Also I Like To Rock Welcomes Red Cortez and Everest

Photos: Joe McQuillen
Red Cortez and Everest
July 9, 2009
The Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center

Though this last week was not as packed as the opening night of the Also I Like To Rock concert series, everyone in attendance seemed to have enjoyed themselves.

Red Cortez rocked my fucking socks off...per usual.









Everest chilled the mood with their mellow melodies. Overall, a great night with beautiful weather spent with awesome folks.











Spotted on the scene - Great Northern and The Usual Suspects from the Indie 103.1 crew: Chuck P, Jose Galvan, Heitzie and Jose Maldonado

Be sure to check out the last two of the Also I Like To Rock series:

July 16th
Warpaint
Foreign Born

July 23rd
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Sonic Treat of the Day: Two For One By Tortoise

Photo: Jim Newberry

If you didn't tune into Chuck P's show on Indie 103.1 this afternoon than I feel sorry for you. You missed a rather, eh hem, "interesting" interview with Chicago's very own Tortoise. Seriously. I hope Chuck is able to post that thing on the website for your listening pleasure.

But guess what I have for you?! I have some sonic treats for your ears and I think you're going to dig them. 'Beacons of Ancestorship' is the 6th album that the band has put out and it was released June 23rd (Thrill Jockey Records). Take a listen to these two tracks (free downloads!) and then try to get yourself some tickets to their show on Saturday night at The Troubadour. Should be an awesome show.

Prepare Your Coffin

High Class Slim Floatin' In

Review: What's Up and Dirty Projectors Play The Troubadour

Photo: Nina Mouritzen

Review and show photos by: Daniel Grant and his iPhone
Dirty Projectors with What’s Up
The Troubadour
July 8, 2009

Dave Longstreth, the primitive genius and latest celebrity rock star buddy of David Byrne and Bjork, brought his Dirty Projectors project to the Troubadour last night for what turned out to be an interesting, if not fully engaging, night of experimental pop tomfoolery. With his upside down guitar and permanently affixed capo, Longstreth seems to approach his music like a mad scientist pouring flaming chemicals into test tubes in the hope of a big breakthrough. Sure enough, just like that scientist, sometimes his genius is rewarded but other times it blows up in his face. The fun and interest, it seems, is in the tightrope walk that this creative process embodies.



Longstreth has surrounded himself with a rotating troupe of instinctive, rather than polished, musicians who use unusual tunings, jerky rhythmic changes and wild vocal harmonies to create layered avant-pop songs that play like mini concertos with Longstreth’s Byrne-like yelp floating on top. This approach can be fascinating on record but in a live setting, too often, Longstreth disrupted his momentum by ducking into guitar dissonance when the audience might have preferred he soar into the harmonic beauty that also defines many of his songs.

The crowd at the wildly over-sold Troubadour was enthusiastic, but not rapturous, throughout the set and seemed somewhat surprised when Longstreth simply turned, set down his guitar and walked off stage at the end of the set without so much as a “thank you” or “goodnight”. He eventually returned for a brief encore, including “Knotty Pine,” the song Longstreth collaborated on with Byrne for the Dark Was the Night benefit album and concert. However, it was clear that old fashioned virtues like stage presence (always one of Byrne’s strong suits) are not a part of Longstreth’s vision at this point in time.



Portland natives What’s Up opened the show with an anonymous set of instrumental math rock lite. The band appears to be shooting for the type of dynamic interplay and angular rhythms found in more established acts like Battles or Foals, but the three-piece format and lack of instrumental skill (particularly the elementary drumming) are hurdles they will need to cross before joining the big leagues.

LA[heart]SF Kicks Off Their Concert Series July 16th

I've been helping my friends at Radio Free Silverlake and New And Used Records (along with the help of Indie 103.1 and Flavorpill) to put together a kick ass show and guess what? You guys finally get to enjoy the fruits of our labor!

LA hearts SF and SF hearts us back so why not bring the music of these two wonderful cities together, right? Duh! So here's the deal: We're going to take turns with San Francisco and host a little soup of a show with ingredient from both cities.

Next Thursday, July 16th, we will be hosting the first of these shows at The Echo. What do we have on the menu for you, you ask?

Check it:

The Monolators (Los Angeles sweet hearts and badasses)
French Miami (your San Francisco treat for the evening - I'm REALLY looking forward to their set)
The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra (GREAT live - it's like story time with a soundtrack!)
Kissing Cousins (another little treat from Los Angeles because we like to spoil you with sonic goodies)

Who loves you like we do, eh? Okay, fine. Maybe your mom. And maybe your dad. FINE, so maybe more than that... just come out and enjoy the show we've put together for you. It's only $5 bucks (all of which goes back to these talented and hard working bands) and the doors open at 8:30 PM. Oh, and it's 18+. See you there!

