My Year in Lists - Top 10 shows of 2008

#10 - CSS + Tilly and The Wall @ Mayan Theatre - Los Angeles (Sept 2008)

#9 - Jamie Lidell + Janelle Monae @ Fillmore - San Francisco (Oct 2008)

#8 - Kate Nash @ Bowery Ballroom - New York City (Jan 2008)

#7 - Girl Talk @ The Music Box - Los Angeles (Oct 2008)

#6 - Ting Tings @ 330 Ritch (Popscene) - San Francisco (Dec 2008)

#5 - Ratatat + e*Rock @ The Echo - Los Angeles (July 2008)

#4 - Los Campesinos! + Parenthetical Girls + Abe Vigoda @ The Troubadour - Los Angeles (June 2008)

#3 - Jamie Lidell + James Pants @ El Rey - Los Angeles (May 2008)

#2 - Helio Sequence + The Builders and The Butchers @ The Independent - San Francisco (February 2008)

#1 - Portugal. The Man + Foxy Shazam @ Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco (March 2008)

Honorable Mention goes to San Diego Street Scene: While individual shows such were great, such as Hot Chip + Does It Offend You, Yeah + Devotchka + Tokyo Police Club.... the festival overall was.... meh.

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My Year in Lists - Top 10 Albums in 2008

#10 Tilly and The Wall - o
o is the most aggressive Tilly and The Wall album to date. The Omaha quintet uses feet to keep the beat... Tap Shoes, to be exact. o is the Tilly's third full length release, and was produced by Mike Mogis (Saddle Creek Records). I only bring this up because the production quality of o really accentuates this musical element more than their previous two albums, which is important, because the tapping is what defines Tilly and The Wall. This is an album that will put you in a great mood. You can listen to it from beginning to end and then want to replay it over and over again.

#9 Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
This list would be thoroughly incomplete without Vampire Weekend's debut album. After I saw them in 2007, I knew they would have a quick come-up in 2008. And they did, which I think makes me brilliant. This is a thoroughly fun album that is extraordinarily accessible to all musical tastes. Well, mainly white people. According to a Salon.com interview with Christian Lander, founder of stuffwhitepeoplelike.com:

SC - What about the whitest band?
CL - Right now? I have to say Vampire Weekend all the way. They're pushing it to levels unseen.

#8 Girl Talk - Feed The Animals
Steph Benson (writer for Rhapsody) posted on her facebook status that Girl Talk is truly music for those with A.D.D. Mashing almost every conceivable song with a beat from 1970 to 2008, Feed The Animals is an action packed dance marathon. I was sitting in a middle seat on a flight from Denver to LAX between two giant men. I put on Feed The Animals on my iPod and annoyed the shit out of them with my seat dancing and head bobbing. Sorry guys... you'd have been dancing too.

#7 Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
Plug the headphones into the Hi-Fi, switch on the lava lamp and listen to this amazing musical journey. This album deserves more than a few blurbs, so I'm going to direct you to antiMusic.com to read a terrific description of the album. F-You. I'm not lazy. Take it back.



#6 Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On
Heart On was the most difficult album to place on my Top 10. I knew it belonged but I had a very difficult time placing it. I wasn't entirely impressed with them when I saw them live during San Diego's Street Scene, but since the album came out in November, it has been in constant rotation. It's a true blooded rock and roll album with very catch riffs and sounds like the offspring of a Mick Jagger and David Byrne project.


#5 Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation
As I mentioned in my previous post, Radio Retaliation has a theme of political fury and is quite possibly their most lyrically robust and musically diverse album to date. They mix reggae, hip-hop, arab, indian, among musical styles from a variety of regions while singing in at least 3 different languages.



