University of San Diego Radio

Jack Johnson, duh

Sometimes it’s nice to get exactly what you expected.

That is exactly how I felt after seeing Jack Johnson play at Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre in Chula Vista on October 9. Jack delivered just what I had gone to see- album-precise versions of his hit songs, a few special guests, and a good time.

Let’s face it: Jack Johnson is not the world’s most innovative musician, but that isn’t a bad thing. His simple, sunny melodies (enhanced at the show by a full, very talented band) and very personal lyrics are poignant in their own way. This came across in an especially strong way live. He explained the meaning behind a few of his songs, including one of my favorites, “Do You Remember?” (as I predicted, it was about his wife). Jack, as you can imagine, is incredibly personable (and handsome) live, making for a good vibe among the audience.

I can’t say much more about Jack’s musical style other than its preciseness to the album versions of the songs. I felt like I was listening to one of his albums. I would have appreciated some improvisation (of course I would- my favorite bands are Phish and Dave Matthews Band, the masters of jamming), but at least the live version didn’t fall short of the performance on his albums.

I appreciated the variety of his set list, and I got to hear every song I went to hear. From his early classic, “Bubble Toes,” to the opening song, the single from his new album “You and Your Heart,” I was very pleased with the songs he chose to play. Other personal favorites included his classic song “Inaudible Melodies,” the way-too-catchy title track of his new album “To the Sea,” a stunning version of “Country Road” featuring Hawaiian singer Paula Fuga (this song alone was worth the price of admission), and the exuberant finale of “Better Together” featuring Paula Fuga and the opening act G.Love & Special Sauce.

I would recommend Jack Johnson for anyone who is going to a concert to have fun- not to have a life-changing musical experience. It was worth it for me to see an artist I have been listening to since I was 13 play all my favorites. I got just what I wanted.

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.

Courtesy A.V. Club.

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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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.

Photo Courtesy Johan Stolpe

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.

Broken Bells consists of James Mercer and Brian Burton (Danger Mouse).

If you haven’t heard of Broken Bells, chances are you’ve already heard their music. The musical duo consists of Shins’ front man James Mercer and artist/producer Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse. While Mercers’ acoustic folk and Burton’s predominantly hip-hop based work may seem unlikely ingredients of a succesful musical recipe, several years of collaborative effort between the two delivered a gem in the form of their self-titled LP released earlier this March.

Even better, the Berkeley-based west coasters The Morning Benders were opening. I’ve had the chance to see these guys several times in Diego over the past few semesters and have yakked with them on several occasions as well. They were excellent guys, but an even better band. Their Big Echo, released earlier this year, has been playing in our living room for several months now.

The Bells took the stage to a fully attended crowd. Though that crowd was sitting on a tiki-torch lit lawn outside Humphrey’s resort, which made my friend liken the atmosphere to his grandmother’s 60th wedding anniversary, the fans eagerly greeted the Bells and fueled them through the show. As for the gang on the stage, it was a definite showing of masterful musicianship.

Both Mercer and Burton showed creative bouts in genres previously untouched in their careers. Looking back on what they’ve both done independently, it shouldn’t have been a shocker, but I kept thinking about how incredibly talented musicians were at work. It warranted the classic “they make it look so easy” line. Overall, it was a night of excellent music both new and familiar, albeit the strange setting. I highly recommend seeing either the Bells or the Benders next time they roll your way.

“Excuses” |Morning Benders

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“The High Road” | Broken Bells

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Buy the Benders Big Echo

Buy the Bells’ LP

photo courtesy theagencygroup.com

By John Sigler

Dedication is starting to pay off for St. Louis-based modern rock group, Cavo. Originally formed in early 2001, the group developed a local fan base in St. Louis through hard work and determination. After this early success the band faced a few setbacks that seemed to put their career on hold. In 2006, the band’s lineup solidified and they have been steadily picking up steam and climbing the charts ever since.

The group reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Charts with their single, “Champagne,” off their first major label album, Bright Nights * Dark Days. Their third single, “Let It Go,” was featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Cavo mixes up hard rock, alternative pop melodies and small doses of grunge to create a fist pumping sound. They’ve quickly become a staple for fans of groups such as Three Days Grace, Breaking Benjamin and Chevelle.

