Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]Myron & E are a soul duo based in the Bay Area. They are currently signed to one of my favorite independent labels, Stones Throw, so even though I wasn’t too familiar with their catalog, I was relatively sure I would be pleased with their music.
The Stones Throw website introduces the band as follows: “The vocal duo is something of a rarity. There have been countless solo stars, trios, quartets and quintets, but the pairing of equally talented singers isn’t nearly as common. Sam and Dave, Ashford and Simpson, the Righteous Brothers and the Everly Brothers comprise a short list of standouts. Enter Myron & E.” A tall order to live up to, for sure, but I’m willing to bet that the Stones Throw folk know what they’re co-signing on.
They had the earliest set in the day so the crowd hadn’t reached critical mass yet, but they had their die-hard fans in the trenches, wearing their screen-print Myron & E T-shirts, and they performed with the type of gusto to satisfy their own, and to drawn in new fans. Half way through their set E mentioned it was Myron’s birthday, and the crowd joined in on an impromptu singing of “Happy Birthday”.
It was a solid set to establish the “soul” mood for the rest of the day, though at times I felt that some of the vocal tuning was a bit off, which I could attribute to the blazing midday sun, but it was good enough want me to follow them on Facebook so to keep up with their music and see how their sound develops. You should too.
They are touring domestically and throughout Europe throughout the fall, so check them out when they are in your neck of the woods.
Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]Myron of Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]E of Myron of Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]
Every year, since 1999, the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro holds a Lobster Festival where families can enjoy mouth watering, freshly cooked Lobster, in a carnival like setting, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I’ve been before, but when I did, I went for the food, and not the entertainment. Not this year. When I saw that Dead Sara was slated to headline the Saturday evening entertainment, I decided that I would head out to San Pedro, eat some lobster, check out some new music, and watch one of the hardest rocking, female fronted bands in music today crush it.
Click through the name of the act below to read my thought, see some pictures and watch some video:
The first time I heard of Trombone Shorty, he was a recurring character on the HBO Series “Treme”. At first I thought he was fictional character, but as I did more research on the music played in the show, I discovered that he was, in fact, a highly acclaimed trumpet and trombone player who grew up a child prodigy from a musical family. I can truly say that a television show helped me delve into New Orleans R&B, Funk, Soul and Jazz. I watched many videos of him perform (like the one immediately below) and I knew that talent like that needed to be seen live. When I heard he was to have a free concert on the Santa Monica Pier, I “penciled” it into my calendar.
I love horn sections. Earth Wind and Fire, Blood Sweat and Tears, Chicago. They each had amazing horn sections that gave their hit songs an extra something. Every so often, I’ll hear a popular, modern album that utilizes a great horn section, and I think that there’ll be a resurgence or renaissance of that type and style of music, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Dustbowl Revival did a great job warming the crowd up, and when Trombone Shorty took the stage the audience was adequately lubricated for some funky, jazzy goodness and with the first note, the dancing began.
Trombone Shorty and his backing band, Orleans Avenue, wowed the audience with their musical prowess. While his singing was good, it was his work on the trumpet and trombone that truly mesmerized the audience. The highlights of his set, for me at least, was when he showcased his impressive circulatory breathing, holding notes for what seemed to be forever. A partial video clip is in the highlights I posted below, and they are partial because I had to stop filming as I had to watch him hold that note with my own eyes instead of the through the lens of the camera. It was amazing.
He played to the audience’s local leanings by covering snippets of popular Los Angeles hip hop standards by Snoop and Dre and added his own flare to classic jazz standards (snippets of each are included in the video montage below).
Watching Trombone Shorty perform made me long for another trip back to New Orleans. When that trip happens, I’ll make sure it coincides with a Trombone Shorty performance at a New Orleans club.
Opening for Trombone Shorty on the Santa Monica Pier as part of the 2013 Twilight Concert Series was a Veince, CA based folk/bluegrass/swing band named The Dustbowl Revival. Upon retrospect, they were more of a mini-orchestra than a band with 10 members playing a wide range of instruments from trumpets, trombones and bajos to washboards and kazoos.
