Tyler Ramsey/The Drones/Band of Horses @ The Showbox 11/20

I know it's been a week since the show, but I've been kind of busy with Thanksgiving travels etc..

Anyway, I throughly enjoyed the concert, perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the evening was opener Tyler Ramsey. He has recently joined Band of Horses on guitar, and is opening for them on this tour. His bluesy, folk inspired solo set was very engaging, and left me wanting more. He opened and closed his short set with some beautiful guitar driven instrumental pieces that set the stage for the rest of his performance. His most memorable piece, titled 'Long Dream', which is coincidentally the title of his upcoming album, came off perfectly and was the highlight of the performance, with its meandering guitar segments as bookends to his poignant vocals about a dream of swimming across the sea.

The Drones hit the stage next, and didn't leave anyone in the audience disappointed. This being said, they didn't really blow anyone away either. Their live show comes off very loud, and as straight forward as rock can get. They didn't make any mistakes, but it didn't seem like they took any chances either. In sum they produced a very normal performance that, truthfully, seemed more fit for a stadium than the intimate setting at the Showbox.

Finally, the headliner Band of Horses came on (with Tyler on guitar) to a very receptive audience. The band considers Seattle its home away from home (South Carolina), and is pretty popular in the northwest (home to their label Sub Pop). I was very curious (and almost leery) to see them live. Bird's vocals are very unique, and mentally, I had been setting myself up for disappointment in light of what I experienced at the Pinback concert I attended just a month earlier. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed, and Bird offered up a great performance hitting all the favorites from 'Everything All The Time' as well as new tracks from 'Cease To Begin'. The band was tight and seemed to transition well from the overcast stylings of 'Everything All The Time' to the southern rock inspired style of their new album.

Overall, I had an amazing night, and I can't wait until Tyler Ramsey's album drops later this winter.

Here's my favorite track from the night to hold you over (via stereogum):

Tyler Ramsey - Long Dream

Also, congrats to Conner who won the special edition Drones 7" giveaway, and thanks again to Sneak Attack Media for allowing me to give it away!

Until Next time...

annnnnd I'm back.... // Pinback Viking Union 10/23

I'd like to start off with my apologies, I've been really busy the past few months, and I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things going back to school and getting to some concerts here in Bellingham and in Seattle.

I spent the summer traveling around and went to China, which was definitely a really cool and interesting experience. Now I'm back, and I hope to update anytime I get out to a show, or occasionally when I hear something that I absolutely have to post about.

In early October I got out to see the National in Seattle at the Showbox, and although this isn't a formal review, I will say that the band did not disappoint. They were absolutely amazing and played an awesome setlist including most of my favorites from Alligator, along with much of their new album. If you have the chance, I definitely recommend seeing this band. No matter what.

Now for last night's concert:

I must say, I was pretty excited to get out and see a band that I have enjoyed since high school. Pinback's melodic flow and subtle lyrics was something that I could listen to anytime; studying, driving, or with friends. That being said, I was a little skeptical of how that might translate into a live performance. Needless to say those worries were warranted. Last night at the show I remember remarking to my girlfriend midway through their set that it sounded more like Pinback karaoke than their actual music.

Their lead singers often came off as cliche and forced, and actually sounded like they were trying to mimic the effects produced on the record. That being said, the composition of the songs was still there, and the instrumental parts came off quite well. In sum aside from the kitschy vocals the show sounded pretty good musically.

One of my favorite (older) Pinback Tracks [too bad they didn't play it, it would have been awesome]:

Pinback - Starfish

The next time you hear from me will most likely be after the Minus the Bear concert which rolls around to my campus on November 9th-- I'm pretty excited.

Explosions in the Sky, Neumos 5/6

We arrived at the venue just before the opener, Aluvium, came on stage. Aluvium consisted of one dude sitting in the corner of the stage messing with a guitar, keyboard and some pedals (there was also an apple laptop involved). The whole production was pretty unassuming-- there was a projection of swarming birds, and you could hardly see the performer. Visual aesthetics aside, the swirling reverb and feedback that blanketed the room during his long compositions, took most of the crowd's eardrums at the brink, with many (maybe 25% or so) covering their ears for most of the set. Although I respect his artistic styling, and courage, the feedback was a little much to say the least.

