I've wanted to see The Raveonettes live since I first heard them back in 2004 or 2005. I was perusing music at the Iowa City Public Library when I came across Chain Gang of Love. The name caught my eye. I tend to like groups with "-ettes" affixed to their name: The Marvalettes, the Raylettes, The Ronettes, et. al. I think I may also have heard them on Little Steven's Underground Garage. I loved the album immediately, ended up finding a copy at a record swap not long after, then proceeded to pick up their earlier EP and subsequent releases. But I never got to see them live, because fate wouldn't have it. So when I caught wind that they were performing DC on a Friday night, I quickly made moves.
Openers were the Black Angels, from Austin. Not bad. A little excessive on the reverb, and there wasn't a whole lot of variety in their set. But still enjoyable.
The Raveonettes put on a show that was well worth waiting four years to see. The energy of their music - alternating between '60s pop buoyancy and the darker edges of rock - translates very well into a live setting. They ran through material from 2002's Whip it On up through their newest release, In and Out of Control. They included many of my favorites - "Dead Sound," "Little Animal," "That Great Love Sound," "Aly Walk With Me" (a personal highlight), "Love in a Trashcan" and others that I can't remember at the moment. And of course, they played about half of the new record. I'd only heard it once on their live stream, but it is now in heavy rotation after the show.
Speaking of which, the band has a deal going where anyone that buys the new album at the show gets to attend a brief meet and greet after the show. I was planning on buying the new disc anyway, so this was an added bonus (though sometime between Friday and Sunday, I lost the slip containing the download information). Maybe 20 or so people were at the meet & greet. I never know what to say to my favorite bands when I get the rare chance. I just complimented them on a great show and talked to them about the tour. And got their John Hancocks. I always feel weird asking for autographs too, but when they come pen in hand, it's not so awkward.
In short, the Raveonettes live show gets the Gonzo seal of approval! Check them out if they're hitting your town. And also check out their new album. At least for the time being, you can stream it through their official widget below!
When Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band announced a reunion tour in 2000, I knew I had to go. My sister and I were treated to an amazing show with a solid setlist. I've seen Springsteen only once in the interim, on the Seeger Sessions tour, which was a totally different, yet equally amazing show. I stupidly passed on an opportunity to see the Devils and Dust tour with friends of mine in Minneapolis, and I could never make it to any of the Magic shows. So I was interested in seeing Bruce and the band again, but didn't view it as a necessity until 90 seconds or so into their halftime show at this year's Super Bowl (which as a Pittsburgher, it is my duty to remind you that the Steelers won).
I'll be honest, my interest in big arena/stadium shows has waned drastically over the last five years or so. But shit, it's Bruce Springsteen! And tickets were relatively affordable ($50!).
I know in my heart that rock and roll never starts on time, but I felt it necessary at 7:25 that my sister and I quickly drink our third and final round of Long Islands. And of course, the 7:30 set time meant 8:25. But type-A music fans like me can't take the risk of missing any stage time.
I've been glancing at the setlists on the always informative Backstreets and keeping up with "Outlaw" Pete Icke's Springsteen Tour Tracker to keep up with song debuts.
Leading up to the concert, my sister asked me to make her a Bruce mix (I don't know why, every time I've been in her car for the last 6 months she's listening to E Street Radio). I approached the mix as no hits, though fan favorites were fair game. Anyhow, in compiling it, I was struck that you'd be hard pressed to put together a "bad" Springsteen setlist. That was definitely borne out at tonight's show in Pittsburgh.
While Max Weinberg's son Jason has been playing portions of the set on most dates, such wasn't the case tonight, I'm happy to report. With no disrespect to the young Weinberg, the E Street Band is one of those groups where each member truly has their own unique personality that shines through onstage. Also, I'm a drummer at heart, and it's Mighty Max Weinberg. Patti Scialfa was absent, however.
