popwreckoning

Like Florence and the Machine, Marina and the Diamonds is the eponymously named band of half-Greek, half-Welsh beauty Marina Diamandis. The mention the ‘beauty’ part because let’s face it, us mortals girls don’t have a chance when compared to the gorgeous brunette singer/songwriter. She’s already won the hearts of many a girl and boy across Britain with her brand of idiosyncratic yet incredibly catchy pop. The crowd that lined up prior to doors opening at the 9:30 Club Monday night weren’t shy about showing off their love for the singer: they dutifully put on what I considered pretty tacky “Oh No!” glasses and were taking photos of each other with them on. Kind of weird. It was, however, nice to see an even mix of the sexes at the show, since most gigs I attend are 70% male or more and it can feel intimidating.

The opening act for Marina’s tour is Young the Giant, a very young (all members around 21 or younger) rock five-piece from sunny Newport Beach, California. They also have some serious cred already: in 2009 when they were still called the Jakes, they won an online vote to open for Kings of Leon in Chicago and reportedly “crushed the competition.” I guess there was a lot of equipment set-up on the 9:30 stage for Marina and her band, because sometimes I felt bad that the members of Young the Giant were cramped for space, especially since their guitarists like to run around the stage, run into each other and singer Sameer Gadhia, and occasionally, into drummer Francois Comtois‘s drum kit. At times, I was worried one of them was going to wipe out and fall ala Steven Tyler onto the 9:30 Club floor.

Thankfully, nothing of the sort happened, and they delivered a respectable and energetic set of songs to the rabid Marina and the Diamonds fans. “Cough Syrup” was a highlight, with guitarists Payam Doostzadeh, Jacob Tilley, and Eric Cannata looking so overtaken by the music, they forgot where they were spatially and started running into each other. Afterward, one audience member, obviously pleased with the song, yelled out, “I love you man!” With a smile, Gadhia shouted back to him, “I love you too!” Another standout, “Streetwalker,” featured slide guitar that was I not expecting from a couple upstarts from Orange County. Their last song was “My Body,” which you can download from their website here.

We had to wait over 45 minutes before the Marina and the Diamonds part of show would begin, but the crowd was content to yell “Marina!” every time a roadie would come onstage to test equipment or put down set lists, water bottles, and towels. When 9:30 rolled around (supposedly Marina’s set time), people started chanting “Marina! Marina! Marina!” Her band came out first, already 10 minutes late and then suitably fashionably late, Diamandis appeared, looking a bit Elvira with a black velvet dress and dark purple, almost black lipstick, her dark hair flowing onto her shoulders.

She jumped right into “The Outsider,” and over the course of the night, she played all but one song from her debut album The Family Jewels released here in America in May on Chop Shop Records. Being up front with a friend of mine who is a huge, huge fan of Marina, I was surrounded by girls and guys who sang along to every word uttered by their biggest heroine. For “Numb” and “Obsessions,” she showed her piano-playing chops and also sweating profusely and complaining, “this black velvet is a bitch. It’s so hot, I want to peel my face off.” She then added, smiling widely at her fans, “but it’s worth it!” Never a truer word said by a slave to fashion.

I’m not a huge fan of Diamandis (her voice varies from deep alto territory to over the top operatic), but I have to admit “I Am Not a Robot” is an earworm of the highest caliber. Even days after seeing Diamandis and her band, I’m still hearing the chorus, “guess what! / I’m not a robot / a robot,” in my head. Two more highlights came after Diamandis had a quick costume change. For “Hollywood,” a song she wrote about the perceived excesses and chaos of America, she re-emerged from backstage wearing a long slip, a purple and yellow letterman jacket, and dollar sign sunglasses and holding two exaggeratingly big fake hamburgers. The applause and cheering was deafening.

This was quickly followed by the purposely misspelled “Shampain,” during which Diamandis encouraged everyone in the club to jump up and down and they happily complied. She was so happy with the response that she thanked the crowd with “a bit gin and tonic for all of you!” The encore was an unexpected, soft and reflective cover of 3Oh!3‘s “Starstrukk,” followed by the odd-sounding “Mowgli’s Road,” complete with Diamandis’s cuckoo noises. I’ll say this: a Marina and the Diamonds show is certainly a spectacle.

