I've only been to Pantages, so this theater was much bigger and the stage was round. We were sitting off to the right side. I don't know if it was the seating arrangement or because I'm too short, but the head of the woman sitting in front of me obscured the middle of the stage. During the first half of the musical, I all the action seemed to take place at the center of the stage. I struggled to peer around her head or over it, but after awhile I gave up. So, I ended up zoning out a bit because it was like I was just sitting there listening to a soundtrack. Also, the music was more operatic than I'm used to, which is understandable because of the name of the musical. I think I need to be able to see people's gestures and see what's going on to keep my attention. I liked the stage effects like the chandelier, the fire, the guns, and the boat scenes. During the second half of the musical, I switched seats with F, which wasn't much better because the woman in front of me was constantly moving around to see past the head of the person sitting in front of her. At least the first woman, sat still most of the time. Fortunately, most of the characters were running back and for on the stage and the action wasn't so much in the center. I enjoyed the second half much more. It kept my full attention and the music was good. I'm considering renting the movie just to see what I missed during the first half.
I was debating what I should wear to the musical, but I guess I had nothing to worry about because I saw some people who looked like they were dressed to go clubbing: mini skirts or dresses that looked like they should be tops. And I saw a guy wearing shorts!
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Cribs @ El Rey
It was interesting how none of the opening acts remotely resembled The Cribs. The El Rey is perfectly designed for short people. There were platforms on both sides of the stage and stairs leading down into the standing area. We were able to find a great spot near the front of the platforms and we were still pretty close to the band without having any giants blocking us. It was great! I liked the old fashioned theater look of the El Rey. It was in between Wiltern and Henry Fonda: not as new as the Wiltern, but not as shabby as Henry Fonda and it was larger than I thought it would be. I was surprised that The Cribs were playing somewhere that big.
Jeffrey Lewis & the Jitters
They sounded like Moldy Peaches with the quirky storytelling lyrics, but Jeffrey & the Jitters had better singers. The female singer looked really awkward to me, but W tells me that's just the NY look. Apparently, the NY look also includes guys wearing tight pants and plaid shirts because that's how Jeffrey was dressed and the guys in Ra Ra Riot (also from NY). J seemed to find the band very amusing, but S, W, and I were in agreement that it just wasn't our kind of music. Frankly, we were kind of bored a few songs into it. His short films were kind of funny (well, one of them anyways). Otherwise, I'm not sure how people get away with singing this kind of music. I mean, they're like poems you make up in elementary school and they don't even have to rhyme and apparently no one (like Jeffrey or Kimya Dawson) really needs any singing experience whatsoever.
Ra Ra Riot
I've never seen an electric violin or electric cello before. I didn't even know they made them! I hadn't heard of them, but W said they were alright. I was a little concerned when they 1st came out. They looked like they were all 16 and all the guys had afro-y hair and tight pants and plaid shirts. The girls were in nice matching dresses. They ran out on stage and started playing right away. They were really energetic and bouncy the entire time. Very catchy music. W keeps calling it frat rock. I have no idea what that means, but apparently they are in the same genre as Vampire Weekend, which I've heard of, but haven't really listened to much of their music. I think RRR sounds kind of like indie dance pop rock. They would sound pretty typical without the classical instruments, but you throw them in and the sound is much fuller, like there's an orchestra backing them up. The cello and violin definitely make the music stand out much more. All their songs were really catchy and danceable. Makes me wish I could actually dance instead of just bobbing around. And I noticed a bit of 80s influence in their music.
The Cribs
I was surprised by how many people were at El Rey. I didn't know The Cribs were so popular and the tickets didn't seem to sell out that quickly at the time that I had purchased them. They were much more punk live than they sounded on their latest album "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever". I know their older stuff was more punk, but live they sounded so different. They sounded fantastic live. Their songs were still recognizable, but sounded totally different live. They sounded better! All of them were really into the music. I just got into The Cribs recently, so I didn't realize they had 2 singers in the band. I prefer the sounds of the less punkier, raspier brother, but they both added to the music. There was an older gentleman standing by us who brought his fam (wife and son, who looked about 13) and he was TOTALLY into the music. You could tell he was a hardcore fan. He was headbanging so hard. I felt kind of bad that his son didn't seem to appreciate the music at all. W said he had headphones on the entire time. He must've had to turn up his iPod really loud to hear over The Cribs because they were raucous. And I was a little bit embarrassed to be standing near these skanky groupies who were yelling at the singers to take their shirts off. You're at a punk show, really? REALLY? I mean, yeah, the drummer was really good looking and the twins were attractive in a Billy Zane kind of way, but still. It's not a boy band up there on stage. Although, there was a ton of crowdsurfing. Fans got on stage, surprisingly, mostly guys. Some of them ran up to the guitarist and tried to hug him, which I thought was weird behavior for male fans. Some of the guys got on stage more than once. They were quickly removed, but it was weird. I'm used to seeing that kind of behavior from females. They ended the night like total rock stars. The guitarist started shredding his guitar against an amp and made this long loud speech (I couldn't understand what he was saying through his thick Brit accent, but I'm sure it involved anarchy of some sort). Then the drummer jumped over his drum set, knocked over his high hat, and they all ran off the stage. No encore. That's a first for me, but maybe they were annoyed that so many people got on stage? Also, the guitarist went crowd surfing, but was quickly pulled back and thrown on the ground by security. Surprisingly rough treatment for the headliner.
