynamic of the band.
Another observation is that this band is ridiculously tight -- meaning these guys can rock. Especially Andy Magallon's bass. The bass sound was predominant throughout the night, and it would have been disappointing if I had to hear anything else. Erik's playful and cheerful demeanor on the keyboards was also evident, with several of the ladies around me commenting on his "cute shirt."
"Doubt Remains" was a definite highlight of their set. I was very impressed with the synths and bass, and it is definitely one of the better tracks on their new single. Jesse B.'s voice was so creepy during some of the songs, that if you closed your eyes, you'd swear Ian Curtis never died.
There was a good sized crowd that came in to see Ashbury and Ashbury entertained them from beginning to end with their great instrumentation and conflicting, yet appropriate, stage presences.
23 July 2005
New Show Added: M.I.A.
M.I.A.
The Grand at Regency Center
October 5, 2005
[Unfortunately, the same night as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!]
The Grand at Regency Center
October 5, 2005
[Unfortunately, the same night as Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!]
New Festival Added: Download Festival
Download Festival
Shoreline Ampitheatre
8 October 2005
Featuring:
The Killers
The Arcade Fire
Doves
Modest Mouse
More TBA.
Source: Live 105
Shoreline Ampitheatre
8 October 2005
Featuring:
The Killers
The Arcade Fire
Doves
Modest Mouse
More TBA.
Source: Live 105
21 July 2005
New Shows Added
September:
15: The Bravery & Maximo Park @ The Fillmore
18: The Arcade Fire @ The Warfield
22: Bloc Party @ The Warfield
29: M83 @ Mezzanine
October:
19: Iron & Wine / Calexico @ The Fillmore
20: Tortoise @ The Independent
21: Tortoise @ The Independent
21: Nada Surf @ Bimbo's
November:
10: The Clientele @ Bottom of the Hill
December:
1: The Wrens @ Bottom of the Hill
15: The Bravery & Maximo Park @ The Fillmore
18: The Arcade Fire @ The Warfield
22: Bloc Party @ The Warfield
29: M83 @ Mezzanine
October:
19: Iron & Wine / Calexico @ The Fillmore
20: Tortoise @ The Independent
21: Tortoise @ The Independent
21: Nada Surf @ Bimbo's
November:
10: The Clientele @ Bottom of the Hill
December:
1: The Wrens @ Bottom of the Hill
The Go! Team (Bimbo's, 20 July 2005)
Life is full of surprises. Count The Go! Team as one of those surprises - one good and one bad.
Last year, i hailed the Go! Team's new album as one of the best releases in 2004. Thunder, Lightning, Strike was one of those albums that completely went underneath everyone's radar. While everyone was raving about the Arcade Fire or Bright Eyes, the Go! Team went silently along the way. Now, with a lot more press and some exposure at venues in the U.S. like SXSW, the Go! Team is now one of those bands whose hype is following them around - in every venue in their current U.S. tour.
But what made the album so brilliant and fun to listen to went *kaput* in their live performance. See, the reason why I liked the Go! Team's album is because the instruments did the talking while the talking was merely an afterthought. The singing was in the background, rather than in the forefront, and the instruments dominated the songs. Songs like "Panther Dash" were so strong and fun because the vocals were minimal and the guitars were just booming.
At Bimbo's, The Go! Team's focus went from instrumentation to vocals. Ninja is the culprit. God bless her, she's a fun girl to watch. A lot of stage presence. Really made the crowd participate throughout the night with a lot of that side-to-side arm waving reminiscent of that "Hip Hop Hooray!" song by Naughty by Nature back in the 1990's. But fuck girl, must you sing for every single song?
I've got issues with Ninja. She ruined my favourite song off of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Yes, "Panther Dash", which they opened with, was ruined because her vocals drowned out the sound. Her rapping of incoherent words destroyed the song. I'm listening to "Panther Dash" right now, and the only words that Ninja ever echoes in the song is "1, 2, 3." This can also be said with plenty of the band's other songs, such as "Get It Together" and "The Power is On." If only they sampled her voice instead of doing live. Or maybe even toning down her mic a bit so that she doesn't dominate but instead co-exists with it.
