June 16, 2012

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Coachella 2012: Florence + The Machine (Weekend 1)

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Catch Florence + the Machine at Weekend 2 of Coachella on Sunday night.

By Marisa Dodge

Coachella 2012
Weekend 1: April 13-15

Florence Welch and her band Florence + the Machine’s 2012 Coachella show was a universal success. How appropriate that the sky was clear of clouds for the first of the three nights of the festival allowing the stars to shine, truly adding to her “Cosmic Love”.

During the 45 minute set, my ringing ears from blasting speakers were cleansed and my soul was as well. The stained glass window backdrop gave the feeling of attending a church service; its religion would be Music. The British singer, Florence, was barefoot and wore a long midnight blue dress; its fabric soared in the wind like her voice did.

Opening with “Only for a Night” the crowd at the Outdoor Theatre roared with her appearance and then quickly quieted to listen as her mouth opened as if the stars had actually aligned. Flo twirled and raised her arms throughout the entire performance. She constantly thanked Coachella and spoke with the audience, appearing as full of joy as her hundreds of thousands of fans. Her eyes twinkled like her jewel embroidered ensemble.

For her song “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” she requested for ladies of friends and lovers to be raised up in the crowd on shoulders. On shoulders myself above the sea of adoring fans, I could see that not only the crowd became more in tune with the music, but so did Flo as she counted girls on shoulders and jumped up and down from one side of the stage to another.

“Shake It Off” brought tears to my eyes and it wasn’t a result of cigarette smoke. I was truly moved as fans sang loudly with Florence’s projecting lyrics. I felt things that were weighing on my heart and mind be lifted with every verse. I laughed to myself after some self-reflecting, remembering the song is about a hangover and how appropriately it applied to the majority of the audience.

When “The Dog Days Are Over” began, unanimous joy was reaped from the crowd. It was bittersweet because it seemed as if everyone was at the height of enjoyment but knew it was soon to be over. This song was the celebration of the concert.

Florence + the Machine seemed to tickle peoples’ ears as well as their hearts. Who would have thought on the warmest night of Weekend 1 I would be getting chills? Florence + the Machine’s show was a harmonious performance I left feeling inspired and renewed. Florence kept thanking us at the show but I would like to personally say, thank you, Florence.

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Concert Preview: Lady Antebellum

March 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Lady Antebellum at the Grammy Awards this February

By Tom Roth

Lady Antebellum: Own the Night 2012 World Tour with Darius Rucker and Thompson Square
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

The year is 2007. The location is a truck stop diner in rural Wisconsin. About fifteen lonely patrons are hunched over their breakfasts and a band from Nashville is on a small stage playing tunes. At 5:30 in the morning, the diners are paying more notice to their coffees than the music.

Fast forward five years to 2012 and the same group, calling themselves Lady Antebellum, are grinning broadly as flashbulbs pop off, leaving stars in their eyes. Posing for the cameras, Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood clutch their Grammy for Best Country Album, Own the Night.

On Saturday, March 24, Lady Antebellum will stop at Chula Vista’s Cricket Wireless Amphitheater as part of the Own the Night 2012 World Tour. Supported by rising star Darius Rucker, the evening promises to be a lively one. Also appearing is husband-wife duo Thompson Square. The band will be making their return to San Diego following their highly successful performance with Jason Aldean last October.

Fans can purchase tickets to the show at www.livenation.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Listen to Lady Antebellum’s hit single “We Owned the Night” here.

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Concert Preview: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

March 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones come to San Diego this week

By Matt Hose

Bela Fleck & The Flecktones
The Anthology
1337 India Street, San Diego, CA 92101
March 13 & March 14 at 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm
All Ages

 

Can the return of an original band member after twenty years raise a band to its former glory?

With the 2011 release of “Rocket Science,” Béla Fleck & The Flecktones have definitively answered that question in the affirmative.

Alongside the returned harmonica-virtuoso Howard “Man With Two Brains” Levy, They will showcase the new album and classic jams at The Anthology in downtown San Diego on March 13 and 14.

Levy left the band in 1992 following the release of their third album.  The Flecktones then tried out various other musicians but never found the true cohesiveness that marked the original lineup.  Following the departure of saxophonist Jeff Coffin, who joined Dave Matthews Band after the tragic death of LeRoi Moore, Fleck asked Levy to rejoin the band.  The album that followed was a return to the genre-hopping virtuoso style that has constantly redefined bluegrass, traditional jazz, and jazz-fusion.

