I saw Robert Randolph and the Family Band open up for the Dave Matthews Band in 2007 in a large amphitheater, where the energy and skill of Robert Randolph was prevalant. As with many acts, he is much better in a smaller setting, like the Belly Up, which he played on June 10th. The night turned into an old classic rock soulful dance party ignited by Randolph’s unique pedal steel guitar.
Randolph is considered one of the best pedal steel guitarists in the world, and he definitely did not disappoint at his San Diego show. His skill on this unique instrument was the catalyst for the band and for the dancing that ensues once the band begins playing. Although Randolph is the main focus of the group, he has an excellent backup band. His sister sings backup vocals and often takes the lead with a powerful, soulful voice reminiscent of classic funk singers of yesteryear. The drummer, Marcus Randolph, was more than able to match Robert Randolph’s ability on the pedal steel guitar with excellent rhythms and a few solos of his own.
The band paid tribute to their influences and today’s current hits by doing a version of the classic “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” mixed with Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face.” This song was reflective of a band who plays predominantly old school music in a society where pop songs are most prevalent. The creative dedication to a sound that is not normally heard anymore in 2010 is something to be respected. Randolph manages to bring a fresh take on the classic sounds of Stevie Ray Vaughn, Sly & the Family Stone and the Allman Brothers. Robert Randolph and the Family Band are one of the best and only links to the classic sounds of the ’70s. If you ever have a chance to see Robert Randolph, go for the history lesson or just for the great show.
Robert Randolph and the Family Band’s album, We Walk This Road, was released today on Warner Bros. Records. Check it out on iTunes.
There’s something hauntingly beautiful about Gregory Alan Isakov and the music he creates. While quickly labeled as a singer/songwriter, Isakov really goes beyond that one grouping to add more of a raw folk or indie sound. In many ways, his music will be taking the elite spot of filling the void left while Bon Iver is on hiatus. The two artists run a similar parallel with their mix of reverberated guitars and seemingly lazy vocals.
In a live setting, Isakov brings intimacy and dedication to the stage. At a recent set at the Hotel Café in Hollywood, fans flocked to see one of the main rising stars on the scene. Mintues before showtime, with the place packed, Isakov slowly walked through the crowd with many oblivious to his presence. He worked his way forward, making to the stage where he sat on a stool, facing the crowd, armed with his guitar. The following 45 minutes soon became a lost blur of music. Song after song, Isakov only stopped once or twice to speak to the crowd, often joking about how he hates to talk between songs. Anytime a song would end, fans would yell out requests, breaking the aural harmony created by Isakov.
Isakov’s most recent release, This Empty Northern Hemisphere, has shown a considerable amount of growth for the artist. His music has developed and received praise from key music outlets such as Paste Magazine and A.V. Club. In my mind, This Empty Northern Hemisphere has found the perfect balance of simplistic moments and soul drenched vocal presence. Isakov’s album deserves the praise it has received and raises the bar for his next release. Between that time and now, I’ll fill my car rides with Isakov’s music and standout singles such as “Big Black Car.”
Big Black Car
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You know what that means. A little down time? Perhaps, just a little. Time to roll down the windows, drive into the sunset and party on. In the summertime, though, it seems that more than usual people are looking for that perfect little soundtrack, music to really set the vaca-vibe, a sound some would refer to as “chill” music, something light, easy-going, a tad acoustic and flavorful. Looking for it? Still? Look no further than Trevor Hall, with his new release come June 29th.
Light, easy-going, a tad acoustic and flavorful? Check, check, check and check. All the above…AND all live recordings from his 2009 and 2010 tour. In this live recorded album, Hall asks his listeners for some love in his track, “Where’s the Love?” So, listen up, cool down, join in, chill out and show his album, Chasing the Flame: On the Road With Trevor Hall the summer lovin’ it deserves.
Each transition from track to track includes bits of Hall talking to, joking and making merry with his audience, helping to highlight what a fun and overall casual compilation this album really is. His songs, possessing strong reggae, rock, acoustic and folk influences not only have great rhyme and rhythm, but are seasoned with some insightful lyrics too. Hall asks his listeners to ponder some pretty heavy concepts, especially with the inclusion of “Poem” on the album. Hall’s “Poem,” backed by acoustic guitar is structured similarly to slam poetry – real lucid, free-flowing and stylistically meditative. Hall concludes this track with the repetition of the phrase, “Whoever brought us here, yes, shall have to take us home.” See? While this album has a light, easy-breezy overall sound, it also works in some food for thought, too.
