MaxSoundsMusic
If anyone is following along, there’s a lot more happening over on my new website.. you can check it out at: www.maxsoundsmusic.com
You can also follow along on Facebook and instagram (see pic above).
let's talk about Bridgerton tea, my ask is open
Claire Keane

#extradirty

Andulka

Origami Around
Misplaced Lens Cap
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ

tannertan36

Kaledo Art

blake kathryn

PR's Tumblrdome
sheepfilms

⁂
d e v o n

No title available
almost home

Kiana Khansmith

titsay

★
todays bird
seen from Italy
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Italy

seen from Türkiye

seen from Türkiye
seen from United States

seen from Malaysia
seen from Canada

seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Türkiye
seen from Chile

seen from United States

seen from Türkiye

seen from Malaysia

seen from United States
@maxsounds
MaxSoundsMusic
If anyone is following along, there’s a lot more happening over on my new website.. you can check it out at: www.maxsoundsmusic.com
You can also follow along on Facebook and instagram (see pic above).
Modern English - The Hideout, San Diego - May 17, 2016
Modern English is often included on lists of one hit wonder bands. In fact, there’s a new station on Sirius/XM called Onederland that is dedicated to playing these songs and the promo goes something like this (with “I Melt With You” playing): “remember this big hit from 1982? Now remember their big follow up hit? You can’t because there wasn’t one!” To be fair, the band actually did have a modest follow-up hit with the song “Hands Across the Sea” from the 1984 album Ricochet Days. But it was nowhere near as big or omnipresent as “I Melt With You”, which is still played frequently to this day.
Those songs were the anomalies in their catalog as Modern English, especially at the beginning of their career, was much more of a post-punk band in the vein of early Echo & the Bunnymen, Bauhaus or Joy Division. On this night especially, if anyone showed up at The Hideout expecting to hear a bunch of shimmering new wave sing-alongs, they would be quite disappointed, since Modern English planned to play their debut album, Mesh & Lace, in its entirety. This record, released in 1981 on the 4AD label, is a dark and magnificent LP and might surprise some of the more casual fans that bought a ticket.
And the show turned out to be everything a long-time fan could have hoped for. This was the original lineup of Robbie Grey on vocals, Gary McDowell on guitar, Mick Conroy on bass, Stephen Walker on keys, plus touring drummer Roy Martin. While they did play all of Mesh & Lace they did not play it in its original sequence. The show started with an insistent drum beat and synthesized atmospherics, then a spoken-word verse from Grey, followed by a melodic bass line and then a slashing guitar riff. Ultimately the drums kick in and we’re right in the middle of “Dance of Devotion (a Love Song).” The song, and the performance as a whole, was propulsive, menacing, and majestic.
These aren’t young guys anymore, but when I closed my eyes and just let the music wash over me it felt like I’d just been dropped into some small club back in 1981. Robbie Grey was not shy about reading off a lyric sheet that he held (and showed us) but other than that there was no quarter given to time and age. This music was 35 years old but the way Modern English delivered it on this night it did not feel nostalgic. In fact, it almost seemed out of place when Grey said, “we’re going to play ‘that song’ now” – but even then they delivered their big hit to close out the show with energy and passion.
Modern English will soon be releasing their first album of new material since the 1996 LP, Everything Is Mad. You can check out the band on their website here: Modern English.
I have to admit I did not have the best view of the stage for this event. The Hideout is a small venue and I’m not sure if the fire marshal would have approved of how crowded it was – but here are the three songs I got a video of:
Gathering Dust The Jean Genie I Melt With You
BØRNS + Midnight Pine at Birch Aquarium 5-18-16
It’s been a few years since I’ve been to one of the Green Flash concerts at the Birch Aquarium, but when I saw that San Diego’s own Midnight Pine was playing, I snapped up a couple of tickets for myself and my wife. As the evening went on I was reminded of what I loved, and didn’t love, about the venue. It is a gorgeous setting at the aquarium’s outdoor patio/tide pool area with a broad view of La Jolla and the pacific ocean. The atmosphere and location seems to put everyone in a really relaxed, chill mood.
Unfortunately, after a decade of holding these events the organizers still fall short in a few key areas. They oversell tickets so on a sellout like last night it became uncomfortably crowded, especially considering the awkward shape of the space available. Also, and I’m not really a picky person, but the food, which is provided by Rock Bottom Brewery, is only average at best. The last issue I have is that, for an event that is sponsored by a beer company, they make it really difficult to buy a beer. And while the beer is excellent, there is only one spot available and the line is daunting. Shoot, even when we used to have keg parties back in college we knew to set up at least two different beer stations!
