“KNPB Presents Cargo Live” will tape it’s final show on Friday night, with a line-up featuring MisterWives, Crash Kings, Soft White Sixties, and Moondog Matinee. The music showcase will be hosted by Cargo at the Whitney Peak Hotel in Reno, Nevada. [Read more…]
“Do you want more?” Mette Lindberg at Bimbo’s 365 Club in San Francisco Friday night, to a crowd mesmerized by the amazing show put on by The Asteroids Galaxy Tour. Kicking off a new headlining tour, following a summer of festival appearances and the debut of Bring Us Together, their third studio album last month, the group, as she put it at one point during the hour and a half set, got to play a lot of their new songs. This was my first time seeing the band live (I was always traveling in past opportunities), and I have to say it definitely ranks I think within the top five of my favorite concerts so far in 2014. Incredible music to be sure, but they bring it to life in a concert setting in a way that truly surprised and impressed me. Mette’s vocals were just spot on, and the sound was dialed in perfectly, and the band has a way of bringing their brilliant sound to life on stage that has to be seen and heard to truly appreciate. I came away from the show a much bigger fan to be sure, and will definitely turn out for any future show that I can to experience it all over again. One of the best newer bands active today.
“We keep moving back now, further back to the 70s… you guys are fans of the 70s, right?” Daryl Hall and John Oates continued to delve deep into their catalog at their show at Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Thursday night. With a seemingly endless reservoir of top hits, the number one duo of all time were in a special groove. I’ve always counted them as one of the top live acts of all time, and every time I see them play I feel that sentiment more strongly. As incredible as their studio cuts of each song are, they come to life in such a special way at their live shows. There is an element of improvisation and a kind of subconscious jamming among the band where they can riff and extend songs out in a way that makes everything fresh and new and unpredictable. And somehow better than ever. They usually hit Mountain Winery every year, but were missed in 2013, so it was great to have them return this year.
I usually open my reviews with a quote from the headlining artist, but the Melvins were pretty much all business at Assembly Music Hall on Wednesday night, kicking off their “Hold It In” tour in Sacramento. Quite the prolific band, they released their album Hold It In the day before, a collaboration with Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover, with Butthole Surfers members Paul Leary and Jeff Pinkus. On stage last night were all but Paul Leary. With a democratic stage set up, featuring Dale Crover at center on drums with King Buzzo and Jeff Pinkus flanking either side, they are one of those interesting collaborations that seems to lack ego. Just as their music is balanced by the contributions of each player – though with a lot of variety and variation song to song – each seems to hold their own with their live show, and the sonic spotlight seems to shift around as called for by moments and breaks in each song. The star of the band is really the music, and it’s eclectic style that doesn’t really fit into any particular genre (though there are strong foundations of both metal and punk at the heart of it). Truly an important band, in a historical sense, though that wouldn’t matter as much if they didn’t make compelling music or put on a killer live show, and in their case, they do both. Definitely a tour with catching as 2014 races to conclusion.
Innovative American drummer Terry Bozzio will be finishing his solo North American tour in California later this month, before taking his massive drum kit overseas to Japan for more concerts in November. Best known for his work with Frank Zappa and Missing Persons, Bozzio has had a fascinating career and developed innumerable innovations in drumming. [Read more…]
Four-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Olivia Newton-John has a number of live concert appearances in the United States scheduled out through February, so it is a great time to see her in the U.S. Certainly one of the top artists who has been active since the 70s, she’s had an incredible number of hits that cross over many genres and she has fans all over the world. [Read more…]
The Black Keys have spent a lot of 2014 on the road, supporting their latest studio album, Turn Blue from Nonesuch Records. Kicking off in May at Hangout Music Festival, the year has seen the garage/blues rock duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney take their unique blend of authentic music all over the world at headlining shows and festivals. Having taken a little break at the end of September, they will pick back up again in Minneapolis, crisscrossing throughout North America until the end of December. [Read more…]
Today, Alice Glass announced her departure from – and thus the break-up of – Crystal Castles with Ethan Kath. She made a short statement on social media, including her personal Facebook page (with her first post since July): “I am leaving Crystal Castles. My art and my self-expression in any form has always been an attempt towards sincerity, honesty, and empathy for others. For a multitude of reasons both professional and personal I no longer feel that this is possible within CC. Although this is the end of the band, I hope my fans will embrace me as a solo artist in the same way they have embraced Crystal Castles.” Crystal Castles, who I had a chance to cover and photograph at two shows (one in Seattle in 2012 and the other in Oakland in 2013), and they were as unique in live form as they were in studio recordings. I thought I’d bid farewell to the band with a pictorial showcase of photos I shot at those two concerts, some of which have never been published previously. [Read more…]
Garage punk band The Kills will be playing a handful of just seven shows in North America in the second half of October, kicking off in New York and finishing up in California, with the last stop appearing with Queens of the Stone Age in Los Angeles. While their last album, Blood Pressures, hit in 2011 on Domino Rocords, the duo have explored other media in 2014. Jamie Hince opened his “Echo Home” exhibit of photographic work at the Morrison Hotel Galley in New York in June while Alison Mosshart has had several original paintings on paper, canvas, and fabric included in “Push It”, a group show of female artists at ArtNowNY in April. Their work can be seen in Du Jour and New York Times T Magazine, respectively. [Read more…]
Modern Rock pioneers Violent Femmes are coming to The Fillmore in San Francisco on Friday for a special concert as part of their continuing celebration of 30 years since their eponymous debut, as well as appearing as part of the “Rock N Roll Wine Amplified Festival” in Las Vegas over the weekend. Known for a number of unique and catchy songs in the 80s and 90s, the band has not been terribly active in recent years, so both engagements will be sure to turn out fans of their singular brand of alternative music. [Read more…]