Posts filed under 'Event Reviews'
The Dust Devil has been on hiatus for a spell in terms of actual live reviews, but do I have three great shows to tell you about! I visited Seattle for the first time from October 14-20 and had an opportunity to see three amazing concerts. Seattle is definitely all it is cracked up to be, great coffee, great vibe and killer music scene. Let’s start with Bob Mould at Neumos on October 15.
I have had the distinct pleasure of seeing Mr. Mould two previous times this year, at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis back in March and at Coachella in April. Both sets absolutely smoked and were very different from one another. The Varsity Theatre show was just Bob and bassist/guitarist/backing vocalist Jason Narducy. Coachella added Richard Morel on the keyboards and Jon Wurster on drums. This evening was minus Morel, so we were treated to Bob Mould once again part of a killer trio. Obviously for the knowledgeable that should conjure up images of not only two of the best trios in rock history, but two of what should be considered to be the best bands of all-time. Yes, I am referring to Husker Du and Sugar. If you are not familar with either of these bands, go pick up New Day Rising from Husker Du and Copper Blue from Sugar. Now. Seriously, you can read the rest of this later.
My first visit to Neumos
I enjoy venues like this. Simple, nothing extravagant, a stage for the band, a bar off to the side, an area to buy merchandise and plenty of GA room to roam and make your way up front if need be. Which of course I did, even though I have seen the Man enough to know my ears would bleed the next day.
Neumos is located at 925 E. Pike Street, just off 9th Avenue on Pike Street. Easy to get to via the King County transit system, this club is located right next to a very cool bar by the name of MOE Bar and a hop, skip and a jump away from some killer java served at Caffe Vita. After a hazelnut latte and some interesting people watching, it was time to head inside.
The Bob Mould Band live
I honestly do not know what else I can say about Bob Mould that I have not already said in the two reviews I have already posted this year. It amazes me that at the age of 48 (he actually turned 49 the next day) this guy STILL puts the type of energy he does in a performance. Artists are “supposed” to mellow with age, and although some of Bob Mould’s latest material may tone down the gnarl of his guitar a bit, you cannot tell when he performs live. What makes his sets so special is the combination of solo tracks, Sugar songs and tunes from Husker Du.
Jason Narducy is a stellar musician, able to play guitar and bass equally well, and lends outstanding backing vocals to Bob Mould’s fiery delivery. I suggest you check out the catalog from a past band of his by the name of Verbow, great stuff! Jon Wurster is the drummer for an indie band by the name of Superchunk and destroys on the drums. Bob is very fortunate to have two accomplished musicians like these guys supporting him, and when Richard Morel joins them on keys it is an even more dynamic outfit. Check out Blowoff when you get a chance, a DJ/dance project in which Mould and Morel have joined forces.
Right out the gate he played Wishing Well from his first solo effort Workbook, released shortly after the Huskers disbanded. A great tune, a great start for the evening. Next up we were treated to another Workbook standard, See a Little Light. It is hard for me to believe it has been twenty years since that album came out, and neither track has lost any of the power or beauty over time.
Sugar ranks in my top five bands of all-time. I only saw that incredible trio once, December 8, 1994, at a great club in Tempe, AZ by the name of the Electric Ballroom (RIP). Yes, that is the correct date, I still have the stub! They shredded on that evening. I highly suggest picking up anything from their great, but all-too brief collection.
Hoover Dam, Your Favorite Thing, Needle Hits E (I think) were a few of the Sugar tracks Mould and co. unveiled on this evening, with the incredible A Good Idea part of the set as well, one of my favorite Sugar tunes. Unbelievable stuff, delivered with the fury that I have come to expect from this band.
My favorite part of this blistering set was actually a five song interlude when Mr. Mould stripped things down considerably and delivered some of his more mellow and delicate material. Life and Times, The Breach, and I’m Sorry Baby But You Can’t Stand in My Light Anymore, three tracks from his latest solo effort Life and Times, were delivered with the quiet eloquence I have come to expect from Bob, having heard these songs played earlier this year at the Varsity Theatre show or Coachella, if not both. Sinners and Repentances, another killer Workbook song followed. The highlight of this interlude had to be the Husker Du classic from Candy Apple Grey, Hardly Getting Over It. I was blown away.
