They're Still Head Banging Over Here: 400 Blows, Tweak Bird, Ancestors @ Charlie O's March 21, 2008

One band I rave about but find hard to get people to listen to is 400 Blows. Either the person doesn't know the band, and when I explain what they sound like they do not want to go see them, OR they've heard of them and are scared to go and see them. I think I need to work on my explanation of the band a little more. I guess Loud doesn't cut it. I could throw in they have a good beat? ... You can dance to it? I dunno, anyways, this post, eventually, will be about Ancestors, Tweak Bird, and 400 Blows downtown over at Charlie O's.

LA Record loves to host shows at Charlie O's. The name, for me, is funny because it is the name of this crappy seafood restaurant/bar back in my home state of RI. And then to go to this wonderfully decrepit bar/club here, well, calling it Charlie O's instantly makes me twinge slightly. The memory still persists apparently.

K, so the first band up was Ancestors, a local band, which got an ok review from a friend of mine prior to the show. They play loud, slow, metal, droning rock.. and the singer/guitarist still HEAD BANGS. This amuses me for some reason. They were ok enough to listen to; live maybe better than recorded. I found them a slow choice to play with the other two bands tonight. But, whatever, it had been a LONG while since I've seen a band like this and I didn't' DISlike it, so...

2nd to play was Tweak Bird. Tweak Bird is a fun band that at first reminded me sorta of DFA1979, but somewhat harsher. And then a friend chimed in with "sounds like early era Rush except more metal...". Both, I find, work as descriptions. Their live show is pretty energetic, very sweaty and the losing clothing kind. Getting closer to the stage, one realizes however that the audio set up at the place sounds 'off' the closer to the stage you are. That can be fixed if you move off to the side though, or outside. It sounded pretty clear outside too. The one comment I'd like to reiterate about this band is this: SIGN THEM. Really, they would probably sell a bunch of records. They are good.

3rd and last was 400 Blows. Again, the audio comment. WTF was up with the vocal mix for them? Terrible. Getting someone to go see them for the first time and having to apologize for the way it was coming out into speakers was sad. Their performance was great except for that part, so distracting. Blarg.

Anyways, there's a 'secret' Jay Reatard show tonight. OH, and sorry for no live photos, I even had the camera out a one point but forgot.

Then, What IS Your Name?- The Ting Tings @ the Jensen Rec Center March 11, 2208

This is going to be a short post, for a couple reasons. Firstly, I'm going to a show tonight, therefore I'd like to have all my 'pending' reviews cleared out of the inbox. Second, this was a short show.

So, the Jensen Rec Center looks like a ratty shit hole on the outside, but inside is this uber slick artistic 'space' that they say you can turn into anything you'd like (to pay for). Maybe my superhero costume themed birthday party can take place here... I'll have to inquire about their fees. Anyways, since venues never like to post actual times up for bands, we showed up somewhat early, and in finding that the band was not scheduled to be on for another hour- and having no clue who the other bands were playing with, oh, sorry, tonight we came down to see the Ting Tings- perhaps I should have mentioned that at the start of this post. Although there will be a title when I finish writing this so I guess you would have read it.. there.. ok, moving forward, we ended up taking a detour drink break over at the Little Joy and happened upon a dead pony:

There seemed to be a miscommunication as to whether or not the Rec Center had a bar. Apparently it is event specific. They had one tonight, however, thank GOD I had some cheap PBR over at the LJ, cause drinks at the Rec were pricey. $10 is WAY too much, especially when it is a rec center.

So, tonight's show I guess was hyped up by a local popular radio station and, knowing that, was porportionately crowded. Oh! But they have air conditioning vents blasting up from the floor, which is clever- sorta. So we found one and parked ourselves stage right. We lucked out with some kinda less crowded bubble there unexpectedly. The side stage view was totally fine, she kept turning towards us during the set and the drummer was positioned so that he was pretty much looking to the side of the stage anyways. We were pleased, except for the camera flashes from the front, which made me do what I usually do not do, and that would be to shoot with the flash on.

