Live Music Reviews

AIR celebrate ‘twentyears’ at The Masonic

June 30, 2017 by Brett Ruffenach 1 Comment

Photos by Steve Carlson // Written by Brett Ruffenach //

AIR with Lo Moon //
The Masonic – San Francisco
June 23rd, 2017 //

What better venue could there be for a band like AIR than The Masonic?

Over the past 20 years, the French downtempo/space-rock project formed by Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoît Dunckel has produced several critically acclaimed albums, including their groundbreaking soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides”.

Recently, they released a compilation of their best work, simply titled twentyears, to celebrate the project entering its second decade. For those of us lucky to catch their transcendent set at Outside Lands (read our festival review here) last year, it was a no-brainer to catch the French duo on their last U.S tour before an indefinite hiatus, especially in a space as fitting for AIR as The Masonic.

Opening for AIR were Lo Moon, the Los Angeles trio currently riding a much-deserved wave of hype from its debut track “Loveless” that came out last February.

Combining some soaring, melodic indie rock with subtle ambient elements, Lo Moon set the tone for the evening. As a four-piece, their touring drummer Sterlin Laws certainly packed a punch at the right moments and offered a great opening act. I’ll have to keep an eye out for their debut album later this year.

After a short intermission, AIR took the stage, opening with their classic track “Venus” off 2004’s Talkie Walkie. The duo tours as a quartet consisting of Godin (guitar, vocoder, bass, banjo), Duncke (keyboards, including six different synthesizers I believe), a drummer and pianist (who also manned at least half a dozen synthesizers).

AIR’s live performances focus on capturing the crisp, detailed production style that the duo has honed over two decades. It’s a vibrant, textured sound. Centered around acoustic guitar, synthesizers and the breathy timbre of the duo’s immaculate harmonized vocals, the use of live drums helped round out the contrast between both the artificial and acoustic sounds in songs like “Cherry Blossom Girl”.

With the release of twentyears, AIR’s headlining set gave them the time and space to play more spacious, ambient productions. The ethereal rhythm of songs such as “Playground Love” and “Alone in Kyoto” showed their true mastery as a group: delicate, balanced and controlled.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t rock out when they want to. Early in the set (perhaps too early), they put on a heart-racing rendition of “Don’t Be Light”. Later the banjo was finally brought out, leading into a soaring version of “Alpha Beta Gaga”.

Closing with their classic “La Femme d’argent” that was led by a razor-sharp baseline guiding them into a massive, cacophonous finale, the members of AIR gathered together at the center of the stage and took a bow. In all white, with their charming French smiles spread ear to ear, they blew the crowd kisses and left the stage for what may be the last time in the Bay Area.

Setlist:
Venus
Don’t Be Light
Cherry Blossom Girl
J’ai dormi sous l’eau
Remember
Playground Love
People in the City
Radian
Alpha Beta Gaga
Run
Talisman
How Does It Make You Feel?
Kelly Watch the Stars

Encore:
Alone in Kyoto
Sexy Boy
La Femme d’Argent

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Air, Lo Moon, The Masonic

Chris Robinson delivers chills at The Chapel

June 28, 2017 by BenJamin Wallen Leave a Comment

By Benjamin Wallen //

Chris Robinson with Mapache //
The Chapel – San Francisco
June 21st, 2017 //

It was about eight years ago when a girl messaged me on an online dating website.

“Hey, I don’t think we’d be a good match, but I got an extra ticket to the Chris Robinson Brotherhood show in Oakland,” she wrote. “I see you like the same kind of music. Do you want to go with me?”

“Why not?” I thought. I had no idea who Chris Robinson was, and I said so.

“Never heard of him, but why not?” I replied. She informed me that he was a member of The Black Crowes.

I thought to myself, “Wait, a country band?” So, I did a quick Google search.

I had always thought that Chris Robinson Brotherhood were a country band, but boy, was I wrong. Instead, I came to find that they were an amazing rock band and quickly fell in love with their music. I wrote back to the girl, “Hell yeah! Let’s do this!”

That night, I fell in love even more with Chris Robinson as he blazed through a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues”. It was one of the most memorable nights. Not only was it an amazing show, but I also met a new friend and fell in love with a whole new band.

Well, years have past and I was able to see Chris Robinson Brotherhood on a couple of other occasions, including at High Sierra Music Festival and again at The Chapel last Wednesday for a solo acoustic performance — something that I imagined would be incredible and absolutely proved to be.

Robinson’s voice gives me chills and seeing him at a venue as intimate as The Chapel was truly amazing. You always worry about solo acoustic shows being hard for the audience to keep its attention at or that it doesn’t feel quite as powerful as when a band performs live.

Well, I can say that Robinson is even better as a solo acoustic act. The sound at the first of his two SF shows was impeccable, and the vibe was all smiles. Even in a near-silent room, you could feel it.

From start to finish, it was an amazing night. Mapache, an acoustic duo from Los Angeles, kicked things off with great songs that were led by wonderful harmonies. I’ve since added them to my “must-see again” list, but in the end, the wonder that is Chris Robinson stole the show. While the crowd politely kept it down, the music took to the air and enchanted us all. The highlight for me was when he played “Sunday Sound”, a song by Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud, midway through the set.

If you get a chance to catch Robinson perform solo, do it. You will not be disappointed. Just keep it down and get as close as you can. You won’t regret riding the rail for this one.

Setlist:
Hotel Illness (The Black Crowes song)
Bad Luck Blue Eyes Goodbye (The Black Crowes song)
Someday Past the Sunset (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Fables (Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud song)
Silver Car (Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud song)
Shadow Cosmos (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Blonde Light of Morning (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Hark, The Herald Hermit Speaks (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Glow (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Train Robbers (Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud song)
Sunday Sound (Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud song)
Good Friday (The Black Crowes song)
Blue Star Woman (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
If You Had a Heart to Break (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Beware, Oh Take Care (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
California Hymn (Chris Robinson Brotherhood song)
Jealous Again (The Black Crowes song)
Appaloosa (The Black Crowes song)

Encore:
High Head Blues (The Black Crowes song)
Oh, The Rain (Blind Willie Johnson cover)

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Chris Robinson, Chris Robinson & The New Earth Mud, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, The Black Crowes, The Chapel

B and The Hive bring the honey to The Mint

June 21, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Gina Lopez //

B and The Hive //
The Mint – Los Angeles
June 14th, 2017 //

Dreamy. Steamy. Sultry.

B and The Hive brought the honey to The Mint last Wednesday during the third stop of their Visions album release tour. The San Luis Obispo-based band delivered its fresh sound at the historic LA venue, drawing fans into visions of something real, something fierce.

I had a chance to hang with the band before the show. Frontwoman Brianna Lee, bassist Josh Barrett and drummer Hayden Gardener are the kind people who form a band that’s as real as the stories they tell in their lyrics. After soundcheck, I joined them at the vegan café that was a few doors down from The Mint. Sipping on locally-brewed kombucha outside as the sun set overhead, Lee consulted with Barrett and Gardener as they assembled the setlist, taking into consideration the vibe of the crowd. (They must have some good intuition because everyone at The Mint was captivated during their entire set.)

Just like The Mint and the Green Table Cafe blended together along Pico Blvd. to create some eclectic and inviting environs, B and The Hive have shown an appreciation for America’s rich musical past as they develop their style for a new flavor that’s simultaneously sweet and raw, unfiltered and organic. The band, which began its musical odyssey in the Bay Area as Girls + Boys in 2011, has a natural chemistry that’s electric — much like Lee’s Jimi Hendrix-inspired guitar riffs — allowing fans to jump right in whether they’re familiar or not.

This was the third time B and The Hive were performing at The Mint, which has been a local fixture since 1937 and has seen performances by everyone from Nat King Cole to Macy Gray, from Stevie Wonder to The Wallflowers. A rhythmical mural of Beat Generation poet Charles Bukowski and a startling quote of his that provokes passersbys to contemplation decks the otherwise unassuming, black façade of the venerable club.

We continued to walk down Pico with its vibrantly colored storefronts as the band shared stories of life on the road — about relying on the generosity of others and the relationships they’ve fostered with other independent artists over the years. B and The Hive are all about supporting and collaborating with these folks, particularly at smaller venues like The Mint that value and support the local music scene, so they were sure to reach out to their fellow musicians who were also performing at The Mint on this night to exchange business cards.

