Live Show Reviews Archives - Page 15 of 20

St. Lucia NYC February Residency!

Brooklyn based Neon Gold artist St. Lucia is performing a weekly residency every Tuesday at Pianos in N.Y.C. throughout the month of February with a culminating gig on Thursday, March 1st at Santos… which will also feature a set from The Knocks! If you’re in The Big City, get in the mix for one of these sets from the to-be-2012-noise-maker! Also, get in the mood with this Disco Arcade flip of the St. Lucia track “All Eyes On You”, which is your new singalong for the rest of the day.

St. Lucia – All Eyes On You (Disco Arcade Remix)

St. Lucia (Soundcloud) (Facebook)

reviewed by b3

02-13-12

SHOW REVIEW: Snowmine / Via Audio / Sea of Bees / Beat Radio @ Piano’s, New York 02/09/12

Live Show Reviews Rock

By Erin Routson

When I was sixteen, a boyfriend who was leaving for college made me a mix tape with Dashboard Confessional’s “Age Six Racer” on it. His expression was earnest and correct: “Hey thanks, thanks for that summer” would echo in my head repeatedly when he moved away. That was what we used music for when we had just gotten our driver’s licenses and fumbled around each other’s bodies awkwardly any time we were alone. Instead of saying things out loud, or forming our own articulations, we relied on someone like Chris Carraba to say it for us. But we did it. Tapes gave us that veil to be shy but revealing at the same time.

Last night at Piano’s, that same kind of fervent declaration ran rampant, and if I were still a girl of sixteen, you can bet some of the songs would’ve ended up on my mix compilation replies to those boyfriends.

Beat Radio started things off, drums & guitar only, giving the music a little more urgency and a little less polish. Brian (drums) and Brian (guitar) led with the most declarative of all, “Teenage Anthem,” the homage to the very mixes I have on the brain. Their material conjures up aimless drives around suburbia, speaks directly to punk rock shows at VFW halls, and most of all seems to focus on that which all rock musicians find their way to express: feelings about love. What I found endearing was the continuum between lyrical exposition and physical exertion: the drummer’s dreamy half-smiles during a particularly strident passage or the singer’s verge into higher register making their songs more heartfelt than an old curmudgeon like me would normally allow herself to fall victim to.

This wade into the soft tissue of everyone’s hearts continued when Sea of Bees took the stage, alone, acoustic in hand. Julie Ann Bee, Jules to her friends, let us into her world of first love and giving without expecting anything in return. Common tropes, maybe, but her voice and turns of phrase during these meditations kept them from being trite. As she expounded on what each song was about prior to playing it (as this was mostly new material), it was hard to stay steely. “I mean these words,” she remarked at one point, after getting a little too open-mic night for New York, and it was obvious she was saying it without any pretense. Her songs were vulnerable without being weak, fragile without any sense that they’d break. I was hoping for a cover of “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” but maybe that’s only because I wanted something, anything, to temper the feelings that welled up.

Via Audio gave me the break I needed. Their pop-over-indie sensibilities reigned as they also worked through new material. Opening with “Tigers,” they set the tone that we weren’t just mining diaries anymore. What they seemed to do, more than anyone last night, was have fun. Their feelings are mixed in their music, but the band is in touch with a little more primal energy than their bill-mates. By the time they reached “Babies,” they actively acknowledged that sometimes, honestly, emotions are only the half of it – capitalizing on pure human attraction is another matter altogether.

Finishing out the night were Snowmine, in the middle of a residency at the venue visiting from the faraway land of Brooklyn. If Spacehog had come out of music culture now, expanded on “In the Meantime” and taken it to a psychedelic, more percussive place, they might have had a chance at being this band. Mossy clumps growing from their keyboards and projections of a density of trees in full force, it was clear we were being taken to the forest. Their spacey, atmospheric sound also allowed me to break from the feelings-fest of the beginning half of the night, but I also didn’t know exactly how I was supposed to feel about what they were saying. In a way, I feel like I lived a whole adolescent life of formative emotions within the walls of Piano’s, just one less fraught.

