Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Okkervil River Returns to SD 9/24, Releases New CD 9/9
Pitchfork's got the details.
The new CD, The Stand Ins, is a companion disc to last year's excellent The Stage Names. Since they sold out the Casbah last time around, they'll be at the Belly Up this time. I can't wait to hear them in that setting.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Show Review: The National @ HOB, 05/28/2008
Photos: The National @ HOB
With the crappy week I've been having, I was really looking forward to The National's show at House of Blues, even though I had some reservations about the venue. Yes, the sound and lighting are amazing, but the people...the rigors of just getting in the door...not to mention having the people at the box office track down your ticket/photo pass...or finding out that there wasn't a photo pit when you finally made it into the venue...
But all that aside, it turned out to be a great show. Mostly I was worried that the intensity of their show wouldn't translate from the small stage at the Casbah to the larger one at the House of Blues. But oh yeah - this is a band that's been doing the indie rock festival circuit for at least the past two years. It wasn't as immediate a feeling as at the Casbah show, but oh boy, did it hit me.
The word of the night was catharsis. It seems odd, as their albums have been described as "mellow" and "quiet," but if you really listen to all the layers of sound going on, the former is just wrong and the latter is simply a measure of volume. A lot of their songs are about little personal triumphs and failures, so how can their live shows not be cathartic? Especially when you're singing lines like "So worry not/All things are well/We'll be alright/We have our looks and perfume on," and "I won't fuck us over/I'm Mr. November" at the top of your lungs (sorry about that, peeps around me, but I think you were all doing the same thing anyway).
In between songs, the ever-present chatty crowd was noticeable, but while The National was playing, either the noise died down or I just got so sucked into their music that I didn't notice anymore. Every bit of their songcraft just floors me, from the dueling guitar lines, to the horn arrangements (they had a trumpet and trombone player with them this tour), Padma's wild violin solos, the other-worldly drumlines, and Matt's vocal phrasings, not to mention lyrics.
Every band should try to employ a pair of twins. Just having brothers in your band doesn't cut it anymore. Bryce and Aaron Dessner are just so keyed in to each other when they play the aforementioned intertwining guitar lines. Sometimes while playing, they just give each other a look, and you can literally see the thought waves bouncing back and forth. They never miss a beat, or a note, in the incredibly complicated parts they play, even with a whole stage in between them.
As I mentioned, there was no photo pit, but Rosey and I were allowed to squeeze up into the tiny space afforded by the barrier, which was maybe a foot wide. It was worth it, even though I was sweating my ass off by the second or third song. We stayed in for a few extra songs (no security guards were looming), and then I left to join P a slight distance from the stage. And even at that distance, I was welling up during quite a few songs, which is a testament to both the emotional power of the band and my own personal life lately.
They ended with two encores (although before the second one, the band didn't leave the stage entirely), finally concluding with an extended version of "About Today." Which was introduced as "an old song." Fuck, I guess I won't be hearing anything off their self-titled album or Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers soon, if they're already referring to Cherry Tree songs as "old." The one thing that could have made the night better was if they had played "Geese of Beverly Road," which floored me at the Casbah during their tour for Alligator. Or, alternatively, "Lucky You," but I guess I'll just console myself with the Daytrotter version of that song.
At the end of the night I managed to score a setlist, and then I bought myself a t-shirt (hooray for American Apparel small girlie shirts!) and a copy of the DVD A Skin, A Night (packaged along with The Virginia EP). And then I drove home listening to the band on my car stereo, because The National are a band whose live show adds an extra element that just makes their recorded music sound that much better.
This is why I don't usually hang out wtih grad students...
By the way - that flute line? It's totally from "The Wind Beneath My Wings." How do I know this? Well, I used to play both flute and piano, and let's just say my musical taste in my younger years was a little less...discerning...
How to Turn a Crappy Day into a Good One
First, how to have a crappy day:
1. Have trouble getting out of bed/out the door so that you're biking like hell to make it to 30th and University in time to catch the 10 bus.
2. Slam into an opened car door at 30th and North Park Way. Flip over handlebars. Simultaneously be thankful that you were wearing your helmet and freaked out that your laptop is in your backpack.
3. Nothing's broken, but curse like hell at the guy who didn't look before opening his car door. Get his name/number and get back on bike in order to get up to campus to get checked out at student health.
