Fishtank Ensemble
is definitely a strange name for a band, but I guess you should never judge a band by their name. At first I thought they were just influenced by Serbian music, but they were all actually from Serbia. Each member was very skilled in the art of their instrument. The singer had an almost operatic voice. The upright bass player was amazingly fast on his instrument (as was the accordian player) and would twirl it around in the air, which must be extremely difficult. I loved their mix of Serbian folk, gypsy swing music. I wasn't expecting much from Fishtank Ensemble because I had been disappointed so much by opening acts lately, but I was pleasantly surprised. This was one of the rare times when the opening act was just as good as the headliner.
Squirrel Nut Zippers
I was waiting outside for my friend who was about half an hour late. I got to see a ton of people dressed for the swing music. More Betty Page's than I could count, lots of 30s dresses, super high heels. I've never seen so many girls in heels at a show before. Then I saw a guy with crazy feathers in his hat chatting up this bum who was asking people for tickets. A girl asked if she could take a picture of him because she liked his hat. Little did she know she had just gotten an up close shot of one of the lead vocals of Squirrel Nut Zippers, Jimbo Mathis.
Here's another review that described the happenings of SNZ's performance.
Low Note: I wish I had dressed up for the show, but it was on a work day and I didn't have time to go home and change. :(
High Note: people were really nice at this event (it was a slightly older crowd. Not many high schoolers there) and someone let me stand in front of them so I had a great view of the stage. Also, getting to see the video performance of Ghost of Stephen Foster cartoon (made by people who worked on The Simpsons).
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Travis, The Republic Tigers@ The Wiltern
This was a night of unexpected events:
1. Taking the bus
2. Having Kogi Korean tacos
3. Travis having insane guitar solos
4. Bus being packed at midnight
I was originally planning on taking the Metro to The Wiltern to save some money on parking (public parking prices can be outrageous!). However, my friend decided she was in the mood for Korean tacos that night. Fortunately, the Kogi taco truck (http://kogibbq.com/) happened to be parked on Wilshire and Cloverdale that night, so we both ended up taking the bus there. I haven't taken a bus in forever, so it was kind of new to me and she had never taken the bus in LA, so it was completely new to her. The bus got us there within 15 minutes. Kogi hadn't even opened yet and there was already a line. I think over half the people in line were twittering and calling their friends to meet up with them at the truck. Kogi's following is pretty impressive. By the time we got our food (short rib, chicken, spicy pork taco; kimchi quesadilla; Kogi dog. All amazingly good btw) the line was already a block long. We took our food to a Coffee Bean across the street from The Wiltern, bought some tea, and began eating there. Halfway through, we got kicked out because "the establishment is kosher." Coffee Bean is Jewish?? We finished up and went into The Wiltern to get beers and a seat. The beer would've gone perfectly with the tacos. Wish we had them with our food instead of the crappy daily tea at Coffee Bean. I guess there's a reason why those teas are the cheapest drinks on the menu.
The Republic Tigers
were so bland and boring that I started thinking about things I had to do the next day. They were all over the place with their genre of music. It was like they couldn't decide what genre they wanted to be in, so they just decided to try everything unoriginal. On their songs they sounded like they were trying to emulate Joy Division, Alkaline Trio, shoe gaze, 80s music without the catchiness. They did quite a bit of echoing and high pitched singing, which sounded so synthetic. I really disliked it. Then as a last resort, they tried to pull in the crowd by unsuccessfully covering Blondie's Heart of Glass. The lead singer tried to imitate Blondie with a really bad high pitched voice. It was horrendous. I have no idea why he insisted on using it for so many songs because he was really bad at it. Also, why cover a song and make it sound almost exactly the same, but slower and worse?? Why not choose a cover band that shows off the lead singers deep voice? I feel like Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, or The Cure would've been a better choice. It's not that the singer had a bad voice, I just think he didn't utilize it very well. Maybe he wanted to show that he had more of a range: from baritone to squeaky high. Sometimes the music sounded catchy and then got ruined by singing that wasn't going with the same beat or more high echoing voices during the chorus. At one point, I could tell my friend was starting to nod off.