Even with those issues it’s still a great venue and I’ll put up with some hassle as long as the music is as good as it was last night. First up was The Midnight Pine, who turned in another impressive show. Except for some glitch with the bass in one song, the sound was fantastic in the open air setting and singer Shelbi Bennett‘s voice was strong, clear and floated perfectly above the mix.
This is the third time that I’ve caught The Midnight Pine this year, in three completely different settings (the swanky Music Box, a street-side fair in Oceanside, and here) and their performance was superb each time. The combination of the Redwoods Music band, Al Howard‘s words, and Shelbi Bennett’s voice and stage presence, creates a sound and feeling that, like the ocean the stage overlooked, is at times restrained and at other moments powerful.
Here’s a clip from a new song called, “Mockingbird”, which Shelbi said will be on their forthcoming new album.
It turns out that I was smart to get my tix early for this show because it’s been sold out for a while. At the time I got them I had never heard of BØRNS, but it turns out that he is pretty popular. Actually, judging by how enthusiastic the girls behind us were as they sang every word to every song (as loud as they could), he might be more than just pretty popular. Apparently the buzz has been growing around BØRNS for a while now and then went into overdrive after a couple of well-received Coachella performances.
BØRNS came out looking like a modern-day Marc Bolan, with a wild main of dark hair, high-waist jeans, and a crop-top black t-shirt under a too small leather jacket. This look seemed to match his style of music, which went from psychedelic and dreamy to a glam-rock stomp à la T-Rex or Slade. The songs, which were a real blend of both guitar-rock and electro-pop, often featured big hooks and plenty of sing along choruses that the crowd was more than happy to cooperate with. BØRNS, who was accompanied by an excellent 4-piece backing band, seemed to be genuinely inspired by the setting and really wanted to share this feeling with the audience.
Here are two partial clips from the set: “Electric Love” and “10,000 Emerald Pools”
Andrew Bird & John Grant - The Music Box, San Diego 4/13/16 [part 2]
Apparently I was in the clear minority of fans at this show who weren’t familiar with Andrew Bird, as the Music Box was sold out, quite crowded, and very enthusiastic. I’m sure my experience of this show would have been quite different had I not secured one of the second level “opera boxes” which feature a perfect view of the stage and VIP service (thanks to Aubrey for taking great care of us and for bringing my wife those Flor de Paloma cocktails!). But I did and I was able to see and hear what all the fuss was about.
It was clear from the start that Bird is adept at several instruments – we saw him play violin, guitar and glockenspiel – as well as singing and whistling! I have since learned that Bird earned his first acclaim as a player in the swing/jazz/rock band the Squirrel Nut Zippers. He then formed a short-lived swing/jazz band called Bowl of Fire before setting out on his own as a solo-artist. And it looks like I have some catching up to do since it turns out that he is already 11 albums into his solo carreer!
For now all I have to go on is what I saw on the stage at The Music Box. Bird seems almost like a one-man-band who just happened to have three musicians (guitar, bass and drums) accompanying him. The violin was his main instrument – and he played it both with a bow and by plucking or strumming it – but he also had a distinctive style on the glockenspiel and would pick up a guitar for some songs. To broaden the sound, Bird also employed looping effects to lay down his own backing track, which he would then activate with pedals.
Like John Grant before him, it is not easy to label Andrew Bird’s sound. I certainly didn’t hear any remnants of the Zippers, but there was an eclectic mix of classical, indie-rock, folk, and pop that might change from one song to another or coexist within the same track. And oh yes – that whistling! I’ve seen just a couple rock singers whistle (I’m thinking of Neil Young and Eddie Vedder) but this was something else completely! Bird wouldn’t just use the whistle as an accent – he would build the song around it. Really, I’ve never seen or heard anything like it and I was reminded of a British folk singer/songwriter that my dad liked named Roger Whittaker (check out this Whittaker song, “Finnish Whistler” – it’s amazing!).
Andrew Bird & John Grant - The Music Box, San Diego 4/13/16 [part 1]
