Mark E. Ortega

Sharon Van Etten’s comedic banter surprises at The Indy

July 2, 2014 by Mark E. Ortega Leave a Comment

Photos by Pedro Paredes // Written by Mark E. Ortega //

Sharon Van Etten with Jana Hunter //
The Independent – San Francisco
June 30th, 2014 (Monday) //

Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter Sharon Van Etten sure smiled and laughed a lot on Monday night for someone who features heartache prominently at the forefront of her songwriting.

This could have been due to a combination of things. It was her second straight sold out night at The Independent, she’s riding the wave of critical acclaim of her fourth studio release Are We There, and she has managed to prove wrong those who doubted her early on.

Despite her songs being so often daunting and bleak in nature, Van Etten was able to break up the heaviness with the levity of her between song banter. One crowd member shouted to Van Etten that she should do standup comedy, to which Van Etten responded, “So you’re saying my music career is over,” to even more laughter.

Though the SF crowd sometimes got a little carried away with their commentary throughout the show, Van Etten was always able to reel them back in.

Songs from her new release are much fuller in comparison to earlier Van Etten offerings and the benefit was instantly felt when performed with her talented band. “Afraid of Nothing” kicks off her new album and it did a brilliant job of setting the tone for the night as the set starter.

Backup vocalist and Jill of all trades Heather Woods Broderick brings out the best of Van Etten as a backup vocalist when the two harmonize. This was apparent on every song, the lone Van Etten solo song being “I Know” in her encore.

Van Etten has said in interviews she hopes she doesn’t get too much bigger, and she seemed right at home in the cozy confines of The Indy.

At one point in the set, Van Etten asked an audience member to share a news story tidbit, and the audience member asked if Sharon had heard about the exchange student in Germany who got stuck in a vagina sculpture. After relaying the story, Van Etten said, “Speaking of vaginas, this next song is called ‘Break Me’”.

Van Etten continued moving through her set, throwing in a couple of old numbers; “Save Yourself”, “Don’t Do It”, and “Serpents” were among them. “Don’t Do It” featured Woods Broderick set up some ghostly vocals in the background as Van Etten kicked things off with her guitar. Though a deeply dark and depressing song in its lyrical content, the crowd couldn’t help but bob their heads to Van Etten’s pleas to a friend to not self-inflict some damage.

“You enjoy sucking on dreams / so I will fall asleep with someone other than you / I had a thought you would take me / seriously and listen but..” Van Etten sang in “Serpents”. An ode to an ex-lover that didn’t believe Van Etten had the talent to make it, Van Etten proved she won that battle on Monday night having sold out a good-sized venue a second consecutive night.

Before closing her set with her new single “Every Time The Sun Comes Up”, Van Etten preceded the song with a story about how it was written while stoned with her band and asked the crowd if anyone had any weed to throw it up on stage and she’d swap them with a setlist. That was truly rock n’ roll and a good one to end the night.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Sharon Van Etten, The Independent

Broods, Meg Myers showcase emerging talent at The Indy

May 15, 2014 by Mark E. Ortega Leave a Comment

Photos by Pamela Garcia Aguirre // Written by Mark E. Ortega //

Broods with Meg Myers, Max and The Moon //
The Independent – San Francisco
May 13th, 2014 //

Tuesday night, burgeoning singer/songwriter Meg Myers played her first gig at The Independent in SF as she set the stage for brother-sister New Zealand synthpop duo Broods later that evening.

Myers took the stage in what seemed to be one of those low cut H&M black t-shirts and a pair of shorts that were short enough to where some questioned whether she was wearing any at all. The only noticeable bit of color being her red lipstick, Myers delivered a heartwrenching eight-song set that highlighted her vocal range and her capturing stage presence.

Myers opened the show with “Adelaide”, a dark song with an infectious melody that gets stuck in your brain quickly. The hook “I don’t wanna cry about it / I don’t wanna fight about it / I just gotta let go, I just gotta let go” sounds almost out of a Taylor Swift chart-topper, but Myers delivers it with a different kind of angst than Swift ever could manage.

