Having some friends over tonight for dinner, drinks and Grammy viewing. I'm not actually a big fan of the show but this year my favorite band, The Dave Matthews Band is up for Record and Album of the year. They'll also be performing You and Me which I don't really think was the best choice of song, but then, it's not like I was asked.
Though I don't think they have a shot in hell of winning, I'm really hoping they do. I know society has deemed it uncool to like them and bashes them whenever the opportunity presents itself, but I'm still a fan. Whatever anyone's preconceived notions and prejudices, they are incredibly talented musicians in their own right. Anyone who argues that is just being difficult. That's all I want to say about that before I go off on a rant.
I've moved all the posts that I wanted to move from my other blog to here. Anything posted on today's date (1/29/10) is from the former blog and now I can start with the new stuff on here!
Friday night I went to see the Cold War Kids. Because of a minor emergency at home, I was running late and didn't get to the show until about twenty minutes before they took the stage which turned out to be quite unfortunate because I'm a short person and I'm certain I've never seen so many tall people in my life! I was unable to see anything except stage lights for the majority of the show. Still, I had a great time.
I have their albums and love them, but other than that, I'm not all that familiar with them as a band so I wasn't really sure what to expect. I absolutely loved them. They sound amazing and there was a good energy in the venue. I'm not sure I've ever seen a crowd so engaged at the Wiltern. Clapping, singing loudly and minimal talking. I was quite impressed though I really wish I'd been able to actually see them more! Every now and then someone would shift and I'd catch a glimpse of the stage, so there was that. Towards the end of the show, a spot opened up through which I was able to see the stage somewhat, and I couldn't help but note what a completely different experience it is when you can actually see them up there! The next time I catch their show I will most definitely be there early enough to claim a good spot.
My very favorite thing about the experience though was that at the end of the show we were given a card with a website and a password where we could go to download a copy of the show for free. I have plenty of bootlegs (from bands who allow them) that are fan made but I've never been to a show where the band provides it themselves. I think it's an awesome thing to do.
If you're not familiar with them, give them a listen!
We all have them. Songs that affect is in ways we can't quite explain.You don't just love it. There's more to it than that. You feel it. It comes on and you have a visceral reaction to it. For me, if I can, I close my eyes, turn it up and just sing it like my life depends on it. Again, I can't really say what it is about any given song I feel this way about. It just resonates somewhere in me and no matter how many times I hear it, it just doesn't get old. This is one of those songs for me.
For years and years I’d been putting the Getty on the backburner. Why? Because I could. Because sometimes, when we live close to something, we keep putting off going knowing it’s there and most likely not going anywhere. I find it interesting, or no, maybe it’s just sad, that every time I go out of town I turn into a crazy person trying to fit in as many museums as I can, but I seldom visit the closest and most readily available to me.
I’m hoping this’ll be the year I- to borrow from Nike- "just do it". So, this past weekend I finally made it to the Getty Center. Hadn’t been there since they first opened quite some time ago. Don’t even want to try to remember how long it’s actually been. Too depressing. Not a bad place to visit if you’ve got the time and are not opposed to a little culture.
What I love about the Getty is that even if you’re not all that much into the art, it’s a beautiful space to just be in. The buildings themselves are gorgeous architecture, there are lots of plants and garden areas as well as some fountains to look at while wandering the grounds but above all, the views are really amazing: mountains on one side, ocean on the other. If one really wanted to, they could just sit outside, people watch and enjoy the day. Definitely a great place to take some pictures as well.
But back to the art for a little bit. Compared to other museums in large cities (say, Chicago or New York) the Getty collection isn’t all that large but compared to the last time I was there, it was certainly more than I was aware they had! I was pleasantly surprised. When I was last there the museum had just opened and not everything was on display yet. See, that tells you just how long ago it was! I like all art, but I’m quite partial to the Impressionist. There were a couple of Renoir’s and Monet’s I don’t remember having seen there before, along with Van Gogh and Degas. I did note a new Gauguin they apparently acquired not too long ago which was pretty cool.
Something of interest for any Rembrandt fans, the Getty, along with four other Southern California Museums are participating in a project/exhibition called Rembrandt in Southern California which of course highlights the pieces in the collections at these museums with lectures, symposiums and demonstrations. And hell, even if you’re not a fan, it’s a good way to find out what the big deal is and why he’s considered one of the greatest painters in art history.
Lastly, if you’re not opposed to spending a Saturday night at a museum, you can get into the Getty for free every Saturday after 5 P.M. The $15 dollar parking fee (which is the only thing they actually charge for, as entrance to the museum is free every day) is waived. I would imagine it's a gorgeous view up there at night as well—and less crowded!