Review: The Reverend Beat-Man And His Blue Trash Trio at The Blue Lamp

Review: Lorna Pacheco
Reverend Beat-Man And His Blue Trash Trio
The Blue Lamp (Sacramento, CA)
July 7th 2009

I walked into the Blue Lamp and immediately saw my friend, Robert Butler (AKA "Panti-Christ"), fine-tuning his area of instruments for the evening that included a slide guitar, harmonica and the beloved cowbell. I excused myself and went to the bar and ordered a drink as I waited for Panti-Christ to finish his sound check. Surrounding the stage were signs that had “You Will Die” and “ Sinner” painted on them. Hmm. This is going to be an interesting gig. I introduced myself to Beat-Man Zeller and declared my eternal devotion to his pod cast radio show, Sonic Nightmares (which can be found on garagepunk.com and myspace). I told him it was my day of worship, worship to music and proceeded to tell him about how he had enlightened me with amazing music from all over the globe.

Let's face it people - when searching for anything meaningful you got to dig deep, and that goes for music as well! So, first up was a solo performance by Delaney Davidson, who is part of the Blue Trash Trio Ensemble (Voodoo Rhythm Records). His style was dark, mellow and somber as he played over his own melodic tracks, a fusion of electric guitar, muffled harmonica and some other mouthpiece apparatus that sounded very distorted. I was stoked to be in the front, the only woman up with a bunch of man-boys surrounding me, but my thought backfired as Davidson announced his last song would be a waltz contest for a t-shirt. I thought to myself: He must be kidding. As he started playing, not one person budged. These guys don’t even know what a waltz is!

I should have listened to my little voice and fled, but as I debated an escape plan (and mind you - no one was waltzing) he put his guitar down and walked right towards the only girl (SHIT!) and as I shook my head in dismay, he took my hand and led our waltz. WTF! Okay so he was tall and handsome, of course I loved it! It looked like the dive was straight out of a vampire-esque “True Blood” scene as he miraculously got a set of 10 couples to dance the waltz. It was a miracle!

After a small break, the Reverend came up with his disciples and started the set with “Get Down On Your Knees.” This was right about the time when the masses congregated close to the stage to take part in some primitive, garage, rocking, “voodoobilly” sounds. I was dancing, swaying like I was in some sort of spell as I listened to Beat-Man speak in tongues, songs with lyrics of heartbreak, sex, drugs, suicide and even incest. But its all raw and what you hear is a man's confessions mixed with a background of “189% blues trash”-rock and roll.



You will get hooked. Beat-Man's voice is a combination of a lil Popeye and a lil Captain Beefheart. This band had the crowd rolling. At one point, when Beat-Man asked the audience if they wanted the last song to be a gospel or blues song, one guy with a real shitty military buzzed haircut yelled, “Play a good song!” The Reverend looked him with one squinted eye and as he picked up his guitar yelled back, "This is just noise and trash…no stupid musical lyrics, no pop, no hip-hop, no indie!” The crowd screamed out for more of the band's testament. Beat-Man returned to the stage alone for an encore and sang a haunting song about his life. As the crowd continued to be entertained I listened in closely as I heard the man on the stage pour his heart out about his life, trials, tribulations and calling. It was moving and disturbing. Don’t miss out on this live performance the next time he's in town. This band is not for the fainthearted. It is intense. It is very raw and it can tear up your soul, but it saved mine. Now get out there and spread the good word. See this show. You might get saved!

Reverend Beat-Man and Trio consists of Reverend Beat-Man Zeller, Robert ‘Panti-Christ’ Butler, Delaney Davidson, and Jeff Ross. They are currently on their first USA tour:



July 16th
Rad Fest
San Diego

July 17th
Spikes
Rosemead

July 18th
The Redwood Bar
Los Angeles

July 19th
The Juke Joint
Anaheim

Indie 103.1 Presents "Also I Like To Rock" with Band of Skulls and Amazing Baby at The Hammer Museum

Photos: Monica Alvarez
Dazzler, Band of Skulls and Amazing Baby
July 2, 2009
The Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center

This past Thursday was the first of the "Also I Like To Rock" series that Indie 103.1 is hosting this month at The Hammer Museum. I definitely recommend getting there an hour or so early so that you can find yourself some metered street parking (free after 8pm) and check out the current exhibits that the museum has to offer. Visit The Hammer Museum's website for details on current exhibitions and get your culture on!