Black leather booths and crystal chandeliers with flickering flame bulbs created an intimate atmosphere for B and The Hive’s performance, which featured songs from Visions and their upcoming covers EP. Visions is an invigorating album, with evocative vocals and guitar from Lee. The LP’s relatable lyrics and musical depth draws from the nectar of a rich musical past to create a new and timeless vision, and you can hear more from B and The Hive with shows booked across the greater LA area for the rest of the month in support of Visions.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: B and The Hive, Charles Bukowski, Macy Gray, Nat King Cole, Stevie Wonder, The Mint, The Wallflowers

No matter what their band’s name is, JR JR are still a well-oiled, indie-pop machine

May 31, 2017 by Zach Bourque Leave a Comment

By Zach Bourque //

JR JR //
The Echo – Los Angeles
May 25th, 2017 //

The band that at one time went by the name of a retiring NASCAR driver headlined The Echo for an intimate performance in LA last Thursday. Although its genre can be hard to pin down as it floats somewhere between electronic, indie and pop, it’s difficult to dispute JR JR’s shear power of infectious charm, which was on full display inside the packed Echo Park venue.

Formerly known as Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr., Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein made a name for themselves back in 2011 with their debut full length It’s a Corporate World on Warner Bros. Records. Their fresh sound drew attention from the indie scene and LA public radio station KCRW but never seemed to find the mainstream audience that their music deserved. When it was announced back in 2015 that they had downsized (besides the capital letters) their name to JR JR, a move that coincided with the release of their third album, the Detroit duo managed to crack the charts and gain some radio play on stations like KROQ with its single “Gone”.

The crowd inside The Echo, which was packed to nauseating claustrophobia, was a wonderful melting pot that represented the band’s broad appeal. Hipsters brushed elbows with industry executives as they attempted to make their way to the bar. Closer to the stage, 20-somethings danced and sang along to “Gone” as did a few old-timers who we imagine might have been related to some of the band members.

Zott and Epstein are both wonderfully eccentric figures onstage, as Zott’s side ponytail afro jives perfectly with Epstein’s auto-tuned vocals that are performed via a telephone receiver. Plus, the two have no shortage of charming banter in between songs, and you can tell they have been playing music together for quite some time.

While the short set was used to essentially “focus group” new material from their upcoming album, JR JR were able to sneak in a few oldies like “If You Didn’t See Me (Then You Weren’t on the Dancefloor)”. The group also donated a portion of each ticket to a non-profit named JED, which helps bring light to the emotional health of teens and young adults. Epstein had several stories regarding his own struggles with anxiety and depression, but none of them that we heard ever shifted the tone off too far away from the group’s ubiquitous positivity.

It’s hard to imagine JR JR’s momentum letting up anytime soon. It’s been a slow crawl for the group, but it appears that the word is finally out and we anticipate big things from their next LP. And to think that all along, the biggest detriment to the group’s success might have come from Dale Earnhardt himself. Long live JR JR.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Jr. Jr., The Echo

Pallbearer, Gatecreeper fill Echoplex with plenty of doom & gloom in their return to LA

May 23, 2017 by Zach Bourque Leave a Comment

Pallbearer

By Zach Bourque //

Pallbearer with Gatecreeper //
Echoplex – Los Angeles
May 18th, 2017 //

Doom-metal giants Pallbearer stormed into LA’s Echoplex last Thursday in support of their latest album Heartless with support from Gatecreeper. If the names listed on the bill didn’t already scream “metal night,” the pit of black in front of the stage certainly sealed the deal.

Not everyone seemed to have gotten the message, however. A couple donning formal business attire wandered in off the street, leaving shortly after the doorman was unable to break a $100 bill. “You do realize this is metal night, right?” the doorman asked the couple as it swiftly left the venue under the cover of darkness.

With the notable exception of seeing someone in a three-piece suit at a heavy metal show, the night’s biggest surprise came from Arizona’s Gatecreeper. Vocalist Chase Mason was every bit the death-metal archetype, complete with black, waist-long hair and a guttural howl that hits you right in the plums. The group’s speed paid dues in the pit, which erupted midway through the set for periodic fits of moshing.

While many in the crowd were there exclusively for Pallbearer, Gatecreeper surprisingly had their own robust group of fans in attendance who never missed a chance to let everyone else know precisely who they were. The four-piece may not be breaking new ground in the genre, but nonetheless, it was incredibly solid live and certainly scratched the death-metal itch for those willing to indulge.

Gatecreeper

Hailing from Little Rock, Ark., Pallbearer took the stage shortly before 11 p.m. and couldn’t be more of a 180-degree turn from Gatecreeper. The band takes great pride in its doom roots and fully embraces the slow pace and clean vocals that the subgenre rewards.

As good as Pallbearer’s material sounds on their records, especially with the near-perfect production on Heartless, seeing them live is something else entirely. Despite only having seven tracks, the new album runs nearly an hour long, taking listeners on a sonic journey from one minute to the next. Pallbearer’s staid doom sound has continued to grow more mature and varied, and you can really get a sense of that seeing them perform live.

Pallbearer’s technical chops pair very nicely with lead singer/guitarist Brett Campbell’s killer voice, which sounds familiar and fresh. Meanwhile, the group’s collective sound really feels timeless — one that pays tribute to the doom bands that inspired them, and at the same time, one that remains accessible for a wide swath of metal fans.

Whether you dig your vocals screamed or serenaded, there was something for everyone at a packed Echoplex on this night. With an upcoming tour in support of Gojira, Pallbearer will return to Southern California soon to play the House of Blues Anaheim on August 5th.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Echoplex, Gatecreeper, Gojira, House of Blues Anaheim, Pallbearer

After more than 30 years, The Flaming Lips are still one of music’s most wildly entertaining live acts

May 16, 2017 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

The Flaming Lips with Klangstof //
The Theatre at Ace Hotel – Los Angeles
May 9th, 2017 //

Say what you want about The Flaming Lips’ music. You might call it strange, humorous or even childish. I guess that’s to be expected when one of your most popular songs is called “She Don’t Use Jelly” and another goes by the name of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”.

But not too many rock bands have been able to say they put on a show quite like Wayne Coyne and company have for more than three decades now. When it comes to live performance, The Flaming Lips are one of those bucket-list bands every live music fan should see at least once. Even as Coyne nears the age of 60, the Lips haven’t forgot how to entertain a crowd, whether it’s at a music festival or at one of their own stand-alone gigs.

I had caught The Flaming Lips live a handful of times prior to their show at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in LA, but never had I watched them perform in a theater, let alone one with a capacity of only 1,600. The show, not surprisingly, was sold out, and for a weeknight, it was impressive to look around the venue’s lobby and see a number of audience members dressed in costume for the occasion. And maybe it was only fitting considering this latest tour was named “There Should Be Unicorns” after the band’s Oczy Mlody track featuring Reggie Watts.

The Lips, of course, made sure to play that song, and even though it was without Watts, it still proved to be an unforgettable moment due to the fact that Coyne rode a life-size unicorn from one end of the stage to the other as he belted out lines like “Yeah, there should be unicorns / The ones with the purple eyes / It should be loud as fuck / Hope the swans don’t die” to open the tune while wearing a big smile across his face. If that’s not psychedelic to you, then I don’t know what is.

At any Flaming Lips show, there are always an array of theatrics. From confetti cannons and balloons to rainbow visuals, there’s a lot more to the performance than simply just the music. But that doesn’t mean the music comes second to the rest of the “show.” Halfway through the set, Coyne and his fellow bandmates — Michael Ivins (bass, keyboards, vocals), Steven Drozd (guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, vocals), Derek Brown (guitar, keyboards, percussion, vocals), Jake Ingalls (keyboards, guitar), Matt Duckworth (drums, percussion, keyboards, vocals) and Nick Ley (percussion, drums, samples) — unleashed an apropos cover of David Bowie’s 1969 hit “Space Oddity” considering it felt like we could have been living on another planet inside The Theatre at Ace Hotel.

Though the setlist hasn’t changed much since the Lips embarked on their tour in support of this year’s Oczy Mlody, they’ve assembled a collection of songs that any fan can get behind. In addition to dialing it back to the late 90’s with tracks like “Race for the Prize” and Waitin’ for a Superman” from The Soft Bulletin, the Oklahoma City sextet also worked in “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)” and “The W.A.N.D.”, two of my favorite cuts on the group’s 2006 studio album At War with the Mystics.