#4 Los Campesinos - Hold On Now, Youngster
Los Campesinos! may not have a sound that will appeal to everyone, but this album oozes energy. The riffs are catchy, the choruses are singable, and the songwriting brings with it a clever youthfulness. "I'll be CTRL-ALT-Deleting your face with no reservations". LC! however, not only has one spectacular album released this year, but two. Hold On Now, Youngster was released in February and We Are Beautiful, We are Doomed was released in October. Both albums are similar in nature; that is to say, great. However, We Are Beautiful, We are Doomed could very easily have been an extension of Hold On Now, Youngster which is why I left the latter off the top ten, but it definitely gets an honorable mention.


#3 Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
This Portland duo incorporates guitar, drums, synth and harmonica. Comparisons to Bob Dylan are often drawn with their songwriting and vocals. Though the poetry allows the listener to reflect upon self-awareness, heartache, hope, and independent thought about God, it is mostly upbeat with complex musical rhythms which may be why this album scored so high with me.


#2 Jamie Lidell - Jim
When you start to be compared to Stevie Wonder, Little Richard, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye while creating a sound that none of the above would have ever dreamed of, it's fair to say you are in good company. This album is brimming with soul from beginning to end and is funky enough to guarantee a little bit of feel good to all its listeners.


#1 Portishead - Third
While Third is technically the third full-length release by Portishead, it is their first release in eleven years. There are many that are calling this album a 're-debut' or 'comeback' album... I think what really happened was that they died and became vampires with incredible musical abilities. The good part about that is that they will live forever and hopefully make music for as long as I live. Portishead makes it to the top spot because they not only push the limits of their own core-competency, but also because they break new ground (and set the bar high) with new experimental sound.


Honorable Mentions go to:

Los Campesinos! - We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
Marnie Stern - This Is it and I Am It and You are It and So Is That and He is It and She is It and It is It and That is That
The Mighty Underdogs Droppin' Science Fiction
Black Mountain In The Future
Ratatat - LP3
MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
She & Him - Volume One

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My Year in Lists 2008 - Top 20 Tracks on Handstamps' Headphones

Ah... Two Thousand Great... it really did live up to its name. And what's interesting is that you can kinda see the mood I was in this year by looking at the tracks to which I listened. Here's a playlist of the tunes that topped my last.fm charts for the last 12 months. Note: though the title of the post says there are 20 tracks, there was a tie for 20th, so there are 21 tracks.

2008 Top Tracks

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My Year in Lists 2008 - Top 15 Artists in Handstamp's Headphones

Where the hell have I been, you ask? I'll tell you where I've been... I've been in LA where you get too self-consumed to allow yourself time for creative outlets... like writing. I know, I know, you're thinking that if that were really true, then how would i explain Hollywood showbiz? and my point to you is: exactly.

Well, anyway, i spent the last 9 months living here in sunny southern California. While I've kinda enjoyed my time here, I really miss San Francisco and I'll be returning in a few days. Since I've been a bit off the radar, I decided what better way to get back on the radar by telling all you faithful readers what I consider the bests of 2008. Over the next few days, four lists will follow culminating with the Best Live Shows of 2008. But now, we start with the top 15 that I have played on my iTunes or iPod in the last 12 months (according to Last.fm scrobble function)