"Badlands" was an unexpected opener for me, but what a way to kick it off. Pulling out the big guns straight out of the gate! We were then treated to "Candy's Room," which was even more leftfield, but a great old nugget from Darkness on the Edge of Town - the title track of which he also played. I expected "Johnny 99," but it's one of my favorites, and we got a rousing full band rendition. After a cover of The Young Rascals' "Good Lovin'" (which Little Steven would surely call "one of the coolest songs ever recorded" on his radio show ), Bruce collected signs from the audience. After proclaiming "WE'VE NEVER PLAYED THIS NEXT SONG BEFORE!" the band launched into Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." A very honest rendition, I might add. Other highlights included "The Promised Land," "I'm on Fire," and the always crowd-pleasing "Born to Run."
Kicking off with Pittsburgh native Stephen Foster's "Hard Times," the encore never let up, with "Thunder Road," "Land of Hopes and Dreams" and "American Land" rounding out the set before bringing Joe Grusheky (another Pittsburgh native) on stage for an energetic "Glory Days." After an extended run through of "Mony Mony," I held out hope for a second encore. Alas, the houselights went up quickly. Still, a great show and I'm certainly not disappointed.
Setlist:
1. Badlands 2. Candy's Room 3. Outlaw Pete 4. Jackson Cage 5. She's The One 6. Working On A Dream 7. Seeds 8. Johnny 99 9. Youngstown 10. Good Lovin' 11. Like A Rolling Stone (audience pick) 12. Darkness On The Edge Of Town (audience pick) 13. Waitin' On A Sunny Day 14. The Promised Land 15. I'm On Fire 16. Kingdom Of Days 17. Lonesome Day 18. The Rising 19. Born To Run
**Encore** 20. Hard Times 21. Thunder Road 22. Land Of Hope And Dreams 23. American Land 24. Glory Days (w/Grushecky) 25. Mony Mony
I don't think I've been to a show since I saw CSS in December. That seems slightly odd, given my modest streak since moving to Baltimore (averaging a show a month, but coming from Iowa, that's A LOT!).
To be completely honest, it wasn't until Friday or Saturday that I remembered the Cut Copy show was coming up on Monday. It seems like forever ago that I bought the ticket.
In classic style, I strolled into the 9:30 Club just in time to see the openening band, Matt & Kim.
They must play in the area frequently, because I feel like I've seen their names advertised quite a bit. I wasn't totally sold on them, but I'll give their album a spin. I was totally sold on their enthusiasm and energy, however. They seemed genuinely happy as shit to be playing, which is always a welcome stage attitude in my book. And yes, I have a crush on Kim. I've always had a thing for female drummers, what can I say? Serious sidenote though, they got a really great drum sound out of that kit. The sound at the 9:30 Club is generally pretty great to begin with, but something about the drums and the way the were miked/mixed sounded fantastic. There was also a moment of serendipity when they played the intro to "The Final Countdown," which I'd heard on the radio on the way down. I also had an amusing/odd dream about Buster Bluth the other night. Why is Arrested Development haunting me? What is the universe trying to say?!?!
30 minutes and one cocktail later, Cut Copy took the stage.
I can't say that I have any real sense of history with this band, and my guess is that the same is true of the majority of folks in the sold out crowd. I really only know In Ghost Colours, which was one of my favorites from 2008.
Through the first two songs, I was a little bit worried. They sounded great, but little seemed to be happening live aside from the drums and vocals. This quickly changed however, as a bass and six string were brought out and remained for the bulk of the set. They tore through pretty much all of In Ghost Colours, which pleased me. They also had an insane light rig. Listen to their record. Imagine what the lighting might be like set to that music. Your mental image is probably accurate. It was intense and very colorful, if blinding at times. Predictably, they closed with "Lights and Music," which I thought they might be sick of by now. But I was glad to hear it.
At some point they also played "Hearts on Fire." You know how sometimes you like a song, but you hear it live and it kicks your appreciation up a few notches? That's the case here. There is a video for the song, but embedding is disabled and to be honest, I think it's kind of a hokey clip. But it's a great song:
All in all, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I won't say that I was blown away by the show, but I'm glad that I went, it was well worth the ticket price. Happy to have them be my first concert of 2009. Next up is Springsteen in May, unless something comes up in the interim.
I know, I've been conspicuously absent. Holidays, the flu and travels got in the way. But I have a few posts in mind for the next week or so. But first, the long delayed review of the CSS show from last month.
