Flipping through the channels the other night, I saw on the guide "Flight of the Concords" and was so excited because for a split second I lost my mind and thought it was a new episode. Yep, still in re-runs of course, but for now we have this video released exclusively to YouTube yesterday to give us our fix.
Cute sisterly stage banter; teens with hipster haircuts and wacky frames; someone’s pit-bull hanging by the bar: all fond and not-so-fond memories from Wednesday’s show at the Glasshouse. From the moment Tegan and Sara took the stage, the girlies went wild and were completely inconsolable. During their hour and ½ set they focused heavily on their recent album, The Con, with a few older gems thrown in; i.e. “Not Tonight”, and “Fix You Up”. Between tunes there were delightful snippets of playful patter, continuing to provide their devoted fan base with plenty of YouTube ammo. Most memorable being an anecdote about a local Rite-Aid and how the cashier swindled Sara out of a dollar to supposedly help starving children. As the night progressed they tamely bickered, telling each other to either “move over”, “wrap it up” or “shut the fuck up”. The audience was captivated!
Their backing band was tight and their harmonizing couldn’t have been more on point, showcasing their irresistibly unique pop vocals and how they can’t help but compliment each other. During “So Jealous” you heard the scratchiness (Tegan) and the poppy-ness (Sara) layered on top of the other, but gelling as if they were both woven into the same snuggly blanket. The snuggle-ness of their vocals eventually culminated into a pounding, syncopated crescendo, and by then, I was inconsolable. As they traveled through their set, one could sense an aura of humbleness AND fear as they competed with the shrill of the screaming masses (teenage girls). They’ve hit it big, as made evident by their swanky rock-and-roll tour bus parked outside. It’s an awesome feeling knowing that an artist can stay true to themselves and find a wide-ranging audience with continued success, and I can’t think of more deserving band. In their presence, I too am a giddy teenager.
A few months ago I took a wrong turn near South Coast Plaza, and came across a building that must have been just visiting from the future. This architectural gem in our beloved Costa Mesa, California, is the home of Samueli Theater, which might very well be the best place to see live music that you could possibly hope for. Plenty of room, drinks, and even a rare roast beef sandwich in the lobby if you forget dinner on your way to the show. I hate to admit this, but after Satisfaction rocked, a big part of me wanted to be able to root for the underdog and say that they stole the show from Matt Costa. Even after the first solo song of Matt Costa's set, something in me wanted to be able to contradict the burgeoning group of his fans...to find all of the flaws, to be Jack Black in High Fidelity.
But, then the rest of the band came out, and new comparisons flooded into my mind. A bit of Wilco meets James Mercer, followed by whatever I would hate someone else for saying, followed by more obvious comparisons, each designed to avoid accepting him on his own merit. The band was hitting on all cylinders, and I started to see that this group of gents were not here to be the next fashion divas of the indie scene, but rather they genuinely loved playing music together. It kept getting better, and I found myself in the midst of some Newport Harbor High School hipsters with my beer and camera, and I set it down and hit record for this slightly-muffled clip (see below) that officially made me like the music of Matt Costa. Not to mention the fact that they made the crowd go nuts, and displayed absolutely no pretense whatsoever. A special thanks to Katie Martin at Indie 103.1, and also to our new friends at OCPA - Tim Dunn, Heather Cho and Jessica Brunner. Stay with us because we will be covering the upcoming Indie Artist series shows live at Samueli Theater featuring Rogue Wave, Voxhaul Broadcast, Pinback, Nada Surf and more.
I love Grizzly Bear so much. Tuesday, they were on Conan O'Brien and sounded amazing. Those lucky East Coast bastards that get to see them open for Radiohead this summer...after you watch this you can check out more Grizzly Bear here
Then, last night, Conan had an exclusive taped performance by Radiohead:
"Blast you with the Metallica, Rip ya head to shreds like Gallagher" - Necro, with his new album Death Rap is back and decimating the ears and minds of the unbelievers of underground Hip-Hop. Straight out of Brooklyn, New York, NECRO is a force demanding to be reckoned with. Creating “Beautiful Music for you to die to” since the early 90’s, NECRO combines sadistic, violence influenced lyrics combined with “punch you dead in the face” beats. Also know as the “The “Sexorcist” and “Necrodamus” releasing albums on his label PSYCHO+LOGICAL+RECORDS and currently distributed by KOCH distribution. NECRO is also a renowned Producer and also plays guitar for the death metal band INJUSTICE. Check out some new tracks @ myspace.com/necro also check out Necro on YouTube to see a wealth of videos and live performances. DEATH RAP, listen to it, live it, die!
1. What is your hometown and where are you currently based out of? BROOKLYN, NY SINCE BIRTH
2. How did you get started and when? I STARTED RAPPING IN LIKE '88, WAS LIVING IN THE PROJECTS, INFLUENCED BY OLD SCHOOL LEGENDS, AND JUST LIKE EVERY KID WANTED PROPS FOR RHYMING
Tomorrow night will be your last chance to see We Barbarians during their February Detroit Bar residency. You know how this works - one band takes over Detroit every Monday for a month with a different support act each week. These residencies have been really good lately, and I keep hearing great things about this band. After listening to their music, I'm kicking myself for not having attended one of their shows yet, so I'm going tomorrow night no matter what. You can check out their music at their myspace page, which also includes a fairly extensive list of upcoming shows, most of which are with Tokyo Police Club. Hope to see you there tomorrow night.
So Pandora is quickly becoming my favorite web site (besides TLS and RedTube), but it is not fool-proof. Today I threw it on one of my regular stations - Rogue Wave - and somehow got both Badly Drawn Boy and Barenaked Ladies. Come on Pandora, let's fucking get our act together alright. It's not 2001. With that being said, it did somehow throw me a blast-from-the-past: Yo La Tengo. Pandora, I hate you and I love you (easy on the Matt Pond...)
