Premiere: Foxx Bodies – ‘The Walk’ music video

Foxx Bodies

Desert punks Foxx Bodies didn’t come to play around. They moved to Los Angeles from Arizona not quite two years ago and have made a lot of noise since their arrival.

In between a few music videos, endless shows and recording their new album Vixen, they opened for the now-disbanded Sorority Noise on their “You’re Not As _____ As You Think” and now Foxx Bodies are in the process of filming a documentary about their own history with the abuse that came to inspire so much of their material.

Last year was a busy one for the foxxes, but 2019 promises to be even fuller. Before they drop their sophomore studio effort, they wanted to release one more video in support of their self-titled debut, calling it a proper send-off as they move onto the next phase of the band.

“Our first record was recorded in a day, after we had only been a band for a month,” guitarist Bailey Moses explains. “It’s rough and sloppy and punk as fuck. We’re really excited to show everyone this music video as an end cap to that first chapter of Foxx Bodies. This is the first one we filmed in Los Angeles, making it the perfect bridge between our old and new music.”

Foxx Bodies - 2019 Winter Tour

Fox Boddies’ sound is fun, impossibly infectious and self-described as “feminist surf punk,” but the message behind their music is far from light — something that’s readily apparent in lead singer Bella Vanek’s trademark screeches and palpable vocal emotion.

The quartet spent a few weeks in Seattle last fall, recording its upcoming LP with legendary indie-rock producer John Goodmanson (Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, Death Cab for Cutie) and promising that it will continue to talk about the very things that make so many people these days uncomfortable.

Vixen continues on the Foxx Bodies theme of talking about the hard shit, the things that stem from your childhood trauma,” Moses says. “Our first record focused largely on sexual abuse, but this one explores the aftermath of that. Mental health, religious stigmas, eating disorders … all of the shit you end up having as an adult and need to process. We want this album to be something people can listen to easier, but still feel that punch in the gut when they pay attention to the lyrical content.”

Foxx Bodies are hitting the road next month for their first tour in 2019, and their live show is truly unmatched (parental discretion advised). They’re playing in both LA at the Viper Room on February 15th and in the Bay Area at the iconic, non-profit Berkeley club 924 Gilman — or known by locals as just “Gilman” — in March, so make sure to take a peek at their new music video for “The Walk” below, which we have premiered exclusively here at Showbams, before copping tickets to one of their shows.

Lo Moon are officially LA’s newest buzz band after their sold-out show at the Troubadour

Lo MoonBy Josh Herwitt //

Lo Moon with Psychic Twin //
Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA
November 16th, 2017 //

If there’s one public radio station in Los Angeles that always seems to have its finger on the pulse of all things music, it’s KCRW.

The NPR member station broadcasting from Santa Monica College has long had a penchant for discovering some of today’s most buzzworthy bands, and since 1977, its signature music program “Morning Becomes Eclectic” has played an instrumental role in maintaining what has been a strong track record for years. In fact, quite a few up-and-coming acts have come out of KCRW’s own backyard, whether it has been indie-rock groups like Silverlake’s Local Natives or solo artists such as Inglewood-bred jazz virtuoso Kamasi Washington.

But the latest group from the City of Angels to catch the station’s eye has been Lo Moon, the atmospheric, yet soulful indie-electronic trio that has only officially released three songs to date. One of them is called “Thorns”, which opened their sold-out show last Thursday at the Troubadour. With KCRW sponsoring the event, Illinois native/now LA transplant Erin Fein’s dreamy, synth-pop project Psychic Twin paved the way for the evening’s headliner, as a half-empty room prior to 9 p.m. turned into a crowded one 30 minutes later.

Despite what they call home right now, Lo Moon don’t consider themselves an “LA band,” at least not yet. All three full-time members — Matt Lowell (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Crisanta Baker (bass, keyboards, vocals) and Sam Stewart (guitar, keyboards, vocals) — arrived in LA from different parts of the world and wrote most of their forthcoming debut LP that’s due out next year in Seattle, a city Lowell says helped shape the album’s overall sound.

Lo Moon

Lo Moon, sonically, can be somewhat difficult to pin down. With a range of influences, their music has drawn comparisons to many of the UK’s biggest bands: Talk Talk, Cocteau Twins, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead, Massive Attack and The xx, among others. That’s certainly some impressive company to be mentioned in when you get right down to it, especially for a band that took several months to unveil its second song. But Lo Moon have much more than just comparisons to hang their hat on at this point. The three-piece, for one, has inked a deal with Columbia Records and gotten the attention of former Death Cab for Cutie guitarist Chris Walla, who has since signed on to produce its first full length.

Lately though, Lowell, Baker, Stewart and touring member Sterling Laws (drums) have been hitting the road with some pretty big names, including AIR (read our show review here) and Phoenix, with shows lined up next month as support for London Grammar, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy and The War on Drugs. With those kind of opportunities this early in the band’s career, don’t be surprised if you find Lo Moon listed on the 2018 Coachella lineup in January.

Back at the Troubadour, Lo Moon ran through a number of tracks that we can expect to hear on their upcoming release, performing “The Right Thing” for the first time before closing the set on a high note with “This Is It”, their sophomore single that you could mistake for a Peter Gabriel song if you didn’t know any better. There’s no question Lowell and company have an affinity for synthesizers, and the limited studio material they’ve revealed so far suggests that. But what also makes them stand out is Lowell himself, who offered a poignant solo rendition on the piano titled “All In” to kick off the band’s brief encore.

Of course, as Lo Moon fans know or will come to know, the show couldn’t have ended without the song that started it all: “Loveless”. The sprawling, seven-minute anthem, which hooked a major record label, an A-list producer and listeners all over the world, is what initially put the threesome on the map, and with Laws’ drum rolls delivering one powerful crescendo after the next down the stretch, the crowd came visibly alive like it hadn’t all night. Sure, this may only be the beginning for these guys, but LA’s newest buzz band knows how to shoot for the moon.

Setlist:
Thorns
The Right Thing (live debut)
Wonderful Life
TTMYMO
Real Love
My Money
Camouflage
This Is It

Encore:
All In (Matt Lowell solo on piano)
Loveless

BottleRock Napa Valley makes more strides in 2016

BottleRock Napa Valley 2016By Mike Rosati & Norm de Veyra //

BottleRock Napa Valley //
Napa Valley Expo – Napa, CA
May 27th-29th, 2016 //

BottleRock Napa Valley once again returned to downtown Napa over Memorial Day weekend for its fourth edition, boasting an improved fan experience and an eclectic bill of music over a three-day stretch.

Serving as this year’s headliners were Stevie Wonder, Florence & the Machine and Red Hot Chili Peppers, while other notable acts included The Lumineers, Death Cab for Cutie, Lenny Kravitz, Walk the Moon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ziggy Marley, Grouplove and more.