Myers showed range as she tackled an assortment of difficult songs to sing. “Make a Shadow” sounds like it could’ve been written for Dolores O’Riordan during the heyday of The Cranberries. Myers delivered gut punches one after another with songs like “Say Nothing”, “Monster”, “Desire”, and “Curbstomp”.

“Desire” helped land Myers in my top five female vocalist uses of the word “fuck” with the line “Baby, I wanna fuck you / I wanna feel you in my bones”, which had both male and female crowd members swooning.

Myers closed her set emphatically with the extremely demanding “Heart Heart Head”, which builds to Myers screaming the song’s chorus “You’re in my heart, in my heart, in my head” before finally letting loose with a series of screams that brought the passionate and dark performance to a close.

New Zealand sibling synth-pop group Broods delivered a brief but catchy set as they begin to close their North American tour.

With the emergence of young talent Lorde from the region, others have been looking to New Zealand for any similarly talented musicians with the kind of command and ceiling that Lorde has shown in the past 12 to 18 months.

A few years senior to Lorde at 19 years of age, Georgia Notts showed there’s hope for her and brother Caleb Nott to achieve that level of success yet on Tuesday night. With a variety of ballad-type songs as well as tracks that had a large portion of The Indy making use of what little space they had at the sold out show to dance, Broods is definitely a band on the rise.

Comparisons between Georgia and singer Imogen Heap have been made for good reason. The song “Sleep Baby Sleep” sounds right out of the British singer’s catalog. The ballady “Taking You There” sounds like a stripped down Of Monsters and Men song in the best way and shows a different element to their sound than the dance songs that first brought most people’s attention to Broods.

Thrilled and at times seemingly dumbfounded at the reality of a sold out crowd in San Francisco, it was obvious that Broods were enjoying every moment of their 12-song set. They fed off the audience and Georgia seemed to make it a point especially to connect with as many audience members as she could, flashing her eyes at them while belting out their set.

Broods closed their set with “Bridges”, easily their most recognizable tune at the moment. “And we’re burning all the bridges, watching them go up in flames”, sang Georgia. On this night, bridges were only built as Broods established they have a solid fan base in the Bay Area already.

Meg Myers

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Broods, Max and The Moon, Meg Myers, The Independent

ZZ Ward begins Coachella week on a high at The Independent

April 7, 2014 by Mark E. Ortega Leave a Comment

Photos by Tom Dellinger // Written by Mark E. Ortega //

ZZ Ward with Grizfolk, The O’My’s //
The Independent — San Francisco
Sunday April 6th, 2014 //

Sunday night, in front of a sold-out crowd at The Independent, emerging R&B artist ZZ Ward proved that the old adage “pressure busts pipes” doesn’t always ring true. Ward brought her “A” game as she showcased her pipes both vocally and while breaking things down on the harmonica as she is winding down her tour before heading to Coachella this weekend.

Through the first few songs of her set, it was a bit murky as to where the show was headed. The Los Angeles-based Oregon transplant played a version of her hit “Til The Casket Drops” that was a tad understated, perhaps saving her voice for more difficult vocal endeavors later on in the evening.

Right from jump, Ward brought an infectious energy, both in the course of her set and in her between song banter. Early in the set, Ward asked if SF was ready to party. “I know it’s Sunday, but I don’t give a fuck,” said Ward to the laughter and applause of the crowd.

By the time Ward kicked into “365 Days”, one of her other gems, she had things in full swing. She went from one side of the stage to the other, posing and serenading each section for moments at a time.

Midway through, Ward played a bluesy sounding cover of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” before breaking hearts with her ballad “Last Love Song” (of which a music video shot in SF would be coming out soon according to Ward). That song didn’t seem to fit with the rest of the upbeat set, but lyrically it might be her best work and she brought back the energy right away.

Before “Cryin’ Wolf”, Ward asked the crowd about a time in their life where they met someone under tipsy circumstances, to which few in the crowd volunteered the information.

“You were completely sober and it was magical and I’m happy for you,” said Ward, which got the crowd laughing again.