If I made a mixtape for someone now, it would probably contain music less overt than Beat Radio, somewhere closer to the slightly more ambiguous nature of Snowmine. When talking about it with a friend, we were both sort of ashamed to acknowledge that the directness we’d carried through our teenage years, the years of unabashed declaration of love and adoration, had been buried under irony and detachment, under fear. I know I’d never lead off a mixtape with something so bold now. I have too much guard up; I’d rather you work your way through my twists and turns and figure me out because I feel like I could never be sure enough, now, to start with something so open.

All of the bands last night were sure about how they felt and said it, even if, as their listener, I’m still not.

Snowmine (Facebook)
Via Audio (Facebook)
Sea of Bees (Facebook)
Beat Radio (Facebook)

reviewed by b3

02-10-12

Teen Daze – Brooklyn Sunburn

Electronic Hip Hop In the Mix

By Jon Herriot

Whenever I listen to Teen Daze I always find myself grooving out a little bit. “Brooklyn Sunburn” starts out nice and slow, and builds into something funky. There is one continuous underlying beat but TD keeps us captured throughout the entire track with subtle changes and twists around every corner, including some haunting backing vocals from LA artist Steph Thompson. The new Teen Daze LP All of Us comes out on May 22nd, make sure you check it out!

Teen Daze – Brooklyn Sunburn

Teen Daze (Facebook)

Rating 8.1

reviewed by b3

01-30-12

SHOW REVIEW: We Have Band @ 114, Paris 01/22/12

Live Show Reviews Rock

By Tamara Tabet

It’s always such a pleasure to see a We Have Band show!

The band was playing at “the 114”, a new and hype parisian venue for the launching party of an equally new and hype magazine named Plugged. We thus got to have a preview listening of several tracks from their upcoming album Ternion, and they just sound great! The band still has much energy to spare. Despite singer Dede’s usual (but harmless) simpers, and Thomas’s (her husband and bass player) flimsy voice, the set is brilliant. In my opinion, the trio’s strongest member is undoubtedly Darren: being so close to him while he plays is really impressive because he literally feels in fusion with his sampler – a mad-doctor of indie-rock ! But what’s truly admirable about this band is that even though their songs are fairly dark (even more so on Ternion), they still make you dance the hell out of you! Special honors for “Watertight”, available for streaming below.

We Have Band – Watertight

We Have Band (Facebook)

reviewed by b3

01-25-12

SHOW REVIEW! M83 w/ Big Black Delta @ Club Nokia, LA. January 13th, 2012

Electronic In the Mix Live Show Reviews

By Bruce Rave

Big Black Delta opened an encore, night two, performance for M83 at Club Nokia in Downtown LA this past Friday. For those unfamiliar with the B3SCI top 50 in 2011 track-makers, BBD is the current project of Mellowdrone’s Jonathan Bates. It was great seeing him back, as I’ve long hoped for a new Mellowdrone project. If Mellowdrone had a certain Beck vibe, then Big Black Delta often reminds me of the darker synth music coming out of England in the late 80’s. Still their music maintains a winning freshness. The band arrived on stage pre-approved by M83 (Big Black Delta appeared on M83’s “Midnight City” remix EP) with Bates singing and working layers of synths and backing tracks accompanied by two female drummers. Bates moved in a herky-jerky way that made total sense and came off as likable in the lower-key environment. Those close to the stage got to see and hear a solid show from the up and coming LA based project. Jason Bates is a strong front man, especially with good songs like “Huggin & Kissin” under his belt.

Big Black Delta – Huggin & Kissin (Facebook) (Official)

M83’s live show is ready for prime time. Oh wait, they ARE prime time thanks to the massive success of “Midnight City”. Especially having completed two sold-out nights at Club Nokia, only two months after they played at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood. To be fair, it’s more than just the hit song that has brought them to this level. M83 has had a stellar live show all along. I will admit to not being a fan of Club Nokia, as the sound frankly sucks for most artists. The décor of the place seems to be geared more to the downtown velvet rope crowd. Either way, M83 cut through and delivered a show that reached everyone. From “Intro” into “Teen Angst” and then “Kim & Jesse”, it was immediately apparent that M83’s progressive synth-pop has taken on a rock-sized presence that will allow their show to work anywhere.

