The Top 10 Shows I Attended In The Year 2007 (With Commentary)

I must begin by noting that I did not film any of the following videos, for better or for worse. I did my best (searching youtube) to find videos from each show and I found it surprisingly easy. Much easier, in fact, than simply finding pictures. All this to say, these videos are here to give you a glimpse of the show and to spruce up my blog so as give it the appearance of professional journalism. So there you go! Enjoy.



1. Jens Lekman @ Troubadour
This young Swede has popped up on many a year end list and while I enjoy being a cynic, I can't help but include him in this one as well. Everything about this show from the impeccable set-list to the band's saintly white uniforms was perfect. Jenses's abilities as a singer and as a performer had both me and Jen (not to be confused with Jens) enraptured from the first sampled beat. Varying the songs from pop dance numbers to near silently whispered ballads, Jens kept the sold out crowd begging for more. I have never heard such a consistent, deafening standing (as some people, nay, wusses, did have seats) ovation. For the third encore, Jens played a solo rendition of "You Can Call Me Al". Although he informed us that he would omit the chorus because it was far too silly, he eventually conceded and invited us all to sing along. This was one of those shows that you have to leave a party to go to because you already bought tickets three months ago and although I had drank many a beer, run a 9 mile race earlier that day and practically fell asleep on Jen's (again, not to be confused with Jens) shoulder in a booth in the upstairs bar, I had one of the best concert going experiences in recent memory.



2. OM/Earthless @ The Echo
When we (Darren, Matt and Sam Staley, myself) arrived at the Echo a band consisting of a drummer (or maybe a keyboardist?) and a dude spasmodically whipping magnetic tape connected to a large machine were making exactly the type of noise you would expect from that kind of line-up. Not knowing what to make of this, we opted to hang out on the patio and drink some more beer. Earthless took the stage next and played one giant non-stop psychedelic power-trio jam at breakneck speed for the next 45 minutes. The sheer endurance of each member was mind-blowing. Total cosmic face-shredding bliss. Om hit the stage rather inauspiciously, that is if you disregarded the giant wall of cabinets and custom designed amps looming behind them. The set began with the slow and soft meditation of "At Giza" and the crowd, myself included, was lulled into a trance by Al's rhythmic chanting and Chris's gentle waves of percussion. However, just as I was drifting off toward standing slumber 10 minutes into the song, the aforementioned wall of amplification came alive, obliterating the calm. Om proceeded to play all of Variations on a Theme, Conference of the Birds and their sides of the split singles with Current 93 and Six Organs of Admittance. In the end (which was a long time coming) my eardrums and brain cells were demolished.



3. Thurston Moore @ Echoplex
What should one expect when Thurston Moore tours behind an album of acoustic guitar noodling and violin accompaniment? Super-loud jamming apparently. Thurston played acoustic guitar and was joined by Steve Shelley on drums, Samara Lubelski on violin and a dude on acoustic guitar and a dude on bass (sorry, I didn't catch their names). They ran through the Trees Outside the Academy tracks with a couple of instrumental jams thrown in for fun and awesomeness. I initially feared that this show would consist of people sitting in folding chairs attempting to finger-pick a new page out of the super-lame freak-folk book. This couldn't have been farther from reality. The dual acoustic guitars were amplified into oblivion and the songs off of this mellow and gentle album were given new significance as each exploded into life one after the other. Thurston, not able to be separated from his beloved Jazzmaster, played an extended encore of songs off of Psychic Hearts to end the night on a note of 90's awesomeness, proving that although he is approaching 50, he is still Thurston Moore and all that that implies.



4. Cheap Trick et al. @ Hollywood Bowl
2007 being the 40th anniversary of the release of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Hollywood Bowl hosted an "all-star" tribute to the album and Cheap Trick along with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra served as the house band. Jen and I bought tickets on a whim thinking it would be a fun date and we ended up having an awesome time. Although many of the "special guests" were very disappointing (Joan Osborne?!) Cheap Trick made the night. The burden of any true fan of music is having missed seeing all the greats from the past (Beatles, Hendrix, Nirvana) and while this show was no substitute, it was a great taste of some of the best music ever recorded. A particular highlight was Al Jourgenson (of Ministry, a regrettable adolescent personal favorite) playing "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" in full metal style, totally pissing off everyone sitting around us. All in all, an inconsistent night showcasing some amazing music.