Although the opener was a little unsettling, the Texas quartet finally came out to the stage, and very humbly announced themselves, along with a short anecdote on why it had been so long since they had toured in Seattle (their van blew a tire). With that they dove right in and started playing. As most Explosions in the Sky songs begin, they started out slowly, building up subtle chords into a deafening and powerful crescendo. As if moving as a single entity, they mashed on their guitar and bass strings with pure emotion.

Emotional is really the only word that can describe their performance, and they used it as their only source of energy. Explosions in the Sky use are able to use silence as their secret weapon-- an instrument that they play perfectly as they build their emotive crescendos which finally explode sonically in all directions, and collapse only to be built up once again.

As I walked out of the venue on Sunday night I can honestly say that the Explosions in the Sky concert was easily in my top two along with Sufjan Stevens earlier this year, it was that good.

Although this can't compare to the live show, I'll give you a taste of what it was like:
Explosions in the Sky - 'The Birth and Death of the Day'

In other news, due to an illness affecting someone close to the band, they will be cancelling the rest of their tour through Europe, read about that here (where you can also buy their albums).

Decemberists, Red Square 5/5

Red Square at my school was transformed into a 'music festival' as the Decemberists stopped by for the last date on their tour. Although I've seen them twice already (plus Colin Meloy solo), I was excited to see their new material live for the first time. They opened with 'The Crane wife III' and next they played 'The Island', which is my favorite track on the album, and sounded great live by the way. Highlights of the show included an inspired theatrical performance of "Crane Wife" B-side 'Culling of the Fold', in which Colin transversed the stage with only a microphone and cord acting out parts of the song as he sung. Probably the coolest moment of the show was when he asked the audience to sing the chorus of 'Sons and Daughters', which came off beautifully. The only misstep occurred during the encore, when Colin messed up the lyrics to 'Eli the Barrow Boy'--long tour I guess. Overall, it was a great show and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing the new material live.

Here's the B-side they played:
Decemberists - 'Culling of the Fold'

Bright Eyes, Paramount Theatre, 5/1

Is it just me or is Conor Oberst beginning to look more and more like Jack White lately? Fortunately he sounds nothing like him. A lot has changed since I last saw Bright Eyes in November 2005, Conor has surrounded himself with a 'permanent band' and the production that is their live show has vastly improved. Their set was heavy on the new tunes form Cassadaga, which I like, but I'm not sure it's as epic as 'Wide Awake'. Conor only dipped into his back catalogue briefly, playing only two pre-Digital Ash/Wide Awake tunes-- "Method Acting" and crowd favorite "The Calendar Hung Itself (with bongo drums added in?)".

The visuals behind the band were both inventive and intriguing, and added a lot to the show. Basically, there was a dude in the back playing with shit on a document camera that was projected on a screen behind the band, the idea seems simple, but it turned out to be pretty awesome (dripping food coloring into water has never looked so cool). Unfortunately, there weren't as many drunk Conor moments this time, so I didn't walk away with a new guitar which kind of disappoints me. During the final encore ('Road To Joy'--by far my favorite song of the night), Conor jumped off stage--as his band mates looked on with that 'Oh shit what's he going to do now?' look on their face, as he threw flowers from the stage into the crowd for about 3 minutes as the rest of the band improvised before the final verse. Overall, it was a great show, and I'm definitely in the camp that supports Connor's movement toward folk/Americana, hopefully I get to see them live again soon.

Bright Eyes - Road To Joy (live from the Motion Sickness LP)

Finally, TODAY is the Decemberists concert in Red Square at our campus, I'm super stoked. THEN tomorrow I'm going to see Explosions in the Sky in Seattle-- this week is shaping up to be one of the best concert-going weeks in my life, it's awesome! I'll be sure to keep you updated, as well as posting about some new music I've been digging lately...

Clipse, Chop Suey 3/12

We walked up to a packed Chop Suey, the base thumping through the busy entrance where we were promptly patted down before gaining admission, which quickly reminded me that this wouldn't be the typical hipster crowd I was used to seeing at a show. If that first hint wasn't enough, after we passed through 'security' (minus one keychain pocket knife), we squeezed through the crowd until we found a spot with a decent view of the stage behind someone who could have easily been mistaken as a White Rapper Show reject.