But some of the best performances of the weekend came from artists playing on the festival’s smaller stages, from Long Beach’s Cold War Kids to Welsh alt-rockers The Joy Formidable. The Suffers, a 10-piece soul band from Texas, made one of the biggest impressions on the final day of BottleRock, along with San Francisco indie-pop outfit Dangermaker and singer-songwriter Langhorne Slim.

BottleRock Napa Valley 2016 - Florence & the Machine


Florence & the Machine

Among all of the music being played, one of the highlights was undoubtedly the festival’s Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage, which welcomed appearances by classic stoner-comedy duo Cheech & Chong (who kicked things off with a special show at The Uptown Theater in Napa the night before BottleRock) and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay. Even “American Pie” actor Thomas Ian Nicholas joined in on the fun during a set dedicated to the 1999 film.

Showbams was on hand for all three days of BottleRock, noting an upgraded layout, more food/beverage options and better VIP accommodations than in past years. And though the festival still has room to grow, it has come a long way in a relatively short amount of time.

BottleRock drops 2016 lineup, led by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder, Florence + the Machine

BottleRock Napa 2016 lineup

BottleRock Napa Valley //
Napa Valley Expo – Napa, CA
May 27th-29th, 2016 //

While everyone has been fixating on Monday night’s Coachella lineup announcement, which includes a reunited LCD Soundsystem and some form of Guns N’ Roses headlining the Indio festival, BottleRock Napa Valley was busy unveiling their own bill less than a day later.

The three-day festival in downtown Napa, which appeals to an older crowd than the aforementioned Coachella, announced its lineup early Tuesday and will welcome Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stevie Wonder and Florence + the Machine as headliners over Memorial Day weekend.

With more than 70 artists scheduled to perform across four stages, other noteworthy acts on this year’s lineup include The Lumineers, Death Cab for Cutie, Lenny Kravitz, Walk the Moon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Ziggy Marley, Grouplove, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Gogol Bordello, Cold War Kids, Iration, Misterwives, Atlas Genius, Buddy Guy, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The Pharcyde, The Joy Formidable, X Ambassadors, Ozomatli and Jamestown Revival.

BottleRock will also be bringing back and expanding its popular Culinary Stage that’s known for matching culinary stars up with celebrities, as last year’s festival saw Snoop Dogg teaming up with “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday, January 7th at 10 a.m. here and start at $269 for a three-day GA pass. VIP passes will be sold for $619, and a three-day platinum pass is as much as $3,100.

So, as you get ready for your “first taste of summer,” go back in time with our 2014 coverage.

The 25 best live music acts of 2015

Best Live Acts of 2015

Around this time last year, we shared our 25 favorite live performers of 2014 after spending the past 12 months covering many excellent bands, musicians and DJs. So, with 2015 almost in the books, we thought we would give the same exercise another try, except this year, we made the call to exclude any artists we named in 2014. What fun would it really be to list them two years in a row anyway?

In the end, it wasn’t an easy task whittling down our list to 25, but some tough decisions had to be made. Those who didn’t make the cut but still deserve to be mentioned here include the following artists and bands (in alphabetical order) who we either covered at their own show and/or at a music festival this year:

AlunaGeorge, Ariel Pink, BADBADNOTGOOD, Bad Religion, Battles, Beirut, Belle and Sebastian, Big Grams, Billy Idol, Black Lips, The Black Keys, Blonde Redhead, BØRNS, BROODS, Built to Spill, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Chet Faker, Chromeo, City and Colour, Classixx, Cold War Kids, Dâm-Funk, Damien Rice, Death Cab for Cutie, Dengue Fever, Django Django, Dr. Dog, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Failure, The Flaming Lips, Flight Facilities, Goldroom, Glen Hansard, The Glitch Mob, Gorgon City, Holly Herndon, Interpol, Israel Nash, James Bay, Jeff Tweedy, Jenny Lewis, The Jesus and Mary Chain, JMSN, Jose Gonzalez, Jurassic 5, Kanye West, Kindness, King Tuff, Marina and the Diamonds, Miami Horror, Milky Chance, Modest Mouse, Morrissey, MS MR, Les Sins, Lotus, Natalie Prass, Neon Indian, ODESZA, Of Montreal, Oneohtrix Point Never, Panda Bear, Penguin Prison, Phantogram, Portugal. The Man, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Purity Ring, Ratatat, Royal Blood, San Fermin, Shlohmo, Slow Magic, SOHN, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, STRFKR, Surfer Blood, Talib Kweli, Tame Impala, Tennis, Toro y Moi, Tycho, Umphrey’s McGee, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vintage Trouble, Vulfpeck, Widespread Panic, YACHT.

Now, without further ado, The Bam Team presents our 25 favorite live performers of 2015.

The Bam Team’s 5 Favorite Shows, Albums & Songs of 2015

Listen to The Bam Team’s favorite songs of 2015:


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #25 - Lord Huron

25. Lord Huron

The audience reacted with just as much enthusiasm during classic Lord Huron tunes as they did in hearing brand-new material, especially during fan favorites like “She Lit a Fire” and back-to-back rockabilly-tinged jams “The World Ender” and “Fool for Love”. At this point, the crowd had not only warmed up to Lord Huron’s infectious stage presence, but also gave into their buoyant vibes as mini dance parties broke out throughout the venue. -Molly Kish, photo by Steve Carlson


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #24 - Puscifer

24. Puscifer

Maynard James Keenan and friends have established themselves as not just a group of musicians who play songs on stage, but rather an assemblage of entertainers that provide their viewers and fans with something they may not have ever seen before — a true experience. Paying homage to the likes of Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd and the glory days of the rock opera, Puscifer have a very special way of combining their music with a stage show that offers so much more than just music. -Scotland Miller, photo by Mike Rosati


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #23 - Viet Cong

23. Viet Cong

Once the appetizer had been digested, Viet Cong were taking the stage and beginning a theme of quirky banter that eased the crowd into the blistering set as opposed to bombardment. Within the first few chords, it was evident that continued time on the road found the band at the peak of perfection. -Kevin Quandt, photo by Diana Cordero


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #22 - Kate Tempest

22. Kate Tempest

This decade will likely be known for the death of “genre,” the end of how groups have been contained into categories like R&B or rap since the birth of record labels. And with dance music on the rise, digitized conventions are creeping into pop, rap and indie music on the regular. With music more accessible than ever and for free, listeners are willing to experiment with their auditory material — and amalgamation is the natural result. Tempest represents this change as much or more than anyone as we enter the smack-dab middle of this decade. And that includes Kanye West, Sylvan Esso or Run the Jewels. -Mike Frash, photo by James Nagel