Leader Anthony Gonzalez freely admits to being uneasy in the role of front man, but M83’s style doesn’t require an outsized character. He actually fits the role quite well even if he has appeared less at ease in the past. I’d contest that the slower songs didn’t work as well as everything else, but really that’s just a minor concern. “Midnight City” was as expected the highlight of the evening. The hit seemed to come all too soon even though it was song number twelve in the set. This band may be known for being fairly low-key, but there were times when standing or sitting still was virtually out of the question. Most were even raving upstairs in the often jaded balcony, not only for the hit, but for the hot second encore “Couleurs”. The Frenchman Gonzalez has lived in LA for the past two years, so this week was very much a home town win for him. He and the band seemed genuinely blown away by the size of the crowd as well as the response. They will hit Coachella in April, and I fully expect their show to be a festival highlight.

M83 – Midnight City (Official) (Facebook)

Big Black Delta at Club Nokia

M83 at Club Nokia

Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by b3

01-16-12

Fidlar perfoming live on Moheak Radio with Bruce Rave

In the Mix Interviews Live Show Reviews

Fidlar is showing up on various lists of bands to watch for 2012, including the NME. LA Weekly has them as #1 on their Top Local Bands To Be Huge in 2012. They’ve been smoking it at various live shows, including a sleepless run at CMJ 2011 in New York. They recently came to hang on my Moheak “Go Deep” show tracked at Wavaflow in Los Feliz. More on the live set and interview here or check it out below. – Bruce

FIDLAR (Facebook) (Bandcamp)

Check out Bruce’s “Go Deep” show on Fridays 1-3 pm Pacific, 4-6 pm Eastern, 9-11pm GMT. Also listen to past shows at Bruce’s blog and follow Bruce on Twitter.

reviewed by b3

01-15-12

SHOW REVIEW: Allison Weiss / Mitten / Lightyear @ Glasslands, Brooklyn 01/06/12

Electronic Live Show Reviews Pop

By Erin Routson

Some music is undeniably written by women. Contend that if you will. Seeing Lightyear (aka Lauren Zettler) open for Mitten and Allison Weiss at Brooklyn’s Glasslands merely hit the idea home. Sometimes there are places that only women can go.

Taking the stage with her band, she launched into a set that ranged from the gentleness of lullabies and near-whisper sung lyrics to the punk vibes of yelping “Oh my god!” and being unable to contain her energy. Her songs are culled from the subject matter that any woman as a diarist would recognize. Love, loss and finding one’s own way all work their way into her lyrics.

It sounds like a complaint, but it isn’t. If all of these ideas are swirling around in our brains, why shouldn’t women sing them? Why shouldn’t all of that creative force be channeled into music? Isn’t the point so that I relate?

While Lightyear’s debut EP All of the Miles is sometimes soaring, sometimes intimate, but always polished, her live show presents a more raw take on the same kind of expansive and constricting sound. This might’ve been partial credit to her under-the-weather slightly croaky voice, but the songs took shape live. “Lose Yourself” and the opener “When You’re Alone” capitalized on the full band rougher sound. They were more human and more powerful. Even the songs that were just her alone onstage with a guitar were bigger than what that idea connotes.

As she closed with “It Beats” Zettler seemed to almost want to climb out of her own body, seeking the “sea change” she sings about. Maybe only a woman could write those lyrics, but it’s also true that maybe only a woman could deliver them and do them justice.

The rest of the show carried through this theme of our innermost thoughts being broadcast backed with guitars, keyboards, or both. Mitten, weaving their way through dance tracks and dreamy vocals, got the crowd moving. By the time Allison Weiss took the stage (with Mitten as her supporting band), she could’ve read her diary out loud and it would’ve been enough. Her earnest and borderline comical delivery made her set charming as she took us back to summer camp, to awkward nights out beyond curfew, to feeling so many feelings.

