Monday, September 27, 2004
Last night I went to the Hollywood Bowl to see Air with orchestra, Stereolab, and Sondre Lerche. Before I discuss that I want to discuss a topic which the Chromewaves site posted a few days ago and that is the subject of going to concerts alone. I would have to guess that of all the shows I've gone to at least 65% of them I went alone. There was a time in the late eighties/early nineties when I met some really cool girls and I went to a lot of shows with them, but that was the relatively brief exception to the rule. I don't really mind going alone, if anything I've become used to it. While a band is playing I'm focussed on the music and my surroundings don't really come into play. It is the time before a show starts or between bands that are a bit rough, though. That's when I just stand around doing nothing and hope that the minutes will fly by until the next band goes on. It's nice having someone to chat with during the down time and that is the only thing I really miss sometimes. Sometimes I will go to a show in a down mood and the loneliness is just intensified. Those are the times when I would've been better off just staying home. You look around the venue and you keep seeing people talking and laughing or couples enjoying each other's company and you wish you were in their position. If I'm lucky, though, the music will be great and my lonely mood will be forgotten and I will have a good time. My tastes in music are all over the place and these tastes are not always shared by my friends so I foresee more solitary concert going. I will just have to cherish the times that I can go to a concert with a friend(s) and chat, laugh, and have a drink.
So, need I say, I went to the Hollywood Bowl alone last night. It's a huge place, but it is actually a pretty nice place to see a concert. You can bring food and wine in and basically have a picnic while you watch the bands play. The sound is great there as well. I was pleasantly surprised by Sondre Lerche. He was the one act that I didn't care if I missed, but I'm glad that I was able to see him. He came out on the stage and it was just him and his guitar. Most of the time this type of arrangement leaves me cold. Accompanying one's self on guitar can really show the shortcomings in one's musicianship. A lot of times this type of arrangement can simply be boring, but this was not the case with Sondre Lerche. He had songs. Very nice melodies and a good voice to match. On the last few songs he was joined by some other musicians and he added to his nice, lush, orchestral pop sound. I think I might have to check out his records now.
Stereolab were on next and I have to admit that I wasn't that impressed during some of their set. I'm starting to think that they should leave leave some of the brass instruments at home when they play. Some of the times that they seemed to be moving into free-jazz territory didn't really do much for me. I was very pleased to hear them play "Harmonium" and "Lo Boob Oscillator" which were a bit surprising to me. Towards the end of their set they were joined by part of the orchestra and I really enjoyed this. They played "Diagonals," "Cybele's Reverie," and another song, which for the life of me I can't remember right now, and it all sounded amazing. The band combining with the sounds of strings and horns and everything else was great and it really made me glad that I went to this show.
Air were the finale of the night and they were accompanied by a full orchestra. This was the first time I saw them and like the other bands they sounded great. They did a great version of "Remember." It was basically a melding of the regular version of the song with an orchestral version that was a b-side called the "D. Whitaker Version." This alone could have probably made my night. The band was also joined at one point by both Jason Faulkner and Beck on one song. I was unfamiliar with the song so it was possibly off Air's second album, which I don't have. It was a nice set in which they played songs from every point of their career.
Even though I went alone to a huge place I still had a good time and I'm glad that I didn't keep going alone from keeping me from going at all. It's nice to have people around you, but one negative is that people found the need to talk loudly to all their friends throughout the band's sets
I forgot to mention that I took the metro all the way up to the show and this made my day very interesting. At one point from Hollywood to downtown I had the chance to watch some guy maniacally trying to sell chocolate bars. He would walk down the aisle basically begging people to buy some chocolate. He was very hyper and he kept repeating, "Cadbury for a dollar," "Cadbury is the best," "This one fell on the floor so it's fifty cents." Thankfully he was on my train for only one stop. On the trip from downtown to the Slauson stop I was able to hear a conversation about modelling and drug dealing amongst other things. Fascinating stuff, so I can say I had a pretty entertaining evening.
So, need I say, I went to the Hollywood Bowl alone last night. It's a huge place, but it is actually a pretty nice place to see a concert. You can bring food and wine in and basically have a picnic while you watch the bands play. The sound is great there as well. I was pleasantly surprised by Sondre Lerche. He was the one act that I didn't care if I missed, but I'm glad that I was able to see him. He came out on the stage and it was just him and his guitar. Most of the time this type of arrangement leaves me cold. Accompanying one's self on guitar can really show the shortcomings in one's musicianship. A lot of times this type of arrangement can simply be boring, but this was not the case with Sondre Lerche. He had songs. Very nice melodies and a good voice to match. On the last few songs he was joined by some other musicians and he added to his nice, lush, orchestral pop sound. I think I might have to check out his records now.