The typical way I decide what show to go to is to notice that a band is coming to town, and then as long as it isn’t a horrible venue, just buy the tickets. This time I went the other way around – after having such a great experience at The Music Box during the recent Redwoods Revue, I started actively looking for good shows at this downtown location. It wasn’t as easy as it sounds since they seem to book more mainstream acts or at least bands that didn’t interest me at all. Then I noticed this show. I had never heard of Andrew Bird before this but I was very familiar with the opener, John Grant, as his last three albums, Queen of Denmark, Pale Green Ghosts and Grey Tickles, Black Pressure (see my 2015 Top 20) have all received extensive play on my turntable.
Grant’s sound is full of melodic hooks, both in the music and his vocals, and there is an abundance of humor found throughout his lyrics. But these ear-worm melodies and amusing lines also co-exist with very intense subject matter and personal experiences. For this supporting tour, Grant, who is from Colorado but now resides in Iceland, was backed by a keyboardist and an acoustic guitarist. Grant himself would switch from piano, to synthesizer, to just standing at the mic. In between songs he was warm and funny and gave some context for the often sardonic stories his songs tell.
His music is hard to pin down – at one point my wife asked, “what genre would you call this?” The best I could come up with was, “new wave, indie, chamber-pop” – so I’m going to stick with that! Grant and his back-up players’ musicianship were outstanding and his rich-baritone was resonant throughout the set. The mix of musicianship, melody, humor and personal storytelling is exemplified perfectly in the song “Sigourney Weaver” (here is a clip from this show: SW clip). The song is gorgeous, catchy, and very funny – but it clearly masks a deeper meaning for Grant – as if he’s telling us about some personal feeling or experience that he’s only willing to give us hints about.
Here is the title track off Grant’s latest LP (with a long intro): “Grey Tickles, Black Pressure”
The Big Pink + Sundrop Electric - Soda Bar, San Diego - 4/20/16 [pt 4]
I had a chance to speak with a couple members of the band after the show. First I talked to Nicole Eva Emery and was surprised when she told me that this was only her third performance with the band. Apparently, her and the drummer were hired just to play on this tour. I say surprised since she not only played every song perfectly but really seemed to mesh well with the rest of the band. I asked her what kind of venues they had played so far and she said that just the night before they had opened for The Kills who were doing a localchella show at the Observatory in OC. I inquired which was better, opening on a big stage like the Observatory or headlining in the back of a bar like on this night. Without hesitation she said she really loves the smaller shows. She said she really enjoys the close connection with the audience and that this kind of show is the most rewarding and fun for her.
After talking to Nicole I got to sit down and have a beer with Robbie and he turned out to be just as engaging in person as he was on stage. We talked about bands we liked and I was not surprised to find that we enjoyed a lot of the same music: from the classic rock of the 70’s, through post-punk and synth music of the 80’s, to the shoegaze and noise rock of the early 90’s. And even though this was much more of a conversation than an interview I did ask what his plans were for the band since they only had two LP’s and an EP out so far (though to be fair the EP, Empire Underground, is excellent and just dropped earlier this year) and he said that he already has a bunch of songs written and hoped to start recording again this fall.
One thing that Robbie was passionate about was SOS Children’s Villages and he and his band are committed to SOS’s goal of protecting the vulnerable children around the world. Along with the usual merch of CD’s and T-shirts they also had a station set up to sign up and contribute to this worthy cause. You can check them out by clicking the link above.
[photos by MaxSoundsMusic]
The Big Pink + Sundrop Electric - Soda Bar, San Diego - 4/20/16 [part 3]
Next up was Big Pink and I found out very quickly that I had made an excellent decision that night. They started off with the same song that clinched my decision to go in the first place, “Velvet”. As soon as keyboardist/programmer/singer, Mary Charteris, started a sequenced synth rhythm, the darkened stage was completely enveloped in a dense fog of dry-ice. After a short buildup, the drums, bass and guitar entered and combined to create an almost monolithic wall of sound. The players – joining Charteris were: Robbie Furze on lead vocals/guitar, Nicole Eva Emery and drummer whose name I couldn’t figure out – were barely visible even from my spot right in front of the stage. The atmosphere created by the almost deafening roar of the music, combined with the nearly impenetrable colored haze was overwhelming. You didn’t just listen to this music or watch the musicians – you absorbed the sensations as they washed over you.