With the inclusion of drums, bass and both electric and acoustic guitar, Hall really keeps his listeners entertained and asking for more. On the album, his audience gets especially rowdy when Hall breaks into “The Lime Tree,” one of his better known and more recognized tracks. Upon the start of this song on the album, listeners will hear loud hooting, continuous hollering, intense whistling and frequent clapping, all signs that Hall has really got the attention he needs and deserves. In this song he sings out, “Toast my glass to all my loved ones to let them know that the stars, well they still shine,” just as all his fans are making it pretty evident that he still shines, too.
So, enjoy that little bit of seasonal downtime with Chasing the Flame: On the Road With Trevor Hall.
A man born in South Africa, raised in Philadelphia and now living in Boulder, Col. could make nothing less than beautiful music. Gregory Alan Isakov, who names Bruce Springsteen and Iron and Wine as two of his main influences, released his most recent album, This Empty Northern Hemisphere, last summer, and is touring this summer in support of it. He plays Lestat’s tonight, June 10th, and I am more than prepared to take in a calming yet moving, beautiful display of his talent and melodic prowess. While a show review will be posted tomorrow, save your reading capabilities for a book and catch the show yourself tonight at 8. Lestat’s is located on Adams Avenue. More information can be found at their website, Lestats.com.
If you can’t make it, check out some of my favorite songs off the album. Album opener “Dandelion Wine” is swooning, while “Light Year” is pleasantly upbeat and “Words” has some of the most literary-ily romantic lyrics I’ve heard in a great while. Finally, “Master & A Hound” is beyond-words-incredible.
Dandelion Wine
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Light Year
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Words
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Master & A Hound
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It must be a tough gig opening up for Cage the Elephant at House of Blues in San Diego. All of the anxious future mosh pitters judging your level of hardcore, while waiting for the headliner’s lead singer to begin screaming into a microphone whilst sweatily thrashing about the stage. For a four-piece band from the United Kingdom, however, it apparently wasn’t a tough gig at all.
The 22-20s, made up of Martin Trimble on guitar and vocals, Glen Bartup on bass, Dan Hare, the newest member, on guitar and backing vocals, and James Irving on drums, put on an entertaining, badass performance last night, successfully warming up the HOB crowd and preparing them for the craziness to ensue further along the hour. The band, which broke up in 2006, reconstituted themselves in 2008, adding guitarist Dan Hare, and toured secretly in the UK under the alias Bitter Pills, the title of the second track on their new album Shake/Shiver/Moan, to be released June 22nd via tbd records. Since the secret tour and subsequent release of live EP The Latest Heartbreak, 22-20s have been hitting America hard, first touring with Band of Skulls and The Whigs, then with Cage the Elephant. After experiencing a 22-20s show firsthand last night, I must say that I see big things for them in their American future.
What was most evident during the set was how well the band members communicate with each other. Simple glances between members can indicate many things as far as the playing of instruments goes, and in my highly uneducated opinion regarding how an instrument should be played, those glances indicated the right things. Trimble’s vocals paired with those of Hare’s were flawless, albeit a tad too perfect for my expectations of a rock show, and greatly hinted toward his UK roots. Songs like the title track of the new album, as well as “Latest Heartbreak” and “Heart On A String,” were a great testament to the talent of the band members and their dedication to creating well thought out and whole-heartedly played music. The set was so loud that it sounded a bit muted, and, trust me, that’s a very good thing. Very rarely do I find myself tapping my foot to the opening band, but last night I did just that.
You can catch 22-20s in Los Angeles at Spaceland on June 11th. As far as Cage the Elephant goes, please explain to me the rationale behind mosh pits.
The Sasquatch Festival returned to the Gorge Amphitheater of George, Washington for its 9th annual affair. The famously gorgeous vantage of the Columbia River Gorge played background to another stellar lineup of tunes for the 3-day Memorial Weekend Festival. Headliners amongst the dozens of acts playing on four different stages included Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, DeadMau5, Massive Attack, Pavement, MGMT, and Ween. Record crowds braved the volatile Northwestern spring time weather to enjoy a wild success of a weekend on par with Coachella, Outside Lands and the rest of the Left Coast’s best festivals. Check out some of the highlights below.
