That's what I hit on the way to a show downtown this past month. Mother nature pummeled roads into peanut brittle, making craters the size of Hellas Planitia. That was expected. What wasn't expected was a box of balloons (and other items) in the middle of 3rd Street. As the rain has somewhat subsided, I'm left with a severe alignment problem, a container of assorted party goodies, and memories of a month of good shows.
Hardcore rap and hardcore punk converged every Friday in February with 8bit and The Mormons' weekly residency. Things often got messy... Not only is Languis' new material probably the best of their long career, but also some of the most hypnotically gorgeous music I've heard in awhile. I had to see them more than once this past month just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. "City of Lights" will knock you to your knees... The Monolators finally got their big shot at Spaceland and they delivered. They never sounded better... I overheard someone at the Mudpuppy say that Matt Curreri sounds like Bright Eyes. Whatever. Curreri's last release is better than most albums put out in the entire Midwest let alone some overrated music scene in Nebraska. "Willow Tree" is brilliant. But, yeah, he does a sound a little like Bright Eyes... Saw Romeo et Juliette at the good ol' Dorothy. I have a weakness for Shakespeare, sure, but I'm also a sucker for Anna Netrebko, the reigning goddess of opera. Her last appearance in L.A. was a few years ago for Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. While Bellini's masterpiece is still a favorite to most, Gounod's version does have some beautiful arrangements in Act II and a nice change of events in Act IV... Yes Dear impressed a couple hundred kids at the Key Club. Former members of Ozma and Arlo lead the group, who only after a handful of shows, have suddenly appeared on weasel lists everywhere... Lucinda Williams got tired of sitting on her keyster and joined the Truckee Bros., Lisa Sanders, and Dead Rock West for a hoedown that lasted until the wee hours of the morn... There are a lot of great bands coming out of Texas these days, but Pilotdrift could very well be the best of them all. Predictors predict that they'll soon be playing to thousands of more people than the handful that were perceptive enough to show up early to see them at the Knit. And was that Chauntelle Dupree of Eisley working the merch table? Hmm...