With the show extending past midnight, the Lips returned to the stage for one last hurrah, a three-song encore that made us feel young again (even for those of us who aren’t anymore). Yet, as they put the finishing touches on the night with “Do You Realize??” off their critically acclaimed 2002 LP Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, I couldn’t help but think that after almost 35 years on the scene, The Flaming Lips — unicorns and all — still throw one hell of a party.

How’s that for a Tuesday night?

Setlist:
Race for the Prize
Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1
There Should Be Unicorns
Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung
The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)
What Is the Light?
The Observer
How??
Space Oddity (David Bowie cover)
Feeling Yourself Disintegrate
The Castle
Are You a Hypnotist??
The W.A.N.D.
A Spoonful Weighs a Ton

Encore:
She Don’t Use Jelly
Waitin’ for a Superman
Do You Realize??

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Klangstof, The Flaming Lips, The Theatre at Ace Hotel

The Avalanches make their long-awaited return to SF after more than a decade

May 3, 2017 by Brett Ruffenach Leave a Comment

Photos by Norm de Veyra // Written by Brett Ruffenach //

The Avalanches with Jel //
Mezzanine – San Francisco
April 18th, 2017 //

Amid a flurry of incredible talent that made its way to the Bay Area in April, perhaps the most exciting to see on the list was The Avalanches, considering it has been over a decade since the Australian outfit has toured in the U.S. Walking into a packed Mezzanine on a Tuesday night, Jel warmed up the crowd with some impressive, live-produced hip-hop beats and some decent banter in between tracks.

Shortly after Jel’s set, The Avalanches took the stage, including the five-piece’s two founding members in guitarist Robbie Charter and Tony Diblasi, who manned a mix of drum machines, sampling kits and turntables. The group chose to take its “plunderphonics” style, consisting of intricately woven together samples, and turn it into a live band that boasts drummer Paris Jeffree, singer Eliza Wolfgramm and emcee Spank Rock.

Kicking off with “Because I’m Me”, the opening track on their 2016 sophomore LP Wildflower, which (ranked as my favorite album of the year), there was a clear issue when combining the mixing of their studio samples with what sounded like a conventional funk/rock band.

While Wolfgramm and Spank Rock could more than hold their own on the mic, the energy coming from the band felt discordant and awkward, forcing Spank Rock to work more as a hype man than as a rapper. As they made their way through classic tracks “Flight Tonight” and “Radio” along with more recent hits like “Subway”, something just seemed … off.

Taking their studio efforts to the stage as a live band may not have been the right decision for The Avalanches, and that’s simply because of what makes them so appealing: their sampling. Sampling, after all, sounds very strange when you’re performing live.

The intricate textures and layers of The Avalanches’ material is what people find incredible about them. Yet, in an attempt to translate these productions into a live show, they ended up sounding more like “Flight Tonight: A Tribute to The Avalanches” than the actual Avalanches.

Setlist:
The Leaves Were Falling
Because I’m Me
Frankie Sinatra
The Guns of Brixton (The Clash cover)
Flight Tonight
Radio
Subways
Live a Lifetime Love
Bump (Spank Rock cover)
Frontier Psychiatrist
Life’s a Bitch (Nas cover)

Encore:
The Noisy Eater
Electricity
Since I Left You

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Jel, Mezzanine, The Avalanches

Featuring members of AFI & No Doubt, DREAMCAR make their SF debut at Great American Music Hall

April 28, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Jared Stossel //

DREAMCAR with OSLO //
Great American Music Hall – San Francisco
April 9th, 2017 //

This was only their third show, yet for the headliner taking the stage known by the name of DREAMCAR, you would’ve thought that they’d been playing together for years. In a way, the four-piece has been, but the public hasn’t been able to witness its performances until now.

DREAMCAR, a new music project in the vein of 80’s new wave and modern alternative rock, is three parts No Doubt and one part AFI, with a lineup consisting of Davey Havok (vocals), Tom Dumont (guitar), Tony Kanal (bass) and Adrian Young (drums). If you’ve heard material from either band before, whether it’s AFI’s hardcore-punk-meets-goth-rock-infused stylings or No Doubt’s Orange-County-ska-meets-pop attitude, this side project is quite the departure from anything we’re used to. In fact, they sound incredible taking on this kind of music, and one wonders why they didn’t do it sooner.

Given that the band’s debut album doesn’t hit stores until May, we were only able to enter the doors of SF’s Great American Music Hall knowing the two singles that have been released so far: “Kill for Candy” and “Born to Lie”. The band’s setlist was comprised of entirely unheard material from the record, with select cover tracks peppered in here and there. Although there weren’t any singalongs this time around, a unique opportunity was presented to the sold-out crowd: just simply sit back and watch the show.

DREAMCAR’s lineup onstage included the addition of two female backing vocalists as well as a keyboardist to fill out the sound, making pivotal moments during songs like “Kill for Candy” stand out far more in a live setting. Havok’s showmanship is something I’ve always admired, whether he is captivating audiences in theaters with AFI, pumping up fans in nightclubs with Blaqk Audio or screaming his lungs out with XTREMIST. DREAMCAR shows Havok donned in suit and tie, singing song after song with incredible gusto and interaction with the crowd, at one point even jumping on top of the speakers to shake hands with people in the balcony.

With that being said, let’s not overlook the magical musicianship between Dumont, Kanal and Young. All three are ridiculously talented, as is evident from their years of writing and touring in No Doubt, a band that has explored a different genre on every record they have produced since the start of their career. When it comes to most supergroups, you’re seeing members from two or more projects team up, and sometimes it can take a bit for things to click onstage. With DREAMCAR, three of the four members have all played together in the same band for so long that they are able to pick up on each others’ playing abilities along with their habits, making them that much more incredible to see.

While we eagerly await the release of their debut album this May, DREAMCAR’s first show in SF was a great introduction for any Bay Area fan. It gave us just enough of a taste to want us hoping they’ll be back again soon.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: AFI, Blaqk Audio, DREAMCAR, Great American Music Hall, No Doubt, Oslo, XTREMIST

At LA’s Mayan Theater, Moderat transport their fans to another world

April 27, 2017 by Josh Herwitt 3 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Moderat //
Mayan Theater – Los Angeles
April 20th, 2017 //

One of the best performances we saw at Coachella (read our review here) this year was undoubtedly Moderat’s. As nighttime fell on the expansive polo fields, the Berlin-based supergroup mesmerized the crowd inside the Mojave Tent with remixes of Jon Hopkins’ “Abandon Window” and “Eating Hooks” off their 2016 critically acclaimed LP III, which ranked as my favorite album of the year. It was one of those scintillating sets that often remind us why we keep returning to the Empire Polo Club in mid-April — and one we’ll remember for a long time.

But when Goldenvoice announced its Coachella sideshows in and around the three-day, two-weekend festival, it was natural to get excited about Moderat’s headlining show on 4/20 at the Mayan Theater in downtown LA. Comprised of Apparat’s Sascha Ring as well as Modeselektor members Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary, the trio combines elements of house, minimal techno and Intelligent Dance Music (aka IDM) into a sound that’s solely their own. Because at a time when DJs have solidified themselves as the industry’s new rock stars for now, Moderat serve as a refreshing departure from the EDM avalanche that’s become so ubiquitous over the past several years.

At The Mayan, Ring, Bronsert and Szary tailored the setlist primarily around III cuts such as “Ghostmother”, “Reminder” and “Animal Trails”, but it was older material, specifically “Les Grandes Marches” and “No. 22” from Moderat’s debut studio album, that closed the set and kept even the biggest fans on their toes. In fact, up to that point, they had yet to play a song from their sophomore full length, with the entire set stemming from their other two records. After a brief encore break though, that drought ended as they unleashed back-to-back songs from II, including fan favorite “Bad Kingdom”, which offers one of the coolest audio-visual experiences you’ll find at any concert, electronic or not (see for yourself here).

Moderat subsequently circled back to III, performing “Intruder” before exiting the stage to a rousing applause. Yet, when the house lights didn’t come on right away, the suspense began to build once again. Less than a minute later, the three-piece reemerged, giving the audience more than its money’s worth. Two-encore shows are usually reserved for high-profile groups with extensive catalogs like Radiohead, but Moderat have never played by any rules. Rather, they indulged us with one final song from III, treating our ears to the slow burn of “The Fool” as the clock neared midnight. For almost two hours on this night, Moderat transported us to another world. And for those of us who had just come back from spending three days in the desert, that’s exactly what we needed to cure those post-festival blues.