She wasn't all that bad though. Songs where her vocals were appropriate lived up to my expectations. In "Huddle Formation," she sang it well but only because the sound drowned her out a bit.
The songs that were the best were, ironically, the ones where Ninja didn't sing. "Junior Kickstart" absolutely kicked ass live. This is because the band just went and rocked out rather than having Ninja sing. Also, their song "The Ice Storm" was also really good. In this song, Ninja merely pressed a bell rather than sing. So, she is good for something.
All my friends agreed that this was the case. We even dubbed the band "Spice Team" because of Ninja's antics. Or, as I repeatedly said last night, it's like you're expecting to drink Coca-Cola but yet when you sip your drink, it was actually Sprite. Yeah, you are shocked and appalled because you have trained your taste buds to taste Coca-Cola. Well, in this case, my ears were not trained to hear Ninja. Thus, when I heard Ninja, I was dumbfounded.
Overall, a good show. Despite the surprises.
Last year, i hailed the Go! Team's new album as one of the best releases in 2004. Thunder, Lightning, Strike was one of those albums that completely went underneath everyone's radar. While everyone was raving about the Arcade Fire or Bright Eyes, the Go! Team went silently along the way. Now, with a lot more press and some exposure at venues in the U.S. like SXSW, the Go! Team is now one of those bands whose hype is following them around - in every venue in their current U.S. tour.
But what made the album so brilliant and fun to listen to went *kaput* in their live performance. See, the reason why I liked the Go! Team's album is because the instruments did the talking while the talking was merely an afterthought. The singing was in the background, rather than in the forefront, and the instruments dominated the songs. Songs like "Panther Dash" were so strong and fun because the vocals were minimal and the guitars were just booming.
At Bimbo's, The Go! Team's focus went from instrumentation to vocals. Ninja is the culprit. God bless her, she's a fun girl to watch. A lot of stage presence. Really made the crowd participate throughout the night with a lot of that side-to-side arm waving reminiscent of that "Hip Hop Hooray!" song by Naughty by Nature back in the 1990's. But fuck girl, must you sing for every single song?
I've got issues with Ninja. She ruined my favourite song off of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. Yes, "Panther Dash", which they opened with, was ruined because her vocals drowned out the sound. Her rapping of incoherent words destroyed the song. I'm listening to "Panther Dash" right now, and the only words that Ninja ever echoes in the song is "1, 2, 3." This can also be said with plenty of the band's other songs, such as "Get It Together" and "The Power is On." If only they sampled her voice instead of doing live. Or maybe even toning down her mic a bit so that she doesn't dominate but instead co-exists with it.
She wasn't all that bad though. Songs where her vocals were appropriate lived up to my expectations. In "Huddle Formation," she sang it well but only because the sound drowned her out a bit.
The songs that were the best were, ironically, the ones where Ninja didn't sing. "Junior Kickstart" absolutely kicked ass live. This is because the band just went and rocked out rather than having Ninja sing. Also, their song "The Ice Storm" was also really good. In this song, Ninja merely pressed a bell rather than sing. So, she is good for something.
All my friends agreed that this was the case. We even dubbed the band "Spice Team" because of Ninja's antics. Or, as I repeatedly said last night, it's like you're expecting to drink Coca-Cola but yet when you sip your drink, it was actually Sprite. Yeah, you are shocked and appalled because you have trained your taste buds to taste Coca-Cola. Well, in this case, my ears were not trained to hear Ninja. Thus, when I heard Ninja, I was dumbfounded.
Overall, a good show. Despite the surprises.
18 July 2005
The Arcade Fire at Warfield
The Arcade Fire
The Warfield
September 18, 2005
$25 at Ticketmaster
On Sale: Sunday, July 24
The Warfield
September 18, 2005
$25 at Ticketmaster
On Sale: Sunday, July 24
17 July 2005
Sufjan Stevens (GAMH, 17 July 2005)
Sufjan Stevens has some crazy goals. His latest one, the "50 States Project", is an attempt to compose an entire record for each of the 50 states in the Union. Well, he has two down (Michigan and Illinois) and 48 to go (unless we make Puerto Rico or Guam a state as this project unfolds).