I arrived before they started their set, and scanned the audience to find a good spot to take some pictures when I noticed an open area front and center against the railing. Behind this open area, there were some concert goers who set up their lawn chairs and such, and though I felt a bit awkward stepping into a spot right in front of them, I figured that if they didn’t want someone standing in front of them, they should have moved up. Of course, when I got there they gave me “a look” and in a grumpy way asked that I not stand in front of them the whole time. I told them that I’d be standing for a few songs during Dustbowl Revival, but also added that they should expect people dancing when Trombone Shorty took the stage.
Why sit in chairs for the Dustbowl Revival, when you can do this?
When The Dustbowl Revival started their set, the music was a refreshing throwback to traditional Americana fusing the styles of blues, swing, bluegrass, roots and folk. With the strong musicality of the entire band, and the congenial nature of their front man, The Dustbowl Revival gained the audience’s respect and attention. They expressed their sincere appreciation for being able to perform in front of such a large audience in their home town and would acknowledge those members of the band who grew up, or went to school, in Santa Monica. As the music kept coming, those in the VIP area started dancing, showing those sitting behind me how a concert and music like this should be enjoyed. If you check out the video from 2:30 on, you can watch the couple dancing, and it’s a joy to watch.
Get to know Dustbowl Revival by checking out their Facebook Page and dance your way to one of their gigs.
Members of the Dustbowl RevivalMembers of the Dustbowl RevivalMembers of Dustbowl Revival captured on film.Members of the Dustbowl RevivalMembers of the Dustbowl RevivalMembers of the Dustbowl Revival
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
Nic Offer of !!! (ChkChkChk) getting into the audience during their set.!!!’s latest album cover.
Over the past 5 months, while perusing a local store, I kept noticing an album cover for a band that I wasn’t familiar with (see right). The band’s name was !!! (pronounced ‘ChkChkChk’) and a record store employee told me that they were from Northern California and described their style of music as dance. I didn’t ask to hear any of the music play on the store sound system, and for some reason I neglected to look them up online each time I got home, but I was often reminded of them often because the cover to their LP was always staring me in the face whenever I entered that record store .
Fast forward to the FYF Festival, I noticed that they were listed as an early evening set. I decided to check them out, and anticipated an energetic set. I was not disappointed. A large band consisting of 8 members, the music was groove centric, the band was tight, and the lead singer was singing and busting moves all over the stage. In fact, the lead singer’s energy was off the charts and it spread into the audience as everybody around me was bouncing to their tunes. My first impression was that !!!’s sound was if David Byrnes of the Talking Heads started up in the 2010s, with splashes of LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. Take a listen/look at the video clip below to make your own opinion.
Nic Offer of !!! “saluting” the crowd.
The photographers in the press pit left after their second song, and Nic Offer, the lead singer, yelled out, “Hey, where you guys going?!?! I’ll only get cuter and cuter as the set goes on!” He laughed into the mic, and the band kept the set rolling. His stage manner had a likable, cocky air to it and it was infectious, as everybody was, while eyes transfixed on the stage, moving to the rhythm. The vibe was so positive that time seemed to pass instantly. When their set had ended, I was left wanting more, and it was a good indicator that I should probably purchase that LP to add to my collection and catch them when they are back in town.
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
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.
The massive crowd for The Breeders
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.
Josephine Wigg of The BreedersKelley Deal of The BreedersKim Deal of The BreedersThe Keyboardist for The BreedersKim Deal of The BreedersKelley Deal of The Breeders
![Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festiva 9/21/13 [@methodman13]](https://musicofmymind14.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dsc05054.jpg?w=1075)
![Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festiva 9/21/13 [@methodman13]](https://musicofmymind14.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dsc05060.jpg?w=1075)
![Myron of Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]](https://musicofmymind14.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dsc05063.jpg?w=1075)
![E of Myron of Myron & E at The Beach Ball Festival 9/21/13 [@methodman13]](https://musicofmymind14.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/dsc05065.jpg?w=1075)
#DKLPHOTOS 