Just like at Coachella earlier this year Bob, Jason and Jon ended things with some of the best tracks from the Husker Du catalog, including I Apologize and Celebrated Summer from New Day Rising, Makes No Sense at All from Flip Your Wig and Chartered Trips from Zen Arcade. I hope Bob reads this, because I swear the band brought out In a Free Land, one of Husker Du’s earliest singles.
What an increidble show, but what makes this show even more special is the fact Bob was ill at the time, yet he still paced around stage in that maniacal fashion of his while hammering away on his guitar, and still let loose his incendiary vocal style on the appreciative crowd. He apologized a couple of times for his singing; I ask why?
I really do consider myself fortunate I have seen this legend three times in one year. During this tour he was selling off a lot of old merch, so I picked up some things, but more important was the sale of the Live at ATP 2008 disc, only for sale on the tour! If you have not seen Bob Mould this year, find this disc somehow, this is a great representation of what the man does every night he plays.
Now please Bob, a Phoenix trip next year! Three plane tickets to see you in one year is enough! But of course, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Next show to review, Sunny Day Real Estate at the Paramount Theatre!
Cheers,
The Dust Devil
October 30th, 2009
I really do need to start doing these reviews the night I arrive home from the show, especially if the concert was during the weekend. I get to the office, focus on other things and before I know it nearly a week has gone by. A lack of respect on the part of the Dust Devil, because Sonic Youth put on an incredible performance this evening! Too bad the Dust Devil is an idiot and missed most of it! But I digress …
Let me start off by recommending if you go to an out of town show like I did for this one, especially if you are flying in, LEAVE EARLY! I thought I would still work that day, leave the office a bit early, arrive in Colorado with about an hour and a half leeway time. Well, due to weather and an airline that is not exactly top notch (I will never fly Frontier again), I arrived in Denver well past my scheduled arrival time. By the time I arrived at my hotel, checked in, cleaned up and caught a cab to the Ogden Theatre, it was 10:10pm and Sonic Youth hit the stage at 9:00pm. Dangit …
However, the whopping 4 1/2 songs (no joke) that I saw were so incredible, so intense, so amazing, a review is still in order. Plus, the Dust Devil was completely impressed with the Ogden Theatre, another great venue in Colorado!
Like its Colfax Avenue counterpart the Bluebird Theatre, the Ogden Theatre is a converted movie house that has maintained the same rustic look as during its cinema run. The interior is exquisite, the multi-tiered floor makes any spot downstairs an ideal place to see the show, and the balcony wraps around the entire venue, placing you right on top of the stage if you are fortunate enough to get a table that close. There are bars on both levels on the venue, plenty of tables and chairs scattered around the balcony, and lots of railing on both floors that provide plenty of room to both lean and set down your drink.
I enjoyed the heck out this venue. The sound was fantastic, the sightlines were good and the interior provided plenty of interesting decor to observe. The Ogden Theater is a venue I will undoubtedly visit again, and I already know what table on the balcony I want!
Denver seems to attract a lot of great indie and alternative artists, and Sonic Youth is a distinct legend from those genres of music. Having come out of the original “No-wave” scene in New York back in 1981, the band has released sixteen brilliant studio albums in their illustrious career. Several drummers have come and gone over the years, but the critical trio of Kim Gordon, Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore has been consistent the entire career of Sonic Youth.
Not many bands have been capable of mixing beautiful, alternative pop music with a truly vicious barrage of feedback and sheer, deafening volume. Sonic Youth has taken this unique formula to dizzying heights, creating a catalog over the years that few bands could hope to replicate. From early albums such as Bad Moon Rising, to their watershed disc Daydream Nation, to major label masterpieces such as Goo, Sonic Youth truly is one of the few bands in rock history that can honestly claim they have never sold out and actually mean it. They have one of the most loyal fan bases in rock and roll, solely due to their DIY work ethic and incredible music.