High Note: hearing some unexpected music and falling in love with it all over again.
Low Note: hearing the screams of a skanky girl and occasionally getting bumped by her purse that was bigger than her empty head.
Jeffrey Lewis & the Jitters
They sounded like Moldy Peaches with the quirky storytelling lyrics, but Jeffrey & the Jitters had better singers. The female singer looked really awkward to me, but W tells me that's just the NY look. Apparently, the NY look also includes guys wearing tight pants and plaid shirts because that's how Jeffrey was dressed and the guys in Ra Ra Riot (also from NY). J seemed to find the band very amusing, but S, W, and I were in agreement that it just wasn't our kind of music. Frankly, we were kind of bored a few songs into it. His short films were kind of funny (well, one of them anyways). Otherwise, I'm not sure how people get away with singing this kind of music. I mean, they're like poems you make up in elementary school and they don't even have to rhyme and apparently no one (like Jeffrey or Kimya Dawson) really needs any singing experience whatsoever.
Ra Ra Riot
I've never seen an electric violin or electric cello before. I didn't even know they made them! I hadn't heard of them, but W said they were alright. I was a little concerned when they 1st came out. They looked like they were all 16 and all the guys had afro-y hair and tight pants and plaid shirts. The girls were in nice matching dresses. They ran out on stage and started playing right away. They were really energetic and bouncy the entire time. Very catchy music. W keeps calling it frat rock. I have no idea what that means, but apparently they are in the same genre as Vampire Weekend, which I've heard of, but haven't really listened to much of their music. I think RRR sounds kind of like indie dance pop rock. They would sound pretty typical without the classical instruments, but you throw them in and the sound is much fuller, like there's an orchestra backing them up. The cello and violin definitely make the music stand out much more. All their songs were really catchy and danceable. Makes me wish I could actually dance instead of just bobbing around. And I noticed a bit of 80s influence in their music.
The Cribs
I was surprised by how many people were at El Rey. I didn't know The Cribs were so popular and the tickets didn't seem to sell out that quickly at the time that I had purchased them. They were much more punk live than they sounded on their latest album "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever". I know their older stuff was more punk, but live they sounded so different. They sounded fantastic live. Their songs were still recognizable, but sounded totally different live. They sounded better! All of them were really into the music. I just got into The Cribs recently, so I didn't realize they had 2 singers in the band. I prefer the sounds of the less punkier, raspier brother, but they both added to the music. There was an older gentleman standing by us who brought his fam (wife and son, who looked about 13) and he was TOTALLY into the music. You could tell he was a hardcore fan. He was headbanging so hard. I felt kind of bad that his son didn't seem to appreciate the music at all. W said he had headphones on the entire time. He must've had to turn up his iPod really loud to hear over The Cribs because they were raucous. And I was a little bit embarrassed to be standing near these skanky groupies who were yelling at the singers to take their shirts off. You're at a punk show, really? REALLY? I mean, yeah, the drummer was really good looking and the twins were attractive in a Billy Zane kind of way, but still. It's not a boy band up there on stage. Although, there was a ton of crowdsurfing. Fans got on stage, surprisingly, mostly guys. Some of them ran up to the guitarist and tried to hug him, which I thought was weird behavior for male fans. Some of the guys got on stage more than once. They were quickly removed, but it was weird. I'm used to seeing that kind of behavior from females. They ended the night like total rock stars. The guitarist started shredding his guitar against an amp and made this long loud speech (I couldn't understand what he was saying through his thick Brit accent, but I'm sure it involved anarchy of some sort). Then the drummer jumped over his drum set, knocked over his high hat, and they all ran off the stage. No encore. That's a first for me, but maybe they were annoyed that so many people got on stage? Also, the guitarist went crowd surfing, but was quickly pulled back and thrown on the ground by security. Surprisingly rough treatment for the headliner.