Setlist:
Ghostmother
A New Error
Running
Running (Shed Remix)
Abandon Window (Moderat remix) (Jon Hopkins cover)
Eating Hooks
Eating Hooks (Siriusmo Remix)
Rusty Nails
Reminder
Animal Trails
Les Grandes Marches
No. 22

Encore #1:
Milk
Bad Kingdom
Intruder

Encore #2:
The Fool

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Apparat, Coachella, Coachella 2017, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2017, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2017, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2017, Mayan Theater, Moderat, Modeselektor, The Mayan

The xx luminesce the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium during their three-night Fauxchella run

April 27, 2017 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Photos by Norm de Veyra // Written by Molly Kish //

The xx with Sampha //
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco
April 17th, 2017 //

Between their highly anticipated performances at Coachella (read our festival review here), The xx played three consecutive nights in SF at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. Drawing capacity crowds each evening at the 7,000-person venue, the London trio openly expressed its gratitude for the Bay Area’s steadfast support over the years.

After Young Turks labelmate Sampha ignited a “love fest” with his standout opening set, The xx followed with an almost two-hour performance that featured emotive tracks and extended remixes from all three of their studio albums. Taking the audience on a breathtaking journey through light and sound, The xx, outfitted with their stunning new stage design, worked the title of their new album and tour “I See You” into the show. With filtered lights bouncing off rotating mirrors that were interspersed throughout the stage’s parameters, The xx used stark contrasts of chiaroscuro as well as dramatic LED screens to envelop each audience member’s sensory perception.

Playfully alluding to their material’s emotional sentiment, Romy Madley Croft (vocals, guitar) and Oliver Sim (bass, vocals) managed to entrance all of us with their tension-filled gazes and syncopated dance moves. Prolonging vocal arrangements, especially during their accelerated live interpretation of “Infinity”, were also stunning to witness. About halfway through the set, Jamie Smith (beats, MPC, production), aka Jamie xx, took the lead and transformed the room into a giant disco party thanks to an onslaught of consecutive dance hits before finishing with “Loud Places” from his 2015 solo LP In Colour.

After the show, I had a chance to catch up with all three band members as we discussed their feelings about the SF run and how it compared to the rest of their North American tour dates. While they said “it was the best run of shows that they had played,” I made sure to cheerfully reply with “you have to say that.” To no avail though, all three members of the band assured me that they were completely sincere about their statement. They expressed further gratitude for the overwhelming response they received from their Bay Area fans, which truly resonated through not only the transposed appreciation, but also the magic that was felt over the course of their three performances.

Setlist:
Say Something Loving
Crystalised
Islands
I Dare You
Lips
Sunset
Basic Space
Performance
Brave for You
Infinity
VCR
Dangerous
A Violent Noise
Fiction
Shelter
Loud Places (Jamie xx cover)

Encore:
On Hold
Intro
Angels

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Coachella, Coachella 2017, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2017, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2017, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2017, Fauxchella, Fauxchella 2017, Jamie xx, Sampha, The xx, Young Turks

A Perfect Circle make their triumphant return to SF at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

April 26, 2017 by Andrew Pohl Leave a Comment

Photos by Mike Rosati // Written by Andrew Pohl //

A Perfect Circle with PRAYERS //
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco
April 13th, 2017 //

In the world of rock supergroups, there are few that have sprung up in the last few decades that can hold a candle to A Perfect Circle. From the onset, APC have been a powerhouse on the senses, combining members from bands such as Tool, The Smashing Pumpkins, Failure, Primus and more over the years. Their body of work has been met with high praise across the board, and they have been able to solidify themselves as one of the most unique and tenured groupings out there, as opposed to bands like Zwan and Velvet Revolver.

It was a bit of an earlier start for a show even with it being on a weekday, and the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was only half full through the opening act. Hailing from San Diego, Chicano electronic-rock duo PRAYERS, who describe their music as “Cholo goth” and are comprised of vocalist Rafael Reyes and producer/keyboardist Dave Parley, initially seemed like another one of APC frontman Maynard James Keenan’s side projects given how Reyes looked and behaved similarly to Keenan’s “Country Boner” persona that he assumes with Puscifer, but after taking a closer look, it was obvious that wasn’t the case. PRAYERS’ music was a sharp contrast to A Perfect Circle’s, but they did have some awesome lighting, which helped keep our attention. As their set ended, the venue had sufficiently filled up, which wasn’t unexpected given that the show had been sold out for weeks.

A Perfect Circle kicked off their headlining performance with a giant shroud in front of them and a rad backlight on each band member that created five different shadows. They opened the show with “The Package”, the first track from their sophomore studio album Thirteenth Step, which was a great way to build tension. As he usually does when performing with APC and Tool, Keenan opted to stand concealed in a dark area toward the back of the stage and centered between guitarist James Iha and drummer Jeff Friedl, who were also on their own platforms in addition to Keenan’s. Taking center stage was the band’s creator and guitarist Billy Howerdel, who along with bassist Matt McJunkins, kept the energy at a high level by moving around the front area of the stage from right to left throughout the evening.

The Thirteenth Step-heavy set started with APC’s earlier tunes from their debut LP Mer de Noms before leading into the group’s awesome rendition of John Lennon’s timeless classic “Imagine”. Along the way, they ended up covering Brinsley Schwarz’s “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding”, which ultimately wasn’t much of a surprise.

As the night moved along, Keenan managed to get a few quips in, at one point mentioning that he could smell the marijuana smoke permeating from the crowd. He even stopped the show at one point to give Iha a chance to tell some vaudeville-esque jokes, which included rimshots from Friedl. My favorite was “Where do penguins keep their money?” … “in a snow bank” (ba-doom, crash!).

Although I didn’t get to hear my favorite APC song (“3 Libras”), I was stoked that they played “Magdalena”, “The Hollow”, “Weak and Powerless” and “The Outsider”. They winded down with “Gravity”, and for the closer, APC treated the audience to a brand-new song that’s called “Feathers”. This hopefully means that the rumored new album on the way may be coming out sometime this year, after their tour ends with a grand finale of a show at the Hollywood Bowl. With this supergroup, you never know, but they’ve been great about surprising us in the past, so keep your eyes peeled for more new music on the horizon.

Setlist:
The Package
The Hollow
The Noose
Weak and Powerless
Rose
Imagine (John Lennon cover)
Thinking of You
By and Down
Thomas
(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding (Brinsley Schwarz cover)
Magdalena
Vanishing
Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums
A Stranger
Blue
The Outsider
Gravity
Feathers

Editor’s Note: A Perfect Circle debuted a new song titled “Hourglass” the following night at their April 14th concert in Reno, Nev.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: A Perfect Circle, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Failure, Maynard James Keenan, PRAYERS, Primus, Puscifer, The Smashing Pumpkins, Tool

At a sold-out Fox Theater Oakland, the live-band experience puts Bonobo in a league of his own

April 25, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Kory Thibeault //

Bonobo (Live) //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
April 12th, 2017 //

Simon Green, aka Bonobo, stands in a league of his own. Over the years, the British musician, producer and DJ has incorporated a wide range of influences into his music, creating a texture that is familiar yet completely unique.

Bonobo’s DJ sets exemplify his eclectic taste in music, but it’s his live performances that really award him great accolades. Green is often supported by six, sometimes even more, incredibly talented musicians who help craft his music into the performance art that it truly is.

The last Bonobo live-band tour came in 2014, so it was no surprise to see him sell out the Fox Theater in Oakland. The energy inside the venue was brimming with a bunch of hungry fans moving freely to the music.

The evening saw the band flow in between songs as members came and went throughout the set. The most notable guest was vocalist Szjerdene, who was featured on a number of tracks, with her vocals soaring powerfully over the room while her stage presence commanded our attention throughout the show.

While Bonobo’s 2017 tour has been in support of his new album Migration, his discography includes six full-length releases over the course of nearly 20 years. On this night, the band crushed throwbacks like “Ketto” off 2006’s Days to Come as well as “Kiara” off 2010’s Black Sands. The fluidity between songs showcased Green’s calculated expansion of the Bonobo sound, always being true to himself as he explores the lengths to which he can push his art.