The last time I had an opportunity to see Sonic Youth was in 1995 when they headlined Lollapalooza. A great show, but unfortunately in an environment where “Alternative Nation” was more interested in seeing Hole and getting hammered. A band of this caliber deserves an appreciative audience. The Denver, CO crowd was exactly what Sonic Youth deserves!
As I mentioned earlier I arrived very late, so when I walked in Sonic Youth was in the middle of a track I was not immediately familiar with, but it was not long before I was hooked. They sounded brilliant! Mark Ibold on bass and Steve Shelley on drums complete the current line-up of Sonic Youth. Shelley played on the majority of Sonic Youth’s most brilliant work, while Ibold was formerly the bass player for Pavement.
The band finished up the track they were playing, then left the stage. I wanted to cry! Luckily that was simply the end of their initial set. I had no idea the magic that I was about to see live.
Sonic Youth came back onstage and unleashed The Sprawl on the audience. An incredible track, The Spawl features a guitar line that simply grooves and some incredible lyrics, including a first verse that features text from the novel The Stars at Noon by Denis Johnson. Next up was ‘Cross the Breeze. Another brutal track, this song pummels its way into your senses, featuring a heavy punk tempo and lyrics such as “I wanna know, should I stay or go? - I took a look into your hate - It made me feel very up to date.” Both songs are from Daydream Nation, and both feature the incredible vocals of Kim Gordon. At the age of 56 she STILL sounds as good as she did more than 25 years ago when the band first began playing together.
A second encore followed with two more songs. The first track I did not recognize, but then to the delight of the crowd Sonic Youth pulled out their classic Bad Moon Rising track Death Valley ‘69. Released in 1985, this track still shreds and features the brutal dual guitar assault of Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo. The crowd ate it up, and needless to say the Dust Devil was in heaven.
I may have only been witness to 4 1/2 songs, but the delivery was so intense, so precise, so perfect, I could look back today and be bummed I did not see more, but be grateful I was fortunate enough to see what I did. I respect this band more and more as time rolls on, and can only hope for 28 more great years of music from Sonic Youth.
Luckily for me the week of this show Sonic Youth added dates to this tour. When I booked the trip the band was skipping Arizona. The music gods smiled upon me, and now Sonic Youth will be playing back to back Arizona shows, October 1 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, then the next evening, October 2 down south in Tucson at the Rialto Theatre. I think there is a good chance the Dust Devil will be at both shows.
Folks, as of this writing only seven more U.S. dates for Sonic Youth are in play. Don’t miss an opportunity to see this amazing band live, they will blow you away in a manner most bands cannot even comprehend. If nothing else, check them out on Sunday, October 4 at the 2009 Austin City Limits Festival. Saturday evening is already sold out for this event, and often times the whole weekend does, so be sure to take a look at TickCo’s selection of ACL Festival tickets as well.
Hope you enjoyed this review my friends. Now go pick up The Eternal, the latest release from Sonic Youth if you do not already own it!
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
August 6th, 2009
All right folks, plenty of “professional” journalists covering the local music scene in Phoenix should have already posted a review of this show. They will come on board in time, so for now enjoy the raves of the Dust Devil, because as time has gone on I realize more and more just how special of an evening it was at the Ruby Room watching the Father Figures play live for the first time.
Let’s do the math here. You have three musicians, all veterans of the Arizona music scene. They name themselves the Father Figures because two of the members are 39 and one just turned 50. Together they create a classic post-punk style of music with plenty of melody. One member played in Jody Foster’s Army and Housequake, another member was in the North Side Kings and Hillbilly Devilspeak, and the third in the Voice, 40 Watt Las Vegas and the Captives. To me, that math equals a formula for one promising new band!
This whole evening was one great party. Four DJ’s spun tunes before and after sets from the two featured bands on this evening, the Father Figures and Grave Danger. The DJ’s included Nick Dephinger, Bobby Lerma, Todd Joseph and Rob Locker.