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #21 - Deerhunter

21. Deerhunter

Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox talked about how he decided on the way over to the island that he wouldn’t play many songs, how he took ayahuasca on Saturday night in LA and he was surprised at how reserved the TIMF audience was. He said we were “polite like the Japanese.” Bradford, that’s what we call “respect” — and you’ve earned it. -Mike Frash, photo by Marc Fong


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #20 - Faith No More

20. Faith No More

It can be hard to know what to expect from a crew like Faith No More and their eccentric, yet prolific members. The entire stage was dressed in white, from the curtains to the amplifiers to the mic stands. Lining the entire length of the stage and any flat surface that would support them were thousands of dollars worth of beautiful, fresh flowers. The abundance of purples and pinks, reds and yellows created a very comfortable and soothing, yet incredibly eerie feeling as to what was about to happen next. Once the setup was complete and the lights dropped, the crowd was let in to the stark contrast that is the weird world of Faith No More. -Scotland Miller, photo by Greg Ramar


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #19 - Sufjan Stevens

19. Sufjan Stevens

Stevens spoke of the need for community in the throes of grief, and the audience ably did their part to help him through this very public grieving process. At the end of the main set, a young woman crashed the stage to offer a bemused Sufjan something (a hug? words of love and encouragement?), and it seemed wholly appropriate, as if the audience needed in some small way to collectively reach out to the man after he bared his soul so openly. -Steve Carlson, photo by Steve Carlson


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #18 - Allen Stone

18. Allen Stone

In many ways, Stone’s ideological stance on technology shapes not only his set as a performer but also his fan base. Watching an Allen Stone show, one can feel certain that all pretenses will be left at the door and those surrounding you will be committing their full attention to the music. Midway through Stone’s set, the venue was completely under his charismatic spell. The audience actively followed the Seattle-born frontman’s lead as he prompted a group participation “2-step” and rolled through crowd favorites from his self-titled LP and latest album Radius. -Molly Kish, photo by Tom Dellinger


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #17 - The Kills

17. The Kills

Mosshart, tall and slender, strutted her way through just about all of it, displaying a bravado that exudes both sex and confidence, while Hince handled his axe like a bona fide rock star, eventually playing some slide guitar during the gritty, blues-infused track “Pots and Pans” that got the crowd roaring after it was over. After all, it’s that blues/garage-rock overlap, along with the chemistry exhibited between Mosshart and Hince onstage, that makes The Kills such a captivating rock ‘n’ roll act to see live these days. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #16 - The Chemical Brothers

16. The Chemical Brothers

Directly following their dramatic entrance to a recording of Junior Parker’s epic “Tomorrow Never Knows”, the duo kicked off their career-spanning set with crowd favorite “Hey Boy, Hey Girl” from 1999’s Surrender. They launched into a full-blown frenzy from that moment on, and the UK dance legends went hard (no pun intended) throughout the rest of their two-hour performance, debuting live remixes of new material from their 2015 release Born in the Echoes while interspersing nostalgia-inducing EDM classics off their seven previous albums. -Molly Kish, photo by Justin Yee


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #15 - Eagles of Death Metal

15. Eagles of Death Metal

EODM have the perfect style as a rock band, one that takes itself just seriously enough. As a whole, they are a hard, fast and tightly-wound production, with their silly lyrics and even sillier frontman bringing a perfect balance to what you want to see at a rock show. Closing with “Speaking in Tongues”, EODM walked off the stage at the Great American Music Hall knowing that they had accomplished what they came to do — to prove that rock ain’t dead. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Mike Rosati


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #14 - Florence + the Machine

14. Florence + the Machine

Welch lapped around the inside ring of the bowl, stopping briefly at the sound stage. What a cool moment. -James Nagel, photo by James Nagel


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #13 - Sturgill Simpson

13. Sturgill Simpson

Simpson has stage presence, that is without a doubt. The conviction of his voice bolsters his words as he describes a life of highs and lows, trials and tribulations. This was evident on renditions of songs like “Turtles All the Way Down”. If there is a song to capture your attention and convince you of Simpson’s talents as a songwriter, this is one of them. Just like that of his predecessors, he writes music that goes against the grain of popular country music. It may be defined as “outlaw country,” but I personally feel it is music that resonates with a wider audience than that of its counterparts. -Kory Thibeault, photo by Kory Thibeault


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #12 - alt-j

12. alt-J

The 2012 Mercury Prize winners echoed a semblance to that of Sigur Rós or Volcano Choir, leaving audience members entranced in a near-altered state while observing the foursome. The biggest fan responses erupted during the band’s singalong favorites “Breezeblocks”, “Fitzpleasure” and their token cover of Bill Withers’ “Lovely Day”. -Molly Kish, photo by Mike Rosati


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #11 - Hot Chip

11. Hot Chip

In recent years, only ever getting the chance to see the outfit in stripped-down DJ sets or as part of side projects/collaborations, the afternoon crowd full of die-hard, nu-disco fans were not disappointed as the UK dance veterans set the polo fields ablaze. Refraining from any slow builders, Hot Chip performed an hour-long set of career-spanning bangers, keeping the crowd moving with hit after hit, that seamlessly blended into one another. The set procured one of the most viral dance party moments of the festival, with the audience spiraling into a collective bliss as it came to a close. -Molly Kish, photo by Josh Herwitt


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #10 - Dan Deacon

10. Dan Deacon

One of the toughest things to do in the world of electronic music is to sound organic, to imbue a sense of heart into the digitized nature of ones and zeroes. The Baltimore native accomplishes this through his hilarious and improvisational free-form, stand-up comedy, which thrives on wandering non sequiturs. And he mirrors this by adapting his insane-train of sound to meet and exceed the energy in the room. The “America” suite finished off the show with an extended doom metal quality that gave a sense that no aesthetic boundaries can contain Deacon’s sense of musical exploration. -Mike Frash, photo by Pedro Paredes


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #9 - FKA twigs

9. FKA twigs

British singer-songwriter Tahliah Debrett Barnett, better known as FKA twigs, has been all the rage lately after performing at Coachella in April, and she closed out FYF in style, donning an elaborate burgundy- and gold-colored robe for her Sunday night set. Just the week before, the 27-year-old fiancée of actor/musician Robert Pattinson released her brand-new EP M3LL155X, and with it receiving high marks from a number of music outlets, there were quite a few fans who stuck around after 11:30 p.m. on a “school night” to watch her perform some of them, including the opening track “Figure 8”, “In Time” and “Glass & Patron”. FKA twigs might be one of the most compelling live acts out there right now, and after scheduling Purity Ring to close out The Lawn the night before, FYF seemed to make a point of letting women rule that stage in the late-night hours this year. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #8 - Empire of the Sun