5. Magik Markers @ Spaceland
I am often amazed at which shows I attend at good old Spaceland are packed and which shows are not. I was certain that this show would be wall to wall hipsters and I couldn't believe how empty the place was. Everyone needs to see this band live. I had read about the reputation of often violent and confrontational performances that Magik Markers had built up over the past 5 or so years and although they seem to have mellowed out (considerably by some accounts) their music retained both of these elements. Having shifted from the guitar, bass and drum line-up of previous tours, the band was Pete Nolan on drums, Elisa Ambrogio on guitar and a girl (whose name I regrettably cannot seem to locate) on keyboard. The sound was all drum and guitar violence with the keyboard functioning ingeniously as the foundation. Actually, the thick noise owed a lot to the subliminal waves of the keys. This sparse arrangement created an overall sound of chaos with Elisa's free-form guitar tearing up each number. Pete's drumming was loose and rhythmic, displaying great proficiency superseded by a total disregard for all rules regarding song structure and traditional percussion. Pete would vacillate between octopus-armed multitasking and minimalist texturing with occasional straight-ahead rocking thrown in between. The percussion was so infectious that Jen was inspired to loudly complain (to me, as well as anyone else who could hear, which probably included the band) "Why isn't anyone moving?! That's what drums are for!" But of course, no Magik Markers show review would be complete without an attempt to translate Elisa's stage presence/performance/guitar-murder into witty prose. Where Pete demonstrates skill restrained, Elisa shows frightening, unbridled passion forced upon her guitar without a hint of technical proficiency. The violent noise that she produced through her repeated attacks coalesced with the desperate anger in her voice. The two sounds combined with the confrontational one-foot-forward stance and violent brandishing of her guitar created a palpable sense of imminent break-down/collapse/destruction/apocalypse. While I was initially afraid of the lacerations I would receive from the headstock of Elisa's guitar, I don't feel anything was sacrificed by her choosing to remain on stage.



6. No Age/Mika Miko/Black Dice @ Echoplex
The line-up for this show went more like Mika Miko/No Age/Black Dice with Black Dice in the headlining spot. Matt Pool and I came to see No Age and I also had an interest in seeing Black Dice based on a couple of their older albums. Mika Miko and No Age are LA bands and their grass roots brought out a rabid crowd. After spending almost all of 2007 paying to see bands from other states (nice states that I would enjoy living in, it should be noted) I was very excited to see some local bands that are proud to be from LA. That being said, Mika Miko hit the stage and their fans immediately went ape poopy (this is a family blog). The sound was not remarkable; four-on-the-floor rockers with frantic call/response, hissyfit vocals. What was remarkable was their stage presence and the connection they made with the audience. This wasn't reinventing the wheel, it was making the wheel more awesome. The smiles and giggles, adhd dance moves, chit-chat and inside jokes all clued me in to what their fans already knew. This was good times; 2007 punk rock, LA style. No Age took off about a half hour later and rapidly laid waste to the place. Dean Spunt and Randy Randall were formerly in a band called Wives which Jen and I saw open for Dinosaur Jr in 2004. Wives was good, but they let their punk get in the way of their rock. I never bought their album, but there is no way it can even be close to as good as their current incarnation. Dean's on drums/vocals and Randy's on guitar. While I was unable to hear the vocals, being smashed against the front of the stage and all, it didn't matter. The cacophony created by these two instruments was enough to make me (and Matt) completely lose our stuff (family blog, remember?). Dean's drumming served as texture to the layered guitar lines that Randy repeatedly built up and subsequently demolished. The build-up and release that occurred in each of their three-minutes-or-less songs would have taken lesser bands quadruple lps to create. The deafening sound at the peak of each guitar riff was enough to split concrete and the panic that built with the increasing frenzy of Dean's drumming caused even the most stoic of hipsters to convulse in fits of ecstasy. Actually, truth be told, I have no idea how this affected the other audience members. I was to busy flipping out to notice. I just can't imagine anyone in the room during the No Age set keeping their minds or bodies under control. Matt and I were amazed and inspired and awesomified to the max; completely spread savaged. Totally rad. As for Black Dice, they pulled off a great job of looking like they were totally bored, creating deafening sheets of white noise that morphed into what some could call "beats" while clicking around on their laptops. I like their records, but I was completely bored with their set. Maybe it's hard for NYC uber-hipsters to follow killer LA bands in LA. Oh well.