After a series of sub-par openers, the rabid crowd was craving Clipse like a starved dog waiting for scraps. The closer it got to 12:15 (their scheduled performance time), the less ambivalent the crowd was to the (seemingly endless) opening MCs, at times even chanting 'Clipse' between the opener's songs.

Clipse finally found the stage around 12:30, after some hype from their DJ and rolled through Hell Hath no Fury track, 'Mama I'm So Sorry' which, aside from the initial energy of their stage entrance and the electricity of the crowd, turned out to be their least inspired performance of the night. Next, they blazed through album opener, 'We Got it 4 Cheap'-- a song about their label drama and the resulting years they were forced underground. As cliche as it may sound, you could see the anger in their eyes, as they recited the verses, "It's like tryin' to fly but they clippin' your wings ; and that's exactly why the caged bird sings..." This, and almost every subsequent track that they played, had similar energy and intensity mixed into each line--I'm not joking when I say that the look on Pusha's face when he was rapping was scary.

After that, they played an altered version of 'What Happened to that Boy', almost mocking Weezy and Birdman (who they supposedly have 'beef' with--although it has been categorically denied by Malice). Their performance of the track did nothing to help the Weezy v. Clipse rumors though, throughout the song Malice annunciated the lines, "HE was talkin' shit WE put a CLAP INTO THAT BOY," almost in refrence to Weezy, while Pusha interlocked his thumbs making a bird with his hands and waving them mockingly though the air.

They also played some mixtape tracks like 'Pussy' and pulled off 'What's Up' from "We Got it 4Cheap Vol. II" flawlessly, jacking Game's beat and blowing it up with fellow Re Up Gang members Liva and Sandman. Along with the mixtape tracks, they added some Old songs including: Cot Damn, Virginia (1st encore), and Grindin (2nd encore). The highlight for me would have to be 'Wamp Wamp' which came off perfectly, and displays the duo's strength's perfectly-- an immaculate Neptunes beat coupled with Malice's incomparable flow, and Pusha's unmatched lyricism.

Clipse was firing on all cylinders all night long-- and it showed. By the end of their set they were drenched in sweat, and breathing heavily. I believe it when I hear that they are the best live act in the 'game' right now, they constantly provoked the crowd to sing along, sticking the mic in the crowd or slapping outstretched hands after trading verses. This was by far my favorite show thus far this year, and it will be hard to top--catch this concert if you still can. You won't regret it, and by the looks of things, this just might be one of the last times they play intimate venues. Good hip hop can only come out of hunger and adversity, and believe me, Clipse have kilos. of it to spare.

Setlist:
“Momma I’m So Sorry”
“We Got It for Cheap (Intro)”
“What Happened to That Boy”
“Pussy”
“Keys Open Doors”
“Cot Damn”
"What's Up"
“Ride Around Shining”
“Ain’t Cha”
“Chinese New Year”
“Wamp Wamp (What It Do)”
----------------------------
“Virginia”
“Grindin’ ”
“Mr. Me Too”

Some mixtape shit for you:

Clipse - 'What's Up'

Cop that shit at insound, and be sure to look out for their new mixtape that should be dropping soon titled, "We got it 4 Cheap Vol. III: The Spirit of Competition"

PS
In true Clipse fashion, I Re-Uped the look of the Blog after migrating to Blogger Beta. It looks a little better, with a few things added here and there (links etc...) hopefully everything still works.

Annuals 2/27 @ Neumos, Seattle

After listening to their album (a bunch of times), and reading article after article (and blog after blog) about them, I was really curious to see how the young Raleigh North Carolina band, Annuals pulled everything together live on stage. After what I saw on Tuesday night, it seems like all of the hype surrounding this band is warranted.

The band came out firing, blazing through renditions of 'Bleary Eyed', 'complete or Completing' and 'Fair'. Their on stage energy was exceptional throughout the show, and it seemed like lead singer (and keyboard's/percussionist) Adam Baker was walking a thinning tightrope between chaos and utter insanity all night. Baker, definitely the ringleader of the band, drove the band forward with his emotional yelps, and inspired keyboards (and when the time was right, percussion) playing.

