The Rock n Roll Super Show.

Recently, Vampire Weekend cut a trail through California on a short tour.  The last stop was at the VFW Hall in Lomita, CA.  The show, put on by FYF Fest, was probably one of the smaller shows that the band has played this year.  The 500 capacity room was filled to the brim with eager Vampire Weekend fans.  The place was also decked out in 70s décor, which contributed heavily to the vibe of the show. 

Flyers for this tour had advertised it as support for the band's new record, “Contra,” due out January 19th.  Because of this, the band played a balanced set between new and old material.  The crowd seemed to enjoy the new material just as much as the old.  In between songs the crowd was shouting for the band to play “Walcott.”  After the screams continued for a few songs, Ezra took a minute to say that when the band played “Walcott” it would be their last song.  After this, shouts for Walcott immediately ceased. 

The new material that they played was different than their current music, but every bit as good.  One of the songs was much faster, and the first single “Horchata” is much darker sounding than the first record. 

The band blazed through their 12 song set.  At the end, instead of leaving the stage and coming back for an encore, they band announced that they weren't going to leave the stage.  They instead decided to just go straight into the encore.

Vampire Weekend played a fun set, and showed a small group of devoted fans that the new album is going to be every bit as good as their first one.  Vampire Weekend is one of the best live bands to dance and sing along to.  They will be returning to LA later this month for KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas, and early next year for a headlining tour.

The setlist was:

White Sky
Holiday
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa
I Stand Corrected
M79
Cousins
California English
One
A-Punk
Run
Campus
Oxford Comma
Mansard Roof
Horchata
Walcott



It was a great experience to see Everclear last week at The Roxy. Frontman, Art Alexakis had a perfect stage presence and truly looked excited to be in front of devoted fans. Art was joined with a completely new band, however that didn't change the songs sounding original.  There was tremindous crowd reaction and it literally felt like a rewind back to the 90's. There was a great number of people there, ranging from the older fan base to this generation's fans.   The whole audience knew every song and every lyric and it was a night filled with non stop fun. 

The night started off with “ So Much for the Afterglow” and immediately Alexakis' voice was hidden through the voices of shouting fans reciting every lyric. The set list consisted of mainly hits which was delightful because there was never a dull moment and the vibe throughout the night was pure excitement.  A funny moment that happened was when Art decided to play “Strawberry” acoustically and accidently started playing a cover of Van Morrison's “Brown Eyed Girl”.  Funny part was, you could actually hear some people singing along with the mess up.  Slightly embarrassed, Art just laughed it off and went straight into the song.  Of course the most popular songs were played which included “Father of Mine”, “Everything to Everyone” and “Wonderful”.  Lastly, the night ended with “I Will Buy You a New Life”.  What was remembered the most was the speech he gave before the song which was “ Life isn't about material possessions, its about love”.

Listening to Everclear as a child, I never thought I would actually get to see the band in concert.  It was such an amazing experience and something I will not forget.  After all these years, Art Alexakis still has his unique swagger, bleached hair and everything!  It was a blast back to the 90's that night and it felt good.  Everclear is working on a new album and should be out in the summer of 2010. Be sure to check out the interview with Art Alexakis this week.



photo by Jeff KogaA week and a half ago, Kidrockers took over the Echo to put on a one of a kind show.  Silversun Pickups and Henry Clay People were on hand to provide a party soundtrack for the new generation.

Thos unfamiliar with Kidrockers either don’t have kids, aren’t into music, or both.  Kidrockers is a series of shows that take place across the country that brings music to kids.  We’re not talking music like Raffi and The Wiggles.  This is real music.  Real music that grown ups listen to.  It’s just presented in a kid friendly environment, or in the case of this show a small club transformed into a kid friendly environment.  The Echo looked very different during Kidrockers compared to normal shows.  The center of the floor was cleared off, and placed on it was a plethora of Twister mats with cushions on top.  This area was for the kids to have a seat and dance if they wanted.  Kidrockers also took place at 1pm on a Sunday, which isn’t normal concert time, but perhaps it’s normal kid time.

The Henry Clay People took the stage first, and they played songs that older fans would be very familiar with.  The kids seemed to be really into the band.  A few kids were up on their feet dancing to the music.  HCP played a modified cover of “Old McDonald Had a Farm” in which they picked kids to yell out animals for the song ranging from cows to goat-monkeys.  In a twist ending, HCP closed with Mott the Hoople’s “All the Young Dudes.”  A song that none of the kids looked familiar with.  Nonetheless both parents and kids seemed to enjoy this cover song.