7. Band of Horses @ Amoeba
Jen and I saw Band of Horses 4 times this past year. How do you pick a best show? I don't really know. Each one had it's strong points. They played different sets, they were in different venues, they played with different bands (Decemberists, Dinosaur Jr, Drones). All of these things considered, this free (definite bonus) show was my favorite. Why? Well, one of the best things about a Band of Horses show is getting the chance to see a group of dudes playing live that really enjoy playing live. Despite the fact that the band's catalog would reasonably lead one to imagine their set to be mellow and plaintive with a single tear trickling down Ben Bridwell's cheek as he strums the last chord of another of their countrified sad-sack indie rock songs, Band of Horses rock out and Ben gets down right stoked about playing. At Amoeba, Band of Horses made jokes, criticized their slow songs for being "boring" and had an all around good time rocking out for a very appreciative audience. Their songs didn't sound terribly different. They were simply augmented in that crucial but intangible way that all performances benefit from when the performers are enjoying it even more than the audience.



8. Dinosaur Jr/Awesome Color @ Troubadour

Most of the press concerning the newishly reformed Dinosaur Jr album released this year heaped praises upon it like syrup on waffles (sorry, it's now breakfast time). What was peculiar about these accolades was not their fervency (everyone loves Dinosaur Jr, right?) but their sentiment. The album was not being praised as a step forward, a step backward or even some fancy step sideways. It was praised for taking absolutely zero steps in any direction because they don't have to because they are Dinosaur Jr and because they rule. How did they sound live? Just like they should. Real real loud without any unnecessary talking but plenty of crucial rocking. I went to this show with Matt Pool and Ian Scott. It was great seeing Dinosaur Jr in such a small setting (I would later see them play at the Wiltern with the previously mentioned Band of Horses and it just wouldn't be quite the same). J set up in front of far too many amplifiers and played at full volume with only occasional stops to lazily mutter out a verse or two before recommencing his shredding. Lou played total high school punk rock bass, strumming it like a guitar, no fancy stuff, just holding it down while Murph broke into an instant sweat, pounding his kit with more intensity than anyone half his age. I know J looks like Gandalf now, but when he plays, I may as well be a freshman in high school listening to his ear-bleeding country on my headphones at lunch. As for Awesome Color, they totally rule. Full on, unrestricted jams without any pretension. Awesome Color make the kind of music that all the jerks forgot they should be making. They completely owned the stage and from their sound and the looks on their faces, they loved every minute of it. I did too.



9. sunn0)))/Earth @ El Rey
Just about everyone that I know has had to listen to me drone (ha ha ha, get it?) on and on about the awesomeness of sunn0))) live. Well, sorry. It's that awesome. Earth opened which I was very excited about. While I love the recent Earth releases and their development of the psychedelic/drone/doom/metal/country genre, I was pretty decently bored with their live set. The sound was spectacular but it could have been louder (in memory, that is) and there wasn't much to watch. Silly complaints, but I suppose I expected the legendary Earth to be more mind-blowing. I'll probably go see them again and in the meantime I will console myself by listening to their records. sunn0))) made their entrance by shutting off the house lights, drawing back the curtains and releasing a thick wall of fog from a stage lit from below by a single green light. The next epoch of time (1 hour? 2? 15?) found the hooded robed members of the band conjuring a deafening wall of droning guitar+vox+???. The sound was physically oppressive and mentally nullifying. There were no breaks during their set and one song could be discerned from another by only the most attentive of listeners. When all was said and done, the audience had been reduced to half its original size and those that remained, (myself, Matt Pool and Matt Staley included) were simultaneously exhausted and energized by the consciousness-melting display of light and sound that had just taken place. Good times.



10. Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem @ Hollywood Bowl
Last but certainly not least we have the Arcade Fire's return to the Hollywood Bowl. I have to say that I'm pretty bummed that (although they deserve it) the Arcade Fire made the jump from Troubadour to H-Bowl and apparently there they shall remain. Isn't there some sort of intermediate venue they could have played? Wiltern? Avalon? Greek? Anyhow, this doesn't really matter because I love the Bowl and all that it has to offer. We (Dan, Beth Anne, Jen and myself) sat in the cheap seats and despite the time of year (September=hot in LA) it was freezing cold. We warmed ourselves with our personal bottles of wine and sat back waiting for LCD to finish up. I must say that although I'm not a very big fan, James Murphy and co. put on a fantastic show. Yeah it sounded like Eno and VU and everyone else they sound like, but at least they ripped off the right people. Arcade Fire took the stage, which was strewn with all sorts of confusing decorations (from what I could tell that is) and began by running through a few numbers off Neon Bible. I like Neon Bible, but these songs didn't seem strong as live numbers at all. Jen and I were beginning to feel pretty disappointed when, like a ray of sunshine cutting through the cloudy sky, the band jumped into a string of tracks off Funeral. I don't remember which ones, so let's just say all of the neighborhood songs in order, ok? The change of mood in everyone from the band to the audience to me and Jen was instant. People were on their feet, dancing in the aisles and the band was running around stage smiling/grimacing along to each line/riff/violin solo. This energy lasted for the remainder of the set and the encore that followed. Although I have only been able to watch the Arcade Fire from approximately 1,000,000 feet away, they remain one of my favorite live acts. I just want to know why they won't do a multi-night residency in Los Angeles ala their shows in New York or Chicago or San Francisco or every other big city. LA is awesome.

So in conclusion, good times.

Blues...

So I'm working past my (personal) deadline for application completion and I have a stack of short stories to grade and I have my evaluation by the principal of the school tomorrow. How am I preparing for this? Cha cha.

In all seriousness, I am prepared for all of the aforementioned events. I am primarily going to the Cha to celebrate a day of birth with Jen Giunta (sp?) and pour one out for Hammy.

Also, my 5th period class will no longer complete their warm-up writing assignments unless I play D.A.N.C.E. at least twice. Several students are working on their own moves for this song which I believe should be showcased at the end of the year talent show.

Additionally, I will be competing in a half-marathon this coming Saturday morning in my hometown of Irvine, California. I am excited and scared. A half-marathon is 13 miles.
Can I do this?
Yes I can.
But can I really?
Maybe.
Are you sure?
No.
Do you mean yes?
Yes.

I don't mean to signify, but...

Rollerskating for Running

So I realize that most everyone is no longer reading this. That's ok. I need to be gently re-introduced to the interwebs anyhow.

This Friday from 5:30 until 7:30, there will be a fund-raiser held at the Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale California for the Nightingale Middle School, Students Run LA club of which I am a part. We hang out with kids after school and run for many miles with them while carrying on conversations about life, love and middle school. All sorts of stuff they're interested in. It's really fun.

So, the cost is $12 and I have some tickets. I know it's a little expensive, but it's for a good cause and it includes your skate rentals. It does not include nachos or booze, which is a little sad.

Here's the website of the place.

Bodies of Water have jobs.

Stereogum just did a pretty cool feature on our friends Bodies of Water. Apparently Stereogum are such big fans of BOW that they have to get all up in their business and bug them about their bill paying skills. It's fun to read and if you plumb the archives you'll find a surprisingly unsurprising amount of bands that are cool with members who are teachers. Teaching=street cred?

Here's where the feature is at supposubly.

No Age @ LA River

Beginning:

Middle:

End:


Totally wired, yeah!

We are now in Big Bear. I'm one pocket shot in it and, true to life, I'm listening to Ben Bridwell tell me that the world is such a wonderful place. It's so amazing when everything lines up just so.

1. No Age
2. Out of the Silent Planet
3. Whiskey

100. Applications...

So hey. It's Wednesday and that means margaritas. Usually. Ok so it hasn't happened in a while, but that doesn't mean I'm any less of a man (single tear).

Anyhow, this Friday is Jen's birthday. We'll be going out to a dinner we can't afford then we'll probably be going to Cha Cha or the Red Lion afterwards. As these places are public, all are welcome.

On a more private note, we will be having a much more exclusive party this Sunday at our house. If you know where that is, you may come. It will be approximately after church. Lunchish time. You can call for a more specific time. Or, you will probably receive an email about it. Anyways. It will be a bbq. It will be fun. It will also be Mike, Matt and Becca's birthday party, so you might receive four emails (depending on how much each of these people like you).

That's about all. I went to a mind numbing curriculum training today and the best part? I got a free fried chicken ceaser salad for lunch. Oh well. I only have 2 weeks left for this school year. I'm feeling irresponsible already.

All for now. I am glad there are no nude pics of me on the interweb.

It's with a heavy heart that I post this. I am now in my classroom watching my third period class furiously type essays on laptop computers but my heart is elsewhere....


This past weekend Jen and I engaged in some major chilling at the Pool residence. We ate and drank and played and boated our collective guts out.

