I put together a Muxtape of some of the bands that I've seen live this month. You can stream it here.
Song List:
1. The Mountain Goats - "Heretic Pride"
2. She & Him - "Change is Hard"
3. The Morning Benders - "Dammit Anna"
4. Port O'Brien - "I Woke Up Today"
5. Delta Spirit - "People, Turn Around"
6. Nada Surf - "Are You Lightning?"
7. Bon Iver - "The Wolves"
8. Or, the Whale - "Crack a Smile"
9. The Silent Comedy - "River Rolls"
10. The Swedish Models - "Victoria Prescott"
11. Swim Party - "Twenty-Five"
12. The Modlins - "I Wouldn't Know What to Do"
Monday, March 31, 2008
This Week in Shows: 03/31-04/06/2008
Monday, 3/31: Anti-Monday League featuring Musee Mecanique, Diana Death, The Wrong Trousers @ Casbah, ?.
Tuesday 4/1: ?
Wednesday 4/2: Thin Man, The Muslims @ Tower Bar, ?.
Thursday 4/3: May Fire, The Fascination, Frantic Romantic @ Beauty Bar, ?.
Friday 4/4: The Fest - The Sess, The Muslims, The Vision of a Dying World, Red Feathers, Fantastic Magic @ Casbah, $8.
Saturday 4/5: The Little Ones, Ra Ra Riot, The Morning Benders @ Casbah, $8/10 day of show.
Sunday 4/6: Le Loup, The Ruby Suns, Long Live Logos @ Casbah, $8.
Tuesday 4/1: ?
Wednesday 4/2: Thin Man, The Muslims @ Tower Bar, ?.
Thursday 4/3: May Fire, The Fascination, Frantic Romantic @ Beauty Bar, ?.
Friday 4/4: The Fest - The Sess, The Muslims, The Vision of a Dying World, Red Feathers, Fantastic Magic @ Casbah, $8.
Saturday 4/5: The Little Ones, Ra Ra Riot, The Morning Benders @ Casbah, $8/10 day of show.
Sunday 4/6: Le Loup, The Ruby Suns, Long Live Logos @ Casbah, $8.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/30/2008
I think the reason I like this photo is because of the lights reflected in the mirror. It was an unintentional byproduct of my setup, but once I noticed it, I decided to put it to use. I've seriously had that burnt-out lightbulb sitting on my kitchen table for 4 or 5 days now - apparently being a photographer has justified my packrat habits.
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Songs About Pictures
Photography blog 2point8 (a reference to an aperture opening) made a Muxtape containing songs about photos. Check it out here.
In related news, I'm working on my own Muxtape concerning bands I saw live this month. I've got the list of songs, but I still need to upload them.
And in totally unrelated news, I got some good shots (as well as some good food) at the Casbah last night. I think they changed out the filters in their lights again? And they definitely had them going on full power. It makes such a huge difference...
In related news, I'm working on my own Muxtape concerning bands I saw live this month. I've got the list of songs, but I still need to upload them.
And in totally unrelated news, I got some good shots (as well as some good food) at the Casbah last night. I think they changed out the filters in their lights again? And they definitely had them going on full power. It makes such a huge difference...
Daytrotter Features Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Daytrotter - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
Daytrotter has been expanding their offering of live sessions by indie rockers - this week starts off with lo-fi, quirky indie-poppers SSLYBY. Who, by the way, are playing the Beauty Bar on May 11th - my 26th birthday. The leap year may have robbed me of a Saturday birthday, but that just about makes up for it.
Daytrotter has been expanding their offering of live sessions by indie rockers - this week starts off with lo-fi, quirky indie-poppers SSLYBY. Who, by the way, are playing the Beauty Bar on May 11th - my 26th birthday. The leap year may have robbed me of a Saturday birthday, but that just about makes up for it.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Update
Alright, comments are back open, although from now on, you'll have to be a registered user (Open ID, Google, etc) to post a comment, and they are all going to be moderated by me before they go up on the blog.
The offensive comments have been deleted, although it took a lot more energy than I thought it would. Essentially, I had to transcribe the Classic Blogger template I was using to a New Blogger template, which is why the site may look slightly different from now on. I tried to maintain most of the formatting (and fix a few things that were bugging me anyway), but there might have been a couple things that got lost in the translation.
As always, let me know if there are any major issues with the site, or if you don't like how something looks, etc.
All in all, this was much less painful than it was to redesign the site a few months ago. Looks like some of that HTML/CSS knowledge that I taught myself via trial and error stuck after all. But yeah, drinks are still in order...
The offensive comments have been deleted, although it took a lot more energy than I thought it would. Essentially, I had to transcribe the Classic Blogger template I was using to a New Blogger template, which is why the site may look slightly different from now on. I tried to maintain most of the formatting (and fix a few things that were bugging me anyway), but there might have been a couple things that got lost in the translation.
As always, let me know if there are any major issues with the site, or if you don't like how something looks, etc.
All in all, this was much less painful than it was to redesign the site a few months ago. Looks like some of that HTML/CSS knowledge that I taught myself via trial and error stuck after all. But yeah, drinks are still in order...
Stereogum reviews live Port O'Brien and Delta Spirit, catches blackmail photos of Jake
Port O'Brien/Delta Spirit @ Pianos, NYC 3/26/08
Looks like Stereogum's a new fan of Port O'Brien and Delta Spirit, although the reaction to Delta Spirit was a little more lukewarm. If they had stayed until the set closer of "People, Turn Around," they would have been raving a little more, I'm sure.
And yeah, unless my eyes betray me, their "favorite guy in a really long time," is none other than Jake. Looks like he's having a great time on tour.
Looks like Stereogum's a new fan of Port O'Brien and Delta Spirit, although the reaction to Delta Spirit was a little more lukewarm. If they had stayed until the set closer of "People, Turn Around," they would have been raving a little more, I'm sure.
And yeah, unless my eyes betray me, their "favorite guy in a really long time," is none other than Jake. Looks like he's having a great time on tour.
More Apologies
As I was deleting my spam email today, I think I saw an email that looked to be blog-related, but not in time to save it (damn you, gmail "delete all" function!).
I'm pretty good at replying to emails regarding my blog (eventually, at least), so if you've been trying to reach me and I've accidentally been deleting your emails with the rest of the spam, I'm sorry. Please try to email again, or better yet, leave a comment here and I'll email YOU. I'll try to keep a better eye on my spam folder in the future, and to better tune the filters so that the emails don't get there in the first place.
It's been a long night, but I'm off to bed now.
P.S. Anyone who missed the free show by Swim Party and The Sess tonight is a sucker. Both bands are incredible.
I'm pretty good at replying to emails regarding my blog (eventually, at least), so if you've been trying to reach me and I've accidentally been deleting your emails with the rest of the spam, I'm sorry. Please try to email again, or better yet, leave a comment here and I'll email YOU. I'll try to keep a better eye on my spam folder in the future, and to better tune the filters so that the emails don't get there in the first place.
It's been a long night, but I'm off to bed now.
P.S. Anyone who missed the free show by Swim Party and The Sess tonight is a sucker. Both bands are incredible.