4. Get to bus stop just in time to see the 10 bus pull away. Wait 15 minutes for the next bus, and subsequently get on the 9:30 Hillcrest shuttle instead of the 9:00 one.
5. Go into work, then student health. Right shoulder is strained, pay $10 for them to clean up the brushburn on my right forearm, find out I have not one, but two sties in my right eye. Have to split a plate of cells at work even though my shoulder is not happy with pipetting.
How to make that day better:
1. Go home early. Right shoulder is preventing work from being done, and hot compresses are needed for the sties in my eye.
2. Make lunch and watch part of "A Skin, A Night." Take nap on couch for two hours (albeit with really weird dreams that weren't so good).
3. Get woken up by phone call from old friend from undergrad. Bitch about grad school (he got an even worse deal than I did), etc. for almost an hour.
4. Contemplate trip to Boston in fall to visit said friend.
5. Decide to only go into work for two hours tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Vote for Me in JPG Magazine!
I finally got my shit together (i.e. brought my external hard drive full of photos into work) and uploaded some photos for JPG Magazine's latest issue. Please take a look and give my photos a vote! Thanks!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/27/2008
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Monday, May 26, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/26/2008
I'm probably going to make it the new heading for my blog. I need to change it up a bit anyway.
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Show Review: Foals, Maps and Atlases, Crocodiles @ Brick by Brick, 05/25/2008
Photos: Foals, Maps and Atlases @ Brick by Brick
Look what happens when I have a day off - I get all my laundry done, and I get my blog all updated! Crazy! I should do this more often...
I don't have any photos of Crocodiles from last night because they played with most of the lights off, because, as Kristin said, "It sucks playing in front of someone else's gear." In this case, two bands' worth of gear. But the Crocodiles (aka Brandon and Chuck from The Prayers and The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower) sounded great. I think this was their first live show? Chuck alternated between playing guitar and a little keyboard, while Brandon was mostly free to sing and bust rock star moves. I like it better when he's not tethered to a guitar - it really adds a lot more energy to the show. Their drum and bass came from prerecorded tracks on an iPod, but didn't sound tinny as such things sometimes do. I really dug their sound, and hope they get some songs up on their Myspace soon...
Maps and Atlases were up next. I swear I've heard the name before, but I have no idea where from. I certainly had never listened to any of their music before - if I had, I would have remembered it. They're a six-piece from Chicago, and they sound mathy and melodic at the same time. The music nerd in me was loving that they changed time signatures multiple times during songs, and the vibraphone? Nice touch. Both guitarists were playing by tapping their strings, as opposed to strumming or picking, and I love the way that particular technique sounds (see also: Alex of Swim Party). And don't even get me started on the drummer - he was pretty incredible.
Maps and Atlases @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Maps and Atlases @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Maps and Atlases @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Maps and Atlases @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
I wanted to pick up a t-shirt of theirs, but unfortunately, they didn't have any girl sizes. A youth large just doesn't cut it, and they weren't the nice soft American Apparel shirts either. I'd have to guess that more females buy merch from bands than males, so I don't get why more bands don't have sizes to suit that need. But anyway, sorry for the tangent.
Foals were up last, and people were pretty excited to see them. Although the crowd was kind of strange - apparantly someone forgot to tell me to either a) get extremely wasted or b) drop E before the show. I'm not a fan of strange people touching me, especially when I'm stone-cold sober. I lasted most of the show up front before someone grabbed both of my shoulders and started jumping up and down, and then I decided to watch the rest from the back.
But the music? Extremely energetic, although the similarity to Bloc Party's more dancey stuff was a little too obvious at times, for me anyway. The singer was all over the stage with his guitar, and it was entertaining to watch their sound guy dart out like a spider across stage to deal with the mic and guitar cords, and then go back to dancing at the side of the stage. It was an enjoyable set, audience aside, and definitely gave me the wake-up kick in the pants.
Foals @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Foals @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Foals @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Foals @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
Foals @ Brick by Brick, shot by Natalie Kardos
At least enough of a kick in the pants to get me to Jivewire at the Casbah afterwards, where P and I got drunk enough to dance. Or rather, I got drunk enough to have fun dancing - which means drunk enough to not care about looking silly, but not so drunk that I was falling over. It was a great end to the night, and we even got to enjoy Tim Mays' DJing for a little while before it all ended with a cry of "One more song!" to the DJ. He obliged with "Dancing with Myself," and then we were all ushered out into the night.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/24/2008
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Daytrotter's Memorial Day Gift To You
Daytrotter Sessions - The Mountain Goats
Not only are the recordings offered on this site exceptional - so is the writing. And reading John Darnielle's own explanations of various songs? Awesome. This might end in me listening to a lot of Mountain Goats in the coming days...