After a break including some kid friendly rock trivia, the Silversun Pickups took the stage for an acoustic set.  This was a treat for everyone in the audience.  Silversun Pickups don’t play acoustic very often, and although none of the kids likely knew how awesome this was, they were still very into the music.  The band had fun with the kids, and even brought one up on stage for “interpretive dance” during the set.  Despite the mellower vibe of an acoustic set none of the kids seemed to lose interest.  They were all rather enthralled by Brian Aubert’s playing and singing.  After their third song the band answered questions for their young fans.  When asked how their name originated, Nikki the bassist told the kids that it came from a liquor store by their house that they would buy milk at.  When another kid asked Brian what their first song was, Brian told him it was called “Kissing Families” and offered a sample.  The “sample” turned into a full-blown acoustic version of the song. 

Kidrockers is a great way to expose kids to music that is actually relevant today.  It provides kids with a safe and fun environment to listen to some great bands.  By keeping the ticket prices down ($9) Kidrockers provided a fun, affordable, and educational alternative to taking the family to a movie.  It’s great to see that events like this now exist for kids.  Letting kids do things and go places that adults go is a huge thing.  Older fans who think Kid Rockers sounds enticing should note that adults are required to be accompanied by a kid age 3-13.  So if you really want to go see the show, take your little brother.  You’ll both have fun, him probably more than you.



Back in 1997 Hanson released “Middle of Nowhere.”  After hearing this record at the young age of 8, Hanson became my first favorite band.  I wanted to go see them so badly, but never got the chance.  Luckily, Hanson still tours and now that I’m in LA I got the chance to see them last week at House of Blues.

Everything I had heard about the modern Hanson was true. Most people would assume a band like Hanson wouldn’t embrace it’s past, but that’s exactly the opposite.  The band opened with “Where’s the Love?” off of “Middle of Nowhere.”  The audience that was literally packed shoulder to shoulder in the venue, and as soon as he music started the largely female audience went crazy.  They knew every lyric to every song, and they tried their hardest to dance despite the tight quarters.

As I retreated to the less crowded upper levels, the band continued to play some of the most skilled rock music in recent memory.  The stage set up put Issac and his guitar on the left side, Taylor with his piano on the right, and that left a giant opening in the middle of the stage in which fans could see Zac on his drums.  During guitar solos, Issac would leave his side of the stage and go into the center for the solo.  During parts of songs where Taylor had no keyboard parts, he would also pivot his mic stand to the center of the stage. 
In the middle of the show, the band performed a short acoustic set.  During this set Zac sat on a wooden drum box in the center of the stage.  Both Zac and Taylor had short solo moments on stage at the piano.  Zac’s was interrupted by the keyboard player from Sherwood laying on the piano in nothing but a pair of underpants.

Hanson is a band that seems to have gotten better over time.  They are currently at their peak as live performers.  Don’t discount these guys just because they used to be those cute kids from the 90s.  They can play and sing even better than they could back then.  Hanson puts on a solid show, and any current or past Hanson fans would be doing themselves a favor by checking them out next time they tour.



On Saturday, Russian Circles headlined a show featuring Young Widows and Helms Alee at the Echoplex.

Helms Alee, a 3 piece band which I have never heard previously, started the night off right. Their set featured slow and sludgy songs underlying dual female vocals that traded off with the yelling of the male guitarist. The vocal harmonies of the 2 ladies were delightful and somewhat unexpected over the detuned droning the band created. The whole set seemed like one giant climax ending with huge breakdown with very spaced out pauses and then starting over again, but slower. No one knew quite when to clap.

The next band up was Young Widows. I was quite worried when I found out their van broke down a couple days prior to the show. Luckily for me, they somehow found a way out here. The set started off with an extended version of "swamped and agitated." It had a prolonged interlude with somewhat of a drum solo underneath the spacey guitar work and grinding bass. They then proceeded to play "Old Skin" after a brief thank you. The band kept the tempo up until about half way through the set until they slowed it down with, "The Guitar." They then played a newer more introspective song, but continued to finish the show off strong with songs from the "Old Wounds" album. I would also like to point out that during the whole set, no stage lights were used, but only the 6 light bulbs that were integrated into the guitar cabs.

After much anticipation, the headliners, Russian Circles took the stage. Too me, their set can be summed up through metaphor. With a dimly lit, dark blue backdrop, I immediately thought of the ocean.  Once the first swell of feedback commenced, it foreshadowed the storm ahead. The intricate clean guitar riffs at the beginning of the opening song was the calm before the storm. Slowly but surely, the volume swelled up to produce hurricane like textures, only to taper off into silence.  During the breaks in between songs, there would always be a faint feedback somewhat like a gentle rain. The three flood lights that the band brought were also flickering as if trying to communicate an SOS.

Aside from all the metaphor, RC put on a great show. All members were musically gifted and exceeded my expectations.