popwreckoning

In Washington last year, two adjacent businesses on H Street Northeast, the tiny live music venue Red and Black Bar and the burlesque house Palace of Wonders joined forces to create a combined venue, the Red Palace. I’d seen some shows at the Red and Black and while it was intimate, the ambiance was nothing to write home about. The new and improved Red Palace, I am happy to report, is a revelation. The performance space is on the top floor of the place and is as intimate as my other favorite venue in the city, DC9 (no wonder, it’s owned by the same folks) and it cleans up real nice. For my first show at Red Palace, I was there Saturday night to see the band who provided my best gig of 2010, the Postelles of New York City.

There were two opening acts for the night. Toronto rock band Dinosaur Bones was up first. Bass player Branko Scekic endeared them to the audience by starting their set, whispering, “We’re Dinosaur Bones. And we’re from Canada. We’re a long way from home.” Enter the “awwws.” Interestingly, he was the one delivering the jokes for this band (not their singer Ben Fox), commenting how much he loved Washington, saying, “my favorite [thing to see in DC] is the Washington Monument, because everyone knows what it looks like, no dicking around.” Laughter.

But let’s talk about the music. Listening to them live the first time, I had trouble thinking of how I would describe them. They’ve got Led Zeppelin riffs; disaffected, post-grunge Aaron Lewis (Staind)-like vocals, and the occasional feel of Creed? “Royalty” was a sure highlight, what a sexy bass line and great guitars accompanying it. It’s also worth nothing their lead guitarist Joel Clifton has an uncanny resemblance to Megadeth‘s Dave Mustaine. Make of that what you will. The band’s debut album, My Divider, will be released soon.

Snowmine, the other opener, is a Brooklyn psych pop band. When I think of “Brooklyn” and “psych pop” I think of Bear in Heaven. Similar, but Snowmine has a more tropical vibe. Think Bear in Heaven meets Cut Copy. If Jurassic Park had a house band, it would sound like Snowmine. Their first track, “Danger in the Snow!”, began with prehistoric programmed rumblings. But most of their songs involve maraca and tambourine shaking and big beats, and I also thought of the new wave of Men at Work and Toto‘s “Africa” as possible reference points. Cool vibe. I was definitely into the more upbeat numbers like “Penny” and “The Hill.” They also have an album coming out soon, called Laminate Pink Animal. Check ‘em out.

It’s hard for me to comprehend that the guys of the Postelles are barely into their twenties. I’ve seen them three times now (once, opening for Hockey, and twice as a headliner), and they play like seasoned veterans. It may be because of the many times they’ve played in our town, they always get an amazing reception, and who doesn’t play a great show when you have a great audience? Their debut album has been delayed for a long while but rumor has it that it will finally be released in April; physical copies of The Postelles were available at the DC show.

They previewed two songs newer than those on the debut album, “Bum Bum Bum” and “Running Red Lights,” both of which were in the standard Postelles vein of classic rock ‘n’ roll. In these days of high-tech gadgets, programming, and autotune, it was so nice to see four guys singing and playing guitars, bass, and drums without relying on electronics. Their songs are so poppy and peppy, it’s impossible not to have a good time letting while this band is playing. The crowd, while interested in seeing the band, appeared stiff at the start of their set, but everyone was dancing by the time the band got to “Sleep on the Dance Floor” (with its killer bass line) and “White Night,” right before the encore. It wasn’t much of an encore, because as quickly as they had jumped offstage, they jumped right back on, singing “Boy’s Best Friend” (an ode to a ex-girlfriend who turns out to be a lesbian) and a raucous rendition of “Beat on the Brat” by the Ramones that will forever be cemented in my mind. (It’s not every day a faithful blogger like me gets to duet with one of my favorite bands!)

The Postelles Set List
Bum Bum Bum (new song)
Looking Glass
1, 2, 3 Stop
She She
Stella
Hey Little Sister
Hound Dog (Elvis Presley cover)
Running Red Lights (new song)
Sleep on the Dance Floor
White Night
//
Boy’s Best Friend
Beat on the Brat (Ramones cover)

Tour Dates
Feb 16 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken
Feb 18 – First Unitarian Church / Philadelphia

The Postelles: website | myspace | interview with | @ Rock ‘n’ Roll Hotel | The Postelles Premiere First Promo Video, “White Night” | The Postelles Announce Fall North American Tour
Dinosaur Bones: myspace
Snowmine: website | myspace

Before Frank Turner became a solo artist, he played in a London post-hardcore outfit, Million Dead. When that band fizzled, he decided to strike out on his own, he did so in a very different musical genre, folk rock. Five years post-Million Dead, three solo albums, and two EPs later, Turner finds himself being revered and highly sought after, easily selling out venues at home in the UK. Despite having toured stateside over the last 2 years as support for the likes of the Gaslight Anthem, the Offspring, and Social Distortion, he’s not a household name in America. Yet. But his latest EP released this week, the simply-titled Rock & Roll, should help matters.