It was a night to embrace all of those feelings and remember: it isn’t a shame to turn them into a song at all. It’s a gift.

Lightyear (Facebook)
Mitten (Facebook)
Allison Weiss (Facebook)

reviewed by b3

01-13-12

SHOW REVIEW: Voxhaul Broadcast @ The Satellite, Los Angeles 01/11/12

Live Show Reviews Rock

By Chris Gedos; Photos: Jillian Prado

Voxhaul Broadcast gave their LA legion plenty to shout about on Wednesday night, January 11th, as night #7 of Satellite Nights was a rousing success. It’s quite a thank you from a venue to its patrons to host nine straight nights of free music! And I stayed away from the bar, so it really was a free night, even though all had fun whether they were imbibing or not!

Any doubts I harbored of Voxhaul sinking into the quicksand of anonymity vanished about four measures into their set. They’re a good band prima facie, as they say in the legal profession (upon first glance, literally ‘first face’). Three generations of music snobs could be in a restaurant, hear this band play over Sirius XM and all have the same immediate impression: “This is good shit!” During a brief, approaching half-hour set, the band knocked out “Cheetah” and “Leaving on the 5th”, both from the Timing is Everything LP, along with “Broken Nerve”, from their Between Love and War digital EP. Voxhaul Broadcast’s contrasting styles of bluesy, roots rock and Springsteen-esque indie were in harmony throughout. My only gripe is that it was difficult to move around on Wednesday night, so you’d better get there early when Voxhaul hosts the Satellite residency every Monday in March.

Voxhaul Broadcast – Broken Nerve

Voxhaul Broadcast (Facebook)

Rating 8.29

reviewed by b3

01-13-12

SHOW REVIEW! Fidlar at The Smell, L.A. January 10th, 2012

Live Show Reviews Rock

By Chris Gedos

Testosterone was at max capax Tuesday night for Fidlar at The Smell, on Main St. between 2nd and 3rd in Downtown Los Angeles. Downtown LA, for those of you unfamiliar, is a sort of platform 9 ¾ where one can escape from the rigmarole Hollywood wheel of fortune. One can go to the Smell, soak up the grittiness and easily imagine themselves in Milwaukee, Cleveland, or Rochester, N.Y., discounting the January evening in the high-50’s.The graffiti-laden walls and sawdust floors provide ideal environs for Fidlar, who are first and foremost a punk band.

I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys each drank a couple cans of Monster before their set! To say they played with a fiery intensity would be an understatement. They play louder and more abrasive than on their EP, DIYDUI (great name). But they’re a punk band who can make serious inroads with the indie rock tastemakers. We can all get down with young punks who tip their caps to Iggy and The Stooges. And if you’re a real punk and stuck in suburbia, Fidlar might be a band to change your modus operandi. I can see these guys playing Coachella just as easily as Warped Tour, which is no easy accomplishment.

I nearly saw a fight break out in the mosh. The lead singer’s mic was stolen for thirty seconds. And Fidlar even covered Blink 182’s “Dammit”, a great song whatever your predilections. Vice was on hand to video all the debauchery. Just another night at The Smell for Fidlar.

FIDLAR – Max Can’t Surf

FIDLAR (Facebook) (Bandcamp)

Rating: 8.444

reviewed by b3

01-12-12

LIVE SHOW REVIEW: The National / Sharon Van Etten @ Beacon Theatre, New York 12/13/11

Live Show Reviews

Contributed by Erin Routson

Out of the week-long residency the National spent at the Beacon, this was the show I most wanted to be present for, in order to see Sharon Van Etten. (And, crossing my fingers that they’d bring her out to do “Think You Can Wait.”) Earlier in the day I tweeted about the over/under on me crying during the show, knowing that I was going to see two acts I really love by myself, a perfect set-up for tears.

I got to the Beacon early, even though it was assigned seating. The crowd was totally not what I expected, so many couples and so many pairs of bros. I don’t know what it is about the National; I have a very specific view of who I think listens to them, people who shop for well-tailored clothes, people whose interests tip toward the literary, people who find themselves unsatisfied with their white-collar jobs and drown it all in small-batch bourbon. I guess I’m wrong about that, or I guess that is a very small sect of an audience that, like I said, is full of bros.