Last weekend the group opened for Daughtry and Lifehouse over at Sports Arena and had a very impressive set. Their music rang through crisp and clean. The instrumentation didn’t overpower the vocals and allowed for a perfect mix of direct rock. Perhaps lead singer, Casey Walker, stood out most in their performance. You could feel the emotion behind each song and he connected really well with the audience, which is an amazing feat as fans were still filing into the venue. Throughout the tour, it seems that many have viewed the band as an unheard of opener that might have generated a little bit of buzz. However, this weekend’s performance, and the continued growth by touring with Lifehouse and Daughtry, will undoubtably make Cavo a household name.

At Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio this past April, I got to feed my Radiohead and Thom Yorke addiction, along with tens of thousands of other addicts. This is no addiction you can try to wean yourself off of with other bands. Sure, I can go to various stages during the Friday and Saturday lineups, but when Sunday morning came around I was still dreaming of that lustful, soft and electronic Thom Yorke style. Playing with his band labeled as “????” when the lineup came out in January, gossipers came to know this band included bassist Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers, along with drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist Mauro Refosco,\ and guitarist/keyboardist Nigel Godrich.

The group came together as Thom Yorke’s side project and have not had any official releases of albums or singles to date. Yorke announced in February that the band was called Atoms for Peace, referring to the track of the same name from Yorke’s 2006 solo album, “The Eraser.” “Atoms for Peace” was included in the Coachella setlist, and was dedicated to Pavement by Yorke for an unexplained reason.

The stage was set for Phoenix to play as I finished my $10(ish) french fries, and as the music came on my co-pilot and fellow Virgo Kristina and I noticed the crowd growing considerably quickly and got up to join. Dancing along with the other head-boppers, my mind was still set on Yorke’s approaching set. Fans rushed to other stages as Phoenix ended, and Kristina and I used our energy to move to a perfect spot near the middle of the crowd. With a fence to lean against to lessen the grief of waiting, Kristina and I held our ground.

The masses of people caused one man setting up the stage to demand them to simultaneously take a few steps back – in his English accent, of course.

The music floating from the speakers repeated itself in an eerie, electronic tone as fans stood anxiously. When the lights dimmed, Thom Yorke arrived and headed to the piano. He started off with “The Eraser,” and the band joined him to play every song from the album of the same name – and that was only before the encore.

Dancing in a total trance near the fence for the first half, I made my way into the open, grassy space I found myself getting lost in. With the thousands of fans there, it was like this spot mystically opened for Kristina and I, and we enjoyed it to the fullest. Yorke returned alone for “Give Up the Ghost,” an entrancing performance in which he sang and played acoustic guitar while his own vocals looped. Playing Radiohead favorites “Airbag” and “Everything in its Right Place,” this encore started the crowd moving until the end.

The following two songs were “Paperbag Writer” and “Judge, Jury & Executioner,” respectively. “Paperbag Writer” is a Radiohead b-side that is mysterious, while “Judge, Jury & Executioner” is blatant in its reference to an earlier Radiohead song. This song, titled “Myxomatosis (Judge, Jury & Executioner)” is the 12th track from Radhiohead’s sixth studio album, Hail to the Thief.

Before the band completed their Coachella debut, Yorke told the crowd they had had a long weekend, and needed to freak out. He introduced the song “The Hollow Earth” as “one to freak out to.” This freak out continued as Atoms for Peace played the final song, “Feeling Pulled Apart By Horses,” as everyone danced with the wild Coachella energy Yorke gave them.

Go Radio played a fan-making show at Soma.

Waiting for Go Radio to begin to play, my anxiety for the band began to increase. Fans of hardcore music tend to be extremely judgmental of bands, especially in San Diego. It’s difficult being an opening band, let alone an opening band outside of the majority genre of the other acts set to play.

When Go Radio took the stage, I took a look around and saw my fears confirmed in the skepticism on the faces of various crowd members. There were, of course, the fans of the band up close to the stage, but further back it was all crossed arms and low expectations. Then Go Radio began to play. My fears at once were silenced as soon as I saw the passion and energy with which they jumped, or rather dove, into their first song, “When Dreaming Gets Drastic.” Not only were my fears forgotten, but one by one the arms became uncrossed as the heads of the crowd began to realize that this band actually deserved to be on that stage.