Thanks to the BBC, folk gets a lot more attention nationally in the UK than it does here in America, and in Britain, there is a glut of folk and folk rock acts eager for mainstream success. Three reasons I think Frank Turner has come out on top of the heap and succeeded in Britain and in Europe? His down-to-earth persona, his eagerness to communicate with his fans (check out his Twitter and his blog, usually detailing his life on the road but more recently, the difficulties of touring during a freakishly early winter snowfall in Britain), and the protest bent of his lyrics, making him a present-day, Bob Dylan-style folk hero, if you will. He champions the little guy, a position that usually doesn’t translate to fame, fortune, and success in the popular music world. Yet back home in Britain, he’s idolized. I never got into Tom Waits like some of my friends and some of the people in the music business I’ve run into as a blogger. But I imagine for many people, Frank Turner is their Tom Waits.

The melodic guitars and Turner’s engaging vocals make this EP highly enjoyable. “Pass It Along” starts slowly with a folky sensibility. It reminds of how some of Led Zeppelin‘s songs would start off quietly and introspectively before ripping into monster, now classic riffs. (I bring up Led Zep because they are the band that created arguably one of greatest rock ‘n’ roll songs ever, aptly titled “Rock and Roll.”) In the case of “Pass It Along,” it’s at the 3-minute mark that all lets loose for what feels life-affirming. “Rock and Roll Romance” is a short piece, just Turner and his guitar. Simple, yet gorgeous and heartbreaking, all at the same time.

If you feel like the EP is flagging, then “To Absent Friends” reignites the fire. Listening to this song, I’m sure you can feel the excitement that is Frank Turner and his band live, Turner giving his vocal cords quite the workout as piano keys bang. The tune “The Next Round” is the most country of the five on this EP, and is the regretful musings of an alcoholic. What could sound fake doesn’t in Turner’s deft songwriting hands. But the rallying cry of this EP is the anthemic track “I Still Believe.” Turner sings, “who would have thought / after all / something as so simple as rock ‘n’ roll would save us all?” Decades after the first rock ‘n’ roll tunes came out of its rhythm and blues roots, rock ‘n’ roll is still going on strong. And it will continue to thrive with people like Frank Turner, committed to making music under his own terms. This album might not be as aggressive as what is being passed off as “rock” these days, but it’s sure got plenty of substance. And heart.

Track Listing:
01. I Still Believe
02. Pass It Along
03. Rock & Roll Romance
04. To Absent Friends
05. The Next Round

The Rock & Roll EP by Frank Turner will be released on December 07 on Epitaph Records.

Frank Turner: website | myspace

After seeing Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons last month, I suspect I may well be turning into a folkie. Not that it’d be a bad thing. Furthering my genre-specific education was folk rock siren April Smith and her four-man band the Great Picture Show, who graced the Christmas light-lit Iota stage this past Tuesday night – a decidedly balmy, sticky night in the Nation’s Capital. This sort of weather is typical for June here, and native Washingtonians have learned to live with the heat and humidity of our summers. For Smith and her band however, I felt terrible about it because she kept mentioning the stifling heat. Surely the night before in Atlanta could not have been much better? I was worried how this was going to affect them playing songs from her fan-financed debut album Songs for a Sinking Ship, full of hand claps and finger snaps. I really needn’t have worried.

I decided that her talking about the heat and revealing to us that they had indulged in a large pasta dinner earlier (and saying it was probably a bad idea before a performance) was her way of reaching out to us, like we were friends. Iota has that kind of vibe about it– it’s a small but comfortable, homey place, a place where you can go to see an up and coming band perform and you don’t feel like you have to be someone else. Wearing a sleeveless white blouse with a red skirt and lacy petticoat, the brunette Smith looked more cowgirl than a rocker. This thought was quickly put out of mind as soon as she opened her mouth on their opening number, “Movie Loves a Screen,” Smith engaging the audience with her sweet voice.

Wow, what a voice. The best numbers were those that showcased Smith’s amazing vocal control, range, and delivery, like “Dixie Boy” (a woman’s stern warning to another woman eyeing her man), and those that got the crowd involved, like the hand clap, foot stomp-inducing “Colors.” The end of the show should have been album track “Wow and Flutter,” which if you were wondering did wow me quite a lot, especially thanks to a homage to Led Zeppelin the band injected into the bridge of the song in the form of a folky bit of “Whole Lotta Love,” including some of the rock anthem’s racier lyrics. Not what you expected from a bunch of folkies, huh?