There’s nothing wrong with bros, I guess, as long as they’re not committing sexual assault or objectifying me at a bar. Maybe I am a bro – two of the things I love the most are the NBA and this band. More or less, I was just surprised how many would come out of the woodwork to see a band that has less in common with OAR and more in common with T.S. Eliot, at least in my mind.

Sharon Van Etten took the stage to a not-full crowd (bros aren’t down with Sharon, yet) and opened with “Love More”; whoever bet that I would cry was right within a few minutes. At this point the people in the seats next to me hadn’t arrived, so I was free to let it all out to a woman’s voice that I find truly haunting and amazing. I’m a sucker for voices. Time and Temperature, Elephant Micah: their voices are two of my favorites and SVE is right up there with them. Moving through “One Day”, “Save Yourself” to “Don’t Do It”, what I’d consider one of the saddest songs ever written, the backing band laid the perfect groundwork for her powerful yet plaintive voice.

From there she shredded through “Peace Signs” and then into new material, Aaron Dessner joining her for an apprehensive and incisive version of “Serpents”, which definitely has a sound that borders on what the National do with their own work on High Violet. While its clear that performing still makes SVE a little nervous between songs as she awkwardly banters, she has no trouble fully immersing herself in performing her work. She knows how to feel what she is doing and it is one of the things that make her songs so easy to fall into. Those who got to the show too late to see this honestly missed something that I imagine will grow and only get better.

By the time the National’s pre-show music was going full-tilt, all of the bros and their girlfriends had arrived. I knew that any crying I would do publicly was over; I also knew that there are really only a handful of their songs that would get it out of me and most are never done live. The pictured screen went up during “Wild Boys” and for some reason I was convinced that it was the music they would take the stage to which I found really endearing. It wasn’t. Something else started up after it. Eventually the Ohio-bred gentlemen took the stage and opened up with “Start A War.”

The set was heavy on High Violet material, but “Boxer,” “Alligator,” “Cherry Tree” and new songs were all represented. For quite a few of the songs, Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) took the stage to sing vocals and play some guitar. Friends who had attended Monday’s show with the War on Drugs said that wasn’t the case for them: Tuesday night bonus! While I’d love to outline each individual song, that would take forever; it was a long set, but one I could’ve stayed hours for.

“Bloodbuzz Ohio” is not my favorite off of High Violet, but it seems to be like “Float On” for Modest Mouse: it gets everyone going when it’s done live. The momentum of the song lends itself to live performance, and the bros do love a singalong. A difference between this and the last time I saw them was the projection screen and intense lighting that accompanied each song. They’ve also gone the route of video of the band from the stage, something that reminded me of what Radiohead began doing at their shows a few years ago.

Matt Berninger’s voice is why I got into the National in the first place. Years ago a friend and I were discussing music and I mentioned that I like “weird” voices, and he insisted I listen to Boxer. I’ve been hooked ever since. (Though Tom Waits has never melted my icy heart.) One thing I will never get used to, though, no matter how many times I see this band, is Berninger’s proclivity to bark some of his lyrics. It started in “Squalor Victoria” and of course carried through to “Mr. November.” Hearing it, to me, hurts, like a pack of Dobermans piercing your eardrums when provoked.

As I dreamed, Sharon Van Etten came out to do “Think You Can Wait”, but it wasn’t as powerful as I thought it would be for me live. Maybe it’s one that just belongs on my headphones late at night. “Anyone’s Ghost” ended up being the most memorable to me all night, which is one that had fallen off the radar for me; “Afraid of Everyone” and “Lemonworld” were in much heavier rotation when I was listening to High Violet non-stop. A pleasant, sad, neurotic surprise, nonetheless.