The whole set I think lasted maybe 30 minutes. This would have been acceptable except for a few reasons. Mainly though that the price that was posted EVERYWHERE before the show turned out to be $2 MORE, even if you were showing up ONLY for that band 5 minutes before they started and had every intention of leaving as soon as they were done. I hate that, very much. Also, their outlandish drink prices. It was just irritating. But I will admit that the music was fun. The sheer hilarity of some of the lyrics shouted out above delayed music loops and possibly laquered chuck taylors was amusing. And it's always fun to bounce around a bit, I will never knock that. The fact though that when some music stations hype stuff ultimately leads to the price of the freaking air going up in price just for the event just seems abusive. However, it is a business and that's the way they choose to do theirs, and many people do not have a problem with it. I guess it's cheaper than the Staples Center. Eeesh.

Dork Out!- Nerf herder, Killola, Echo Hawk @ Safari Sam's March 7, 2008

Catch up time. I have another review sitting from last night, however, since this is steadily growing into a several day old show, by default- Nerf Herder.

Yeah, really, Nerf Herder. Like, from my high school days about a decade ago. That is one thing you can count on in this music blog, variety, and bands you've either never heard of or you thought had broken up years ago.

Right now, when describing a band as pop-punk, I usually get a sour taste in my mouth. It immediately makes me think Blink 182. That is the connection in my head pop-punk=blink 182. However, Nerf Herder comes from a time when pop-punk usually meant 'fun', like the Mr. T Experience or one of those bands. But for the sake of consistency and not seeming like I'm mixing terms, I'll refer to their style by their self described 'nerd rock', which is appropriate if i say their name and suddenly the image of Princess Leia calling Han Solo that jumps into your head- I know you're out there reading this....

Anyways so walking in to Safari Sam's we caught a set by Echo Hawk first. They were sorta a mixup with garage band mentality- and I do mean garage band, as in playing to some friends in a garage the night prior, and sorta drony stoner rock. Although they seemed pretty new to the stage (tuning between songs is ok if you can do it in 2 seconds not if it takes almost a minute), they did have an excellent drummer, a good beat, and catchy songs. So, there, just maybe some more time and they'll be a whole package. I liked them well enough and I stayed for the whole set. Unlike the next band...

Killola. There was some mixup of times for tonight because at 10:30 Nerf Herder was supposed to be playing and then some band comes on with a chick singer and me and my friend turn our heads and question if we are in fact really seeing Nerf Herder tonight or there is some sorta horrible mix up and we're forced to watch this band. Now, keeping this all in mind I was NOT giving this band a chance. At all. Cause I thought maybe enough time had passed that some sort of severe line up change had taken place and I was bound to hear 'Van Halen' played by a screaming woman's voice with bright yellow eyeshadow. But then they said they were thrilled to be playing with the band tonight and suddenly I felt really stupid to think that I could have thought I'd forgotten Nerf Herder so much that I was actually thinking that this was the shell of a band I once enjoyed, a long time ago. So stupid that I felt the need to share this embarrassing story with you all. So once we new we had at least 20 minutes to kill we left and got some air only to be accosted by some drunk dudes who went by names similar to Johnny B and the Lieutenant. Killola had a decent sized following this night, what with scores of kids singing along, but I just wasn't into it.

So if you don't feel like standing amongst a pitiful excuse for a mosh pit, there are some great balcony seats at Safari Sam's. I prefer the ones to the left of the stage... Looking at some notes I took while Nerf Herder played, the first idea I apparently had was that it's funny to see a band where the lead singer can be confused with the guy that changes the toner on your xerox machine at work. But that's the great thing about some of these dudes still playing in the band that you liked 10 years ago, they just seem normal and happy to be playing. That normality they portray in their awkward stage antics, or goofy lyrics is making some kid out there feel a little bit more secure with their current high school social status. Everyone is a nerd in Nerf Herder land, and that's fine. Tonight was great for the variety of people on the floor- fists punching, one finger pointing into space, and even, Primus Jackets. Oh, and the set was fun too. They insisted on their right to play new songs (they do have a new album), but did some old ones too (Diana, You're Gonna Be The One Who's Sorry, Pervert). It made me reminisce a little and made me realize how many other kinds of music I listen to now.