After a short period of deliberation in a huddle, the band decided to return for an encore. Smith explained that it was going to have to be a cover. “Do you want upbeat…” she started to ask, interrupted by someone shouting out “upbeat!” Well then. Smith and the band proceeded to play a blazing version of Melanie’s “Brand New Key,” a 1970s pop hit that you may be familiar with via a recent cover by American Idol alum Katharine McPhee. Given the choice, I’d take April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s version any day. According to the band’s Facebook page, Smith provides “vocals, rhythm guitar, [and] sass” – she’s got plenty of talent in all three to teach generations of women how music is done right.

April Smith and the Great Picture Show Set List
Movie Loves a Screen
Drop Dead Gorgeous
Terrible Things
Stop Wondering
What’ll I Do
Colors
Can’t Say No
The One That Got Away
Dixie Boy
Wow and Flutter
//
Brand New Key (Melanie cover)

April Smith and the Great Picture Show: website | myspace | Songs for a Sinking Ship review

Monday night at the Patriot Center in Northern Virginia was just the second show in a long string of North American dates for stadium rock heroes Muse. I’ve seen some crazy crowd footage from the band’s performances in recent years so understandably, I was concerned about an out of control general admission audience. An English friend of mine is a huge fan of the band and has seen them more times than he count on one hand. So I figured he would be the one to ask regarding concert safety, and our discussion went something like this:

Me: Okay, so the Muse gig in March is general admission. Where do I stand, so I don’t get killed by the mosh pit?
Him: Don’t stand in the middle! Stand either to the left or the right, and you’ll be fine.
Me: Really?
Him: Yeah, you’ll be fine.

And he was right. By the time a friend and I arrived at the arena, there was already a long line going around one side of the building, so I figured placing ourselves front and center wouldn’t be possible anyway. As luck would have it, we ended up in “second row” on stage right, squarely in front of the exact spot where Matt Bellamy (lead vocals / guitar / piano) stood for much of the show, so it turned out to be an excellent vantage point.

Opening for Muse was Los Angeles band Silversun Pickups. Frontman/guitarist Brian Aubert had the daunting task of leading his band in front of crazy Muse fans, but I thought they did an admirable job, playing songs familiar to me off 2009′s Grammy-nominated Swoon like the fabulous “Substitution.” Dark-haired bassist Nikki Monninger dazzled in a magenta sleeveless dress, busting out the awesome bass lines to the Silversun Pickups song everyone should know by now, “Panic Switch.” While they had no problem filling the cavernous 10,000-seat arena with their brand of rock, I’m imagining they’d sound even better in a smaller club.

Even before one note was played that night, there was the question of three towers draped in gray cloth, standing on the far end of the stage. We didn’t know what these were for until the lights went down shortly before 9:30 PM, causing everyone in the now-filled venue to hoot and holler in approval as images of shadows started to “walk” up the towers, further building the suspense. Finally, cloth dropped, revealing Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar / backing vocals), and Dom Howard (drums) on their individual towers. What a truly dramatic way to usher in “Uprising.” Turns out these “towers” house fancy hydraulic lifts that allow the band to be raised high above us or when they feel like it, join us mortals back down on the regular stage.

The Resistance was one of my top 10 albums of 2009, even though when I first heard some of the tracks, sprinkled liberally with sweeping orchestral arrangements and Bellamy’s piano tinklings, I wanted to scream, “stop trying to be Queen!” (The band have, in fact, admitted their love for Queen, and Queen guitarist Brian May has indicated his appreciation for Muse’s music, so this shouldn’t have come as a surprise.) Now, having heard many of the tracks from the Resistance live a couple days ago and having it all sink in, all I can say is…wow. This Led Zeppelin fangirl from back in the day was not at all expecting an homage to the gods of hard rock by way of Jimmy Page’s guitar solo at the start of Led Zeppelin II‘s “Heartbreaker.” But if there was any better way Bellamy could intro “Supermassive Black Hole” on his guitar, I’d like to see him try.

It’s hard to pinpoint my highlights of the night, but the superbly sensual “Plug in Baby” (from 2001′s Origin of Symmetry) has to be at the top of the list. Bellamy is the consummate songwriter, and my impression from Monday night is that he is also the consummate performer as well. Whether wailing on his guitar or keytar, singing in his trademark falsetto voice, or banging away on the piano, the man has more talent in his body than should be allowed. Wolstenholme’s thumping bass and Howard’s drumming, along with Bellamy’s contributions, assured that every Muse song was played with deftness and might. The crowning moment was “Knights of Cydonia,” the precision of the commanding guitars and Howard’s drumming making this truly one rocktastic tune. Every single person in the arena sang along with Bellamy on the chorus of “no one’s gonna take me alive / time has come to make things right / you and I must fight for our rights / you and I must fight to survive,” all in one voice. Absolutely brilliant. This band from Devon, England has worked so very hard to get where they are today, and I’m so glad that finally they’re getting the mainstream success they deserve in America.

