The Blow / Of Montreal / Aqueduct
The Showbox
Seattle, WA
February 9, 2007

The balance struck between a straightforward rock group, an enigmatic storyteller, and a band dragging its toes through performance art was truly something to witness. If there was a common thread to that diversity in this early February Showbox show, it was the melancholy dance song.
Out in full force to support their new album, Aqueduct started the evening on a positive note, imploring the crowd to "rock with the Aqueduct," and quickly took off from there. Though their songs varied little in construction, often taking the middle road between Weezer and The Postal Service, the local Seattle group did well to warm up the packed house. Lead singer David Terry's nasally vocals resonated strongly throughout the venue and Aqueduct had their faithful audience members singing along to tracks old and new. Overall, their set was crisp, clear, and concise, though at times it seemed that Aqueduct was the most excited about seeing the other bands on the bill.
Khaela Maricich of The Blow followed with what turned out to be an amazingly courageous performance. Abandoned by her beat-maker, Yacht, Maricich created a living room atmosphere in the crammed Showbox venue. Clad in a ridiculous, fluffy white blouse and pants, she recounted amusing anecdotes between her songs and seemed to leave every part of herself on the stage. She arranged the performance in such a way that it resembled a novel, and even though the singer/songwriter intimacy was overwhelming - especially in songs like "Big U" and "Keep the Girls Burnin'" - so were the beats. She captured this duality perfectly with her dorky, angular dancing and squealing pleas to the audience. All in all, it was a perfect blend of mind and body that glowed with immediacy.
The Blow's performance proved to be the ringleader to Of Montreal's circus. Lead singer Kevin Barnes took the stage in a flash of silver and the band tore right into "Suffer For Fashion." With three video projection screens surrounding them, Cher-like Salvation Army costume changes, and props galore, the band exuded a Ziggy Stardust vibe. Of Montreal were at their strongest during straightforward rock songs like the smash-a-guitar-worthy "She's a Rejector," but the most compelling moment of their set was when Barnes, outfitted in a 12-foot long silver dress, mounted a ladder and sang a dance song about trying to find home in spirituality ("Gronlandic Edit"). It was a strangely satisfying moment.
Each of the night's acts fancied songs that were capable of making the crowd wistfully cut a rug. It was a great chance to see each of their completely different takes on what makes a performance a "show."

-Review by Rob Bergquist; photo by Fel Pajimula

Deerhoof / Busdriver / blackblack
Great American Music Hall
San Francisco, CA
January 30, 2007

Deerhoof's recent sold-out show at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall is one testament to their recent success; the barking chorus of "Hoof! Hoof! Hoof!" that emanated from the back of the Hall might be another.
Dressed in animal costumes, blackblack opened the evening with a set of sparse pop songs dominated by juvenile glee and the similarly childlike, deadpan yelp of singer Diva Dompe. Although guitarist Clark Schädelkopf laid down some interesting sonic textures (with the help of some reverb and dirty fuzz) and occasionally harmonized through his gorilla mask, blackblack on the whole failed to diversify their sound beyond an uninspired, plodding cover of The Misfits' "Skulls." Their performance might have been more compelling with more thought given to their songwriting and less to gimmicks.
As an MC, voice is the cornerstone of Busdriver's livelihood. Indeed, his DJ, Coral, can fuse electro, hip-hop, and dancehall reggae beats easier than some bands can switch keys, but the main event was the man with the microphone. This responsibility created an interesting predicament for Busdriver. On one hand, he delivered super-slick rhymes about Scientology and going postal. The frantic staccato of his flow alone had the power to excite and motivate the audience, especially when his crooning falsetto leaped into overdrive and took the crowd with it. The downside was that he was so rapidly loquacious that it was hard to train one's ear to what he was saying. But, even if one didn't catch everything Busdriver said, it all made sense intuitively.
As the scope of their popularity has grown, Deerhoof has downsized. While some might miss the noisier aesthetic of Deerhoof the rock quartet, they were in top form as a live three-piece on this night. Their performance retained its pace and power, with quick transitions between songs and time signatures alike, and one couldn't help but notice how clean and well balanced they sounded. They flirted with improvisation, building upon themes, revealing subtle hooks, and teasing the crowd with pregnant pauses. Mitigating the mercurial chaos of freewheeling experimentation and super-tight transitions, Deerhoof's performance begged the audience to wonder how much was planned and how much materialized on the spot. Rather than simply keeping time, Greg Saunier's brilliantly aggressive drumming molded the structure of many of their songs. The lyricism of John Dieterich's guitar work matched the pitch and phrasing of singer/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki's voice.
Busdriver joined Deerhoof on stage for the last of their four encores, but disappointingly bowed out after singing half a song on his knees (to compensate for the height of Matsuzaki's microphone stand). Matsuzaki finished the song. Deerhoof's performance warranted an exclamation mark to punctuate the evening.