We opted to skip the opener in favor of a few cocktails with a friend of mine from grad school. We got to the 9:30 Club just in time. Perhaps predicatably, CSS took the stage with an in-your-face rendition of "Jaeger Yoga," the opener of their most recent LP Donkey (one of my absolute favorites from 2008!). From there, the band embarked on inciting a non-stop dance party with their pop-oriented electro sensibilities. I admit not being at all familiar with their previous, self-titled album (though of course now, I need to check it out). Even so, the band made it through the bulk of the Donkey LP. I was a little surprised that they pulled out "Move" and "Left Behind," the album's two singles so early in the set. I would have pegged either of them (but especially "Left Behind") as closers. Instead, the band's encore was a rousing performance of "Reggae All Night," which was actually a perfect closer anyhow.
I have to say I was very pleased with their performance. While I love the album, live the songs sound much fuller, and have more punch. Not to mention the stage personality of the band. In addition to a solid performance, the sound was stellar. I also didn't realize that this was the last show of the tour (at least the US leg), so that made it a little special and added to the energy of the show.
All in all, CSS is well worth seeing live - tight, well executed, energetic, and super fun. That's right, I said "super fun." Check 'em out if you ever get the chance.
Last saturday we went to see Jucifer. I was hipped to this band around 2000. At that point, they had only one album to their credit, Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip. I took to them immediately, mostly because of the contrast of very dense, heavy music and alternately abrasive/delicate vocals.
I also have a troubled history with the band.
In the summer of 2002, I drove to Cleveland to see them at the Grog Shop. I'd wanted to see them live for some time, and felt it worth the trip from Pittsburgh. I don't remember much about the opening bands then, but I do remember being blown away by Jucifer. Records are one thing, but the sheer density and power of their music impressed me, especially for having only two members. I should also mention that Jucifer is among the loudest bands I've ever seen. So loud in fact, that a mere 12 minutes into their set, they blew the power out in the building. After waiting a bit, we were told that the problem was not a simple fuse replacement, but something "in the walls" and the show was over.
Later that year, they were to play a Pittsburgh venue (the 31st Pub, I believe). Weeks earlier, I'd been in contact with one of their promotion people to set up an in studio interview at the station. They were way down with the idea - I was amped. The band and I kept in touch all that day, and then their van broke down. The chances of the interview narrowed and then disappeared. But at least I'd get to see them live. That didn't happen either, though. They never made it to Pittsburgh.
A few months later, they did end up playing at Laga. However, they were opening for Local H, a curious match given the latter's pop-punk sensibilities. Jucifer played well, but it felt as though they were very much out of their element, and I'm pretty sure only myself and a friend actually had interest in them.
A few years ago I debated about driving from Iowa City to Cedar Falls to catch them, but decided against it given my track record with Jucifer.
So I had to see them upon learning they were to play Baltimore. There were three openers.
First up were locals Isthmus. Not bad. Sort of a mathy approach to metal. Their drummer was pretty impressive, seemlessly flowing between awkward time signatures. Also, Kate and I agreed that Jucifer aside, their bassist won the award for "most rocking out." Good local band, was pleased.
Up next were Salome. They were doing soundchecks and I heard this intense scream over the PA, just a quick "yeah!" but very intense in its timbre. I assumed this was on the PA music, because I didn't see anybody on the mic. Then I realized that the screams were coming from a rather petite female, Salome's lead singer. These guys were fucking great. They played maybe a 40 minute set of three epic EPIC songs. Had I an extra five spot, I would have bought their LP. Alas, I spent my cash on the new Jucifer cd.
Lastly, there was Internet. There wasn't much to them musically. In that aspect I was not very impressed. However, they had a great sense of humor, which made their set a worthwhile spectacle. Also, they covered Beck's "Fume," which was unexpected but welcome.
(can't find their myspace page)
And finally, it was time for Jucifer. I don't know if it was the band's choice, or the soundman's, but I was pleased that Wu-Tang's "Bring da Ruckus" played over the PA before the band took the stage.