The occasion was to celebrate Father Figure’s guitarist Michael Cornelius’s 50th birthday. Celebrate we did, with plenty of snacks, and even cake and ice cream! The cover at the Ruby Room was FREE on this evening and there were plenty of drink specials. This truly was a grand occasion and loads of fun.
The scary part is, I have not even gotten to the actual show yet …
After two great DJ sets to commence the evening which included music from TSOL, the Descendents and the Pretenders, the Father Figures strode onstage to play their first ever live set. I was both blown away and excited seeing how many people were crammed into the Ruby Room. There was not a whole lot of room to move in this venue, creating a great atmosphere for some killer live music.
Before I leap into “reviewer mode”, let’s get something clear first. Some of you know that I have been friends with Robert Lerma for a long time now. I have mentioned his name in several posts on this blog because of all the great music he has turned me on to. However, I have such a love and passion for music that if a project he is involved with does not turn my crank, I tell him that. He will attest to the fact I have done so on several different occasions.
I tell you that because when I tell you this was a GREAT show, that is from a purely objective frame of reference. If anything, I went into this show with possibly too high of expectations. I had the privelege of hearing rough, instrumental versions of Save it For Later and Something’s Burning weeks before this show. When I heard them, I knew this show was going to be special. A lot of bands claim to be post-punk, but fail miserably at creating music that lives up to the high standard of that genre of music.
Not the case with this band! I really was impressed with what I heard, knowing this trio had only around ten practices under their belt before playing their first gig. From the first chords of the opener Save it for Later, the Father Figures introduced the Ruby Room crowd to a brand new era of alt rock. The crowd ate it up.
Tom Reardon may be in the process of learning a new style of vocals, and it will be a learning process, but he is on his way. The North Side Kings and Hillbilly Devilspeak were bands with a heavier sound, much more hardcore than what the Father Figures do. That is a difficult transition to go from a hardcore style of singing to the more melodic approach required for this band. I look forward to the continued progress in this respect! His bass play remains his strong suit and was a key element during each song, particularly during TBBH. No, I will not tell you what the letters stand for, ask the band when you go see them.
Michael Cornelius became well-known for his smooth bass work, which was so unique for a skate punk band like JFA. How good he is on that instrument was really evident when he was in Housequake, a great funk band. Well, I was pleasantly surprised with his guitar work, which suits the style of this band very well. I would love to have heard his vocals more on the couple of songs he sang, they were a bit low in the mix. What was great to see as a music fan was how sincere he was on stage, and how much fun you could tell he was having. Marvelous!
Bobby Lerma on the drums … I have raved about this guy quite a bit. I am being sincere when I say his musicianship is top notch. Bobby always does exactly what a quality drummer is supposed to do in a band; direct the course of the music and keep everyone on task. He plays hard, but with extreme precision. This is the type of band where his skills really shine through.
TBBH was the highlight of the set for me personally, what a joy to hear for the first time. It possesses great tempo and that killer bass line I mentioned earlier. Something’s Burning is full of intricate guitar licks that hook you from the second gets rolling. The band showed its diversity during the set as well, able to play a mellow track like Happy/Sad, then a mere two songs later totally kick into punk rock mode on AZPX!
Folks, you blew it if you did not go to this show! A great party, a very cool venue (but fix that AC people!) and a great start for the Father Figures. This truly was live music in the manner it is supposed to be played; raw, plenty of emotion and lots of energy. With time I am sure the polish will start to be a factor as well, but it is such a pleasure to see a band in its early stages of existence.
There are two more opportunities to check out the Father Figures in the next few months. This Saturday, July 25, they will perform at the annual St. George’s Day Music Fest at the George and Dragon. My understanding is they will go on around 10:00pm, a prime slot for a band performing for just the second time live! Then on Saturday, October 17, the second birthday bash for one of the band’s members will take place at Hollywood Alley. This time come celebrate with Tom Reardon!
No excuses people! Get off your rear and go check out some great new local music. Trust me, the show this Saturday will be exponentially better than the Keith Urban one the same evening!
Cheers!
The Dust Devil
July 21st, 2009
Wow, wow, wow!
