Avid Dancer – Showbams

tUnE-yArDs put an end to summer, close out 2015 Twilight Concert Series at the Santa Monica Pier

September 16, 2015 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

tUnE-yArDs with Avid Dancer //
Santa Monica Pier – Santa Monica, CA
September 10th, 2015 //

Summer is officially over. Well, except for the fact that the weather in Southern California has been hovering in the high 90’s over the past two weeks.

So, what better way to escape the heat than to watch tUnE-yArDs play the last free concert of the summer at the beach?

With kids back in school and the tourist season dying down in Los Angeles, there weren’t quite as many bodies on the Santa Monica Pier or down on the sand last Thursday night as there had been in previous weeks.

But tUnE-yArDs, the musical project of New England native Merrill Garbus (drums, vocals, keyboards, ukulele), did their best to keep the small, but excited crowd entertained as the sun went down and the temperature cooled off. Playing one of the final shows with their current band lineup that features Dani Markham (percussion, vocals), Moira Smiley (vocals) and Haley Dekle (vocals), Garbus and Nate Brenner (bass, synths, vocals) ran through songs from their entire catalog, including their third and most recent full-length album Nikki Nack.

Opening the show was Avid Dancer, the indie-rock project of Jacob Dillan Summers, who grew up listening strictly to Christian music in a highly religious family before joining the United States Marine Corps and later moving to LA to play drums in a number of local bands. Now, with a guitar in hand, he’s leading his own band with his own stories to tell.

While the KCRW-sponsored performance marked the end of the 2015 Twilight Concert Series, signaling an end to summer, it also served as a reminder of how fun the past 10 weeks at the Santa Monica Pier have been for LA music fans.

Filed Under: Featured, Photos Tagged With: Avid Dancer, KCRW, Santa Monica Pier, tUnE-yArDs, Twilight Concert Series

SF Show of the Week // GO4FREE to Surfer Blood at The Chapel 6/8 (MON)

June 8, 2015 by The Bam Team 1 Comment

Written by Molly Kish //

Surfer Blood //
The Chapel – San Francisco
June 8th, 2015 //

2015 has been an intense year for Surfer Blood. With a rigorous touring schedule in support of their brand-new album 1000 Palms, a new record deal with UK label Joyful Noise and guitarist Thomas Fekete’s ongoing battle against a very rare cancerous sarcoma, the last six months have provided their share of ups and downs for the Florida garage rock outfit.

Amidst the difficulties it has faced though, the band has continued to come out on top by stunning festival crowds with its live show and new material as well as having singles from the album premiere on BBC Radio 1 and Netflix original series “Daredevil”. Furthermore, Surfer Blood has also brought attention to and inspired a crowd-funding campaign for cancer research and treatment via their GoFundMe campaign.

One person particularly inspired by the band’s advocacy, Bay Area photographer Maggie Corwin, even decided to team up with The Chapel to soft launch her own non-profit entertainment company called Alternative Cure and further promote funding for rare cancer research. After losing her father in December 2014 to the exact same type of sarcoma that Fekete is currently battling, Corwin recognized the importance of living every day in the moment and has taken it upon herself to establish an organization to help others in similar situations.

“Alternative Cure hopes to create lasting memories through the gift of music and relieve stress that is associated with the fight against cancer,” Corwin says.

By providing free concert tickets and VIP experiences for cancer patients and their families through affiliated venues and production crews, Alternative Cure aims to offer cancer patients the opportunity to create lasting memories with loved ones through the gift of music.

Enter below for your chance to partake in the soft opening of Alternative Care at The Chapel with a live performance by Surfer Blood. All donations received will be transferred directly to Fekete for continued treatment and medical expenses.

Contest ends Monday, June 8th at 3 p.m.

Follow Showbams on Twitter for more contest giveaways throughout the week. Be the first to respond to our contest tweets to GO4FREE to these shows:

• Hamilton Leithauser: Wednesday, June 10th at The Independent
• Avid Dancer: Wednesday, June 10th at Brick & Mortar Music Hall
• Gateway Drugs: Wednesday, June 10th at Leo’s Music Club
• Midnight Magic (Summer Soul Roller Disco): Saturday, June 13th at Mezzanine
• Delta Spirit: Sunday, June 14th at The Independent
• Pure Bathing Culture: Sunday, June 14th at The Chapel

Enter your name (First and Last) along with your email below. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on the day the contest ends (details above).

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Avid Dancer, Brick & Mortar Music Hall, Delta Spirit, Gateway Drugs, Hamilton Leithauser, Leo's Music Club, Mezzanine, Midnight Magic, Pure Bathing Culture, Surfer Blood, The Chapel, The Independent, Thomas Fekete

Cold War Kids, WATERS & Avid Dancer bring the fun to Fox Theater Oakland

November 24, 2014 by James Nagel 1 Comment

By James Nagel //

Cold War Kids with WATERS, Avid Dancer //
Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland
October 21st, 2014 //

Friday night’s show began with fans trickling in as the first opener, Avid Dancer, took the stage. Stoic front man Jacob Dillan Summers gave a solid performance that held the attention of the crowd, and even garnered loud cheers as the band returned to the stage after the set to retrieve their equipment. They seemed a bit stiff though, sticking close to their mic stands like a baby cub to its momma bear. This was especially evident as Summers concluded the show with a The Who-inspired guitar slam, which looked more like an apathetic drop. That said, they were still entertaining.

Local talent-on-the-rise WATERS was up next and actually drew more media to the photo pit than Cold War Kids. Flowers embellished the stage as the SF locals woo’ed the audience with their engaging banter. Towards the end of the set they led a sing along, encouraging fans to literally ‘Woo” to the tune of “I Feel Everything” – it was a nice touch. It was also a great set, and fun to shoot.

*Side note, someone left a water bottle on the stage so I tried to get the band and the bass drum in a shot together. See for yourself below. I thought it was super clever, though some may disagree.

After some time between sets, fans pried their eyeballs from their cellphones to take in the experience provided courtesy of Cold War Kids. The stage featured a backdrop of a giant Skeleton, which changed colors throughout the show. Things really picked up with “Hang Me Out to Dry”, which was played about halfway through the set.

Subsequent songs were met with loud cheers, which might lead one to believe the half-full (or half-empty, depending on your disposition) venue was actually sold out. For those who did make it out to the Fox Theater – Oakland on Friday night, they got exactly what they wanted.

Editor’s Note: James Nagel is a Bay Area Photographer that writes from a mostly visual POV because, well, that’s what he enjoys.