When the set finished, it felt short but absolutely full. Everyone was satisfied, yet left wanting more. I certainly look forward to the day Bonobo plays a live set that lasts three hours, if we’re lucky enough to witness that someday. After all, there is nothing quite like a night of watching Bonobo perform with his live band, but that is just one man’s opinion.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Bonobo, Fox Theater Oakland

Milky Chance know how to make us feel good

March 21, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Photos by Karen Goldman // Written by Paul Ronas-Tanner //

Milky Chance with Noah Kahan //
The Independent – San Francisco
March 10th, 2017 //

I’ve been waiting for another writing assignment for a while now, so when a show at The Indy came up, I was quick to hop on the task. Usually writers choose to write about something they are interested in, but since I don’t consider myself to be a writer, I prefer to instead challenge myself by writing about something I have just experienced or wasn’t familiar with so that the ideas flow naturally, unprocessed and crisp.

It was a Friday evening when I headed to the City to meet up with Showbams photographer Karen Goldman, whom I had only “met” through Facebook. I have been to The Independent numerous times for a variety of shows, so I was excited to see what was to come from Milky Chance as a headlining act.

The first thing I noticed while walking into the venue — and one of the reasons I love the Bay Area — was the diversity throughout the crowd. I saw older men in suits cheering drinks with young dreadlocked men, middle-aged women passing around joints to their friends who “left the kids with our husbands,” some Asian women in their mid-20’s whose motto seemed to be “drinking fast is the only way to enjoy the night!” and of course, the always-popular folks who “don’t know who this band is so I’m just gonna scream and yell anytime I feel like it!” On this particular night, a multitude of cultures came together to celebrate live music.

Serving as the show’s lone opener, 20-year-old Vermont native Noah Kahan was welcomed with open arms and cheers. This “Young Blood” has been perfecting his craft since he was a teenager living on his family’s 133-acre farm, the same place where he filmed his music video for “Young Blood”. His melodic voice soothed the crowd as audience members swayed back and forth, occasionally raising a drink in his honor.

For someone as young as he is, Kahan performed in SF like a seasoned veteran. He was able to change chords mid-word, giving him a greater dynamic in his sound. As he continued his set, most of the crowd started singing his songs, proving that Kahan already has some loyal followers. But I was also disappointed by some those around me as they complained about work and their “first-world problems.” And this was exactly what Kahan was singing about. As he finished up, he thanked the crowd kindly before bowing and stepping away from the screaming fans who didn’t want him to leave.

After a short intermission, it was time for Milky Chance. The German folk group that consists of lead singer/guitarist Clemens Rehbein, DJ/producer Philipp Dausch and guitartist Antonio Greger released its debut LP Sadnecessary in 2013. At The Indy, the fans’ welcoming chant was quickly silenced as the three-piece got things started with the choreography of the stage lights matching the rhythm of the drums.

Not skipping a beat, Milky Chance showed just how much they loved their music, and at the same time, you could tell how much they were loved by their fans, who sang along to every song they performed. From the youngest to the oldest in the room, all eyes, while filled with joy, appeared to be fixed on Clemens and company.

I turned away from the band and couldn’t help notice how crowded the venue had become, to the point where I thought it might have been a safety hazard. I spoke with a security guard for a brief moment and was told that the show had been overbooked. It wasn’t all that surprising that the venue was packed because Milky Chance’s music makes people happy. This is a band that loves the Bay Area, and you can see it in their most recent music video for “Doing Good”, which was primarily filmed in and around SF. If music has the ability to heal the body, then these guys played doctor to their fans all night long.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Milky Chance, Noah Kahan, The Independent

Spoon give us plenty of ‘Hot Thoughts’ during their private show at Apogee Studio

March 9, 2017 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

Photos by Larry Hirshowitz // Written by Josh Herwitt //

Spoon //
Apogee Studio – Santa Monica, CA
March 7th, 2017 //

I don’t know why, but Spoon are one of those bands I’ve never given enough of a chance. I suppose I could chalk it up to the fact that there are too many options out there these days, that the market is simply too oversaturated, though it’s not as if I hadn’t heard of or known about them.

In fact, I even own some older Spoon albums like 2005’s Gimme Fiction and 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. But that still wasn’t enough for me to ever dive deep into their catalog and get hooked. In more recent times, they’ve been that band with the “Cherry Bomb” song in that ubiquitous Dr. Pepper Cherry commercial to me. It’s only been in the last couple of months that I’ve taken more of an interest after hearing what the group has shared so far from its upcoming ninth LP Hot Thoughts.

I’d like to think it didn’t take me nearly 25 years to come around to Spoon’s unique sound that borders somewhere between indie rock and psychedelic rock (call it psychedelic indie rock if you want), but that’s unfortunately not the case. I can’t call myself a fan yet, but as it’s often said, there’s no better time to start than now, right?

Spoon & KCRW DJ Anne Litt (center)

My curiosity in the Austin outfit took me to Santa Monica on a Tuesday night, where it was playing a private show for KCRW’s Apogee Sessions less than 24 hours after performing in front of a capacity crowd at The Observatory in Santa Ana for its second U.S. show of 2017. Apogee Studio has been home to a number of special performances over the years, one of which was The Avett Brothers in September (read our review here), but this one felt extra special due to the fact that we were hearing songs that hadn’t been officially released yet.

Hot Thoughts won’t drop until next week — March 17th to be exact — but KCRW DJ Anne Litt assured us before they hit the stage that just like every Spoon album that had come before it, this one really was “the masterpiece.” Less than three years have passed since Spoon put out their last studio album They Want My Soul, long enough for frontman and founding member Britt Daniel to leave Los Angeles and return to his home state of Texas. Daniel, who serves as the band’s primary songwriter, has watched Spoon go through a bevy of lineup changes over the years, including the recent departure of multi-instrumentalist Eric Harvey, but through it all, drummer Jim Eno has remained his partner in crime. It’s essentially why Daniel decided to move back to Austin, where Eno’s studio Public Hi-Fi is located and some of the tracks for Hot Thoughts were laid down. And along the way, they’ve added several talented players like Rob Pope (bass, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Alex Fischel (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and Gerardo Larios (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), with the latter signing on to replace Harvey as a touring member earlier this year.

At the center of it all, though, is and always has been Daniel, and as Spoon kicked things off with a new tune called “Do I Have to Talk You Into It” before seguing into the title track from their forthcoming effort, it was easy to see why he remains the band’s guiding force. After he won us over with another Hot Thoughts track entitled “I Ain’t the One”, Daniel sat down with Litt for a few minutes to discuss the writing and recording process for the album. For those of us lucky enough to be in the room, it was a chance to learn more about what makes him tick. In total, Spoon performed five songs from the new record, including “First Caress” to open a brief encore that left us eager for more. But as the five-piece rocked “Rainy Taxi” from 2014’s They Want My Soul to close, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this is one band I should have never slept on.

Setlist:
Do I Have to Talk You Into It
Hot Thoughts
Inside Out
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
I Saw the Light
I Ain’t the One
Rent I Pay
Can I Sit Next to You
Do You
Small Stakes
My Mathematical Mind

Encore:
First Caress (Live debut)
Rainy Taxi

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Apogee Sessions, Apogee Studio, Britt Daniel, Jim Eno, KCRW, Public Hi-Fi, Spoon

Run the Jewels spoil 5,000 fans in LA with special guests Zack de la Rocha, Danny Brown & more

February 7, 2017 by Josh Herwitt 2 Comments

By Josh Herwitt //

Run the Jewels //
Shrine Expo Hall – Los Angeles
February 1st, 2017 //

When Jaime Meline and Michael Render teamed up to form Run the Jewels in 2013, neither were household names all on their own. Meline, better known as El-P among underground hip-hop fans, had built a modest career as a beatmaker/producer, rapper and independent record label owner, while Render, aka Killer Mike, had garnered some slight fanfare for his collaborations with OutKast and fellow Atlanta emcee Big Boi.

Yet, in just four years, Run the Jewels have already reached hip-hop’s mountaintop with their politically charged lyrics and hard-hitting beats. Just take last Wednesday’s sold-out show in LA for example. With the duo’s third studio album still only a few weeks old, 5,000 or so fans poured into the spacious Shrine Expo Hall to watch El-P and Killer Mike fuck shit up (for lack of a better term). And that’s exactly what they did after opening sets from The Gaslamp Killer, Nick Hook, Gangasta Boo and CUZ.