Yesterday (or early this morning, I guess), Muse released a couple more tour dates in support of The Resistance album. Over the past couple of months tour dates have slowly been trickling out. This morning it was Vegas and Mexico. This is fantastic, but enough already! Where are the L.A. dates? I beg of you Muse, quit messing with my mind!
Vegas is do-able for me but L.A. would be better. I cannot imagine any scenario where Los Angeles or the surrounding area would not be a stop on their tour (or just about any artist) so I know it's just a matter of time but I ask you, how am I supposed to know if I should try for Vegas tickets if I don't know when they're hitting L.A.? My best guess is of course mid April, but I've got a lot of stuff going on April and if I can't make the L.A. show you bet your ass I'll be driving over to Vegas (tickets for which go on sale Friday) but I'd rather not go to Vegas if I can do L.A.. And so here we are. What to do? What to do?
While I ponder, here's some Undisclosed Desires...
UPDATE:
Since I originally published this post (Jan. 12, 2009) Muse has announced that they will be playing Coachella. So I guess there is a scenario in which they would not play the Los Angeles area. I'm told when they agree to play the festival, they cannot play any of the surrounding areas three months before or after. Which blows.
I'm still thinking they might come back later on in the year, but either way I'm covered. I can't make Coachella- especially since in their wisdom, this is the year you cannot buy a day pass- but I did get tickets to the Vegas show after all and I'm very much looking forward to that. Especially after watching their latest video, which was also released after my original posting. The tour looks amazing! Cannot wait.
Just got my tickets to see Gomez March 21st at El Rey Theatre. It makes me incredibly happy that they'll be back in L.A. so soon after the last time! If you're not familiar with Gomez and are reading this, you may be conjuring up images of a Mexican pop singer or maybe even a Mariachi band, though you couldn't be further from the truth. They're a British band whose name, from what I understand, came from a "misunderstanding" involving a posted sign with a reference to someone named "Gomez" at one of their early shows when they were still without an official band name. People thought that was their name and it stuck. Whether that's true or not I couldn't really say.
I first came across Gomez early in '06 just before How We Operate was released. The first album I bought was Split the Difference, which in my opinion was aptly titled. Their first few albums had more of a jam vibe and were not what I would call over produced, whereas their latest ones are a little more pop-ish, "shinier" and perhaps evidence of a bit heavier production than previous efforts. Split the Difference, to my ears, is somewhere in the middle, the transition album, if you will. Admittedly, I like their older stuff better than their last two releases. I was especially underwhelmed by their last album, A New Tide (though this too, is growing on me with every listen) and yet, I still think it's all good music. How We Operate (the song, not the album) is very much a favorite though it took a while to get there. I'm expecting this to be the case with songs from A New Tide as well. The thing to keep in mind is that it's not bad it's just different from what we've been used to.
I've only seen them twice, because as far as I know they've only been to the U.S. twice since I first started listening to them. The first time was great but I was still relatively new to their music so I didn't know very much at all. I really liked the venue though and the crowd was great. The second time was just this past year at The Wiltern and that was much better for me because I've become a much bigger fan and I've of course become more familiar with their music and with them as a band. That being said, I think the crowd was ok for an L.A. crowd, but somehow still lacking, as L.A. crowds can be, unfortunately. Anyway, for that show we actually ran into OIly (the drummer) across the street from the theater, just outside of where we'd parked before the show. It caught me so off guard- as of course I wasn't expecting to see any band members walking around outside the venue- that I couldn't bring myself to stop him and take a picture. I hope to be better prepared at the upcoming El Rey show, but somehow I doubt the opportunity will present itself again!
To end, I'll say this: any time I've had people in my car and Gomez comes on, someone always asks who's singing or says something to the effect of how good the song is. I may have converted a person or two to become fans, but I really wish more people knew about them!
Gomez 2010 Tour Dates:
03.04.10 at Vic Theatre (Chicago, IL)
03.05.10 at Majestic Theatre (Madison, WI)
03.06.10 at Fine Line Music Cafe (Minneapolis, MN)
03.08.10 at Ogden Theatre (Denver, CO)
03.09.10 at Belly Up (Aspen, CO)
03.12.10 at The Orpheum (Vancouver, BC)
03.13.10 at Crocodile Cafe (Seattle, WA)
03.14.10 at Crocodile Cafe (Seattle, WA)
03.15.10 at Wonder Ballroom (Portland, OR)
03.17.10 at Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
03.18.10 at Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
03.19.10 at Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
03.20.10 at El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
03.21.10 at El Rey Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
Airstream Driver:
How We Operate:
(Originally published on my previous blog Jan. 9, 2010)
So, a few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to go to four concerts in a row. Granted, three of the four were for the same artist, but that’s neither here nor there for the point I’m trying to make. The point is that all four nights we had talkers all around us. I’m both annoyed and baffled by them. But mostly just annoyed.