High Note: hearing some unexpected music and falling in love with it all over again.
Low Note: hearing the screams of a skanky girl and occasionally getting bumped by her purse that was bigger than her empty head.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Amar Collective @ Downtown LA Loft
Wing's band was going to play at this loft downtown. It was originally supposed to be a vinyl/lasagna party, but then they decided to have these bands play there as well, which I thought was pretty cool, but I was surprised that they would be playing music at night in an apartment. Then I saw the loft. It was HUGE. At first I was thinking, "Is this an apartment or some kind of lounge area?" It had this big warehouse kind of feel, but it was full of kitschy things like there were all these stands that were filled with wacky hats, there was an old fashioned cigar room w/ green leather furniture and things, a roomy living room area that was actually a good size for all the bands to play in, and some office space, and other areas to chill out in. That didn't even include the bedrooms! I wonder how much rent was there.
They made a good duo. The harp sounded beautiful and Ana had a very pretty, low, jazzy kind of voice. Reminiscent of Feist. Alina also had a good voice. Her singing complemented Ana's very well.
Brothers Landau:
Ended the night, for us anyways. There were still a ton of people there when we left and I don't think we stayed for the entire set. I wish we had though because they were very unique. One brother was on acoustic guitar and the other on cello. They started off with "Intercontinental". I didn't know cello could be so catchy. The acoustic guitarist had a good folky kind of voice. Then they got the party started by doing this fantastic rendition of Montell Jordan's "This is How We Do it". Everyone joined in for the chorus. It was so great! Then they did a bossa nova song and we were about to leave when all of a sudden they started playing (last thing I expected) King's of Convenience's "Homesick"!!!! We were practically going to open the door when that song literally stopped me in my tracks and I begged my friends to let me listen to the rest of the song. Beautiful cover and kind of awesome that some of the people knew all the words to the song.
Big Lovin’ Panda:
First band up. They were playing kind of old school early to mid-90s sort of rock. The guitarist and drummer are very talented. I loved some of the guitar solos.
Bombaster:
Wing's band. They play catchy, fun, indie type music. "Love is for Lovers" is always great. They used to be more shoegazey, but I'm liking the newer, faster songs.
They made a good duo. The harp sounded beautiful and Ana had a very pretty, low, jazzy kind of voice. Reminiscent of Feist. Alina also had a good voice. Her singing complemented Ana's very well.
Brothers Landau:
Ended the night, for us anyways. There were still a ton of people there when we left and I don't think we stayed for the entire set. I wish we had though because they were very unique. One brother was on acoustic guitar and the other on cello. They started off with "Intercontinental". I didn't know cello could be so catchy. The acoustic guitarist had a good folky kind of voice. Then they got the party started by doing this fantastic rendition of Montell Jordan's "This is How We Do it". Everyone joined in for the chorus. It was so great! Then they did a bossa nova song and we were about to leave when all of a sudden they started playing (last thing I expected) King's of Convenience's "Homesick"!!!! We were practically going to open the door when that song literally stopped me in my tracks and I begged my friends to let me listen to the rest of the song. Beautiful cover and kind of awesome that some of the people knew all the words to the song.
Kaki King @ The Roxy
Matt Sheehy opened for Kaki King last Wed. His voice wasn't bad, but I think his music is too slow for me. It was acoustic guitar with drums. I thought the drums overpowered his voice and guitar playing. Plus, I couldn't understand anything he was singing, he mumbled through his songs. I tried my best to listen, but I had no idea what any of his songs were about, so then I would start zoning out.
I thought I had never seen Kaki King before until F reminded me that we had previously seen her perform at MOCA and it was really long and boring. She did have a ton of fans though, but she came off as being very quiet. I had already told W that I would go with her, so it was too late for me to get out of it. I went to the show as kind of a n00b since W hadn't bothered to give me any of her music or her new album. So, I was dreading the show a bit because my only impression was of her at MOCA. Luckily, the show was extremely different from what I thought it would be.
She came out on stage with her acoustic guitar, as expected. Then she started playing, and I was in shock when the rest of her band came out. What?! She plays with a band?! So, things were looking up then. She started off with several very catchy songs, of which the names I do not know since that was my first time hearing them. She's got a nice Lisa Loeb-ish type voice. Not that strong, but it fit well with her music. Sometimes she would start out with this really catchy guitar tapping and then it seemed to get overwhelmed by the drums.
