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Live Show Reviews

Review: Poolside w/ Goldroom @ Dim Mak Studios in Hollywood, Ca 12/4/12

Just like any Tuesday night on famous Hollywood Blvd, the streets were loaded with the usual seedy characters, hipsters, club goers and dirty dog vendors. Though Hollywood can be intoxicating, I was clear minded that night and ready for a much anticipated show from hyped DJ Goldroom and Poolside (DJ set) at Dim Mak Studios.

Resident DJ Bones kicked things off mixing in different tracks from a variety of different genres. He did a nice job of warming up the trickling in late-night crowd. As the decks switched hands to tropical disco producer, Goldroom, the audience made their way more towards the dance floor. Josh Legg aka Goldroom had clearly come to Dim Mak that night with a plan to get the audience moving. An absolute highlight of the set was when he dropped his incredible remix of Niki & The Dove’s “Mother Project”.

As Goldroom wrapped things up he gave way to Poolside, the headliner for the evening. Having already seen and covered Poolside a handful of times, at Filter’s Culture Collide Fest and recently reviewing their edit of Laid Back’s “Fly Away”, I am what you may call a fan of their daytime disco sound. I was curious how a DJ set would come across, and was not a bit worried about the crowd response. Poolside opened their set to a packed house and played “Kiss You Forever” with the crowd singing through most of the song. The collective’s high energy set and overall mix blew me away that night. By Brian Litwin

Laid Back – Fly Away (Poolside Edit)

Poolside california (Facebook)
Goldroom california (Facebook)

Rating 8.2

brown8

reviewed by
12-08-12

Review: The Colurs @ SoHo House in Los Angeles, Ca. on Friday 11/30/12

Following up a recent and well received show at the world famous Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, The Colurs, fronted by Max Townsley and Drew Erickson, performed a mellow set this past Friday night at the extremely elegant SoHo House. Complete with an 8 piece band, and over looking a cloudy Friday night skyline of Los Angeles, The Colurs played a collection of songs from their recently released self-titled EP. The dinner and drink crowd was especially receptive to the collective’s brand of orchestral pop and in the dimly lit room, the experience both rhythmically and harmonically found the pocket. A highlight of the set was a bouncy, well arranged version of the track “Easy To Love”, as was the beautiful love ballad, “Julia”. Having only formed in Denton, TX in 2011, we expect to more buzzing yet to come from The Colurs. By Brian Litwin

The Colurs (Official)

reviewed by
12-03-12

Review: Rah Rah @ The Bootleg Bar in Los Angeles on Wednesday 11/28/12

It’s no surprise that Canada has treated this 6-piece from Regina, Saskatchewan so well. Having been crowned “Best New Canadian Band” and “Best New Alternative Band” by iTunes Canada in 2009, Rah Rah recently released their new album The Poet’s Dead in the US and it’s an album I’ve spent some time with. For several band members, their last week’s visit to LA for a small handful of shows was their first trip ever to California. As with other folk-flavored rock bands that veer between a harder and softer dynamic, I’d hoped this live show would rock (rather than put me to sleep). I’m glad to say this band not only rocked it, but exceeded lofty expectations. Rah Rah can play. Literally, band members often switched up on instruments, between tunes or even sometimes mid-song. They perfectly nailed their tempos and crescendos bringing select highlights to a supreme level of intensity.

Rah Rah’s set opened with their infectious song, “Art & A Wife”. This track reminds of New Pornographers around the time of their Twin Cinema album. Throughout the song, and even the set, Rah Rah feature male-female vocal exchanges. In general, four band members in Rah Rah provided lead vocals with Marshall Burns handling most of them. Marshall’s voice sounds a bit like Neil Young — more so live than on the recordings. His vocal on “Dead Men” was a highlight that night, as was “Prairie Girl” sung by Erin Passmore. And some locally Regina-flavored humor was found in the set’s finale, “Duet For Emmylou And The Grievous Angel”.