Saturday:
Portugal. The Man
The Alaskan psych rockers provided an afternoon treat early in the festival with an excellent set on the Bigfoot stage. Leadman Josh Gourley’s vocals were as impressive as ever and the gang put on a dynamic live show that proved they certainly can translate the versatility of their six LP’s to the stage.
Broken Social Scene
Kevin Drew & Co. lit up the main stage with a set that debuted their recently released Forgiveness Rock Record while featuring several classics such as “Cause=Time” from their 2002 You Forgot It In People. The former is one this this spring’s finer releases and BSS showed their five year recording hiatus was well worth the wait.
Vampire Weekend
While listeners may debate over the final verdict of VW’s Contra, there was no room to argue about their Saturday night set. The Ivy League quartet rocked the main stage crowd as well as any other act during the weekend. Much to the pleasure of the audience, the set featured plenty of the surefire crowd pleasing hits off the group’s debut LP. But the gusto and precision that they packed into their new songs ensured that the entire set kept Sasquatchers on their feet and dancing.
My Morning Jacket
I’m about 90% sure Jim James’ monumentally magnificent beard alone would have satisfiedthe crowd. Fortunately it was accompanied by some talented musicians and a hell of a rock show and a fitting end to the first day.
Sunday:
Local Natives
The LA Natives have had quite the string of success since the release of their debut LP Gorilla Manor. They’ve found themselves playing to eager fans across Europe, at SXSW, Coachella and now at Squatch. Having being fortunate enough to see them live before, this was one of their more impressive performances. Their harmonies were as pristine as ever, but their energy was ratcheted up to new levels.
A-Trak
From fitting Kanye with beats to keeping HARD festivals on their feet, A-Trak ha succeeded on about as many fronts as you could expect from a DJ/producer. So it should have come as no surprise when his Sunday set was one of the Rumpus Room dance tent’s best performances of the entire weekend. Indicative of the set’s success, about half of my friends had to leave the set early because A-Trak’s on stage work lead them to dance themselves into a sweaty, fatigued daze within the first half hour.
LCD Soundsystem
I forewarned every Sasquatcher I could that James Murphy and his ensemble were one of the top sets of Coachella 2010. LCD’s Sasquatch performance did not let us down. In fact, their performance–albeit shorter than we would’ve hoped do to an early set time–was easily one of the main stage’s finest. If you’ve not checked out their “This Is Happening” LP released earlier this year, do so. And if you happen to be near one of the summer festivals they’re playing in the near future, do yourself a favor and go.
Pavement
Stephen Malkmus alerted the crowd that Pavement had played the very Gorge stage they headlined this year fifteen years prior. And while a fan nearby noted that it was strange to watch one of the best bands of the 90′s play in 2010, there show was fabulous. I couldn’t help but let the nostalgia in while they delivered an incredible set that showed they’ve not lost their touch. Sasquatch certainly benefited from Pavement’s reunion tour pitstop in George.
Monday:
Phantogram
If I had a dollar for every time we played Phantogram’s “Mouthful of Diamonds” this spring, then I would not be concerned about finding a job in this economy/currently living in my parents’ basement. Fortunately, just seeing the New York-based duo live did quite the job of temporarily alleviating my worries. Josh Carter acknowledged what a treat it was for the “small band from New York” to be playing at Sasquatch, but the real delight was held by the audience as Phantogram hardly played or sounded like the small outfit Carter made them out to be.
Dr. Dog
Several of my friends are essentially addicted to the Philadelphia psychedelic rock outfit, but by the end of their Bigfoot stage set I think everyone that witnessed it was ready for another dosage. Dr. Dog’s bright sunshine rock was also fittingly accompanied by clearing skies and a brewing rainbow in the backdrop. While those who stuck around for Monday’s shows were running low on fuel after two full days of music, Dog’s performance overcame all of that fatigue and they left the stage to more than ample applause.
Band of Horses
Just a few short years ago, Band of Horses was playing a free show at Easy Street Records a few hours west of the Gorge in Seattle. Flash-forward to 2010 and they’ve released “Infinite Arms” and are headlining Sasquatch. And while I’ve heard that Easy Street show was excellent, their main stage at ‘Squatch was unbelievable and was labeled one of the best of the weekend by many fans. Simply put, the Horses’ sweet, airy vocals plus their alt-country rock guitar riffs and all around rock-ability made for an incredibly tight, grandiose sounding, well polished delight of a show.