Apologies
If anyone happened to check the site Saturday night and see some inappropriate comments, I sincerely apologize. Some anonymous (to you, not to me, unfortunately), highly immature douchetard with questionable mental stability was bored and decided to create some drama out of thin air.
I don't do drama. So I've hidden all comments for now until I can figure out how to delete those specific ones (I'd do it now, but it's 1:30 AM and I'm too tired to fix the HTML on my template), which is a shame, because most of you write such nice things. I promise I'll get to work on a solution tomorrow morning.
Oh, and from now on, no more anonymous commenting. So if you want to tell me that I look hot in my Halloween costume or whatever, you'll have to give yourself some sort of name. Which is something I probably should have done long ago.
Regularly scheduled programming returns tomorrow. I'll be at the Casbah for their free show tomorrow night (Yay Modlins!), so swing on by if you want to buy me a drink (or several) and hear the whole story. I'm warning you, though, it's a long one.
I don't do drama. So I've hidden all comments for now until I can figure out how to delete those specific ones (I'd do it now, but it's 1:30 AM and I'm too tired to fix the HTML on my template), which is a shame, because most of you write such nice things. I promise I'll get to work on a solution tomorrow morning.
Oh, and from now on, no more anonymous commenting. So if you want to tell me that I look hot in my Halloween costume or whatever, you'll have to give yourself some sort of name. Which is something I probably should have done long ago.
Regularly scheduled programming returns tomorrow. I'll be at the Casbah for their free show tomorrow night (Yay Modlins!), so swing on by if you want to buy me a drink (or several) and hear the whole story. I'm warning you, though, it's a long one.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Daily Photo: 03/29/2008
There are 3 (!) castle-esque houses on one block in South Park. This is one of them. Another one is for sale, and if I had somewhere around $800,000, I would buy it.
I like the tower on this house. I like to imagine that it's a high-ceilinged reading room/library/study, because if I lived there, that's what I would want it to be.
I like the tower on this house. I like to imagine that it's a high-ceilinged reading room/library/study, because if I lived there, that's what I would want it to be.
Random Notes
This is just a collection of stuff that I feel like throwing out there:
- On Friday, when I was biking home, I saw a guy doing karate moves on the corner of 9th and University. That gave me a chuckle.
- I watched the movie Atonement the other night, and I must say - James McAvoy, there will forever be a place in my heart for you. And that place is shoving me up against a bookshelf. On a side note, the movie was incredible, both in the story and the visual aspects. That 5 minute tracking shot on the beach blew my mind.
- I bought an off-camera shoe cord for my Speedlite off of Ebay for $25. Hooray!
- I can't stop listening to the Or, the Whale and The Silent Comedy albums that I picked up last weekend. They're both really good and I highly recommend them if you don't have them already.
Friday, March 28, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/28/2008
Man, it's been a long time since I shot anything with my Holga. But today was a beautiful day. It was a University holiday, so I only went in to work for two hours, and then I took my bike back to the Trek store to get it fixed and to get a new helmet. They did a super job this time, it downshifts with no problems whatsoever, and I really like the helmet (especially that it was $20 off!).
So when I got home, I decided to go for a ride around South Park, and to take the Holga with me. The Fuji Reala film's not doing any good sitting in the freezer, right? And then after I finished the roll, I biked up to George's, where they developed it in the usual 15 minutes.
I'm not really sure why I like this shot, but I think it has something to do with the juxtaposition of the green and the lavender. And the soft focus. Mmmm Holga.
So when I got home, I decided to go for a ride around South Park, and to take the Holga with me. The Fuji Reala film's not doing any good sitting in the freezer, right? And then after I finished the roll, I biked up to George's, where they developed it in the usual 15 minutes.
I'm not really sure why I like this shot, but I think it has something to do with the juxtaposition of the green and the lavender. And the soft focus. Mmmm Holga.
Daily Photo: 03/28/2008
Taken on the way to Citybeat's Local Music Issue Party -which, as Rosey already implied, sorta blew. We left after about half an hour and headed to the Whistlestop.
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Thursday, March 27, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/27/2008
Sometimes they match.
A composite of two images, obviously, and I kind of wish they were taken on Polaroid film, as opposed to digital. Ah well.
Settings were ISO 200, f4.0, 1/80th of a second. There were three direct light sources used in both of them, and ala Strobist I'm going to ask you guys to guess where they were (hint - look me in the eye).
I actually like the image on the right as a stand-alone, but I had this composite stewing in my brain all day long, so I ran with it. Let me know what you think.
A composite of two images, obviously, and I kind of wish they were taken on Polaroid film, as opposed to digital. Ah well.
Settings were ISO 200, f4.0, 1/80th of a second. There were three direct light sources used in both of them, and ala Strobist I'm going to ask you guys to guess where they were (hint - look me in the eye).
I actually like the image on the right as a stand-alone, but I had this composite stewing in my brain all day long, so I ran with it. Let me know what you think.
The Anti-Tune Up
Several weeks ago, I took my bike into the Trek store to get it tuned up, mostly just because it hadn't been in for awhile and I was riding it more often than usual.
However, the tune up wasn't so much a tune up as it was a fuck up.
When I got it back and tried to ride it to the shuttle in Hillcrest the next day, I could hear the front brake rubbing up against the front wheel when I pedaled. Needless to say, the ride sucked that day, since constant friction significantly dissipates kinetic energy and forward momentum (whoa, physics speak).
That problem was fixed quickly because I had to take my bike into the bike shop on campus to get my registration renewed. While I was there, an employee kindly fixed the brakes.
But another problem took a little longer to show up. Apparently they had also misaligned the gears (I have no idea if this is the correct terminology or not), so that downshifting was now a problem. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it worked eventually, and sometimes I had to shift back up and then down again to get it to work. But it was a problem that I learned to deal with, and it hadn't really caused that much harm, so I saw no reason to get it fixed.
Until today.
Which, coincidentally, was also the day that I decided to be a complete space cadet - very uncharacteristic of me - and leave my bike helmet on the shuttle on my way home from work.
I realized this about 5 blocks from the shuttle, and then shrugged it off, figuring I needed a new one anyway, and continued on my way home. Now, the highlight of my day is flying down that hill between Park Blvd and Florida St, and today I stopped at the top of it, waiting for the light at the bottom to turn green before barreling down. I was in my highest gear by the time I hit the bottom of it, and I coasted most of the way up to the light at the top of Mississippi St.
As soon as I got to the light, which had been red, it turned green, so I started pedaling again, but since I was in my highest gear, this was a little hard. I downshifted and nothing happened. Just as I was about to shift up and try again, the gears suddenly and violently shifted.
Thankfully I was standing up on my bike and pedaling at the time, otherwise I might have gone headfirst over the handlebars - with no helmet. As it was, both of my feet slipped forward off of their respective pedals to the ground, the right upper gearshift took a chuck out of the knuckle on my right index finger, and my right hip bone slammed into the right lower gearshift. Probably the best possible outcome, but it still left me a little shook up, and I'll probably have a sweet bruise on my hip to remind me of it.
The rest of the ride home was uneventful, but tomorrow? That bike's going back to the shop. And me? I'm getting a new helmet.