My Top 15 Most Played Artists (according to Last.fm)
1: Stars - While Stars have been on my iPod for a few years now, it wasn't until late 2007 that something clicked with me and these Scags.
2: Los Campesinos! - LC! released two albums in 2008 and they were both AMAZING. Read reviews on Hold on Now, Youngster released April 8, 2008 and We Are Beautfiul, We Are Doomed released Dec 2, 2008. {Note: The title of this post is pays homage to one of their songs}
3: Helio Sequence - I first discovered this band when I saw them at the Independent during NoisePop 2008. It was an extraordinary show (Builders and Butchers opened) and the Helio Sequence quickly moved into heavy iPod rotation.
4: Ratatat - Ratatat makes great driving music... since Last.fm doesn't measure the songs i play on my car stereo, Ratatat could easily have been higher on this list.
5: Jamie Lidell - This Brit has more soul and funk than one man should have.
6: Tilly and the Wall - Keeping the beat with their feet... thanks to Tapping Tilly.
7: Eagles of Death Metal - My first exposure to EODM was 'Heart On', their 3rd full length album, which was released on October 28. The fact that it got to #7 on this list tells you its been in HEAVY rotation in recent weeks. They've been described as 80's punk dipped in 70's Rolling Stones.
8: The Ting Tings - This feelgood electrpop band came on HUGE in 2008 three hit singles. Made it to #2 on Last.fm's top new artists of the year.
9: Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation, released November 2008, has a theme of political fury and is quite possibly their most lyrically robust and musically diverse album to date.
10: Belle & Sebastian - Indie Sweethearts release BBC Sessions Deluxe Box Set.
11: Blonde Redhead - Blonde Redhead is like my Pink Floyd -- No matter what year it is, the will always make the charts.
12: Girl Talk - I dare you to sit still while listening to Girl Talk's most recent album Feed The Animals
13: Hot Chip - Nerds with man-boobs will make you swoon and rock.
14: of Montreal - Running out of
15: Maps - Clever things to say
other notable Artists curiously absent from this list (last.fm doesn't count stuff I listen to in my car): MGMT, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, 'Calvin Harris', 'Vampire Weekend', 'Portishead',






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September - October Archive

07/08 - Port O'Brien + The Builders & The Butchers (Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa)
07/10 - Port O'Brien + The Builders & The Butchers (Spaceland)
07/10 - Tilly & The Wall (EchoPlex)
07/12 - RATATAT (EchoPlex)
07/18 - Wolf Parade (Henry Fonda)
07/19 - The Action Design (Knitting Factory)
07/20 - Download Festival (LA)
07/23 - Mickey Avalon (Grove, Anaheim)
07/24 - Foxy Shazam + Scary Kids Scaring Kids (Key Club)
07/29 - Bloc Party + Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Mayan Theatre)
07/30 - The Hold Steady (Avalon)
08/06 - The Ting Tings (El Rey)
08/07 - The Faint (Henry Fonda)
08/23, 24 - Sunset Junction Street Fair (Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Menomena, The Happy Hollows, !!!, The Black Keys)
08/27 - Portugal. The Man (Troubadour)
08/28 - Portugal. The Man (Troubadour)
09/09 - Ratatat (Henry Fonda)
09/10 - Ratatat (Henry Fonda)
09/13 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/14 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/15 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/17 - Vampire Weekend (The Wiltern) 2 nights
09/18 - Tokyo Police Club (Henry Fonda)
09/18 - Vampire Weekend (Wiltern)
09/19-20 San Diego Street Scene (Hot Chip, TV on The Radio, New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club, Tegan & Sara)
09/20-21 Hot Chip (Wiltern)
09/21 - My Morning Jacket (Greek Theatre)
09/25 - Tussle + Ra Ra Riot (Echo)
10/01 - Stars (The Avalon)
10/02 - Gogol Bordello (The Grove - Anaheim)
10/02 - Sigur Ros (Greek Theatre)
10/02 - Stars (HOB Anaheim)
10/16-19 - Tegan & Sara (4 nights @ Henry Fonda)
10/30 - Fujiya & Miyagi (Troubadour)

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RATATAT & E*Rock @ the EchoPlex

E*Rock + RATATAT @ EchoPlex - July 12


E*Rock is the brother Evan e*vax Mast of Ratatat. His particular brand of laptop-rock/electronica included some Wii controllers that he masterfully controls on stage like Dr. Frankenstein in a lab creating monster beats and effects. Wish I had more time to write about this, because it was mind-blowing.



Here's a video interview with e*Rock that gives a little background on his career and some samples of the music he creates (courtesy of coolhunting.com):


Ratatat took the stage and confirmed my loved for the tracks on their newest album, LP3. Anyone who thinks that the album tamer than their previous releases should see Ratatat perform the songs live and then listen to the album again.


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One Two Three Four!