Some of the highlights of the night:
- "Montreal" started off with her playing then the rest of her bandmates came out one by one and as soon as the drums started, the song became one of the catchiest songs she played all night. Totally made me want to dance.
- She started playing this spacey music and quoting something about spice that sounded extremely familiar. Then it turned out she had been doing this whole monologue about DUNE. It was pretty geeky, but totally ep-to-the-fing-ic! I was like 'no friggin way is she talking about Dune ON STAGE in front of all these people!' And she was really passionate about it!
- Stories about Amy Tan dressing as a dominatrix in her band.
- The cover of Fashion Tattoo by Bubonix. AMAZING. It was like she was being ironic because she sings all these indie, folky songs and then all of a sudden she was singing this punk song and she did some emo screaming. I didn't know she had it in her. It was impressive!
Overall, she put on a great show. W told me that on this album she started singing and having a band, which totally deviated from her previous albums. I think it's a good direction to go in. It gives her a fuller sound and makes her a bit more radio friendly. Like the song "Pull Me Out Alive" reminded me of The Cranberries.
She had A LOT of male fans. They must realize she's gay, but I guess they don't care.
Why is it that any time there is a short person standing around at a show, a tall person MUST stand in front of them? I will call this Connie's Law. Guaranteed at every single show I've been to a tall person has stood in front of me at LEAST once. And at this show the law escalated because these 2 ridiculously tall people stood right at the front of the stage. Kaki King is already short enough as it is, but with this tall, balding, old man standing in front of her, you couldn't even see her at all! I mostly saw his bald head for half the night! He must've been like mid-fifties. What was he even doing there?! ESPECIALLY, at the front of the stage?! There should be a height limit for people who stand at the front of the stage.
High Note: In reference to the tall guys and one girl behind me said "Tall people need to die."
I thought I had never seen Kaki King before until F reminded me that we had previously seen her perform at MOCA and it was really long and boring. She did have a ton of fans though, but she came off as being very quiet. I had already told W that I would go with her, so it was too late for me to get out of it. I went to the show as kind of a n00b since W hadn't bothered to give me any of her music or her new album. So, I was dreading the show a bit because my only impression was of her at MOCA. Luckily, the show was extremely different from what I thought it would be.
She came out on stage with her acoustic guitar, as expected. Then she started playing, and I was in shock when the rest of her band came out. What?! She plays with a band?! So, things were looking up then. She started off with several very catchy songs, of which the names I do not know since that was my first time hearing them. She's got a nice Lisa Loeb-ish type voice. Not that strong, but it fit well with her music. Sometimes she would start out with this really catchy guitar tapping and then it seemed to get overwhelmed by the drums.
Some of the highlights of the night:
- "Montreal" started off with her playing then the rest of her bandmates came out one by one and as soon as the drums started, the song became one of the catchiest songs she played all night. Totally made me want to dance.
- She started playing this spacey music and quoting something about spice that sounded extremely familiar. Then it turned out she had been doing this whole monologue about DUNE. It was pretty geeky, but totally ep-to-the-fing-ic! I was like 'no friggin way is she talking about Dune ON STAGE in front of all these people!' And she was really passionate about it!
- Stories about Amy Tan dressing as a dominatrix in her band.
- The cover of Fashion Tattoo by Bubonix. AMAZING. It was like she was being ironic because she sings all these indie, folky songs and then all of a sudden she was singing this punk song and she did some emo screaming. I didn't know she had it in her. It was impressive!
Overall, she put on a great show. W told me that on this album she started singing and having a band, which totally deviated from her previous albums. I think it's a good direction to go in. It gives her a fuller sound and makes her a bit more radio friendly. Like the song "Pull Me Out Alive" reminded me of The Cranberries.
She had A LOT of male fans. They must realize she's gay, but I guess they don't care.
Why is it that any time there is a short person standing around at a show, a tall person MUST stand in front of them? I will call this Connie's Law. Guaranteed at every single show I've been to a tall person has stood in front of me at LEAST once. And at this show the law escalated because these 2 ridiculously tall people stood right at the front of the stage. Kaki King is already short enough as it is, but with this tall, balding, old man standing in front of her, you couldn't even see her at all! I mostly saw his bald head for half the night! He must've been like mid-fifties. What was he even doing there?! ESPECIALLY, at the front of the stage?! There should be a height limit for people who stand at the front of the stage.
High Note: In reference to the tall guys and one girl behind me said "Tall people need to die."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
High Fidelity on mix tapes
"You can't have white music and black music together, unless the white music sounds like black music, and you can't have two tracks by the same artist side by side, unless you've done the whole thing in pairs."
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