However, the tune up wasn't so much a tune up as it was a fuck up.
When I got it back and tried to ride it to the shuttle in Hillcrest the next day, I could hear the front brake rubbing up against the front wheel when I pedaled. Needless to say, the ride sucked that day, since constant friction significantly dissipates kinetic energy and forward momentum (whoa, physics speak).
That problem was fixed quickly because I had to take my bike into the bike shop on campus to get my registration renewed. While I was there, an employee kindly fixed the brakes.
But another problem took a little longer to show up. Apparently they had also misaligned the gears (I have no idea if this is the correct terminology or not), so that downshifting was now a problem. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it worked eventually, and sometimes I had to shift back up and then down again to get it to work. But it was a problem that I learned to deal with, and it hadn't really caused that much harm, so I saw no reason to get it fixed.
Until today.
Which, coincidentally, was also the day that I decided to be a complete space cadet - very uncharacteristic of me - and leave my bike helmet on the shuttle on my way home from work.
I realized this about 5 blocks from the shuttle, and then shrugged it off, figuring I needed a new one anyway, and continued on my way home. Now, the highlight of my day is flying down that hill between Park Blvd and Florida St, and today I stopped at the top of it, waiting for the light at the bottom to turn green before barreling down. I was in my highest gear by the time I hit the bottom of it, and I coasted most of the way up to the light at the top of Mississippi St.
As soon as I got to the light, which had been red, it turned green, so I started pedaling again, but since I was in my highest gear, this was a little hard. I downshifted and nothing happened. Just as I was about to shift up and try again, the gears suddenly and violently shifted.
Thankfully I was standing up on my bike and pedaling at the time, otherwise I might have gone headfirst over the handlebars - with no helmet. As it was, both of my feet slipped forward off of their respective pedals to the ground, the right upper gearshift took a chuck out of the knuckle on my right index finger, and my right hip bone slammed into the right lower gearshift. Probably the best possible outcome, but it still left me a little shook up, and I'll probably have a sweet bruise on my hip to remind me of it.
The rest of the ride home was uneventful, but tomorrow? That bike's going back to the shop. And me? I'm getting a new helmet.
A Soundtrack to Science
Yesterday, I spent two and a half hours in the tissue culture room, isolating mouse embryonic fibroblasts and taking care of other cells that I already had growing. I usually don't listen to much music at work unless I'm in the process of writing a grant or a paper, but when I know I'm going to be in a windowless room for that long with my gloved hands stuck inside a sterile hood, I usually just put my iPod on random shuffle.
Given that it's a 160GB iPod, there's A LOT of music on it, so it's always interesting to see what comes up. And here's the playlist from yesterday:
Given that it's a 160GB iPod, there's A LOT of music on it, so it's always interesting to see what comes up. And here's the playlist from yesterday:
I was pretty happy with the mix, although the back-to-back R.E.M. songs was a little weird. It was also somewhat strange that, not only did it play two Pavement songs, but it played the SAME ONE twice - although, to be fair, that song came once from Terror Twilight and once from a mix CD that I made for a friend entitled Songs to Listen to While Looking for Parking in Manayunk and Dreaming of Pizza from Santucci's. Yes, I still make mix CDs. And yes, there is a story behind that title.
Also, two Johnny Cash songs - not bad at all. And I was super pleased with the back-to-back Ben Folds and Ben Kweller, even though they were both live versions.
I'm considering making this into a Muxtape, but before I go though all the trouble, is anyone out there really interested in streaming it? If so, I might feel compelled to make this a semi-regular feature.
Also, two Johnny Cash songs - not bad at all. And I was super pleased with the back-to-back Ben Folds and Ben Kweller, even though they were both live versions.
I'm considering making this into a Muxtape, but before I go though all the trouble, is anyone out there really interested in streaming it? If so, I might feel compelled to make this a semi-regular feature.
Daily Photo: 03/27/2008
Okay, this one's too funny not to post:
Matthew Lesko was apparantly at the Whistlestop last night. I'm not usually one for paparazzi-esque photos, but I watched a lot of late night TV when I was in undergrad, so I saw a lot of this:
But WOW, this one's even better:
It almost tops the time I was eating dinner in LA in the same restaurant as Ron Jeremy (btw, I realized halfway into telling my dad that story that it was going to end awkwardly, almost as awkwardly as watching the "Never...stop...fucking...me" scene from Jerry Maguire with him in the room). Sadly, I have no photo evidence of that occurrence. The restaurant was also featured in an episode of Entourage...
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/26/2008
Please excuse my love affair with high contrast images.
I think what I like most about this photo is the slanted door frame which creates the illusion of an asymmetric photo border - especially with the overblown white of the wall beyond it.
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I think what I like most about this photo is the slanted door frame which creates the illusion of an asymmetric photo border - especially with the overblown white of the wall beyond it.
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Tuesday, March 25, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/25/2008
Continuing with the denim theme. This is what happens when you keep your wallet in the back pocket of your girlie jeans - the ones that fit nicely in all the right places? Bad idea.
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Show Review: The Silent Comedy and Or, The Whale @ Casbah, 3/22/2008
Photos: The Silent Comedy and Or, The Whale @ Casbah
I'm not by nature a religious person. I'm a scientist, which means I have a deep-seated respect and a great feeling awe for the universe. But I grew up Catholic, going as far as getting confirmed in the church - which means I've had enough preaching to last me for the rest of my life, and then some. I do often wonder, though, what my feelings on the subject might be if the services I attended as a child were a little more, well, FUN. A little less reverent and a lot more joyous.
Fitting, therefore, that I ended up at the Casbah last Saturday night for my brand of Easter Vigil. Now I won't go so far as to say that the Casbah is my church, but I'm usually there at least once a week to see some sort of performance - so the analogy holds. And the bands that played that night were nothing less than appropriate. The whole time I felt like I was attending a church revival. The kind where the communion wine is actually moonshine.
I walked in during what ended up being Silverbird's last song. They were covering Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" (a fine choice), but Justin broke a string on what turned out to be his second guitar of the night. Unfortunately, no one had any spare strings, so they had to end their set early. I was disappointed because I haven't seen them since that one time at the Che Cafe, and I keep trying to, but they keep eluding me.
Up next was San Francisco's Or, The Whale, whom I'd heard of via Adrian. I looked on in disbelief as they kept setting up instrument after instrument on the Casbah stage. I mean, I've seen smaller stages in my life, but it gets cramped up there pretty quickly. Especially when you have seven people playing said instruments. A lot of bands, when faced with that space constraint, might feel compelled to rein in the 'rockin out, but not this bunch - they played a super energetic, raucous set.
That repertoire of instruments contained a pedal steel guitar and a banjo, by the way. Honestly, the quickest way to my heart, as a band, is via pedal steel or bluesy piano lines. I don't know why, but it weakens my auditory equivalent of knees. Another thing that does this is great vocal harmonies, especially a pairing of male and female vocals. And you guessed it - Or, The Whale had those too.
They had some really countrified slower songs (I mean, really, with pedal steel, it'd be a crime not to), but even during these songs they kept the audience engaged via melodies that were easy to sing along to. And for their final song, they called members of The Silent Comedy on stage to help them out, and man - if I thought Or, The Whale was raucous, they had nothing on the boys from The Silent Comedy.