Marina and the Diamonds Set List
The Outsider
Girls
Seventeen
I Am Not a Robot
Oh No!
Numb
Obsessions
Rootless
// (costume change)
Hollywood
Shampain
Are You Satisfied?
Guilty
//
Starstrukk (3Oh!3 Cover)
Mowgli’s Road

Tour Dates
Sept 13 – Crocodile / Seattle:
Sept 14 – Doug Fir / Portland
Sept 15 – Independent / San Francisco
Sept 17 – El Rey / Los Angeles

Marina and the Diamonds: website | myspace | Marina and the Diamonds Announces September North American Tour
Young the Giant: website | myspace

This past Friday the 13th, 96.5 the Buzz hosted the free Afentra’s Big Fat Morning Buzz Valentine’s Day (VD) concert at the Midland Theatre. There was, of course, lots of booze, lots of dirty games like spin the bottle and a cock ring toss, and lots of drunk people slobbering all over other drunk people. I left this concert not only with free condoms and pina colada lube given to me by a drag queen, but also with a new appreciation for modern rock n’ roll.

The first band of the night was Innerpartysystem. Now, I must insert a disclaimer here and say that I am not a huge fan of techno music in the first place. However, I can’t for the life of me think of a positive thing to say about this band’s performance. I was more interested and more impressed with the crazy rave lights and smoke than the band itself, which is not good. There was far too much pre-recorded noise and synth. There was very little live performance that I could make out, and the few singing and guitar parts that were live, left much to be desired.

“Don’t Stop”, the one popular song that I hear on the radio and somewhat enjoy, was barely recognizable when performed live. The audience did seem to enjoy the performance regardless of this, clapping and cheering happily. Maybe it was all the booze they ingested, but as one of the few completely sober people in the theater, I couldn’t help but find myself thinking, “What the hell is being applauded here? I have a Macbook too, I can play with and record noises on Garage Band. I can also go to an arcade and stand by any generic space invaders game and hear the same thing.” Thoroughly disappointing.

Girl in a Coma was a breath of fresh air. I won’t go as far to say that I was blown away, but they were charming and enjoyable to watch. Part of the problems laid within the sound system. The drums dominated the sound. Personally, I needed to hear more bass, guitar and vocals, but Girl in a Coma is hardly responsible for how the P.A. system was being run.

Watching Phanie Diaz on drums made me smile. She has this way of swinging her arms as she plays, a quirk I’ve never seen before. Anyone who doubts the abilities of chick drummers has obviously not seen Phanie play. Bassist Jenn Alva has a way of playing that was very soothing. She seems to just let herself be taken over by the music. She played into the amp like it was the love of her life.

Lead vocalist and guitarist, Nina Diaz, was nothing short of brilliantly adorable. Her guitar playing was consistently incredible and the energetic dancing, leg pumping and crowd interaction was just great. What really got me, was her intense facial expressions. Her eyes grew so large and full of expression I could make out her pupils from where I was standing in the audience. The only thing bigger and more animated than her eyes was her mouth, twice as wide as the mike she belted into. Her face is her hallmark.

Last to grace the stage was Living Things. I felt nostalgic for a time period that I, myself, have never actually experienced. I was taken back to 60s and 70s, where music meant something more. Back to where music was a cry and a voice for a generation. When music was a way to say “Fuck you!” to the establishment.

Lillian Berlin, lead vocals, lyrics and guitar, is an undeniable genius. With the lips and hip motions of Steven Tyler, the hand movements of Mick Jagger,  just a hint of the Ramones, and the attitude of John Lennon, Berlin is not hesitant to make bold political statements. “We are recession proof people!” He yelled as condom balloons hovered above the audience. “I have an idea… This is my economic stimulus plan, for you… Stop paying your FUCKING bills.”

Eve Berlin played the bass with incredible talent, as he puffed away one cigarette after another. Bosh Berlin, whose name alone tells you he was born to be a drummer, did an astounding job live. Guitarist Cory Becker was impossible not to watch. He made the guitar incredibly sexy. Never in my life have I felt so compelled to rip my clothes off and streak across the stage as I did at this concert. I completely forgot that I was at a free show and felt I was experiencing something on a much higher level. History in the making, the new rock n’ roll, for our generation. The Living Things is a band we desperately need right now. They have my complete and utter adoration and support in everything theydo.