There’s a wonderful line in Muse’s current love song single, “Resistance”: “I’ll wait a thousand years, just to see you smile again.” Muse is one of those bands that if you love sweeping guitar rock, they’re sure to make you smile. I’m glad I won’t have to wait that long to see them: the wide, Muse-induced smile is going to return to my face this summer. If you want to see what you’re missing, check out the official promo video for the song below. (If you’re seeing them on this tour, you may want to skip it so you’ll be surprised!)

Muse Set List
Uprising
Resistance
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Supermassive Black Hole (with wicked Led Zeppelin “Heartbreaker”-influenced intro)
Interlude
Guiding Light
Hysteria
United States of Eurasia (no piano outro)
Feelin’ Good (Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse cover)
Helsinki Jam
Undisclosed Desires
Starlight
Plug in Baby
Time is Running Out
Unnatural Selection
//
Exogenesis
Stockholm Syndrome
Knights of Cydonia

Tour Dates
Mar 05 – Madison Square Garden / New York City
Mar 06 – Banknorth Garden / Boston
Mar 08 – Air Canada Center / Toronto
Mar 10 – Bell Centre / Montreal
Mar 12 – United Center / Chicago
Mar 13 – Palace Of Auburn Hills / Detroit
Mar 15 – Bridgestone Arena/ Nashville
Mar 17 – Fort Worth Convention Center / Dallas
Mar 18 – Toyota Center / Houston
Mar 29 – Rexall Place / Edmonton
Mar 30 – Pengrowth Saddledome / Calgary
Apr 01 – Pacific Coliseum / Vancouver
Apr 02 – Key Arena / Seattle
Apr 03 – Rose Garden Arena / Portland
Apr 05 – E Center / Salt Lake City
Apr 06 – 1stBank Center / Denver
Apr 09 – U.S. Airways Center / Phoenix
Apr 10 – Mandalay Bay Events Center / Las Vegas
Apr 11 – Pima County Fairgrounds / Tucson
Apr 14 – Oracle Arena / San Francisco
Apr 17 – Coachella Music Festival / Indio, CA

Muse: website | myspace | Muse Reveal Tracklisting for New Album | Muse to Play Several U.S. Dates with U2 and MTV VMAs | Various Artists: New Moon Soundtrack | Muse – “Undisclosed Desires” Promo Video | Muse Announce Short Spring American Tour | Muse Announce More Dates for 2010 Spring North American Tour
Silversun Pickups: website | myspace

I always feel it’s a privilege to see a band on the last date of a tour. By then, all the bugs have been worked out of a band’s set and they’ve got everything down pat to every last detail, so what you see before you is a culmination of nights and nights of “rehearsal” (if you will) for their final parting bow. A sold-out crowd in Washington greeted Editors, kings of the dark indie rock genre in Britain and the Continent, when they appeared at the 9:30 Club Sunday night, the final date of a 2-week North American tour.

Two New York bands assumed supporting act duties for the night. The first band to play was the unsigned quartet the Dig. When I know little about an opening band, I keep an open mind but also accept the fact that their music might not float my boat. In the Dig’s case, I really liked what I heard and from what I could tell by the applause from people around me, they went over pretty well with the folks that claimed places near the front early. They play pretty much straight forward rock ‘n’ roll, switching off between two lead singers (Emile Mosseri [bassist] and David Baldwin [guitar]). Two of the highlights of their short set were “You’re Already Gone,” a song I can see having radio hit potential, and “Two Sisters in Love.”

I won’t name any names for fear of stoning, but despite the super stardom of some American rock bands here and abroad, I can’t name one that has fully captured my attention in some time. The Dig’s final song, “I Just Want to Talk to You,” is one down and dirty number that sounded like the love child between Aerosmith (raw vocals and guitar riffs) and Led Zeppelin (bluesy, jammy goodness). Wicked. Keep an eye on these guys. Their debut album Electric Toys will drop in America on April 27.

.“You’re Already Gone” by The Dig.

I’ve read some reviewer’ suggestions that Brooklyn trio the Antlers makes music that fits the shoegaze and/or dream pop genres, and I can see why. They released their latest album, Hospice, last year. And as the album title suggests, this is heavy stuff and deals with tough subjects, weightier than your average shoegaze or dream pop band certainly and overall, they’re a bit quirky. I mean, really, what rock band nowadays plays with potted plants attached to their synths? Big Antlers fans were definitely in attendance, cheering appreciatively whenever frontman/guitarist Peter Silberman spoke to the crowd or introduced a number such as “Two,” the song that received the loudest cheers.