And yeah, if I thought Or, The Whale had a lot of instruments/people to fit on stage, I think The Silent Comedy one-upped them there - no pedal steel, but they did have a a trombone and a saxophone. And enough people joining in on random songs that they couldn't all be on stage at the same time.
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The two bands fit nicely together on the bill (as well as Silverbird) - they both contain elements of country rock, but I'd say that in The Silent Comedy's case they veered a little closer to roots rock than Or, The Whale. Their main singer has a smooth, soulful voice, but there are a few different singers in the band, so their vocal sound is extremely versatile.
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
They also have a violinist/fiddler (in the context of their songs, I feel like I have to refer to it as a fiddle), who went absolutely crazy on a couple of the songs. And, of course, there was also a banjo involved. All the eclectic instruments that I like...
During their last song, the singer/bassist ended up first out in the crowd, then on the actual floor, which is where most of the tent revival feeling came from. I feel like they'd do really well on a bill with Delta Spirit - has this happened yet? Regardless, after those two sets (and after picking up CDs from both of the bands), I was spent for the evening. I ducked out during Get Back Loretta's set and headed home for the evening, feeling as though I had gotten my fill of church again - and actually enjoyed it this time.
I'm not by nature a religious person. I'm a scientist, which means I have a deep-seated respect and a great feeling awe for the universe. But I grew up Catholic, going as far as getting confirmed in the church - which means I've had enough preaching to last me for the rest of my life, and then some. I do often wonder, though, what my feelings on the subject might be if the services I attended as a child were a little more, well, FUN. A little less reverent and a lot more joyous.
Fitting, therefore, that I ended up at the Casbah last Saturday night for my brand of Easter Vigil. Now I won't go so far as to say that the Casbah is my church, but I'm usually there at least once a week to see some sort of performance - so the analogy holds. And the bands that played that night were nothing less than appropriate. The whole time I felt like I was attending a church revival. The kind where the communion wine is actually moonshine.
I walked in during what ended up being Silverbird's last song. They were covering Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" (a fine choice), but Justin broke a string on what turned out to be his second guitar of the night. Unfortunately, no one had any spare strings, so they had to end their set early. I was disappointed because I haven't seen them since that one time at the Che Cafe, and I keep trying to, but they keep eluding me.
Up next was San Francisco's Or, The Whale, whom I'd heard of via Adrian. I looked on in disbelief as they kept setting up instrument after instrument on the Casbah stage. I mean, I've seen smaller stages in my life, but it gets cramped up there pretty quickly. Especially when you have seven people playing said instruments. A lot of bands, when faced with that space constraint, might feel compelled to rein in the 'rockin out, but not this bunch - they played a super energetic, raucous set.
That repertoire of instruments contained a pedal steel guitar and a banjo, by the way. Honestly, the quickest way to my heart, as a band, is via pedal steel or bluesy piano lines. I don't know why, but it weakens my auditory equivalent of knees. Another thing that does this is great vocal harmonies, especially a pairing of male and female vocals. And you guessed it - Or, The Whale had those too.
They had some really countrified slower songs (I mean, really, with pedal steel, it'd be a crime not to), but even during these songs they kept the audience engaged via melodies that were easy to sing along to. And for their final song, they called members of The Silent Comedy on stage to help them out, and man - if I thought Or, The Whale was raucous, they had nothing on the boys from The Silent Comedy.
And yeah, if I thought Or, The Whale had a lot of instruments/people to fit on stage, I think The Silent Comedy one-upped them there - no pedal steel, but they did have a a trombone and a saxophone. And enough people joining in on random songs that they couldn't all be on stage at the same time.
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The two bands fit nicely together on the bill (as well as Silverbird) - they both contain elements of country rock, but I'd say that in The Silent Comedy's case they veered a little closer to roots rock than Or, The Whale. Their main singer has a smooth, soulful voice, but there are a few different singers in the band, so their vocal sound is extremely versatile.
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
The Silent Comedy @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
They also have a violinist/fiddler (in the context of their songs, I feel like I have to refer to it as a fiddle), who went absolutely crazy on a couple of the songs. And, of course, there was also a banjo involved. All the eclectic instruments that I like...
During their last song, the singer/bassist ended up first out in the crowd, then on the actual floor, which is where most of the tent revival feeling came from. I feel like they'd do really well on a bill with Delta Spirit - has this happened yet? Regardless, after those two sets (and after picking up CDs from both of the bands), I was spent for the evening. I ducked out during Get Back Loretta's set and headed home for the evening, feeling as though I had gotten my fill of church again - and actually enjoyed it this time.
Monday, March 24, 2008
This Week in Shows: 03/24-3/30/2008
Monday: Saul Williams, Dragons of Zynth @ Casbah, SOLD OUT. Bob Mould, Saturna, Reeve Oliver @ Belly Up, $6.
Tuesday: Steve Poltz, The Truckee Brothers @ Casbah, $15.
Wednesday: The Swedish Models @ Whistlestop, free?
Thursday: ?
Friday: Tokyo Police Club, Eagle Seagull, We Barbarians @ Soma sidestage, $14.
Saturday: Mika Miko, Kill Me Tomorrow @ Whistlestop, free?
Sunday: FM94.9 free show featuring The Modlins, Anna Troy Band, Echo Revolution, Secret Apollo, Action Andy and the Haunted Honky Tonkers @ Casbah, FREE.
Tuesday: Steve Poltz, The Truckee Brothers @ Casbah, $15.
Wednesday: The Swedish Models @ Whistlestop, free?
Thursday: ?
Friday: Tokyo Police Club, Eagle Seagull, We Barbarians @ Soma sidestage, $14.
Saturday: Mika Miko, Kill Me Tomorrow @ Whistlestop, free?
Sunday: FM94.9 free show featuring The Modlins, Anna Troy Band, Echo Revolution, Secret Apollo, Action Andy and the Haunted Honky Tonkers @ Casbah, FREE.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/24/2008
My favorite pair of jeans, with my legs still in them (that's the white blob in the upper right part of the frame). I liked the texture of the photo, and then I decided to really push it in terms of clipping the highlights and giving it really high contrast, and then mucking about with the curves in Photoshop.
I've decided that this 366 Days project is making me learn just as much about digital post-processing as it is about shooting. I've been reading up on my Strobist lately, though, so maybe someday I will break out my dad's old Vivitar flash as well as the Speedlite and be a little more ambitious in terms of my lighting.
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On a completely unrelated note, camera goodies I would like to get before Coachella/Alaska this summer:
I've decided that this 366 Days project is making me learn just as much about digital post-processing as it is about shooting. I've been reading up on my Strobist lately, though, so maybe someday I will break out my dad's old Vivitar flash as well as the Speedlite and be a little more ambitious in terms of my lighting.
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On a completely unrelated note, camera goodies I would like to get before Coachella/Alaska this summer:
- Lomo Fisheye 35mm camera
- Neutral Density filters - good for keeping a shallow depth of field when shooting rock stars in broad daylight; also good for daytime landscapes.
