Brothers Sam and Django Stewart are legacy in the music industry. After all, their father is Dave Stewart. You know … Half of that really popular band known as the Eurythmics? Yeah. I’d put some money on it that they have music in their blood.
It was the first time I had heard of the band, so I had no expectations or preconceived notions about their music. When doing some research on the band, I read reviews that stated that “’the Cold War Kids with the ambition and control of Arcade Fire’ Nightmare & The Cat is all we love about indie rock: Rough and ready drive with a blues edge.” Hmm…. The band was greeted warmly to the stage, with their female member receiving a few cat-calls from the more inebriated members of the audience.
Musically speaking, the band’s sound was quite polished. Each of the songs were very well written, complex even. I could see the Cold War Kids comparison, but I felt that Nightmare’s sound was a bit more polished. I would have said that they were more Muse than Cold War Kids.
They are currently signed to Capitol Records and have released an EP titled “Simple”. Currently on tour with Bastille, throughout September, you can catch them play at one of these venues.
Nightmare & The CatNightmare & The Cat. I’m assuming this is the cat.Nightmare & The Cat. The Stewart brothers.Nightmare & The Cat.
Deap Vally is a Los Angeles based rock band consisting of Lindsey Troy (guitar and vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums and vocals). From what has been written about them, the two met at a crochet class. Their music, however, is anything but pedestrian. Following the path that the The White Stripes and The Black Keys blazed, Deap Vally’s sound is a mix of hard rock and blues … only they do it a little sexier.
Dressed in halter tops and short jean shorts, they took the stage to even more drunken cat calls than the female in the prior act was subject to. The two girls, visually speaking, at least from my vantage point, couldn’t have been more different. Lindsey was petit and blond. Julie was tall and redheaded. They both looked rock and roll, and they proved it. The cat calls stopped as soon as they started playing.
Deap Vally’s setlis.
Raw and gritty, loud and grimy, and filled with attitude, while watching the rocking duo perform, it was hard for me to not oogle. I was particularly fixated on the drummer. With her curly red hair thrashing around her set, and her long leg stomping the high hat, I’ll have to say that a dirty thought may have crossed my mind here and there.
Some may say that Deap Vally’s style of music may have already been done, but that didn’t seem to bother their fans, who made sure that they told all “newbies” before the set that the band was really good.
I liked their set and wouldn’t mind catching them play a smaller, more intimate gig in Los Angeles.
Girl In A Coma. I love this band. Since I first saw them featured on an episode of Last Call with Carson Daly back in November of 2011 , I’ve seen this San Antonio, TX based Indie Rock band, or their lead singer, perform live four times . This year I saw the group perform at the Ink-N-Iron Festival and their lead singer, Nina Diaz, perform a solo set at the Hotel Café the day after. Their performance at the Echoplex on September 12, 2013 makes the cumulative number of times I’ve seen them perform live five.
I got to the venue early enough to catch the girls hanging out and spent a few minutes chatting with Phanie (the drummer). She told me about the band’s plans to start recording tracks for their next album after they wrap up their current tour and our mutual, and random (she’s the only friend of mine on Facebook who “likes” them), interest in the indie rock band, Screaming Females.
There was a lot going on in Los Angeles on September 12, 2013 (ie. Pixies playing the El Rey, Dave Stewart & Friends at the Troubadour, Jimmy Cliff’s free concert on the Santa Monica Pier, and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon playing in her new band Body/Head right upstairs in the Echo, etc.) but GIAC’s dedicated fans still showed up in numbers. I met up with another die-hard GIAC fan (who brought his daughter to the show) and he pointed out a fan who was in the military and was to ship out the next day to the middle east. GIAC’s fan loyalty has no bounds.
The girls rocked their set. Rather than go on in this entry about how awesome their performance was (which I’ve written about before here and here), just know that they deliver live, and if you are into their music, you will not be disappointed with their live show.
My autographed LP amongst the band’s merchandise.
After they finished their set, I lingered a bit to get them to sign my 2013 Record Store Day, limited edition, blue vinyl copy of their first album “Both Before I’m Gone”. Apparently, I must have been the last person who left the venue since the valet mysteriously disappeared with my keys. While waiting for my keys, I waited outside while the girls were loading up their van. Being as cool as they are, and after I had retrieved my keys, they snapped a picture with me before I took off.
Girl in a Coma are performing throughout the west and midwest through November. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to know when they are in your neck of the woods. In the meantime, you can check out the pictures and video highlights I took at the gig I went to. Unfortunately, from where I was standing I couldn’t get many decent shots of Jenn (bassist) or Phanie performing, but I doubt people are going to mind the excess number of pictures of Nina. Enjoy!
Setlist, as provided by the drummer, Phanie Diaz:
Say
One Eyed Fool
Control
Adjust
Slaughter Ln
Si Una Vez
She Had A Plan
Ven Cerca
El Monte
Sly
Smart
Little Red Riding Hood (cover of Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs version)
Here is Now
Invisible
Encore: Their Cell (acoustic)
Girl In A Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13Girl In A Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13Girl in a Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13.Nina Diaz of Girl in a Comat at the Echoplex 9/12/13Nina Diaz of Girl In A Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13Jenn Alva of Girl In A Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13Nina and Phanie Diaz of Girl In A Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13Nina Diaz of Girl in a Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13.Nina Diaz of Girl in a Coma at the Echoplex 9/12/13.Jenn Alva Girl In A Coma hanging with fans after their at the Echoplex 9/12/13Phanie Diaz of Girl In A Coma autographing a fan’s LP (FYI, this fan used to drum for the Beastie Boys back in the day) after their at the Echoplex 9/12/13Me and the gals of Girl in a Coma after their set at the Echoplex 9/12/13
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.