Highlights of the show included some awesome percussion sessions, which, at times included 4 members of the band (on two different drum sets). The lead guitarist, Kenny Florence, was also exceptional throughout the show. Of course, the performance of their single, 'Brother' was a high point of the concert, and they pulled it off effectively-- leaving little to be desired from the album version.

Although not on the same level as some of the bands they are currently drawing comparisons from (see Arcade Fire), they definitely have the potential to get there soon. Look out for this band to take over in the near future.

--Also, congrats to Justin, who won the first ever Climate Change ticket giveaway... (hopefully there will be more to come in the future)

Bonus: a new Annuals song (recorded live via Pitchfork) -- I'm pretty sure this was played at their show in Seattle too.

Annuals - Do You Like It (live)

The Faint/Ratatat @ The Viking Union 11/30-12/1

Ok, so finals are over, and I only fucked up most of my grades (whew!). Now I'm back at home--talk about a 'climate change'... all that rain was depressing me, I almost forgot what the combination of snow and Christmas lights looked like.

Even though the shows were a while back, and I was seriously faded during one of them, I'm going to recap them anyway (due to my OCD), here goes nothing:

The Faint: To be honest, I was kind of skeptical about this show, for a couple of reasons: 1) I was bracing myself for a flood of scene kids from the nearby high schools, 2) The Faint haven't toured in forever, 3) Bellingham had been in a 'State of Emergency' (seriously) the whole week cause of a big snow storm, and 4) all of my friends bailed on me at the last minute (except Sam, who is awesome). Needless to say, any reservations I had about the show, were quickly killed as soon as The Faint took the stage. Their lighting and effects were a fucking trip, and despite their two year break from touring, they sounded really good. They played some new stuff too, which was definitely cool-- I kind of got a more European-electro vibe from their new stuff, not quite sure why--take from it what you will.

They played a lot of old favorites too, including: Glass Dance, Worked Up (So Sexual), I disappear, and, Agenda Suicide (as an encore). They also burned through 'Let the Poison Spill', a nostalgic song for me-- one we used to pre game to in my friend's car before high school dances (don't ask why, we were confused back then). They also played a rare B side that is one of my favorite songs of theirs, 'Take Me to the Hospital', which they introduced as 'a really deep cut'-- pretty awesome. Overall, they exceeded my expectations, and put together the best show the Viking Union has seen all year, it will be hard to top.
The Faint - 'Worked Up (So Sexual)'
The Faint - 'Take Me to the Hospital'

Ratatat: Let me preface this by saying that I was pretty wasted at this show. I had a friend from high school visiting, and we put away at least 10 (7.3%) 16 oz. beers before the show (apparently we drank one during the show too), so the details run together a bit. I do know I had a fucking awesome time, and I vaguely remember pissing a lot of people off around us cause we were dancing like crazy the whole time. But in my defense, what the fuck else are you supposed to do at a Ratatat concert? They definitely bring the party, so we busted the moves. Although I can't really speak for the Ratatat show, there were definitely a lot of people dancing during The Faint, so maybe we were just surrounded by the wrong people (that's what the back wall is for, right?). I do know that they played 'Seventeen Years' as an encore, which is by far my favorite song (and, yes, I did drunkenly sing along to the opening lines of the song-- I'm baller like that).
Ratatat - 'Seventeen Years'
Ratatat - 'Wildcat'

Overall, I had a blast at the back to back shows and it really seems like it'll be hard to top the shows AS POP put on fall quarter (note, due to finals week I missed out on Pretty Girls Make Graves). They are off to a good start though, so far they have lined up Neko Case and Matt Costa as the first two concerts winter quarter.

M T 'Fuckin' B Viking Union 11/17

Again, the topic of journalistic integrity rolls around in the aftermath of the last concert I went to on campus. Hey, it was Minus the Bear, they sing about drinking all the time right? I figure it's more of a disservice to the band if one is not plastered at a Minus the Bear show. All in all, I had a great fucking time, and I can't say I regret being drunk during the show (aside from the fact that I can't blog about it after--big fucking deal though).