The only incredibly disturbing element to this night was the young girl who kept molesting this old man in front of the stage. To set the scene a little, earlier that night she was grooving by herself, dressed relatively nicely- nothing to indicate that later should would break into some kind of psychotic episode where she has to grind up against, and pull the small, white tufts of hair from a man upwards of 60. She, with her lack of general good taste in public, kept stealing the show. I had to make a mental note to close my gaping jaw at one point. Wow... you gotta love the people watching at these shows sometimes.

Rock with a Twist Show (I don't even have to come up with a clever name) with the Monolators @ the Scene, February 21, 2008

Nothing will bring me out faster to a club than the call of free food. It is a sad but true fact. For example, this show at the Scene. I had kept off the myspace for a couple days and for some reason or another found myself back on there and noticed a bulletin: Pretzel time! Clicking on it I was to find out that

1. the Monolators were playing- who are quickly tying with Bodies of Water for local band I've seen A LOT.
2. Mary from the Monolators was making pretzels, soft pretzels, not the hard crappy kind.
3. FREE SHOW

There was no reason to turn down this show, and also, the other bands in the line up all seemed worth checking out.

Turn out in the beginning was, at best, roomy. How could so many people not want pretzels? Did they honestly think there would be some left after the first hour? Anyways, the first band up was Friends Of Dennis Wilson, from Detroit. The easiest way to describe them would be to call them psych-rock, which they were. But they didn't tip too much towards the hard side of that genre. If you like the Warlocks, or maybe Dead Meadow or Ride, you'd enjoy this band. The amusing part for me was the lead singer's funny little dance he did the whole time on the stage, with his down parka (or at least that's what it looked like). Coming from Detroit, you'd think the weather would be like summer for them out here. Ah well...

Now, I caught the beginning of the next set by Summer Darling, who are just that, darling. However, I got caught up in a lengthy discussion about pretzels and missed out on the rest, and the next set. Oops, sorry guys, I owe you a proper review soon, promise!!

Finishing off the night was a riotous set by the Monolators, who not only kick major rocking ass, but make some mean pretzels too. They even took requests tonight (well, one...)! It was just a three piece lineup this evening with the second guitarist absent. They played some fan favorites, and a few whose names escape me. I don't think I'll ever get tired of Strawberry Roan...

Oh, and apparently this pretzel making show is going to be a bi-monthly event. Holy cow, right?

Austin Fever: YellowFever, Her Girl Friday, Dylan Doren @ the Smell January 25, 2008

I will not lie to you all. I only went over to the Smell because I found out YellowFever was going to be playing. Initially I didn't know who else was playing and really wasn't concerned because I had the yellow fever.... Sorry, that was ridiculous, it's early right now. But getting there at 9:30 and sitting through the first two sets two things became apparent: I can listen to noise rock with ear plugs and actually enjoy it because my ears do not feel like they've been permanently damaged, and the first two bands were un-expectantly fun to listen to.