MGMT
For as much flak as MGMT has been getting for veering astray for “Oracular Spectacular” with their new “Congratulations” LP this year, you cannot knock them for the final product. While certainly different, “Congratulations” was just as solid of a record. The audience seemed a bit caught off guard as MGMT jumped between the contrasting songs from both albums. Yet the new album’s tracks were excellently performed by the band and well received by the audience. And within the first few chords of any hit off “Oracular”, the entire crowd fell into dancing fury.
With sounds varying greatly from that of the horns and violins of a mariachi band, what better way to spend a Cinco de Mayo in San Diego than at UCSD’s The Loft with the Tallest Man on Earth. A native of the North Pole, Kristian Matsson delivered a thrilling yet mellow show on May 5th, debuting his new Album The Wild Hunt. This album, which was long expected, contains soothing yet powerful songs such as “Burden of Tomorrow,” “The Drying of the Lawns” and “The King of Spain.”
This wasn’t my first time seeing Matsson, as I had the pleasure of watching him perform at the Troubador in Los Angeles last July, and, just as I expected, his passion and serenity that comes out as he plays was still present. He began the show with The Wild Hunt, setting the mood for the night to come. His Bob Dylan-like, amplified voice separates him from the rest of the folk world and, undoubtedly made his performance as outstanding as it was.
As the show went on, I noticed something peculiar about Matsson that I recognized during his show in Los Angeles. As most performers feed off of the vibe of the crowd and their response to their music, Matsson feeds off of his own passion and personal work. While playing his set, any little noise or distraction sets him off, and everyone could see it in his facial expressions. Matsson wants to hear his music and play it to perfection, and wants everyone listening to hear his unique sound and metaphorical lyrics. The fluid rhythm of his guitar sends you into a trance, as his overpowering voice keeps you locked in from song to song.
The night ended with what I believe to be, his most promising song, “The King of Spain.” This was a perfect song to end the night, sending the crowd on their respected ways to finish the holiday celebrations. I know that seeing the Tallest Man on Earth will never get old, and I highly recommend everyone to take time off from their busy schedules to relax and unwind to the sounds of this amazingly unique artist.
Big wave surfer Jamie Sterling has proved himself to be one of the most well known surfers on the beach today for good reason. He has top placed in all the big name surfing events from Mavericks to the Aikau Waimea Bay event. This weekend however, you’ll find Sterling helping his pals at Red Bull put on the San Diego edition of Red Bull Rivals. This event takes the best surfers from North County and pits them against the surfers from South County in a battle for beach domination. The winning team gets to leave with bragging rights and the other team’s boards. The whole event will be overseen by Sterling who tells me that he’ll be acting as a judge and commentator for the event. With Sterling in town a few days before the event, he’s been checking out the local surf spots and visiting his favorite places. Fresh out of the water after an O-side surf sesh, he called me up for an interview.
Sterling seems to be the guy that you’d expect him to be, daring and adventurous, passionate about surfing. He was excited to be a part of this surf competition and wanted to share this passion with other people. For Sterling, this passion has been around since an early age. Born on the North Shore, his first time surfing was at the young age of four. Due to the fact that he came from a surfing family, his mom starting taking him to play in the waters of the Pacific when he was only two weeks old. Around the age of 14 or 15, Sterling got his first taste of big wave surfing at Sunset Beach in Oahu. It was that experience that caused Sterling to feel incredibly connected to the ocean. There was passion and there was power, creating a hunger that has only driven Sterling to get better and get more experienced.
In terms of surfing dynamics, I found the most interest in the fact that Sterling sees a push away from tow-in surfing. For him, tow-in surfing was fun and allowed for new knowledge to be learned. On the subject Sterling said, “We’ve gained a lot of knowledge through tow surfing, now we’re applying it back to the paddle surfing approach and it’s been really nice.” After ten years of tow-in surfing, Sterling explained that he’s now trying to bring it back to the opposite end of the spectrum.
Make sure to catch Jamie Sterling this Saturday at the Red Bull Rivals. The contest starts at 10:45 at the Ocean Beach Pier. It’s the perfect excuse to grab some Hodads while you’re down there.
We are now accepting DJ applications for the Spring 2011 semester! Please e-mail our Program Director Justin Marini at [email protected] and he will get back to you soon. Thanks!