Tonight, Sufjan and his Illinoise-makers are performing in support of his latest album, Illinois. He started off the set going solo with an acoustic guitar performing "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois." I've never seen Sufjan Stevens before, and I was amazed by his vocal capabilities. While some artist whose album voices tend to fall apart live, Sufjan's voice remained amazingly flawless. Every low note, high note and everything in between was done extremely well. Unlike some soft voices, which Sufjan has, his dominates the room. It grabs the listener and makes you focus on every minute detail of his singing.
Afterwards, he was joined by the Illinoise-makers (or the Michigan Militia if he were touring Michigan). They were all in their cheerleading outfits, convincingly looking like a squad from the University of Illinois. Sufjan foreshadowed his set by telling the crowd about the random cheers that they were going to do in between songs and inviting the audience for any constructive criticism afterwards.
The first cheer they did was about Peoria, Illinois. It was a cute cheer, and it was very charming to see him and the others make such a bad cheer seem good. In fact, Sufjan noted that he hoped to make the district finals with his cheers.
More songs from Illinois were played, including "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" Definitely one of the highlights of this gig, it was just really good to see Sufjan perform with such a full sound and with a full band.
Much of the songs played by Sufjan seemed a lot longer than the album version. Although there are 22 tracks in Illinois, it seemed like Sufjan played only a small handful of songs. This is because the length of each one of these songs were long. Despite this extended play, the show was still enjoyable.
Two more cheers were done. One of which had a reference to Balki Bartocamus which just had me rolling. Both were equally good as the first, and it was just so cute!
They ended their main set with "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts." An obvious ode to Superman (which ironically sued Sufjan's record company about Superman's likeness in the Illinois album). It was probably the most lively song done of the entire set. Which is fitting since this would ideally leave the crowd wanting more for the encore.
Overall, a great show. If you were a Sufjan novice or maybe have never heard of him, then you may have found it boring. Since I knew full well what I was getting myself into, I enjoyed it a lot.
Tonight, Sufjan and his Illinoise-makers are performing in support of his latest album, Illinois. He started off the set going solo with an acoustic guitar performing "Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois." I've never seen Sufjan Stevens before, and I was amazed by his vocal capabilities. While some artist whose album voices tend to fall apart live, Sufjan's voice remained amazingly flawless. Every low note, high note and everything in between was done extremely well. Unlike some soft voices, which Sufjan has, his dominates the room. It grabs the listener and makes you focus on every minute detail of his singing.
Afterwards, he was joined by the Illinoise-makers (or the Michigan Militia if he were touring Michigan). They were all in their cheerleading outfits, convincingly looking like a squad from the University of Illinois. Sufjan foreshadowed his set by telling the crowd about the random cheers that they were going to do in between songs and inviting the audience for any constructive criticism afterwards.
The first cheer they did was about Peoria, Illinois. It was a cute cheer, and it was very charming to see him and the others make such a bad cheer seem good. In fact, Sufjan noted that he hoped to make the district finals with his cheers.
More songs from Illinois were played, including "Come On! Feel the Illinoise!" Definitely one of the highlights of this gig, it was just really good to see Sufjan perform with such a full sound and with a full band.
Much of the songs played by Sufjan seemed a lot longer than the album version. Although there are 22 tracks in Illinois, it seemed like Sufjan played only a small handful of songs. This is because the length of each one of these songs were long. Despite this extended play, the show was still enjoyable.
Two more cheers were done. One of which had a reference to Balki Bartocamus which just had me rolling. Both were equally good as the first, and it was just so cute!
They ended their main set with "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts." An obvious ode to Superman (which ironically sued Sufjan's record company about Superman's likeness in the Illinois album). It was probably the most lively song done of the entire set. Which is fitting since this would ideally leave the crowd wanting more for the encore.
Overall, a great show. If you were a Sufjan novice or maybe have never heard of him, then you may have found it boring. Since I knew full well what I was getting myself into, I enjoyed it a lot.