Stereolab were on next and I have to admit that I wasn't that impressed during some of their set. I'm starting to think that they should leave leave some of the brass instruments at home when they play. Some of the times that they seemed to be moving into free-jazz territory didn't really do much for me. I was very pleased to hear them play "Harmonium" and "Lo Boob Oscillator" which were a bit surprising to me. Towards the end of their set they were joined by part of the orchestra and I really enjoyed this. They played "Diagonals," "Cybele's Reverie," and another song, which for the life of me I can't remember right now, and it all sounded amazing. The band combining with the sounds of strings and horns and everything else was great and it really made me glad that I went to this show.
Air were the finale of the night and they were accompanied by a full orchestra. This was the first time I saw them and like the other bands they sounded great. They did a great version of "Remember." It was basically a melding of the regular version of the song with an orchestral version that was a b-side called the "D. Whitaker Version." This alone could have probably made my night. The band was also joined at one point by both Jason Faulkner and Beck on one song. I was unfamiliar with the song so it was possibly off Air's second album, which I don't have. It was a nice set in which they played songs from every point of their career.
Even though I went alone to a huge place I still had a good time and I'm glad that I didn't keep going alone from keeping me from going at all. It's nice to have people around you, but one negative is that people found the need to talk loudly to all their friends throughout the band's sets
I forgot to mention that I took the metro all the way up to the show and this made my day very interesting. At one point from Hollywood to downtown I had the chance to watch some guy maniacally trying to sell chocolate bars. He would walk down the aisle basically begging people to buy some chocolate. He was very hyper and he kept repeating, "Cadbury for a dollar," "Cadbury is the best," "This one fell on the floor so it's fifty cents." Thankfully he was on my train for only one stop. On the trip from downtown to the Slauson stop I was able to hear a conversation about modelling and drug dealing amongst other things. Fascinating stuff, so I can say I had a pretty entertaining evening.
Monday, September 20, 2004
Saturday night I went to see some bands at the Knitting Factory; bands whose music I had never heard before. I went based on reading a lot of nice comments on a mailing list and the L.A. Weekly. The first band up was Six Parts Seven and they were an instrumental band. If you're working in this vein you should probably try a little harder to differentiate yourself from sounding like Tortoise. They played well, and I really liked the fact that they had a vibes player, but ultimately it came down to "I've heard this before." The next guy to play broke his hand so he didn't end up going on. M83 were then up next, or I assume they were next because I had no idea what they looked like. Maybe I sat through some other band after the other act was unable to go on thinking it was M83. It must have been them because the audience seemed to know the songs and I don't think that would have been the case if it was a last minute add on to the bill. The descriptions of this band really intrigued me. It sounded like they would have some variation of that "shoegazer" sound that I love so much. I guess their sound was reminiscent of that, but for whatever reason it just didn't really move me. I really didn't like any of their songs, but rather only certain fragments of songs. I would hear a snippet of guitar and enjoy that and suddenly it was gone. Nothing caught my attention for the duration of a whole song. They also had an occasional keyboard sound that I didn't like at all. They were by no means bad; I was just unmoved. I was a little disappointed because I used to crave this kind of sound, but it seems my tastes have changed a bit.
Last night I went to see Siouxsie of Banshees/Creatures fame at the Anaheim House of Blues. When I was in 10th grade, if you would have asked, I would have stated that the Banshees were my favorite band. They were the first concert I ever went to in 1984 when I was 16. It was at the Santa Monica Civic and Test Department was the opening act. It was very overwhelming for me. I got there very early waiting to get in so I could get a spot up front. Once in I had to get a tour shirt and program first. I feel grateful nowadays that I was able to see Test Department back then, but I don't remember anything about them live. Actually all I remember about the Banshees live is Siouxsie coming out to the strains of "Dazzle." I don't remember much, but I know I had a blast. So last night I am ready to revisit the past. The night didn't start all that great. I arrived at 8:30, thinking that shows go on early there, and was greeted by a long line waiting to get into the club. So I wait about an hour or so to get into the club and then I wait another hour for Siouxsie to hit the stage. My feet were killing me and I was pissed off. Finally they came on stage and I forgot about the bad start. It was really more of a Creatures show and the Banshees songs that were played were done more in a Creatures style. Much of the show could be referred to as "drum and bass." Budgie and a percussionist were simply awesome playing the drums. It was very tribal and sounded great. Siouxsie's voice sounded great; even better than I ever remember hearing it. She is such a presence and one of the great "women in rock." The Cure got huge and Siouxsie's popularity seemed to plateau in the early nineties. It's somewhat of a mystery to me. I like the Cure, but I found Siouxsie much more interesting. She's a great frontperson and they had really good songs. One thing I loved about the Banshees is that they always played songs you would never expect them to play live. Their concerts always had the ability to surprise rather than simply be about playing the hits. I'm glad I went last night. It was nice to see Siouxsie still in top form even if the set was not quite as surprising as I had hoped it might be.
