The latest (if not greatest) of the Portland Lauras to capture my attention with a type of folk music that offers Oregon as one of America’s last uncharted places.
It was a pleasure to finally see them on stage again, in support of their beautiful new third LP, Will You Be There With Me.
The band had a more ferocious edge and a newfound punkish roar that, while percolating below the surface before, came out more forcefully tonight.
Hey, if Vivian Girls are willing to risk a minor bout of pneumonia to play a few songs for free on a Friday night, I’m up for it!
I won’t even attempt to follow that with some sad, blurry cell phone pics taken from the balcony. I will, however, regale you with some words.
So how did they fare, making the sudden jump to this much larger, 550-capacity venue in so short a time? I’m happy to say, much better than most young bands.
Anyway, she more than lived up to the accolades with an hour long set that was focused almost exclusively on material from Tramp.
It’s the kind of album our species is programmed to make in abundance but that rarely ends up very good, as energetic and melodic, short yet transcendent in its repeatability as It’s A Shame About Ray … And it’s now being toured across America!
The normally chatty Brooklyn crowd, seemingly filled with Mirah diehards, was held spellbound – at times you could almost hear a pin drop.
He played a six-string and a twelve-string, both acoustic, and was joined by a second acoustic guitar, drums, violin, and most surprisingly, a harp.
Half of The Chameleons is better than the full complement of most bands.
A rare sighting of a unique English band…
Thirty-five years on, when many bands are struggling to pull a crowd, it was great to see a good turn out for the gig with fans traveling from as far as the Netherlands to see Glen Matlock’s latest venture.
Now I know why they named their album The Big Roar- because that’s what they sounded like, a three-person post-punk whirling dervish of a band.
For a final victory lap, it was all there. Judas Priest is dead, long live Priest.
Honestly, it was my first time seeing them and I thought they were great from the first few notes.
Instead of a “normal” show with a headliner and an opener, this was something altogether quite different.
Bells were the surprise of the night and honestly stole the show for me.
Foo Fighters wrap up their North American tour with a strong supporting cast and rock the sold-out TD Garden audience.
35 years on, The Damned still deliver.
Thankfully, this performance more than justified the $30 ticket price.
Their set was short but sweet.
So how did Wild Flag fit into this context? Quite splendidly.
Victoria jazz-punks NoMeansNo prove, once again, that time has not sapped their energy but only strengthened their resolve.
Power pop doesn’t have to be all buffed out and shiny; there was plenty of grit and sweat in tonight’s doses.
Within a few seconds of their set, I had beer spilled on me.
ALL, on the other hand, were amazing.
Of the many times I’ve seen Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, I’d never had the chance to see them in such a great-sounding and intimate room.
This more stripped-down iteration fit in perfectly with the gentle, quiet vibe of this seated show
Winnipeg’s most intense Singer/song-writer Greg Macpherson tries to goes QU
Improved songwriting, musicianship and stage presence contributed to what was by far the best Vivian Girls live set I’ve ever seen.
Thurston’s set in the beautiful but very poorly ventilated church sanctuary drew heavily upon his recently released solo Lp Demolished Thoughts.
Singer Steve Polcari acted as if almost a quarter of a century hadn’t passed, jumping around all over the stage and showing off the energy of a frontman half of his age.
Guitarist and songwriter Joey Molland of ‘70s power-pop giants Badfinger was special guest at the Fest for Beatles Fans in Chicago. In addition to an interview with local Breakfast with the Beatles DJ Terri Hemmert, Molland joined the festival’s house band Liverpool for a concert. The set included Badfinger classics “Baby Blue,” “Day After Day,” and “No Matter What.”
Still, this had the feel of a band playing to a bunch of friends and family and that’s basically what it was. It was an afternoon show to boot, so that made it even more family-friendly.
Opening with Bad Moon Rising‘s “Brave Men Run (in My Family)”, the first five tracks were a flurry of ’80s highlights.
What better venue to see the man play than a church?
Backed by erstwhile DFA darlings Andrew Raposo and Morgan Wiley, Nomi Ruiz’s dancefloor essays had even the most jaded wallflowers twisting and turning, feeling and burning away every ironic calorie.
We always hope that a band will have the inherent gravity needed to overcome the fracturing of its individual parts, but not all bands are as committed as The Rosebuds.
At the end of his set, opening band The Gerunds came on stage and they proceeded to crank out two highlights of Reynolds’ tenure with ALL.
Not only do they do faithful versions of Zappa’s music, but Dweezil manages to recreate Frank’s guitar tone to an astonishing degree.
An incredibly intimate and rare treat to see so many East Coast musicians amongst the West Coast mountains of Big Sur.
“What’s more popular here these days, ice sculpture or butter sculpture?”
Bill Callahan’s baritone brings songs of grief and joy to life on stage.
Timber Timbre is a trio from Montréal, Canada but their sound seems to have emerged straight from the heart of Twin Peaks. Needless to say, their moody tracks don’t seem to fit along with those of any other bands hailing from their city and that’s perfectly fine because it makes their songs even more intriguing. Taylor Kirk establishes an ambiance which is both unnerving and charismatic. His vibrato delivery makes one think of Elvis, if Elvis was possessed by darker and much more interesting spirits.
Urge Overkill man their Rock and Roll Submarine
Saturday’s offerings at Pfork included a wide range of eclectic styles from the more experimental but deeply enriching music of Julianna Barwick and woods to the dream pop of Wild Nothing, the angular rock of The Dismemberment Plan, the gothy synth pop of Cold Cave, the punk rock of OFF! the dj stylings of DJ Shadow, and the folk music of Fleet Foxes. It would be impossible not to love a couple of bands from that kind of lineup and it seems many people were able to see bands they hadn’t listened to before and found it an enjoyable experience.