Travis
I was expecting them to be pretty mellow because of what their music typically sounds like. That's why we decided to sit this show out. I didn't even realize they used so much electric guitar! They had a fantastic set list that contained all the best songs from their new album (J Smith, Chinese Blues) and all the oldies but goodies (Driftwood, Side, Sing, Why Does it Always Rain on Me). I liked that it wasn't just a list of fan favs, but their favs as well and it was in an order that was related or transitioned extremely well. Also, LOVED the songs where they mixed two songs in one.
Side + Eyes Wide
I couldn't believe they actually played certain songs live. Humpty Dumpty Love Song, for instance, I had always thought might be too sappy to play live, but it was fantastically sweet. Also, the angry part of Slideshow was amazing to hear live!
And that guitarist...wow, I can't believe how well they hide him on their albums. He's like their secret weapon! It's as if they just let him loose during live shows. He was insanely good. I never imagined a band like Travis having a guitarist who played solos as if he were in a metal band. He was so rock and roll and just in his own world, which got a bit distracting at times, but he was so good I didn't mind. During their anthem, All I Want to Do is Rock, he climbed on top of a huge amp and started playing a solo with one hand, then behind his head, then jumped off the amp, and kept playing a riff with just one hand. On another song, he even played the guitar against a mic stand!
You would think a song as slow as Falling Down would be difficult to liven up, but Travis was able to do it by weaving through the crowd, serenading fans, and even slowdancing with them! At that moment, I really wished I hadn't decided to sit up in the balcony. I just had no idea a Travis show could be so exciting.
High Note: Travis puts on an electrifying show.
Low Note: Travis didn't play Flowers in the Window. I was really looking forward to hearing that live.
1. Taking the bus
2. Having Kogi Korean tacos
3. Travis having insane guitar solos
4. Bus being packed at midnight
I was originally planning on taking the Metro to The Wiltern to save some money on parking (public parking prices can be outrageous!). However, my friend decided she was in the mood for Korean tacos that night. Fortunately, the Kogi taco truck (http://kogibbq.com/) happened to be parked on Wilshire and Cloverdale that night, so we both ended up taking the bus there. I haven't taken a bus in forever, so it was kind of new to me and she had never taken the bus in LA, so it was completely new to her. The bus got us there within 15 minutes. Kogi hadn't even opened yet and there was already a line. I think over half the people in line were twittering and calling their friends to meet up with them at the truck. Kogi's following is pretty impressive. By the time we got our food (short rib, chicken, spicy pork taco; kimchi quesadilla; Kogi dog. All amazingly good btw) the line was already a block long. We took our food to a Coffee Bean across the street from The Wiltern, bought some tea, and began eating there. Halfway through, we got kicked out because "the establishment is kosher." Coffee Bean is Jewish?? We finished up and went into The Wiltern to get beers and a seat. The beer would've gone perfectly with the tacos. Wish we had them with our food instead of the crappy daily tea at Coffee Bean. I guess there's a reason why those teas are the cheapest drinks on the menu.
The Republic Tigers
were so bland and boring that I started thinking about things I had to do the next day. They were all over the place with their genre of music. It was like they couldn't decide what genre they wanted to be in, so they just decided to try everything unoriginal. On their songs they sounded like they were trying to emulate Joy Division, Alkaline Trio, shoe gaze, 80s music without the catchiness. They did quite a bit of echoing and high pitched singing, which sounded so synthetic. I really disliked it. Then as a last resort, they tried to pull in the crowd by unsuccessfully covering Blondie's Heart of Glass. The lead singer tried to imitate Blondie with a really bad high pitched voice. It was horrendous. I have no idea why he insisted on using it for so many songs because he was really bad at it. Also, why cover a song and make it sound almost exactly the same, but slower and worse?? Why not choose a cover band that shows off the lead singers deep voice? I feel like Joy Division, Echo and the Bunnymen, or The Cure would've been a better choice. It's not that the singer had a bad voice, I just think he didn't utilize it very well. Maybe he wanted to show that he had more of a range: from baritone to squeaky high. Sometimes the music sounded catchy and then got ruined by singing that wasn't going with the same beat or more high echoing voices during the chorus. At one point, I could tell my friend was starting to nod off.