Rah Rah obviously enjoy playing, and they have a down to earth, winning way in their stage manner. Still building their loyal L.A. following the comfortable crowd was responsive and offered them a very warm encore. By Bruce Rave

*Check out Bruce’s Moheak Radio “Go Deep” show on Sunday nights 7-9 pm Pacific, 10-12 am Eastern, 3-5 am GMT. Listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

Rah Rah (Facebook)

reviewed by
12-03-12

Review: Alex Clare @ Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles, Ca. 11/29/12

We’re said it before and we’ll say it again, there’s little debate that Alex Clare is one of the dopest artists in any genre right now. This was no less present this past Thursday night when Alex and his 3 piece band came to the Henry Fonda Theater in Los Angeles. From the UK singer songwriter’s belting power vocals to his substantive and controlled melodies, he put on a show to remember. The artist’s loyal fan base surely played a major role in this sold out gig. And in fine fashion, Alex was at his best when he was armed with just him and his piano, and emotions a bounty of musical perspiration. Standout tracks that evening included his cover of the Etta James classic, “Damn Your Eyes” as was his commercial smash, “Too Close”.

In Alexander’s words, “I just got a massive smell up here on stage, and it was like, welcome to California”. Indeed welcome to California Alex, and we can’t wait to have you back!

Review and Photos by Russ Ramos

Alex Clare england (Official)

reviewed by
12-02-12

Review: Chris Malinchak w/ Jonas Rathsman, Moon Boots, Perseus @ Blind Barber in Los Angeles 11/28/12

Beats, birthdays and booze at a barber shop sounds odd but for the French Express tour kickoff at the Blind Barber in LA, it was the perfect combination. Starting off for the F.E. clan was Perseus, label head and featured artist. Weaving banger after banger, the crowd inched closer to the DJ table. Perseus laid the groundwork for a fantastic evening.

The crowd really started to get into it once the decks switched to Moon Boots. After playing his much blogged track, “Sugar” the party got into full swing. Drumming along to the different bass hits and with a smile on his face for most the show, Moon Boots seemed very appreciative of the near venue capacity crowd.

Following Moon Boots, Chris Malinchak took control of the decks with his game face. With a joyous demeanor, Chris really fed off the crowd’s energy, playing standouts “If U Got It” and BBC Radio 1’s Pete Tong backed “So Good To Me”. House was at the forefront of what would be all four sets that night, but none beat as hard as Malinchak’s mix.

Lastly, the nightcap for the French Express crew was Swedish DJ Jonas Rathsman, and with good reason. The walls were literally shaking as waves of bass hit the dimly light bar. At this point, all of the F.E. tribe were dancing and mingling with the Wednesday night crowd. Rathsman’s eclectic set seemed to sum up the evening perfectly; high energy, heavy bass and non-stop movement.

The French Express train keeps rolling, making stops upcoming stops in San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Washington DC, New York City and Miami with a TBA event on 12/6. By Brian Litwin

Chris Malinchak – So Good To Me

Chris Malinchak (Facebook)

reviewed by
12-02-12

Review: Dirty South @ The Palladium in Hollywood, Ca. 11.24.12

There are shows, events, and all sorts of concerts that go around the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, but it doesn’t seem like any of those can touch the environment of an Insomniac event. From the opening DJ’s to the confetti cannons of Dirty South’s intro track… it’s just that different. Even if it’s not your “thing” to attend a “rave” type event, I’d almost guarantee that you’ll secretly find yourself having a good time. The atmosphere brings plenty of people of all ages around town, and even some from out of state, to party till the sun comes up with smiles and good vibes. The term PLUR (google it) isn’t just a saying to this crowd, it’s pretty much a lifestyle. Being a photographer, I always welcome the challenge to capture this sort of feeling. Thankfully I got my chance to really soak it all in last Saturday night. The combo of thundering bass, eclectic synths, light shows, fog and lasers easily took this crowd to another world. There’s always a certain sense of passion you get when you’re surrounded with Dirty South’s euphoric music, and it suddenly becomes clear how his crowd can party for 6+ hours. A good party can go on for however long the heart desires. The only negative thing I had to say about The City of Dreams tour is that I haven’t attended it before! Review and Photos by Russ Ramos

Dirty South (Official)

reviewed by
11-28-12

Review: Two Door Cinema Club / Friends / St. Lucia @ Hollywood Palladium, CA. 10/25/12

Two Door Cinema Club descended on the Palladium in Hollywood last Thursday night, October 25th, with support coming from Friends and St. Lucia. The all ages crowd proved nothing short of just that, an uber youthful core that energized the venue throughout the night, and who were clearly more in touch with some sort of ‘rockshow ESP’ than their older and late arriving counterparts. Ageist irony hit it’s high when Darude’s “Sandstorm” spun through the house speakers before Two Door Cinema Club took stage. The track, clearly meant to be background music, elevated the crowd of iGens to another level, teleporting the Palladium into a celebratory Trance gathering for the next five minutes. The venue raved to this near 15 years old EDM classic offering one of the biggest responses to any song of the evening… including from any of the bands. The look of bewilderment on the faces of anybody over age 25 was pretty timeless, as they raced to remember what was so cool about a song that they used to jam with in high school.