Highlights of the show included (but not limited to), attempting a two person dance party with a friend, and finishing a beer during the concert, all while listening an awesome band. That being said, I can't recall exactly what was played and what order, but I do remember a heavy rotation of older favorites (Note: this was easy to do cause although I own their new album, I didn't like it so I took it off my ipod, so in effect I know only their old material), and I am positive they played, 'Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse'-- definitely one of my all time favorites by them, so I'll post it. Enjoy.

As you can most likely tell, I'm super busy with school, and as a result this is kind of being neglected. Look out for some stuff regarding the Bloc Party, and Clipse leaks, and the upcoming Faint/Ratatat concert that I'll be attending on campus in two weeks.

On a completely different note, I've noticed this band has been getting a lot of blog hype lately, and it's well deserved-- this might be the best song I've heard in a long, long time.
Check it out: Beach House - Apple Orchard
Get their CD at insound.

Islands 11/4 @ the SUB Ballroom, University of British Columbia

I'm not really sure if I can put my finger on it, but to say that the Islands show on Saturday night met my expectations would be an out and out lie. They set the bar extremely high after the show they put on last time I saw them (May 10th to be exact), at that time they were still a band intact with their original members, and on their very first headlining tour (as Islands)--the energy of that show was palpable. My excitment for this show only grew after hearing reports that Nick's girlfriend had joined the lineup following Jamie's departure which left me very curious to discover how backing female vocals integrated with the songs off the album.

Needless to say, my expectations didn't materialize on the stage. Nick was not joined by his girlfriend (breakup anyone?) and soprted a eeirly painted white face. His jovial between song banter was replaced by silence, and songtitles in almost every case, and to put it plainly he just seemed depressed. None of the usual insanity paired with Islands live shows occured at the SUB Ballroom (see dancing on stage, singing in the streets --video, and pickup basketball), but I did get to see 'Swans' played live for the first time. Last time I saw Islands they were supossed to close with it after their encoure of 'Rough Gem', but during 'Rough Gem' Nick insisted that, "everyone come up and dance on stage." Only to retract the statment after the song, saying that he was really just kidding, and that someone fucked up some wiring during the stage rush so they couldn't play 'Swans'--instead he offered to drink with everyone at the bar after the show. Instead, at the SUB Ballroom Nick and company came out and played 'Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby' as an encoure (yeah, I was the drunk kid near the front yelling for I Feel Evil Creepin' In... don't hate), inviting no one to dance on stage--instead he dangled a plastic head on a noose next to him as he sung... kind symbolized the entire night--creepy.

Musically, however, Islands were pretty tight and played a great set full of new songs, and even a Kinks cover. I was also glad to see my personal favorite, 'Where There's a Will There's a Whalebone' preformed live this time with the other MC on the track, Subtitle (whose set was unbearably boring at times). The new songs were great though, but I can't stop the thought that they might never be recorded in studio from entering my head. If this show is any indication, it seems like the Islands might be going the way of the Unicorns before them, and leave us with only 'what if's' and concert bootlegs. I sincerely hope this isn't the case, but it seems a very real possibility... only time will tell if (as their slogan suggests) Islands really are forever.

Islands - Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby

P.S.
My school is having a great year this year as far as shows go... I just got a ticket to Minus the Bear on Nov. 17th and The Faint and Ratatat are coming back to back on the 30th and December 1st should be an insane half-month of music here in Bellingham! This might be a stretch, but I'd be hardpressed to find a school in the west with better indie shows this year...

Sufjan Stevens 10/15, @ the Paramount Theatre

I apologize for the length of time between posts about the Sufjan concert, its just taken me that long for the awesomeness of the night to finally sink in. But seriously, the performance at the Paramount was one of the best (if not the best) concerts I've ever been to.

It was the first time I had ever been to the Paramount Theatre, which I was a little bummed out about at first because I think that a general admission show is the best way to see music in a live setting. After everything was said and done Sunday night, however, I realized that the Paramount was a nice change of pace (dare I say classy?).