Silberman’s voice has an ephemeral quality, which at times sounds perfect against the swirly synths and effects of their keyboardist Darby Cicci and at other times at odds with drummer Michael Lerner‘s pounding beats. Structurally, their songs remind me of those of Cymbals Eat Guitars as they feel like mini-operas, songs that have distinct parts led by either the vocals or synths. Their set ender, “Wake,” implores the listener “don’t let anyone tell you you deserve that.” If you like songs with deep lyrics light on the guitars and heavy on the synths, this is the band for you.

The Antlers Set List:
Kettering
Sylvia
Bear
Two
Wake

It’s been over two2 years since Editors last visited Washington, and having talked to fans down at the front, I was not alone in never having seen the band before. Last year I made a pact with one of my best friends that if I saw Editors (one of her favorite bands) in 2010, she would have to see Friendly Fires (one of my favorite bands). To be honest, I really didn’t need much persuading, with Editors’ latest album In This Light and On This Evening drawing on synths and electronic drum beats to great effect and as a result being a major departure from the band’s previous blockbuster albums 2005′s The Back Room and 2007′s An End Has a Start.

Fans from back in the day as well as newer ones will enjoy their current live set, a fine selection of tracks from all three of the band’s albums. It was cool to watch lead guitarist Chris Urbanowicz and bassist Russell Leetch switch effortlessly between their usual axes to play synths when needed on the latest tracks, and it just goes to show that Editors aren’t afraid to try something new.

“You Don’t Know Love,” one of my favorite tracks off the new album, was amazing live, the emotion just oozing out of frontman Tom Smith. I’ve never really cared for his deep voice, but wow, I quickly became mesmerized by the man, crooning into his microphone all night and going from playing guitar, piano, and keyboards. Long-time Editors fans went crazy for tracks “The Racing Rats,” “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors,” and “Munich,” Urbanowicz and Leetch’s guitars and Ed Lay‘s drums driving the songs. “Munich” in particular had the crowd pumping their fists in the air, everyone shouting with Smith on the chorus of “people are fragile things / you should know by now / be careful what you put them through / people are fragile things / you should know by now / you’ll speak when you’re spoken to.”

“Bricks and Mortar” was the surprising highlight of the night for me. Ever since I got the new album, I’ve wondered who played what synths-wise on which songs, but I got my answer Sunday night watching Smith and Urbanowicz furiously tap their synths side by side – totally awesome. They recently played on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and you can watch their performance below.

Editors Set List:
In This Light and On This Evening
Lights
An End Has a Start
You Don’t Know Love
Bullets
The Boxer
The Big Exit
Blood
Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
The Racing Rats
Escape the Nest
Like Treasure
Bones
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
Bricks and Mortar
//
Munich
Papillon
Fingers in the Factories

Editors: website | myspace| In This Light and On This Evening review | Editors Announce February North American Tour Dates
The Dig: myspace
The Antlers: website | myspace | The Antlers to Tour with Editors

“You can’t control rock ‘n’ roll!” So goes a copyrighted saying proffered by We Are Scientists‘ bassist Chris Cain this past Thursday night at the Black Cat. That evening, Washington D.C. received a wonderful gift in the form of a lively gig from the New York-based indie rockers. As the second of only three gigs on “The Big Fuckin’ Deal Tour,” I was excited that my town was going to receive something truly special: not only would we hear the great songs from their amazing previous albums, but we would also get a preview of their forthcoming album to be released sometime this spring.

The support act for the night was Uninhabitable Mansions, a Brooklyn five-piece playing mostly upbeat pop/rock numbers. I imagine their unwieldy name may put off some from the get-go, but that would be really unfair, as they put on an enjoyable set. Lead singer/guitarist Robbie Guertin tentatively joked with his band mates between songs, reasonably successful in trying to garner the same kind of rapport that WAS have with their fans. At first, with songs like the upbeat “Do You Have a Strategy” made me think they were a straight-forward rock band, but two slower songs threw my radar off, proving to me that they were more versatile than I initially thought. Delivered in wordy Michael Stipe / R.E.M.’s “It’s The End of the World As We Know It” style, the song “We Already Know” was a fun way to end their set, setting audience members’ heads bopping.