Darude – Sandstorm

NYC based and Neon Gold collective St. Lucia opened the evening. The five piece rock ensemble traded-off dueling synths and guitars throughout the set. Their blend was pop friendly, with an indie-movement inspired new wave of synth rock that’s pretty irresistible. The band’s uptempo quirky nature and occasional Temper Trap caliber melody (ideal for the evening’s Glassnote headlined bill) was sprinkled throughout the set with tambourine and glitzy synth. On the more obscure pop side of things, moments felt akin to the sentiment of Talking Heads and even Peter Gabriel. Most notably the band seemed to revel in their commercial potential, being perfectly viable to such a large room showcasing their festival ready performance with plenty of energy and crowd interaction.

Photo By Russ Ramos

NYC neighbors to St. Lucia, and Brooklynites, the band Friends soon followed. On the more abstract pop side of things, Friends know their way up, down, and all around dirty disco injected tunes. With heavier lyrical content rooted in philosophies that explore conspiracies and even open relationships, Friends have a little something for everyone, and definitely know how to play to their advantages. For one, if the music doesn’t happen to be your style, then at the very least you’re sure to be entertained by the cross dressing, and progressive party that’s happening on the stage in front of you. When singer Samantha Urbani wasn’t launching herself into the heart of the dance party, with the audience in front of her, she was engaging Friends’ vocally passionate fans between songs, “everybody here, we’re all friends” she proclaimed at one point. Indeed. The band’s music is rhythmic and a minimal nature, highlighted with the hook latent bass work of Lesley Hann. Her delectable bass lines can’t help but draw your hips in to their seductive grooves, as Friends counters the excitement with fashionable jungle drumming, triangle chimes, catchy vocals and more. Friends live presence was loaded with retro nostalgia, and included recording live with a VHS video camera during their hit track, “Mind Control”. Friends’ set consisted mostly of material from the band’s recent and debut studio album, Manifest!, and it set the tone nicely for the party that was yet to come.

Photo By Russ Ramos

Who would have thought that the young Irish lads we shared with you in 2009 would be headlining major venues, festivals and tours throughout the world just a few years later? It’s pretty incredible to trace back through the career of Two Door Cinema Club, but what’s even more incredible is where they stand today. With two studio albums now under their belt, they belong to a small collection of bands able to claim critical and commercial success on both their debut album and sophomore follow up. The crowd at the Hollywood Palladium that night were well of aware of this fact. Two Door Cinema Club’s near hour and a half long set was a fans delight. People responded to fresh songs such as “Sleep Alone” and “Sun” from Two Door’s new album Beacon, as much as they did to the band’s Tourist History debut release.

It was somewhat telling how Two Door Cinema Club had been on the road these last few years, back and forth across the pond, and how they continue to thrive on the growth from such experiences together as a band. Two Door Cinema Club were dialed-in and they tore the roof off the Hollywood Palladium that night, as if proving their headliner status for the years to come. The band’s stage production helped, most importantly too was an additional musician on stage who helped the trio fill in some of those parts that had earlier fallen to backing tracks. Transitions were seamless for Two Door Cinema Club, with little conversation between songs, they held the audience in their hands, stomping their way the through their set of signature high BPM induced melodic pop. Frontman Alex Trimble entertained and engaged the crowd with an authentic nature, and in fact the entire band seemed delighted by the response they’d recieved that night. Trimble at one point asked people to sing along, “I want you with me”, on “The World is Watching”, they obliged. An explosive performance of “What You Know” concluded the band’s encore set of three songs. Ending on high that was hard to come down from. Possible explaining why half audience stuck arround the venue and continued to dance as the house lights and speakers came on. Until the man served up the ole ‘you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here’.