Upon finishing their first song and introducing themselves to the crowd, they were instantly welcomed with earnest applause, myself included. Their passion did not let up, but rather increased, feeding on the energy of the crowd as their 5-song set continued with “You Hold Your Breath, I’ll Hold My Liquor,” “Thanks For Nothing” and “Letters and Love Notes.” By the end of “Letters,” a much larger crowd had formed as people moved up from the back of the room, not only giving the band a chance but also getting lost in the music. I myself was completely enthralled by this group, feeling their love for the music and the emotion in the songs with every guitar chord and drumbeat as they carried on into their final song of the set, “In Our Final Hour.”

After their set was finished, they were praised with sincere applause and many enthusiastic nods of approval. Despite the fact that they may have been at a disadvantage performing with bands outside of their genre, they managed to not only please their core fans, but convert a good amount of new fans, among which I count myself. They proved to me that they not only deserved their spot on that stage, but also that they have most definitely earned their success in getting signed with Fearless Records, and I cannot wait to see what they will do next. I made sure to pick up their EP at the merch stand afterwards, and strongly encourage all of you to check them out on their MySpace, where all of their songs are available to listen to. You can also purchase the album, titled “Do Overs And Second Chances,” via iTunes.

Beyond Wonderland, an electronic music festival held last Saturday, March 20, in San Bernardino, was one of the best events I have ever been to, and I am willing to bet the majority of people who attended the event feel the same way. The vibe at the event was great, with everyone helping each other out and enjoying the music.
The location of the event, the NOS Events Center, was fantastic. Parking was plentiful and made it very easy and convenient to get to the actual event. The festival area included five stages, which were mostly old airport hangar buildings and one large tent for the main stage. The area was completely decorated, with light balls in all the trees and various artwork around the grounds. Each stage had performers and an dancers with amazing lighting and “Alice in Wonderland” theme. One of the best aspects of the event was that it was not overcrowded. Although there were a lot of people and the event sold out by the day of the show, there was plenty of room to walk around between the stages and plenty of room for dancing. Lines to get into the event were also not as long as other events I have attended.
Insomniac, the same company that runs Electronic Daisy Carnival (EDC) and Nocturnal, put on the event. After attending EDC last summer and seeing how well Insomniac runs events, I was very excited for Beyond Wonderland. Beyond Wonderland is a new event started this year. Insomniac used to produce Nocturnal Wonderland, which later turned into Nocturnal Festival.
Nocturnal Festival is still running and will occur on Sept. 25. Viewed now as “sister” festivals, Nocturnal has moved to be a “darker” festival, and with the creation of the new Beyond Wonderland theme, Insomniac hoped to bring back the vibes of the original Nocturnal Festival. They hoped to create “an exciting new environment that is sure to enliven, stimulate the senses and delight all of those who have been seeking a return to the amazing hues and vibrancy of our original Wonderland event.” Insomniac accomplished this, and more.
The musical talent at Beyond Wonderland was unprecedented, with some of the biggest DJs in the world present. Big headliners included Paul Van Dyk, Sander Van Doorn, Christopher Lawrence, Bart B More, Wippenberg, Groove Armada, Sander Kleinenberg and Robbie Rivera. Each of the five stages had a different type of electronic music: trance, house, jungle and dub-step, giving everyone different options to enjoy.

Wippenberg

When I first arrived at the festival I watched part of Wippenberg’s set. He played an amazing set, and a lot of songs the crowd knew to get them involved. Next, I watched some of Donald Glaude’s set.  I saw him play at Street Scene last year in San Diego and really enjoyed his set, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with his set at Beyond Wonderland, although he does have one of the best stage presences I have ever seen, using the microphone to pump up the crowd.
After that I went to watch Christopher Lawrence. He played a hard trance set which I really enjoyed. Then I went and watched some of Bart B More’s set. He was playing funky house, which isn’t what I usually listen to but the crowd was loving it. Finally, I made my way back to watch both Sander Van Doorn and Paul Van Dyk play at the main tent. Both of them played amazing sets. Van Dyk has been one of my favorite DJs since I started listening to electronic music and I was very excited to see him again. He never fails to put on a great show and was a great way to end the night.
Overall, Beyond Wonderland was a great new event and will definitely be worth checking out next year.  If you missed it, make sure to check out Insomniac’s next major festival, Electronic Daisy Carnival on June 25 and 26 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.