The place didn't really start getting full until after 9pm. Dazzler was the first band and I didn't dig them too much. Instead, I socialized with friends, ate something from the little cafe ($4.00 sandwich box that included a handful of chips wasn't too bad), met up with Chuck P of Indie 103.1 and listened to the yummy tunes that José Galván was playing for the kiddos while I waited for Band of Skulls to hit the stage.







HOLY COW was this band fucking LOUD! They even rocked my socks off during their sound check. Band of Skulls put on a great show. This little English trio doesn't fuck around. Not one bit! The rockers with the sexy accents performed songs from their latest release, 'Baby Darling Doll Face Honey' while those in attendance rocked and danced along. Everyone sang along to the band's current single, "I Know What I Am" as the breeze that came through cooled our skin and reminded us of summer's presence. Have I mentioned how much I love outdoor concerts during the summer in California? Yeah, I kind of have a lady boner for them.

Dear babies of amazing-ness:

I am not a bug or pest of any kind so I don't need to be smoked out while you're on stage, k? Well, unless you wanna SMOKE ME OUT...eh hem. K, thanks.

xoM

Okay, aside from choking on the OBSCENE amount of smoke that the band had going throughout their ENTIRE set, I enjoyed myself and Amazing Baby's set. I laughed along with the other photographers that were trying to get some shots of the band while enjoying songs from the band's album, Rewild. Every now and then I got a peek at the band and was able to snap a few shots to share with you. Hope you dig.

























Both Amazing Baby and Band of Skulls have great albums that are out now. Go out and get them. Vinyl versions of both are also available (I think they both have a digital download that comes along with them so kill two birds with one stone and get yourself the wax).

Also, be sure to mark your calendars because there are three more "Also I Like To Rock" events coming up this month. Check out the awesome line ups:

July 9th
Everest (listen to Indie 103.1 from 1-3pm on this day to hear the band's in studio session with Chuck P)
Red Cortez

July 16th
Warpaint
Foreign Born

July 23rd
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

EDC Dominates

Photos: Zara Bloom
Review: Noney Riddle
Electric Daisy Carnival
June 26-27, 2009
LA Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Park

The 13th annual Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) was two days and nights of non-stop electro beats and partying hosted by Insomniac. A mixture of costumed ravers and electro junkies came out in full force bringing more than 135,000 people to fill the Los Angeles Coliseum, which was transformed for the music festival.

The first night was insane in it’s own right…

When we got to the main stage, Thievery Corporation was just going on. Walking down the coliseum steps to the stage listening to “Lebanese Blonde” being performed kind of set the whole mood for the night. An all around hypnotic, feel good vibe that not only came from the music but from the crowd as well. The music addressed important political issues yet was melodic with different world influences flowing through the electronic bass underbelly that kept it danceable. And dance they did! When I looked out at the crowd I was in awe. Thousands of people with their hands in the air dancing together to the beat in what seemed to be one motion as far as the eye can see. When the lights would shut off the crowd’s movement was still visible by the glow sticks waved throughout the coliseum.





The music continued into the reggae beats of “Radio Retaliation.” After which Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction joined the pair onstage. Farrell had recorded “Revolution Solution” with Thievery Corp on their album ‘The Cosmic Game.’ To be honest, the real show stopper was the woman who did vocals following Ferrell. Her voice was like chocolate for your eardrums. YUMMY.





After stopping for a few drinks backstage we made our way to check out Shiny Toy Guns, who were playing at the other end of the festival. They of course played “You Are The One,” and I couldn’t help but sing along to the chorus. I would call this particular set the epileptic surprise with exotic zebra-esc people statues. Flashes of pink and white light flashed through the smoke as they sang. The only thing I didn’t exactly get were the EDC cheerleaders flying and cheering towards the back of the stage. The group themselves rocked their set, and while there was so much going on on-stage you still couldn’t keep your eyes off of Sisely Treasure, who replaced their original female vocalist, Carah Faye Charnow, in 2008.






Next up was Boys Noize. He started off with Vincent Price’s “Darkness falls across the land…”speech from thriller, segued into beats using the last of the speech, and went into “Beat It” for a nice Michael Jackson tribute. A sort of overall theme for many of the DJ’s this past weekend. I honestly think that if Boys Noize would have said “Jump!” the crowd would have done it. Whether it was the drugs, the flashing lights, or the music, no one in the crowd could take their eyes off of him. It wasn’t for lack of him trying that’s for sure. He was throwing everything at us. Layering beat after beat, adding sound effects that I couldn’t place if I tried. At one point the crowd was chanting his music louder than he was playing it. Even the guards who where being strict with the crowd loosened up, and started nodding their heads half way into his set.