Now, the band boasts the moniker “The Original Flecktones” as they hit the stage on their new tour with all four original band members.

Béla Fleck is also sure to bring a new style to the stage.  During the group’s hiatus in 2009, he traveled to Africa to discover the roots of the banjo.  There, he conquered the boundaries of language through music.  Songs such as “Falani” carry hints of this influence on the new album.

Seeming to plea for one more award through the title of his song, Fleck also earned his twelfth Grammy for the song “Life In Eleven” off the band’s new album.

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Concert Review: Punch Brothers

March 12, 2012 By 1 Comment

Punch Brothers played an energetic show in Los Angeles on March 10

By Sarah Jorgensen

 

Punch Brothers
El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
March 10, 2012

 

Punch Brothers bassist Paul Kowert hit the nail on the head in my interview with him when he said that seeing the band live was like hearing “the record on caffeine.” This energetic bluegrass and folk string quintet played to a packed and equally energetic crowd this past Saturday in Los Angeles’ El Rey Theatre. The band, each member impeccably dressed in suits, had excellent chemistry on stage, watching each other closely and making seamless transitions into solos and longer improvisation. The sold-out show featured many songs off of the band’s new album, Who’s Feeling Young Now?, including the rousing “This Girl”  and “Don’t Get Married Without Me.” Other crowd favorites included “Rye Whiskey” off of the band’s critically acclaimed album Antifogmatic – a song that prompted mandolin player Chris Thile to propose a toast to the crowd.  Some of the more quiet songs, like “Missy,” were just gorgeous too and featured some impressive and complex vocal harmonies.

 

While the band’s more lyrically oriented songs are certainly fun tunes that the crowd loved to sing along to, I think the band’s strongest moments were when they simply improvised on their instrumental songs.  A highlight of the show for me was “Flippen,” an excellent track off their new album. Though the album cut of this song is very strong, it just exploded on stage. “Hundred Dollars,” a darker track also on the new record, heavily benefited from an extended improvisation tacked onto the end of the song. The band really seemed to feed off the energy of the audience, which Thile claimed at the end of the show was “one of the best this tour.” I was also excited to hear the band’s cover of Radiohead’s “Kid A” – it’s such a strange choice for a band like Punch Brothers to play that it completely works – but was more disappointed when it transitioned rather abruptly into another cover, Gillian Welch’s “Wayside,” which is a heavily bluegrass song. I’m really just splitting hairs here, but for me, if they had continued the dark and strange mood that “Kid A” had set with a song like “Hundred Dollars,” the set could’ve been more cohesive on a whole.

 

The encore brought back opener Aofie O’Donovan (who everyone reading this review should look up – she’s is going to become a big deal really soon) to play “Here in Heaven,” a track from The Goat Rodeo Sessions, an album that O’Donovan and Thile played on with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma. This simply beautiful song was a great capstone on the evening, especially since it was followed by “Soon or Never,” an equally gorgeous track off Who’s Feeling Young Now?. It was the perfect way to cap off a night with one of the most unique and creative groups I have seen play in a long time. Do not miss the opportunity to see this excellent group play near you soon.

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Concert Review: The Kooks

March 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Photo Courtesy of The Kooks

The Kooks played to a packed crowd at the House of Blues on Feb. 29

By Tyler Sivero

The Kooks
House of Blues San Diego
February 29, 2012

Over the years The Kooks have continued to maintain their status as an essential band to anyone who follows the music scene. Their alternative, indie rock style of music varies from fast pace rock, acoustic sing-a-longs to slower ballads. As for me, I have listened to The Kooks for over four years now. This should be noted with the fact that they have been releasing albums since 2005. This was the first time the band had made their way to the states for a tour in almost four years.

This past Wednesday, Feb. 29, I had the opportunity to go to one of their shows at the House of Blues in San Diego. It was my first chance to see a full show where they were the headliners. The opening band, Yawn (ironic name for an opener), did an okay job at getting the crowd hyped with their electronic, MGMT-style music. After their set, it seemed like any excitement that Yawn had produced was increased tenfold as everyone eagerly cheered at any change in house music or lighting in anticipation. When they finally did appear the crowd erupted.