We arrived midway through opener, My Brightest Diamond's set, having never heard her before (aside from some myspace streaming), I was pretty blown away by her vocal ability, and her performance really set the crowd up for what was about to happen. Sufjan came out after a lengthy intermission (that's what those civilized theatre-goers call it, right?), and played an awesome set that included selections from Illinois, Michigan, Seven Swans, some new material, and even a Christmas song. This was the last stop on the tour and it sounded like it, the backing band (or shall I say orchestra) was flawless, and Sufjan had a slightly hoarse voice (which was only evident when he was speaking in between songs). One thing that surprised me about Sufjan's live performance was his onstage banter, listening to his albums I had always figured him as more of a soft-spoken individual, but this was definitely not the case. He rambled on telling some pretty off the wall stories, some of which either went nowhere, or were used as song introductions. One example was a story about a plastic owl that was placed on a stool next to him that was stolen outside of a Perkins restaurant in Columbus Ohio... totally random. Don't get me wrong here, I'm not criticizing Sufjan's stage banter, it was actually really funny, and quite entertaining-- a good change of pace, after you've heard an entire song about a serial killer.

Highlights of the set included a solo acoustic performance of John Wayne Gacy Jr., a slightly more uptempo rendition of The Predatory Wasp (with a minute long piano/guitar freakout at the end), Jacksonville, Lord God Bird, Majesty Snowbird (also with an extended freakout session not heard on the previously posted mp3), and of course, the encoure, Chichago. My only beef with the setlist was that he didn't play 'That Dress Looks Nice on You', one of my favorites from Seven Swans (hey, there's always next time). In all, it was a great night of music, one that will be hard for me to top in the future, and I'm sure I'm not alone when I say I'm pretty excited to see what Soof comes up with next.

Here's the original Christmas song Sufjan performed: That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!

be sure and check out the 5-disc Christmas album from Sufjan and friends when it comes out November 21st.

On another note, fuck the police. Seriously.

Blue Scholars, Viking Union 10/7

We arrived to a packed VU multipurpose room just after the opener had finished their set. The room smelled equally one part sweat, mixed with one part marijuana smoke, which quickly reminded me that I hadn't been to a hip hop show in quite a while. Shortly after we got there, RA Scion came out and spit some Common Market lyrics, with Sabzi laying down the beat on the turn tables. Overall, I was pretty impressed with his abilities on the mic, and he turned out a solid performance.

Almost right after RA Scion had vacated the stage, Sabzi segwayed right into a Blue Scholars beat, and Geo ran onto the stage. The sneak attack caught the crowd by surprise, and it was a good tactic for keeping the momentum of the show moving forward. The Scholars turned out an awesome performance, keeping the sold out crowd into it for the entire set. Highlights of the show included a sample of 'Float On' tracked onto the the Inkwell, and 'The Long March' was also awesome (with everyone swinging their arms to the words, 'left, right, left, right'). As I had expected, the Scholars managed to outdo their performance at the main stage of Sasquatch! (the last time I saw them live), feeding off the sold out crowd in the confined VU multipurpose room. Awesome show.

As for some other news, it appears like HOV is back in the game (surprise, right?), and his first single has leaked. The beat by just blaze is sick, and uses a lot of horns (and a jazz intro). I've linked the mp3, cause I really don't want to get sued by the Roc for posting a leaked mp3 on a site that has maybe 5 readers tops. enjoy.

Jay Z - 'Show Me What You Got'

Cold War Kids, Neumo's 10/4

As you can already tell by the title of this post, we ended up going to the Cold War Kids show at Neumo's. As it turns out, the TV on the Radio/Grizzly Bear show sold out sometime in between the time we left Bellingham and got to Seattle. Our initial disappointment was short-lived, however, and we ended up having an awesome night. As you may or may not already know, the Cold War Kids were supposed to be touring the U.S. in support of The Futureheads. As fate would have it, they canceled at the last minute leaving the CWK as headliners of a national tour (their first one). This proved to work in our favor for 3 reasons: 1) I don't really like the Futureheads all that much, 2) the ticket price was lower ($10 instead of $15), and 3) the audience was actually there to see CWK play a headlining set.