Last night I went to see Siouxsie of Banshees/Creatures fame at the Anaheim House of Blues. When I was in 10th grade, if you would have asked, I would have stated that the Banshees were my favorite band. They were the first concert I ever went to in 1984 when I was 16. It was at the Santa Monica Civic and Test Department was the opening act. It was very overwhelming for me. I got there very early waiting to get in so I could get a spot up front. Once in I had to get a tour shirt and program first. I feel grateful nowadays that I was able to see Test Department back then, but I don't remember anything about them live. Actually all I remember about the Banshees live is Siouxsie coming out to the strains of "Dazzle." I don't remember much, but I know I had a blast. So last night I am ready to revisit the past. The night didn't start all that great. I arrived at 8:30, thinking that shows go on early there, and was greeted by a long line waiting to get into the club. So I wait about an hour or so to get into the club and then I wait another hour for Siouxsie to hit the stage. My feet were killing me and I was pissed off. Finally they came on stage and I forgot about the bad start. It was really more of a Creatures show and the Banshees songs that were played were done more in a Creatures style. Much of the show could be referred to as "drum and bass." Budgie and a percussionist were simply awesome playing the drums. It was very tribal and sounded great. Siouxsie's voice sounded great; even better than I ever remember hearing it. She is such a presence and one of the great "women in rock." The Cure got huge and Siouxsie's popularity seemed to plateau in the early nineties. It's somewhat of a mystery to me. I like the Cure, but I found Siouxsie much more interesting. She's a great frontperson and they had really good songs. One thing I loved about the Banshees is that they always played songs you would never expect them to play live. Their concerts always had the ability to surprise rather than simply be about playing the hits. I'm glad I went last night. It was nice to see Siouxsie still in top form even if the set was not quite as surprising as I had hoped it might be.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
I saw last night that Johnny Ramone died. I knew he was in bad shape, but it still came as a surprise. Just this past weekend there was a big tribute concert to the Ramones in Hollywood where a lot of famous musicians played covers. First Joey, then Dee Dee and now Johnny and all within three years I think. I just find it strange that they all died so relatively close to one another.
Suddenly a bunch of unexpected shows are upon me.
Friday: Legendary Stardust Cowboy and the South Bay Surfers at some bar in a hotel near Hollywood. Sounds like a good night of mental instability.
Saturday: M83+others at the Knitting Factory. I just suddenly read a lot about this show and it really has me intrigued. I like the references to soundscapes and My Bloody Valentine. It sounds like I could be floating on a sea of sound if I go.
Sunday: Siouxsie Sioux at Anaheim House of Blues. I've had a ticket for months so this one is no surprise.
Monday: Futureheads at Spaceland. I've never heard them, but I've read quite a bit on some blogs. It's free so maybe it will be worth checking out.
I watched a pretty average movie last night called THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. The actress in it was by no means average, though. Elisha Cuthbert is simply beautiful. She plays the daughter in 24 and made an impressive appearance in OLD SCHOOL.
Suddenly a bunch of unexpected shows are upon me.
Friday: Legendary Stardust Cowboy and the South Bay Surfers at some bar in a hotel near Hollywood. Sounds like a good night of mental instability.
Saturday: M83+others at the Knitting Factory. I just suddenly read a lot about this show and it really has me intrigued. I like the references to soundscapes and My Bloody Valentine. It sounds like I could be floating on a sea of sound if I go.
Sunday: Siouxsie Sioux at Anaheim House of Blues. I've had a ticket for months so this one is no surprise.
Monday: Futureheads at Spaceland. I've never heard them, but I've read quite a bit on some blogs. It's free so maybe it will be worth checking out.