- 35mm film adapter for my Holga - because it just looks cool.
- A decent zoom lens - I am poor so I work mostly with prime lenses - a 50mm f1.8 and a 20mm f1.8. Other than that, all I have is the Canon kit lens, which I don't really like. This is the least likely purchase on this list, sadly. Unless, you know, I have that birthday on May 11th...Mom?
- A decent tripod
- Wireless shutter release
- Off-camera shoe cord
Final Proof that I Am a Total Nerd
Our lab was looking at new gel imagers today. Basically, it's a box that transmits UV light from underneath a gel. The gel separates DNA of different lengths by basically forcing it through a matrix (which is the gel) via electricity - DNA is negatively charged, so it migrates through the gel, away from the negative charge being applied to it. The DNA is then stained with a chemical that shows up under UV light. So you stick it in this box, UV light comes up from underneath the gel, illuminating your DNA, and then there is a camera at the top of the box which takes a photo and transmits it to a computer.
Of course, I was looking at the camera specs. The camera on the imager we use now has a lens that opens up to f1.4. The imager we ended up buying? Opens up to f1.0. I didn't even know that existed. No wonder the setup is costing $7500. Science is fucking expensive.
We also bought a centrifuge today, and are thinking about a nanodrop (it measures the amount of DNA in a one microliter sample). I don't even want to know how much they cost...
Of course, I was looking at the camera specs. The camera on the imager we use now has a lens that opens up to f1.4. The imager we ended up buying? Opens up to f1.0. I didn't even know that existed. No wonder the setup is costing $7500. Science is fucking expensive.
We also bought a centrifuge today, and are thinking about a nanodrop (it measures the amount of DNA in a one microliter sample). I don't even want to know how much they cost...
It's Funny Because It's True
Stuff White People Like - San Francisco
But 24-hour Indian restaurants? Now that is almost reason enough to move. Why do we not have one of those (or several) in San Diego?
"No matter how much you have offended someone from San Francisco, you can always make them feel better by asking them how they feel about Southern California. They will instantly talk of how it is filled with crime, pollution, hegemonic culture, and the wrong kind of white people: “I swear California is like two separate countries, and I am so thankful that I live in the cultural center of the West Coast.”"This probably should have been number one on their list. My boss fell into this trap, but I am steadfastly resisting. Mostly because I am poor and because moving to another city is not going to help me get my PhD any faster. And also, when I was up there for Noise Pop, I decided that San Francisco has too many people trying to do the things that I want to do.
But 24-hour Indian restaurants? Now that is almost reason enough to move. Why do we not have one of those (or several) in San Diego?
Sunday, March 23, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/23/2008
Some people go to church on Easter. Some visit family. I went to M-Theory and saw a great in-store performance by Film School. That's sort of like visiting family for me - the only place I feel more at home in this town is the Casbah.
Speaking of the Casbah, the bouncer there last night called me a hipster, to which I gave my normal response of "But my hair is unironically blonde!" He agreed and said that I had to dye it black and get some weird bangs. No thanks. Bangs - shudder.
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Speaking of the Casbah, the bouncer there last night called me a hipster, to which I gave my normal response of "But my hair is unironically blonde!" He agreed and said that I had to dye it black and get some weird bangs. No thanks. Bangs - shudder.
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Album Review: Fuck Buttons - Street Horrrsing
I really want to know where the emphasis lies in this band's name - is it "Fuck Buttons" as in "buttons for fucking" or "Fuck Buttons," because we hate buttons? Either way, I guess it's a moot point - you still get to drop the F-bomb when saying their name.
And I'm going to drop one more F-bomb here - this album? It's fucking brilliant. I didn't expect to like it at all. When a press release mentions "drone" and "distorted vocals," usually that means it falls way outside of my sonic understanding.
But this record works, on a completely different level than anything I've heard in a really long time. The drone is underlying everything, but it doesn't get in the way of the strange melodies supplied on top of it. And the distorted vocals? They're mixed extremely low so that they're not distracting or annoying. They just sort of meld with the drone and work with it to create this total sonic mind-fuck (yeah, another F-bomb. Sorry Mom).
And before you realize it, the drone and all the other layers piled on top of it build into this intense wall of sound that all-consuming. Except you don't realize it until the moment during the last track, "Colours Move", when the drone completely drops off and all you're left with are crystal clear piano notes. These guys are as skilled in their tension and release as Explosions in the Sky, without being so obviously melodic. That being said, though, videos of their live performances put me to sleep, while EITS's live shows are just one adrenaline rush after another. Maybe you just have to be there.
And I'm going to drop one more F-bomb here - this album? It's fucking brilliant. I didn't expect to like it at all. When a press release mentions "drone" and "distorted vocals," usually that means it falls way outside of my sonic understanding.
But this record works, on a completely different level than anything I've heard in a really long time. The drone is underlying everything, but it doesn't get in the way of the strange melodies supplied on top of it. And the distorted vocals? They're mixed extremely low so that they're not distracting or annoying. They just sort of meld with the drone and work with it to create this total sonic mind-fuck (yeah, another F-bomb. Sorry Mom).
And before you realize it, the drone and all the other layers piled on top of it build into this intense wall of sound that all-consuming. Except you don't realize it until the moment during the last track, "Colours Move", when the drone completely drops off and all you're left with are crystal clear piano notes. These guys are as skilled in their tension and release as Explosions in the Sky, without being so obviously melodic. That being said, though, videos of their live performances put me to sleep, while EITS's live shows are just one adrenaline rush after another. Maybe you just have to be there.
Album Review: Midnight Movies - Nights EP
This album opens with a pretty faithful rendition of "Nights in White Satin," an interesting choice to say the least. It's never been one of my favorite songs - in fact, I always found it pretty cheesy. But it works in the context of Midnight Movies - a female vocalist, minus the poem read during the original recording of the song. It works, at least for the opening track - I'm not convinced that the closing track, the same song sung en français, was a necessary addition. Especially to a six-song EP.
The two remixed songs - "Souveniers" remixed by Nick Zinner and "Patient Eye" remixed by James Iha - both contain a very techno/electronica beat. But where Zinner reveled in distortion, Iha mostly went without it in favor of some Eastern-sounding strings.
The other two songs on the album - "Should Have Known" and "Stormy Eyes" - both rely heavily on the use of distortion and pounding drumlines. "Should Have Known" has a vocal melody that recalls Garbage in a way. I liked both of these songs, and I wanted more original content from the EP. I guess I just feel like having two cover versions of the same song comprising a third of the album might be a bad sign - either Midnight Movies is running out of material, or they REALLY like "Knights in White Satin." Me, not so much.
The two remixed songs - "Souveniers" remixed by Nick Zinner and "Patient Eye" remixed by James Iha - both contain a very techno/electronica beat. But where Zinner reveled in distortion, Iha mostly went without it in favor of some Eastern-sounding strings.
The other two songs on the album - "Should Have Known" and "Stormy Eyes" - both rely heavily on the use of distortion and pounding drumlines. "Should Have Known" has a vocal melody that recalls Garbage in a way. I liked both of these songs, and I wanted more original content from the EP. I guess I just feel like having two cover versions of the same song comprising a third of the album might be a bad sign - either Midnight Movies is running out of material, or they REALLY like "Knights in White Satin." Me, not so much.
