August 2013 – Page 2

Hanni El Khatib | Twilight Concert Series | August 8, 2013

For the past 29 years, the Santa Monica Pier has been hosting amazing free concerts during the summer season. The line up for this year’s Twilight Concert Series is particularly outstanding. From Meshell Ngegeocello and the Record Company to Jimmy Cliff to Trombone Shorty, it would simply be a shame if you lived in the area and didn’t make it out to at least one of the free shows. The first show I was able to attend this summer was Hanni El Khatib.

The first time I heard Hanni El Khatib perform live, he opened for the Black Angels at the Mayan. His set was so impressive, that I decided then and there that his live shows were not be to missed. This time, on the pier, he was the featured artist. Opening for him was a Niger-based musician named Bombino.

Bombino’s music is proof that music, regardless of genre, is universal. Bombino’s music is steeped with the native rhythms of his homeland. Over the years, Bombino has worked with and been influenced by a number of tremendous musicians like Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. Most recently, he travelled to Nashville to record an album under the production eye of The Black Key’s Dan Auerbach, “Nomad”. With his native rhythms meshing seamlessly with deep south, blues rock, Bombino has become, relatively quickly, the talk of the “blues rock” town. Call it what you want- rock and roll, worldbeat, afro-pop, desert blues, blues rock- it’s still good music. Though I wish I could have understood all of the lyrics sung, the music, in and of itself, was trance like and intoxicating. Bombino was certainly the perfect appetizer for the edgier blues rock that would follow.

The crowd had swelled to what seemed to be maximum capacity by the time Hanni El Khatib took the stage. He had just come back from touring internationally, so I was expecting a polished set and sound, and I was not disappointed. It was a raucous, rock and roll set that had the audience moving to the music, singing along with all of the popular songs. I didn’t know the name of every dong of the entire set, but I remember that Hanni performed “Nobody Move”, “Low”, “You Rascal You”, “Loved One”, “Penny”, “Fuck It You Win” and a new song I think is titled “Dangerous” or “Dangerous To Love” (which is the last snippet on the video clip below). He even covered a Cramps song, the name of which I can’t recall at the moment. A terrific set and worth the commute and $2 I paid for parking.

Hanni El Khatib is starting up a national tour supporting his latest album, “Head In The Dirt”, also produced by Dan Auerbach. I joked with friends afterwards while hanging out at Chez Jays (a dive bar which I just found out is a designated Santa Monica historic landmark and a perfect place to grab a beer after a blues concert) that the concert could have been dubbed “Dan Auerbach presents Blues at the Beach”. I’m planning on attending his upcoming gig in October at the El Rey, and if The Black Keys and blues rock is your thing, I highly recommend getting a ticket to check Hanni shred the stage.

Follow Hanni El Khatib on Facebook or follow him on Twitter for updates so you can catch him in action when he’s in your neck of the woods.

August 16, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: blues, blues rock, bombino, chez jays, concert, dan auerbach, dangerous, el rey, fuck it you win, garage rock, Hanni El Khatib, head in the dirt, live, loved one, low, nobody move, penny, Review, rock & roll, rock and roll, santa monica, santa monica pier, twilight concert, twilight concert series, world beat, you rascal you 1 Comment

Hiatus Kaiyote | The Bootleg Theater | July 31, 2013

Earlier this year, I saw Hiatus Kaiyote on a whim, and they blew my mind. From Melbourne, Australia, this “future soul” band has a sound that I particularly love. As soon as I found out that they would playing in Los Angeles again, I bought tickets as soon as they went on sale.

Since the first time I saw them, back in March, the band has toured internationally and signed to Salaam Remi‘s Sony-distributed Flying Buddha label, and re-released Tawk Tomahawk with a bonus track — a version of album highlight “Nakamarra” featuring a guest verse from Q-Tip.