I watched a pretty average movie last night called THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. The actress in it was by no means average, though. Elisha Cuthbert is simply beautiful. She plays the daughter in 24 and made an impressive appearance in OLD SCHOOL.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Sunday afternoon I went to see a screening of LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE FABULOUS STAINS at the New Beverly Cinema in L.A. I wrote about this film in an earlier posting and after more than twenty years I was finally able to see it again. I was not disappointed in the slightest. The film may have some flaws, but it is really a good movie. I don't really want to write an essay so I'm just going to throw out some observations here:
Diane Lane was probably about 15 or 16 when she made the film. I think the term "jailbait" was created for girls like her and it is easy to remember why I had such a crush on her way back when. She is truly an actress as well. There are lines in the movie which might sound bad or corny spoken by someone else, but she really makes you believe in what she is saying. In the movie she really has this great "fuck you" attitude that she pulls off really well. I was really happy to see her get an Academy Award nomination for UNFAITHFUL a couple of years ago. She's a really good actress who deserves better roles than the ones she has had in the recent past.
The Stains remind me somewhat of the Shaggs and they prefigure quite a bit in what became "indie rock." I can see the roots of Beat Happening, the Pastels, and of course many of the riot grrrl bands. In the film it is quite amazing to realize that this band is becoming popular when it consists of only a singer, bass player, and guitar player. That bass player is played by Laura Dern.
Paul Simonon from the Clash is in the film.
Black Randy and the Metro Squad make an appearance which is quite unexpected.
E.G. Daily from VALLEY GIRL has a brief appearance as a maid.
Lou Adler directed this movie. He's the guy always sitting next to Jack Nicholson at Laker games.
Tonight I also watched a brief documentary about the film which I bought a few months back. I think it was made a few years ago and it is interesting to see then current interviews with many people involved in the film. It also discusses how much of a true cult film it is and how it has affected many current musicians. Hopefully the film will come out on dvd someday with this documentary included as well as other extras. I would love to see interviews with all the musicians who love the film.
All I can say is if you where in your early teens in the late seventies or early eighties and you were discovering punk rock at that time then you have to see this movie. It is not the punk episode of Quincy. It is the antithesis of that. It is quality.
Tomorrow night Tackhead are playing at the Echo. They are known for being the house band for Sugarhill Records back in the day, but I know them more for their work with Gary Clail, Mark Stewart, Adrian Sherwood and On U Sound Records. I saw them in 1987 or 1988 at the Palace in Hollywood. I think there were less than fifty people there. All the people I just mentioned were involved in that particular show, but I don't think that will be the case tomorrow at least vocals-wise. Other than the sparse crowd, the thing I remember about that show was the incredible bass. It was the kind of bass that pummels your body and I loved it. I'm kind of low on money right now so I don't know if I will make it, but if I don't go I sure hope I don't regret not going.
Diane Lane was probably about 15 or 16 when she made the film. I think the term "jailbait" was created for girls like her and it is easy to remember why I had such a crush on her way back when. She is truly an actress as well. There are lines in the movie which might sound bad or corny spoken by someone else, but she really makes you believe in what she is saying. In the movie she really has this great "fuck you" attitude that she pulls off really well. I was really happy to see her get an Academy Award nomination for UNFAITHFUL a couple of years ago. She's a really good actress who deserves better roles than the ones she has had in the recent past.
The Stains remind me somewhat of the Shaggs and they prefigure quite a bit in what became "indie rock." I can see the roots of Beat Happening, the Pastels, and of course many of the riot grrrl bands. In the film it is quite amazing to realize that this band is becoming popular when it consists of only a singer, bass player, and guitar player. That bass player is played by Laura Dern.
Paul Simonon from the Clash is in the film.
Black Randy and the Metro Squad make an appearance which is quite unexpected.
E.G. Daily from VALLEY GIRL has a brief appearance as a maid.
Lou Adler directed this movie. He's the guy always sitting next to Jack Nicholson at Laker games.
Tonight I also watched a brief documentary about the film which I bought a few months back. I think it was made a few years ago and it is interesting to see then current interviews with many people involved in the film. It also discusses how much of a true cult film it is and how it has affected many current musicians. Hopefully the film will come out on dvd someday with this documentary included as well as other extras. I would love to see interviews with all the musicians who love the film.
All I can say is if you where in your early teens in the late seventies or early eighties and you were discovering punk rock at that time then you have to see this movie. It is not the punk episode of Quincy. It is the antithesis of that. It is quality.