8. Empire of the Sun

As Steele belted out “Alive”, the hit single off the band’s sophomore studio album Ice on the Dune, to close things out, he brought the audience to a transcendent place of exhilaration. Crowd members embraced and danced amongst a like-minded family of people lost in the moment, even if it involved intergalactic creatures dancing in colored smoke and a crowned Emperor playing without his bandmate on stage. EOTS shows are a special kind of magic that regardless of the material’s absurd nature, translate into an experience unlike anything else. -Molly Kish, photo by Steve Carlson


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #7 - My Morning Jacket

7. My Morning Jacket

Though it was more than understandable to see the band play a large majority of The Waterfall for its first performance at the Santa Barbara Bowl in almost four years, there were plenty of other deep cuts mixed in over the next two hours, from “Bermuda Highway” to “Mahgeetah” to “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2”. After all, it’s no secret that My Morning Jacket have always been good to their most loyal and dedicated fans, and in once again taking song requests as part of their “Spontaneous Curation Series,” they made sure to dig up many of the classics from their seminal album Z, including “Wordless Chorus” and “Off the Record” one after the other in the middle of a loaded, four-song encore. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #6 - Jamie xx

6. Jamie xx

Throughout his tour, Smith has refused to compromise his individual style for the sake of appeasing either extreme of his now commercially hybrid audience. Whereas those familiar with his early XL Records mixtapes were satiated by his intermingling of Gil Scott-Heron and Idris Muhammad samples between hits, his newfound post-In Colour fans experienced equally breathtaking moments with the crowd hitting peak energy levels during the encore chorus of “Loud Places” amidst the glow of a warped-speed, neon-green strobe light. Other notable moments included the near-religious choral drop of “Gosh” that escalated the packed house to spiritual levels of enthusiasm, bathed in the glowing sparkle of Smith’s staggeringly iridescent ceiling to floor disco ball and stage lights. -Molly Kish, photo by James Nagel


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #5 - Elton John

5. Elton John

The star-spangled legend sat at his majestic piano as the sun went down on Sunday and moved the crowd with his brilliant playing. The adoring audience hung on every word and joined in singing his most popular hits. Walking off stage quickly after his last song, the audience demanded more and Elton happily obliged. With rumors of Lion King songs being played at past performances, some doting fans wanted a second encore to the tune of “Circle of Life”. While he didn’t indulge the Lion King fans, his stellar performance was a perfect ending to an amazing weekend at Outside Lands, leaving everyone’s festival tank full of love. -Nik Crossman, photo by James Nagel


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #4 - Father John Misty

4. Father John Misty

Father John (Sassypants) Misty has his festival game on point, and he has progressed his I Love You, Honeybear songs into epic plateaus since premiering them in the Santa Cruz mountains last February. He spewed banter like an Stephen Colbert-esque contrarian, saying, “Look at these suckers with their hair blowing all over the place.” And as he approached the mic for more improv-snark later on, Tillman paused to say, “Sorry, I have nothing to say. Ha.” FJM was speechless for once, but granted, it might have been set up for “Bored in the USA”, a song that should be considered an American classic at this point. -Mike Frash, photo by Pedro Paredes


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #3 - Kendrick Lamar

3. Kendrick Lamar

As Kendrick Lamar’s incredible performance began to wrap up with his newest single “Alright”, a group of fans in the crowd proceeded to lift someone up in a wheelchair, who, if I recall correctly, was the same guy who had his photo famously taken at Outside Lands in 2013. Kendrick took notice and called him out — his sense of sincere appreciation for a place like the Bay Area was written all over his face. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Marc Fong


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 #2 - Caribou

2. Caribou

Described by fellow musician Dan Deacon as “one of the most brilliant acts touring right now” just before their set, Caribou lived up to the hype. Starting with “Our Love”, the four-piece band led by Dan Snaith perfectly set the stage for the next hour — a series of tightly wound compositions that, as the song progresses, expand in rhythmic complexity before reaching a climax that will get even the most tired Sunday afternoon crowd moving. Heavily augmenting its live performances from its studio recordings, the band’s live rendition of “Jamelia” in particular was a highlight of the set. Caribou is a band not to be missed. -Brett Ruffenach, photo by Justin Yee


Best Live Music Acts of 2015 - D'Angelo & The Vanguard #1

1. D’Angelo & The Vanguard

One of the most anticipated sets of the entire weekend was none other than D’Angelo’s — and for good reason. The R&B/neo-soul singer-songwriter hadn’t put out an album in 14 years until he suddenly dropped his 2014 masterpiece Black Messiah last December, so you knew that getting the rare opportunity to see Michael Eugene Archer work a crowd at FYF would be something special. Sounding more like a youthful James Brown than a wannabe Prince (we still don’t totally understand where those comparisons are coming from), D’Angelo and his eight-piece backing band The Vanguard took the audience for a ride as they doled out new and old hits. -Josh Herwitt, photo by Josh Herwitt

Outside Lands 2015 - Dan Deacon

Showbams_Sticker_Rectangle2

Are Built to Spill indie rock’s most important band?

Built to SpillBy Josh Herwitt //

Built to Spill //
Troubadour – West Hollywood, CA
July 15th, 2015 //

Long before the word “indie” became a trendy term for casual music fans to throw around here and there, an independent music scene was on the rise in the U.S. At the time, record companies still maintained a tight grip on the industry, making it all the more difficult for lesser-known bands to climb the ranks without the backing of a major label.

But those days have come and gone since the DIY age, with record labels no longer holding the overwhelming power they once had due to the accessibility and convenience that the internet has come to offer up-and-coming artists. That doesn’t mean the word “indie” has reached near-extinction levels yet, though. With the talent across today’s music business spanning far and wide, it’s being used even more now, except as a descriptor for a band’s sound rather than strictly for its label status. These days, there are a number of artists on independent record labels who have gained all sorts of commercial success while others who are signed to much larger labels have soared thanks to their “indie” sound. In many ways, the lines have become increasingly blurred, and attempting to define what “indie” actually means when describing a band has become an arduous feat.

Built to Spill

Yet, if there is one “indie” band that revolutionized the gritty, lo-fi sound before most even had a chance, it’s Built to Spill. For more than 20 years, the Boise-based outfit has served as one of the most important indie-rock acts to this day. With no Grammys or gold hardware to flaunt, lead singer/guitarist Doug Martsch and company have flown largely under the radar despite serving as a major influence for indie heavyweights like Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie and The Strokes — all bands that have gone on to garner a lot more commercial success than the Pacific Northwest five-piece. That’s not to say that Built to Spill never got the respect they deserved, but you won’t find them selling out arenas or headlining 1,000-person venues. Rather, despite signing with Warner Bros. Records more than 15 years ago, they’ve continued to maintain a relatively small, yet loyal following, understanding their audience and where they stand in the marketplace. So, it was no shock to see them book three straight nights last week at the diminutive Troubadour — a place that they’ve become quite familiar with over the years — while touring North America this summer in support of their eighth and latest full-length record Untethered Moon.