13 July 2005
New Shows Added
July:
15: Numbers/Deerhoof/Jolie Holland @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
15: Club Bang! with DJ Carlos D. of Interpol @ Mezzanine
18: Kings of Leon/Secret Machines @ The Fillmore
28: Nine Black Alps @ Amoeba S.F.
31: Hot Hot Heat @ The Fillmore
August:
20: Von Iva/Hey Willpower @ The Independent
24: The New Pornographers @ Amoeba S.F.
28: Black Mountain @ The Independent
September:
11: The Decemberists @ The Fillmore
12: The Decemberists @ The Fillmore
21: Bloc Party @ The Warfield
23: Stellastarr* @ The Independent
October:
5: The National/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! @ Mezzanine
6: Franz Ferdinand/TV On the Radio @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
29: American Analog Set @ Bottom of the Hill
30: American Analog Set @ Bottom of the Hill
15: Numbers/Deerhoof/Jolie Holland @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
15: Club Bang! with DJ Carlos D. of Interpol @ Mezzanine
18: Kings of Leon/Secret Machines @ The Fillmore
28: Nine Black Alps @ Amoeba S.F.
31: Hot Hot Heat @ The Fillmore
August:
20: Von Iva/Hey Willpower @ The Independent
24: The New Pornographers @ Amoeba S.F.
28: Black Mountain @ The Independent
September:
11: The Decemberists @ The Fillmore
12: The Decemberists @ The Fillmore
21: Bloc Party @ The Warfield
23: Stellastarr* @ The Independent
October:
5: The National/Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! @ Mezzanine
6: Franz Ferdinand/TV On the Radio @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
29: American Analog Set @ Bottom of the Hill
30: American Analog Set @ Bottom of the Hill
09 July 2005
My Favorite (Rickshaw Stop, 8 July 2005)
After I left work at 5pm on Friday, my entire night was open. I had no plans whatsoever, and thought a night in would do me a world of good. I've been tired all week, and still feel overwhelmed by the things around me.
After being urged by a friend to go out, I was determined to find something remotely interesting to do. So, I thought that maybe Club I.D. or Loaded would be on tonight, but instead the S.F. Popfest was going down. I didn't know any of the bands on tonight's bill, but by a stroke of fate, I clicked on My Favorite. I read their bio and the words "Belle and Sebastian" immediately made me a skeptic. I checked out their website, saw their videos, listened to their tunes. I was impressed. They were good. Indie pop at it's most basic yet most beautiful. I had to go.
I convinced the others to go and there we were at Rickshaw Stop at around 11pm. The band came on shortly thereafter. My Favorite is a five piece ensemble, with Andrea Vaughn's angelic, Sarah Cracknell type voice filling the venue. Andrea's signature "schtick" (if you can call it that) is the varying inscriptions on her arms.
I've never seen this band, nor do I know any of the song's titles other than what was sampled on their website. However, I do know that they opened up with "Le Monster" off their most recent album The Happiest Day of Our Lives. Very good start to the show with the drumming and guitar work just oozing with indie poppy-ness. My one critique about this song is that it's too long. It could have been shortened, and it still would have been a great song.
The low-light of this show is when Michael Grace, Jr. would sing. Like Blake from Rilo Kiley, this guy was just horrible when he sang. Of course, that's just my opinion but real My Favorite fans absolutely adore him. Granted, he is entertaining when he does side chatter (sometimes) but not when he sings. Actually, I'd rather have Blake sing compared to this guy.
Andrea and Michael would trade vocals for every other song. Thus, like a roller coaster, there were plenty of ups and downs during their set.
The absolute highlight was when they played "Burning Hearts." This is an indie pop song created to perfection. Todbot's drumming in this song is just spectacular and well timed. Especially in the very beginning of the song. It's just the right amount of intensity involved and immediately catches your attention. Again, Andrea's voice was spectacular, and Michael's more appropriate role as backing singer is perfect for this song.
I don't understand why these guys didn't headline, but left it to the Orange Peels to do so. The Orange Peels were horrible and I need not discuss that band any more than I have to. But, My Favorite were spectacular (without Michael singing lead). They are not my favorite yet, but they may soon will be.