Album Review: Dawn Landes - Fireproof
Last week I ended up with about four promo CDs in the mail, and this was the first of 'em.
To tell you the truth, I didn't think much of this album upon first listen. I didn't dislike, it just seemed like one of a plethora of female singer-songwriter-type albums. But it's definitely grown on me, mostly due to Dawn's voice, which recalls both Joni Mitchell and Cat Power's Chan Marshall at times. And those just happen to be two of my most favorite female vocalists.
The album opens with "Bodyguard" and some banjo picking paired with lyrics about being robbed - not just the loss of objects, but the disarming feeling of someone being in your space and going through your things. From there it moves onto "I Don't Need No Man," a countrified tune about depending on family rather than a boyfriend - something I can relate to, although personally I would prefer it if she was singing about being totally independent. Something about the line "Papa's gonna shoe my pretty little feet/Mama's gonna glove my hands" kind of bothers me, but the song is catchy nonetheless.
My favorite songs on the album are "Twilight" and "Kids in a Play," which show off Dawn's vocal range really well. She has the ability to hit really high, sweet notes clearly, which is where the Joni Mitchell comparison comes from, but then she can also drop down to the lower ranges and be a bit more sultry, ala Chan Marshall. But her songs still manage to maintain a sense of innocence, mostly due to their subject matter - a lot of which concerns missing simpler times or simpler ways. A prime example of this is in the song "Dig Me a Hole," where she sings "It's hard to breathe in this city/It's easier to drink," lamenting the fact that she no longer lives in the wide-open country. If there's any sentiment I can understand, it's that one.
All in all, it's a pretty solid record, with no major missteps - the only slight mistake, in my opinion, is the opening of "Picture Show." It recalls those old ads they used to show before movies, the ones that went "Let's all go to the lobby..." The song eventually breaks out into a bit of a garage rock stomp, but it seems to be too little too late. However, one3 bad track out of twelve ain't bad. If you're a fan of the aforementioned female vocalists, I'd suggest you pick up this album.
To tell you the truth, I didn't think much of this album upon first listen. I didn't dislike, it just seemed like one of a plethora of female singer-songwriter-type albums. But it's definitely grown on me, mostly due to Dawn's voice, which recalls both Joni Mitchell and Cat Power's Chan Marshall at times. And those just happen to be two of my most favorite female vocalists.
The album opens with "Bodyguard" and some banjo picking paired with lyrics about being robbed - not just the loss of objects, but the disarming feeling of someone being in your space and going through your things. From there it moves onto "I Don't Need No Man," a countrified tune about depending on family rather than a boyfriend - something I can relate to, although personally I would prefer it if she was singing about being totally independent. Something about the line "Papa's gonna shoe my pretty little feet/Mama's gonna glove my hands" kind of bothers me, but the song is catchy nonetheless.
My favorite songs on the album are "Twilight" and "Kids in a Play," which show off Dawn's vocal range really well. She has the ability to hit really high, sweet notes clearly, which is where the Joni Mitchell comparison comes from, but then she can also drop down to the lower ranges and be a bit more sultry, ala Chan Marshall. But her songs still manage to maintain a sense of innocence, mostly due to their subject matter - a lot of which concerns missing simpler times or simpler ways. A prime example of this is in the song "Dig Me a Hole," where she sings "It's hard to breathe in this city/It's easier to drink," lamenting the fact that she no longer lives in the wide-open country. If there's any sentiment I can understand, it's that one.
All in all, it's a pretty solid record, with no major missteps - the only slight mistake, in my opinion, is the opening of "Picture Show." It recalls those old ads they used to show before movies, the ones that went "Let's all go to the lobby..." The song eventually breaks out into a bit of a garage rock stomp, but it seems to be too little too late. However, one3 bad track out of twelve ain't bad. If you're a fan of the aforementioned female vocalists, I'd suggest you pick up this album.
Monthly eMusic Picks - March 2008
I haven't done one of these in awhile, mostly because I've been getting some older stuff off of eMusic the last few months. But this month, my decision was pretty much made when I opened the homepage today.
1. Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
1. Destroyer - Trouble in Dreams
- Duh.
- I was fairly impressed with their show at Noise Pop, and c'mon - who doesn't have a crush on Zooey Deschanel?
- I've been meaning to check them out for some time, so it was really convenient that they just released an album.
Daily Photo: 03/22/2008
There were lots of jokes about these being the tracks of a three-toed mountain lion (seriously, there are signs EVERYWHERE about mountain lions). Then we thought maybe they were wild turkey tracks. We finally settled on quail after catching a glimpse of the actual birds (I couldn't get close enough to take any photos). There were also some smaller, possibly baby bird tracks further on up the trail. Fuck I miss snow.
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/21/2008
I had pretty much forgotten that I bought this watch in Las Vegas almost two years ago. I usually wear a Swiss Army watch that I bought way back in high school when I was in Switzerland. I'm not really one for switching up accessories, but for the last few days I've been wearing this watch. Its ticking is a little loud, and I wish it showed the date like my Swiss Army one does, but other than that, I like it.
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Friday, March 21, 2008
Daily Photo: 03/21/2008
It's been a few days since I've done a daily photo, but I sorta figure that on days where I post band photos it's a little bit of overkill. This is one that I took last weekend up at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. There actually wasn't as much fire damage as I thought there was going to be.
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Thursday, March 20, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 03/20/2008
This seems improbable, if not impossible, but when I left my house this morning, there was a snail hanging off of this fern, about 3 feet above the ground.
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Show Review: Bon Iver and The Paddle Boat @ Che Cafe, 3/19/2008
Photos: Bon Iver @ Che Cafe
Whilst most everyone else in town was at the Vampire Weekend show at the Casbah last night, I decided to go for the more mellow (and not sold out) option of seeing Bon Iver at the Che Cafe.
Of course, after Tuesday night, mellow was more my enemy than my friend. I had barely five hours of sleep coming off a pretty rough weekend, and the prospect of staying on campus for 14 hours straight wasn't exactly appealing. Any lesser of a band, and I would have bailed around 5PM for home and my bed. Instead, I found a secluded couch where I ended up taking a nap - for 2.5 hours.
I showed up at the Che a little before 9, and wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised by the number of people there. Bon Iver has been getting plenty of blog love themselves, especially coming off of SXSW, and with the other hipster option of the evening having been sold out for weeks (and possibly on the verge of no longer being hip), it made a certain amount of sense that there was already a fairly large crowd - relative to the size of the Che, that is. However, there was still that trusty two feet in front of the stage that people were too timid to occupy, so I made my way in that direction.
The Paddle Boat was on first. Three-fourths of their lineup is drawn from The Vision of a Dying World (Jeremy on guitar and vocals, Jackson on bass, and Jona on drums), rounded out with clarinetist/sometimes vocalist Jane. When they got onstage and realized that they were all sitting down in front of a rather large crowd, Jackson asked everyone to sit on the floor so that it would be easier for everyone to see them. And we were more than happy to comply, and it ended up being perfect for the ambiance that their music created. Their music definitely fits in that old timey, sitting around a campfire type of sound - and in case you don't pick up on it, they have the props to make it all the more obvious:
(it's an electric bonfire)
Whilst most everyone else in town was at the Vampire Weekend show at the Casbah last night, I decided to go for the more mellow (and not sold out) option of seeing Bon Iver at the Che Cafe.