Selling out their third and final show in LA, Built to Spill still know how to keep their fans guessing. Their carefully crafted setlist showcased the breath and depth of a catalog that has stood the test of time, as they kicked things off with “The Wait”, the final track off their seminal 2006 album You in Reverse, before turning to their newest single “Living Zoo”. In a matter of 90 minutes, Built to Spill performed cuts from almost every one of their studio albums, from 1997’s Perfect from Now On to 1999’s Keep It Like a Secret to 2001’s Ancient Melodies of the Future to 2009’s There Is No Enemy to 2015’s Untethered Moon, of course. They even closed out their set with the title track from their 1999 EP Carry the Zero. But the biggest surprise just might have been seeing them honor some of LA’s musical past with a cover of The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High”, a song that was written nearly 50 years ago.

For their two-song encore, Built to Spill went way back in time to tap into another album of theirs, reminding us of their 1994 LP There’s Nothing Wrong with Love with “Stab” — a piece of music that’s more than two decades old at this point. And in watching Built to Spill play recently, including this past spring at Coachella, it’s become more and more apparent that Martsch, for all intents and purposes, is the brains behind the band. In fact, when he first formed Built to Spill in 1992, his plan was to change the group’s lineup for every album, using a rotating cast of musicians to record and tour while keeping himself as its only permanent member. Some fresh faces have entered the fold in more recent times, with bassist Jason Albertini and drummer Steve Gere replacing Brett Nelson and Scott Plouf, respectively, but even after Martsch signed the band to Warner Bros. Records back in 1995, the deal he inked allowed Built to Spill to maintain much of their creative control. At the time, many could have seen that development as the end of Built to Spill’s “indie” days. Instead, it’s only proved to be of no consequence for one of indie rock’s pioneering bands.

Setlist:
The Wait
Living Zoo
The Plan
Planting Seeds
Never Be the Same
Wherever You Go
Liar
The Weather
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
So
Eight Miles High (The Byrds cover)
Stop the Show
On the Way
Carry the Zero

Encore:
Stab
Randy Described Eternity

Death Cab for Cutie are still my guilty pleasure after all these years

Death Cab for CutiePhotos courtesy of Kathryna Hancock & Kevin Winter // Written by Josh Herwitt //

Death Cab for Cutie //
iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles – Burbank, CA
April 2nd, 2015 //

Everyone has a guilty pleasure band. You know, that band you’ve listened to so many times that you’ve memorized most, if not all, of its lyrics, yet would never openly admit such to your friends?

Well, maybe you don’t. But I do — and that band happens to be Death Cab for Cutie.

Believe it or not, Death Cab are only a couple years away from their 20-year anniversary at this point. Much like their other indie-rock contemporaries from the Pacific Northwest (i.e. Built to Spill, Modest Mouse), they strayed far away from the now-famous Seattle grunge movement that was slowly on the decline by the late 90’s.

Death Cab for Cutie

Eighteen years later, and the Bellingham, Wash., group now boasts an impressive catalog that runs eight albums deep after the release of Kintsugi on Tuesday. It’s another full-length effort that most Death Cab fans should come to enjoy, even if the songwriting follows much of the same formula that the band has employed on its previous seven studio albums.

Yet, that doesn’t mean nothing has changed for frontman Ben Gibbard and his bandmates. Founding guitarist and producer Chris Walla has moved on, officially leaving the band last summer, and while he still manages to leave his imprint on Kintsugi, the band’s producing duties have been turned over to an outside force, otherwise known as the highly regarded Rich Costey (Muse, Sigur Rós, Foster the People, Chvrches, Phantogram, Young the Giant).

Gibbard has always been known for making “pretty” music whether it’s with Death Cab or his electronic-leaning side project The Postal Service, and that’s certainly still the case on Kintsugi despite the record receiving some rather ho-hum reviews this week. Because even with Gibbard being divorced from actress-singer Zooey Deschanel for a couple years now, it’s hard to not think of Deschanel when he sings lyrics like “I guess it’s not a failure we could help / And we’ll both go on to get lonely with someone else.”

Death Cab for Cutie

But if creating a mood is what music is supposed to be about, then Gibbard is still doing a fine job in that regard. Sure, it may not be the happiest mood that’s being fashioned — and seemingly it’s always been that way for Death Cab — but it’s still one fans can relate to, as evidenced by the long line that stood outside the iHeartRadio Theater for the band’s special invite-only show last night in LA.

Performing material from Kintsugi in front of a live audience for just the second time after Wednesday’s appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Gibbard and company reminded us that they’re not just a bunch of sappy chaps. Instead, they breathed new life into staples like “The New Year” and “Soul Meets Body,” providing a newfound energy that absorbed much of the somberness you get when you listen to these songs on 2003’s Transatlanticism or 2005’s Plans.

Then there was “Black Sun,” the first single off Kintsugi, a slow burn that reached its apex with a gritty guitar solo from touring member Dave Depper. It quickly sent me back in time to 2011 when I watched Death Cab headline Treasure Island Music Festival in San Francisco and became thoroughly impressed with how lively and almost upbeat their show actually was. Once again, these were sad songs that didn’t feel nearly as melancholy as they had at one time or another.

And even if they did, Death Cab would still be my guilty pleasure band.

Setlist:

The New Year
The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
You Are a Tourist
Black Sun
Soul Meets Body
No Room in Frame
Little Wanderer
Photobooth
Crooked Teeth
Transatlanticism

Outside Lands 2014 night shows: Keep it going ’til the AM

Girls-on-Fire-Main-Stage-TimWritten by Molly Kish //

Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival //
Golden Gate Park – San Francisco
August 8th-10th, 2014 //

We’re only a few weeks away from one of the most anticipated summer festivals of the 2014 season. Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival has announced their official schedule for this year’s five consecutive evenings of night shows. In case you missed this past weekend’s announcement or weren’t privy to the ticket holder password, fret not — we’ve got you covered with our rundown of after-parties and links for you to win or purchase your tickets. The party does not have to stop on the polo fields!

View the 2014 schedule and create your custom grid to share with friends!
View our 2014 beer/artist pairings!