From the moment they walked onstage to Queen’s “We Are the Champions” blasting out of the PA system, much like they did at FYF Fest (read our review here) a couple summers ago, El-P and Killer Mike kept the energy odometer at 100. They jumped right into material from their latest LP Run the Jewels 3, starting with “Talk to Me” and continuing in chronological order, before telling us to raise our hands in the air and flash their patented fist-and-a-gun hand gesture in between songs.

By the time El-P and Killer Mike dove into “Blockbuster Night, Part 1” and “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry” from their critically acclaimed sophomore record, the capacity crowd was fully entrenched in RTJ’s aggro-hip-hop stylings. But unlike most of the dates on their “Run the World Tour” so far, this one was loaded with top-notch special guests. Going into it, I had a good feeling that we were in for at least a couple knowing RTJ’s penchant for surprises and the fact that we were in La La Land after all. What played out, though, surpassed just about all of my expectations.

As soon as we heard the opening guitar riff to DJ Shadow’s “Nobody Speak” from his 2016 LP The Mountain Will Fall, I thought we might be getting an appearance from the legendary Bay Area producer and turntablist himself. Instead, it was the ensuing song that proved to be our first surprise of the night, as Detroit rapper Danny Brown emerged from the shadows to trade lines with El-P and Killer Mike on their RTJ3 collaboration “Hey Kids (Bumaye)”. Of course, as unexpected as Brown’s appearance was, RTJ had plenty of more tricks up their sleeves. One of them was the aforementioned Gangsta Boo guesting on their crude, raunchy RTJ2 track “Love Again (Akinyele Back)” as she has done throughout the tour, but as the clock hit 11 p.m., El-P and Killer Mike had a few more friends to introduce. BOOTS, the enigmatic singer/rapper and songwriter who worked on Beyoncé, was up next, contributing the same vocals he supplied in the studio for “Early” before a drum set was rolled out for Blink-182’s Travis Barker, who made his presence felt with a dramatic, blood-pumping finish — sticks twirling and all — to “All Due Respect”. And if that wasn’t enough, the Brooklynlanta team made sure we got to briefly meet Dungeon Family member and singer Joi via its RTJ3 opener “Down” before exiting stage right.

But while it’s clear that RTJ have come a long way even since their early days, El-P and Killer Mike made sure to save the best for last at the Shrine Expo Hall. It’s well-known, in fact, that they have brought out Zack de la Rocha from time to time, most recently in Washington D.C. during a pre-inauguration performance last month, but there’s still something exhilarating about seeing the Rage Against the Machine frontman grab the mic and go to work. Lucky for us, RTJ’s encore featured de la Rocha on both “Kill Your Masters” and “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)”, the latter of which is one of the duo’s most powerful and provocative songs. It was a fitting way to end the night, particularly in our current political climate, but at least we have El-P and Killer Mike to help us make sense of it all.

Setlist:
We Are the Champions (Queen song)
Talk to Me
Legend Has It
Call Ticketron
Blockbuster Night, Part 1
Oh My Darling Don’t Cry
Nobody Speak (DJ Shadow cover)
Hey Kids (Bumaye) (with Danny Brown)
Stay Gold
Don’t Get Captured
Panther Like a Panther
Love Again (Akinyele Back) (with Gangsta Boo)
Lie, Cheat, Steal
Early (with BOOTS)
All Due Respect (with Travis Barker)
Run the Jewels
A Report to the Shareholders
Down (with Joi)

Encore:
Kill Your Masters (with Zack de la Rocha)
Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck) (with Zack de la Rocha)

VIEW PHOTOS FROM THE SAN JOSE AND OAKLAND SHOWS.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Big Boi, Blink-182, BOOTS, Danny Brown, OutKast, Rage Against the Machine, Run The Jewels, Shrine Expo Hall, Travis Barker, Zack de la Rocha

Once and Future Band crush The Chapel at their record release show

February 2, 2017 by Kevin J Quandt 1 Comment

Photos by Sam Heller // Written by Kevin Quandt //

Once and Future Band with Kelley Stoltz, Dirty Ghosts //
The Chapel – San Francisco
January 26th, 2017 //

In an era where genre revivals have become commonplace, there is one that hasn’t quite got the 21st-century makeover it truly deserves. That genre is progressive rock. Its history is not a stunningly long one as its heyday was mainly in the early 70’s, but prog was a key element in the canon of rock ‘n’ roll for many decades to follow. Enter Oakland’s Once and Future Band to bring a forgotten style out of the shadows and cruise ships and back to the Bay Area’s indie music scene.

Having played in the Bay the past few years, Once and Future Band have been a well-kept secret among those in the psych-rock scene as they have supplied support for groups like King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Battles, to name just a few. Nevertheless, on this Thursday night in late January, most fans at The Chapel had to come to terms with the fact that the secret is out. This banner evening, along with the release of the group’s self-titled debut LP, was a new beginning for a band that has worked tirelessly to curate a sound and style all on its own while drawing in curious ears with a heavy dash of prog rock in addition to a laundry list of legendary influences.

Early arrivals were treated to a pair of SF’s finest rock acts holding down support duties. Dirty Ghosts delivered a stellar set of their choicest tracks led by Allyson Baker, who channeled the likes of Joan Jett in a most impressive manner. As the room filled for Kelley Stoltz, it was pretty evident that the word on this show had traveled far and wide. Stoltz subsequently proved why he’s one of the best performers in the Bay as his sequined jacket acted as a de facto disco ball while he utilized the whole stage as a manner to infuse more charisma into tracks like “Kim Chee Taco Man” and “Double Exposure”. Oh yeah, and he doesn’t like litter bugs either, so take note.

It was a bit past 11 p.m. by the time Once and Future Band took the stage, and those fans who feared a slightly delayed start would cut into their time to play were treated to a whopper of a show. Principal songwriter Joel Robinow, formerly of Howlin’ Rain, addressed the exuberant crowd, and many were simply thrilled to see him back onstage after recently healing from a serious elbow injury. Robinow informed us that we’d be treated to the new release from front to back and launched into “How Does it Make You Feel?”, a blistering fury of space prog that was complete with Beach Boys-esque vocal harmonies and more keys and synths than most folks can deal with on the day-to-day. A statement had been made early on as Robinow and his bandmates had fans at The Chapel eating out of their hands within a matter of minutes.

One of the most fascinating aspects of digging into Once and Future Band, and by extension, recommending them to all my musically-inclined acquaintances, is listening which influences they hear in their material, including acts such as Yes, Steely Dan, Zappa, Jeff Lynne and ELO, Pink Floyd and almost anything involving Steven Wilson. Even with a deep bag of influences worn proudly on their sleeves, Once and Future Band churn out a sound that is still as wholly original. “I’ll Be Fine” into “Hide & Seek” were highlights as the lengthy tracks weaved a path of concise musicianship held down by the ever-impressive rhythm section of Eli Eckert (bass, and vocals) and Raj Ojha (drums). Another highlight of the set was the second single released from the record, entitled “Tell Me Those Are Tears of Joy”, which featured the succinct guitar mastery of the ever-stylish Raze Regal.

An extended encore included the bulk of the band’s equally impressive EP Brain. Songs like “Heavenly Bodies” and “Destroy Me” were powerful closing statements for what was already a breathtaking display of prog prowess that showcased Once and Future’s ability to connect with a rather wide, growing fan base. The stamp of Castle Face Records and Burger Records also lends itself to the notion that something special is happening here, something that will catch on as the name continues to spread like the feverish wildfire that assimilates to Once and Future Band’s playing.

Filed Under: Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Dirty Ghosts, Howlin Rain, Kelley Stoltz, Once and Future Band, The Chapel

After two decades in the rap game, Talib Kweli is still fighting for what he believes in

January 26, 2017 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

By Joseph Gray & Josh Herwitt //

Talib Kweli with Styles P, K’Valentine //
The Belasco – Los Angeles
January 19th, 2017 //

Talib Kweli has a lot to say.