Innerpartysystem: website | myspace
Girl in a Coma: website | myspace
Living Things: website | myspace

By now what was about a million years ago at Austin City Limits, Jessica and Joshua got to chat with the entire Austin-based quartet Electric Touch. Jessica was really excited since she’d seen them play in Philadelphia not long before, but in between gushing, there is some great conversation. Check it out:

Jessica McGinley, PopWreckoning: So here we are with Electric Touch. Thank you guys so much for taking the time to chat. I saw you, you’re currently touring with The Fratellis and…
Louis Messina Jr., Electric Touch: The Airborne Toxic Event.
JM: The Airborne Toxic Event. I was at the Philadelphia show.
Shane Lawlor, Electric Touch: Oh! That was a killer night!
JM: It was SOO good! The crowd LOVED you guys! I was having some parking issues so I got there a little late, but I walked in on the cover of “Come Together” and I was blown away.
SL: Oh, nice. Yeah.

JM: So I assumed you were all English, I don’t know why just because of a Beatles song, everyone covers the Beatles. But then I found out the rest of you are local [to Austin]. Have you ever played Austin City Limits before?
LM: This is our first time.
JM: So what’s it like to play such a huge festival that is one of the defining events of your hometown?
LM: We’ve been playing all these major summer festivals, every major summer festival this whole summer and this is the last one and it’s in our hometown. So how much awesomer can it get? Is that, is ‘awesomer’ a word?

JM: It is now. So how is the tour with The Fratellis and The Airborne Toxic Event going?
LM: It’s been amazing. They’re all very, very excellent people as well as great, talented musicians. Just being around them for this long has been a pleasure.
JM: That’s good to hear.
LM: I feel like we’ve made some really good friends.

JM: Any good tour stories?
Christopher Leigh, Electric Touch: One time Tré Cool came up to us. He came and saw us play. His band [Green Day] is the reason I play guitar. So seeing him coming up to us and screaming our name, my jaw was to the floor. He was hanging out with us and he told us everything they were doing. So I got the down low before Rolling Stone. So it was pretty cool.

JM: Yeah, that is pretty cool. So I guess you guys when you’re on tour you get to meet a lot of cool bands like that, huh? You’ve been touring pretty extensively.
SL: It’s great because you have friends in bands and you don’t see them for a long time ’cause everyone’s working away but then they’re at the the festivals. I grew up with the guys in a band called Spiritualized so I just ran into them earlier down the way at the food tent. It was awesome just catchin’ up with old friends.
We met Sean Penn earlier in the year. That was pretty mind blowing. And Steven Tyler.
CL: Aerosmith.
SL: For four lads that just love music, to be in that setting is pretty mind blowing.

JM: Obviously you’re the odd man out with the British accent. How did you end up here in the States?
SL: I came here as a musician about three years ago and toured a lot over here. I just fell in love with Austin, really and the people in the South. I was living in London and I’d had enough of the big city; I wanted to go somewhere new. I did kind of a D.H. Lawrence on Nottingham and left for good.
I just bumped into Christopher in a coffeeshop, we had a mutual friend. I was just hanging out in Austin at the time. We hit it off as buddies and then the guitars came out. We did one demo and we managed to get signed. So dreams do come true. They do.

JM: That’s fantastic, they do! And the live EP was #1 on Amazon for a while.
SL: I thought someone was playing a joke on me. I an email on that and I thought someone had been Photoshopping it. So I had to go on Amazon meself and it was true! Yeah, it was nuts.
LM: Right up there with Coldplay and Beck.
SL: It was our first ever release so it was just…that day was amazing. Yeah, I’ve never experienced anything like that.

JM: The full-length just came out in August. How has the reception for that been?
LM: Amazing! I can’t complain with all the great responses we’ve been getting.
SL: Yeah, we’ve been selling boxes and boxes of ‘em at the shows.
JM: It’s such a great live show, I’m not surprised.
SL: Thank you so much!
JM: Honestly, when I walked in [to the Philly show late], I thought, ‘I wish I’d gotten here for the beginning of the set.’

SL: Oh, well next time! You live in Philadelphia, right?
JM: Yeah.
SL: We’ll be coming back to Philadelphia soon, hopefully. Maybe October or November.
JM: You still have to play today, right? I’ll catch you here! This [the media lounge] is a fun area, but we’re not gonna stay here all day. We’ll be there.
SL: Right!
LM: It’s gonna be a great show.