We wanted to catch Paul Oakenfold before his set ended, which we managed to do. The music was an awesome close out for the evening

If I thought the first night was madness, it had nothing on the second…






As we walked up to the coliseum at least a hundred people were yelling out “IT’S SOLD OUT, WHERE GOING TO RUSH THE GATE.” Who knows if they ever got in, but I can tell you I don’t think anyone in their right mind was leaving. Needless to say, it was jam-packed inside, with everyone inside oblivious to any drama outside as the party continued till four in the morning.






Major Lazer was fun. Listening to it made me want to run around. They knew how to pump up the crowd. They sampled from so many different groups and at one point went from the famous “Wipe Out” into reggae beats back into hard techno deep bass beats. I would even describe it as a electric music roller coaster with Major Lazer in the control room and their vocalists leading the way.






The Crystal Method played Live at Circuit Grounds. This stage seemed to be built specifically for them. As a long time fan I have to say this was a treat. Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland rocked away on assorted keyboards. Prerecorded vocals and matching images were played on the many video screens on the stage.

Benny Benassi was mind blowing. It’s hard to compare one act to the next because they were all so different. He played to the crowd, and while his set was twenty-five minutes late they managed to forgive him. While Zara snapped away I went into the crowd and got lost inside it. Whether it was because the majority of the people there were several years younger than me, or the fact that they were tripping balls, everyone was extremely nice. I like to think it had more to do with the fact that everyone there wanted to have a good time. It was a safe environment, so I stopped caring if I looked like a fool and let my body take over.






Simian Mobile Disco consists of two guys, James Ford, who has produced music for bands like Arctic Monkey’s and Peaches, and Jas Shaw. They setup their “instruments” in a circular table. I wish I knew what he was doing, because to me it looked like a phone switchboard the telephone operators used back in the day. When Simian was playing there were people trying to jump the barrier to get closer.






Infected Mushroom was interesting. After hearing so much electronic influenced music it took a minute to get into the live performance that felt more like a rock show. The entire weekend I kept hearing people talk about wanting to see Infected Mushroom, and I know that Kill the Microphone had conducted an interview with them a few weeks back so I have to say I was anticipating seeing them live. They rocked the place and the bass was so intense it was literally impossible to stand still.



Paul Van Dyk was everything you could hope. He was making beats live, and as far as I could tell he never missed a beat. In fact it wasn’t until after the performance that I found out he was playing off of a keyboard the whole time and not pre recorded beat tracks.

Warped Tour 2009 Kicks Off in Pomona

Photos: Monica Alvarez
Review: Chess
Vans Warped Tour
June 26, 2009
Fairplex in Pomona



The 15th annual Vans Warped Tour kicked off in Pomona, California. June 26th wasn’t an exception to Pomona’s naturally sizzling weather. That didn’t stop the over five hundred people in attendance. Not only does Warped Tour headline major alternative bands (The Maine, Saosin and 3OH!3 to name a few), but it also allows non-profit organizations to get their word out to a rising generation.























Around 1:50 in the afternoon, Sing It Loud prepared for their crowd-pleasing set. Lead Singer, Pat Brown, initiated crowd surfing for his very own bracelet at the Hurley Stage. Screaming fans didn’t hesitate at the offer. They dove right in for the chance. More than half of the crowd surfers got a swift kick to the face, yet never faltering to follow the lyrics. Due to sound issues on their stage, their set was cut short as well as everyone after them.











As people were trying to seek shade and rest from the sun, everyone came out to the Hurley Stage a little after seven. Their reason? A punk band hailing from the United Kingdom named Gallows who, to say the least, put on an astonishing show. As Frank, lead singer, threw himself into the crowd and asked them to form a circle pit around him, flocks of people and security guards started to pour in at the Hurley Stage. Gallows performed an encore song due to high demand from the crowd.























Now why would people still be at the Hurley stage after 8pm? The headliners, The Maine, were about to set foot on the Hurley Stage…young girls’ hormones were already taking over just at the sight of them. Sadly, their set was cut two songs short. As expected, their set was the perfect cherry-on-top-of-a-chilling-sundae, well need after the scorcher of the day. As soon as drummer, Pat Kirch, threw his drumsticks into the crowd of screaming fans, everything went crazy. Security guards were soon on the move and made sure the band made it somewhat safely to their bus before being halted by screaming fans for autographs and pictures.













The day would not have been complete without a little tip from the fans. Want to earn some extra cash? Bring some trash bags and pick up some bottles. Better …steal the recycling boxes’ bags filled with plastic water bottles on the way out.