The encore consisted of the SVE performance, “Fake Empire” (live horns will never cease to bring a smile to my face), “Terrible Love” with Annie Clark, and an acoustic singalong version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” for which everyone, SVE and Annie Clark included, took the stage. Hearing the whole crowd join in to sing was a weird, wonderful summer camp moment, even in the fake-cold of December that was outside the walls. The melancholy of a song I’d never hesitate to call a soul-destroyer was broken up by some random dude entering early with his cry of “CHANDELIERS!”, sending everyone in the crowd into a short burst of giggling.

Bro vibes aside, the National’s lyrics end up sounding like an uneasy, dark reinterpretation of “Once In a Lifetime” paired with anxiety-threaded, pounding-like-a-nervous-heart instrumentation. I feel too close to what they are revealing, sometimes. I feel like they’re blowing my cover by broadcasting thoughts I have about achievement, love, and being from where I am. Maybe that bro was right to break up the tension and sadness of the encore with his outburst. Maybe it’s true – you have to laugh so you don’t cry.

reviewed by b3

12-18-11

SHOW REVIEW! The Sea and Cake w/ Lia Ices @ The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, December 6th, 2011

Live Show Reviews Rock Soul

Contributed by Chris Gedos

Considering there’s more bands than people these days, I’m afraid to say that I’d never listened to The Sea and Cake if only because I wasn’t quite sure what to make of their name. Band names with lowercase articles are highly uncommon in today’s indiedom. I still think The Sea and Cake sounds more like a collection of short stories by the most recent fiction MFA from Hunter College, but presented with the opportunity to see the Chicago collective at Doug Weston’s Troubadour on Tuesday, December 6th 2011, I partook in a 24 hour cram session and familiarized myself with their nine albums: The Sea and Cake, Nassau, The Biz, The Fawn, Oui, One Bedroom, Everybody, Car Alarm and 2011’s The Moonlight Butterfly. They are that rare one trick pony. It’s indie meets jazz, a true marriage at the left end of the dial, a highly professional Chicago sound emanating from the most (i.e. only) outwardly-looking city in the Midwest. First cousin: Tortoise. Second cousin by marriage: Wilco. Third cousin/ black sheep: Smashing Pumpkins.

The Troubadour pays homage to its singer-songwriter alumni in the bar to the left of the entrance, a classic roadhouse with a video feed to the main event in the next room. The venerable institution sports autographed pics of Harry Chapin and Joni Mitchell next to a gold Cure record and a plain OK Computer vinyl sleeve. Few venues in America have adapted to the whirlwind times so commandingly.

Opener Lia Ices played in a minimalist minor key on her red, Nord Electric 3 keyboard, with her brother providing accompaniment on a plugged in acoustic guitar which toes an interesting middle ground. Innumerable comparisons will be drawn between Lia Ices and Feist, but whereas Feist always retains her emotional vulnerability, Lia Ices also has the vocal capacity to go big like Sinead. The fact that she doesn’t speaks to an untapped potential in her music, although the minimalist ethos does provide for some lush ambiance. Her last song, a haunting ballad off her first album, was performed solo and bookended the set nicely. The unavoidable fact is that Lia Ices is very beautiful to the point where it would be purposefully oblivious to ignore it— hopefully the populace will look toward the beauty in her music that’s more than skin deep.

The crowd was older; mean, median and mode each hover around 31. The Sea and Cake are genre-benders, but they’re also a slow burn since they don’t hit you over the head with their experimentation. Therefore, their listeners are older and more mature, having come upon the band at some point during the past 15 years. In spite of their niche status, their music is accessible and conveniently packaged, generally without longer jams and solos; few of their songs stretch beyond six minutes.

The Sea and Cake took the stage and started right off with one of their more recent songs more indie than jazz. The fact that they’re a little older in Rock years, late 40s instead of early 30s, makes their more ‘mainstream’ appeal seem like a strong creative choice as opposed to a dive to the middle. What could easily be four dads from Evanston who play for the agricorp softball team, in fact is one of the more decorated bands in recent memory. What’s even more interesting is they predated the sub-genre craze we’re dealing with right now. Their versatile set spanned a careers worth of material and rang a noteworthy loudness that commanded the audiences attention. Think a little bit of Jonathan Richman next to a little bit of Charlie Haden? The Sea and Cake invites those disparate comparisons, which is precisely what makes their live show so compelling.