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/22/2008
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Show Review: Destroyer, Devon Williams @ Casbah, 05/20/2008
Photos: Destroyer, Devon Williams @ Casbah
I've been enjoying Destroyer's new album, Trouble in Dreams, ever since I downloaded it from eMusic a few months ago. So I was excited to see them play at the Casbah, especially with Devon Williams, a folksy band from LA.
Since there were only two bands, the night started a little later than usual. Devon Williams' set was plagued with some sound issues, but they played it off with a mixture of quirkiness and humor. At one point Devon introduce the band, adding that his father scolded him at their show last night for not doing so. "But then he said we should all take solos, to which I replied, 'This isn't the 60's, Dad.'" They were incredibly endearing, and their music was pretty solid folk-pop. I was glad to get a chance to see them, and hope that they play in town again soon - maybe at the Beauty Bar?
Devon Williams @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Devon Williams @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Devon Williams @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Devon Williams @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Devon Williams @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Destroyer @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Destroyer @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Destroyer @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Destroyer @ Casbah, shot by Natalie Kardos
Show Review: Blackalicious, Pigeon John @ Belly Up Tavern, 05/17/2008
Photos: Blackalicious, Pigeon John @ Belly Up
I don't really listen to a lot of hip-hop, but D was interested in checking out this show, so I said, "Sure, why not?" Earlier in the day, Chad had told me to make sure to catch the opener, Pigeon John, so we got to the Belly Up around 9:30. Let's just say that the crowd was...interesting.
Pigeon John went on at 10PM, and Chad was right. He was incredibly impressive and got the crowd moving, including me. Unfortunately, the lighting was kind of orange-y, so I had to convert a bunch of my photos to black and white.
Pigeon John @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Pigeon John @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Pigeon John @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Blackalicious @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Blackalicious @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Blackalicious @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
Blackalicious @ Belly Up, shot by Natalie Kardos
After a few songs, though, I decided to get away from the two bros that were next to me up front (both drunk, both with naked women tats on their arms, and both trying to continuously high-five Gift of Gab) and retreated to the bar area for the rest of the show. We ran into a friend of D's, and then ended the night over at Surf and Saddle. Despite starting out the night dead tired, I had a really good time - I love when that happens.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Blog Alert: For Those Who Tried to Rock
For Those Who Tried to Rock
Tagline: A "Where Are They Now?" for those who never were, then.
This is a sonic history of the American pop band. Our goal is to capture data about every band to have been formed by teens with that perfect mixture of big dreams and questionable talent in suburban garages, high school music rooms, and college dorms across America. And to preserve them cryogenically with the very dry ice they once merited, for future generations.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Random Photo: 05/22/2008
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/21/2008
Taken with the new 55-250 IS lens, from pretty much the other side of my kitchen. It'd be nice if it had a macro setting, but I guess beggars can't be choosers.
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I'm finally up-to-date with my "366 Days, 366 Photos" postings. I've got two shows to post photos from (Blackalicious and Destroyer) - hopefully I'll get to those tomorrow.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/20/2008
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/19/2008
I really seem to like using my kitchen floor as a backdrop for photos these days.
Also of note: I couldn't find the snoot I handmade from black foam and gaffer's tape, so I put a black fingerless glove (hand-knitted) onto my flash for this shot. It worked pretty damn well...
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/18/2008
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/17/2008
At work, we have what is basically a gigantic walk-in refrigerator, because a lot of supplies are kept at 4 degrees Celsius, and a lot of protein work needs to be done in the cold. Obviously, the doors to these fridges are pretty hefty, and just as obviously, if you get stuck in one of the fridges for a longish period of time (say, on a weekend when no one else is there to hear you pounding on the door), you could easily die of exposure. Hence, the axe.
I used to think that my fear of the cold room was irrational. Yeah, not so much.
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366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/16/2008
Another black and white HDR photo, although this time I could have used a few more images - I only used 3.
366 Days, 366 Photos: 05/15/2008
So instead I took a bunch of frames of Gorden Biersch. A few too many, it turned out - sometimes, with HDR, less is more. The image was finally composed from 5 frames.