Phosphorescent

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6TH

Phosphorescent @ The Independent // SOLD OUT: Win tickets via Do 415

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Matthew Houck, aka Phosphorescent, kicks off this year’s lineup of OL night shows with a sold out performance Wednesday night at The Independent. A follow up to last year’s show at the Indy with his five piece band, the Alabama native returns to the venue, bringing his mix of “western ballads and swelling jams” to the intimate venue. On tour promoting his most recent record Muchacho, one can expect to hear standout tracks from this critically acclaimed 2013 release. A perfect Wednesday night warm up for Houck’s Friday set, hardcore fans will be starting their weekend early, and we recommend you do the same!


THURSDAY, AUGUST 7TH

Typhoon @ CA Academy of Sciences // Buy Tickets

Comprised of twelve singers, songwriters and multi-talented instrumentalists, this small army of a band will be bringing their impressive live show to the CA Academy of Sciences on Thursday night. A band whose sound is characterized by their complicated arrangements and articulate orchestration, Typhoon’s catalogue of work ranges from “sea shanties, to country western and Eastern European inspired songs.” Across the board they cover various styles, meld multiple genres and produce thematically dense work, focusing heavily on lead singer-songwriter Kyle Morton’s struggles with mortality and finding strength through personal relationships. A beautiful setting to catch an equally stunning set, grab your tickets here to take part in this OL edition of Nightlife.

Discover our Outside Lands beer pairing for Typhoon.

Glen Hansard @ The Fox Theater // Buy Tickets

Irish songwriter, actor, vocalist and guitarist Glen Hansard will headline the Fox Theater Oakland with opener Sean Hayes on Thursday night as well. Founding member of The Frames and half of the critically acclaimed duo, The Swell Season, Hansard has been creating seminal folk rock internationally for well over a decade. Gaining attention in the states initially for his role in the 1991 film The Commitments, Hansard recorded his first solo album in 2006 with help from Czech singer and mutli-instrumentalist Marketa Irglova, whom he would go on to co-star with in the 2006 Sundance Festival World Cinema Audience Award winning film Once and form the band The Swell Season within the same year. Hansard has since recorded and produced various songs on film scores and compilations, leant opening support for Eddie Vedder’s solo American tour, guest starred on American primetime sitcoms and released his solo debut Rhythm and Repose in 2012. NOT PERFORMING AT THE FESTIVAL, this performance is an exclusive night show only date! Grab tickets to this limited OL affair right here.

Diarrhea-Planet

Those Darlins and Diarrhea Planet @ Brick and Mortar Music Hall // Buy Tickets

It’s going to be a dual-headliner, Nashville rock throw down Thursday night at Brick and Mortar Music Hall. With Those Darlins founding members meeting at the Southern Girl’s Rock & Roll Camp in Tennessee, country roots run deep in the musical history of this band. Formed in 2006, releasing their alt-country debut in 2009, the band fluctuates between traditional southern instrumentation, rockabilly and garage rock. Partners on the bill, fellow Nashville natives and six piece rock band Diarrhea Planet complement the foursome perfectly with their explosive guitar shredding, pop-laden “drunken sing-along” spectacle of a performance. Fresh off of touring their volatile live show to this past year’s South By Southwest, Bonnaroo, Governor’s Ball and various other festival stages (we reviewed their inspiring show at The Indy in 2013), the band brings their energetic ensemble to Brick and Mortar Music Hall for another exclusive night show only performance. Be sure to grab your tix here.

Mikal Cronin and Bear Hands @ The Independent // Buy Tickets

Two separate OL acts for the price of one! Mikal Cronin and Bear Hands, both performing day one of the festival, will be headlining The Independent in a one-off warm up session on Thursday night. Cronin, having released his self-titled debut in 2011, has had a busy few years questioning long term relationships, moving to San Francisco, touring and recording with musical counterpart Ty Segall, forming his own band and releasing his sophomore album MCII as a Merge Records artist. A multi-instrumentalist, Cronin’s gritty garage rock sound blends perfectly with co-headliner Bear Hands’ post-punk influenced indie rock. Fresh off the release of their second studio album, Distraction, Bear Hands’ “New York buzz band” reputation precedes them, gaining the group national attention on several music blogs and entertainment websites. Be sure to grab your tix here.


Soul-Rebels

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8TH

The Soul Rebels @ Brick and Mortar Music Hall // Buy Tickets

Bringing the NOLA funk to Friday’s Outside Lands festival lineup, The Soul Rebels plan to keep the party going well into the evening at Brick & Mortar Music Hall that evening. Fate brought together original members Derrick Moss and Lumar LeBlanc when they met as percussionists in Dejean’s Young Olympia Brass Band. Although trained in New Orleans jazz fundamentals, the two opted to take the traditional brass band sound they were raised on to the next level, incorporating their love for contemporary R&B, funk and hip hop. Branching off in a new direction, the duo left to form their own group, quickly winning over local audiences and officially being christened the “Soul Rebels” backstage before their opening slot for the Neville Brothers, by Cyril Neville himself. Since then the band has released several full lengths albums, set up a residency at Uptown NOLA club Le Bon Temps, have become a staple act at festivals throughout the globe and most recently released a mixtape Power=Power, premiered by Noisey, including brass band renditions of Jay-Z, Drake, Kanye West, Daft Punk and more. Easily the most funky of post festival Friday night festivities, this show will be the dance party of the weekend. Be sure to grab your tickets here.

Death Cab for Cutie @ The Independent // SOLD OUT: Win tickets via Do415

Heavy hitters on Saturday’s OL bill, Death Cab for Cutie bring their iconic indie rock to The Independent for an extraordinarily intimate one night only performance. For 17+ years, DCFC have been impacting the modern shape of indie rock, becoming one of the most prominent mainstream alternative bands during this time. Recording a discography comprised of seven studio albums, five EPs, a demo and numerous side projects/solo efforts, DCFC has carved out a significant place in music history and remain a staple within the contemporary scene both through their continual contributions to music, film and live entertainment. Announcing via social media that they’re in the process of working on their eighth studio album, the group just celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their seminal 2003 album Transatlanticism and released a live album of material from their 2012 tour dates with Magik Magik Orchestra. This show will be one for the books and quite possibly the only time you’ll be able to catch this caliber of a band in a club-sized venue ever again. Register to win a pair of tix here.


The Killers

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9TH

The Killers @ The Independent // SOLD OUT: Win tickets via Do 415

Headlining what is undoubtedly the biggest night annually in the SF music scene, The Killers will be playing to a sold-out crowd at The Independent on Saturday night, preceding their Sunday night closing set at Outside Lands. The Las Vegas foursome formed in 2001 and has become one of the largest names in alternative rock over the past decade with four hit studio albums. Selling over 25 million albums worldwide, the band has garnered mainstream success worldwide after performing in over 50 countries and headlining arenas on six continents. On the 10-year anniversary of their first show ever, The Killers released their greatest hits compilation Direct Hits last September and have been touring the festival circuit and selling out dates around the globe since then. This year’s OSL appearance will be their first at the festival and first show back in the Bay Area since playing the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium last April. Tickets to their pre-festival, late-night show sold out minutes after their release, but there’s still a chance to win a pair of tickets to what easily will be one of the most coveted shows of this year’s summer concert calendar. Register to win a pair of tix here.