The Big Pink – yes, the group is named after the debut album by The Band – play a modern, electro version of early shoegaze. Many of the numbers seem more like soundscapes than traditional songs but that’s not to say that melody takes a back seat to the noise the band is creating. Furze has infused his songs with engaging and memorable vocal melodies; this is especially interesting when he is joined on vocals by (his wife) Charteris, as in the cut, “Golden Pendulum.” Check out these videos from the show:
“Decoy” , “Golden Pendulum” and “Beautiful Criminal“
The show ended with their biggest hit, “Dominos”, off of the 2009 debut album, A Brief History of Love. By now the fog had lifted somewhat and we could now see that the band were giving this performance everything they had. This is a band that is accustomed to playing much larger venues in Europe, including many of the big festivals, and they were pouring all this energy and passion into a show for maybe 100 fans at a dive bar on El Cajon Blvd. Really, this was one of the best, and certainly one of the loudest, shows that I’ve seen at a smaller club.
[photos by MaxSoundsMusic]
The Big Pink + Sundrop Electric - Soda Bar, San Diego - 4/20/16 [part 2]
After grabbing a nice cold Racer 5 IPA, I watched the opening band, Sundrop Electric from here in San Diego, play the opening set. I like the way many touring groups will pick up local bands as their support. Another good example was earlier this year when New York’s Sharkmuffin, was supported by two local bands: Big Bloom and Soft Lions. Sundrop Electric turned out to be a perfect opener for Big Pink, who hail from England. Like the headliners, Sundrop Electric has a big, full sound, and with influences ranging from shoegaze to post-rock to psychedelic they turned in an excellent, diverse set. Many of their songs would start simply, adding layers of rhythm, texture and melody until it all came together in long, extended and often cathartic jams.
Check out the video from this show of the new song, “Control”
[photos by MaxSoundsMusic]
The Big Pink + Sundrop Electric - Soda Bar, San Diego - 4/20/16 [part 1]
I’ve got to admit, I had this Big Pink show on my calendar for some time, but as it approached I wasn’t sure if I would make it. I really only knew the band from their first album, A Brief History of Love, from 2009, and remembered two of the stronger tracks from it: “Velvet” and “Dominos”. After that, though, I lost track of the band and they didn’t come back on my radar until I saw this show coming up at the Soda Bar. As the day of the show arrived I decided not to go after all – I had a really busy week and it wasn’t the best night to head out. Then about an hour before the show I figured I’d better listen to that CD just to be sure. By the mid-point of the first track, “Velvet”, with it’s pulsing synth line and massive, droning guitar chords, I knew I was going and within the hour I was walking up the sidewalk toward the venue.
[photos by @happyplacemedia]
The Subways - Pics & Video from The Casbah, San Diego - May 2, 2016
Here are the pictures I took at The Subways‘ Casbah show. See the full MaxSounds review of the show and much better pictures here: The Subways – May 2, 2016
Check out these videos from the show:
Shake! Shake!
Dirty Muddy Paws
With You
Black Letter
It’s a Party
Rock & Roll Queen
The Subways - The Casbah, San Diego - May 2, 2016
Sometimes you just get lucky. Lucky to be in just the right place at the right time, and in this case that means catching a band like the Subways at a place like the Casbah. The Subways, from England, had a minor hit in the U.S. back in 2006 when the single “Rock & Roll Queen” from their debut album, Young for Eternity, was released. They toured that record, stayed in Los Angeles to record its follow-up, All or Nothing, then returned to the UK and didn’t come back until this tour. That’s eight years with no presence in America.
Here’s a group that has played to 70,000+ fans at the Reading and Leeds festivals, among others, (check out this performance) and tonight they were going to play the Casbah, which has a capacity of just 200. I asked their manager, Ben Hamilton-Kirby, who accompanied the band on this tour, what size venues the Subways typically play when they headline at home. He told me that in addition to the festival circuit the band typically plays to crowds of about 1,500 to 3,000, depending on the location. Interestingly, the lower number was at home in England, but in Germany and other European cities they are even more popular and draw the larger crowds. I then asked him what it was like for the band to play such a small venue when they were so comfortable playing to much larger audiences, and he said, “Actually, it was worse than that for a while – only 18 tickets were sold before the show, so the band really didn’t know what the reception would be like.” As it turns out, they needn’t have worried as the Casbah filled up nicely by the time their set started. It may not have been 75,000, but 150 inside the Casbah can create some energy!