Header Photo By Russ Ramos

Two Door Cinema Club – The World Is Watching

Two Door Cinema Club (Facebook)

Photo By Russ Ramos

Photo By Russ Ramos

Rating 9.0

reviewed by
10-30-12

Virgin Mobile FreeFest Wrap: 2012

Last weekend Virgin Mobile landed at the Merriweather Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland for FreeFest. A Virgin media themed festival coined for it’s outgoing charity initiatives through the celebration of live music, dance, culture… and yes, ferris wheels! At a time where people are in the midst of habub about Sir Richard Branson’s Galactica space venture and the retired Endeavour space shuttle basically stopping the presses (btw the irony of people adoring a space shuttle from a program that basically died because it has lost support… is beyond us), EDM pioneer Skrillex took it upon himself to launch his own shuttle venture at the event. Seriously though, Skrillex had a spaceship on stage.

Thing kicked off with clean cut rockers Future Island, who are a spectacle to watch perform with their mesmerizing eclecticism and musical delivery from the future. The collective commands the stage with a unique brand of take-charge futuristic 80s inspired dream pop, and are fronted with the theatrically abrasive nature of singer Samuel T. Herring who’s passion for music is basically this dude’s spinach. On an opposite stage Allen Stone performed, basking his audience with the charisma of your next daytime soul star. Stone did an ample job of fronting his massive band. At moments Stone’s blue eyed soul pop harkens back to a time when his style music was more of a standard in general for festival music.

For us Portugal. The Man is always a festival favorite. It seems that everyone relates to their melodic diction and unique mix of rock. Songs, “So American” and “People Say” were highlights, and let’s not forget the band’s extended “Helter Skelter” interlude. Traveling to the next performance, we encountered Alvin Risk initiating the day’s Dance Forest. It was a party, the hard hitting electro pop banged and the new z-gen based crowd moshed like it was 1994 (little did they know). By the time Thomas Gold would later take stage, and the lights started happening, it became pretty clear that the glam of electro party music will never die.

Between some sets at the main stages, actor James Franco hosted a series of film shorts on the big screens. The 7FAM montages told stories with an organic dimeanor and they served an interesting distraction to the musical radness that lay ahead. Santigold soon took stage with her prehistoric-future and neon charged stage-show. Everyone took pictures like it was something they’ll ever see again. That’s what we call star presence. Traveling next to the pavilion stage we found Ben Folds Five performing. The recently reunited trio emitted their sentimental moments of mediocre key rock upon the audience. Everyone gobbled it up including us. It was great hearing tracks like “Brick” and seeing the trio still doing what they do best, just check out their latest The Sound of the Life of the Mind release to hear what we mean. That plus Ben Folds is reminiscent of some mad scientist child spawn of Elton John, which in effect almost makes him rock royalty. We’re still waiting for that reunion of The Bens.

More highlights of the festival included the Alabama Shakes. Singer Brittany Howard looked comfortable in her stage front setting. The singer was animated and seemed thrilled to be performing. And why shouldn’t she be, by all our accounts Alabama Shakes has been one of the best live draws in 2012. And “Found You” is still a standout track with it’s goosebumps caliber moments. Hip Hop star Nas was a sight to see in the flesh, spitting his raw talent on the mic. No frills here, just his DJ and his words.

Zedd and Porter Robinson soon took stage in the Dance Forrest with some epic sci-fi graphics in the mix. It was like the two were honing in on their future festival headline-act slots. Zedd – one of the few electronic producers today finding their credibility on both sides of the masses. Porter Robinson – one of the hottest names in electro house.

Hopping in to our Virgin Mobile teleports we dialed into the pavilions stage (with seats) for ZZ Top. But there wasn’t much sitting. This blues rock trio sported their custom guitars with their novelty beards and still schooled most everyone in the house. Who needs a show production when you can play some straight forward and loud blues with a few timeless lyrical hooks to boot? We loved their new ‘hip-hop’ song about “getting paid.”

M83 were in full band mode that night. These guys rock at the next level making art with their instrumental use of power chords alone, something becoming less and less relevant to popular music nowadays. Combine that with M83’s sea of synthy atmospheres, and this band has only grown stronger with their years.

Deciding to head back to the other end of the festival, we found Jack White headlining the pavilion stage with his full band of female musicians. Drummer, Carla Azar owned her sticks with a finesse on the skins unparelleled at the festival. Possibly even out-staging the prolific tycoon that is Jack White productions. Then again you know Jack White feeds on that style of passionate musical rage. A performance quality of which might be staring too much in his own musical tendencies.