Gold Panda @ Mezzanine // Buy Tickets

Multi-faceted producer Gold Panda returns to Mezzanine on Friday night with his genre-bending take on electronic music. With the rise of producers such as Flying Lotus and Flume, many other similar artists are breaking out to larger crowds and stages as forward-leaning electronica garners a new level of popularity and appreciation. Gold Panda represents a vast amalgam of electronic music, borrowing influences from all over the world to weave an upbeat, futuristic tapestry. His latest release Half of Where You Live has been critically hailed as his third stab at a comprehensive full-length album. Tracks like “Brazil” demonstrate his use of South American rhythms in a contemporary manner while consistently maintaining a dance beat. There are no ‘drops’ or huge frills to his dance ethic, but rather a rapturing, constant beat that listeners can lose themselves in rather easily. Ghostly International only signs the finest in contemporary dance music, so it’s no surprise that Gold Panda reps the prolific label. Teamed with local opener Doseone, this after party will keep the positive energy flowing from Saturday night straight into Gold Panda’s festival set that closes out the weekend on Sunday. Purchase tickets for the only electronic night show announced for Saturday.

Woods @ Brick and Mortar Music Hall // Buy Tickets

BK-based Americana neo-psychadelia outfit Woods will be headlining Saturday night at Brick and Mortar Music Hall ahead of their festival set on the final day of OL. The trio have released eight albums since their formation in 2005, which have garnered them both critical acclaim across the board. Dubbed “pop shamanism”, the band is currently on tour celebrating the release of their new album, With Light and with Love, exploring “expanded sonic palettes” heavy with percussion, altered vocals and experimental guitar riffs. Their latest release on their self-run record label, Woodsist, is described as distinctly different from their previous work, “showcasing a more sophisticated brand of contemporary drug music,” relatable to the Beatles iconic Magical Mystery Tour, catering to a “new age of searchers, of Don Juan and Animal Chin alike.” Easily the biggest head trip of the OL night show options — if you’re looking to get weird Saturday night you’re going to want to buy tix here.

Discover our Outside Lands beer pairing for Woods.


SUNDAY, AUGUST 10TH

Deer Tick @ The Rickshaw Stop // Buy Tickets

The ever-rambunctious, consistently capricious, gut punching Americana enigma that is Deer Tick will be closing out the weekend after parties at Rickshaw Stop with help from fellow Saturday OL performers, The Districts. After years of touring with a rotation of band members and various name changes, Deer Tick officially formed and released their debut album War Elephant in 2007. Signing to Partisan Records in 2008, re-releasing their debut along with second and third albums to critical acclaim, the band took off running. On their fifth album Negativity in 2013, the band has aimed to “capture the raw and spontaneous kerosene blaze” of their live shows in their studio recordings. Exploring personal tragedies suffered throughout the recording process such as his father’s tax evasion prison sentence, the death of his uncle, a broken engagement, drug and alcohol abuse, etc., lead singer John McCauley brings brutal honesty to the stage that is an all-encompassing, sometimes tragic, explosive performance. Truly an incomparable performance, this show will be the one that punctuates the weekend with one, final, lasting impression.

Kool and the Gang SuperJam @ The Independent // Buy Tickets

Last but not least, the Kool and the Gang SuperJam will be taking over The Independent Sunday night for a one-time only collaborative concert event, closing out the festival in proper fashion. Featuring members of the legendary funk outfit along with Eric Krasno, Adam Dietch, Nigel Hall, The Shady Horns and top secret special guests, this diverse group of musical luminaries will be on stage reimagining a variety of classic songs from Kool and the Gang. The Grammy Award-winning group have influenced three generations of musicians worldwide, selling over 70 million albums which earned collectively 2 Grammy’s, 7 AMA’s, 25 Top Ten R&B hits, 9 Top Ten Pop hits, 31 gold and platinum albums and the title of the longest running R&B group in the history of the genre. If there is one show where artists from Outside Lands would randomly decide to sit in on a performance, this would be the one. Can’t see yourself wanting to call it an evening on Sunday night? This show might be the best option for you. Be sure to buy your tix here.

OutsideLands2

First Times: Experiencing Seattle’s music scene

Seattle skylinePhotos by Melissa Hebeler & Josh Herwitt // Written by Josh Herwitt //

Growing up in the 90’s, Seattle always had a special place in my heart.

From my days of listening to Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains albums in my bedroom, grunge music had already produced a profound impact on my musical taste by the time I entered my teens. Unlike so many of my peers, I never became a crazed Nirvana fan, but the rock music I did like — whether I knew it or not at the time — was being born in the Pacific Northwest.

As time passed and my music palette grew, grunge wasn’t the only genre coming out of the region that tickled my ears. In fact, Seattle’s musical history stretches further than it just being the birthplace of grunge. In more recent years, Seattle’s hip-hop scene, for one, has exploded in part due to Grammy winners Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, but even experimental acts like Shabazz Palaces and Blue Sky Black Death have helped build the local scene. And let’s not forget that we’re talking about the city that bred the one and only Sir Mix-a-Lot, of course.

Knowing this, my expectations of Seattle’s music scene have always been quite high. Since the late 60’s when Seattle native Jimi Hendrix took London by storm with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, there has been a musical fabric that has run through the Emerald City. It’s a city, after all, that has a nonprofit museum dedicated largely to pop culture and music, with informative, in-depth exhibits on the history of The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Nirvana that include authentic artifacts, hand-written lyrics, used instruments and original photographs of both groups. You never know — maybe someday Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters memorabilia will also find its way behind the EMP Museum’s glass doors.

EMP Museum

Meanwhile, Sub Pop, Seattle’s famed independent record label, has found continued success outside of its home base long after popularizing the grunge movement, with indie contemporaries like The Shins, Fleet Foxes, Beach House, Foals, The Postal Service and Wolf Parade all signed to its current roster. And even more than 25 years after its inception, the label Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman created hasn’t lost its charm in a city where the Seahawks carry as much weight as any local band on the brink of national prominence these days.

With that said, while history can’t be erased, it certainly doesn’t mean it will be repeated. The Crocodile, formerly known as The Crocodile Café, has long been a fixture in Seattle’s music scene; the relatively small, intimate club on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Blanchard Street in the neighborhood of Belltown was the place where bands like Nirvana and Death Cab for Cutie first got their start. Even though the 525-person venue closed its doors in 2007, it reopened them a couple years later and has remained instrumental in maintaining Seattle’s reputation as one of America’s best music cities.