WAS took the stage around 10 with the crowd cheering them as they got onstage. Along with wildly energetic versions of their songs, jokey banter between Cain and singer/guitarist Keith Murray is a hallmark of WAS shows. So it should come as no surprise that in addition to the great music, the two also made us laugh a lot with their jokes. After playing a new track called “Jack and Ginger,” Murray laid into a fan stage right that had shouted, “I love Chris!” and replied in mock disgust, “What the heck are you doing on the Keith Murray side? You all know I stand on this side of the stage and Chris stands on the other!” Later on, the two discussed what might happen if American novelist Philip Roth decided to go head-to-head with WAS (presumably in songwriting???), with Cain insisting Roth did that previously with Bon Jovi, and Bon Jovi lost.

You may have noticed I haven’t talked about WAS’s drummer yet. The band has gone through a series of them since they started. Last year there was much talk among WAS fans when former Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows was recruited to play with the band; indeed, he played drums on the new album. However, Burrows was unable to join Cain and Murray on this tour, so drummer Danny Allen (on temporary loan from Aussie band Youth Group) was drafted as an interim replacement. During the set, Cain and Murray asked the audience whom they thought Allen looked like; an audience member shouted, “Mark Twain!” Cain looked at Allen, saying, “If you are Mark Twain, consider your contract with us null and void.” Personally, I thought he looked like a cross between Shakespeare and the late, great Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham. But forget who he looks like; Allen handily provided the powerful backbeats to WAS’s songs. And let’s face it: the majority of WAS’s songs rely on driving beats, and on songs like “Inaction” and “It’s a Hit,” Allen’s drumming was spot on.

Hearing the crowd around you sing along to every word of a song is an incredible feeling, and this experience was repeated throughout the night as the guys tore through fan favorites like “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” from With Love and Squalor (2005) and “Chick Lit” from Brain Thrust Mastery (2008). “Dinosaurs,” a track from Brain Thrust Mastery, has never really been a favorite of mine. On this night, however, it was fantastic live: the song building and building in intensity to its conclusion and Murray shouting, “It’s natural selection; it’s natural selection; it’s natural selection!” with reckless abandon. As a former biology student, I chuckled to myself, seriously doubting Charles Darwin would have approved.

After the raucous rock-out that is “The Great Escape” and the band left the stage, we all incorrectly assumed that based on the set list, the background music being piped in on the PA, and the unplugging of Murray’s yellow Fender, there would be no encore. However, to our delight and probably somewhat to the annoyance of the band’s guitar tech, they returned to close out the night with a rousing rendition of “Cash Cow.” Murray kept thanking us all night for being so great: Keith, Chris and Danny, on behalf of the Black Cat audience that night, the feeling was totally mutual. And given the preview of four great new tracks, I’m chomping at the bit for the new album.

We Are Scientists: website | myspace | Brain Thrust Mastery review | @ johnny brenda’s | @ austin music hall | @ electric factory
Uninhabitable Mansions: website | myspace

The second night of Butch Walker’s month-long Wednesday night residency at Hollywood’s Hotel Café was quite a bit of a party. I’ve lived in LA for close to a year now, but I still get excited at celebrity sightings, and Butch’s collection of famous friends did not disappoint me in the slightest. In attendance that night were Jeremy Piven, Derrick Whibley (of Sum 41 and Avril Lavigne-marriage-drama fame), and not in the VIP section but in the crowd with the rest of us plebians, Alex Solowitz, best known for his portrayal of Mickey Parke in the faux MTV boy band 2ge+her. Damn, I love Los Angeles.

Tonight, Butch would be treating the crowd to a live, stripped-down rendition of The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and the Lets-Go-Out-Tonites. He played the album straight through, no deviations aside from his usual shtick; references to the ‘97 hit “How Bizarre” by OMC, comparing his riffing and soloing to every Led Zeppelin song that ever existed, while consequently singing “baby, baby, baby, baby!” much like Robert Plant does on every other Led Zeppelin song. You know. The usual.

He did make up for missing a song the previous week, treating us to “#1 Summer Jam,” and resolving to not miss a single song from The Rise and Fall… Pausing for a minute in the musical revelry, he talks about the forgiveness that his hardcore fans give him for his wackiness, refers to himself as being compared to Jason Mraz with tattoos, and tells us how sometimes, he wants to be filthy, stinkin’ famous. And then things happen like the YouTube video of him recording his version of “You Belong With Me” from the previous week, and he gets torn the hell up, and he realizes that he likes his little bubble. And he loves his hardcore fans. It’s good to be loved.

Getting close to the end of the album, Butch pulls out his big political song, “Paid to Get Excited,” and flat out admits that he had no idea what he was thinking when he wrote the album. Or why he wrote a political song. After playing through the first two verses and choruses, he also admits, “I don’t even like this last song! So I’m gonna do something different,” and segues into Dramarama’s “Anything, Anything,” which is a KROQ favorite and absolute staple.