There's this trend at the Smell to just slide from band to band, and many times band names are not said. Or, a band name is missed because suddenly they are already playing and you're still standing outside the club. So, that's my introductory excuse as to why I'm not 100% on the first two band names (if you know what they were, please feel free to jot down in the comments below). The Smell attracts a LOT of young people/bands who are really into the noise scene. Really into it. Expect one of the bands in a line up there every night to fit this genre. The first person/band up, and don't get mad if I mix the names here, I believe was Dylan Doren. Now, that could be the guy's name, or the band. I say name but what do I know? His set began with about 10-15 minutes of him sitting on the ground with some keyboards, a pedal, and microphones. My first thought brought be back to seeing Mincemeat or Tenspeed at Pehrspace back in December (sorry, no review, but you can listen to the show here!). Now, I enjoy noise, when done well, and when they added some live drumming to the mix, the whole musical experience suddenly made my attention snap right to them. The drum beats were live, but had the quality of feeling like they were sampled. The songs were pecked with these tiny screams that could barely make themselves heard over the instruments, forcing you to pay attention to the two people before you. They really turned it into an unexpected surprise performance.

Second up was Her Girl Friday, a 3 piece all girl band that included their own bubble blowing robotic looking chick standing in front dressed like she belonged at an anime convention. I'm not sure what 'look' they wanted to achieve by having this; 'cute' I guess comes to mind. The three blended guitars, keys and drums into a dark, droning pop sound. At times they reminded me a bit of Electrelane and other songs were a bit tipping towards bands like the Warlocks. Heavy, melodic, occasionally screaming tunes. They were also surprisingly enjoyable.

And then right into YellowFever. I can't remember which blog I first heard about this Austin band from. I want to say Gorrila vs. Bear, because any good music coming out of that part of Texas I will hear about through their site. In the usual Smell style, there were some technical hiccups. One I swear was as close to the 'brown noise' as you can get. I felt really bad, cause later the drummer was saying how it fucked up his ears bad. I think the problem was that the vocals were too low and the bass too high, and the attempt to fix it by the guy who runs(?) the Smell, made it the opposite of fixed. It terminated "Cats and Rats" a bit short, which was too bad, cause it's a cute song. Anyways, stuff started to go better from there, launching into (in no particular order except for what I can remember) Metarie, Hellfire, Joe Brown, and Culver City. I'm missing some, but I forget which. It would have been even more awesome had they played Alice, but I'm not complaining, they came to L.A. and I will be perfectly satisfied with just that much. Their music crosses between bands like Stereolab, Tuscadero, Heavenly, and in some ways reminds me of earlier music from the Breeders. But there also feels like there is this darker streak just under the surface of their music. The quite, sometimes somber tone to the lyrics, backed by the more poppy bass and guitar notes makes for some more bittersweet concoctions. At least I get that in there sometimes...

Right, ok, this post is starting to get a bit long. I just wanted to direct your attention to Austin, TX for a moment. Austin seems like this magical far away land filled to overflowing with great bands and constant flow of incredible albums. The city makes me jealous with its green-ness awareness and cool shows and really nice people, compared to living here in L.A. But then I remember a friend telling me it 90+º for most of the year. And then L.A. seems ok, and Austin will just have to be that awesome city I visit.

Coming soon: Dare I step into the Smell for a second night in a row?!?!?!?

Waiting for the Stage to Break: Jail Weddings and Man/Miracle @ the Echo January 20th, 2008

Going to a 'Part Time Punks' show at the Echo makes me feel old, and I'm not really old. Maybe it's the drug induced pogo-ing or the Charlie Brownesque stand-in-one-place dancing going on around me as kids talk about how awesome it is to dance to Iggy Pop. What? Really? Anyways, sometimes you have to brave the queerness of young adulthood to go see a decent band. Jail Weddings earned such an honor this night.