Skillex had a count down on the big screens before he took stage. People ran to the field where he was performing, hoping to catch their glimpse of the EDM icon. Sonny Moore performed his set of progressive electronic music via the front mast of his own space capsule. The showman fusing his hardcore tendencies mixed an artful display of electronic music inflections. It was an energized performance that got everyone moving, and of some serious showmanship (perhaps because girlfriend Ellie Goulding was spotted in the masses). As his spaceship was launched 20 ft. in the air, Skrillex would jump up on his decks table to incite the audience. Speaking of inciting, how bout the pyrotechnics and über controversial visual references? Skrillex even teased the audience with his remix of “Sabatog” from the Beastie Boys and peppered more of the set with a slew of other hip-hop classics. By the time Skrillex’ set ended I though his spaceship was going to blast off and race Richard Branson’s to mars. Instead things concluded per Skrillex’s gracious wishes for camaraderie upon the festival drenched crowd.

Virgin Mobile Free Fest (Official)

reviewed by
10-13-12

Culture Collide Festival Wrap: 2012

Photo by Jasmine Safaeian, Filter

Last week the Culture Collide music festival returned to Echo Park, Los Angeles. The third annual Filter Magazine event produced a four days of non-stop music by emerging talent from around the globe. Team-B3SCI were on the grounds making all the rounds to venues, parking lots, champaign rooms… you name it! Below is a collection of some favorite first-hand accounts from our troops on the ground.

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THURSDAY October 4, 2012
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Photo: Aida Daneshvar

Dean Wareham @ Methodist Church

I feel like a better music fan, and more specifically a better indie music fan, for having seen Dean Wareham at the Methodist Church. The cozy, intimate setting was dimly lit and provided the perfect setting for Wareham’s lo-fi aesthetic. The capacity of around 200 was nearly full, with casual listeners strolling in and out to catch the other acts during the time slot, namely Blood Red Shoes. Wareham is a true rock craftsman — I’m more a fan of his Luna project than Galaxie 500, and although the set was mainly Galaxie material, I found myself recognizing most of the cuts. At his preferred tempo, Wareham is hard to beat. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Andrew Slough

Blood Red Shoes @ The Champaign Room

I left Wareham early to catch the last three songs of Blood Red Shoes’ set. This Brighton duo pack more of a wallop than most three and four-piece groups, check our interview with drummer Steven back in 2k10 for more on their sound. Apparently I had missed some technical difficulties earlier in their set, but the three cuts I heard were raucous, euphoric, abrasive, fleeting, and all those other words which come to mind when thinking of the group. The Champaign Room at Taix was packed to the brim, with a healthy mosh of about 50 adding to the excitement. Unfortunately for this listener, Blood Red Shoes ended almost as soon as they began. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Monique Hernandez

Tribes @ The Champaign Room

I could not have been more pleased with Tribes’ set. They’ve been here in LA for the past couple months recording the follow up to February’s Baby, which btw is sure to land somewhere in my top ten at the end of the year. While the usual smattering of attendees relocated to another room for John Talbot, much of the crowd were engaged singing along, and genuinely pumped to see the Camden four-piece. While Tribes only played “Dancer” off the new album (great cut, similar in sound with a big chorus), the songs off Baby were spot-on. I was especially pleased to hear closer “Bad Apple”, which was left off when they played The Bootleg in March, and of course “Sappho” and “We Were Children”, two of the better power pop songs written since the mid-90s. By Chris Gedos

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FRIDAY October 5, 2012
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Photo: Monique Hernandez

The Balconies @ Taix Lounge

Every music fan hopes to catch a surprise discovery or two during any festival, and my most pleasant surprise at Culture Collide came with the first band I saw. The Balconies from Ottawa/Toronto are a hard rock trio with amazing energy and good melodies. Singer Jacquie Neville not only has all of the moves of a star front woman, but she is also the band’s guitar player. They were on the lips of many during the rest of the weekend. By Bruce Rave


Photo: Bruce Rave

The Royal Teeth

The Royal Teeth from New Orleans delivered a spot on set packed with some flawless harmonies and radio-ready songs. These guys have a band next door kind of vibe, and their “Wild” single has been gaining some traction on many radars. By Bruce Rave

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SATURDAY October 6, 2012
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Photo: Jake Giles Netter

Morning Parade @ Taix Lounge

UK and Morning Parade have seen a fair amount of radio success this year. It’s definitely worth noting that their strong live set helps backs up some of the buzz. By Bruce Rave