The band opened with “Is It Me,” a song from their new album Junk of the Heart, which was released in September 2011. Even though the song is not necessarily one of their most popular, the crowd happily greeted it with dancing and singing. Any leftover anticipation for some classic Kooks was satisfied with their next fast, upbeat and catchy hit song “Always Where I Need To Be.” The band fed off the energy of the crowd as Luke Pritchard, the lead singer, walked along the speakers at the front of the stage and pointed to specific audience members. For a band that comes all the way from England they put on a highly energetic and entertaining show that left the audience feeling as if they had a connection with the band.

Part of this was in part due to their choice of set list order. Although they are touring in support of their new album, it has become strongly apparent that the new album lacks what the old ones had. However, by making sure to play an oldie without letting too many songs from the new album go by, the band kept the crowd interested. Also, on many songs, the guitarist would take an unexpected solo or the band would repeat a verse more times than on the album’s version. The band did a good job at keeping the chorus and the better-known parts of the song the same while still leaving some room to improvise and show off.

About halfway through the show the band left but Luke stayed on stage. He proceeded to stand on a corner speaker and play “Seaside” one of the bands most acoustic and slow songs. Still, it is definitely a favorite of many and Luke did not disappoint. A spotlight came down and the speakers elevated him to appear as if he was slightly over the front row’s heads. Much later in the show the entire band left the stage. But then after a short but loud period of cheering they returned for an encore. The band started the encore with “The Saboteur,” a new song that was not released on their recent new album. Their hit sing-a-long song followed this from the same album – “Junk of the Heart (Happy)”. This was intensely greeted by the crowd as every one sang along and danced around. Finally, The Kooks wished everyone a good night and thanked the crowd before playing one of their most respected hits “Naïve.”

I had heard The Kooks were a great band to see live and they definitely did not disappoint. The crowd was constantly into the music and there wasn’t a dull moment. The Kooks have continued to produce great music and I look forward to what is to come from them in the future. I would recommend any lover of music to go see one of their shows.

 

Set List:

“Is It Me”

“Always Where I Need To Be”

“Sofa Song”

“Down To The Market”

“Rosie”

“She Moves In Her Own Way”

“Sway”

“Runaway”

“Stormy Weather”

“If Only”

“Tick of Time”

“How’d You Like That”

“Mr. Nice Guy”

“Ooh La”

“Shine On”

“Do You Wanna”

 

-encore-

 

“The Saboteur”

“Junk of The Heart (Happy)”

“Naïve”

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Concert Preview: O’Brother

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Photo courtesy of O'Brother

O'Brother plays this Sunday at the Soda Bar.

O’Brother
Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92104
Sunday, March 4, 8:30 PM

After being together for more than 14 years, O’Brother just dropped their first full album last November.  The band will bring the hard-rock sounds of this album, Garden Window, to San Diego on March 4  at the Soda Bar.

If past performances are any indicator, their live show should be as eclectic as the new album.  On “Poison!” singer/guitarist Tanner Merritt transitions easily from a deep howl over distorted guitars to an ambient crooning over a bass played by a violin bow.  Songs such as “Malum” are reminiscent of an edgier Radiohead mixed with Explosions In The Sky.

But the most bizarre part of this band is that they take two seemingly opposite styles—metal and ambience—and make them work.

Part of the reason for this could be the production help of Manchester Orchestra’s Andy Hull and Robert McDowell. Part could also be the broad range of seasoned veterans with whom they have toured, including Thrice, Cage The Elephant, and The Dear Hunter.  But the main reason for their success is the individual members’ array of influences.

In an interview with The Pitch, Merritt said, “I think bridging between kind of naturally happens because everyone in the band has slightly different musical tastes. It’s pretty broad.  But we try not to make it confusing and try to have a happy medium.”

Garden Window has opened to rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio, and Alternative Press.

Merritt said that they are very excited by the success of the tour.  “It’s really awesome to see kids coming out to all these shows for us. Just singing along and saying that they really love the new album, that they were waiting on it.”