It was a sort of viking funeral weekend for their house. While we didn't burn the place to the ground, we did burn some stuff. Charcoal.... umm... candles? It was definitely to the max as the Pools are the best hosts and weekend companions one could hope for.

So here I sit, quietly shedding a tear for all the good times had in Big Bear. I wish they never had to end. Except I don't want to live there.

I need more coffee.

Right now I have finished grades for the upcoming report card; I am enjoying the Russian River Brew Co. Damnation Golden Ale and I am listening to the Pipettes.

It's good times here. Really.

As a side note, does anyone want to go see the Pipettes at the Poopadour on the 11th of June? You would have to go with me and Jen. We would do our best to make it fun for you though. I'm going to buy tickets soon..... I think..... Maybe.....

July

Just a couple of things that I'm extremely excited about and that I want to know if anyone else is extremely excited about.

1. sunn0))) + Earth @ the Casbah in San Diego July 2nd and a tba venue in Los Angeles July 3rd.

2. Smashing Pumpkins 8 night residency at the Fillmore in SF from the 22nd of July to the 1st of August.

Exciting no? A couple of long distance shows? Let's do it.

So I have an agent now. Her name's Becca. Yeah.

Becca just got me some strange side work for a guy who needs music to play during a 7 day long photo shoot for Sara Lee.

Yes. That Sara Lee. Snack cakes and ball park hot dogs.

Why do they need my music selecting abilities? Aside from the fact that I rule at picking music (music that I like that is), this photo shoot is about the "Joy of Eating" (what ever happened to the Joy of Cooking? I'm not usually one to gripe about American eating habits, because you can do what you want, but it's strange that the creation of food has given way to the consumption of food. I agree with Jesse. Skippy bars are awesome.) and they need some music to get people pumped up so they can have their picture taken in the throes of joyous rapture that only gobbling down Sara Lee products can bring. How to select such a soundtrack..... a few Weird Al songs come to mind.....

So now, when you're perusing the most current issue of Rachel Ray Today or O (Oprah), you will probably begin to notice images of normal people, like you might see at work or in the store, driven mad with passion as they savor one of their favorite snack treats. Those people were listening to mixes that I made. Weird, right? I have no doubt that the snack cakes are the true cause of their euphoria, but I like to think that I will have helped.

Right now LA is on fire. Griffith Park is literally on fire. I could see actual flames (not just smoke) and a helicopter dropping water very clearly as I drove home from work today. It's strange seeing something like this so close up. I really like Griffith Park and I hope that it's ok in the end.

This burnination was strangely timely as I just finished reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It was really good and there was a lot of burnination in it.

We (not me, but the students) are taking a week long standardized test. I finished the book while the kids were testing today and I would liken this to watching, say, It's a Wonderful Life on your ipod while you are waiting in line at the DMV. What does that mean? Yeah... er... nah. Ok.

In other news, I am now listening to "Oracle" by sunn0))) and it is pretty good. The first track is kind of a remix of the track they did for the Jukebox Buddha comp. They remixed it by having Joe Preston play jackhammer (yes, that kind of jackhammer) over the Buddha Box track and adding vocals. Oooo and drums. There's drums now too. I bet it's Atsuo doing the drumming. It sounds a lot like Etna off of Altar. Only with echo-y static. Yeah. It's good though. The jackhammer is much less jarring when it's used as a textural instrument rather than what it's creator intended it for.

On a final note, I would like to congratulate all those that are moving or marrying or birthing in the near future. Hooray! I wish very different things for all of you. Good things, but different for sure... Hooray!

Tuesssssday

So does anyone who may read this want to go to Cha Cha tonight? I sure do. We should go. You and us. The Pattersons and you. We should go around 7:30 or 8.

I feel that my listening update thingy is going to be consistently erroneous because I am constantly listening to different stuff. For example, while I have occasionally been listening to Michio Kurihara's Sunset Notes, I am currently listening to Boris and Merzbow's Sunbakedsnowcave. Which is long. Real long. And slow. I would like someone (matt) to write an hour long fast song. Real long and real fast. So fast you'll expire from exhaustion once you've finished playing it. Something to speed along the freeway at 3am to.

My school has entered its second semester this week which is glorious. While it is daunting to think that I will have to be teaching these students for as long as I already have, I now have the end in sight and the end is full of beers and surfing.

So let's go to Cha Cha and talk about it. It's going to be great.

testing

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