And energy is just what the Subways provided. After a taped symphonic introduction, the band hit the stage at full speed playing the song “Kalifornia” from their 2008 album, All or Nothing. This song starts with an attacking drum fill followed by a huge, heavy guitar & bass riff before singer Billy Lunn‘s vocals enter to sing/shout the verse. Then on the chorus, Lunn is joined by bassist Charlotte Cooper, and their voices blend perfectly to put the pop into their pop/punk sound.
That’s how it went for the 18-number set (see the full setlist I posted here) – song after song of energetic and inspired rock and roll. The band, which also included Lunn’s brother, Josh Morgan, on drums, was fully engaged with each other and with the audience. Lunn was especially talkative, and quite funny, sharing stories and bantering with the crowd and his band-mates. This connection was tested a couple of times when the singer would stop singing in mid verse or chorus, trusting the audience to fill in the vocals. This would seem to be a risky maneuver for a band that hadn’t been around in 8 years, but Lunn knew his audience and they did their part at full volume.
The Subways’ influences are varied and I can hear a mix of bands and genres: from early glam and punk like T-Rex and the Ramones to alt rock and Brit-pop like Nirvana and Oasis. They also have a real classic rock sound to them, and I’ll bet Billy Lunn grew up with a great record collection around him. I had a chance to talk to Lunn after the show and ask him a few questions. First I asked how old he was when he wrote “Rock & Roll Queen” and what it felt like to still be playing it and receive such an enthusiastic response from the audience. He told me that he was 17 when he wrote the song and is “just thrilled to be able to still play it and for people to enjoy it so much.” He told me about how they got their first record deal when they were quite young and that he can’t believe that song is still going so strong after all these years. I then asked if when he wrote it he was aware of the Mott the Hoople song with the same name (listen here) since not only does it have the same title but the Subways have a glam-rock edge to some of their songs like Mott the Hoople did. Lunn admitted that he had never heard of the song at the time but that he did hear it later on and that he really likes it. He even mentioned that he thought he was “being so clever coming up with that phrase, only to find out it had already been a hit for another band.”
And now we come to the end of the performance as the band launches into “Rock & Roll Queen.” The crowd was pushing forward, dancing and singing every word at full volume along with the band. And as the song ended, Lunn, drenched in sweat with a big smile on his face, just looked out over the audience at this dive bar on Kettner and had a look on his face as if he felt like he was the lucky one to be there.
The other good fortune I had on this night was to meet a young photographer who agreed to share his photographs with me. All of the pictures in this post are his, and you can find more of his excellent work on his Instagram account: www.instagram.com/esaulaniado.
PINS – The Casbah, San Diego – May 2, 2016
This past Monday at the Casbah proved once again why it’s a good plan to arrive early for shows and catch the opening acts. Your worst case scenario is that you get to hang out, have a couple of beers and socialize, but more often than not, if you give these support groups a chance, you should find something to enjoy about them. PINS, who, like headliners The Subways, hail from England, provided strong evidence to support my theory. The way I see it, if you can’t enjoy an act as good as PINS you probably don’t really like rock ‘n’ roll that much!
PINS may be from Manchester, but if they want to move to San Diego they would fit right into our local music scene. Their mix of noisy but melodic guitar-led music, with influences as wide as shoegaze, surf, riot grrrl and lots of garage-rock would feel right at home here. The band, featuring Faith Holgate on lead vocals and guitar, Lois McDonald on lead guitar, Anna Donigan on bass, Sophie Galpin on drums, and Kyoko Swan on keys, were quite dynamic and could go from a soft melodic passage to a ferocious wall of sound. Some of the best moments came when all the PINS would sing together – sometimes in unison with gang vocals and at others with layered harmonies.
PINS were also adept at getting the crowd involved in the show. The Casbah was filling up nicely for their set, but San Diego audiences often take a wait-and-see approach before giving it up for bands they don’t know. Holgate decided to just take things into her own hands, though, and went out into the crowd – as she was singing – and took the hand of a girl near the front and started dancing with her. This, of course, got everyone moving, and by the end of the set the crowd was completely engaged. If someone had walked in right then, they might have thought PINS were the headliners!