I got to the venue and went straight to the merchandise table. I was specifically hoping that the poster for the event, which was posted on Facebook a few weeks prior, would be available for sale. It was a gorgeous looking poster, and I wanted a copy very badly. Unfortunately, the posters were not for sale and the only ones that I could find were either pasted to a wall, or hanging from the bar. I asked the bartender if he’d sell me one of his posters, but said no, going as far as to say that he owned everything in “his” bar and that nothing except for drinks were for sale. I went back to the merchandise booth to ask the woman working there if I could carefully peel a poster from off the wall, and she said that she wouldn’t permit that, but as she was speaking she saw a poster drop to the floor. She smiled and told me it was my lucky day. Indeed! I got the poster autographed after the show, and it’s going to have a permanent spot in my collection.

The opening act was Contact Field Orchestra, an instrumental project from Damon Aaron. Using a box of 7” tapes of field recordings recorded almost entirely of hand-made instruments and contact microphones from the turn of the century that he purchased at an estate sale, he’s created a sound unique sound of ambient music shrouded in mystery. Prior to the set, he announced to the audience that we may need some medication to appreciate it. I was sober, and I still enjoyed the music.

After his set, the stage hands started setting up for Hiatus Kaiyote. The band’s set was delayed as people were still in line outside trying to purchase tickets at the door … um … don’t people know that they can purchase tickets in advance online? When the band finally got onstage, the lovely soul-stress Nai Palm humbly apologized for the delay, which was really no fault of their own, and the band commenced the audience’s journey to soul-town.

I am a music dweeb, and what I love about watching live shows is how the live performance compares to recordings that I’ve previously absorbed. The first time I watched Hiatus Kaiyote perform, I was only somewhat familiar with their music, but this time around, I must have listed to the original release of “Tawk Tomhawk” at least 15 times digitally, and 10 times spinning on vinyl (the original pressing from Australia that I purchased after seeing them the first time, which I also got autographed after the show), so I’d like to think I knew the tracks pretty well.

Nai with the glowing eyes and Perrin Moss on drums.

They blew my mind once again. They took all of the songs I knew and took them to places that amazed me. Nai’s vocals were as soulful and jazzy as ever. So much soul, it was overflowing. The band’s musical oneness was on full display. Paul Bender’s bass, Simon Mavin’s keys, and Perrin Moss’ drums exhibited a musical synergy that most bands can only dream of, each taking their moments throughout the set to exhibit their own personal flares of musical ingenuity. Paul Bender was steady on bass, but added his own funky flares. Simon Mavin’s effortless playing on the keys allowed him to flourish and expand upon those keyboard moments that I loved so much from the album. His playing on “The World It Softly Lulls” is mesmerizing:

I was particularly impressed with Perrin Moss’ drumming as there were certain moments that shocked and lifted me; sneaky little drum licks that only lasted for a brief moment, but that caught me by surprise. Speaking with someone after the gig, I was told that he had spent the whole day in a drum session, so he was probably inspired to try new sounds for the set.

After the show, a friend of mine was able to get me back stage to hang out for a moment. I had a chance to talk with the members of the band and they spoke about their experiences from touring and their plans to record new recordings after their current tour. Damon Aaron was also backstage chopping it up with Miguel Atwood Ferguson and I politely interrupted the conversation to a get a photograph. I was also lucky enough to see Nai jam a cappella with Moses Sumney for an exclusive with KCRW DJ Jeremy Sole. Magic.

Damon Aaron, Me and Miguel Atwood Ferguson.

Me and the lovely Nai.

The band had to pack up an great ready to catch a 4:00am flight to Chicago, so my friend and I saw them off in their tour van. If I recall correctly, they may be back in November for another gig and to record locally. Hopefully, I’ll be able to catch up with them on a personal level again, but most definitely I will be buying a ticket to see them perform.

Nai, Perrin, Simon and their tour manager. — Nai, Perrin, Simon and their tour manager in their tour van.

Add Hiatus Kaiyote on Facebook, and follow them on Instagram and Twitter using the handle @HiatusKaoiyote. You should follow them. You need to see them perform live. Do it.