Ward’s touring guitarist Erick Walls was absolutely incredible, as he wailed on the guitar all night. His contributions helped bring a more bluesy sound than what is heard on Ward’s studio work. In fact, many of Ward’s songs Sunday night sounded better live than on her studio album, a mark of a great live musician. That she’s been able to adapt her sound to the stage with ease speaks well to her future success.

Ward closed her 16-song set by coming out and performing “Blue Eyes Blind”, which had the crowd jumping up and down and waving their hands back and forth. Ward did a great job of building things up to a crescendo over the final 20 minutes, leaving fans wanting more.

Though it is still early, it is going to be hard to top her performance, which is the best I’ve seen so far in 2014. Anyone who has seen her on tour and is attending Coachella will have her marked down as must-see, and for good reason.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Coachella, Coachella 2014, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2014, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2014, Grizfolk, The Independent, The O'My's, ZZ Ward

Fitz and the Tantrums creep closer to headline status at Fox

April 4, 2014 by Mark E. Ortega 2 Comments

Photos by Steve Roby // Written by Mark E. Ortega //

Fitz And The Tantrums with Bad Suns, Nightmare and the Cat //
Fox Theater Oakland — Oakland CA
Thursday April 3rd, 2014 //

Los Angeles-band Fitz & The Tantrums proved Thursday night at the Fox Theater that they’ve moved into headliner territory — and probably for good. The venue was packed a full hour before they’d go on stage, and their charisma and energy left a major impression on all who attended.

The band played most of their 2013 album More Than Just a Dream while also reaching back for the choice nugs from their 2010 debut Pickin’ Up the Pieces. What made Fitz stand out initially was their original sound, as their debut album featured not a single song with guitar. Their recent release featured guitar, so the concern heading into the show was that their sound wouldn’t be as unique as it sounded when I first heard them at Outside Lands in 2012. Thankfully, the set applied guitar to just one or two tracks and relied on the vocals of Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs, as well as the unbelievable saxophone and flute work from James King and, as one fan yelled out, the “funky bass lines” of Joseph Karnes.

The chemistry between Fitzpatrick and Scaggs is part of what makes their show so enjoyable. They feed off each other and the crowd feeds off of them. During one of the ballads from the new album, the two share an “Endless Love” type moment as they serenaded each other to the crowd’s delight. The flute solo from King during “Tell Me What Ya Here For” had the crowd euphoric, as did “Moneygrabber” in the encore.

Bad Suns

Bad Suns brought an 80s sound to modern rock, helping fire people up for the headliner with a solid set. Playing to “the biggest show on the biggest stage hands down” in their career according to singer Christo Bowman. Bowman has a memorable vocal style that compares well to early-U2 Bono. Bowman could probably do a killer cover of “New Years Day” if he wanted to. At times his vocals were hard to make out but their songs are catchy and had people moving. They’re definitely a band on the rise and a recommended show.

Nightmare and the Cat (also of Los Angeles) opened things up and had a surprising number of followers out in support who were very up on their music. Singer Django Stewart displayed a memorable stage presence, as he seemed to be a graduate of the George Michael school of hip gyration, which meshed perfectly with their sound, which felt like if INXS had been brought into the 21st century with Michael Hutchence still at the forefront. “Blackbird Smile” was the high point, showcasing how well Django and brother/guitarist Samuel Stewart are at writing hooks. Interestingly, Django’s British accent is only apparent when he talks between songs and not very much so when he sings. For a band that’s been together just four years, they have things well together in a live setting, a promising sign.

Nightmare and the Cat

The only downside of the evening was some of the crowd themselves. One guy was severely intoxicated at the outset of the first opener and had to be that guy who seeks attention by yelling at the most inopportune times. Then there was the older couple that shot scowls to everyone in their vicinity, with the man putting his hands on a nearby lady for dancing too close to him and his wife. This was in the early part of Fitz’s set but luckily the wife decided to say it was time to leave, to the high-fives of everyone around who had suffered their intolerable behavior.

The Fox Theater is an excellent venue and served as a perfect stage for a fast-rising band in Fitz & The Tantrums, helping to announce the fact they can sell out well-sized venues away from their home base in SoCal.