I had a chance to speak with Holgate after the show and she told me that they had just played the Casbah recently and that this show went a lot better for them. I took that to mean that the crowd was larger and more active during their set. My prediction is that by the next time they come through town they’ll be able to count on San Diego from the start!
Here are a couple of videos I took from the show:
“Girls Like Us”
“Get With Me”
Both songs are off PINS’ 2013 debut album, Girls Like Us. I haven’t heard that record yet but I did pick up their second LP, 2015’s Wild Nights, at the show and can confirm this record is going to get a lot of play! Apparently they recorded it at the famous Rancho de la Luna studio in Joshua Tree (that’s the location in the Palm Desert that Dave Grohl featured in his Sonic Highways series) and their producer, Dave Catchling, managed to keep PINS’ distinctive character while also helping them achieve a bigger and more varied sound.
You can check out more about PINS here on their website: wearepins
All photographs are by Esau Laniado at www.instagram.com/esaulaniado.
The Creepy Creeps - Belly Up Tavern, Solana Beach - 4-19-16
The Belly Up crowd usually doesn’t start to really fill in the space until the headliners are getting ready to go on. Not so on this night, as San Diego’s own garage/punk/surf-rockers, the Creepy Creeps, brought their demented brand of “dance numbers” to the Solana Beach venue as the warm up act for The Damned (look right below this post for a review of the Damned set). And warm up the crowd they did – exhorting the crowd to dance and cut loose while they played with their usual reckless abandon. Every time I see this band play they have a full dance floor in front of them and it doesn’t matter if they are the headliners or the 1st act on a 4 band bill – they bring everything they’ve got.
Check out this clip recorded at The Belly Up last summer: Creepy Creeps – Belly Up
The Damned - San Diego - 4/19/16
It is an interesting experience seeing The Damned live in 2016. They are of course one of the original and seminal British punk bands – contemporaries of bands like The Sex Pistols and The Clash. They even have the distinction of issuing the first punk single (“New Rose” in 1976) and LP (Damned Damned Damned in 1977). Though they were never as political as the Clash, or as nihilistic as the Sex Pistols, The Damned still presented a view into the feelings, actions and musical appetite of the disaffected youth of the day.
Yet while the Sex Pistols self-destructed after just one album and an aborted US tour, and The Clash burned brightly but ran out of fuel by the mid-80’s, here we are in 2016 and The Damned are still going strong. They are a different group now to be sure, though the creative team of David Vanian on vocals and Captain Sensible on guitar remain, their glory days of “New Rose,” “Smash it Up” and “Neat Neat Neat” are from a long ago era. But that’s not really a bad thing, since along the way they actually became good musicians and learned how to write songs with a more varied sound and feeling.
That brings us to a sold out show at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. The crowd arrived early and already had a buzzing energy after a great opening set by local garage/surf rockers the Creepy Creeps. The Damned then hit the stage with the anthemic “Street of Dreams” off their 1985 album Phantasmagoria. This sweeping song, with Vanian’s vocals giving it a cinematic scale, was the perfect opening number to show what the Damned have become. By Phantasmagoria the Damned were a punk band that didn’t write punk songs anymore – though they could, and still do, still let it all hang out with punk rock fury when they play the older songs live, they had morphed into something bigger and grander and darker.
So that’s what we got all night during a 2 hour 18 minute set. They played songs from throughout their carreer – from the pedal-to-the-metal roar of “Love Song” off the classic 1979 album, Machine Gun Etiquette; to the unhinged attack of “Ignite” off the 1982 LP, Strawberries; to the goth rock majesty of “Amen” off the 2001 record, Grave Disorder (which marked the return of Captain Sensible after a 19 year absence). And while the crowd was into it from the start, they would absolutely erupt when the band launched into one of its true classics like: “Love Song,” “Alone Again Or,” “Neat Neat Neat,” “New Rose,” and “Smash It Up”. Throughout this 20 song set,the Damned, whose core members are all in their late 50’s to early 60’s, played with a passion and energy that shows no signs of slowing down.
Side Note- Captain Sensible gave a shout out to a local brewery (I think it was Stone) saying that when they used to tour the states they’d bring their own beer because ours was “shit”. But now when they come over, it’s so good that they bring our beer back home with them!