 

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Concert Preview: Mat Kearney

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Mat Kearney returns to San Diego this Saturday for a show at the House of Blues

By Tom Roth

Mat Kearney
House of Blues
Saturday, February 25, 2012 

Revisting San Diego for the first time since his performance at the House of Blues in Dec. 2011, folk rocker Mat Kearney is set to turn heads. Coming off a successful run of nation-wide performances as part of his current winter tour, Kearney will be promoting his most recent full-length studio release, Young Love, particularly his singles “Hey Mama”, and “Ships in the Night” which currently sits at #34 on Billboard’s Adult Pop chart.

Kearney’s unique blend of genres, from rock to folk to rap, create a listening experience found only rarely. His numerous popular releases, which date back to 2005’s Nothing Left to Lose, combine with multiple sold-out shows on his current tour to forecast an entertaining live performance. Saturday night’s show, assisted by tour partner Robert Francis, promises to offer a night of quality music and fun the all-ages audience.

Tickets are still available at the House of Blues website. Look there for directions to the venue, parking information, and pre and post show entertainment in the historic Gaslamp neighborhood.

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Concert Review: Lotus

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Lotus at Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach

 

By Mackenzie Gilchrist and Marisa Marlowe

Lotus
El Rey Theatre (L.A.) & Belly Up Tavern (Solana Beach)
November 18 & 19, 2011

Lotus played this past Friday night at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach and we think we can speak for all who were in attendance when we say that the night was a success. Fresh from a show at El Rey Theatre in L.A. the night before, the Colorado and Philadelphia natives entranced the San Diego audience with their combination of electric and acoustic melodies.

 

We were lucky enough to attend both the L.A. and the Solana Beach shows and it was evident in the large turnouts that the band’s popularity in southern California is steadily increasing. The last time we saw them in L.A. in 2009 at the Roxy, they seemed to have a tough time filling up the venue, but this was certainly not the case this past weekend. Both performances brought in crowds of eager fans waiting for the unique Lotus grooves to fill their ears. As bassist/sampler Jesse Miller discussed in his interview previous to the shows, the group designs each individual setlist in anticipation of the crowds that they are expecting and they were on point for both nights. The show in L.A. felt intense, packed with energy and even a little rowdy at times. Some kids in the crowd were dancing so hard to favorites like “Spiritualize” and “Hammerstrike” that they looked as if they might pass out!

 
At the Belly Up however, the crowd was still gettin’ down, but the smaller venue provided a more intimate, laid back atmosphere. They opened with the song “Harps” (one of our favorites!) from their new self titled album, which got the crowd amped and grooving from the start. They played two long sets throwing in a few other tracks from the new album like “Golden Ghost” and “In an Outline” and finished with an explosive “Bellwether” encore. Although the atmosphere was not quite as boisterous as Thursday’s show, there was no lack of enthusiasm or movement among the audience, and we did in fact see many familiar faces from the night before. We are also happy to report a great turnout of USD students within the crowd, who appeared to take up almost the entire front section lining the stage.

 
With their growing popularity, Lotus plays at many big festivals around the country such as Outside Lands and Summer Camp, but it is a completely different experience seeing them at a bar when you can get right up close. They are the sort of group that is careful to make eye contact with as many people in the audience as possible so it feels like they are up on stage playing just for you. They also take the time after the show to go talk to fans and sometimes sign a few autographs. Percussionist Chuck Morris was even nice enough to give Mackenzie the Hawaiian lei he had been wearing for the show. Some of our friends were shocked at our willingness to travel up to L.A. for Thursday’s show and then again to Solana Beach on Friday, but in our opinion the only regret from the weekend was the fact that we were unable to travel to Phoenix to see them again on Saturday.

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Concert Review: Greensky Bluegrass and Hot Buttered Rum

November 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Greensky Bluegrass's newest album, Handguns

By Marisa Marlowe and Mackenzie Gilchrist

Greensky Bluegrass and Hot Buttered Rum 
Porter’s Pub at UCSD
November 8, 2011

The moon was waxing as a crowd of beer and whiskey enthusiasts gathered at Porter’s Pub last Tuesday night to see Greensky Bluegrass and Hot Buttered Rum. As we entered onto the sprawling open patio at the back of the dance floor, the first thing that caught our attention was how sweet this venue was. In the center of the UCSD campus, Porter’s Pub consists of a decent sized stage, a covered dance floor and huge open patio at the back with the bar, tables and a giant screen projecting the band on stage. The best part however, is that despite the fact that it is indeed a “pub” with a great selection of beer for those 21+, it is open to all ages! This is certainly a rarity in the San Diego area and bluegrass fans of all ages came running to hear these two talented groups of musicians jam for the evening. Hot Buttered Rum played first, calling out to the crowd to leave their recreated image that was streaming for those gathered on the patio to come inside and enjoy the music live. Their set got the crowd moving to the music that is sweeter than their name. They played some of their old stuff such as “Busted in Utah” but threw in a couple songs from their new album Limbs Akimbo as well.