The thing of it is, there you are at a show, right? Picture it: You’ve just sat down at your seat with your overpriced drink (and who knows, maybe it’s already your third overpriced drink, who am I to judge?). At this point you’ve paid for your ticket, most likely paid for those god forsaken “service” fees which practically double the price of said damn ticket, sat in traffic while trying to get to the venue, and then paid to park. But you’re good. You’re happy this band you’ve come to see is taking the stage. You’re up and clapping. You’re cheering. You get the picture. The show starts and somewhere around you—maybe it’s the guy behind you, or the obnoxious girl next to you-- starts loudly telling their friend about their last visit to the foot doctor because they’d been having trouble walking the past couple of weeks (this was the actual conversation I overheard at one of the aforementioned shows) and you silently think, Lord, please let them shut up soon because it’s going to get old fast. But no, the Lord is not with you today. They continue, and loudly. There are those that are gifted with the ability to block out or ignore. I am not such a person though I wish desperately that I were. You turn and give them the look. You know the look; it says I hear you and it’d be better if I didn’t. But they pretend not to see you and keep on with their stupid-ass story about their feet. So you try to ignore it but they really are ridiculously loud, so you look again, this time it says, "Seriously?", and they look back with the “what is your problem?” stare.
Sometimes all the looking and staring works and they shut up but most often, it doesn’t. Sometimes you get that a-hole that says, “Hey, it’s a concert!” to which you may respond (either out loud or just in your head) No shit Sherlock, which is exactly why you should shut your trap and listen to the music, not to mention letting those around you listen without your commentary.
You see, this past experience I speak of, they weren’t just talkers, they were shouters. If you’ve not experienced them, consider yourself lucky. If you have, then you know how annoying it can in fact be. They shout as though the music is getting in the way of their conversation. You want to ask “Is the music too loud? Should we ask them to turn it down so that you don’t have to shout over them?”
Why, I wonder, couldn’t this asinine conversation have taken place in the car on the way here? Or in the lobby before the show started? Or even after the show, say, on your way home? I just baffled by it and it really drives me insane, as you can see.
I mean, I get it, it is a concert and a social situation, but at the end of the day, didn’t you pay all that money so that you could enjoy the band you went to see? Why spend so much to have a conversation you can have for free anywhere, anytime? I ask you, what is so hard about just listening? Or, if you really can’t help yourself, what’s difficult about leaning into the person you’re with and whispering in their ear?
I’m not necessarily a violent person… ok, yes I’ve had the urge to punch a person or two in the face from time to time but I’ve never actually acted on it, so I maintain that I am not violent. But I do sometimes think it would be awesome if at concerts, people who talked or shouted over a certain decibel got shocked into silence. You know, like a little electric shock. Not enough to cause permanent damage of course, just enough to sit 'em down for a minute or two and deter them from doing it again. It’s just an errant thought that from time to time brings a small smile to my face. If this makes me evil, so be it. I just can't help myself.
This video wraps up my sentiments, exactly. It’s Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, and he’s pretty fed up too.
I picked up the Band of Skulls debut album Baby Darling Doll Face Honey last week. Listened to it once, thought it was good but then put it aside. This happens sometimes when I get too much new music all at once. Next couple of times I played it as background music and again, liked it but still wasn't really paying much attention to it. I finally gave it my undivided attention only to find I can't stop listening to it. The faster songs are really quite catchy- not in an annoying way. Catchy in a very good, I gotta hear it again way, and the slow songs just get more delicious with every new listen. I'm finding I cannot get enough so it's almost all I'm listening to these days. Good stuff. Have a listen:
(Originally published on my previous blog Dec. 3, 2009)
Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Lisa Hannigan at the Troubadour. Most people don’t know who she is which I think is a shame because she has such a beautiful voice. Then again, I think this about all the artists I love. Why kind of fan would I be otherwise? I know of her because she used to sing with Damien Rice, another artists a lot of people haven’t heard of which is also a shame, in my opinion. Their voices were a thing of beauty together. One, the perfect complement to the other. Alas, after Rice’s second, and to date, last album, 9, they went their separate ways, which as a fan of both of them, was really disappointing. I continue to support both and hope that one day they're able to collaborate again. But back to Lisa...