In my mind, that was the cover of the night. However, soon after, Walker busts into Pulp’s “Common People,” and I honestly think I was one of five people in the entire audience who knew the song. Still, as great a song as it is, I’m not sure if it was Butch’s best choice for a cover. Shatner did it better.

Finally, the highlight of the entire night was the unintentional encore. As he’s leaving the stage for the night, someone holds up a cake with a candle in it and the crowd begins singing “Happy Birthday,” as Walker’s 40th birthday was on the Saturday to follow. That just set him off in a rockin’ mood and he did not want to stop. Calling up Hotel Café regular, Jim Bianco, the boys jam a little bit more, treating the crowd to the title track off of Jim Bianco’s latest album, Sing. I will totally and completely admit to loudly singing the harmonies from the crowd on that one. Continuing on, the boys bust out into a cover of Prince’s “Kiss” with Ari Gold himself, Jeremy Piven, joining them on the drum set….sans cymbals and with woodwhacks instead of sticks.

I have yet to be disappointed by one of these shows these month. I know that everything says its sold out, but they’ve been selling a small number of tickets at the door. Come on down and join the fun, and GET THERE EARLY!!!!!

Butch Walker: website | myspace | Sycamore Meadows review | interview with | @ grog shop | @ hotel cafe: night 1

Them Crooked Vultures – the superheroes of rock trio of Dave Grohl (ex-Nirvana, Foo Fighters), Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal), and John Paul Jones (ex-Led Zeppelin) – have released details of their forthcoming self-titled debut album, due out in mid-November, on their official website. The band plans to tour in support of the new album, with December dates in the UK and Europe and a trip out to Australia and New Zealand in January 2010 trip planned.

You can pre-order the album at their official website.

The tracklisting will be as follows:
01. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
02. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
03. New Fang
04. Dead End Friends
05. Elephants
06. Scumbag Blues
07. Bandoliers
08. Reptiles
09. Interlude With Ludes
10. Warsaw or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up
11. Caligulove
12. Gunman
13. Spinning In Daffodils

Them Crooked Vultures drops in the U.S. on November 17.

Them Crooked Vultures: website | myspace | Them Crooked Vultures @ Austin City Limits 2009 | Austin City Limits – Day 1 in Review

Supergroup Them Crooked Vultures stormed Austin City Limits this year and delighted the crowd with their brand of power rock. While an amazing front man, you can’t be mad at a band that puts Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) back on drums. Especially when the wild beats he produces support the sick licks of vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal) and bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, formerly of a little band called Led Zeppelin.

The video below doesn’t nearly do these über-talented musicians justice, but until you get to see them live, it’ll have to do.

Them Crooked Vultures: website | myspace

On Saturday night the 12th at the 9:30 Club, D.C. readied for a clash of two rock goddesses – New Zealander electropopper Ladyhawke and Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria. Support for the night was provided by London electropop/remixer extraordinaire Frankmusik and New York glam rockers Semi Precious Weapons. This tour is all thanks to the organization and chutzpah of SoCal celebrity gossip “reporter” Perez Hilton. A nice Neuro rep outside the club before the show explained to me that the owner of the company is a long-time friend of Hilton’s, so when the opportunity came up to him to sponsor Hilton’s new venture, it was a no-brainer really. The pleasant Neuro reps were handing out complimentary samples of their company’s energy drinks prior to the show, ensuring no one would forget who was sponsoring the event.

We found out from Hilton’s introduction of Frankmusik that the show in D.C. that night was his first ever in America. Frankmusik is the stage name for Vincent Frank, a young Londoner who really does it all musically – he can sing, beatbox, play the piano, and write songs, and has also remixed and produced for many artists already. Amazing CV, and he’s not even 25 yet. A lit-up banner with his name announced his arrival. After a short beatboxing exhibition, he headed straight into “Time Will Tell,” which was followed by an excited fan yelling, “you’re so cool!” He grinned back at the crowd, replying in a low, sexy English accent, “I try.”

Amusingly, fans later threw glowsticks and a pair of lacy, hot pink underwear on the stage, and equally amusingly, Frank was appreciative. “3 Little Words,” a song I know and love from hearing it on BBC Radio, was fantastic live; as with the other songs, Frank gave a high octane performance, jumping up and down and getting the crowd into his music. “Better Off as 2,” another highlight, reminds of the most delicious ’80s pop I enjoyed as a kid. Based on the crowd’s delighted shouts and dancing (mostly younger than me), I think Frankmusik is making a good impression on them as well.