Travis
I was expecting them to be pretty mellow because of what their music typically sounds like. That's why we decided to sit this show out. I didn't even realize they used so much electric guitar! They had a fantastic set list that contained all the best songs from their new album (J Smith, Chinese Blues) and all the oldies but goodies (Driftwood, Side, Sing, Why Does it Always Rain on Me). I liked that it wasn't just a list of fan favs, but their favs as well and it was in an order that was related or transitioned extremely well. Also, LOVED the songs where they mixed two songs in one.
Side + Eyes Wide
I couldn't believe they actually played certain songs live. Humpty Dumpty Love Song, for instance, I had always thought might be too sappy to play live, but it was fantastically sweet. Also, the angry part of Slideshow was amazing to hear live!
And that guitarist...wow, I can't believe how well they hide him on their albums. He's like their secret weapon! It's as if they just let him loose during live shows. He was insanely good. I never imagined a band like Travis having a guitarist who played solos as if he were in a metal band. He was so rock and roll and just in his own world, which got a bit distracting at times, but he was so good I didn't mind. During their anthem, All I Want to Do is Rock, he climbed on top of a huge amp and started playing a solo with one hand, then behind his head, then jumped off the amp, and kept playing a riff with just one hand. On another song, he even played the guitar against a mic stand!
You would think a song as slow as Falling Down would be difficult to liven up, but Travis was able to do it by weaving through the crowd, serenading fans, and even slowdancing with them! At that moment, I really wished I hadn't decided to sit up in the balcony. I just had no idea a Travis show could be so exciting.
High Note: Travis puts on an electrifying show.
Low Note: Travis didn't play Flowers in the Window. I was really looking forward to hearing that live.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Crime Spree in Candyland @ Crane's Tavern
Made up of some of the former members from the now defunct Bombaster, Crime Spree in Candyland sounds like a darker, moodier, more experimental version of its former Pixies-like self. I think I actually like the new sound more. Bombaster was fun to listen to, but it did sound heavily influenced by The Pixies. CSC sounds much more original and even when they covered two of their Bombaster songs, it sounded like completely new songs. Carlyn's singing has gotten much stronger, probably because she is now more of a lead singer. The sound is cleaner and more professional. The only thing I wasn't a fan of was Xander's singing. It wasn't bad, I just think it fits a certain type of music, but I'm not sure if it's this type.
Crime Spree in Candyland myspace
Crime Spree in Candyland myspace
Friday, March 20, 2009
Adele @ HOB, San Diego
Not as many people as I thought there would be. Bar seems to be in a very inconvenient place in there and I can't understand why they won't allow people to leave the bar / lounge room with drinks. They wouldn't even let me leave with a cup of ice. It was ridiculous. Sucked that I got stuck in the back because I'm so short. I saw the show pretty much in between these 2 tall people's shoulders. Sometimes I wish they would just set up an area near the front for short people and let all the taller people stand behind them. Not like we would be blocking anyone. :| Adele was fantastic live; she sounded as good as her CD. I was very impressed. And she was very cute on stage. Most likely she was still giddy from her Grammy wins. She was speaking so fast that I could hardly understand her.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Shabu Shabu Ya, Los Angeles
I was a bit scared of going here to having Shabu Shabu because it was a non-Asian area. Fortunately, the food was decently priced and didn't taste bad, but I felt like there should've been more of the non-beef stuff, but alas, that only occurs in Chinese hot pot. Service was as bad as I had read about on Yelp http://www.yelp.com/biz/shabu-shabu-ya-los-angeles. It took forever for the food to come out and the waitress didn't bring over water for the late arrivers. She also never brought out the edamame we ordered, but left it on the bill. The male Asian server was very nice though and even brought out an extra hot pot for a friend who was sharing with my sis. I did appreciate the indie soundtrack to our dining. So, if you're in that area and craving shabu shabu, no wait (which is a bit dismaying for a restaurant), and some good music, Shabu Shabu Ya would be the place to go to.
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