Concerts – Page 45

No Age | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

No Age rocking the FYF Festival for the 7th time.

No Age is a two-person, lo-fi punk band based in Los Angeles. They performed earlier in the summer as part of Santa Monica Pier’s Twilight Concert series, but I wasn’t able to attend the free concert, so I figured I swing by their set at FYF to check them out.

No Age have the distinct honor of being the band who’s played the festival the most-seven times, with the festival being in its 10th year- and they played like it. I don’t have any of their albums, but they definitely played songs that I’ve heard before (a video snippet below of “Fever Dreaming” is a song that I’m sure you’ve heard before too).

They shred through their set with a vigor that translated well with the audience, as the crowd became of rolling mosh pit of raucous teens with bodies surfing left and right. I could see the security guards catching bodies falling from the railing up front. Lots of fun and a lot of energy. If you were looking for a nice little post-punk pick me up during the day, these guys were it.

Setlist sourced from setlist.fm:

No Ground
Circling With Dizzy
C’mon, Stimmung
Lock Box
Teen Creeps
Fever Dreaming
I Won’t Be Your Generator

September 5, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: dean allen spunt, drum and guitar, fyf, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyfest, fyffest, indie rock, lo-fi, los angele, los angeles rock band, no age, noise pop, noise rock, post punk, punk, punk music, punk rock, punk rock music, randy randall Leave a comment

How To Dress Well | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

How To Dress Well's double mics. — How To Dress Well’s double mics.

Though he released a highly acclaimed album back in 2010, I didn’t become familiar with Tom Krell’s (p/k/a How To Dress Well) music until earlier this year. While I was reviewing the various acts that were slated to perform at the festival this year, I clicked on the musician’s link from the FYF Festival website and thereafter spent the next hour playing his music. I was hooked, and circled his 5:20pm set time as “must attend”.

I spent the months leading up to the festival buying albums of all of the artists that I was interested in, when I purchased How To Dress Well’s 10” EP “Just Once”. It may be one of the best purchases I’ll have made this year. Limited to 1000 copies, that vinyl is described as a one time-only, orchestral release, part of proceeds from sale of which went to MindFreedom.com to benefit those with mental health issues. It was recorded in the memory of one of Tom Krell’s friends and was simply, amazingly, hauntingly beautiful.

I was able to get up front for his set. While the stage hands were setting up, a DJ was spinning some 90s era music. An Aaliyah song started to play and I noticed Tom offstage singing along. When he took to the stage, he was accompanied by a keyboardist and a violinist. Using the a two-microphone technique, he jumped into his set opening with a new song tentatively titled “For Cyril.” Amazing. And it kept on coming.

His music, with sparse drums and layered, falsetto vocals, set a mellow vibe as haunting as the recordings I had purchased. It may have been a rather dark set for the middle of the day- which Tom acknowledged half way in when he introduced an upbeat song with, “This is a dance song, because it’s too early to be this dark”- but I was loving every minute of it. He further made light of the dark set by also telling the crowd that it was his mom’s birthday. He mixed R. Kelly’s “I Wish” into one of his songs to his audience on their toes. At the end by telling the audience that if there was anything he would want to impart on the audience before he left, it was to be, “Be nice to people.” A simple message amongst complex, stunning music.

His set met my expectations, save but a few technical difficulties, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any more intimate club gigs that he may have in Los Angeles in the future.

The setlist was sourced from setlist.fm:

For Cyril (New Song)
Suicide Dream 1
Cold Nites
No More Death
& It Was U
Ready for the World
Set It Right
Repeat Pleasure (New Song)

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his violinist.

Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well with his keyboardist.

September 4, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: Alternative R&B, concert, fyf, FYF 2013, fyf fest 2013, fyffest, fyffest2013, how to dress well, htdw, indie electronic, lo-fi R&B, love, photos, pictures, R and B, R&B, Review, tom krell, video, vocal loops Leave a comment

Pional | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Pional was the act right before How To Dress Well, so I decided to watch his set and try to get a good spot for the next act. Pional is a Spanish producer, remixer and electronic musician from Madrid and is highly regards as a “mainstay” of the national electronic music scene in Spain.

I hadn’t heard of him before, but his music reminded me a little of Yeasayer. When he was singing, he was very reliant on vocal effects so it was hard to gauge whether his singing ability was any good. It was a decent vibe, but I had a tough time really enjoying the music because I spent most of the time trying to think of what other artist’s it sounded like. The crowd around me, who were much younger than myself (no drinking bracelets), were having a good time, but I think that could have been partially because of the GHB (or whatever clear liquid substance) they were passing around.

September 3, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: electronic, electronic music, fyf, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyffest, house music, madrid, music producer, pional, pop, spain, synth Leave a comment

The Orwells | FYF Festival | August 25, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

I wasn’t planning on catching their set, but I got to the festival grounds early enough to catch the tail end of a rock band from Elmhurst, Illinois: The Orwells. They are a young band … literally … the oldest member- lead singer Mario Cuomo- is 18, and the rest of the band members are 17, and their music, loud and energetic, seemed to be the soundtrack for a new, young, wave of punk fans.