Photo: Brian Litwin

Moss @ Taix Lounge

While heading over from the a set at Echoplex, I bumped into the bass player of the next band I was heading to see. We talked over a cigarette about how Moss have enjoyed playing in the US and were going back to Amsterdam shortly after playing this festival. Not giving me much insight into the show I was about to take in, and by some suprise the dutch quartet blew away their small but captive audience. Their unique indie pop sound explores various influences with spot on harmonies and an overall musicianship, that would almost seem like they have been playing together for 20 years, culminating to an outstanding show. A definite highlight of the festival for me and a band worth taking note. By Brian Litwin


Photo: Jasmine Safaeian, FILTER

Ewert and the Dragons @ Echoplex

Ewert and the Dragons hail from Estonia, playing a blend of sweet melodies set in a sort of Mumford & Sons feel. More than just an A+ band name, these guys showed why they were one of the more buzzed-about bands at Culture Collide. By Bruce Rave


Photo: Brian Litwin

Gold Fields @ Echoplex

This show had everything from loads of energy, an injured lead singer, Aussie accents, radio ready songs and cowbell – lots of cowbell. Astralwerks backed Gold Fields had the Friday night Echoplex crowd moving. Playing songs off their 2011 self titled EP and closing with recent single “Dark Again (Lights Out)”. By Brian Litwin


Photo: Brian Litwin

Icona Pop @ Echoplex

Shortly after Gold Fields, the dancing continued for Swedish DJ duo Icona Pop. From the start, the twosome had control of the crowd. When they dropped blogger crazed “I Love It” featuring Charli XCX it sent the crowd into a frenzy, and during the whole performance it seemed the duo were taken aback by how responsive the crowd was. Look for the band’s sophomore showing The Iconic out on October 16th. By Brian Litwin

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SUNDAY October 7, 2012
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DIIV @ Block Party

DIIV (pronounced “dive”) is the perfect band for the Culture Collide crowd, on the vanguard of third or fourth gen shoegaze (depending on who you ask). This band do just about everything right— they play loud and they sound exactly how you would want them to sound live after listening to their acclaimed debut album, Oshin. The audience listened intently with little to no dancing— after all, shoegaze is a sub-genre meant to be listened to with a stoic objectivity. I’m certain that their follow-up show at the Echo on Tuesday night was near max capax and did not disappoint. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Chris Gedos

Tapioca and the Flea @ The Champaign Room

Tapioca and the Flea (top 20 coolest band name in history) played the Taix Champange room as a last-minute addition. Hopefully enough people saw their adroit and energetic set that they’ll be properly added to the bill for next year. They provided an interesting dynamic and can mix up tempos mid-song extremely well. With an aura never quite descending into Sugar Rat indie thanks to some Wayne Coyne lyrical coyness, the keyboardists’ contribution to the arrangements even reminded me of a 21st century Question Mark and The Mysterians. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Monique Hernandez

School of Seven Bells @ Block Party

School of Seven Bells can be slotted under the classification “Interpol-wave”, and in fact their band came to fruition opening for Banks and company. Their style is a refined and nuanced art-rock which held up rather well in front of the slaphappy West Coast crowd. Singer Alejandra Deheza has an enchanting presence, to say the least. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Bruce Rave

The Wombats @ Echoplex or Block Party

The Wombats are finally nearing the end of a long run supporting their album This Modern Glitch, which contains surprise US radio hit “Jump Into the Fog”. Most of the band’s set rejoiced from This Modern Glitch but their UK smash “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” recieved great reaction, and will always be a standard for them. The Wombats were one of the more fun bands at Culture Collide, which the crowd was happy to share. By Bruce Rave


Photo: Brian Litwin

Class Actress @ Block Party

Class Actress, an electro-pop duo, drew many festival goers away from the limited shady spots located near the hot and sunny main stage on the closing day. Fusing pop-friendly lyrics and heavy synth leads and instrumentals, lead singer Elizabeth Harper swayed side to side of the stage moving the crowd along. Playing mostly from their 2011 release Rapproacher, Class Actress set the stage nicely for the acts coming up. By Brian Litwin


Photo: Brian Litwin

Poolside @ Block Party

Brazilian trio Bonde do Role couldn’t make the show due to some Visa issues so festival producers had to scramble quickly to get a replacement band. They signed on LA’s own Poolside, which proved to be a very nice surprise. Laying down some daytime disco, the crowd started to really get into it. Grooving to songs like “Next to You” and “Kiss You Forever” the crowd didn’t mind that Bonde do Role couldn’t be there. Ironically enough, Poolside starts a fall tour in San Francisco today (October 10th) with Bonde do Role and headliner Com Truise. By Brian Litwin