A few months ago my friend Robert Lerma called me up and said, “I burned you a disc that you HAVE to come get now!” Well, very rarely has he made such a comment and been wrong, so when I arrived he handed me a 14 track disc he put together by a band out of New Zealand called Cut Off Your Hands.
The songs came off three releases from the band: the Still Fond single; the Happy as Can Be EP; the Shaky Hands EP. All fourteen tracks are blistering pieces of work. Personally, I hear traces of Tokyo Police Club mixed with the Britpop style of The Smiths. The band has just released their first full-length album You and I, and it has actually been released domestically. Get it now!
Opening the show was a local band by the name of Letdownright. Not having heard these guys before I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised when I walked in the Rhythm Room and saw Kimber Lanning on the drums! Now, I have spoken about Kimber numerous times on this blog, but for those of you who STILL don’t know …
Kimber is responsible for the coolest record store, Stinkweeds, and one of the best music venues in town, the Modified. She is also a big proponent of Local First Arizona, an organization dedicated to the promotion of local businesses in the Valley. Kimber does more for the city of Phoenix than most of our “esteemed” politicians. That alone was reason enough to like Letdownright.
The music was good to boot! A little mellow, but there was a definite flair of pop sensibility, and maybe a tinge of folk rock as well. All in all a good performance. I will have to make a point of checking these guys out again. I do know they are playing a gig at Hollywood Alley in Tempe tomorrow evening, June 19. Give them a shot!
A quick break in the action, then Cut Off Your Hands stormed the stage. Literally. Holy cow, what a set!
The energy this band possesses live is insane. Their songs are well-crafted pop excursions, but live they rev up the tempo to nearly the level of a hardcore punk band. One of my friends at the show wished they had not done so; personally, I loved it. I did not think the songs were played at such a breakneck pace that the speed detracted from the quality of the music. I can remember late in the career of The Ramones that they did that, and it was horrible to watch. This was different. I immediately thought of the first time I saw Tokyo Police Club live and watched as they delivered a set at an absolute breakneck pace. I was in pure awe. The same thing happened watching Cut Off Your Hands.
EVERY song sounded great! Nick Johnston delivered an intense set on vocals, almost reaching the point of screaming into his mike, but keeping things well in control. Both he and the new guitarist Jonathan (sorry if I butchered the spelling) were wild men on the small Rhythm Room stage, two maniacal musicians throwing their bodies about while performing. The bassist can be a bit reserved in terms of motion, but he plays such a slick, powerful bass, so who cares? The bass was very prominent in the live delivery, which I absolutely loved. The drummer had to be exhausted by the end of the set. What a fabulous job maintaining the frenetic pace throughout the show!
All of the originals from Cut Off Your Hands were very well played, with a healthy sampling from You & I. Their closer, an old track by the name of Still Fond, was truly vicious. This song is one of the Dust Devil’s favorites. The band also unveiled two covers, The Witch from The Sonics and Shark Attack from Split Enz. Another band from New Zealand, Split Enz is well-known for their 1980 hit song I Got You. Shark Attack was on the same album as I Got You, the fifth release from Split Enz entitled True Colors. The rendition Cut Off Your Hands did was truly mind-blowing!
Folks, I am still reeling from this show. What a performance! I have to apologize once again to Vive Voce. A good band, but this is the second time they have followed a band so intense in concert, that trying to digest their much more mellow brand of psychedelic indie-rock was not happening. The first time I had a chance to see them they followed Silversun Pickups at the Modified. Enough said.
Bravo to Cut Off Your Hands! Too bad more people did not come out, you missed out in a huge way.
Until next time my friends …
The Dust Devil
June 18th, 2009
Hello everybody,
My Top Ten Concert List for 2009 is starting to fill up, but one thing I can guarantee right now. The Cloud Cult appearing at the Rhythm Room Sunday, May 17 is a GUARANTEE to be there. Holy cow, what an evening!
I have made it pretty clear how much I like the Rhythm Room, definitely one of my favorite venues in town. Once again they came through in providing the perfect atmosphere for a band of this quality, although for once the sound was not the quality I was accustomed to. When a lot of bass was present in a song, I could hear some crackling in the speakers. Trust me though, a minor convenience.