Of course, after Tuesday night, mellow was more my enemy than my friend. I had barely five hours of sleep coming off a pretty rough weekend, and the prospect of staying on campus for 14 hours straight wasn't exactly appealing. Any lesser of a band, and I would have bailed around 5PM for home and my bed. Instead, I found a secluded couch where I ended up taking a nap - for 2.5 hours.
I showed up at the Che a little before 9, and wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised by the number of people there. Bon Iver has been getting plenty of blog love themselves, especially coming off of SXSW, and with the other hipster option of the evening having been sold out for weeks (and possibly on the verge of no longer being hip), it made a certain amount of sense that there was already a fairly large crowd - relative to the size of the Che, that is. However, there was still that trusty two feet in front of the stage that people were too timid to occupy, so I made my way in that direction.
The Paddle Boat was on first. Three-fourths of their lineup is drawn from The Vision of a Dying World (Jeremy on guitar and vocals, Jackson on bass, and Jona on drums), rounded out with clarinetist/sometimes vocalist Jane. When they got onstage and realized that they were all sitting down in front of a rather large crowd, Jackson asked everyone to sit on the floor so that it would be easier for everyone to see them. And we were more than happy to comply, and it ended up being perfect for the ambiance that their music created. Their music definitely fits in that old timey, sitting around a campfire type of sound - and in case you don't pick up on it, they have the props to make it all the more obvious:
(it's an electric bonfire)
I really enjoyed their set, which is fairly predictable, given that I liked The Vision of a Dying World that one time I saw them (seriously, I need to see them more). Jeremy was the main vocalist and he sounded great, but at one point Jane sang lead on a cover song (the name of which is escaping me at the moment). She has a really good voice, even though she seemed a tad nervous about it. Jackson added in some vocal harmonies, which just sealed the deal for me. There's a fairly good chance that I'll be seeing these guys again at the Whistlestop tomorrow night.
After they ended, everyone stood up to stretch their legs while Bon Iver set up. But as soon as they got onstage, Justin asked everyone to sit down again. It was a little harder to comply this time, as more people had crowded in, but we all managed it. Usually I dislike sitting down at concerts - I feel like it takes away the energy of the crowd and makes the audience less of a participant in the experience. But maybe that only applies when people are sitting in chairs. Sitting on the floor, crowded in close with other fans, was the perfect environment in which to see a band like Bon Iver.
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
They played a set which surprised me with how rockin' it was. By now, everyone's probably heard the story - the album For Emma, Forever Ago was recorded by Justin alone, in a cabin. The songs were supposed to be demos, but somewhere along the line, someone told him the demos weren't demos. They were the album. And in order to avoid misrepresenting the album, it has its moments of urgency and intensity. But on the whole, it's mostly acoustic guitar and Justin's falsetto. However, live, with the addition of a second guitarist and a drummer, the songs really come to life. There were moments where Justin busted out guitar solos that were almost Clapton-esque in speed and style and perceived ease.
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
The other members of the band had their moments as well. It's really nice to walk into a show having an idea of what the night's going to be like, and then to have that idea blown completely out of the water. After breaking a string on one of those ridiculous guitar solos, Justin decided to end the set a song or two early - by bringing the whole band out into the middle of the seated crowd to play my favorite song off of the album, "Skinny Love." I captured some video of it - I apologize for the fact that there's not much to see on it, because all the lights were out, but the sound quality makes it worth a listen:
I also snagged some video of The Wolves (Act I and II), where there is some kickass audience singalong going on:
After they ended, everyone stood up to stretch their legs while Bon Iver set up. But as soon as they got onstage, Justin asked everyone to sit down again. It was a little harder to comply this time, as more people had crowded in, but we all managed it. Usually I dislike sitting down at concerts - I feel like it takes away the energy of the crowd and makes the audience less of a participant in the experience. But maybe that only applies when people are sitting in chairs. Sitting on the floor, crowded in close with other fans, was the perfect environment in which to see a band like Bon Iver.
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
They played a set which surprised me with how rockin' it was. By now, everyone's probably heard the story - the album For Emma, Forever Ago was recorded by Justin alone, in a cabin. The songs were supposed to be demos, but somewhere along the line, someone told him the demos weren't demos. They were the album. And in order to avoid misrepresenting the album, it has its moments of urgency and intensity. But on the whole, it's mostly acoustic guitar and Justin's falsetto. However, live, with the addition of a second guitarist and a drummer, the songs really come to life. There were moments where Justin busted out guitar solos that were almost Clapton-esque in speed and style and perceived ease.
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, shot by Natalie Kardos
The other members of the band had their moments as well. It's really nice to walk into a show having an idea of what the night's going to be like, and then to have that idea blown completely out of the water. After breaking a string on one of those ridiculous guitar solos, Justin decided to end the set a song or two early - by bringing the whole band out into the middle of the seated crowd to play my favorite song off of the album, "Skinny Love." I captured some video of it - I apologize for the fact that there's not much to see on it, because all the lights were out, but the sound quality makes it worth a listen:
I also snagged some video of The Wolves (Act I and II), where there is some kickass audience singalong going on:
After "Skinny Love," I skipped out on Phosphorescent's set because I had other places to be, and also because I really didn't think there could possibly be any better end to the night.
Preliminary Show Review: Bon Iver @ Che Cafe, 3/19/2008
Bon Iver just blew me away. I'm glad I took a 2.5 hour nap on a couch in the biomedical science grad student lounge, because seeing them play at the Che was worth spending 13.5 hours on campus today. Photos, video, and a full review should be up sometime tomorrow.
Whew, two spectacular shows in as many nights. I don't know how much more of this I can handle before my brain explodes.
Whew, two spectacular shows in as many nights. I don't know how much more of this I can handle before my brain explodes.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Show Review: Nada Surf @ House of Blues, 3/18/2008
Photos: Nada Surf @ House of Blues
It's a strange thing with Nada Surf. People who like indie rock either love them or hate them - there's usually no in between. People who hate them say that their music is either too simple or too cheesy or something along those lines. People who love them...well, I'll get to that.
The more that I listen to their music, the more I realize that it's not as simple as it sounds. The vocal melody is always strong and sweet, especially when combined with the harmonies provided by the other band members. But the underlying chords often contain a significant amount of dissonance, which is easiest to hear in songs like "Your Legs Grow" and "Blizzard of '77." And sometimes it's even more complicated than that - sometimes the dissonance lies in the interplay of the vocal line and the guitar chord. I first caught on to this when I checked out the guitar tabs for "Your Legs Grow," thinking it would be an easy song to learn to play. Instead, my response was more along the lines of, "WTF are these chords?"