 
The crowd was well warmed up by the time that Greensky Bluegrass took the stage. The Michigan natives, while far from home, had many fellow Michiganders in solidarity at the show, and the entire crowd seemed to love every minute of their energetic performance. Although we can appreciate their music in any form, there is no comparison to watching these five guys perform live. They have an energy onstage that permeates through the entire crowd and their chemistry is truly wonderful to witness. They feed off on one another so well it is like watching them having a conversation on stage with their instruments, and it’s obviously about something happy because they smile the whole way through. Like Hot Buttered Rum, they played a lot of their older songs but threw in some tracks from their new album Hanguns—our personal favorite was “All Four.” The band did not take a set break and played strong and soulfully into the evening. For the grand finale, as Dobro player Anders Beck promised us in his interview earlier this month, the two bands joined up for one giant jam that spilled euphoric reverberations upon the audience and ended the night with a bang. If you have not had the chance to see these guys already, we insist that you check them out next time they are in town!

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Concert Review: The Fray

November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Fray's newest single, Heartbeat

 

By Haley Earl-Lynn

The Fray
KPRi at Grand Del Mar
October 29, 2011 

“What happens to a dream deferred?”

Back when Abercrombie and Fitch denim miniskirts were still socially acceptable, The Fray entered the hearts and ears of teenagers across the states. In 2005, the band’s first track “Over My Head (Cable Car)” was released and quickly climbed up to the Billboard Top 10 list. Most teens didn’t stumble upon this track via the Billboard list though. MySpace was the hottest website among teens in 2005 and The Fray graced the profiles of many MySpaces as a staple “profile song.” Having found success immediately, not just on MySpace but in the real world as well, the band grew almost overnight with the release of their first album.

Now that MySpace seems as outdated as home telephones with cords and spam for dinner, it is remarkable to see that The Fray is still alive and well. Last Saturday The Fray played a private listener concert for KPRi FM at the Grand Del Mar. There were just about 40 people in attendance. The venue had the vibe of a speakeasy and was the perfect location for the intimate performance.

With the amount of success and fandom many indie bands can only dream of finding, it was refreshing to see that the Fray still find themselves passionate about their music. The band did the unexpected and brought ample enthusiasm and energy to the live rendition of their seasoned tunes.

Originally from Denver, Colorado, the band is made up of four men, Isaac Slade, Joe King, Dave Welsh and Ben Wysocki. The four musicians worked hard this year to finish their third album which was officially completed three months ago. The new album, which will be titled Scars and Stories, features the track “Heartbeat” which is available now on iTunes.

The new track received audience approval on Saturday, but new music was not the main focus of the show. The band played old favorites such as “How to Save a Life” and “You Found Me” as well. Many audience members were first time viewers, but longtime fans of the band.

With a new album scheduled to release in January, the band is doing a promotional tour through the end of the year. While the band has previously played at large amphitheaters (i.e. Cricket Wireless in Chula Vista), the small and personable set up at the Grand Del Mar seemed compatible to the band’s acoustic nature. The grand piano added an extra special touch in comparison to the standard keyboard typically used in live performances.

Mari Collins, a USD senior, noted that the band “fell into the category of bands who sound just as good live as they do recorded”.

After falling in love with the band in 2005, Collins had high hopes for the show. The Fray more than impressed her, as well as the rest of the audience. After the show ended all three band mates stood around and took photos with audience members and answered questions. In general, the process of setting up an interview with a band is often as painful as stubbing a toe. It is uncommon to see a band take the time to interact with fans the way The Fray did.

While last Saturday was a special occasion for 40 music lovers, there will surely be more memorable run-ins with the Colorado band in the near future. Their next tour kicks off in the late spring/early summer of 2012 and will surely stop in sunny southern California once more.

 

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