Remaining dates of the tour:

Tue 07/07/09 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Indianapolis, IN
Wed 07/08/09 Post Gazette Pavilion At Star Lake Pittsburgh, PA
Thu 07/09/09 Time Warner Cable Amphitheatre Cleveland, OH
Fri 07/10/09 Arrow Hall Toronto, ON
Sat 07/11/09 Parc Jean Drapeau Montreal, QC
Sun 07/12/09 Meadows Music Theater Hartford, CT
Tue 07/14/09 Merriweather Post Pavilion Columbia, MD
Wed 07/15/09 Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain Scranton, PA
Thu 07/16/09 Darien Lake P.A.C. Buffalo, NY
Fri 07/17/09 Susquehanna Bank Center Camden, NJ
Sat 07/18/09 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY
Sun 07/19/09 Monmouth Park Racetrack Oceanport, NJ
Tue 07/21/09 Comcast Center Boston, MA
Wed 07/22/09 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA
Thu 07/23/09 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Charlotte, NC
Fri 07/24/09 Central Florida Fairgrounds Orlando, FL
Sat 07/25/09 Cruzan Amphitheatre Miami, FL
Sun 07/26/09 Vinoy Park St.Petersburg, FL
Tue 07/28/09 Lakewood Amphitheatre Atlanta, GA
Wed 07/29/09 Riverbend Amphitheatre Cincinnati, OH
Thu 07/30/09 Marcus Amphitheater Milwaukee, WI
Fri 07/31/09 Comerica Park Detroit, MI
Sat 08/01/09 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre Chicago, IL
Sun 08/02/09 Canterbury Park Minneapolis, MN
Mon08/03/09 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater St.Louis, MO
Tue 08/04/09 Sandstone Amphitheater Kansas City, KS
Fri 08/07/09 Idaho Center Amphitheatre Boise, ID
Sat 08/08/09 Utah State Fairgrounds Salt Lake City, UT
Sun 08/09/09 Invesco Field at Mile High Denver, CO
Wed 08/12/09 Race City Speedway Calgary, AB
Fri 08/14/09 Thunderbird Stadium Vancouver, BC
Sat 08/15/09 The Gorge Amphitheater Seattle, WA
Sun 08/16/09 Washington County Fairgrounds Portland, OR
Wed 08/19/09 Save Mart Center Fresno, CA
Thu 08/20/09 Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View Mountain View, CA
Fri 08/21/09 Sleep Train Amphitheatre Sacramento, CA
Sat 08/22/09 Cricket Wireless Amphitheater San Diego, CA
Sun 08/23/09 Home Depot Center Los Angeles, CA 390

Sean Bones and Local Natives at Space 15 Twenty

Photos: Zara Bloom
Sean Bones and Local Natives
June 23, 2009
Space 15 Twenty

If you live in Southern California or have visited California in the summer months, then you know that outdoor summer concerts are the best way to spend the evenings. Oh wait, add some of your friends, a little booze, Kevin Bronson as the DJ between sets and you've got yourself a perfect summer night.

Sean Bones started the dance party off RIGHT while Local Natives sounded the tightest I've heard the boys sound. EVER. Amazing show. Loads of fun. A perfect way to spend the evening.

Sonic Treat of the Day: vosotros presents: the years

Art work: Alexis Demetriades

Today's Sonic Treat of the Day is brought to you by the kind gentlemen at vosotros.

Remember that one jam? Yeah, you know the one. Whether it reminds you of your parents' 8-tracks/records, block parties in the summer or rainy days spent staring out of a window, there something that is as soothing as chicken soup when you hear these songs. Have you ever wanted someone to take your jams, put them on one album and take you on an adventure that goes from one musical era to another? Guess what? It has been done. They nailed it. They went up to bat for us and the NAILED it.

"Recorded in Los Angeles, New York City, and Macau, vosotros teams up with long-time collaborator Sam Barsh to create a musical journey through time." - the years

I can't stop listening to this album. And here's the thing: you, too, can have this addiction. Wanna know why? Wanna know how?

Why: It's great music.

How: You can download it for FREE this month simply by visiting The Years' website.

Yup. That's it. Seriously. Oh, wait. I lied. They also have a mix tape that you can download for free. Well, what the hell are you waiting for? GO! Oh, and be sure to pay attention to the retro hairstyle that appears on the page when you visit the site before clicking on it. It's different every time (alternating between the 10 faces you see on the cover). It's also awesome every time.

Don't be greedy. Tell your friends. Real friends share good music with each other. It's true.