I did not get any video from this show. Really, I think the Belly Up is the worst venue in town when it is sold out and I couldn’t get a good angle from where I was. So here are a few other videos from that show (my thanks to the photographers):
Disco Man Neat Neat Neat Amen New Rose Smash It Up
Citrus & Katie - The Merrow 4/26/16
On my way down to see Black Mountain at the Casbah (see review right below this) I stopped in at The Merrow to see Citrus & Katie play. As they were the first out of four bands to hit the stage that night, the crowd, while enthusiastic, was still relatively small. But the ones smart enough to get there in time were treated to a thoroughly enjoyable set of songs. Fortunately, one of the early arrivals was my friend Bella Lugosy, aka AcidTones, who took the fantastic pictures included with this story.
The Katie referenced in the band's name is Katie Howard, lead singer of local psych/surf/indie rock band Big Bloom and co-owner of the Little Dame art/retail shop in North Park. Then I used my powers of deduction to figure out that the remaining members - Oscar Carrion (from Splavender) on guitar, Grant Gilbert on bass (also in Big Bloom), Andre Flores on keys/sax, and Brian Disney on drums - were Citrus. Together they played a hybrid of different styles that I don't believe I've heard before.
My first thought as I listened to Citrus & Katie was that they are part of some sub-genre like "indie-lounge-jazz". The opening song had Katie singing beautifully over the top of Oscar's fluid, seemingly effortless, guitar playing. And some of the songs were all about that kind of vibe - but then all of a sudden the structure would break down, sometimes into a guitar freak-out and at other times each instrument would go in an unexpected direction. Sometimes this would happen all at the same time - as if each musician was playing a different song simultaneously. Please know, I mean that in the best possible way as the resulting sound was thrilling.
A highlight of the show was the song "Bounce" which starts with a funky riff from Oscar; he is soon joined by Brian with a spare but powerful rhythm and by Grant with a groovy bass line; Andre provides just the right shading with his keys; and only then does Katie enter the song like a chanteuse in some dark Parisian expat nightclub. After the first set of verses, Oscar lets loose a syncopated, almost prog-rock, guitar solo before settling back into the groove. In the second break Grant holds down the beat AND provides melodic runs with Oscar's guitar backing him up. Then the guitar drops out, the bass comes up and Andre lets loose with a ferocious sax solo. Then the song ascends (descends maybe?!) into some form of organized cacophony!
I have to admit that I don't know much about jazz but my instincts tell me that Citrus & Katie use jazz as a starting point and then take the songs in different and unexpected directions. This allows them to both contrast with the majority of indie acts playing the local scene but still appeal to wide range of listeners who are drawn to their musicianship, experimental song structures, and obvious love of playing together.
Here's a video I took of their new song "Creature" from this show and here's a video of "Bounce" by AcidTones from a show at the Black Kat last year.
Citrus & Katie: facebook bandcamp soundcloud
Acid Tones: facebook YouTube
Big Bloom: facebook bandcamp soundcloud
Splavender: facebook bandcamp
Little Dame: facebook website CityBeat
Black Mountain - The Casbah, San Diego - 4/26/16
Black Mountain took the small stage at the Casbah (check out the picture below to see how little room there is for the players once all the equipment is set up) and put on an epic show. They started with the first two songs, “Mothers of the Sun” and “Florian Saucer Attack”, off of IV, their highly anticipated new LP. These numbers set the stage perfectly for the rest of this alternately restrained, heavy, doomy, proggy and mostly really fucking loud show!
Add in the main set’s closing number, the 9-minute-long opus “Space to Bakersfield”, and if these song titles suggest a hint of prog rock from years past, you’d be right on the money. Keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt utilized his Moog synthesizer throughout the set, but especially on the new songs like the first two and others like “Defector” and “You Can Dream”. The Moog added a retro layer – like Rush circa “Tom Sawyer” – to Black Mountain’s already varied sound. I spoke with Schmidt after the show and he confirmed that the band is a fan of that era and style of music and it just fit naturally with the songs they were writing for this album.
In all, Black Mountain played eight of the ten tracks off of IV – which arrived just a couple of months ago after a wait of nearly six years since their last album, the excellent Wilderness Heart. I asked songwriter/guitarist Stephen McBean about the long gap between albums and he said that it was filled with A LOT of touring for Black Mountain, plus all the members have side projects with which they record and tour as well; so actually they had all been quite busy. He did share that he believes the next Black Mountain LP will come along much quicker this time.