-Review by Andres Jauregui; photo by Ryan Kimble


The One AM Radio / Dosh / Occidental
The Echo
Los Angeles, CA
February 1, 2007

L.A. venue The Echo hosted an eclectic bazaar of musical avant-garde on February 1. Opening act The One AM Radio is essentially one man, Hrishikesh Hirway. Originally fromBoston and formerly of Yale University, Hirway has an aesthetic echelon that reveals his Ivy League-level intelligence. Currently residing in the L.A. area, he has been writing and recording on his own since 1999, and has added a band for live performances to promote the recent release of his third album, This Too Will Pass. Including keyboards, French horn, standing bass, and guitar, Hirway's sound was remarkably gentle, with slow tempos and the kind of sweet lyrics that conjure wistful mindscapes of lost loves and rainy afternoons.
Also from L.A., Occidental is an instrumental three-piece. As of yet unsigned, they released a self-titled EP in 2006 and have since been making the rounds within the Silver Lake/Echo Park live scene. Self-described "experimental shoegazers," their set was loud, powerful, and layered with intensity - basically rock, but with a slight hip-hop strain. Some sampled spoken word and light keyboards were added here and there to contrast the band's more bombastic moments.

Headliner Dosh (full name Martin Dosh) hails from the Midwest, where he has built a solid base in his hometown of Minneapolis. An alumnus of many bands, he has been a working musician since his teens. Dosh is signed to the record label associated with Oakland's Anticon music collective and, like The One AM Radio, is supporting his third official release, The Lost Take. His performance at The Echo was extremely improvisational, using electronic and percussive instruments. Seldom has any stage ever seen such an array of musical paraphernalia put to use by only one man - it looked like the aftermath of an explosion at band camp.
He collaborated live with a saxophonist, who also took an extemporaneous approach and added a warmer and woodier ardor to Dosh's trademark noodling. Together they created a sound that incorporated strands from sources as diverse as jam bands and jazz artists. (To convey how experimental it really was, some hapless soul tried to dance to it and was subsequently reduced to soft-shoe shuffling, all to the hooting amusement of his companions).
On a side note, The Echo's sound man/DJ deserves a nod for his spins. Much more than between-set filler, the choices were an electronic bonanza of interesting cuts and a satisfying surprise bonus for the audience at this show.