As expected, they were incredibly intense. It could perhaps be described as an assault on the senses. Although I've (sort of) seen them live before, I was taken aback at how dense and loud they are, given that there are only two members. Guitarist/vocalist Amber Valentine rocked the fuck out, showcasing both her gritty growl/scream and her softer, delicate melodic vocals (both were basically impossible to hear, however). Drummer Edgar Livengood remains one of my favorite drummers currently playing. He not only has speed, but power. I also love that he uses a bass drum turned on its side as a floor tom. He's fascinating to watch - particularly in strobe lights. The lights! In addition to strobes, they also had fucking high calibre blinding lights atop their wall of amps. This combined with the music just felt like being repeatedly sucker punched in the best way possible.
They played mostly newer material. Admittedly, I'm not as into their more recent records as Calling All Cars on the Vegas Strip and The Lambs EP (the latter being my top pick from their catalog). Not that their recent material isn't good. It fucking rocks. Especially live. I just have an affinity for the music that hipped to them in the first place.
All in all, a great show. They played for under an hour, with no encore. However, they never stopped playing, and they probably can't go longer than that given the physical exertion each of them puts into playing. And I'm being completely serious.
I recommend checking them out if they come through your town. Brace yourself.
I promised a report, and I hereby make good on that promise, though it may be brief.
As I mentioned earlier, I've been wanting to see these guys basically since I heard Fancy Footwork last year. So in August when I got a myspace message announcing a brief fall tour including DC, I had to jump on it. Especially since they vowed to play all of the Fancy Footwork LP.
I do wish shows would be advertised more accurately. For instance, no mention of an opener on the ticket or the web, but there was an opening DJ. Wasn't really my thing.
The venue was the famous 9:30 club. Cool place, nice layout, expensive drinks (thought that might be more DC than the club). I was told the place had incredible sound. The only thing that keeps me from 100% agreement is that as with so many shows, the vocals were too low in the mix. But other than that, it was pretty great sound wise.
But that's all boring setup. Chromeo finally hit the stage, mannequin legs in tow. They were exactly what I anticipated - well executed, entertaining, silly. I appreciate that Pee only talks/sings through a talkbox. There was also a great deal of crowd participation, which surprised me a bit. Not that Chromeo is a totally unknown band (the show was after all sold out and sponsored by MySpace), I just didn't expect it. Of course, it shouldn't surprise me given that they are such a catchy, funky little combo.
True to their word, they played the entire FF album, although not in sequence. Peppered within the set were selections from their first LP, which I'd never heard previously. [I did give it a listen this week, and it's kind of OK.] Highlights for me were "Bonafide Lovin'" (which included an intro lifted from "Money for Nothing), "Fancy Footwork," "Mama's Boy" and "100%." And "Call Me Up." Ok, maybe there wasn't a particular high point. I love the album to death and they played the whole thing. There was also a brief medley led by Pee (of course on the talkbox) through some Journey songs. Most of you know my distaste for Journey, so this was probably a low point for me. But still...it was Chromeo.
In short, it was $20 well spent. If there was a bit more space and I had a few more drinks, I probably would have danced my ass off. Alas, it was a sold out, packed house and I had to drive back to Baltimore. But Chromeo live definitely gets the Gonzo seal of approval. As our new friend Peter shouted at the band, "THAT'S SOME GOOD GODDAMNED MUSIC, BOYS!"
Apologies for the blog slack of late, and for missing the first Friday Funk in a while. But Iowa is flooded, I'm traveling, and the former altered the latter significantly. Fortunately my building wasn't affected by the flood, but large portions of Iowa City were, not to mention our sister city, Cedar Rapids. There are literally hundreds of people from Iowa City alone without Internet, power and sadly, homes. It's been a hell of a week, and my only point of comparison is the tornado of 2006. Midwest weather can be crazy and catastrophic, no doubt. So if you know anyone that lives in the area, give them a ring to see how they're doing, and if it's within your ability to help out in someway, go for it.
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So I initially planned to leave town on Friday for a wedding in Pittsburgh. I ended up spending thursday night in Moline to escape the floods (of course when I arrived in Moline, I was greeted with a wicked storm and tornado warnings).
This weekend also happens to be the annual Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. Artists selling their wares, more food on a stick than should exist, and my main interest year after year - free music. Years past have brought Sonic Youth, Wilco, Patti Smith, and others I can't recall at the moment. I happened to be in town on the right weekend.