I already had two naps by 10pm tonight, so I was lively enough and willing to catch the first band: Man/Miracle. I couldn't find any additional info on this band (edit: see below), however I believe that they said they hailed from Santa Cruz, or someplace with a similar name. Anyways, these boys were quite the energetic bunch- screaming and pounding away on their instruments, we reached the conclusion that they were a cross between the band James and the Strokes, if both combined to make a band you'd want to listen to. And we did! If you read this blog with any regularity, it's pretty obvious that I will walk away from your set if I find my time could be spent better elsewhere. However, I spent most of the set bouncing along and open jaw gaping at the amount of drum solos there were. Maybe, actually, that's why I like them so much... the drums. That's how they would end (at least it seemed that way); every song felt like they were trying to invoke the spirit of John Bonham, maybe a giant gong would have helped. Only two things slightly dampened this performance: one audience member apparently was shitting himself due to the aroma coming off his person, and moving to the complete opposite side of the room only helped slightly. And two, the last song Man/Mission played kept reminding me of a Bon Jovi ballad, except that unexpectedly it would pick up and get loud and pretty rocking. I had mixed feelings about that one.

After that set there was the discovery of a man selling a couple cases of records stuck in the back corner. I probably would have lingered longer had he been outside, however, he did have a copy of Los Yetis- therefor he is awesome and I hope he is selling again soon.

I had to break away from the records once Jail Weddings came on. How can you not be distracted by the completely FULL stage of people with glittery costumes and screaming main singer? I know I was. I witnessed this band last year and was completely taken by surprise. They describe themselves as "an updated take on the darker side of the '60s girl group blueprint with swamp-pop leanings, all combined with mean-streak mutant torch song drama." but with a mainly male lead vocal. Watching the stage puts me into a weird trance-like state. Perhaps it's the OOhing and Aahing that is so reminiscent of the bad 60's girl rockers (Oh Shangri-Las, how I love you so), or the maybe the bands ability to stick a violin in the mix and still make it sound 'hard'. One aspect I like about Jail Weddings is their ability to play off the idea of wanting to sound like this genre, embracing it but then tweaking it enough to sound new, and honestly, not like many other bands out there. So kudos to you guys putting on another memorable show. And sorry that my photos were kinda crap.

Coming soon: YellowFever and why Austin would be the best city ever if only the temperature wasn't so damn hot all the time.
EDIT: Ok, so the Echo had the band name spelled wrong for the opening act. It was Man/Miracle NOT Man/Mission. OOps. Anyway, for more info, please click here.

Back in Black (Boots): Everest and the Mezzanine Owls @ Spaceland January 14, 2008

Does anyone ever get concerned about the lack of air at Spaceland? Whenever I go, the next morning my eyes look like I spent the night before throwing sand into them and then sewing them shut. However, I tend to forget all that once I re-realize that the PBR on tap is $2.50 a glass. Tonight was kinda a stumbling in on a show. I wasn't expecting to go, but there I was, and thankfully I caught two bands that everyone has been buzzing about like crazy little bees.

First up was Everest, who for the most part have 'supergroup' attached to their name when being spoken about in conversation, albeit music reviewer know-it-all talk, but conversation nonetheless. Comprised of members of alaska!, Earlimart, Slydell, Folk Implosion and Great Northern, they all could have tricked me as a backing band for James Taylor. Kidding, it's the shaggy hair/ beard thing, it makes me think of folk bands from the early 70's. Anyways, they did have that quiet sensibility to some of the songs, although their faster tunes quite rocked everyone's butts there. All the praise getting thrown at them is worth it, unless they start asking for bowls of only red m&ms. Their first full length is out in April, which seems like an awfully long time from now.

The second, and last band I caught, was the Mezzanine Owls, who myself and my friend kept stumping ourselves trying to figure out who the lead singer reminded us of. I kept saying to myself, that british guy, he sounds like that one british guy. But I never really came to any conclusion, except that I really, really enjoyed their set. There was a lot of that staticy noise that gets attached to shoe gazer bands, and that highly, emotionally charged voice that rings out over the crowd. Oh, and some of that geeked out rock solo stuff snuck in too. I feel like I need to catch some more of their shows, at which point they will have become a staple of this current LA music scene.

I would have had some photos for here, but due to the inability to lift my arms over my head due to the crowd of people with large shoulder padded jackets (is this really back?), I will have to instead rely on some stock photos. Sorry.