I first learned of Cloud Cult at the Monolith Festival in 2007. Unfortunately for me, they started their set just before the Flaming Lips, so I only caught two or three songs before heading back to my spot in the amphitheatre at Red Rocks. However, a couple of songs was all I needed to realize they were special, so I bought The Meaning of 8, a great disc, when I returned home.
Cloud Cult released Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) in 2008, an even better disc in my opinion. Unfortunately, no Phoenix show. Bummer …
I was stoked when I saw that Cloud Cult would be performing at Coachella in 2009. I would personally rank their show as my 5th favorite of the weekend, with Bob Mould Band being #1, A Place to Bury Strangers #2, Paul McCartney #3 and Band of Horses #4. Pretty exclusive and fascinating company, and Cloud Cult played the first set on the Outdoor Theater at 1:30pm that Saturday. What a great set that day, and I was really happy to see their crowd grow as the set progressed.
However, this is a band that really presents their act best (I think) in an intimate club, so their first Phoenix appearance was one I was ecstatic about, and boy did they come through!
I arrived around 9:30pm and I want to say they went on about 10 minutes later. The over-21 crowd packed that side of the venue, which was great news, so I made my way over to the under-age side of the Rhythm Room, where there was plenty of room.
The band consists of Arlen Peiffer on the drums, Craig Minowa on vocals and guitar, Sarah Young on cello, Shannon Frid on the violin and Shawn Neary on bass and trombone. There are two other integral parts to the Cloud Cult equation, painters Scott West and Connie Minowa. Scott was the only member to paint on this evening, and I apologize if I am wrong, but I believe Connie was at the merch table that evening. Please visit Scott and Connie’s websites that I provided the links for and check out their artwork!
You need to know their names because this a band you need to know, admire, respect and enjoy. I cannot think of another band that practices the independent spirit of music better than Cloud Cult, and I have seen a ton of bands over the years. Cloud Cult is as eco-friendly as a group can be, producing their discs on recycled paper, printing on them with non-toxic ink and wrapping them in non-toxic LDPE. They plant trees to offset the amount of CO2 they pump into the atmosphere when they tour. Folks, a lot of people talk about what to do in regards to helping the environment. Cloud Cult does not talk about it, they act. They are simply amazing.
The music this band creates is outstanding. Take some good old-fashioned indie-rock, add in the classical elements of two beautiful string instruments and the heart-felt vocals of Craig Minowa, and you have the formula of a great band. I have yet to find another band to compare Cloud Cult to, which is high praise considering so much music today is pure recycled material in my eyes.
Live - wow! This band pours themselves into their performance. There is no rockstar attitude present, just a cohesive unit that play well off one another and are in sync. Sarah and Shannon are one heck of a string section, and their musicianship is what really intrigues me about Cloud Cult. This band is so good live and have proven it to me on three occasions now, so I have to believe an off-night simply is not in their existence.
Off to the left of the rest of the band was Scott West. Watching him work up close was a marvel to see. Once the band kicked things into gear on the first song he was a ball of energy, adding the initial strokes to his painting with unbridled fury. It was awesome to see happen live. He literally paints to the beat of the music, especially when a heavy drum beat from Peiffer was created. With each passing song more detail was added to the painting, with the finished product being an exquisite piece of work. I don’t know a thing about art, but this impressed the heck out of me! I did bid on the painting but did not even come close to winning, which was very cool. Someone at the show knew what he was doing and I am glad for Scott and the rest of Cloud Cult that was the case.
Great show, and I must say that Cloud Cult are one of the coolest bands I have had the pleasure of meeting. I had a chance to meet all but one member after the show, and every individual had an engaging personality and a sincere, humble attitude about his or her work. This simply is a band you have to root for, they deserve every bit of good karma in the world.
Wow. Did I really experience all this, I’m still in awe. Great work Cloud Cult, I look forward to next time!
The Big Dog
May 19th, 2009
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