One, Two, Three, Four! I heard this cadence many times last night. And this is what it represents:

One - One Great night
Two - Two Venues. Two great friends.
Three - Three delicious beverages (at each venue)
Four - Four wonderful bands!

It was my first time going to the EchoPlex (below the Echo) and its a decent size venue (similar layout to the Independent in SF, possibly a bit bigger.) If you are ever going to a show here on a Thursday night, make note of the EARLY doors @ 7:30. Show started at 8pm with Castledor:


Tilly and The Wall followed shortly thereafter. The show was as energetic as I expected, but every song was played about 15% slower than you'd be used to hearing. Still extraordinary. I think I want to make babies with the tap-dancing Tilly.


We were out of The Echoplex by 10:15pm! So, we attempted to wait for another cab. This is an exercise in futility in LA. A bus came by, and we hopped it. $2.50 bus fare, took us about half-a-mile to Silver Lake Blvd. at which point I decided it would be a good idea to jog the rest of the way to Spaceland. I made it without dying, although I was excessively sweaty. As we walked in, we were greeted by a few members of The Builders and The Butchers who remembered me from their last performance. They hadn't yet performed, so it was perfect timing!


Finally, thanks to the diligent photo-taking of yours-truly, I was able to document that I saw Port O'Brien... and I'm pretty sure it was fun, though... things were a bit hazy at this stage.

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Upcoming Shows

07/10 - Tilly & The Wall (EchoPlex)
07/12 - RATATAT (EchoPlex)
07/18 - Wolf Parade (Henry Fonda)
07/19 - The Action Design (Knitting Factory)
07/20 - Download Festival - Datarock, M83, Tapes 'n Tapes, etc.
07/23 - Mickey Avalon (Grove, Anaheim)
07/24 - Foxy Shazam + Scary Kids Scaring Kids (Key Club)
07/29 - Bloc Party + Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Mayan Theatre)
07/30 - The Hold Steady (Avalon)
08/06 - The Ting Tings (El Rey)
08/07 - The Faint (Henry Fonda)
08/23, 24 - Sunset Junction Street Fair (Broken Social Scene, Cold War Kids, Menomena, The Happy Hollows, !!!, The Black Keys)
08/27 - Portugal. The Man (Troubadour)
08/28 - Portugal. The Man (Troubadour)
09/09 - Ratatat (Henry Fonda)
09/10 - Ratatat (Henry Fonda)
09/13 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/14 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/15 - Aesop Rock (Troubadour)
09/17 - Vampire Weekend (The Wiltern) 2 nights
09/18 - Tokyo Police Club (Henry Fonda)
09/18 - Vampire Weekend (Wiltern)
09/19-20 San Diego Street Scene (Hot Chip, TV on The Radio, New Pornographers, Tokyo Police Club, Tegan & Sara)
09/20-21 Hot Chip (Wiltern)
09/21 - My Morning Jacket (Greek Theatre)
09/25 - Tussle + Ra Ra Riot (Echo)
10/01 - Stars (The Avalon)
10/02 - Gogol Bordello (The Grove - Anaheim)
10/02 - Sigur Ros (Greek Theatre)
10/02 - Stars (HOB Anaheim)
10/16-19 - Tegan & Sara (4 nights @ Henry Fonda)
10/30 - Fujiya & Miyagi (Troubadour)

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My New Favorite Blog

It's called 'Stuff White People Like' and it is hi.la.ri.ous. Plus, it explains why I want to make babies with Jenny Lewis.

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June Archive

06/01 - Flight of the Conchords (Orpheum)
06/04 - The Long Blondes (Troubadour)
06/07 - Los Campesinos! (Troubadour)
06/08 - Los Campesinos! (Glass House)
06/11 - The Detroit Cobras (The Detroit Bar, Costa Mesa)
06/12 - The Builders and The Butchers (Spaceland)
06/12 - The Detroit Cobras (Troubadour)
06/12 - The Helio Sequence (echo)
06/14 - The Helio Sequence (Detroit Bar)
06/18 - Rilo Kiley (Greek Theater)
06/18 - The Secret Machines (The Viper Room)

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Gogol Bordello Announces Show @ the Grove In Anaheim

It used to be said that Barnum & Bailey's Circus was the 'Greatest Show On Earth'. But Gogol Bordello's 'circus' was not around back then. Here's my recap of the last adventure I had with Gogol Bordello. You'd be wise to get tickets early. Tickets go on sale today (if you have a password). The public on sale date is Saturday. The password is in the image below.