Though he has often made headlines by feuding with critics, internet trolls and celebrities (even Kiss’ Gene Simmons of all people) on Twitter, the 41-year-old Brooklyn emcee is fine with governing the inconvenient space. Hell, his social-media presence, ripe with over one million Twitter followers, surely helped him garner an invitation — alongside a host of your favorite rappers — to visit The White House last year and discuss the best ways of reforming the criminal justice system with former President Barack Obama.

Kweli may never ride his social-media notoriety to Billboard‘s Hot 100 mountaintop like the meme-assisted Migos did with “Bad and Boujee” or video craze-pushed Rae Sremmurd with “Black Beatles”, but the veteran technician boasts an impressive rap résumé that has been built on razor-sharp lyricism and politically insightful artsy, both of which have dazzled so many hip-hop purists long before the genre overwhelmingly permeated the mainstream.

The reward for Kweli, despite never producing that big record to lift him to super stardom, is a loyal group of fans. Last Thursday in LA, many of them piled into the Belasco Theater’s lower bowl as part of “The Seven Tour” as Kweli made a point of acknowledging their longstanding love for him and hip-hop, even when it wasn’t the popular thing to do.

Talib Kweli with Anderson .Paak

Hitting the stage with plenty of positivity, thought provocation and several surprises, Kweli punctuated a rewind of his classic Black Star work with Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) with “Definition” before raising fists and excitement with “Move Somethin'” and “The Blast”, two organic standouts from Reflection Eternal, the longstanding side project that he formed with Cincinnati rapper/producer Hi-Tek two decades ago. With the diverse crowd at The Belasco digging his collaborative work, Kweli reminded us there was more goodness to come in the form of his forthcoming project with Styles P called The Seven (the only strange part was the fact that the duo didn’t perform any songs together at the show).

Styles P, the well-respected member of The Lox and Kweli’s latest partner in crime, came on just prior to his tourmate’s hour-long set, donning a backpack full of his signature hard and vivid rhymes but missing just one thing: a shot of Rémy Martin. After a number of requests, that too made its way to the stage, much to the delight of the crowd.

Now whole and indebted, Styles P got the party started by climbing over the front barricade into a mob of concertgoers as the self-proclaimed gangster and gentleman also became the people’s champion. He assured us, despite the changing and chaotic political climate, we would prevail (“We Gonna Make It”), get high (“Good Times”), spend money (“B.M.F.”) and remember the same guy who went against hip-hop titans like Diddy and Jay Z and came out without a major chink in his armor (“What Else You Need to Know”).

While Styles P and special guest K’Valentine — the curvy Chicago rapstress who used her gifted flow to speak out against Chi-Raq and her city’s highly publicized problem with gun violence — were well-enjoyed, Kweli turned to some more of his friends for a stronger jolt. Playing to the crowd with a black Lakers cap, he called Naughty By Nature’s Treach up for some feel-good throwback hits before Southern California’s do-it-all wunderkind Anderson .Paak punched the building full of unbridled energy with “Come Down” from his Grammy-nominated album Malibu.

While the vibes were free-flowing, Kweli made sure his show would continue to lean left on the eve of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Diverging from his material with some social dialogue, he took his good friend and “Get ‘Em High” collaborator Kanye West, actor and comedian Steve Harvey and others to task for being “crazy” enough to set foot next to President Trump.

“Trump can’t understand the black scholar. We can run the ball but can’t run the office,” he said in response to Trump’s recent meetings with prominent black entertainers like West and athletes such as former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis and NFL legend Jim Brown.

With the laid-back atmosphere abruptly being replaced by the reality of continued racial and social issues in the U.S., Kweli walked off the stage. But like much of his career, he isn’t one to shy away from a fight.

Instead, he reappeared after encore chants to Nina Simone’s “Sinnerman” as the backdrop of the famous song led into the determined “Get By”, still Kweli’s biggest hit that felt even larger amid the clapping crowd. On this night, whether it was convenient or not, the man with a lot to say made sure to give us a whole lot to think about.

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Belasco Theater, Hi-Tek, K'Valentine, Mos Def, Naughty By Nature, Styles P, Talib Kweli, The Belasco, The Belasco Theater, The Lox, The Seven, The Seven Tour, Yasiin Bey

Supergroup or not, Gone Is Gone roar loud at their album release party in LA

January 13, 2017 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Gone Is Gone //
Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA
January 6th, 2017 //

In music circles, the term “supergroup” often gets thrown around when various members of established bands come together to form their own side project. The 90’s were a particularly fertile time for supergroups, with the Seattle grunge movement paving the way for offshoots like Mad Season and Temple of the Dog, which a little more than three months ago, reunited and toured for the first time ever to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of their self-titled debut LP. But as the digital age has taken the industry by storm over the past decade, supergroups have become fewer and farther between.

Gone Is Gone are one of those rare supergroups that have emerged in the post-millennium era, even if the quartet doesn’t boast the same sort of star power that Audioslave and Velvet Revolver had in the early 2000’s. Instead, it’s a collection of musicians who all complement each other’s playing quite well, fusing Mastodon vocalist/bassist Troy Sanders’ deep bellow with Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen’s atmospheric riffs, At the Drive-In drummer Tony Hajjar’s thunderous rhythms and composer Mike Zarin’s background scoring Hollywood films.

Sanders, Van Leeuwen, Hajjar and Zarin made their official live debut as Gone Is Gone less than 12 months ago. At the time, they had yet to release a single or any studio material, but that didn’t matter to the sold-out crowd at LA’s Dragonfly, the 400-person club along Santa Monica Blvd. that primarily books up-and-coming acts.

Since then, Gone Is Gone have unveiled their eponymous EP and most recently a full-length record by the name of Echolocation, which they dropped last Friday — the same day as their album release show at the diminutive Troubadour. And considering it was only the group’s second live performance, there was plenty of anticipation in the air. Gone Is Gone, after all, received their fair share of media attention in 2016, enough for fans of Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age and At the Drive-In to certainly take notice.

But no one, not even the band members themselves, know what the future holds for Gone Is Gone. With Mastodon, Queens and ATDI all expected to release new albums this year, finding the time to tour could prove to be difficult. And from what Sanders told us at the Troubadour, who knows if they’ll actually play another gig in 2017. The project, which was conceived out of the writing sessions that Zarin and Hajjar usually hold to compose video-game and movie-trailer themes for Zarin’s music production company, takes on a more cinematic feel than one might initially think based on the names involved. For Sanders, who is used to sharing vocal duties in Mastodon with Brann Dailor and Brent Hinds, it represented a “cool challenge” and “blind experiment” as he explained to Rolling Stone days before taking the stage in LA.

With floor space at the Troubadour tightening as the clock approached 10 p.m., Sanders, Van Leeuwen, Hajjar and Zarin stepped up to the plate and delivered a 14-song set of hard-hitting tunes over the next hour. There was the sludge-metal doom that often emanates from Sanders on Echolocation, Zarin’s versatility as a multi-instrumentalist, and of course, Hajjar’s kinetic drumming. But what was particularly cool to see was the space Van Leeuwen had to let loose, whether it was on his custom Fender Telecaster or a badass 12-string that he strapped on after a few songs. The LA native, who plays alongside Josh Homme in Queens of the Stone Age and assumed a similar role as the second guitarist in A Perfect Circle, showed that he is more than capable of shredding like a lead axeman should, putting his unique style and flair — Homme calls him “the best-dressed man in rock ‘n’ roll” and he’s probably right — on display without having to share the spotlight with anyone. It’s what makes Gone Is Gone different from what we usually see out of Sanders, Van Leeuwen and Hajjar in their respective bands, even if you can hear a little bit of Mastodon, Queens and ATDI shine through in the finished product. So, on this night, the foursome fittingly chose to close with the title track on its new LP, providing one last rush of blood to the head before it was time to leave. And then, just like that, Gone Is Gone were nowhere to be found.

Setlist:
Sentient
Praying From the Danger
Gift
Resurge
Starlight
Violescent
Roads
Dublin
Ornament
Slow Awakening
This Chapter
Stolen From Me
One Divided
Echolocation

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: At the Drive-In, Gone Is Gone, Mastodon, Queens of the Stone Age, Troubadour

Chris Robinson Brotherhood put the pedal to the metal at LA’s newest home for jam bands

December 23, 2016 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Chris Robinson Brotherhood //
The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles
December 17th, 2016 //

Back when MTV was in its heyday, I remember seeing the music video for The Black Crowes’ “Hard to Handle” routinely flash across my television screen. It was my first memory of the now-defunct Southern blues-rock band fronted by Chris Robinson, whose soulful croon for nearly 25 years helped the Crowes sell more than 30 million albums.