We arrived at the venue about an hour early since we had nothing to do in Seattle after we discovered the TVOTR show was sold out, and we were literally the second group to walk into Neumo's. After about an hour of walking around the empty room watching the first band soundcheck, it was 9:00 and time for the show to start. At this point it looked like my hypothesis from the last post was holding up, everyone that may have been interested in seeing CWK was probably at TVOTR. When the opener 'S' came on there were literally 25 people in the building. After their lackluster performance, about 50-75 more people filed into Neumo's and were mostly just sitting in circles talking to one another or leaning up against the walls on the sides of the room. At about 10:00 the band Delta Spirit, ambushed the stage and came out firing on all cylinders. For about half the song it seemed like everyone was in shock (they had expected to wait through another shitty band), at which point I joked to my friend that the band sounded like 'Clap Your Hands Say Yeah' on speed. Needless to say, within about 2 songs the band had the crowd's full attention, and played a really nice set, whose pianos and overall sound would work to compliment that of Cold War Kids. The highlight of the set for me was the song, 'French Quarter' about a man who had lost everything, but was too stubborn to leave desperately calling out, "The south is in my blood!" (stream it on their myspace)


After the surprising performance by Delta Spirit the crowd was warmed up for the Cold War Kids to finally take the stage, by this time even more people had filed in and the crowd size was pretty decent. They came out with the song 'We Used to Vacation', and absolutely killed it. It seemed like the entire band was on the same page, they were all equally emotional, and the sound ended up coming out beautifully. One of the trademarks of CWK is their tendency to integrate a lot of different obtuse noise combinations into their music, this translated into their live performance, with the guitarist taking turns shaking a maraca, then pounding a cymbal set on top of a crate with it (near the end of the song he was so into it that he pounded the cymbal so many times in a row that it fell of the crate, at which point he threw the maraca down at it on the ground). In all, their set was perfectly executed, and very emotional, mixing up noise combinations from every direction. Highlights included an awesome mid-set rendition of 'St. John' (complete with hand motions from the lead singer Nathan Willett to illustrate the story), and the climatic closing song 'Hang me Out to Dry'. Awesome show, by the end of the night we were all asking ourselves TV on the who?

I highly recommend seeing this tour, for $10 it's a steal (check out dates on their myspace). Oh yeah, and get the debut full length from CWK, 'Robbers and Cowards' when it releases on 10-10 everywhere (you might notice a lot of the songs are the same on the LP as the EP, but they've all been re-recorded, so check it out.). As I mentioned earlier, I'm seeing Blue Scholars at the Viking Union on Saturday, look out for a post prepping you for that show tomorrow.

Ben Kweller @ the Viking Union 9/29

I really don't know what's up with me at concerts since I've started this blog, but I've gone 2 for 2 with the pre concert intoxication, which probobally vastly compromises any journalistic integrety that I might have... Needless to say, I got to the concert about 5 minutes after the opener had finished their set (I heard it sucked anyway... drinking > shitty local emo band). Then the Sam Roberts Band came out, they're apparently pretty big up in the great white north, and all in all, their set was pretty tight. Then BK came out (SIDENOTE-- it freaked me out at first, he looks like the pro snowboarder golden boy Shaun White) and played a solid 5 songs, including good renditions of 'Penny On The Train Track' and 'Run', at which point I drunkenly decided that the keg at my house > BK, and I peaced out. Hey, at least I got there before the keg was tapped and had a pretty solid night. Hopefully I can regain some journalistic integrety later this week though, it looks like I'm going to two shows; Cold War Kids, and Blue Scholars... expect pre-concert posts for both as well as a non-hungover review (I hope).

Wolf Parade Live 8-27 In The Venue

As you can probably already tell, I didn't get any pictures from the Wolf Parade show the other night, but I did get this fake ticket from concert ticket generator, which I thought was pretty cool. The show was awesome though (the 30 pack we downed in the parking lot only added to the awesomeness), highlights included a couple of new songs, 'Shine a Light' (still my favorite WP song), ' I'll Believe in Anything', and 'Disco Sheets', and when Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes) came out mid-set with a fifth of gin pouring it into any mouth he could find. Overall, their set was pretty tight, and there wasn't very much banter between songs. Although I can't say it's the best show I've ever been to, it's definitely up there.

Here's another untitled bootleged new song for your listening pleasure. -DISCLAIMER- I'm 95% sure they played this new song last night (the remaining 5% is possibly influenced by the 8 or 9 beers I downed before the show).

Bonus: Check out Spencer Krug's (Keyboards/Vocals for Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes) new side project, Swan Lake with Destroyer's Dan Bejar, and fellow Frog Eye (wow, that sounds weird) Carey Mercer: All Fires