Mario Cuomo, dressed in a Chicago Bulls jersey- and only a Chicago Bulls jersey- kept the audience of his peers moving to the music, encouraging them to get the party started in the midday sun, which they happily obliged. Before you knew it, kids started crowd surfing.

The youth and punk music. There really isn’t a better pairing. As long as they keep on writing catchy tunes like “Mallrats (La La La)” (a sample video is below), they could very well be performing on main-stages at music festivals in the near future.

The bassist of The Orwells. — Grant Brinner of The Orwells.

September 3, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: elmhurst, fyf, fyf festival, fyf festival 2013, fyfest, fyffest, garage, garage punk, garage punk revival, illinois, indie rock, la la la, mallrats, mallrats (la la la), mario cuomo, orwells, photos, pictures, punk rock, the orwells Leave a comment

Yeah Yeah Yeahs | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

I’ve already professed my love for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs earlier this year after I saw them at Coachella back in April, so I’m going to limit this entry to pictures that I took at FYF Festival. The band still kicks ass. Karen O is still a rock star.

I got the set list from setlist.fm.

Mosquito
Phenomena
Under the Earth
Rich
Gold Lion (We Will Rock You Intro)
Zero
Cheated Hearts
Runaway
Despair
Sacrilege
Heads Will Roll
Maps
Date With the Night

My favorite pic that I took of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Confetti released towards the end of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs set.

September 2, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: alternative rock, concert, concert review, fyf, fyf fest 2013, fyfest, fyffest, fyffest 2013, garage punk, indie rock, karen o, kareno, photos, post punk, post punk revival, punk, Review, set list, setlist, the yeah yeah yeahs, video, yeah yeah yeahs Leave a comment

TV On The Radio | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

TV on the Radio is a critically acclaimed, Brooklyn based rock group which formed in 2001. I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t too familiar with the band’s repertoire. It probably has something to do with the fact that their first album came out while I was in law school. I was pretty much out touch with everything for those three years of my life.

Playing catch up before the festival, I spent time with their 4th studio album “Dear Science” and watched some of the videos (“Wolf Like Me” and “Will Do”) that popped up on the top of the list when I googled them. It was hard rocking, complex music. It’s very hard to describe. Their music is an amalgam of styles that seems to mesh together seamlessly. Having worked with members of Yeah Yeah Yeahs on other projects, it was actually quite fitting to have them in the slot right before YYYs.

Their crowd at the FYF Festival was impressive and they played a confident set of songs, old and new. They’ve released five albums and five Eps. I’m going to have to do some more listening and pick up some of their albums. Any suggestions?

Set list sourced from setlist.fm:

Young Liars
Golden Age
Dancing Choose
Blues From Down Here
Million Miles
Mercy
Repetition
Wolf Like Me
Forgotten
Starting at the Sun

September 2, 2013September 2, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: alternative rock, art rock, concert, experimental rock, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyfest, fyffest, fyffest2013, indie rock, kyp malone, live, Review, set list, setlist, tunde adebimpe, tv on the radio Leave a comment

Deerhunter | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Leaving The Locust, I headed back to the main stage to meet up with some friends and to get a good spot for both TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Performing on the main stage, as I was walking toward it, was an experimental noise rock band from Atlanta, Georgia: Deerhunter.

Brandford Cox of Deerhunter at FYF Fest 2013

I wasn’t familiar with the band, but from where I was, and what I could hear, it came off pretty good. I’ll have to admit, I was a little thrown off as I thought the lead singer was a woman. After all, he was wearing a dress and a wig, and his voice was kinda Yoko Ono-ish. It was more shocking than anything when he tore off the wig half way into the set, and for a minute there I was lost in my own confusion.

Though I arrived midway through their set, I could tell that the music hit on elements of alternative, punk and shoe gazing. I was starting to get into it by the time their set came to a close, but before I knew it, Bradford Cox (the lead singer) put his wig back on, picked up a purse from the ground, and walked off stage.

The set list from setlist.fm:

Cover Me (Slowly)
Agoraphobia
Neon Junkyard
Don’t Cry
Rivival
Desire Lines
Blue Agent
Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Nothing Ever Happened
Sleepwalking
Back to the Middle
Monomania

Brandford Cox of Deerhunter at FYF Fest 2013 shredding behind the back.

August 31, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: alternative, alternative rock, cocnert, deerhunter, dream pop, experimental rock, fyf, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyffest, fyffest2013, indie rock, picture, pictures, Review, rock, set list, setlist, shoe gazine, shoegazing, video, videos Leave a comment

The Locust | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Leaving Devendra Banhart‘s set a little early to grab a beer, I walked by the smallest stage of the festival and stumbled upon a group named The Locust. Playing amongst the trees of the state park venue, and wearing eerie, alien like, body suits, this band was shredding their set. Fast, loud and furious, this was about as hardcore as harcdore punk could get. I thought about getting closer to the stage to get a better angle for pictures, but I stopped my progression with one look at the pit and thought better of it.