Holy Ghost!
At the suggestion of my cousin, I decided to see Holy Ghost! rather than My Bloody Valentine as the last band at the festival. This turned out to be a good suggestion as I understood that My Bloody Valentine had a plethora of technical difficulties which put a damper on their set.
In reading up on Holy Ghost!’s history, I read that while dipping their feet in the rap game, Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser released an album produced by James Murphy, the founder and frontman of LCD Soundsystem. When their rap careers failed to gain traction, James Murphy suggested that they continue making music, but to make it dance music, thus planting the seed for Holy Ghost!.
In what I see as perfect timing, Holy Ghost!’s first album was released the same year LCD Soundsystem called it quits. Being signed to James Murphy’s DFA Records, it would appear that Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser’s band would be the one to fill the huge gap LCD Soundsystem left behind. Performing at the festival in support of their second studio album, my impression is that they may well be on their way in doing so.
The six member band took to the stage to the applause of a raucous audience. It didn’t seem as if anybody in the crowd was weary from the two days of stage hopping and swirling dust in the air. Influenced by LCD Soundsystem and New Order (with whom they recently toured with), their set was danceable and fun. The large band (consisting of 6 member if I recall correctly) kept the energy up throughout the set.
Holy Ghost!
In a moment of NYC cool (the founding members are from NY) during the set, lead singer Alex Frankel casually lit cigarettes onstage and smoked during a couple songs. It’s been a while since I’ve seen an artist do that, and for some reason I appreciated it. It was almost like having a smoke after successfully completing an arduous task as a symbol of triumph. After two days of great music, it was kinda what I needed.
Alex Frankel of Holy GhostAlex Frankel of Holy Ghost!Nick Millhiser of Holy Ghost!Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost!Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost!
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
Members of MGMTA member of MGMT ran by me during their set back at Coachella 2008.
The last time I saw MGMT was when they played a tent at Coachella back in 2008 supporting their debut album Oracular Spectacular. The buzz around them was huge at the time, and their singles “Kids“, “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” were getting tons of radio play. I remember their set being energetic and raucous, with the band members jumping off stage to run through the packed crowd. One of the guys ran right by me.
My interest in the band tapered off a bit with their follow up album, Congratulations, probably because it wasn’t as youthful and fun as its predecessor, but having looked at the festival schedule, I decided that I would at least catch the first half of their set before heading to the tent that was supposed to host Omar Souleyman’s performance (which in hindsight, was a bad idea as Omar’s set was delayed by about 30 minutes, meaning I could have stayed for the entire MGMT set).
The trippy visuals during MGMT’s set
Taking to the main stage, MGMT’s psychedelic video images and lighting was a far cry from what I remembered about them back in 2008. I sensed that they weren’t as carefree as they were 5 years ago, but I guess that’s just something that comes with age.
In a bit of a light moment, they called to the stage Henry Winkler (aka “The Fonz”) to play a huge cowbell for a song. Gimmick or not, it was a fun moment that indicated to me that the band still had it’s youthful playfulness that made them jump off the stage, and run through, the crowd at Coachella.
The Fonz (Henry Winkler) on Cowbell. More Cowbell!!!
Keeping an eye on the time, I was simply hoping that they would play some of the songs that I knew and loved and having played “Time To Pretend” and “Electric Feel”, I left their set with a smile on my face and skip to my step.
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
Shlohmo amidst the mist.
Earlier in the day I had watched Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well perform, and having done some research before the festival about different projects he had worked on, I found a video on youtube of a track How To Dress Well performed on produced by Henry Laufer p/k/a Shlohmo called “Don’t Say No”.
Intrigued by the sound and the fact that he was apparently working with Tom Krell, I decided to buy his latest LP “Bad Vibes” and after a couple spins on my record player, I decided that I’d put him on the list of acts I wanted to check out at the Festival. I’m not a big fan of DJ sets- I’m more of a live band kinda guy- but having enjoyed Flying Lotus in the past year at the Hollywood Bowl, I decided to swing by the tent where he was performing to check out a bit of his set.
As the “house lights” dimmed, and the smoke machines started pumping out a thick mist over the stage, Shlohmo came up to his DJ console and started his set. His live set was a little different than I had expected. “Don’t Say No” and “Bad Vibes” are very moody records, extremely ambient in there overall approach . The live set still carried the eerie mysticism of the music that I had purchased and watched before the festival, but during the fifteen minutes that I watched, it didn’t feel as lo-fi as maybe I had wanted. Missing was the interstitial feedback and ambient hisses that gave “Bad Vibes” its unique sound. The live show was almost too “clean.”
Don’t get me wrong. The music was good … the filled tent of bobbing heads was proof of that, and I love “Bad Vibes” (which sounds amazing on vinyl) …. but like I said, I’m more of a live band kind of guy.
To check out pictures of other bands I was able to catch at the festival, CLICK HERE.
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.
Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well.
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.
Tom Krell p/k/a How To Dress Well.
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.
Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.My favorite pic that I took of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.Confetti released towards the end of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs set.
#DKLPHOTOS 