Photo: Carl Pocket

Nikki and the Dove @ Block Party

Nikki and the Dove set the trippy stage for the Of Montreal out-of-this-world main course that would soon follow. As for numbers, Nikki and the Dove had nearly as many people in attendance as Of Montreal would anc their set was loud enough to reach other galaxies. I loved their stage presence, and while there’s a part of their musicianship eerily reminiscent of Prince, it’s debatable how much of their panache translates to CD. By Chris Gedos


Photo: Chris Gedos

Of Montreal @ Block Party

Of Montreal provided the perfect capstone to a weekend of great musical variety. Within the first few songs a fleet of aliens and a giant ghost (consisting of three performers)had already stormed the stage. Lead / musical virtuoso Kevin Barnes relished his moment as headliner and delivered a set of fitting distinction, one which touched upon the entirety of the band’s catalog, from its more traditionally quirky indie roots of Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Gay Parade, to the indie psych of Hissing Fauna, are you the Destroyer, to the neo-indie-soul of their most recent compositions. By Chris Gedos

reviewed by
10-11-12

Review: Alt-J w/ Wildcat! Wildcat! @ Bootleg Theater, Los Angeles 9/29/12

The Bootleg was bumping on Saturday night for Alt-J (∆) with Wildcat! Wildcat! providing support. Mercury-nominated Alt-J, which hails from Cambridge, England, were back in LA for the third time in five months to celebrate the North American release of their fantastic, mind-expanding (insert superlative here) LP, An Awesome Wave. While openers for the evening, Wildcat! Wildcat! who finished their August residency at the Echo to much acclaim, have been on the b3sci radar for some time now. The two groups combined to produce one of the most satisfying nights of music of the year.
 
Wildcat! Wildcat! (duplicate names have replaced the animal + noun setup) burst onto the scene earlier this year with “Mr. Quiche”, a feel-good indie-electro-cool with a mesmerizing key + falsetto combo. Follow-ups “The Chief” and “End Of The World Everyday” adhere to the same equation for success with impressive results. Although only a band for a year, the members have played together for considerably longer, a discernible reality from the first note forward. They know exactly how they want to sound. Their level of professionalism did not go unnoticed, as they controlled the dynamics of the set throughout, engaging the audience with showmanship that wasn’t showy. A fair number of attendees had seen Wildcat! before, cheering for the intros to songs which haven’t made their way online and are presumably waiting in the vault for the debut full-length, and the devotees’ excitement permeated throughout the rest of the crowd. This is a group which is ready and waiting to be discovered on the national level. The to-be-released album is already one of my most anticipated for 2013.

Wilcat! Wildcat! california (Official)

(Review Continued)

It’s so refreshing to hear new rock music that takes the consciousness of its audience seriously. If there’s one word that pops when I think of Alt-J, it’s “intelligent” (closely followed by “metaphysical”). The band is mathy right down to the name Alt-J (∆), the symbol used to denote change and determine a derivative in calculus. And just like with calculus, they make music which can reveal something new each time.

Alt-J began their set with the first three songs off An Awesome Wave: “Intro”, “(The Ripe & Ruin)”, an a-capella cut with lyrics both Bob Dylan and Dylan Thomas could be proud of, and “Tesselate”, a hazy, stoner jam about a break-up, hook-up or threesome. Once the house’ vocal mix adjusts, they sound perfect as they hit their stride (and ripple the Bootleg’s billowing floor). Next is “Something Good”, with my fav lyric off the album: “Forty-eight thousand seats, bleats / and roars for my memory of you”, truly arena rock in an English country basket. From there they go into “Ms.”, followed by “Fitzpleasure”, recently featured on the USA TV show, Suits. When they played the “(Guitar)” interlude after “Matilda”, members of the audience were hushing those around them to hear Joe Newman’s solo in detail. Each of the members display their own personal signature, from drummer Thom Green’s lack of hi-hats to Gwil Sainsbury’s castanets and Gus Unger-Hamilton’s pervasive keyboard loops. 