Set Highlight: “Afternoon Speaker” off 2000’s Oui.

The Sea and Cake (Official)

Rating 8.5

reviewed by b3

12-13-11

EVENT REVIEW! Re:Mix Labs in Los Angeles

Live Show Reviews

Last week Re:Mix Labs took on Los Angeles at 401 S Main in Downtown. The City of Angels was the final stop for Re:Mix, which started at CMJ in NYC and made pit stops in Miami, Chicago and Las Vegas, of the Hyundai Veloster-sponsored multimedia event. Check out a recap of the week’s happenings below as well as earlier coverage during the event here.

Exhibiting at the LA Artwalk on Thursday was Robert Reynolds, whose gallery is located at 4th and Spring, one block away from the Re:mix festivities. His ship sculptures have a Nordic, medieval fantasy element to them, but are still unmistakably contemporary at the same time. There’s also much to love in his tactile and inviting mixed media piece that depicts a bonfire in the woods.

Friday’s Re:mix events kicked off with a Q&A session featuring English filmmaker Edgar Wright. He’s curator/guest programmer for the third year at The New Beverly Cinema at 7165 Beverly Blvd. LA; this year’s theme: movies Edgar has never seen! The humility of such an idea is commendable in a world where everyone’s too quick to boast their intellectual prowess. The screenwriter/director of Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs the World further retained his humility as he was showered with praise by several admirers. The most interesting part was a discussion re: the innate comedic value in a wide angle lens, popularized by the Coen brothers in early classics like Raising Arizona, and how film directors moved away from the style after it was copycatted by the funny commercials of the 90’s.

The second Q&A was with Jane McGonigal, TED fellow and author of Reality is Broken: Why Games Make us Better and How they Can Change the World. She was interviewed by Shira Lazar, HuffPo contributor and founder of What’s Trending. Both proud supporters of the new ‘geek chic’, McGonical argued that the old stigmas attached to video games have dissipated, as the public has grown to accept that games make us resilient and bring us into contact with a host of positive emotions: joy, relief, love, surprise, pride, curiousity, excitement, awe/wonder, contentment and most importantly, creativity.

A set by chiptune indie band Anamanguchi, who also composed the Scott Pilgrim videogame soundtrack, was the perfect compliment to McGonigal’s discussion.

On Saturday, VIBE sponsored a 101 crash course for all the wish-to-be DJs in the house. The event was followed by creative innovators and close friends, Director Jason Reitman and turntablist Cut Chemist who discussed using music as a connecting point in their personal discussions, in an interview curated by KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic host Jason Bentley. The conversation was nice. Reitman was dropping “cool dude” bombs left and right (“Why won’t people stop asking me to direct Ghostbusters 3?”, “I do script readings at LACMA with Natalie Portman and Steve Carell.”) and the Chemist sharing insight on what it is to be a turntablist in the year 2011. Following the interview, the duo joined forces on the 1’s and 2’s, (Reitman: a capellas, Chemist: beats) mashing up everything from Playaz Circle and Dr. Dre to Soundgarden and Donna Summer.

UK’s The Boxer Rebellion took stage after an epic soundcheck (seriously, you should’ve seen it!). Having seen the four-piece several times in the last few years, their performance on Saturday easily ranks atop their best. The band opened strong with “Step Out of the Car” and didn’t look back. Despite some onstage technical difficulties, the band rolled forward with fan favorites like “If You Run“. TBR proclaimed it was the “first time we’ve played in a bank” in fact the downtown space centered in LAs old bank district was actually the first time I’d partied in a bank. So there was that and there was also the fact that the band’s guitarist looks like that dude from this season’s X Factor. He had that certain Krajcik-esqueness to him. The band’s set while brief, had the right rockus and stood a highlight to the week’s mix of events.

Re:Mix Labs (Event Info) (HyundaiVeloster)

reviewed by b3

12-12-11