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Interview with Jamie Lidell

"Some people say whiskey is good, just to loosen up ... the build up of mucal extracts." - Jamie Lidell

courtesy of Revision3 XLR8R TV:



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My Morning Jacket @ Radio City Music Hall - Full Set List and Live Recording!

Band/Artist: My Morning Jacket
Date: June 20, 2008
Venue: Radio City Music Hall
Location: New York, NY
Full Set List and Live Recording!
Courtesy of Internet Archive





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Extra Action Marching Band

This weekend, I visited SF for the first time since moving away in April and I was faced with 48 hours of action packed fun. From lounging in the park, to birthday parties, to bar-hopping, and as always, live music... i got to sample everything that I love about the city in an insanely short amount of time. I had two birthday gatherings to attend in one night and many many people to catch up with so Saturday night was a whirlwind adventure. Just before midnight I hopped in a cab to get to a private birthday event at the Climate Theatre which is a tiny little performing arts space that my friends rented for the birthday party. After a few minutes of mingling, the crowd was overcome by the intrusion of The Extra Action Marching Band. A snapshot from the party is pictured on the right...

and the video below is from their performance at the Fillmore when they opened for David Byrne in 2005.



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The Ting Tings announce show @ El Rey

Indie-pop duo, The Ting Tings, will return to Los Angeles on August 6th for a performance at the El Rey Theatre. Tickets are $16 and go on sale today @ 10am Pacific Time.

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Modest Mouse - Late Night Show in Williamsburg Tonight

Update - Someone pointed out to me, when The Bowery Presents sends out an email about a show, it is no longer considered "secret". This show sold out in less than 5 minutes.
------------------------
Attention New Yorkers... Modest Mouse will be performing at 1:30AM tonight @ The Music Hall of Williamsburg. As if that's not unusual enough, Tickets are available for $20 at Ticketmaster with (get this...) no FEE! Tickets are only available online.



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Blind Melon @ Blend (Ridgewood, NJ)

Ridgewood, NJ? Don't knock it. Them's my stomping grounds and Blend has built some cred with the bands coming to their stage. Tonight's performance was a reunited (sans Hoon) Blind Melon. Pictures below courtesy of THS field correspondent, HRH.


Blind Melon Set List - June 18th, 2008 - Blend - Ridgewood, NJ


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I'm not known to rock the microphone.

But, I am internationally known.

Here's a map of the last 150 visitors to Tenacious Hand Stamp....



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Sunset Junction Street Fair

Having lived in San Francisco, I know a thing or two about street fairs, given that there is almost always a street fair happening somewhere in San Francisco every week during the summer and early fall. I've seen some good music at said street fairs, but nothing like this... Check out the lineup for the Sunset Junction Street Fair:

August 23rd,
Langhorne Slim
Menomena
Broken Social Scene
Cold War Kids
and more...

August 24th
!!!
Black Keys
and more...

This is a street fair worth going to. Tickets for the Sunset Junction Street fare are on sale at Ticketweb. $15 per day!



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Download Festival - 2008, LA Lineup.

Here's the lineup for the Download Festival 2008 in Los Angeles. The event will take place on July 20, 2008 at the Gibson Amphitheater.

THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN
GANG OF FOUR
BRAND NEW
MUTEMATH
YEASAYER
GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY
M83
CARIBOU
FLOSSTRADAMUS
RJD2
MATES OF STATE
THE DUKE SPIRIT
THE NIGHT MARCHERS
BLITZEN TRAPPER
TAPES 'N TAPES
DATAROCK
THE PARLOR MOB
KAKI KING
VEDERA
WILLIAM FITZSIMMONS
DE NOVO DAHL

The event also takes place in San Francisco on July 19th and in Philadelphia on August 2.

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The Helio Sequence + Talkdemonic

The music coming out of the Pacific Northwest continues to amaze me. In addition to seeing Parenthetical Girls and The Builders & The Butchers this week, last night I was pleasantly surprised to see that Talkdemonic was the opener The Helio Sequence (both from Oregon) at the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa.

Talkdemonic is self-labeled "folktronic". Lisa Molinaro rocks a viola, while Kevin O'Conner keeps the beat and lays down the tracks. I last saw Talkdemonic when they opened for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah in 2005. For one reason or another, their sound didn't resonate with me back then, but I'm glad I got to see them again, because I quite enjoyed it this time.


After a somewhat lengthy break between sets, The Helio Sequence came on and played to a very loyal and enthusiastic crowd. Unfortunately, while most of the room was loving every second of it (including yours truly), the volume was out-of-control loud for the size of the venue and it was muddling the sound. Those who hadn't experienced The Helio Sequence found it difficult to enjoy the intricacies of their composition, but the duo have such amazing stage presence (esp drummer, Benjamin Weikel) that a good time was had by all.
Sample tracks coming soon... stay tuned.

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Wayward Panties

Today is the birthday of one of the founders of one of my favorite music blogs,waywardpanties.com. Happy Birthday Tiffany!



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Vampire Weekend - Then and Now.

Vampire Weekend, July 2007, Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco - Capacity 127



Vampire Weekend, June 2008, Central Park, New York City, - Capacity WTF?


photo courtesy of HRH

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Beck - Surprise Show @ Echo TONIGHT!

Beck will be playing tonight at the Echoplex. The show was announced yesterday. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door the night of the show on a first come, first served basis for $25 cash. No line ups before 6pm.

Ages 18+. Doors open at 7pm. Show starts at 8pm.


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Why I Love The Builders and The Butchers

It's singing and shouting with guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo, accordian, drums, xylophone, trumpet, bells, and washboard. Oh, and a megaphone and a funnel.

One Man, One Giant Bass. One drum set, Two drummers.


Clapping!


Audience Participation! Noisy toys for all to play.


One Big Man, One tiny mandolin.

I heard 4 or 5 new songs played live at Spaceland in Silver Lake.. Some are up on their myspace page. Expect a new album in January/February time frame. They will be at Cafe du Nord on Saturday June 14. If you miss them this time around, they'll be swinging back around again in July, touring with Port O'Brien.


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Costa Mesa Rock City?

"So, this is Costa Mesa." These were the words of Detroit Cobras lead singer, Rachel Nagy, as she took the stage of the Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa. Exactly my thoughts. Was I really seeing the Detroit Cobras in Costa fucking Mesa? She continued, "Is the stage moving, or is it just me?" Yup. It really was the Detroit Cobras. She swayed to the left, staggered to the right, grabbed the mic stand, centered herself on the stage, cleared the sweaty hair from her face, and then belted out song after soulful rock'n roll song. It's not uncommon for Nagy to be a drunken train-wreck when she goes on stage, but it makes for a fun show. Loud, drunk and angry is a winning combination for the Detroit Cobras.

But the real treat here was not just seeing the band. I've been hating on Orange County during my interim residence here and going to this show tonight really made up for the deficiency of character of this entire county. The Detroit Bar is a gem of a venue and whoever is booking this venue knows what is up, and that is a good thing. The Helio Sequence plays on Saturday June 14th and the rest of the calendar is impressive (Stereolab in Sept?). The Detroit Bar is laid out very well, with a capacity around 175 (I'm guessing). It's reminiscent of Cafe du Nord or The Elbo Room (in SF) with the booths and a small stage, but with the decor of a swank retro lounge.