Joshua Hammond, PopWreckoning: It’s my first time seeing you guys.
SL: It’s a hot one today but we’re gonna give it everything we’ve got.
JH: Yeah it is.
SL: Drink plenty of water.
JM: EVERYone has been giving us that advice. “Drink water! The Texas sun will sneak up on you!”
LM: It will.
SL: It really does. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, so take care. Stay hydrated.

JM: So after the festival and finishing the tour with The Fratellis and The Airborne Toxic Event, what are you guys planning for the rest of the year?
CL: Well our album just came out and we’ve got a lot of touring to do to promote this record. We would love to keep recording, and I bet we will, but there are definitely a lot of shows under this Electric Touch belt self-titled.
SL: We’re back here in Texas for a few days and then I think we’re gonna hit the road again. There’s no end in sight, which is great ’cause it’s what we want.
JM: It’s what you guys live for.
CL: Yeah.
SL: Exactly right. That set on stage is just the highlight of our lives really.

JM: For the next tour, if you could just tour with anybody you wanted, any band that’s still together, not together, whatever, who do you think you’d want to share a bill with?
LM: The Beatles.
SL: Yeah, I would. Who wouldn’t? That’s like saying, “I drink water. I like water.”
[all laugh]
JH: They might bring a couple of people to the show, too.
JM: Yeah, I think some people have heard of them.
SL: I bet they would let us play “Come Together”.

JM: Of all the Beatles songs to cover, why did you choose “Come Together”?
SL: The song we do before kind of tips its hat to the Beatles and, so rather than trying to hide that fact, we kind of go into the obvious really and play one of our favorite songs. And it’s something that everybody knows. For a new band that’s playing night after night to a new crowd, it’s sort of important to present them with bands they are familiar with.
JM: Yeah, I remember at the [Philly] show that everybody was just raging for you guys.
SL: Yeah it’s great. They know the words so you can get everybody to sing along and you can get the night started in the right way.
JM: It was such a solid cover. I love cover songs anyway and some just fall flat, but you guys were just so dynamic– oh, not to gush and praise you guys left and right…
SL: Oh, no, that’s fine. That’s fine! [laughs]

JM: Wonderful. It was wonderful. So what are you all listening to right now, or were there anymore bands you guys would want to tour with?
Ross DuBois, Electric Touch: I’ve been jamming the new My Morning Jacket album non-stop. They’re a great band.
JM: I’ve never seen them, but I hear they put on a great show.
RD: They’re so good. They’re a whole different beast live.

JM: What are you guys listening to now?
SL: I’m diggin’ a record by The Last Shadow Puppets.  Fellows from The Arctic Monkeys and Miles [Kane] from The Rascals — I knew him years ago, Miles, when I was back in England. We used to hang out when I was in Liverpool, so it’s great to see him doing so well. We’ve been playing that a lot, haven’t we? We’re good friends with The Arctic Monkeys.
LM: Favourite Worst Nightmare is definitely…
SL: Yeah, it’s a killer record. It’s mind blowing.
CL: Even Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, that’s pretty awesome, too. That’s it, right? I tried Arctic Monkeys.
LM: It’s pretty cool, today we’re playing right before Roky Erikson, who is such a big influence on us. He created the whole psychedelic stamp. They have the whole San Francisco thing but he came from Texas and it’s just very exciting to play right before him. I’ll be hanging out watching him.

JM: You listening to anything special?
RD: Aside from My Morning Jacket?
JM: Oh yeah, you just haven’t talked much.
RD: Well, I listen to James Brown non-stop. That’s not new, but it never gets old. I’m also excited about The Black and White Years, they’re an awesome band.
JM: Yeah, they already played today, didn’t they?
RD: Did they? We’ve been so busy I haven’t checked the schedule.
JM: I think they might be now-ish.
LM: I think it was noon.

JM: Yeah, it was probably earlier today. Good luck at the show today and thanks so much for sitting down to chat. I really appreciate it!
SL: Oh, all our pleasure!

Electric Touch: website | myspace | live | acl ’08

Photos 1 & 3: Brian Davis
Photo 2: Alexandra Valenti