Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Sorry, I don't read Rolling Stone. So, seriously, I had no idea The Bravery were just picked as "One To Watch For" in one of their latest issues alongside The Dears, Rilo Kiley, and Fall Out Boy (?). Anyway, I heard about this band awhile back when a friend from NYC said something about them. She's a smart girl and knows more about music in her little left toe than, well, my right big toe. She also tells me they just signed to Island with WMA already in place so apparently they're good... Well, they are. There is no doubt about that. Post modern disco punk blah blah blah. They've got NME/Melody Maker covers written all over them with "Move Over Strokes, The Bravery Is Here" as a headline. They'll probably hate that. Still, I sat back and enjoyed their tunes, each of which had huge choruses, the kind that bloom like the cherry blossom's in Brooklyn. With a rather likeable NYC bravado, Endicott pranced around like he'd done this before. Ladies seemed to be caught up in his unhumanly good looks... he looks liked the offspring of Adam Ant and John Cusack to me. I'd keep a keen ear out for this band. Rolling Stone, Island Records, Adam Ant notwithstanding.
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Monday, September 27, 2004
Good times were had by all last Saturday when 400 Blows, The Bronx, and The Pope teamed up for some nighttime lullabies and haiku reading at Hanging Jury in what we described last week as the show to see. Arrived just as The Pope grabbed the stage where they proceeded to bless the procession with a stunning set of riffy dronecore. I was so elated by this band that I didn't realize my ears were bleeding. Didn't have much time to recover when The Bronx plugged in. Playing their last local show before going out on tour with The Used (don't hate), they broke out the chart toppers before clearing the way for the Blows. The severity of a 400 Blows show is quite possibly beyond anything you've ever seen and heard. I've loved this band for many years, traveling up and down the coast on their jaunts with At the Drive In, Tongue, or The Bronx. All the while losing my hearing at every stop. They'll be playing again with The Pope at the Silverlake Lounge on 10/14. Trust me, it'll be worth going deaf.
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Wednesday, September 15, 2004
So I was supposed to be at another show, but a last minute addition to their Monday night lineup made Spaceland the winner. I hadn't seen On the Speakers in awhile and why Sefchick's band isn't a hit with the kids is beyond me since his brilliant melodic touch that he did with Creeper Lagoon is still there. And Ford's 6-string magic is effortless. Anyway, we all should go see them more often... Next, was October's residents The High Speed Scene. Like many others, I spotted them around the time Williams and Hugo signed them as the first rock act to the Star Trak label. So I'm a relative n00b like everyone else having seen them only a handful of times. For some reason, I always want to a hear a second guitar doing some lickity split chops. One guitar just sounds lonely for their arena rock sound... Anyway, good as it was to see OTS and HSS, I really came for Idiot Pilot. Got to keep track on Aaronson's signings, boys and girls. He's usually on the mark (Eisley, Hot Hot Heat, Avenged Sevenfold) and I think these boys from Bellingham are on to something, albeit still in need of some of fine tuning on stage. Anderson ended up with bloody fingers (probably from smashing his hand into his strings instead of strumming them) but that was all the more entertaining, especially when he had to cue up the next rhythm sequence on his Powerbook. I believe it was their debut in Los Angeles so take note that they might be headlining next time around...
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Monday, September 13, 2004
Horrible title to this blog, but this is what happens to a mind at 5AM. The Monolators celebrated the release of their new CD Rejection Set Me Free on Saturday with friends and family. Performing for the first time since March, the band charged through the new hits ("Radio's On," "Take It Outside," "Trouble I'm In") and pulled out an oldie ("Spandex Hitman"). Look for them on 9/28 at the Lava Lounge... Meanwhile, The Lips got lost on the way to the Bowl, but made up for it with a perfectly sloppy set of Bauhaus/Psychedlic Furs influenced garage punk.
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