Set List:
Time Will Tell
When You’re Around
Gotta Boyfriend
Confusion Girl
3 Little Words
Done Done
Instep
Better Off as 2

Semi Precious Weapons were next up. Think New York Dolls but the volume and fashion taken way, way up past eleven. According to Hilton, they’re Lady Gaga‘s favorite band of the moment. Make of that what you will. Singer/front man Justin Tranter straddled the fine line between fey coyness and unapologetic crassness, strutting on the stage like a proud peacock in a cut-up Jack Daniel’s t-shirt, leggings, and stiletto boots. He would thank us for or beg us for more applause, but then later shout as us to “shut up” or say something in foul language to further work up the already worked-up crowd. With Tranter, the band comprises Stevy Pynes (guitar), Cole Whittle (bass), and Dan Crean (drums), each of the three of them displaying an almost equally flamboyant way of playing throughout their set. This could especially be said about bassist Whittle, who was wearing a Mexican poncho and manically playing his bass.

“Put a Diamond In It and Bite Down,” the most suggestive of all their songs of the night (which is not saying much because most of their songs are racy [!]), had gig-goers reaching out desperately for their Tranter, their hero. They’re the kind of band that you either love or hate. Judging back the raucous reaction from the floor, I’d say the crowd definitely loved them. And the band gave that love back: Tranter hung out and took photos with adoring fans, and Whittle, still dressed in his poncho, was dancing, on the mostly deserted floor, looking like a man possessed by the rhythm.

If you watch MTV anymore, you will have probably seen the video for Ida Maria‘s “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” because it’s kind of hard to miss the suggestive cartoon banana related to the subject of the song. In the studio recording, she adopts a shouty, punk singing style. Live, she manages this with a hint of blues reminiscent of Led Zeppelin‘s Robert Plant. Indeed, one of her songs, “Devil,” has the line “I’m gonna quit you baby” and even the guitar lines most excellently shredded by lead guitarist Stefan Törnby reminded me of something Jimmy Page might have played.

Admittedly, this was a very weird set delivered by Ida Maria. Although the band did have a printed-up set list, Ida made it up as she went along, pausing between songs to consult with her band mates on what to play next. Her set began with a brand-new song, “Kitchen Floor,” that Ida explained that only her parents had ever heard before, and she read the lyrics out for a black and white speckled composition book. She would refer to this book throughout the set, which made me wonder if she had forgotten the lyrics to her own songs. She recommended us to listen to Fela Kuti only “and you will be very happy.” “Oh My God,” released in late 2007 in the UK and re-released there this past January, as well as set-ender “I Like You…” were the bright spots of the night, even though she declared “I don’t believe in feminism, I believe in equality!” before the latter. A completely sober Hilton came out after Ida Maria and band had left the stage and commented, almost in an apology, that her set was “a train wreck.”

The songs of Ladyhawke (real name Phillippa “Pip” Brown) hark back to the synth-filled ’80s, when music was unabashedly simpler. Her debut album, released in Australia and the UK last year but just released here in the States, is one of my favorite albums of recent memory. Having seen her in England in May and totally loving her performance there, I was stoked to hear she was coming to America – and D.C. – to do a headlining tour.

Ladyhawke is not a girly-girl in the conventional sense; she took to the stage looking more grunge than a fashion plate, in a plaid shirt over a Nirvana tee and jeans. Her look fits her music well; despite the blonde tresses, she gives the guitar-playing boys a run for their money, using the opportunity of instrumental bridges to really rock out. A couple songs into the set, she admitted that she was really nervous coming to D.C. but said the crowd’s reception of her and her music made her calm down and relax, and that she’d managed to do some sightseeing earlier in the day. Awww.

She played almost all the songs off her album, with single cuts “Paris is Burning” and “Back of the Van” receiving the loudest cheering; she also included a newer B-side, “Danny and Jenny.” The finish for the night was the fabulous “My Delirium,” the ode to all girls who have ever been all consumed by a love so much they can’t function: “hey! you`re playing with my delirium / and the longer I wait the harder I’m gonna fall / stop! playing with my delirium / ‘cos I’m outta my head and outta my self control“. In the end, there was no contest: Ladyhawke won the crown, thundering applause ending her set and a wonderful night in Washington. I never thought I’d say this, but Mr. Perez Hilton, you have good musical taste!

Set List:
Magic
Professional Suicide
Dusk ’til Dawn
Another Runaway
Love Don’t Live Here Anymore
Danny and Jenny
Better Than Sunday
Back of the Van
Paris is Burning
My Delirium

Ladyhawke: website | myspace | remix monday: “back of the van” | @ Dot to Dot Festival 2009
Ida Maria: website | myspace
Frankmusik: website | myspace
Semi Precious Weapons: website | myspace