Along with the new material they sprinkled songs from throughout their catalog. “Stormy High”, from their second album, In the Future, followed the initial 1-2 punch from IV and showed just how heavy and massive Black Mountain can sound. Next up was “Drugonaut” off their self-titled debut record, which came out in 2005. This song starts off with a rolling bass line and funky wah wah guitar and then slowly builds until it ends with an extended psychedelic freak-out of a guitar solo. Then a couple songs later we got the set-piece, “Tyrants”, which starts with Joshua Wells laying down a long, pummeling drum part as the guitar, keys and bass join together for a heroic introduction. This is followed by a quiet, melodic section featuring McBean and singer Amber Webber joining together on vocals. This interlude is just a faint though as the song builds from that towards a monumental riff and guitar solo from McBean.
While Black Mountain’s sound can be as immense as their name suggests they also know how to provide contrast and space in their music, as all of the instruments and voices have a chance to shine on their own while still completely meshing with each other. Singer/guitarist Amber Weber provides much of the balance to Black Mountain’s sound with her clear, and at times haunting, vibrato-laden vocals. It is her voice as much as McBean’s huge guitar sound that helps Black Mountain stand out from the pack. Make no mistake though – when they decide to cut loose – they are as loud as any group I’ve ever heard. Standing near the stage during the final song, “Don’t Run Our Hearts Around”, I felt like I was taking the music in through my entire body and not just my ears.
Check out these videos from this show: “Stormy High” “Tyrants” “Line Them All Up”
Learn more about Black Mountain and buy their records here at Jagjaguwar
Here are some BM side projects to check out: Pink Mountaintops, Lightning Dust, Kodiak Deathbeds, Blood Meridian, Obliterations, Sinoia Caves, Grim Tower
Wolfmother & Deap Vally – San Diego – 3/23/16
This was the perfect double bill at the House of Blues here in San Diego. Both groups, L.A.’s Deap Vally and Australia’s Wolfmother, are good enough and big enough to headline the venue, but with both of them they provided a real synergy where by playing together they were each better than if they were on their own. This led to a sold out concert with the crowd showing up earlier than usual to catch the openers and then losing their minds through most of the headliner’s set.
First up was the duo Deap Vally. The last time I caught this band was opening for Band of Skulls at the same venue a couple of years ago. They were good then but they are WAY better now! These two women and their music represent everything that rock n roll is all about. Their show was full of huge choruses, monstrous riffs and a ferocious intensity from start to finish. I spoke with the drummer, Julie Edwards, after the show and she shared that they expect to have a new album out in the fall. I will be shocked if they aren’t the headliners the next time they play this venue in San Diego.
Here are two songs from the show: the hit “Baby I Call Hell” and a new song,“Reflection”.
Next up was Wolfmother. I remember the exact moment I discovered this retro-leaning hard-rocking Aussie power trio. I was on an airplane watching a surf video on my laptop and the song “Woman” was used for an sequence featuring Kelly Slater in the Quiksilver video Young Guns 2 (the scene starts at 24:40). As soon as I got home I picked up their self-titled debut album and have been a fan ever since.
Since that 2005 debut the group has been through a lot of turmoil and lineup changes and we discovered that the band really was just guitarist/singer Andrew Stockdale and whoever played with him. Regardless of all the drama- Wolfmother brings back the rock that I grew up with, combining elements of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy and mixing it with the modern hard rock of groups like the White Stripes. And all of this was shown on stage this night as they played a 19 song set from throughout their career. This was the rare concert where the band did not leave out a single song that I wanted to hear. [here’s the setlist from the show]
Wolfmother came out of the gates as a fully formed hard rock behemoth in 2005; then grew even more powerful after the followup LP, the epic Cosmic Egg, dropped in 2009. After that the band seemed to lose its way somewhat, with Stockdale releasing a solo album in 2013 and a hurried third Wolfmother LP, New Crown, in 2014. But based on the quality of their new album, Victorious, and the sold out crowd’s rapturous reception at this show, I believe the band has returned to form and is ready to continue what it started over a decade ago.
Here’s the title track off their new album, “Victorious” from the House of Blues show.