Tomorrow night Tackhead are playing at the Echo. They are known for being the house band for Sugarhill Records back in the day, but I know them more for their work with Gary Clail, Mark Stewart, Adrian Sherwood and On U Sound Records. I saw them in 1987 or 1988 at the Palace in Hollywood. I think there were less than fifty people there. All the people I just mentioned were involved in that particular show, but I don't think that will be the case tomorrow at least vocals-wise. Other than the sparse crowd, the thing I remember about that show was the incredible bass. It was the kind of bass that pummels your body and I loved it. I'm kind of low on money right now so I don't know if I will make it, but if I don't go I sure hope I don't regret not going.
Saturday, September 04, 2004
It seems that years have passed by since I had a good night's sleep. I woke up around 6:00 this morning and I couldn't fall back to sleep. I decided to go for a walk for some exercise being that I need to lose some lbs. One nice thing about being up early is that there is hardly anyone out on the streets. I kind of like the quiet and the solitude. I took my I-Pod and the second song that came on was Helmet's "Turned Out." After their second album came out, from which this song is taken, I started to rapidly lose interest in them. The first single, "In The Meantime," was great, but the rest of the album didn't really do much for me. The sound was much more "song oriented" and it has a cleaner sound whereas I was much more interested in the raw sound of the first album. That first album was just the perfect blend of hardcore with the more agreeable aspects of metal. Maybe I felt that the second album was starting to lean more into straight ahead metal. In 1993 my friend Sarah and I went to see Helmet at UC Irvine. We left after a few songs. Neither of us was feeling anything as they played and it just seemed like a waste of time. This is in sharp contrast to the great shows we saw them do at places like Bogarts, Jabberjaw, and the Whiskey. For awhile we must have seen just about every show they did when they came into town. They were such a tight band that it was pretty amazing to witness. They had a pretty brutal sound too and they put a lot of "hard" bands to shame. I always liked the fact that that they looked like regular guys as well. They didn't need any stupid clothes or hairdos or tattoos to prove anything. But all that was basically forgotten that night at UCI. Maybe it was the fact that the opening band, Jesus Lizard, blew them off the stage. That was probably the best show I ever saw them do and that is saying something. Three great musicians fronted by a wild man. After their set that night nothing could compare. I see that Helmet has a new album coming out and they will be touring also. I wonder if it is the original line-up? I wonder if I even care anymore? I have to admit that I have a little curiousity, but I don't know... Page Hamilton worked on the last Limp Bizkit album and the new Helmet album is called Size Matters. How dumb is that!?!
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Yesterday during a break from work I went to Tower Records and bought the new Midnight Movies album and the dvd of VIDEODROME. Thankfully I got off work early enough to make it in time to see Midnight Movies play live at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. My friend Suze went with me and on the drive up we listened to the album. The singer reminds me so much of Nico and the music can also be related to the Velvet Underground as well as Krautrock bands. I liked the album, but Suze was unimpressed. They played live for about 20 or 30 minutes and to a certain degree it is almost like a completely different band when compared to the album. They are much more raw live and to me that is always a good thing. Live, you can really get enveloped by their sound whereas the record sounds a little too reserved in comparison. Perhaps it is nice to be able to get two varieties of sound from the same band depending on your mood. Suze actually thanked me for bringing her to the show because she was impressed by them live. The vocals are good in either context, but the instrumentation really comes alive when you see them in person.
I haven't watched VIDEODROME since an uncut videotape was released a number of years ago, so I'm really looking forward to watching the Criterion Collection dvd of the film. Criterion always makes great packages and this one looks like it is loaded with extras. The packaging itself is very nice; the case is made to look like a videotape. The movie deals with issues of media, but that it is much too dry of a description because it is a very visually stylish film with plenty of sex and violence. Debbie Harry looks quite alluring and Rick Baker's special make-up effects are simply amazing and still put a lot of today's computer graphics effects to shame.
I haven't watched VIDEODROME since an uncut videotape was released a number of years ago, so I'm really looking forward to watching the Criterion Collection dvd of the film. Criterion always makes great packages and this one looks like it is loaded with extras. The packaging itself is very nice; the case is made to look like a videotape. The movie deals with issues of media, but that it is much too dry of a description because it is a very visually stylish film with plenty of sex and violence. Debbie Harry looks quite alluring and Rick Baker's special make-up effects are simply amazing and still put a lot of today's computer graphics effects to shame.