Opening the evening of entertainment was Killola, who was my favorite band of the night to watch. Lead singer, Lisa Rieffel, has an amazing stage presence and a killer voice. During the set, she shed her boots and her belt, swung her microphone around her neck, and laid down on the ground in front of the bass drum during a short drum solo. She is definitely hot. I heard she was the love child of Billy Idol and Karen O. That's not true, I made it up. Though the band is based out of LA, Rieffel is a New Jersey native which makes her awesome by default. I think I want to make babies with her. In any case, supporting her were 3 other band mates quite adept at shredding face. If you don't catch them on June 12th at the Troubadour, they'll be back on July 19th at the Knitting Factory with Girl in a Coma.

The second band of the night, Les Sans Culottes, is french-language-rock-and-roll band. Though they sing almost entirely in French, AND act the part on stage, they're really from Brooklyn and speak perfect English. Was that a secret? Um, anyway, this was the first I had seen them, and they were very fun to watch. They will be touring with the Detroit Cobras for the next two weeks through Chicago and then on their own from there. After the show, I was lucky enough to strike up some conversation with a couple of the band members. Jokingly, I asked if they were mortal enemies with the other sing-in-French-but-really-Americans band, Nous Non Plus. While the question was somewhat of a joke, it seemed that there WAS some history of some tom-foolery and douche-baggery, but I won't report further... because I didn't record the details. Who can do such things with a beer in one hand and a cigarette in the other?

In any case, that's my log for the evening. The Detroit Bar is an awesome place to see a show, and if you are lucky enough not to live in Costa Mesa and can afford the $4.79 per gallon to get down here, i would suggest you do so on Saturday night when The Helio Sequence will be taking the stage.

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Damn You, Dave Grohl.

The June 7th performance of the Foo Fighters at Wembley stadium featured an encored with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. That dick has the greatest fucking luck. Read more on MOG

Los Campesinos!

I recently reconnected with an old friend I went to grade school with back in NJ. He now lives in LA and manages a great restaurant/bar called Mirabelle on Sunset. This restaurant happens to be fairly close to the Troubadour, so I stopped in for dinner and a beverage prior to going to see Los Campesinos! After I clarified that they were not a Latino, but a Welsh band... he asked what kind of music it was. As you know, I hate this question. But I gave him the simple answer: Tweecore. So, after I let the blank stare linger a moment longer, I came up with, "imagine Iggy & The Stooges covering Raffi (or maybe the other way around?) and that will get you somewhere in the neighborhood."

After I ate, I headed over to the show and was disappointed that I only caught the last song of a band I was actually curious about, Parenthetical Girls, and I totally missed Abe Vigoda, which I heard was incredible. During the short break, I got my adult beverage and thank goodness I got it quickly because before I knew it, the band was on stage and ready to go @ about 10p... This is remarkably early for a headliner on a Saturday night, no?

In any case, Los Campesinos! started their set with the polychoral 'ONE TWO THREE FOUR, ONE TWO THREE FOUR' introduction heard on the track, 'Broken Heartbeats Sound Like Breakbeats'. And from there it was loud, animated, clappy, dansy, and sweaty music for the next 45 minutes. An unfamiliar listener might not have understood that the wanton cacophony generating such excitement was actually quite calculated and extraordinarily tight... While it was obvious that the crowd embraced Los Campesinos! from the motions of their bobbing heads, it wasn't until members of Parenthetical Girl came out into the audience that the crowd let loose. It seems that these two bands have generated quite a bond, and there was some serious emotion when lead singer began talking about how hard it was going to be to part with their touring companions.

Parenthetical Girls started hopping, dancing, crowd surfing and getting the audience going nuts... And I mean Go Team! @ GAMH 2006 nuts.. It was a very memorable show... make sure to catch them the next time they are stateside.

Check out an interview on Above The Fold
Venuszine's recap of Paranthetical Girls
More pictures from the show on Prefixmag.com

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