Beer Rating: 2.5 Beers
After being urged by a friend to go out, I was determined to find something remotely interesting to do. So, I thought that maybe Club I.D. or Loaded would be on tonight, but instead the S.F. Popfest was going down. I didn't know any of the bands on tonight's bill, but by a stroke of fate, I clicked on My Favorite. I read their bio and the words "Belle and Sebastian" immediately made me a skeptic. I checked out their website, saw their videos, listened to their tunes. I was impressed. They were good. Indie pop at it's most basic yet most beautiful. I had to go.
I convinced the others to go and there we were at Rickshaw Stop at around 11pm. The band came on shortly thereafter. My Favorite is a five piece ensemble, with Andrea Vaughn's angelic, Sarah Cracknell type voice filling the venue. Andrea's signature "schtick" (if you can call it that) is the varying inscriptions on her arms.
I've never seen this band, nor do I know any of the song's titles other than what was sampled on their website. However, I do know that they opened up with "Le Monster" off their most recent album The Happiest Day of Our Lives. Very good start to the show with the drumming and guitar work just oozing with indie poppy-ness. My one critique about this song is that it's too long. It could have been shortened, and it still would have been a great song.
The low-light of this show is when Michael Grace, Jr. would sing. Like Blake from Rilo Kiley, this guy was just horrible when he sang. Of course, that's just my opinion but real My Favorite fans absolutely adore him. Granted, he is entertaining when he does side chatter (sometimes) but not when he sings. Actually, I'd rather have Blake sing compared to this guy.
Andrea and Michael would trade vocals for every other song. Thus, like a roller coaster, there were plenty of ups and downs during their set.
The absolute highlight was when they played "Burning Hearts." This is an indie pop song created to perfection. Todbot's drumming in this song is just spectacular and well timed. Especially in the very beginning of the song. It's just the right amount of intensity involved and immediately catches your attention. Again, Andrea's voice was spectacular, and Michael's more appropriate role as backing singer is perfect for this song.
I don't understand why these guys didn't headline, but left it to the Orange Peels to do so. The Orange Peels were horrible and I need not discuss that band any more than I have to. But, My Favorite were spectacular (without Michael singing lead). They are not my favorite yet, but they may soon will be.
Beer Rating: 2.5 Beers
03 July 2005
Annie / The Lovemakers / Every Move a Picture (Mighty, 1 July 2005)
Ah, the long weekend finally arrives. Ever since I wake up on Friday morning, I've been counting down the seconds until the work day is done. I had some exciting plans this weekend, including a show that showcases three very good acts. With an after party at my place planned, there was much to look forward to once 9pm hit on Friday. Why not start the July 4th weekend off with a bang, you know?
My friends and I arrived at Mighty at around 9:30 on Friday. I've never been to Mighty. It seemed like a good space from the outside, and the queue was pretty long once we got there. Luckily we got there early. Upon entering, the space itself was pretty big. As a friend of a friend said, "It reminds me of PPAD (Peach Pit After Dark) from 90210." Very fitting.
Every Move a Picture came on first. This band is getting a lot of hype of late, most notably through their appearance at SXSW and at Live 105's BFD Festival. I first saw these guys open up for The Bravery at Cafe Du Nord a while back, and thought they were pretty good. Well, here, I think they were just okay. I think the sound system had something to do with their average performance. The last song they played, "Signs of Life," was pretty well done. That's when the crowd started paying attention. I'm a sucker for synths, and "Signs of Life" has a really good one towards the middle.
The Lovemakers were next. This band is another one of those big hype local bands. After being swooped up by Interscope, and apparently having a Eurythmic as their producer for their next album, the buzz around this band was pretty obvious from the now much larger crowd present. When they came on, they sounded promising. The sound was much louder compared to Every Move a Picture's set, and Scott Blonde and Lisa Light were quite entertaining to watch. They emit a lot of sex in their stage performance, and that was evident when Lisa showered herself with water about part way through their set. Not wanting to be outdone, Scott took his shirt off to reveal a somewhat toned torso (much to the delight of the gay boys and straight girls in the crowd). They were very entertaining, but I just wasn't into their sound that much.