But whether it was the Fourth of July holiday or just the band that was booked for the night — in this case, San Francisco’s Geographer, who I have seen a handful of times at this point — I was surprised to see a room only half full of spectators when I walked inside. Maybe Geographer just doesn’t draw in Seattle what it does in SF or LA — or maybe I’m just spoiled. Since graduating college, I have had the privilege of living in New York and Los Angeles while getting to experience both cities’ music scenes for an extended period of time. My concert-going experiences haven’t been restricted to just LA and NYC, though. Over the years, I have made numerous trips to Denver — a city smaller than Seattle, yet one that undeniably eats, breathes and lives for live music — to attend shows at Red Rocks and beyond.

Geographer

At The Crocodile, something felt missing unfortunately. Sure, it was just one show, but there wasn’t the same kind of buzz I found in any of those aforementioned cities. For whatever reason, my native LA often gets vilified by outsiders and transplants for our crowds’ lack of enthusiasm; words like “rude” and “unengaged” are regularly thrown around when it comes to LA’s music scene. But the energy at The Crocodile on that Friday night wasn’t anything better than what I experience on a regular basis in Southern California. If anything, it was considerably worse.

As disappointed and uninspired as I was after the show, my respect for Seattle’s music scene hasn’t wavered. With so much of my youth influenced by the musicians who have called this majestic seaport city home, it will always remain an important place for this music lover. Yet, what it’s made me realize is just how lucky I am to have lived where I’ve lived and been where I’ve been.

Geographer

The Postal Service keep the nostalgia fresh with some help from Big Freedia & Baths at the Greek Theatre Berkeley

The-Postal-ServiceBy Mike Frash //

The Postal Service with Big Freedia, Baths //
The Greek Theatre – U.C. Berkeley
July 26th, 2013 //

The Postal Service played their third-ever Bay Area show at the Greek Theatre on Friday — the supergroup had previously performed at two tiny clubs, Bottom of the Hill and the Los Gatos Outhouse, respectively, in 2003 before their only record Give Up became a massive success. It was a night of nostalgia, yet The Postal Service made everything feel fresh, successfully sucking in the attention of the surprisingly youthful crowd. The audience was engaged throughout the show, a setting and mood that should be partially attributed to the night’s two openers, one that seemed completely out-of-place and another perfect.

Baths is a fast-rising electronic musician (born Will Wiesenfeld) who is touring on his excellent second record Obsidian. Baths is the ideal opener for The Postal Service — his music is more somber and moody, but his digital textures are so similar. The crunchy, industrialized beats found in “Worsening” and “Ossuary” sound related to the underlying, limping baseline in The Postal Service song “This Place Is a Prison”. Wiesenfeld and Postal Service digital mastermind Jimmy Tamborello have the same knack for atypical, Nintendo glitch production and therefore are kindred spirits.

Baths

Wiesenfeld’s live show includes another performer to help with button pushing, knob turning and electric guitar. The stage production is decidedly minimalist — both artists face each other while playing muddled, industrialized sounds from MIDI pads stacked on top of the boxed they were originally packaged in. Wiesenfeld plays the keyboard live and nails his passionate, on the brink-of-death lyrics with precision. His falsetto was on point, and all of the electronic sampling was performed live except for the driving, minimalist beats.

The audience may have been chatting away for much of Baths’ performance, but all it took was some booty twerkin’ and the first Sissy Bounce performance the Greek has witnessed to get everyone on their feet. When looking at the bill for the evening, it was hard to gauge how a Postal Service crowd would react to Big Freedia, the Queen Diva of Bounce. Bounce music is a rap-based hip-hop subgenre from New Orleans, heavy on bass with a NOLA second-line mentality — hence the booty.

Big-Freedia

If ya got it, shake it — bouncing female booty while wearing short shorts or tight spandex is virtually synonymous with bounce music itself, and Big Freedia understands this historical aspect. The Queen Diva has worked the art of booty bouncing into live production art, as her dancers know how to put on an entertaining show that is exciting and fun to watch.

The dancers performed upside-down booty rockin’ with handstands, ran the booty train with Freedia as the locomotive and climbed speakers and lighting pillars to shake that ass. It was anything but boring, either making you dance or ask yourself, “What the fuck am I watching?” The wild, random featured act was joined by Postal Service leader Ben Gibbard for some booty shakin’ to end the set — it was the final night Big Freedia opened for the headliners on this tour.

The-Postal-Service

Big Freedia ended up prepping the crowd perfectly for The Postal Service, getting everyone’s attention turned toward the stage. The crowd was attentive during The Postal Service set, adding harmonious sing-alongs to the group’s biggest songs. Some of these moments were spontaneous, others were encouraged by the performers. Opening song “The District Sleeps Alone Night” elicited a perfectly blended sing-along with the line “I was the one worth leaving” — but show closer “Brand New Colony” ended the night in a most memorable fashion. They ended the concert by encouraging the audience to join them in continuing “Everything Will Change” a cappella — and those in attendance obliged Gibbard wholeheartedly. He counted out the four beats in the measure before signaling to the crowd to yell the line, and it was clear the frontman was pleased with the participation after the final notes had been played.

The set was performed tight and cleanly — the foursome is clearly honed in at this point of the tour. The mid-set cover of Beat Happening song “Our Secret” was a highlight. The track built then segued into atmospheric territory — it was a long song but ended right as it was starting taking off. Gibbard jumped into press row for the set-ending “Natural Anthem”, leaving the rest of the group to awkwardly leave the stage for the encore.

The-Postal-Service

Once again, Jenny Lewis is the MVP. She’s so present in the moment while in control of her craft. Gibbard was enthusiastic and might be one of the worst dancers in live music today. But he owns his stage presence with gusto, and it makes you realize one possible reason why he shifted from electropop back to more indie-laden fare with Death Cab for Cutie.

At one point, Gibbard sincerely thanked everyone for being there, saying that “We know you have many options for your concert dollar. Thank you for not choosing Justin Bieber,” playfully referencing the Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z mega-show happening at Candlestick Park across the bay. While that comparison is weird, frankly, everyone present at the Greek must have had a couple goose-bumpy moments thinking back to a time 10 years ago when they first listened to The Postal Service.

Setlist:
The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
We Will Become Silhouettes
Sleeping In
Turn Around
Nothing Better
Recycled Air
Be Still My Heart
Clark Gable
Our Secret (Beat Happening cover)
This Place Is a Prison
There’s Never Enough Time
A Tattered Line of String
Such Great Heights
Natural Anthem

Encore:
(This IS) the Dream of Evan and Chan
Brand New Colony