And the thing about their songs being cheesy? Alright, I will admit that they have some songs that are on the border of that realm - songs like "Inside of Love" and "Always Love." But they manage to retain their dignity due to the simple fact that they're so goddamn sincere. And maybe you have to see them live to really get the full sense of that sincerity. Which I have - four times now. Once at the SDSU Open Air Theater for the FM 94.9 Independence Jam a few years back, once at the Casbah, once at the Price Center at UCSD, and then last night at the House of Blues. And every time I see them, I walk away a little bit stunned by this little band that just keeps getting bigger (and rightfully so).
I showed up at the House of Blues last night a little later than I wanted to, on account of not leaving work until 7. It took longer than it probably should have to pick up my photo pass and a ticket for The National's show in May, but then afterwards we ran into Matthews Caws hanging out on the sidewalk. Rosey decided to make friends, so we chatted for a few minutes, and then went through the rigamorale of security guards in order to get into the venue. I mean, really, you can't have the person checking IDs also give out hand stamps?
However, once we got inside, all was forgiven. Unlike the last few all-ages shows there, the bottom bar was open, which was nice, even though I never end up drinking there ($$). It was a little disappointing that there wasn't a photo pit as per usual, but we just found a spot on the side of the stage where Matthew usually stands. And once they came out, I was immediately reminded of how good bands always look and sound there. The lighting is just amazing, and yeah, that's a treat for me.
The band played a wide variety of songs gathered mostly from their newest release Lucky and Let Go. I loved every minute of it, singing along and rocking out with a huge grin on my face, even when I was taking photos during the first three songs. They opened with "Hi-Speed Soul," which is coincidentally the name of the record label started by Heather and Eric, the owners of M-Theory Records (who also rereleased Nada Surf's Karmic EP a year or two ago).
My personal favorites, though, were "Killian's Red," "I Like What You Say," "Are You Lightening?" "Blizzard of '77," and "Blonde on Blonde." "Inside of Love" and "Always Love" were also incredibly special due to the crowd singalongs and "audience participation" - during "Inside of Love," Matthew instructed us all to step side-to-side for the whole song and clap during the chorus. And everyone did! At one point, I looked in the large convex mirrors they had set up on stage behind them, and it was just amazing to see the whole bar swaying back and forth.
And speaking of audience participation, during the encore closer of "Blankest Year," both Matthew and Daniel were encouraging people to get up on stage with them. Mind you, the stage at House of Blues is a little high to just jump up, but we did anyone. I say "we" because I too made it up there. Now, I've been backstage at HOB before, but never ON stage. It was a great end to such a cathartic show.
And then there was the after party. Probably not the best decision for me, since I've now been on campus for over 11 hours today, and am planning on being here a few hours more to catch Bon Iver at the Che Cafe. But I don't regret it at all. It was great to finally meet M-Theory owners Heather and Eric, because, as I told them, "I spend about half of my paycheck in your store." I managed to squeeze in a few words with Matthew, who was sweet enough to buy me a drink (I also bought him one later - gotta support the touring bands, right?).
And then the little group of us - me, Rosey, Matthew, Eric, and Heather, ended up dancing for most of the rest of the night and ended up shutting down the bar. I'd have to say it was one of the best shows I've seen in awhile, and one of my best night in awhile, period.
It's a strange thing with Nada Surf. People who like indie rock either love them or hate them - there's usually no in between. People who hate them say that their music is either too simple or too cheesy or something along those lines. People who love them...well, I'll get to that.
The more that I listen to their music, the more I realize that it's not as simple as it sounds. The vocal melody is always strong and sweet, especially when combined with the harmonies provided by the other band members. But the underlying chords often contain a significant amount of dissonance, which is easiest to hear in songs like "Your Legs Grow" and "Blizzard of '77." And sometimes it's even more complicated than that - sometimes the dissonance lies in the interplay of the vocal line and the guitar chord. I first caught on to this when I checked out the guitar tabs for "Your Legs Grow," thinking it would be an easy song to learn to play. Instead, my response was more along the lines of, "WTF are these chords?"
And the thing about their songs being cheesy? Alright, I will admit that they have some songs that are on the border of that realm - songs like "Inside of Love" and "Always Love." But they manage to retain their dignity due to the simple fact that they're so goddamn sincere. And maybe you have to see them live to really get the full sense of that sincerity. Which I have - four times now. Once at the SDSU Open Air Theater for the FM 94.9 Independence Jam a few years back, once at the Casbah, once at the Price Center at UCSD, and then last night at the House of Blues. And every time I see them, I walk away a little bit stunned by this little band that just keeps getting bigger (and rightfully so).
I showed up at the House of Blues last night a little later than I wanted to, on account of not leaving work until 7. It took longer than it probably should have to pick up my photo pass and a ticket for The National's show in May, but then afterwards we ran into Matthews Caws hanging out on the sidewalk. Rosey decided to make friends, so we chatted for a few minutes, and then went through the rigamorale of security guards in order to get into the venue. I mean, really, you can't have the person checking IDs also give out hand stamps?
However, once we got inside, all was forgiven. Unlike the last few all-ages shows there, the bottom bar was open, which was nice, even though I never end up drinking there ($$). It was a little disappointing that there wasn't a photo pit as per usual, but we just found a spot on the side of the stage where Matthew usually stands. And once they came out, I was immediately reminded of how good bands always look and sound there. The lighting is just amazing, and yeah, that's a treat for me.
The band played a wide variety of songs gathered mostly from their newest release Lucky and Let Go. I loved every minute of it, singing along and rocking out with a huge grin on my face, even when I was taking photos during the first three songs. They opened with "Hi-Speed Soul," which is coincidentally the name of the record label started by Heather and Eric, the owners of M-Theory Records (who also rereleased Nada Surf's Karmic EP a year or two ago).
My personal favorites, though, were "Killian's Red," "I Like What You Say," "Are You Lightening?" "Blizzard of '77," and "Blonde on Blonde." "Inside of Love" and "Always Love" were also incredibly special due to the crowd singalongs and "audience participation" - during "Inside of Love," Matthew instructed us all to step side-to-side for the whole song and clap during the chorus. And everyone did! At one point, I looked in the large convex mirrors they had set up on stage behind them, and it was just amazing to see the whole bar swaying back and forth.
And speaking of audience participation, during the encore closer of "Blankest Year," both Matthew and Daniel were encouraging people to get up on stage with them. Mind you, the stage at House of Blues is a little high to just jump up, but we did anyone. I say "we" because I too made it up there. Now, I've been backstage at HOB before, but never ON stage. It was a great end to such a cathartic show.
And then there was the after party. Probably not the best decision for me, since I've now been on campus for over 11 hours today, and am planning on being here a few hours more to catch Bon Iver at the Che Cafe. But I don't regret it at all. It was great to finally meet M-Theory owners Heather and Eric, because, as I told them, "I spend about half of my paycheck in your store." I managed to squeeze in a few words with Matthew, who was sweet enough to buy me a drink (I also bought him one later - gotta support the touring bands, right?).
And then the little group of us - me, Rosey, Matthew, Eric, and Heather, ended up dancing for most of the rest of the night and ended up shutting down the bar. I'd have to say it was one of the best shows I've seen in awhile, and one of my best night in awhile, period.
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