If you needed a jolt of adrenaline to get you through the rest of the day, this band could have given it to you. They gave it to the audience in short bursts of frenetic shredding and intense vocal delivery. Each song couldn’t have been more that two minutes long, and I wondered how this band could keep it up for 45 minutes. I could have stayed longer, but I looked at the time and realized that another band was scheduled to start when they ended, so I meandered off with a little more vigor in my steps.

August 29, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: grindcore, hard rock, hardcore, hardcore punk, New Wave, noise rock, powerviolence, punk, punk music, san diego, synthesizers, the locust, thrash metal, thrashcore, video Leave a comment

Devendra Banhart | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

I’d heard a lot about Devendra Banhart, but I’ve never taken the time to really listen to the music in his 9 album catalog. I figured I’d use his set at the festival to get acclimated to his music.

By the time I got to the stage where he was performing, I noticed two things: (1) most of the audience, at least where I was at, were girls (and if you were a guy, you were there with your arms wrapped around your girlfriend) and (ii) there were very few people (again, at least where I was at) wearing drinking bracelets. Being a single dude who can legally purchase alcoholic beverages, I seemed to be the fish out of water.

When Devendra came on stage, the sounds of high pitched squeals permeated the early evening dusk. A girl behind me sounded off to her friend, “Oh, wow, he cut his hair.” Her friend replied, “He’s still hot.”

His looks aside, I was particularly curious to see what kind of impression his music would have on me. I knew that he had worked with Beck, members of The Strokes and Little Joy, and was nominated for a Grammy a few years ago, so my expectations were a bit high.

The music he played was quite good, sublime, in fact. People have categorized his music at alternative folk, even hipster-folk, but it seemed that his music covered multiple styles and genres, and even languages. While singing a song in Spanish, I asked a guy next to me- who had his arms wrapped around his girlfriend by the way- if he knew where Devendra was from. A good looking girl with her crew of girlfriends turned to me and said, “Venezuela.”

I enjoyed the music, and I’m more willing to delve further into his catalog of music, but at the time, the mood was a little too romantic for me. Maybe if I had my arms wrapped around a girlfriend (applications currently being accepted by the way), it probably would have been a different story, but rather than join the throngs of girls swaying side to side to Devendra’s soulful crooning, I decided to go find myself a beer after 30 minutes.

August 29, 2013 by dklee13 Categories: ConcertsTags: alternative folk, avant folk, concert, devendra banhart, freak folk, fyf, fyf fest, fyf fest 2013, fyf festival, fyfest, hipster, lo-fi, psych folk Leave a comment

The Breeders | FYF Festival | August 24, 2013

To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.

Kelley Deal of The Breeders — Kim Deal of The Breeders

Since I was already up at the front of the stage for Charles Bradley, I decided to stay put for the next band to grace the main stage: The Breeders. The Breeders were very popular during my high school days in the early 90s, but truth be told, during that time my alternative rock tastes leaned more toward Nirvana , Nine Inch Nails and Pearl Jam. Don’t get me wrong, I liked The Breeders’ music a lot, I mean who can resist their hit “Cannonball”, but I think adolescent guys being adolescent guys, I was a little hesitant to hold a torch for a band that my younger sister was really into.

Knowing that the band would be playing their second album, “Last Splash”, in its entirety (which album, by the way, is celebrating its 20 anniversary, and was reissued as a “deluxe edition”, this year …. Yowza!!!), I was looking foward to hearing “Cannonball”, which I knew was the second track on the album. Because I wanted to also check out another artist whose set overlapped with The Breeders, I planned on catching at least half of their set before maneuvering away from the crowd … And a big crowd it was.

Their fans came out in droves and cheered like mad when they took the stage to set up their equipment. The album’s original lineup was on stage: vocalists/guitarists Kim and Kelley Deal, bassist Josephine Wiggs and Drummer Jim MacPherson. There was an additional band member on stage, but I didn’t recognize who she was. I couldn’t get any photos of Jim MacPherson since I didn’t have a good angle.

Without greeting the crowd, they opened with a Guided by Voices cover of “Shocker In Gloomtown”. Afterwards, Kim Deal greeted the massive crowd and expressed the band’s gratitude for being able to perform at the festival, and with that they jumped into playing “Last Splash”. They played the album in order, so I got to hear “Cannonball”. I didn’t get to hear their other big singles (“Saints” and “Divine Hammer”), as I left after about 4 or 5 more songs, but I got what I needed to satisfy my music craving. I made a note that I was amused with how in between songs Kelley or Kim would gleefully point out that they were using some of the same musical instruments that were used for the original recordings. If that isn’t being faithful to the original album, I don’t know what it is. As I left my spot from the front of the stage, the girls behind me squealed with delight beholding their newly, unobstructed view.

As I was walking to the next band on my list, I swear could hear The Breeders sing the lyrics “Come back to me right now”. I kept walking, but I did stop to pause for a second to think about it.

Setlist (pulled from setlistfm.com):