On friday, I dragged my family to see Maceo Parker.
This is especially well timed, because a friend of mine gave me The JBs Anthology for my birthday. I saw Maceo once maybe 6 or 7 years ago. It was still funky as hell. He played some classic James Brown grooves (Make it Funky, Lickin' Stick, Papa Don't Take No Mess, Soul Power, Too Funky in Here, among others) and JBs classics (Givin' Up Food for Funk, Pass the Peas) along with some of his solo work. It was a funky time indeed, and he played for a good 3+ hours.
But the real musical highlight of the weekend was the New York Dolls, for their first Pittsburgh performance in 35 years.
I've been trying to see the Dolls since they got back together a few years ago. It never worked out. They were always in Chicago when I was in Pittsburgh, in DC when I was in Iowa, etc. So I was stoked to finally catch them, and for free!
One thing I noticed both with the Dolls and Maceo - I love being outdoors, and I love free shows. But as a fan, I think I get more amped up being in a club or other venue for a show. There's just a certain vibe that being in confines creates (not to mention better sound).
Anyhow, the Dolls were great. My one complaint is that they played far too much from their new album, One Day it Will Please Us to Remember Even This. Now I like the album, and especially for a 'reunion' set, it's pretty strong. However, they played 8 of the album's 14 tracks, when I (and I assume most of the audience) was more interested in hearing the early stuff. Of course, they only have three albums worth of material anyway, but I would have liked to hear some of my neglected favorites, like "Subway Train" or "Bad Girl." Along those lines, I thought "Gotta Get Away from Tommy" (one of my least favorite songs from the new album) was a pretty poor choice for a closer. Still, they hit most of the bases, they played great, and I wasn't disappointed by any means. The set (in no order):
Personality Crisis Pills Trash Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory/Lonely Planet Boy Jet Boy Babylon Puss N Boots Human Being Looking for a Kiss Private World We're All in Love Fishnets and Cigarettes Dancing on the Lip of a Volcano Plenty of Music Gotta Get Away from Tommy Rainbow Store Dance Lie a Monkey Punishing World Piece of My Heart (Janis)
The Dolls are one of my top 10 favorites, so I'm glad I got to see them even in this incarnation. I don't think I have any other shows lined up for a while. Medeski Martin & Wood are slated to play Iowa City's Jazz Fest, but who knows what kind of shape the city will be in by then. Mother nature can be a bitch.
When I heard that Jamie Lidell was playing in Chicago, I enlisted a couple of my friends and immediately bought tickets. I loved 2005's Multiply, and this year's Jim is also great, for slightly different reasons. He's someone who's definitely schooled himself in a variety of musical forms. On his more recent releases, it's clear that he's been studying up on 1960s American r&b.
Interestingly, there seem to be two types of Jamie Lidell fans - those who like his earlier electronic work (and feel he's sold out on these latter albums) and those who find the soul-infused Lidell a better run for your money. Count me in the latter camp.
First, the venue. The Abbey Pub is in an area of Chicago that I'd never been (Irving Park, I believe?). Set apart from the venue side of the building is a restaurant and pub (where we watched the Penguins lost the Stanley Cup). The actual performance space was very cool. An upper balcony, a big dancefloor, and a great DJ. I wish I had his setlists. The stuff I knew was some of my favorites from the last couple of years (Bird and Bee, Chromeo, New Young Pony Club, Santogold) with some old favorites (Prince, James Brown, Eddy Grant) and a bunch of newer tracks that I didn't recognize, but loved.
Opening up was Jennifer O'Connor. I checked out her MySpace earlier in the week and wasn't expecting much from her set. However, she's apparently one of those acts that is much better live than on disc. I was pleasantly surprised. I also applaud her writing 3 minute tunes, an art that's been lost in recent years - but that's another rant for another time.
Lidell came on, opening up with "Another Day," the opener on his new disc. It was fantastic. With him was a four piece band, who were *very* tight. The band arrangements were necessarily different than those on Lidell's records, but in way that was fresh, pleasing, and totally welcome. All of the members including Lidell gave off that vibe of "hey, we really love performing," which always makes a show more enjoyable for me. When a group or artist seems to just be going through the motions, it detracts from the energy of the show. This was the total opposite.