-Review by Susan Brooks; photo by Lowell Abellon

M. Ward / Victoria Williams
Bimbo's 365 Club
San Francisco, CA
February 9, 2007

After canceling what was originally scheduled to be a James Brown tribute concert, Bimbo's 365 Club, already hosting a sold-out M. Ward performance on Saturday, decided to give the people of San Francisco two nights of rare solo performances from the up-and-coming artist by adding a Friday night gig.
As if this supplement was not enough of a privilege, folk legend Victoria Williams opened the show and delivered an inspiring acoustic set. Williams, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993, played old hits like "Crazy Mary" and "Frying Pan." Her songs are in one instance happy and carefree and at other times melancholy and soulful, as her lyrics reflect the lifestyle of the slow, rural South. "Cars need gas, a cat don't belong in the zoo / A man don't need nothing but good water, good rest and the truth," Williams sang. Despite the obvious limitations posed by her illness, Williams was not afraid to showcase her undeniable talent and played for almost an hour, switching between the guitar, banjo and harmonica.
M. Ward began his set with the slow instrumental "Duet for Guitars, No. 3," using a digital mixer to instantly loop and playback his guitar solos to create a layered duet with himself. For those who enjoy listening to M. Ward's recorded work, seeing him live is a must. His impressive guitar technique is superbly complemented by his soft, raspy vocals, creating haunting melodies that truly shake the soul. Ward, now garnering more attention after the August 2006 release of Post-War, promoted the popular track "To Go Home" by showing a "music video" he jokingly created on his laptop using PowerPoint during a recent plane ride. It featured pictures of his friends and other artists he admires.
Before playing his final song, he asked that a member of the audience who knew how to play the piano join him on stage. At first it seemed a dicey way to end the evening, but as they began to play "Rollercoaster," the audience (and even Ward himself) seemed to be blown away by the musical chemistry between him and the selected audience member. At one point, Ward left the stage, unbeknownst to the young man, to let his fan have his own piano solo. If anything, it attested to Ward's undeniably charismatic stage presence.

-Nicole Sheikh

Monsters Are Waiting / Stellastarr*
Safari Sam's
Hollywood, CA
February 6, 2007

As the clock passed 9:30 p.m., the audience at Safari Sam's - who had been there since doors opened at 8:00 p.m. - sat patiently, waiting for Echo Park's Monsters Are Waiting to take the stage. Luckily, the crowd-pleasing mix of DJs my!gay!husband!, Pretty Titty, and Paparazzi made the time pass easier.
Finally, the media background behind the stage blinked and swirled to reveal in dripping letters: "Monsters Are Waiting." People cheered and the band took the stage, opening with "Haha" from its most recent album, Fascination. Annalee Fery's childlike vocals popped out immediately, catching any first-time listeners off guard. Her innocent voice, like a mixture of Bjork and Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O, crept over the wailing melody of former Eve 6 guitarist Jon Siebels and overtook the dark, thumping of Andrew Clark's bass and Eric Gardner's drums. This mixture of light and dark, naiveté and impending corruption, makes Monsters Are Waiting an ideal name for the band.
In "Christine," Fery's key strokes followed along with her innocent temptations as she sang "Make me, take me, anyway you want me." Siebels and Clark traded instruments and Siebels commanded the bass at full force. Monsters Are Waiting frantically banged their instruments as Fery repeated, "Don't you want me?" until the music turned into a clattering of noise. Their set came to a close with "Don't Go," a pleading song that felt fitting and made it hard to watch the band leave.

Stellastarr* stirred the room in a different way. Their heavy anthems like "Stay Entertained" were excellent platforms for lead singer Shawn Christensen to scream his heart out, and the audience ate up every minute of it. Bearing similarities to The Killers with their volume and emotion turned all the way up, Stellastarr* had the crowd dancing and were already sweating themselves by the end of the first song.
Bassist Amanda Tannen often fell into the background of Michael Jurin's magnetic guitar playing as he and Christensen put on a solid show, knocking over mics with their twirls and falling to the ground during solos or over-exuberant song endings. Such spastic climaxes were most often reserved for Stellastarr*'s older songs like "My Coco," and the crowd reveled in every moment. The band's newer songs like "Warchild" tended to suffer a bit though, as the audience clearly wanted to hear songs they already knew, and the band was still getting comfortable with playing new material. However, by the time the encore concluded, no one could say that Stellastarr* gave less then a hundred percent to their set; they left the crowd at Safari Sam's screaming for more.