I was impressed by Alt-J when I saw them at Bardot in May; I was blown away by Saturday’s performance. They’ve made my Mercury uber-short list of two (along with LLH). And whether or not they win the coveted award, the future for Alt-J is extremely promising, for the band possesses great wisdom. As they advise: “Like all good fruit, the balance of life is in the ripe and ruin.”  Review written by Chris Gedos

Alt-J (Official)

Bootleg Theater california (Official)

RATING: 9.39

reviewed by
10-02-12

Review: Django Django @ The Echo, Los Angeles 9/26/12

You could tell the Django Django crowd Wednesday night at the Echo was one of those massively excited crowds that seems several times larger than its actual tally. After opener Vinyl Williams’ set, it was difficult to move around; by the time the Edinburgh-based quartet took stage, the numbers had even swelled at my preferred Echo listening digs, (back-center, near the soundboard), leading me to explore new spots at least three times during the set. Ironically, it was exactly how I thought I wanted to see Django Django— during their first visit to Los Angeles, amidst a packed house and on the heels of their Mercury Prize nomination.

Opener Vinyl Williams performed well and did their duty in getting the crowd amped for the main event. Their youthful precociousness is impressive, as is frontman Lionel Williams’ musical lineage (he is the grandson of Spielberg’s go-to composer, John Williams). Their music is enjoyable and instantly appreciated, shoegazey post-post and all that good stuff, but Mr. Williams’ voice doesn’t carry enough power to do the music justice. In that sense it needs a little more time in the incubator. Nor was his voice distorted enough to really become part of the music and create a wall-of-sound, which is a shame because the music itself is just about strong enough to stand on its own as part of any discerning music lover’s “epic builds” mix. Lionel Williams is also an exhibiting artist who specializes in collage, and seems to have quite a bit of talent in that field as well. Vinyl Williams are a great band for the radar and it’s clear that Mr. Williams gives a great deal of thought to art and the process of artistic expression.

The break between sets was understandably long. Besides the intimate Bardot School Night on Monday, this was Django Django’s first performance in Los Angeles — an extended sound check is oftentimes in order for a band to sound its best in front of the sea of cultural purveyors (and to rid the organism of unwanted butterflies). Therefore very early sound issues felt inexplicable and seemed to throw The Django’s off inially at the start of what would become a redeeming set.

For the first half of the set, Django’s bass drum and bass guitar took over the house. The band’s rendition of “Hail Bop”, my favorite cut off the LP, was driving with it’s industrial Devo like quality and one of the cleverest lyrics in recent memory. And like the many Django Django live videos I’d seen on Youtube, things started to balance out by the fourth song, which I believe was “Love’s Dart”. “Firewater”, a bluesy, Mavers-esque cut, was one of the strongest of the night and some of the African-inspired rhythms so lauded on the album had more of a house, or dance, vibe live. I’ll cede that they’re a new band, and the album’s sound is deceptively nuanced, very unique for a band still in its formative years. Songs like “Default” stole the set and put the masses in motion. got the masses moving. Django Django closed out strong and received a lengthy applause, which was unsuccessful in eliciting an encore. Review by Chris Gedos

Django Django (Facebook)
The Echo california (Official)

RATING: 8.13

reviewed by
09-30-12

OUTSIDE LANDS 2012: Looking Back + Interview w/ Caveman

​Safely returned to the mid-August L.A. swelter, we took to the airwaves of Virgin Mobile Live on Friday to recap last weekend’s Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival in San Francisco. The beautiful cloudy chill of Golden Gate Park played gracious host to an immaculate lineup of artists from all eras and most genres past, present, and future. Check out our recap below featuring music from some of our favorite Outside Lands artists as well as an interview we did backstage on Saturday with New York band Caveman.

SETLIST

Little Stevie Wonder – Fingertips (Part 2) [extended edit] Tame Impala – Lucidity
MICS UP: Metallica – For Whom The Bell Tolls
Portugal. The Man – So American
Birdy – People Help the People (Cherry Ghost Cover)
Foo Fighters – Big Me
MICS UP: *Bruce Rave w/ Raves Fave
*Bloc Party – Team A
Neil Young & Crazy Horse – My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
Caveman – Thankful
INTERVIEW w/ Caveman backstage at Outside Lands, SF 2012
Big Boi & Theophilus London – She Said OK (Feat. & Tre Luce) [Clean]

Click here for more coverage on Outside Lands 2012.

Outside Lands (Official)

reviewed by
08-19-12