Finally, the alleged highlight of the evening, Annie, came on a little after midnight. I love Anniemal and the catchy pop tunes in there. It's been in constant rotation in my iPod, with "Heartbeat," "Chewing Gum," and "Me Plus One" being my favourites. What plagued the two previous bands was the sound at Mighty being inconsistent. Here, Annie's performance was a victim of the poor sound off of her mic, coupled by her rather weak vocals. At one point, the recorded backing vocals were just too loud. It instantly reminded me of Ashlee Simpson's embarassing moment on SNL, but it didn't happen here. Annie's set was somewhat entertaining, but fell way below my expectations. "Chewing Gum" was the 3rd or 4th song played, and it really didn't make me want to dance. Which was a damn shame. "Me Plus One" also fell victim to her lackluster vocals and uneven sound at Mighty. Then there were a couple of instrumental songs which just didn't mesh well with the entire set. I got so bored that I left early and missed "Heartbeat." I wasn't that upset, given the poor performance, in leaving early, but I was quite upset that: (1) I didn't drink enough to enjoy this show and (2) that I dragged my friends and hyped this shit up when it was a total let down.
The 4th of July weekend didn't start off with a bang. Instead, the fireworks were duds, and I was left wondering why the hell it happened this way.
Beer Rating: 4.5 Beers
My friends and I arrived at Mighty at around 9:30 on Friday. I've never been to Mighty. It seemed like a good space from the outside, and the queue was pretty long once we got there. Luckily we got there early. Upon entering, the space itself was pretty big. As a friend of a friend said, "It reminds me of PPAD (Peach Pit After Dark) from 90210." Very fitting.
Every Move a Picture came on first. This band is getting a lot of hype of late, most notably through their appearance at SXSW and at Live 105's BFD Festival. I first saw these guys open up for The Bravery at Cafe Du Nord a while back, and thought they were pretty good. Well, here, I think they were just okay. I think the sound system had something to do with their average performance. The last song they played, "Signs of Life," was pretty well done. That's when the crowd started paying attention. I'm a sucker for synths, and "Signs of Life" has a really good one towards the middle.
The Lovemakers were next. This band is another one of those big hype local bands. After being swooped up by Interscope, and apparently having a Eurythmic as their producer for their next album, the buzz around this band was pretty obvious from the now much larger crowd present. When they came on, they sounded promising. The sound was much louder compared to Every Move a Picture's set, and Scott Blonde and Lisa Light were quite entertaining to watch. They emit a lot of sex in their stage performance, and that was evident when Lisa showered herself with water about part way through their set. Not wanting to be outdone, Scott took his shirt off to reveal a somewhat toned torso (much to the delight of the gay boys and straight girls in the crowd). They were very entertaining, but I just wasn't into their sound that much.
Finally, the alleged highlight of the evening, Annie, came on a little after midnight. I love Anniemal and the catchy pop tunes in there. It's been in constant rotation in my iPod, with "Heartbeat," "Chewing Gum," and "Me Plus One" being my favourites. What plagued the two previous bands was the sound at Mighty being inconsistent. Here, Annie's performance was a victim of the poor sound off of her mic, coupled by her rather weak vocals. At one point, the recorded backing vocals were just too loud. It instantly reminded me of Ashlee Simpson's embarassing moment on SNL, but it didn't happen here. Annie's set was somewhat entertaining, but fell way below my expectations. "Chewing Gum" was the 3rd or 4th song played, and it really didn't make me want to dance. Which was a damn shame. "Me Plus One" also fell victim to her lackluster vocals and uneven sound at Mighty. Then there were a couple of instrumental songs which just didn't mesh well with the entire set. I got so bored that I left early and missed "Heartbeat." I wasn't that upset, given the poor performance, in leaving early, but I was quite upset that: (1) I didn't drink enough to enjoy this show and (2) that I dragged my friends and hyped this shit up when it was a total let down.
The 4th of July weekend didn't start off with a bang. Instead, the fireworks were duds, and I was left wondering why the hell it happened this way.
Beer Rating: 4.5 Beers
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