But despite all of their success together, Robinson and his younger brother Rich often didn’t see eye to eye. That’s why after two separate hiatuses, The Black Crowes made it official late last year, announcing that they were done once and for all.

For Robinson, the breakup signaled an opportunity for him to focus primarily on his other project, the eponymous Chris Robinson Brotherhood that formed several years earlier and leans more heavily toward the West Coast jam scene that the Grateful Dead pioneered than the feel-good rock ‘n’ roll that The Black Crowes were well-known for fostering in the 90’s.

At this point, CRB are a well-oiled machine. With five LPs — including two this year in Any Way You Love, We Know How You Feel and If You Lived Here, You Would Be Home By Now — under its belt, the five-piece has established itself as one of the hardest-working bands out there, both in the studio and on the road.

With the release of If You Lived Here, You Would Be Home By Now in early November, CRB had already been up and down the West Coast for a couple of weeks by the time they arrived in the city where the group was formed. It was a unusually cold, winter night in LA last Saturday, as Robinson (lead vocals, guitar) and his fellow bandmates — Neal Casal (guitar, vocals), Adam MacDougall (keyboards, vocals), Tony Leone (drums) and newest addition Jeff Hill (bass) — walked onstage at The Fonda Theatre for the very first time.

After all, since CRB formed in 2011, the El Rey Theatre has served as their LA home, like it has for many jam-related acts. But over the past year, The Fonda has reasserted itself as the venue for jam bands. Both Lotus and Galactic have made the move, with each scheduled to perform at the 1,200-person venue that’s changed its name a handful of times in February.

The Fonda, on this night, appeared to serve CRB well, well enough to mix in their newest material like “Roan County Banjo” and “New Cannonball Rag” off If You Lived Here, You Would Be Home By Now with covers of The Byrds’ “Lazy Days” and Robinson’s past solo project New Earth Mud. There were cuts from Any Way You Love, We Know How You Feel, particularly during the band’s second set as CRB plowed through “Ain’t It Hard but Fair”, “Leave My Guitar Alone” and “Forever as the Moon” before wrapping up with “Narcissus Soaking Wet”, which opens the eight-track record that reached as high as No. 118 on the Billboard 200.

CRB are among a rare breed of bands. With Robinson’s roots in Georgia despite moving to California more than 20 years ago, there’s still a Southern quality to his music. His unique voice puts you at ease, and although guitar is still fairly new to him, you wouldn’t know it from the way his playing jives so seamlessly with Casal’s. Yet, as a Marin County resident where friends Phil Lesh and Bob Weir also live, you can see where Robinson’s allegiances have started to lie. Intertwining elements of psychedelic rock, blues and jam, CRB are an amalgamation of Robinson’s many influences. Maybe no better example of that was their cover of swamp rocker Tony Joe White’s “Saturday Night in Oak Grove, Louisiana”, which showed up as “Saturday Night in L.A.” on the setlist. So, as Robinson and company closed with their own rendition of The Velvet Underground’s “Rock & Roll” that had fans singing along to the words Lou Reed once wrote back in 1970, it felt like a good way to celebrate a Saturday night in LA.

Set 1: Lazy Days (The Byrds cover), Roan County Banjo, Badlands Here We Come, Clear Blue Sky & The Good Doctor, Sunday Sound (Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud cover), Meanwhile in the Gods…, California Hymn, Saturday Night in L.A. (officially titled “Saturday Night in Oak Grove, Louisiana”) (Tony Joe White cover)

Set 2: Rosalee, New Cannonball Rag, Ain’t It Hard but Fair, Reflections on a Broken Mirror, Leave My Guitar Alone, Forever as the Moon, I Ain’t Hiding (The Black Crowes cover), Narcissus Soaking Wet > Rosalee reprise

Encore: Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground cover)

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Live Music Reviews Tagged With: Chris Robinson, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, New Earth Mud, The Black Crowes, The Fonda Theatre

In his new hometown, Jim James reminds us why he’s one of the most gifted songwriters out there

December 16, 2016 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

By Josh Herwitt //

Jim James with Twin Limb //
Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles
December 9th, 2016 //

If you want to know what’s been on Jim James’ mind lately, just listen to his new album Eternally Even. The frontman and primary songwriter for My Morning Jacket released his sophomore solo LP last month slightly prior to Election Day, and it’s by far his most political effort yet in his ongoing quest to promote worldwide peace, love and equality.

In that regard, you might think James Edward Olliges Jr. sounds like a modern-day hippie. Sure, Jerry Garcia is one of his many heroes (at least according to this Instagram post), but with all the turmoil at home and abroad right now, James’ message remains a particularly important one that each of us should apply to our own lives. Because no matter what your political beliefs are, we can all agree that the world needs more compassion and empathy, right? In the new world order of President-elect Donald Trump, it certainly couldn’t hurt.

But for as inspiring as James’ lyrics are on Eternally Even, it’s his songwriting that shines through brightest. While his debut solo album Regions of Light and Sound of God had its moments, it lacked the cohesiveness that the Louisville native’s latest studio work offers. From the opening notes of “Hide in Plain Sight” to the closing title track, the record flows seamlessly from start to finish — and no song embodies that better than the two-part “We Ain’t Getting Any Younger” (sadly, we aren’t). Neither is James, and yet, at age 38, he has become one of today’s most prolific and gifted songwriters. Between his work in MMJ, indie-folk supergroup Monsters of Folk (with Conor Oberst and M. Ward) and the Dylan-inspired collective known as The New Basement Tapes (featuring Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford and more), it’s incredible that James even has the time to take on another side project, let alone make an album that sounds as good as Eternally Even does in “a couple weeks” from what he told LA Weekly.

James is in rare company these days, amid a dying breed of guitar-rock gods like Jack White and Josh Homme who are not only capable of playing anything on six strings, but also on a myriad of instruments. And while Eternally Even feels in some ways like an opportunity for him to finally experiment more with keyboards, James made sure to remind his fans at the 90-year-old Orpheum Theatre last Friday that shredding is still a priority. Performing in his new hometown after officially moving to LA this year, he assumed the role of lead singer for much of the show as he and his bandmates from Twin Limb (also opening for James on this tour) played all of Eternally Even and half of Regions. But propped up by a stand onstage the whole time was James’ black Gibson axe, and you knew at some point during a two-hour set that he was going to unload some sick riffs like we have become accustomed to seeing from him at Jacket shows.

In a similar vein, James’ propensity for live covers extends far outside the realm of MMJ, and at the Orpheum, we were treated to his own renditions of The Velvet Underground’s “I’m Set Free” and Parliament’s “Come in Out of the Rain”. He even gave a nod to the New Multitudes, which James formed alongside Jay Farrar, Will Johnson and Anders Parker to commemorate Woody Guthrie’s 100th birthday. But no cover resonated more with the crowd than The New Basement Tapes’ “Down on the Bottom”, as James demonstrated why his guitar playing can transfix a near-religious experience for celebrity fanboys like Christopher Mintz-Plasse (who plays the character “McLovin” in the 2007 movie “Superbad”) only a few rows away from me.

As he has done for most of this tour, James wrapped things up with a forewarning about our growing dependence on technology in the form of “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)”, ripping into one last guitar solo to the sound of cheers from the audience. It was the perfect way to cap off a performance that mixed James’ psychedelic tendencies — his knack for getting weird, if you will — and his undying appreciation for soul music. That sonic marriage ultimately lays a lot of the groundwork for Eternally Even, with James paying homage, whether purposely or not, to his other musical heroes, be it Marvin Gaye or Bill Withers. And although James may not be quite there yet as far as stature goes, we just might look back on him in the same way one day.

Setlist:
Hide in Plain Sight
Know Til Now
Same Old Lie
In the Moment
A New Life
The World’s Smiling Now
True Nature
Dear One
Here in Spirit
I’m Set Free (The Velvet Underground cover)
We Ain’t Getting Any Younger Pt. 1
We Ain’t Getting Any Younger Pt. 2
Eternally Even

Encore:
Changing World (New Multitudes cover)
Of the Mother Again
Come in Out of the Rain (Parliament cover)
Down on the Bottom (The New Basement Tapes cover)
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)