August 12, 2013November 27, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: "Tawk Tomahawk", 2013, bootleg theater, concert, concert review, concert video, contact field orchestra, damon aaron, Hiatus Kaiyote, July 31, nai palm, nakamarra, paul bender, perrin moss, Review, sample, simon mavin, tawk tamohawk, the world it softly lulls, video, vinyl 6 Comments

Geographer | Getty Center | July 27, 2013

Earlier this year, a friend of mine from elementary school, Yoko, sent me a message on Facebook that I should check out a band play at The Echo called Geographer. A lot of friends and associates suggest bands for me to check out, and my obsessio …. curiosity about new music usually gets me to at least look the band up, but I’ve consistently seen this friend at random shows I’ve attended over the past few years, so her suggestion didn’t go unnoticed. I listened to the music, liked it, and wanted to see the band perform, but as fate would have it, tickets had already sold out. I messaged her back and she messaged me that she would give me a heads up the next time the band was scheduled to be in Los Angeles.

Fast forward about 4 months, and I get another message from my friend that Geographer was playing a free concert at the Getty as part of the “Saturdays off the 405” summer series. It had been a while since I had attended a show at the Getty, and I was excited at the chance of checking them out at that beautiful venue. Reading a review about how the wait in line to park at the museum for these concerts sometimes takes upwards of an hour and a half, I bought a sandwich and head over early, hours before the the scheduled set time. My planning didn’t really go as planned, and the cars waiting to park were already lined up and down Sepulveda. So I waited patiently.

After 5 minutes sitting in traffic, I texted Yoko to see where she and her friend were at. She texted me back saying that they were parking.

After 15 minutes sitting in traffic, since I hadn’t seen Yoko in a while, I checked out her Facebook page. I knew she had gotten married in the past year, so I figured now would be a good time to learn her new last name.

After 30 minutes sitting in traffic … I was still sitting in traffic.

After 45 Minutes sitting in traffic, I decided to look up the band to get more info about their history. The lead singer’s name was Mike Deni. The cellist’s name was Nathan Blaz. The Drummer’s name was Brian Ostreicher … wait a minute. That name sounded familiar. I went back to Yoko’s Facebook page to confirm- even though I had just commit it to memory- that her married name was Ostreicher. HAHAHA. What I love about the whole situation was that Yoko never tried to get me to check out the band based on her literal “relationship” to them. For that, she gets perpetual music, brownie points.

KCRW DJ Mario Cotto Warming Up The Crowd

After waiting an hour, I finally pulled into the lot to park my car. I took the tram up to the museum, found a spot, and ate my sandwich while looking over the scenic views of Los Angeles from the Getty, and afterwards found to a spot stage right while Mario Cotto, a KCRW DJ was spinning tunes. Yoko met up with me, and we caught up a little. She told me that she would be working the merchandise table, and I told her that I would meet up with her again after the band wrapped up.

Geographer is an eclectic electro-indie pop group and their music reminded me a bit of Passion Pit, MGMT, Animal Collective and Erasure all rolled up into a unique trio. I was particularly taken with Nathan Blaz on the electric cello. It was the first time I’ve seen an electric cello used effectively in a band, and its sound was lush, adding rich layers to the electronic arrangements. I imagined what it would sound like if Nathan had a chance to have a session with Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. I’m sure that would be something.

Together with Mike Deni’s gentle vocals and Brian Ostreicher’s surging drumming, the music bounced off the high stone walls and glass windows of the Getty and created a wonderful musical experience for those in attendance, despite the long wait to park. LOL.

I texted Yoko and asked her to set an LP aside for me when the set ended. Before meeting up with her, I caught up with another friend to say, “Hi.” It was all for the better as the merchandise line was incredibly long, and seemingly never ending. When the line died down, I head over to say my hellos. Yoko pulled out the LP I asked her to save, and we chatted and caught up some more. Speaking with the guards/ushers, they told me that I could hang out for a minute, and I had a chance to get the guys to autograph my LP. Yoko took a picture of me with the guys, but I seemed to have accidentally deleted it. All good though. I think I’ll be able to get another picture with the fellas when they’re back in Los Angeles later in the year. After all, I did grow up with the drummer’s wife … LOL.