First of all, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how absolutely adorable she is. There is no other word for it. She is adorable. She has, at times, childlike mannerisms and speaks in a sweet, barely audible whisper; almost shy but not quite that, and charming just the same. She’s tiny and the only female on a stage full of men and while she’s not overly theatrical, you can’t take your eyes off of her when she's up there singing. I’m not a music critic, so I couldn’t break the show down in that way unfortunately. All I can say is that she doesn’t disappoint in person. Her set is quiet and low key, but beautiful and full of emotion. Her cover of Personal Jesus is an absolute departure from the original but she absolutely makes it her own
I stuck around to meet her after the show along with a handful of people. As I mentioned, she’s a tiny wisp of a girl and up close she’s really quite beautiful. Let me clarify: I’ve always thought she was really cute, but honestly, when she stands in front of you in the flesh, her cheeks flushed red, her dark hair shiny and her green eyes sparkling, it's quite different than seeing her in pictures and beautiful seems more apt. She looked delicate and graceful even while just holding her bottle of Heineken and chatting up the small group gathered around her. She was generous with her time and very sweet. She seemed comfortable making small talk and spoke to everyone who waited as if they were friends rather than perfect strangers, taking her time with each one, making sure to get their names and ask questions in return to whatever they said to her. Just could not have been lovelier.
Lastly, I want to mention that this was my first time at the Troubadour, which I almost can’t believe because I go to so many shows. Though to be fair, only in the last couple of years have I started listening to the kind of artists that would play a venue like the Troubadour. I was excited to go there because of its history and the amount of bands and artists that have played there. If you’re a music fan and are not familiar with it, I encourage you to have a look at their history . It’s really quite impressive.
The place is as small as I thought it would be. Immediately upon entering, you’re facing the side of the stage above which a lone, small blue neon sign announces it’s the “Troubadour”. Directly across from the front of the stage is a bar and above that, a small loft-like space with bench seating. I quite enjoyed the experience of standing there and trying to picture all the artists who’d played there over the years. Thinking about things like how it's the last place Janis Joplin was seen alive, even if that is a bit creepy. I very much enjoyed just being there and taking it all in.
Though this was my first time there, I’m already planning to go back next week for The Features which I amvery excited about. But for now I’m just going to let my Lisa Hannigan experience sink in and enjoy it for aday or two.
I found them, of all places, at Barnes & Noble. Don’t give up yet, stay with me. Ok, yes, while wandering the isles at B&N, a song (I couldn’t tell you which one it was) caught my attention. The longer I browsed, the more my attention was diverted to the music coming from the speakers until the only reason I was still hanging around and going through the motions of picking up and leafing through books was so that I could listen some more. This is saying a lot because my idea of a good time sometimes is simply wandering the isles shopping for books with a cup of coffee in hand (don’t judge me!). By the time Wooden Heart came on (I would later learn that was the title) I wanted the CD.
So there I was in the music department asking the guy at the counter what it was they were currently playing. Embarrassingly, it went like this:
Me: What are you playing right now?
Him: (pointing to display on the counter) The Features
Me: Thanks, but what's the name of the band?
Him: (a bemused smile on his face, and patiently and not meanly pulling a CD from the display and handing it to me) The Features. It's the name of the band.
Me: (Internal) Duh.
Me: (Out loud) Ah, yes. I see. Now...
Well, I didn’t buy the CD then… because I second guess my judgment in just about everything. I wanted to go home and do a little more research. I looked up the band’s website, then listened to the 30 second snippets on iTunes and Amazon, and watched a couple of videos before I decided that yes, I wasn’t mistaken at B&N, they really were good. They were really, really good. I bought Some Kind of Salvation (their most current album) at that point and proceeded to listen to it non-stop for the next couple of weeks.
Since then (and it’s only been about a month) I’ve gotten Exhibit A, their first album which was recorded while with Universal Records, which they’re no longer with, and two EP’s The Beginning and Contrast which were recorded between labels if I’m not mistaken. All are as good as Some Kind of Salvation. They’ve been touring, opening for Kings of Leon lately but they’ll be playing The Troubadour on November 19th, and I for one, am very excited to go!
I'm up at almost three in the morning working on my blog. This is what one does when one does not keep normal people hours. Maybe it's not at all what people do, actually, but it's what I do because the options are limited at this hour. It's not really insomnia I have, I just can't go to sleep at a descent hour. I am the proverbial "night owl" I guess.
Anywho! I already have a blog elsewhere, but I've decide to move, though I feel quite guilty about it and couldn't say why. I am riddled with guilt about most everything. I'd blame it on the Catholic thing, but it's been ages since I really was one, so that can't be it...
So here I am, setting up the new place. It's gonna be a pain in the ass moving it all over here. Not that there's all that much, but enough to be a pain. Oy.