-Review by Megan Clinard; photo by Megan Rosenfeld

Conjuring Evolution / KRS-One / Linguistics
Knitting Factory
Hollywood, CA
February 2, 2007

Early in February, tourists scurried across the street as the Knitting Factory's line nearly spilled onto the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Hip-hop heads from the farthest expanses of the Southern Cali-scape congregated for none other than the respected poet and teacher, KRS-One of Boogie Down Productions fame.
Conjuring Evolution, an MC of the stream-of-consciousness breed, took the stage first - minus the two turntables. Instead, a drummer held the groove in place, providing a percussive foundation for the electro-influenced beats. Abstract rap aside, Evolution took a risk by having a drummer on stage, and it paid off, especially during the latter portion of the set when he brought out Iyan Anomolie, an MC in the more traditional sense. Evolution spearheaded the freestyle session, followed by Anomolie and the fan-favorite drummer, whose performance was particularly memorable due to her ability to beat out a rhythm while spitting a few bars of spoken word simultaneously.
Keeping the show moving, Linguistics hit the stage like a hurricane, shifting the mood from hippie hop to head-banger boogie. The trifecta of Kasper, Entity, and IQ rocked the stage emphatically. Percee P, a longtime Stones Throw soldier, even graced the stage to support Linguistics. Ever the grinder, Percee P blessed the crowd with an impromptu display of veteran mic savvy, unleashing a barrage of syllables and braggadocio.

Unlike most established hip-hop acts, KRS-One raided the stage promptly without any of that fashionably late showmanship. The house was steamy with body heat, but no one was going anywhere, including the opening acts. KRS-One had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he performed a medley of many classics - "MCs Act Like They Don't Know," "Sound of Da Police," and "South Bronx" to name a few. Testing the mettle of the hip-hop faithful, KRS-One asked, "How many of you been down since Criminal Minded?"
KRS-One, as a definitive live MC, will always be a respected pillar of the hip-hop community.

-Review by Franklin Grimes; photo by Cook

The Phenomenauts / Los Dryheavers / Beautiful Mutant / White Barons
The Blue Lagoon
Santa Cruz, CA
February 16, 2007

Santa Cruz nightclub The Blue Lagoon is quickly becoming a destination for nationally touring acts, as well as a place to do some serious rockin' out. Friday night was no exception when Oakland's The Phenomenauts brought their unique stage show and "space-a-billy" sound to The Blue's beer-soaked stage.
Opening the show were San Francisco's White Barons. This punk rock band is an act to contend with and their current national tour has already yielded appearances at both Noise Pop and SXSW. By the end of their set, they already had The Blue packed and sweaty.
Next up was Santa Cruz's own Devo cover band, Beautiful Mutant. Consisting of members from various local punk outfits, the band proved to be a labor of love in the spirit of a nostalgic good time. The would-be spuds plowed through louder but faithful renditions of such classics as "Gut Feeling," "Gates of Steel," and "Mongoloid."
As Beautiful Mutant closed their set, a loyal audience began to push forward for Watsonville's Los Dryheavers, who have garnered quite a following with their anthem-like songs and frenetic performances. With as many lyrics in Spanish as in English, the group enjoys the benefits of crossover appeal. Punks, psychobillies, and working folk reveled in Los Dryheavers' razor-sharp set, which was not without the proper dose of debauchery. 'Heavers guitarist Felix expressed his inebriated gratitude to the show's attendees during a shot-raising ritual: "Salud motherf***ers! It's a celebration, drink up!"
During the lengthy stage set-up that followed, fans clad in Phenomenauts gear assembled in allegiance at stage front. Tenacity and clever navigation have helped this band achieve quite a bit, as previously seen in their gate-crashing of the Warped Tour a few years back. (Before gaining official entry, The Phenomenauts landed a spot on each date of the tour by cooking breakfast for the entire road crew). That ingenuity remains to this day, as evidenced by the refinement in their multitude of stage props and costumes, as well as the cohesion of their songs. When Commander Angel Nova's amplifier quit mid-set, The 'Nauts proved their adaptability by navigating through two roots-rock songs until a working amp was donated by Los Dryheavers. The energy was back in full swing as a gigantic cloud of smoke signaled Nova's triumphant return.
Visually, The Phenomenauts experience is easily likened to technologically-informed theatrical groups of the past such as The Aquabats. Sonically, they produce jumpin' numbers that fall somewhere between Reverend Horton Heat and punkabilly innovators The Living End. By the end of their set though, The Phenomenauts proved that they are as much about true grit and dedication as space-aged escapism.

-Review by Keith Thompson; photo by Rason Sampson