The set was very heavy on the new album. As I recall there were only three songs from Mutliply - "When I Come Back Around," "A Little Bit More" and the title track. The latter closed out the night and was phenomenal. The former two tracks Lidell did solo whilst playing around with an arsenal of electronic gadgetry. These were ridiculously different arrangements that were interesting and good. However, these went on for too long, and I found myself losing interest. He was definitely at his best with the band on stage.
I do wish there would have been more material from Multiply. But for me, that's less of a criticism and more of a personal desire. I think Jim is a great album, and he played all of the best cuts from the new disc. My highlight of the night was very likely "A Little Bit of Feelgood," which is hands down my favorite track from the album.
All told, it was well worth the $25, the 4 hour drive there, and the 4 hour drive back that put me in my bed around 4am. Today has been totally screwy as a result, but I don't give a damn. Lidell put on a great show, and I am totally satisfied.
Before the album came out I posted the circulating remix of "A Little Bit of Feel Good." Here's the album version with it's spankin' new video:
This is a week overdue, but it's been a rough week. The good news is that I wrapped up the semester yesterday. The bad news (for you) is that posts will still be sporadic, as I'm heading to the Steel City for a few weeks. (But that's good news for me, so it all works out.) I'll try to get a few posts while I'm there, but I make no promises.
The Gore Gore Girls are one of my very favorite neo-garage bands. As an acquaintance of mine put it so perfectly: "a near-perfect melding of girl group sound and Detroit muscle." I saw them a couple years ago, and was ecstatic to hear that they were gracing Iowa City with their presence once again. However, I got much more than I bargained for this time out, and got to see three other bands that I was very impressed with. So let's start from the beginning of the evening. And by "beginning of the evening," I mean 10pm.
Thee Almighty Handclaps!
I admit not knowing much of the local Iowa City music scene. The bulk of bands I come across are cover bands, because this is a college town with typical college students whose idea of going to a local show is paying $7 to hear upper classmen play Dave Matthews covers. I was refreshed to see Thee Almighty Handclaps open Wednesday's show.
The three piece consists of drums, a seriously fuzzy bass, an electric organ, and dueling vocals. They've got a great garage-y sound, and I was impressed enough to buy their 7". Check out their myspace page. Both of the tracks there are great, although my favorite on the disc may be "Sugar Bowl," which is not on their page. I spent some time chatting with their bassist and organist, and I'm told they're going back into the studio this week. I'll definitely be checking these guys over the summer.
Next up were The Rusty Buckets, another local band. Unfortunately I didn't grab any of their music, but these guys are TIGHT. And they have some great lyrics. I don't really have too much else to say about these guys. I will comment that the recordings on their MySpace page don't do their performance justice at all.
Then came The Dollyrots, a band whose name I've been hearing tossed around here and their, yet whose music I hadn't experienced. I loved it! They're musically tight, and have a great amount of energy. I could see some criticizing them for being too poppy, but I really don't care. They pull off the power pop punk thing very well. I picked up their newest cd while I was there, and it's been in heavy rotation. Great to have in the discman while on a run. I also have a crush on the bassist/lead vocalist. And yes, her voice really sounds like that, even when she's speaking. Also, they did a great rendition of Melanie's hit "Brand New Key," which I was pleased to find also made the cut on the album. Here's a live version of it:
And finally, it was time for the main attraction, The Gore Gore Girls! They're better than ever, still kicking ass, still taking names. They played a lot of material from their two most recent albums, Up All Night (2002, Get Hip Records) and Get the Gore (2007, Bloodshot Records). I was also pleased that they pulled out their awesome cover of The Golliwogs' "Fight Fire," which the also played the last time they were in town. Also similar to their last Iowa City performance, I was pissed that the crowd was so sparse. Seriously, what the fuck, Iowa City? At any rate, it was a great show. I of course grabbed their new disc Get the Gore and love it. All of three of their albums are great, but each release continues to improve and mold the band's sound. Definitely check them out if they hit your town.
I got on the guest list for the show, saw four awesome bands, and came home with two cds and one 7". A good night all around. And I also got to play some Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga at The Picador. Score!
